Twilight had been kind of quiet for a couple of days. Now I found her looking out a window towards the sun shimmering ocean below as the airship drove us back towards Canterlot.
Walking up next to her, I stopped and looked out over the ocean for a moment before I looked at her, “...Are you still angry with me?”
Twilight blinked as I pulled her from her thoughts before she met my eyes, “Angry?” she asked and then she sighed and shifted closer, her wing slipping across my back as she rested her head against mine for a second, “Page, I was never angry with you,” she said, “...not really. Just the entire situation.”
I leaned against her in turn for a second, “So what’s up?” I asked, “You’d been down since we left for Equestria.”
She shook her head, “Just… been thinking,” she said with a small sigh before looking out the window again.
“About?”
“Ponies. And other creatures,” Sparks explained and frowned, “Just that…” she started before she stopped and looked at me, “I lived in Canterlot. Before Ponyville, I mean.”
“Yes?”
Twilight flicked her ears to the sides, “Do you know how many non-ponies I met before I moved to Ponyville? Buck that, even after that. Before the changelings ”
I frowned, “Well, most of the population are ponies, so I’d guess not that many?”
“I counted. Seventeen. Seventeen non-ponies,” Twilight exclaimed, her wings raising, “And that’s only because I spent time at the castle with the Princess! I may have seen more at a distance, but that’s how many I talked to before the changeling invasion. Ever!”
“Well, tha-”
“I’m the Princess of Friendship!” Twilight continued and stomped her hoof like she didn’t hear me, “I was the student of Princess Celestia! In Canterlot! I didn’t meet more than seventeen non-ponies in my life and the great majority were creatures going to Canterlot for official purposes!”
Twilight made a snorting sound and shook her head, turning to me, “Is there a wonder ponies react with fear to other creatures!?”
“I thi-”
“Nevermind other creatures!” she continued and took a couple of steps away, stomping one hoof, “They don’t see ponies any more often! Or even other creatures!” Twilight exclaimed and turned to look at me, “you were right about the thestrals, there wasn't enough exposure for them to ever be accepted as it is now. There are changelings all over Canterlot and ponies there aren’t even that used to them yet! Yet alone the rest of the country!”
“Maybe if you didn’t call them crea-”
“I’m the princess of friendship!” Twilight continued, her wings spreading as she stomped her hoof again, “How am I meant to help everycreature become friends when there aren-”
Okay, the Sparky one is in a loop. Time to break the cycle.
Stepping up, I slipped a wing and a foreleg around her, spun her around and kissed her hard.
Twilight tensed, struggling for half a second before I felt her relax and she started to kiss back. Finally breaking the kiss, I bumped my nose softly against hers, looking into her eyes, “Feel better?” I asked gently.
Twilight looked up at me with a small sigh as she blushed slightly, “...A little...” she admitted, twisting out of my grasp and down onto her hooves before she slipped her wing around me again, resting her head against mine, “I...I just don’t know what to do. If the griffons and yetis had been talking in the first place, we wouldn’t even have needed to be there. If thestrals had been accepted, Nocturnis would never have been needed. There wouldn’t even have been a curse in the first place!”
“Sparks,” I told her seriously, “You’re the most brilliant pony I know. But I’m not sure even your planet-sized brain can solve xenophobia and preconceptions in an afternoon.”
Twilight shook her head, resting it against the side of my neck for a long moment, “No. But…” she started before she shook her head again and went quiet.
“What?”
“I was just thinking,” Sparks said, “If ponies and everycreature else could get used to everypony else… meet everycreature more often…”
“Knowledge and familiarity is the enemy of fear,” I agreed, “But I’m not sure how you’d even do that.”
She nodded, “I...I may have an idea,” she admitted, “I’m not sure how well it’d work, yet along convince everypony else to go along with it, but I can’t get it out of my head.”
“What is it?”
