THE TEACHER, THE SORCERESS, AND THE WONDERBOLT

Chapter 3: Class is in Session

Cheerilee awoke with a start, just as she always did at five in the morning on a weekday. It was a habit she had acquired ever since she had started teaching here in Ponyville, and had served her well since. It never seemed to happen on weekends, but there have been many holidays that fell on a weekday where she had woken and was halfway through her morning routine before remembering she could have slept in, but overall, this ability was a blessing.

She lifted her head from the warm soft pillow she had been using, and noticed a small puddle of drool staining its purple, ink-scented fur. Fur? Why does that sound off? The maroon mare sat up and shivered at the rush of cool air on her left side. She stood on unsteady legs and smacked her mouth a few times, trying in vain to get rid of the taste in her mouth. Cheerilee stumbled towards the bathroom with heavy eyes and was shocked when she bumped into a wall.

The teacher sat down with a plop and rubbed her sore head for a moment. Ow! Who moved the door? She opened her eyes again and took stock of where she was, and that's when it all came back to her. With a blissful smile, she looked over at her hostess, and remembered dreaming of Twilight, herself, and a rather intimate moment they shared on top of the card catalog bureau downstairs. That's one to file away for later when I'm alone. Remembering where the upstairs bathroom was, she stumbled over to clean up before heading downstairs and making herself some breakfast.

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Twilight was having the time of her life. How could you go wrong with a library that contained every book that had ever been written in the entire universe? To top it all off, every one of her friends were here researching their interests, and Princess Celestia was smiling down at her beatifically. Pride at her favorite student was evident in her face, making Twilight feel so warm and loved. Even her newest friends, Trixie and Spitfire were having a philosophical debate with Cheerilee about the finer points of spell dueling at a nearby table.

“Well of course you'd to counter with a simple Dispelling effect. You have as much artistry in your soul as trout, Cheerilee,” Trixie was in rare form tonight. “A true showmare would use a Valkyria's Finale spell to shatter a Cryolight's Icewall. Dueling is as much about style, as it is the actual mechanics.” The Ursa Minor on her cape nodded in agreement as it took a fish from the Pisces constellation and ate it.

“Pony, please. In the time it takes you to cast a Finale, I could have gotten off three Pyroheart's Firestorms, and melted the darn thing,” Spitfire retorted. Her flaming mane flared a brilliant green as it grew hotter, before settling back to its normal orange-yellow.

Cheerilee slammed a hoof down on the table, sending cracks through the thick wood. “And you two are neglecting your basics! A Sentinel's Banish Conjuring is not only the kind of bread and butter spell that any duelist should know, it will get rid of the barrier without endangering bystanders, and in a timely manner. Just look at these numbers and tell me I'm wrong!” She waved a hoof, and an arcane and hideously complex equation appeared in the air before her. Somehow, the figures in the equation managed to look smugly at the other two ponies.

Twilight smiled warmly as she trotted over, and set down a platter holding four bowls of steaming oatmeal held in her magic. “Hungry, girls?” She floated a bowl to each before settling down with hers next to them.

They all looked at their bowls in excitement. “Say, is this your famous apple-cinnamon oatmeal, hon?” Spitfire managed to ask around her drool in her scratchy voice.” A nod of confirmation from Twilight was all the reassurance she needed to dig in. All four were gulping down the meal like it was going out of style, and there were still barrels of the stuff left over. Finally, she came up for air and gasped out, “You've got to tell me what you put in this! Just apples and cinnamon wouldn't taste this heavenly!”

Beaming at her, Twilight said, “Actually, Applejack put me onto the secret ingredient. It's-”

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Twilight awoke with a start, jerking her head up. “I know that smell,” she croaked. She started to rise, but quickly realized that would be impossible at the moment. Looking to her right through half-lidded eyes, she saw Spitfire's head resting on her withers. Looking to her left, she saw Trixie's head resting on one of her forelegs, which explained the dead feeling she was feeling from it.

