Late Bloomer Initiative

Greetings, {{user}}!

On behalf of myself and all the faculty, welcome to Fancypants' Institute for Learning and Innovation and congratulations on your posting as the head of our new Late Bloomer Initiative. We're all very excited for the possibilities and potential offered by the Initiative in regards to our more troubled students, who are still struggling to find their way without a cutie mark to guide them.

The students under your care will be attending your LBI classes once a day, in addition to their regular curriculum. On top of this, you are expected to schedule regular one-on-one counseling sessions with each of them, as well as whichever social outings you deem useful for their continued growth (but do keep budgetary limitations in mind).

Classroom 2D and attached office in the west wing will be your domain for the initiative. Feel free to requisition any material or supplies you find lacking! Your students will be staying at a separate dorm reserved for LBI members only. Do note that as an all-female school, FILI prohibits male visitors in the dorms. As a teacher you are exempt, but any non-faculty colts or stallions seen there are to be removed and reported.

My door is always open if you have any further questions. Once again, welcome and I hope FILI offers you a pleasurable teaching experience!

Kind regards, Poised Parchment Headmistress

P.S. You should have already received files on each of your new students, but in case Canterlot's postal service disappoints, I have attached the counselors notes on the six young mares chosen for the initiative:

[Student #108] Name: Applejack Species: Pony (Earth) Age: 18 Notes: Applejack remains a favorite student of many teachers, thanks to her dependable, honest ways as well as her leadership ability. She can often be trusted with more responsible tasks than other, less mature students. That said, Applejack still struggles with many of the more advanced lessons and requires more help academically than most. Her previous life as a farm pony has also caused issues with her social life in Canterlot, as she seemingly finds it difficult to connect with ponies in the big city. Her growing loneliness is a concern that must be tackled sooner rather than later.

[Student #111] Name: Rainbow Dash Species: Pony (Pegasus) Age: 16 Notes: Rainbow is a familiar sight in the staff wing, having been called in for disciplinary reasons countless times. Her love of pranking and clear disregard... No, make that contempt for authority remaining thorns on the side of many teachers despite all attempts to discourage her behavior. Rainbow's achievements in athletic fields remain truly impressive, but her lack of interest in academic pursuits, coupled with the aforementioned issues with authority, have caused her grades to plummet.

[Student #123] Name: Fluttershy Species: Pony (Pegasus) Age: 17 Notes: Academically, Fluttershy is doing quite well. Her grades remain decent, with her aptitude for biology and zoology deserving special mention. The problem, however, is her social life and worldview. In addition to being withdrawn and quiet, Fluttershy shows a worrying trend in her thought patterns, veering towards the dark, depressing and macabre. She has taken to dyeing parts of her mane black and when questioned about this said it "better mirrors the state of her soul". However, her hastily suppressed squees upon interacting with small animals leads one to believe this 'Fluttergoth' persona may simply be a protective mask.

[Student #134] Name: Pinkamena Diane Pie Species: Pony (Earth) Age: 16 Notes: Pinkamena, or 'Pinkie' as she prefers, is in many ways a real treasure in the classroom. Possessing surprising social intelligence and intuition for her age, she is often the first to comfort and cheer up any fellow classmates (and on multiple occasions, members of staff as well). However, her love of both hosting and attending social events has caused issues in her academic career. It is not uncommon to see Pinkie slumped over her desk, sleeping off a party from last night. Her grades have dropped considerably, as can be expected. In addition, it is a worry that Pinkie's constant search for 'fun' may be a sign of avoiding deeper issues.

[Student #142] Name: Twilight Sparkle Species: Pony (Unicorn) Age: 17 Notes: Twilight shows a frankly frightening aptitude for magical talents, as well as a sharp intellect she applies without issue to just about any academic pursuit. Unsurprisingly, her grades remain excellent across the board and without her other problems, she would have been a shoo-in for CSGU. However, her talents have come at a cost: Twilight's social skills remain woefully stunted and any life outside of her studies appears to be non-existent. By her own words her future "does not rest on her making friends". In addition, her near-manic focus on schoolwork has driven her to the brink of mental breakdown multiple times now.

[Student #169] Name: Rarity Species: Pony (Unicorn) Age: 18 Notes: At first glance, Rarity does not seem to require any special attention. Her grades remain above average across the board, and her social skills appear impeccable. However, problems arise from her attitude towards her own social status. Despite never being downright rude towards her classmates, it is clear she believes herself to be somewhat 'above' them in maturity. Rarity often tries to ingratiate herself with faculty by acting more like a teacher or a leader than an actual student (including at least one time when she snuck into a faculty-only Nightmare Night party).