Larkspur Blossom

by Pone_Heap

First published 22nd of January, 2018

An Earth pony colt grows up taking care of his younger sisters, a Pegasus and a unicorn. As he matures, he learns his worth and gains the best friend he could ever hope to have.

Larkspur Blossom is an Earth pony colt. Having lost his mother, with his father distant, burying himself in work and other distractions, he takes care of his younger sisters, a Pegasus and a unicorn. Upon losing their father, they are shuffled around among family in Equestria. In Vanhoover he meets his best friend. A story of gain and loss, and growing up.

Prologue: Larkspur Blossom

The earliest concrete memory Larkspur had was the birth of his first sister. The little Pegasus came knocking on the gateway to the real world in the middle of class at the Fillydelphia University. Lark’s mother, Sugar Plum, a new professor of classic literature, saw her water break during a lecture as she began her labor.

Her husband, and Lark’s father, Beige Gunner, professor of civil engineering, left his own lecture and carted her away as she shouted a few last-minute instructions to her student teacher. The test would not be postponed over this, so everypony needed to be ready on Friday.

After a much easier time than Sugar had with Lark, the family welcomed Valley Lily, a beautiful little filly foal with a honey-mustard coat and a mane of rich ebony. The three-year-old Lark was fascinated at the little one. What surprised him the most was the fact that he himself was an Earth pony--the only one in the family. A little colt with a blue coat and a golden mane.

It may have surprised those that didn’t know the family. But for generations, Beige Gunner’s family saw marriages among the three types of ponies, so it was always a surprise when a new foal came along. Beige himself was a Pegasus and his wife a unicorn.

The family history being what it was, it came as no big surprise Beige and Sugar’s third foal was a unicorn. A filly with a blue-gray coat, she was named Copper Curls for her wavy copper mane. Beige thought it lacked creativity, but Sugar liked it.

So, the family of five saw success and looked forward to the future. It wouldn’t last, however, for when Lark was still 4-years-old, his mother was found to have cancer of the uterus. She had a good few months with her third child--and indeed all her children--but she died before the year was out.

Lark remembered little of his mother. She had been very kind. Both their parents loved their foals very much, but Beige became detached and cold as his wife’s illness progressed. Her death did not bring him any closer to his foals. He fell into a depression he never really climbed out of.

Money had never been nor was it currently a concern for the family. Beige hired a nanny to watch over his children, and he attempted to bury himself in work to shut out the world. While the nanny proved helpful during the day, she too had a life of her own and the foals were at the mercy of Beige’s responsibility when she wasn't there. She was often dismayed at his carelessness with the little ones, finding them filthy and miserable in the mornings. But it happened infrequently, and the pay was too good for her to want to make a fuss about it.

Beige was in his own world. The crying of his foals didn’t seem to register fully. Sometimes he would respond... and sometimes he wouldn’t. So, one day, noticing Valley was wet, Lark learned to change his first diaper. It shut her up. He found the same thing worked on Copper. He had learned to feed and clean himself, so it wasn’t difficult to do the same for the young ones. He noticed the occasional mess around the house, so he dealt with that, too. For an Earth pony, none of this was easy, but since he knew nothing else he just did it. By the time he was 5-years-old, he did more for those little fillies than his father ever had.

With Lark covering for his dad, nopony seemed to notice what was going on. Beige was that out of touch at times. But over the months, Beige became better, at least nurturing them enough to convince them he was their dad.

About the time Larkspur was six, Copper had learned to use her magic. Or more accurately, she was able to perform magical feats. Unfortunately, it mostly consisted of setting furniture on fire and throwing things. It kept Lark on his hooves. Lark was glad Valley hadn’t gained the use of her wings, yet. He had heard of foals being able to fly within months of birth. Other times, they would be well into elementary school by the time they could fly. Regardless, Valley got into her share of mischief.

By the time they were this age, two and three, the girls’ personalities were becoming evident. Both fillies had a very strong affection for their brother, and he was often the only one able to comfort or influence them. As they grew, it would later become evident that while Copper had a much greater affection for Lark, Valley understood him more deeply. This would come much later. For now, they were just little fillies, making trouble for a brother that could barely keep up.

