Extra Credit

by Rathbane

Extra Credit

A unicorn filly wandered across a school yard looking for something. She had a teal coat, long straight navy blue mane, and grey eyes. Her cutie mark was a pocket watch overlapping a black and white spiral. Spotting another unicorn filly by some bushes at the far end of the school yard, she ran over to her.

“Hi, Beachcomber,” she said happily, running up to the unicorn, who had a peach colored coat, long pink mane with a starfish in it, green eyes, and a cutie mark that was a bucket and pail and a scuba mask with a snorkel.

“Hi, Spiral Swirl,” Beachcomber said happy to see the other unicorn.

“Did you have a good spring break?” Spiral Swirl asked.

“I sure did. We went to Palomino Point Beach. I found this while we were there,” Beachcomber said, as she used her magic to lift a giant conch shell out of her saddle bag.

“Wow!” Spiral Swirl said in awe, “Where did you find that thing?”

“On the ocean floor while I was out snorkeling. Did anything exciting happen to you on your break?”

“Well….” Spiral Swirl started to say.

“Oh my gosh! You got your cutie mark!” Beachcomber said excitedly, finally noticing the pocket watch with spiral mark on her friend’s flank.

“Yup, I got it the second day of break.”

“It’s pretty neat looking.”

“Thanks,” Spiral Swirl said, smiling, “And not only did I get my cutie mark, I awakened a rare magic within myself. It’s called Hypno Magic.”

“Hypno Magic?” Beachcomber said in confusion, “What’s it do?”

“Well, with it I can put ponies into a state called hypnosis. Once they’re under my spell, they will pretty much do whatever I tell them to do.”

“That sounds kinda evil,” Beachcomber said, unintentionally backing away from her friend a little.

“I know, but I want to use it to help ponies.”

Beachcomber breathed a sigh of relief, before adding, “So when is your Cuteceanera?”

“Next week, but my mom, sister, and I did a family celebration last week. Mom got a huge bonus on her last research paper, so we went to a nice restaurant and she gave me this,” Spiral Swirl said, as she lifted a gold pocket watch out of her saddle bag with her magic.

“It’s so pretty,” Beachcomber said, “It looks just like the one on your cutiemark.”

Spiral Swirl smiled at her compliment, as she put the watch back in her saddlebag.

“I did some research and apparently a pony uses a pocket watch in her entertainment hypnosis shows in Las Pegasus, so I’m going to use this with my Hypno Magic.”

“That’s pretty neat,” Beachcomber said, her nervousness over Spiral Swirl’s Hypno Magic having given way to curiosity.

“I practiced on Inside Scoop the other night, I helped her get over being so nervous when she interviews ponies for the school paper….and I kinda told her she’d share her frozen fudge bars with me from now on.”

“You got your sister to share her fudge bars with you?” Beachcomber said in shock, “You really can make ponies do anything you tell them.”

Before Spiral Swirl could reply, a colt with a blue coat, green mane, and a barbell cutie mark crashed through the bushes, startling them.

“Well well, if it isn’t nerd squad,” he said.

“Go away, Iron Hoof,” Beachcomber said.

“I’m just here for what’s mine, your lunch money.”

“It’s free pizza day, we didn’t bring any lunch money. Nopony did,” Spiral Swirl said.

“Well I guess I’ll just take something else then,” Iron Hoof said, as he snatched Beachcombers saddlebag and took out the giant sea shell, “Like this stupid looking thing.”

“Hey, give that back!” Beachcomber shouted, trying to pull the shell away from him with her magic, but his grip was too strong.

Spiral Swirl watched the scene unfolding in front of her, scared for her friend’s safety she thought, I guess it’s time to start using my Hypno Magic to help ponies, mainly us.

“Hey, Iron Hoof, I think I have something you might like better,” Spiral Swirl said.

“Oh yeah, what?” Iron Hoof said, releasing his grip on the shell.

“Check this out,” Spiral Swirl said, as she used her magic to levitate her pocket watch out of her saddle bag. This time she levitated it by its chain, so that it swung back and forth in front of Iron Hoof’s eyes.

“Heh, you’re right. That looks a lot more valuable then some dumb shell,” Iron Hoof said, his eyes locking on the swinging watch.

“That’s right. So just keep looking at it. Look at it swing back and forth.”

“What…what are talking about? I don’t want to look at it. I want you to give it to me.”

“And I want you to watch the watch. Watch it swing. You can’t look away from it.”

