Ditty sat across the desk from the powder blue filly named Tootsie Flute. She was staring at the little red checker piece that sat in the middle of the table.

"Now picture the piece in your head, imagine that your reaching out and simply touching it. Just like a hoof would."

Tootsie closed her eyes.

"Your horn and it's magic is an extension of you. You don't need to think to hard when you want to nudge something with your hoof, you just reach out and do it. Same with your magic, just put that idea at the front of your mind, right where your horn is-"

Tootsie's horn gave a glow and the checker piece gave a little jerk forward. Tootsie's eye's shot open and her glow in her horn immediately went out.

"I did it! I did it!" She said gleefully.

"Good Tootsie!" Ditty walked over and patted her on the shoulder. "Noticed it stopped moving when you lost concentration. So remember relax and start by picturing the object first, then push it to the front of your mind. Keep practicing."

Ditty walked around to the small number of fillies and colts in the classroom. Twilight was sitting with Sweetie Belle working on levitating a pencil.

Cheerilee was sitting at her desk grading papers, trying to not to be distracted by the others in the room.

Ditty had noticed Cheerilee's behavior had been changing since the idea for The Magic Club, the official name it was given by the students, first came up at his welcome party. Over the course of the last three weeks Ditty noticed that Cheerilee had strangely stopped being, well, cheerful. She seemed to be less open to having causal conversations outside of work.

Ditty pondered if had to do with him, or was it more of the job. He pushed it to the back of his mind as he came up to Dinky Doo.

"Look look! Mr. Hooves I'm building a tower!" She looked up at his as her little horn sparkled.

She was stacking checker pieces in a little pyramid structure slowly lifting the pieces higher and higher with every level.

Dinky had come in to the club for the first time an hour ago being barely able to light her horn, and now she was picking up and moving small objects at an accelerated speed.

Ditty summoned a checkerboard from a table across the room and placed it next to Dinky's tower.

"OK you're good at building. How about playing checkers, using only magic?" Ditty challenged the filly.

"Whenever I play regular checkers, my grandpa calls me a hustler, whatever that means." Dinky commented.

Ditty floated the stack of pieces from the tower and separated them quickly to two colors.

"Its a term they use for players who pretend they don't know much about the game but instead they are really good at it, and they trick others to getting beat by them."

"Oh!" Dinky said as Ditty placed a pile of same color checkers in front of her.

"OK Dinky. Hooves stay on the ground, all magic from setup to put away. Show me you what you got." Ditty stated.

In a single motion Ditty floated all his pieces in air in to formation and placed them on their beginning spots. Dinky on the other hand, with a firm look of concentration on her face, slid one piece at a time in to their respective spots.

When Dinky had finished laying their pieces they began.

"I'm quite impressed with how quickly you're picking this up Dinky." Ditty commented as he moved one of his pieces. "Is your grandpa a unicorn?"

"No he's a pegasus like Mommy." Dinky responded and moved her piece.

"Oh so is your daddy a unicorn?" He asked.

Ditty heard Cheerilee shut one of the draws of her desk a bit loudly. He glanced up at her, she looked up at him with an apologetic look and went back to focusing at her work.

"I think so." Dinky said placing a hoof to her chin. "I've never met my dad. Mommy doesn't like talking about it, she says it's because it makes Grandpa upset. He says my dad is a bad pony. One time I asked him about my daddy and all he did was turn and spit on the ground."

"Its quite OK Dinky, I never knew my dad when I was your age. I only got to see him once when I was full grown stallion." He gave a sigh. "He was not a nice pony either, I realized then why my Mom never wanted to see him."

Ditty moved his piece forward only to have it immediately hopped by Dinky. Ditty clicked his tongue at his poor move.

"Mommy told me once when I was little, she met Daddy at a faraway city. When she left he was put under a spell to make him forget about Mommy and make him runaway any time she got near him. So she stayed here to take care of me and make other friends like the Doctor."

"The Doctor?" Ditty asked. "I don't think I met him. Does he work at the clinic?"

"No, he's a special Doctor, not like the ones that give you medicine, he does a lot of other cool things. But a month ago he had to get back in his blue box and go back to space."

Ditty raised his eyebrows.