With all the gentleness of a mother lifting her foal, she telekinetically lifted both their heads, and crawled backwards, out of the tangle, then gently set them down again. The mare tiphoofed silently to the door, doing her level best to ignore the agony of the pins and needles in her still asleep foreleg, just in time for her stomach to let itself be known. A yawn, a stretch, and a short, but carefully executed trip down the stairs, brought Twilight to the main room, where the smell of her dream oatmeal hit her like a ton of bricks. She dashed into the kitchen on three (and one still recovering) legs and spied in the early morning light, a covered pot on the counter, along with a note.

Dearest Twilight,

I hope you're ready for your debut in pedagogy. Just to make sure, I've prepared that oatmeal you keep asking for. It took a while, But I finally found the nutmeg and vanilla extract in your pantry, hiding behind a jar of gems. Just add some milk and warm it up on the stove if it's cold.

Lots of luck (not that you need it), and see you soon,
Cheerilee

Lifting the lid, a satisfying cloud of steam wafted out, nearly causing Twilight to float away on the heavenly aroma. She ladled a serving into a bowl and dug in. Mmm... oh Cheerilee, if I thought for one moment that you were into mares, I'd ask you to marry me just so I could have this every morning. Twilight finished the bowl, and went back for seconds. A quick estimate in her head on what was left, led her to believe that there would be enough for everypony when her guests woke up.

Despite the fact that she freaked out when anypony brought food into the library itself, she took her bowl over to the reading room, and settled down with a copy of Foal Psychology Today. She turned to chapter three, and began refreshing her memory on handling multiple foals at the same time.

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Rarely had Trixie felt this warm and safe. Not since she was a little filly in her dam's arms had she felt this comfortable. She nuzzled further into Twilight's neck, breathing in her spicy musk. Sliding her hooves down from the mare's shoulders to her flank, she relished the feel of her silky coat, and wondered when a librarian found time to exercise in order to get this toned. The delicious feel of those powerful muscles as she rolled on top of her gave her goosebumps. Twilight's hooves returned the embrace, and the feathers of her wings... wait, wings?

Trixie opened her eyes, and found herself staring into Spitfire's opening eyes. A moment of silence passed. Then another. Finally, in a whisper Trixie said, “Get off.”

In an equally quiet whisper, Spitfire replied, “You think I want to be lying on top of you?”

Neither pony moved.

As if by silent mutual consensus, they parted after a moment and sat on their haunches, staring at each other. They looked away and Spitfire mumbled out, “This never happened.”

Looking at her hooves, Trixie asked in a tightly controlled voice, “What never happened? Nothing occurred here today.”

Each satisfied that word of this will never get out, walked downstairs to find Twilight in the kitchen standing over a bubbling pot, a tasting spoon in her mouth. “Mf.. Morning ladies,” she said after removing the spoon. With a cheerful grin, she asked, “Breakfast?”

Her two house guests sat down at the kitchen table at opposite ends and stared admiringly at Twilight who was serving up two portions of the oatmeal. She was humming a happy little song to herself, keeping time by swaying her rear back and forth. The metronome effect of her tail seemed to hypnotize both ponies, who each had silly grins plastered to their faces.

The effect was ruined a bit when she turned around and floated their bowls over to them. After smelling the rich aroma, they dug in with gusto, while Twilight busied herself cleaning up the kitchen and still humming that song. Finally unable to contain herself anymore, she started singing.

It only took one stanza for Trixie joined in too. The blue mare stood and started dancing next to Twilight. This didn't sit well with Spitfire of course, so she joined in as well, though she didn't know the song, so she couldn't sing along. By the second chorus, Spitfire knew enough to sing along with those as well.

The three mares finished in a huddle, singing into Twilight's wooden spoon. The lavender unicorn brushed away some moisture from her eyes with a hoof. “I'm sorry, girls. That song always reminds me of when I was a filly. Celest- I mean the Princess and I would sing that together as we made cookies. We would sneak into the royal kitchens late at night and...” She broke off as emotions overcame her and hid her face behind her hooves.

Trixie and Spitfire were about to move in to comfort her with a hug, when her head shot up suddenly. “Oh! I forgot to tell the Princess the good news about my teaching! Excuse me girls, I need to go write to her. Go ahead and finish breakfast, I already ate!” she said as she dashed off upstairs.

