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// 24 - Parent/Teacher Conference 
// Story: Brilliant Sunburst 
// by David Silver 
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Spike had his hands behind his head as they walked. "I don't get it." He glanced at Starlight as they trotted along, heading towards the center of town. "You're sure you don't need any help?"

Starlight laughed a little at that. "No, I'm fine, thanks." She reached over to ruffle the top of Spike's head. "I don't know, it just felt right. Pebble was going to be my child anyway, just for being Sunburst's child. That's how I saw it. Pebble being a colt only makes things a little different."

She turned in place, hoof moving to her chin. "Right." She resumed her trot, moving through the center of things towards the edge. "And if he's our foal, he's going to need what all foals need."

"Changing diapers?" Spike hopped along in Starlight's wake.

Starlight rolled her eyes. "I was going to say a, you know, supportive and educational school? Besides, you know he's already past diapers, right?"

"About that!" Spike swapped sides, walking along with Starlight. "He can talk, but he doesn't want solid food, but he's past diapers? This isn't, you know, normal, for a foal, is it? Pretty sure it isn't."

Starlight snorted at the dragon. "He was a rabbit, which was already a magic jump." She huffed gently. "Then he became a pony, more magic. Poor thing, we've been throwing magic at him a lot." She tossed her head. "Let's fix this with some not-magic, huh? He needs to do some nice, normal, development."

She swung her head towards the schoolhouse. "So, first, education. What better place for that, than the schoolhouse?" She nudged Spike with her hip. "Right?"

Spike followed Starlight, frowning with worry. "This has a lot of questions, and I'm really not sure Cheerilee is the complete answer."

"Hm?" Cheerilee looked up from her desk as Starlight came trotting in. "Well, there's a face I don't see very often. How can I help you, Miss Glimmer?" She straightened a stack of papers as she watched the unicorn and her dragon companion come to a stop before her.

Starlight leaned on her desk. "I'd like to enroll a foal in your school." She held up a hoof off the ground. "About this tall, talks, ready to learn."

Cheerilee blinked softly. "How old are they?"

"That is more complicated than you think." Starlight shook her head slowly. "I mean, technically, a few months?"

"What?" Cheerilee got to her hooves. "I'm not sure I understand. Are you referring to a colt or a filly?"

Starlight flashed a smile. "Oh, that one's simple. He is a colt. But his age is a bit more complicated, and the more I go into detail, the more confusing that's going to become, so let's just push past that." She jabbed her hoof with each word, nearly striking the table. "He is a magical pony, and he needs the right guidance, right now. You are going to provide it. Because he's going to go to this school."

Cheerilee snorted gently. "Miss Glimmer, it is my decision who will be going to this school. I am not forced to seat any given foal in this room." She crossed her arms slowly. "It seems to me that I should meet this foal of yours so I can understand their situation, and know if I can assist them or not."

Spike shrugged with a soft eh of a noise. "Seems reasonable. Told ya."

Starlight danced in place a moment. "You teach all the foals in town! Since when did you turn some of them away?"

Cheerilee leaned forward, one brow raised. "When you couldn't even tell me how old this foal was? Are they an orphan you found somewhere? Start telling me the whole truth and I may change my mind. I'm not a monster, Miss Glimmer, but I do need to know who I'm teaching."

"No, he's not an orphan." Starlight fidgeted on the spot. "Look, he was a magical mistake, okay? I'm not talking about like a 'magic went haywire' thing." She rubbed at her cheek a moment. "Okay, you know Sunburst, right?"

"The gender re-assigned unicorn, joining Twilight's school?" Cheerilee rolled a hoof as she summarized. "Heard of them, haven't had much heavy contact besides that. What about them?"

"I'm their girlfriend." Starlight spread her hooves. "So, I know about their history. Sunburst was a mare once, then was changed by their mother's magic, and then their mother covered that up when Sunburst revealed it, and—" She inhaled. "And now she's back to being a mare, mostly." She colored, thinking about that line Sunburst walked between either. "Either way! She got her magic back, and she's been practicing. She used a spell and turned a rock into a rabbit."

She stamped her hoof. "Then, she messed up, and the rabbit turned into a pony." She threw her hoof at the door. "And they want to keep on being a pony, so we're its parents now. I don't want to be a bad mom, so I want to get them some schooling and if you're not doing it, where else do I go?!"

Cheerilee and Spike met eyes, as if both knew what it was to be around the wild insanity of a unicorn. Cheerilee coughed into a hoof gently. "I can see why you're confused about their age. In any event, I still need to meet them, even moreso. I need to see what level of development they've reached. Are they a little foal, or a school-aged foal? I need to speak with them. If the first, I can suggest some lovely foalsitters to watch over him and encourage their mind until they become ready for me."

Spike slid his hand to his face. "So, how much do you wanna bet Pebble is going to be a 'he's just a baby' case?"

Starlight pointed at Spike. "Ignore him. Pebbles is already very talented, and so very curious. I'll bring him by, and you'll see." She turned for the exit. "Um, thanks."

"You're very welcome." Cheerilee reached for the top paper in the stack. "As I said, I'm not here to be a monster. I want every foal to get what they need, Miss Glimmer."

