Thirty Minute Pony Stories

Ponyville’s schoolyard rang with the cacophony only a mob of fillies and colts could make as they waited for parents and siblings to lead them home. The anxious wait was palpable, each foal eager to begin yet another summer of homework-free bliss. As they filed out the schoolhouse door, their ever-pleasant and quietly watchful teacher Cheerilee handed out final report cards to each one.

“Have a great summer! Take care! Keep reading!” she called as they bustled past her, report cards held tightly in mouth, wing, or magic grasp.

A tiny aqua unicorn trotted past the teacher and took her final grades in a flickering, sputtering magical field.

*POIT!*

She looked back and squealed, “I got it! I got my cutie mark! It’s a… A…”

Cheerilee looked carefully at the open-book symbol and clapped her hooves together in delight. “Oh Bloo, it’s wonderful! Your cutie mark is a grade book! Perhaps you’ll be a teacher too someday! Congratulations. “

The little unicorn skipped out to the school playground, her friends crowding around and hugging her tightly. One of them, a plump bubbly pink pegasus, suddenly looked around with wide-eyed wonder.

*POOF!*

“Oh, me too! Me too! What is it? I can’t see it!” Cheery’s schoolmates pointed excitedly toward her now non-blank flank at a reddish circle, a heart emblazoned in the middle. “I got that just for hugging? Wow! Maybe my special talent will be making all my friends feel even better. I’m so excited!”

“Awesome, Cheery! Way to go!” cheered a little cyan colt, his tiny wings flapping excitedly.  He looked down only to see a few scant inches between his hooves and the dusty play yard. “Whoa - I did it! I’m flying! Hey look, guys, I’m flying!”

*BAMF!*

Cheery pointed behind him with her own stubby wing. “Chip, look!”

A pair of silvery aviator’s wings now graced his flank. “Sweet! I’ll be a flyer for sure! Maybe one day I’ll even be a Wonderbolt! Woo-hoo!” He took off, albeit slowly and haltingly, his muzzle fused into a permanent smile.

As he flapped away, his report card dropped toward a nearby mud puddle, floating lazily on a barely-noticeable breeze.

“I got it! I got it!” shouted a lavender filly, diving toward the descending paper. She tucked, rolled, clear of the muddy patch, and caught the little card between two outstretched hooves.

*BOOP!*

She balanced precariously on her hind hooves as Bloo called out from behind her, “Half Note! Half Note! Look!” She chanced a glance backwards and saw a ball emblazoned on her flank, its motion lines mirroring her own.

“It’s a hoofball” The green-maned filly jumped with gleeful abandon and joined her friends in a warm embrace. “I’m gonna be a hoofball player! I’ll be famous! I promise, I won’t forget you guys when I’m on the front of the Oaties box!”

The gaggle of foals burst out into raucous laughter, already swapping stories of possible careers and bright futures.  As the departed the schoolyard a few at a time, the resulting silence became deafening. Not only were the chortles and chuckles gone, but there was suddenly a distinct lack of *POIT*s, *POOF*s, *BAMF*s, or *BOOP*s. The silence continued for untold minutes.

A nearby bush rustled as if supremely annoyed.

“OH, COME ON!”

——-

Comments by Kyronea:

A sudden storm of Cutie Mark Acquisitions! And yet, as always, those poor two fillies are left out of the loop. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, you’re not getting your Cutie Marks till the show lets you, I’m sorry. I thought this was pretty funny and I liked the choices for the Cutie Marks—a nice mixture of various types of talents, especially since it didn’t limit talents based on gender, which is always good to see. I enjoyed this.