Lark had tried to sleep Sunday night, but he didn’t get much. He knew his aunt and uncle were on his side. So was his teacher and probably Mr. Chippy. If Thunder’s word had any substance, some of the students were maybe on his side. Thunder was on his side. Part of the reason he had so much trouble sleeping was the thought of that little peck she gave him before she flew off.
Lark knew he had family, and yes, friends, in his corner, but it didn’t fully pacify the demons of nausea dancing the two-step in the Hell that was his lower trunk. In other words, he was nervous to the point of sick. He couldn’t even stomach the thought of breakfast.
Familiar to the previous week, on Tuesday, Lark found himself, on this Monday morning, walking to school with his sisters and their aunt and uncle. Today was the day: he would either be expelled or… something else would happen. Scot-free? No dice. Continued suspension? Wouldn’t be surprising.
He thought of Tuxedo Parade, or panda-pecker, to use one of the already innumerable names Lark had cooked up to describe the little turd, sitting pretty, somewhere, while his parents were shielding him. Would he be at the hearing? Lark had no idea. It wouldn’t surprise him, either way, but there wasn’t much that surprised him anymore… other than fillies having crushes on him or acts of compassion of which he felt he was undeserving.
The question Thunder asked him the day before--about how little he seemed to value himself--continued to play out in his mind. Did he really hate himself? Not really. Did he value himself? Yes. Always? In ways other than serving and pleasing others?
“…”
He didn’t know. He wasn’t even actually thinking about the very last part, there. Too young for it to really click. But the questions stuck in his head. It was only in the last few weeks he began to ask himself these things. He was still trying to figure out the answers.
Looking to his aunt and uncle, they had a grim determination about them. He knew they would fight for him. The odds were… really impossible to guess. Nopony knew how this would play out. Lark wished to Heaven he hadn’t wound up in the position he did, whooping some colt’s ass... and his little rats, too. It was just stupid. A few verbal barbs led to Lark pinning the panda-tard to the wall... and then Lark getting turned into a bucking bag, ending with Lark rising up and destroying a hoofful of unicorns. Despite how stupid it was, Aunt Fairy and Uncle Star stuck by him.
Lark was now sure: he both liked and loved his aunt and uncle. They cared about him. They respected him, at least as much as a colt merits, and he wanted to do them proud. He wished he hadn’t brought any trouble on them, but his fault or not, trouble had landed. It was just a matter of seeing where it went.
Approaching the school, Lark saw some of his classmates, including his three friends. His friends. That’s what they were. They stood there tight faced, before the class. There was no cheering and no words of encouragement, but their faces showed a lot of them were with him, or at least didn’t show much animosity. He nodded to his friends, and they marshaled determined faces to give him.
The entire school, at least everypony outside, was watching him. You could’ve heard a butterfly fart, it was so quiet. His sisters going towards their classes, Lark and his aunt and uncle headed to the small auditorium which had been set aside for this occasion. Ms. Pearlshine stood there, outside the door, looking determined, but congenial.
“Are you ready, Lark?”
Was there a choice? “Not really.”
She tried not to chuckle at his reliably interesting manner, “Well, ready or not, it’s time. You’re all with me.”
Ms. Pearlshine led the three of them in. The four ponies walked down the center aisle, towards the front. Lark saw where they’d be sitting. The “defendant’s box”, Mr. Chippy had called it. The old stallion was in attendance, not appearing to sit anyplace strategic, but he had a “good seat”, for lack of a better term. He gave Lark a little nod.
Lark saw panda-cum’s parents, and what appeared to be their lawyer, in the front, on the other side of the room from where he would be. A lawyer, for this? He didn’t see panda-drip himself though. Where could the little dildo be? Other than the two case parties and Mr. Chippy, only a few ponies were in the peanut gallery.
The school board was up on the stage, along with the principal and vice-principal. The school board, Lark had never seen. They were wearing poker-faces. His own school’s admins, though, looked like they’d been diagnosed with the clap. It was painfully clear they didn’t want to be there.
Panda-face’s parents turned to glower at Lark as they approached the front. The “defense” took their chairs, and the circus would soon begin.
