> Stallion with a Secret
>  by Animation Crusader
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“So, it’s all set then?”

“Yep. Everything checks out. We’re glad to have you with us.”

Scribbling down a few more notes with his magic, the documents were completed and put into a file. A drawer was opened with a burst of yellow magic, and it slid inside.

The office was freshly dusted, and once empty shelves were now occupied with numerous historical and magical tomes. If neither of those were a sign that the formerly unused office was now in working condition, the addition of new furniture, some crystalline and some fabric, would be the first notable signs.

The young mare across the desk watched the yellow stallion secure the cabinet, shuffling her hooves anxiously. “Great. You just have to make sure not to tell Silver Spoon. She’d freak if she found out about this, and I don’t want that to happen.”

“Are you sure? She might actually understand if you explained it to her.” His eyes went to a framed photo on his desk.

She shook her head, her anxiety giving way to assertion. “That’s a risk I can’t take. Mister Sunburst, I need you to Pinkie Promise that you won’t tell her.”

Sunburst blinked, initially confused by the request. “Pinkie Promise? Oh, that thing Pinkie Pie does. Um…”

“Mr. Sunburst, please.” The young mare stared up at him with pleading eyes.

“Oh alright. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!” There was a clink as his hoof made contact with his glasses. “Hehe, good thing I wear glasses, otherwise I would’ve poked myself in the eye.”

Once he completed the motions along with the vow, she sighed as if an extremely heavy stack of bricks were lifted off her back. “Thank you. Now we just need to keep Silver from finding out until the moment is right to tell her. No pressure.”

“Hehe, yeah… No pressure…” Sunburst smiled shakily as his visitor turned to exit his office. Once she was gone, his expression switched to a grimace.







As to be expected from the town where the Elements of Harmony lived, a sense of friendliness was in the air around Ponyville. Silver Spoon loved living in the town; it was where she and Diamond Tiara grew up.

Trotting through town, Silver Spoon enjoyed the sense of freedom that came with the beginning of summer break. While the extended vacation was always enjoyable, she had a feeling this one was going to be extra special. It had already started with her and her class’s graduation from the Ponyville schoolhouse. Sure, it was tough saying goodbye to Miss Cheerilee as her teacher, but she and her classmates were growing up, both literally and figuratively. There was a limit to what the elementary instructor could teach them, and they had hit it. The time had come for them to start anew with educators that could provide more advanced material.

In years past, the student population of Ponyville was never big enough to make a higher education building a worthwhile investment. Middle and high school students had to take the train to the next town over to pursue their academic endeavors. This year, things were changing. According to what her mother said, the number of students was large enough now to make a high school necessary. The prospect of being the first students to attend the newly built school and possibly graduate from there delighted Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara to no end. They would make Ponyville history.

To highlight their potential history-making, Silver and Diamond planned a party to celebrate. Sugarcube Corner would provide the catering, their products only using the best ingredients around. Local music artist DJ PON-3 would be handling the entertainment, and Pinkie and her friend Cheese Sandwich were putting together slightly more mature party games to reflect their rise in grade level. For the finishing touch, even though her class had already said goodbye to Miss Cheerilee, they invited her as a special guest so they could see her one more time as her students.

It was going to be great.

Approaching Sugarcube Corner to get a box of donuts her father needed, she had only crossed through the door when she spotted her bestie… talking to Sunburst? She didn’t know that Diamond knew the new vice headstallion of the School of Friendship.

“Ugh, should’ve known my mother wouldn’t invite you to the party. Petty revenge for not getting the counselor position sounds just like her.” Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes, eventually re-establishing eye contact with Sunburst. “So sorry about that, Mr. Sunburst. Of course, you’re invited.”

Sunburst waved a hoof. “It’s fine. Starlight has told me enough about your mom that I’m not offended. I’m just flattered that I’m invited to a party. Wasn’t invited to many of those growing up, and up until I became Princess Flurry Heart’s Crystaller, I usually rejected the ones I was invited to.” The stallion glanced up and pointed a hoof past Diamond. “Say, isn’t that your friend over there?”

“Silver?” Diamond whirled around. “She can’t see us together. I gotta go.” The filly trotted away from Sunburst’s table at a pace that resembled a fast walk; she didn’t want to give Silver the impression she was running away from her, even if she actually was.

