//------------------------------// // Cranky Love // Story: Equestria Girls: Friendship is Magic // by StarBlader //------------------------------// Mr. Cranky Doodle drove up to the school, and parked his car in the teacher's parking lot. After parking in a spot, he got out of his car. "This old car." he grumbled. He went into the school, and up to the office to collect his classroom key. "Good morning, Mr. Cranky Doodle." greeted Principal Celestia. "Good morning." he replied, getting his key. "How are you this morning?" wondered Vice Principal Luna. "The same as I am every morning." And then he left. "Well he's in a fine mood today." Principal Celestia replied. After getting some coffee from the teacher's lounge, he made his way to his classroom. As he was unlocking the door, a voice behind him startled him. "Good morning, Mr. Cranky Doodle!" it cried. He was so startled, he almost dropped his keys and coffee. Once he got a grip on his stuff, and turned around and saw Pinkie Pie smiling at him. "Pinkie Pie, what are you doing here so early?" "I had to come early to help with the planning for the teacher's appreciation brunch next month." Pinkie explained. Mr. Cranky Doodle just rolled his eyes. "Well see you in class." And she skipped away. "(Sighs), why couldn't that girl be more like her sisters?" he asked himself. Mr. Cranky Doodle didn't hate Pinkie, but he was just a little too energetic for him, and sometimes he found it annoying. He found her sisters were easier to deal with. He liked Limestone's personality, Maud was easy to work with, and Marble barely spoke at all. School went on normally, and Mr. Cranky Doodle taught his classes in his usual grouchy manner. "Man, I wonder if Mr. Cranky Doodle is ever happy?" wondered Rainbow Dash, as she and her friends walked down the hallway. "Maybe he's just having a bad day. Is he always like this?" Twilight wondered. "Ever since we started here." Applejack answered. "I have to say that that grumpy expression does nothing for face. Could cause premature wrinkles." Rarity mentioned. "It's a little unsettling hearing his voice sound so gruff all the time." Fluttershy piped up. "Don't worry, guys. I've been trying to make Mr. Cranky Doodle smile since freshman year, and I think I'm getting close." Pinkie informed. It was true Pinkie Pie had done many things to try and make Mr. Cranky Doodle smile. She'd given him apples, greeted him nicely, given him a card on his birthday, and other nice things. But none of them worked. "That's nice, Pinkie. But some people are just grouchy by nature and want to be left alone." Twilight informed. Pinkie was surprised at hearing that. She'd never thought of it like that. About a week later, Mr. Cranky Doodle came to school like normal. As he made his way into the school, something caught his eye. A woman was walking towards the entrance of the school. She looked around his age, had short curly brown hair, blue eyes, and wore a yellow dress with a white scarf, black shoes and blue earrings. He had never seen her before, and he was speechless. But he quickly snapped out of it, and went into the building. As he was on his usual schedule, Principal Celestia's voice came on the speakers. "Will all teachers please report to the teacher's lounge." "(Groans), what now?" He went to the teacher's lounge, and to his surprise he saw the woman in he'd previously seen in the parking lot. "Everyone I want you to meet the newest teacher here at Canterlot High, Miss Matilda Mule." Principal Celestia introduced. "Hello." Matilda greeted. All the other teachers welcomed her warmly, but Mr. Cranky Doodle's voice got stuck in his throat. "Miss Cheerilee will show you to your classroom." Vice Principal Luna informed. "Of course." Miss Cheerilee replied. And the teachers left and went to their classrooms. But Mr. Cranky Doodle couldn't stop glancing at Matilda. When class officially began, Twilight and her friends went to their new elective class. "I'm glad we signed up for this class together." she told her friends. "So am I." agreed Fluttershy. "What's it called again?" Rarity wanted to know. "Cooking and Nutrition." Applejack answered. "Sounds like fun." Pinkie said. "I just hope the teacher isn't too high strung." hoped Rainbow Dash. They all went into the classroom, and it just happened to be Matilda's new classroom. Once everyone was in the classroom, and the final bell rang, Matilda started the class. "Hello, class welcome to Cooking and Nutrition. I'm your teacher Matilda Mule, but you may all call me Miss Matilda." And she wrote her name on the board. Matilda turned out to be a very nice person. She learned her new students names, explained what they would be doing in the class, and shared some things about herself. When the bell rang again, the students left. But Pinkie stayed behind. "Oh, Miss Matilda I just wanted to personally welcome you to Canterlot High. You're going to love it here, it's a great school." she told. "Why thank you, Pinkie Pie." Matilda replied. Then she left, and Miss Matilda got ready for her next class. Later on, Mr. Cranky Doodle was walking down the to get lunch, when he saw Matilda coming out of her classroom. He really wanted to talk to her, but