//------------------------------// // A New Normal // Story: Tears of a Foal // by Rocinante //------------------------------// --- Day 3 pt 2 - - - Green Bean walked the halls of the college with a spry step. He was glad to be out of that armor for his shift. The dress uniform may be a bit itchy, but it was far better than the hand-me-down armor the volunteers got stuffed into. It was a bit of nostalgia for him to be back on campus. Most ponies took him as a simple cliffside farmer that grew legumes and other food bearing vines by summer, and volunteered with the guard by winter. Most ponies would never assume he held a degree in agriculture; and almost one in civil engineering. Sure, he’d learned everything he needed at his father’s knee, but the improvements he'd made to his family’s terraces had doubled their production. He had even managed to solve Tea Leaf’s erosion problem.   Knocking on the door to the dean’s office, he waited for an answer before opening it. “Enter,” called the dean from inside. Straightening his uniform, Green Bean stepped inside. “Earth pony,” Clover announced, pointing at him. “Yes,” Diction answered with a smile. Closing up a bin of random objects, the dean pushed it back into its place. Looking back to Clover, Diction motioned towards the guard. “I will see you again in two days.” Scrunching his muzzle, Clover mumbled to himself as he got down from the desk. A second later his eyes registered some understanding. “Two days,” he repeated. “He’s learning fast,” Green Bean said patting him on the withers. Clover looked up at him, a little surprised by the touch, but he seemed to recognize him from the walk over with Luna.   Perfect Diction only nodded as he continued straightening his room. “Ready to go?” Green asked. The colt only answered him with a confused look. Resigning himself back to body language, Green Bean stepped out into the hall and motioned for him to follow. He had simple enough orders for the afternoon: light lunch, little exercise, something social, then bring him home. Luna had been rather worried about Clover learning to socialize, as well as his lack of coordination and muscle; so the two of them decided a bit of social time and exercise was in order. A trip to the park would be the trick in the summer. But the weather was far to cold for that, so it was off to the Canterlot community center with them. It’d be a bit more crowded than ideal, but this time of day should be fine. Halfway to the community center, Green Bean spotted their lunch destination. He didn’t know what kind of meals the princesses had in their private chambers, but he imagined them to be delicate in nature, with a taste that took time to appreciate. What Clover needed was something to stick to his ribs, and Fritter’s place was just the ticket. Opening the door to the little diner, Green Bean let Clover go in first. The lunch rush had already come and gone, leaving the smell of food thick in the air, but few ponies eating. Near the window, he pulled out a chair and motioned for Clover to hop up on to it. A quick trip to the counter, and he returned with a basket of mixed vegetable fritters. Sitting opposite Clover, Green Bean placed a fork in front of the colt, before taking up his own and stabbing one of the little morsels. He took care to show that the food was hot, and that he needed to eat it in small bites. Clover picked up his fork, and looked over the basket. Picking out one of the mushrooms, he carefully speared the bit, and took a nibble. Green smiled as the colt gave an approving hum. Clover reached for a second bite, but paused. Making a curious “Hmm” sound, Clover sat his fork down, and glared at the food. Magic sparked and glowed around the colt’s horn. Green watched with interest as one of the fritters flickered, then floated in jerky motions up to eye level. **POP** Green Bean sat dazzled, hot grease and broccoli covered his face. Clover had an equally perplexed expression, and not a small amount of the fritter splattered on him. “You two okay?” a unicorn stallion behind the counter asked. Green chuckled. The warm, contagious sound pulled a squeaky laugh out of Clover. “Nothing some napkins won’t fix,” Green said, grabbing a hoof full. “We all go through that phase,” the cook said floating them a towel, and taking the crumpled napkins. “Don’t worry, it passes fast.”   “Thank you,” Green said, wiping off Clover’s face. The rest of lunch was eaten with a fork. Thankfully, Clover didn’t even attempt to use his magic again during the meal. Green was glad to be an earth pony. His daughters were trouble enough without horns. The Canterlot community center was an impressive building. For the common Canterlot pony, it was the de facto place to spend their free time in the winter. The massive atrium provided a little bit of spring all year. Playgrounds for foals, a field to run or picnic on, a garden to stroll through, and a pool to swim in.   Clover hesitated when they first walked through the doors. The din of conversation and artificially humid air was almost the scent of home to Green Bean, but he knew this was a new place to Clover. Guiding him to a quiet corner, he let the colt adjust. Looking around, Green spotted the playground. A dozen foals were galloping on and around it. Nudging Clover, he smiled and pointed a hoof to the playground. Green couldn’t quite place the look Clover gave him, nor could he understand what he said, but it was clear he had no intention of going near the playing foals. “Well, how about going over to the field?” he asked. Clover only stared at him, but Green stood and lead the way to the field anyway. Clover followed him the instant he stood up, staying close as they went deeper into the facility. At the field, Green tried to get the colt to join him in a run, but Clover only passively watched him. He thought better getting Clover try anything that involved throwing, and the game of tag some foals were playing frightened him. Green Bean wasn’t used to skittish foals. Leading Clover into the quiet of the garden path, he tried to figure out how to get the colt to come out of his shell. At least Clover seemed to like the garden. His step had perked up since entering the maze of flowers and shrubs. Sadly, it all wilted back to confusion when they stepped out of the gardens, and into the corner that held one of the many hot springs on the mountain. This massive one provided the heat that kept the atrium in perpetual spring. Withholding a sigh, Green readied himself for whatever reaction Clover would have once the confusion had passed. Excitement was not what he had expected: Clover had his ears forward, and one foreleg lifted like he was going to bolt straight into the water. Clover took a step forward, then paused to look back at him. Green smiled. Lifting Clover’s saddlebag from his back, he made signs for him to run on. Clover trotted forward, then paused again at the water’s edge to watch the few other ponies already swimming around. Green held his breath, hoping the colt wouldn’t be scared off. It was a short pause though, and a moment later Clover was neck deep in the water. “At least it’s some exercise,” Green said to himself. Sitting the saddlebag down, he positioned himself to watch the foal swim.