It was a chilly fall day, and the foals of the mane six, the mane foals, were on their way to their first day of school. They were all about four years old, and Speeding had just turned five, and Word Smith was about to turn five. The eight of them walked to the school building together. They each had a satchel on their back.

"Oh, I can't wait!" Extra Credit, Rarity and Pocket's daughter, said, "Father said school was the best time of his life!" Extra Credit had a light pink satchel with a worksheet on it.

"Well, my dad said it was the worst," Speeding Ticket, Rainbow and Con's daughter, grumbled. She had a light blue satchel with a speeding ticket on it.

"Look on the bright side, guys," Party Animal, Pinkie and Butter's daughter, said. She had a light green satchel with a party hat on it.

"We're all together!" Comic Con, Party's brother, pulled everypony into a big group hug. He had a dark pink satchel with a comic book on it.

"Ah ain't looking forward to math, though," Buck Strong, Applejack and Simple Ways' son said, "Ah don' think Ah'd be that good at it." He had a dark yellow satchel with an apple tree with a few fallen apples around it.

"Don't say that, Buck," Tux Sew-do, Extra Credit's brother, said, "You might just be the best in the class! Who knows?" He had a light grey satchel with a black and white tuxsedo on it.

"Yeah, Ah guess you're right," Buck smiled slightly.

"I just don't like that I have to be cooped up in a building all day," Ranger, Fluttershy and Creature's son, said. He did a little back flip in the air, "Think of all the adventuring I could be doing right now!" He had a yellow satchel with a compass on it.

"Exactly!" Speeding agreed, "I could be flying all around town with my mom right now!" Speeding flew forward a few feet, leaving behind a rainbow trail, and flew back.

"I don't know, maybe it'll be fun," Princess Word Smith, Twilight and Book Worm's daughter, said, "Maybe if I work hard enough, I can go to Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns, just like my mom did." She had a lilac purple satchel with an 'O' on it.

"But you're not a unicorn," Speeding smirked, "You're an alicorn."

"I still count," Word Smith said quietly, looking down and to the side.

"Maybe I could go to Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns," Extra Credit though aloud, "Father was very intellectual and good with magic. Maybe if I work hard enough, I can go, too."

"Hey, yeah!" Word Smith smiled. She and Extra Credit were BPFFs, or Best Pony Friends Forever. The school bell rang and all the foals entered the building. Extra Credit levitated an apple on the teacher's desk. They all sat down after putting their satchels in the cubbies. Extra Credit sat in the very front so she could hear the teacher well. The teacher, Mrs. Cheerilee, entered the building and walked over to her desk.

"Hello, students!" She said happily, "Today we have a very fun lesson planned!" She pulled a bag of small gold coins out of her desk. Speeding perked up and smiled at the thought of getting money just for coming. Like her dad, she loved money.

"We will be doing some math with these plastic bits," Mrs. Cheerilee explained. Speeding slumped back down in her seat in the last row. They were fake.

I should have known better than to think they were giving us actual bits, Speeding thought.

Mrs. Cheerilee passed out the bits, and everypony got twenty bits each. She went back to the front and wrote '8+9' on the board.

"Ok, so what-" Mrs. Cheerilee didn't finish her question because she saw a hoof in the air, "Yes, Extra Credit?"

"Seventeen," Extra Credit said. Mrs. Cheerilee stared for a minute, surprised.

"That's...correct," She said, "How'd you figure that out so quickly?"

"It's so simple," Extra Credit smiled, "Anything plus ten is that number with a one in front, so anything plus nine must be one less than that same number plus ten."

"That's...very good," Mrs. Cheerilee said, "Well, it seems like we have another Pocket in here." Mrs. Cheerilee smiled. Extra Credit beamed.

"He's actually my father," Extra Credit said.

"Well, that's great!" Mrs. Cheerilee said, "Pocket was one of my favorite students to have in here. Always eager to learn!"


