[Equestria Orphanage] Nanny and the Professor (OPEN)

[Mojo]

It was the start of another day at the Equestria Orphanage, a large complex of buildings outside of Ponyville. The Orphanage houses a number of orphaned foals and younger ponies, giving them all a loving, caring home. The founder and guiding force of the orphanage is a hard working mare named Phoebe Piccafilly, affectionately known as "Nanny" to the young fillies and colts who live there:

She oversees a large staff made up of mostly volunteers who come from all over Equestria to give their time and talents to help out with the care and education of the orphans under her supervision. Today, Piccafilly awaits the arrival of more volunteers as well as a few more orphan foals she heard are coming her way.

"I hope they get here soon," Piccafilly said as the unicorn mare began pacing back and forth. "Julibee sent word that she's bringing three newly orphaned foals from Fillydelphia over this morning, I wonder how she will do this?"

Glancing through a telescope at the road below, the red maned mare spotted a cart in the distance being pulled by two Pegasus ponies with a unicorn seated in the back. The petite white furred blonde mare and the elderly lime green stallion pulling the cart are Jubilee Flyer and Professor Clyde Krashkop respectively. In the cart with the foals is a lanky periwinkle colored unicorn with a stethoscope on her neck is Nurse Starflower.

"Jubilee! Professor! Starflower! Good to see you all!" Piccafilly said as members of her staff rushed over to receive the foals from off the cart.

"We came as soon as we could," Jubilee said as she unhitched herself, "glad to help out!"

"Thank Celestia for your orphanage, Miss Piccafilly," Starflower said, using her levitation magic to float the baby foals down to the waiting staff members. "I already gave these three foals a preliminary examination, but Doctor Stable will be dropping by to have a look at them when he does the weekly clinic checkups on the rest of the orphans."

"Und I am ready to teach in dee classroom today," Professor Krashkop said as he unhitched himself. "I vill talk to dem of elementary science!"

"Oh yes, I heard about that, Professor, thank you. thank you all! Please come in for some light refreshments. I am hoping more volunteers will be coming today," Piccafilly said as she looked out upon the road to see if anypony else was coming.

[hinata2000100]

Apple Fritter trotted down the streets of Ponyville, walking a bit outside of it. She was humming tunelessly to herself, her eyes closed, when she ran smack-dab into the door of a building.

"What in th' hay?" She asked herself as she rubbed her head to ease the pain. Apple Fritter looked up to see a ton of buildings she hadn't noticed before. Granted, she wasn't in Ponyville THAT often, but she thinks she would have noticed this.

"When th' hay did this thing git here?" She muttered to herself, going through the doors. "Helloooooo?" She called out into the building.

Twilight Shine skipped down her path, despite the fact that she had no path and was just wandering around aimlessly. She sort of felt like she was flying with how fast and how high she was going, to be honest. After she was done skipping, she caught her breath, and looked up to see a surplus of buildings in front of her, with a lime green and dark green tail with one red bow tying it and a yellow-ish flank protruding out of one of the doors.

"This wasn't here before..." Twilight said to herself as she walked up to the door. She tapped on the cutie mark of the pony looking into the building, only for them to jump out and yelp in surprise. Twilight then saw that the pony was a female, and her eyes were spinning. The mare shook her head, and stared at Twilight for a second.

"Sweet mother ah Celestia, ya scared th' livin' daylights outta me, kid!" Apple Fritter breathed, trying to catch her breath after her little surprise.

"Oh.... Um.... S-Sorry.... But I have a question for you." Twilight replied.

"Oh, go ahead. Shoot." Apple Fritter said.

"What are these buildings?" Twilight asked the mare.

"Oh.... Uh..... Ah dunno, honestly. Ah was about t' see if there was anypony in here t' find out." Apple Fritter said, studying the building.

"Oh... well, let's go in together then." Twilight said.

"Uh.... Sure, ah guess we could both know that way." Apple Fritter replied, pushing the door open as she and Twilight went inside.

[Mojo]

Hearing Apple Fritter and Twilight Shine entering the lobby, Piccafilly quickly teleports herself over to greet them.

"Hello there, young ladies and welcome to the Equestria Orphanage! I am Phoebe Piccafilly, but you can call me Piccafilly or 'Nanny' like most of our foals here do. You must be from the Press! I was expecting you to arrive a little later in the day, but that's alright, please come with me!"

The excited red maned unicorn led the two visitors down a long corridor in the Main Hall.

"It is unfortunate that there are times when foals are orphaned at such a young age, but we here at the Equestria Orphanage work hard to provide all of the ones in our care a loving home with a quality education and the best of medical care. As you can see through this doorway Nurse Starflower is perparing a group of the older foals for their monthly health examinations and.."

