"You wanted to see me, Twilight?" asked Starlight Glimmer as the School of Friendship reopened following the Hearth's Warming Eve break. Starlight noticed Twilight looking at a scroll that was on her desk and then putting it back down, sighing heavily as she did so. "Oh boy, I guess Hearth's Warming eve wasn't as good for you as you thought it was going to be."
This made Twilight stammer.
"No, no! I did have a good Hearth's Warming!" she stammered, flailing in surprise before regaining her composure and showing the letter to Starlight. "It's just that…this came to me over the break, Starlight. It was from Queen Novo."
Walking over, Starlight took the scroll with her magic and read it aloud for Twilight to hear:
…
"Princess Twilight Sparkle,
I am writing this to you on behalf of my niece, Silverstream. Apparently, she was not able to take part in such an important celebration as the three days we hippogriffs have considered sacred since the defeat of the Storm King because you kept her at your school for something she didn't do. I understand that you were trying to exert your authority, honey, but why would you go so far as to keep my niece away from her family during this important time? Let me warn you that if you ever do something like this again, I will have no choice but to pull my niece out of your school.
Yours truly,
Queen Novo."
…
"But I don't understand why Novo would react this way," wondered Twilight. "Silverstream and the others DID choose to stay with Gallus while he did his extra friendship lessons. Maybe Rainbow Dash and I were too hard on her and the others?"
Starlight then sighed heavily for she knew that there something important that Twilight needed to know about her actions.
"Well…in a way…" Starlight guessed, pondering the situation for a brief moment. "You were."
This made Twilight direct all her attention at her former pupil.
"I get the fact that you were trying to exert your authority and make the punishment fit the crime," continued Starlight, pulling up a chair and sitting in front of Twilight. "But, there are certain boundaries that you have to avoid crossing and I'm afraid keeping creatures away from their families was a bit much."
"What else would I have done, Starlight?" cried Twilight, suddenly rising from her desk. "Just let this all sweep under the rug like it was nothing? I would have at least invited the families to come here and visit. In fact, why are we even talking about this?"
Then Twilight was floored by what she heard next.
"Because I had Silverstream and Ocellus in my office this morning," answered Starlight, firmly. "I could tell that they were more than a little bit emotional than normal. They told me that they were greatly bothered by how you and Rainbow Dash not only tried to keep them from their families, but also for being too hard on them. Like you, I do commend them for sacrificing their time to be with Gallus along with Sandbar, Yona and Smolder. But, nevertheless, like them, they did do nothing wrong and you should have been a little easier on them."
"I was being firm but fair, Starlight," replied Twilight, holding up another scroll for Starlight to read from Wonderbolt headquarters. "If there was anypony who is to blame for being too harsh, it's Rainbow Dash. In fact, I found out yesterday that Novo had also written to Spitfire and now, she's on probation for a month for being too hard on the students."
"Either way, your own actions will have consequences," remarked Starlight, unfazed by Twilight protesting. "You did what any headmare would do. But maybe in the moment of judgment, couldn't you have possibly chosen a more suitable punishment and avoided being criticized by Novo? Like, I don't know, maybe waiting on having the guilty be doing the extra friendship lessons after the holiday itself? Keep the punishment the way it is, but have it NOT be around a time when families are meant to be together."
"You're making me sound like I am monster, Starlight."
"I'm not saying that you are a monster, Twilight," retorted Starlight, firmly. "I'm just offering you some constructive criticism for the future, that's all. I mean, think about it for a second. When you were here student, didn't Princess Celestia ever keep you away from your family during Hearth's Warming Eve when you tried to sabotage the holiday yourself?"
Twilight's eyes widened upon hearing this from Starlight. In her mind, Starlight was going into personal territory.
"No, I never was kept from my family and I would never do anything to sabotage the holiday or any holiday for that matter. When certain holidays came, Princess Celestia let me go home to my family."
"Then, if you had never been kept from spending Hearth's Warming Eve with your family, why would you not do the same for those who didn't?"
"I had to set an example, Starlight," protested Twilight, vehemently defending her actions. "Life isn't fair and I thought I was doing the right thing, but it turns out I was wrong. But, you must cut me some slack, Starlight. I'm only a rookie when it comes to running a school, so in this case, I need to live and learn from my actions. Did I go too far in a way? Yes. Should I have sent the innocent home for the holiday? Yes, but they chose to sacrifice their time to be with Gallus. That was their choice and I commend them for that."
"All that matters is that you learn from this and move on, Twilight," sighed Starlight, lowering her head down in thought for a brief moment, before going towards the door. "We all make mistakes in life, even if it was meant to set an example. This proves that you still have a lot to learn about running a school, Twilight, which includes how to handle certain situations. Then, you'll be a good headmare."
Left alone in her office, Twilight was left to think about what had just been said. She knew that Starlight was right…she had a lot to learn about being a headmare of a school of friendship.
…
THE END