'This kid's a bit weird.' He first thought to himself. 'Wait! No, that's not fair. Find and promote positives in your students Ditty. She's absolutely adorable hands down and she's very smart. She's just got a uniqueness streak in her.'

"Has anyone told you Dinky that you have a fascinating imagination." He said capturing one of her pieces.

"Oh yes!" She said. "But the stuff about the Doctor is true. He told me no other pony would understand it, not for a million years. But I figured it out his secret and he said he can trust me to keep it."

"And what secret is that?"

Dinky with a little smirk, squinted up at him and lit up her horn. One of her pieces jumped over two of his.

"It wouldn't be a secret if telled." She said not taking his eyes off him. "King me."

Ditty looked down gawked game board and back at the little filly still gazing up at him.

'Ok I take back that weird statement. I like this kid! She's got spunk and wits to match. I hope in the future she'll take up an instrument or voice lessons!'

"Mommy!" Dinky called out over Ditty's head.

Ditty turned around and saw Ditzy's face smiling back and waving at her daughter through the window. Ditzy's expression looked a little comical, one of her eyes looked at them, while the other was rolled up and to the left.

'Well looks like I found where she get's the uniqueness from.' Ditty first thought turning back around, suddenly an odd feeling stuck in his head. In his short glance something about that walleyed expression seemed familiar. He looked back again to get a better look but the blonde mane mare had already ducked out of the window.

Ditty looked up at the clock and realized that it was time to wrap up their first meeting.

"We're out of time Miss Doo but don't think I'm giving up, I demand a rematch next week."

"Ok, I'll beat you then." She said giving him a crafty glare.

Ditty smiled back at her and turned to face the group.

"Ok everyone looks like we are out of time for today. So please put your things away quickly and safely, that means using your hooves and mouths instead of magic. Lets not leave any messes."

The front door opened as a few parents who were waiting outside walked in to the room.

Ditty saw Ditzy and Rarity trot in talking with to other.

"We had so much fun back in school. We have grown a bit apart since then. We need to get together and catch up."

Ditty walked over to his desk and started putting away his things. He kept a suspicious eye out on Ditzy's face. Her expression was normal like any other ponies, he almost doubted that he saw her correctly earlier with her walleyed expression.

"Good bye Mr. Hooves!" Dinky ran up to Ditty and gave his leg a small hug.

Ditty gave Dinky a small pat of appreciation on her head making sure to keep an appropriate level professionalism in showing his affection of his student. He really was growing fond of the little filly.

Dinky cantered over to her mother talking to Rarity. Ditty saw Rarity look suspiciously at Dinky and then back to Ditty. When she realized he was looking at her she went back to talking to Ditzy.

'What was that about?' Ditty thought to himself. 'Is she frowning at me in showing favoritism to a student who is not her sister? Man there is just pleasing that girl is there?'

"Hey Rarity." Twilight waved as she walked up to her friend with Sweetie Belle.

"Oh hey Twilight! How was working with Sweetie Belle?"

"Well she's a bit insistent on learning to write with her magic." Twilight responded. "We've been working on carrying and moving the pencil across the paper."

"Sweetie Belle you have beautiful penmanship when you write with your mouth. Why are you so determined to write using magic?"

"What if writing is my special talent that leads me to getting my cutie mark?" Sweetie Belle looked up with a slight whine to her voice. Rarity let out a long sigh.

Ditty, eavesdropping on the conversation, gave a small smirk to himself as he continued to organized his desk. He had been teaching for over a month now and he quickly found out about Sweetie Belle and her friends calling themselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They had borderline fanatic obsession of discovering their special talent that would earn them their cutie marks.

"Ditzy what is your schedule like tomorrow? I'm having my weekly spa date in the afternoon with my friend Fluttershy, would you like to join us?" Rarity asked changing the subject.

"I don't know, I would need to get a sitter for Dinky."

"Oh not a problem, Ditzy dear. My parents would love watch over her, she can play with Sweetie Belle."

Sweetie Belle looked at Dinky a little hesitant of Rarity's proposal.

"I don't know sis." Sweetie Belle said cautiously. "I was thinking of doing something with Scootaloo and Apple Bloom tomorrow."