“Can’t…can’t look away,” Iron Hoof said.

“Watch the watch and listen to me. You can only hear my voice.”

“Only hear…your voice,” Iron Hoof said, all the emotion draining from his voice.

“You’re falling under the spell of my Hypno Magic. You’re going into hypnosis. You’re hypnotized in three….two…one,” Spiral Swirl said, finishing up her slightly improvised induction.
At her count of one, Iron Hoof’s eyes morphed into black and white spirals.

“You’re now hypnotized. You must do what I say,” Spiral Swirl said, putting away her watch.

“I am hypnotized. I must do what you say,” Iron Hoof said in unison with another voice.

“Huh?” Spiral Swirl said in confusion, before looking around and seeing Beachcomber standing beside her with spirals in her eyes too.

“Oh no, Beachcomber!” Spiral Swirl said in a panic, as she turned to her friend, “Wake up, Beachcomber!”

“Huh, wha?” Beachcomber said in confusion, as the spirals faded from her eyes, “What happened?”

“I guess I accidentally hypnotized you too. I’m so sorry,” Spiral Swirl said.

“It’s okay. I looked at your watch when you were swinging it by mistake. You’re right, when I fell under your spell; all I wanted to do was obey you.”

“I’m so sorry,” Spiral Swirl repeated.

“Sooooo, what are you gonna do with him?” Beachcomber said, pointing to the hypnotized Iron Hoof, “Are you going to make him leave us alone.”

“Hmmmm, actually I have a better idea,” Spiral Swirl said smiling, “Iron Hoof, we’re sick and tired of being scared of you. So from now on, you will be scared of Beachcomber and me. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I understand,” Iron Hoof replied.

“Then I want you to forget what happened to you and wake up,” Spiral Swirl commanded.

The spirals faded from Iron Hoof’s eyes and he shook his head, attempting to shake off the effects of the hypnosis.

When he was done he looked at Beachcomber and Spiral Swirl and gasped.

Before he could fully react, two more colts burst through the bushes.

“Hey good job finding the dweeb duo,” one of them said.

“Yeah, let’s have some fun with them. Three on two sounds totally fair,” the other said.

“Are you guys nuts!?” Iron Hoof said, “That’s Beachcomber and Spiral Swirl you’re talking about. They’re the two scariest ponies in school. I gotta get out of here.”

Spiral Swirl and Beachcomber giggled as he ran off in a panic.

“Did…did he just say those two are scary?” one of the colts said.

“Yeah, he did,” the other said, before sighing in annoyance, “Looks like we’re gonna have to beat him up now.”

Beachcomber and Spiral Swirl watched them run after Iron Hoof.

“Looks like today got a lot more interesting,” Spiral Swirl said.

“Yeah, they’re in for a surprise when they realize that he’s still the same tough pony even though he’s scared of us now,” Beachcomber said, “So what do you think the rest of the day will be like?”

“Probably pretty easy….except…history…ugh.”

“Ugh…you’re right. I definitely didn’t miss Ms. High Standards.”

“I wonder why she has it in for me?” Spiral Swirl said, “I can’t afford another bad grade.”
“Me either,” Beachcomber said.

The ringing of the school bell prompted them to head into the school for the start of the day. Spiral Swirl’s prediction of the rest of the day being easy came to be pretty true, unfortunately so did her dread about the last class of the day, her history class.

While she and the other students sat in their desks, a unicorn mare with a red coat, purple eyes, a long, slightly unruly mane, and a cutie mark composed of a pencil and a piece of chalk, paced back and forth in front of them.

“Students, I have graded the tests you took before spring break. I am impressed by some of you. Others….not so much,” she said, as she used her magic to hand the tests back to the students.

Oh no! Spiral Swirl thought, as she saw her grade.

It was a D plus, with the added insult of a note saying ‘see me after class!’

How is this possible? Spiral Swirl thought, I studied like crazy. I know some of these answers have to be right.

Acting as stealthily as possible she double checked her answers with her text book during Ms. High Standard’s lecture. To her shock all of her answers were right.

What? Spiral Swirl thought.

Once class was over, Spiral Swirl stuck around.

“Come here, Spiral Swirl,” Ms. High Standards said.

Spiral Swirl got up and nervously walked up to her teacher.

“Well, it looks like you did poorly on another test,” Ms. High Standards said, “And that means even with your high GPA in your other classes, your grade in here will be low enough that you have to be held back a grade.”

