Classroom of the future

by Paradise Oasis

Prelude

"That's all for today, Class!" The pink earth mare declared. " Be sure to turn in your tests, before you leave, and I'll see you all on Monday!"

Cheerilee watched all of the little fillies and colts go galloping out of her classroom, excited that the school day was finally over. Ponyville's teacher shuffled her papers with her hooves, and then got up to straighten out all of the disorderly desks and chairs the quickly departing students. When she was satisfied she had tidied up the entire classroom, she collapsed into her desk to rest once more.

"There, looks like everything is cleaned up for the weekend." Cheerilee thought with a sigh. "Now I can devote my entire weekend to grading their papers, reading, and relaxing!"

It was another typical end to another school week, just like every other school week in the long educational career that stretched behind the mare. She had seen students go and students come, watched nearly a hundred students go from first through the fist through the sixth grade in her little country schoolhouse. Most of the students from her earliest years of teaching were now young professionals in Ponyville, working jobs in the community that best suited their respective special talents.

Getting up from her desk, the teacher nearly stumbled and fell as she trotted her way towards the door. She was still weary from the last field trip the class had taken to see the alicorn bell in Fillydelphia, and she hadn't even had time to rest since their return, given her hectic teaching schedule.

"Oh dear, I suppose I really need a vacation fairly soon." The teacher contemplated to herself. "But then, who would teach and take care of all of my little ponies?"

Looking over at the wall, Miss Cheerilee glanced at the wall filled with the artwork from this years class of students. There was a little butterfly drawn in crayon, over there was an apple tree done in watercolors. She had seen many, many different drawings and art put up on these walls, much of which she still kept at home and cherished. These little fillies and colts needed her guidance, her teaching ability, to help them find their special talents, and earn their cutie marks. it was the reason destiny had put the mare here in the first place.

"Well, I suppose I'd better get home." The mare thought aloud, trotting out of the schoolhouse, and closing the door behind her. "These papers aren't going to grade themselves!"

As she turned to leave, the Earth pony teacher noticed a small package lying on the schoolhouse stairs. The school mare picked up the packet, and opened it to find an odd looking book with a strange cover.

"Hmm, what this?" She thought to herself, reading the title on the cover. "Cutie Marks: Cheerilee's guide to helping foals find their special talents. That's strange, I don't remember writing a book on cutie marks." Cheerilee smirked. "Though given my history teaching the CMC, I could probably write enough to fill a whole library!"

Curious about the contents of the book she knew she didn't write, the earth pony teacher open the cover of the thick and heavy tome... and suddenly there was a strange flash of light! Cheerilee vanished without a trace, laving the book to fall harmlessly to the ground outside of the schoolhouse! Everything was quiet after this strange event occurred, as if there had never been a teaching mare there in the first place.

Several hours later, a passing mailpony carrier would find the book and package, and seeing that the envelope tab was addressed to the library at Canterlot, put the tome inside the package, sealed it, and took it with him back to the post office. It was soon delivered to the Canterlot library, where an annoyed overworked librarian stuck it back on a shelf in the educational book archives, not even bothering to check it back in, or even to open it.

It took until Miss Cheerilee didn't show up for school on Monday, for the ponies of Ponyville to realize their school mare was missing. An extensive search was conducted that lasted several days, but nothing of note was ever turned up to Miss Cheerilee's whereabouts. Eventually, a small memorial service was held in Ponyville, a new school mare came to town, and ponies got on with their lives. Cheerilee's parents had long since passed away, and she had no family to speak of, so in the passage of time it was not difficult for her to be forgotten.

But in the shelves of the Canterlot archives, a lone book sat collecting dust as the years came and went. It was occasionally dusted off and shuffled through the stacks, but never opened by any of the curious ponies in the archives. Ages beyond counting past, and Canterlot and it's great library were cleaned out, and abandoned by Ponykind to crumble into ruins. But a few unwanted and unimportant books still remained on the shelves, including a curious little volume left lying on it side, sitting on the bottom of a crumbling bookshelf. It was here two ponies exploring the ruins of Canterlot, just happened to come across the ancient tome.

"Blimey, Wind Whistler, have a look at this!" A Pegasus called out to her companion, picking up the ancient tome. "I found a really old educational book ere', an you won't believe how intact it is!"

"Don't open the tome up, North Star! It might crumble in your hooves!" The other mare replied. "Let's take it back to dream Castle, we'll let Miss Sundance have a look at it!"

And so the teacher's story, was about to begin again...

Comments

[StormLuna]

I knew Cheerilee was going to wind up in Ponyland the moment she disappeared.

[Leave a Whisper]

What a strange artifact