Black grinned as Cactus told him about meeting Mirage. He silently noted how Cactus was smiling and blushing faintly as he told him about the unicorn.
Cactus finished his story. "And then he invited me to be tutored."
The zebra's grin turned mischievous as he walked towards the green unicorn. "Well then, that's quite friendly of him."
Cactus seemed to blush deeper and turn away. "Oh be quiet! It's n-not like that!"
Black Stripe pretended to check off a checklist. "Smiling like an idiot, check. Blushing, check. Stuttering, check."
Cactus glared at him. "And what is that supposed to mean?"
The zebra grinned at him. "You're in love."
At those words, Cactus grew serious. His faced turned a shade whiter and he turned away, a memory playing in his head. "You're in love!" The zebra had said. "You're in love!" His sister had said. The stallion spoke up. "No. Ah'm not."
Black lost his grin. "You okay, man? If you're not you're not."
Cactus sighed and shook his head. "No.... I just..." He closed his eyes before continuing the conversation, now gazing out the window. "If there's a prize for rotten judgement, I guess I've already won that. No man is worth the aggravation. That's ancient history, been there, done that!"
The zebra cut in. "Who'd ya think you're kidding? He's the Earth and Heaven to ya! Try to keep it hidden, Cactus I can see right through you!"
"Oh no...!" Cactus sighed.
"Dude ya can't conceal it, I know how ya feeling, who ya thinking of!" Black grinned.
"No chance! No way! I won't say it, no, no!" Cactus shook his head.
The zebra put on the dramatics and reacted his lyrics. "You swoon, you sigh, why deny it? Uh oh!"
Cactus punched him in the shoulder. "It's too cliche! I won't say I'm in love." Cactus glanced down. "I thought my heart had learned a lesson! It feels so good when you start out... My head is screaming 'get a grip, kid! Unless you're dying to cry your heart out!'"
Black cut him off. "You keep on denying, who you are and how you're feeling! Cactus I'm not buying, dude I saw ya hit the ceiling! Face it like a grownup, when you gonna own up? That you got, got, got it bad!"
Cactus looked pained. "No chance! No way! I won't say it, no, no!"
Black walked forward. "Give up, give in! Check the grin you're in love!"
Cactus grimaced. "This scene won't play! I won't say I'm in love!"
The zebra grew a cocky grin. "You're doing flips! Read my lips! You're in love!"
Cactus closed his eyes in frustration. "You're way off base! I won't say it! Get off my case, I won't say it!"
Black put a comforting hoof on the stallion's shoulder. "Kid, don't be proud! It's okay, you're in love!"
Cactus whispered his next words. "Oh, at least out loud.... I won't say I'm in love..."
Black finally relented. "Fine.... We have to get to sleep." They both walked to their respective rooms, a plan already forming in Black Stripe's head.
---------------------------------
Cactus looked up as the teacher called himself to attention. "Hello students! My name is Professor Lance, and hear is your first lesson!" The professor had a chocolate coat and a black mane. He wore a suit and tie, and his magic was a light yellow. "My class, Magic Arts, takes things a bit differently. You each will be paired up with a partner, and you will help each other grow with your special magical talents." There were eager looks. "Each unicorn has their own special sets of skills involving magic. Like Rarity, the Element of Generosity, can find gems easily with her horn. Now, as seeing how this could get destructive, we will be heading outside."
Cactus followed the teacher and the other students. He surveyed the competition, keeping a calm look on his face. There were some cocky stallions, and plenty of nervous mares. Some were stone faced, like him, but there were even some nauseous looking ones. Soon enough, they had arrived.
"Now, get with your partner as I call you up!" The teacher started listing names, and Cactus perked when he heard his. "Cactus Fruit and Hurricane!" The teacher pointed to a nearby picnic table, and he went there to wait for his partner.
To his dismay, a cocky unicorn stallion, who was two varying shades of blue, walked towards him. "Hey, loser. This starting fight is magic only, so you'll have to choose your petty magic."
Cactus tried hard not to smile. By no means was his magic petty.
The teacher's voice called out as the two got in to position. "Get ready! Start on go!"
Cactus spread his hooves, making sure they were flat on the ground. "3!"
He watched as Hurricane used magic to float two barrels of water over to himself. "2!"
He closed his eyes, allowing his senses to only know the ground. "1!"
"GO!"
Cactus felt everything as he stood, his eyes closed. His horn glowed, charging a massive spell as his opponent chucked balls of water at him. As the spell finished charging, he let it loose in a flash of gray light.
Quickly, the landscape changed around him. Trees popped out of the ground. Roots laced the ground. Flowers and grass swarmed the ground like a wildfire. He heard several shrieks as he summoned venus flytraps. He finally smirked as he heard a surprised yelp from his opponent.
He wasn't done yet, though. He summoned all the magic he had and brought the most dangerous thing he'd ever summoned.
A timber wolf.
There were screams as he forced it to roar. Ponies ran, abandoning the battle as it closed in on his cowering opponent. Cactus casually walked past it, eyes still closed. "Do you surrender?" The timber wolf roared, to get the point across.
"S-SWEET CLESTIA YES!" The shivering stallion said as he laid on the ground in fright, two cracked and spilling barrels forgotten as it laid on the ground.
Cactus smirked and un-grew the sudden forest. As he dismantled the timber wolf, he made sure to bury the twigs far under ground, where they wouldn't be able to reform. He opened his eyes to see all the ponies staring at him, Professor Lance at the front.
The professor clapped his hooves. "My, my, we have an expert on our hooves. But next time, please don't send a timber wolf after my students."
Cactus tilted his head, a small smile on his face. "You want more than one timber wolf?" He laughed, joined by his teacher, and they set off for the classroom.
As Cactus reveled in his victory, he completely forgot the earlier conversation.