A Horse Shoe-In
All was well in the School of Friendship, everyone focused on their studies or the classes they were teaching. That is, except for Starlight, who was in her office, putting up some decorations. And as she did this, she thought about how up and down her role as school counsellor had been. When the school first opened, she ended up having a bunch of appointments due to the creatures there not getting along at first, only for things to calm down and now she barely got any appointments, though she did get a few such as Cozy Glow and Twilight during the ladybug incident.
Now she suddenly found herself having more appointments than she could handle due to offering help with absolutely everything. That situation had caused a few issues, such as having no time for her friends and eventually leading Silverstream to go missing during a cockatrice outbreak.
But now she had set hours and appointments, which calmed things down thanks to the new balance she had created. That is, till a rare day like today, when nopony needed her help with anything. As such, she was busy making her office look nicer to visit. "I think you really spruce up the office, Ms. Philodendron." She commented as she watered a plant, gasping as an idea formed in her head. "Oh! I'm gonna call you Phyllis!" She patted it on the leaf before speaking like a baby. "Don't you look good, Phyllis!?" Then, a knock came from the door and she answered in her baby voice. "Come in!" But she quickly shook her head and cleared her throat. "I mean, uh, come in!"
The door opened before Twilight, Spike and Flash walked in, Spike and Flash glancing around as Starlight got up and moved around her desk. "Uh...were you just talking to someone?"
Starlight gasped, moving the plant behind her back. "No! Why?" She let out a nervous laugh, as Twilight stepped up to her.
"Starlight, I have something very important to discuss with you."
"Is this about taking that slice of cake from the teacher's lounge?" Starlight asked, "Because it didn't have a name on it."
"Yes," Flash frowned, "It did."
Twilight giggled at this. "It's not anything like that." She gestured to Spike, who was carrying a thick scroll that he unraveled to be twice as long as Starlight was tall. And after clearing his throat, he started reading.
"Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, in light of her impending ascension to the throne of Equestria and in anticipation of her many duties and responsibilities forthwith, does hereby intend to make good on her previous offer to you, Starlight Glimmer, of replacing her as headmare of the School of Friendship!"
Starlight went wide-eyed at this as Twilight added, "Starlight, I want you to take over the school when I move to Canterlot."
"I know!" Starlight replied while still looking shocked. "It's just so...amazing!" She tried to smile, but shock continued to cover her face. "I'm a little...do you think I'm really up for it?" Flash was about to answer, but Starlight beat him to it. "Of course you do! I've covered for you every time you've had to run off and save Equestria, but...I mean...yes. Of course! Thank you!" She grabbed the three and pulled them into a hug that would make a yak jealous, letting out a squeal of excitement as she did.
"You're welcome," Twilight groaned, "And I can't think of anypony who'd be better for the job."
"But," Flash gasped, "Maybe don't hug the students like this. The last thing we need is...the new headmare to crush a student's spine." Starlight let them go at this, smiling like a filly at heartswarming.
"I'm a little nervous. And excited. I'm mostly just nervous."
"I understand," Twilight nodded, "Of course I'll have a lot of important responsibilities as ruler of Equestria, but I'll always be available to help whenever you need."
But as she said that, Spike burped out a scroll and quickly read it. "Are you supposed to be at a royal etiquette lesson with Celestia and Luna right now?" Twilight's eyes went wide.
"Right!" She sighed, "Can't underestimate the important responsibility of royal napkin placement." She teleported away, Flash and Spike shrugging as they left, only for Flash to glance back at her.
"Are you sure you're gonna be okay? Not gonna twilight out, are you?"
"Of course not," Starlight waved her hoof, "Relax, alright? I got this." Flash slightly glared at her before leaving the room, Starlight now leaning against her desk. "Wow," she sighed before turning to her plant, "I mean, no biggie, right Phyllis? I've totally got this." But then she accidently nudged the table, causing the plant to be knocked off, flinching at the smashing sound that filled the air as the potted plant crashed into the floor. A nervous laughed escaped her lips as she suddenly thought about all the accidents that she would be responsible for preventing. "No...biggie."
Later that day...
Trixie was making her way through the school. The mare was on her way to have lunch with Starlight, a tradition they had started as students of princesses. But it seemed Trixie wouldn't be able to call herself that anymore, given Luna's impending retirement. Soon Trixie would have to find something else to fill her time now that she had apparently learned everything Luna had to teach.
Trixie sighed as she glanced around the school, wishing she could have had a straightforward path like the one Twilight had been on. But there was no Elements of Harmony forcing Trixie to go on a life changing adventure, stop an ancient evil and be put on the path to princesshood. No, Trixie was gonna have to find something else to focus her attention on. And as amazing as her stage magic was, going back to just doing that would seem like a waste after everything she had been put through.
"I guess I could always get a job on a rock farm," she groaned as she got to Starlight's office. She knocked and when Starlight didn't answer, Trixie opened the door and found the mare gluing a potted plant back together while mumbling to herself.
"And what if I forget about permission slips? How can I be sure the students are allowed to go on field trips without parents permission?! Ooh...what am I gonna do?"
"Starlight?" The mare screamed and knocked the plant off her desk, threatening to smash it against the ground. Luckily, Trixie was able to catch it before it broke and lifted it up in her magic. "Are you alright?"
"Me?" Starlight started brushing her hoof through her mane in a circular fashion, "Why wouldn't I be?"
"Well, you seem to be a little nervous about something. Plus, you're doing that thing where you curl your mane around your hoof when you're worried about something." Starlight turned to her hoof and saw her mane was coiled around it, the unicorn quickly pulling it out as Trixie walked over to her. "Come on, what's the problem? There's no way you'll enjoy your lunch if you've got whatever's wrong on the brain."
Starlight sighed as she placed her chin in her hooves. "Well uh...Twilight is...giving the School of Friendship over to me."
