> Love Fears Loss
>  by SoloBrony
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The problem with liking something...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"That's nothing! One time, Soarin got asked for flying lessons by an earth pony colt!"

I held up my hooves in mock surrender, and grinned for effect.

"I could hardly bring myself to say no to that face."

Actually, it kinda broke my heart.

A round of chuckles went up from the Wonderbolts around the table. Spitfire smirked at me.

"We've all been getting a lot of requests for flying lessons lately, but you've been getting the worst of it. What's going on there, Soarin?"

"I dunno. I mean, I try to hang out with them when I can, but I usually tell them they should look into flight school."

I'm probably not the best Wonderbolt to ask, anyway.

Fleetfoot nudged me in the ribs, cocking a grin.

"Maybe you're getting a rep for being soft with the kids. I saw you with that filly in Canterlot; she'd asked me for lessons just an hour before, but I'd told her I was busy."

Rainbow Dash snorted at that.

"Busy with what?"

"With not being busy for a little while!"

As another round of chuckling started, I turned to Fleetfoot.

"Well, you really missed out. She was already doing some stunts!"

"I saw the corkscrews. Yeah, it was kinda impressive."

"Y'know, come to think of it, the foals asking for lessons lately have been pretty good fliers in general. There was one in the last city who could already do a bunch of stunts, too."

Dash leaned forward and pointed a hoof at me, a devious grin forming.

"Well don't get used to hogging all of the fans, Soarin! After I debut my new move, I'm sure they'll all be asking me to show them how it's done!"

Spitfire rolled her eyes.

"Competing for the kids? Really?"

Dash scoffed.

"Hey, I like kids! I have a fanclub back in Ponyville – reminds me why I do this in the first place!"

There were some more good-natured snickers and murmurs, and the conversation slowly drifted off onto other topics, as various 'bolts discussed what made them want to join the team as kids. The sudden uptick in interest from foals over the past few months lingered in my mind, and was still nagging me when I went to the bathroom a few hours later. I went to the bar to grab a fresh drink, and I heard a squeaky filly's voice from behind me, accompanied by a poke to my side.

"Hey, mister. You're Soarin, right?"

I turned to see a grey filly with a dark-blue mane staring up at me with teal eyes full of excitement. She had a pair of brown saddlebags, and a huge, goofy smile.

D'aaawwww... Hey, wait a minute...

"What are you doing out so late, kid? Where are your parents?"

She smiled up at me confidently.

"Oh, I live nearby. Your party was so loud that it woke me up, and I came to check it out. I'm a big fan!"

'Big' isn't the term I'd use! Aww, it's a shame we woke up such an adorable kid this late.

"Is that right? Well, you should probably head home – wouldn't want your parents to worry!"

The filly shifted uncomfortably.

"Oh, yeah, sure... but, could you come outside and see me do a trick, first? It'd be so cool to show off to a Wonderbolt!"

Ah, man... I know the others will poke fun at me, but I can't disappoint her.

"Sure! Lead the way."

I followed the happy filly as she trotted outside. She took up a flight stance, waited to make sure I was watching, and then took off with a huge grin.

Nice take-off and form!

She did a couple of corkscrews in the air, and I felt a giant, goofy grin forming. Then, she took a turn upwards at high speeds, and just at the apex of her flight, she opened her saddlebags, flinging a series of apples above her. It took me a second to register what I was seeing, and that I'd seen it before, as she let the apples fall past her – and then entered a break-neck nose-dive towards them.

That's... that's Dash's new move!

The filly corkscrewed through the air, easily catching all six apples with her saddlebag and pulling up more than ten meters from the ground, coming to a gliding stop in front of me. She was panting heavily, but smiling wildly.

"Did you see that?! Wasn't it awesome?!"

"Uh... yeah. Yeah, it was great, but where did you learn that move?"

Her ears slowly drooped as she saw my face. I did my best to cover it with a smile, but I could tell I wasn't doing a very good job; the expression felt alien and jagged on my face.

"Wha...? I mean, it's, like... it's a Wonderbolt move, right? I just, y'know, heard about it...?"

"Uh, actually, that's Dash's new move. Like, her new secret move, that she was going to show off next week. For the first time."

"Oh... really? Eheh."

We stared at each other for a few awkward moments.

Something weird is going on, but I'm not going to make it any better by busting her chops.

"Hey, look, it's okay. I'm not mad; I was just worried that somehow word had gotten out about Dash's new move. She'd be really upset, y'know?"

"Don't worry! I won't tell anyone!"

"Good, but how'd you hear about it?"

"Uh... Dash was showing off! To some other kids, y'know? I happened to see it."

"Oh, really? Huh. We should go talk to her about that—"

"I should really be getting home! I'll see you!"

And just like that, she turned around and started prancing home.

Should I try stopping her...? Nah, if she wants to go home, I should let her. Still... something seems weird, here.

I waited until she had rounded a corner, and then I took to the sky. It took me a few seconds to make her out on the ground from where I was, but I kept and eye on her.

I should at least make sure she gets home safely, right?

The filly turned a couple more corners, before ducking into an alleyway. Confused, I watched for signs of movement for a few more seconds before setting down near the entrance of the alleyway. I peered in, and once my eyes adjusted, I made out the strands of her dark-blue tail hanging out of a cardboard box behind a dumpster.

Wait... is she homeless?! But... what?! Wait... she had those saddlebags ready before she even came to the pub. She was expecting to find Wonderbolts there! Did she run away from home just to follow the 'bolts?

I realized I was hyperventilating, and stepped away from the alleyway entrance to catch my breath.

Keep it together. There's no immediate crisis, right? Just... some kid living on the streets. What do I do about that?

I paced for a while, thinking.

I can't just leave her here, can I? Should I call someone? Should I tell the local guard, or something? What if I don't have the full story?

Maybe... I mean, could it really hurt just to ask the kid about it? That would be alright, wouldn't it?

I hesitated for a few moments, but then started down the alleyway. At the sound of my hooves, the filly's teal eyes came into view from inside the box. I knelt down outside the box, and we just quietly looked at each other for a few moments.

She looks so scared. Aww, dang, dang, what do I do?

"Uhh... hey. I, uh, wanted to see if you got home alright."

The filly blinked a few times, but didn't say anything.

She's so quiet. Maybe I could, like... ask her a question?

"So, uh. I guess, like... what's your name, anyway?"

I tried for a grin, though it felt more like a foal had zig-zagged a pencil for my expression. The filly blinked at me a couple more times, but eventually spoke up.

"Laverna. My name's Laverna."
> ... is that you start caring about it.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I scuffed at the sidewalk with my hoof as I waited, and started whistling a bit.

Laverna said she'd meet me around this time. Maybe she decided not to?

Last night had been strange for me; I had spent a good ten minutes talking to the little filly in the alleyway before her yawning started to become regular. We'd made smalltalk – flight techniques, Wonderbolt trivia, that sort of thing. I'd asked her if she was alright there, but that was as far as I could bring myself to broaching the topic of her living conditions.

I can't believe I left her there! What kind of pony leaves a foal on the street?

Though I guess it's not like I had a lot to offer. I'm sharing a hotel room with two other 'bolts as it is, and I didn't want her to be weirded out. Ugh, dang, I'm such an idiot! I should have done, like... something!

I smacked myself on the forehead with my hoof, admonishing myself because nopony else was around to do it.

I mean, I can't just let her keep sleeping on the street. What do I do? There's so many things I need to ask her about. I mean, why is she living on the streets? Why the interest in the 'bolts? How's she get food? I mean, aside from today.

I glanced at the sandwiches wrapped up on the bench beside me, and caught sight of Laverna, standing off to the side of the bench, watching me. She was smiling, but it seemed a little strained to me.

"Oh, uh... hi. How long have you been there?"

"Just for a minute. That for me?"

"Yep! C'mon!"

I thumped the seat next to me with a hoof, and scooted over. I gave her a winning smile, and I meant it, this time. She hesitated for a moment, but then smiled and hopped up on the bench. As we started to unwrap our sandwiches, I decided to strike up some more conversation.

"So, you seemed really good at that move last night. You want to show me what else you can do, today?"

"Are you serious? That'd be awesome! You have time for that?!"

"Sure. I mean, we're not heading out for another few days..."

"For the show in Fillydelphia, right? Sweet!"

She really does seem obsessed with the 'bolts.

"You must have been practicing a long time to get skills like that. I guess you're really interested in joining us someday, huh?"

All I got was a vaguely affirmative 'mmf-hmmf' sound as she tore into the sandwich. I chuckled and bit into my own, though it was masking a sinking feeling.

I have to wonder if this is the first decent meal she's gotten in a while. She doesn't look thin to me, but, I mean, I'm no doctor. Sweet Celestia, what am I doing here?

We sat there eating for a minute before an idea occurred to me.

"Hey, did you ever go to a flight school?"

I saw her stiffen a bit, and she spent a few seconds thinking it over before giving me the most suspicious face she could make. It was a bit undercut by how adorable she looked.

"Why y'wanna know?"

I stared at her for a moment, before giving her a flat, dull look.

"Because you're a good flier, and you wanna join the 'bolts, duh."

I snickered at her, and after a moment, she snickered, too.

"Sorry, I just... nevermind. Some ponies are stupid. Anyway, yeah, like, I went to a flight school for a while, sure. It was, y'know – it was fine, I guess."

I saw her ears flick around while she spoke, and it gave me an uneasy feeling.

Did something happen at flight school? Rrgh, I'm really bad at this! I might just be reading too much into it!

... Wait. I could just ask.

"Did, like, something happen? You seem sorta down."

"Huh? Oh, naw, it was just... y'know, it was kinda boring. Not my speed."

Something about her mannerisms really reminded me of Rainbow Dash.

Wait... I think she's embarassed. I should probably bring up something else. But what? All I've got to work with is flying!

In a burst of completely sensible inspiration, I prodded her in the side while leaping to my feet.