The obvious head of the board brought out a gavel, giving it a few bangs, “If the stenographer will take note: this hearing of expulsion for the student Larkspur Blossom, under the authority of the East Vanhoover Private School Board, will now commence. Board members Mr. Ebony Parade and Mrs. Colorful Parade are recused from the board in this matter--and a vote in this matter--as they have jointly filed a complaint to the board, which will be addressed in this hearing.
“At the end of today’s hearing, the board will meet to discuss the final decision. The student in question may speak for himself and/or rely on counsel on his behalf. His counselors are his guardians... his uncle Star Charmer and his aunt Fairy Charmer... and his teacher, Ms. Breeze Pearlshine. Anypony wishing to speak in defense of Larkspur Blossom’s character may do so at the designated times.
“Any decision rendered by the board may be appealed by the party in question, or by way of formal complaint, to be discussed later. Is the party in question ready for the hearing to further commence?”
Ms. Pearlshine stood up, “Yes, sir.”
The board leader turned to the Parade party, “Is the party submitting a formal complaint prepared to present?”
Their lawyer stood up, “We are prepared.”
The gavel fell again, “We will begin with an official reading of the submitted complaint. Proceed.”
The complaint was read by another board member. It stated Lark and Tux had a verbal exchange that resulted in Lark pinning him to a wall by the neck, with Lark threatening to ‘snap off his horn, shove it down Tux’s throat, and watch him choke’. Lark couldn’t remember it verbatim, but he had made such a threat. They probably weren’t even aware at what set Lark off; maybe only Lark was, and he realized he might have to explain why.
Continuing, after Lark threatened Tux, he continued into the yard as if nothing had happened. It was clear to Lark’s party this was meant to paint Lark as a callous colt, who thought nothing of acting in such a way. It would be interesting to see how they presented the fight.
They did present the fight. But stringing Lark up by his leg, zapping him, and beating on him when he was defenseless was summarized in the term ‘exchange’. A lot was skipped over, and the first truth regarding the fight, the fact Lark put sand into a colt’s eyes before taking on the entire group, was presented. Tux’s parents didn’t really care about the other colts; they were concerned for their son and how he had been brutalized by some transfer student.
Despite not being injured to the point of needing emergency medical attention, Tux was "upset and terrified to go back to school". The in-school suspension Tux received was not accepted by his parents, as Lark was the "aggressor". They wanted Lark expelled and Tux exonerated, with the school’s apology for suspending him.
Even at Lark’s young age, he wondered if things were crooked enough around there for this crap to stand. What did that little crap tell his parents? Had they heard what the principal’s office stated? What students stated? The teachers? Lark wondered. Sure, he might be expelled for what he did; this he understood, but panda-crabs would face up to punishment as well, probably expulsion. They couldn’t hide what happened, so they would justify and explain away Tux’s actions.
Would it work? Things would have to be really crooked. Maybe they were.
Lark looked to his counsel. They had on poker-faces. Other than summarizing a few things, no lie had been told, other than Lark being the "initial aggressor". But so very much was still to be said. They weren’t shaken.
Before the party in question could be heard, the school’s report was read. It was truthful, and decidedly objective. The only portion left out was why Lark pinned Tux in the morning. Lark again felt that sick feeling in his gut. Admitting just how scared he was? That he’d probably do anything to protect his sisters? He’d never been put in the position to actually seriously harm anypony, and there was no telling what anypony might do until faced with such a thing... but in his heart, Lark knew stepping over that line might not be below him.
Tux’s parents and their lawyer would again have a chance to speak, to rebuttal the school’s official statement, but would have to wait for Lark’s party to present.
At last, Ms. Pearlshine spoke, “I only had Larkspur in my class for half a day, but I saw his brightness... his intelligence. And working with him last week, I saw many other things in him. But I didn’t see the coldhearted colt the complaint describes. You know as well as I, Principal and Vice Principal, what Lark has been through in his life. We knew, and we heard it a second time last Tuesday. I see no errors in the school’s report on this matter. I only wish the school’s statements--and Lark’s history--are taken into consideration, before a final decision is rendered.”