Trixie gasped at hearing this. "Really?! That's amazing!" But then it hit her, seeing the expression on Starlight's face, "Oh. You're worried about how you're gonna run the place, aren't you?"
"Exactly," Starlight cried, "Twilight's putting her faith in me and...I can't let her down."
"I doubt you could do anything that would let Twilight down."
"Yes I can! I could run the school she worked so hard to create and make successful into the ground! One little mistake and I could ruin everything!"
Trixie rolled her eyes at this, "You've been spending too much time around Twilight." She patted Starlight's shoulder, "Come on, you're not gonna ruin the school. You've been filling in for Twilight since the start. How will this be any different?"
"That time I was just a stand in!" Starlight yelped, "If anything big happened that needed the headmare to make a decision, I didn't have to worry since I could just leave it for Twilight to worry about when she got back! Now, I'm the one who has to make that decision! What if I make the wrong decision?!" She started shaking Trixie at this, "What if I poison my students by feeding peanuts to an allergic one?!"
The next thing she knew, she was getting slapped across the face. "Get ahold of yourself," Trixie replied, "You're not gonna poison anypony."
"But I don't know if I can run this school!" Starlight cried, "I still need to learn as much as I can about running the school!"
She then ran past Trixie, exiting the room as her friend ran after her. "Where are you going?" Trixie asked, catching up to her as they made their way to what Trixie assumed was Twilight's office.
"Like I said, I need to learn as much as I can about running the school, and the only pony who really runs the School of Friendship is the Princess of Friendship. And I'm worried about doing it all alone, so I want to get as much advice from Twilight as I can while she's still here."
"I guess that makes sense." Trixie stopped as Starlight continued on, "But Twilight's never really done anything alone. She always has her friends." As soon as she said those words, Starlight's eyes went wide and she turned to smile at the blue unicorn.
"That just gave me an idea! Thanks Trixie! You can give good advice when you don't mean to!"
Trixie blinked at her, "Uh...thanks?" She shook her head at this, "Wait, are we still doing lunch?"
Starlight didn't answer, bolting for Twilight's office and heading inside without knocking. Doing so allowed her to see the alicorn trying to fold a napkin into a swan. "Getting royal place settings just right is a lot harder than it looks."
"Ooookay," Starlight wasn't sure how to respond to that. "Uh, I know how busy you are, but I wanted to talk to you about running the school because honestly, I was a bit worried about taking it over all on my own. But I just realized you never did it alone."
Twilight had been listening, but also trying to get the origami to stick instead of flying apart. "Having a friend help out is pretty great." She seemed to have it perfect. But as soon as it was the swan on the table, if fell apart and she let out a huff.
"Exactly!" Starlight used her magic to blast the napkin into shape. "So, what do you think about me hiring a vice headmare to help run things?"
Twilight smiled back at her, "I trust you to run the school any way you want. And if that means hiring a vice headmare, I think it's a great idea."
"Really?" Starlight gasped, having been worried Twilight might say no.
Twilight nodded back, "Like you said, I've always had ponies around to help. And don't worry. You can always call on me to-"
"Uh, Twilight?" They turned to see Spike walk into the room. "Rarity says you were supposed to be at the boutique five minutes ago for your second fitting for the coronation gown."
"Ugh," Twilight groaned, "How many fittings are there gonna be?!"
Spike shrugged in response, "A lot?"
Twilight shook her head before turning to Starlight, "Anyway, good luck finding your vice-headmare. I know you'll pick the right pony for the job." With that, she teleported away while Spike ran out. Starlight also headed for the door, wondering how exactly she should pick her vice-headmare. But as she stepped up to the door, Trixie jumped in.
"Wow," she exclaimed, "I heard the whole thing. And all I can say is I am humbled."
Starlight tilted her head at this, "Uh...why?"
"I hadn't ever considered it, but hearing you say it out loud made me realize what a great and powerful vice headmare I'll be!" She grabbed Starlight and pulled her in for a hug. "Plus, we get to work and socialize at the same time!" Starlight blinked at this, now figuring out what she was saying and knew Trixie was probably expecting her to hand over the job. She was about to answer, but then Trixie laughed. "Just kidding."
"Huh?"
Trixie pulled away at this with a big grin, "That's probably what I would have said back before I was Luna's student. But I know you can't just be given a job because it would be fun for you and the one giving it to you."
"Yeah," Starlight sighed, "It would be fun, but you're right. I can't just give you the job."
"Still doesn't mean I can't apply for the job," Trixie chuckled, "You never know, I might actually turn out to be the perfect pony for the position."
"I hope so," Starlight then cleared her throat. "Alright, what qualities do you think make you the best pony for the job?"
Trixie opened her mouth at this, only to go wide-eyed. "I...have no idea." Starlight rolled her eyes. This was gonna be harder than she thought.
And so, Starlight put the word out. Anypony in Ponyville who wanted to try and fill the position of Vice-Headmare. She, of course, hoped Trixie would be the best for the job, but she also knew she needed to treat this position with respect, so she would do everything in her power to test Trixie and the other applicants to make sure they could handle anything the job threw at them.
Aside from Trixie, four other ponies applied for the position: Big Mac had decided to try and step out of his comfort zone, though Starlight wasn't sure he could handle working as vice-headstallion and on the farm. Another was Octavia Melody, who could be quite the useful vice-headmare given the details running an orchestra could entail. Then there was Time Turner, who had the smarts to fill in for any teacher when they were called away. And finally, much to Starlight's surprise, Spoiled Rich was there, looking as snobby as ever.
Trixie was also there, as the five ponies stood in a line with Starlight speaking up. "I'm glad you all decided to be a part of the search for the School of Friendship's vice-headmare."
"Honestly," Spoiled Rich rolled her eyes. "If you're looking for somepony to fund-raise, I can bring in enough bits to have several buildings named after me."
"Well," Starlight scratched her head, "That's not the primary responsibility of the vice-headmare. But anypony is welcome to apply. I think the selection process I've come up with is pretty special."
