"TELL ME, FILLY."

"Um, it's Sweetie Belle, Sir," the young pony replied.

"...TELL ME, FILLY, YOU ARE OF SCHOOL-AGE, ARE YOU NOT?"

Though she sighed at having her name ignored, Sweetie Belle did put on a smile for the sake of appearances. "I am, Sir. And it's a pretty great school too. All of my friends go there with me and our teacher, Miss Cheerilee, is one of the nicest mares around!"

"GOOD. I'M HAPPY TO HEAR A PONY YOUR AGE HAS SUCH A POSITIVE SENTIMENT TOWARDS YOUR EDUCATION. WITH LUCK, IT'S THE SAME WAY ACROSS THE REST OF EQUESTRIA."

Luna smiled to him. "Thankfully, it is, for the most part. Education was something Celestia valued a great deal during her centuries as the nation's sole ruler, and because of that she made sure that every colt and filly received proper tutelage. she even went so far as to have a school of her own, giving gifted unicorns personal attention in developing their magical talents."

"PLEASED TO HEAR IT. A RULER SHOULD ALWAYS BE SURE TO DO WHAT THEY CAN TO ENCOURAGE THE DEVELOPMENT OF FUTURE GENERATIONS. SHALL I ASSUME THAT YOU WOULD HAVE DONE THE SAME HAD YOU BEEN PRESENT, DAUGHTER?"

Luna considered that, then nodded. "Well, I certainly like to think I'd have done all I could in such a case. Although..." She looked down to Sweetie Belle, giving her a pat on the shoulder. "I haven't exactly been slacking when it comes to guiding the young."

The two shared a silent moment of understanding, and while Solaris would have undoubtedly wanted to ask further about that, he allowed them this private moment. "WELL THEN, IT'S GOOD TO KNOW EQUESTRIA IS IN GOOD HOOVES WHEN IT COMES TO EDUCATION AT LEAST."

To that, Zephyr scoffed. "Yeah, except when you meet the ponies running the show of course."

Luna grimaced at hearing his words, but it was Solaris who asked the natural question. "OH? AND WHAT, PRAY TELL, DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?"

Only now did Luna speak up on that matter. "I believe he refers to the Equestrian Education Association, Father. Specifically its head, Chancellor Neighsay."

"...WOW. THAT STALLION'S PARENTS MUST HAVE HATED HIM TO GIVE HIM A NAME LIKE THAT."

"They wouldn't have been the only ones," Zephyr continued. "From what my sister tells me basically nopony liked him. Right from the moment Twilight opened her own school he was trouble."

"DO YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT THIS STALLION DIRECTLY INTERFERED WITH THE PLANS OF THE PRINCESS?"

"Unfortunately yes, Father," Luna admitted. "Twilight's goal with the school was to help foster goodwill and cooperation not only among Equestrians, but among our many neighbours and allies. As such it featured students from among the Changelings, Dragons and others." Luna frowned. "Neighsay, alas, was not happy with this arrangement, and he even used his authority to close down the school against Twilight's wishes."

"NEVER BEFORE HAVE I GONE FROM BEING SO HAPPY WITH THE STATE OF AFFAIRS IN THIS COUNTRY TO BEING SO DISAPPOINTED IN SUCH A SHORT TIME. SO IF I'M TO UNDERSTAND THIS CORRECTLY, THE STALLION CHARGED WITH THE OVERSIGHT OF EQUESTRIA'S EDUCATION WAS AN INDIVIDUAL OF SUCH BIGOTRY AND INTOLERANCE THAT HE FORBADE A SCHOOL FROM EVEN EXISTING BECAUSE NOT ALL OF ITS STUDENTS WERE PONIES?"

"That would be the gist of it, yes," Luna conceded.

"Yeah! He was a total meanie!" Sweetie Belle added. "He even went and locked up some of those students because he thought they were doing something dangerous! Which they weren't!"

