EPISODE 11: BULLY-BUSTER

Class was in session once again, and the professor was speaking too fast as usual; for Pokey, at least. Lonsdaleite had her fancy accent slipping and sliding here and there, and Pokey could hardly follow the trail of words without crashing into a dead end once or twice. Though there were only ten words and several formulas on the board, it felt like Lonsdaleite had read a complete book aloud. She did have several open on her teaching desk at the front, after all.

Consequently, as it came about every session, Pokey gave up trying to distinguish what to note and what to ignore. He resorted to his usual coping tactic.

Maybe I'll just remember it all after class today. Then I'll write it all down.

He had heard of it being done before, ponies recollecting entire lectures. Or was it scenes? Stories? Whatever they were, they were lengthy. In Pokey's mind, stories were harder to remember than lectures. They had a lot more words, after all. If others could do it with stories, he could do it with a simple lesson. Though, in reality, it didn’t seem all that simple after a good half hour.

Pokey snapped free of his thinking of what to think and listened in to the professor.

“... consequently, manipulation of these specific materials is not strict to elemental magic,” Madame Lonsdaleite explained, turning to look over the classroom. Pokey's blank stare was overlooked. “As shadow magic uses and emphasizes the use of manipulating solids, liquids, and sometimes gases, its spells can be used to affect substances we can touch and feel every day - like water and earth - in a variety of ways. As Winter Wrap-Up is approaching, and the headmare plans on keeping with the seasonal tradition, we shall be focusing on the special forms of water...”

As she went on, Pokey lingered on the thought of Winter Wrap-Up. Images of the cleared trees and the grassy ground formed, granting a sense of joy only the season of spring could bring him. Spring was his favorite season, after all, full of life and rain and walking around to smell the fresh air. He had only ever seen the change in Ponyville; he wondered how things would change on the island. On the topic of Ponyville, though, he started thinking of what things were like back home. Soon he was drifting off into thought, his mind occupied with past instances and participation in the wonderful winter tradition.

Before he could dive too deep into his memories, a paper airplane slid into his vision, landing quietly upon his desk. Shocked, he first looked up at Lonsdaleite, who was facing the chalkboard at the moment. She was talking to the wall about special properties of water and formulas. Pokey figured if she was talking to the board, then the matter didn’t concern him. Carefully, he snuck his eyes back down to his desk and unfolded the airplane with tiny magic nudges.

Upon opening it, he centered the neatly-folded paper on his desk and read the large, cursive writing at the top of the page:

Beneath it was a picture of a stallion with a very pointy-looking horn. He was half-submerged in a river, or at least that was what it looked like. Standing around him were four others, all on solid ground, laughing and pointing at the one in the middle. Pokey thought whomever was being depicted in the water was quite the poor soul.

He lifted his head and glanced around. Off to his left he spotted Regality and Tall Tale, each one holding back snorts and snickers. He figured they must have sent him yet another note to make class more interesting once again.

Pokey smiled and nodded his head as he mouthed the words, “I do!”

The only response Pokey received were disappointed glares. The two went back to staring up at the board, and Pokey did as well.

Though his eyes were front and center, his mind was off in another direction, chasing a rabbit trail as usual. The picture from his fellow group members reminded him of what his group's role had ended up being in the Winter Wrap-Up tradition: clearing the waterfall that dropped off into the giant bay. Between the school and the southern field was the river, and the top of the falls it led into was just a short walk from the trail. As the winter progressed its power diminished as the mighty waters hid beneath a thick layer of ice.

And from what Pokey understood, he and his company were to free the waterfall and help clear the bay of the ice that had gathered. Princess Luna had told them yesterday that the amount of ice seemed unnatural to her, but to Pokey it didn’t matter. He looked forward to walking across the bay, for the thought of walking over a body of water always made him feel as though he were in whole new world of sorts. Though, the last time he had seen the frozen ice so close up was when the ice dragon had attacked.

The thought of the storm and the frightening memories that came with it made Pokey's attention return to the present. He peeked out a nearby window and saw that clouds have taken over the upper atmosphere just like they had then. It had been a week and some odd days since any cloud had crossed the deep blue sky.

A piece of chalk snapped. Pokey found himself drawn back into the lecture.

