//------------------------------//
// 14. Advice About Advice 
// Story: The Next Level Of Your Studies 
// by cleversuggestion 
//------------------------------//

CE 1198
“Twilight,” Night Light said kindly, “why don't you explain to me what happened.” It was worded as a question, but it was not one.
The gates of Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns had silently swung shut behind them. Night Light, fresh from work, was wearing his suit, now a bit worse for the wear from hurried trip. Twilight's mane was even more disheveled than normal, and there were tear streaks running down her face.
“Well,” the filly sniffled, “It was the practice session in between lessons. Moondancer was trying to turn a matchstick into a needle, but she was casting the spell all wrong. I told her that she was putting too much swirl-wise force into the helix, and so it wasn't bending properly.” Her voice quivered a bit, so Night Light's steady hoof stroked her ruffled mane. “I cast the spell to show her, and then she called me a know-it-all and stuck me with the needle I made.”
“That wasn't nice of her,” Night Light affirmed.
She paused, then looked up at him, softly asking, “Am I a know-it-all, dad?”
Night Light smiled, trying to decide how to best word this. “You are very clever, Twilight, and that's a good thing. But how you use that cleverness will influence how other ponies treat you.”
He gestured to his suit, smoothing it out with his magic. “Take my work, for example. Ponies ask me to solve their problems, and I look around, find the causes, and tell them a few ways how they can solve it. Often, I'll see several other, unrelated problems that I know how to solve. Do I tell them how to solve those problems?”
Twilight looked at him, confused that this was even a question. “Yes?”
Night Light smiled. “Can you think of any reasons why not?” This time it was a question, and the sort that she liked.
Twilight stopped sniffling, thinking about this new problem. “Well, I guess they're only paying you to solve one problem, and wouldn’t like it if you charged for two.”
Night Light chuckled. “Well, there is that. But that's not the real reason; I could always point out that I noticed the other problem, and that they could hire me to fix it.”
Twilight stroked her chin with a hoof. “You mentioned that you tell them a few ways to solve the problem. For most problems, though, one of those solutions is probably obviously better. If you give them two choices, and they pick the bad one, then you're not helping them as much as you could.”
Night Light nodded. “That is a risk. But they may have different values than I do, and so what seems best to me may not be best for them.” He stroked her mane again, smoothing it out a little. “Good job noticing the hint, though.”
Twilight refocused on that. “They like deciding?”
“They don't just like deciding,” Night Light said, “they exist to decide. If I called myself a decider, no one would want me around, competing with them. So I'm just an advisor; a specialist that they can call in and that they can direct. If they ask me what else I notice, I tell them; but if they don't ask me for something, I don't force it on them.”
“So I should have just let Moondancer struggle?” Twilight asked.
“It's good of you to want to help,” Night Light said with a smile. “But you need to separate your intentions from the consequences of your actions. Does Moondancer understand more about magic now than she did this morning?”
“Probably not,” Twilight concluded reluctantly.
“Remember always that advice is a social action,” Night Light said, his voice growing more solemn. “I'm your father, and our interactions are shaped by our relationship.” He dried her cheeks by levitating away the tears, dropping them onto the sidewalk. “That relationship permits some actions and prevents others; I can groom you in public, and I cannot stop caring about you. You can trust that I give you advice because I want you to do well. Many people give advice just to hear themselves say it, or because they think someone like them would, not because they see how it will help their listeners.”
He started walking slowly towards home, the filly following behind him. “And social actions change relationships; if you give a gift to someone, the relationship is different from it was before you gave them a gift. If you employ another pony, then you are their boss and they are your employee, and things are different.” Night Light glanced back at Twilight. “When you give advice to another pony, you suggest that you know more than they do.”
Her mouth crinkled at that, and he smirked. “Yes, I know that you know more about magic than Moondancer does. I think she knows it too. But just because something is true doesn't mean you need to say it aloud. Your words are tools; use them carefully and deliberately.”
Twilight nodded. “Thanks, dad. I'm glad you came to pick me up.”
Night Light smiled. “You're welcome.”
“I love you,” she said simply.
“I love you too.”