Still, over the next few years, they began to exhibit traits that would later define them. Valley was expressive, competitive, stubborn, and could have a very nasty temper. Copper was a strange little filly, far too composed for somepony that young, but all the same air-headed.

As for Lark… it was hard to say just what he was. Of course, he was independent, but he was also innovative. Unusually intelligent, he often had trouble coping with colts and fillies his own age. Mildly confrontational, with an air that warded off trouble, he had very few, if any, friends who were colts. Most of his friends were fillies, which came as no surprise, considering the bond with his sisters. He was mercilessly mocked for his “girly” name, but nopony dared say it to his face.

But, what could be said of all three was they lacked a proper parental figure. They had many unanswered questions, and they didn’t even think to question other things.

About the time Lark was nine, Valley learned to fly. Unusually rambunctious for a six-year-old, she had been enough trouble without her wings working. Dealing with her could be a hoofful. But she learned to control herself and put energy into learning to fly fast. Though he was unable to demonstrate, Lark taught her many things about flight she may have otherwise payed less attention to.

Now seven-years-old, though not the best student, Valley was regardless popular with her peers and always first to be picked for hoofball teams. Everypony wanted to be her friend.

Regarding Copper, the reason the griping about her abilities stopped a few paragraphs ago was she gained control of her magic very early. One day she was giggling, setting the sofa on fire, and the next day she was feeding herself with a spoon, or obtaining items she wanted out of her reach. It was a jarring transition, but Lark couldn’t complain. He came to rather enjoy teaching her all he could find out about magic. She picked up knowledge quickly.

Copper was not particularly skilled in magic; she often struggled in school with practical material declared age appropriate, but her comprehension staggered her teachers. She didn’t have the circle of friends her sister did. Copper was quiet, and rather bookish. She did have friends--very dear friends--but being alone didn’t bother her very much. A trait that began to worry those around her was difficult to describe. She didn’t seem a cruel filly, but she had a brooding side. Nopony ever caught her practicing, but even at the age of 6 she had a heavy fascination with darker aspects of magic. Tallied up to her high caliber of intelligence, it remained unsettling to some of those over and around her.

Lark was now 10. For several years, the foals’ dad had been sick, and he just never got better. One Friday afternoon, Lark saw his sisters off to a slumber party at a mutual friend of theirs. Upon getting home, he went to the kitchen. He thought he’d cook himself something… maybe make extra for when Dad finished his work for the night. But about the time he was starting, his dad called him into his study.

Lark couldn’t really remember being called into the office. He went in there plenty, to look for school supplies or to help his sisters with whatever it was they were doing, but he’d always stayed out when Dad was there… Dad looked old. And sick. It was shocking how the last few years had treated him.

“Lark… your sisters off at their party?”

“Yes.”

Beige smiled, “I’m glad they have such a nice little friend.”

For many years, Lark had trouble talking with the old stallion. What was there to say?

“Lark, I’m proud of you.”

“… What?”

“I’m proud of you. I know… I haven’t been much of a father to the three of you. And I know how much you’ve done for your sisters. I wish I could have been a better father to you, but… I just never knew how.”

Lark was at a loss, “Well… okay, Dad.”

“You’re not even a colt anymore… You’ve taken on a stallion’s responsibility… and you’ve done better than me… So, I’m proud of you.”

Not knowing what else to say, Lark said, “I’m going to go make dinner. I’ll come let you know when it’s done. If you don’t want it then, I’ll save it for you.”

With that, he left his dad. In the kitchen, he put together a stew from some leftovers he found in the fridge. It wasn’t his favorite dish, but when he had the materials around it was a good way to use them up. And his dad liked it, so that was a plus. It was always a plus.

A few minutes before the stew was done, Lark went to see if his dad wanted dinner then, or later.

It was apparent to Lark, immediately, that his dad was gone. He was slumped in his office chair, a book between his legs. He looked peaceful, as if asleep, but he was dead.

Feeling a vague emptiness, Lark phoned the authorities. In the time before they showed up, he ate a bowl of stew.

The hardest part of the night was calling the house of Lark’s sisters’ friend and having them come home. The two of them didn’t take it well. Lark didn’t know what to do.

