THE TEACHER, THE SORCERESS, AND THE WONDERBOLT

Chapter 2: Sleepover Redux

An uncomfortable silence had descended upon the room. A unicorn, a pegasus, and an earth pony all looked at each other, going from one to another. At the same moment, all three recognized each other as a romantic rival for their hostess, the magical Twilight Sparkle. As the silence lingered, the tension grew thick enough to physically cut with a knife.

It was broken, when a slightly confused Twilight voiced an idea that just popped into her head. With a gasp, she cried out, “I just got the best idea, ever!” Four sets of eyes turned to her. “We can have a working sleepover!”

Four sets of eyes looked at her incredulously, as if to say “Wut.”

Twilight plowed ahead, oblivious to the stares she was receiving. “Cheerilee and I need to work on the lesson plan for tomorrow, and it would really be helpful to have two outside perspectives! What do you say, girls?”

The ecstatic grin she was giving them quickly caused the animosity on the mare's faces to drip off like melting wax, only to be replaced by dubious expressions. Spike just facepalmed at his guardian's lack of social awareness. Come on, Twi! Even I can tell there's something going on here.

Trixie was first to recover her voice. “What does Twilight Sparkle mean by 'lesson plan'? What are you doing tomorrow?”

Twilight began hopping up and down in place in her excitement. “Cheerilee asked me to teach the colts and fillies magic! Isn't that great?”

Her joy was infectious, spreading grins all across the room, though Trixie was still a little confused and put out. “That's... great,” she replied, lacking any enthusiasm. “But Trixie was hoping you would be able to show her around tomorrow. She is still new here, and there's so many ponies here who seem to harbor ill feelings towards Trixie.”

A Wry snort drew everyone's attention to Cheerilee. She noticed them staring at her, and decided to explain herself. “Oh, come on. With how you treated everypony when you were here last? Not to mention the ursa minor. It's a wonder there isn't an angry mob at the door with torches and pitchforks right now.”

A look of fear quickly made its way across Trixie's face, and she gave a quick glance at the window as if looking for the tell-tale glow of open flame. Trying to recover, she put her nose into the air and looked away. “The great and powerful Trixie cannot help being better than the common pony. Nor should she hide it.” She took the towel from her head and floated a brush from the bathroom to groom her mane. “Besides,” she said with a smirk. “One cannot blame Trixie for the ursa. She was not the one who brought it into town.”

Cheerilee responded with a glare which was returned in kind. A showdown was narrowly averted by Spitfire. “Wow. Sounds like it's all go around here,” she said with a grin.

Twilight saw the opening and took it. “Yeah, it almost seems like every other week some huge disaster is brewing,” she answered sheepishly. With only a moderate change in tempo, she asked, “So what do you girls say? Sleepover?”

With a coquettish smile, Trixie replied, “Well, since Twilight Sparkle is so kind as to let Trixie sleep here, she does not object to helping her... educate some foals.” Her pointed looks at Spitfire and Cheerilee when she said “foals” left them little doubt just which foals she wished to educate, and in what subject.

Spitfire narrowed her eyes at Trixie and simply said, “Likewise.”

Not to be outdone, Cheerilee nodded. “I suppose it makes more sense to just stay here than going back home, if we're going to be working that late.” With a sly smirk, she added, “Even if I do live just a few houses down the street. But do us all a favor and leave the... educating... to the pros, okay?”

Twilight somehow missed all this byplay and smiled hugely at the assembled mares. “Excellent! I'm sure that between the five of us, we can make great headway!”

Spike interrupted her guardian's good mood. “Four of you, you mean. Did you forget already that Rarity asked me to help with watching the Cutie Mark Crusaders tonight?”

Knocking herself on the head with a hoof, Twilight moaned. “Darn it! I totally spaced on that. Sorry, Spike. I guess we'll have to get by without your excellent services tonight,” she finished with a wry smile. “But before you go...” she trailed off in a wheedling tone of voice.

“Yeeesss...?” Spike replied cautiously.

“Would you make us some of your patented super-duper scrumptious salads for dinner?” she asked. “Pleeeaaase?” The puppy-dog eyes combined with her tone brought a smile to the faces of all three mares watching the scene. It was like she was the child asking her parent for a treat.

If the slump in Spike's shoulders didn't tell the tale clearly enough, his put-upon groan as he made his way to the kitchen certainly did. His progress was halted temporarily as Twilight ran up and nuzzled him. “Thanks, Spike. You're the best number-one assistant ever.”

Spike waved her off, but it was plain to see that he walked with more spring in his step now. “Yeah, yeah. No need to get all mushy on me.”

