//------------------------------// // Confrontation // Story: Moondancer's misguided mission // by Paradise Oasis //------------------------------// Confrontation "That's it for today, class." The teaching mare told them, as the small cuckoo clock at the back of the room chimed the hour. "Be sure your papers on 'Princess Luna and Blueblood's adventures on the moon' is in by Friday. See you all tomorrow!" The students all filed out of the room, as the teacher went back to erase the chalk from the chalkboard, and straighten up the front of the room. It wasn't long, however, before the pony educator had a visitor. "Sun Shimmer!" Moondancer yelled angrily, storming into the classroom. "I would have words with you!" "Ah, Lady Moondancer!" Standing up at the teacher's desk, the yellow mare with the crimson mane looked up from her work. "Such a pleasure to see you again. Tell me, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" "My dear Sun, it has come to my attention, that you have been teaching certain... fallacies about history and politics." The indignant mare snorted. "Fallacies that have caused a surge of anger and resentment among the parents in Dream Castle, and nearly injured our herd's dear human friend, Megan Williams!" "What, my lessons on the reassessment of Equestrian history, and the formation of Ponyland?" An innocent look crossed the mare's face. "I-I was only trying to get my students to think critically, to challenge old ideas..." Trotting up to the front of the classroom, the Moondancer opened up the earth pony's binder containing her lesson plans. "The benefits of a monetary economy? The case for the rights of Stallions? The Celestial empire vs. the Lunar republic?" The unicorn mare snarled. "This...this materialistic, anti- royalist trash is not what I brought you into teach in our good classroom to impressionable young foals!" "So you want me to give them a more 'conservative' curriculum?" Sun asked, lowering her body and taking a more submissive posture before the other mare. "No, I wish you to shift your teaching duties to asthmatics and the sciences." Moondancer snorted, walking towards the door. "Sundance will take over your duties in the areas that you have to greatly erred." "As you wish, Lady Moondancer. I shall endeavor to carry out your orders without delay." Sun Shimmer bowed, a sinister smile crossing her face as the moralistic mare left the classroom, and out of earshot. "And don't worry, I'll be sure to let the rest of Dream Valley know exactly who is responsible for what I'm teaching!" ... "Well ladies, looks like our problem is over!" Moondancer exclaimed. "I've spoken with Sun, and she's seen the error of her ways." Truly and Zigzag were waiting for the unicorn in the Satin Slipper Sweet Shoppe, the most popular restaurant and hangout spot in all of Dream Valley. The two were seated at a table, and sipping their root beer floats as the white mare came up and pulled out a chair. And from the looks on their faces, the unicorn could tell her friends were not entirely convinced. "Y'all absolutely shore that scalawag’s gonna behave hersailf?" Truly asked skeptically. "She maight just be tellin y'all what yo want ta heyah, ahgain." "I'm afraid, my dear Truly, that there is much truth in that." Zigzag agreed, looking to Moondancer. "Perhaps I could create a potion, that could change her to a rat!" "Truly, Zigzag, please!" Moondancer pleaded. "That mare did not trick me! I am an excellent judge of character, and Sun had merely made a mistake. I'm sure she meant well, she was just taking the wrong approach to educating our youth." "Ahhm not so shoah about thait..." Truly replied ruefully. "Ah remebah the way thait mare had y'all eatin outta her hoof when we first met her... "Hello, Miss Truly and Miss Moondancer." The yellow earth mare greeted them politely, as she entered the room and bowed. "My name is Sun Shimmer... and I'm here to interview for the teaching job in Dream Valley." "Miss Shimmah..." Truly noted, looking through the papers on her clipboard with her hooves. "It sais heah that y'all were a teacha previously in Mustangia, but were let go behcause y'all held 'contraversial opinions'." The earth pony raised an eyebrow. "Caeh to explahin thait?" "Well, it's just I that I just couldn't stand the moral corruption going on with the higher ups at the school I taught at. Some of the things they wanted me to teach the kids was downright deplorable!" "I can respect a stance against moral decay." Moondancer relied approvingly. "It shows good character for a teacher." "But what about good teachin skills, tah go with thait charactah?" Truly questioned her fellow council mare. "Shouldn't we consider that, as well?" "A good well formed set of ethics is most important. The rest will follow." Moondancer replied, trotting up to look Sun over. "Besides, Sundance's talent and skill can fill in the gaps." "While I do agree that intelligence and skill are needed for a capable teacher, I still say good ethics are just as important." Moondancer insisted, as Fizzy put her chocolate milkshake on the table. "An intelligent teacher with bad ethics can lead the impressionable youth astray." "Which is exactly what, my dear, I'm afraid is happening here." The zebra replied. which is why I have a notion, to deal with this problem with a potion." "Speakin' ah potions, Ziggy, y'all have thait elier ah was asking ya fore?" Truly asked, taking another sip of her float."Thait stallion is still nawt payin attention ta me, an' y'all promised me a perfume to catch his attention!" "Indeed it is ready, this great and powerful lotion!" Zigzag handed her friend a perfume bottle. "Made from pony pheromones, and superior to any potion!" "Y'all shuah this stuff'll work zigzag?" Truly snorted, sniffing at the bottle. "the laist pehfume y'all gave me stank like a constahpated skunk!" "One wiff of this, and he'll brake down your door!" The zebra winked. "I learned the recipe from Zsa Zsa Gabor!" "Zebra humor." Moondancer replied, rolling