//------------------------------//
// Sunburst's Disappointment 
// Story: Episode 224:  Sunburst's Disappointment (S9 E28) 
// by StormLuna 
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August had arrived and the new year at the school of friendship was not too far away.  One pony who was most excited about this was Sunburst as he had been hired to be the vice-headmare, well vice head-stallion in his case at the school.  While he did enjoy the job as crystaller in the Crystal Empire, this was something that he simply did not want to pass up on.  Finally he would be able to work in a school, which was something he always felt he was destined to do.  To top that off, he would get to work closely with his oldest friend, Starlight Glimmer.  Sunburst saw a bright future ahead of him, one that would be filled with happiness. 





The morning that Sunburst would leave the Crystal Empire had arrived and Sunburst could not be happier.  He had packed up all his belongings the prior day so all he would have to do is grab his luggage and get going.  He did decide however to have one final meal with the royal family before departing.

He grabbed his luggage and headed down to the royal dining hall where he would be greeted by Cadence and Shining Armor.  He turned to them and said, "Good morning your majesties." 

"Good morning," Shining Armor replied "so today is the day you leave for Ponyville." 

Sunburst gave him a smile, "Yes, it is.  I'm really looking forward to working as vice head-stallion alongside Starlight." 

Cadence asked, "Sunburst, haven't you heard?  Twilight decided she didn't want to take over Equestria so not only did Celestia and Luna not retire but Twilight is still head mare." 

Shining Armor added, "And from what I understand, Starlight is co-head mare now and Trixie is the guidance counselor so I don't even know if they'll need your services anymore."

Sunburst had not heard from Starlight in a while and gasped, "What?  Twilight didn't take over and now her and Starlight are co-head mares?"

Cadence nodded, "Yes, I'm shocked that you didn't know that.  I thought Starlight would have wrote to you about it." 

Sunburst sighed, "I haven't heard from her lately.  I don't know if she is mad at me or she simply got caught up in her co-head mare duties." 

The two monarchs could tell that Sunburst was saddened by the news and knew that they had to brighten his spirits a bit.  Shining Armor suggested, "Sunburst, even if they don't need a vice head-stallion anymore, I'm sure they'll have room on the staff for you.  You are really smart after all."

Sunburst blushed, "Well I wouldn't say that but thanks." 

Cadence suggested, "How about we have some breakfast before you get going?"

Sunburst replied, "That sounds great." 





After they had their breakfast and engaged in a bit more chit-chat, Sunburst grabbed his luggage in his aura and was ready to go.  As he was heading for the exit he said, "I would like to thank you two for everything you have done for me.  It was an honor to be your crystaller."

Cadence replied, "Well it was an honor having you." 

Shining Armor added, "And if they don't need your services, you're more than welcome to come back.  We'll always have a place for you here." 

Sunburst gave the two a smile and waved good bye before leaving the castle and heading towards the train station.  He did have a tiny bit of doubt in his mind after hearing about how Twilight and Starlight were co head-mares but knew that his intelligence would likely allow him to have a place on the staff in the event he isn't made vice head-stallion. 

The train ride to Ponyville seemed to take forever to him with so many thoughts running through his mind.  Realizing that his oldest friend is now in a high level position alongside Twilight, it made him wonder if she would even have time for him or if all of her time would be split between school business with Twilight and social time with Trixie.  When the train pulled into Ponyville he sighed, "Well, here goes nothing." 

Ponyville was much the same as it had been every other time he had been there.  Despite the school having some other creatures attending it, outside of Zecora being in town all Sunburst saw walking around were ponies.  "Huh," he thought "I thought maybe Twilight would reach out to more of the kingdoms.  I thought maybe there would be more creatures out and about." 

Sunburst quickly lost that thought as he approached the school.  The school was strangely quiet as he entered it.  He knew that classes had yet to start and that the students had not returned yet but he figured that some of the other staff would be present, getting the school ready for the new year.  Things didn't feel quite right to him with as quiet as it was but he thought to himself, "Come on Sunburst, this is just your nerves.  Nothing is going to go wrong!" 

Sunburst took a left and headed towards the offices.  The first office he would pass would be Trixie's.  Given that the door was wide open, Trixie immediately saw him, "Sunburst!" 

Trixie wasn't the pony he came to see but given that they would hopefully be co-workers, he headed into her office and greeted her, "Trixie, so how's being a guidance counselor going?" 

This was Trixie's first day on the job so she thought it was a rather silly question, "Well this is Trixie's first day on the job so she isn't fully sure of that."  She paused momentarily before continuing, "You know about the situation involving Twilight and Starlight both running the school don't you?"

