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SoloBrony


I'm here to help. Avatar image courtesy of Taggerung

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The life of a Wonderbolt isn't all glitz and glam, but there's some of that, to be sure; making explosive entrances, roaring crowds, and – of course – the hordes of fans waiting in every city. It can get tiring, and it can get stressful, but the feeling of making such an impact on ponies everywhere is unbeatable.

For Soarin, that feeling is at its largest when he's dealing with his fans who are the smallest; he's a hit with the foals wherever the Wonderbolts go, and lately, it's started to really show. The constant requests for lessons and autographs start to get snickers from the other Wonderbolts, but it's all in good fun – until Soarin learns a little too much about one of his fans, putting the whole thing in perspective.

Unsure of what to do, or whom to trust, Soarin is caught asking himself some tough questions, and he finds the trust he once put in other ponies is as much a burden as a help.

(( This fic works as a standalone, as well as serving as a sidestory/epilogue to The Queen and I Book 3. You can check out the entire series of fics by clicking here. ))

Chapters (12)
Comments ( 60 )

Really there's a town in TN called La Vergne I used to live there went to high school there too

7308756 Huh. Not altogether surprising, I suppose. 'Vergne' makes me think French, and Laverna is a Latin name, so, similar roots!

Why are the chapters so short?

Well, this was just a series of harsh and difficult situations wasn't it?

7310931 Chapter breaks are used for a lot of things. In this story, I use them to indicate a tonal shift, or a time-lapsed scene change.

To have somepony be all alone in the world, where nopony else cares... It really all just comes down to this, doesn't it? 'Somepony else's problem'.

I turned back to face the house, just as the Endicotts were stepping inside.

Well, then. I guess normally I'm the goofball, but today...

I strode up to the house, carefully breathing in and out the way I did before taking a leap into a performance. As I knocked on the door, I imagined the wind screaming past me as I went into a dead fall.

Today, I am 'somepony else'.

AWWW YEAH! IT'S GETTING REAL NOW!

> scrolls down
> chapter immediately ends

FU-

Ah, the illusion of competence. It fractures gradually, one's parents going from like unto gods to just people. Then one day, you realize you're ostensibly an adult and you wonder when the transition happened, and why no one told you.

And then you find yourself trying to do the right thing, hoping that you really are, working with limited information and flying by the seat of the pants you're not wearing because you're a horse in a society without a nudity taboo.

... I feel like that sentence broke down at some point. Point is, most engaging. I look forward to more. My only complaint is that Lawrence/Laverna has a rather tellingly non-pony name. You know why I crossed this out.

Comment posted by SoloBrony deleted Jun 18th, 2016

The way she reacted when she thought she might go back into the system... what happened to her?

Find myself immediately thinking child abuse. Even though I've got a pretty good idea what's really going on.

That was a sobering thought; I found myself taken aback considering the implications. I had always imagined, growing up, that adults basically knew what they were doing. When I realized that I was an adult, and still really had no idea, I started acting like a goofball; I could hardly take myself seriously when I felt so unsure about what to do.

Nope. Just some adults really feel the need to look that way. And it's kind of demanded that you pretend you know what you're doing a lot of the time. Protip: don't grow up kids! It's a trap!

Dangit, I can't handle all of this drama. My hooves are all shaking. It's not even that scary! I'm more nervous about talking to these folks than I am before a big performance!

I get more intimidated by My Little Pony than Berserk. Nope, dealing with other people is horrifying.

To have somepony be all alone in the world, where nopony else cares... It really all just comes down to this, doesn't it? 'Somepony else's problem'.

Homelessness basically summed up.

I got a leg caught in the uniform, and hopped around for a bit before stepping on the uniform I'd already gotten off, causing me to trip and crumple in front of the mirror.

Is that supposed to be symbolism about being unable to escape from duty?

"Soarin?! Open up, Soarin! You've got some 'splainin' to do!"

Bang! Zoom! Banished to the Moon!

"Soarin, you're just basing that off of what those two rich ponies said, right?"

Foster parents can be troublemakers too.

The way Dash smiled at that while rubbing her hooves together made me feel deeply uneasy.

Again. Communicating with others. Horrifying.

"... Whoa. I was just askin' to be silly."
I spent a few seconds searching her face before I replied.
"Nah, you kinda hoped that was the reason."

Yeah... lots of people wish that things were for them. Which is why it's probably a good idea to come right out and tell them when it is. It also occurs to me that it's rare to see writing with characters that are insightful and sincere.

"Of course not! But there's no other option left for me, don't you get it? I don't have some happy family to go back to. I get it; you had some kind of great parents who were like friends to you. I don't have those, and sticking me in a house with a couple of bigger ponies isn't going to magically fix that. No one wants me, Soarin, and no matter what they tell you on those little pamplets at the orphanage, no one is going to be happy to have someone in their home they didn't ask for. Like, the Endicotts? They wanted Chaser! They had him all pegged as somepony that would do whatever they asked. They only brought me on 'cuz he told them he wouldn't go anywhere without me! I was baggage! That's what it's like. So, whatever you had... stop thinking you can share your 'happy ever after' with me!"
...Ouch.