"And it looks like I arrived just in time," Da tan furred stallion in a white coat and stethoscope spoke as he walked towards them. "Nanny, are these two of the new foals that need their preliminary physical examination? If so, I'll need Nurse Starflower to assist me."

"Doctor Stable! So good of you to come!" Piccafilly neighed as she turned towards Apple Fritter and Twilight Shine. "This is Doctor Stable, he and Nurse Starflower are two of our many volunteers who give of their time to help us. No Doctor, they are visitors to our facility. Oh, pardon me, where are my manners, young ladies, I didn't quite catch your names."

[Lux]

When moving to Ponyville, Lore Weaver made his mind up that he didn't want to just set up a business. He wanted to help the town he lived in the best that he could. This was especially true as he found how helpful the ponies of Ponyville were in helping him set up his bookstore, show him around town, or even give him a nice hello.

Now with a run of good fortune, he pondered how he wanted to start giving back. Then he found out about the orphanage in town and felt that best place to start was to give to ponies that had the least. His parents were so influential in seeing him succeed he could only imagine what it would be like having no home and no parents.

And so with a cart full of a dozen or so books for foals and an idea that maybe he could read a few stories, he set forth to the orphanage to help.

[hinata2000100]

Hearing Apple Fritter and Twilight Shine entering the lobby, Piccafilly quickly teleports herself over to greet them.

"Hello there, young ladies and welcome to the Equestria Orphanage! I am Phoebe Piccafilly, but you can call me Piccafilly or 'Nanny' like most of our foals here do. You must be from the Press! I was expecting you to arrive a little later in the day, but that's alright, please come with me!"

The excited red maned unicorn led the two visitors down a long corridor in the Main Hall.

"It is unfortunate that there are times when foals are orphaned at such a young age, but we here at the Equestria Orphanage work hard to provide all of the ones in our care a loving home with a quality education and the best of medical care. As you can see through this doorway Nurse Starflower is perparing a group of the older foals for their monthly health examinations and.."

"And it looks like I arrived just in time," Da tan furred stallion in a white coat and stethoscope spoke as he walked towards them. "Nanny, are these two of the new foals that need their preliminary physical examination? If so, I'll need Nurse Starflower to assist me."

"Doctor Stable! So good of you to come!" Piccafilly neighed as she turned towards Apple Fritter and Twilight Shine. "This is Doctor Stable, he and Nurse Starflower are two of our many volunteers who give of their time to help us. No Doctor, they are visitors to our facility. Oh, pardon me, where are my manners, young ladies, I didn't quite catch your names."

Apple Fritter heard the filly say her name was "Picafilly", and that was all she got out of that. She also heard her assumption that her and the filly next to her must be from the press. She looked startled for a second, and then regained her posture.

"Uh, sorry t' tell ya, but we ain't with th' press." Apple Fritter corrected the mare. "Well, at least ah'm not. Ah can't say fer sure about this young'un here." Apple Frtter said, gesturing to the blue filly next to her.

"O-Oh! I'm not with the press either." Twilight said. "Her and I just wanted to see what this place was." She said. She heard a stallion's voice, and saw a tan-colored stallion standing behind Picafilly. She heard him ask if her and the mare were the two new foals who needed some kind of examination. Twilight looked up at the mare next to her, and then looked at the stallion, tilting her head in disbelief. Twilight, for all intents and purposes, could be considered a foal, seeing how young she was, but the mare? She failed to see how he could mistake her for a foal.

Apple Fritter and Twilight heard Picafilly ask for their names, and Apple Fritter went first.

"Name's Apple Fritter." She said, shaking Picafilly's hoof, even though she wasn't offering her hoof for shaking.

"And my name's Twilight Shine. No relation to Twilight Sparkle. At least, I don't think there is." Twilight said, tapping her chin with her hoof at that last bit. After thinking for a second, Twilight remembered that Picafilly said this was an orphanage. She didn't want to bother Picafilly, but the words just burst out of her.

"Is there anything I can do to help this orphanage?" Twilight said without thinking, getting a stare of surprise from Apple Fritter she could just see out of the corner of her eye.

[Bellosh]

During her last (and first) visit to Ponyville, Counselor Ingrid Marie heard that a new orphanage in town was seeking professionally-skilled volunteers who could help out… even teachers of magic for the unicorn orphans. It had been a long time since Ingrid actually instructed students in a classroom setting; not since her Neighton Prep days. As far as Ingrid knew though, nopony qualified to teach magic lived in the immediate Ponyville area, while the most skilled local sorceress hasn’t even finished her magical studies yet. Ingrid may not have taught any classes recently, but she still tutors unicorns in their magical studies when they need help, and she has the instructing experience that most unicorns wouldn’t have had!

