//------------------------------// // Chapter 12: Pedagogue // Story: Proxy // by Thithle Candytufth //------------------------------// The sound of children’s voices awoke Twilight from her slumber. She groaned as she rolled over the edge of the bed, pulling the comforter down with her. She struggled to remove herself from her entanglement, her horn caught on a tag. After a moment of writhing and muttered frustration, she managed to free herself. Oh, yeah. Nine A.M. Twilight held a hoof above her head. She could feel stray hairs sticking up. With a few swipes she attempted to straighten it, and then headed out the door and into the main room. “Oh, good! You’re up! I was just going to come and get you, sleepyhead.” Lavender stood in front of the blackboard with a piece of chalk floating beside her. The seats were occupied by young unicorns, whom Twilight estimated to be eight years old or so. They chatted with each other, exchanging smiles or bickering. Each had a small notebook and pencil before them, resting on each mahogany desk. Lavender motioned to Twilight to stand with her. Twilight walked through the sea of colorful little students. Lavender tapped the chalk on the board and their chattering stopped. The children faced forward, and Twilight was met with expectant oval eyes. “Okay, now, little learners!” Lavender smiled, and outstretched a hoof pointing to Twilight. “This is Twilight Sparkle. She’s going to be helping me for a while.” “Hi, Twilight Sparkle!” The class said in unison. Twilight shuttered at the sudden noise. She put a hoof behind her head and blushed slightly. “Hi,” she said, “I’m really happy to get to share some of what I’ve learned over the past few years with all of you.” “Do you want to tell them about yourself at all?” Lavender said, passing the chalk to Twilight. “Oh?” Twilight faced the board. “Sure, I’d love to.” She wrote “Twilight Sparkle” on the board. “So, I’m from this city called Canterlot. You all know where that is, right?” The class replied mostly with nods as Twilight wrote “Canterlot”. “So, does that mean you’re a snob?” One colt’s voice piped up. Twilight dropped the chalk, and her jaw hung loose. “Crescent Moon, see me after class,” Lavender said, with a sternness Twilight had never heard before. The colt sighed and leaned back in his chair. Lavender leaned over to Twilight and whispered in her ear. “Sorry, Twilight. They can be a bit… much. You were saying?” “Oh, right,” Twilight said, and faced the class, “so, I’m currently a student of magic under a private instructor. Kind of like what you all have with Lavender. So, really, I’m in the same boat you are.” She gave a slight chuckle. “Why are you here, then?” A filly called out. “Oh, I’m on vacation right now.” “What’re you doing this for if you’re on vacation?” Another interjected. “I wanted to help out.” “Why does Miss Lavender need your help?” “Well, she doesn’t need me, but—” “Why’s your mane all messed up?” “Okay, students,” Lavender interrupted, “that’s enough.” Twilight was nearly backed into a corner. Lavender gave her a reassuring glance and she stepped forward. “We’re going to be performing some basic transformation spells today,” Lavender said, writing “transformation” on the board. “First, let me go over a brief history of the discovery of the transformative arts…” Twilight stood still as Lavender spoke, going over information she had last heard a decade ago. She surveyed the class. Most were writing notes or staring off into space with their heads propped up on their hooves. One, however, was slumped over her desk, her hooves drooping over the edge. Her long mint-colored mane nearly covered her eyes. Her tail hung flaccid beneath her, trailing on the floor. What’s with her? “…And if you did everything correctly, the subject should have turned into a cactus,” Lavender finished. Twilight shook her head, averting her gaze from the filly. “So, what we’re going to do now is a one-on-one. This half of the class will work with Twilight, the other with me. While each is performing, the rest of you can look over your notes or practice.” Lavender opened a drawer in her desk and removed two apples. She levitated one over to the leftmost desk and the other opposite it. Lavender stepped to the left, and motioned to Twilight to stand by the other apple. The foals got out of their seats and formed two lines at each side of the room. Twilight attempted her best smile as the dozen foals stepped up before her. The first took her place beside the desk. “Hi, what’s your name?” Twilight asked, looking down on the petite filly. “Gold Leaf,” she replied. She faced the apple with determination-filled eyes. “Okay, Gold Leaf, first, assume your stance,” Twilight said, “I don’t know what Miss Lavender says, but from my experience, this is probably the most important step.” The filly nodded, placing her hooves far apart and stiffening her body. “Okay, now concentrate,” Twilight said, “most spells go haywire due to distraction.” The filly squinted. She gave a confident smile. A golden glow surrounded her tiny horn, and sparks began to form around the apple. Some faint chatter arose. Twilight turned to the rest of the line and made a zipper motion over her mouth with her hoof. They quieted almost immediately. The filly maintained her focus. The apple was enveloped in a puff of shimmering smoke, and when it cleared, a small potted cactus was in its place. Twilight clapped her hooves gently. “Very good, especially for a first attempt.” The filly grinned and trotted happily back to her seat. Twilight flicked her head, and with a quick flash of violet light and a puff of smoke, the cactus reverted into an apple. “Okay, next?” The next ten fared the same, each performing well, with a few hiccups. The colt who had called out earlier made no eye contact with Twilight, but performed the spell on the first try. They had all returned to their seats except one. Standing alone was the mint-green filly. She walked up slowly, her head