"NO ONE IS TAKING AWAY YOUR FREEDOM."

... You son of a cunt.

Oh boy. Twilight's already set to tear Equestria's foster care system apart. If she finds out about this, I'm pretty sure there a certain house in Canterlot will be on the receiving end of some high-energy experiments.

Also, is it just me, or does this imply that Twilight learned the cutie unmarking spell? :twilightoops:

As for Laverna's true biology, I get the feeling that even the changelings don't know as much about themselves as they think they do. This could be a case of atavism, mutation, or something that happens to any ling not raised in the hive. We'll have to wait and see.

"She didn't want to bug you with it. I think she already feels bad about staying here – moreso for taking up your time with lessons."

Knowing when to press, when the person doesn't want to be pressed. That's a tough one. Which is part of why it's easy to ignore people that are really hurting.

"Sorta. I mean, not the princess thing, but, like, her whole life has been ponies deciding that someone else should deal with her. The buck stops here, y'know?"

Ah. When the same phrase takes on a different meaning.

"I think we should ask Ver."
I grabbed the pen in my teeth, and started signing the paper. I heard a soft chuckle from Twilight, followed by her voice.
"And that's why she trusts you in the first place."

Respecting Agency. It goes a lot further than you might think.

"Oh, I don't think I'd mind so much, Spitfire. I believe most ponies might think it was a metaphor."

Ver and I froze stiff, and looked behind Spitfire to see Celestia, casually strolling up to us. She had a serene smile on her face, but the slight crease to her eyes betrayed mischief.

Cheese it! It's the fuzz!

Then I realized Ver was staring at Celestia's mane.
"Dude. Your hair is, like... crazy."

Some people forget that her hair is epic.

Beautiful. A wonderful lesson and a truly happy ending. Thank you for this. :twilightsmile:

7316097
Or maybe she's the result of a pony and a changeling getting a little too friendly...

Wow, that was a rough ride.
A good one too.

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Some people forget that her hair is epic.

Man, if I had hair like that, I'd... probably try to tone it down a bit. But it'd be crazy.

Comment posted by Pwnego deleted Jun 22nd, 2016

Man. I don't think I've ever seen so much grey on a pony, before. Mane, tail, coat, even grey eyes!

Dorian

:trixieshiftright:

But... If everypony else feels like I do, then what's that mean if I walk off? That no one cares?

Okay, you got me.

I can hardly believe Laverna and Chaser were so much trouble for the Endicotts... I guess I should have seen it coming. Dang, I can be so naive. I mean, Laverna's a runaway and a dropout – it shouldn't be that big of a shock to hear that she wasn't exactly a model kid.

Gee, Soarin, that's a disturbingly disloyal thought for you to ha -

I was just finally managing to peel the last of the uniform off with my teeth when I heard slamming noises on my door that nearly made me jump out of my skin.

"Soarin?! Open up, Soarin! You've got some 'splainin' to do!"

That's Dash's voice.

https://youtu.be/Mh5LY4Mz15o?t=4m46s

~

and like... who am I, Dash? To judge this sorta stuff? I'm just a stuntpony.

https://youtu.be/FRkpzMDr8yA?t=52s

~

There's probably some, uh..."

"Roll... Int + Expression.

Ooh, that's not looking too goo - "

"Ey - ey - ey! Higher Purpose."

... culpability on their part.

like a goose

At least now I look non-threatening

Soarin naiveté confirmed.

That's right, only now, at this point is it so.

~

You sorta look like a duck when you sit like that.

Laverna naiveté suspected

Water fowl are crazy threatening, is what I'm saying.

~

"Are you honestly trying to say you've never had anypony willing to help you – just to do so? What about your brother, Chaser? Did he always expect something in return?"

https://soundcloud.com/bleakprospects/socrates-jones-ost-got-him-now?in=bleakprospects/sets/socrates-jones-ost

I was going to make this joke on the culpability paragraph, but decided to go with the other one. Glad I got to use it after all.

That sounded harsher than I meant for it to. Then again... good.

The Xuincherguixe is real.

"Uh, I, well... Just, Dash said that you saw her with, y'know, fangs? Blue eyes? And you saw her magic! It's green fire, and all!"

Ver and I rolled our eyes in unison.

"I'm not a changeling! I just explained that to Soarin, like, yesterday!"

She's an orphan; we don't know who her parents are.

"Yep! That's it. Oh... and, uh, it does look like you have magic active right now."

I grimaced.

I was hoping she was wrong. I can only imagine how much more difficult this will be for Ver to adjust to, now...