Resolved to both give the unicorn orphans the magic education they needed and to give herself a reason to travel to Ponyville more often, Counselor Marie managed to convince the administration of Princess Celestia’s School of Gifted Unicorns to give her a few workdays each week to help out the orphanage, should she opt to continue volunteering there. And so Ingrid found herself one morning cantering over to the Equestria Orphanage, eagerly wondering who her new magic students would be…

[Mojo]

Piccafilly neighed happily when she heard Apple Fritter and Twilight Shine volunteer.

"Wonderful!" the red maned unicorn shouted, "My apologies for mistaking you for the Press, of course we have many things you both can help us with! Jubilee Flyer should be in the kitchen if you'd like to help her with preparing snacks for the younger foals."

"Or if you like, you could assist Starflower and me with the weekly checkups," Doctor Stable suggested just as Ingrid Marie entered the building. Piccafilly turned her head and looked down the hallway at the arriving unicorn.

"Pardon me a moment," Piccafilly said as she walked towards Ingrid just as an airborne Professor Krashkop fluttered up to her.

"I heard vee vere getting some new books today," the elderly Pegasus stallion spoke.

"Yes Professor, in fact, I can sense that a pony approaching from the road with a cart full of books."

"Vonderba! I vill go on ahead to greet dem!" Professor Krashkop neighed as he found an open window and flew outside threw it.

"So much going on, it never ends!" Piccafilly giggled as she finally reached Ingrid. "Good morning, Ingrid Marie! I certainly appreciate you taking the time to help train our older unicorn fillies and colts in the magical arts. Takes me back to my younger days back at Princess Celestia's School! You were always my favorite teacher and still are! The Magic Class is meeting in Room 12 and I have good news! There's a unicorn mare already in the room to assist you! Perhaps you know her, her name's Misty Magic."

Outside, Professor Krashkop quickly flew up to Lore Weaver.

"Guten Tag to you, sir!" the hovering Pegasus stallion shouted down. "Vee are so happy you are here! I am Professor Clyde Krashkop, vhat is your name?"

The door to Room 12 was open and inside the room were a dozen older fillies and colts at their desks talking, laughing and carrying on as the petite yellow unicorn mare in the front of the door was trying to restore order.

"Please everypony, settle down. Miss Marie will be here any moment!" Misty Magic pleaded to no avail. Getting frustrated, the purple maned mare didn't notice that her horn was now glowing before she spoke again. "Quiet everypony! I don't want to rain on your parade, but..."

The second she uttered this, a small black cloud formed above her and began to rain down upon her, causing all of the gathered students to burst into laughter and Misty to blush with embarrassment.

[Lux]

Lore was getting closer to the orphanage when suddenly a green pegasus flew out of a window and greeted the unicorn. The unicorn wondered if it was a thing pegesus ponies in Ponyville did, flying out of windows, or if it was just this one in particular. He had an accent that was different from those he heard. Of course he only knew of the way ponies spoke in Canterlot and in Ponyville. The exception was a certain family of ponies who owned a farm on the edge of Ponyville.

"Oh hello Professor Krashkop. I'm Lore Weaver. I've brought a collection of books for foals to enjoy and to see if I could help the orphanage today."

[Bellosh]

Ingrid Marie beamed as she saw Piccafilly trot to greet her. The guidance counselor fondly remembered the former student of Princess Celestia’s School; one of the top-ranked members of her class, as a matter of fact. Counselor Marie recalled how after Piccafilly earned her cutie mark, the student came to her puzzled as to what exactly her mark represented. After hearing Piccafilly’s tale of how a mule couple found her lost in the Everfree Forest, the counselor suggested to Piccafilly that her heart assuredly wanted to follow the mules’ generous example. Giving the student some food for thought regarding future career options, Counselor Marie told Piccafilly of the rising number of foals in Equestria becoming orphans, thinking that the student would be suited to work at an orphanage or other charity after her graduation. At least, that was how Ingrid remembered things.....

