#ivory scroll

"'The well-dressed stallion, who had introduced himself as Fancy Pants, said that, for the moment, as construction was happening, the children couldn't yet enter. However, he and his entourage had expected this, and had planned ahead: the rest of the day would be a visit to the Gardens of Canterlot Castle, where we would hold a picnic, as a treat for the children.'"

"'He also told us that with the effort of the construction workers, the reconstructed building would be finished in no-time. At the end of the day, the children would already be able to rest in their own rooms again. I could only smile and say thank you, both to Fancy and his entourage, as well as Ivory for all her help. It was brilliant, knowing that things would finally get better.'"

"'I made sure that the children promised to be on their best behaviour, and together, with Star holding my hoof, we headed to the Castle. The sounds of their amazement when stepping into the Halls of the Palace, I will always remember. And walking into the Gardens, seeing such a beautiful variety of flowers and plants, many foals just wandered around for a little while.'"

"'Eventually, as the day went on, and the kids were starting to get peckish, Fancy asked a few of us to help us carry some things from inside, where we found big mats and bags of sandwiches and fizzy drinks to enjoy. There was enough for a group twice the size of everyone there, so there was no need to worry about anything. '"

"'As I was walking around, helping to place down the mats, I saw Starshine, sitting a distance away from other kids. After finishing with the set-up, I walked over to her with a couple of sandwiches and a drink. But when I sat down next to her, she lied down and turned away from me. I didn't know why, so I placed the sandwiches and the drink down, but she didn't move a muscle.'"

"'I started getting more worried again, and asked her if she needed anything, but no response. I wasn't sure what else I could say or ask, so I just sat quietly next to her for a little while. She did eventually grab a sandwich, but she still looked very sad. I reckoned she needed time alone, and as I stood up, I told her she could always walk over and ask me to chat with her.'"

"'But she didn't reach out the rest of the evening. So, after clearing up everything, the group prepared to head back, as Fancy had told us the children's rooms would be finished by now. I told Starshine we would be heading back as a group, and offered my hoof. She did take it with a heartbreaking defeated look, and we walked back together, but I didn't see her smile at all.'"

"'Any other time I saw her after that, I didn't see her smile. She became more assertive and quite rude, and I didn't understand why. But I think that I do know, now. The teachers, the school, whatever may have happened at the former orphanage, it ended up being too much. That was quite a few years ago now. I haven't made time to reach out to her since. I hope she's alright…'"

"After she finished her story, we just sat in silence for a little while. To think, all this time, Starshine had been enduring all of this by herself. Even after the source of the trouble stopped, everything that happened to her continued to haunt her, to this day… Her stoicism and uncaring nature are a well-built facade, to protect herself. I just wish she didn't need it…"

"Her tale helped me understand Starshine a lot better, but also, made me worry for her more than usual. I didn't know what to do, or how to help, and whatever I thought of, Cheerilee would have tried when Star was younger. By now, my tea had gotten cold, so I quickly drank it, and thanked Cheerilee for her time and her efforts. As I headed out the door, she stopped me and said:"

"'Please, take care of her. Even if she seems bothered, just… let her know you're there for her, alright?'"

(Thanks for reading part 6 of this request story! If you'd like a story of your own, feel free to send in an ask!)

Featuring: Morning Mist and Starshine Nova from @ask-light-rain-and-buds

"'Throughout the day, the scholars went down the list I had made, going class by class, firing everypony on the list. As they went down the halls, throughout the entire school, I kept count. A total of nineteen teachers, including the principle, were all fired, on the spot. They didn't get even a single moment to talk, they were out. I can't imagine how the crowd must've reacted…'"

"'Since most of the teachers were now gone, the positions needed to be filled. When I met the head of the EEA again, they told Ivory, the remaining teachers and me, they would be substitutes for many classes for the coming period. Some of the most educated Ponies in the whole country, and here they were. At the same time, they would make great changes to the entire school system.'"

"'I turned to Ivory and gave her a big hug, thanking her for all her help, for I could not have done it without her. I also shook the hoof of the head of the EEA, who smiled politely and headed out with just a few other scholars, as the rest had began teaching already. As ecstatic as I was, fortunately, I managed to keep my nerves under control for the rest of the day.'"