"Is it changeling magic?"

"Er... I can't really tell. Changeling and pony magic isn't really that different; the very first time I encountered a changeling disguise, I was able to dispel it without really studying them at all. Thing is... it does seem like a disguise spell, and judging by the fact that I couldn't dispel it a moment ago, it must be locked in place pretty hard."

She's an orphan; we don't know who her parents are.

It's hard to say why, but somepony – or someling, more likely, I guess – enchanted you to look like a pony. It seems like the enchantment isn't foolproof – you weren't stuck looking like a foal forever, and you've even learned to transform under it, but... yeah, that's how it seems."

She's an orphan. We don't know who her parents are!

"Wait. Wait a second... Twilight, do changelings have cutie marks?"

"Huh? Oh... no, they don't. But that one must be a fake."

"HEY! My mark isn't a fake! All I can do is cover it up!"

She'sanorphan-WEDON'TKNOWWHOHERPARENTSARE!

"I... I don't know. I don't know what's going on! I'm positive she's a changeling, but at the same time... how is that possible?"

She's an orphan... We don't know who her parents are...

The buck stops here, y'know?"

Smirks at turn of phrase

Twilight smirked at my turn of phrase

You win this round.

~

"I think we should ask Ver."

https://youtu.be/Otf9Bnm48Kk?t=24s

I'd take a stab at guessing Ver's biology...

If I thought it bucking mattered.

:trixieshiftleft:

"Her life was full of ponies like that. You know? Ponies who 'did the right thing'. Ponies who were, like... adults, I guess. That's what they'd think; they did the right thing, even though they clearly didn't get the right results. Like the Endicotts; they still thought they were great parents, even after everything that had happened. They didn't care about how things turned out, and that means they didn't really care about her. They just, like..."

"They only cared about going through the motions properly."

...

Hold on, Fluttershy, let me get you a pen and pad.

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It wasn't any more fun writing it, believe me.


7316097

It's always interesting to see who has a reaction of rage and righteous indignation, versus who has a reaction of sorrow, when horrible things are brought to light.


7327482

Someone's stayin' focused.

Just got done binging the Iqqelverse. You...really don't get as many views and ratings as you deserve. I was a little stunned at how low some of these numbers were for a 'verse as long running and well developed as this.

I'll admit the changing POV gimmick threw me for a while, and it may be part of your visibility troubles. It's often a very jarring turn-off, especially for chapters as short as these. But you pull it off, and it even works into the over-arching themes in a way it wouldn't for most other settings.

Anyway, thank you for the rather large pile of stories. I had a lot of fun reading them :twilightsmile:

7470535 My pleasure. I'm glad you enjoyed it! As far as changing PoV, I wrote a blogpost on why I wrote TQ&I in the first place that may clear up for you why I did stuff like that.

7471873
I figured out why fairly soon in. You're doing it for thematically appropriate reasons, which is incredibly rare and just makes it all the more sad that it might turn people off on principle.

This narrative style really keeps things moving, which is great for what starts out pretty slice of life.

Chapter 7 was a nice way of incorporating specifics of Dash's history, and working that into the emotional flow of the story.

"Nah, that's because she accidentally nearly drove all of her best friends off the deep end by swapping our cutie marks for stuff we're terrible at."

And apparently nearly caused a famine and riot or revolt in Ponyville for reasons that elude me. Don't forget that part.

Wasn't really expecting her to turn out to be a changeling after all, or for that matter for there to be another mystery left dangling at the end, in the form of who left her there and why. (I don't think I recognize this plot line coming up in any of the other stories, so I wonder if it will in Love is Blind III.)

The last few paragraphs of chapter 11 were a great end to the story, so I'm guessing the last will be epilogue. And so it is. A little heavy on the direct moralizing in the second half, but Celestia felt right and her interaction with Laverna, and it feels good to know things were going well.

This is a very beautiful story... I love it!!! :twilightsmile::twilightsmile:

7664434 Glad to hear you enjoyed it. This one turned out a lot longer than I'd originally anticipated, it's good to know people appreciate the effort.

A sweet and heartwarming end to a great story. Well done! And thanks for writing it!

Stop feeding me all this sugar! LOL! I really want to know more about this little filly.

"... She lives in a cardboard box."

First time I heard this I was like... "I'm going to kill the one who made her live like this". It's been a while since someone has made the kind of fanfics I get passionate about. You my kinda guy bro.

Also I'm calling it now she's one of the bolts daughter.

Calling it changeling. In any case damn this is awesome.

Bravo Soarin. I'm proud.

Unexpected how Dash acts like this here but interesting nonetheless. And I wouldn't say Dash's teachers didn't try to teach her, but more likely they just couldn't work out of the norm for her.

"Well, then. Let's put out a carrot."

Excuse me? What does that mean?

FUCKING CAAAALLED IT! Thought it's more complicated than that.

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