"Hey! Race you to that cumulus!"

I wildly stabbed a hoof towards a random cloud passing by and took off. I barely heard her voice call out 'Hey, no fair!' as I started gaining altitude, but a glance back revealed that she was following me with a look of pure determination. I grinned devilishly as I zipped towards the cloud and whipped around behind it. I snickered to myself as I heard her approach, and then come to a stop. I heard her voice carry around the cloud.

"Hey! That wasn't fair, you didn't give me enough warning!"

I smirked to myself.

"Ah, but Laverna, a good flier... must have great reflexes!"

And just like that, I pushed the cloud over onto her. It engulfed her like a giant wad of chewing gum, and she grunted and yelled to get free as I started laughing. When she started to break free, I took off for another cloud.

"When I get out of here, I'm going to—mmf!"

I cut her off with a cloudball to the face. She shook her head in confusion, and then stared at me. Comprehension dawned in her eyes as I shaped up another cloud-ball with a grin.

"Oh. OH YOU'RE ON."
> You worry.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Man, I hope this wasn't a mistake.

"We've sorta just hung out for the past few days."

Spitfire frowned, tapping her chin with a hoof.

"Well, did you ever find out why she's on the street?"

"Every time I asked anything about her past, she sorta clammed up or got upset. I didn't wanna push it."

"Jeez. That sounds rough, Soarin. I can see why this has been stressin' you out."

It is nice to finally talk to somepony about it. I just hope Laverna wouldn't see it as, like... selling her out, or whatever.

"Yeah, no kidding. I mean, it's been fun hanging with her. You told us to keep our flight wings in shape, and we've been doing that. I can hardly believe a pony that age can fly like that!"

Spitfire snickered, leaning back.

"You've mentioned that a few times. Did you at least figure out where she learned Dash's move?"

"She insisted she saw Dash do it for some foals. I dunno... I don't want to push it."

Spitfire shrugged.

"Maybe she did. I guess it's not too important, so long as word doesn't get out. Still, I can barely believe you got so little information from her after three days!"

"It wasn't... I dunno, I guess I wasn't that focused on it? I mean, I'm worried about her, but it's not really my place to go messing with somepony's life, right?"

"Soarin, she's a kid. Maybe not a little foal, but still."

"I know, I know. I just wasn't sure what to do."

Spitfire looked off to the side, her face contemplative.

"Well, what did you find out about her?"

"I dunno. I mean, she's a good flier, she's obsessed with the team – I've never seen a kid so focused on something."

"Did she go to school?"

"Yeah, and flight school. She says she found them both really boring, but I kinda got the impression she didn't do too well."

Spitfire nodded, frowning.

"I haven't really looked into it, but I've heard that kids with rough homes don't do too well."

"But we don't know if she had a rough home or not."

Spitfire gave me a flat look. I shuffled uncomfortably, and she spoke up again.

"I think we can assume something was wrong, given where she is now. Thing is, avoiding school isn't going to help her."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Is she eating properly?"

"Best I can tell. She's not skinny, at least. She doesn't really eat that much."

"Yeah, that was the first thing I was worried about."

Spitfire suddenly frowned, tilting her head.

"Wait, didn't it rain yesterday?"

"Yeah, why?"

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

I laughed a bit, rubbing my head.

"Ah, yeah. I had the same thought. I thought I'd have to invite her to spend the night, or something, but she had it taken care of. She'd put up this little metal roof thing with an umbrella."

Spitfire frowned at me.

"And you thought that was enough?"

"She insisted. And it looked alright – I stayed out there in the rain for a while to make sure. I thought it was kinda weird she hadn't already set that up."

"Yeah... maybe that's not where she usually stays?"

I grimaced; I wasn't looking forward to explaining this part.

"She told me she moves around. City to city. I didn't bring it up, but I think she mighta been following us while we're touring."

"Oh, jeez. Stalker, much?"

Dang, I was really afraid Spitfire'd have that response.

Spitfire leaned forward, looking concerned, and spoke up before I could respond.

"Hey, I didn't mean that. Sorry. This is all just a little weird. I mean, some homeless kid is following us? Why? Did you find out why she's so interested in the 'bolts?"

"I didn't ask. I mean, I just sorta figured it was the usual."

"Come on, Soarin. This isn't the usual at all. You should really ask her."

Huh. I hadn't considered that there might be a special reason.

"Yeah, fair enough. Thanks, Spitfire."

"Don't thank me yet... we still need to figure out what to do."

"I guess so..."

"Soarin. We can't just leave it like this."

"I know, I just don't know what to do."

"Well... here's something. Why don't you go get her, and tell her Spitfire wants to meet her? We can all work it out together."

"Hey, that sounds like a great idea! Thanks, Spitfire!"

Man, the captain always knows what to do. I'm sure we'll work this out.

Spitfire just smiled warmly at me.

"No problem, Soarin. See you back in... an hour?"

"Sure thing!"

I headed out the door of the pub to go find Laverna.
> And if something happens...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Oh, hey – I've been meaning to ask, what got you interested in the 'bolts in the first place?"

Laverna was bouncing alongside me, chomping on a fresh ice-cream cone I'd gotten her. The sun had just gone down, and I'd decided to grab some snacks before we headed back to the pub to meet Spitfire.

"Uhh... well, can you not tell anypony else?"

Huh?

"Sure...?"

"Actually, it was my brother, Chaser. He was obsessed with you guys."

"Was?"

Laverna's expression stiffened a bit. She silently bit into her ice cream.

... Oh. So it's like that. Change of subject!

"Hey, we're almost there."

"Are we just going back to the pub where we met?"

"Yeah!"

"So... how's that a surprise?"

I snickered at her, and she stuck her tongue out at me.

"Well, somepony wants to meet you."

"Huh? Oh... okay? I guess? Wait... is it a Wonderbolt?!"

She started hopping up and down in excitement. I just snickered and took a bit of my own ice cream, deliberately not looking at her while she struggled to get my attention.

"Is it? Is it?!"

Wow, she's excited. It's like she's forgotten that I'm a Wonderbolt!

"Not just any Wonderbolt – it's Captain Spitfire!"

I heard a happy little squeal come from her, and snuck a glance at her. She was spronking along, now, too eager to trot.

D'aww!

"So, what, did you tell her what an amazing flier I am?!"

"Well, yeah. I also told her how big of a fan you were, and she decided to meet you before we left the city."

A little omission, but, it's no big deal, right?

"Do you think she'll want to see that trick?! It's not a problem if I show her, right?"

"Should be fine! I did tell her you knew it."

"Awesome! It's the only really big trick I've got nailed down."

Well, your version of it is actually toned down a lot from Dash's... but it's still really impressive!

"I'm sure she'll want to see everything you can do."

"Oh! Is this some kinda audition?!"

"Hey, now, nothing like that. You know the procedure for joining the team, right?"

"Ah, yeah. The academy and all."

"Besides, you're still too young!"

She stuck her tongue out at me and blew a raspberry, and then took another bite out of her ice cream. We went the rest of the way in silence, her hopping up and down, me just striding along, careful not to go too fast for her.

Okay. Here we go!

We stepped into the pub to see an odd sight. Spitfire was sitting at the table closest to the door, chatting with two other ponies. One was a black-coated stallion with a dark-yellow mane, who looked to be the local constable, judging by his uniform and little star. The other was just an elderly brown stallion with grey hair, balding, and spectacles. All three of them looked up at us and smiled when we entered, though Spitfire was the first to speak.

Huh. Who are these ponies?

"Glad to see you finally made it, Soarin. It's been an hour and a half!"

Oh, dang, I must have seriously lost track of time.

"Sorry, I—"

"What is this?"

I glanced to my side to see that Laverna had gone completely rigid. Her eyes were glued to the ponies around the table. It was the bespectacled stallion who responded, with a soft, welcoming voice.

"Laverna, Spitfire was just telling us about you. Why don't you come join us?"

Huh. He seems nice enough—

"You're... you run some kind of local foal's thing, don't you? You're trying to put me in the system!"

I glanced between Laverna and the elderly stallion, who seemed confused. The constable leaned forward, and spoke in a deep, smooth voice, gesturing to the other stallion.

"Dr. Al here is just trying to help you, Laverna. We want you to have a good home—"

"Like Tartarus!"

I snapped my sight over to Laverna. I'd heard her swear a bit, here and again, but I was shocked to hear the raw anger in her voice.

What's going on here?!

"Laverna, are you—"

"You sold me out! I can't believe it!"

She looked at me with pure venom. All I could do was look back, hopelessly confused.

"Huh?"

Seeing my expression, her face softened somewhat, but the constable's voice cut in.

"Listen, you need a home. We can't let you keep roaming the streets—"

The constable had gotten up and walked a few steps closer. I knew it was a mistake the moment I realized he had done it, but I hadn't noticed until I saw Laverna's head snap to his direction. I scarcely had time to lift a hoof to signal that he should back off before I saw his face splattered with ice cream – and I turned back around to see Laverna rushing off into the darkness.

No, no, not good! This wasn't supposed to happen!

I followed her on pure instinct, the constable right beside me once we got out of the pub.

"Laverna, wait!"

"I'm not going back!"

She rounded the city corners, and I took to the sky to follow her. I could have easily caught her, but I was only interested in keeping her in sight. In all of the confusion, I had totally lost track of the constable.

"Going back where? What are you talking about?!"

She rounded the corner to her little alleyway. I set down at the alleyway entrance, and watched her grab a small bag out of her little box. I decided not to get any closer, for fear of spooking her.

"Listen, Laverna – Spitfire just wanted to help you, she's not—"

"Don't! I don't want to hear it!"

Her saddlebags now on her back, Laverna took a couple of steps towards me, her face twisted into a snarl, but her eyes watering. Sometimes, you see something that you know you're always going to remember; her expression was one of them, for me.

"I don't care what you think! Don't care what she thinks! I'm not going back!"

I just stood there, feeling helpless for a few seconds.

