6 - Friendly Visit
Spike poked his head into the small room they were studying in. "Hey. There's a mare at the door."
Shoving in past him easily, a mare with brilliant orange fur trotted in, her green eyes sparkling as she beheld her son and the princess. "Oh, this is lovely. This makes two alicorns that you've provided vital assistance with, doesn't it dear?"
Sunburst's ears fell limply. "Hi... mom... What brings you this way?" He forced a false smile even as he scrambled to his hooves away from the comfortable place he had at Twilight's side.
Spike rolled his eyes, leaving the 'adults' to deal with their issues without him to help or hinder.
Stellar approached Twilight with a big smile. "And you've sought him out for two different things yourself. I trust you were pleased with his performance with that cutie-map issue, hmm?"
Twilight followed Sunburst's cue but a little late, rising up with Stellar already pressing into her personal space. Only her study buddy and Spike were allowed to casually stomp into her space, well, and Pinkie, but she was Pinkie. "H-he did just fine, from what I hear. Welcome to my abode... Stellar was it?"
"Stellar Flare," completed Sunburst's mother, still smiling. "This is a lovely castle, quite nice. Love the color. I trust this is where Sunburst is staying?"
Twilight nodded shallowly, her eyes on Stellar. "He is staying while we work. Miss Flare, while I would love to say you're welcome--"
"--Charmed to be here," agreed Stellar with the unfinished thought. "Now don't mind me a bit. You won't even notice I'm here!" Her smile widened to squeaking levels briefly before she turned away and cantered away, leaving neither much time to object.
Twilight sank to her haunches, blinking at the door the mare just fled through. "Is she always like that?"
"You have no idea." Sunburst clopped a hoof to his face. "Sorry."
"No, no... family is... family. There's only so much you can do about them." She pointed at the book they had abandoned entirely. "Shall we resume? Spike'll see to Stellar's needs."
"Yes, of course." Sunburst advanced as Twilight settled. Soon, both were back to the comfort of their work. "I didn't invite her," he casually noted in defense.
"I didn't think you had," assured Twilight with a faint smile. "The way Starlight described her father and your mother, I doubt either of you were throwing out the red carpet in this situation." She tapped at the page. "Now, tangentially related, I'm uncertain how much of this is her misandry showing through."
Sunburst leaned to the side, closer to Twilight, to read her portion of the book. "This malady is more common among the stallion population." He tilted his head. "That sounds like a statistic. If it's true, it's regrettable, but it's a number, not a bias."
Twilight raised a hoof. "Certainly, but a number by itself can be very biased. For instance, is it more common among stallions due to nature, or nurture? If this is the result of how stallions are raised, but you assume these numbers are a natural consequence, you're using numbers against stallions unfairly."
Sunburst leaned back, flopping against his haunches away from the book. "Huh... I hadn't thought of it that way before." He quirked a little smile. "When I was a foal, I enjoyed reading spells, and I'd usually show them to Starlight and she'd cast them so easily, much easier than I could. She was talented, even then."
Twilight's pupils constricted a precious moment. "Sunburst... Now, this may, no, it is entirely conjecture, but that may not have been in your benefit. Instead of practicing your magic, you were letting Starlight stretch her wings. You did her a great favor, but perhaps at an expense to yourself." She tapped at her chin thoughtfully, and thoughts of meddling mothers dispelled entirely.
"You may have been experiencing the very start of this condition and instead of struggling against it, you were comfortable supporting your friend. The river didn't flow, and the sticks gathered." Her speech was hastening with her excitement. "And now we're looking at the result."
Sunburst's color drained as he sagged back. "O-oh... I mean... This isn't Starlight's fault..." He shook his head slowly, but hastening with each turn. "No, It can't be! This would crush her. Please! We can't even mention this to her, please!"
Twilight set a hoof on his shaking shoulder, feeling his jittering through her hoof. "Calm down. I won't speak a word of this to her, if you prefer." She glanced away and back. "If we make a breakthrough, I will be obliged to make note of this in the resulting paper, you understand that?"
Sunburst's lips curled into an uneven smile. "She probably wouldn't dig through... that. Just so long as we don't mention it out loud, we're... probably... fine." He let out his breath explosively, gasping for air almost as quickly. "As enlightening as this may be for future victims of this condition, it doesn't bring us any closer to dealing with existing cases."