It wasn’t much, but it was a heartfelt statement. Lark felt a twinge at Ms. Pearlshine eluding to his past, but was filled with pride, knowing she was willing to fight for him. That alone gave him some hope.
The leader of the board looked to the lawyer. Mr. and Mrs. Parade hadn’t said a word. They sat stone-faced, but with an ugly contempt unmistakably etched on their countenances.
“What says the party filing the complaint?”
The lawyer stood up, referring to his notes, “As no teachers or other staff witnessed the alleged scuffle, and only the words of students give any validity to this matter, it is suspect. We also question the character of Breeze Pearlshine. The board would recognize her past activities, and it is clear she has a bias towards Larkspur Blossom.”
Lark looked over to Ms. Pearlshine. She looked like death, suddenly, on the brink of tears. He had thought she looked miserable in some of their interaction during the week, but this was another level. What was happening...?
The lawyer continued, “We must also address the fact Larkspur Blossom attacked Tuxedo Parade that morning. We will not use the term ‘unprovoked’ to describe this action, but some schoolyard name-calling is no excuse, ever, to physically and verbally threaten anypony. Neither is a pony’s ‘past’. For these reasons, and reasons we could further discuss, we suggest consideration against Larkspur’s continued education at this school.”
Looking over to Tux’s parents, he saw smug contempt, as opposed to the rather stony faces they had been presenting. His own aunt and uncle looked concerned. But he was most worried about his teacher. She looked terribly sad, as if she was fighting with something inside. If she was, he could relate.
The board addressed Lark’s aunt and uncle and Ms. Pearlshine, “Is there anything either of you would like to say in defense of your nephew? Or Ms. Pearlshine?”
Lark felt another flutter of pride, watching his aunt stand.
She said, “Yes.”
She looked at Lark with an apologetic glance, but one laced with mirth. It was perplexing.
Aunt Fairy then turned to the board, “Star and I never wanted foals. We decided years ago, when we married, we didn’t want any.”
Looking to Lark again, with a crooked smile, “Maybe you realized that, right away. You’re so much more intelligent than anypony seems to give you credit for. I’m sorry to say it Lark, but it’s true: we never wanted foals. When my sister, Sugar Plum, passed, we made a promise to her that we would do what we could to take care of her foals, if it was ever required of us.”
Still , she looked to Lark, “I’m so sorry, dear. As you know, we avoided that responsibility. And it’s something we’re trying to come to terms with.”
From there, she told the board his life’s story. Everything. From the naughty little colt they disliked, to the neglected colt taking care of his little sisters, to the death of their dad, to the selfless colt they had grown to love over the last month. She poured her heart before all present. Lark found himself in tears, he was so gratified. His uncle patted his shoulder. Even Ms. Pearlshine looked better than she had, a sad little smile on her lips.
Aunt Fairy ended with, “Lark loves his sisters more than anything. He loves them more than he loves himself. It’s strange to me… that a colt would think so little of himself. It’s sad… that he seems to hold himself in such low esteem. But I am so very proud to have taken him and his sisters into our home. I’m proud of him. And I’m glad we took them in. I know Star feels the same way. We’ve learned for the first time just how wonderful foals can be.”
She glanced over to Lark once again, her face glowing, “I cannot pretend to know why Lark attacked that colt Monday morning. But I am sure he had a reason.”
Again, Lark felt the twinge. Would he have to say it?
Ms. Pearlshine stood up, her hoof on Aunt Fairy’s shoulder, “I agree. I want Lark back in class and so do the rest of my students. Please consider the school’s report-”
The lawyer stood up and barked, “Must we really listen to this? The word of some aunt who's only known this colt a month? And his teacher? A mare who abandoned-”
The gavel struck, loudly enough to hurt the ears. It shut the lawyer up, and everypony else jumped as if they were goosed. Well, everypony but Mr. Chippy. He sat there easily, not showing a thing.