Sunburst called after her, “See you at the party!” He turned back to his snack and found Silver Spoon wandering over to him. “Oh hey. Your name is Silver Spoon, right? I’m still learning the names of most ponies that live around here.”

“Yes, that’s me,” Silver confirmed, taking the seat Diamond had occupied moments ago. “Were you just talking to Diamond?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah. She just stopped by to tell me I was invited to that party you two were arranging. Apparently her mother tried to keep me off the invite list because she was still sour over Starlight not picking her for the counselor position at the school.”

Silver Spoon bobbed her head in agreement. “Sounds like Mrs. Rich.” She then put a hoof to her muzzle. “But I couldn’t help noticing how Diamond left right when I was coming over to say hi. Ever since we finalized the party plans, it’s like she’s been avoiding me. Diamond didn’t happen to say anything to you, did she?”

The bespectacled stallion stiffened at the question. This was exactly the kind of scenario Diamond wanted him to avoid. The reason why she made him Pinkie Promise. Even though they both agreed there was no pressure, he was certainly feeling it now.

“Um, we haven’t really talked much…” he slowly answered, immediately suspecting he said too much.

“Hey there, Silver!” A pink blur popped up beside their table. “I noticed you came in. Can I help you?”

Pinkie’s timely arrival allowed Sunburst a quiet sigh of relief as Silver Spoon redirected her attention to the party pony.

Silver Spoon bobbed her head. “Actually, yeah. My father forgot to pick up a box of donuts for his stallion club meeting. Could I get a box to go?”

“Abso-tively pos-olutely! Come on, I’ll ring you up.” Leading Silver away, Pinkie continued to say, “I’m sure Sunburst would like to finish eating. He probably has promises to keep today, too.” Passing Sunburst on her way back to the register, she sent him a look.

Getting the hint that was his cue, Sunburst gobbled up the remaining portion of his snack and slipped out of Sugarcube Corner while Silver Spoon’s back was still turned.







That was way too close, he chided himself in his head as he returned to his guest room inside Twilight’s crystal castle. Even though he was thankful to Pinkie for getting him out of the situation, he had to wonder how she knew about the Pinkie Promise. He could wave off her perfectly timed interruption as a coincidence, the way she looked at him when she mentioned promises indicated it was anything but. She wasn’t even present at the time the promise was made. Unless, the evocation of the Pinkie Promise was somehow tied to her famed Pinkie Sense…

“Oh, it totally is.”

Jumping at least two feet in the air in his guest room, he whirled around to see Pinkie somehow looking at him through his mirror.

“Wha--buh--how are you--?” Sunburst stammered.

Pinkie pointed a hoof at him sternly. “Don’t break your Pinkie Promise!” Then her visage faded away.

The stallion hurried over to the mirror, staring at it intently in hopes of finding some sort of clue to how Pinkie accomplished such a feat. He even activated his horn and checked for recent spell usage on the object, but found nothing.

He had witnessed some of Pinkie’s bizarre antics, but this probably topped the list.

And as long as he had to keep his Pinkie Promise to Diamond Tiara, stuff like this was most likely going to keep happening.

Not a problem. He only had until the next school term started, which wasn’t until… he consulted the calendar hanging in the room.

Another two months.

Okay, that was a little bit of time. He could handle that. And it was not like he’d run into Silver Spoon all that much in that time period. Aside from the fact that he was an adult, and she was a child, they lived in extremely different social circles. The odds of them being in the same building on any given day were slim. Really, the only place he knew Silver Spoon would be at in the near future was the party… which Diamond Tiara had invited him to, and he had agreed to attend.

“For the love of the Crystal Heart,” Sunburst muttered in concern to his predicament. He cantered over to his window in an attempt to make himself feel better. Surely taking in the view of the School of Friendship, which he would be helping run once the fall season arrived, would calm his nerves.

When he looked out the window, however, he didn’t feel calmed. He actually felt rather confused.

It was summer, and the school was closed. Why were a pair of ponies hovering around the school? And was he seeing things, or did one of them have a rainbow-colored mane just like Rainbow Dash?

He watched them circle the grounds for a few moments. They then disappeared into the school, most likely landing in the school’s courtyard.

What are those two up to? Going over to his saddlebags, he rummaged through his things for the key to the school Starlight had given him…







“Look at this school, Bow!” Windy Whistles gushed, wandering the empty halls with her husband. “Our daughter, a Wonderbolt, and now she’s also a teacher at Princess Twilight’s school! Which classroom do you think is hers?”