Twilight nodded in soft agreement as she peeked aside at Sunburst's side of the page. "What was her counter argument?"
"Oh, yes." He turned his eyes back to his side of the book, reading with soft murmurings of the words under his breath. A soft half-laugh, half-sigh escaped him as he shook his head. "Now this is clearly misandry. She's suggesting that it may be best and that colts should be prevented from 'dangerous magics' they are wholly unprepared for."
Twilight rolled her eyes. "I'm sure she thought that was an opposition, but it's a weak argument when you think about it." She tapped at her side of the book. "On the other hoof, here she suggests that if you are seeking to avoid this for any foal of any gender, you should practice vigilantly."
"To keep the river flowing," completed Sunburst with a little smile. "What if I were just to keep... trying?"
Twilight rolled a hoof. "There's something to be said for that. I'm certain you could advance in talent and ability. How much casual use would erode the calcification is another matter, but it wouldn't hurt, from what I've seen so far."
In another portion of the castle, Starlight trot along with a neutral expression, though that changed as Spike came into view with a mare she knew. "Stellar?!"
"Oh, hello Starlight." Stellar Flare smiled brightly at Starlight. "You're still here?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" demanded Starlight with a cocked brow. "I'm Twilight's student and a student counselor at her school."
"Oh, you've done well for yourself. Your father must be very proud." She nodded softly in agreement with herself. "That's exactly why I'm here, making sure Sunburst achieves just as much." She leaned forward as Spike danced off to the side. "You're still his dear friend, are you not?"
"Of course I am." She raised a hoof to her chest. "Why would you even imply I wasn't? We've been friends for... basically ever."
"And as his friend, you have his interests in mind as well, do you not?" She advanced on the mare, eyeing her dangerously. "If you could help make him happier and more successful at no cost to yourself, well, why wouldn't you?"
"Why wouldn't I?" agreed Starlight. "Where are you going with this?" Her eyes were locked on Stellar, barely taking note of the fleeing form of Spike, envying his ability to not be involved with the current conversation.
"I'm sure you've noticed." She circled around Starlight with a prance of a step, her tail brushing against Starlight. "He's in a very... intimate... position with the princess, helping her to... do whatever it is she's doing."
"Read?" offered Starlight with a frown. "They're reading an old book together, that's all. Sunburst wouldn't know 'intimate' if it bit him on the back end."
"Then you see the problem, dear." Stellar stopped in front of Starlight, facing her. "He's too... shy, yes, too shy to even consider taking the next step, but he must, for both of their sakes." She leaned forward, nose almost bumping into Starlight's. "You want him to be happy, don't you?"
Starlight put out a hoof, nudging Stellar back in a rough shove. "It's not my business to go shoving my face into my friend's affairs. Whether he wants to 'take the next step' is up to him, not us, and especially not you!"
Stellar's smile faded into neutrality. "If that's how you feel." Her lower lip trembled a little. "If it's really... wrong for a mother to want the best for her darling son..." She sniffed perhaps a bit dramatically. "I understand..."
Starlight raised the same hoof to her face. "Stellar Flare, if you want what's best for him, you will--"
"--Do my best to make sure this goes smoothly." She nodded quickly. "I couldn't agree more. Thank you, Starlight. It's been a treat." She trotted past Starlight as if their conversation had hit a natural end point.
Starlight looked over her shoulder at the withdrawing mare before spotting Spike. "So... what was that?"
Spike emerged from his hiding place with a shrug. "Dunno entirely. She stormed in here like she was on some kind of crusade or something."
"That sounds right." Starlight's brows lowered together. "Are you going to get rid of her?"
"Do you think Twilight would be alright with that?" He waved in the direction Stellar had gone. "I'd better catch up with her; we have a new guest."
Starlight sighed as Spike ran off after their 'guest'.
Twilight pushed away from the table back in the study room. "I feel like we're making real progress, but I have to see to some school affairs, to say nothing of a lesson I plan to give today." A collection of cards floated up beside her. "I have my lesson plans ready."
Sunburst scrambled up to his hooves, nodding. "What's the lesson?"
