//------------------------------// // Meet the Family // Story: Somber Ties // by Mobytums //------------------------------// “Today’s the day, everypony!” Bleary and unfocused eyes cracked open wide as the shriek grated harshly on her newly awakened eardrums. With a weary groan she grabbed the edges of her cover and pulled them up over her head as the day began, once again, with squeals and shrieks. “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!” "Mmm…and I was having such a nice dream too. I think." As her mind tried to grasp feebly for the remnants of her dream, fading away in the face of the rising noise in the hallway, she struggled to a sitting position, the blanket still draped over her head. “Awake now, I see?” She gasped in surprise and pain, a wing rising to help cover her eyes as her impenetrable blanket fortress was dragged off of her head, letting in the bright sunlight. “Olive, give me back my cover!” She hissed as she squinted at a greenish blob, blinking furiously to allow her eyes to adjust. An answering scoff only aggravated her further. “Nope, sorry Silver. It’s time to get out of bed, and I don’t know about you but I’d rather not have the Harpy swooping down on my head for not getting you out of it.” Wiping her eyes with the back of her hoof, the green blob slowly came into focus. A small green unicorn filly had her wispy, olive-green aura wrapped around a quilted comforter, her eyes focused intensely behind large coke-bottle glasses. With a quick tug she lined the edges ruler straight and set the wrapped bundle at the foot of Silver’s bed. “And for the last time, Sylvia” Silver flinched at the use of her name. “My name is Olivia, Olivia Inkwell, not Olive.” She raised her muzzle high in the air and gave a toss of her short-cut brown mane, which sent her glasses flying off of her nose and onto the bed. “Ooh! Oh no, my glasses!” She scrambled around on the sheets with her hooves while Silver held her stomach, laughing loudly. “Nice try Olivia, but I think you overdid it with the mane flipping.” She covered her giggles with a hoof. Olive found her glasses and slipped them back on her muzzle, blinking owlishly before covering her mouth with both hooves, leaning into the bed and giggling. A matron’s stern voice reached back to their ears from the hallway, cutting their laughter short. Olivia stepped back from the bed and tapped her glasses higher up her muzzle. “You should probably start getting ready, Silver. The Harpy is most definitely going to be making her rounds soon to make sure everypony is awake.” Silver grumbled and slid off the bed, rubbing a hoof through her frizzy metallic mane. “I don’t get why we have to get so dolled up for stuff like this. I mean, if we’re going to get adopted we’ll look like this all the time. It’s not like we’ll be wearing those silly dresses twenty-four seven.” She ran an appraising eye over Olive as she spoke, taking in her decidedly frilly green summer dress. Olive rolled her eyes, which amplified by her glasses was quite a dizzying sight. “We have to at least try to make a good impression, Silver.” Silver snorted and stretched her wings, trying to work out the kinks from her deep sleep. “You should also probably go take a shower. You don’t want to be the last one in and not have any hot wa—” The door slamming open interrupted her sentence as a tan and silver blur shot past her and out into the hallway. Olive rolled her eyes again but couldn’t fight the smile that split her muzzle. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ One refreshing shower later and Silver was feeling in a slightly more charitable mood for playing dress up. Not that that made those dresses any less silly of course. Silver walked back to her shared bedroom with Olive and pushed open the door to be greeted with the sight of Olive stretched out on her bed with a thick history book pressed close to her muzzle, a hoof rising now and then to tap her slowly sliding glasses back into place. “Already getting started, huh bookworm?” She smirked. Olive’s magic grabbed a bookmark and tucked it snugly into the crease between pages as she looked up from her text. “Oh, apologies Silver. I just couldn’t wait to continue this chapter I started last night.” Her eyes sparkled and a smile lit her face as she gazed off into the distance. “It shows the problems the crystal ponies were first having when they moved the empire up here into the Crystal Mountains. How they had to battle constant unicorn prejudice and the sociopolitical pressures of trading with predominantly unicorn societies. Not to mention the issues Chancellor Puddinghead was having with Princess Platinum’s outrageous demands fo—” “No more, please! Have mercy Madame Bookworm,” came a theatrical wail. Her monologue drifted off as her gaze returned to Silver who had her wings and hooves raised protectively in front of her, as if to ward off a blow. Silver giggled and peaked out from between