"Alright then," Trixie shined a big grin, "Lay it on us. What do you need us to do?"
Starlight nodded and after clearing her throat, she held up a chart that showed a three-tiered pyramid. "Since you all have to prove you have what it takes to be vice-headmare, I've designed the interview in three stages. Each stage will test a different skill the vice-headmare needs. Only those who do well will move through the stages until finally the best candidate rises to the top! So, without further ado, it's time for stage one: Substituting for the teachers!"
The candidates all murmured as they wondered what this would entire, Trixie smirking, "Perfect. I've stood in a few time before. I think I can handle this. Which class am I substituting in? Rarity's? Rainbow's?"
Starlight held up a hat, "Each of you will take a piece of paper from this this hat. This will tell you which class you'll need to fill in for, since it's likely your substitution duties could happen out of the blue with no warning." They nodded and each took a piece of paper out, except for Spoiled who refused to touch other pony's clothing.
"Come on Generosity or Laughter class!" Trixie opened the paper and found she would be filling in Twilight's history lecture. "Oh, come on!"
"You all have thirty minutes to prepare something. You'll find what you'll be teaching in the classrooms you've been given." Starlight walked off and the ponies all headed toward the classes written on the paper, Trixie finding herself in the history class and locating a bunch of papers on the desk.
She read through it and learned what she would need to teach to each of the students, opening up the history books and almost falling asleep at the first page. "This is impossible." She took a deep breath at this, "I just gotta play to my strengths. Now...how do I make any of this stuff sound interesting? If I just read it, nobody's gonna listen and I'm not gonna pass. Gotta find a way to make history come alive."
Starlight was making her way toward each of the classrooms. She had a clipboard in magic hand, ready to see each teaching method, eager to see what they would do, as she would hate to have to eliminate anypony at the first trial. First, she checked in of Big Mac. She was in Rarity's classroom, showing the class how to sew and stitch with Rarity watching to make sure nothing happened. "Wow," she heard Ocellus comment as she arrived. "That seam is so straight! You really learned how to sew from mending apple sacks on the farm?"
"Eeyup!" He nodded, Starlight smiling as she saw how well he was doing.
She then headed to Rainbow's classroom, where Spoiled Rich was supposed to be teaching the students. And when she got there, she found the mare giving a lecture. "Obviously, loyalty is the foundation of friendship and trust." Starlight nodded, glad to see Spoiled actually could be a decent teacher. "But nothing gets more loyalty than a big stack of bits!" Starlight frowned, as Spoiled took out a large book. "This book on business will teach you all how to earn your own. Chapter one: Equity..."
Starlight frowned and carefully stepped away, knowing Spoiled probably wouldn't like what she had to say. She took several notes as she determined Spoiled Rich probably wasn't the best candidate. And as she headed for the next class, she heard a bunch of music and ran over to Pinkie's class. There, she found Octavia teaching the students how to play a bunch of different orchestral instruments while she played the cello. The students all laughed and cheered as they slowly improved their playing ability, able to keep in time with one another a make a musical marvel. Of course, Pinkie couldn't stop herself from getting involved and started playing her yovidaphone as well.
Starlight smiled at the sight, seeing Octavia knew what she was doing. She wrote some notes as she headed for Fluttershy's class, which was where Time Turner was working. When she got there, she found the earth pony had set up a small science experiment. The students watched as his contraption boiled water, blew up a balloon and create a chain reaction that led to a baby bird getting fed the perfect amount of water. This excited the students and Fluttershy as well, Starlight smiling as she headed for the final room. And this one had her a tiny bit worried.
"Come on Trixie. Show me what you got." She walked into the classroom, expecting Trixie to simply be reading the book and barely giving any details, only to go wide-eyed.
"In the Pre-Equestia Era, year thirteen twenty-two, Abraxius the Bold set out of a harrowing adventure." In a flash of light, a pony stick figure appeared in the air. Trixie was using her illusion magic to put on a show for the students. As she read what happened from the book, her illusions reenacted it and allowed the students something to visualize whenever they tried to remember this. Even Gallus, who usually took a nap during history class when he could get away with it, was at full attention.
To say Starlight was impressed was an understatement. "She might just be able to pull this off." However, the show soon came to an abrupt stop when Trixie came to a part of the book she had no idea how to interpret.
"He had to uncover the mythological...cap...nar? Cap...niar? Cap...I have no idea what this is?" The students laughed as Trixie decided to skip that part, but in doing so she had no idea what to show the students with her illusions when she resumed the story.
"Or she might not," Starlight added.
Back in her office, Starlight was looking at the pyramid chart and placed Mac, Octavia and Time Turner's pictures onto it.
"Okay Phyllis, obviously those three are moving on." She looked back at her desk, where Trixie and Spoiled's pictures were laying. "But what about the rest?" She picked up Spoiled's picture and frowned. "Mm-hmm. I think we're in agreement on this one." She put the picture away, deciding Spoiled would not be moving on.
She then picked up Trixie's photo and thought about what she had seen. "She had the right idea, but does being flashy make up for not knowing the curriculum?" She hummed, turning to her plant. "What do you think?" The plant said nothing in reply and at that moment, Trixie stepped into the room.
"Starlight!" She smiled, "I wanted to know how well I did during the first round? I know my illusions were a big hit, but some of the history wasn't as...easy to understand."
"Trixie, you know I can't just tell you how well you did. We might be friends, but I have to treat you just like any other applicant." Trixie frowned at this, "But..." Starlight put her picture up on the chart. "I've decided to let you go through to the next round. I wanna see how else you'll handle situations like the one you faced earlier."
Trixie sighed in relief, "That's good. I was worried I was gonna bet booted out after the first round. I'm just glad I didn't go with my first idea."
"Which was?"