Starlight paused before the door to look back. "Just, Starlight, please. Call me Starlight."

"Certainly, Starlight." Cheerilee set her paper down. "I look forward to meeting Pebbles."

Spike nudged Starlight forward, though he had no hope of forcing her. "Let's go. See you later, Cheerilee!" He waved at the teacher with a big smile.

Cheerilee leaned over, looking down at Spike. "I had meant to ask, and I will, since you're here. Why is it you never attended this school? I presumed Twilight and you spoke about the idea?"

Spike grinned back at Cheerilee. "Yeah, we talked about it, but, it just wasn't for me, really. I mean, I can read and write, and I know my cities! Um, Twilight was my teacher, really." He rubbed behind his head awkwardly. "I know what you'd expect a foal to know. No offense, uh, but I'd be pretty bored most of the time if I did come here."

Cheerilee pointed at Spike, but was looking at Starlight. "This is why I need to meet Pebbles. Not every foal fits comfortably in the box I'd place them in, without asking, and seeing. Spike is the right age to be one of my students, but he's not a good fit." She reached out and Spike came closer, to get gentle head rubs as she drew him closer. "I wish him all the best, even if I can't help him directly."

Starlight joined the hug, laughing gently. "I have to get Pebble and Sunburst, then we can all come back." She flicked her tail happily. "Maybe we can have dinner after that? It has been a long time since I've gotten to say hello."

Cheerilee sat back as Starlight headed out, leaning back in her chair with a sigh. "New parents," she sighed out, a hint of a smile on her lips. "Each one, a special case."

***

"Excuse me." Smolder waved from her desk excitedly. "Teach!"

Sunburst looked up. "Mm? Yes, um, Smolder?" She was still learning to remember all the students by name. "You have a question?"

Smolder puffed a little flame. "You said dragon's fire is their magic. How do you use that 'ethically'?" She curled her claws in the air as she spoke. "Because I can't imagine how lighting somepony's butt on fire is good, even if you're on a team with them."

Sunburst chuckled gently. "Fire can be used for more than setting ponies on fire. Ideally, we don't set ponies on fire at all." She turned back to her blackboard and made scribbles on it. "For instance, fire can warm a home, or help with countless industrial needs. Light, energy, these are all useful functions. The same can be said for unicorns. Magic can be used for more than what is 'easily' done without."

Noises of thought rose from the classroom. Another hoof raised, Sandbar waved to get attention. "Sir, um, teacher." They shuffled in their desk. "I'm an earth pony. I don't really have, you know, magic. Should I even be in this class?"

"An excellent question." Sunburst trotted up to the side of Sandbar. "But even earth ponies have magic. It can vary with the individual, but the most common are ties with plants or animals." She motioned her hoof at a plant nearby. "You could grow this little fellow."

Sandbar looked over the plant before gently reaching out and prodding it. It sprouted a few more leaves. "I guess so."

"Fluttershy can talk to animals," added Silverstream, drawing eyes to her. "How is that different?"

Sunburst smiled faintly. "There are a lot of possibilities, and we're just starting to chart that map. We're studying this to help improve pony life, and all life." She spread her hooves out. "All creatures have magic, and using them responsibly makes the world a safer place to live, for everycreature. That's what this class is about. Now, Miss Fluttershy is a pegasus, yes, but she wields an earthpony typical magic. This is not an unknown phenomenon. For one."

She went up to the board and began drawing pony Punnett squares. "The tribes love each other, especially these days. We look at fluttershy and see a pegasus, but she, like many of us, is the product of different tribes, blending together to make her." She doodled a quick family tree. "In her case, it's her grandfather." She tapped at the little pony icon she had drawn. "They were an earth pony, and their gift passed down to her."

"Didn't the princess say the tribes were separate?" Gallus adjusted himself in his seat. "I don't mean to be rude, but that doesn't seem very responsible to me."

Sunburst stopped cold at that, ears going down. "They were, but it wasn't by the princesses' design. Fear and mistrust has, at times, pushed the pony tribes apart." She looked over the classroom. "It has, at times, pushed us all apart. Why, it's by Twilight's efforts that we have this school, and all the creatures in it. Just a few years ago, the very idea of this place would have seemed crazy at best."

Starlight was by the door, listening, but now she cleared her throat. "We're all in the same boat." She leaned in, giving Sunburst a brief nuzzle. "We were all taught the tribes were different, and some of us learned we were different." She turned to face the class after getting a subtle nod from Sunburst. "Distrust and the spread of bad information can make us believe in the worst things." She smirked faintly. "I should know, I've, um." She coughed into a hoof. "I'll let Sunburst continue." She fled the class, cheeks warmed.

Sunburst turned back to the class. "My apologies. Now, what was I saying? Ah, yes." She wrote on the board. "We all have magic, and magic has uses. Some good, and some bad. Unfortunately, some of the bad ones are easy to do, and seem 'easy'. Just because they're easy doesn't make them right. It's always harder to create, but it's worth it." She smiled at her class gently. "Your homework is to write about your magic. I want you to name one way it could hurt others, and three ways it could help."