The head of the board glowered at the lawyer, “You are out of line. Your concerns regarding Breeze Pearlshine have been noted. But this is not her hearing. It is Larkspur Blossom’s. I request you stay in the confines of this matter. If you have something to say, briefly make your point. The other party must have opportunity to speak further.”
For the first time, the lawyer looked spooked, but he recovered, “I understand. Again, I state for the reasons previously stated, that Larkspur Blossom face expulsion for his actions. We cannot overcome family bias, which is why Mr. and Mrs. Parade are recused. Nor can we ignore the fact Larkspur’s teacher obviously holds him in special regard. His past is no excuse for his actions. And the words of foals alone are no grounds to stand upon. If the story cannot be collaborated by staff, it holds little value.”
Lark sat, knowing this was a fair statement. It was all true. Would even admitting his fear hold any water? Would it? He looked over to his aunt and uncle. They didn’t look defeated, but they didn’t exactly look hopeful, either. Ms. Pearlshine looked sunk. Whatever this “abandonment” was about really took the wind out of her sails.
The board spoke, once again, to Lark’s side, “Unless you have anything else to say, we will be moving on to closing statements. You have time, but be concise.”
Lark decided it was time, and he stood up, “May I speak?”
It surprised some ponies, but the leader of the board looked back evenly, “You may, Larkspur. Proceed.”
Lark had to think a moment. What he said might sink him. Could it save him? He didn’t know, but he wanted to tell the truth.
“I had a reason for pinning Tuxedo to the wall last Monday morning. Whether it means anything to you, or not, I want to tell you. I need to tell you… It’s true I love my sisters. More than anything. I think I would do anything for them.”
He spoke evenly and without much passion, “I did threaten Tuxedo that morning. I don’t remember what I said to him… but I remember what he said. He called me a ‘flower’ and asked me why I was going to school here. I shouldn’t have taken the bait, but I made a wisecrack and called him ‘panda-bear’. He and his friends didn’t like that. The class was there, and they laughed, some.”
At that point, his manner visibly darkened and from the depths of his soul came, “Then Tuxedo told me he knew about my sisters… the fact one was a Pegasus and the other a unicorn, and he wondered what grade they might be in… I snapped. I don’t know if he meant anything by it, but I acted on it. That’s why I threatened him. I was afraid.”
Lark stood there, in anguish, feeling cold relief flood through his body. He'd said it. Whether it did any good or not, he'd said it.
His aunt and uncle looked shocked, as did Ms. Pearlshine. The board looked rather nonplussed, as did the school administration. Mr. and Mrs. Parade looked pissed. And their lawyer looked flummoxed. It wasn’t what he said, but more the way Lark said it. And it was obvious to everypony there that they were potentially dealing with a dangerous colt. Even Mr. Chippy took note of this, not having seen such fire in Lark.
Lark continued, feeling a little weak in the knees, “That’s why I did what I did. I was scared… And when they came at me again later that day, I was scared. They just wouldn’t let it be. I even said I wasn’t scared--to lots of ponies--but I was. Tux zapped me! I’ve heard what it used to be like here. Tux and his friends have been terrorizing the school for-”
Mr. and Mrs. Parade began to shout. The lawyer tried to shut them up.
Mr. Parade stood, “I won’t sit here and listen to some basket-case badmouth our son! If you-!”
Whack, whack, whack! The gavel once again silenced the room.
The head of the board scowled, “You will hold your tongue until it is your turn to speak. This isn’t your show.”
Mr. and Mrs. Parade looked like they were about to bust a nut, they were so worked up.
The board addressed Lark again, “Continue, Larkspur.”
He did, “I’ve been told by one of my friends I’ve made that Tux and his friends have been terrorizing the school for a few years... that most ponies fear them. She told me he… hurt ponies. She told me…”
Lark hesitated.
“What did she tell you?” the leader of the board's eyebrows were raised.
He shook his head, “I can’t… It’s not my-”
“Tux and his friends hurt me,” came the voice of a filly.
Everypony looked. It was Thunder, skipping class and standing right in front of them.
Ms. Pearlshine gawped, “Thunder?”
