The laughing, disembodied voice replied to Starlight's words.
"You think this to be a jest? You truly think such a creatively priceless idea could spring forth from the minds of mundane political bureaucracy?"
As the smoke came close to fully obscuring all three unicorns' fields of vision, it just as quickly dissipated, leaving a single new pony in the room. A blue unicorn wearing a purple cape and pointed wizard's hat stood on her hind legs atop the Cutie Map table, her forelegs raised in confidence. Fireworks went off behind her as she soaked in the attention of her new audience.
"Oh, yes! Behold as the Great and Powerful Trrrrrixieee orchestrates all of your fates! Good evening, girlfriends! And girlfriend," Trixie added, winking to Starlight.
"Trixie, get off the Cutie Map," Starlight scoffed. "We've talked about this no less than eighty times—also, wait. You're really the one who recommended me for the guidance counselor position?"
"Indeed!" Trixie said, hopping off the table. "No need to thank me, though the Great and Powerful Trixie does accept all forms of gratitude, regardless of reason. Or merit."
Trixie made her way around the Cutie Map, to Twilight's chair, and sat in it, propping her legs up on the table. "For you, Starlight Glimmer, there is so much that Trixie will do. Including taking time out of her busy schedule to break bread with Princess Twilight here," she said, gesturing a hoof to the pony she'd just mentioned.
Twilight walked over to her chair, and casually levitated Trixie out of it—then cancelled her magic with Trixie still in mid-air. A squeak, and dull thud, followed. "When drawing up the curriculum for the School of Friendship, it occurred to me that Trixie might be a good candidate to tap for drama and theater courses. Not to mention public speaking."
"Trixie figured she may as well," Trixie said, dusting herself off, then spying those exact plans in the corner of the room. With a single eyeblink, they were replaced with a simple tea set, complete with tray, kettle, and cups. "There are several social skills that Trixie possesses that many ponies simply do not." Ignoring Twilight's wide-eyed look of horror, Trixie simply pointed to the ceiling, where the plans balanced precariously on a single root of the room's tree-chandelier. "It only makes sense that Twilight would send for the best."
"Why did the rest of the world have to tell me?" Starlight said, watching Twilight visibly hiding an urge to hyperventilate as she brought the plans back down to the floor. "Why couldn't Trixie just tell me herself?"
"If it's anything like my school," Sunset said, "since Princess Twilight runs it, she has to be the one to micro-manage the big decisions."
Twilight nodded. "Exactly, Sunset. As headmare, the task of approaching candidates falls to me. Though I have to admit, I didn't think it would be this complicated a process. I mean, to all of us here, and even the Princesses, the reason for choosing you was completely obvious."
"I..." Starlight trailed off. What was she supposed to say? She'd already said all she could and accepted the position besides. Nothing anyone could say was going to change how she felt about the situation.
She blinked—and saw Trixie standing in front of her, muzzles nearly touching, when she re-opened her eyes. Starlight took a half-step back, though not out of surprise—she was simply used to Trixie doing this on a whim and had trained herself to react accordingly.
"Starlight." Trixie nudged Starlight's chin up with her hoof. "Do you remember when we met?"
Starlight tilted her head. "Well... yeah. I don't think I'd ever forget that," she said, completely meaning it.
Trixie nodded with a serene smile. "Nor ever will Trixie," she said softly.
Trixie faced the three ponies, raising her hoof in proclamation. "As Great and Powerful as she is, Trixie sometimes has had trouble... reminding herself of this immutable fact." That same hoof went to her heart. "Especially before she met her first, and best, friend."
She walked to a nearby window, clasping her cape close as she gazed at the stars outside. "As much as Trixie loves to deny it, she used to constantly look for approval in the eyes of others. Back then, it used to be not just a metric for whether she put on a good show, but... whether she was good enough as a pony."
She walked back to Starlight, placing her hoof on the other mare's shoulder.
"But you connected with me, Starlight, in a way nopony else ever has. You gave me a real second chance, when everypony else was too scared to. And you have always given Trixie the advice she has needed, the doses of truth she has needed, and the empathy and love she has needed, to make her feel that Trixie is still somepony worth being.
"Starlight," Trixie said with a bowing flourish, "your guidance has literally saved Trixie's life. Had you not taken so many chances on me, I..." Trixie sighed. "We might not be having this conversation. That is why I recommended you."
"I..." Starlight looked for words, but none came. There was only the rapid beating of her heart, the challenge to not choke on the lump rising in her throat. "Trixie, I—"
"It's true that I'm hard-pressed to think of somepony who's been through more emotional turmoil than you, in so many flavors, Starlight," Twilight said. "But, honestly, everyone in this room can speak to having similar problems."
Twilight walked to Trixie's side in front of Starlight. "Meanwhile, when the idea was brought to my attention, neither Trixie nor I could imagine anyone being a better fit, or anyone more deserving to be seen as a role model. We didn't think you were the best candidate because of the bad things you've done or been through. We thought you were the best candidate because of the goodness inside of you. It's that goodness that allowed you to push past all of those other things, to be who you are today."
"All across Equestria," Trixie said, "Trixie has seen the faces of sad foals that she can only distract with her magic shows. Foals that you can truly help, where Trixie cannot. No one wants you to be guidance counselor because of who you've been. They want you to because of who you are."
Starlight didn't bother wiping away her tears. More would have just replaced them in a matter of moments, anyway. Pesky things.
Sunset walked next to Starlight and placed her hoof around her. "Well," she said. "Now that you've heard everything... what do you say?"
Starlight thought for several seconds, then wiped her eyes and put on a smile—one large enough to radiate the pure joy and warmth in her heart. "Nope. Can't do it."
"What?" the other three said in unison.
Starlight's smile showed teeth. "Not without you girls as my counselors. I'm still a work in progress, just like you, and I'll always need ponies—" She looked at Sunset. "Or people, to be able to talk about being a work in progress with."
"Of course," Sunset said. "We're here for you. Just like we know you're here for us."
"Thanks, you guys," Starlight said, as all four unicorns shared beaming smiles. "Hmmm. So, I'm guessing this is where we do the group hug, huh?"
"Normally, yeah," Sunset said. "But, come on. We're all best girlfriends, and we haven't seen each other in weeks. There's got to be an ante we can up, somewhere."
Twilight gasped in excitement. "Want to make out on top of the Cutie Map?"
Trixie's eyes lit up. "Oooh! You've read this month's Harmony Nights, too?"
"Page 75," Twilight said. "I never miss an issue! Not gonna lie, a Cutie Map tryst never occurred to me until someone wrote about me and my girlfriend Rainbow Dash using the table to plan our next Daring Do convention trip." She blushed. "Since then, I've always wanted to try it."
"Ehhhhh, why not?" Sunset shrugged, then cast a lazy eye at Starlight. "Thanks to a certain somepony, I don't have any innocence anymore."
In sequence, Twilight, Trixie and Sunset teleported on top of the Cutie Map table, casting loving eyes towards each other... then looked at Starlight. "You in, Star?" Sunset asked.
Starlight looked at the others, weighing her options. Finally, she shrugged and chuckled. "Who am I to reject good guidance?" she said.
And those were the final words spoken before Twilight Sparkle, Trixie Lulamoon, Sunset Shimmer, and Starlight Glimmer fell atop each other, and made out on the Cutie Map together, like the best girlfriends that they were.
~fin~