pointed at the ground. What do I do with this one? “Um, hi,” Twilight said, “what’s your name?” “Amaranth,” she said quietly, refusing to raise her head. “So… can you assume the stance?” She let out an unsure mumble, and then spread her forelegs apart. She raised her head, revealing her raspberry-red eyes. Her irises quivered with nervousness, and her pale body shook. Oh, this cannot end well. C’mon, she needs encouragement! “It’s okay, Amaranth. You can do this. Just concentrate and tighten your stance.” She nodded weakly. Her unsteady legs straightened, and a ruby glow began to envelop her horn. The beginnings of sparkles and smoke began to form around the apple. Twilight leaned forward with anticipation. The little unicorn fell flat on her stomach. The glow of her horn diffused, and the apple remained as-is. She gave a barely audible disappointed sigh. Twilight reached a hoof down to help her up. “That’s alright,” she said, “you can just try again.” The filly grasped onto Twilight’s foreleg and she lifted her back onto her hooves. But after a half-dozen attempts and a half-dozen fizzles, the class was nearly over. Lavender’s half of the class was finished; twenty-three students occupied the desks, looking at Amaranth expectantly. Amaranth shot a gaze at the class and whimpered. “Don’t look at them,” Twilight said, gently turning her head towards her, “look at me. You’ve got this.” The filly nodded and faced the apple again. “Remember,” Twilight said, “stiff stance. Maintain your composure. Concentrate.” She assumed the same stance, her legs entirely still. Her eyes were aflame with resolve. The glow surrounded her horn once again. It started to become almost eye-straining in its brightness. The room filled with the ruby light. In a massive puff of smoke, the light faded away and in the place of the apple was a massive saguaro that nearly reached the spiraling ceiling. It swayed back and forth and tipped over, thankfully falling away from the rest of the students. It landed on the floor with a heavy thud. The room fell silent for a moment. Amaranth panted and nearly fell over, but Twilight supported her with her body. There were some faint gasps from the students, followed by uproarious applause. She’s really, really powerful. That level of transformation spell would leave me exhausted, and this was her first try? Lavender walked over to the two of them. “Excellent job, Amaranth,” she whispered. Twilight lifted the fatigued filly onto her back and carried her back to her seat. She gingerly placed her on the chair, leaning her backwards so she did not smack her face against the desk. Twilight’s face became grim. Think about it. If she were born in Canterlot. She’s your age when you became… her… protégé. She’s not confident, but filled with raw power. She could’ve been one. She’s just like you. She could suffer too. She is you, Twilight. And if she were here, she’d harvest her and mold her just like she did to you. Twilight caught a glimpse of the filly’s side. No, nothing. But that doesn’t matter. She’s safe here. Lavender will take care of her. There’s nothing I could ever do to stop her from doing what she does. But I can help foals like Amaranth. I can be a part of something. “Great work, class! You’re free to go!” Lavender said. The class began exchanging excited conversation as they exited Star Swirl Academy. Crescent Moon remained sulking in his seat. Lavender walked over to Twilight. She practically whispered to her over the sleeping unicorn. “Put her on the couch until her parents get here. I’ve gotta go give that colt a little talking-to.” Twilight gently lifted Amaranth onto her back and walked into the living room. She laid the sleeping filly down on the couch. Poor thing. Her body’s not used to that much exertion… She’s so precious. To think I didn’t want to do this. I could’ve missed out on something so beautiful. Lavender reentered the room, beaming. “I can’t believe it,” she whispered. “Amaranth hasn’t even cast a levitation spell before. Honestly, I was wondering if she’d ever manage to utilize her magic.” Her voice loudened, “look what you’ve done, Twilight! You’re a natural!” Twilight blushed. A satisfied grin spanned her face. “Thanks. I’m really glad I could help her out. It’s cheesy, but I kind of see a bit of myself in her.” Lavender’s smile widened. “I’m so glad you could get something out of this. I was worried it was going to be a chore.” “Oh, not at all! This was a wonderful experience. I’m so happy to be a part of this.” There came a knocking at the door. “That must be her parents,” Lavender said, “I’ll go bring them in.” The filly stirred, giving a quiet groan. “Hey, Miss Twilight?” She said, weakly. “Yes, Amaranth?” “Why are you sad?” Twilight took a step back. “What? I’m really happy that you—” “I tried super-hard because you seemed so sad.” “But I wasn’t sad—” "And I wanted to cheer you up." "That's wonderful, but—” “And you still seem sad.” “But I’m not—” “What’s wrong? Did something happen?” “No, Amaranth. I’m really genuinely happy right now.” Is this ‘happy’? What is it, then? “She’s right here, Mr. and Mrs. Blossom.” Lavender led a unicorn mare and stallion into the living room. The filly had fallen back to sleep. “Please be careful not to wake her; she’s more than likely very, very tired. She performed wonderfully today.” They fawned over their child briefly, then scooped her up and left. No! I wanted to hear what she had to say! Am I not happy? Has everypony looked at me thinking I wasn’t? But I thought I was. What is this if it’s not happiness? Coping. No! I shouldn’t think that way. I’ve done a wonderful thing today. And that makes me happy. And I’m living with a gracious, wonderful unicorn. That makes me happy, too. It should, shouldn’t it? “Twilight?” Lavender waved a hoof in front of her face. Twilight snapped to attention. “Yes?” “If it’s not too much to ask, could you help me get rid of the massive cactus in the classroom?” Twilight blushed. “Oh, yeah. That.”