"'For the first time since I had started teaching there, the school was almost entirely quiet. No shouting, no crying foals, nothing. During my small breaks, I walked through the halls, and in every class I passed, I could see colts and fillies looking at the teachers with amazement in their eyes. Unicorns using magic to teach, Pegasi rushing around the class helping every foal…'"

"'It was absolutely wonderful seeing how the young ones were doing with better teachers, who genuinely cared for them. But I knew it wasn't the end. I took a moment for myself and stepped outside to take a deep breath, joined shortly by Ivory, who asked if I was okay. I was, but I was still concerned. The orphaned Ponies would still have to go back to that awful orphanage.'"

"'Ivory gently took my hoof and assured me that she took care of that as well. At the end of the day, she told me she'd help gather all the foals, and help walk them to where they lived. I trusted her, but I admit, I was doubtful, and I couldn't bare seeing the brokenhearted looks on their faces. I was especially worried for Starshine. How would she end up if she stayed there?'"

"'At the end of the day, as every student headed out of the school, I found Ivory with a group of foals, with Starshine standing quietly standing to the side. Apparently, she had asked the substitute teachers to tell some of the young ones to wait for me, and when I walked up, they all waved to me. It warmed my heart beyond belief to see them smiling again as brightly as that.'"

"'Together, Ivory, Starshine, me, and a group of about 20 foals and young Ponies headed to where they lived, and I prepared myself to say goodbye to them. But when we got there, it was not the headmistress waiting, in front of the building. Instead, we found a group of Ponies, who were all dressed very neatly, were speaking to a couple of workers, wearing helmets and bright vests.'"

"'Before I had a chance to ask, Ivory had crossed the street and started talking to the neatly dressed Ponies. Then, she pointed at me… I carefully led all the little ones across the street, and I held Starshine's hoof as we crossed, as she was the youngest foal in the whole group. The rest of the group all held hooves, and when we got to the building, it felt… Alright.'"

"'Apparently, Ivory had gotten in contact, not just with the EEA, to fix the school, but also with other Ponies who were influential in society. They told me they would help reorganise the orphanage, and would rebuild its interior to accommodate many more orphaned foals and other creatures. Adding to this, help for all the foals who suffered under the previous headmistress.'"

"'My ears hurt again, but, this time, from the foals' cheers instead.'"

(Thanks for reading part 5 of this request story! If you'd like a story of your own, feel free to send in an ask!)

Featuring: Starshine Nova from @ask-light-rain-and-buds

"She told me that it took a few days for the letter to get to Ivory, but since Cheerilee had known her for a long time, she trusted her beyond a shadow of a doubt. And a good thing she did, because of her position in politics at that time. She knew Cheerilee wouldn't lie about something as serious as this, so when she got the letter, she knew it was serious."

"When I asked her what she wrote in the letter, she replied: 'It was a call for help, any kind of help that we could get. I saw how horrible things were for younger students in the lower grades. And since I had heard the headmistress' extremely harsh scolding of Starshine, simply for arriving late due to others' actions, I feared it was even worse over there.'"

"'I kept quiet about the letter to almost everypony. Only my own students, whom I knew had been through similar awful treatments, would know what I was planning. When I asked who wished to help fix things in the school, every, single, student stepped forward, and promised to help as best they could. I have never felt prouder, than when I requested their help and support.'"

"'There were so many offers to reach out to Ponies they could easily contact, I could barely keep count. But I did. Over the next few days, every evening, I made sure to wait for Starshine and her classmates, and they told me all about what they had been through. I wrote all of it down. Some of their classmates were horrible like the teachers, and they didn't say anything to them.'"

"'A few days later, I got a letter back from Ivory, where she asked for any information that she could use as proof to support my claims. I had to send her multiple books' worth. My hooves still ache from time to time because of how much I wrote. But to see the faces of the little ones brighten up again, to help them see a better future, to have them smile again, it was worth it.'"

"'With my students support and help in reaching out, I was able to help more of the foals, who went to the same orphanage as Starshine. Whether it was food, medicine, bedding, or an extra helping hoof, they all pitched in to help. As more students were helping me at home, seeing my more stoic students be silly with the foals, trying to cheer them up, was especially lovely.'"

"'I was still concerned over Starshine, because after she spent the night at my house, I didn't see her smile often. I left some notes in her lunch trying to cheer her up, but it didn't seem to work. It broke my heart, seeing how broken she was. She should never have endured this. None of them should. But I was so proud of them, for doing their best and for daring to step forward.'"