Lark couldn’t believe she was there. Mr. Chippy stepped up behind her.
The principal looked down at the old stallion and hissed, “Apple Chippy? What are you up to, you old geezer?”
The old geezer grinned, “Oh, Principal Munchies… You should know better than to speak that way to me.”
The ancient fellow paced before the board, “It is unusual, I know, but as a former board leader--and a former principal of this school--I wish to make a request…”
Lark did a take. Old Chippy was the principal here?! And he once sat where the guy with the gavel is? Looking over to his party, he saw hope in his teacher’s eyes and in his aunt's and uncle's, too. He saw disdain in most other places.
The head of the board looked down, and he actually smiled at Mr. Chippy, “Sir, out of respect for your six decades of service to this educational facility, you may state your request.”
Almost immediately, Mr. Chippy answered, “Listen to what this filly has to say. And take it into consideration.”
The principal and vice principal looked more and more as if they wished to be elsewhere. The complaining party looked incensed.
The board leader quelled the bickering beginning to take place on the board; he addressed the little Pegasus, “Young filly, what is your name?”
“I’m Thunder Rider, sir. I’m a 5th grader in Ms. Pearlshine’s class.”
“And you have some things you wish to say?”
“… I don’t wish to say anything. But… if it might help Lark, I’ll do it.”
The board's leader sat back, “Very well, Thunder Rider.”
She stood there, looking small and scared. Mr. Chippy put a hoof on her shoulder. Seeing his grandfatherly gaze, she felt encouraged.
Her voice shook a bit, “Mr. Chippy didn’t ask me to do this. I asked for this. I never even told him why… Last year, when I broke my wing… it wasn’t an accident…”
This alone got greater attention from the room.
She began to weep, “I’ve seen this stuff happen before. Tuxedo and his friends hurt ponies, and even if his friends got into trouble, Tux’s parents were able to get him out of it. We were scared… I was scared… a lot. Tux and his friends attacked me when I was flying. One of them shot me out of the sky, and I broke my wing when I landed.
“They were afraid of getting in trouble, but… Tux told them not to worry. He said his parents could cover it up. Then he… threatened me. He said he’d… hurt me worse… if I said anything. So, I just said it was an accident.”
Mrs. Parade stood up, gaining the attention of everypony, “This is an outrage! Our son has never been in trouble! There is no evidence-!”
The gavel struck the table so hard it snapped at the handle, really gaining everypony's attention, “You will hold your tongue until she is finished speaking! Do I make myself clear?!”
It was clear, but she and her husband glowered. Lark again looked over to Thunder. She looked terrible. His teacher looked awful, as well, her hooves over her mouth. Mr. Chippy, for the first time Lark had seen, looked angry. But he patted the filly on the back, soothing her.
The board spoke, “Thunder Rider? Is there anything else you’d like to say?”
She looked drained, shaking her head and crying softly.
The board's leader sat up, “This filly's statements must be addressed… But we cannot address them immediately, I’m afraid, outside of this case. We must finish this hearing. Apple… is there anything you would like to say?”
The old stallion looked up from the crying filly, a grim look on his face, “There are a thousand things I’d like to say, Cotton… But I will just say this: I didn’t see what led up to the fight Lark had with those other colts. No staff did. But I trust the foals at this school… most of them, anyway. I trust Lark. I worked with him for most of last week, and I can say I’ve never met a student quite like him.
“He’s one-of-a-kind, and you’ll never see his like again. I stake my 61 years in education on his character. Don’t expel him. Give him a chance, and he will show you the good things you’ve heard of him.”
Lark was floored. Mr. Chippy had that to say on his behalf?! It was more than he could dream of. Looking to his party, it was obvious nothing else had to be said.
Still, the board had to ask, “Is there anything else the party in question has to say?”
As was just stated, there wasn’t.
“The party submitting the complaint?”
What was there to say after that? A filly making such a claim? And some old guy who used to run the same show? The lawyer was almost at a loss.
All he could come up with was, “I reiterate my earlier statements: the bias exhibited by Larkspur Blossom’s family and teacher, in addition to his past and a few verbal barbs being inexcusable as a defense, and the fact only foals witnessed the alleged incident, are grounds for this support of Larkspur’s character to be discarded.”