"Okay...? Laverna, like... I don't want to make you go anywhere."

She stood there for a few seconds, staring at me. Her expression softened a little, and her voice came out watery.

"... Really?"

I suddenly caught a glimpse of the constable at the other side of the alleyway. For a second, the glint of his eyes in the darkness almost made me think he was some kind of predator, and I felt an instinctual rush. I immediately threw a hoof forward, yelling at him to stop. Laverna whirled around, just as he was pounced to grab her.

The two struggled, and I ran towards them, wrapping my hooves around the constable. I pulled him back just as I heard him let out a pained yell, and saw blood stream between them as Laverna leapt back, away from us. I desperately searched for the source, fearing that she had been injured. I locked eyes with her, and my blood went cold; her teal eyes had taken on a deep blue hue, and at the center of her pupils were white, glowing specks, shining in the darkness at me. They illuminated two giant, downward-pointing tusks coming out of her mouth like fangs. She hissed at me, and disappeared around the corner, leaving me too shocked to move.

It was only the grunting and heavy breathing of the constable that got my attention. He let out a small, pained cry as I set him down, and then I saw the source of the blood; Laverna had sunk those new fangs of hers into his barrel, leaving two nasty punctures, though it didn't look too serious.

"Rgh, what did she do to me?!"

"She bit you. I think."

The constable looked down at the injury, and then looked up at me.

"Kid's got one heck of a maw on her, then! Good grief!"

"You're, uh... you're taking that pretty well."

The constable grunted, pulling himself up into a sitting position.

"Had worse. Besides, I feel pretty—ngh!—stupid. I should have stopped like you—hey, buddy, you okay?"

With the adrenaline fading away, the sight of so much blood, combined with everything that had just happened, was catching up with me. I sat down, leaning against the opposite alley wall from the constable to get stability, as it felt like the world was spinning under my hooves. It took me a few moments to think of the right response.

"... No."











> ... it leaves a hole in your heart.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I had no idea she'd react like that. Soarin... I'm sorry."

"It's... okay. Don't worry about it; you were just doing what you thought was best."

"... Thanks. But what did you think was best?"

"Dunno. That's why I hadn't really done anything, yet. Guess it's too late, now."

"Well, the constable said he'd be searching for her, right? He might turn something up."

"You think she'll trust me again?"

Spitfire's expression sank. I hadn't ever seen her look so regretful, before.

I didn't even think about how this would make her feel.

I walked over to her and set a hoof on her shoulder.

"Hey, Cap. You guys can handle the next show without me, right?"

Spitfire looked at me, her eyes darting around my face in confusion. She spent a moment thinking before responding.

"Yeah, we have reserves in Filly."

"Okay. In that case, give them a call, huh? I'll stay here, and see if I can't find her. Do some digging."

Spitfire bit her lower lip a couple of times before taking a sharp breath. She stood up tall and nodded to me.

"That sounds like a good idea. Good luck, Soarin."

"You too, Cap. And tell Dash I'm sorry for not being there for her trick."

Spitfire smirked.

"I'll tell her you said so, but something tells me she won't forgive you that easily."

~

"It seems that there was a 'Chaser' registered at the Canterlot Orphanage a few years ago. I've pulled the relevant records, here."

I took the dusty recordbook from the secretary with a nod. I took a seat at a nearby table, careful not to make too much noise, and started flipping through it.

Alright! Progress! Man, coming to the central records in Canterlot was a good idea. I'll have to remember to thank Dr. Al for the tip.

I froze in my search.

'Sky Chaser', huh? Sounds like the kid... but there's no mention of Laverna here.

I scanned the entry further, reading that Sky Chaser and his brother had been sent to a foster home.

Maybe Laverna was already a part of that household. I should go ask the orphanage director about it.

~

"Here you go, lad."

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

The elderly stallion set a steaming cup of tea in front of me, and then carefully took a seat across from me. After we'd both had a few sips, he spoke up.

"Now, who was it you wished to ask after?"

Dang, this tea is good.

"Chaser. Sky Chaser. He was here for a few years before going into foster care, right?"

At least, that's what the record-book at the central archive said...

"Ah... Chaser. Yes, I remember him."

Dorian cast his eyes down at the table, a faint grimace forming.

Wow. Now I feel bad for bringing it up...

"The records weren't really clear, but something happened, huh?"

Dorian nodded, meeting my eyes.

"He fell ill... his foster parents didn't recognize the seriousness of it until it was too late."

"That's really sad. Jeez."

"Quite, quite... Between that and what happened with his brother, his foster-parents left the system entirely."

Ah, right. He had a brother here.

"What about his sister? Laverna?"

Dorian squinted at me, searching my face.

"Laverna? I've never heard the name."

"Really? I'm pretty sure Chaser's the one I'm looking for. Laverna said he was her brother."

"I'm afraid not. Chaser only had one sibling."

Maybe it's the wrong kid?

"Well, what happened with Chaser's brother?"

"He ran away, right after Chaser passed. He's one of the only cases of a runaway we've never managed to track down."

That sounds... interesting.

"What kinda kid was he?"

"Oh, Laurence was always a bit of an enigma. He was very mature for his age, but he was also very quiet – he was mute until he was four, you know! Very strange, indeed. The first time he spoke, Chaser had scraped his leg very badly playing outside; Laurence just held him, told him he would be okay, and then called for help."

"Wow. He does sound like an odd kid, alright – cool, though."

Dorian nodded, a faint smile crossing his lips, though his eyes were creased and weary.

"He was a great help around the orphanage. In time, he came to be quite talkative – though he never stopped having a secretive side. He would goof off and ramble about all sorts of things, but if someone brought up something he felt strongly about..."

"He'd just go quiet on them, and give them a look?"

Dorian nodded.

Wow. He does sound like Laverna, but... how's that possible?

"Laurence... could you describe him to me?"

"Oh, sure. He was a small grey unicorn colt, navy blue hair and mane, with teal eyes. Kind of lithe and skinny, like to prance everywhere."

Wow. That sounds a lot like Laverna, except—

"A unicorn? Really?"

"Yep."

"Not a pegasus, like his brother?"

"Hmm? Chaser wasn't a pegasus."

"Really? Huh... I guess I just assumed—"

"He was obsessed with the Wonderbolts, though. Absolutely taken with them; he swore he'd be one when he grew up, even though he didn't have wings."

My thoughts drifted back to the earth pony colt I'd met some time back, and I felt my eyes water.

I guess now would be a weird time to mention that I'm a Wonderbolt. I should follow up on this somehow.

"You said that the parents left the foster system, right? Can I still talk to them, somehow?"

"Oh, certainly. We have their names on file, so we could look them up."

"I think that'd be a good idea."
> It hurts.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Why am I doing this?

I had, I was fairly certain, tracked down Laverna's old parents. There were still a lot of unanswered questions – like why she had run away in the first place, or how she had gone from being a unicorn colt to being a pegasus filly. I had some ideas, but I didn't want to just run with an assumption until I knew for sure.

Is there really any point? Laverna's never going to trust me again – and even if she did, what then? Could I really convince her to come home?

I sighed, scuffing at the sidewalk. Sitting at the bench reminded me of hanging out with Laverna at the park, and that didn't do my mood any favors. I had already tried knocking on the front door, but nopony was home, so I had resigned myself to waiting until they got back.

The way she reacted when she thought she might go back into the system... what happened to her? I guess there's just one way to find out... but even if I do, it's not going to make any difference. I can't really do anything about all of this! Dangit, why couldn't somepony else have dealt with this?

Then again, I guess Spitfire tried. So did the constable and Dr. Al. Heck, Al said he was impressed with my 'patience' with Laverna. Does that mean that every other adult pony is just as lost as I am when dealing with this sorta thing?

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.

Does the rest of the team feel like that? I mean, we've all had our silly moments, but I can hardly imagine the rest of them feeling lost like that. Then again, that look on Spitfire's face...

I shook my head, trying to push the storm of thoughts in my mind aside. I had a job to do. After a few minutes of impatient squirming and waiting, I caught sight of a couple coming down the street.

White coat on top, black hooves, grey mane – that must be Mr. Endicott. And that would make the mare... yep, beige coat, black mane, that must be Mrs. Endicott. They're just like they were described. Alright.

I made to stand, and I managed to get halfway up before I popped down on my rump.

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 smacked my forehead with a hoof – a gesture which had become much more familiar recently.

Why am I even doing this? There's no real point. I mean, it doesn't even matter what they say; I probably won't even see Laverna again, and it's not like what these folks tell me will somehow change what she thinks. This whole thing has been a massive waste of time. I should just go catch up with the team.

I stood up to leave, and took a couple of steps down the street before I stopped.

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

I remembered how I felt the first time I saw the box Laverna was sleeping in.

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'.
> It can be a burden.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I sighed, and started peeling myself out of my Wonderbolt uniform. I glanced at myself in the mirror, confirming that I looked as downtrodden as I felt.

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.

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.

Ugh... I can't get my head on straight. Hearing all of that really made me feel sick.

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. Great, just what I needed – first I spend two hours hearing about how my friend's a loser, and now I'm going to get chewed out for not showing up at the show.

I trod over to the door, though with my hooves and gut feeling like lead it was slow-going. Just as I raised a hoof to open the door, another round of slamming forced my ears back against my head. Once it had subsided, I slowly undid the chain lock and opened the door.

"Soarin, you—whoa. Dude, are you okay?"

Something about that phrase hit me tangibly, like the air around me suddenly became heavier. I realized I was staring down at her hooves, and I couldn't even remember breaking eye contact. I just shrugged and walked inside, and Dash hesitantly followed me in and shut the door. I sat down on the bed, and Dash smacked her rump down a few feet away. Somehow, I felt like looking at her face again would make me feel even worse, so I just kept staring at her hooves. Staring down and folding back my ears didn't stop her voice from reaching me, though.

"What happened? Don't just give me the silent treatment, dude. Not cool."