Seeing the orphanage and its caretaker before her today, Ingrid took delight in the fact that Piccafilly listened to her heart. Taking the caretaker’s hoof into her own for a firm hoofshake, Ingrid greeted her back; “Good morning to you too, Piccafilly! I say, you do have a lovely establishment here.” Ingrid blushed as Piccafilly referred to the older mare as her favorite teacher; as a guidance counselor, she didn’t consider herself a teacher. Well, except when she substituted for a sick instructor or when giving private tutoring sessions for students; admittedly, she still did a lot of tutoring. Regardless of what she regarded herself as, having a huge positive impact on the lives of her students is why Ingrid wished she’d never have to quit her job as guidance counselor, even long after her bottles of Just for Mares no longer let her disguise her slowly-graying mane.

Ingrid Marie’s mind drew a blank when the orphanage caretaker mentioned who her assistant was; “Sorry, I don’t know Misty Magic. I’m sure however that she’ll be a good assistant. Once again, I must thank you for letting me teach magic to the unicorns here!” Giving Piccafilly one final smile, Counselor Instructor Marie made her way over to Room 12; thanks to the open door, Ingrid could easily hear the rancorous laughter coming from the classroom. Curious, the instructor walked in only to see a most humiliating sight; a yellow unicorn mare, standing right in front of the doorway, was being drenched by a magic rain cloud. Perhaps Ingrid was a bit too hasty with her initial optimism; now that the instructor had a good look at Misty Magic, the assistant reminded Ms. Marie of one blankflank years ago who failed her entrance examination by accidently conjuring duplicate dragon eggs.

Shaking her head, Instructor Marie couldn’t dwell on the past any further for the time being; she had a classroom to restore order to! Glaring at Misty Magic all the while, Ingrid warmed up her horn to prepare a simple cloud dissipation spell. A couple of seconds later, she sent a tiny blue-colored blast of magic at the cloud, making it vanish and causing the rainstorm to stop. There was nothing Ingrid could do about the wet floor at the present moment; she’d have to send for a janitor. Refocusing her thoughts towards her lesson plan for today, Ingrid hoped that her magic demonstration would be enough to silence the heavily-amused schoolfoals in the room.

[TheCustodian]

Boredom...

Cantrip watched with mild amusement as the silliness that unfolded in the front of the classroom. Unlike the others this filly did not laugh, or smile at all, her mind was elsewhere. Supporting her head with a hoof she appeared like any other bored school filly if it were not for her eyes darting about, looking for that chance or opportunity she needed to escape the confines of this blasted building and resume her search. She barely payed any real attention to the newcomer, Ingrid, which arrived, at least... Not right away.

The sudden magical blast was enough to get Cantrip’s attention. While escape was her primary goal she had a thirst for magical knowledge. In her mind magic was a tool, a means to an end to get whatever she wanted. While the cloud dissipation spell was not exactly something the filly was interested in, the mare herself, Ingrid, seemed to be somewhat proficient in the use of spells; at least more useful than the other pony they had up front… What was her name again? Miss... Magic? It didn’t matter, like the rest of the staff here Cantrip had little desire to get to know any of them.

Cantrip herself had only arrived at the orphanage a couple days ago and was already oriented. Being shuffled from place to place, orphanage to orphanage, had given her much experience in adapting to changing conditions. Not that these facilities changed much. There were classes, medical exams, playtime, and the occasional party to celebrate mass birthdays. Cantrip idly wondered what month the orphanage would set her birthday this time... Not that it mattered. The filly didn’t plan on staying long.

[Mojo]

"Vonderba, Herr Weaver!" the still airborne Professor Krashkop neighed happily. "Dee orphans vill appreciate all dees books, und I am sure fraulien Piccafilly vill be able to find someting for you to do here, follow me!"

As the Professor led Lore Weaver towards the side entrance at the main building, inside Room 12 Misty Magic's initial embarrassment was multiplied when she saw how Ingrid had witness her latest magical 'fail.' Quickly dispensing the rain cloud, Misty forced a smile on her face.

"Er.. Miss Marie! Hi! I'm Misty Magic, here to lend you a hoof?" the petite yellow unicorn mare said. As her gaze returned to the rest of the students in class, Misty couldn't help but notice Cantrip. She couldn't quite place her hoof on it, but the purple maned unicorn just had a gut feeling that this young filly had something more than magic on her mind today. This was a new filly to the orphanage and as Misty had learned over the years. it's always tough to start over at a new place. Misty would make it a point to offer her friendship to her.

Meanwhile, back in the hallway Jubilee walked over to the group that included Apple Fritter and Twilight Shine.

"Hello Nanny, Dr. Stable," the petite Pegasus mare said, "I could really use some help in the kitchen and... oh, hello there! You two must be new here, I'm Jubilee Flyer and..."

"Pardon me, Miss Flyer, but I was hoping these two fillies could help me and Starflower with the physical checkups," Doctor Stable said.

