//------------------------------//
// Drawing the Line 
// Story: Twilight's Pirate School 
// by Lets Do This 
//------------------------------//

That evening, Twilight sat on the bed in her suite, staring at her ghostly reflection in the window, and the stars visible beyond it. Spike was sitting beside her, scroll and quill ready in his claws. But it had been a while since he'd had to take anything down.

Twilight's friends were gathered in a rough semi-circle on seating cushions on the suite's main floor, in a kind of informal teachers' meeting. But the subject of the conversation at the moment wasn't lesson plans.

"We all get how ya feel, hon," Applejack said. "But it don't help much, takin' it personal-like."

"Yeah, Twi!" Rainbow nodded. "You can't let it get you down."

"I just feel like it's my fault," Twilight said. "I worked so hard, pushed so hard, making the presentation about the School, because it mattered so much to me. I wanted to do everything right, the way it should be, right from the very beginning. And then the EEA shut me down without even giving the School fair consideration... because I threw too much at them all at once."

"So they made a snap judgement!" Rainbow waved a hoof. "Those losers at the EEA aren't perfect. No pony is! They just couldn't handle how awesome our Friendship School could be."

"But the EEA is supposed to oversee educational institutions for all of Equestria," Twilight objected, turning to face them. "Holding them all accountable to the same rigorous-but-fair standard. If they can reject my school out of hoof, just because it's new and unfamiliar and right in front of them... while at the same time turning a blind eye to Vanhoover just because it's old enough and far away enough, what does that say about how impartial they are about other matters?"

"Maybe if you brought that up?" Spike suggested. "Show them there's already an example of a school that admits non-pony students, and that it works out just fine!"

"No, Spike," Twilight said firmly. "They'd simply take that as a reason to come here and kick Vanhoover's students out too. It's not fair to the students. They deserve to be here. This isn't their problem."

"Maybe," Fluttershy offered nervously, "if we did operate with only pony students at first, and showed how well the Friendship School operates, then perhaps... over time..."

"Seriously, Fluttershy?" Rainbow glared at her. "Just give in and let ourselves be bullied by bureaucrats? Let the paper-pushers tell us who we can teach and how? That'd never fly in the Wonderbolts! The reason we flyers all respect Spitfire as Captain is because she's a flyer just like us. We'd never let her decide who's fit to fly if she just sat behind a desk all day, and never flew herself!"

"All I'm saying," Fluttershy said, quietly but determinedly, "is that if we gave the EEA time to see our School for what it really is, on their terms, we might have better luck convincing them."

"But how long would that take?" Rarity shook her head. "It might take years, dahling! And, even assuming we managed to win them over, there's no guarantee they wouldn't just change their minds and take their approval away again, if we change how we operate. Opinion is fickle, that's one thing you learn in the fashion trade."

"The plain truth of the matter is," said Applejack, "that rules exist to help provide some kind of order... but nothin' would ever get done if we had to follow every single one of them all the time! Society gets along as well as it does because we all know darn well the rules only really get enforced when there's a real problem, or if somepony makes a stink. So we cain't really beef about it if'n Vanhoover gets a pass, simply 'cause there haven't been any problems here lately."

"But why should things be wrong," Twilight asked, "only because they're new? And just how long do you have to wait, to be allowed to change what should change?" She shook her head, frustrated.

Applejack shrugged. Then she looked at Pinkie Pie, who was sitting next to her. "How 'bout you, Pinkster? You've been awful quiet so far. I'm startin' to worry about ya."

"I dunno!" Pinkie Pie said breezily. "I just know that when it's time for a party, you don't put it off. Especially if whoever it is you're throwing it for really, really needs one!"

Twilight looked up at her. And smiled. "You're right, Pinkie!"

"Great! I love being right!" Then she looked puzzled. "Uh, what am I right about?"

"We can't do this by half-measures, a little at a time, hoping to be ignored," Twilight said. "We have to draw a hard line. And if something's right in a hundred years, it's right today. So we need to draw that line right now. It's all or nothing!"

She sighed, and turned her head to stare out through the window again.

"I just wish it didn't have to be like this. I wish we could be a school like any other, that what we have to offer was normal enough that it wouldn't be an issue!"

"Shoot!" Applejack grinned. "If'n friendship were that normal, there'd be nothing to teach, right?"

"I suppose..."

There was a polite rap at the suite's main doors.

It swung open, and Tempest looked in. "Excuse me, Your Highness... could I have a moment?"

"Oh, right!" Twilight said, hopping down from the bed. "Just a sec, everypony. This won't take long."

She followed Tempest out into the corridor.

"I just wanted to suggest," Tempest said quietly, "tomorrow might be a good time... while we're on our way back to Ponyville."

"And you're sure no one will be in any danger? Especially not the students."

"None whatsoever, Your Highness." Tempest smiled. "My soldiers have strict orders."

"All right, then! I'll leave the details to you. Just give me a signal when you're about to start."

"I will. And good night, Princess."

"Good night, Tempest!"

Twilight trotted back into the suite, to some curious looks from her friends.

"What was that about, dahling?" Rarity asked.

"Oh, nothing! I just asked Tempest to give me an estimate about when we'd be getting back to Ponyville, so we can plan tomorrow's classes. Speaking of which... have you given any thought to your homework assignments, for when the students are visiting the library at the Friendship Castle?"

The sudden change of subject prompted some wondering glances back and forth. Nevertheless, they all willingly changed gears and started discussing how their various assignments might be tailored to work together effectively.

And in the corridor outside, Tempest stood for a moment, quietly going over plans in her mind. And then she swiftly turned and took the stairs down to the student's level.

She patrolled along the starboard corridor, past the student quarters, making her rounds as usual, in no hurry. Coming to the rear stairwell, she climbed back up two levels to the main deck. And found Grubber in conversation with a winged soldier who'd just arrived from one of the other airships.

"Oh, hey, Tempest!" Grubber said, as she approached. "Fred here got in touch with you-know-who." He held up a message scroll. "And they're ready for tomorrow, whenever we want to drop the hammer. We just need to let 'em know when!"

"Good. I just checked on Twilight," Tempest replied. "We'll time it for eight in the morning, just as classes start. That should be the perfect time to catch them all napping!"

"And Twilight doesn't even know when it's goin' down?"

"Of course not. She knows how much I like surprises. And this one should catch even her unawares!" She glanced at the soldier. "Right, Fred, that'll be all. On your way."

The soldier saluted, then flapped into the air and flew back across to the other airship. The ship came about smoothly and headed off, slipping away through the night-shrouded clouds.

Tempest watched it go, smiling to herself. And then she and Grubber turned and headed down below.

And above, around the edge of the hard ceiling beneath the airship's balloon... a bright blue avian head appeared.

"Okay..." Gallus whispered to himself. "That sounded... ominous..."