her eyes. "Add in a spice of human world references, and our striped comedian here will be ready for the Jonny Carson Show." "Carson nothin!" Truly giggled. "She should pahform in Vegas!" The three mares burst out laughing, both at their terrible jokes, and in obscure knowledge of the human world television shows Dream Valley picked up from earth. But it was at that point, that three angry mares came storming into that Satin Slipper. "Moondancer, you grouchy old Nag!" The orange earth pony who was leading the group yelled. "I'm gonna wring your scrawny neck until your squeaker’s broken!" "Applejack, what's wrong?" Moondancer asked, as Truly and Zigzag moved between her and the angry mares. "You look angry enough to-" "Megan crying her eyes out is what's wrong!" Lofty, the angry yellow Pegasus, snorted. "She’s locked herself in her room here at the castle, and she won't come out for anybody!" "But... I sent Sweet Stuff to comfort her!" The unicorn mare whimpered, trying to hold back her tears. Moondancer would have rushed to the girl's side herself, but she was afraid the sight of the very sight of an adult version of the pony who attacked her would hurt the girl even more. "It took Sweet Stuff an hour to talk Megan into opening the door, and another hour to get her to let other ponies into the room." Mimic, the light green unicorn, growled. "She feels betrayed, Moondancer. Betrayed by all of her little ponies... and betrayed by you." "I'll try to go talk to her." Moondancer closed her eyes. "But first, I need to go and deal with my daughter first." "Don't bother, little miss moral crusader." Lofty snorted. "Since you have failed to discipline your offspring, Twilight has called the rest of the Dream Valley ruling council, they will decide your daughter's punishment. You are not permitted to attend the meeting." "But... you can't..." The mare replied, suddenly feeling everything slipping out of her control. "Applejack, why didn't you stand up for me before the council?" "What, the way you stood up for other ponies who are the victims of your moralisitc crusades?" AJ snorted. "You know what? Dream Valley would be better off if you had stayed Tirek's pet dragon!" She and the other two turned away. "Now get out of my face, Moondancer! You sicken me!" The weary mare finally collapsed to her knees, this final stab from one of her dearest friends too much to bear. "She didn't mean it, Moondancer..." Zigzag told her, breaking out of her zebra accent once more."...emotions are just running high right now..." "Sooreh gurls, but if the council is meetin, ah'll be needed." Truly replied, trotting towards the door. "Don't worry your pretteh little head, Moonie. Ah'll stop them from sendin' her ta the glue factory... she maight even just get a slap on the hoof." "W-what have I done?" The mare wailed, as Zigzag tried to comfort her. ... In the Dream Castle throne room, four mares stood silently before a young filly in chains, radiating anger no less than the prisoner before them. With Queen Majesty away on a diplomatic mission, it fell to her privy council to make decisions in place of her royal decrees. But this trial was becoming more and more frustrating, however, for four mares who were desperately trying to show an incorrigible youth mercy. "So that's it, then?" Twilight asked, standing in front of Queen Majesty's vacant throne. "No remorse for your actions? No sorrow for causing harm to another sentient being?" "Death to the enemies of Ponykind! Down with the tyrant Celestia!" Baby Moondancer spat, her mouth overflowing with rhetoric. Angry green gemstone eyes looked at the council members in contempt, as if to say 'you are not worthy of your position'. "That girl stood by you during the entire incident at last year's parade of costumes. She protected you from the witch Katrina." Ribbon pointed out, trying to reason with the child. "Doesn't it bother you that you hurt one who saved your life?" "It was all a trick!" The filly snorted, stamping her hoof angrily. "she's brainwashed all of you! You’re all her pony slaves! Glory to the Lunar republic!" "Child, think of your mama." Truly pleaded. "Megan saved her from being a dragon, doesn't thait mean anythin' to y'all?" "She's got mama under a spell, too!" The filly spat angrily. "All humans are evil!" "It seems there is no reasoning with you, child." Shady added sadly, shaking her mane at what she knew was coming nest. "I'm so sorry we're going to have to do this!" With heavy hearts, the four ponies whispered amongst themselves, and finally turned back towards the prisoner. "Baby Moondancer, for assaulting a fellow member of the herd, albeit an adopted human- and showing no sense of remorse, it is the judgment of this council that you be sent to the filly reform school in Fort Rainbow Dash." Twilight sighed, shaking her mane. "We will check upon you again in six months and, pending a review of your conduct and character, you will be allowed to return to Dream Valley." The pink unicorn turned away in disgust. "Ribbon, get her out of my sight." Ribbon's horn began to glow, and Baby Moondancer was teleported from the room. "Miss Shimmer was right! The humans'll get you all! You'll seeeeeeeeeeeeee-" Her voice faded out as she vanished from sight. "What about her mother?" Shady asked, dreading Twilight's response. "She's the one who brought this teaching mare upon us in the first place." "Moondancer has proven herself unworthy of her rank and title." Twilight scowled, turning away from the other mares. "For one month, she shall be stripped for her rank and position on this council, and be reduced to a lowly assistant in Sweet Stuff's kitchens. Let's see her find immorality amongst the cockroaches she finds on the floor." "And whut abaout the teachah?" Truly asked, horrified about her friend's fate, but unwilling to talk back to the mare who had been left in charge in Majesty's absence. "Don't worry, Truly" Ribbon answered, in place of Twilight. "We'll being dealing with that 'revisionist' soon enough."