Spiral Swirl hung her head.

“And that’s such a shame. I was so looking forward to having you in my class when I start teaching the next grade next year. Oh well, I guess my replacement will have to deal with you,” Ms. High Standards said, her voice a mix of condescension and mockery.

“Um, Ms. High Standards, I think you made a mistake on my test,” Spiral Swirl said nervously.

“What did you say?!”

“I, um, uh…looked through my book during class to check my answers. They’re all correct,” Spiral Swirl said, holding up her test with her magic.

“You mean you weren’t paying attention during my lecture?” Ms. High Standards said, shooting her a death glare, “I guess I’ll just have to dock you another five points…oh and what’s this, you didn’t put a comma in this sentence. That’s another five points. So you didn’t get a D plus. You get….an F!”

Ms. High Standards gleefully levitated a pen and changed Spiral Swirl’s grade.

“Why are you doing this to me?” Spiral Swirl asked, tears welling in her eyes.

“Because you and your family shouldn’t be allowed to succeed.”

“What?!” Spiral Swirl said in shock.

“My thesis in school was on the history of the royal guard, and guess what I found in old log book? The details of your criminal grandmother’s attempted theft of a dangerous artifact. Something so dangerous they locked her up and shattered her horn.”

“My grandmother wasn’t a criminal. She was tricked!” Spiral Swirl said, anger and sadness welling her.

“I think I’ll take the word of the royal guard over some little child any day. I can’t believe her three legged spawn was able to find success.”

“Don’t talk about my mother like that!” Spiral Swirl said in anger.

“See, you’re just an angry little third generation criminal.”

“No I’m not!”

“Yes you are, and with your permanent record besmirch by you being held back, you’re gonna have a hard time attempting to claw your way up from the bottom, where little criminals like you should stay.”

“I’m not a criminal!” Spiral Swirl said.

“Yes you are. You and your whole family are, and no force on earth will get me to change my mind.”

Change her mind…wait…I can change her mind, Spiral Swirl thought.

She levitated her pocket watch out of her saddle bag by its chain and let it swing in front of High Standard’s eyes.

“What…what are you doing?”

“Changing your mind. Now, just watch my watch and relax.”

“Is this a prank? Did you steal that watch?” High Standards said, her eyes locking on the watch.

“No, it’s mine. Isn’t it pretty? You can’t take your eyes off it, as you relax for me,” Spiral Swirl said, doing her best to remember one of the more advanced inductions she had read about the performer in Las Pegasus using. Ms. High Standards was an adult after all, the first adult she’d tried to hypnotize.

“It…it is very pretty. So shiny.”

“Yup, just keep looking at it. Watch it swing back and forth. Relax for me, Ms. High Standards. Relax and listen to me.”

“I…I shouldn’t listen to a thief like you…but…but…I do need to relax,” Ms. High Standards mumbled.

“Yes, please relax. Relax your whole body. Your legs, neck and head. Relax them for me,” Spiral Swirl said, as she continued to swing the pocket watch, her confidence growing.

“Yes…relax my body.”

“You’re so relaxed now. Relaxed and drowsy. My Hypno Magic is making you feel sleepy. Very sleepy.”

“….I’m…very…sleepy.” Ms. High Standards said, as her eyes began to droop.

“You’re very sleepy. You can’t stay awake anymore. I want you to fall into a deep sleep for me,” Spiral Swirl said, stamping her hoof on the ground.

Ms. High Standards’ eyes blinked shut and her head drooped forward.

Did…did that actually work? Spiral Swirl thought, as she stopped swinging the watch.

“Um, can you hear me, Ms. High Standards?”

“Yes I can, Ms. Swirl,” Ms. High Standards said, her voice devoid of emotion.

“Okay, um, since you’re under the spell of my Hypno Magic, that means you’re deeply hypnotized. You need to do what I tell you,” Spiral Swirl said, finding her ability to hypnotize her teacher much more surprising then putting the schoolyard bully under her spell.

“I am deeply hypnotized. I must obey you,” Ms. High Standards said.

“Okay, first I want you to stop being mean to me. You believe me now that my grandmother was tricked and that my family isn’t full of criminals.”

“Your family is perfectly innocent, Ms. Swirl.”

Spiral Swirl smiled, “Does that mean you be mean to me in class anymore?”

“Yes, Ms. Swirl. I won’t be mean to you in class anymore. I must obey.”

“Um, please open your eyes, Ms. High Standards,” Spiral Swirl said.

