Getting an assignment the day before a week-long vacation was the greatest thing anyone could ever ask for.
Of course, very few of Ocellus’s classmates would have shared that opinion with her. The looks of exasperation on Smolder and Gallus’s faces in particular were enough proof of that. It was unfortunate that they couldn’t appreciate a good opportunity to learn and have new experiences, but she wasn’t about to hold that against them. Everyone had their own likes and dislikes, and friends didn’t have to share the same ones to be friends. It just so happened that friendship assignments fell squarely into Ocellus’s “likes” column, and there was nothing wrong with that.
“Aw, come on, Professor,” Smolder moaned. “We’ve had so many assignments recently, and it’s vacation time!” Ocellus gave Smolder a playful smirk. Smolder knew just as well as she did that this paltry attempt would not sway the professor’s opinion.
“That may be,” Rarity said, carefully shuffling her papers. “But what better time to learn more about friendship than a vacation? So many opportunities to see your friends and better your relationships with them, hm?”
“Yeah, but...” Smolder started, raising a talon as she tried to respond. “I mean...well, yeah, you see your friends more, but...”
“Then I think it’s settled, don’t you?” Rarity said, giving a sly smile to the defeated dragon. “Anyway, I won’t be asking you for any kind of overwritten essay. Just a simple one-page summary of what you learned from doing this assignment. That isn’t too much to ask, is it?”
“No, Professor!” Ocellus responded. The moment the words left her mouth, she blushed lightly. She could feel the eyes of some of her friends on her in response to her enthusiasm. She noted the narrowed eyes from Gallus, then the raised brow from Smolder, and then the eager smile and wave from Silverstream when she noticed that Ocellus had looked in her direction too. That last one was probably unrelated.
“Magnifique!” Rarity sang. Her horn lit up and papers started to pass around to the students. “Now, this is a very simple assignment. An important aspect of generosity–and, well, pretty much the definition of generosity in a nutshell–is doing something for others. As such, your assignment for the week is simple. Using your own special, unique talents, I would like you to try and provide a service to your friends. Whatever you can come up with, within reason of course, is fair game. As long as you are using your own abilities to do something generous for your fellow creatures, then you will fulfill the boundaries of the assignment.”
The students looked at their worksheets as they received them, taking in Rarity’s speech as they did so. Ocellus’s mind was already racing, trying to come up with the best thing she could think of to complete the assignment.
“Now then, are there any questions?” Rarity asked. She pointed to the talon that shot nearly instantly into the air. “Yes, Gallus?”
“How do we calculate the prices for our services?” Gallus asked. “I mean, I guess it’s easy if we’re doing something that others already do, but-“
“Gallus,” Rarity cut in, giving him a look. “You’re not doing this for a return of your own. Generosity, as you already know, means doing things for others without expecting recompense. As such, there will be no charging for these services. Understood?”
“Understood,” Gallus responded, trying to hide his pout.
One or two other questions came up before the students began to chat amongst themselves, but Ocellus didn’t listen to them. The mere idea of not paying attention in class was alien to her, but all of her focus at the moment was devoted to figuring out what kind of service she could provide for her friends. It had to involve her own talents, and it had to be really good, since a better idea would make for a better essay, which would make for a better grade. The changeling glanced around the room at her classmates, trying to figure out just what she could do to help them. Maybe seeing their faces would give her some ideas...
Smolder was looking straight at Ocellus, leading the changeling to figure that Smolder had the exact same idea as her. Gallus was wearing a frown. Whether it was due to Rarity’s shutting down of his monetary dreams or simply the fact that they had an assignment over vacation was unknown. Silverstream was jotting ideas down on her worksheet. The hippogriff could be a bit flighty, but she was no slouch as far as classwork went when she really felt like applying herself. And Sandbar was nodding as Yona spoke to him, likely bouncing ideas of her own off of him. And of course he would agree with all of them. The poor colt was head over hooves for Yona. Even if he hadn’t confided in Ocellus about his feelings once, it would have been fairly obvious just from watching him interact with her. Well, obvious to everyone except Yona, apparently.
Ocellus focused on the pair a bit longer. Ever since the Amity Ball, the two had been spending more time together, but there was one vital spark missing between them. Sandbar had been quick to ask Yona to the ball, but not nearly as quick in admitting his feelings to her. In fact, that last bit had yet to happen. It was such a shame, too. The two clearly had chemistry, and it was very likely that the only things keeping them from being an official couple were Yona’s inability to notice Sandbar’s feelings and Sandbar’s nervousness over confessing. If only Ocellus could help them along...
And then it hit her. The solution was so obvious once she stepped back and took a look at it. Not only had she come up with an idea to help Sandbar and Yona, but she had come up with an idea to complete her generosity assignment for the week as well. And the more and more she thought about it, the more and more she liked it. This was the best idea ever.