They both had noticed the tears in her eyes and on her cheeks as she made a mad dash to compose herself. Awkwardly, they sat down to their breakfast and resumed eating in silence.

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“Twilight, you're giving us headaches with all that pacing. You've been at it for four hours now. Sit down and rest for a moment, will you?” Spitfire was practically pleading with her friend.

With a nod, Trixie said, “As much as Trixie dislikes agreeing with Spotfire, she must say that you are at the very least, making her dizzy.”

Spitfire glared at the blue unicorn. “You must be dizzy if you can't remember my name by now, Tricky.”

Twilight sighed as she sat down on the ground next to the fountain in the town square, and rubbed her head with her hooves. “Ugh. I think you two are right. I'm giving myself a tension headache.”

In a flash, Spitfire was by her side. “Here, let me work some of that out of you.” Without waiting for a response, she began massaging the mare's withers and neck. She smiled at the groan of pleasure from her patient.

Not to be outdone or left behind, Trixie sat on her haunches in front of Twilight, and started rubbing her temples. “Obviously you know nothing of unicorn anatomy, or you'd know that our tension headaches are best released by massaging here, not way over there,” she said with clear disdain.

“Oh really? Is that why I can feel knots coming undone 'way over here'?” Spitfire really began to bear down, feeling the muscles relax under her ministrations.

For her part, Twilight just sat there, unable to form coherent words. Her eyes rolled up in her head, and her tongue lolled out of the side of her slackened jaw. The passing ponies stared at the spectacle, most of them grinning, some with envious looks. A few recognized Trixie and just glared at her.

The town clock striking two woke Twilight from her stupor, and she shot to her hooves. “Oh, no! I'm going to be late!” She dashed off, leaving both ponies spinning around in the dirt.

“Spike was right. You guys are a riot!” They turned towards the voice, seeing a cyan pegasus over them, laying on a small cloud, barely larger than herself. She was also making no attempt to hide her mirth, laughing at them and pointing. When she had finally gotten a hold of herself, she flew down and landed on the edge of the fountain. She paced along the edge saying, “You two got it bad. Not that I blame you. She is quite the catch. If you can land her, that is. And if you go for eggheads, of course. I'd offer to help, but I just want to see how long this can go on before Twilight finally catches on.”

“Trixie thinks-”

“Yeah, yeah, save it, Trixie,” Dash interrupted with a dismissive wave of a hoof. “Whatever happens, I still haven't forgiven you for what you did to me and my friends last time you were here. As far as I'm concerned, you're a burr in my mane that I can't reach, because Twilight seems to think you've changed.” She paused to take a drink from the fountain before resuming. “I for one, don't buy it. A piebald can't change its spots, and all that.”

She hopped down from the fountain and walked up to the unicorn until they were face to face. “But if you hurt my friend, if I find out you so much as stepped on her hoof, accidentally or not; I am going to make you wish you were only facing down an Ursa Major. You don't even want to know what I'll do to you if it comes back to my ears that you broke her heart. You jive?”

Unable to deny the promise in the pegasus' eyes, Trixie could only gulp and nod. This seemed to satisfy Dash, and she sauntered past the visibly shaken unicorn, over to a shocked and wide-eyed Spitfire. She hooked a foreleg over the mare's withers and said, “So how's it been Spitfire?”

“Not bad, Rainbow Dash, but as you guessed, I am pursuing a mare right now, so-” The Wonderbolt was interrupted by a noogie from her fan.

“Don't even worry about it, Spitfire. I've already landed myself the best mare in Equestria, and I don't wanna ruin what I have with her. Even if she is the kinkiest thing this side of a one-bit garden hose, and has been hinting pretty heavily at bringing in another mare.” The rainbow mare seemed especially proud of this last bit, and arched an eyebrow at her hero, as if to make an offer without actually uttering it. “Besides,” she continued, “I'm not sure I even want to share her with anypony else. Haven't made up my mind on that yet.”

She let go of the yellow pegasus and put a hoof to her chin. “Of course, should the right mare come along...” Dash slammed her hoof down again and shook her head. “Enh, not yet. Well, I gotta go. Got some clouds over Sweet Apple Acres that need bucking. Later, 'taters!” With that, she flew off, leaving her signature rainbow contrail to slowly fade away.