I heaved a sigh.

What do I say? 'I just found out I'm a naive idiot'? I'm sure she already knew that.

"I guess... well, I met this filly a few days ago..."

~

"... and so I spent the day talking to her last set of foster-parents – she and Chaser had bounced between eight different homes before then – and they filled me in on how bad the kids were. All this time, I just sorta, like, assumed that Laverna had it rough. I never thought, y'know, maybe she's... I dunno. A troublemaker?"

Dash frowned. There was something in her eyes that made me want to crawl under a rock.

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

"Huh? Uh... yeah?"

Something about the way she said it had made it sound almost venomous.

"Well, why should you believe them over Laverna, huh? Laverna's your friend. You don't really even know those other two ponies!"

"Y-yeah, but, like, they're foster parents. I mean, like, they've done this – dozens of foals have passed through that home to get adopted! It's not like they're new to this."

"Huh? Well, yeah, but—"

"Dash, I only knew Laverna for, like, four days! It's not like I had her in my house for months, like they did, and like... who am I, Dash? To judge this sorta stuff? I'm just a stuntpony. These people had to go through all kinds of certifications—they wanted to adopt, too, y'know! It was because of this stuff that they gave up on—"

"I don't care, Soarin! I'm not asking you to trust yourself over these 'experts' or whatever, I'm telling you to trust Laverna over them!"

I threw my hooves up rolling my eyes. They were stinging so badly, the gesture was actually painful.

"Laverna never even said anything about her time in the foster home. She wouldn't tell me anything about her past! For all I know, she'd back them up!"

Dash rolled her eyes.

"Oh, yeah, sure. The pony who hates the foster system so much they'd rather live on the street would surely tell you that they were the problem. Soarin, how many ponies do you think are willing to live like that? How bad does a home have to be for someone to prefer that sorta thing?"

"I don't know! Dash, I don't know anything about that sort of thing! I've never really had to deal with kids!"

"Well I have."

"... Huh?"

Dash had caught me up short, and all I could do was stare at her. I hadn't noticed, before, but there was a hardness to her expression, like iron. When Dash got upset, she usually looked uncertain; this time, she looked determined.

"I know a thing or two about kids, Soarin. Let me tell you something; everypony deserves to have somepony in their corner. Somepony who believes in them. This Laverna kid sounds like she's got nopony. I don't know what happened at that foster home, and neither do you, you're right about that – but no matter what, somepony ought to believe she's more than... than nothing."

"I don't think she's nothing! I never said that!"

"But you're sitting here crying because that's what you're feeling! You're giving up on her!"

"... I guess. I guess I was, sorta, yeah."

"And why? Because a pair of hoity-toity – er, not the actual hoity... whatever! A pair of snobby ponies told you to? That's all it took? Jeez, dude, did Laverna make that bad of an impression?"

"No! She was awesome! And even the orphanage director said that she was a super hard worker around the orphanage, and helped take care of the kids, and..."

I trailed off, thinking about it.

Why did I believe those two so strongly?

"Soarin, no matter what else is true, here's something that's a fact. A pony died because those two weren't paying enough attention."

"H-hey! That's low, Dash! They thought he just had the flu!"

"It doesn't matter. The fact is that a pony died, and the other one ran away. Whatever excuses they want to make, Soarin, they failed as parents. There's probably some, uh..."

Dash stopped for a second, looking around the ceiling. It was like she was trying to grasp a word out of the air.

"... culpability on their part. Like, it was probably at least a bit their fault. A lot, maybe. Like you said, you have no way to know; if you're going to just believe that Laverna was a bad pony based on their say-so, you might as well turn that thinking around on them!"

I spent a few seconds staring at Dash before I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, held it for a second, and let it out. It cleared my head, and gave me time to think of what I wanted to say.

"... You know, I think that's the first adult thing I've heard anyone say about this mess."

"Huh? Whaddaya mean?"

"Throughout this whole thing, I haven't really known what to do. No one else has, either. It's just been... one screwup after another. Laverna's whole life has just been one adult after another who didn't know what the heck to do with her, and after something bad happened, they just held up their hooves and said 'well, we did what we thought was best'. Even her teachers, according to the Endicotts. She had weird problems in school, and they kept trying to... y'know, just force her to do better. Her foster parents found out after she left home that she'd stopped going to school completely for a full week before she left the house – she'd forged a letter telling the school she was getting a transfer."

"Oh... wow. That's serious."

"Yeah, and the way they said it, it was 'just another bad thing Laverna did'. But why would she want to? School's supposed to be fun, and it's not like Laverna doesn't want to learn. So maybe she wasn't learning there. Y'know, maybe something was wrong."

Dash shifted uncomfortably, glancing away from me. It was the first time I'd seen her look uncertain today.

"I dunno. I mean, some kids really don't like school... I remember that I really wanted to get away from school, sometimes."

"But why? Did they make you feel stupid – or maybe there were bullies? Or something else like that?"

Dash stiffened, and then slowly bit her lip. She chewed on it for a few seconds before looking over at me.

"Yeah. There was stuff like that. And y'know what? You're right; Twilight taught me that I wasn't stupid. It wasn't my fault that I had so much trouble in class, all that time. They never bothered to find out how to teach me right."

"But Twilight did?"

I didn't know much about Twilight, truth be told, so it was a shock to hear that she had taken the time to deal with Dash's private life like that. Really, all I knew about her was that she was a princess, and – according to Dash – a lovable bookworm.

"Yeah. She refused to let me give up on the Wonderbolt entrance exam, even when I told her that her study methods were stupid. Even when I'd given up. She kept trying, until she found out that I could learn easily while flying; I just naturally memorize everything that happens when I'm in the air."

"Whoa."

Wow. That's amazing... no wonder Dash picks up new tricks so easily. And if her learning style could be that weird... who knows what might be up with Laverna.

"Yeah, she's pretty amazing, huh?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Really solid of her to work with you like that. I guess that's why she's a princess."

"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."

"... Huh?!"

"Long story. We should stay focused."

"Uh, right. Well, I guess I really should hear Laverna's side of all of this... but she's gone, now."

Dash tapped her chin, thinking.

"I dunno. By the sounds of it, she might not blame you for what happened. She might still show up."

"But I don't even know what city she's in, Dash! Even if she wanted to, how could she find me?"

"Well, she still wants to join the 'bolts, right?"

"Uh... probably?"

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

The way Dash smiled at that while rubbing her hooves together made me feel deeply uneasy.
> ... is it worth it?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Alright, kids! See you tomorrow!"

The foals all waved and yelled their goodbyes as they made their way to the gate. I sighed happily and started packing everything up, starting with the water tank.

Heh. I thought the mayor was being generous when he let us borrow the park for our practice; given the amount of tourism it's drawing, I almost feel like we should be charging them!

As I tallied up the grades for the day, I felt a deep sense of satisfaction at the performance of the recruits.

It's only been a few days, but we've drawn in some real talent in this city. I wonder how Dash and the others are doing in their cities. Maybe this should be a regular thing the 'bolts do!

As I loaded the last of the supplies onto the cart, I froze at the sound of a squeaky, familiar voice.

"Hey, Soarin."

Oh dang, oh dang, I didn't really think through what I'd say if this happened. What do?!

I stopped for a few seconds, and drew in a deep breath. I slowly let it out, and turned to face Laverna.

"Heya, Ver."

She was standing on the other side of the park's wrought-iron fence from me, and just stood there, quietly searching my face. I smiled at her, and curled all four of my legs under myself, lying down so that I was head-level with her.

I always thought this posture sorta made a pony look like a goose, but whatever. At least now I look non-threatening, right?

"... Are you trying to look non-threatening?"

I smirked at how easily she saw right through me.

"Uh... yeah?"

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

Laverna snickered, and I joined her. She shook her head at me, still grinning.

"You're really somethin' else. Did you really set up all of this 'Wonderbolt Youth Outreach' stuff just to lure me out?"

I shrugged.

"Yeah, pretty much."

Laverna tilted her head at me, her eyebrows knitting in confusion and disbelief.

"Wha... seriously?

"I know I'm supposed to say, 'not just for that', or something. And like, the program's pretty cool in general. But no, yeah, that was why we did it. Or how we came up with it, I guess – the other 'bolts thought it was a good idea in general."

"... 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."

It was Laverna's turn to smirk at being ferreted out.

"Kinda, I guess. So, like... why, though? I don't get it."

"Well, I couldn't just leave things like they were."

"I did sorta disappear on you. Sorry about that, I was... I wasn't thinkin' straight."

"Yeah, I understand. What happened back there was really messed-up."

"No kidding! What was that guy thinking, jumping me like that?! I mean, I'm not proud of what I did, but..."

Laverna looked frowned, looking off to the side. I could see a blush burning through her coat.

"He kinda asked for it."

"Yeah! Yeah, he really did!"

"Still, Ver... he was just trying to help you. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, right! He wanted to put me back in the system. Don't tell me you're with them on that!

I held up a hoof in a placating gesture.

Hoo, boy. This is going to be bad.

"I'm not trying to put you anywhere, Ver. I just want to help."

Laverna eyed me suspiciously, frowning. She sighed, glancing off to the side.

"And why's that, huh? What's it get you?

"Huh? Ver, I'm not trying to get anything. I just don't want to see you living on the street!"

Laverna scowled at me, all but growling now.

"Oh no, don't you feed me that! I'm not buying that goodness of my heart garbage again! If you can't tell me what you want, it just means it's more than I'd be willing to pay!"

What the heck is she talking about?!

"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?"

Laverna froze, whatever she was about to say dying on her lips. She glanced around in thought for a moment, before looking back to me.

"Of course not. But that's different! Family, y'know – of course you help family.

"What about your friends at the orphanage? I spoke to Dorian – he said you made a lot of friends while you were there!"

"Well, yeah, with the other kids, but we all needed to hang together. That's just survival. Nobody ever helped me unless they were bein' paid to do it – and most of them still had an angle when it came to me."

