I do not own My Little Pony okay? I know it's been awhile since I updated this, but I want to get writing on some of my older fics and this is one of them. I don't have much else to say here, so enough of this A/N, on with the fic!

Jelly Ayn stared at Sugar Belle with a blank look on her face. Her words went in one ear and out the other as she just blinked as she made the crust for the jelly tarts. Okay, I don't care about the crusts, I just want to make some jelly itself. Jelly Ayn thought as she blinked as the eggs being cracked into the bowl. "You have any pectin?" Jelly Ayn asked.

"Pectin?" Sugar Belle asked. "We're making tarts not just jelly. Your already made jelly will do just fine."

"But I want to make some fresh jelly." Jelly Ayn said as she twirled her hoof in disappointment.

"Your mother wants you to broaden your horizons and I think she was right to ask me to teach you." Sugar Belle said. "It's important to be an individual and pursue what you are good at to the fullest extent." She then pulled down a rolling pin and began to flatten out the dough for the tart as she saw Jelly Ayn looking on blankly.

Jelly Ayn looked like she was paying enough attention to make the adult ponies feel satisfied with what she was doing but still felt like they were brushing her off. If I wanted my jelly talents ignored, I would hang around the playground. Jelly Ayn thought as Sugar Belle was looking at her with a rather stern look. "Oh, did you say something?" Jelly Ayn perked up.

"I said, 'Did you bring any jelly with you?'" Sugar Belle said as she tapped her foot, making the rolling pin float with an annoyed look.

"Yeah, sure." She said as she rummaged through her saddlebags to pull out a jar of jelly. "Black Currant jelly. Berries harvested around the local area." Jelly Ayn said with a smile.

"I guess that will do. I normally like using raspberry but jelly is jelly..." Sugar Belle said as she placed the jelly in as the base of the tart.

"Jelly is not just jelly!" Jelly Ayn said taking great offense at Sugar Belle's comment. "Each one takes a special hoof to make perfect. Do I put the fruits in for a chunks of flavor, do I smooth them all out? How much sugar is needed with the different berries at different times of the year? Should I stir it fast? How much pectin?" She yelled in frustration. Why was she being pushed aside for everyone's own interests? Sure everyone was free to express their gifts to their full potential now but that did not mean they could walk all over hers and make them seem like they were less important than theirs! She did not demand them to treat her like a queen because of her jelly gifts, but she did not wash others aside because of it either. Starlight had a point. Seems like these people are being real jerks without that spell to knock them down to Earth on the issue. "I mean would you like it if I just brushed muffins off as nothing but bran blech that doesn't matter! No you wouldn't! You hate bran muffins Sugar Belle! Well I feel the same about my jelly. It's not all the same like bran muffins!" Jelly Ayn said. She looked at the door and thought of Starlight Glimmer. She seemed to be the only one in town that liked her and her talents. "I'm out of here. I know you and my mom have a thing about me doing just what they want but I am not you and I am not my mom! I am Jelly Ayn!" She yelled as she stormed out and slammed the door with her magic.

"Razz Berry isn't going to like this..." Sugar Belle said as she looked at the door. She turned back to her baked good, thinking of how mad Razz Berry was going to be when she found out what happened. Sugar Belle was good friends with Razz Berry and swore that she would keep her daughter from the trouble

Jelly Ayn ran out in a rage. She was totally insulted by the fact her mother and Sugar Belle brushed off her passions and her friendships and did not want anything to do with either of them. I got to find someone who will listen to me, who won't brush me off. Jelly Ayn thought as she paused in the town square. Why am I even asking for someone? I know someone who will! Starlight Glimmer! Jelly Ayn smiled at her thought as she turned around and headed back to Starlight Glimmer's home to talk to her about what happened and what she was feeling inside. The frustration that had her screaming inside at her mother and the town that did not believe her.

Meanwhile, Starlight Glimmer was sitting in her house, preparing a salad for her lunch. She looked at the quality of the veggies that she had purchased from the market and sighed. I don't think that Veggie Lover is very good at growing or picking his suppliers as this is some of the wiltiest lettuce I had actually paid for. Starlight sighed as she pulled out some oil and vinegar to mix up a strong salad dressing to make up for the wilted salad. She tasted the bitter concoction she had made and determined that her mix of spices, oil and vinegar would do well enough to cover up the lack of taste and off texture of wilted lettuce. She splashed the dressing on the salad and sat down at her table and began to eat when she heard a knock at the door. Sighing, she got up and headed to open it up. "Who is it?" She asked with a slight exasperation. You always get visitors when you are trying to eat... she thought.

"It's me, Golden Figure." Golden Figure said as Starlight opened the door.

"I don't mean to be rude," Starlight said in defensive surprise, "But why are you here?"

"Well Veggie Lover was looking at his profit margin and in his infinite wisdom decided that he was spending too much on labor and gave me the rest of the day off." Golden Figure said. "Mind if I come in?"

"Sure, sure." Starlight Glimmer said as she headed to the kitchen and using her magic pulled out a seat for Golden Figure to sit down in. "Would you like a cup of tea?" Starlight asked, trying to keep polite conversation, sensing that Golden Figure was mad at her boss. She could tell that Golden Figure was intelligent and could run the business better than Veggie Lover could. She seemed to know the value of a good product and wouldn't try to sell wilted lettuce at a price that you would expect to pay for fresh from the field.

"Sure, that's nice." Golden Figure said, holding back some tears.

"Why are you so upset at a day off?" Starlight Glimmer said as she used her magic to pour her a cup of tea from her kettle. "Most ponies would love to have a day off."