Twilight looked at me, “A school. A school, not just for gifted unicorns or pegasi or earthponies or even ponies. A school for everycreature, griffons, changelings, yeti… yaks… dragons...” she said and smiled, “Someplace where they can learn while also learning about each other, getting to know each other when they are little. Somewhere where… somewhere where understanding can start. Make friends. From the start.”
I considered that for a long moment, shifting my wings as I sat down.
“...Maybe,” I finally said, “But it would be difficult. And possibly self selecting as the ones that do send their children would likely be the ones that already are accepting of other species.”
“I was thinking the same,” Twilight agreed, sitting down across from me, “But you have to start somewhere. Or nothing will ever change for the better.”
She was right about that. If nopony ever tried to make things better… dared to dream that it could be…
Then it never would be.
Nice
Please don't make this the beginning of what I fear.
That word, 'everycreature', has been bothering me since it came out. A pure proof of just how problematic ponies' behaviour towards other beings of equus is.
I blame Celestia for this. For not putting her hoof down when this blatant xenophobia started to worm its way in.
But that's just me... I'm probably looking too deep into this.
11011351
So long as it doesn't lead to that stupid Princess Retirement arc, I'm probably down for whatever.
11011363
Celestia: Oh btw Luna and I are retiring
Page: Like hell you are, sit your asses back down.
11011351
At least this version is a little more reasoned out? (Stopped at S6E4 myself, so not sure if she had as much thought behind a School.)
11011381
That was a wise choice. I stopped after seeing the first S9 trailer myself.
"We could make a school in Nocturnis! It could be another source of income!"
"Sparky, most of the students would be eaten within a week....."
Early draft of this chapter was found:
TWILIGHT STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP
But get real teachers and not your friends.
Remember that this is also a school that is supposed to prepare you for adult life ,etc
The only ones that could still be good teachers are Fluttershy and Rarity ,depending on what specialization students will choose.
Because you know you go to school to get a job later for example and not to learn that supposedly apples are the only good fruit thanks to Applejack.
11011372
Page: "You do that and I will take over to become Emperor"
Luna:"It's doesn't seem so ba--"
Page:"And I will get Nightmare Moon or Skitter as my Empress"
Page:"It would look really bad if my Empress went to retirement home"
Very good point... Twilight Sparkle needs more non Pony contact and actual friends!
IDK why people have such a problem with the school and S9. I thought the last two seasons were really fun and enjoyable. Sure, not everything about the school made sense, but it was silly and allowed for so many new ideas and characters to get the spotlight.
11011372
"If only there was something you could do about it"
11011450
a possible compromise between canon and non canon could be to have both the mane 6 and actual teachers as teachers there.
Ahhh, realized that you know basically nothing about any race besides ponies did you
MEANWHILE AT SHIPPING HQ...
Sunburst: Aww...I love how Page is being supportive of Twilight's aspirations.
Shining Armor: Knowing my sister, Twily will make it successful with enough planni---Discord? What's with the getup?
*Discord marches in dressed in military gear*
Discord: Cadance my dear...we need to get ready for the impending battle.
Cadance: Impending battle? Against what?
Discord: Twilight has unknowingly sent things into motion. An evil will soon descend on them and we must prevent it at all cost!!
Shining Armor: What's this danger?
Discord: We must soon fight against...a tiny pink pony! *dramatic lightning*
Cadance: ...EXCUSE YOU?! That is NOT how we treat the daughter of my herd!!
Discord: What..NO! A different pony! Besides Flurry's reign of terror doesn't start until the hippogriffs feel safe enough to leave the ocean...
Cadance&ShiningArmor&Sunburst: ....wut??
11011594
Discord, your canon counterpart turned her to stone. You don't turn ponies to stone. Ergo, Cozy Glow is not a pony.
Oh god friendship school, maybe Cozy can save us from that fate.
Or hell, maybe Page has heard of the residential schools in North America and can see the links between taking in a foreign nations youth to "teach" them in what one group views as the correct way to think
11011747
"Hey sparks...uh this girl here, she's a sociopath."
"Page!"