Skimming the board, Pokey realized that they had somehow moved on to the magic involved in changing snow directly to water vapor, and the activity of energy involved. Pokey felt even more overwhelmed than before. He tried to take note of the names of the processes as well as how magic tied into it all; but, as soon as the young stallion had drawn an ice cube on his paper, Lonsdaleite wiped the blackboard clean.

Without hesitation the professor went back to work again, this time writing 'Winter Wrap-Up' in large letters at the top of the board.

“Now, for application's sake, the manipulation of the water element will be used in clearing...”

Though her mouth was running at a hundred words per second, Pokey could only stare at the words at the top of the board. He read the same three over and over again, primarily to admire the neat writing. When bullet points appeared below them, Pokey saw an opportunity to enter back into the note-taking.

This is probably important now. No distractions this time-

Another paper airplane glided onto his desk, this right from the right. Pokey's head swiveled just enough to see Colgate sitting on the other side of Quirky Q, leaning over her desk, staring at him with squinting eyes. Quirky was in the process of rolling her eyes before quickly going back to eyeing the board and writing things down.

Sensing a bit of urgency, Pokey opened the note from his friend and read it over.

Beneath this note was a picture of a one pony bucking two others in their heads. The pair’s eyes were little X's while the one that struck them had a rather victorious grin. A familiar-looking stallion with a pointed horn stood off to the side cheering.

This pointy-horned pony keeps showing up in all these drawings...

Paying attention mostly to the words, Pokey looked to Colgate and caught her gaze with a small wave. In response to the written question, he slowly shook his head. The blue mare reacted with a skeptical gaze. She leaned farther over her desk and stared beyond Pokey, then returned to writing things down on her paper.

Pokey looked down at his own notes again. So far, he had his name and the date at the top, and below them a picture of an ice cube.

Hopefully I've got the gist of it...

Another note flew onto his desk, this time in a ball rather than an airplane. Pokey examined it carefully, observing it as thought it were some kind of puzzle. When he looked back to his left he saw the typical smirks from Regality and Tall Tale, but to him they were simply curious looks. He took the paper in hoof and started to smooth it out. Before he could finish, though, the wad suddenly was snatched up from his grasp and carried through the air to the right.

It passed by Quirky, who didn't notice it until it bumped against her horn. She jerked her head back and stared, unimpressed, a frown intensifying on her face. The half-smoothed paper continued over to Colgate, whose horn was dimly lit, and dropped down onto her desk. The mare finished opening the crumpled paper, then glared at whatever content it held.

Her eyes drifted to the bottom of the paper. Pokey couldn't see what it was from where he sat, but his friend was soon shooting a glare past him. Her nostrils were flaring, and Pokey could’ve swore that her eyes had gone from blue to red.

“Miss Colgate, if you wouldn't mind repeating what I have just said?” Lonsdaleite suddenly requested.

Irked, Colgate removed her stare and sat up, facing the front of the classroom. Closing her eyes, she recited, “'It is essential to begin depleting the presence of ice by first freeing more typically active tributaries. This allows for rivers and other bodies of water to naturally flush out ice covering it, making water clearance more time efficient.'”

With that she picked up her quill, opened her eyes, and went back to writing things down on the paper.. The entire class fell silent in awe. Lonsdaleite seemed hardly impressed, but turned back to board regardless. Pokey, however, was too impressed to look away at first.

So there really are ponies who can memorize stuff word-for-word...

“Sufficient, Miss Colgate. I'm glad you're at least paying attention to this, seeing as your group will be participating in such activity. Now, aside from the waters...”

And then it all started to fly by again. Pokey had already missed the important details in the beginning, and now felt stuck in an intersection with no signs to direct him. He knew about water. He drank lots of it. He knew how to swim. He knew about ice, as made apparent to him by the picture he had drawn in his notes. He forgot why he had drawn it in the first place.

He sighed and tried writing down something similar to what Colgate had just said to make up for his lack of previous jottings.

'Free water'. Good enough, I hope.

He wrote the two words and paused. No sooner had he finished than his mind began wandering off into uncharted space. Seeing all the blank space on his paper made him wonder: going back and writing down memories of earlier on in the lecture would mean he would need that space. The first page did seem more fitting with the drawing he already had from the lecture, to keep everything in order.

Pokey reached over into his bag to see if he could grab another sheet on which to write.

Empty.

I only packed one..? Strange. Oh well.

