Luna's Center For Kids Who Can't Magic Good And Wanna Learn To Do Other Stuff Good Too

by lunabrony

4 - Late Afternoon

Ocean Breeze's lesson, similar to Fireball's before him, lasted approximately half an hour. There was no serious or heavy amount of practice or practical work, only some verbal history into the history of the particular race to which he was assigned, as well as a few exercises that would increase in seriousness as the short school semester rolled onwards. This was only day one, after all.

When twelve thirty rolled around, Ocean Breeze, now covered in a fair amount of dirt, rocketed from the side door that Luna opened for him, and returned to his classmates. He had planted several seedlings in that time while Luna talked to him, and although he displayed some excitement for the procedure, Luna suspected he was really just more excited about getting dirty than he was about actually planting. He had the typical earth pony knack for nurturing, she could tell that much already, but he did not appear to have a career-driven passion for it.

Luna arrived back at the main classroom to find the three children already reunited, the other two being presented with grand tales of exaggerated plant magic and wildly eccentric gestures as Ocean Breeze proceeded to lie about pretty much everything that had gone on in his lesson. Luna only rolled her eyes.

"Alright, children!" She called. "It's lunchtime, so go ahead and get the food you brought, and then afterwards we're going to play for a while. After that, Clover, it's-"

"It's Rover!" Came the expected protest, which was equally expectedly ignored. Clover's insistance that she was, in fact, a diamond dog, had slowly deteriorated from its initial cute factor to a factor of mild obnoxiousness.

"-It will be time for your lesson," Luna continued smoothly, "And then we're going to do some crafts until your parents return at three." Promptly at three, Ocean's father's voice echoed in her mind for some reason. In any case, all three children rushed to get their lunchboxes, hard plastic and brightly colored in all three cases. This was followed by an excited squabbling as the trio gathered together, and started bickering and trading the various components of their lunches. Who was to say, for instance, that the market trade value of a daisy sandwich was equivalent to that of half a dozen slices of pineapple, such as those which had initially sat on the children's desks? Or that a bag of gummy candy grasshoppers was a fair trade in exchange for cold vegetable pizza?

While the children were busy, Luna kept an eye on them, but also returned to sit with her sister, who had abandoned the facade of Dreamy the Dancing Dragon and sat by the window, sipping tea from a thermos.

"I must say," Celestia began. "I am wildly impressed with the apparent success of this little school. I was nervous at first that it was just a jealous attempt to emulate my own school for gifted unicorns, but this is not the same at all, is it?" She asked. Her voice was steady and calm, but there was an underlying worry that Luna's jealousy might yet get the better of her again.

"Not as such, no," Luna said, "I wanted a side project to spend my time with, as well as something which would help to restore my name to its proper, uncorrupted legacy. This seemed like as good a way to do it as any. And the children are enjoying it."

"Well of course they are, they're attending a class taught by one of the princesses. They won a contest, did they not?"

"Sort of," Luna agreed. "There were only three openings at first, and hundreds of eligible applicants. But opening a school, especially with my background, has proved difficult. Limited funding, and all that. If this goes well, I'll be cleared for a full class next year."

Celestia nodded. "As long as it doesn't get in the way of your duties," she said. "You're still in charge of the night, I'll remind you."

"Which reminds me, how is it that you are here?" Luna asked.

Celestia frowned. "I don't follow you."

"Aren't you on duty right now?"

There was a laugh. "Oh, I found someone to fill in for me, just for one day. I haven't had a day off in a thousand years, nopony's going to argue with my wanting to see how my sister is doing."

Luna nodded. "I'm glad you could come. I missed you something terrible."

"Aw. And I missed you as well." Understatement of the millenium, that.

Luna and Celestia bantered back and forth for the remainder of the hour lunch period, bickering occasionally but for the most part laughing and exchanging stories while the children ate and played their own little games.

At one thirty, with lunch cleared up and the lunchboxes tucked neatly away again, Luna rose to a standing position. "Come, children! We're going to play outside in my dear sister's sun for a while. I have a surprise for you all."

This was met with cheering and the youngsters immediately rose and raced out the classroom door, with Luna hurrying to catch up, and Celestia slowly making her way behind, not in any particular hurry. It was her day off, damn it, and she was going to enjoy it at her own leisure.

Outside, Luna led the attention of the filly and colts to an enormous area about 4x4 feet, covered with a large blue tarp. Ocean, Clover and Fireball looked at her expectantly with varying expressions of confusion.

Celestia, however, understood at once. "Luna, you didn't."

"I did!" Luna exclaimed, beaming. "Every child loves these!"

