Chapter 17: Looking
I never thought I would be going back to school. Especially for a school for foals. Granted, it was a school made for particularly gifted foals, but it was still a school for foals.
I didn’t take it well.
“Tell me again, perhaps with less laughter, why I’m going to a school for foals?” I asked, somewhat testily.
Tempora had a smirk on her muzzle which I found infuriating. I blew out an exasperated breath.
We were both seated in her private garden again but this time, neither Discord nor Celestia or Luna were with us, so we were able to converse in relative peace and quiet. We enjoyed tea. The tea had a pleasant aroma and palatable taste.
It was classy.
That did not diminish the fact that I was beyond annoyed with the alicorn seated at the opposite end of the table. The fact that she was now officially my step mother and also a ruler of a country and a manipulator and purveyor of Time did not help matters.
I fumed into my tea as Tempora’s grin died down and she gave me a level look.
“Harmony, you were the one who wanted to learn more about magic, I do not see how this can be a problem," Tempora posed reasonably.
I wasn’t going to have any of that.
“I don’t want to be surrounded by foals, kids or children!” I burst out gesticulating my point with a slam on the table. “It’s embarrassing!”
Tempora merely regarded me calmly.
“I still do not see why you are so opposed to this, you get along with foals so well," Tempora commented, giving a humorous tilt of her head. I glared at her, biting my lip.
My shoulders sagged.
“I just…” I started with a hitch in my throat. “I just don’t want to be treated like a kid.”
I was met with a gale of laughter. My eyes shot up to see Tempora snorting and giggling like… like a foal.
I sat there stewing in a mixture of frustration and vexation as Tempora continued to laugh at my apparently wildly amusing response.
“That’s it," I muttered, getting up. “That’s the last time I pour my heart out in front of you.”
Tempora held a hoof out.
“Forgive me, forgive me Harmony. I didn’t mean to cause offence, you just sounded so foal-like and the irony of the situation just made me burst out like that.”
I slowly took my seat again as she waved me down and cleared her throat.
“Ahem, the quickest way for you to learn magic is to get up to scratch with the foals at school," Tempora explained. “Trust me, it’ll be faster than getting somepony to tutor you!”
“Will Celestia and Luna be there with me?” I asked tenatively.
Tempora gave vent a snort of laughter.
“Goodness me, no. Celestia and Luna are far more advanced in their magical studies than you are," she said, while I sagged in my chair.
Tempora gave me a nudge with her head.
“Don’t worry about it Harmony, you’ll soon catch up with them if you try hard enough. Also, there’s an added bonus in learning how to read and write our language in our schools.”
I had to give her that, she had really thought about this.
I sighed.
“Okay I guess we’re going to be doing this," I mumbled in resignation. Tempora gave a triumphant smile and a pat on my back with her hoof.
“It’ll be fun," she consoled, nuzzling me gently.
I just groaned softly.
“This is going to be a nightmare.”
Tempora cocked her head as if a thought just occurred to her. Her expression turned uncomfortably predatory.
“Oh I didn’t mention this before but I’m going to have to cast a spell on you," she stated, her horn glowing ominously red. I backed away, dimly hearing the chair fall back as I scrambled to put a safe distance between Tempora and myself.
“W-What spell?” I stammered as she advanced upon me.
“Oh you’ll find out soon," she replied mildly and a beam of red shot directly at me, hitting me in the chest.
——
“Oh, I’d tell you to cheer up but you look so adorable right now I just want to- oh I’ll do it anyway!” Tempora exclaimed nuzzling me for the nth time in a row. I slapped away her head with my hoof but she wasn’t deterred in the slightest. She just kept rubbing against me.
That’s right, I said hoof, not hand.
I was a colt. A unicorn colt.
I shoved Tempora’s head to the side again and started trotting away in a huff.
Suddenly, no ground.
I gasped as my hooves sought solid ground but was able to find none.
I was surrounded in a sparkling red telekinetic field and I was brought back in a disorderly pile at Tempora’s hooves.
Apart from an ‘oof’ I kept silent. It was my type of protest anyway.
“Oh Harmony, I apologise for not telling you in advance but your look was priceless! I’ll give you an explanation, just stop sulking," Tempora said as I turned my back on her. I wanted to start walking away but as soon as I started thinking about how I was walking on hooves I promptly fell over and face planted in the thankfully soft grass. Tempora didn’t laugh but she had a wide grin.
I grumbled as she repositioned me telekinetically to face her.
“Now, let’s have a proper discussion, my little pony," she giggled as I held my disgruntled look. I tried to fold my arms but I didn’t have enough coordination with my forelegs to pull it off so I just sat like a dog on my haunches.