He prepared to write on the backside of the paper, when suddenly a new sheet magically appeared onto his desk. Excited, Pokey looked in each and every direction, but no one in particular seemed to have noticed. He examined the clean sheet and cocked his head curiously. Unable to come up with a reason for its appearance, other than some kind act of a good Samaritan nearby, he readied his quill to write.

Just before he could put any ink onto it, though, the paper began to float like a magic carpet. It levitated as though it were seaweed flowing horizontally in water, before suddenly inching away from the center of Pokey’s desk. The stallion slammed his hoof on the sheet, ringing a loud clang through the room. The paper ceased its levitation.

Pokey lifted his eyes to see if Lonsdaleite had noticed. Judging by the way that she was looking directly at him - combined with the nonplussed expression she wore - the stallion figured she had. Little did he know that all eyes were in fact on him; keeping his hoof on the strange piece of paper, all Pokey did in return was look back at his professor with his usual innocent smile. Madame Lonsdaleite turned back to the board, slightly hesitant, and continued.

Not a minute later Pokey removed his hoof from the blank sheet and stared at it. He held his hoof above it as a cat holds its paw over a fly it has batted. Surely enough, just as expected, the paper slowly began hovering again. Bothered by this, Pokey decided he would not stand for his miracle paper up and leaving after it had magically appeared in his time of dire need. With his magic he grabbed the paper and forced it down onto his desk – much quieter than his earlier tactic – and pinned it against the wooden surface by the middle. In time the edges ceased to flap in struggle, but Pokey never let his hold on the paper go completely.

Sweating, he glanced at Regality and Tall Tale, neither of which were looking in his direction, and then to Colgate, who was baring her teeth, seething.

Pokey could read Colgate's lips, “Gimme that!”

“I don't have any extra paper!” Pokey mouthed back sheepishly.

Colgate rolled her eyes and pulled out a piece of paper from her own bag and began writing.

Why did she ask for paper when she already has some? Seems kinda selfish...

Soon Colgate sent her piece of paper to Pokey, sliding it past Quirky – who nearly stabbed the paper with the quill she had as she ground her teeth behind tightly-closed lips – and then settled it down on Pokey’s desk. The stallion was more confused than ever.

“Thanks?” Pokey mouthed with a shrug.

Colgate made a circling motion with her hoof, but Pokey stared.

Do a somersault..?

“But we're still in class,” Pokey mouthed.

All of a sudden Colgate's head dropped onto her desk, but the commotion was drowned out by the academy bells. Their ringing started a chorus of rich hums, ones Pokey always closed his eyes to listen to. He liked to picture just how it sounded, like waves in a puddle from cascading raindrops.

Lonsdaleite slammed all of the books she had been reading from shut, their collective thump a quiet thunder of sorts. It was enough to snap Pokey into paying attention to at least the last few things she had to say.

“Be sure to study the energy processes and features of water in its different states,” Lonsdaleite said. “After lunch we shall discuss group assignments Princess Luna has given you all and tomorrow will begin Winter Wrap-Up on Crescent Island.”

The class murmured after hearing the last part, throwing Lonsdaleite into a defensive huff.

“Students, there is no need to fear! Calm down, all of you,” Madame Lonsdaleite barked. “We are not celebrating the coming of spring early; we are merely beginning a few days in advance so as to end on time despite any unforeseen difficulties that may occur. The weather has been terribly unpredictable lately, as you all know. Class dismissed.”

Unpredictable was right. For the past week and a half it had been clear skies, but right as classes began that day there were clouds as far as the eye could see. Pokey tried to catch a glance himself, but before his eyes could wander over to a window, there was a mare standing in front of his desk.

“Pokey! What the heck were you doing?” Colgate growled.

Pokey stared back, baffled. “What do you mean?”

“The note, Pokey! What did it say?”

“My notes?” The stallion held up what he had written. “You mean these?”

Colgate's eyes skimmed over what little he had written and drawn, then dropped it onto his desk. “Pokey, this is a box and the words 'free water'.”

Pokey shook his head. “Silly, that's not a box! That's an ice cube-”

“Aha! That one!” Colgate snatched the blank sheet she had tried to take earlier - what Pokey had deemed the ‘magic paper’ - and turned it over.

Pokey only saw the clean side. “What are you doing? That’s my magic paper!”

“It's not magic paper, Pokey, it was just those dummies sending you another note.”

“'Those dummies'?”

“Yeah, those two bullies from our group. They just love sending you obnoxious notes in class,” Colgate said, turning the paper around for Pokey to see.