her feathers to see Olive frowning, her cheeks puffed out and her brow wrinkled. “I wasn’t that bad,” she huffed. “Okay, maybe not that bad, but are you really going to sit there and read sweet history to me instead of helping me into this stupid dress?” She pulled a bright yellow summer dress similar to Olive’s out of a chest at the foot of her bed. Olive sighed and smirked, sliding down off of her bed and tucking her book back into a pair of saddlebags on the sheets. “Oh please, Silver. It’s not that hard.” “Yeah, how about you try putting one of these things on with wings and no horn.” she flapped her wings at Olive once in emphasis, ruffling her mane. Olive tapped her glasses back up higher onto her muzzle and sighed gustily with just the hint of a smile. “A unicorn’s job is just never done, I suppose.” “Uh-huh, yeah, sure. Now help me out over here,” the muffled voice called out from inside several layers of yellow cloth and lace. Olive had to smother a giggle as she lit up her horn and started tugging strategic spots on the dress. After several moments of tugging and straining, and a few muffled words and grunts, they managed to get Silver’s wings through their holes and her head finally popped out. “Whew! Finally! I can’t believe how hard these things are to put on, especially for pegasi. It’s like they weren’t made with ponies in mind or something.” Olive’s lenses enlarged her rolling brown orbs. “Don’t be ridiculous. Now hurry up and brush your mane, we don’t want to be late. Silver shook her head and trotted over to their shared vanity. It was basically just a small dresser with a large mirror behind it, but it served its purpose. She rummaged around for a brush and got to work on her mane, trying to smooth out the silver frizz that had begun showing up again after her hair had dried off. After several fruitless attempts to tame her unruly hair she tossed the brush back onto the vanity and grabbed a hair-tie, pulling her hair into a loose ponytail and wrapping it up tight. Smiling to herself and turning back around she was greeted with a deadpan Olive, her brow raised. “What?” Her green friend merely shook her head and went back to packing books into her saddlebags, now strapped firmly on her back. “You gonna refurbish a library or something, Olive?” She turned up her muzzle with a huff, trying to hide her smile. “No, simply packing a few choices for light reading in case we end up having no adults to talk to.” The tan filly’s brow rose as she looked at the books her friend was packing. She tilted her head to the side to read one title. “ A Historian’s Guide to Roaman and Ancient Greek Culture?” She leaned back with a look on her face that was half worried, half impressed. Her friend nodded. “Light reading.” “Sure.” As she watched Olive pack her reading material she scuffed a hoof on the carpet, not daring to look in her direction. “Did you, uh...pack anything for me?” The unicorn filly turned around with a proud smirk but said nothing, instead her horn lit up and pulled a smaller hardback from inside the bags. Prancy Drew and the Secret of the Old Clock. Silver squealed quietly and snatched the book out from Olive’s aura. “Oh, I’ve been wanting to read this one forever, thanks Olive! Prancy Drew’s first mystery!” Her giddy smile faded and her ears turned down as she saw Olive biting her lip to keep from laughing. “Not that her mysteries are that cool or anything,” she huffed and handed the book back to her straining friend. “Oh, of course not. Mysteries wouldn’t be cool to somepony like Silver Sleuth or anything, that would be ridiculous.” she packed the book carefully with the others in her saddlebags and flipped the top closed. “Now come on, we should go out and join the others.” Silver fell in behind her as they left their bedroom and stepped out into the hallway. It was already packed with other groups of fillies all dressed in assorted clothing to match their colors, or in the older foals’ cases, their cutie marks. The fillies stepped into the flow of ponies headed toward the auditorium, where the adopting parents met potential candidates. The foals were being herded aside for last-minute inspections by two matrons. One of them with a yellow coat and a blonde mane done up in a professional looking bun waved the two fillies over. “Good morning, girls. How are you two this morning?” She smiled sweetly. They both returned the sentiment warmly. “Wonderful, Ms. Rule. Though I had trouble getting Silver out of bed again this morning.” she smirked as the pegasus shot her a glare. Matron Rule chuckled brightly as Silver shuffled embarrassedly. “Oh, I see. Well that’s alright, at least you managed to get here on time, hmm?” she shot Silver a wink. Silver smiled. “Yep, thanks Ms. Golden Rule.” “That’s Matron Rule to you young lady.” The fillies flinched and Golden Rule hid a slightly pained wince as her fellow matron walked over to the small group. “Good morning, Matron