Bow smiled as he examined the decor. “Probably the one with the most Wonderbolts stuff in it. Hey, you think they have a gift shop or a school store? We could check there for any Rainbow Dash merch.”

“Instead of sneaking around to get your answers, how about you ask?”

The two pegasi turned and saw Sunburst approaching them, annoyance evident on his face.

“What are you two doing here? The school is closed, and I’m pretty sure you’re trespassing,” he told them.

“Sorry,” Bow said sheepishly, wincing at the realization of potential legal trouble. “We’re Rainbow Dash’s folks. We were just hoping to get some memorabilia of her to add to our collection.”

“But Rainbow was very firm about us not visiting the school when she’s here, so we thought if school was out for the summer, we could come now since she wouldn’t be here to teach,” Windy explained, rubbing the back of her neck with a wing.

Sunburst rubbed his forehead with a hoof, already feeling a heavy headache coming on. “Just because the school isn’t active during the summer doesn’t mean anypony can just waltz in here.”

Bow and Windy blinked at him, not understanding why the school would be closed.

“…Ever heard of summer school, or summer activities?” Bow asked.

Sunburst took the hoof he had been massaging his head with, and pointed it at the nearest exit. “Just please leave. Since you’re family of Rainbow Dash, and this is the first time I’ve caught you doing this, I’ll let you off with a warning. Next time, I might have to charge you with trespassing.”

Rainbow Dash’s parents lowered their heads in shame and began trotting in the direction Sunburst indicated.

“Um, about that Rainbow Dash merchandise we mentioned?” Windy spoke up over her shoulder.

“Rarity is working on merchandise for the school store, which might be ready for business as early as the second half of the upcoming school year. Now shoo!” Sunburst ushered them out of the school’s main entrance, and locked it behind him once he followed them out.








Two weeks after Sunburst’s awkward encounter with Rainbow’s parents, the night of the party arrived. Per usual when it came to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, the celebration was held on the grounds of the Rich family estate. What wasn’t the norm for the two was the social class of their visitors, much to Spoiled Rich’s distaste. Rather than the wealthy business ponies Filthy Rich associated with, the guest list mostly consisted of average townsfolk.

Diamond and Silver greeted each guest as they stepped onto Rich property, and exchanged a few words with them. Once the greetings finished, they would go onto say hello to Diamond’s parents as well as Silver Spoon’s, Bronze Knife and Gold Fork.

Approaching the gathering, Sunburst swallowed the lump rising in his throat. Ever since the day at Sugarcube Corner, he had done his best to avoid the young mare so he didn’t slip up. As much as he tried, he did run into her a few times since then. He had gone to Rarity’s shop to double check when the school merchandise would be ready, and Silver was there getting a dress altered for the party. As casually as he could manage, he confirmed his query with Rarity and slipped back out of the store with as few words to the other patron as possible. 

On a trip to the grocery store, they had occupied the same aisle; for some reason, he suddenly didn’t feel like picking up some juice that day. 

Just the other day he had to take some mail to the post office, and he had gotten stuck next to her in the line. Small talk was made while they waited their respective turns, and if Pinkie hadn’t spontaneously--or maybe not so--sprung from a box on another pony’s back, he was sure he would’ve blabbed and broken the Pinkie Promise.

Just say hi and move on. Then you can spend the rest of the party blending in with the other partygoers and avoid mentioning anything school-related.

“Have a good time,” Silver Spoon said to the pony in line before him. She and Diamond turned towards him and each held out a hoof. “Hello, Mister Sunburst! Thanks for coming.”

Sunburst gave a weak smile as they exchanged greetings. “Not a problem. I’m excited for you both. Your whole class, actually.”

Diamond chuckled, cringe apparent in her voice. “Yeah, our whole class. The first to use Ponyville’s new school. Really exciting.” She gave him a sharp stare he interpreted as ‘Shut up! You’ll blow the secret! Move on!’

Getting the message, Sunburst tugged at his cape’s collar. “I guess I should head in and start enjoying myself. See you both later. Congratulations.” He trotted onward, allowing the hosts to greet the next arrival. Once he was far away enough, he exhaled.

Following his greeting with Diamond and Silver’s parents, during which Spoiled Rich vocalized her anger at losing the job at the School of Friendship, Sunburst finally got to enjoying the celebration. He talked to Mayor Mare about the upcoming addition to town, and she was very pleased about not having to arrange for students to take a train anymore just to receive their education. Starlight had arrived a while before he did, and she told him how Spoiled had tried to keep her from being invited as well.

