“What!?” Blare screamed. “Please no!”
Blare and Rune’s mother rolled her eyes. “I told you yesterday we were doing this…” She pulled out two saddlebags out of a closet.
“I can understand why blare is being forced to go to school… But why me!? I know at least twice as many spells as even you mom!” Rune whined as she threw her sister under the metaphorical bus.
It took her a second, but Blare glared at Rune. “Hey! Did you call me stupid!?”
Rune cutely scrunched up her muzzle as she nervously looked away. “Uh… hey look DjPon3!” She then said while pointing out the door to said blue haired unicorn.
“Oh my gosh! It is!” Blare rushed towards the mare as their mom sighed.
“There’s more to life than magic sweetie. Not all problems can be fixed with magic alone.”
“Like what?” Rune asked innocently, having mostly relied on either magic or manipulating her sister for most of her life.
“How about how to get friends? Or when you get sick, your magic gets wonky. How about if you need a job that requires more than magic!?” Rune’s mom sighed in frustration.
“Um… Trick Blare into helping me as usual?” Rune asked sheepishly, ironically not understanding her mother’s point.
“And what if Blare’s not around? You can’t rely on your poor sister for everything.” Rune’s mom said.
“Uhh… Then ask you for help?” Rune then suggested as she started to sweat.
“I’m not going to live forever, honey… You both need this. It’s not even that hard, Miss Cheerilee is very nice.”
“But… I… Erm…” Rune muttered as her hair started to frizz up while trying, and failing, to find some way to get out of having to start school… If only because she didn't see the point in it.
“How about this. You know the best kind of magic, right?” Rune’s mother bent over to look her daughter in the eye.
“Best kind of magic? What's that?” Rune asked, her hair now completely frizzed up as one of her eyes began to twitch.
“Well, it’s something Cheerilee’s class can teach you.”
Rune just silently stared at her mother, unable to comprehend what she was talking about and about ready to burst from the suspense due to her question being left hanging there unanswered. Luckily for both their sakes, they were interrupted by a commotion coming from outside… A very LOUD commotion...
Rune’s mother ran to a window to look outside, and once she did her jaw dropped. She then whispered to herself, “Why is she so much like mom when we’re not even biologically related…?”
Curious, Rune quickly snapped out of her swiftly devolving mental breakdown to join her mother by the window… only to facepaw at the chaos developing outside as she watched on in a mixture of worry and exasperation. “Here we go again…” Outside there was a carrot stall ablaze with a stunned Blare and DJPon-3 in front of it.
“I shouldn’t have let her go out unattended… I’ll handle Carrot Top’s cart, you get Blare inside and have Dinky take you to school.” Rune’s mother ordered with a sigh.
“But!”
“No buts, I don’t want my daughter twerking.” Rune’s mom turned and grinned goofily at her terrible joke.
“What the hey is twerking?” Rune asked incredulously before relenting and wandering off to find her aunt.
“If you were in school, you’d learn.” Rune’s mother smirked deviously. “Now, go get Dinky.”
“There… Are a lot of other foals…” Blare stated, staring at the red schoolhouse where dozens of foals galloping towards it. “Looks fun though!”
“Urgh… Why couldn't we have stayed home and plotted another prank?” Rune complained as she was carried by their mother in her magic towards the schoolhouse after a failed escape attempt.
“I worry for you both… So much.” Their mother sighed. Once inside, she set Rune down. “Now, if you leave without Ms. Cheerilee letting you, she’ll tell me, and you’ll be grounded for a month with no spellbooks. Understood?”
“WHAT!?” Was runes only reply as she stared at her mother with a mixture of shock and horror.
“If you listen to Cheerilee, then you’ll be able to continue magic stuff. If not, I’ll burn your magic books.” Rune’s mother threatened.
“Don't you think you're being a little too harsh on her sis?” Dinky asked.
“I’m lying to enforce my point… That’s what Berry Punch told me was the best way to keep them from trying anything.” Rune’s mother whispered to Dinky.
“Well, I still think you shouldn't have gone that far, even if it was a lie… it looks like you broke her.” Dinky whispered back. And she was right, for Rune was currently just hanging limply in her mother’s magical grasp as she stared off into space as if the world was coming to an end.
“Rune, you think I’d just burn a book? One I paid for?” Rune’s mother stumbled, before setting her daughter down. “How about this. You can pick out a book of your choice every month you stay in school. How do you like that?”
Rune immediately snapped back to her senses as she gave her mother a hopeful look. “Really?” She asked while giving her mom the puppy dog eyes as she sat in a cat like position with her tail wrapped around her paws.
“Yes. Now, all you need to do is listen to Cheerilee.” Rune and Blare’s mother stated calmly, relieved that she hadn’t permanently done any harm.
“Why don’t I get anything!?” Blare whined.
“Because you’re not putting up a fuss.”
“Oh… Okay! I love you mom, see you later!” Blare hugged her mother quickly before running over to the school.
“H-hey! Wait up sis!” Rune shouted as she quickly turned and stumbled over her tail before bolting after her twin.
“You think they’ll be ok?” Dinky wondered.
“They have each other. They’ll be fine.”
“Good morning everypony, bow before we begin class today we have two new members joining us! Why don't you give them a nice round of applause?” Said dark pink earth pony mare as she waved for Rune and blare to enter the classroom and come up to her desk, “Now, why don't you introduce yourselves?”
“Hiya! I’m Blaring Speakers, and this is my sister Celestial Rune! You can call us Blare and Rune!” Blare announced, grinning.
“H-hi…” Rune said meekly, feeling nervous as all the fillies and colts looked at her and her sister.
“Now, since it's time for class to begin why don't the two of you find a seat and get settled in?” The teacher then asked the twins as she pulled out a stack of papers.
“Yes Ms. Cheerilee…” Rune said before dragging her sister with he to a pair of desks in the back corner of the classroom.
Blare raised a paw. “Ms. Cheerilee!”
“Yes Blare?” The teacher asked the kirin with a patient smile.
“What am I doing here again?” Blare asked.
“You're here to learn, aren't you?” Cheerilee replied, not understanding the filly’s strange question.
Blare shrugged. “I think so. What are we learning?”
“Well, today is math. Cream Puff? Would you please pass out these papers to everyone?” Cheerilee said as she directed her attention to a pale yellow filly with purple hair and black eyes.
“Yes Ms. Cheerilee!” The filly smiled. She looked about a year or two older than Rune and Blare. She picked them up with her mouth, before trotting over to the first desk before the student at that desk took it in his mouth.
“Hey sis… Is it called hoofing it out when you use your mouth, or is it mouthing it out?” Blare asked.
Rune just rolled her eyes at her sister before finally responding. “How would I know? Just don't think about it it's not that important anyway.”
“But I’m here for learning, I need to know!” Blare said, her eyes dilating ever so slightly.
“Blare, please stop before you do something to embarrass me more than I already am…” Rune pleaded with her sister.
“You never help me…” Blare grunted angrily and rested her chin on her desk, glaring… Uncharacteristically bitter.
‘This was going to be sooo much fun…’ Rune thought sarcastically as she slumped in her seat.