TIME: Tutoring In Magical Education

The lesson for the day had just ended and Sweetie Belle was putting away some books that she got from Twilight into a saddlebag. Looking at the sheer number of books alone could easily intimidate even the most literate of ponies’. Fortunately for Sweetie Belle, the actual content of each book consisted of several large but simple diagrams concerning basic telekinesis and horn physiology. The unicorn filly was all set to go back to Rarity’s. But before she left, she turned back to her teacher to ask, “Same time tomorrow?”

"That's the plan." Twilight smiled. She bid her star student fair well. The violet unicorn went to sorting the books that she had used for the lesson back into their proper shelves. She was about to put back the final tome, but an abrupt slam from the library door opening startled Twilight. She knocked the book into one of the shelves and consequentially spilled over the entire row, burying the mare under.  She breached the sea of books and cried, "For Celestia's sake! What now!?"

"Oops, my bad," apologized a boyish sounding mare.

Twilight turned to look, the cause of the interruption this time was a cross-eyed grey pegasus mare, looking down dejectedly. The unicorn put a hoof to her face and sighed; she sighed again at the sight of all the fallen books and put them away. "I'm sorry, Derpy-"

"Ditzy," she cut in, taking some offence to the nickname.

"Ditzy, for yelling. So what brings you here?"

"Hmm, let's see..." Ditzy took to the air and rubbed a hoof to her chin, pondering how to explain. She floated around the library and regaled Twilight with a tale of her delivering mail, skipping the early parts of the route story, at Twilight's discretion, to Carousel Boutique as her second to last stop. The mail mare got the signature for the package of gold Rarity ordered and noticed Sweetie Belle levitating books. When asked who taught her how to that, the filly answered Twilight had done so. At the end of the explanation, the grey pegasus grinned and said, "And that's why I'm here." She craned her neck to rummage through her saddlebags. "Oh, and here's your letter."

Twilight blinked several times and took the letter, puzzled by that brief back-story and the way Ditzy's eyes kept moving in different directions effortlessly. "I still don't understand why you're here."

"To hire you as teacher in magic, duh."

"But you're a pegasus."

"And?" Ditzy paused for a moment, then giggled,  "Oh, you thought that- the tutor isn't for me silly. It's for my daughter, Dinky."

"Oh." Twilight blushed a little for assuming too quickly. She quickly explained to Ditzy that she wasn't a real teacher and isn't sure if she could teach more than one unicorn due to issues in her schedule and.

"What if you teach them at the same time? My little muffin learned how to do the lifting with magic thing all by herself, I just want her to have someone experienced to help her."

"Hmm, I don't know, I mean I'm not very experienced in teaching. I only taught Sweetie Belle as a favor to Rarity."

"Please! I've seen what you did when that Ursa Minor showed up a while back. If anyone in Ponyville is good enough teach magic, it's you."

"Alright, I'll think about it; although I'm going to need to order more teaching materials if I'm doing this."

"So, you'll do it?!" Ditzy took to the ground gave the librarian a warm embrace. "Oh, thank you Twilight! Thank you! I'll be sure to give your teaching supplies top priority when they arrive!"

"I said I'll think about it, okay?" the librarian answered, feeling awkward from how Ditzy is acting overly-familiar with her . The grey mare gave Twilight a second hug and flew through a nearby window, loudly singing a song about muffins. "I really hope Ditzy's apple landed very far from the tree; I don't think my sanity can take more than what I have to deal with when Pinkie's around."

"Hey Twilight!" sang Pinkie Pie as she came into the library.

"Yes, Pinkie?" the mare replied, looking from a chalkboard facing away from the door. Her voice went down to a whisper. "Just be quiet."

Twilight made a slight gesture towards Sweetie Belle, who was staring intently at a paper on her desk and a pencil in hoof.

Pinkie  got the idea and followed suit, lowering her volume to a loud whisper, "Do you have any books on cannons?"

"Yeah, they should be in the Equestrian Mechanisms section. Why?"

"Just something I've been working on. Don't tell anypony, okay?"

The unicorn nodded.

Pinkie bounced over to collect a small stack of books and came back to her Twilight. "So how's she doing?"

"Even though it's almost been a week since we started, she's been doing very well for a beginner. I'm hoping she'll get the hang of basic telekinesis by tomorrow."

"Finished!" Sweetie Belle called out and put her pencil down. She levitated her paper, albeit a bit wobbly, over to her tutor.

Twilight enveloped the paper in her own magic and placed it on a nearby table. "I'll grade this later, now time for practical part of the exam."

"Aww. But isn't lifting the paper to you good enough."

"I'm just trying to make this as close to the actual thing  from the magic academy."

"Oooh, can I watch?" the party pony chimed in.

"Sure, but we have to go outside for this. Spike, would you mind checking out those books for Pinkie."

"Sure thing," the dragon assistant replied, taking the books from Pinkie's back. The pony trio went out back as Spike set the books onto the check out table and started stamping check-out and due dates on each of the books' time sheets. "Huh, 'How to Build a Better Cannon' and 'Harmless Explosives.' I wonder what she's gonna do with these."

Spike lost his balance after a large boom and a second boom came from outside. Pinkie, covered in dust and bits of ash slid in from the door and yelled, "Spike get a broom! A rock exploded! Twice!"

"Sweetie Belle, what's wrong? You were doing so well just yesterday," asked Twilight as she brushed ashes and dust off herself and the unicorn in question.

The filly was very sullen. Her head drooped to the ground and she occasionally kicked her hoof into the ground. "Huh? Oh, yeah, I don't want to talk about it..." The filly sighed.

Twilight smiled draped a dusted leg over her student. "I'm your tutor; You can trust me. I promise not to tell anypony.

"Alright, I'll tell you: I get nervous when pony's are watching me."

"That doesn't sound too bad."

"No, I mean REALLY nervous. Like, Fluttershy nervous."

"That bad? But you do fine around me."

"That's because you're my tutor, you're supposed to help when I mess up."

"We'll work on your stage fright later, how about you try again with that rock over there? Without anypony but me watching."

"Okay."

Pinkie Pie came outside with Spike, with a broom, on her back. "Hey, Twilight! Spike and I found the-"

She stopped when she saw Sweetie Belle struggling, but still maintaining a bunch of small rocks into the air. Pinkie Pie shushed Spike as they walked closer, trying to be as quiet as possible. The silence was broken when the filly placed the rocks down in a neat line. Twilight started tossing Sweetie Belle up and down, shouting in cheer, "Congratulations! You did it!"

"Twilight, put me  down."

"Oops, sorry. But do you know what this calls for?"

"A party!"

Both unicorns were startled, now aware of both Pinkie's and Spike's presence.

"You don't mind being a chaperone, do you Twilight?" She waved a hoof in front of Twilight's face, then Sweetie Belle's. "I see that both of you are too excited to answer."

Pinkie rushed back into the library, leaving a dust silhouette under Spike to fall though. She bounced by with the books on her back, mysteriously not falling or swaying. "Well, see you tomorrow at Sugarcube Corner."

"No, wait I can't go; tomorrow's Diamond Tiara's Cute-ceañera and I don't want-" Sweetie Belle tried to answer as quickly as possible, but Pinkie was already out of ear shot before the filly said anything. "to go..."