He sat down.
The board leader asked, “For final statements, is there anything else anypony would like to say?”
Both parties said no.
The board stood, “We will discuss for a time. If a decision is not reached by 3:00 p.m., we will recess until 8:00 a.m., tomorrow morning.
In place of the gavel, he pounded a hoof on the table.
Outside of the auditorium, Mr. and Mrs. Parade and their lawyer retreated to another part of the building. Lark ran up to Thunder, who was trying to walk away, and hugged her. He hugged her deeply, and she hugged him right back, despite her initial reluctance to stick around. There was nothing that needed to be said. Mr. Chippy came up to them, putting a hoof on Thunder’s shoulder. He shook hooves with Lark and led the filly away. Lark looked after them with a heavy heart.
Ms. Pearlshine, looking teary, exchanged “cheers” with Aunt Fairy and Uncle Star. They may not win, but they had done what they could. Lark hugged his aunt and uncle. Looking to Ms. Pearlshine, he went to hug her, as well. She appeared to hesitate a moment and then relented.
Uncle Star spoke up, “Lark, your aunt and I are going to get some fresh air.”
“Okay, Uncle Star.”
They trotted off, leaving Lark with his teacher.
Ms. Pearlshine stood there, looking quite miserable.
Lark gazed up to her. She wasn’t tall, but still taller than him. But now she looked small… and young.
“Ms. Pearlshine?”
She sighed, “Lark… it will be a time before they make any decision. I need to talk with you. I could use some fresh air, myself.”
He knew this was going to suck, “Okay, Ms. Pearlshine.”
They had a quick drink of water, and then they went outside. They sat down by a bike rack.
“Lark… there are some things a teacher should never tell her student. But given everything that’s been going on… I think you should know. It may help you understand.”
He recalled her reactions to the barbs against her, “It’s about what the lawyer brought up… isn’t it?”
“It is… Lark, you are a most unusual colt. There aren’t many that go through what you have and come out the other end as clean as you are. Maybe I do feel some bias towards you. I love all my students--all the ones I’ve had and even the ones I’ve known a week. A couple of them were just expelled, and I don’t know what will happen with Tuxedo, but they were still my students. You must understand that.
“But I see myself in you. I told you and the class I was a track star in college, and that is true, but there’s more to the story. My mom was an alcoholic; she came to care about nothing else. She just died last year. And my dad’s been in prison for 22 years. He killed five police officers. He's going to die behind those walls... The only thing that kept him from the gallows was his lawyer. I haven't seen him in 13 years... And I don't ever plan to again.
“Like you, I grew up taking care of my younger siblings. I have two younger brothers and a little sister. They’re fine now, but… I took care of them from the time I was 10. After Dad went to prison, Mom fell apart and took up the bottle. But I was desperate to keep us together. You know a little about the foster system, I'm sure: four foals would have a hard time finding anypony to take them all. So, I did what I could.
“I managed to juggle all this: school, working so we wouldn’t be homeless, stopping my mom trying to use what little money we had to get drunk every night… I was able to do this until I was 16. I… had a coltfriend for a while. And then... I had a foal of my own. When that happened, he disappeared, this coltfriend, and I never saw him again. Things fell apart after that. I couldn’t take care of them all. I dropped out of school, to work full-time, but that got the attention of the authorities. Mom had gotten worse, and after a few incidents they couldn't ignore it. It wasn’t just the alcohol… Mom had other problems upstairs.”
In control of herself until then, she broke down a little at this point.
“When they saw what a mess things had become… I lost them. I… was forced to give up my little filly for adoption. Maybe I could’ve done something about it, but I didn’t know what I was doing! I was 16! My younger brothers and sister… were placed in the system. Mom was sent to the mental hospital in Canterlot, where she stayed until she died.
“I managed to stay out of the foster care system. I worked part-time, enough for a little apartment. I was emancipated and went back to school. I only missed a semester, so with a little work on the side, I managed to graduate high school on time. I got into a good college and competed in track, because it was the only thing that ever cleared my mind. Running. Flying, too.
