Chapter 1
Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle,
I thought I should let you know that I have taken a new student today. I am still settling details with the foal’s parents, and going through some interviews, but it is a sure thing. Given you were my last student, I felt I should inform you so you are not surprised when you hear it from somepony else at a later date.
Yours Truly,
Princess Celestia
Twilight Sparkle looked at the letter, holding it between her hooves instead of using her magic to hold it up to her eyes. She needn’t have bothered: Twilight had already memorised every word on the parchment.
“The Princess got herself a new student? But why would she do that? How could she?” Twilight asked, her whispering voice coming out unsteady.
“Well, I dunno, maybe Princess Celestia saw a pony she thought had potential and decided to take the filly on as her own student?” Spike suggested as he put books away in the shelves.
“That’s not it, Spike,” Twilight said. She finally put her letter down, stood up, and started to pace back and forth around the table. “I thought I was her student!”
“Uh, Twi, you haven’t been her student for two years. Celestia even said so when you ascended,” Spike pointed out. “And you became her student after Sunset Shimmer ran away, and now you have Starlight.”
“I know that!” Twilight bit her lip. “It’s just, well, I would have thought she’d talk to me first before she selects another pony to mentor! She barely even mentions any details in this letter, just that she took on a new protege!”
“Like you talked to Celestia first before deciding to take Starlight in as your student?” Spike asked, shutting her argument down.
They both knew what the real issue was, but only one of them was pushing Twilight to voice her real concern out loud. Even though Twilight Sparkle had become a Princess, and Celestia had stated they were no longer teacher and pupil, but now equals, it had never quite felt final. Twilight had always kowtowed to Celestia’s requests even when they were nominally the same rank.
For Princess Celestia to finally find another student threw cold water on the illusion Twilight had built up around herself as still being Celestia’s most faithful student.
“Come on, Twilight. If it’s really bothering you, then why don’t you go talk to her?” Spike continued. “I’m sure she would be more than happy to see you, and maybe you can meet her new student and decide for yourself.”
Twilight stopped her pacing. “That’s not a bad idea, Spike,” she said. “I don’t have anything important on my schedule this evening, right?”
“Nope!” Spike said, double-checking a scroll just to make sure.
“Well then, I guess I’ll be flying off in a bit,” Twilight said, as she read through the letter one more time. She couldn't lie to herself: she knew exactly why Celestia's letter troubled her so much.
Following Princess Luna’s banishment to the moon and then her return as Nightmare Moon, before being purified by the Elements of Harmony, the two Royal Sisters had resolved to share more time together. So it was that every night, almost without fail, Celestia and Luna would retreat from the busywork of daily Princess life to have tea and a meal. Sometimes they would hold it in the castle, and sometimes they would go out to a tea parlour or coffee shop so the average pony of Canterlot could see their rulers out and about in the early evening.
Today was a little bit of an exception, as Celestia had to fill Luna in on the events of that morning. Because of the details and to keep some privacy over her latest protege, they held their chat in the castle instead of out in public.
“Your new student sounds rather ingenious, sister,” Luna said as she blew a little air over her cup to cool the tea down. Magic would have been much more efficient at getting her drink to the perfect moderate-hot temperature, but it was the little rituals in life that Luna was superstitious about keeping.
“Oh yes, that sly little rascal most certainly is,” said Celestia, a mischievous look on her face as she sipped her tea. “I foresee a number of interesting years ahead if the test today was any indicator.”
Luna shook her head. “Were I the one to have happened upon the exam committee first, I would have snapped that foal up in an instant to train myself.”
“I’m certain you will find yourself a pupil of your own, Luna. Why, Cadance sounds so bored every time I see her. The Crystal Empire runs itself too well. I suspect once Flurry Heart grows up a little, Cadance may find somepony to teach herself, perhaps alongside Flurry. Even Twilight has her student now, though those are odd circumstances.”
“Yes, ‘odd’,” Luna said, her inflection showing what she had thought of that. Still, Starlight Glimmer had helped to save Equestria from Chrysalis, so Luna did not begrudge the pony for her past. “Who was Starlight’s companion, again? You know, the mare that was with her, Thorax, and Discord, the one with the crescent moon and wand Cutie Mark?”