“I’d say I was surprised, but I’m really not,” Starlight remarked, “she’s the same mare that taught Diamond Tiara to be rude to the Cutie Mark Crusaders back before they had their marks.”

The next hour was fun for Sunburst. While not on the same level as magic research and his usual hobbies, the party was a close second. Sugarcube Corner provided some delicious cookies and other assorted desserts, and Diamond’s choice in punch flavor complimented the treats really well. Pinkie and Cheese took their party games to the next level as promised; they modified Spin the Bottle so nobody had to do any kissing, and some of Cheese’s factory gags had a clever twist included. So far, it had been a nice evening for everybody involved.

“I’m just saying,” Rainbow Dash attempted to persuade him during a discussion about the upcoming term, “gym class would be twenty percent cooler if we added a pool so we could do water sports. A lot of creatures attending the school can fly, so why not do something for the students that can swim?”

“Excuse me,” Diamond Tiara called out, preventing Sunburst from replying to the spectrum-maned mare. The stallion turned his attention to the young mare trying to quiet the crowd from a raised stage in the estate’s backyard. “Excuse me! Thank you. Silver and I would like to thank you all for coming tonight. Normally, I’m the one giving the speeches, but as a reflection of how things are growing and changing in Ponyville, I’m giving this honor to my best friend, Silver Spoon.”

Diamond took a step back and allowed Silver to move up front.

“Thanks, bestie.” Silver smiled as she glanced at all the guests. “It’s like Diamond said, Ponyville is changing and growing. Ever since Princess Twilight moved here a few years ago, Ponyville has become a bigger, stronger community. Because of our beloved town’s growth, we finally have something most towns already had--a high school. Truth be told, I wasn’t looking forward to riding a train early in the morning just to attend classes in another town. You can imagine how happy I was to hear from my mother about the new development in Ponyville, especially once I realized what an opportunity for everybody in our class this is.”

Sunburst thought he was seeing things, but he would’ve sworn Diamond Tiara’s smile got a bit strained at the mention of her class. Sort of like when Diamond and Silver greeted him at the entrance.

“Starting this fall season, our class will be the first to use Ponyville’s new high school and subsequently the first to graduate from there,” Silver continued, oblivious to her friend’s shift in behavior. “Just like how Princess Twilight made history by becoming Equestria’s newest princess, we will be making town history. I’ve always looked forward to going to high school with my bestie and can’t wait to experience the next several years together with her,” she concluded her speech and faced her friend. “Diamond, would you like to add any--Are, are you okay?”

Diamond flinched back upon being addressed by Silver so soon after her speech. She took several steps back. From his place in the crowd, Sunburst could see Diamond was breathing heavier than before.

“N-no. S-sorry, I-I think I need a minute.” Diamond jumped off the stage and bolted across the yard for her family’s house. The crowd parted in surprise, some murmuring their concern for the young mare.

“Diamond!” Silver Spoon called out, a hoof extended after her.

As whispers broke out among the partygoers, Sunburst started scooting his way through towards the Rich estate. Given how Diamond was reacting to her friend’s speech, he had a feeling he was one of the few ponies that could help with her current situation.







It took some maneuvering around the guests that were lounging inside and the staff that worked in the house, but Sunburst managed to track down Diamond to one of several bathrooms.

“Diamond? Are you feeling alright?” Sunburst asked through the door, knocking with his hoof.

“Use one of the other bathrooms! I’m busy!” She nearly screamed through the door. By the tone, Sunburst suspected she was trying to scare him away, but the effort was ruined by the betraying sound of hiccups interrupting her shouts.

Sunburst refused the command, not wanting to leave the party host in distress. He continued knocking. “I’m not here for that. I just want to talk.”

“Well, I don’t. So just go bother somepony else.”

While he made another series of knocks to coax the young host into talking, Silver Spoon approached from down the hall. “Is Diamond in there? I want to make sure she’s okay.”

“Silver Spoon? Sweet Celestia, I’m so sorry! I ruined your big speech!” Sunburst imagined she was most likely burying her face in her hooves, ashamed by her shocking exit.

“It’s just a speech. I’ll probably say more later on.” Silver nudged past Sunburst so she was standing in front of the door instead of him. “What’s going on? You’ve been acting really weird since we started talking about the party, but I never really thought much about it until now.”