With no family immediately in town, Lark was required to pack a few bags for himself and his sisters. They were taken to a foster home that very night and remained there until other family could be contacted. Thankfully, Beige had set affairs in order, so that went smoothly enough.

Sugar Plum had a younger sister. She and her husband had agreed, back when Sugar was sick, that she would help her foals if need be. The duty had already been shirked for many years, but now it was answered.

The girls said goodbye to their friends, took what they were able to, and prepared to leave. Lark said goodbye to his own friends, but it was a hollow goodbye. He really didn’t care anymore.

So, Lark, Valley, and Copper were moved to their aunt and uncle’s in Vanhoover, all the way west across the Equestrian continent.

Author's Notes:

Don't let the lack of dialogue throw you off; this is more of a prologue than anything. Just my style to begin a story this way.

Thanks for reading. This is my first story. The next chapter will be more interesting/eventful as the siblings begin their new life on the other side of the continent.

A short opening chapter, of the first part of an overarching story, which will total 3 or 4 main parts. The first chapter reads as a rather abbreviated history, but there isn't much more to say at the time. It is enough to establish the siblings, I believe. Hope it didn't seem too abrupt.

When I began the story, I thought a "Mature" rating was appropriate, but upon reflection, after completing 7 or 8 chapters a "Teen" rating will suffice. The sequels, though, will merit "Mature" ratings.

For a while, things will be tame. The "Violence" tag will be applicable later in the story. The "Death" tag will be applicable to parts of the story, as it is a major theme. "Profanity" will be occasional, sometimes strong (A lot less than we heard from our peers in elementary school). This will not be a smut story, or be incestuous in nature.

Like, follow, or comment if you please.

Thanks for reading, and take care.

Chapter 1: Life in Vanhoover

It had been three weeks since Lark and his sisters moved to Vanhoover. Summer would soon give way to Autumn. Lark thought his sisters were adjusting well, considering. They understood the concept of death. It was hard, but things were about as good as they could be. Sure, they missed Dad, and he did too, but… he may have felt differently if Dad had been more of a father… if he knew him better.

Approaching the city had been interesting. Used to the taller buildings back home, Vanhoover proved to be… shorter, in their young eyes. While Fillydelphia was a major city, it was landlocked. Vanhoover was a port, and it handled more surface cargo than anywhere else in Equestria. Well, the westernmost part of the city was a port. The siblings’ aunt and uncle lived in the eastern part of the city, far away from any and all industry.

Their mom, Sugar Plum, had a sister; Fairy Charmer, with her husband, Star Charmer, had a sizable four-bedroom house in the suburbs. Both were real estate agents, so they knew how to pick a house. Money was no issue, either, and they had plenty of everything. They even had a pool and a tennis court they barely used.

Lark had his own room and his sisters shared a room, which had previously been an office. Their aunt and uncle had each had a home office. The foals would have been crammed into one room to keep the second office, but the age difference seemed too great.

Their dad, Beige Gunner, had taken care of arrangements well. Each of his foals would receive a sizable chunk of money once they turned 18 and had significant funds for education and necessary expenses in the meantime. Their aunt, uncle, and the rest of the family were well provided for, and they didn’t even see the need to chase after the faraway, paltry fortune of the 3 little ponies.

Lark never liked his aunt and uncle. He didn’t like them the two or three times he had met them, and he could barely remember them to begin with. They were at his mom’s funeral, and that was the last time he had heard of or from them. He hadn’t known much about them, nor had he cared to.

Whether it was deserved or not, he wasn’t sure and he didn’t really care, but he knew they had thought of him as a nasty little colt. Maybe he had been. Was he going to ask them? Pfft. No way. Whatever he may have been in the faraway place of his early foalhood, it went away when his mom died.

Whether it was Lark's young mind--or he was right--he was convinced these two never wanted children. The only reason the foals were there was they had promised Sugar Plum they'd take them, if the situation arose. Now, perhaps, their aunt and uncle had changed their minds... at least about having fillies. They adored Valley and Copper. Maybe they just didn’t want a colt around. Lark wasn’t treated badly by any stretch, but they were cold to him, sometimes. He still didn’t like them very much, but they were family. And he loved his family. He would do what he could for his sisters.

