Cheerilee was slowly leading Ditty towards the school house.

"So last night you left the building with your purse still in your desk?" He asked her skeptically.

"For the fourth time yes. You're still new at teacher the game. Believe it or not teachers feel the same urge the students do to gallop out of the classroom as soon as they can Friday afternoon when the bell rings."

She'd been milking the line as best she can to get Ditty to come with her.

"I said I'd pay for lunch." He said stubbornly.

"No." She said back defiantly. "That would be rude of me. Besides..... My keys... they are in my purse. And I uh, can't even get in to the building without them."

Ditty floated his keys out of his saddle bag. He turned the lock halfway in the door and stopped.

"Didn't I see you use your keys to lock up your house when I came by this morning?" He asked her turning around.

Cheerilee facehooved.

'Way to go Cheerilee, his teacher's attention to detail was making this surprise party plan go up in smoke.'

"Oh would you just open the door already!" She sighed giving up anymore attempts of being subtle.

Ditty gave her a suspicious glace and opened the door.

"SURPRISE!" A whole room of foals and ponies shouted back at them.

All of the students, their parents, and anyone in town who Pinkie Pie could invite were in the school room.

The desks were all moved out of the way to make room for everyone. A few round tables were set up with food, drinks and desserts. Hanging above the chalkboard in the front of the room hung a banner that said:

The letters were written in different color crayons in the untidy manner that matched a foal's writing.

Cheerilee saw Ditty give a pleasant smile at the display. She then saw a pink pony in one swift motion reach out and pull him in to the center of the room and start talking to him over a mile a minute.

"Hi you must be Ditty Hooves! It is just so awesome to finally meet you! I'm Pinkie Pie! I can't believe you moved in to town over a week ago. I didn't know it and I know practically everypony in town. I was really surprised when Mr. Cake first mentioned you two days ago and then found out that Rarity had already known about you, and even Applejack. And then Cheerilee came in to Sugarcube Corner and told me she needed help planning a surprise party for you and I was like 'well duh' Pinkie Pie is practically proven that she's the perfect party planning pony Ponyville population particularly pleas for! So we had the fillies and colts make you a sign, and Mr. and Mrs. Cake make some snicker-doodle cookies which they told me you liked as a little colt. You used to live here when you were little weren't you? I also got Applejack to bring her signature Sweet Apple Acre apple juice! So what do you think?"

Ditty looked a bit overwhelmed by the sudden surge of energy and the constant stream of words that came out of Pinkie Pie. He seemed to only get out.

"Please to meet you Pinkie Pie."

Mrs. Cake walked up to Ditty and gave him a hug, offered him a cookie, and started reminiscing about him and his mother.

Pinkie Pie bounced up to Cheerilee.

"I heard you outside. He almost didn't come in. He looked suspicious when he opened the door, he must be hard pony to surprise."

Cheerilee smiled at Pinkie Pie.

"He was skeptical the entire way here. He's gonna be a tough one to prank Pinkie." She commented to her.

At that moment on the other side of the room, Ditty picked up a glass of juice only to have a hole at the bottom pop open and spill juice all over the front of him.

A few of the fillies started to giggle.

"I hope a student didn't place this cup." Ditty said with a good natured smile glancing around the room.

"Nope." Said a rainbow colored mane pegasus next to him. "You've been Pinkie Pie'd. Don't take it personally, it's all in good fun. I'm Rainbow Dash by the way. Pleased to meet cha."

Pinkie still standing next to Cheerilee, gave her a huge grin then fell backwards on the ground on her back laughing.

Most of the parents took time to formally introduce themselves to Ditty.

Cheerilee, when she saw her, made a b-line to Ditzy who was standing in the back corner talking with a few other ponies.

"I'm glad you've chosen not hide from him." She said quietly to her.

"I've already saw him earlier this week." Ditzy said looking around cautiously. "He saw me too and hadn't the faintest idea who I was."

Cheerilee didn't know what to say, it didn't feel right to hear her friend sounding so comfortable with it.

"No, this will be alright. I've fine this. I wish you luck." Ditzy said quickly. "For the both of you."

Cheerilee didn't have time to ask what she exactly meant because Dinky came up dragging Ditty by the hoof.

"Mr. Hooves now it's my turn to show you my Mommy!" She called out.

Cheerilee saw Ditzy slightly brace herself.

"Hey I remember you." Ditty said looking at Ditzy.

Both she and Cheerilee took a quick gasp.

"You're the mailmare who delivered my things earlier this week. I wish you told me you were Cheerilee's friend I would have been more social."

Ditzy did a double take and gave a sigh of relief.

"Did I say something wrong?" He said looking confused at Cheerilee and Ditzy.

"Oh no." Ditzy said. "You just surprised me there. I just... I mean, I didn't realized the connection then also. I should have known you might have been my daughter's new teacher when we moved you in. You know music cases, new home and all."

"Well yeah." Ditty said taking Ditzy' hoof and shaking it. "But no harm done. May I say your daughter is a fine musician and an ambitious student."

Ditzy looked down at her hoof in his with a small blush in her cheeks.

"You think a parent would be proud of her." She said in a quiet voice glancing up at him.

"Most certainly! She's the kind of filly any parent would be proud to have as a daughter."

"Thank you." Ditzy said even quieter leaning over and giving her daughter a hug.

"My pleasure." Ditty said. He gave Ditzy and Cheerilee a smile as he turned back to the rest of the other party goers. Apple Bloom had trotted up to him with her family following behind her.

"Mr. Hooves this is ma big brother Big Macintosh! He says you and him were in the same class a long time ago." Apple Bloom introduced.

"Eeyup!" Big Macintosh said with a smile.

Cheerilee looked back to Ditzy who was lost in her thoughts watching Dinky heading towards the snack table.