"Actually, it is up to them where they'd like to volunteer today," Piccafilly calmly said, "Ladies, have you decided yet?"

[Lux]

With a nod Lore Weaver left the cart and levitated the books into a sack that he brought along with him to easily carry them. With the last book loaded, the unicorn lifted the entire bag with his magic and carried it into the orphanage. If he were dressed in red, Lore Weaver would look like Santa Hooves, a mythical figure that some foals were told about who on Hearth's Warming Eve would deliver toys to foals. But this wasn't Hearth's Warming Eve and Lore was no Santa Hooves. He was just glad that the books would find a home in the hooves of some pony. Sometimes on days were friends were busy or nights when a pony was all alone, a good book could be a source of knowledge and comfort.

[Bellosh]

As the class quieted down, Ingrid Marie made a quick overlook of her class. Most of her young unicorn students today didn’t look anything out of the ordinary. However, she felt something was off with the white-coated filly with the red mane. Judging by the filly’s intent, Ingrid surmised that she either deemed herself already proficient in magic or else she was just a run-of-the-mill troublemaker. Both possibilities meant that the instructor needed to keep an extra eye on her, but in the former case, at least Ingrid could tutor her in private later should the filly be receptive to it.

Bringing her attention back to Misty Magic, Instructor Marie listened how the assistant offered to lend her hoof. “Alright,” Ingrid stated matter-of-factly; “I’ll need you to call a janitor over here so they can clean up the puddle on the floor.” If no volunteer janitors were available, Ingrid dreaded requiring Misty to clean up the mess herself. “Now then, I’ve got a class to teach.” Gently trotting around the puddle, Ingrid made it to the front and center of Room 12.

“Hello, my little ponies,” Instructor Marie warmly addressed to her pupils; “My name is Ingrid Marie, and I’m your new magic teacher.” For the next portion of her introductory lecture, Ingrid’s voice shifted to produce a more authoritative tone as her students needed to take her next words seriously. “Now before we begin, I would like to use this time to remind you that practicing magic… will not be easy. Anypony is bound to make mistakes when attempting a spell for the first time. I ask then to mind your classmates’ feelings and not make fun of them if they perform a spell wrong. Instead, give your friends the encouragement they need, and they’ll help you out too if you have trouble with a spell.” Ingrid didn’t like having to lay down the law, but going by the class’s reaction to Misty’s antics, the instructor felt it necessary to get that part out of way.

Summoning a grin, Ingrid continued on with her plan for today; “Mmkay then, who would like to be the first student to introduce themselves?”

[hinata2000100]

"Actually, it is up to them where they'd like to volunteer today," Piccafilly calmly said, "Ladies, have you decided yet?"

"Ah guess we could split up th' work. Ah go help in th' kitchen, and Twahlaught here can help with th' checkups." Apple Fritter said. "That is, if she don't mind."

"Oh, I'm fine helping with the checkups!" Twilight said enthusiastically. She quickly started looking around for the room she'd be helping in, and then finally stopped. "Errrr.... W-Where are we going?" Twilight asked Dr. Stable.

[TheCustodian]

So far? Nothing new... Cantrip watched with mild interest as the new pony introduced herself, it was the same speech she had heard a thousand times...

~Magic is hard, be nice to each other, don't make fun of your classmates when they fail... Blah blah blah~ The filly thought with mild irritation. This was far from her first magic lesson... Arrogantly she believed herself above the others because she knew how to use telekinesis already. It wasn't much though, nothing more than a utensil or quill could be lifted by the filly. As for treating the others well Cantrip would... So long as they didn\t get in her way...

Sighing the filly turned her attention elsewhere as she waited for somepony to introduce themse-

~Huh?~

"ATCHOO!" the filly exclaimed as she let out a loud sneeze that seemed to have come from nowhere. Around her some of the other classmates started to giggle at the filly not stopping despite her rather fierce glare at them all.

~Laugh it up...~

[Mojo]

Professor Krashkop led Lore Weaver inside, still airborne flapping his Pegasus wings as they entered.

"Vee are so grateful for dis contribution of books you brought," the elderly green Pegasus said, "If you vill be here for a vhile, vould you consider reading do some of our foals? Dee younger vones alvays love hearing a good story."

Lux is going to be away from the net till Monday, so this part of the storyline will have to remain on hold until her returns

In the hallway, Piccafilly was delighted the two visiting fillies made their decisions as for which tasts to help with.

"Splended, ladies!" the red maned unicorn neighed. "Apple Fritter, please follow Jubilee to the kitchen and Twilight Shine.."

"Miss Twilight Shine will come with me," Doctor Stable said with a smile. "Nurse Starflower is waiting for us."

