The Great and Powerful Trixie in the exordium under the pyramids

by Khampostel

Starlight's Dream

On the outskirts of Ponyville, one hour after midnight.

"... ♪ and sang and jumped ♫, ♪ over the moon ♫, ♪ a cow ♫, who said MU!, MU!, MU!, MU! MU! MUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" sang Trixie cheerfully but off-key.

"MUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" Starlight finished off next to her, beaming with amusement.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" the friends laughed hugging each other as they made their way home in the middle of the balmy night. DJ Pony trotted behind them with his signature beat.

Trixie's carriage, parked next to the Friendship School's bio orchard, was already in sight.

The party at Maud's house had been the liveliest in recent memory. Many guests had arrived, including teachers, friends and acquaintances, all of them trusted ponies. Of course, Maud was not a fan of such parties and immediately left with Mudbriar as soon as he arrived, shortly before midnight. Apart from this dramatic moment, there were no further interruptions to the party, which continued with dancing, karaoke, drinking competitions and so on.

So, leaving behind a party that just kept getting louder and louder, Starlight and Trixie decided to leave before they got caught up in a whirlwind of entertainment from which they could hardly emerge unscathed.

With a staggering step, both friends reached Trixie's carriage.

"Give me a moment, will you?" said Starlight to DJ Pony as she guided Trixie to her carriage. After a brief altercation with the keys, both friends entered the vehicle.

The interior of the carriage was as chaotic as ever, a mix of cramped and dusty, but, more importantly, it was a tremendously familiar place. The lights came on. Without wasting a second, Trixie shed her characteristic garb and made her way to her 'bed', making her way through her show packs and other junk strewn about the place.

Although Trixie called her resting place a 'bed', calling it a "makeshift hammock" would be more appropriate.

With a perfect hop, Trixie settled into her hammock bed and stretched out as a cat would before surrendering to a restful sleep.

"Aaaauauu, alas, dear Starlight, this party has been truly magical...I really gave it my all on stage, I can hardly feel my hooves," Trixie exclaimed as she rubbed her front hooves with a cream she kept in one of her boxes.

"That's what you get for trying so hard during competitions, you know karaoke is about singing and not stomping, right?"

"The great and powerful Trixie expresses herself best through her body," Trixie stated proudly, setting aside the cream and settling a blanket next to a pillow in her resting place.

"It's a shame the judges didn't feel the same way."

"You were one of the judges," Trixie protested, pointing her helmet at her, clearly exhausted.

"Yes, and for that very reason I must be as fair as possible to my greatest and most powerful friend."

"Oh, so could it be possible that she's getting special treatment from the blameless and righteous Headmistress Starlight?" asked Trixie, raising an eyebrow and casting a sassy glance.

"Probably..." muttered Starlight with a knowing smile.

"What an honor! hahaha Hip," let out an embarrassed hiccup Trixie, immediately proceeding to grab a glass of water which she made appear with her magic.

Starlight laughed and began to browse through the other belongings in Trixie's carriage.

Wizard hats in a whole range of colors, but with a very familiar design. "Enchanted" wands that weren't actually enchanted with magic, but cast a dazzling flash of light capable of distracting an audience during a performance. bee-bear traps? Now that was truly dangerous stuff, even if they weren't active. In addition, there were many boxes labeled with danger warnings....

Starlight examined all these curious objects with a mixture of awe and amusement, but an unsettling feeling began to well up inside her.

Then something else caught her attention. Several "Mare of the Year" magazines were stacked in a corner. Starlight felt uneasy and looked away from them, fearing what she might find. But... why did Trixie have so many of those magazines? And why did she have so many wildlife breeding manuals? Starlight frowned as she noticed a bulky stack of books that seemed to bear the school library's stamp.

Suddenly, a suspicion welled up in Starlight's mind, displacing the fatigue that was overtaking her.

"I see you have a lot of 'Mare of the Year' magazines. I hope it's not for-" Starlight started to say before being interrupted by a deep snore.

Trixie had fallen asleep. The sleeping unicorn wore a sweet smile, her breathing was leisurely, and she was snuggled perfectly under her blanket, surrounded by a subtle aroma of freshly poured cider.