Veil,” the girls replied robotically. “Yes, I should hope it will be. Just as soon as we get you girls cleaned up and presentable.” She glanced at Silver’s mane, tied back in a ponytail. “A ponytail? Come now, you should be able to do better than that, you must look like a proper young lady.” “I thought it looked okay…,” the filly mumbled, her ears drooping dejectedly. Golden Rule frowned as she looked away from the fillies. “Ms. Veil, she looks fine. No parent is going to judge a foal based on whether or not she has a ponytail. No decent parent at least.” “Perhaps not, but they will still make at least part of their decision based on how proper the young lady can look.” she raised her muzzle slightly in the air, her curly red mane bouncing. “Matron White Veil, could you come over here please my dear?” Matron Veil spun around at the voice, the Director of the orphanage beckoning from a table in the auditorium surrounded by parent couples. “Oh, yes sir, Mr. Director. I’ll be right there!” she fluttered her eyelashes and strode swiftly to the table, eyes glued to the stallion. Golden Rule sighed through her nose before her ears twitched at a quiet sound. Olive was clamping her muzzle shut with both hooves to stem a tide of snickers as her friend made silent gagging motions with her hoof. “Ms. Sleuth!” Rule scolded quietly, her brow lowered menacingly but its purpose defeated by the smile on her muzzle. “Yes, Ms. Golden Rule?” the filly smiled innocently and batted her eyelashes. She shook her head, golden bun bouncing as she tried to shake off the smile. “You girls go ahead and go in. Remember, just be yourselves but try to be on your best behaviors…,” she stared pointedly at Silver. “Don’t worry Ms. Rule, I’ll make sure she does.” Olive assured her. Matron Rule smiled and turned away, greeting another group of entering fillies. Silver scoffed. “Yeah, as if.” “Oh, really Sylvia. You must try to present yourself as a proper young lady.” She shivered. “Don’t copy the Harpy. You’re too good at it.” Olive giggled as the two fillies walked into the auditorium. The rafters were hung with brightly colored banners with smiling suns and and flowers and little colored paper cut-outs of foals and cutie marks hung by strings from the ceiling. There had been room laid out near the center for a dance area, and a few of the older colts and fillies were trying their best to dance to the slow, upbeat music without making complete fools of themselves. Prospective parents were surrounding the refreshment tables and nursing paper cups of punch or juice as they were listening attentively to the Director and Matron Veil give encouraging instructions on how to handle approaching the foals. A few of them were stealing glances at the playing children. Foals had gathered together into a cluster of groups at one end of the hall, chattering amongst each other nervously and playing with some assorted toys they’d brought along to stave off boredom. Olive and Silver trotted over to a bench near the dance floor, hopefully close enough to catch attention, but not close enough to be asked if they wanted to dance. They were certainly very horrible at it. They sat down and Olive set her saddlebags off to the side, pulling out their books. She carefully placed her glorious history guide down in front of her and turned to pass Silver her hardback. Her lips twitched as she looked at Silver’s blissful unawareness that she was bouncing in place excitedly. “Come on, come on hurry up. Hoof it here!” she whispered. The green filly snickered as she hoofed over the mystery novel. “If you wore glasses, they would certainly be fogged up.” “As long as they didn’t look like yours,” she smirked. “Hey! What’s wrong with my glasses?” the unicorn tapped her thick lenses up her nose lovingly. A white ponytail bobbed from sided to side as she shook her head, giggling. “Nothin’.” Olive huffed in faux-indignation before the two fillies dived into their respective pages. The noises from the other groups of foals died down as the Director finished his encouragements and threw the parents into the proverbial lions den. Some of the couples stood still and took a moment to observe the children, while others rushed headlong onto the dance floor and began talking to some of the more courageous ponies. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As time wore on, several of the younger ponies grew more interested in playing games and playing with their friends rather than the adults. A few couples paired off with one or two foals apiece and were chatting animatedly, most with smiles on their faces. The couple speaking near the punch bowl with Olive didn’t look like they were having too much fun. The large, muscular stallion had a blank look in his eyes as though shellshocked, his mouth swinging slightly open and closed while his mate had her ears turned down in worry. Silver tried to hide her snickers behind her Prancy Drew novel, but wasn’t succeeding too well. “I assume something caused this fit of the giggles, Ms. Sleuth?” The pegasus filly jumped slightly and spun around on the bench. “Ah, Ms. Rule! Don’t do that, you suprised me. I thought you might’ve been the Harpy.” Golden Rule raised a brow, a small smile on her face. “The Harpy?” “Oh, yeah sorry. I meant Matron Veil,” the filly smirked widely. The motherly matron furrowed her brow but once again couldn’t fight the smile. “That’s rather rude Ms. Sleuth. I must insist that you not speak so crudely like that in Matron Veil’s presence.” “Sure thing, Ms. Rule!” the filly smiled widely. “Where’s your friend Olive?” the mare asked as she scanned the groups of foals horsing* around near the ball-pen. Silver raised a wing, pointing over to the punch bowl where Olive was explaining something with a slight frown. The couple stared at her like she were a buffalo barreling toward them at earth-shaking velocities. “She’s traumatizing a few adults over by the punch.” Golden Rule raised a hoof to her chin worriedly. “Oh, I hope things aren’t going too badly.” “Yeah, not a lot of ponies can handle Madame Bookworm,” the filly giggled. Golden Rule smiled slightly, though her forehead remained wrinkled. “She may be learned, certainly. More than any other filly her age I’ve seen, but that doesn’t mean she should be any less precious for potential parents.” “I don’t know, they seem kind of hesitant about their choice,” Silver pulled a wry face that turned into a frown. “They better not hurt her feelings.” Golden Rule smiled warmly. “I’m sure with a friend like you, she’ll be just fine.” A quiet huff distracted the two ponies and they turned to see Olive trotting back toward them, the two parents retreating gratefully. The stallion leaning slightly on his mare and limping. The matron frowned, biting her lower lip. “Hello there, Olive dear. How did it go?” “That stallion was a complete idiot,” she deadpanned. Silver buried her face in her book to stifle shrieking giggles. “I’m glad you’re having fun! Trying to speak to that stallion about anything concerning Imperial history was akin to pulling teeth.” the little unicorn huffed angrily and pushed her glasses back up her nose. Rule patted the filly’s shoulder consolingly. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out dear.” Olive sighed. “Thank you, Ms. Rule, but I think I’m happier with this outcome.” Yeah?” Silver pulled her muzzle out of her book, wiping tears away with a pinion. “Quite. I have a feeling if I had been adopted by them, the most interesting thing we would talk about would be which hoofball team would be going to the world championship.” She rolled her eyes. “He plays hoofball? Is that why he was limping?” Silver asked. “No, he said he wasn’t sure if he would be able to get along with an ‘egghead’, but he would be willing to try. At least I’m somewhat sure that’s what he said, he was sort of mumbling under his breath. And then his wife kicked him in the fetlock.” The pegasus held her sides with her wings as she rolled on the bench laughing. Golden Rule looked scandalized. “Why that’s absolutely horrid! I have half a mind to give that stallion a talking to!” Olive smiled tiredly. “Oh, that’s alright Ms. Rule. I’d rather just relax and forget about that tedious experience.” “Oh...well, if you’re certain Olive dear,” she muttered before turning to Silver in an attempt to lighten the mood. “What about you, Silver? Have you met any couples with potential today?” The pegasus filly’s ears drooped slightly as she chuckled nervously. “Heh, uh no, not really Ms. Rule. I wasn’t approached again today.” She tucked her head back down below her book in an attempt to hide her face. Golden Rule’s ears drooped in devastation as she quickly tried to cover her error. “Oh! Well I’m certain you’ll meet some lovely ponies at next week’s meeting.” She tried to smile warmly. Olive trotted over and nuzzled Silver’s cheek comfortingly. Silver smiled at Olive and looked up from her book at the worried matron. “Thanks Ms. Rule. You’re right, I’m sure I’ll meet a nice family eventually.” Golden Rule gave a livelier smile as she nodded. “I’m glad you’re staying strong Silver. But I think it’s time you girls packed up and headed to your rooms. It looks like the adults are leaving for this session.” The younger foals were being shepherded off by the older foals and a few were walking out with smiling couples, eager for the trial adoption period. “Yeah, I guess so. C’mon Olive, let’s pack up.” Silver huffed as she hopped down from the bench, fluttering her wings. “And get out of these frilly dresses.” Olive rolled her eyes and smiled tolerantly. “Fillies! Fillies, wait one moment would you please?” The foals and Matron Rule turned back as the Director trotted up to the them. “Ah, I’m glad I caught you before you went to your room. Olive dear, would you come with me please?” The unicorn blinked at Silver who shrugged before