The unicorn fairly bounced back to the table where she and Cheerilee were working earlier. She floated the notes over in front of Trixie and Spitfire and asked, “So why don't we start with what we have and see if you can add anything or see if we missed anything?”

The two mares in question looked at the notes, but Spitfire furrowed her brows. “Um, Twilight, hon? You mind putting them down on the table? It's kinda hard to read these through your magic... um, field... thingy,” Spitfire inquired. She pointedly ignored the glares her familiarity with their hostess brought forth.

Twilight lightly knocked herself on the head with a hoof, sticking out her tongue at the same time. “Oops. Sorry Spitfire. Force of habit.”

The notes once more resting on the table and free of the energy field, they perused the papers again. Trixie began making mental notes of where to add in some form of theatrics or demonstration to make the lesson more interesting. Spitfire was intrigued that the framework was amazingly similar to her own training program workups. Both were satisfied that this would make for an excellent first class.

The Wonderbolt looked up at Twilight with admiration in her eyes. “I have to say, Hon, if I were a unicorn filly, I'd certainly want to continue your class. This is pretty interesting stuff. I didn't know that Starswirl the Bearded had designed the first magical telescope. I thought his field of expertise lay in the offensive spell category.”

Not to be outdone, Trixie added, “Well of course it's interesting. How could anything written by such a brilliant mare as Twilight Sparkle be anything but? It needs but a bit of polish and panache to make it a lesson for the ages! One that will be used by professors for millennia to come!” She struck a heroic pose at the end of her diatribe, and a mysterious wind from nowhere blew through her mane in a flourish.

“Um, thanks for the compliments girls, but Cheerilee here did most of the hard work,” Twilight said timidly. “I mostly just provided the facts and a few suggestions.”

The teacher gave them a lopsided smirk, but remained silent. Trixie and Spitfire looked at her, then at each other, then down at the paper again as if it had somehow offended them. “Well, Trixie can see now why it's edges are so rough. It did seem a little... sophomoric,” she said as she pushed the notes away at hoof's length.

Further discussion (as well as Cheerilee's indignant sputtering) were put on hold as Spike emerged from the kitchen bearing four large bowls of salad. Croutons the size of large crackers accented the meal, and the raspberry and rose vinaigrette dressing set everypony's mouth to salivating. He set down Twilight's bowl last, and received an affectionate nuzzle in thanks. “Aw, you're the bestest best number-one assistant ever, Spike.”

He leaned into the affection for a moment before remembering that there were others present, and pushed her away, though not very hard. “Oh come on, Twilight. You act like I did something hard or out of the ordinary.”

Twilight settled for rubbing her hoof on his head. “Just making sure you know I appreciate you, Spike!”

A slight blush came to Spike's cheeks as he headed for the door and donned a scarf he had gotten from Rarity as a present. “Aw, I already knew that, Twi.” But it's always nice to hear it, he thought. “I'll see you tomorrow morning!”

She grinned in joyous anticipation as she replied, “More like tomorrow afternoon! Remember? I have school tomorrow!”

The dragon shook his head. “Only you could be so excited about going back to school after graduating college three times. See you then!” He couldn't help but share her happiness as he walked to Rarity's. I'm glad this came along. It's been a while since I have seen her this excited about something.

Silence descended onto the room as the ponies ate. It would not exactly be what one would call a companionable silence, but more like a cease-fire between hostile nations. They all seemed to be lost in their own thoughts, so nopony made an issue of it.

Once dinner was out of the way and the dishes stacked and set off to the side, they got back into the work. Cheerilee would help Twilight to frame her ideas, while Trixie would encourage her to add in notes for demonstrations and little flares of magic, and Spitfire would occasionally throw in a remembered fact now and again. Curiosity finally got the better of Twilight, and she asked Spitfire, “I have to say Captain Spitfire, you seem very well informed on magic for a pegasus. Very few ponies bother to study something they can't ever use.”

Spitfire grinned at the unicorn. “Please, just call me Spitfire,” she said. Or better yet, lover, she thought to herself. “I like to exercise my mind as much as my body. Reading about magic and it's theory requires your full attention or you miss something important. I find it rather satisfying as well as relaxing.” She stretched one powerful wing straight up, showing off the muscles and beautiful plumage. “These babies may keep me aloft, but it's this that makes 'em work,” she said as she pointed a hoof to her head.

Twilight looked at her wing in wonderment. “Wow, I've never had an opportunity to see a pegasus wing this close up.” She raised a hoof hesitantly and looked at her in askance. “May I?”

Inwardly, Spitfire was dancing with excitement. “Sure. Help yourself,” she replied with affected nonchalance.