I just worked my jaw silently for a while.

Is she serious? What kind of 'angle' could the Endicotts have had?

"Well, fine. Think of me as another kid, then – whatever. I mean, it's not like I expected something from you for the flying lessons, or whatever!"

"But... I thought you liked hangin' out with me. You did that as a favor?"

"Err, dang, that's not what I meant. Just, like... my point is that I think of you as a friend. Of course I want to help you."

Laverna squinted at me, like she could somehow ferret a secret out of me just by staring hard enough. After a few seconds, she pointed a hoof at me.

"But this is why you stuck around, isn't it? The reason you started hanging out with me. You were worried about how I was living."

I don't like where this is going...

"... Yeah. That's true."

"Why did you care? Why do you care at all? It doesn't make any different to you how I live."

"Because nopony should have to live on the street! Everypony ought to have a home they can go to – and that includes you!"

To my surprise, Laverna looked grossed-out by what I'd said, her lips curling back and her eyes taking on a wincing expression.

"I don't want a home. Four walls aren't worth putting up with someone kicking you around every day.

Kicking you around...?

"... Is that how you see family? Something that kicks you around?"

"Wha—? Family? No, not family – parents. Adults.

"But, parents are supposed to be part of your family, Ver. They watch out for you, try to help you—"

"Yeah, yeah, I got the speech before. It's all garbage, though; the reality is that you trade. You do whatever they say, they give you a roof. No thanks."

I was about to retort, but I shut my mouth just before any sound could come out.

This is really what she thinks parents are. She really thinks having a home means being, like... a servant.

"... Is that how you were treated at the Endicotts' place? As a servant?"

Laverna suddenly went rigid, her eyes wide. Then, her brows furrowed, mixing her expression between horror and anger.

"How d'you know about the 'cotts? I never told you about that place!"

That settles it. Laurence and Laverna are the same pony.

"I was worried about you, so I did a little looking. You didn't answer my question, though."

Laverna took a second thinking, and then draw in a sharp breath.

"... Nah. At the other places, maybe. The 'cotts were... worse."

I nodded quickly.

No point in forcing her to talk more about it right now...

"I get it. You've had a rough time with homes so far – but that doesn't mean you should give up, okay? You shouldn't have to—"

Laverna cut me off with a wave of her hoof, and I realized there were tears streaming down her face. Her voice came out watery, to top it off.

"What don't you get? I'm not interested! I'd rather die out here than let somepony kick me around again, you get me? This isn't a bucking negotiation. I don't need more 'parents', people who don't even know me trying to tell me how to live my life.  Whatever you're selling – keep it!"

Laverna turned to go, and I instinctively sprang to my feet, calling after her, though my voice was cracking.

"Wait! Ver, I'm just trying to—"

"You're just trying to tell me what to do, same as everypony else! I don't know what your damage is, but if the way I live bugs you so much, then forget about me!"

She started trotting away, and I froze. I could feel the pain, the stress, and the frustration of the entire situation slipping away.

She doesn't want my help. It's that simple. Who am I to force myself into somepony's life if they don't want me there?

I looked down at my hooves, wondering if I'd done anything wrong.

What more could I do? I don't know what the right thing to do is...

But... I know what the wrong thing is.

I snapped my head up. My vision was blurry, but I could still see her. I gently took off into the air, and swiftly closed the gap, landing in front of her. She gasped lightly as I landed in front of her, but I spoke before she could get a word in.

"My damage is that I think everypony deserves someone in their corner, Ver. Everyone should have somewhere they can call home, someone who will help them – and, yeah, seeing the way you were living there, it broke my heart. I couldn't stand the thought that you didn't have that. I didn't know – nopony knew – what oughtta be done, but I definitely know that doing nothing is the wrong answer. Ver, are you really happy living like this?"

I could hear her crying, just a few feet in front of me. Her heavy breathing was the only sound on the street, it seemed to me, for a few seconds.

"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!"

The two of us just stood there, staring at each other for a while, sniffling. My mind was reeling from the implications of what she had said; my skin felt like ice, and I thought I was going to be sick.

That playful, helpful, mature, mysterious colt that Dorian described... what did he have to go through to give up on the idea of a home? What did it take to make him the miserable filly I see here?

"... Yeah. Fair enough."

"H-huh...?"

Laverna stared up at me, her mouth hanging open slightly. I sniffled slightly, and cleared my throat.

"Fair enough. I won't try to push my 'happy ever after' on you. Instead... let me help you find yours."

She stared at me, her eyes darting between both of mine for a while. A few quiet moments passed.

Then she nodded.
> Of course it's worth it!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ver and I looked at each other and nodded. There was an unspoken understanding that both of us thought this was crazy, scary, and crazy-scary.

"Nothing t-to worry about, right?"

"Sure, yeah. I mean, it's just, y'know, a giant castle. Made of crystals."

"With a princess inside I only know second-hand."

"That we're supposed to ask for help because... what was it miss Rainbow said again?"

"That she's 'super smart and helpful, and would totally know what to do' about helping you find a place to stay?"

We both frowned.

"You buy it?"

"Nope. But then... what's there to lose?"

"I dunno... My free—"

"NO ONE IS TAKING AWAY YOUR FREEDOM."

I put on the biggest, sternest frown I could. Ver looked surprised for a second, but then laughed at me.

"Okay, okay, jeez, I believe you! I think you're even antsier than I am!"

I glanced up at the castle and felt a pit drop out of my stomach.

"Yeah, probably so."

I hope Dash is right about this. Ver's trusting me, here.

"Can I help you two with something?"

I turned around to see a tall, purple unicorn smiling at me.

Huh. Why's this mare look so familiar?

"Oh, uh. We were just hoping to meet with Princess Twilight."

"Uh... Soarin..."

The unicorn blinked at me a couple of times, then smirked.

"Oh, well I'll just introduce you to her, then. This way!"

She trotted into the castle, opening it with her magic, and waved us in with her wings before slipping from view. I started to—WINGS?

Wings? Wait, was that Princess Twilight?!

I froze and smacked myself in the forehead with a hoof.

"... Smooth, Soarin. Real smooth."

"How could I not have recognized her? I've seen Twilight before! Though... I think she was a little shorter. Didn't she used to be a little shorter? And her horn was a little smaller?"

"Uh, how should I know?"

"Right! Nevermind! Let's just go!"

Leaving the scene of my embarrassment behind, we followed into the castle. Twilight shut the door with her magic, and then led us to a small sitting room.

There are so many books in this places, it's almost like—

"Jeez, it's like the walls use books for support struts.

Right. That.

Twilight gestured at two seats in front of a small crystal table, and then seated herself across from us. I hopped into my seat, though I noticed Ver was moving hesitantly.

Huh. Three chairs were already set out – was she expecting us?

"Do you like it? We have virtually every book in Equestria here!"

Twilight beamed at us, and I couldn't help but smile back and nod.

This is one of Dash's closest friends. The one that put in the effort to find out how she learns, and all. There's nothing to be scared of, here; we can trust this mare. Does Ver know that?

I glanced at Ver, who looked somewhat frozen, except for her eyes, which were darting around a bit. They locked with mine, and I just gave her a reassuring smile and tousled her hair, prompting an immediate giggle-and-swat-with-hoof reaction. 

"Heheh-hey, cut it out!"

I snickered at her, though her last swat at my hoof actually smarted somewhat. I rubbed it and she just stuck her tongue out at me. I glanced at Twilight, who watched the entire exchange with a faint grin.

"Dash told us you could help us... well, figure out what we should do, really. Ver here doesn't have a home, and doesn't want to be part of the foster or orphanage system, so..."

I held up my hooves, helplessly.

I don't know what she could possibly recommend, but... well, I guess it can't hurt to ask?

Twilight nodded, her grin fading to a more neutral expression.

"Dash sent me a letter in advance, actually. Laverna, if you're certain that you don't want to be part of the adoption or foster systems, we can file for emancipation."

Oh, right! I've heard of this!

Ver's eyes locked on Twilight, and one of them squinted slightly, almost in an angry expression.

"Wait, what's that? Emancer—emancipation?"

Twilight smiled and folded her hooves in front of her, leaning back in her chair like a teacher giving a lecture.

"Emancipation means independence under the law. Basically, you will no longer have a legal guardian – you will be responsible for yourself, and free to make your own decisions, just as if you had come of age."

Ver just stared at Twilight, her eyes narrowing further.

"That's a thing you can do? They never told us anything about that!"

Twilight frowned, an eyebrow going crooked.

"You mean at the orphanage...? They should have..."

"Are you bucking kiddin' me?!"

Ver was panting heavily, her face twisted into a grimace. I gently reached a wing over to her, uncertain of how to proceed.

I'm starting to see a pattern in how adults in Ver's life have acted...

Ver started at the touch from me, and locked eyes with me. I just looked back with a half-frown. After a couple of seconds, she closed her eyes, sighed, and leaned back onto my wing.

Well... that's not quite what I expected, but okay.

Twilight glanced between us, and sighed before speaking again.

"I don't know why the orphanage director didn't tell you, but I'll definitely look into it. The whole point of having that option is to keep kids from feeling like their only choice is to run away."

Wow. The mood in here really took a turn for the worse.

I leaned forward, nudging Ver in the process, and focused on Twilight, who was now staring at the table.

"But, hey, this means that Ver will be free of the system, right? She can do what she wants? That's great news!"

Ver opened her eyes, leaning off of my wing – which I quickly retreated – and nodded.

"Yeah! No more guards trying to jump me and toss me back in, right?"

Twilight furrowed her brows at Ver.

"Is that actually something that happens?"

Both Ver and I said 'Yes', in unison, before glancing at each other. I muttered an apology and gestured for her to continue.

"Yeah. A few times, actually. Soarin was just there for the most recent attempt."

Twilight smacked her face with her hoof.

Looks like I'm not the only one getting plenty of practice with that move lately.