tilting her head curiously at the stallion. “What is the matter, Director, sir?” He chuckled and waved a hoof dismissively. “Oh, nothing troublesome, it’s just that someone who wants to adopt has shown up, though he was a little late. He’s asked for you specifically, dear.” Olive blinked owlishly in surprise before tapping her glasses and turning to Silver. The pegasus rolled her eyes and gave her a bump with a wing. “Well, go on Olive! I’ll just take your saddlebags and go set them on your bed. Go see who it is!” Olive hesitated before nodding and lighting up her horn to levitate her saddlebags carefully across Silver’s back. She turned to face the Director. “After you, Mr. Director, sir.” The stallion smiled and chuckled good-naturedly before cantering off towards his office with Olive in tow. “Oh my, today’s a busy day for Ms. Inkwell, isn’t it?” Golden Rule smiled. Silver stared off after the retreating ponies with a calm look on her face. Rule looked away from Olive and saw Silver’s expression. “Is everything alright, dear?” “Yeah, Ms. Rule,” the pegasus mumbled. “I was just thinking that one of these days Olive’s gonna meet some ponies who are as smart as she is and can appreciate it. And she’s gonna go on to do really great things with that nerdy history brain of hers.” Golden Rule smiled warmly down at her and patted her mane. “That’s very sweet of you to believe in your friend like that Ms. Sleuth,” the filly gave a small smile, still staring after Olive. “ And what about you? What will you do when you get adopted, Silver?” The filly was silent before looking up at Rule with a big smile that didn’t quite reach her copper eyes. “Thanks for keeping me company Ms. Rule! I’ll see you tomorrow.” She galloped out of the auditorium, leaving Golden Rule standing there with a surprised look on her muzzle. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Director stopped just outside of a meeting room inside his office, and turned around to face Olive who was staring at the door curiously. “Now Olive, my dear. The stallion I told you about is waiting inside to meet you. I’ll be sitting out here in my office doing some paperwork. If you need me, just give a shout alright?” he smiled and winked. Olive giggled and nodded. “Thank you, Mr. Director.” He nodded and walked back to his desk as Olive turned to the door and gave it a tentative shove open. She peeked around the corner of the door and was immediately caught by the sight of a grey-coated stallion sitting at the table in the center of the room with a small brown book in smoky green magic. He looked up at her with piercing green eyes as she trotted nervously inside, her ears twitching at the intensity of his gaze. “Please, come sit down,” he waved a hoof at an empty chair across the table as his magic snapped the little brown book shut and tucked it under his coat. She trotted slowly up to the chair and tried to relax as she sat down, though her ears kept flicking occasionally and her tail swished nervously as his eyes seemed to roam, taking in every inch of her. “Am I to understand that you are Miss Olivia Inkwell?” the stallion leaned forward and clasped his hooves on the table. “Um...yes, sir,” she squeaked. The stallion tossed back his black mane and laughed loudly, startling the little filly. “Sir? How well mannered. But where are my own manners? My name is Jet, Jet Crux. Lord of the Slateridge region of our lovely little Crystal Empire.” She’d started to relax as he praised her formality but her eyes widened as he related his title. “A lord?! A lord came all this way from Slateridge to speak to me?” “Slateridge,” she queried, leaning forward in her chair and tapping her glasses. “But that’s all the way at the foot of the mountains!” He smirked and nodded his head, his horn looked very odd as well, she decided, “Indeed, it was by no means a stroll across town to get to the capitol.” “And you came all this way just to speak to me?” she stared at the stallion in awe, her coke-bottle glasses magnifying her eyes to several times their normal size. The stallion coughed and covered his smirk with a hoof as he looked at the filly. “Well, not just to see you. There was a meeting of lords at the palace earlier yesterday that I had to attend as well.” Olive ‘ooh-ed’ appreciatively. “Yes, unfortunately a lord or lady never truly has a life of their own. It’s typically mostly meetings and paperwork and such.” Olive tapped her chin with a hoof thoughtfully, the tip of her tongue poking out. Crux raised a brow at her amusing mask of concentration. “But, if I may ask Mr. Crux if you’re so busy why would you stop here to see me? I’m...just an orphan.” she mumbled the last part, her ears drooping and trying to avoid eye-contact. She looked up as he snorted, raising an eyebrow at her disdainfully. “Just an orphan, hmm?” he drawled. He leaned back in his chair and pulled a sheaf of papers out from underneath his cloak. “Tell me, Miss