Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Snails returned to Ponyville in triumph, with ponies cheering for them seemingly everywhere they went. Fluttershy, naturally, fled straight to her cottage and refused to come out for three days. Pinkie, on the other hoof, enjoyed being surrounded by smiling faces and managed to set up no less than six makeshift parties in the street, using party supplies she had stashed around Ponyville "in case of emergencies."
And Snails remained entirely unaffected, because he didn't think about it.
But as quickly as it had come, the adoration for Ponyville's latest heroes faded, and life returned to normal. Which, for Snails, meant going back to school and trying once more to boost his grades just enough to pass. Needless to say, he was not very excited. School was difficult for him, because, well... he never thought about anything. Math? Just a bunch of scribbles on a paper. History? Boring old stories that went in one ear and out the other. Science? Useless, especially considering he had magic. And he always forgot about his homework.
It was for this reason that Cherilee had asked him to stay after class today.
"Snails, this is the fourth time this week that you've forgotten to do your homework, and I'm disappointed in you. No matter how many times we have this talk, you keep forgetting the next day. Tell me, what's so important that you ignore your homework in order to do it?"
The colt looked out the window at the other students walking home. "Um... buckball practice?"
Cherilee narrowed her eyes. "I know for a fact that buckball is a very recently invented sport. In fact, Ponyville didn't even have a team until Applejack and Rainbow Dash decided to create one. And besides, I've heard that you were a natural at buckball. Why would you need practice?"
Snails smiled awkwardly and replied, "To make sure I... remain in top shape. I mean, stay good."
"Is there another game coming up?"
"Not... not that I'm aware of..."
"You're lying to me," the teacher said, and her voice contained no anger, but mild defeat. "Really, I'd hoped you would be better than this. I know you can be very clever when you set your mind to it, Snails, but you never try. After all the lessons I've taught, you still don't have the slightest interest in learning, and that... makes me feel like I've failed as a teacher."
He hung his head. "Miss Cherilee-"
"I think I need to talk with your parents."
After a pause, Snails gave his typical empty-headed smile. "Okay," he said slowly.
"Really? Most students at least protest. Alright, come on then."
The blank smile was erased from his face and replaced with shock. "What?"
"We're walking to your house, and I'm going to talk with your parents."
"N-No! Um, you don't have to do that, Miss Cherilee! You can- they can come here!"
But Cherilee had made up her mind and was already halfway out the door. Snails had no choice but to chase after her. He trailed behind her all the way to his house, taking slow, sullen steps. It seemed fitting for a pony named Snails. Sometimes he had to wonder just what his parents were thinking.
More than likely, they weren't thinking.
Cherilee knocked politely on the door and waited for a response. Shuffling his hooves nervously, Snails finally remembered that he had magic, and quickly teleported to his room. He sincerely hoped the pop hadn't attracted her attention, but it probably had.
He turned his attention to his desk. Library books covered most of it, along with papers covered in his messy writing. These had to go. They all had to go, and soon, before anypony thought to come look for him, quickly, quickly, quickly...
Hoofsteps on the stairs caused his ears to fold back in worry. He concentrated harder, and managed to levitate everything he wanted to dispose of. Where to put it? After a moment's thought, he hastily shoved everything under the bed.
The door handle turned. He searched for a distraction. Homework on the desk would do.
The door creaked open. Cherilee poked her head in to see Snails levitating a quill, actually seeming as though he was starting his homework. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously, and she glanced around the room in thought.
There, under the bed - books and papers, hastily shoved under the bed as though they were trying to hid from something. She reached out with a hoof to try and grab one-
"Don't touch those!" Snails blurted out.
She continued to reach out, glancing over at Snails... in time to see his horn light up.
S l o w . . .
Everything felt slowed down. The books were swiped from under the bed impossibly fast, and Snails stood, panting from the exertion of maintaining the spell, his horn still glowing. He dumped the books on his desk thoughtlessly. The purple glow faded from his horn, but Cherilee continued to move slowly. Perhaps it was shock. He, too, was surprised - this was the longest he had managed to maintain the spell.
"M-Miss Cherilee?"
"Snails, how long have you been able to do that?"
"Since I got my cutie mark." He smiled nervously, but the empty-headedness of before was gone.
"May I look at the books?"
She took a reluctant nod as confirmation and began to look through the books and papers. "Time magic, hmm? I'm no magic expert by any means, but these look like very advanced techniques and spells. Is that a simplified version of a Star Swirl the Bearded time travel spell?"
Snails nodded mutely. After a pause, he admitted, "I... I got my cutie mark when I was flipping through a book on the schools of magic, and... I saw a time spell that just... appealed to me. I slowed down time, and boom! Cutie mark!"
"Wouldn't that be considered cheating in buckball?"
He shook his head. "I don't use it often. It takes a lot of energy. But I can sort of... even without the spell, I sort of see things in slow motion, so I just watch the ball carefully and move the bucket to catch it."
"And these papers - are these actually brochures for high-level magic universities? Even Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns?!"
His ears drooped, but he nodded again.
"Snails. Look at me." The colt obeyed. "You obviously have an amazing gift for time magic. But do you honestly expect to get into any magic university with your current grades?"
"I... I guess not." His ears drooped, and he scuffed one hoof on the floor sadly. "I just... never really thought about it."
Cherilee sighed and put a hoof on the colt's shoulder. "Hey, I know sometimes school can seem a little boring. But, if you pay attention, you might find something you really enjoy learning about, just as much as time magic. If your grades improve before the end of the year, I'll write a letter of recommendation for you, and you can apply for one of these schools." She gestured at the brochures with her other hoof. He nodded.
"And in the meantime, you could try asking Princess Twilight for lessons. I bet she knows quite a bit about time magic."
Snails smiled, a genuine smile this time. "Sounds like a fair deal."
His teacher smiled back. "I'm glad." She embraced him briefly, and he hesitated before returning the embrace.
"M- Miss Cherilee?"
"Yes, Snails?"
"Do you think maybe you could help me with the homework?"
"Try it on your own. If you struggle with any problems, then come to school early and I'll see what I can do."
"Okay. Oh, and Miss Cherilee? Thank you."
Author's Note
When seeing Buckball Season, I was amazed at how good Snails was at the... "ball-catching with a bucket" thing. How? He's supposed to be slow! This is my take on the idea.
Oh yeah, and the title is crap. This was written quickly, as all my 'character one-shots' are, and I couldn't come up with a catchy title, so... 