Spitfire looked at the fading contrail then back at Trixie. “I... I'm not even sure which of us got the worse end of that conversation, you or me.”

“You weren't the one who was just threatened.”

“And you weren't the one who was just propositioned... I think.”

They sat there for a moment, pondering what had just happened. Spitfire looked over at Trixie. “Twilight?”

“Twilight.”

They nodded and headed over towards the school just down the street.

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For what felt like the hundredth time in the past hour, Cheerilee checked the clock on the far wall. Just a few minutes before Twilight starts her class. I hope this goes well for her. She seemed so excited to be teaching instead of just being a student for once. Still, this is a pretty well-behaved bunch of unicorns, even with Snips and Snails. They just need a little... extra attention.

The bell rang, and she stood to her hooves. “Alright everyone, class is dismissed. I'll see you all tomorrow. Unicorns, remain seated please. Your instructor will be here in a moment.” She looked over at her two problem students and said, “ Snips, Snails, that includes you too.” with a groan, they retook their seats.

A few seemed to be lingering, so she shooed them out. “Go on, colts and fillies. You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here.” Oh, dear. I think I've been picking up bad habits from Berry Punch. She winced at the phrase she had uttered. It was definitely something her sister would have said.

Wanting to make sure they left, she walked them out of the classroom, and down the short hall, to the main entrance to the small schoolhouse. Just as the last student had left, she saw Twilight charging down the road, heading straight for her, a frantic look on her face. Cheerilee smiled and waved at her. Then she noticed that the unicorn wasn't slowing down. Her smile changed to a look of terror, as Twilight plowed right into her, seemingly not even noticing the teacher in her way. They slid into the wall of the short hallway that separated the office from the classroom, Twilight laying on top of a very shocked and surprised Cheerilee.

Twilight was in such a tizzy over being a few minutes late, she didn't even notice that her lips left a similar set of organs on the earth pony when she stood up and continued running to the classroom. For a full twenty seconds, Cheerilee could do nothing but lay there on the floor and touch her lips with a hoof. Her entire face and much of her neck had turned a bright cherry-red.

A noise further down the hall finally drew her attention, and she noticed Twilight standing by the door to the classroom. Well, standing being only a very loose interpretation of what she was doing. She was dancing in one spot in what Cheerilee liked to call “the Dance of the Call to Nature” She had seen so many foals use that move as they asked to be excused to the restroom, but she had never seen a grown mare use it before, much less in a situation where the restroom wasn't needed. “Cheerileeeeee, hurrrrryyyyy! You have to introduce me like you said you would, and I'm already three minutes, thirty-two seconds late!”

The earth pony moved like she was in a dream. She sashayed over to the door, putting a little extra wiggle in her hips, and never once took her half-lidded eyes from the unicorn who seemed to be intent on wearing a divot into the floor. Opening the door, she let the mare in before her, and couldn't help but let her eyes be drawn to her rump. The perfectly groomed, perfectly shaped flank walked past her in what she felt sure was a private parade meant for an audience of one. Even her tail, lifted in the correct posture of a lady gave her a glimpse of the heaven she had been dreaming about for more than a year now. It was only through an incredible display of willpower, that she didn't pounce the mare right then and there, though she did take an involuntary deeper breath than was strictly necessary.

Twilight took her place by Cheerilee's desk, waiting on her as she sauntered in. The teacher stood next to the unicorn (almost so close as to be considered an invasion of personal space), after locking the door, and in a voice that the foals recognized as meaning that she was thinking about her mysterious somepony special, introduced her. “Students, this will be your instructor in magic. Say hello to Miss Twilight Sparkle.”

As one, the eight unicorns chorused, “Hello, Miss Twilight Sparkle.” Cheerilee took a seat in the corner of the room and stared at Twilight in adoration.

With a cheery grin, Twilight answered, “Good afternoon, class. You may just call me Miss Twilight. No need to use my full name all the time.” She noticed a familiar filly with her hoof in the air, and nodded at her. “Yes? Do you have a question for me Sweetie Belle?”

