//------------------------------// // Approval // Story: My Little Mages: Academia Amina // by Foxhelm //------------------------------// Prologue: Let’s Start a School Princess Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Spike and Starlight Glimmer walked into the throne room of the Castle of Friendship, “Howie, that’s a Summer Sun Celebration to remember!” Applejack declared as she went to her her throne. “Ah don’t mind the trip overall, but could not have to save the world for once?” she asked as she sat in her throne. Starlight then coughed, “That’s including you too, Sugarcube.” Applejack the kicked off her boots and placed her feet on the table of the center, “My little dogs are barking mighty fierce.” The paladin then looked at her friends as they were all still near the doorway with their mouths agape. “Oh come on, Ah had to carry little miss Fashion up the slope of Mt Aris, Ah won’t suffer a ….” “That’s not it, darling,” Rarity said as she recomposed herself and pointed at the table, “Look at the map.” Applejack then took a good look at the map and that it was much larger and now covered the entire length of the continent from the arctic pole beyond Yakyakistan to the southern tip and the tidal land bridge to Mt. Aris, “Well, bless my soul.” the paladin muttered. She then had a short chuckle, “those are all the places we went when we left to save Mystica!” We’ve got Kludgetown,” Applejack than pointed to the projection of the…. well, city size slum. “Ugh, there's that horrid town where we were almost sold!” Rarity complained as she spat at the projection in utter disgust. “Captain Caeleno’s ship” Applejack then pointed to the projection of a skyboat that had the bow that looked like the face of parrots and sails looked like a series of feathers colored like a rainbow. “They were pretty awesome!” Rainbow declare as she flew to take a better look at the skyboat. She then turned back to everyone, “Uh, once they decided not to throw us overboard.” Everyone chuckled at the memory of when the lunch break whistle blew. Applejack then pointed to the mountain and the tidal land bridge at the southern end of the continent, “and Mt. Aris.” Pinkie then grabbed Starlight by the later’s upper arm,“Ooh, Starlight, did you know we made seashell necklaces for allllll” Pinkie let go of Starlight and took a large inhaled “lllllll the merfolk?” she asked pulled a necklace made out of seashells out of her hair and put it on Starlight. “I— you— really?” Starlight stuttered in disbelief but then she recalled that she shouldn’t be questioning Pinkie and stopped. She then turned to Twilight, “What about that Magicborn, the Forsaker who attacked the capital?” “You mean Tempest!” Twilight answered Starlight’s question. “That’s not her name.” Pinkie chimed in. “But she asked me not to tell anyone, even though it. Is. THe. BESt. NAME. EVER!” Pinkie shouted as she stood on the table. Everyone shook her head with a smile. Twilight then continued, “I did invite her to come to Magiville, but she wanted to spread the word of the Storm King's defeat!” Twilight informed of what Tempest was about to do. “That’s part of her sentence, once she’s done,” Applejack pointed out, “she’ll be in Stonlingrad Penitentiary for twenty-four months, depending on behavior, then she can move here if she wants to.” Applejack then turned to the map and rubbed her chin. She then turned to Twilight and the others, “Y'all think that's why the map grew? Friendship quests beyond Mystica?” “I hope not!” the usage timid druid almost shouted and closed her eyes as she sat in her throne. “I've had quite enough life-threatening adventures thank you very much.” she finished as she crossed her arms. There was then a squeak as Pinkie, who had recently dawned an orange construction vest and yellow hard hat, was measuring the distance between the edge of the table and the wall of the throne room, “How many friendship quests do you think we need to go on before we have to expand the throne room?” she asked as she examined the room. Twilight looked at the map and was focused on it. She knew that if Pinkie was right, the six, well Spike and Starlight made eight were not going to be enough, they needed help. “We can't do it all alone.” Twilight declared as she looked from the map. “Sure we can!” Pinkie shouted as she stood on the map with a hammer and bucket of paint, “We just need to knock this wall down, get some paint…” the jesters trailed off. Twilight shook her head, “No.” she turned the jester’s idea down. She then turned back to the map as Pinkie stepped off of the table and was in her normal attire. “I mean, the world is full of so many different cultures, races, and creatures who know so little about friendship, or at least in a way that has been shown to work.” Twilight took a step back from the map and looked at the room to each of the rest, “We need help if we're gonna teach them all about friendship. Lots of help.” Everyone took in what Twilight was saying and the truth of the matter, sure the eight of them have done alone over the last three years, but they couldn’t everything. “Perhaps.” Rarity voiced the collective silent acknowledgment of the group. “But where does one go to learn about friendship?” she asked as to how Twilight was going to enact her idea. Twilight looked at the map and noticed the waterfall within the greater Magiville area