//------------------------------//
// Cheerilee 
// Story: A Lesson in Magic 
// by OkieDokieLokie 
//------------------------------//

“All right, my little ponies.  It’s time for our final lesson of the day.”  Cheerilee smiled at her students.  “We’re going to learn about magic.”  Sweetie Belle leaned forward so fast she tumbled out of her desk, earning snickers from Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.  “No, no, Sweetie Belle, I can’t teach you to do magic, I’m going to teach you about magic.  Now, who can tell me where a Pony stores her magic?”
“In her horn!”  Sweetie Belle eagerly replied.
“Well, you’re partly right.  Unicorns do have magic in their horns, but what about Peguses and Earth Ponies?  Anypony?”  Diamond Tiara raised her hoof.  “Yes, Diamond Tiara?”
“Earth Ponies have magic in our hooves.”  She and Silver Spoon high-hoofed.
“Very good.  Now what about Peguses?”
“Ooh, ooh, ooh!” Scootaloo waved her foreleg in the air.  “In our wings!”
“Well, you’re close.  Technically, the magic is in your feathers,” Cheerilee replied, “Now what do horns, hooves, and feathers have in common?”
“They’re all magic.” Apple Bloom answered.
“Yes, but what I meant is that they’re all made on keratin.”  Cheerilee picked up a piece of and wrote KERATIN on the blackboard.  “Our coats, manes, and tails are also made of keratin.  Now then, there are two types of keratin, magical and non-magical.  Earth Ponies’ hooves, Unicorns’ horns, and Peguses’ feathers are made of magical keratin.  Unicorns’ and Peguses’ hooves are made of non-magical keratin.  All Ponies’ coats are made of non-magical keratin, but our manes and tails are made of magical keratin.  That’s how we’re able to lift things with our tails, even though they have no muscles,” She lifted her chair with her tail to demonstrate, “and that’s also why Princess Celestia and Princess Luna’s manes and tails seem to move, even when there’s no wind.”  
“Miss Cheerilee,” Silver Spoon asked, “since Earth Ponies have four hooves, Peguses have two wings, and Unicorns have one horn, does that mean Earth Ponies have the most magic, and Unicorns have the least?”
“That’s dumb,” Sweetie Belle glared at her, “everypony knows that Unicorns have the most magic and Earth Ponies have the least.”
“Whadaya mean bay that!?”  Apple Bloom yelled at her friend.
“Yeah, nopony’s more powerful than Rainbow Dash!”  Scootaloo chimed in.
“Quiet, all of you.”  Cheerilee regained control of her students.  “Actually, everypony, except for the princesses and a few others, has exactly the same amount of magic.  The reason Unicorns seem more magical is because Unicorn magic is more concentrated, and not spread out life other Ponies.  The bell cut the lesson short.  “Well, that’s all the time we have.  Have a wonderful afternoon, class.”