Ms. High Standards eyes blinked open, revealing they had turned to black and white spirals.
Spiral Swirl then levitated her test over to Ms. High Standards.

“Please change my grade to what it’s supposed to be.”

“Of course, Ms. Swirl,” Ms. High Standards said, as she X’d out the F and her note and wrote an A plus on the paper.

“Thank you,” Spiral Swirl said.

A smile spread across Ms. High Standards face, she was happy to receive praise from the small filly currently in control of her mind.

Spiral Swirl then walked over to the teacher’s desk and levitated a grade book off it. Scanning through it she came across her name and the multitude of Ds and Fs associated with it.

“I want you to also change my other grades to correct ones,” Spiral Swirl said to her entranced teacher.

Ms. High Standards obeyed the command, and when she was done the grade book now had several B’s and A’s next to Spiral Swirl’s name.

“Thank you,” Spiral Swirl said, as she looked at the grade book some more, “And why does Beachcomber have so many bad grades too? She’s great at history.”

“I’m punishing her for being friends with you, Ms. Swirl. If she’s friends with a criminal then she must be one as well. Though, she comes from a good family so she doesn’t quite deserve to be as punished as much as you were.”

“But, I’m not a criminal. Remember?”

“You’re perfectly right, Ms. Swirl,” Ms. High Standards said, as she quickly altered Beachcomber’s grades as well.

“Thank you,” Spiral Swirl said, before putting the grade book back on Ms. High Standard’s desk.

“How else may I serve you, Ms. Swirl?”

“I think I’m all done now,” Spiral Swirl said, “When I count to three you will come out of my spell and forget all about what happened. One..two…three.”

At her count of three, the spirals faded from Ms. High Standards’ eyes.

“What are you still doing here, Spiral Swirl?” Ms. High Standards said, “I thought our meeting was over with.”

“I was just packing up my things,” Spiral Swirl said.

“Alright then…have a good day. See you in class tomorrow,” Ms. High Standards said, as her hypnotically altered perception of Spiral Swirl began to take hold.

Once she had packed up her things Spiral Swirl walked out into the hall deep in thought.
That really worked! I changed her mind and got her to stop being so mean to me. Hmmm I wonder. Could I ever change the minds of other ponies that were mean to us? Like those ponies from that bad town called Ponyville that were so mean to mom and grandma.

Her thought process was interrupted by a girlish scream. When she looked up, she saw a panic stricken Iron Hoof.

“It’s Spiral Swirl!” he said in absolute horror.

Spiral Swirl watched him turn and run away in a haphazard fashion. She winced when he slammed into a row of lockers.

Maybe my Hypno Magic worked a little too well, she thought.

Author's Note:

Well here's a fun little distraction 

This actually came about from a fun little image in my head of Young Spiral Swirl using her Hypno Magic on her teacher to change her grade, and it just sort of evolved from here.

Plus we get to see a young, slightly dorky, but still really powerful filly Spiral Swirl.  Complete with best friend, school yard bullies (who's minds are quickly altered) , and a previously unmentioned sister who now shares her fudge pops with her.

While she is powerful, her Hypno Magic is still a little unwieldy, since she accidentally hypnotized her friend and keeps on having to remind ponies they're not just hypnotized but under the spell of her Hypno Magic.  Though she doesn't seem to bat an eye at somepony saying that they must obey her.

Also looks like the citizens of Ponyville have to thank one super mean teacher for planting the genesis of Spiral Swirl's revenge plot in her head thanks to her mistreatment of her student.

Hope you enjoyed this cute little bit of hypno fun.

As always your thoughts and comments are appreciated.

Comments

[Mother3Forever]

Wow, this would've been handy in middle school. I had two teachers that legit HATED me. Pretty sure they got fired after I left...

[Rathbane]

8329558
I think we all could've benefited from this power XD

[Joker_F5]

Maybe high standards is a secret human Russian from the world of overwatch.
Loved the distraction, its great knowing more about how the main antagonist got her start on the mindset she's on

[Rathbane]

8330591
Glad you enjoyed it :)
Sorry I'm not an overwatch player so the reference flew over my head.

[Joker_F5]

8330596
That's OK.

[starshine wonder]

tbh, I'm curious how she got her cutie mark in the first place, since it's not an obvious thing...

[Arzoo]

The teacher's motivation was so ridiculous as to be comical. You should really try to make a more believable reason for her family to be pariahs if you're going to keep using that backstory.