Celestia blinked. She sliced a piece of cake off the velvet raspberry cake the chefs had made for them, and took her time nibbling it before finally swallowing. At last, Celestia said, “I believe her name was Trixie, self-proclaimed ‘The Great and Powerful’. If I recall correctly, she went to my School for Gifted Unicorns, but never stood out from the class as a whole. Twilight Sparkle encountered her in Ponyville on a few occasions over the years.”
“And where is she now?”
“I believe she is a nomad, a travelling performer or something of that ilk.” Celestia slyly narrowed her eyes. “Why, are you thinking about making her your own student?”
Luna snorted. “That remains to be seen. For a mare her age, if she lacks the right temperament we would be coming to blows within the week. At the very least, however, I would not mind teaching her on a short-term basis. Miss Trixie, if that is her name, did help save us after all, and I would not leave my debt unpaid. But enough about her, what do you intend to do with your student?”
“Well—” What Celestia had to say was interrupted by a knock on the door. Celestia curled her lip. The sisters didn’t like being interrupted at this hour, so it had to be something important. “Come in.”
The pony who was standing guard from outside their room came in. He wearing the enchantments that gave him the appearance of a pony with vespertilian characteristics, something Luna had revived as a tradition for the night watch upon her return. “Princess Luna, Princess Celestia,” he gave a quick bow to each of them, paying his respects in the proper order given his post. “I apologise for the intrusion. Princess Twilight Sparkle has arrived in Canterlot and wishes for an audience.”
“Ah. I was expecting her to come, just not this soon. Do you mind, Luna?” Celestia asked her sister.
Luna shook her head. “Of course not. She is a fellow Princess and has been for well over a year. Any Princess of Equestria is welcome. Grant her entrance, guard.”
The guardspony gave each Princess another quick bow in turn, before departing the room.
Luna turned around. “You were expecting her?”
“Oh, of course,” Celestia said, setting aside another slice of cake. “I did send her a letter this morning informing her of my new student.”
“Ah.” That was all Luna needed to hear. Though she had only interacted with Princess Twilight on a few occasions, that hoofful of encounters was all Luna needed to understand just how much Twilight Sparkle adored Princess Celestia.
The two Princesses enjoyed some more of the cake for a few minutes, and sampled from a platter of random pastries, before at last the night guard came back with Twilight in tow.
“Presenting Princess Twilight Sparkle,” the guard announced.
Celestia rolled her eyes at the guardspony’s insistence on custom even for what was a laid-back sojourn of theirs, but Luna took it in grace. “Thank you for your hard work, guard. Please take Princess Twilight Sparkle back when we are finished.”
The guard nodded, and then he was out, closing the door behind him.
Celestia looked Twilight over. The purple alicorn seemed a little out-of-sorts. Well, she likely flew here, given her windswept mane, but she looks too frazzled just for it to have been turbulence on the way. Still, Celestia saw it as a conversation starter. “Rough winds flying here?” She asked.
Twilight sighed, sounding tired. “Yes. A little cool, too, no nice warm thermals. I wish we could control the winds as well as we can the rest of the weather.”
“Well, not all weather is controlled by the Weather Corps pegasi. It’s thanks to the Earth ponies we haven’t had a major earthquake in several centuries, but yes, I can see what you mean,” Celestia replied. “Why don’t you take a seat, Twilight?”
Twilight’s eyes opened wide as she took in the sight of the food on the table. “Is that velvet raspberry?” She asked. Though Twilight kept herself composed, Luna and Celestia both could practically hear the implied drooling that followed.
“Yes, it is. Here, have some,” Luna said, setting out a third plate and cutting a slice off for Twilight to have.
The third pony in the room sat down to the table. Using a fork, Twilight put a piece in her mouth. “Mmmm.” Her moan was audible, and then Twilight sagged back in her chair, looking content.
“So what brings you to Canterlot, Princess Twilight?” Celestia asked, her eyes twinkling.
“You know why,” Twilight said. She wanted to muster up some snark, but Twilight had trouble deploying it against her former mentor.
“I see. Apparently I’ve become a mind-reader in the last few days, Luna,” Celestia said to her sister.
“Mayhaps we should take a vacation and go down to Las Pegasus in disguise then, sister? With your mind-reading powers, we can clean the house with all the foals who play poker,” Luna suggested, continuing the jest.