"Well yeah, Cadence told me."  

Trixie had a strong feeling that Sunburst was going to be disappointed over what she was about to tell him and knew that she couldn't be her normal self, she knew that she had to act in a more professional manner.  "Sunburst, I'm not sure if Twilight and Starlight will even need a vice-head mare now so we may not even have a job here for you." 

Sunburst gasped, "What?"  He then remembered what Cadence and Shining Armor had told him and continued, "Yeah, Cadence and Shining Armor warned me about this but you never know, days may come when they would need me so I can still check." 

Trixie commented, "And even if they don't need you for that, they might want you on the staff.  You are smart after all." 

Sunburst gave her a smile, "Well thank you Trixie.  I do know they made the right choice in making you the guidance counselor."

"Well they don't call me The Great and Powerful Guidance Counselor for nothing!" 

Sunburst nodded before heading down the hall towards Twilight's office.  When he arrived, he noticed that on the door was not only Twilight's name but Starlight's name as well.  When he headed in, he first encountered a creature that he did not expect, a hippogriff, one that he had seen before.

"Silverstream, are you working here now?"

"Uh-huh, head mare Twilight thought I was doing so good she let me graduate and now I'm her and Starlight's secretary!" 

"Well that's good but is there any way that I could speak to them?"

Silverstream called out, "Head Mare Twilight, Head Mare Starlight, there is this unicorn here that wants to see you." 

A voice yelled back, "Send him in Silverstream." 

Silverstream pointed her wing to her right and Sunburst headed back.  He would be surprised by what he saw.  Before him was a much larger desk and behind it were Twilight and Starlight both making a curriculum while holding hooves.  His jaw dropped open, "Twilight, Starlight, are you two marefriends?"

Starlight replied, "Yeah, we are." 

Twilight added, "So Sunburst, what brings you by?"

Sunburst turned to Starlight and replied, "Well Starlight, you hired me as vice-head mare and now that you two are running the school together, I am wondering if my services are still needed."

Twilight and Starlight began whispering among one another before Starlight replied, "I'm sorry Sunburst but with Twilight and I both running the school and us having Silverstream as our assistant, we really don't need any help."  

"What about Trixie?"  Sunburst questioned, "Doesn't she get an assistant too?"

Twilight replied, "Well when he gets back from Griffonstone tomorrow, Gallus will be Trixie's assistant given the rapport between those two." 

Sunburst sighed, "Well do you need anypony on staff?"

Twilight replied, "Well we are adding some classes but all those already have professors." 

Starlight added, "Yeah.  Smolder will be teaching dragon culture and history.  Ocellus will be teaching changeling history and culture, Yona will be teaching about everything involving the yaks and Yakyakistan and Sandbar will be assisting Pinkie Pie when it comes to teaching laughter and baking treats." 

Twilight finished, "And the cutie mark crusaders will be substitute teachers and if it comes down to the worst of the worst situations, Discord will be handling things."

Sunburst had heard about what happened with Discord in the past."  Discord, seriously?" Sunburst asked, "After all he did, you're going to allow him to be an emergency school master?" 

Twilight replied, "Well yeah."  She saw the frustrated look on the unicorn's face and added, "Besides, Flurry Heart loves you and I'm certain that Cadence and Shining Armor would let you come back and resume your crystalling duties." 

Sunburst sighed, "Well they did say that, I am good at it and Flurry does love me so I guess I'll go back to the Crystal Empire."  He threw his hooves up in the air and finished, "Well thanks anyway." 

Sunburst headed out of their office and went to the exit.  Trixie could see the distraught look on his face as he passed her office and yelled, "Sunburst, is everything ok?"

Sunburst paid no attention to her and stormed towards the exit.  Once he left the school he thought to himself, "I can't believe it!  I was looking so forward to this but thanks to Twilight, I don't get to be vice headmare."  He looked back at the school with a look of sadness, "Well maybe someday they will need my services." 

Sunburst knew that he should get going and return to the Crystal Empire to resume his crystalling duties since Twilight would likely notify Cadence of what happened but at that moment he simply couldn't.  He looked to the north and let out a deep sigh, "I just need some solitude right now."  He knew about all the information that was available in the Castle of the Two sisters and added, "Maybe doing some studying will take my mind off of this.  I know Twilight found all sorts of information in there!" 

Sunburst then headed into the forest.  He knew that the place was dangerous and that there were timberwolves in there but given that he was a unicorn, he figured that he could just blast them apart with his magic and get far enough away that he wouldn't risk being eaten.  One thing Sunburst did not know was that he would come across information about the past that even he didn't know.