Cheerilee’s alarm went off, a loud, droning sound that shook her to her withers. She groaned and pulled the covers over her head. After a few minutes of being harangued by the incessant buzzing, however, she shut it off and slowly dragged herself out of bed, rolling out onto her hooves. Eyes still half-shut from sleeping, she lumbered herself into the kitchen, dredging a kettle from a cabinet. She started the laborious process of filling up the kettle with water, drifting off to sleep with the handle in her mouth, only snapping awake when the pot became too heavy to comfortably hold without some effort on her part. Cheerilee then clambered over to the stove, set the kettle on top of it, then turned it on, the gas flames dancing under the kettle as it heated up. She then plodded over to a low cabinet, pulling out a shiny bag. She looked upon it, reading Sunbuck’s Black Roast, and grinned. This is what she needed.

She set the bag on the table and lagged back to the cabinet, pulling out a coffee press with her mouth and setting it on the table. She then filled the press a third of the way up with grinds. Cheerilee then scrabbled to the bread drawer and pulled out two pieces of toast and put them in the toaster, pushing down the tab, setting the toast to cook. She then nodded off for what seemed like a second, but must have been a lot longer because the kettle was going off and her toast was done. Sighing, she dragged herself over to the kettle, turned off the stove, picked up the kettle in her mouth, and headed towards the table, pouring the boiling water into the coffee press, savoring the smell as the water intermixed with the grinds. Cheerilee then slid over to the toaster and reached to the cabinet above, pulling out a plate and a mug. She then removed the toast and set it on the plate, putting the mug on the plate as well. She carefully balanced the plate over to the table and placed it there. She then got up on her hind legs and pressed the press, making coffee. She then put the handle of the press in her mouth and poured its mouthwatering, aromatic contents into the mug, which read Equestria’s Best Teacher. She then sat down at the table, taking a bite of the toast, its warm crispness delighting her. She then put the toast down and lifted the mug in both of her hooves, preparing herself for the pièce de résistance. She took a sip.

Her mouth was instantly assaulted with the bitter taste of the coffee, followed by the bold smokiness of the brew. She smiled, enjoying her coffee. She sipped a few more sips, then set the mug down and began to waylay the toast in earnest, it being finished in two shakes of a lamb’s tail. She then picked up the mug again and sipped it again, tingling at the audacious flavor presented before her. Awake, she started thinking about the day ahead of her. There was something important about it, that much she could recall, but she couldn’t quite remember what it was as she continued drinking her coffee. Suddenly, it hit her. There was an exchange student coming in today! She finished the last of her coffee, a visible thrum echoing through her body. She stood up quickly and exited her house, ready for the promise of a new student.

----

Cheerilee headed towards the schoolhouse, waving to ponies setting up their stands for the day with a smile across her face. As she neared the building, she could hear chanting from that direction. When she finally approached the building, she was dismayed to find ponies standing in front of her schoolhouse, holding picket signs saying “Two Four Six Eight, We don’t wanna integrate!” and “Arounds the changers, there's always danger!”

The mob was loudly chanting ,“Two, four, six, eight, we don’t wanna integrate!”

Cheerilee shook her head, and started walking towards the schoolhouse, when she almost tripped over something. Or somepony, or whatever they called themselves, as she looked down to see a miniature changeling standing in front of the crowd, waiting expectantly.

Cheerilee looked down and asked, “Why are you standing here?”

The changeling looked up and said with a voice that sounded like two rocks scratching against gravel, “They said I couldn’t enter until their bodies turned cold.” He then righted himself. “So I’m waiting until their bodies turn cold.” He then looked up at Cheerilee again. “When do ponies’ bodies turn cold?”

Cheerilee shook her head. “Ponies’ bodies only turn cold when they’re dead.”

The changeling looked down sorrowfully. “I guess we’ll be here for a long time, then…” Its wings flitted defeatedly against its black carapace.

Cheerilee patted the changeling on its withers. “Nonsense, I’ll lead you in. Follow me.” With that, Cheerilee led the changeling towards the schoolhouse, where a cadre of ponies blocked her.

“She’s with them!” A pony cried out.

“Changer-lover!” another pony yelled.

Cheerilee shook her head in disgust. “Now, now, recent Equestrian law allows this young changeling the right to proper pony schooling—”

A pony spat on Cheerilee. “You disgust me!”

Cheerilee irritatedly brushed off the saliva from her muzzle. She glared at the pony who spat on her. “Roseluck, I thought you knew better than that—”

“You’re with them!” and Roseluck spat on the changeling, who didn’t flinch.

Cheerilee started boiling with rage. “You may spit on me all you want—” she said as she lifted a hoof in the air, “—but I will not let you harass one of my students!” she finished as she slammed her hoof into the ground with her full might, toppling the horde and leaving a hoof-shaped imprint in the ground. Cheerilee smiled.

“By the way, what is your name?” Cheerilee asked the young changeling.

“My designation in the hive is 42.” it responded.

Cheerilee said with the smile still on her face, “Well, then, 42, let’s get you into school.”

“You’ll pay for that!” another pony yelled at her.

“Have Mayor Mare send me the bill.” Cheerilee said as she led young 42 into the schoolhouse. Inside was surprisingly her full class, with one desk left open. The schoolkids stared at the young changeling as he took his seat. Sweetie Belle raised her hand.

“Yes, Sweetie Belle?” Cheerilee asked.

“Was that...you?” Sweetie Belle asked.

Cheerilee sighed. “Yes, it was.”

“Why’d you do that for a changeling?”