With gentle care, the lavender mare softly ran her hoof along the underside of the wing, sending a shiver down the Wonderbolt's spine. “Fascinating,” she breathed as she ran along the flight feathers, watching the minute interplay of colors as the light caught them just right. “I wonder why they're slightly iridescent?” Spitfire was about to answer when Twilight moved on to the downy feathers closer to the wing arm itself. The closer she got to the base of the wing, the more squeamish the pegasus got, until she couldn't hold it in any longer and ruffled the feathers involuntarily. Twilight looked into Spitfire's eyes in fear. “I'm sorry. Did that hurt?” she asked in a breathy whisper.

A slight blush sat on her face as she answered in an equally breathy whisper, “No. It's okay. I'm just a little... ticklish there. It's a bit of an... intimate place, under the wing.” Spitfire's heart was racing like it never had before. She subconsciously licked her suddenly too dry lips and her eyes took on a sultry, half-lidded appearance.

Their faces were just inches apart when a loud SLAM brought them back to reality, causing them to look around in alarm. Trixie was seen near a bookshelf picking up a book from the floor with her magic while holding another already. “Oops. Trixie apologizes, Twilight Sparkle. This book fell off the shelf when she pulled this one out.” The apologetic expression turned to a scathing look when she focused on Spitfire.

Twilight trotted over, saying, “No worries, Trixie. No harm done. Let me see which one you were looking for?” She looked at the covers, causing Trixie to blush furiously. “The Ka-Mare Sutra? Yeah, that one is always causing problems. For some reason, the cover is always sticky, no matter how many times I clean it. I've been meaning to read it. Rarity says it's well worth it, but I never can find the time.”

The purple mare activated her magic, gently enveloping Trixie's blue magic field and the other book with it with her own. Trixie blushed, thinking Oh, her touch is so gentle. So soft. But I can feel the power underneath like a dragon, waiting to be unleashed. Just like her.

Their fields caressed each other as Twilight tried to gently pry the book from the blue mare's grip. “Um, Trixie? I can't put this other book back until you let go.”

Trixie's blush grew as she let go of the book in surprise. “Oh! Oh, dear. Trixie is sorry. Her mind was a million miles away.” The sweat on her forehead mirrored the moisture forming elsewhere from the intimate magical contact.

“Yeah, in the gutter,” Spitfire muttered to herself. Not only had she read many books on magical theory, she had her own copy of the Ka-Mare Sutra, and so knew how unicorns mingling their telekinetic fields could give and receive pleasure through them if done correctly. Apparently, Twilight had done something right, something that Trixie had not reciprocated.

“Perhaps we could get back to work here? Twilight's first class is tomorrow afternoon.” Cheerilee's pique was quite clear in her voice.

Twilight gave a sheepish smile as she returned to the table. “Sorry, teach. Won't happen again.” She paused at the boxes Spike had brought in earlier, and extracted a small sheet of wax paper, and a glazed doughnut. With crossed eyes, she speared the paper on her horn, then followed suit with the doughnut.

“Twilight, what are you doing?” Cheerilee asked in amusement.

She looked up at the doughnut again and said, “What, this? I always do this to keep my hooves free, and to prevent any stickiness from making its way to the books. It's one of the reasons I love glazed doughnuts so much over others.”

All three shook their heads at the adorkable mare and they all dove back into the books again. They returned to their chosen seats, Spitfire and Cheerilee flanking Twilight, and Trixie sitting opposite her at the small round table. Their attention however, kept gravitating to that speared pastry, in such intimate contact with Twilight's horn. Unbidden, images of what else she might be able to do with that horn came to their minds.

Finally unable to take being jealous of a sweet treat any longer, Trixie made her move. A pale blue glow surrounded her horn, as she activated her telekinesis, gently tearing off a piece of the doughnut, careful to only take from the bottom of the pastry so it would not fall from the unsuspecting mare's horn. She floated it across the table to where she sat, and popped it into her mouth. A satisfied expression crossed her face as she chewed. She could swear, she tasted something other than doughnut and imagined it to be Twilight herself, who unaware of anything happening, continued writing obliviously.

Trixie opened her eyes to see the pegasus and earth pony glaring daggers at her. With a smirk, she made a big show out of chewing thoroughly and swallowing her bite.

Spitfire glanced at her, then up at the doughnut hanging by the horn. A small drop of glazing had collected at the break, and appeared ready to drop down onto the paper Twilight was writing on. With her own smirk at Trixie and Cheerilee, she leaned up as if nothing in the world were more natural, and with lips peeled back exposing her teeth, very carefully bit off another chunk of deliciousness, after wrapping her tongue around the bottom of the pastry to prevent the glazing from dropping. She was careful not to touch the horn, which was glowing as the unicorn continued writing.