"The entire class taking a nap." Starlight glared at her at this, "Don't worry. I'm gonna slay the next round." She scratched the back of her head, "Though uh...what is that exactly?" Starlight rolled her eyes, shaking her head as the two walked out of the office.
After Starlight told Spoiled she did not make it through the first round, she gathered the four up to discuss the next round. "Alright remaining vice-headmare candidates, welcome to stage two! All of you are here because you performed your first trial well enough to face your next challenge: Parent teacher conferences!" She lead them all toward the library, "The vice-headmare will need to be a master communicator, and I can't think of a better test of that than meeting with our students and their parents or guardians."
"I eagerly look forward to sharing my love of science with both progeny and progenitors!" Time Turner announced, as Octavia nodded.
"Indeed. An orchestra is made up of different parts, and good communication is the key to harmony."
"Eeyup," Mac agreed.
Trixie smiled at this, "I can't wait to talk to whoever I'm meeting. Learning about them will give me insight into learning about the student. And that will help be figure out the best way to reach them. Just watch, I'm going to crush this stage!"
Starlight hoped she was right as they arrived at the library, only to find four students and their guardians waiting. Silverstream was with her father, while Ocellus and Yona with both parents and Gallus was with Grampa Gruff. Starlight once again used the hat pulling way of determining who each candidate would talk to.
"Life at the School of Friendship is like a song," Octavia told Ocellus' parents. "And although she started out singing her part pianissimo, Ocellus is now soloing fortissimo!"
The two changelings shared a glance, "That's good, right?
Octavia let out a nervous chuckle, "Indeed."
"The science curriculum at this school is somewhat lacking," Time Turner told Mr and Mrs Yak, "But Yona has taken to the subject like a yak to smashing! If fostered, I believe she could easily blaze a trail and expand our understanding of science itself!"
Yona smiled at this while her parents started cheering. "Yaks best! Yaks best! Yaks best!"
Starlight smiled at this, only to then turn to Trixie as she started bigging up her griffon student. "Gallus is a fantastic student," she stated, "When a subject really catches his eye, he'll go at it at full force like a hurricane. As long as it has his interest, he'll stop at nothing to become the best." She clearly expected Grampa Gruff to be proud of Gallus, but the older griffon simply rolled his eyes.
"What does that matter?"
Trixie leaned back at this, "What?"
"Being interested in something isn't gonna bring in the bits. Anypony can be good at something if they enjoy it. That doesn't make Gallus special. Now, if he can be really good at something he hates, that'll take him far."
"I'm confused," Trixie replied, "Why would you want him to be good at something he hates doing?"
"Because nothing fun doing is gonna bring in the bits. Playing around and having fun isn't gonna make him rich. He needs to learn how to work for a living. That's why I sent him here in the first place. To learn everything he can to make as much money as possible. And he's not gonna do that playing games and baking cupcakes."
"Well that's just wrong," Trixie responded, "There are lots of ways to make a living doing what you love. Everypony in Equestrias does that exact thing."
"Oh please," Gruff spat, "I don't know why I have to come to these things."
Trixie frowned at this. Starlight had a feeling the unicorn was being reminded of her own father. "Well, most parents or guardians want to be involved in our students' lives. Maybe we should find a different representative from Griffonstone to be Gallus' guardian."
"Oh, that'd be great. If you find one, LET ME KNOW!" He screamed in her face, the cry echoing through the library and making Starlight flinch.
She was about to step in, only to hear Sky Beak speak up, "I'm so confused." She looked over, seeing the parent was talking to Mac. "You're saying Silverstream is exuberant?"
"Eeyup," Mac nodded.
"And enthusiastic?"
"Uh, eeyup."
"But aren't those the same? And are they good? I mean, you could be trying to tell me she's unfocused, but then you might just be explaining that you appreciate her high energy."
"Eh, nope. Uh, eeyup. Uh...mmmaybe?" Clearly, Mac was having a hard time communicating what he wanted to say. Starlight should have seen that coming.
"There seems to be a lot of nuance here," Sky Beak replied, "And I just want to make sure I understand exactly what you're saying. So what are you saying?"
"Uh..." Mac gestured to Starlight, begging her to come and help.
Starlight was about to go to his aid, but Trixie's voice made her stop. "Gallus helped save all the magic in Equestria." She looked back at her, seeing the unicorn forehead to forehead with Gruff. "If it wasn't for him, the entire world could have fallen into Chaos. You can't say that's not something to be proud of!"
"Gallus doesn't need to know I'm proud of him!" Gruff argued back. "And he certainly doesn't need me trekking all the way to Ponyville!"
"Just be glad I'm not vice-headmare yet!" Trixie growled, "If I was, I'd tell you you're no longer welcome at this school. But since I'm not, I'll just remind you that Gallus' progress is your responsibility."
"Well, I never asked for it," Gruff hissed, much to Gallus' pained expression.
Trixie looked absolutely horrified by this statement and was clearly about to explode, Starlight rushing over to them. "I think that's enough for this meeting," Starlight chimed in, "It's always lovely to see you, Grampa Gruff. Same time next semester." Gruff growled and flew off, Starlight sighing in relief.
She turned to give the mare a talking to, but then noticed Trixie patting Gallus on his shoulder. "He doesn't know what he's talking about. You're doing great here at the school, and if he can't see that, it's his loss."
Starlight sighed, seeing Trixie's heart was in the right place. But that didn't mean she could just yell at parents. She really needed to talk with Trixie.
A little while later, Starlight and Big Mac were in the unicorn's office. Big Mac had just told her he was dropping out of the candidate process, something Starlight could understand. "I really appreciate your honesty, Big Mac, and you're right. Parents expect a lot of detailed communication when it comes to their kids. And if you aren't comfortable with that, vice headmare probably isn't the job for you."
"Yeah...eenope." The pair shook hooves before Mac left, Starlight removing his picture from the pyramid. As Mac walked out, Trixie walked in, looking a little sheepish.