he couldn't find the words. Then Matilda noticed him. "Oh, hello. Are you teacher here too?" she asked him. "(Clears throat), yes I am. I'm Mr. Cranky Doodle." "(Giggles), sorry. I'm Matilda." "It's all right. It is kinda a funny name." "Well Mr. Cranky Doodle, can you direct me to the cafeteria?" "It's that way, and to the left" he pointed. "Thank you." And she walked on, while Mr. Cranky Doodle watched her. He was in such a daze, he didn't notice Pinkie Pie coming up to him. "Hi, Mr. Cranky Doodle." she greeted. But he didn't answer her. "Uh, sir?" Then he snapped out of it. "Wha...uh hello, Pinkie Pie." he replied, and then he left. "Hmm, what was that?" Pinkie wondered. Everyone in the school seemed to notice a change in Mr. Cranky Doodle's behavior. Each of the girls noticed it. Twilight noticed he was distracted, Applejack saw that he kept making small mistakes like misplacing his pen which was right in his hand, Rainbow Dash had her hand raised for help but he didn't notice her for a whole minute, he stepped on Rarity's boot, but didn't even apologize. And Fluttershy said goodbye to him when he class was over, but he didn't respond. "What was going on with Mr. Cranky Doodle today?" Rainbow Dash wondered, as she and her friends were leaving for the day. "He wasn't actin like himself." added Applejack. "Hmm, I don't know but I'm going to find out." Pinkie declared. "Try not to cause trouble Pinkie." Twilight warned gently. Over the next two days, Pinkie kept an eye on Mr. Cranky Doodle. She noticed that he only acted like his un-cranky self whenever Miss Matilda was around. It suddenly hit Pinkie when she saw Miss Matilda say hello to him, and he went all goofy. "OMG!" she whispered. She had to tell her friends and quickly. At lunch she told them. "Girls you won't believe this, but I think Mr. Cranky Doodle has...a crush." The girls couldn't believe what they just heard. Rainbow Dash even chocked on her drink a little. "Mr. Cranky Doodle likes someone?" asked Rarity. "That grumpy old guy?" added Rainbow Dash. "Do you have any idea who it could be?" wondered Applejack. I think...it's Miss Matilda." "Miss Matilda? Are you sure?" Fluttershy questioned. "Well the only way to know is to ask." Pinkie declared. "Try not to be too direct." advised Twilight. So later that day, Pinkie put her plan into action. She found Mr. Cranky Doodle walking down the hallway, and she went up beside him. "Hi, Mr. Cranky Doodle." she greeted. "Hello pinkie, you trying to give free pies in lockers again? You know how well that turned out to be last time." he replied. "(Giggles) no. Although it was fun to see people get pies in the face. But I'm here to offer you help." "If you left chipmunks in my desk again it's blackboard cleaning for a week. I don't care what Fluttershy says, they're only cute in cartoons and not when they're scratching my face." "No I didn't that either. But a little birdie told me you have a bit a secret." "I don't care what those crusader girls say, I'm not buying anymore of their lousy cookies." "No silly, everyone already knows that. I mean your other secret." "Don't you have something better to do than bother me with your nonsense? Go cheer for the upcoming pep rally or something, or go bug the librarian for all I care. I have a test I need to prepare for which I know you and your friends will try to get out of, again." "Well if you forgot your own secret I'll be happy to remind you. You like the new teacher, Miss Matilda." "My personal life is none of your concern." "But is it true?" "I'll make this perfectly clear, keep interfering with my personal life and it's another after school detention for you." he threatened. And with that he stormed off. But Pinkie wasn't the least bit discouraged. "So it is true huh?" At the end of the day, she told her friends that her suspicions were correct. Mr. Cranky Doodle did have a crush on Miss Matilda. "I still can't believe that cranky guy has a crush." Rainbow Dash said. "Neither can I." agreed Rarity. "We should help him." Pinkie suggested. "I don't know if that's a good idea, Pinkie." replied Applejack. "Applejack's right. It isn't good to meddle in other people's business." Fluttershy added. "Especially when that person is a teacher and controls our grades." Twilight mentioned. "But think about it girls. We'd be helping Mr. Cranky Doodle, and if Miss Matilda likes him back he'll be happier and not be so grumpy all the time. Then that benefits us." Pinkie persuaded. The girls looked at each other, that did make sense. "So what do you say?" "All right. We'll help them become friends." Twilight told. Pinkie smiled excitedly. So the girls put their plan into action. First they got Miss Matilda's information. They learned that she wasn't married nor had a boyfriend, but she said it would be nice to meet someone. After knowing that she was on the same page, they thought of a plan to get them together. They met in the library and discussed it. "Okay, here's the plan. I throw an extravaganza and invite Mr. Cranky Doodle and Miss Matilda to it, but the twist is they'll be the only ones at the party." Pinkie said. "Uh, we may need to start a little smaller, Pinkie." Twilight told her. "Definitely." replied