"What is it?" Clover asked, nearly jumping up and down.

Celestia buried her face in her hoof. She already knew exactly where this was going. "Luna, I swear to Starswirl, don't you say it, don't you dare say it..."

Luna wasn't listening. Her horn illuminated and snatched the corner of the tarp, yanking it up and off of a brightly colored, short little 4x4 wooden fenced in garden area with a flourish. Only instead of carrots and potatoes, the fenced in area was filled with-

"Ssssaaaaaaaaand!" Luna exclaimed.

The three children squealed at once, and leaped into the fenced in area, taking possession of the plastic tools and trucks which littered the area.

Celestia's face was still buried in her hoof, her eyes closed tightly, her expression that of someone who was going through a serious migraine. "Luna, I'm going to kill you," she muttered.

But Luna was far too amused to take notice of this, and immediately set about using her magic to take control of a large, plastic red truck, which started slowly trundling and rolling around the perimeter of the sandy area.

Ocean Breeze and Fireball were watching Clover, who was trying with all her might to use her magic to lift up one of the plastic buckets. Her horn pulsed on and off instead of humming steadily, the magic unstable and out of practice. She could not for the life of her get it to work the way she wanted it to. At last she managed to snatch her magic around the handle of the plastic pail, but when she tried to lift it, the bucket rocketed straight up into the sky like a bullet, grew smaller and smaller, and eventually disappeared from view.

"Whoa," the two colts echoed admiringly.

Luna stared up into the sky where the bucket had gone and was no longer visible. "Well that happened," she said slowly. Then looked down at Clover. "Hey, since when can diamond dogs use magic?" She asked, narrowing her eyes. "Last I checked, they can't. Unless you're really..." dramatic pause. "...A unicorn!"

Ocean and Fireball pretended to gasp.

Clover looked alarmed at once. "That's not true! That's impossible!"

"Oh, but it is!" Luna said, stepping forward. "I think you're really Clover Fields, notoriously wanted criminal and mastermind behind the sapphire smuggling ring that's been plaguing Canterlot for years! The game is up, Clover! I'm onto you."

The young unicorn fell into her role at once. "Drat! The jig is up!" She immediately made a run for it, darting out of the sandbox, with Fireball and Ocean chasing after her. She disappeared around the corner of the school, the two colts chasing, and disappeared from sight. Luna and Celestia exchanged a glance, and a moment later Clover came charging around the opposite corner again, still followed closely by the boys. She leaped over the edge of the fence and threw down the bright red truck between herself and the boys. "Oh no!" She declared. "Roadblock! You'll never get me!"

Standing on the other side of the metal truck, Fireball gave an exasperated groan. "We'll never get around that, Ocean! She's bested us again!" Ocean looked at Clover, and all three collapsed with laughter into the sand.

"Alright, Rover, that's enough," Luna said gently.

Clover stood up, shaking herself off from the sand and dirt. "Nah, it's just Clover now. I wanna be a unicorn again." She trotted back into the building, and Luna sighed with relief.

Comments

[Neko Majin C]

After that, Clover, it's-"

Monty Python's Flying Circus. Also, this hyphen should be an em dash (—).

"-It will be time for your lesson,"

This hyphen should be an em dash (—).

I found someone to fill in for me, just for one day.

I do not know if I should be happy or sad for Twilight.

Outside, Luna led the attention of the filly and colts to an enormous area about 4x4 feet, covered with a large blue tarp.

"Four feet by four feet". Which, by the way, is not really that enormous. It is actually kind of small. About the size of a sandbox.

Her horn illuminated and snatched the corner of the tarp, yanking it up and off of a brightly colored, short little 4x4 wooden fenced in garden area with a flourish.

"Four by four".

"Ssssaaaaaaaaand!" Luna exclaimed.

Okay, that was worth it. This made my day, right here.

slowly trundling and rolling around the perimeter of the sandy area.

Extra space.

Clover looked alarmed at once. "That's not true! That's impossible!"

Search your feelings! You know it to be true!

I was kind of hoping Clover Red Rover We Call You Over really was a Diamond Dog wearing the skin of a pony. But I guess a Unicorn with an active imagination is just as good, and all the more adorable.

~KBO.

[lunabrony]

6247930 Who said it was Twilight? This takes place at the very beginning of season one. Twilight doesn't even have Owlicious yet.

[Neko Majin C]

6248475 Who else is Celestia going to get to do something for her that she does not want to do herself?

[lunabrony]

6247930 You have told me multiple times about the em dashes but I still don't feel right using them. I REFUSE.