"She's planning the 'final solution' to the earth pony problem, amber stole her diary, here it is right here in ink."
"Oh...oh wow..."
"Yep."
"Well that could have been a problem."
"yep."
On paper, it sounds good. In practice, this can go wrong in so many ways. Poor old Page and Sunset are going to missing her for a while, either way.
No jackboot today.
Young minds don't know adult problems, and if they were made aware, it is the adults mistake for letting that happen.
Human adults like to hold grudges, and we don't like anything that changes our view of the world we had built. We just can never learn that the World around us is alive and WILL move on without us. That is not to say we need to drop everything. We should hold on to the past, but only if doing so doesn't hold us back from the future.
What does color, race, or species matter when we feel the same sadness and happiness?
11011886
to not learn from the past you are doomed to repeat the same mistakes
We’ll see what becomes of the school idea in this universe. Twilight may for all we know decide to scrap it again, or if she does get something established, it certainly doesn’t have to take the exact same form as in canon.
And while solving the Big Equestrian Friendship Problem will doubtlessly take a lot more work and quite possibly several generations’ worth of time, even just a single multi-species school in which students from all corners of the world can bond with each other over their mutual everyday school frustrations is at least a modest starting point, so let’s not knock it prematurely.
A school? not sure how that will work with this story line.
i like the idea but still?
a grate chapter.
What a smart Purple Princess.
Get them while they're young. Imprint your beliefs onto their children and you will rule forever. It's OK you are on the side of the angels.
But first, she should probably make something like a play or... a cartoon show about such a school of goodyness to put the idea into the minds of the populous.
And in eighty years' time, the rhetoric will say that 'lings had no other choice, they simply wanted some food and so Queen Chrysalis did nothing wrong. So the ponies are not allowed an opinion anymore, and of course must pay reparations, since Pony Privilege. Oh, and mares are rapists!
Bet they will have twitter at that point as well.
Grim times are coming to horsie-lands. Grim times indeed.
11050418
Sir, I'm here to escape reality, pls no XD
11012034
It's okay, it barely even worked with the canon storyline.
Let's just hope Twilight's school isn't just about friendship. Also be more of a grade school then the college/high-school in cannon (Cozy Glow could go to the school but the CMC couldn't though)
11366827
I just we don't end up with little miss magic drain. Who smart idea was it to let triek have access to anyone not a princess or lawyer?
11381102
It is not like Tirek is in prison or something, it is more he was banished to Tartarus and have a dog to stop him from just leaving...
Yes to the School of Friendship!! No to the idiotic idea of the princesses retiring and forcing a FAR-too-young Twilight to take the throne!!
I wonder how differently the school storyline will go when Cozy is living in Nocturnis with her mom, Moon Glow. (I'm still assuming that Cozy is Moon's daughter, 'cause why not?)
11011394
Twilight, "The school's built, the colts/fillies (and their parents) from Nocturnis have been notified, plus certified teachers and the students from outside Nocturnis will be arriving on the train next week. Am I forgetting anything?"
Before Page can respond, the Rexosaurus horn sounds.
While everyone goes into hiding, a Rexosaurus walks straight to the central tree, slaps it 3 times with its claw, and sits down.
After a moment, it stands up, slaps the tree again, then sits down again as if it's waiting for something.
A guard volunteers to fly down and investigate.
The Rexosaurus stands up, points a claw at the guard, then points the same claw at something hidden behind the tree, before walking off.
When the guard checks behind the tree, they see a very young Rexosaurus.
"Mommy says I gotta come here every day now. What's a school?"
Great method to get mares to stop panic
Comment section is great as always
In one of my stories where Cadance is a immortal Griffon chick currently growing up, I made a big school with many different teachers to make the Griffon and pony students aware of diversity and getting used to it.
Full time teacher that have one or two specialization and focus on their job, instead of making a part time job out of it like the mane 6 in canon.
11909598
That was a hilarious idea, though I am surprised you didn't utilize Fluttershy speaking to animals talent for it.
Great idea though!