It was report card time for Vito and Pureblood. The twins did a lot together, but going to school wasn't one of them. While Vito attended Canterlot's School For Gifted Unicorns, Pureblood attended the local public school. Though Pureblood's marks were nothing to sneeze at, Vito had once again gotten straight 'A's.
"That's my boys." Blueblood smiled.
"We're so proud of you both!" Dusty agreed.
"You should be proud of me more." Vito boasted. "When it comes to magic, I'm the best in the whole school. The other students are all lining up, begging me to tutor them. Not to mention the big Unicorn exam is coming up. That's when I'll really get to show my stuff."
"Magic isn't everything, V." Pureblood declared.
"No, but it's a pretty big something." Vito grinned.
"You're brother's right, sweetie." Dusty told Vito. "A pony can get by just fine without magic. Just look at me."
"I know, mom." Vito nodded. "I'm not saying anything against non-magic ponies. I'm just saying: If you've got it, flaunt it. And I have got it."
"We all know where he gets that from." Dusty whispered to Blueblood.
"Sorry." Blueblood cringed.
Over the next few days, Vito continued his boasting unabated. Pureblood tried his best to ignore, but it soon became too much for him.
"Okay, enough!" He yelled. "You say you're the best magic user in the school? Then prove it."
"How?" Vito asked, relishing the idea of a challenge.
"Simple." Pureblood smirked. "You know that upcoming Unicorn exam? Well, I bet you can't teach the most magically-challenged Unicorn in your class how to use magic flawlessly and pass that exam!"
"But... the worst student in class is that filly, Glenda." Vito's face fell. "She can barely do basic spells!"
"Well, if you don't think you can do it..." Pureblood baited him.
"I never said that." Vito declared. "You just wait and see. I'll whip that filly into shape. She'll pass the Unicorn exam with flying colors!"
"We'll see, bro." Pureblood chuckled. "We'll see."
"Those guys." Miracle sighed, as she and Hurricane watched them make their bet. "As different as they are, it's hard to believe they're really brothers sometimes..."
"I get the feeling we're gonna be out of focus in this chapter, don't you?" Hurricane mused.
The next day at school, Vito found Glenda at recess. She was a gray-coated, light green-maned filly with strangely blue eyes, and a red slipper Cutie Mark.
"Hey, Glenda." Vito smiled pleasantly. "Want some help with your magic?"
"Well, uh..." Glenda said timidly. Her lack of magical prowess had singled her out amongst the class. "If-if it's not too much trouble."
"Fat chance." Vito smirked. "You just wait. A couple of tutoring sessions with me, and you'll be casting spells like a pro."
"Why are you offering to teach me?" Glenda asked suspiciously. "You barely even noticed me before today."
"Let's just say I'm feeling charitable." Vito smiled. "And no offense, but you're the biggest charity case around."
"Gee, thanks." Glenda frowned.
"Hey, you wanna pass the Unicorn exam, right?" Vito urged. "Well, I'm the colt to help you do it. Meet me back here after you've had lunch, and we can get started."
"Okay, I guess..." Glenda sighed.
Pretty soon, the first lesson began.
"Okay, let's try something simple." Vito declared. "Color changing." He pointed to a pebble by his hooves. "Change the color of this here pebble."
"Simple?" Glenda gulped. "That's like, intermediate level."
"There's nothing to it." Vito smirked. "Trust me."
Glenda scrunched up her face in concentration. The pebble flashed.
"Come on, keep going." Vito urged. "Concentrate!"
"I... am!" Glenda groaned.
"Just keep focusing on the pebble." Vito instructed. "Think of it changing color. Think!"
With a grunt of effort, Glenda started changing the pebble's color.
"Yes, that's it!" Vito smiled.
The pebble suddenly flashed several colors, and exploded.
"Yeow!" He yelped, as a fragment hit his nose.
"Sorry!" Glenda winced. "I just did what you told me to!"