"Hey....I'm guessing you wanted to talk to me about what happened."
"Yes," Starlight nodded as Trixie sat down. "Trixie, I know you have a lot of personal issues when it comes to parents that don't seem to care about their kids. Your father not believing in you and refusing to accept your abilities is something that's affected your whole life."
"Yeah," Trixie scratched the back of her head, "You can say that again."
"But you can't talk to other parents like that. If I hadn't jumped in when I did, what would you have said to Grampa Gruff..." Trixie tried to reply, but the only things she came up with were ones she probably shouldn't say out loud. "Being vice-headmare does require you to care for the students. But it also requires you to stay level headed."
"Okay, I get it. I'll try and work on that for next time." She looked over at the pyramid and saw Octavia and Time Turner's pictures on the pyramid and not her's. "If...there will be a next time."
"I'm gonna give you another chance," Starlight replied, "For the final stage of the interview process, you'll each have to put together a field trip. And if you really do want the job, I need yours to be exceptional."
"How exceptional?" Trixie asked.
"Just do what you think the students would do. Play to your strengths." Trixie nodded and headed out, Starlight sighing as she turned to Phyllis. "Is it wrong for me to think she might actually pull it off?" The plant remained silent, making her groan. "Don't answer that."
Several hours later...
Starlight and a group of students were now inside an opera house. Many of the students were sat down, looking excited to see what Octavia had planned for them as she tuned her cello. But one of the students didn't seem so enthusiastic. "Not looking forward to the performance?" Starlight asked Gallus, who let out a yawn.
"I know Octavia loves music, but a field trip to a classical music performance isn't my idea of an exciting time."
But as he said that, Octavia finished her fine tuning and the curtains on the stage were pulled back to reveal Vinyl Scratch and her DJ equipment set up. The earth pony nodded at Vinyl and the unicorn quickly turned on her speakers as Octavia started playing. And the minute she did, a burst of techno beat flew out alongside the classical music.
The equipment also unleashed an explosion of light, turning the concert hall into a massive disco. Gallus' boredom was instantly abolished and the griffon started cheering alongside the other ponies in attendance. "Okay, I take it back." He started dancing to the beat, Starlight smiling at this as she made a note to say Octavia was definitely passing this round.
A little while later, Starlight and another group of students were walking through Timer Turner's basement. The scientist pony smiled as he lead them through the maze that made up his many creations. "When I heard we'd be arranging field trips, I knew right away I wanted to take you all to my lab. I can think of no better trip than one through the quantum field!" The students all looked rather confused, only for Time Turner to hold up a clock. "I am referring to time travel!"
Starlight gasped. The last thing she needed was another temporal storm that needed fixing. She was about to tell Time Turner that wasn't a good idea, only for him to rush over to something under a sheet. "I've been working on a temporal transportation device!" He pulled the sheet off of the object and revealed something one wouldn't expect to be a time machine.
"A chair?" Smolder asked, Time Turner gesturing for her to sit in it. As she did this, the earth pony took out a pocket watch as it ticked away.
"And three...four...five." He turned to smile at Smolder. "Congratulations! You are now five seconds into the future! You see, we are all already time travelers! Hmm?" He laughed and turned to the other, "Who's next?" The students didn't look like they wanted to just sit in a chair, Smolder asking what they were all thinking.
"Uhhh, now what?"
"Oh," the scientist replied, "I actually hadn't thought that much beyond this." Smolder groaned at this, while Starlight frowned and wrote a note on her clipboard. Time Turner had an okay idea, but clearly he needed to think more ahead.
A little later...
Starlight walked into the classroom Trixie had been given for the history lesson earlier. When she got there, she found Trixie was nowhere in sight. The unicorn hummed at this, watching as the students waited for Trixie to show up. Starlight frowned at this, thinking this wasn't a good start. But just as she was about to mark the unicorn down, a bright flash of light caused her to look up to see Trixie appear at the desk.
"Greetings, students." Trixie was dressed in her old magicians cape and hat, the unicorn jumping onto her desk. "Who's ready to go on the best field trip ever?"
The students all cheered, one asking, "Where are we going?"
"I think the easier question to answer is, where aren't we going?" She took something from out of her cape and threw it towards the ground, Starlight seeing it was a sheet of paper with a familiar looking series of runes on it. "I'm sure you're all familiar with a Rune Gate. Well, I've designed one that will transport us all to a bunch of different places. Every ten minutes, we'll teleport to a new location and get to see it all."
This excited the students and they ran over to it, Yona needing to take a deep breath in to fit, Trixie jumping onto the center of the gate as Starlight stood next to her. "Trixie, are you sure you know what you're doing?"
"Relax," Trixie waved her hoof, "I studied Rune Gates with Luna. I know how to make my own. And I've already tested it out on myself." Starlight still wasn't sure, but Trixie blasted the gate with magic and it activated. In a flash, they and the class were teleported out of the school.
When the light vanished, they found they were in a swamp-like area. They were on the only bit of solid ground there was, surrounded by a bunch of muddy puddles and large trees with vines hanging from it. "Welcome to Froggy Bottom Bog," Trixie announced, "I'm sure you've learned a lot about it from your lessons with Fluttershy. Including all the amazing wildlife there is to see." The students all went wide-eyed at this, "Okay, you have ten minutes to look around. Remember everything you've learned about being in nature and try not to touch anything." The students all cheered and ran off, Trixie smiling as Starlight wrote on her checklist. "So..."
"Don't go making your business cards yet," Starlight replied, "This field trip has to go off without a hitch. And a lot can go wrong in a place like this."
"Like what?" Trixie asked, only to hear a scream and look around to see one of the ponies was sinking in a puddle of mud.
"What happened?!" Starlight cried, the pair rushing over.
"He was walking passed it and slipped on a bit of wet ground," another student responded, "Now he's stuck in the mud and sinking!" Trixie gulped at this, while Starlight looked like she was about to have a heart attack.