just north of her castle. She smiled, “Here!” Twilight said as she pointed to the spot in question, “They can all go here! Because we're gonna open a school!” she declared with a degree of enthusiasm typically shown by children on the morning of Hearth’s Warming Day. Chapter 1 Approval A few hours later that day in the hallway of Princess Celestia’s School for the gifted, Twilight, Spike and Celestia were walking and talking, “A school of friendship is a wonderful idea, Twilight!” Celestia said with a degree of cheer in her voice, a bit of pride in her student as she was taking the next step in an academic career, “I'll help in any way I can.” Celestia offered with closed eyes as they stopped next to one of the classroom. She then opened to them only for them to constrict in shock as she saw all the papers that were floating around Twilight with quills as the younger demigod was scribbling. “I just have a few questions.” Twilight started as she organized her papers, “What time-”. Celestia then covered Twilight’s mouth, cutting her student there, “It all depends on a wide variety of things, the topic, the students, the teachers, and more.” Celestia then took the papers from Twilight. Celestia then giggled, “However, Twilight, you were my star pupil. If anyone knows how to run a school, it's you.” Celestia declared as she handed the stack back to Twilight and continued to walk down the hallway. Twilight shook her head, “There's a big difference between attending a school and running one.” Twilight pointed out that she was a great student, and seemed to have a grasp on teaching, but to administer a school, that was something she thought was outside her purview. “It's not like there's a rulebook to follow.” Celestia then started to give a hearty chuckle, which caught Twilight and Spike off guard. After Celestia finished her laugh, “Actually, there is.” Celestia then conjured a slightly larger than a normal book with the letters M.E.A. on the front cover. “The MEA guidebook is very specific about how to run a school.” “The MEA?” Twilight asked as she accepted the book that Celestia just gave her. “I've never heard of that.” Twilight stated, she then turned to Spike and grabbed him by his shoulder in a near panic, “Should I have heard of that?” Celestia giggled a little, “Not really, you've never looked into what it takes to run a school before.” Celestia explained as she conjured projections of The Mystica Education Association is a board of learned individuals that oversee every school in Mystica. From the school house in Magiville, to the Wonderbolt Academy, to the ESM training camps, to the Storm Academy in Cumula, the novice program conducted at the Church of Our Divine Lady, the Forest Academy in Woodland Guard, just to list a few, even this very school with my name on it is under MEA guidelines.” Twilight and Spike looked at each other in shock. The idea that Celestia’s own school was in fact not run by her was unfathomable. However before they say anything, “You see it’s not in good taste for any politician, even a princess, to do whatever she likes when it comes to teaching young minds.” Celestia said as her gaze turned to the open door a classroom of mostly young Magicborn, with a few Skyborn, a couple of Earthborn. All of them looking at Celestia with a slowly increasing degree of impacts. “You see the MEA ensures that whether it's Magicborn studying magic, Skyborn learning meteorology, and the elements, or Earthborn researching agriculture, all schools are held to the same high standard,” Celestia informed as she turned back to Twilight and Spike. She looked at the clock in the hallway, “I’d love to help you farther, but I’m cutting it close to the 15-minute mark. But whatever you’re plans are, the MEA will need to approve them before you can move forward.” Celestia then turned from Twilight and Spike and walked in. “Sorry I am a late class, one of my older students needed some advice. Let’s see today’s lesson is. Oh yes, the fundamentals of magic…” Twilight then shut the door as she turned to Spike and began to exit the school. “Okay, Spike looks like we have a presentation to make.” She said as she levitated a sheet of paper and began to jot things down on. Spike waved his right talon with a laugh, “Hah, after everything we've been through, how hard can that be?” he asked. While two days had in fact passed, as Spike and Twilight stood in the center of a room, multiple copies of her curriculum by their side, with tall ceilings with rows of seats with desks that formed a nearly complete circle around her, it felt like a second passed. At each seat was either a member of MEA, all were dressed in red robes, some were Twilight’s own teachers when she was attending Celestia’s school for the gifted, some were teachers from other schools, including Cheerilee and Spitfire, some were administrators that ran the ‘back of the house’ so that teachers could instruct, and some were city leaders or representatives including Roy Fancypants and Chief Thunderfoot. Over them all was a man within a five year age difference from Roy, he had black hair and turquoise eyes. Everyone was looking intently at Twilight. Spike gulped, “I'm gonna go with "really hard", was the answer he gave to his own question Twilight closed her eyes and took a breath, she opened them and raised her head high. She was a princess of Mystica, a