//------------------------------//
// Class is now in session! 
// Story: A Long Life 
// by pertelote345 
//------------------------------//


Derrick

"Y'all sure that restaurant is queer friendly?" The big red stallion asked.

I snorted, Checking over another shirt. "Big Mac, we're in Ponyville in the present day, not  Dodge Junction last century. You don't have to worry so much... Except about whether this tie matches this suit."

We were sitting in my apartment sorting through my clothes. I'd made fast friends with AJ's brother once I'd realized we shared a love of nursing our hard cider and kvetching about stallions so he was more than willing to wander over and provide fashion advice.

The stallion grunted. "Try the turquoise one, it brings out your eyes. What about this feller? He likely to be trouble?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Big Macintosh, obviously I'm only attracted to secret dark magicians bent on destroying Equestria."

Mac just raised an eyebrow. 

I sighed. "He's an intern here, just got his bachelor's in psychology. I suppose he could end up digging out some issues surrounding my mother, but that's about it." I slipped into my jacket and changed the subject. "Besides, this date was clearly arranged for me by Princess Twilight. Remember, that nice girl who you still haven't said hi to?"

The graying stallion grimaced. "Twi and I barely knew each other back then. I'd just get in the way of the real reunions."

I frowned, that wouldn't do at all. I put a talon on his shoulder. "Mac, I've known that mare for all of three days and I can already tell you she'd be ecstatic to see you again."

He looked away. "E..Eyup."

I sighed. "Just trust me on this." I wondered if I could pull of a cashmere cardigan... "You know, I know something that would get your confidence up... Among other things. "

The stallion groaned. "Are you really still harping at me on that? I'm an old stallion alright? No one who ain't got a fetish or something wants to hook up with me."

I shook my head enough teasing, it was time to get serious. "Mac, you are a tall muscle bound Stallion with a heart of gold. Any guy would be lucky to have you." I smirked. "Besides, I would be a poor student if I didn't help out my master oh guru of gay?"

Mac snorted. I caught a bit of a blush on him though. "Sure thing grasshopper... Now are y'all sure Twilight set you up with this guy? I have to say it sounds mighty fishy."

I shrugged. "Well she literally came back in time and told me to carry a paper clip with me. Then when I bumped into him I had the paper clip he needed so... I mean it's pretty clear she wanted me to meet him right?"

Mac didn't look convinced. "So... You got told by an alicorn from the future to keep a paper clip handy and you gave the thing away to the first stallion that batted his eyes at ya?"

I blinked. It did sound kind of worrying when he put it that way, but still. "I mean it was a paper clip not a magical super weapon. Besides, he really needed it."

Mac put a hoof to his chin and leaned back on the bed. "I dunno. It seems like that could've come in handy some other time."

I sighed. "Mac..."

He held up a hoof. "Humor me." That said, he walked over to my desk drawer and rooted around a bit.

I tilted my head. "Uh... Mac? What are you doing?"

He turned back to me and held up a paperclip in his hoof.  "Just keep this around in case something  important comes up okay? For me?"

I looked into the old stallion's eyes... He was genuinely worried. 

"Okay... Thanks." I said, taking the clip.

"No problem sugar cube. Now, how about we get you some cuff links?"


#

Twilight


At this point I'd come to accept that I was going to spend the next several days getting random unexpected hugs. Still I would have felt better about it if I knew who the hay the pony crushing my ribs actually was.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Oh it's so excitin' to see ya back Twi! I never thought I'd see the day!" The mare rubbed her graying red mane all over me with the enthusiasm of a filly on Hearth's Warming.

I weakly patted the overexcited middle aged earth pony on the back. "That's great... Um... Who are you?"

The hug stopped. She stared at me. "You... Y'all don't remember?"

Okay, I'll admit there was something familiar about her, but I just couldn't place it... At least until I saw her cutie mark.

My eyes went wide. "Applebloom? What are you doing here? I though for sure you'd be living with your brother and sister not..."

"Hanging out in a dragon's secret underground lab?" Spike suggested from behind us.

Applebloom groaned. "Spike, every-pony knows about this place. We have five graduate students! We host conferences here!"

Spike sighed. In this enclosed space the rise in heat was noticeable. "You can never let me dream can you?"

Applebloom chuckled. "Hey, I'm the lab manager. It's my job to bring you back down to Earth... Or in this case under the Earth."

While they bickered I found myself gazing out at the massive laboratory. When I'd heard that Spike had continued my studies in my absence I'd never expected something like this. 

The main lab areas was a single room with frankly frightening amounts of experimental work space and separate little offices in tiny cubes scattered about. As I was flying down I'd noticed that all of the offices had glass tops, presumably so Spike could look down into them and see what his staff was working on... Or make sure they were working, but I presumed not too many ponies would slack off when an ancient dragon was their boss.

Possibly the most impressive thing in the room was Spike's work station. He had a frighteningly huge desk and some of the most gigantic pieces of laboratory glassware I'd ever seen. I was certain he was capable of single handed industrial chemical synthesis.

The dragon noticed where I was staring and smirked. "I blew those test tubes myself, at my size I kept needing bigger and bigger glassware until... He gestured to the massive desk. "It's the same with everything I'm afraid. I actually took ballet at one point to try to be really careful with my strength and body placement, but even with that these days I can perform only the most basic of wet experiments unassisted. Acquiring the chemicals is just too expensive."

Applebloom chuckled. "Aw, don't sell yourself short sugar cube. You may need an extra pair of hooves, but that don't mean ya'll ain't the best dang scientist there ever was!"

Then something completely incomprehensible happened. 

Applebloom raised her hoof and a light, tinkling yellow glow enveloped it.  A similar glow enveloped a book from a nearby shelf and it flew to her hoof in a perfect telekinetic arc. 

"Look!" The yellow coated mare said. "He literally wrote the book on modern magic."

I stared at her. What... What had I just seen. 

Spike chuckled. "Twilight, Applebloom has been studying magic with me for over a century. She's picked up a few tricks."

I just kept staring. "But... But how? Earth pony magic is regenerative and inwards, not outward facing! She shouldn't be able to channel it like..." My mind was buzzing, I had heard rumors of non-unicorn spell-casters before, but I'd certainly never met one. Magic was incredibly difficult to channel without a horn serving as a focusing apparatus. Was she using some sort of runic tattoos? Some enhancing potion? What could it be? How could I have possibly missed...?

I caught sight of the two staring down at me. They looked... embarrassed. 

"Um... Twilight," Spike began. "I know this might be had to take, but you... You've been gone a long time. Applebloom's abilities are rare and took a ton of work for her to learn how to control, but we did figure out it was possible in the last century... We've made other magical advances too. Several, in fact."

My eyes went wide.

I... I hadn't even considered that. Now that It was staring me in the face though, it was obvious... I had been gone for so long that science had advanced without me. All of my hard won knowledge was probably completely archaic and mostly useless in the face of impossibly more detailed magical theories.

So much work... So many things I didn't know...

Applebloom held up a hoof. "Twi, Listen, I know this is a lot to take in, but-"

I wrapped the middle aged mare in a bone crushing hug. I had a manic grin on my face. "So... I hear you take on graduate students?"