"Uh...I can fix this." Trixie tried to teleport the student out, but with most of him under the mud she had no idea how he was positioned and couldn't get a proper grip around him. "I can fix this!" She looked around and spotted some vines, which she pulled down and quickly wrapped into a lasso.
She swung it over to the pony and told him to put it under his front legs, the pony doing so as she swung the rest of the vine around a tree branch. After freezing the branch to allow for more movement, she started pulling on the vine as hard as she could.
"Ahhh!" She groaned, only to turn to a certain yak, "Um...Yona? Mind giving me a hoof?" Yona ran over and Trixie tied the rope around her horns. "Now pull!" Trixie pulled as hard as she could while Yona pulled as well.
The pony cried out as the rope started yanking him upward, but the mud's grasp on him was like a vacuum. "Stop!" Starlight cried, "You're gonna rip him in half!" The two stopped and the pony panicked, making Starlight groan before blasting the mud with her magic. In a flash, the mud around him turned into rock and she blasted it again. This time, the rock around him exploded and was sent flying everywhere. The pony was free, the student panting in relief as he was pulled out of the hole by Yona.
Starlight teleported him down and turned to Trixie, who laughed nervously. "I would have gotten him out in time. And don't worry. This little hiccup won't ruin the rest of our fieldtrip."
"What that sound?" Yona asked, the unicorns all turning to her before hearing a buzzing noise. They looked up and spotted a beehive above them, which now had a large piece of rock sticking out of it...the rock from Starlight's blast.
A swarm came next, the species of insect inside known as a flash bee, which could produce an electrical sting. And when they looked down at them, they did not look happy. "Eep," was all Trixie could say before the bees dived. "RUN!" The ponies and Yona cut into a sprint at this, the bugs soon zapping the ponies.
"HURRY!" Starlight yelled as she fired a beam of magic at the rune gate. The gate then opened, the students beginning to jump through it with Trixie and Starlight staying behind until the last student was through. And as they did this, the flash bees swarmed together and started building up as much power as possible.
"That's the last one," Trixie yelled as the two leapt through the portal, only for the flash bees to unleash a blast of lightning at them, hitting the duo just before they got through.
Back in the school, Yona and the other students leapt out of the portal and ran to the other side of the room. They looked back at the Rune Gate at this as a massive blast of lightning flew out of it. They screamed at this, racing out of the classroom as Starlight and Trixie crashed into the ground.
Starlight, her mane being electrified, spun around and hit the Rune Gate with a blast of magic before it could let the flash bees through. The portal vanished a second later, making them now see the room, which was a complete mess, allowing the two sparking mares to turn to one another. Trixie looked up at her frazzled mane, then at Starlight, who was frowning at her. "So...how did I do?" Starlight's frown turned to a glare, making Trixie look down. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen."
"Clearly," Starlight replied while trying to fix her mane. "You said you tested the Rune Gate. Did you check to make sure the places you were sending the students were safe?"
"Of course I did," Trixie replied as Starlight's mane bounce back to be frizzy. "I mean...I looked around. I just didn't see that beehive the last time I was there."
"That's not good enough!" Starlight yelled, "As headmare and vice-headmare, the student's safety is our number one priority! They, their parents and even the EEA trusts us with their safety! What if one of them had gotten more than a tiny zap from those flash bees?! They could have been hospitalized! The school would have been at fault and Twilight's reputation would be ruined!"
"I'm sorry," Trixie looked ready to start crying. "You're right. This was all my fault. I...I guess I'm not vice-headmare material."
Starlight hated to admit it, but she wasn't. And before she could even say anything, Trixie's horn flashed and she teleported away. "Trixie!" Starlight cried, but knew she wouldn't be able to hear her.
At that moment, Twilight happened to step into the room. "Starlight?" She spotted the frizzed-up unicorn and the damage done to the room. "I just thought I'd check in to see how the search for a vice-headmare was going." A wave of magic flew out of her horn and covered the entire room. When the light faded, the place was back to normal and Starlight's mane was fixed.
"A lot better now," the unicorn replied.
"Okay..." Twilight slowly responded, only to see Starlight sigh.
"Trixie wanted to be vice-headmare and was really trying. And I wanted it to be a friend so badly that I ignored the fact Trixie wasn't cut out for the role." Twilight raised an eyebrow at this, "She did alright when it came to filling in for another teacher, even though she didn't really understand the curriculum." Twilight nodded. "She clearly cares for the students, but she almost yelled at one of the parents during a conference. And her field trip was a total disaster. She really wanted this job, but if I gave it to her, it could have caused the whole school a lot of problems."
"Not everypony is right for every job," Twilight chimed in as the two stepped up to a window. "But everypony has something to contribute. The trick is figuring out what."
Starlight nodded, "I have a feeling Trixie's confidence has been destroyed."
"That's always been her biggest flaw," Twilight replied, "Ever since she gave up her boastful persona, she's been terrified of not being good enough, even if she's proven herself again and again."
"I just wish I knew how to help her."
Twilight placed a hoof on Starlight shoulder, "Just being there for her is a good start. After that, just let things flow until you find what you're looking for." Starlight nodded back.
"Thanks Twilight." She took a deep breath, "Now, I gotta go help a friend."
Starlight found Trixie on the edge of town. Apparently, this was where she had originally set up her wagon a long time ago when she came to Ponyville for the first time, and now she was leaning against a rock and throwing smaller ones around. "Hey, Trixie." The mare looked up at her, "I'm sorry about what happened."
"It's not your fault," Trixie sighed as she threw another rock away. "You were right to not hire me for the job. I just...I thought this would be the perfect step forward for me."
"What?" Starlight sat next to her. "What are you talking about?"
"Ever since Luna told me I'd learned everything there is to learn from her, I've had no idea what to do. When Twilight finished learning from Celestia, she became a freaking princess, and you're gonna be the headmare of the school of friendship. I want something that ponies will remember me for. I thought the temporal scroller would work, but we both know how that turned out."
