A few seconds passed before you finally got the nerve up and said your name to the whole class. There were hushed whispers amongst the others, which died down when Ms. Cheerilee cleared her throat.

“Well, what do you like to do for fun?” Ms. Cheerilee asked.

You really didn’t like all this attention. All the eyes on you felt like bugs you just wanted to swat off. Instead of making a scene, you try to answer the question.

“I like… I like the ocean. And reading maps. And using the tools.”

Ms. Cheerilee gave you a look, as did the other ponies.

“The tools? What kind of tools?” A pink earth pony asked in the front.

You smiled. All the navigation gear you find on a boat was what your dad had called ‘The tools’. He had taught you the name and how to use every single one at one point or another and could name them in your sleep.

“Oh, all sorts. Rulers, compasses, astrolabes, telescopes, sextant-“

You were cut off when a yellow Pegasus colt got up and yelled

“He said sex!”

Immediately, the other ponies joined in started laughing. Your cheeks turned bright red and felt like they were going to burst into flames any moment. All you could do was hang your head and hope that the laughter died down soon. Which, thanks to Ms. Cheerilee, ended very quickly.

“CLASS!” She yelled out. The laughter stopped dead. The class was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Everyone drooped their head a bit as Ms. Cheerilee began to chew them out.

“This is NOT how we treat a new class mate! And Half-Back! What do you have to say for yourself?!?”
The yellow Pegasus looked at Ms. Cheerilee for a second and then back to you.

“I’m sorry.” He said, half-heartedly.

You knew for a fact he wasn’t. Ms. Cheerilee turned to you and sighed.

“I’m sorry for that. Why don’t you take a seat over there” She suggested, pointing to an empty chair in the front row. Taking a seat, you find yourself in-between two fillies. To your right, there was a yellow earth pony with a bright red mane that held a large red bow. To your left, there was a white unicorn with a purple and pink mane.

“Applebloom and Sweetie Belle will help you and get you settled in if you need it.” Ms. Cheerilee said with a nod to the two fillies sitting next to you. “Now class, yesterday we were discussing the founders of Ponyville who…”

You tuned out Ms.Cheerilee, still trying to recover from that little fiasco.

Sextant? Nice choice of words, dumbo. You thought to yourself. You slipped back in your desk as far as you dared, hoping that if you made yourself look as small as possible, the class will forget about you and move on. But no such luck.

“Hey… Hey you…” You hear to your right. Looking, you see Applebloom, looking at you with a smile.
“Hey… You don’t have your Cutie Mark?” She asked.

You rolled your eyes and wonder which Princess you angered to deserve this. First you get embarrassed by one of the tools and now they were going to pick on you for being a Blank-Flank.

“Ya, what about it?” you asked, a little ticked off.

She looks past you and motions her eyes towards you. Glancing behind you, you see an orange Pegasus looking down at your side, which makes you a little uncomfortable. She then looks over to your right and motions with her head to you. The unicorn looks at your left side first and then tries to crane her neck to get a better look, but only manages to fall out of her seat and onto the floor. The class snickers at the display, but Sweetie Belle swiftly gets back into her seat before Ms. Cheerilee turns around, only to give you and the three around a puzzled look. Sighing heavily, you realize all at once that waking up was a bad idea and try to remember your dream.

* * * * * * *

“Well Cap’n, wadda we do wit ‘em?” One of your pirate crew asks. You circle the captured crew of the schooner.

“Hm. Hmm… HMMMM….” You muse. A smile creeps across your face.

“We COULD feed ‘em to the sharks!” You say, slamming your jaws shut inches away from a scared sailor’s face. “No…” You say aloud. “I have a better idea!”

Slamming a hoof down, you give the order. “Let ‘em live, but empty the larder, toss the magazine overboard, and take whatever’s valuable! Let ‘em tell the tale of THE PIRATE KING AND HIS DREAD CREW!” you yell. Your crew yells back in joy.

“We’re gonna feast tonight!” One of your crew yells as he carries a barrel stocked full of dried fruits and vegetables. You smile at the haul, but the smile turns into a look of confusion when you hear a mare yell out.

“Get your hooves off of me, you beast!”

Looking in the direction of the voice, you see two of your crew carrying a mare with yellow fur in a regal dress. Her hair is done up in a large, red bow. As she’s brought before you, you put a hoof under her chin and look up at her, her orange eyes gazing into yours. You stare into them for what seems to be for an eternity. And then she says your name. And again. And again. And again, you’re being shaken.

* * * * * *

Your eyes snap open and you look around.

“Dumb old reality again...” You say before remembering the last part of your dream. Your cheeks turn red as you look around. Applebloom is smiling at you.

“If you’re gonna fall asleep, best to do it in the back of the room.”

You smile sheepishly. “Thanks for waking me.”

She smiles back and nods. You turn away quickly, hoping that she didn’t notice your blush. “What was that about?” You ask yourself. You’ve dreamt of being a pirate before, but it never involved a damsel, especially not one in the real world. You don’t have much time to think this over as Ms. Cheerilee chimes in.

“Well class, that does it for now. You have a wonderful day!”

She didn’t even get the second sentence out before everyone started moving around and leaving. Sighing heavily, you go to the back of the room and grab your things, trying to ignore the snickers from the other ponies. Before you can make it out the door, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and the orange Pegasus who sat behind you call out to you. Turning around, you look at them with a raised eyebrow.

“Uhh… Can I help you?” you ask hesistantly.

The three fillies look at each other and giggle. “You don’t have your cutie mark.” The orange Pegasus says with a smirk. This was the straw that broke the pony’s back.

“I’ve been embarrassed beyond belief, fell asleep in class, and now you’re making fun of me for being a blank flank!” You yell as you stomp your hoof down.

“Way to make a pony feel welcome.” With that, you storm out of the schoolhouse, but before you can even get a foot down the road, they start chasing after you. You break into a full gallop, having reached your breaking point reached. You blink back tears as you wonder why this was happening. Why your dad had to disappear, why you had to move, why they made fun of you, and most importantly, why this Pegasus was now sitting on your back.

“Hey you! Get offa me!” you yell as you buck around violently.

The Pegasus stays on and tackles you to the ground. “My name isn’t ‘Hey you!’” she says. “It’s Scootaloo and we’re not making fun of you! See?” She says as she points to her friend’s sides.

You blink a few times, trying to wrap your head around it. They both had blank flanks and you wagered a guess that Scootaloo didn’t have one either, which was proved right when she got off of you and joined the three.

“Then why are you chasing me?” You ask.

“Well duh!” Applebloom says, helping you up. “You were running.”

“Not only that,” Sweetie Belle chimes in “but we want you to join us!”

You blink a few times, still lost completely. “I don’t follow.” You say, shaking your head.

The three fillies grin from ear to ear, take a deep breath and yell

“THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!”