"Wonderful!" Jubilee squealed, "You can help me with the snacks for the little foals! They like having sliced apples and grapes, maybe some hay crackers and fruit juice too!"

As Jubilee led Apple Fritter towards the kitchen, Doctor Stable led Twilight Shine into another room where Starflower was already busy with the group of baby ponies crying in their cribs, five of them in all.

"Oh hi there!" the lanky light blue unicorn mare neighed. "Just got finished changing all the babies, but they need their bottles. I have to get the older fillies and colts in line for examination."

"Sounds like a perfect job for you, Miss Shine," Doctor Stable said, "the milk bottles are over there on that table, would you mind giving them to those darling foals while I tend to the first physicals?"

Back in Room 12, Misty Magic watched as Cantrip was being laughed at by her classmates for her unexpected sneeze. The petite yellow unicorn mare wanted to help, but it was Ingrid Marie who was in charge of the class. Misty was there to assist her, so it wasn't her place to stop the laughter. Now she felt more compassion than ever for the new filly in class. Misty knew all about feeling 'out of place', especially when other ponies would shun her due to her misfiring magic bursts.

[hinata2000100]

[colour=#800080]"Oh hi there!" [/colour]the lanky light blue unicorn mare neighed. [colour=#800080]"Just got finished changing all the babies, but they need their bottles. I have to get the older fillies and colts in line for examination."[/colour]

[colour=#8B4513]"Sounds like a perfect job for you, Miss Shine," [/colour]Doctor Stable said, [colour=#8B4513]"the milk bottles are over there on that table, would you mind giving them to those darling foals while I tend to the first physicals?"[/colour]

[colour=#0000ff]"Oh, sure!"[/colour] Twilight said enthusiastically, walking over to the milk bottles. She was proficient in magic enough to levitate small objects for a couple moments, so she'd have to deliver the bottles one by one. It was tedious, sure, but better than picking them all up by hoof and risking dropping them. She started to pick one up, her horn and the bottle shrouded with her lime green magic aura. She took the bottle carefully, and just as carefully placed it in a foal's mouth, which she happily took and drank rhythmically. Twilight giggled and smiled, and happily skipped to the table housing the milk bottles, taking another one, and skipping just as happily to another foal.

[Bellosh]

[colour=#008080]~Geez, these foals undoubtedly are easy to amuse. I’d bet they laugh just from hearing somepony burp~[/colour]

Ingrid Marie’s eyes rolled as the class snickered at a filly’s earsplitting sneeze. Noting that the offending sneeze came from the filly with the questionably-intense stare, the instructor decided that she might as well call on her first. Not noticing that Misty Magic didn’t call for a janitor like she had requested, Ingrid proceeded to calm down her class; [colour=#008080]“Now now, settle down everypony.”[/colour] Once the classroom quieted again, Ingrid looked at the filly with the red mane and gave her a smoothing smile; [colour=#008080]“Perhaps you’d like to be the first volunteer to tell me your name?”[/colour]

[TheCustodian]

Cantrip sighed as the class finally began to calm down but made a not about who had been the first to start laughing... Cantrip had figured out awhile ago that they were usually the ones everypony followed and if she was going to make her time here any easier Cantrip would have to make an example of them... Nothing major. But enough to make sure the others knew the unicorn was not fooling around and to be left alone.

It took her a moment to realize the teacher was speaking to her but when she did Cantrip couldn't help but sigh again in frustration. [colour=#dda0dd]"Cantrip..."[/colour] is all she said in a grumpy voice. She was not going to elaborate unless prompted, she wanted a name? She got it.

[Mojo]

In the kitchen, as Jubilee and Apple Fritter enter, they see a giggling light orange Pegasus filly in flight and grabbing an apple as she hovers above.

[colour=#DAA520]"HAY!" [/colour]Jubilee shouted upward, [colour=#DAA520]"you know better than to take food without asking, and you know there's no flying indoors!"[/colour]

The unnamed filly laughed as she darted away from Jubilee's grasp.

[colour=#DAA520]"Come back here!" [/colour]the petite blonde Pegasus mare yelled as she intinctively flew up to pursue her. After a 'Benny Hill' style chase all over the kitchen ceiling, the clever little filly flew out an open window while Jubilee struck her head on the top of the window and came crashing down on the floor, dazed and woozy in front of Apple Fritter.

Meanwhile, as Starflower led a young colt up to Doctor Stable, she glanced over at the busy Twilight Shine.

[colour=#0000FF]"Great job, Miss Shine!" [/colour]the lanky blue unicorn neighed as the Doctor produced a tiny rubber hammer and levitated it towards the nervous colt.