“The reason I changed you into a colt is actually somewhat political in nature. Ever since you have your principality assigned to you, you hold a certain influence in the court and many ponies will try and find leverage, any sort of leverage to gain access to the Royal Family.” Tempora’s expression went from apologetic to grave in an instant. “This puts you at risk and I do not want you to suddenly find yourself manipulated by somepony within the school. You are there to learn, not to be thrust into the political storm of our courts.”
Tempora relaxed her expression as she continued in a softer tone.
“Harmony I know that this must be tough for you but I believe this is in your best interests, we will fabricate a cover story for you in the coming years as to your absence. I will run your principality for you so you will not need to do much except receive the occasional report or give the occasional signature.”
She paused then gave me a soft nuzzle.
“I just want to see you safe," she cooed, giving me a soft lick. For some reason I didn’t find it weird.
I sighed.
“Okay but I get the feeling that you’re also enjoying this a little too much," I replied wryly.
Tempora gave a little giggle that confirmed my suspicions.
“Oh you have no idea," she laughed as I placed a hoof to my face.
——
I don’t know what I expected. A school yard, perhaps a gate and fencing with an imposing school building in the background. Maybe the playful giggles and laughter of children as they headed off to their classes.
Instead I was greeted with an imposing white marbled building, with grand granite steps leading to the entrance and inside, pillars and water-features and other classy architectural apparel that reminded me a little of the castle’s design. Tempora lead me along the hallway in her simple white-coated, red-maned form she had greeted me with back so long ago. She said it was to make it easier for her to move around for most ponies did not recognise that form as their Queen. Her flank marking was covered by a long but simple dress that gave her the appearance of a noblepony, or so Tempora claimed.
To keep up appearances I was to refer to Tempora as ‘Mom’ but I couldn’t really make that distinction stick in my mind. I was too used to referring to her by name. Though she didn’t mind the majority of the times I had slipped up with the name, she wanted to keep the disguise intact so we just settled for ‘Mom’, even during the time when I saw her before this so I would get used to it and not call her Tempora.
She went with a ridiculous name Tick Tock. I found it hilarious but no other pony batted an eye when Tempora introduced herself with that name so I thought it might be rude to laugh at cultural differences like that. It would probably be incredibly ignorant of me to do so, not to mention it would blow our cover. Also, I shouldn’t really laugh at other people’s names when I had a name like Harmony. I had enough of that during high school thank you very much.
“The paperwork is all in order, Mrs. Tock, I just need your signature here… and here… and finally here…” the administrator instructed as Tempora complied.
I shifted my hooves uneasily. I only had a week to practice being an equine and although I didn’t trip anymore I still felt incredibly uncomfortable in this form. Tempora refused to let me shift back to my human form, she told me that staying in my equine form would quickly get me used to it. Also she mentioned offhand that I was cuter this way. There was a broken vase somewhere in that conversation.
The one thing I was happy about was that Discord was also learning magic too. Tempora had allowed Discord to help out with Star Swirl and study in his own time but Tempora felt that it would be a bit of a stretch to let him stay in a school of foals. I had a few choice words about that but Tempora had immediately countered that many of the Court’s elite’s foals were enrolled and if they ever caught wind of Discord in the same school there would be irredeemable consequences.
I pointed out that I could possibly be taught by Star Swirl instead of this school, maybe help as another assistant but Tempora shook her head.
“Star Swirl is a really bad teacher," she affirmed. Surprisingly she gave me a pleading look. “Discord would learn faster without him. Being an assistant to him though, would give him an excuse to access magical references and volumes from the Reading Room. Star Swirl also tends to do things by himself, so Discord will have the free time to learn on his own.”
I opened my mouth but Tempora interrupted me before I could say anything about it.
“There’s no substitute for a proper education, just trust me on this. If you would like, you can teach Discord yourself when you get back home. If you are not too tired from school that is.”
I reluctantly agreed.
Still, I really could have done without the classroom introduction. You know, this kind of one:
“Class, I’d like you to welcome a new student. His name is Harmonica. Come in Harmonica and say hello!” a sickly sweet voice called out beyond the doorway. I reluctantly stepped into the classroom as Tempora bid me a farewell. She looked a little emotional but I didn’t understand why. It’s not like I’m an actual foal and it’s not like this is the first time she’s seen her foals off to school, right?
I looked at the cast sea of inquisitive faces. They were all staring intensely at me as I did my best to imitate the wall behind me.
“Hi," I ground out nervously.
I was not going to like this.