Educated Fluffies Pt 4. Tomorrow

>Friday, the end of your first school week with the fluffy ponies.
>So far, you have established basic classroom roles. When you come into the safe room, they all find their spots in the semi-circle, they pay attention to you, they refer to you as "Mr. Anon", they take turns with their toys, and always listen politely and quietly when you read stories to them and tell them important things.
>Reading is fundamental, so you have carefully selected a lot of little golden books, the kind your parent read to you while growing up.
>You're not really teaching them anything at this point, just reinforcing the first things you taught them, so they get the idea filed neatly in their fluffy little minds.
>When they are respectful, follow directions, and pay attention, they get rewarded with gold stars.
>Spring has the most gold stars, followed by autumn and winter.
>Christmas only has three.
>They also love recess, Summer especially, since she has such a hard time sitting still.
>Her excessive energy is best used up running around the common area of your off-campus housing, chasing one of the squeaky toys you purchased for your class.
>The mid-day snacks are popular too, sliced fruit and celery stalks with a tiny dab of peanut butter have done wonders towards making your fluffies more... regular.
>And they focus better when they don't have to go to the litterbox.
>So today, according to your tentative syllabus, is the day you start to teach the Fluffies about time.
>Not "it's 3 O'clock" time, but rather, "Yesterday, Today, and Tomorow".
>It might surprise you, but at one point in your life, you also lacked the distinction between these seemingly simple concepts.
>And a Friday is the perfect day to teach these things.
>It's best to get a good start in the morning.
"Good Morning my little fluffies!"
>"Hewwo Missa'non!" Holiday cheers. "Howidai mae' dif foh yuu!"
>It's a little crayon drawing of Holiday and you. Holiday is drawn in grey, you are blue.
"Oh, is this me?" you ask with fake sincerity, pointing at the big-legged stick figure man.
>"Uh-huh! And dif Howidai! We pwayn' wif bwocs!"
"That's very good Holiday! I'm going to up this up on the wall so everyone can see it."
>With a little more sticky tack, you mount the drawing to the wall at knee height.
>It joins a few more drawings she's made, usually during recess or overnight.
>As always, you put a gold star on it.
>The tiny shiny sticker makes her coo happily.
"Alright class, take your seats! today is a Friday, and we will be learning something very important today!"
>The fluffies scamper into their spaces around the semi-circle, and you kneel down so you can be close to them.
>Summer, as always, brought along a ball.
"Summer, what do we do with our toys when it's time for class?"
>Sheepishly, she replies "Puh dem 'way inna bawx."
"That's correct. Now go put your toy away, we'll wait for you."
>Fluffies are inherently obedient, but you want them to respect you enough to do things before you tell them to do it.
>Respect, it's important, and it can be taught.
>Summer reluctantly toddles off to the toy box, while Christmas watches, giggling.
"Christmas. Do you have something to say?"
>"Sumah puh baww... 'way! Nuu pway wif baww!"
>Apparently, this is high grade humor to him.
"It's not nice to laugh at your classmates Christmas. When summer gets back, tell her that you are sorry."
>"Chwisma sowwy." his head turns downward and tears well up in his eyes.
"No Christmas, tell Summer you are sorry."
>"Wai Chwisma sowwy foh Summah?"
>"Nuu Chwisma!" Autumn pokes him with her hoof. "Nuu be meanie fwuffy tuu Summah, teww Summah yuu sowwy!"
>"Chwisma nuu wan be meanie fwuffy!" He practically shouts.
>By this time, Summer has returned.
>"Summah! Chwisma sowwy! Pwease Fo'gib Chwisma!" he grovels.
>With the charm of a saint, Summer pats her rosey hoof on Christmas's head.
>"Summah Fowgif yuu. Wai Cwisma sowwy?"
>"Cwisma no know."
>You sigh.
"Please, everyone, take your seats. We're going to talk about Yesterday."
>They settle in, and you pass out crayons and paper.
>Holiday immediately starts doodling, but that's fine, you know she'll stop once you start talking.
"Now, I want to tell you all about Yesterday."
>All quiet on the western front, so far so good.
"Who here remembers yesterday?"
>Winter raises her hoof. "Missa'non?"
You are having trouble believing it. "Winter, you remember yesterday?"
>"Wha Yessadai?"
>Back in familiar territory.
"Good question Winter. Yesterday is the time before today. Remember waking up? You went to sleep yesterday, and you woke up today! And when you go to sleep today, you will wake up tomorrow!"