"You can all play together can't you?" Rarity asked eyeing her sternly.

"If I bring some baked goods to share, do you think Dinky could join you and your friends for the afternoon?" Ditzy asked nicely to Sweetie Belle.

"We could show your friends what we learned in magic club today." Dinky added shyly though she looked very interested in the idea. Sweetie Belle was two years older than her, and Dinky did admire Sweetie Belle and friends.

"Yeah! Hey maybe you can use our magic to help us get our cutie marks." Sweetie Belle said to Dinky with a new realization dawning on her. "Oooh maybe it will help you get yours."

"Really!?" Dinky looked at her in amazement. "I never thought of getting a magic cutie mark. That sounds fun!"

"YAY!!!" The two cheered as they sprinted out the door together.

"Oh boy." Twilight groaned. "I think Sweetie Belle may have recruited a new Crusader."

"It certainly looks like it." Rarity replied with the same tone.

"Recruited what?" Ditzy asked looking at the two of them.

Rarity and Twilight glanced at her with worn out looks and then looked at each other.

"Twilight would you like to join us tomorrow? I think it would be appropriate to fill my old friend Ditzy in on the Cutie Mark Crusaders."

Twilight gave a grin.

"Why that sounds very generous of you Rarity. I would love to take you up on your offer."

The three of them walked out leaving both Ditty and Cheerilee alone in the classroom.

Ditty looked up at Cheerilee still working at her desk.

"Hey Cheerilee can I talk to you about something?" Ditty asked approaching her.

"Yes what is it?"

"Are you feeling OK?" Ditty ask.

"Just fine, why do ask?"

"Well, I've been noticing you've been acting a bit well...."

"Acting what?" Cheerilee looked at him defensively.

"You've kind of seemed to be looking a bit troubled or tired lately. Has something been bothering you?"

"Ditty." She gave and long pause then let out a difficult sigh. "Yes, there is something that has been bothering me. But it is a personal matter I can not discuss with you. I know you're intentions are good, but please don't ask."

"Oh." Ditty stepped back feeling embarrassed and rubbed the side of his shoulder. "I didn't mean to pry. I won't ask if it's private. I'm sorry."

Cheerilee bit her lip.

"No, no don't be. Its my fault, I've been letting it get to me. That and stress from work." Cheerilee massaged her temples with her hooves.

"Well concerning work, I'm wondering if there might be friction going on between us as teachers. Have I've done anything wrong?"

"No!" Cheerilee said quickly. "You're doing great, your performance as a teacher has only gotten better. Your help around the classroom has only made my job easier."

"OK." Ditty looked up at her. He wasn't sure if Cheerilee was being completely honest with him but he didn't want to push it. "It sounds like your friend Ditzy is getting a day at the spa tomorrow, maybe you should ask them if you can join?"

Cheerilee scoffed.

"No, that is hardly my thing." Cheerilee turned away from Ditty. "Seriously I'm fine."

"Well." Ditty said meekly. "If you are not doing anything tomorrow, would you like to have dinner with me?"

Cheerilee gave an annoyed huff still with her back to him.

"OK, scratch dinner, bad idea. I just want to make up for upsetting you. Tell you what, I'm planning on having a late lunch at Sugar Cube Corner tomorrow. If you want to stop by and order something I will gladly pay as a gesture of an apology." He quickly spoke out in an attempt to get back on the right hoof with Cheerilee.

Cheerilee shifted her weight, she still kept her back was to him.

"OK." She finally said.

"Alright I'll be from three to four."

"Fine." Cheerilee said still not moving. "Thank you."

Ditty took this as a sign she still need a little time get over being upset with his prying.

"OK then. I'm leaving, see you tomorrow, that is if you feel like showing up. Have a good night."

"Good night." Cheerilee said stoically as he left.

Ditty put on his hat and coat and walked out the door.

'That was awkward.' He thought to himself. 'Way to go Ditty, you muscle the courage to finally ask the filly of your dreams for dinner and she gets annoyed. Now I'm frantically back peddling in to damage control.'

Ditty took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

'It will be OK. I gave an invitation. If she does not take me up on it, we can put it behind us come Monday morning like professional adult ponies.'

Ditty continued down the road towards his home lost in his thoughts.