"They're not supposed to... I mean, you don't treat runaways like they're criminals. I just..."

Twilight sighed, looking straight at Ver before continuing.

"I'm so sorry that things have gone so badly for you. This isn't how the system is supposed to work."

Ver's eyes softened, and she gave Twilight a half-frown, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Ah, miss – I mean, princess. It's not your fault, y'know? Stuff happens. Don't worry about it."

The room went quiet as both Twilight and I stared at Ver. She looked around at both of us, confusion plain in her features.

"... What? Aw horseapples, did I say something wrong?"

I shook my head, smiling at her. Twilight's voice came to us, sad and slow.

"Thank you, Ver. I appreciate your magnanimity, but this is at least partially my fault. Things like this shouldn't slip under our noses. But, I'm happy to be able to put this right, now. Before we start to fill out the paperwork, though, there's... one other thing."

Both of us turned to Twilight, focusing on her. There was a very clear tension in the room.

I bet I know what Ver's thinking right now.

"Aw, great. A catch."

Nailed it!

Twilight chewed her lip a bit, looking between us. Finally, she drew in a sharp breath, taking a second to close her eyes, and opened them again, focusing on Ver.

"It's not a problem, Ver, but... we're going to need to have your species, for the record. Your birth species."

"Oh, right! Is that all?"

I smirked. This was something Ver and I had discussed already, and I felt a wave of relief wash over me.

Really dodged a bolt on that one!

Ver closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, and there was a flicker of green flame around her. Her wings disappeared, but she manifested a small horn – as well as a cutie mark image of a mirror. Ver wrapped her hooves around herself, just like she had the first time she'd shown me her special talent.

It's got to be so weird to suddenly lose your wings like that...

Twilight raised an eyebrow, her mouth coming open slightly as she looked Ver over.

"Uhh... that's not what I mean. Laverna... I need to see your original form."

Laverna grimaced, and her horn lit up. After a second, a green flame passed over her, and she... well, was now a he. A colt.

"There... is that good enough? I've kinda gotten used to being a filly, lately, so..."

Twilight just stared for a few seconds, and then sighed. She lit up her horn, and suddenly there was a purple stream of energy flowing from it onto Ver. I stiffened in surprise, but tried to restrain my reaction – until I heard Ver cry out in pain. Twilight cut the stream off with an alarmed expression, and before I knew what had happened I had Ver in my hooves and wings. Her eyes lolled around unfocused for a few seconds before she looked up at me. Then she snapped her eyes shut.

Wait – she's a filly again. When did that happen?

"Rngh, my horn..."

Ver started rubbing the base of her horn. Twilight suddenly appeared next to us in a flash of light, her eyes wide and focused on Ver.

"Sorry! I'm so sorry—I had no idea that would happen! It was just a dispel! Laverna, are you okay?! Can you see properly?!"

Ver slowly opened her eyes, and scowled at Twilight.

"I see a dumb purple alicorn, so you tell me!"

Twilight blinked in confusion for a few seconds, and then relaxed slightly, rubbing her temple with a hoof. Ver just stuck her tongue out at her.

"Thank goodness. I was so worried! That really shouldn't have—"

"Twilight. Why did you do that?"

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

"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!"

"Two days ago, but yeah. Ver's a unicorn – her special talent is shapechanging."

Twilight blinked a couple of times, and then her eyes lit up.

"Wow. Seriously?! You can change gender and race at your age?! That's incredible!"

Ver slowly stood up, still rubbing at her forehead.

"Yeah? It doesn't seem so hard to me."

"You must somehow have a natural talent for changeling magic! I've never heard of something like that happening before!"

I snickered, tousling Ver's hair. She smirked at me and swatted my hoof aside.

"You hear that, Ver? You're going to be the first-ever Wonderbolt wizard!"

Ver's eyes lit up, but she quickly concealed her excitement and stuck her tongue out at me.

"Wizards are too stuffy for me. I'd prefer to be an athlete!"

Twilight drew herself back, frowning.

"Hey! Wizards don't have to be stuffy! You can be an athletic wizard!"

We both just rolled our eyes at Twilight. She cleared her throat and strode back over to her seat, though her blush was obvious. Just as she was moving to sit down, though, her eyes darted back to Ver.

"Wait. Laverna... can you hold still, for a second?"

Ver went rigid. Both of us glared at Twilight, who held up a hoof in a placating gesture.

"I just need to scan you for active magic! That's all!"

"Oh, and I'm guessing this time it really won't hurt or cause problems for real, right?"

Twilight looked around uncomfortably, her expression frozen.

"... Yyyyeeeesss?"

Ver sighed, rolling her eyes.

Jeez. Twilight is really convinced something's going on here, huh? Then again... I've been wondering, myself.

"Twilight, I'm not a changeling. I told you already! Back me up, Soarin."

I grimaced, looking between the two.

"Ver... maybe a scan's not a bad idea."

Ver opened her mouth to object, but I held up a hoof.

"I mean, you yourself can't explain what happened with the constable, right? Wouldn't it be better to know?"

She frowned, closing her mouth. She opened it again, thought better of it, and closed it again.

"... what if am a changeling?"

I craned my neck closer to listen.

"Sorry, what?"

"What if I am a changeling?"

She looked up at me, and searched my face. I smirked at her.

"So what? It won't make any difference."

"What?! Of course it'll make a difference! I'll be—"

"No, it really won't. Like, literally. Think about it; if you're a changeling, then you've always been a changeling. It's not like you're just going to become one now... er, right Twilight? That isn't how it works, right?"

Twilight froze for a second, and then nodded hurriedly.

"Oh. Yes! Yes, that's right; changelings are born, not made. Discovering you're a changeling would just tell us about you, Laverna. It won't change you – and it won't change how we see you, either."

Ver looked between us. She opened her mouth to speak, but I beat her to it.

"I promise, Ver. Nothing will change between us, at least."

Twilight nodded.

"The same goes here. I don't know if you realize this, but I'm friends with several changelings already; it's not like you'd be the first."

Huh. I had heard that some kind of treaty was signed. Now I wish I'd paid more attention...

Ver nodded to Twilight, taking in a deep breath.

"Okay. Then... scan me, I guess."

Twilight's horn lit up, and Ver was covered in a purple aura. Then, not even a second later, it winked out. Ver blinked a couple of times.

"Wait... that's it?"

"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."

"Wait... so you're saying there's a spell making me look like a pony? I've been a changeling this whole time, and I didn't even know it?"

Ver's brows were knit anxiously, and her face was turning red. Twilight just nodded, frowning.

"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."

Oh, Ver... I can only imagine what's going through her mind right now. To go through your entire life, thinking you're one thing... making friends, discovering your special talent—

"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!"

Twilight furrowed her brow, clearly perplexed. She trotted over, and leaned down to look at Ver's mark, prompting a bright crimson blush from Ver and a swish of her navy-blue tail to cover it up.

"H-hey! Back off!"

"Cutie marks can't be faked, Laverna. I can verify yours pretty quickly, if you want."

"But... but it can't be fake. I got my cutie mark the day... no! There's no way it's a fake!"

I gently reached a hoof out to brush Ver on the head. She glanced up at me, eyes watering.

"Ver... you're worried, right? You're not going to stop feeling worried about it unless you let her—"

"It's not just that! I can't... it can't be fake. It can't be fake! It's..."

Something tells me that Ver's cutie-mark story isn't a sunny one.

I gently brushed Ver on the head, watching her. I racked my brain until I made a connection – though I didn't like the results.

"Your cutie-mark... Ver, did you get it on the day that Chaser...?"

Ver buried her muzzle in my barrel, and I felt her nod against me. I froze, unsure of what to do, and slowly put my other hoof on her back. Twilight's brows were knitted in confusion, but then suddenly straightened out as her eyes widened.

"Chaser... was that her brother...?"

I nodded, and felt Ver shudder against me as the sobbing started.

That's right... she never had anyone to talk to this about, did she? How long has Ver been keeping this inside?

The thought turned my stomach. I just kept pitifully patting her on the head, not sure what else I could do.

Why should any kid have to go through something like that alone?

Twilight gently walked up beside us, and I saw her horn glow faintly. I almost told her to stop, but her gaze was certain, and I slowly closed my mouth.

She's probably right. We should get all of this into the open now.

Ver's cutie mark glowed faintly, as though Twilight were trying to move it with her telekinesis, and stretched slightly away from her before snapping back. Twilight's horn winked out, and she bit her lower lip. Ver slowly turned her face out of my barrel to look at her.

"So? It's fake?"

Twilight locked eyes with me, and I saw deep uncertainty there.

"That's the thing. It's real."

"But... changelings can't get cutie marks, can they?"

"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?"

As I sat there, acting as a giant, warm handkerchief for a crying kid, I started to assess my priorities.

"You know, Twilight? Maybe not the most important thing right now anyway."

Twilight nodded hurriedly, and began retreating towards the door.

"Right. I'll just... give you two some alone-time. I'm, uh... I'm sorry."

Ver spoke into my barrel, making a muffled noise that vibrated through me.

"Sorry, what was that?"

"She said, 'it's okay'."

"Oh! Okay. Uh, right. Going. Call me if you need anything! Right. Bye!"

The door shut while I rolled my eyes as hard as I could. I looked down at Ver, who was still breathing raggedly, but had mostly stopped sobbing.

Dang, I'm glad the team can't see this. I bet I look like a complete idiot.

... Then again, maybe not.

"Do you... y'know, wanna talk about it?"

Ver sniffled a bit, and then hugged me around the barrel.

"Can I do it later?"

I was about to respond, but the significance of what she said dawned on me.

She just asked me for permission to do something. That's...

I shook my head to clear it, and tousled her hair, earning me a snotty snort and giggle.