demigod, she had saved the nation many times over the last three years, she was not going to be discouraged, “I am— “Princess Twilight Sparkle, daughter of Night Light and Twilight Velvet, sister of Grand Marshall Shining Armor, Sister-in-Law to Princess Mi Amore Cadenza of Krystalopolies, Cadance for short, aunt of Princess Flurry Heart, highest scoring pupil and recently completed apprentice of Princess Celestia, Reforger of the Element of Magic, Reformer of Nightmare Moon, Restorer of Princess Luna, Bester of Discord, Discoverer of the long-lost Crystal Heart, Defeater of Lord Tirek of Midnight Castle, Bearer of the Element of Magic, need I go on?” the man in the highest seat asked after he listed off what appeared to be number of her titles beyond her status as princess, most of which surmised her accomplishments. Twilight shook her head her confidence showed no sign of wavering “I am Chancellor Neighsay.” the man identified himself. “It almost goes without saying, but Mystica owes you a great debt. One which the nation may never be able to repay.” “As a princess of Mystica, I have an obligation of care for the citizens of the domain. I was merely fulfilling those charges.” Twilight countered with a smile of tamed modesty, like the ones she had seen Celestia give. She was finally getting in the grove of being a princess. “But what of your deeds before your coronation?” Spitfire asked as everyone recalled the deeds performed beforehand. “All I did was fulfill my duties to the nation as one of Mystica’s citizens.” Twilight countered. “Ahem,” Neighsay coughed and everyone turned their attention back to the chancellor, “Be that as it may. It should be noted that princess or no, hero of Mystica or not, we expect you to do things” Neighsay then levitated his copy of the MEA guidebook as he spoke, he emphasized each of the next words, “by... the... book!” The book then landed with a thud next to Twilight’s feet. Twilight calmly levitated the book and flipped through the pages of the book. Once she finished she turned her focus back to Neighsay, her confident smile never wavered. She then began to levitate to each of the members of the MEA a copy of her curriculum and every one of them started to read. “I think you'll find my curriculum meets all the MEA’s requirements, Chancellor.” Twilight started as everyone finished looking through their copy. It wasn’t enough to fully understand everything, but they got a decent grasp on everything. Neighsay stroke his goatee for a second in thought, and then spoke, “Given your track record of adventure, can we trust you to follow through with this plan? That you will not leave the school unattended to gallop off?” Twilight kept her smile, she closed her eyes took a breath, opened them and continued, “My journey beyond Mystica showed me firsthand that the threats out there are greater than we imagined!” she acknowledged that the world beyond Mystica’s borders had dangers that none in Mystica truly understood. The members of the MEA began to whisper in hushed tones among themselves. Twilight then cleared her throat and everyone fell silent, “If we want to keep our land safe, and create a friendlier tomorrow, we need to teach the Magic of Friendship far and wide. Everyone was silent for a second. Neighsay stroke his goatee in thought as he leaned back in his chair. “A school for Mysticans to learn how to protect themselves.” he mused out loud. Twilight cleared her throat and got Neighsay to straighten up and everyone to look squarely at her, “Actually the idea of the school is about learning how to respect differences and communicate in order to defuse a threat before it becomes one, and to foster stronger ties with the nations closest to us.” There was a long pause as Neighsay and everyone took in what Twilight said. Neighsay took a breath, “Every Mystican should be prepared to defend and foster our way of life.” He then looked to his copy of the curriculum. “And with the curriculum as is it, it seems that your work is in order, Princess Twilight Sparkle. Therefore as Chancellor, I move the matter to the vote, will anyone second the motion?” “I second the motion,” Roy shouted. “I third it,” Cheerilee added. “I fourth it.” Spitfire joined. “So let it be noted for the records that Prime Administrator Roy Fancypants, Mss. Cheerilee and Captain Spitfire have all supported the motion, with this unprecedented degree of support, all in favor of granting Princess Twilight Sparkle’s School of Friendship provisional MEA approval please raise your right hand.” Not a single right hand remained non raised. “Thus with this unprecedented unanimous support, by the authority vested in me, as chancellor of the Mystican Educational Association, I grant MEA approval.” There was a moment of silence before Neighsay continued. “We will need to observe your school up and running before it can be fully accredited,” he stated as he prepared his stamp of approval. Twilight continued to grin, but dropped the regalness she had for the better part of the presentation, “Then please, join us for our Friends and Family Day, it will be the second week of our first term, which will start before the week is out, and it'll be the perfect time to see our progress!” she invited. Everyone turned to Neighsay. Neighsay then stamped the application for the school Twilight submitted and levitated it to Twilight.