At noon the foals were let out for lunch. Everypony grabbed their lunches from their satchels and went to sit outside and enjoy the fall weather. The mane foals sat together and unbacked their lunches. Speeding had a grilled cheese, a chocolate pudding, and celary. Word Smith had an apple, a dandelion sandwich, and a yogurt. Party had a chocolate cake and a vanilla cupcake. Comic had gravy and buttered toast. Ranger had two grilled cheeses, carrots, and a cookie. Buck had a small apple pie and an apple brown betty. Tux had a daffodil and daisy sandwich, cauliflower, and a vanilla pudding. Extra Credit had a yogurt, an apple, cauliflower, and a peanut butter sandwich.

"Wow, school is really fun!" Word Smith said.

"Eh, I guess, but my dad said it gets harder as it goes," Speeding said with a mouth full of chocolate pudding.

"Please, don't talk with you mouth full!" Extra Credit said, disgusted.

"Yeah, it is kinda gross," Tux agreed. He took a bite of his cauliflower.

"That looks like broccoli," Comic said, a little panicky.

"It's not," Tux said after swallowing, "It's cauliflower. It's actually really good, expecially dipped in ranch." Tux used his magic to dip the white vegtiable into a small container of ranch, "C'mon, try some." He levitated the cauliflower towards Comic, who zipped his mouth shut.

"C'mon, it's really good!" Extra Credit said, "It tastes nothing like broccoli." Party bit the cauliflower right out of the air, chewing it and swallowing.

"Hey, this stuff isn't half bad!" Party said, smiling. She took a sip of her strawberry milk. Extra Credit used her magic to dip another piece of cauliflower in ranch and brought it towards Comic. Comic, after looking at his sister as if asking if it really was good and her nodding, he slowly took a small bite and smiled.

"Hmm, it is good!" He chomped the rest out of the air and swallowed, "More please!"

"See? I told ya!" Tux smiled and gave Comic half of his cauliflower. After they were done eating the foals went to play for a while before the bell rang. When it did, they went back inside for the next class.

"Now we'll be doing some spelling with names," Mrs. Cheerilee said, "Ok, who can spell Speeding Ticket?" Speeding raised her hoof but Mrs. Cheerilee didn't call on her, "You can't volenteer to spell your own name. It's unfair." Speeding grumpily put her hoof down and Mrs. Cheerilee saw that Word Smith's hoof was raised, "Word Smith?"

"S-P-E-E-D-I-N-G space T-I-C-K-E-T," Word Smith spelled easily, "Speeding Ticket."

"Very good," Mrs. Cheerilee smiled, "Ok, how about Party Animal?" Word Smith's hoof shot up again, "Word Smith?"

"P-A-R-T-Y space A-N-I-M-A-L," Word Smith spelled again, "Party Animal."

"That's correct," Mrs. Cheerilee said. After spelling a few more names, Word Smith thought she may have found her calling, but didn't think anything of it.


After school the foals rushed out the door after grabbing their bags. Speeding flew into the air and did some flips.

"Finally free!" She yelled out, smiling.

"Today was a good day," Word Smith said.

"I'll say!" Extra Credit beamed, pointing at Word Smith's flank, "You got your cutie mark!" Word Smith looked behind her in shock, seeing a small silver 'O' on her flank. She gasped.

"I got my cutie mark!" She yelled, "I GOT MY CUTIE MARK!" Squealing, she started jumping around in circles, repeated, "I got my cutie mark!" over and over.

"Stand still and let us see, princess!" Ranger said. Word Smith stood still and let the others see her brand new cutie mark.

"What?!" Speeding cried, "How'd you get you cutie mark before me? I'm older than you!"

"Not by much, though," Word Smith was still beaming, "I gotta get home and show my parents!" The young princess spread her wings and shot into the sky, heading home to the sparkly crystal castle. She skidded on the ground as she landed in front of her door and burst inside.

"Mom! Dad!" She called out happily, galloping around the large home, searching. She found them in one room.

"Welcome home, Word Smith," Twilight smiled, "How are you?"

"I got my cutie mark!" Word Smith yelled, running into her mother's hooves.

"What?" Book Worm walked over, "Let us see." Word Smith showed her parents her brand-new cutie mark.

"Oh, congratulations, Word Smith!" Twilight beamed and hugged her daughter, "What is it?"

"S-P-E-L-L-I-N-G!" Word Smith spelled, smiling wider.

"Spelling?" Book Worm asked, "I should have guessed!" Book Worm join the hug, proud of his princess daughter.