"Trixie..." Starlight whispered, "You don't need to worry about not being remembered for anything."
"I just...don't want everything I've gone through to just be for nothing. Luna taught me so much and if I don't do something with what I learned, what would be the point in learning any of it. It would all be a big waste."
"A waste?" Starlight yelped, her eyes going wide, "Are you kidding me?! Think about everything you've done since becoming Luna's student! You helped her acclimate to the future and bond with other ponies! You helped Flash during his battle against Shadow. You were there for Heart when Soul was taken by Faust. And you helped Celestia when you went back in time to comfort her during the temporal scroller incident."
"I guess," Trixie picked up another rock. "But still, that doesn't help me find a new purpose. What am I supposed to do with myself when I'm terrible at everything?"
"You aren't terrible," Starlight replied, "Your illusion magic is incredible, and you've been helping ponies as much as you can since becoming Luna's student. I'm sure she would be proud of you with whatever you decide to do. Who cares if you're not a great vice-headmare, because you're a great friend."
"You really think so?" Trixie asked, Starlight nodding her head.
"Of course. You really stand by the ponies you care about. Gallus even said nobody's ever stuck up for him the way you did with Grampa Gruff. It would have been nice to run the school together, but not everypony is right for every job."
Trixie nodded. "I know how you take your responsibilities seriously. And maybe I should've known I wasn't exactly a perfect fit."
Starlight sighed and shook her head, "If it makes you feel any better, nopony was."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, Time Turner has decided to go back to his experiments, and Octavia is worried the responsibilities of vice-headmare will take too much time away from her music. Maybe getting a vice-headmare was a bad idea."
"Starlight...obviously you'd like some help. And hiring a vice-headmare is a great idea."
"But who could it be?" Starlight asked as Trixie thought about everything Starlight had been looking for in a vice-headmare.
"Well," She picked up a few rocks off the ground and stacked them on top of each other. "You need somepony who's responsible like you and detail-oriented like Twilight. And...smart, obviously. It is a school after all."
She started juggling the rocks as Starlight added, "It would be nice if I got along with them, since having it be a friend can't work out." Trixie frowned at this, thinking about all the friends Starlight had. And when her mind fell on one particular one, she let out a gasp as inspiration struck her like a bolt of lightning.
"Maybe it can!" Starlight turned to her, "Let's get back to the school. I need to send a message to the Crystal Empire."
The next day...
"And I knew as soon as I read Trixie's scroll that it was the exact right thing for me to do." Starlight smiled with glee at the sight of her her oldest friend as Sunburst paced back and forth in her office.
She couldn't believe she hadn't thought of this sooner. Sunburst was perfect for the position. He was practically a male version of Twilight, so having him do some of what Twilight did as headmare was perfect. There was just one small issue. "But what about being Flurry Heart's Crystaller?"
Sunburst smiled at this, "Well honestly, now that Flurry Heart's a little older, there really isn't much for me to do outside of the occasional tradition or festival. And working at a school is what I always thought I'd do." He placed a hoof on the desk. "I mean, if you'll have me."
"Are you kidding?!" Starlight shook his hoof, "You're hired!"
"I had a feeling this would work out." Trixie giggled.
"Oh, Trixie." Starlight pulled her into the tightest hug she could muster, "Thank you so much." Trixie patted her on the back as Starlight let her go.
"Between being insightful when I want to be and giving good advice when I don't mean to, I suppose I can be a pretty good friend." Starlight nodded, but then realized something. Trixie might not have been suitable for vice-headmare, but maybe she was perfect for something else.
"More than that, actually. You really did give good advice." She marched around the desk, thinking about every issue Trixie had helped her face. Giving her the idea for a vice-headmare, only to shine a small smirk, "And you helped me talk through the problem of finding the right pony for the job. And we know you care about the students..."
The blue mare nodded back, "Trixie the Great and Powerful Advice Giver, Problem Talk-Through-er, and Student Care-About-er!" She laughed at this, "Eh, I think I'll go with friend."
"Friend is perfect," Starlight replied before sharing a look with Sunburst. "But there's a position here at the school you might be right for too. What would you say to being the School of Friendship's new student counselor?"
Trixie's eyes went wide at this. She had never considered such a position, but now thinking about the years of working under Luna, who was practically a therapist herself, she had learned a bunch about helping ponies with their problems. There was only one thing she could say in reply.
"I'd say this office needs a bit of redecorating." She picked up Starlight's philodendron, "Potted plants scream desperation." She dropped the plant into the trash and Starlight gasped.
"PHYLLIS, NO!" She screamed, looking like she had just seen her best friend fall off a cliff.
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I loved this episode.
That joke was still funny as the day it happened. Poor Phyllis.
I’m not. That episode was ok, but nothing important or too worth while mentioning. In fact, skipping it all together doesn’t do any harm.
I knew you would do this chapter since Luna is retired and Twilight is moving to Canterlot along with Flash, Spike, Heart & Soul, so it make sense to do this chapter as Starlight becomes the Headmare while Sunburst and Trixie get the job as well.
Here's highlights
Wow! He's massive dick for saying that in front of Gallus!
I wouldn't be surprised if Gallus viewed Iron Core as his father figure since Iron care about him more than Gruff asshole.
Oof! That's got to hurt!
Ha! Glad you kept that joke! Never get tired of that joke!
I don't blame you, Banshee. This episode got too many problems to work for this series.
Why would Rarity be so obsessed with Spike after she made very clear she doesn't see him romantically and is already in love with Lightning Blitz? That doesn't make sense in my opinion.
Also, why would she tried to bribe Spike again after knowing how much it hurt Spike in Spike's Heartbreak?
And finally, the lack of build up between Spike and Gabby… enough said.
Sorry for my mini rant but I just want to get off my chest.