"'I started looking for help outside of my abilities for the students, both young and old. They all needed to have the means to process what had happened to them. Doubly so, for Starshine, and the other foals and young Ponies at that awful orphanage. Many of them managed to get help. Years later, whenever I met anypony again, many of them were doing much better. But not all of them.'"

"'One morning, as I was making my way to the school, I noticed more folks standing outside than usual, taking notes. The crowd grew, and before noon, the streets in front of the school were filled with Ponies. From my classroom, I noticed Ivory, who walked up with a number of older Ponies in dark red capes, who looked really intimidating.'"

"'I trotted out to meet her, and introduced myself to the visitors, scholars from the Equestrian Education Association. Ivory apparently told them about me, and how I detailed the events that took place at the school. They politely thanked me, and asked me to point towards the teachers I had written about most. I gave them a list of names and classrooms, after which they headed over there.'"

"'To say they went ballistic, would be a grand understatement.'"

(Thanks for reading part 4 of this request story! If you'd like a story of your own, feel free to send in an ask!)

Featuring: Morning Mist and Starshine Nova from @ask-light-rain-and-buds

"I wanted to help her, and the first step would be to understand. But even without knowing the details, hearing all of this about Starshine from Cheerilee, what she has been through, it was really hard. Thinking about her holding it all in, never telling anyone about what happened, I could not stop myself from crying. At least I could use the tissues I grabbed just a moment ago."

"After we took a moment to try our tears, we had a sip of tea to calm ourselves, and Cheerilee continued: 'The face of a foal should be filled with happiness and excitement, but any joy Starshine held, it was all stamped out. Whether at the orphanage or in class, I doubt she would have made it had she not built a very strong facade, to hide her joy, to prevent punishment…'"

"'The next time I saw her, I could barely hold in my sorrow. The look on her face when she walked into the building that morning… I knew I had to do something. But I didn't know what I could do. I wouldn't be able to go up against both the school's teachers and the orphanage's headmistress or other "caretakers" at the same time… But I would have to try.'"

"'At the end of the day I saw her again, and I offered to walk her to where she lived again, but she barely responded. It was heartbreaking to see that she had no more energy, as all of it had been focused on survival… Shortly after we left the building, I asked her if she wanted to stay the night at my home. I can't describe the joy I felt when I saw her eyes, after she said yes.'"

"'Fortunately, I lived close by, and we got home pretty quickly. When we got there, she asked me what I wanted her to do, but I told her I didn't understand. She looked down and apologised for the question, turned away, as if to shield herself… I got down to her level and gently spoke to her, and I told her that she had nothing to apologise for, and that she was my guest.'"

"'I prepared dinner for the both of us, a small salad with some homemade dressing. It wasn't that much, but at least it was quite varied, and the dressing was really nice too. Starshine finished her plate by the time I was barely halfway through, I reckon she was hungry. After dinner, we had some cookies. I'll never forget the ecstatic look in her eyes when she got one with chocolate.'"

"'After dinner and desert I showed her where she could stay for the night, the room of my housemate, who was away, and who would often stay at her work overnight to get an early start the following morning. I laid awake in bed for hours that night, thinking about what to do, or hat I could do. I was just a teacher, I barely had any influence. But I had at least one idea…'"

"'The following morning, we had breakfast together, and Starshine managed to smile a bit again. I was glad to see that some kindness and a night with fewer worries already helped, even if just a bit. We arrived at school just before classes began, and after she embraced my leg and thanked me for letting her stay, we waved goodbye to each other, and for the first time, all seemed well.'"

"'Or at least, I thought it was all well. But when I saw her again in the lunch break, a few hours later, she looked devastated again, and I didn't know why. Many of her classmates looked miserable as well, but some seemed to be having a great time. A little too good a time. When their teacher walked by and high-hooved them, saying they did well bullying the orphaned students, I felt a spark.'"

"'It took me all my strength to hold myself back. Not my tears, mind you, but my rage. At that moment, I knew I had made my choice. Enough was enough. When I got home, I sent to my housemate a letter, which I knew would arrive in a few days. In the meantime, I started asking other teachers and students for assistance. With the help of my housemate, Ivory Scroll, we would succeed.'"

"When I asked her who she meant by Ivory Scroll, she gave a smile, and said:"

"'Oh, yes of course. That was her name when I met her in high school. But nowadays, you only know her as Mayor Mare.'"

(Thanks for reading part 3 of this request story! If you'd like a story of your own, feel free to send in an ask!)

Featuring: Morning Mist and Starshine Nova from @ask-light-rain-and-buds