“I can’t say. It’ll upset you.” Diamond’s voice got quieter beyond the door, and if the stallion wasn’t already listening so attentively, he might not have heard it.

“Whatever it is, it made you run away. I’m not upset, only concerned,” Silver replied gently before adding, “and maybe confused.”

“I just can’t. Please just go back and enjoy the party while you can. I’ll be okay.” Diamond’s voice rose louder again, a plea added to her tone.

Silver looked up at Sunburst, her brow furrowed worryingly. “Do you know what’s going on? I don’t understand.”

Sunburst shook his head. “It’s not my place to say. You’re better off asking her. Besides, I made a Pinkie Promise.”

The gray mare stared at him in disbelief. “You made a Pinkie Promise? Whoa, this must be something big.”

For you two, it is definitely big.

Silver continued to gaze at him, and her eyes drifted to his horn. “Hey… can you use your magic to undo the lock?” She pointed to the bathroom’s doorknob with her hoof.

His muzzle dropped open slightly.

Why hadn’t he thought of doing that?

Activating his magic, he focused on twisting the lock on the other side in the opposite direction it was set. There was a click from beyond the door, and Silver swung it open to reveal Diamond sitting on the floor.

“Wha--hey!” Diamond jumped to her hooves, eyes wide.

Before the pink mare could slam the door in their faces, Silver Spoon and Sunburst entered.

“I just want to understand,” Silver said softly, reaching out a hoof to comfort her friend. “Why are you feeling like this?”

Giving in, Diamond sighed before taking a critical look around the space. “Can we do this somewhere else? The bathroom isn’t exactly the best place to have a private talk.”

“Okay, but where do you want to go?”

“Ooh! I have the best idea!” All three ponies jumped at the sudden new voice. They all stared at the mirror and saw Pinkie smiling at them.

“Pinkie?” 

“That’s me! I know the perfect place you can have your big heart-to-heart,” Pinkie continued to grin as if she hadn’t just baffled the group of ponies.

“Pinkie, what’re you doing in Diamond Tiara’s mirror?” Sunburst gained the courage to ask, forgoing the unwritten rule to never question Pinkie’s unpredictable behavior.

The bubbly mare giggled. “Making sure no Pinkie Promises were broken, obviously!” She reached her hooves through the mirror and grabbed onto Diamond and Silver Spoon. “Come on! It’s time to strengthen a friendship!”

“Wait, where are you taking them?” Sunburst tried to ask as the younger two girls were yanked through, himself following a moment later.







Right after Pinkie pulled Sunburst through the mirror, his vision went dark. It wasn’t until almost half a minute after the darkness registered that the thought occurred to him to try casting a light spell.

A glowing ball formed at the tip of his horn, and he was once again able to see. Before him stood Pinkie, Diamond, and Silver, the latter two ponies looking around in confusion.

“Where... where are we?” Silver Spoon wondered, staying close to Diamond Tiara.

“The most private place ever!” Pinkie introduced with a grand wave of a hoof. “Welcome to limbo!” She let out a giggle. “And I’m not talking about the game of limbo. Totally different thing.”

Sunburst’s jaw dropped. “Limbo? As in limbo where we trapped the Pony of Shadows? That limbo?”

Pinkie tilted her head in thought. “Well, not exactly. Just a different part of it. Whatever two doors down would mean here, that’s where he is. I think.”

“Pinkie, get us out of here right now!” Sunburst demanded, stomping a hoof.

“Not until Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon clear the air.” Pinkie swept a foreleg at the two young mares. “This Pinkie Promise is hurting them real bad. I’ve never seen a Pinkie Promise harm somepony this terribly.”

Diamond looked down at her hooves and then met Silver’s eyes. “Sil… about your speech back there, it was great, but it was wrong.”

Silver blinked, evidently confused. “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Diamond took a deep breath, “I won’t be going to the new Ponyville school with you in the fall.”

“What?” Silver yelled, raising her hooves to her muzzle.

Shying away, Diamond rubbed a foreleg with the other. “I’ve enrolled in the School of Friendship. That’s where I’m going to be for the next few years.”

Calming down, her friend thought over her next response. “Why? Is that why you’ve been avoiding me for the past couple weeks?”

Nodding, Diamond explained, “Even though I became a better pony because of the Crusaders, I still think I have a lot to learn about friendship. That school, it’ll help me do that and maybe unlearn everything my mother taught me.”