“I never thought much of being a teacher, but… I met Mr. Chippy. He was already retired, of course. He'd left the position of principal, and was on the board. When I met him at a career expo, I knew I wanted to teach. He guided me. He knew what I came from, but he guided me. And he advised me, when I just happened to land my position here. He claims I got the job on my own, but I don’t know about that. There were more than a few that didn't want me around, learning what I came from... I was the daughter of a cop-killer and a basket-case, after all...”
Lark sat this whole time, without a lot to say. This was some heavy stuff.
Ms. Pearlshine sat there, and Lark saw the teenager in her. A frazzled, sad teenager with a heavy eyeglass prescription.
"Again, Lark... this was... very unprofessional of me. Only a few ponies here know about all that. I told you... because I want you to know that some ponies understand. You need to understand that. You said to me last week that you didn't think you were worth all this. But you are. You're important. You're a wonderful colt and your sisters couldn't ask for a better brother. Your aunt and uncle couldn't ask for a better nephew. And I want my student back. And win or lose, this was worth it. That's why I wanted to help you..."
There still wasn't much to say. Lark sat there, feeling young, was unable to come up with much. He had to ask one thing.
Perhaps it was unwelcome, but he wanted to know, “Your… family… where are they now?"
She looked less than upset at the question, “My brothers and sister are fine. I told you and the class I was from Canterlot. That wasn't entirely true. I went to college in Canterlot... We lived, right here, in Vanhoover and they stayed local. They’ve all grown up, of course, and are doing just fine. We still get together every week for lunch… I… have no idea what became of my little filly. All I can do is hope she’s happy... I guess I shouldn’t say 'little filly'. She'd be in high school, I suppose… Maybe I was wrong, putting them through all that. Who knows how things could have been? ...I know I didn’t abandon or fail them, really, but I can’t help but feel that way sometimes.”
Lark, being young, couldn’t think of much to say, but tried, “We do what we can.”
She smiled a bit at that, drying her tears, “I suppose… Thank you, Lark.”
He wasn’t sure what he was being thanked for, but, “You’re welcome.”
After a few minutes, they went back inside.
The board was out for only an hour. They had made a decision.
The leader stood, “We will now announce our decision regarding this expulsion hearing for Larkspur Blossom.”
Everypony held their breath.
“Regarding the complaint against Larkspur Blossom, it has been dismissed with prejudice. And we have decided Lark will continue his education at East Vanhoover Private School.”
Lark sank down in relief, his aunt and uncle hugging him, and then his aunt hugging Ms. Pearlshine. Mr. Chippy was back to see the end of things, and smiling, he walked out.
Mr. and Mrs. Parade were infuriated and screamed. But their bullshit would wait for another day. The board approached them immediately, regarding the accusations against their son. But that would be for another day.
Lark, looking with happiness on his aunt and uncle and teacher, felt a great gladness fill him up. There was no way he could ever thank them enough. Leaving them, he decided to take the rest of the day off. Ms. Pearlshine said he could join the class again the next day.
Walking out of the building, he spotted Thunder. She ran up to him.
“Oh, Lark! I just heard the news! This is great!”
She practically jumped into his hooves. She was small, but a little heftier than Valley, and he went down, laughing. They both laughed, hugging again.
“You’re not staying today?”
“No… I just want to relax… Thunder… Thanks for… what you did in there. I can’t even imagine how hard it was.”
“It was hard… but if it helped, it was worth it.”
He looked at her, about as grateful as anypony probably ever felt, “You better get back to class. Don’t want to get a detention with Mr. Chippy, do you?”
She giggled and then blushed, “Well… see you tomorrow, Lark. I’ll tell the girls you’re doing fine.
With that, she turned and went inside. Lark looked around. It was still morning. A lot had already happened that day. He felt like he was worth something, and he looked forward to the coming days.
He’d just missed the bell to bring students in from recess. Alone, and glad nopony saw his tears, he decided to take a minute at the swing set, before going wherever he might.