Cheerilee glared at Sweetie Belle. “I didn’t do it for a changeling. I did that for one of my students.” Cheerilee then sighed again. “And here I thought Equestria was past such base racism. Haven’t we learned from our ancestors that racism isn’t the solution? Why, I bet if Clover the Clover or Private Pansy saw this, they’d…” and stopped once she glanced across the classroom, drawing blank stares. Cheerilee blushed, then kicked the chalkboard, revealing a simple sentence:

Hockey teams receive 2 points when they win and 1 point when they tie. One season, a team won a championship with 56 points. They won 10 more games than they tied. How many wins and how many ties did the team have?

“Did anypony solve the extra credit problem?” Cheerilee asked. Instantly, several hooves shot up. Cheerilee looked around, settling on a grey colt. “Snips, how about you?”

Snips smiled as he shifted in his seat. “The answer is twenty-two wins and twelve ties.”

Cheerilee nodded. “That’s right, Snips.” She then looked at several of the students, who were openly gawking at the changeling sitting among them. “Forty-two, why don’t you tell us about yourself?”

“Well…” he started, several students cringing at the sound of his voice.

Cheerilee shook her head. “Forty-two, why don’t you come up in front of the class?”

Forty-two nodded and came to the front of the class. “Hello, fellow students. My designation in the hive is 42. I hope to learn all of your designations later. Anyhow, I was born in the hive under the auspices of Queen Chrysalis, and moved to Ponyville with my designated parental units 34 and 63. We live on Stirrup Street. It is very nice there. Ponies crowd our house all the time. I’d like to be their friends. They call us ‘Buggers’, even though we’re changelings. My parental units buy all of our food at Sugarcube Corner. They took me there yesterday. I met a fun pony named Pinkie Pie. She appeared to be sweating as my parental units purchased their order. I guess she was warm. We eat bread, by the way, not being able to feed off of love. There’s a thing in the bread that agrees with changeling digestion.”

Cheerilee nodded. “Thank you, forty-two.” Cheerilee then looked over the class. “Are there any questions for forty-two here?” A hoof shot up. Cheerilee groaned. “Yes, Diamond Tiara?”

“Thank you, Miss Cheerilee,” Diamond Tiara said in a sickeningly sweet tone, “why does your voice sound like that?”

Forty-two raised an eyebrow. “Like what?”

“Like two stones scraping against each other. It’s gross!” she cried out, accompanied by the laughter of the students. Forty-two blushed a shade of cerulean.

“I was not aware that there was anything wrong with my voice. Everyling speaks like this.”

“That’ll be enough from you, Diamond Tiara.” Cheerilee chided her. “Now, does anypony else have a question?” Another hoof shot up. “Yes, Scootaloo?”

“I wanna see you change!” Scootaloo said eagerly. Forty-two looked up at Cheerilee.

Cheerilee sighed. “Alright, but for educational purposes only. No changing outside of the classroom. You know the law.” Forty-two nodded and changed into an exact replica of Scootaloo. The entire class wowed in awe.

“Do me! Do me!” Silver Spoon shouted out, earning a dirty glare from Diamond Tiara. Forty-two changed into a perfect copy of Silver Spoon, earning awed exclamations from the crowd. Cheerilee smiled. And they said it couldn’t be done.

----

Everypony was outside for recess, playing with each other in hopscotch, jump rope, and a riveting game of Four Square, Forty-two noticed. Everypony except for it. It was standing alone in a corner of the schoolyard, when Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon approached it.

“So, how are you getting along...changer?” Diamond Tiara asked accusingly.

“Fine, thank you.” it replied.

“So, changer, why did you even come here?” Silver Spoon asked.

“Well, seeing as how this is the only schoolhouse in Ponyville, why wouldn’t I go here?”

“Because you’re a changer, and you don’t belong!” Diamond Tiara shot at it.

Forty-two froze. Didn’t...belong? But changelings always belonged. In fact, that’s all we know how to do!

Tears started forming at it’s eyes. “Take that back.”

Diamond Tiara glared evilly at Forty-two. “Take what back? Changer?”

Tears were streaming down Forty-two’s face. “No, that I don’t belong.”

Diamond Tiara stuck her snout up in the air. “Why? You clearly don’t belong here.”

Forty-Two lost it. It lunged towards Diamond Tiara who shrank back in defense when it felt a tug on its tail. It glared back angrily to see Scootaloo grasping its tail in her mouth. It tried to tug it free.

“Oh, no you don’t!” Scootaloo said.

“But why?” Forty-two asked. “She said I didn’t belong!”

“She does that to us all the time. Besides, you’re the only changeling here!” Scootaloo said as she let go of forty-two’s tail. Diamond Tiara lurched back.

“So I must defend the honor of the Hive!” Forty-two said.

“Not like that you’re not! You do that, you’re going to have everypony down your throat.” Scootaloo smiled at Forty-two. Forty-two stared back at Scootaloo, wings flitting.

“Down my...throat?” it asked confusedly. “That would be most uncomfortable.”

Scootaloo giggled. “It’s just an expression. Why don’t you come play with us?”

“I knew it! You’re a dirty changer-lover!” Diamond Tiara spat out. Scootaloo flinched at the accusation, then quickly shrugged it off and walked away.

“Ok…” Forty-two said as it walked behind Scootaloo. “What do you play?”

“Oh, we’re crusading for our Cutie Marks!”

Forty-two furrowed it’s eyebrow. “Changelings don’t have Cutie Marks.”

“I know, but you’ll be great for ideas! You wanna join our club and help us?”

“So I’ll...belong?”

Scootaloo nodded. “Uh, yeah. That’s part of a club.”

Forty-two’s wings flitted excitedly. “Yes I will!”

Scootaloo chuckled. “That’s what I like to hear!”