Twilight beamed at the new students. She fanned her wings, and greeted them at the podium, “Good morning to my new pupils! I hope you were all present at orientation, and heh that you’re in the right classroom! Here at the School of Friendship, my faculty and I have one goal in mind: to instill the importance of friendship in every facet of life. Whether it be through learning about the world around us or even about ourselves, friendship, just like magic, remains an essential aspect of what it means to be a creature of this or any world. So welcome to the Theory of Defensive Friendship! Can any creature give me an example of a time when you had to resolve a non-constructive argument?”
 
Plumeria instantly raised her hoof, excitedly waiting to be called on. Twilight obliged her with an amused smile. Before a word could leave her, a stranger burst through the door. The weasel-like Larkspur floated into the classroom, disturbing the peaceful beginnings of a new school year. The draconequus was barely thirteen, and yet he was starting to grow a beard and he was already about the same size of Discord. Kind of jarring when his voice still squeaked with adolescence. He smiled at Twilight, making finger guns at her. “‘Sup teach. You didn’t have to go through the trouble of waiting for me. I won’t be showing up any earlier than this though, so no worries.”
 
Everyone frowned at him, except Plumeria who politely waited for her turn.
 
“Just sit down.” Twilight gestured toward an empty desk with a I’m-not-dealing-with-this-today look on her face.
 
Larkspur did as he was told. He floated to the back corner of the classroom, deliberately knocking down a unicorn filly’s books on the way. He folded himself sloppily into a chair. He smiled at Twilight, “Do continue.”
 
Twilight rolled her eyes and returned to Plumeria, floating the books back up onto the filly’s desk. “You were saying, Plumeria?”
 
“Well the first time I had to argue with anypony was when I had to explain to my mom that I couldn’t race anymore.”
 
Twilight furrowed her brows with a sympathetic smile, “I’m sure that wasn’t an easy conversation. I know how passionate Rainbow can be.”
 
“Me too! But she took it pretty well. It just goes to show that everyone, even those we’ve known our entire lives, is capable of change.” Plumeria smiled sweetly.
 
Twilight nodded, “Very true! And that’s a wonderful connection to today’s lesson.” She floated up a stack of note cards, and organized them.
 
“Well today’s lesson will revolve around creatures who changed themselves to be better. I’m talking of course about Discorrr…” Twilight trailed off, meeting the hard gaze from Larkspur. “Ahh I mean, the Pillars of Equestria!” Hurriedly, feathers bristling, the alicorn turned around and began writing. “Be sure to take notes on this class! You will be tested on this!”
 
The students whipped out their pencils, and deftly began writing as Twilight spoke. Except Larkspur of course, who leaned over and tapped Niko on his side a little too roughly, “Hey you.” He whispered not very quietly. “You got a spare pencil?”
 
Niko glared at him, irritated at his personal bubble being broken so rudely, “No. You should have brought your own, and the proper way to ask is, ‘Do you have a spare pencil?’” He turned back to his paper.
 
Larkspur snorted indignantly, and teleported a pencil from another student into his paws, and he began doodling a crude depiction of Twilight.
 
“Now who can tell me the names of the Pillers of Old Equestria and what they did?”
 
Niko raised his hoof, “Mistmane, Sonambula, Rockhoof, Mage Meadowbrook, Flash Magnus and Starswirl the Bearded. They grew the Tree of Friendship, and with their combined powers and sacrificed, banished the Pony of Shadows.”
 
Twilight smiled, “Very good! Now~~”
 
Larkspur interrupted, “What about Stygian? The unicorn who became the Pony of Shadows?”
 
Niko turned to him, “Who’s Stygian?”
 
Twilight answered, “I’ve read only a few stories about him, but historians agree that he was a simple townspony who briefly encountered the Pillars when they saved his village from the Sirens. I don’t know of any connection to the Pony of Shadows.”
 
Larkspur sneered, “That’s because you only read books instead of asking someone who lived during that time.”
 
Twilight frowned, “Well, what is your source?”
 
“My dad! He told me all sorts of stories about the Pillars, and even Stygian who befriended the Pillars and helped them on their quests. But he grew bitter because they didn’t give him the credit, and he developed into a monstrous pony of Shadows.”
 