Also, Lark was old enough to realize what it meant to take in foals when they had previously had none. It wasn’t an easy transition for anypony, so he tried for patience and they tried as well. It was an understood thing between them.

Their aunt and uncle certainly provided for the three of them. They left behind some things they didn’t need back home, but didn’t have to leave anything important. Lark saved his mom’s violin and her library of classic music. He had learned to play a little, and he was getting better. He also saved most of the books from the house, including his dad’s extensive history collection, which he had pilfered since he could read.

As their father had died closer to the end of summer, the siblings wound up starting a fresh school year, Lark a 5^th grader, with Valley and Copper in 2^nd and 1^st, respectively. The closest school was East Vanhoover Private, a three-campus school, serving elementary, middle, and high school. It wasn’t a cheap place, but the siblings’ allowance certainly covered it.

Considering the money their aunt and uncle had, they might have been sent there out of sheer convenience, anyway. The closest public school was miles away, and East Vanhoover was a block away. One could see it from the kitchen window. They were enrolled. The school taught Earth ponies, unicorns, and Pegasi alike, but tailored some classes to whatever type of pony a student may be.

The week before school started, all students underwent a brief examination to determine their progress and peer standing. This was done yearly, and determined placement for several subjects, from simple to more advanced. It was not necessarily a test of intelligence, but of ability. Lark had never heard of such a thing, but he’d never been to a private school, either.

Valley underwent her tests, mainly gauging her flight abilities and athletic prowess. The results were astonishing. She had the speed and wingpower of a high school mare at age seven. Her endurance was good, but her mobility was only about average for her age. Even more amazing, was the fact she had just learned to fly in the previous couple years. With some training and a little practice, she would probably grow up to be Wonderbolt caliber. Lark was proud of her, and admittedly, without his help, she wouldn’t be where she was. He could only do so much, but she had learned a lot from him.

Copper proved even more interesting. The level of magic in her body was relatively low, and her natural ability was considerably below average, but her magical knowledge was nothing short of amazing. She could solve magic problems, even at high school level, with reasonable success. A college level text was even consulted for some topics. The only reason she couldn’t work through some of the material, they decided, was she had no previous exposure to it.

The fact Copper knew some relatively high level dark magic wasn’t exactly a pleasant surprise, but she could be considered gifted, at least in some areas. Outside of her normal 1^st grade obligations, she was assigned a private tutor to help with her practical magic material and she would occasionally participate in high school theory courses. Lark was equally proud, but wished he hadn’t let her get into some of the crazy stuff he decided to teach her that he had thought of funny as a foal.

Lark, being an Earth pony, received an eye exam and not much else. The tests didn’t concern the ability to tend things or anything physical in and of itself. He hadn’t had such an eye exam in two years and was dismayed to learn he failed. So, for his 11^th birthday, he received a pair of glasses. Unhappy about the specs, but amazed at what he had been missing, not even realizing his vision was poor, he accepted this. Sitting in his new room, he noticed he could now read the titles of the books on the shelf from the bed. He could see across the park outside his window. He realized he’d have no more trouble seeing the board in class, or having to sit close out of necessity.

That was nice, but… he sometimes felt useless around the house. Valley, being a Pegasus, could help their aunt and uncle in many ways, especially when they needed an extra set of hooves in the air. Even Copper was helpful, figuring out all sorts of handy little spells for around the house. Lark… he could cook and clean and take care of his sisters. But they had mostly grown out of needing his help with everyday tasks.

The chores didn’t bother him; it was what he knew. His sisters had chores too, but while their abilities helped them along, he was stuck on the ground. He knew they weren’t being taken advantage of; he just wished he could do something other than clean. They didn’t let him cook much, considering they could use magic to cook. Why not use their magic to scrub the toilets, then?

He’d never thought much about it, but being an Earth pony sucked, sometimes. Doing everything by hoof or mouth and not even being able to fly? Feh. He’d never forget the first time he changed a diaper. It was easy after a couple tries, but… the first time? Ish…

Rolling from his side to his back, Lark looked up at the ceiling from his bed, his hooves resting behind his head. School started Monday. It was Thursday. He thought about going outside, maybe wandering around town, but couldn’t get the motivation to do so. Making friends would be good, but it wasn’t on the top of his mental list. He didn’t even have much of a list going. He decided he’d meet plenty of ponies once the next week started.