"Maybe we should come back to that one." Vito sighed, pulling a tomato out of his lunchbag. "Let's try a little teleportation. Send this tomato to that table over there."
"Okay..." Glenda nodded.
"Just focus hard on what you want to do, and it'll happen." Vito urged.
Glenda grit her teeth, and the tomato started to glow. It suddenly vanished... only to appear over Vito's head, splattering over him.
"Yuck!" Vito cringed.
"Sorry." Glenda gulped. "Maybe we should try something else."
Vito tried several more lessons; Turning a bush into topiary art, bringing a toy cart to life, and even generating a light show with the horn. They all failed miserably, with Vito usually receiving the brunt of the failure. The bush had turned into a nettle patch, stinging him, the cart had slammed into his hoof, and the light show nearly blinded him. By the end of lunch, he was at his limit.
"I think that'll do for today." Vito growled.
"Thanks for the help, though." Glenda shrugged. "Same time tomorrow?"
Vito walked away silently without answering.
"Okay…" Glenda frowned.
After the school day ended, the frustrated Unicorn was stomping through the castle halls, looking for his brother, so he could admit defeat. He was so annoyed over his failure that he didn't notice the visiting Twilight until he bumped into her.
"Whoa there, little guy." Twilight declared. "Where's the fire?"
"Oh, hi, aunt Twilight." Vito sighed.
"Is something wrong?" Twilight asked. "I know that look on your face. I've had it myself a few times."
"Well..." Vito mumbled. "I bet Pureblood I could teach the worst student in my school, but she's a total disaster! She can't cast a spell to save her life! So I'm giving up. PB wins."
"Oh come now, is she really that bad?" Twilight asked.
"That bad?" Vito snorted. "An Earth Pony could do better magic then her!"
"You know, that filly you're talking about reminds me of somepony." Twilight smiled.
"Really, who? Vito asked.
"Me." Twilight grinned.
"You?!" Vito gasped. "But you're great at magic! You are the princess of magic for crying out loud!"
"I wasn't always." Twilight declared. "Celestia taught me, by starting small, and having patience. We started with simple spells, then gradually moved up to the more difficult ones. We all start at the beginning, you know."
"Huh, I guess I haven't been the best teacher." Vito mused.
"Even teaching takes time to truly master." Twilight pointed out. "You need to learn to use kindness, and a firm, yet helping hoof."
"I didn't really show Glenda any of that..." Vito sighed.
"There's still time to change that." Twilight smiled.
"You're right." Vito nodded. "Thanks, aunt Twilight."
"Any time." Twilight grinned.
The next morning at recess, Vito approached Glenda.
"Oh, hey." Glenda glared. "Are you talking to me again?"
"Sorry I ran out on you yesterday." Vito apologized. "I got a little frustrated. I'll be better from now. That is, if you're still up for lessons?"
"Why not?" Glenda shrugged. "I can't get any worse, can I?"
"Look, I won't lie…you are pretty bad at this." Vito admitted.
"Wow, thanks for your honesty." Glenda scoffed.
"Let me finish." Vito held up a hoof, "But I haven't been a good teacher to you. I was looking to make myself look good by teaching you. I never thought about how hard it'd be for you. Well, I am now. I promise, I'll start small, and be a little more patient."
"Well... I guess it couldn't hurt to try again." Glenda smiled. "You're on."
"Great." Vito beamed.
The ensuing tutoring sessions went much better than the first. Vito started small, teaching Glenda the easiest spells first, starting with levitation.
"That's it." He encouraged her, as she slowly raised the pebble. "Take your time. No need to rush."
"Wow." Glenda gazed at her hoofiwork. "I'm really doing it!"
"You sure are." Vito grinned.
The tutoring went apace. Glenda started coming by the castle in the afternoons.
"Now, here's a fun one." Vito declared. "A moustache spell. I'll be your test subject."
"Are you sure?" Glenda asked. "We don't know what might happen if I mess up..."