“That’s not it!” Twilight said, not taking kindly to the teasing. She took a deep breath and then exhaled to calm down. “I came to talk to you about your new student, Princess Celestia.”
“Oh, that. Yes, it was a rather impressive thing. Beat your marks on the tests, even. Got the absolute highest marks possible.”
“What?!” Twilight raised her eyebrows, before her eyes suddenly shone with excitement. “Ohmygosh, really? Where is she, then? I want to meet the lucky filly, ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh, I hope she’s even smarter than I was at her age!”
Celestia was amused. “That ‘lucky filly’ as you put it, is past ‘her’ bedtime, and I'm not waking 'her' up so you two can meet one another. But then, he might be annoyed if you insist on calling him a filly. He’s rather a little sensitive too, he might take it especially hard if he thinks a Princess is making fun of him by calling him a filly.”
Twilight nearly dropped the piece of cake that was headed straight for her mouth. She hemmed and hawed, looking between Celestia and her food, then decided to go for the food first. Chewing the cake quickly, she swallowed, and then asked, “Really? A colt? When was the last time you took a colt as your student?”
“Three hundred and twelve years ago, with Radiant Dawn. I had to check the records this afternoon, because I honestly forgot myself,” Celestia admitted.
“Radiant Dawn? He was the one who came up with the magical cures for both hoof rot and horn rot, right? I wonder what your new student will do, then. Oooh, this is so exciting, maybe I can come and help tutor him in magic. Er, eheh, heh,” Twilight chuckled nervously, looking abashed. “Not that Starlight doesn’t need tutoring herself, but she could teach me in several fields.”
Luna and Celestia traded looks. “I don’t think you’ll be of much help in teaching Earth Shatter in spells, Twilight,” said Celestia.
“Well, magical theory then!” Twilight said, before she paused, wrinkling her muzzle. “Earth Shatter? That doesn’t sound like a common unicorn name.”
“That’s because he isn’t. Earth Shatter is an Earth pony.”
This time, one could have heard a pin drop if there was a pin in the room. As it was, Luna was quick with her magic to keep Twilight’s fork from clattering on the floor.
“Careful, Princess Twilight. We do not have any extra forks, and I believe there is a, what do the civilians call it, a five-second rule?” Princess Luna teased.
“There isn’t any such thing, that’s just a myth,” Twilight said automatically. Then she shook her head to snap out of her reverie. “An Earth pony? But wait, I thought you said he got the absolute highest marks possible on the entrance test!”
“He did,” Princess Celestia confirmed.
“But he’s an Earth pony. I mean sure, he could pass the theoretical tests, but how could he even get close to a passing grade on the practical? You need to be able to use externally-applied magic for that!”
“Oh, that was easy. He cheated.”
Twilight opened her mouth to ask another question, only for Celestia’s words to catch up with the rest of her brain. “Bwa-buh?”
Deciding she had finally had enough of teasing her former student, Celestia decided to answer Twilight fully. “Oh yes. Instead of passing the tests on the merit every unicorn needs to pass, he instead manipulated the parameters of the exam before he took it so he got perfect scores in every category.”
Celestia could practically see the metaphorical gears turning inside of Twilight’s head. “How?” Twilight asked. Then her jaw dropped as Celestia explained exactly what Earth Shatter had done.
It took Twilight over a full minute to fully regain composure, with the grins on Luna and Celestia’s faces both growing wider with every second. Then Twilight said, “That’s ingenious! But-but that’s also cheating, isn’t it?! Getting outside help on the test like that, even if it’s your own doing, is grounds for disqualification! You should have kicked him out for that!”
“Just like a Sonic Rainboom triggering a magic surge in an applicant so she could hatch a dragon's egg, wouldn’t you say?” Celestia asked.
That shut up Twilight for a good few seconds. “But that was different,” she insisted. “I had no idea that would happen.”
“Yes, and you are right. Whether it was luck or destiny, and I am certain it was destiny, the Sonic Rainboom allowed you to do what was impossible,” Celestia said. “And I decided to make you my student when I came in. Today, the examiners did call me in when the colt passed with perfect marks. Earth Shatter refused to tell them how he did it, but, well...his facade folded quickly before his princess as he admitted to what he did. Do you know what I found though, Twilight?”