Rarity. "Why don't we try getting them in the same room together?" suggested Fluttershy. "Good idea, Fluttershy." complimented Rainbow Dash. And that's what they did. Applejack told Mr. Cranky Doodle that he was needed in the teacher's lounge, while Pinkie informed Miss Matilda that they were serving doughnuts in the teacher's lounge. Of course that made both of them go to the teacher's lounge. Miss Matilda got there first, and was pleased to see the doughnuts. As she helped herself to one, Mr. Cranky Doodle came in. Miss Matilda turned and smiled at him. "Hello, Mr. Cranky Doodle." "Miss Matilda. Uh, this is a surprise." he said surprised. "Did you come for the doughnuts too?" "Uh, no. I was told I was needed in here." "Well there was no one in here when I got here." "Oh." He blushed. Just then the bell rang for the lunch. "Well looks like it's break time. Would you care to get lunch?" "Sure, that would be...nice." And the two went to the cafeteria. "So do you think it worked?" asked Pinkie, as she and her friends ate lunch. "I'd think so. Look." said Twilight. They all looked into the direction Twilight was referring to, and saw them. They were getting lunch together and talking. "I hope Miss Matilda likes him." hoped Fluttershy. And it turns out, Matilda enjoyed Mr. Cranky Doodle's company. They talked about their jobs, things they liked to do, and Matilda's old life. When lunch was over, everyone left the cafeteria. "Okay girls, let's split up. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Twilight, you three go talk to Mr. Cranky Doodle." Pinkie instructed. "The rest of us will go talk to Miss Matilda." "Then let's do this." declared Rainbow Dash. And the girls split up to talk to the teachers. "Hi, Miss Matilda." greeted Pinkie Pie. "Oh, hello girls. Did you enjoy your lunch?" "We did. We saw you sitting eating lunch with Mr. Cranky Doodle." Rarity informed. "Yes, I was." "We couldn't help but notice you two seemed to be having a nice time." Fluttershy mentioned. Miss Matilda chuckled. "Yes, despite his name he's actually a nice guy. You girls are lucky to have him for a teacher." As she walked off, the three looked at each other with smiles. It seemed like Miss Matilda liked Mr. Cranky Doodle. Meanwhile, the other three girls found Mr. Cranky Doodle. "Hello, Mr. Cranky Doodle." Twilight told. "Huh, oh hello girls." he replied. "We were just wonderin', did you have a good lunch?" questioned Applejack. "What if I did? What's it to you girls?" "We just couldn't help but notice you were having lunch with Miss Matilda. You seemed like you were happy." Rainbow Dash mentioned. Mr. Cranky Doodle blushed a little. "(Ahem), we were simply having lunch together." "We were just observing. It looked like you were really enjoying each other's company." Twilight pointed out. "You three just get back to class." he told them. And he walked off. Though he was still being stubborn about it, the girls knew he liked Miss Matilda. As the days went by the two teachers hung out a little more. And the students could tell that Mr. Cranky Doodle was happy cause his mood was changing. While he was still a little cranky sometimes he smiled from time to time, and was a little easier going. One Saturday the girls were hanging out at the mall. "This is going better than I thought." Pinkie squealed. "Yeah, Miss Matilda's still nice and Mr. Cranky Doodle isn't so cranky anymore." added Applejack. "I have to admit, getting them together was a pretty good idea." Twilight agreed. "What?" asked a voice. The girls turned around and was shocked to see...Mr. Cranky Doodle! "Mr. Cranky Doodle." Rainbow Dash said surprised. "Uh, you go to the mall too?" "This was all your doing?" he wanted to know. "Well..." Fluttershy replied nervously. He then turned to Pinkie Pie. "I specifically told you to stay out of my business." Pinkie trembled in fear. "Now Mr. Cranky Doodle, she was just trying to help." Rarity tried to reason. "You see here..." "Cranky, is something wrong?" asked another voice. Miss Matilda was coming over. "Oh, hello girls." "Matilda I think there's something you should know. Isn't there girls?" The Mane 6 looked at each other nervously, and then Pinkie spoke up. "It's my fault. You see it was my idea to get you guys together. I noticed that Mr. Cranky Doodle liked you, and I thought it would be nice if you got together. Don't blame the others, I was the mastermind." Miss Matilda looked at them all and then gave a little smile. "Well thank you, Pinkie Pie and girls." The girls were surprised and so was Mr. Cranky Doodle. "While it is wrong to meddle in other people's business, I'm glad you help get this nice guy to talk to me." Mr. Cranky Doodle blushed a little, as he rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, I guess you did help us." And he smiled a little. "Mr. Cranky Doodle you're happy now Yipee!" Pinkie cheered. "Girls, we better get going or we'll be late for the movie." Twilight instructed. "Oh yeah. Bye Mr. Cranky Doodle, bye Miss Matilda." Pinkie said, and the girls went off. "Looks like we have Pinkie to thank for us getting together." Miss Matilda mentioned. "Yes. I suppose Pinkie Pie isn't...that bad." Mr. Cranky Doodle admitted.