For a few seconds, Starlight opened her eyes wide in disbelief at the rebuff. But then, she shook her head, resigned, and sketched a smile. Using her horn, she took a stuffed animal from one of the boxes and placed it near Trixie, who immediately hugged it warmly.

"Rest, Trixie..." murmured Starlight as she turned off the carriage lights and prepared to leave.

Ever so carefully, Starlight left Trixie's carriage without ever interrupting her friend's sweet sleep.

------------------

DJ Pony gave a brief farewell wave and took off down the path that led to Ponyville.

Starlight responded in kind and headed down the other path into a small forest. She had too much on her mind to return to Twilight Castle right away. She needed to jog a bit first, clear her mind and then....

Then what?

Starlight looked up in the middle of the path and was amazed to behold the glowing fireflies flitting through the forest. The treetops, as well as much of the foliage, had been decorated with lights, and numerous luminescent crystals decorated the clearings. These decorations had been put up the day before by the villagers and were a gift from Princess Cadance, delivered after the grave disaster that had occurred weeks before.

Absorbed, the unicorn continued to observe her surroundings. The gentle evening breeze carried to her the murmur of the stream flowing not far away. The sparkle of the crystals added a touch of magic that was truly a delight to behold. The tranquility and beauty of the place made Starlight's heart consider the idea of staying over right there until noon the next day.

But she couldn't do that.

A bitter discomfort gripped her quiet face until now. A question that had been bothering her began to flit through her mind again.

"Why am I the headmistress of a school?" muttered Starlight to the sky. If she had asked that same question to her past self, before she met Twilight, she would probably be questioning whether she was really herself or if she had been bewitched.

Starlight didn't hate her job. Nor did she find it overwhelming, at least not at the moment. But... was she really in the right place?

The position of headmistress of Friendship School had been given to her by Twilight herself. Her friend, the princess, had full confidence in her abilities to fulfill such an important role, and, of course, her judgment was sound.

However, this was not the future Starlight had chosen. She had not fought to obtain the position she now held.

Many might think that Twilight had abused her position by giving her the school. Starlight herself shared that idea, but accepted it because she knew it was a position of great importance and that there were good intentions behind Twilight's decision.

But that was back then... time had passed and Starlight felt... she could do more....

A year ago ...

***

Starlight had been invited to a principals' meeting hosted by the Equestria Education Association, or EEA, for the purpose of sharing management experiences and projects within the educational community. The meeting, led by Chancellor Neighsay, turned out to be much more enjoyable than Starlight had first assumed. So much so that Starlight had no trouble making friends and meeting potential new colleagues during breaks in the presentations and discussions.

It was then that she became aware of something she had been unaware of up to that point.

All the ponies present were older than she was; many were twice her age. In comparison, Chancellor Neighsay also seemed one of the youngest at the meeting.

After conversing with them and the Chancellor, Starlight began to realize that not only were they older in age than her, but they also surpassed her in experience and skills. All had previously been teachers and had undertaken personal projects related to education before assuming their roles as principals. They had completed advanced courses and were highly respected in the cities where they worked.

In other words, their positions were completely justified, and precisely because of the experience they carried with them, they had every right to perform the principal roles they held.

"What am I supposed to have been doing so far?" thought Starlight deep inside.

After the meeting, Starlight began to feel sick. She brought it up with Trixie, but she only said that those were the standards of the Equestria Education Association and that it didn't matter how old a pony was, but what they were capable of doing. She further pointed out that the Friendship School had its own standards as a unique entity separate from the other schools. Starlight agreed with her friend's advice and put the subject behind her, but the discomfort remained a splinter in her thoughts.

Shortly thereafter...

Starlight received a dropout notice from one of the new students. The foal in question was leaving the school because it had been discovered that his parents had pressured him to enter the school and befriend only teachers or classmates who were adept at magic.

Being a talented unicorn in the field of magic, the colt had wanted to enter the School of Magic. However, due to certain limitations at home and prerequisites, he was unable to do so. Instead, the parents had forced him to enter Friendship School.

When the colt's parents came to take him away, a little filly stayed behind, following them all the way. She was his childhood friend, who had encouraged him to accept his parents' decision to enter the school, even though it was against the rules.

