Horns to the left of me, wings to the right.

[letteropener]

Who: The pony princesses and those who would accept their training.
What: The training offered by the pony princesses to those who would accept it.
Where: Ponyville, the Town Square.
When: A couple of days after their welcoming message.
Warnings: Possible comedic violence and mild language. Possibly some pegasus just won't know what went wrong.



Ponyville Town Square, the right side as you face town hall:

Above this half of the town square, a couple dozen clouds floated peacefully in the sky. They ranged the gamut from a friendly, puffy white to an angry, solemn grey that threatened but didn't deliver thunder and rain in awesome amounts. Somepony had clearly cordoned off the ground below with acquired fences, benches, and other makeshift barricades to keep innocent Rarities ponies from wandering into the training field and getting soaked, hailed on, lightning-bolted, blown away, or generally harassed by wind.

Princess Luna awaited those pegasi who have come for lessons in weather control.

Ponyville Town Square, the left side as you face town hall:

Dozens of random objects festooned the area around here, lined up in order of weight -- from feathers, pebbles, and quill pens to a heavy statue and a bathtub. Princess Celestia waited at the front of this 'line', such as it was, for those unicorns who signed on for her basic training program. Though she hoped that at least some will prove adept pupils at telekinesis and might be able to move on to other lessons, she has provided nothing else yet; after all, to best challenge a unicorn, you must find spells that lie within their talents.

Comments

[trademark_skull]

"Hmm..." Emizel kind of wanted to try something now. He crouched to the ground again and used his horn, this time with less problems. He still couldn't hold the feather for long, but he was getting better at 'throwing' it; much like it was a wind spell. It was getting to the point he could keep it in the air just by throwing it around.

"...I think I'm getting it!"

[letteropener]

Celestia watched his technique, arriving at the basic idea of his efforts after a short while of watching.

"Hmm. You are definitely succeeding at pushing it, but can you hold it still? After all, holding your tea cup is not very useful if you've spilled your tea!"

[trademark_skull]

"Let's see.." he muttered a little. Now that he was getting better at least at moving it around, it was time to try to take it a step further again. Having a better feel for the horn now probably does help.

Emizel gave the feather one final, though slightly more forceful flick and then watched it descend for a minute. The first glow caught it for a brief second, but failed right after. It was the second time the light grabbed it that it finally stayed put, for the first time.

"...H-hey!"

[letteropener]

Celestia let him concentrate on it before she spoke, giving him a chance to assess his state and actions to see what had brought him success. After a minute, though, she put words to her smile. "Wonderful! Quite well done!"

[trademark_skull]

After awhile, Emizel finally let the feather down. It was certainly a success, but he could only be satisfied by it for so long.

"Now I need to try something bigger..." he trotted off to find something else, something a little heavier. A rock might do.

[letteropener]

"If I might suggest?"

Celestia pulled a stone from the selection she'd arranged, one about half the size of her hoof, and offered it to him with her own magic.

[trademark_skull]

Oh, that's perfect.

Emizel inspected the rock, practically circling it, then kneeled. He was able to get the rock glowing but couldn't move it just yet. It was finally after he stood up, that the rock went with him.

Success~!

[letteropener]

"I think you're getting the hang of it!" Celestia smiled, then offered up the pebble from before. "Now, lifting two at once is much trickier, and will require some further practice to master..."

[trademark_skull]

"No problem!"

It started out easy. Rock held high, he reach for the pebble, had it, and then the rock dropped.

"...Oops."

'Kay, trying this again. Pebble up, tried to add the rock ba--no, now the pebble fell.

How is doing both even possible?

[letteropener]

"In the long term, your goal is to not think about what you are doing." Celestia had no criticism for him. This task was much more difficult, after all. "But that will only come with practice and repetition."

[trademark_skull]

Good, because this was kind of hard again.

"How do I simply not think about it?"

[letteropener]

"Practice, for one. Don't overthink not thinking about it," Celestia said with a smile to indicate she knew just how that sounded. "It's like moving a limb: you are so used to doing it, you don't think of the process any more."

[trademark_skull]

Emizel let out a sigh. "..This sure is going to take awhile."

Thankfully time wasn't quite an issue, not yet anyway. As long as he had all the important things down before the nightmares begin, he thinks it won't be that bad. It's just a matter of getting to that point.

[letteropener]

Celestia nodded, though her serene voice held reassurance. "It will. You're attempting to learn in one burst what a unicorn will develop as she grows up, and that makes it hard. Harder than it should be. But you will succeed, with time and effort... and then you can be proud of achieving something probably never before done by somepony not a pony from birth."

[trademark_skull]

"Really?" that part definitely had his attention.

"S-so if I master this, I'll be recognized?"

[letteropener]

Celestia nodded. "I will certainly recognize your acts, and I will take pleasure in telling others what you have accomplished, especially when I return home."

[trademark_skull]

...Well, it might've not been a Netherworld, but it sure was better than nothing. Certainly there was no rule about a great demon also becoming a great pony.

"Then I'm gonna keep doing my best!"

[letteropener]

Dedication and determination to gain knowledge and self-improvement couldn't fail to bring a warm smile to Celestia's face. "I never doubted you would."