"I trust you." Vito smiled. "Go for it."
Glenda grit her teeth, and focused hard.
"That's it." Vito encouraged her. "Think about what you want to do, and do it."
Glenda zapped Vito's upper lip, and a second later, he had a bushy handlebar moustache.
"Hey, not bad!" Vito admired his newly-acquired facial hair.
"Very dapper." Glenda giggled.
"Okay, now we'll be learning the counter spell." Vito declared. "As snazzy as this is, I don't think my mom would like me keeping it..."
The day before the exam, the two finished a lesson on creating protective shields, and were having a friendly chat over cups of cherry juice.
"Well, Glenda, this is it... tomorrow is the big day." Vito declared.
"Yeah…I just hope I can pass that exam." Glenda fretted. "If I fail..."
"You won't." Vito reassured. "You've really improved over the weeks. I'm sure you'll ace that exam, no problem."
"Thanks, Vito." Glenda blushed. "I couldn't have done any of this without you."
"No problem." Vito smiled. "And call me 'V'."
"Okay... V." Glenda gushed.
"Just out of curiosity, though, doesn't your mother or father ever helped you with your magic?" Vito asked, "I mean, you obviously had connections if you managed to get into the School For Gifted Unicorns…"
"Oh… mum and dad are always so busy…" Glenda shook her head. "Not that I blame them. It's hard work, looking after thousands of kids..."
"Wait, what?" Vito raised a brow.
"Nothing." Glenda said swiftly, all shifty-eyed.
The next day, at the exam, the students went one at a time, each one expected to complete a random, yet difficult spell. Vito's test was combining pages with a cover in a single spell to form a book (with all the pages in the right order), which he passed It soon came to be Glenda's turn.
The proceedings were being observed by a trio of stuffy-looking Unicorns, consisting of one mare and two stallions.
"Okay, Ms. Glenda, please transform this potted daisy into a miniature orange tree." The female Unicorn instructed.
Glenda rubbed her hoof a bit nervously, as she heard some of the students whispering in the crowd, obviously expecting her to fail miserably. Then she looked to Vito (who had went earlier and passed successfully), who gave her a wink and a nod.
Focusing hard, Glenda repeated the spell as Vito as taught her. One flash of light later, and a tiny, perfectly formed tree with a full crop of miniscule oranges replaced the daisy in the pot.
Everypony in the room gape in shock, including the overseers. It took them a second or so to recover as they quickly discussed among themselves and then they turned to Glenda.
"You've passed, Ms. Glenda." One of the male Unicorn stallions smiled. "Congratulations."
"Yes!" Glenda hopped up in joy, before quickly regaining her composure and bowing her head. "I mean, thank you."
"Way to go, Glenda!" Vito cheered, as the other students muttered about how she could have gotten so good.
"It's all thanks to you, V!" Glenda hugged him.
"Hey, I just showed you the way." Vito blushed. "You did the real legwork yourself."
"I still couldn't have done it without you." Glenda hugged him again.
Later on that day, Vito was strutting down the halls, bragging to Pureblood and the others about his victory.
"I told you, didn't I?" He smirked.
"Yeah, you did." Pureblood admitted. "Good job, V. You certainly proved me wrong."
"Indeed, I did." Vito grinned. "I'm not only the best magic user at school, I'm the best teacher, too."
"If only you could teach your students that humble attitude of yours..." Pureblood snarked.
"Funny." Vito frowned.
"Well, at least you can put it behind you now." Miracle declared.
"Ooh, it's good to be relevant again." Hurricane smiled. "Even if it is just for a small scene."
The door to Blueblood's study opened.
"Vito, may I have a word with you?" Blueblood stuck his head.
"Sure, dad." Vito nodded, as he came into the study. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"
"Well, son, it has been brought to my attention that you had been spending quite a bit of time with a young filly lately." Blueblood explained.
"Oh, that? I was just helping her with magic, dad." Vito smiled. "Levitation, moustaches, no big deal."