"I'M GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE SOMEPONY EXPLAIN THIS TO ME VERY, VERY QUICKLY. TELL ME, EXACTLY HOW IS IT THAT A STALLION OF SUCH POOR CHARACTER WAS ALLOWED TO RISE TO A POSITION OF SUCH POWER AND AUTHORITY UNDER MY ELDEST DAUGHTER'S WATCH?"

Luna stepped forward to her father's skeleton as she answered. "In Celestia's defense, Father, it's likely that she did not know this about Neighsay when she appointed him. Remember, a school that allowed for mixed classes like this had never been done prior to Twilight's arrival, largely because of the once-negative relationship Equestria once had with its neighbours. As such, it may simply be a case that, without such a school to look at, Neighsay's bigotry was never given an opportunity to reveal itself."

"BE THAT AS IT MAY, I'D HAVE THOUGHT CELESTIA TO BE A BETTER JUDGE OF CHARACTER THAN THIS. YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT SHE HAD NO INKLING OF NEIGHSAY'S POSITIONS IN ANY OF HER PRIOR DEALINGS WITH HIM?"

"I believe I can step in here, Princess," Blueblood remarked as he walked past Luna. "Your Majesty, I fully believe that Auntie Celestia would have indeed discerned this about him, but outside of her initial appointment of him she rarely ever spoke to him. Most of the time it was left to other castle dignitaries..." He took on a smug look. "Such as myself, for instance, to speak to him at official gatherings." He groaned. "And believe me, those were no pleasant conversations."

"WELL THEN, THAT SETTLES IT. IF A STALLION SUCH AS YOU FOUND HIM INTOLERABLE, THEN THAT'S JUST THE FINAL NAIL IN THE COFFIN AS FAR AS MY OPINION OF HIM GOES."

Luna cleared her throat before speaking up again. "To his credit, Father, he realised the error of his ways after an incident at the end of the school's first year. Since then he's been completely supportive of Twilight and her goals of furthering relations with our foreign friends." She smiled. "In fact, he even led a coalition of our allies against a more recent threat, so I think it's safe to say that he's softened on non-ponies by this point."

"...VERY WELL. IF THAT IS THE CASE, THEN I SUPPOSE NOTHING MORE NEED BE SAID ABOUT HIM."

"Agreed," Luna said.

"AND LET ME TELL YOU, IT'S FORTUNATE THAT YOU TOLD ME THIS ABOUT HIM, DAUGHTER. HAD I BEEN LEFT WITH THE IMRPESSION THAT HE HAD REMAINED A CLOSED-MINDED FOOL WHO HAS ACTIVELY STOOD IN THE WAY OF THE PLANS OF EQUESTRIA'S LEADERSHIP, I WOULD HAVE HAD...THOUGHTS."

Slowly, Luna arched an eyebrow. "Such as?" she asked warily.

"WELL, NAMELY THAT I WOULD HAVE SENT HIM A LETETR SAYING THAT THE EQUESTRIAN EDUCATION ASSOCIATION WAS NOW DISBANDED, THUS PROVOKING HIM INTO SUCH ANGER THAT HE'D MARCH DOWN HERE TO DEMAND AN EXPLANATION, AFTER WHICH I'D REQUEST THAT DISCORD HERE USE HIS POWER TO SEND BOTH HIM AND HIS CLOSEST ASSOCIATES DOWN TO THE DARKEST DEPTHS OF TARTARUS."

Discord, upon hearing all that, grinned wickedly as he drummed his fingers together. "Oh, that would have been an utter delight!" He then looked to Luna with disapproval. "Seriously, why'd you have to go and spoil a perfectly good plan by saying Neighsay was better now? For shame, Lulu!"

The blue mare rolled her eyes. "Well call me old-fashioned, but I don't typically agree with the sentiment that a pony should be sent to an underground realm of eternal punishment just because they're an old grouch."

Discord wagged his finger at her. "I repeat...for shame!"

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