“Miss Twilight,” she asked, “Do we have to let them watch?” She pointed at the windows to clear up any confusion.

Twilight looked toward the window, and saw that the entire rest of the class had their collective noses plastered to the glass like they were at an aquarium. She knew from personal experience just how nerve wracking it could be to have an audience, especially when you're just starting out. With a lopsided smile, her horn began to glow, as did all the blinds in the room. As one, every blind snapped down, frustrating the audience outside. The dim room was then lit once again by her magic, as all the lamps flared to life.

The room was filled with an appreciative “Oooo...” from the assembled unicorns.

“Aw, that's nothing. I once saw her pick up an Ursa Minor and float it all the way back to the Everfree forest, eh,” said an orange colt.

Twilight smiled at him. “That's right, Snails. I did do that. But I think you'll find that levitating a creature or object is foal's play next to precision work like what I just did, no matter how large the creature or object. Can anypony here tell me why that is?” She looked around at the class as several hooves went up. “Dinky Doo?”

The gray filly stood up in her seat and answered, “Because you have to be careful not to break the blinds, so that takes more concentration, and magic takes even more concentration, and you only gots so much concentration to use.” She sat down again looking pleased with herself.

“Exactly! Well said, Dinky Doo. I would like to add that the more things you try to do at one time, the more you have to split your concentration even more.” She slipped into lecture mode like she was made for it. “So, I had to divide my concentration between eight blinds, metering out my strength so that I didn't damage them, as well as using my magic. That, fillies and colts, is a ten-way split of concentration, and it is something I expect you all to be able to do by the end of the school year.”

This statement was met with gasps from her audience and looks of incredulity. A high-pitched, raspy voice screeched, “But Miss Twilight, we can't do that! Some of us here can barely write with a quill!”

Twilight nodded gravely. “I know that Snips. But with the techniques I'm going to teach you, and what we will cover over the year, doing what I just did is well within everypony's grasp here.” Seeing that she was still getting skeptical looks, she changed tacks. “Why don't we start with a demonstration of what each of you can already do,” she said as she pulled out a small, purple blanket, no more than a couple of hooves per side, and laid it on the floor.

“Now I want you all to line up here at Miss Cheerilee's desk, like you're turning in your homework.” She smiled at them as they followed her directions. “For this test, I want you to pick up the blanket with your magic. It doesn't matter how high you manage, or even if you cannot pick it up at all. This is simply to measure where you all are, and who needs to practice most.” A few looked especially nervous now.

One after another, the eight foals came forward to make their attempt. Most managed to at least make the blanket move, some managed to even make it do a sort of wobbly dance in the air. At last came Dinky Doo's turn. However, she couldn't so much as budge it. When some of the other foals began laughing at her, she crouched down low and tried to hide her face.

A thunderous BOOM rocked the classroom, and everypony's attention was drawn to Twilight, whose horn and right foreleg had a dissipating glow. The anger on her face cowed all into silence. “I will not stand for anypony in my class being mocked! We all start out not knowing how to control our magic, and we all go through the same learning process. In this, we are all equal. Is that clear?”

Twilight was met with a weak chorus of “Yes, Miss Twilight”s, and she looked over at Cheerilee. The teacher was standing at attention with a dazed expression. Cheerilee, for her part was indeed stupefied and amazed at the display of power. She had been staring at the unicorn and was shocked out of her reverie by sound she more felt than heard. Dear, sweet Celestia, I think she just made me wet! I've never wanted a pony this badly before!

The assessment done, the students resumed their seats, and Twilight began teaching them the proper meditative technique for tapping into one's magic. “Close your eyes and concentrate, my little ponies. Listen to the sound of my voice. Block out all other senses, and let my voice lead you to your center. Can you see it? It's a glow that is unique to you. Now touch it. It's warm, isn't it?” She was rewarded by seeing every horn in the room begin to softly glow as they each nodded and smiled.