"Of course, Ver."
> Because, if you don't care...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

~~~
Laurence,

I wish I could trust that this letter will find you well, despite what I've done. 

I need you to know that I hate to leave you in this situation.

But we both know I wasn't making things any easier for you.

I don't want you fighting to keep your chin up for me any more.

No more struggling for my sake.

I wish I could be as strong for you as you've been for me.

But I can't take it any more.

No more screaming.

No more beating.

No more feeling worthless.

Whatever happens, I want you to know I believe in you.

Please keep going, and find happiness.

Don't let anyone make you feel worthless again, Laurence.

You mean everything to me.

-Sky Chaser

~~~
> ... you've already lost everything.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight stared at the letter, her eyes brimming over. She slowly looked up at me, and hesitantly opened her mouth to speak.

"When did you find out about this?"

"Just earlier today. Ver wasn't sure if she wanted you to see it."

If by 'not sure' I mean 'was sure that she didn't.'

"What? Why?"

"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."

It's only been three days here at the castle, and Ver is already getting antsy. I almost wonder if she really can't handle having a home anymore.

"But, it's no trouble! I like having her around!"

"Yeah, but, y'know. She doesn't want charity."

Twilight nodded slowly, looking back to the letter. She sighed, closing her eyes.

"Maybe not, but... she needs it, right now."

"Yeah, but, well... it's not your problem."

Twilight's eyes snapped open, and she stared at me, her eyebrows knit in a pained expression.

"But it is, Soarin. It's my responsibility, as a princess of Equestria, to make sure that ponies like Laverna are taken care of! I'm not going to trust that to some other pony in the system after everything that's happened to her!"

I nodded, taking a quick, stiff breath.

No wonder Dash said such good things about you.

"Good."

"You feel the same way?"

"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?"

Twilight smirked at my turn of phrase, but nodded. She looked back at the letter for a few seconds, before brushing one of her eyes with a hoof and speaking.

"It's hard to believe that something like this could happen here in Equestria."

I shrugged, frowning.

"Maybe that's why it happened. Nopony wanted to believe it."

Twilight frowned, staring at the letter. Her brows narrowed, like she saw somepony in the paper she wanted to give a swift kick.

"Well, not any more. I've never really had to put my hoof down as princess, before, but..."

She waved her hoof around, searching for words to match her feelings – as though the look of disgust on her face didn't tell it all. I smirked and tried to fill in the blanks.

"Heads are gonna roll over this?"

"Yes! I mean, not literally, but... something! There's going to be a full investigation! I can absolutely promise that I won't rest until the truth of the matter is exposed, and the ponies responsible..."

I waved a hoof at her, and she trailed off quirking an eyebrow at me.

"I'm sure you'll do what's best, Twilight. Just... could you not tell Ver about it? I don't want her worrying she's caused even more trouble."

"But, these ponies hurt her!"

"Yeah, I know. It's just, I don't think she cares that much about getting back at them, Twilight. I kinda think, maybe... she just needs to put that behind her, y'know? Maybe just tell her after the whole thing is resolved."

Twilight's expression softened, and she smiled at me.

Well that's not what I was expecting.

"Right. Of course, foal psychology. What's important right now is moving forward, not focusing on her victimization – thank you for that, that completely slipped my mind."

Buzuh?

"Huh?"

"It's basic trauma recovery psychology. When a pony shows interest in moving forward in life, you focus on that with them; if they're not focusing on the past, you shouldn't either."

"Oh. Uh, okay. I don't know about all of that, I was just going by what I know about her."

Twilight beamed at me.

"I know. That's even better!"

Huh?

"Uhh... alright. Well, speaking of moving forward, what's the plan with her schooling? You said you'd have an evaluation?"

Evaluations. Now there's something I understand... unfortunately...

Twilight nodded hurriedly, her smile growing excited as she pranced over to a chair near the fireplace.

"Oh, yeah! And it looks good, too! She scored very well on her aptitude tests, once I structured them in a way she was familiar with."

"Great! So, she could go back to school?"

Twilight smile faltered slightly, and she turned her head a bit from me as she spoke, as though she was trying to soften the impact of her words by not aiming them at me directly.

"Not... exactly. She's a couple of grades behind in some subjects, and she doesn't want to go back to school. I don't think it would be good for her."

I sighed, looking down at the floor. Twilight's voice cut in before I could dwell on it much.

"But that's not necessarily a problem! She's very self-motivated, she really wants to improve, and I think having a more personal learning environment would really help her to adjust anyway. Besides, she has a bit of an unusual learning style – I don't think she'd do too well in a regular classroom."

Unusual learning style?

I looked up at Twilight, doing my best to interrogate her with nothing more than a look. She shifted uncomfortably as she spoke.

"I, uh, didn't want to tell you before we were sure, but... well, I kinda suggested she try transforming into different ponies to learn different things. Ponies she imagined would be good at those things, like a mathematician pony for math."

I stared at Twilight for a few seconds.

"... And?"

"Well, it worked! She's a natural actor, and just by trying to act like a pony who was good at something, she started to show an aptitude for what she was doing!"

"Is it really that easy?"

"Well~, not exactly, but it helps a lot. She's got a lot more enthusiasm for the work that way, and I think that the confidence makes a big difference."

I tried to imagine how that would look in a regular classroom.

"Yeah, that'd be pretty easy to tease her for. I don't think teachers would appreciate it, either."

"I came to the same conclusion. That's why I'd like to continue tutoring her, at least until she's mastered the basics."

"... What do you consider 'the basics'?"

"Well, I'm thinking we could get her up through the college-entry level in a year or so. She's expressed some interest in higher learning, though she's very insistent it not interfere with her Wonderbolt training."

"College – so soon?! I thought you said she was a few grades behind!"

Twilight nodded, her happy smile returning.

"She is, but she's learning very quickly. Adult ponies with educational gaps tend to make up the lost ground more quickly than foals learning material while they're growing; I'm pretty confident in her abilities. I mean, just the other day, we were discussing geometry, and she was pointing out how weird it is that we don't have tools to directly measure the area of a geometric object..."

I tuned out Twilight as she rambled on about 'critical thinking' and various other topics that Ver had apparently excelled in.

Could she really turn it around like that? Go from missing a few grades in school to going to college early? Ver... is that what you'd consider a happy ending?

"Soarin? Anypony home?"

I started from my thoughts, glancing up at Twilight.

"Oh, sorry! I was just thinkin'. What were you saying?"

Twilight snickered at me, but then her features took on a much more serious look

"I was saying... we need to talk about Laverna's, well, species."

Aw, man, not this again...

"What about it?"

Twilight jerked a bit from how forceful my voice was, but leaned forward to continue.

"Soarin, I've figured out the spell keeping her in pony form. I can dispel it, and... I think I should. Not all at once, but it needs to happen."

"Why, though? What difference does it make?"

"The magic takes energy, Soarin. Whoever cast it put a lot of energy into it, but it's running off of Laverna now. It's... not healthy for her to be forced into a disguise all of the time. She needs to get a better mastery of her transforming magic, or it's going to stunt her growth – it may already have done so."

I worked my jaw silently a few times. I wanted to be angry, but what she was saying made sense. That didn't stop me from finding another reason to be angry, though.

"Wait, that's why you had her try to transform in class, isn't it?! So you could confirm that she was a changeling?"

Twilight threw up her hooves, her eyes widening a bit in alarm.

"No, no! I did some research on changeling learning patterns, and I was told that this was something that might work well in her case! I'm only interested in seeing her learn!"

I spent a few seconds pointing a hoof at her scowling before I relaxed. I set my hoof down and sighed.

"Alright. I'm sorry, it's just... you've kinda been obsessed with the whole 'changeling' thing since we got here, and, well—"

"I remember what happened when you got here, Soarin. I don't want a repeat of that. I want us to keep looking forward."

"Alright... but why are you telling me, anyway? Why not ask her?"

"Well... about that..."

Twilight smiled a little too broadly, and was rubbing her hooves together awkardly. It looked altogether unconvincing, and I found my eyes instinctively narrowing at her.

"... Twilight? What did you do?"

"Well, you remember how we were discussing filing for emancipation?"

"... Eeeeyeeaaaah?"

"Well, she kinda-sorta decided to file for legal guardianship instead...?"

"Huh? What's that mean?"

Twilight frowned, and grabbed a small paper with her telekinesis, floating it over to me. I quickly scanned over it.

"Is this... an adoption form?"

"Not exactly. It would designate you as her legal guardian until she comes of age or chooses to be emancipated from—"

"That sounds a lot like adoption, Twilight."

"... Yeaaaah, kinda? The responsibilities are different. I mean, you'd technically be more like—"

"A foster parent."

My eyes had latched onto a particular piece of fine print that hadn't sat well with me. Twilight sighed.

"Yes. More like that."

"Why would she want this? She's spent so much time trying to get away from ponies controlling her!"

"Ponies controlling her for their benefit. She knows enough to know she doesn't know how to survive on her own, Soarin."

It took me a second to parse that sentence.

"Uh... right. So you're saying that she wants me to, what? Help her make decisions?"

"And handle things like taxes, legal negotiations..."

"Oh. Right. She'd have to handle all of that herself if she was emancipated..."

"And she's still catching up on her education."

I sighed, looking at the paper.

"I graduated, Twilight, and I'm glad to have you around. I didn't know about any of this stuff before we got here."

"Does that mean you're okay with it?"

"Yeah. Like I said, the buck stops here, right?"

Twilight smiled at me warmly. I almost smiled back, but then I remembered how the conversation started.

"So, wait. You're saying you're asking me what to do about her, like... changeling stuff, because I'm her legal guardian? Or will be?"

Twilight nodded, floating a pen over to me.

"That's right. So, Soarin... what do you think we should do?"

I stared at the pen for a few seconds, and then smirked at Twilight.

"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."
> So, even if it hurts... have something. Care.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Stop! Wrong again, snaggletooth!"

That's a new one. I wonder when Spitfire'll run out of nicknames for her.

At the sound of Spitfire's command, Laverna stopped her aerial routine and descended, rolling her eyes.

"Aww, come on! What was wrong that time?"