Enjoy this chapter, I really liked the changes you made, the way Trixie defends Gallus feels more powerful here.
And it's a good thing Starlight didn't yells at Trixie, that broke my heart momentarily in the original series.
Reading the comments that this chapter had, I realized that adapting that chapter would have been difficult, I'm not disappointed, at least I hope that in one of the last 3 remaining chapters of this fic, you can write a last chapter of Spike with Ember or Smolder .
PS: If I could suggest an idea for a chapter, it would be that Lightning and Rarity get married, but Spike wouldn't want to go to their wedding because it would only bring pain to his heart, but then Ember or Smolder would arrive, and he would decide to go to the wedding accompanied by one of the 2.
It was quite funny, the way she talks to a plant like that. That would be like King Arthur weeping over his burnt teddy bear.
Nice adaption into the next step of Glimmy/Trixie's lives, all while keeping some of the core themes of the canon episode!
As for Highlights :
Yona *Yona wants hug match with new Headmare pony!*
A much needed *down to heart* slap!
Well at least she had a handle on it.........somewhat!
My mind knows Trixie can't talk to parents like that, but my heart is glad she did while also telling off that crusty old griff!
LOL yep still the funniest gag of the whole episode!
I can understand that, especially since you took care of the Spike/Rarity crush issue way earlier than in canon Banshee! I wouldn't mind another Spike solo chapter (beside Sweet & Smokey) before this series is over though!
Good adaption chapter Banshee, seeya next week!
Oh my god she killed PHYLLIS
I am so glad that this episode got adapted. I know that fans vary on opinions about it, either loving it or hating it, but I fell into the former category myself, and it is essentially Trixie's last big moment in the spotlight to show how her character has developed and progressed. Heck, this episode even got a call-forward back when Trixie and Starlight first became friends in this continuity, so it is just too important to skip.
Now that Luna is retiring soon and Trixie has nothing left to learn from her, her future is unknown once again. I liked the small references to canon, how she muses the idea of working on a rock farm to make a living in the beginning and briefly pretending that she thinks Starlight made the position of Voce-Headmare just for her, before revealing she's joking. Trixie certainly handled each task much better than she did in canon, though at the same time still struggled a bit to show she wasn't cutout for the job.
Her reasoning for wanting the job, beyond being Starlight's friend, was also a bit sad since she wanted to do something that she would be remembered for like her fellow students Twilight and Starlight. Though like Starlight said, I don't think she needs to worry about any of that. Beyond how all her friends will remember her, she help tremendously during the War of the Lost City, and she showed her abusive father that she has succeeded despite him putting her down and cut him out of her life. Still, I think her job as the new student counselor is perfect for her.
I understand your reasoning for skipping "Dragon Dropped". Even though I liked that episode it probably would have been too difficult to rework it or make a brand new storyline for it. Even if you did, chances are that due to everyone getting too excited for it and expecting big things from it, some people would still have been disappointed with whatever they got.
The more Trixie has changed the more she stayed the same. Don't worry though everyone, Phyllis was confirmed to have survived this event.
This episode had to be adapted no matter what, Trixie needed closure for her character arc, and I feel that it was better written here, a little more serious than FiM, but that made it better, and of course without losing the funny parts.
Eeyupp, poor Phyllis.
Although if I waited for that episode, I understand that you could not adapt it, it would have been very impossible with the changes made in this story, still, I hope for a good loving last episode for Spike, my heart is still sad since the episode Spike Heartbreak.
I really enjoyed this chapter. With all the changes and character development you gave to Trixie over the series it really helped improve her character from the original episode. Highlights below:
I kinda wanna see that come up in a future chapter that Twilight is still hypnotized
🎇CONTINUITY!🎇
Who's talking, Spike or Flash?
*Outside the School*
Yona: “Yona’s Yak senses are tingling.”
You can replace “could have” with “could’ve”
Oh I see what you did there Banshee
A slap fight immediately begins
Oh phew
Trixie Dosen’t lose her character development
Is it just me or does this sentence feel like it’s missing something
You accidentally wrote “wear” instead of “where”
What the hay?
If you get the reference you get a cupcake
Um Iron would disagree as he considers him to be Royal Knight material
Poor Gallus
Starlight Glimmer: Time Lord and agent of the T.V.A
I think you forgot either the “s” in “gate” or an “a” between “with” and “rune”
Really shows how much her father’s treatment has affected her
Still ship it
It’s ok. Most of us wanted it just for the Spike x Gabby ship, but that can be added as a background event in a future chapter, so it’s ok.
Until next week
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That would actually be an interesting plot detail for a future chapter
11654885
The problem with those two ships is that Ember is way older than Spike, and Spike’s relationship with Smolder, while she isn’t that much older than him, feels more like a big sister little brother dynamic. That’s why a lot of people were hopping Gabby would show up eventually
11655045
You B******S!
11655207
Everyone mostly wanted it for the Spike x Gabby ship
YAY!
11655221
Yeah, Spike deserves someone to love
…Oh and Fire Heart too.
11655424
Ember is more of a teenager since Torch treat her like a kid and she doesn't act adult compare to Twilight.
Also, it's a bit of hypocritical cause Gabby is seemed older than Spike considered she doesn't act or sound like Spike or Crusaders.
Did you read Omnitrix Hero (one of Banshee531's stories)? In one of chapters, Princess Twilight notes that Dragon Lord Ember has been asking for Spike's help a lot lately, to the point she finds it a bit strange which hinted at their potential relationship.
11655424
Not me. I am a Spike x Ember shipper to the end.
11655442
Thats a different continuity than this series
Somehow seeing Trixie fail without failing epically was more fun than seeing Trixie fail epically. I can't really quite explain it. I mean, you made us want her to succeed even when we know darn well that she won't, and it made the payoff in the end so much sweeter. Great job.
11655442
Actually when you put them side by side they look about the same age derpicdn.net/img/2017/7/19/1490027/large.png