It was, in fact, a note. In the middle of the back side it read:

“'Girlfriend'?” Pokey asked.

“Probably talking about me,” Colgate said.

“You're my girlfriend?”

“No, Pokey,” Colgate growled. “Ugh, nevermind. What matters is, I wrote 'em a good threat to shut them up, but apparently that didn't work.”

“Of course not,” Quirky said, approaching the two. “You don't respond to a bunch of bullies with death threats.”

“Beating the tar out of somepony is not a death threat,” Colgate mumbled. “Not in my book, at least. Now, making them tight-rope walk over a shark tank...”

“Same difference,” Quirky remarked sharply. “No, the better way to deal with the likes of those two is-”

“Why, what have we here? A strategy meeting?” interrupted the ever-arrogant Regality. “Why weren't we invited? Or is this a little intervention meeting for poor little Pokey Pierce? If I may say, getting advice from you two is probably the last thing he needs. Having you two try to solve his problems is even more embarrassing, in my opinion.”

“Yeah, havin' your mares here deal with all your wittew pwobwems,” Tall Tale mocked.

Pokey cocked his head. “Wittew pwob-?”

“We're not 'his mares', you bunch of nimrods,” Colgate cut in. “We're his friends, and good friends look out for each other. In this case, I'm helping Pokey learn how to deal with the likes of you.”

Pokey nodded. “Wait, deal-?”

“Oh dear, this isn’t over that little note now, is it? We were merely trying to share a laugh with him,” Regality replied with fake despondency. “Why act so harshly? Pokey sure doesn't seem to mind.”

Pokey smiled. “Well, I-”

“That's because he's probably immune to your annoying behavior by now,” Colgate smirked. “Ponies like you two are just as bad as a disease, anyway.”

“As bad as a pestilence?” Regality laughed. “My, my, now you're just getting rude. I suppose we'll be the bigger stallions in this and walk away before anypony regrets anything that they say or do, hmm?”

“I'm a mare, thank you very much,” Colgate said with a snort. “Whatever. Get lost.”

“See you three after lunch,” Tall Tale sneered. “In the meantime, better watch where you sit!”

As they walked out sneering, Pokey simply waved.

“Bye guys-”

“Pokey.” Colgate grabbed her friend's head and forced him to look her in the eye. “What are you doing!?”

The stallion tilted his head. “Well, I'm about to leave the classroom for lunch-”

“Not that. I'm talking about whenever we face those two idiots! Why don't you ever say or do anything? You know, fight back?”

Pokey shook his head and dutifully recited, “Momma said to never fight fire with fire.”

“Aw, what, you believe that crap?”

“Colgate!” Quirky gasped.

But the blue mare continued, “Look, the only way I've ever gotten ponies to stop making fun of me or leave me alone was by knocking 'em senseless, or otherwise showing them who's boss.”

Quirky laughed. “That explains a lot of things...”

Colgate continued, “If you just keep on letting them walk all over you, you're gonna be just like... like Fluttershy!”

Pokey tapped his muzzle. “Hmm, well, Fluttershy is pretty nice-”

“Doormat, Pokey,” Colgate said. “She's a doormat. You don't want to end up like that, got it?”

Quirky pushed her way between the two and parted them, mainly pushing Colgate away and keeping her at a distance as though she had a contagious virus.

“Look, Colgate, I think you're taking this too far,” Quirky stated firmly. “You make it sound like you're planning on freezing them in ice for a week or something with that tone-”

“Really, Quirky? You're trying to stay neutral in all this?” Colgate said. She held up the last note that had been passed to Pokey, the ‘magic paper’. “Here, why don't you read their last note? There, down at the bottom.”

Quirky took the paper with skepticism and looked at the bottom where Pokey could only spot 'PS' faintly written preceding a half paragraph of quickly-written words. The lavender mare gasp, then suddenly blushed.

“H-Half-baked actress!?” she growled. In less than a second the paper was ripped into shreds. “That's it. One lesson, Colgate. I'll settle for one instance of payback.”

Pokey, caught between the two schemers, laughed uneasily. “D-Do I have to help?”

The two mares stared, their gazes able to stop a full-speed chariot. Pokey backed away.

“O-Okay, then.”

Colgate rubbed her hooves together as she sat at Pokey's desk. A devilish grin widened across her face. “They told us to watch where we sit, right? I think I have the perfect plan in mind...”