"The snaggleteeth, for a start!"

Heh. Got a little too used to having those, didn't you?

Ver blinked in confusion, and then held a hoof up to her mouth, verifying that she did, in fact, have two fangs jutting out of the top of her mouth.

"Ponyfeathers."

I just laughed and rolled my eyes, earning me a cold glare from both of them. Spitfire then returned her glare to Ver, and continued her rant.

"Princess Twilight informed us that it's easier for you to stay in form if you have the fangs. That's fine, but during performance, you're going to need to put'em away. Remember, it's 'U.E.P.', that's Unicorn, Earth Pony, Pegasus, not 'three types of fanged pony'!"

Hah. Little harsh, but it's true; Spitfire knows Ver can do better, and she's going to bring it out in her.

"Yes, ma'am!"

Ver saluted, and dutifully transformed, a flurry of green fire passing over her. Once it had passed, a normal-looking earth-pony filly stood before Spitfire, who nodded appreciatively.

"Good! Now, the second thing is, you need to stop accidentally turning into an alicorn on the second step!"

At that, Ver blushed, and put a hoof to her face.

"Oh, did I do that again?"

"Yes! Don't just add the wings, remember to subtract the horn! I know most ponies would love to have that problem, but you need to shape up, bug-breath! You've managed to hide your cutie mark, and I know that's the hard part for you, but it's not enough! Remember, Princess Celestia's coming to see the show, and you're the intro. That means you're the one who makes the first impression for us, cheese-legs! What do you think she'll say if the pony representing the three pony tribes turns into an alicorn mid-performance?"

"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.

Since when does Princess Celestia sneak into the Wonderbolts training hall?!

Spitfire, for her part, turned on her heels and swept into a low bow. She managed to look only slightly very panicked, and quickly cleared her throat before addressing Celestia.

"Princess Celestia, we're honored to have you here. I wasn't informed that you would be stopping by."

"Last-minute decision, I'm afraid. I've been looking for a chance to speak to these two, and my schedule cleared up."

Spitfire nodded, the barest hint of a smile on her lips. With another bow, she excused herself, heading out of the room. With that, the three of us were left alone. None of us spoke, at first; Celestia just watched Ver, a serene smile on her lips.

Then I realized Ver was staring at Celestia's mane.

"Dude. Your hair is, like... crazy."

Celestia snorted in surprised amusement, breaking out into a light chuckle. I just smacked a hoof to me face, laughing.

"What? It's true! I don't think I could do hair like that."

Celestia smiled down at Ver, and walked up close to her. Then she folded her legs under her, taking up the same goose-like stance I had with Ver, months ago.

Though I guess she looks more like a swan.

Celestia leaned her head towards Ver, letting her hair flow near the filly. It took Ver a second to realize what she was doing, but her face lit up once she did, and she brushed a hoof through the aurora-like hair. Celestia quirked an eyebrow and spoke in a tranquil tone.

"Something to aspire, to, I'm sure. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance. My name's Celestia."

Ver suddenly stiffened, and giggled in embarrassment. She quickly transformed, a sudden flurry of green fire rising around her. The grey pegasus filly I'd become so fond of – complete with 'snaggleteeth' – stood before Celestia, sticking a hoof out in greeting.

"Right! Happy to meet you, Celestia! My name's Laverna!"

Celestia gently shook Ver's hoof, a deep smile overtaking her features. Her eyes were creased so softly, I almost thought she was going to cry.

Guess she's not offended by Ver not calling her 'princess', heh.

"Twilight has been writing to me about you. She's been teaching you, right?"

At the mention of Twilight's name, Ver's eyes broadened, accompanied by a goofy grin.

"Yeah! I go over there every weekend with Soarin. She gives me a plan for the week."

Celestia nodded, and she tilted her head as she spoke.

"Did you know that I taught Twilight when she was little?"

Ver's eyes widened up, her mouth going a little slack.

"Whoa, seriously? That's super-cool. So it's, like, kind of a tradition, huh?"

Celestia nodded, her smile deepening.

"One could say that. And I have to say, you're carrying on the tradition quite well."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Celestia's smile turned mischievous.

"Well, I hear a rumor that you can already turn into an alicorn!"

"Wha-? Oh, but, that's not, like—I mean, I'm n-not a princess, it's just..."

Ver trailed off as she saw Celestia holding a hoof to her mouth to suppress her giggles. I had a light chuckle at her expense, and she squinted at Celestia with a faux angry expression.

"Oh, you're messin' with me, huh? You'd better watch out, lady."

Celestia suppressed her laughter and set her hoof down, raising an eyebrow at Ver.

"Oh, my. And why's that?"

"'Cuz if you make me mad, I'll just turn into you and, like... I dunno, kick something over? I'll have to think about it!"

Celestia paused for a moment, and then closed her eyes, snickering.

"To be honest, I'd probably like to see those headlines. 'Princess Celestia, suddenly much shorter, apparently now hates mailboxes!' "

We need to get some photos of Ver's first few shots at turning into Celestia. I bet it'll be hilarious.

Both of them snickered at that. Celestia sighed, and her expression took on a calm, serene look.

"Speaking seriously, Laverna... how are you? Is everything going well?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah! Yeah, it's been great! Like, I'm even working with the Wonderbolts now! I may not be on the team, but, like, I get to work around the compound, and I'm even going to be doing an intro act! Wait, you already knew that. But still, like, it's awesome! I can hardly believe so much has changed in just a few months! I mean, I never even... I barely dreamed that things could go so well. I was really worried about, like, just being a pain in the rump for everypony, but I feel like I'm really helping out, here. It's just... really nice. It's good."

I felt a smile break out on my face as she spoke, though my eyes misted over a bit.

... I really did something. We really did something, for this filly.

Celestia calmly sat through the excited filly's barrage of comments, a faint whisper of a smile the only hint of her mood. Afterwards, Celestia just nodded, and gently reached a hoof out to brush Ver's mane. To my surprise, Ver didn't try to swat her hoof away, or giggle. Celestia then stood up, and nodded down to Ver, her expression turning sombre.

"I'm very happy to hear that, Laverna. As a princess of Equestria, I feel I owe you an apology for what's happened to you – and to your brother."

Laverna pursed her lips for a moment, thinking, and then shook her head, speaking.

"You don't owe me anything. Whatever you think you did wrong, don't worry about it, but... thanks."

The two watched each other for a few seconds before Celestia smiled again, her soft voice carrying down to the filly.

"You're a kind soul, Laverna. I need to speak to Soarin, but I won't keep you from your drills any longer. I look forward to seeing you next week!"

Ver nodded, and gave Celestia a little salute. Then she ran off towards the exit, where Spitfire had gone.

D'aww. She wasn't dismissing you, Ver, but I'm sure the gesture is appreciated. Heh. It's hard to believe she's learned so much, so fast...

It's even harder to believe I had a hoof in it at all. What a difference it makes to just... care.

Celestia watched Ver run out of the room, a faint smile on her lips. Without taking her eyes off of the door, she spoke to me.

"You really did something beautiful, Soarin."

I thought over what she said for a moment, and then shrugged.

"Something beautiful happened, but that's because Ver's a good filly – and Twilight and Rainbow Dash are amazing ponies. I could hardly take credit."

Celestia tilted her head, furrowing her brow, though she still didn't look at me directly.

"Soarin, how can you downplay the importance of your involvement when you chose to contribute the greatest gift of all?"

What's she talking about?

I looked to the ground, turning what she had said over in my mind for a few moments before speaking.

"... I cared."

"It must have been hard. There must have been a time where you asked if it was worth it."

"There was."

"So... why was it?"

"I dunno. I mean, it wasn't easy. It costs something to care, but, like... it would have cost a lot more not to."

"It would have been easier if she had been more agreeable."

I scoffed without meaning to, and quickly straightened my face, but Celestia gave no sign of noticing. She continued staring off into the doorway, her face rigid, though her brows were faintly knit with concern. I paused for a second before responding.

"Uh, like, no disrespect, but I think that woulda made it pointless. I was trying to help her, not help her 'my way', or whatever was most convenient for me. Like... I wasn't trying to feel good about myself because I 'gave some kid a chance'. I wasn't trying to put something in front of her and be like, 'you either play by my rules or it's your fault I leave'. Like... does that make sense?"

I grimaced, realizing I'd gone on a rant with the least appropriate company possible. I'd just built up too much frustration over the past few months not to say something when given the chance. Celestia nodded faintly.

"It does. Go on."

I was a little surprised, but I squared my jaw and took a deep breath.

"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."

"Yeah! It's like, what's going on in their heads? As long as they did what they were told, that means they're fine? Problems must be somepony else's fault? That's insane! I just... she was living on the street! She was living in a box! How could anypony ever think that's okay?! I just..."

I found myself panting heavily, a burning in my cheeks. I hadn't realized how much anger I'd been holding onto until I'd had a chance to vent it. Celestia looked at me, and smiled almost apologetically, one end of her mouth raised, with her eyebrows knit together.

"The sad truth is, many would rather let someone suffer than change their views – especially of themselves. To care about someone else, you have to understand them – or at least try to do so. You have to understand what they care about; you have to do what's best for them from their perspective, rather than from yours."

"It's not really that hard, though, is it?"

Celestia shook her head, sighing.

"It takes humility. That's all, really."

I cast my eyes downward in thought, staring at the floor.

Humility. Is that what it was, all these years? Being willing to admit when I don't know what I'm doing, being willing to be the goofball... 

"Are other ponies really just that scared to admit when they're lost?"

"It would seem so."

I looked up at Celestia, to see that she was smiling again.

What's she so happy about?

"Soarin, I want to thank you."

Thank me? For... helping Ver. Because Celestia cares about everypony, so helping Laverna, was helping her.

So that's what being a princess is really about, huh?

I found myself smiling, as some things started to make sense to me. On an impulse, I swept into a low bow.

"You should know, Princess... it was my pleasure."