>They stare at you with wonder.
>"Yessadai..." holiday is looking at the wall. "Howidai pway wif bwocs yessadai?"
"Yes Holliday! You did play with blocks yesterday!"
>"Howidai dan pway wif bwocs tuudai?" She perks up, hopefully.
"That's right, you can play with blocks At Recess." you realize your lapse in discipline and reinforce some measure of time with a little careful wording.
>"Spwing not know... wha' tuumowwow?"
"Tomorrow is the time that comes after today. Every time the sun comes up high and pretty in the sky... like in your drawing Spring the happy one with you and all the other fluffies?"
>It takes you a second to find it, but it's right there, probably the most colorful of the pieces of construction paper hung on the wall.
"When the sun rises, that is the start of a new day. Today, the sun rose, tomorrow, it will rise again."
>"Ooohhh... Bwight time's Tudai? Dawk time's Tuumowwow?" Autumn asks, eager to get another gold star.
>It takes you a moment to parse this from fluffy.
"You're very close Autumn. Each bright time is it's own day. The dark times just means tomorrow, another bright time, is coming. Does that make more sense?"
>Winter gets it. "Ewwy dawk time make Bwight time come!"
"Fantastic! Now, I brought this to add to your Safe Room..."
>Break out the laminated calendar from the office supply store.
"This is a Calendar. Say it with me..."
>In chorus... "Caw-ehn-daw" Christmass even managed to repeat the word with you.
"Very good. And on the Calendar, I'm going to make a few marks. Each of these little squares... remember when we talked about squares? Each of these squares mark one individual Day. And this HERE."
>You apply a blue sticky note with "today" and a happy face on it.
"This is Today!" Now, yesterday came before today: SO yesterday goes right HERE."
>An orange sticky note, with the word "yesterday", and a picture of some flowers.
"So, who can tell me where... Tomorrow is?"
>Hooves fly up.
"Autumn? Where does tomorrow go?"
>"Afta dawk time!"
Okay, that one actually gave you a chuckle.
"Oh, yes, Autumn, that is right. But where does Tomorrow go on the calendar?"
>"Ooohh.... Ummm... Deh?"
>She points vaguely and looks nervous.
"Here autumn, why don't you put Tomorrow on the calendar?"
>You puck her up, and put the sticky note on her hoof... slightly folded so it'll adhere to the calendar when she places it.
>Autumn is happy to be held, but afraid of the task assigned her.
>Mercifully, you help guide her hoof.
"Yes Autumn! That's right! Tomorrow is after today! Gold star work!"
>"Weawy?!? Awtum wub gowd staws!"
>You set her down gently on the rug, and make sure to give her another big golden star sticker.
>No worries about that girl's self esteem.
---
>Recess.
>An hour of play makes fluffies behave okay.
>Summer, as always, brings the ball back to you again and again, loving to chase the thing.
>"Summah pway wif dis baww Yessadai, and pway wif dis baww todai, Summah pway wif dis baww tuumowwow?"
"If you want to summer, tomorrow is special."
>"Tuumowwow Specha..." she whispers, then turns and tells all the other fluffies.
>You take the opportunity presented by the break to catch up on my documentation of their progress.
>It's
>After a little while, You realize that You've lost track of Winter and Christmas.
>I leave the other fluffies to their own devices, and, fearing the worst, go poking around the apartment.
>Soon, You find them, trapped under their overturned toy box.
>You expected tears and defecation, instead, you are greeted by big smiles.
"What are you little fluffies doing here?"
>Christmas speaks first. "Hewwow Daddeh! Wha specha' tuudai?"
>Winter giggles. "Missa'non sai tudai specha!"
"No, Winter, Christmas, Tomorrow is special."
>"Buh is tuumowwoh! Winta wan' see wha specha tuumowwow! Den Winta an' Chwisma make dawk time heah wif box! It dawk time... an nao it bwight time! Soo tuumowwow nao!"
>Oh christ... your sides.
>Your fluffy pony tried to make a fluffy-understanding-of-time machine, by making a place where it was dark, under the toy box.
"Winter, Christmas, you can't... I'll teach you more later. Come on, let's join the other fluffies. It's almost time for snacks."
>Christmas giggles loudly. "Snaks Specha'!"
>Winter trots along proudly behind him. Calling out to her fellow ponies, in the most dramatic manner she can,"Hewwow! Weah fwum deh saf pwace... of Tuumowwow!"
>You quietly wonder how many more weeks you have left in this semester...