Twilight looked at him for a moment, dumbfounded, “Um…I’ll have to look into that…but I’m pretty sure that’s a children’s series of books based on the Pillars. My mother wrote them…and I lent my copy to Discord before you were born…which he never returned.”
 
Connie snickered, “Your dad’s a liar, bud. Everyone’s read those books.”
 
Niko piped in, “Except me.”
 
Larkspur flushed. “So what? Doesn’t make it untrue. You guys just want to erase history to boost the reputation of your precious Pillars.”
 
Connie flashed Larkspur a cocky smile, “No, it’s because some of us don’t believe everything that daddy tells us.”
 
Larkspur reeled, green flames flickering at his paws, “What?”
 
The earth pony stared at him, “You heard me. Your dad~~”
 
Twilight teleported between them, flaring her wings, “That is enough! I will not tolerate this sort of behavior in my classroom, or in my school. I will speak to both of you after class.” Twilight turn to the furious draconequus, “Larkspur, unless you can write a research paper on the topic, I will kindly ask you to stop interrupting my class with unfounded ideas about the History of Equestria, my specific area of study. Now can we please continue the lesson without further intrusions?”
 
With a huff, Larkspur sat back in his seat with a sneer, and Connie rolled their eyes, muttering, “I didn’t do anything…”
 
Twilight resumed the lecture.
 

 
“Look, Larkspur…maybe it was a bit too presumptuous of me to admit you to my school. If you aren’t ready~~”
 
“It’s fine.” Larkspur wouldn’t make eye contact with her. “I just don’t like anyone talking about my dad.”
 
Twilight tilted her head, “Do you want to talk to someone about this? I know Fluttershy~~”
 
“Not gonna happen.” He picked at his claws.
 
“Well…I won’t make you ~~“
 
“Cuz it’s none of your business.”
 
“But for the safety and well-being of my students, I need you to control yourself. I’m not going to pay you special attention or let you get away with bullying behavior.”
 
“Nobody asked you to.”
 
“Then we are in agreement. You will behave yourself, and respect the school that I brought you into. Or, I’m afraid the only option I’ll have is to expel you.”
 
“I haven’t even done anything! I interrupted your stupid class, but that’s it!” Larskpur bared his teeth.
 
“Not true. I heard about the dozen rotten eggs in Connie’s cubby. I wonder who did that…” Twilight met his eyes, and sighed when he had no response. “Larkspur. I’ve watched you grow. I held you as a cub…and it’s clear something happened when your dad left ~~ and I know it’s none of my business to pry. But please. I encourage you to talk to someone, talk to me if you want…I know how empty life is without friends, and at the rate you’re going, I don’t see you making friends with anyone.” She let that sink on him for a moment.
 
Larskpur only felt angry, and he didn’t understand why. He had come to terms with that fact long ago, but to have it said so blatantly opened a part of himself he had locked away. He felt tears well in his eyes. “I don’t care.”
 
Twilight paused, watching him. “Okay…if you can’t help yourself, at least don’t make everyone else miserable.”
 
Larkspur left without a word, letting his bookbag drag on the floor. He wanted to punch a wall, break something, make someone cry…anything to divert his attention from himself. Connie was waiting outside, and they glared at Larkspur as he went by. Larkspur growled at them, causing them to flinch.
 
“Freakin’ animal…”
 

 
Whoo! Student drama!! This was just the first day of school, and already Larkspur is making kids miserable again. When he was younger, right after his dad left, he was very much a bully then as he later became at the School of Friendship. Twilight’s just not having his shit or sympathizing with him like Cheerilee did throughout his childhood.
 
There are also some lore bits in here, which I’ll explain later. But just know that Stygian is actually a fictional character written into a book series about the Pillars written by Twilight Velvet, who also wrote Daring Do. This means that none of the Pillars are brought back from limbo. I really hated that plot, so this is my small protest against the writers prioritizing to the fans’ demands over their own show. I love Rockhoof so much though and I wish I could incorporate him, but that’s just not what I want my story to be.