"Well, like I said before, Veggie Lover does not pay well, he pays me a pittance in actual bits but takes a good part of what is supposed to be my paycheck in rent. And the discount on groceries in his store is nothing to justify cutting back my hours." Golden Figure sobbed.

"Look, if you find yourself going hungry from this, I'll help you." Starlight said looking at the Earth Pony with genuine concern. She was impressed with her skills when she met her in the store but could tell there was more going on there. It had seemed that Veggie Lover was not being fair and exploiting what he could to get as good a pony as Golden Figure to work for him. There was bound to be a little chaos when the Cutie Marks did come back, but to think this would happen made Starlight mad. While how she did it may not have been the best, each pony deserved an equal chance to make something of themselves and did not deserve any pony taking advantage of their special gifts. "I still have plenty of bits and wouldn't be bothered helping someone like you."

"Thanks for your generosity, but I am doing okay right now." Golden Figure said as she sipped her tea. "I can live frugally and actually preserved some of the veggies I had bought before. I am pretty good at making pickles."

"I think I had to pickle my salad because of the poor quality that Veggie Lover got. I'm assuming he's in charge of procurement for the store right?" Starlight said as she ate her salad.

"Yes. It's his money. I put him onto suppliers that would get fresh veggies and he could charge more and get better returns on his investment but he keeps saying to me 'I don't care, I want to get by as cheap and profitable as possible.' I am sure you understand that running a store is more than buy cheap and sell deep Miss Starlight." Golden Figure said.

"Of course." Starlight said looking at Golden Figure with deep concern. This kind of thing was what she had feared would happen to other ponies when she started the village in the first place. Things like this had happened to her when she was a filly herself and did not want any other pony to face this. Now it looked like her dream was ruined and that despite the main ponies who had fought to get the Cutie Marks back acting as a de facto council and town heroes, they didn't seem to care how the other, every day ponies were being treated. Starlight placed a hoof on Golden Figure's and smiled. This was another pony that she could have in her inner circle when she took the town back. She was being abused and her very exitance being tied to a cheapskate who would not spend a few extra bits paying his employees well or providing good produce for his customers and leaving Golden Figure out to try. "You ever think about running for Commissioner in this upcoming election?"

"Huh?" Golden Figure said astonished. "No, the thought never really crossed my mind honestly."

"Well you would be great at it. If you are telling Veggie Lover the correct way to run his business and he isn't taking it, why not take your talents elsewhere?" Starlight Glimmer smiled. This is it, if I can get my friends into positions of power, I can get the town back from behind the scenes... She thought with a smile.

"The commissioner sees what money is coming in and where it should go, correct?" Golden Figure asked, making sure she understood the job.

"Yes. And there's a lot this village needs." Starlight Glimmer said when she heard a massive rapping on her door. "Who is it now?" She asked exasperated.

"Miss Starlight!" Jelly Ayn yelled with tears in her eyes. "You there?"

"Yes Jelly Ayn, what's wrong?" She asked. Second pony today with sadness coming to me? What's going on with this town? Starlight thought as she motioned for Jelly Ayn to come in.

"My mom, Sugar Belle, they all think the my jelly is any other jelly and don't take me seriously." the young disgruntled filly said as she sat down beside Golden Figure. "And all the foals here don't know squat."

"They could use a proper school and teacher." Golden Figure agreed.

"You mean, there's no real teacher?" Starlight Glimmer said in shock, dropping her salad bowl to the floor, causing it to break.

"Not really." Jelly Ayn said. "Most of the foals are taught by their parents. Some are good, others aren't. And the ones that are foals of those who aren't are mean."

"You know Miss Jelly Ayn, if I am made commissioner, I will see that there is a proper school and teacher in this town. The foals in this town deserve no less to find what they are good at and to become the best ponies they can be. And I think I have found the teacher of my school project already." Golden Figure said looking over at Starlight.

"Who? ME?" Starlight asked in complete shock. She did not think her power plan would go in this direction.

"Who else?" Golden Figure said. "You may have a sordid past and did a bad thing, but you learned from it and you can teach others. You are making a real impression on Jelly Ayn here and I have never seen that filly any more self assured than before. She used to be so meek and submissive and go with her mother on whatever was said. Now she is standing up for her skills and her right as an individual to perfect her gifts to the best they can."

"Yes!" Jelly Ayn nodded. "You're great with magic and you can do things that many other ponies can't. You're smart. I'd love you teaching."

"Well, I don't know. We'll have to see what happens." Starlight Glimmer said. If she made that much of an impression on Jelly Ayn and Golden Figure, then she knew she could probably do the same with the foals if she were made a teacher. Opening a school was something she never thought of and it did make sense for her to take the town back to get the youth of the town on her side. Without them and investing in the long term, she couldn't cement her hold on the town and rule like she did before.

"Well, if I do become commissioner, you're a school teacher, no if, ands, or buts," Golden Figure said with increased confidence and sadness at being fiscally hurt by Veggie Lover gone. "You gave me a real goal to strive for. I think I will go register for that now." She said as she got up.

"Don't tell them I put you up to it. That might hurt your chances." Starlight said.

"My lips are sealed." Golden Figure said as she left Starlight's house.

"You're brilliant Miss Starlight!" Jelly Ayn said. "You help people use their Cutie Mark talents well."

"Yes, that seems to be what I am good at. Helping people use their marks..." Starlight said.

So how was it? Good? Bad? Short? Long? Let me know in a review. Sorry it took so long to update, but I have a few stories, Taboo and Minutes to Midnight I want to finish or get mostly done by the end of 2018 so I have been working on them and it has taken a little while for me to think of how to take things on this story. So remember to read (well you just did) and to review. Ciao for now

otherrealmwriter

aka

Realm.