"Well, I can't go saying friendship is magic if I don't give more practical explanations. I plan to educate our magically-capable students on the nature of--"
Sunburst suddenly thrust out a hoof. "Oh! I've read your paper on that topic, deeply fascinating. "The Use of Camraderie to Further Arcane Ends" was a real page turner." Smiling brightly, he took a step forward. "May I assist?" He raised a hoof at her skeptical look. "As much as I might... lack in practical application, you know I know how it works. I've tutored Starlight from the start, and I'd be delighted to lend a hoof to other potential wizards."
Twilight's expression eased into a warm smile. "You raise an excellent point. You're really learning how to argue from this mare." She waved a hoof at the ponderous tome they were leaving behind. "Books really are a sort of immortality, aren't they? It's as if she were here, giving us advice." She turned for the door. "Come along, guest lecturer. My lesson plan doesn't include you, so I would ask that you follow my cues this time."
"Of course, professor." He dipped his head as he fell in with her.
Twilight colored softly. "I've never... Actually..." She frowned a little as she left the room with Sunburst. "Starlight has called me that, and I think the girls might have once or twice... I'm still getting used to the title from ponies other than my students."
"You earned it," assured Sunburst as he walked at her side, moving through the castle towards the front door. "This castle is one of your crowning achievements, and you have so many!" He raised a hoof just to waggle it as he counted. "You saved Luna, defeated Tirek, found the Elements of Harmony, reunited them with the Tree of Harmony, largely restoring the Everfree in the process. You--"
She put a hoof to his lips, stopped just a little in front of him. "Thank you, Sunburst, but let's not get confused with the accomplishments of yesterday. We have things to do, right now. That starts with giving these students a quality lesson."
"Yes, ma'am!" He saluted sharply and they went off together, eager to give education.
We knew she had to come, I said as much. Meanwhile, Sunburst and Twilie push ahead in their reading, as if a mother could stop them.
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Somebody stop that mare, please. *shakes head*
due to nature
out loud
8997573
Typos, in books this old? For shame.
But she's not blaming Starlight for casting. She's blaming you for you not casting and basically being lazy with your magical studies.
In was worried that Stellar would show up and basically run roughshod on her son's life, treating it like she should direct his life for him.
And then she did exactly that, and it was perfect.
8997727
If they told Starlight this, would she see it that way? I can easily see blame being thrown around, even from a person to themselves, no matter how illogical, in this situation.
Huh. I'd think Sunburst would've magically applied himself while at Celestia's School. I suppose the forming blockage was already bad enough that he felt too discouraged to try to overcome it.
Meanwhile, I really hope someone takes Stellar aside and tells her to lay off before she ruins everything. Though that "everything" may consist only of her relationship with her son and possible royal daughter-in-law.
Interesting breed of typo. I think it followed Stellar here:
Assuming that this is the paper's title, it should be in title case and quotation marks.
8998864
I blame it on Sunburst's giddiness at that moment. Poor stallion's lost his ability to capitalize his spoken words.
8998864
Oops, meanwhile, if one assumes this happens early in life, then yes, he was already clogging up, and when he went to school, he had a handicap versus the other students and they all did things easier than he did them and I can see that spiraling negatively.
It would help the flow of the story if there was some kind of page break whenever the scene changes. So, when it switches to Starlight, then again when it switches back to Twi and Sunburst. It feels awkward when it just kind of switches without a clear stop.
8999254
I'll go back to
s when called for. I read somewhere they disrupt things and was avoiding them.
8999278
I would disagree that they disrupt things. It creates a mental pause for the reader and prepares them for a scene change. Without it, the scene change feels sudden, and in my opinion, more disruptive than not having the break.
I love meddling match-makers! But will Starlight really give up on Sunburst so easily?
8999278
They do disrupt things. That's the point. A point of view change combined with a scene change ought to be disruptive, and text alone is often not up to the task. In fact, using text alone can be confusing, with readers needing to stop and, or reread enough times to, figure out that such a change has taken place.
You need to add scene breaks to your story. You have different scenes and character interactions all flowing together, when just a few simple dashes like === would work to show that these are separate things.
9021779
Added some!
camaraderie
9202740
https://www.gingersoftware.com/english-online/spelling-book/misspelling/camaraderie-comaraderie-comraderie
9202962
Um. David?
Your link agrees with him: you spelled it wrong.
You have it as comraderie up there.
*continues to read through, wondering how this didn't get tracked after chapter 1 was read...*