Twilight shook her head. She actually had an inkling of what Celestia had seen, but thought it a rhetorical question.
Celestia’s eyes shone. “I found a pony with enthusiasm, sheer, unbridled passion! Certainly, he cheated, but to do so, he had to pull off such daring tricks that nearly no other filly or colt his age could even think of, let alone contemplate if they did think of such things, let alone actually pull off. The learning and knowledge he had to put in to get to that stage was as much as any unicorn foal might have devoted towards magic. I took him off to the side, and I interviewed him, along with his parents. He is a sly, irascible little tramp, but his was a star that I couldn’t see go out on its own. So I made him my student.”
So that’s why, Twilight thought. She had come here to talk to Celestia and own up to her own insecurities about being replaced, but the sheer energy with which her old teacher spoke was making her a believer.
“In fact, he reminded me rather a lot of a filly I met so many years ago, one who brimmed with a desire to learn magic,” Celestia suddenly added, turning to face Twilight again. “Every student I ever teach is always an adventure and a joy. Some of them struggle, some of them burn out, but every time they learn their first thing, the sense of wonderment in their eyes...that’s when I know it’s worth it. There are no regrets I hold, not even for those rare few who fall.”
“Even me?” Twilight asked, needing confirmation.
“Yes, Twilight, even you,” Celestia said, beaming at her former pupil. “Now, you came to visit me and Luna today. I suspect there was more to it than just wanting to find out about my new student, but I would like to hear it in your own words.”
Twilight swallowed. “I know it’s foolish, but...even though it’s been two years since I became a Princess, and nearly a year since I took on my own student, it still feels like we’re student and teacher. Maybe I’m just kidding myself, since it’s been so long since I had to send you a report, but this just feels more...final, than even becoming a Princess did. Am I not your faithful student anymore?”
“Would you like me to leave?” Luna suddenly asked, feeling a little awkward in a conversation that had just become intimate.
“No, that will be alright, sister. This, too, is one of the many things I went through over the last thousand years,” Celestia said. “I know I said you were no longer my student, Twilight, even as you became a fellow Princess. But perhaps I was a little hasty in saying that. The relationship between a teacher and her pupil always lasts a lifetime. Even after the student moves on, they can still teach one another. It is you, after all, who taught me just how powerful a force friendship can be. Consider this another ‘last’ lesson, Twilight. You will always be my faithful student. You were maybe even my most successful. More than just saving my sister from the darkness that claimed her, you alone ascended amongst all my students.”
Twilight looked down at the table. She had been given a lot to chew on and think about. Twilight looked at Celestia. Then her eyes trailed down to Celestia’s Cutie Mark. Then she glanced back at the Princess. “You know, Princess, I think I may be able to teach you another lesson of my own.”
“Oh? What’s that?” Celestia asked, interested.
“I taught these three fillies some on-and-off lessons, you’ve heard of them, the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Since then, they’ve gone around helping ponies who struggle with realising their Cutie Marks, and reinterpreting them,” said Twilight. “You may have gotten your Mark for raising the sun, but I wonder if your true passion these days isn’t casting light on a potential student’s new talent, and helping them shine.”
Luna and Celestia traded looks. “That...is a fair appraisal,” Celestia admitted, surprised at how much sense it made. “I lost the passion I had for raising the sun some time ago.”
“I myself find far more joy in redecorating the night sky with the layout of the constellations than I do in lowering and raising the moon nightly,” Luna added.
Twilight looked down at her own Cutie Mark. “You remember a filly you met so many years ago who brimmed with a desire to learn magic. The last lesson you taught me before I left to live in Ponyville, even as convoluted of a lesson as it was, was to go out and make friends. Over the years that followed, I learned how friendship is magic, and so I try to teach that to my own student.”
“It is incredible how things can come full circle, is it not?” Celestia mused aloud.
Twilight nodded. “Thank you, Princess. I feel a lot better now.”
She rose to leave the table, only for Luna to cut her off. “You are here now, Princess Twilight! Why not sit and talk with us a while longer?”
Twilight looked between the two sisters. “Are you certain? I wouldn’t want to intrude upon your private time together.”