[colour=#8B4513]"Nothing to worry about, dear boy," [/colour]the tan furred unicorn stallion said confidently. [colour=#8B4513]"Just going to test your reflexes, try to hold still and relax."[/colour]

When the rubber hammer tapped the knee of the colt's left front leg, he kicked upward, connecting until the Doctor's chin and flipping him in midair before he landed on his back.

[colour=#0000FF]"DOCTOR!"[/colour] Starflower screamed.

[colour=#8B4513]"I'm fine," [/colour]the wobbly Doctor said as he slowly got back on all four hooves. [colour=#8B4513]"Quite healthy reflexes indeed! He passes, next patient please."[/colour]

In Room 12, Misty Magic saw the uneasiness of Cantrip as the filly gave her one word introduction. Using her levitation powers, Misty floated a box of tissues over to her as she smiled. Misty could do levitation magic perfectly, it was other, more complex spells that gave the petite yellow unicorn mare trouble.

[colour=#800080]"Here you are, Miss Cantrip," [/colour]Misty said politely.

[Bellosh]

So Cantrip wasn’t exactly the most sociable of ponies… fair enough. Ingrid Marie worked with such students on numerous occasions as part of her duties as guidance counselor. With only a few exceptions, Ingrid eventually succeeded in establishing a rapport with seemingly uncongenial students. All she had to do was treat the pupils in question as normal equine beings and provide particular attention to their pressing concerns. So far, Cantrip had not acted out of the ordinary or caused deliberate mischief, so this gave the instructor much hope.

What Cantrip did not need at all was a tissue box, which at that moment levitated in front of the distressed filly. Ingrid facehoofed; suddenly she felt trapped in a comedic double act where she was the straight mare and her new assistant was the… wait a second; wasn’t Misty Magic supposed to get the janitor to clean up the puddle she caused by her impromptu shower earlier? Swiftly turning around, she saw Misty still standing there using her horn to power the levitation spell… the wet floor was still there too. “[colour=#008080]Ahem,”[/colour] Instructor Marie coughed as she glowered at her assistant; [colour=#008080]“Shouldn’t you be getting a janitor to dry the floor?”[/colour] At the very least, Ingrid wished for a few brief moments of peace in her classroom with Misty out and about on a quest.

Bringing her attention back to Cantrip, Ms. Marie then politely asked; [colour=#008080]“What is the most advanced magic spell that you can comfortably use?”[/colour] For magic instructors this was a standard, if cliché, routine. But it was not only a proven way to first establish how proficient a student was with magic, but it also usually gave the foal confidence right off the bat that they could learn more sophisticated spells.

EDIT: "Cantrip" had previously been spelled "Catnip". The spelling has been corrected.

[TheCustodian]

( OOC: Bellosh, It's Cantrip, not Catnip XD )

The filly stared at the floating box for a moment before taking a tissue with a hoof not really knowing what to do with it other than quickly wipe her muzzle. She didn't say thanks, mostly because she wasn't thankful. Right now Cantrip wanted nothing more than for the adults to just leave her alone to her thoughts. She wanted to run away and resume her search for her mother and it would be difficult to do the more these ponies drew attention to her. At least that's how Cantrip figured things.

Ingrid's question though gave the filly pause. What could she do? She was hardly a prodigy with magic, mostly because she didn't try. While she was interested in learning more most of her time was spent testing the boundaries of the orphanage, looking for weaknesses she could exploit one day. For a moment she didn't reply thinking of what she had done with magic in the past.

"Uh... Telekinisis... I also turned a caterpillar to water once" that incident had exhausted her. The filly had been trying to simply change its colour but after many failed attempts her anger had gotten the better of her and she lashed out with a random blast of magical power. If asked to do it again Cantrip wasnt sure if she could. There had been many times her anger had fueled her magic to do... Things, but that usually she would black out afterwards from exhaustion, forgetting anything that might have happened afterwards.

[hinata2000100]

(I honestly thought Catnip was Bellosh's way of trying to be funny and having Ingrid mishear Cantrip's name. XD)

[colour=#0000FF]"Great job, Miss Shine!" [/colour]the lanky blue unicorn neighed as the Doctor produced a tiny rubber hammer and levitated it towards the nervous colt.