She sat back, chewing contentedly, a very smug expression on her face as she watched the other two competitors. She too could taste something that was decidedly not an ingredient not found in doughnuts, but could not identify.

Cheerilee didn't want to be outdone, but Twilight's horn was well, Twilight's Horn. And considering the direction her mind had been wandering just minutes ago, it wasn't hard to imagine doing other things with that horn. Things that involved lips... and a tongue... or even... Cheerilee's blush extended halfway down her neck as she daydreamed, but she quickly came out of it when she noticed the now unbalanced doughnut starting to slide off. Without another thought, she leaned up and gently bit into the treat, inadvertently taking a larger bite than the two others. She noticed that if nothing was done, it would continue to fall off, so she nudged it with her lips higher on the horn, accidentally lightly kissing the horn itself.

Now blushing twice as furiously, the teacher sat back to enjoy the fruits of her labors. Like the other two, she could detect a distinct flavor that she had never tasted on any other doughnut before. She opened her eyes again to see the other two glaring at her with murder in their eyes. A smug smile of her own let them know just what she thought of the outcome of their impromptu contest.

However, disaster struck when the last tiny piece of doughnut fell from its perch, landing right on the page on which Twilight was working. They all stared at it in shock, the other three with no small amount of alarm. “Oops, I hate it when that happens.” Twilight levitated it up to her mouth and popped it in. She chewed for a moment before a confused look spread on her face. She looked at the others and asked, “Did I eat the rest already?”

Trixie responded first with, “Trixie supposes so. She was not paying much attention to it.” The other two nodded in agreement, hoping against hope that she would accept the story.

After a moment, Twilight shrugged, and returned to her work, but that didn't last long. A huge yawn worked its way through her, culminating in a stretch.

Cheerilee looked at the clock and gasped at the time. “Eleven thirty? Is that clock correct, Twilight?”

She looked up at the clock and gasped. “Wow! Time really flies when you're having fun. I guess we should get to bed, girls. Got an early start tomorrow.”

All three of her guests felt their stomachs tighten as if they had just fallen off of a cloud at her words. Each were picturing what they'd like to happen as they followed her upstairs. They took turns cleaning up for the night in her bathroom while Twilight prepared a pallet on the floor of her room for all four of them. There was no way all four could fit into her dinky little bed, after all, and she hadn't thought to bring out her spare from the basement.

Sleeping positions were determined by first come, first served. Twilight was laying down in the middle of the pallet on her stomach with her legs folded underneath her, waiting for the others to finish. Trixie was first, and laid down next to her in a similar fashion, their sides touching. When Twilight arched an eyebrow at her questioningly, she said, “It's rather chilly tonight, don't you think?” She seemed to accept this silently, so Trixie continued, “I- I want to thank you for all you've done for me Twilight. I really appreciate the kindness you've shown me, even after I had been so horrid to you.”

Twilight nuzzled the mare beside her. “Think nothing of it Trixie. We all do silly or stupid things now and then. That's when we need a friend most to forgive and accept us.”

The moment was saved from becoming more emotional when Spitfire walked in. She noticed the two sitting so closely together on the floor, and with a grunt of disapproval, plopped herself down on the other side of Twilight. Flanked on either side, Twilight looked over at the new arrival. “Feeling the chill tonight as well?”

The pegasus nodded. “Yeah, a bit unseasonably cool tonight, isn't it, Hon?” She snuggled close and rubbed her cheek against the unicorn's neck.

Twilight seemed to be a little unsure about this at first, but smiled at the affection eventually. With another yawn, she settled her head down on the pillow in front of her. It wasn't long before she was lightly snoring, a quiet honk shoo noise escaping her lips. When Cheerilee walked in, she glared at the two mares laying beside her Twilight. They just looked at her with a smirk and laid their heads down to go to sleep.

Knowing that there was nothing to be done without disturbing the adorkable lavender mare, she resigned herself to laying behind all three ponies. In order to be as close as possible to her, she laid her head on Twilight's flank, breathing in her scent as she drifted off, dreaming of books and Twilight.

Author's Notes:

Wow! I am pleasantly surprised at the reception this story has gotten. It is by far, the most popular story I have written and put on the internet. I'll continue to work hard and make sure that I don't disappoint you all. I just hope you can put up with my admittedly slow update schedule. I tend to write very slowly, waiting for my muse to get off her butt (you know I love you muse! ^_^ ). The usual disclaimers apply here. I own nothing but the arrangement of the words, all else is Hasbro's and that wonderful Lauren Faust's! Thank you for sharing your world of ponies with us!