“You are more than welcome to stay longer, Twilight. Luna and I will have more than enough time to chat on our own,” said Celestia. “Besides, while Earth Shatter may be many things, such as a rambunctious troublemaker with a mischievous streak a thousand hoofsteps long, at least I will not have to wake up in the middle of the night to restore a couple of guards who got turned into potted plants after being caught reading in the library after-hours.”
“That was one time!” Twilight said, blushing.
Still, it was a good talk to have, Twilight felt. She had felt a little miserable before coming, but now that the air was cleared, she was looking forward to what the future had in store.
Also LikedSimilarAuthor
- SquiggelSquirrel · 4.2k words · 458 16 · 5.9k views
- Emperor · 7.6k words · 45 5 · 1.6k views
- PonyThunder · 1.2k words · 53 0 · 1.7k views
- deadpansnarker · 1.7k words · 105 2 · 3.5k views
- Astrocity · 2.7k words · 34 1 · 1.1k views
- Shardikku · 3.3k words · 36 1 · 1.2k views
Stats
Page generated in 0.131 seconds
Total duration
1,019 users online
1,720,593 hits today, 2,782,760 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Okay, that's adorable, and you captured Twilight perfectly. I felt that the flow of the story, the situation, and the general fill was on par with what we've come to expect. All in all I certainly give this a ten out of ten.
Well done.
RJP
i.makeagif.com/media/4-14-2015/iMaVLG.gif
enterprise in equestria becomes canon holy ####
Alright, I'm wanting The Adventures of Earth Shatter, now...
The cheating on the test... That was a reference to Kirk taking the Kobiashi Marou test, I assume? Also... Is is an unholy sacrilege that I cannot decide which Kirk I prefer? Chris Pine does the role in an outstandingly over-the-top manner, very fitting for the role... But William Shatner... Now we're talking God-tier!
7952551 Yes!
As always, an amazing little Slice of Life. I love stories like this. I concur entirely with Neoarcad; 10.
I feel like this premise would actually work really well as an episode of FiM. It would let us see some good old awkward and uncertain Twilight and give everyone involved a chance to grow in new ways.
Come on season 7, do the thing!
Bravo! and this story makes my "Best Story" list.
"I don't believe in the no-win scenario."
"You cheated!"
"Hey! I don't like to lose."
James Kirk always had his strict personal sense of duty and honour to hold him to the light despite that rather alarming philosophy and ethical boundaries. I wonder if Earth Shatter will be just as firm about using his talents for the right reason or if he will instead become another Sunset Shimmer?
I would like to see something like this happen in season 7
I'm surprised nobody mentioned the parallel here between Earth Shatter's antics and the Kobayashi Maru, given the Shatner/Kirk reference.
That would be this scene, which is as close to actually saying what Shatner's Kirk did.
I can't help it. I think Pine's portrayal of the Kobiashi Marou test was (pardon the phrase) cheap. It did not show what a dedicated and committed officer he was, only that he was flaunting his cheat. A far better (but would have taken more screen time) scene would have been where he actually took on the scenario, passed through it with difficulty, and emerged victorious.
Mid way into the story i said "I bet this colt is a human turned into a pony" and at the end with that note, yep i was right! just not in the way i was thinking, even so this could easily be turned into a "human in equestria story" with a bit of polish and some elbow grease this could work out amazing.
Amazing job on the story telling! you had a good pace too, not to fast and not to slow.
Missing a comma inside the quote marks.
Nice story. How many other Trek alumni do you think they can get on the show? Maybe Wil Wheaton can voice a canon Button Mash next?
7953828 well to be fair that was kind of the aim. Without the events of the timeline occurring like they "should", Kirk never got the morals and character that he would have had his father been around to guide and influence him growing up.
Original Kirk reprogrammed the test so he could rescue the freighter because he didn't believe in no win scenarios. Pine's Kirk did it to more put one over Spock.
7952723
Kobyashi Maru, and yes it was.
The Badlands... Equestria's final frontier...
These are the adventures of the pony Earth Shatter.
His mission:
Seek out new friends, new enemies, and to go boldly where no pony has gone before.
I have to say that this is a pleasant little story.
I loved the story. I've added it to my Favorites, not something I bestow on many stories.