As Twilight was placing the final bottle in a colt's mouth, she heard this behind her. [colour=#0000ff]"Oh, thank you!"[/colour] Twilight neighed happily. She went to go get another bottle, only to see they were all gone. [colour=#0000ff]"Oh... Um.... I.... I guess I'm done."[/colour] She said, running over to Doctor Stable. [colour=#0000ff]"Hey, Doctor! I'm done, what do you want me to do next?"[/colour]

In the kitchen, as Jubilee and Apple Fritter enter, they see a giggling light orange Pegasus filly in flight and grabbing an apple as she hovers above.

[colour=#DAA520]"HAY!" [/colour]Jubilee shouted upward, [colour=#DAA520]"you know better than to take food without asking, and you know there's no flying indoors!"[/colour]

The unnamed filly laughed as she darted away from Jubilee's grasp.

[colour=#DAA520]"Come back here!" [/colour]the petite blonde Pegasus mare yelled as she intinctively flew up to pursue her. After a 'Benny Hill' style chase all over the kitchen ceiling, the clever little filly flew out an open window while Jubilee struck her head on the top of the window and came crashing down on the floor, dazed and woozy in front of Apple Fritter.

Apple Fritter followed Jubilee, watching confusedly as she chased a filly around the kitchen. The filly eventually got out through an open window, causing Apple Fritter's eyes to go wide. Who knows how long that filly can stay flying for?! Jubilee then hit her head on the top of the windowpane, causing Apple Fritter's eyes to go even wider. [colour=#00ff00]"Are ya OK?!"[/colour] Apple Fritter said, looking worriedly at Jubilee.

[Mojo]

[colour=#800080]"Oh yes, right, sorry," [/colour]Misty Magic said as she quietly exited Room 12. Walking up and down the hallway, the petite unicorn mare couldn't find any pony, let alone a janitor, but she did spot an open closet that had a dry mop and bucket inside. [colour=#800080]"Since I can't find another pony to help, I'll do the job myself!"[/colour]

Using her levitation magic, Misty floated the bucket and mop above her as she quietly reentered Room 12. Slowly, with her magic, Misty mopped up the water on the floor, trying her best not to be a distraction to the rest of the class. However, there was the periodic 'squeak' sound the mop made every time she wrung it out in the bucket.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, a still dizzy Jubilee shook her head and then came to her senses.

[colour=#DAA520]"I'm fine, Apple Fritter, my pride's more hurt than my head at the moment. Gotta watch those Pegasus foals sometimes! They like to sneak in and grab things just for fun. Don't worry about that one flying away, we have plenty of Pegasi volunteers who keep a sharp eye on them. Oh! Look at the time! We need to get started! Gotta have some snacks ready for when that flock of young Pegasi outside come in from playtime. If you wouldn't mind slicing up about a dozen apples while I get the grape juice poured, that'd be great."[/colour]

Over in the other room, Doctor Stable saw that Twilight Shine was finished with feeding the foals, he smiled with approval.

[colour=#8B4513]"Well done, Miss Shine," [/colour]the tan furred unicorn said. [colour=#8B4513]"Now that the foals are fed, they need to be burped as gently as possible. After that, I'll have Starflower join you so the two of you can continue with their physical examinations, Starflower will probably have you help keep the foals calm as she takes their temperatures and examines .. Nurse Starflower, you DID bring the forehead therometers with you, right?"[/colour]

[colour=#0000FF]"Of course, Doctor Stable!" [/colour]the lanky unicorn mare neighed as she floated her black bag over to her front feet. [colour=#0000FF]"These are the latest in pediatric care. Taking temperatures are a LOT easier with these than the old method, and much more safe and sanitary too."[/colour]

[Bellosh]

[colour=#008080]~SHE WHAT????~[/colour]

Instructor Marie could hardly believe it when Cantrip claimed she turned a caterpillar into water. Two things at once came into Ingrid’s head; first off, what possessed the orphan to do such a thing in the first place? Secondly, how did Cantrip have the ability at such a young age to reassemble atoms to form a different object? Transformation spells usually took years for unicorn students to master. All of these questions would have to be answered later though… Ingrid preferred meeting Cantrip in private to address these issues.

For now, Ingrid’s inquisitiveness didn’t show too much as she moved on to the final portion of her in-class questioning session. [colour=#008080]“Could you levitate this[/colour] *SQUEAK* [colour=#008080]tissue box for me?”[/colour] the instructor asked, pointed to the tissue box dropped by Misty Magic, who by the way, currently saw fit to mop the floor herself. Ingrid sincerely hoped Misty wouldn’t be too disruptive doing her clean up work. At any rate, once Cantrip demonstrated her telekinetic powers and Ingrid could see for herself how easy or hard it actually was for the filly to accomplish the task, the instructor would have a clear idea of the filly’s true ability level. With that done, Ingrid would then go on to another student.