Inkwell. Are you familiar with the identities of your birth parents?” The question caught her by surprise and she tapped her glasses up her nose as he set the papers down on the table between them. “Not very well, sir. At least, not as much as I would like. I just have brief flashes of memories...warmth, a kind face…” she broke off into silence as he nodded understandingly. “T-the Director told me their names though!” she rushed out before seeing how rude that must have been and hunching down in her chair. “Well, I’m here to fill in as many of those gaps for you as I can.” She looked up into his face which had softened a few degrees. “You see, your parents were two of the Inkwells, a family of scribes and scholars that were very renowned in my parents’ time.” “In fact, it was thanks to intervention on the part of your parents that my own were able to be married, and thanks to them that I am able to speak to you now as I am.” Olive blinked in surprise as his magic slid the papers toward her where she could read them. “A-adoption forms?” she gasped, looking back up at Jet. He nodded. “Your parents showed kindness to my own long ago, but they passed before I could truly thank them for their selflessness. However, before my parents took to their own peace two weeks ago, they left these papers for me and in turn, for you.” “I as well am ‘just an orphan’ in my own way,” he smirked at Olive as her ears perked forward. “And I would make good on that debt owed. I would adopt you, Olivia Inkwell, if that would be agreeable to you.” Olivia bit her lip and looked down as tears sprung unbidden to her eyes. “Thank you, sir,” she sniffed, wiping her eyes behind her glasses. “But...I can’t.” Jet raised an eyebrow and waved a hoof, prompting her to explain. “I…I have a friend here you see, sir. She is very dear to me, the only pony that’s ever treated me like a friend, and I can’t leave h-her here alone. We promised we’d be together and friends for the rest of our l-lives.” she sniffed as her voice broke on the last word. She gave a watery giggle as she looked back up at Lord Crux with tears in her eyes, fogging up her glasses. “You know, there was this lovely couple that wanted to speak with me not even an hour ago.” “They seemed like very nice ponies, but I had to act like I was a know-it-all and turn them away. That poor stallion even ended up getting kicked in the fetlock by his wife.” She giggled again, though somewhat sadly. “But I did it because...because I can’t leave Silver here all by herself. The other foals our age don’t treat us very nicely and they’d be even worse to her if I wasn’t here to help.” Jet looked on silently as the filly sniffled and wiped away her tears, looking thoroughly miserable. “Would you wait here for a moment, Miss Inkwell? I won’t be gone very long.” Olive wiped at her eyes and gave a weak ‘mm-hmm’. Crux stepped out of the meeting room and walked into the Director’s office. The stallion looked up from his paperwork and gave Crux a hopeful smile. “Ah, yes Lord Crux. I hope everything is going well?” “As well as can be expected, good sir. Please, tell me, where can I find a young friend of Miss Inkwell’s? A filly by the name of Silver, I believe?” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Silver lay down in her room on her bed, the abominably uncomfortable dress on the floor and the lights turned off. Olive’s saddlebags were on the sheets of her own bed. The filly’s face, however, was buried in her pillows where she was being a thorough mope. She should have been happy that Olive was getting so many potential parents. It was a great thing to see so many ponies interested in giving her best friend a happy home. So why did it make her feel so bad? The pillow would have had to endure more of her sulking invading its personal space if a knock on the door hadn’t distracted her from her self-imposed muffling. “Hello?” she called. “Good evening, Miss Sleuth. May we come in?” the smooth voice of Matron Golden Rule called from behind the door. “Ms. Rule? Yeah, sure, come on in.” “Wait...we?” Silver looked up from her pillow as the door opened and the lights flicked on to gasp as she saw the stallion that walked in beside Golden Rule. Jet raised a brow at the filly’s expression of awe. “Is something the matter?” he asked. “Your horn is weeeeird!” she half-shouted, her eyes sparkling and a wide smile threatening to split her muzzle. The young lord scoffed in surprise before laughing uproariously. “Miss Sleuth! How terribly rude, I insist you apologize right this instant!” Golden Rule scowled powerfully, but the filly was too entranced to pay the look its full due of terror. “Oh, uh...sorry, mister. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings or anything.” she mumbled, her copper orbs still radiating supreme awe and wonder. “No, no, it’s *heh* quite alright,” he waved a hoof dismissively at the filly and irate matron and snorted. “It’s just that awe isn’t the reaction I usually receive.” Silver blinked and ‘hmm-ed’ thoughtfully. “Well, if you don’t mind my askin’ you...why are you two here? You’re probably the pony that wanted to meet Olive right? Is she okay?” her voice picked up speed and worry the more questions tumbled from her mouth. Jet raised a calming hoof and smirked. “I assure you, Miss Sleuth. Miss Inkwell is just fine physically.” “Physically?” she asked, raising a brow worriedly. He nodded somberly. “That’s why I asked Miss Golden Rule here to bring me to you. You see, I offered to adopt Miss Inkwell just a short while ago.” The filly kept her face calm as she felt an unwelcome stab of pain in her chest. She forced herself to smile. “That’s great, mister! I hope you take good care of Olive, she deserves to be happy.” Jet smirked. “Well, that’s just the thing, isn’t it. She turned down my offer.” Silver blinked in surprise, but couldn’t stop her heart from jumping for joy just a little. “B-but why? Not to be rude or anything, but you seem like a pretty nice stallion. Do you hate books or something?” “Oh, no,” he chuckled quietly. “You see, she said she couldn’t accept my offer because then she’d be leaving you here...alone.” The pegasus stared at the stallion, her mouth hanging open in shock. “WHAT?!” Jet winced slightly and turned his ears back at the volume of her shout and Golden Rule slapped her hooves over her ears. “What kind of stupid, idiotic things is that filly thinking? How can she turn down a good home just to keep me from...being alone?” “Where is that filly, I’m going to knock some sense into her head along with all that history mumbo jumbo!” she seethed and jumped off of her bed, her wings raised and flapping agitatedly. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Olive had managed to make herself presentable again while Lord Crux was gone with the help of some delicately donated tissues from the Director. She had just about begun to relax in her chair when the door flew open, slamming back on its hinges and nearly making her jump out of her skin. “Olive! What the f-...the...the fidoodle are you thinking?!” Silver cried, stomping menacingly into the room. “S-Silver?” Olive gasped, her hoof over her heart. “W-what are you talking about?” She sat there paralyzed while Silver stomped over to her. Lord Crux, Matron Golden Rule and the Director trotted in her wake. “I’m saying, what the hay are you thinking? Turning down an adoption offer just because you didn’t want to leave me alone?! What - the - hay?!” she cuffed Olive in the back of the head with a wing for emphasis. “B-but I…” Olive stuttered in shock, holding her head with both hooves. “I’m not worth giving up your future, Olive! You’re gonna get adopted and grow up to be a librarian or a history teacher, or even Princess Cadance’s head nerd or something!” “You can’t go throwing all that away for someone like me!” Olive blinked incredulously. “Of course you’re worth it! You are my best and only friend in all of Equestria!” “I’m not gonna leave you here alone just so you can get bullied by the other kids and the Harpy without anyone to turn to!” she shouted, her voice dropping its properness in the heat of the moment. “But you can’t! I was abandoned here by ponies who didn’t want me ‘cuz I was a pegasus. You’re a unicorn, you can-can’t just…” she broke off as tears started to flow uncontrollably down her face. Her shoulders shook with silent sobbing as Olive grabbed her in a tight hug. “Don’t be an imbecile, Silver! You’re worth so much more than that. You’re my best friend,” she sniffed. “Forever, remember?” The fillies held each other and shook from the force of their sobbing before a voice broke the moment. “Well, I believe I may have a solution to this.” They looked up to see Jet eyeing The Director and Golden Rule, the latter of whom had red, puffy eyes from shed tears. “Sir Director, how difficult would it be for you to draft up a second set of adoption papers?” The Director blinked in surprise. Oh, well, um...that shouldn’t be too hard. I could draft another set in a few minutes.” The girls blinked away tears in surprise as Jet kneeled next to them. “Miss Sleuth, I can see that your friend Olivia doesn’t wish to give you up, even for adoption. And I can see that you feel the same, regardless of your good intentions.” Silver sniffed and looked down at the floor. “So, what would you think of me adopting you as well?” The pegasus looked up in shock as Olive gasped in surprised joy. “We could be sisters!” She squealed, grabbing Silver by the withers and dragging her into a bone-crushing hug. Silver couldn’t stop the smile that lit up her face or the tears that followed. “That...that’d be awesome, mister!” she cried, returning Olive’s vice-like grip. Jet smirked as he turned back to the two orphanage managers, the Director with a whimsical grin and Rule smiling through puffy eyes and blowing her nose on a tissue. “So, where do I sign?”