The distraught filly showed up at academic counseling the next day and explained her case to Trixie, who then took the matter to Starlight.

After meeting with the filly and explaining that it was not possible for her friend to return, the young woman left her office with a look of disappointment that pierced Starlight's soul.

A few days later, the young filly also left the school.

The next day, Starlight apologized to Sunburst, telling him she had a cold and that he should take care of his chores. That day, she spent the entire time drinking cider and eating oatmeal ice cream alone in her room. During the night, she had a dream in which she stood in front of a mirror and her past child self glared at her before walking away with his back to her. She woke up in the middle of the night drenched in cold sweat under the accusing moonlight and could not fall asleep for the rest of the evening. She barely managed to catch up with her work for the rest of that week.

"Aren't I supposed to be a better pony now? Aren't I supposed to have grown up enough to cope with situations like this?" chided Starlight amidst the darkness.

Days passed, and the conflict within Starlight was fading. She picked up the pace of her work and continued her days as usual, always with a smile on her face. However, during the nights, when she went to bed, the reflection of her mirror returned a suspicious look and, sometimes, her mane seemed to regain a silhouette that she had left long ago ... a long time ago ...

Finally, a few months ago ...

Starlight's work had increased, as had her popularity. In both cases, external factors were responsible for this trend. It was in this context that she had an unexpected meeting with Chancellor Neighsay, who made him a proposal that seemed like the heavenly answer to all the conflicts she had been trying to hide until that moment.

"A new teaching model?" repeated Starlight in surprise.

"It is just as you hear, Principal Starlight. Recent innovations in the use of enchanted crystals, made by the great wizard Star Swirl the bearded and her partner Stygian, now allow scenarios where it is possible to share information over great distances through secure channels at very little cost. Actually, many of my colleagues are very excited about the possibilities of this development and, above all, how it could change teaching as we know it," said Chancellor Neighsay in very good humor, sharing a thick folio of documentation with her.

Starlight reviewed it avidly; the project documentation was impeccable, which was not surprising coming from Chancellor Neighsay. Moreover, the rationale, timing, and scope of the project were even more solid.

"This...is very surprising. I can understand why EEA would want to implement a new teaching model so as not to fall behind with the application of this technology, but..." The doubt Starlight had had at the beginning of the meeting could no longer be hidden. "Why are you telling me?"

"I wish you, Director Starlight Glimmer, to lead the implementation of this project," Chancellor Neighsay replied without hesitation.

Starlight was engrossed for a moment, drank some water, and replied.

"I'm honored that you would ask something like this of me, but I don't..."

"I have many reasons to believe you are the right pony for this job, would you allow me to share some of them?"

"Of course, I'm listening."

"First, I would like to remind you that this is not the first time that an attempt has been made to implement a new teaching model in Equestria. Already in the past, there have been many attempts that failed due to project costs, lack of leadership and, above all, distrust of new technologies. It pains me to say it, but there are EEA members who do not give the use of new tools a chance and end up hindering their implementation. In addition, there are always debates about whether or not the use of these tools favors better education. For this very reason, I think that someone younger and with a more current vision could help my colleagues to accept these changes. You, Director Starlight, are very young and have unique social skills that would help build the bridges needed to keep all the ponies in this project together," Chancellor Neighsay finished his speech in a stern but gentle tone.

Starlight could hardly accept what was in front of her and what it implied, such as the fact that she would have to step down as head of the school if she agreed to take full charge of this project.

"Is there any other reason?" asked Starlight, making a great effort to hide her emotions.

"You are very close to Princess Twilight, having her as team leader would help gain her approval of the project and speed up the acceptance of changes that might come along the way," the Chancellor immediately replied.

"Don't you have her approval yet?" asked Starlight, quizzical.

"We've had some differences..." replied Chancellor Neighsay, sounding for the first time somewhat guarded in his words.

Although the EEA had a great deal of independence in its organizational decisions, there were still some cases where the Princess' approval was required, particularly in reforms as far-reaching as the one the Chancellor was proposing. If Twilight had not yet agreed to it, it could be because perhaps there were aspects that required better understanding or debate? Or could the Chancellor be withholding certain important details of the project from her that were not to Twilight's liking?