“That's good. You're all doing so very good. Now let the warmth flow through you. Feel it cover your whole body, from the tip of your horn, to the tip of your tails.” The glows grew stronger, and Twilight's own horn glowed and surrounded each unicorn as well as herself and Cheerilee. She enveloped them in a cushioning field of magic, just as small, loose objects began flying around the room, becoming stuck in her cushioning field. Eventually, the room ran out of objects small and light enough to be affected by the foals' magic. Cheerilee, who had been expecting this, was nonetheless unnerved by a letter opener hanging right before her left eye, just inches away.

“Now, my little ponies, I want you to gently, let go of the glow. Just let it slip out of your grasp in its own time. Remember, this glow is your friend. Treat it as you would want to be treated, and it will never hurt you.” The glows around each foal's horn dimmed to nothingness, and the slowly opened their eyes. They saw the objects caught in Twilight's field (some of them quite sharp), and gasped.

Twilight let the field fritter away, and the items it caught dropped to the floor. “Now, you all had seen the things that were floating around you when you opened your eyes, correct?” Eight little heads bobbed in ascent. “Can anypony tell me why they were there?” Silence met her question, so she answered for them. “They were there because you had let your magic take over. You had let it run free without any guidance from you.

“I let you all do this for two reasons. The first was to show you what happens when you let it run free. This is also what happens when you lose your respect for it. Magic is a part of who and what you are, but it is also a tool. And like any tool, it is never more dangerous than when you lose your respect for it.” She began walking in front of the class as she talked, “Using your magic carelessly is the number one cause of accidental deaths, unicorn or otherwise, in Equestria. Every year, dozens upon dozens lose their lives when one of us overestimates our abilities, our training, or even just the circumstances. When I send you home with your homework tonight, I want you all to keep that in mind.”

She smiled at the class as she said, “And the second reason I let it happen is because I knew I could stop anything bad from happening. I want you all to know that as long as I'm teaching you, I will never let anything bad happen to you under my supervision.” She gave them a moment to let all that she had said sink in.

Giving a short sigh of an exhale, she wrapped up saying, “For your homework until our next class, I want each of you to work on that glow. Work on getting to it without my voice to help you. Find the glow; touch it, caress it, tell it jokes; whatever you want. Just remember, no matter how much you might want to, no matter how much it might seem like a good idea, no matter how much you think you can handle it; do not let the glow surround you, or what you saw will happen again. Class dismissed.”

As the students silently filed out, Twilight's attention was drawn down to a small filly at her hooves. “Yes, Dinky Doo? Did you have a question?” she asked sweetly.

“No Miss Twilight. I just... I-um... thank you for... you know, making them stop laughing at me.” The tiny foal looked down at the floor as she scuffed a hoof back and forth.

The mare gently placed a hoof and the filly's head. “You're quite welcome, Dinky Doo.” She leaned down and looked her in the eye. “You wanna know a secret?” Dinky nodded, all wide-eyed, and Twilight looked left and right as if to spot any ponies trying to listen in. “I used to get laughed at, too,” she whispered. The filly looked at her in disbelief. “It's true!”

“You Miss Twilight? But you're like, the most magical unicorn, ever!”

“But I wasn't always, Dinky. When I was your age, even after I was taken under Princess Celestia's wing, I used to get teased all the time, and the only two who ever stuck up for me when my parents or the Princess wasn't around, were my brother and my foalsitter. And since they weren't always around either...” She let the sentence linger in the air.

Dinky leaped up and hung off of Twilight's neck in a hug, before running off. “Thanks, Miss Twilight!” she shouted back.

Cheerilee walked up next to her. “Kinda makes it all worth it, doesn't it?”

Twilight smiled at the retreating form. “She really does remind me of myself at her age. So full of wonder and promise... and self doubt.”

The earth pony rested a hoof on her friend's shoulder. “For what it's worth, I think you made a real difference today in at least one filly's life.”

The unicorn turned her smile to her. “I think it's worth a lot, Cheerilee. It may be the most worthwhile thing I've ever done.”

Author's Notes:

Finally done with chapter 3! For a while there, I was worried I'd have to break this up into two separate chapters, but it worked out okay. Don't expect anything this large in future, but don't be surprised if it does show up again. Thank you all for your continued support. Who knows, if this keeps up, I might even get featured (yeah, right). ^_^