“Okay, but that doesn’t explain why you’ve been avoiding me. Why didn’t you just tell me you were going to a different school?” Silver dipped her head to one side.

“I thought you’d freak out. We’ve been together ever since we were foals. I didn’t want you to assume I didn’t care about our friendship.” Diamond momentarily averted her gaze.

Silver Spoon glanced at Sunburst, who quietly kept giving them all light to see each other. “Did you know that she was going to the School of Friendship? You were acting pretty weird too.”

“Of course, I was the pony who handled her admission,” Sunburst replied, as if the answer were obvious. “She asked me to Pinkie Promise so that I didn’t spill the beans.”

Returning her attention to Diamond, Silver said, “I wouldn’t have been upset about you deciding to go to a different school. We all have things we need to do so we can become better ponies. Honestly, if you had told me what you were planning, I would’ve gone with you.”

Diamond stared at Silver with wide eyes. “What? But you’re not nearly as nasty as I learned to be. Why would you need the School of Friendship?”

“Because even though I didn’t have a snobbish mother who thought she was better than everyone, I was still a bully with you. I still taunted the colts and fillies without cutie marks, I still manipulated them and went along with your plans even though they weren’t right.” Closing the space between her and Diamond, she brought her into a hug. “We both need to learn more about being good friends, and if that means missing out on being part of the first class to graduate from Ponyville’s new school, then so be it.”

Eyes watering, Diamond returned the embrace. “Oh, Silver Spoon…”

As the two young mares patched up their friendship, Pinkie Pie and Sunburst watched with pride.

“Pinkie Promise complete,” Pinkie confirmed to herself, taking out a small notepad from her mane and making a mark in it. Once the note was made, she tucked the pad and pencil into her tail. “You’re free from any punishment for breaking a Pinkie Promise, Sunburst.”

“Oh, thank goodness.” Sunburst exhaled heavily. “That had to be the longest I’ve ever kept somepony else’s secret.” He thought of something and glanced at the pink mare. “You’re not going to keep popping out of strange places around me now, are you?”

“Eh, promise or no promise, I’ll always do wacky gags like that around my friends.” As if proving her point, Pinkie removed a cup of punch from her mane and chugged it before throwing the cup away. Noticing Sunburst staring at her, she wondered, “Sorry, did you want some?”

Before Sunburst could form a response, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon came over to the two older ponies.

“Come on, let’s get back to the party. It’s not just a party for us, it’s a party for our whole class,” Diamond said.

“Yeah, and I have to find my parents and talk to them about attending the School of Friendship,” Silver stated, one foreleg still around Diamond’s neck. “Maybe with both of us attending, we’ll finish twice as fast as we would on our own.”

“Okay! If I’m going to get us back, Sunburst, I need you to turn out that light,” Pinkie said.

Giving Pinkie an odd look, Sunburst reluctantly ceased the glowing spell, sending the four ponies into the darkness of limbo.







Sunburst stared out the window of his office at the school.

“This is it,” Sunburst murmured to himself, “the first day of a new start.”

Feeling sufficiently ready, Sunburst exited his office and was greeted by the lively sight of various creatures of all shapes, colors, and sizes traveling up and down the hallways. New friendships were already forming as different species spoke with each other. Every new pair made Sunburst’s smile grow bigger.

This is going to be a great working environment, he thought. At one point, he spotted Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon exploring the courtyard with some other new students.

He found Starlight and Trixie in the front hall, helping new students find their schedules and greeting every creature that came through the door.

“Hey, Starlight! Hi, Trixie! Everything going okay?” He approached their table.

“With Trixie helping run things? Of course,” Trixie boasted to her coworkers’ amusement.

“Well, it is only morning,” Starlight said, floating a schedule and map to the next student that came up. “But yeah, today is going just fine.”

“Mom, Dad, what did I say about collecting stuff for my trophy room?” The three ponies, along with the students near the table, all jumped at Rainbow Dash’s yell.

Turning in the direction that the shout came from, Sunburst and his fellow staff watched as Rainbow’s parents, saddlebags filled to the brim, flew through the room. Rainbow came quickly after, nearly blowing unprepared students over.

Sunburst groaned, raising a hoof to his forehead, feeling a familiar ache from his previous encounter with the spectrum-maned mare’s folks. “Today was going fine.”


The End