"I cannot make a decision on this issue at this time. I have to study this project in more detail and then I will inform you of my decision," Starlight said, calmer.

"I understand perfectly. Take as much time as you deem necessary, but I would like you to also think about the great opportunity this project means and the good it could bring to the ponies if it is ever properly implemented throughout Equestria," Chancellor Neighsay commented.

"I will keep that in mind, Chancellor Neighsay," Starlight replied, gesturing acceptance.

After chatting about other school and faculty matters, Chancellor Neighsay retired.

In her principal's chair, Starlight looked at the large project folio. On the cover, there was an image of two foals in two different locations holding hooves, sharing their words through a glass. Looking at this image, Starlight remembered her childhood friend Sunburst and how she had been separated from him when she entered magic school. She remembered the days when she wished she could have had at least a brief moment with her friend to chat and spend time together. She also remembered the painful, dark path his life took at that time, the days of loneliness and helplessness... the days when she sought to gain the power to change everything....

The forgotten ashes of her past self were reigniting inside her.

***

In the present...

Starlight's determined gaze was directed towards Ponyville, especially towards Twilight's castle.

"Sorry, Trixie, we'll have to save the small talk for another time," Starlight said with a smile into the wind. The breeze blew her mane back into the old shape it had been before she was headmistress, before she met Trixie, before she met the Princess of Friendship....

Starlight's eyes sparkled with the glare of the forest lights, reflecting the wild spirit she had awakened within her.

She had made a decision.

Starlight had a mission, more like a dream, a dream that had grown within her over the past few weeks.

"I will bring to every pony in Equestria the opportunity to know the meaning of true friendship."

With these words, which almost sounded like an oath, Starlight had made up her mind to realize the vision she had set for herself. Never again would she stand hoofed while a friendship was destroyed by the barriers of distance. She would put her all into Chancellor Neighsay's project and do whatever it took to achieve its success, even if it didn't end up pleasing Twilight.

All ponies deserved this opportunity to communicate without fear of distance. She would be the one to initiate this change in all of Equestria.

Undoubtedly, she would.

So, with her head held high and ready to face whatever came her way, Starlight began to move down the road towards home. She had had enough distractions for the day.

-----------

Starlight was trotting toward Ponyville in the middle of the night when she noticed someone standing in the middle of the road. It was a young mare in a light blue and white coat, with a fluffy white cotton-like mane and striking light blue streaks. She was carrying a traveling cap and some suitcases.

"A tourist? At this hour?" wondered Starlight, but immediately put her suspicions aside. It was the day of the Two Sisters Festival, and many ponies were wandering around the countryside at this hour, going from party to party or just enjoying the sleepless night.

After a short walk, she arrived where the stray mare was.

"Hi, excuse me, do you know where the two sisters' castle is? I think I'm a little lost," asked the tourist pony.

"It's a little late for sightseeing, and right now the roads to Everfree Forest are closed due to a plague," Starlight replied. "You'd best wait until tomorrow if you want to take a balloon tour there."

"Oh, Stars! Really, that's terrible! I don't have that much time; tomorrow my transport leaves very early. I don't think I'll have enough for a balloon ride...," the pony replied disappointedly as she flipped through a crumpled map. "Do you happen to know where Twilight's castle is?"

"Yes, I know it very well, I live there," Starlight replied casually.

"Wait! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! So you're Starlight Glimmer! Hiiiiiiiiiiiii!" the light blue pony exclaimed excitedly.

"I'm the same as always," replied Starlight somewhat embarrassed, rearranging her mane. "You've heard of me?"

"Yes, you're the headmistress of Friendship School. Everyone's talking about you. hiiiii!" the pony whinnied even more.

Starlight blushed a little but restrained herself.

"Can you sign an autograph for me?" the pony continued excitedly, handing her map to her.

"Okay, and what shall I put?" asked Starlight in a good mood.

"Summermoon!" the pony replied enthusiastically.

Comments

[Artist]

Hope you make more of this.

[Khampostel]

11746122
True, I have a calendar for the publications of the next chapters on my blog:

https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/1025090/the-exordium-under-the-pyramids

[Artist]

11746222
Ok