7953707 Nobody? Practically half the comments are about that.
Maybe I'm weird, but I couldn't help tearing up a little. I totally got where Twilight was coming from. You nailed all of the characters so well that it's almost frightening! I mean, you could argue you gave Celestia a bit to her personality that wasn't ABSOLUTELY canon (being so in love with teaching), but because she's barely on the show I don't think it counts. Everything just fit so perfectly. Amazing job.
That was a well done story!
I'm still thinking that Shatner will be Tiberius, Luna's pet opossum. It will be a MLP take on 'secret life of pets'
Shatner is going to be in pony?
Well...considering De Lancie became well ...something like Q...
Maybe Shatner will be like Kirk...
Maybe he will be Starswirl
Maybe it is explained he leaves to go and travels the stars?
7951988 Thanks, that's riveting feedback to hear!
7952551
7952761 "Earth Shatter would eventually save Equestria multiple times, but that it is a story for another day..."
If I was to go full Kirk, ES would be leaving multiple foals in his wake since pony-pony compatibility is a lot closer than human-alien compatibility
7952723 Definitely Shatner, since that was the reference
7953277
7953443 Hah, thanks!
7953382 Thank you very much. Always high praise to hear one of my stories being described as if it felt like/could be an actual episode. The focus on Twilight's struggle over her feeling of 'finality' over no longer being Celly's student is what I was mainly looking to write. A lot of attention over the homage is just a side-bonus.
7956918 Ah, but would he talk like Kirk?
7953601 Well, though it doesn't come across much in the fic proper, Celestia does learn her own lessons from her students, including how to look out for students who might potentially fall into darkness. So there's that.
7953828 Yep. Of course, Kirk-cameo was meant to be a side-thing since he doesn't appear in the fic proper, but it seems his appearance definitely stole the show.
7954176 Ha, thank you! Appreciated. I suppose there's a thought for somebody to write though, an actual HiE becoming one of the Princesses' student.
7954185 Fixed, thanks.
7955746 Ha, yeah. Considering all the students we've seen past and present have been pretty significant, Earth Shatter could indeed end up wandering the Badlands.
7956053 Strong praise. Much appreciated. The homage pony got a lot of attention, but this is what I mainly wanted to do with the fic, and as an idea it's not implausible it could even happen on the show.
7956937
Maybe it's because I'm not much of a Trekkie, but the emotion with Twilight is definitely what really stood out to me. I haven't been in her precise situation, but that fear of being replaced... That's something painful. I just loved the way you wrote this and handled this. You had Twilight come around in a realistic AND healthy way, which I really appreciated. That feeling--of being replaced, or set aside, or maybe even being unwanted--hurts so much, and Twilight knew she didn't need to feel that way, but couldn't help it... And Celestia found a way to help her through and get her enthused and on the same page. I just think this story is spectacular.
I am kind of glad, reading this, that Earth Shatter wasn't ramped up to Gary Stu levels. It was fairly obvious that his approach to the test was the classic Kirk/Kobayashi Maru story, but the credibility gap about an earth pony passing the tests (much less getting 100%) was neatly covered by saying he hadn't really done so - and then what could have been a let-down was twisted back to affirmation by reframing exactly what Celestia was looking for, while still making it match up to canon.
I can even see Twilight, at some future point, hiding a smile while calmly explaining to some overenthusiastic unicorn filly that actually no, Twilight herself was not the all-time highest scorer in the CGSU exams - that honor went to an earth pony. Just to see the look on the foal's face.
I thought SunBurst was Celestia last male student?
7964383 They mean the last PERSONAL Male student
7956901
Shatner has already voiced a possum in "Over The Hedge" and delightfully so.
Y'know, it's perfectly true that such a relationship never quite fades away, even if it changes shape a little.
I sometimes wish I could still seek guidance from the greatest teacher I had.
Ah ha! I knew that was a Star Trek reference!
Great story as always. I loved the “twist”, and the banter was wonderful!
I'm going to be that stick in the mud probably, but something needs pointing out here. Earth Shatter is Princess Celestia's new personal student and protégé, just like Twilight and Sunset were.
She has many students, having her own school and all. And it's been shown she does teach some times at the schooL But she only has one personal student at a time it seems.
Just thought that needed saying. Love the story. Very few ever do this idea.
Heh that was adorable.