"Any parent would be proud..." Ditzy muttered quietly.

"Hey." Cheerilee whispered to Ditzy, as Ditty was occupied being further introduced to the rest of Apple Bloom's relatives. "What did you mean earlier by saying good luck to both of you?"

Ditzy looked back at Cheerilee with eyes rolled in to her 'derp' expression.

"Oh nothing." She said back and trotted off to get something to drink. Cheerilee gave frown in her direction and went to mingle with the other party guests.

Cheerilee walked around the room talking to parents and enjoying the festivities. Pinkie Pie seemed to be enjoying playing games with all the younger fouls. Her energy, jokes, and carefree spirit had earned her many cool points with many of the colts and fillies.

She saw Ditty speaking to Big Macintosh. There were not many Stallions of their age in Ponyville she hope that maybe since the two of them were never friends in their youth they might become ones as adults.

Ditty continued going around getting to know people until Sweetie Belle sat him down at a table with her mother, father, and her sister Rarity. Ditty said his hello to Sweetie Belle's folks shared a few nice comments about Sweetie Belle in class.

Rarity and Ditty exchanged an awkward hello and Rarity mentioned that it was nice to see had made taken an admirable occupation since she last saw him in Fillydelphia. Ditty gave a puzzled thanks, not sure if Rarity gave him a compliment or was talking down to him.

A strange silence hung between the two of them. It eventually broke when Pinkie Pie jumped out of nowhere in between the two of them. She proclaimed they were getting too serious. She then shoved a cupcake in both of their mouths, shouted "Come on lets have fun!" and sped off.

The two started coughing on their cupcakes. The random moment caused both of them drop their guard and it ended with the two of them laughing at the ridiculousness that was Pinkie Pie. With the tension having been broken, the Ditty and the family started to talk more casually about life in Ponyville and Sweetie Belle as a student.

During this time Cheerilee had sat down next to Twilight and started talking to her about the recent books they had read. They have been quite involved in their conversation when Rarity called out to the two of them.

"Twilight! Cheerilee! Ditty here has the most splendid idea. Oooh Ditzy you should hear this too."

Cheerilee and Twilight approached the table and saw Rarity who now seemed to be completely enthralled in talking to Ditty.

"What's going on?" Twilight asked.

"Oh have you met Ditty yet?" Rarity asked looking at Twilight.

"Not formally." Twilight said reaching out a hoof to Ditty. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, I live in the library with my assistant Spike."

"Ditty Hooves." Ditty replied. "Spike, that's that baby dragon over there, eating half the snicker-doodles off the table?"

Twilight let out a laugh.

"That's him. So what's this idea Rarity is talking about."

By this time Ditzy had walked over looking very puzzled.

"Rarity's folks gave me the an idea." Ditty spoke to the group. "I've been noticing around the classroom that a few of our unicorn students have a good sense of the basics of fundamental horn magic, specifically speaking telekinesis."

"I mentioned to Ditty that my little girl hasn't been able to move objects with her horn yet. We all know most foals her age start working at it if they want to use that talent." Rarity's Father shared with the others. "We're regretful to admit it, but we've lived out whole lives in Ponyville and we have gotten quite used to the earth pony lifestyle so much that we have not much know how in using magic. None the less the ability to teach Sweetie Belle how to use hers."

"During the times I'm not occupied with work I've been trying to help my sister on basics of object movement. But I haven't made much progress." Rarity gave a submissive sigh.

"I've also noticed that there are other little unicorns here in class who are yet to unlock that magic ability or may need a little more practice." Ditty said casting a glance at Ditzy. "Not to say their isn't a problem if a family chooses not to learn those things. But I've asked Rarity and her folks what they thought of me holding an after school group once a week with any young unicorns who may want to learn or need a little help to hone their telekinetic spells."

"I told him it was an absolutely smashing idea. Not only does it give Sweetie Belle an opportunity to improve on what little she knows but she can learn with other little ponies her age." Rarity continued, smiling at her parents and sister who smiled back.

"A little club would just be the bee's knees, don't cha think so there Ditzy?" Rarity's mother ask Ditzy who had a look of interest on her face.

"A program like that would be very helpful. I'm a pegasus, I can't teach Dinky anything about unicorn magic. But if she got proper instruction here, she could not only discover her own magic potential, but her new skills could help out around the house and with her school work." Ditzy spoke realizing the idea.

Cheerilee smiled at the positive collaboration going on between the parents and the new teacher. In particular Ditty and Ditzy. Though Ditzy was deliberately hiding Ditty's connection to Dinky, the sight of the two of them discussing her well being made Cheerilee feel a sense of hope between the two of them.

'It's a start.' She thought to herself. 'At the minimum they were talking to each other.' She really hated that Ditzy was keeping something like this from the people who should really know. Also Cheerilee had made a promise to keep it to herself which made conversations between her and Ditty difficult whenever the subject of Ditzy or Dinky came up.

"Ooh! I like this idea." Twilight Sparkle added. "An after school club with skill building games and simple lessons. It's kinda like magic Kindergarten, but less emotionally scarring."

"Besides." Cheerilee joined the conversation a bit perplexed by Twilight's statement. "Ponyville does not have the number of unicorns to justify putting magic in to the curriculum during the day, and we don't have a separate magic school like in Canterlot where they can learn. An after school program might be the right approach for the unicorn students at Ponyville Elementary."

"I'd love to help out anyway I can. " Said Twilight Sparkle. "My magic skills can be useful working with the students who want to experiment with finding their magic specialties. I could work with them while Ditty helps the younger ones get the basics down"

"Why that sounds great Twilight, thank you." Ditty said graciously. "OK, it looks like the idea is catching on. I'll write up some lesson plans and send out some permission forms to other parents in the next school news letter."