//------------------------------// // Chapter 170: The Map Expands // Story: My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic: Stallion Edition // by SuperPinkBrony12 //------------------------------// It had all started when Twilight came rushing into her brother's bedroom at the castle in Ponyville with a broad smile on his face! "Oh B.B.B.F.F, you won't believe what's just happened!" She excitedly declared. Shining looked up from the book he'd been reading. "What is it, Twily? What's got you all excited like an eager school filly?" "No time to explain! Just call up all your friends and tell them to meet me in the throne room as soon as possible!" Twilight declared. "It's something that you have to see to believe! Even I can barely believe it myself." Deciding to play along with his sister's request, Shining did as instructed. It wasn't long before he had told all his friends about the big news his sister. And moments later they had all gathered in the throne room. It was there that the stallions behold a most unusual and unexpected sight. The table map that had previously only covered Equestria and a few of the countries it bordered, had now expanded to cover locations that lay far beyond the boundaries of Equestria. This included Klugetown, the badlands, and even Mount Aris (and probably Seaquestria too). "Looks like the map's grown. It's like some kind of update or something." Soarin commented. "But why would it choose to do so now? It certainly didn't look like this the moment we came back from visiting all those places for the first time," Fancy Pants pondered. "Heck, when we showed it to Starswirl and the Pillars it was the same as it had always been." Twilight beamed. "Of course! It all makes sense now! The map couldn't update without Starswirl's magic because Starswirl and the pillars planted the seed that created the Tree of Harmony. Since the castle and the tree are tied to each other, when one got a power boost so did the other." Braeburn began to chuckle. "So you mean all we gotta do to get the map to expand, is go on a few adventures and then call up Starswirl? Think maybe it's time to consider expandin' the throne room?" "Braeburn, don't be ridiculous. We can't do that." Shining protested. "Why not? All we'd have to do is knock down a wall or two, get some paint..." Braeburn began. Shining threw up a hoof to stop his friend. "First of all, this castle is my house. At least when I'm in Ponyville. Second of all, we can't just knock down random walls and expect everything to hold up. But most of all, I'm sure that if the map did expand more the Tree of Harmony would find a way to fit in here." Meanwhile, Thunderlane was commenting. "Gosh, just think of all the friendship quests we might be called for from now on." "Well I don't know about the rest of ya, but I think I could use a break from all these big adventures we keep goin' on," Big Macintosh protested. "Seems like things are happenin' way too fast these days." "But if we can't go to the friendship problems, what are we supposed to do when the map calls us?" Soarin questioned. "It's not like we can bring the friendship problems to us." But Twilight flashed a smile at the stallion. "It's funny you should mention that, Soarin. Because I think there's way you actually can." Shining glanced at his sister. "I know that look, Twilight. What are you planning this time?" Twilight grinned. "It's been a dream project of mine for quite some time, but I never got around to considering it until now," She pointed a hoof to a spot on the map near the castle. "There's lots of land here that nopony's using. So I was thinking we put it to good use and build a school. Not just any school though, a school of friendship! We could bring in creatures from all over Equestria and even outside Equestria. And there'd be plenty of ponies we could include as well. We could help teach them all about friendship, and they could in turn share what they've learned with their countries." "I don't know about that, Twily," Shining pondered as he scratched his head. "It sounds like a good idea on paper. But then again, so did it messing with an unfinished spell and freeing the pillars from limbo. How would we even make this school work? It would surely take a lot of time and effort to build, not to mention money. And even if we got it up and running, how would we manage it? Who would we hire to teach? Can we even teach friendship in a classroom setting?" "Well, it wouldn't be a traditional school. More like a boarding school," Twilight explained. "There'd still be some basic curriculum. You know, things like gym, history, writing, algebra, that kind of stuff. But classes would be specialized to teach about the different virtues tied to the Elements of Harmony, which form the very core of friendship. Students would develop bonds with each other, and through those bonds they could learn what it means to trust in one other and to stick up for each other." "That all sounds lovely, but are you really sure that's the best thing for everyone?" Shining questioned his sister. "I may be the Prince of Friendship, but that doesn't mean I'm automatically qualified to tell others what friendship is or isn't. Friendship isn't something you can learn in a semester or two, it's a constant lesson. Are you sure you aren't doing this for the sake of having your own legacy?" Twilight tried not to blush. "Okay, so maybe I want to leave my mark on Equestria. A contribution that will last the ages," Then she sighed. "It's just, after all the big adventures you and your friends have gone on. After all the changes that have happened in my life. Just once I want to do something that'll make a difference, something I can be proud of. And I've always dreamed of being a teacher. I even filled in for Cheerilee once and I had a blast doing so," Looking at her brother she asked him. "Haven't you ever had a dream like that? A dream you believed in so badly that you'd give anything to make it happen?" "I suppose I have once or twice." Shining admitted. "So, this is my dream and I want so badly to make it happen!" Twilight declared. "Don't you think it's at least worth a shot? If we could help even just one griffon, one changeling, one dragon, one yak, one hippogriff, one pony, at least I could tell myself we made a difference. Plus, when Flurry Heart's a little older and is ready to start school, you can enroll her here and keep an eye on her or get me to do it." "You know, Shining," Fancy Pants spoke up. "I have to say that your sister makes this school idea sound quite promising. I say we go for it." "Yeah!" Soarin encouraged. "After all, what've we got to lose?! Even Spitfire understands the importance of leaving an impact on the next generation." "And we already have a teacher here in Ponyville we could call on for advice. I'm sure Cheerilee will have some expert tips she'd be willin' to share with us." Big Macintosh nodded in confirmation. Braeburn and Thunderlane said nothing but nodded just the same. "Well," Shining spoke up after a moment of silence. "I guess my decision's been made for me," Turning to Twilight he declared. "Let's see if we can't turn this school of yours into a reality!" Twilight beamed with joy! "Excellent!" She cheered as she started bouncing up and down! "Ooh, but first thing's first! We'll have to talk to Princess Celestia! I'm sure she'll want to hear about this." Shining nodded his head. "I was thinking the same thing. Besides, if we're going to open the school to other creatures we're probably going to need to get her onboard. Especially since some of our allies will need a fair deal of convincing."