"In that case, may I be the first to say that I'm proud of you, son." Blueblood smiled. "Teaching a filly of lesser skills how to use magic properly is indeed a noble cause."
"Thanks, dad." Vito grinned. "It was nothing really…"
"Oh, I wouldn't say so…"
Vito glanced towards the direction of the voice, and was surprised to see none other than Sleight Gambit, lounging against the fireplace. He hadn't changed much, aside from his mane and beard being well more groomed and his jacket clean and well-stitched. His mane had faded a little, but not enough to be noticeable.
"Vito, you remember King Sleight, don't you?" Blueblood asked.
"Um, yeah…" Vito recovered slightly from his shock. He always found the magician-turned-ruler to be eccentric at times, but also to be fun, especially when he showed off his card magic, "What brings you here, Mr. Gambit?"
"Well, Vito, your father told me about you been teaching a certain filly by the name of 'Glenda' and how she had passed today's exam." Sleight explained.
"Yeah…so? I was just trying to be helpful." Vito said, though a bit confused.
"I believed further explanations are in order." Sleight stepped forth, "You see, ever since the treaty between the Changelings and ponies years back, my wife had been sending young changelings to numerous schools across Equestria as an attempt to integrate them into pony life good and early. When I came around, I decided to send a few Changelings here to be taught by Canterlot's finest teachers. However, I never thought that one of them would be taught by such a young colt."
"Huh?" Vito frowned, "What do you mean?"
Suddenly, the doors opened, as Glenda walked in.
"You summoned me, your majesty?" Glenda asked.
"Glenda?" Vito asked, "What are you doing here? Better yet, why would Sleight call you here?"
"Glenda, dear, I think it is time you tell our young prince here the truth." Sleight declared.
"Truth? What truth?" Vito asked, more confused.
Glenda only glanced nervously at Vito as her body soon erupted in green flames, revealing herself to be a young female Changeling. She had a smell web-like crop of hair on the back of head, which resembled the manestyle of her pony self.
"Whoa." Vito gasped.
"Vito, allow me to introduce you to Glinda, #32425761." Sleight declared, placing a hoof on her shoulder, "One of our more inquisitive young ones. She and I go way back, actually. I knew her when she was just a larva. She's like the daughter I never had, actually."
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you." Glinda muttered nervously. "King Sleight thought it best to be incognito and not draw attention to myself."
"Yeah. With all the high, snobby nobles that run the joint, school life would had been miserable for the young filly." Sleight shook his head, before turning to Blueblood. "No offense."
"None taken." Blueblood shrugged.
"So I've been teaching a Changeling all this time?" Vito asked, dumbfounded.
"Indeed you were." Sleight smiled, "And you did a good job of it. It is one thing to simply teach another Unicorn how to use magic, but to teach a Changeling is whole 'nother ballpark. But you did it, and you have my thanks."
"Thank you..." Vito smiled. "I never really thought about it… but I really did enjoy teaching. It felt good, showing somepony else how to be better at magic, helping their skill grow, feeling more and more proud as they learn..."
Vito's flank began to shine. A Cutie Mark of an encyclopedia with a magician's hat on it materialized.
"My Cutie Mark..." Vito stared. "YES!"
"Well done, son." Blueblood smiled.
"Extraordinary." Sleight mused, "You don't see that everyday."
"You really deserve it, V." Glinda added.
"I'll say." Vito nodded. "Since you're here, how about a celebratory round of smoothies at Blazin' Blue's?"
"So you... don't mind me being a Changeling?" Glinda asked.
"Of course not." Vito smiled. "In fact, I think you're kinda cute... in both forms, actually"
"In that case, I'm in!" Glinda wrapped her hooves around one of his.
"Have fun, you two." Sleight chuckled, as the pair departed.
"Ah, young love." Blueblood sighed. "They grow up so fast..."
"They sure do." Sleight agreed. "And what more proof do we need of how far ponies and Changelings have come together?"