Half the reason he didn’t want to poke around the neighborhood was the indisputable lack of ponies his age. There were high school students and little foals, with no in-between. Reflecting again on his sisters, they were indeed adjusting well. With their closeness in age, they already had a group of friends right in the neighborhood.

Even Copper was enjoying herself. She had never been known for her sense of humor, but it made an appearance. Lark never expected her to be much of a prankster, but she enjoyed testing her magic in fun, though thankfully, generally harmless ways. He had woken up with his bed set up on the ceiling twice in the same week. The second time, he hadn’t even fallen out, straight to the floor, with his bed crashing down behind him, once he woke up. She was learning. Both girls thought it hilarious, and pranks were outlawed in the house soon after.

Lark was happy for his sisters. But he wasn’t all that happy, himself. There was still the weekend, but Lark wanted to hurry up and start school. He may have been the only colt feeling that way, but he was bored out of his skull. Finding no pleasure in reading, he dozed.

---

Lark...

What?

A voice called from far away, “Lark.”

His eyes opened. His aunt was standing in the doorway.

He stirred, “Yes, Aunt Fairy?”

“You really should go spend some time outside. It’s a nice day, and you’ll regret it if you let it pass you by. Once school starts, you’ll only have weekends to play so much.”

He knew she cared, in her way, but he had little interest in going outside. He’d mowed the grass for them earlier. Hadn’t that been ‘outside’ enough? Looking at the clock on his wall, he saw it was 3:00 p.m. He’d had a pretty good nap.

“I’ve been around already. You know there are no foals my age around here, so what’s the big deal? I just want to relax.”

She thought a moment and said, “You did do a fine job with the yard this morning. Your Uncle Star’s never been much for yardwork, and the last time the yard looked this good, we’d been hiring this landscape company we work with. You should be proud.”

And he was a little proud. He enjoyed working. Always a results-oriented foal, he loved to stand back and look over a job well done.

He actually let a smile pass, “Thanks, Aunt Fairy. Sometimes on weekends, I’d do yards back home. And you and Uncle Star have such a nice mower! I’ve never used one like it.”

“Well, we do appreciate the job you did. How about this? Your sisters are out playing in the yard. Why don’t you take some bits and the girls and go to the ice cream shop down the road? Think of it as a little reward.”

That actually sounded pretty good.

Lark stood up, “Thanks, Aunt Fairy. I wasn’t thinking about it, but ice cream would be good today.”

He followed her downstairs. His uncle was home early that day, having been showing houses.

Uncle Star looked up, “Hey there, Lark. Yard looks great! And thanks for cleaning up.”

Lark did appreciate what they said; they meant it, but they only tended to be warm with him when he had done something for them. That didn’t bother him very much, but it did a little.

Aunt Fairy spoke, “I told Lark we’d give him some bits to take his sisters for ice cream. It’s such a nice day.”

He had no qualms, “Of course. Be careful around the street, and try not to spoil your dinner. Get what you like, and keep the change.”

Uncle Star pulled out his change purse and gave Lark 10 whole bits. It wasn’t an incredible amount of money, but it would get them most anything they’d want.

Genuinely grateful, Lark took the money, “Thanks. Since we’ll be out, is there anything you need?”

The two of them did enjoy how conscientious Lark could be. It was unusual to see in a colt his age. Any time he had gone out, he had offered to run errands that were on the way, and whenever he found them sitting, he’d offer to get them snacks or drinks.

“Since you ask, we are low on milk. Eggs could wait a couple days, but if you’re there, you might as well get some. Also, we’re having pasta with pesto for dinner. We have everything else we need, but if you could get a garlic bulb or two, we’d be set until next week.”

Lark didn’t mind. He was hoofed another 6 bits--not for his keeping. He thanked them again and went out the front door. There he found his sisters.

Valley was rolling around in the grass, giggling, a few green stains appearing on her coat. Copper was watching an ant colony attempt to pull a caterpillar carcass down their hole. She wasn’t interfering, just watching. She did find fascination in nature.

“Girls. Uncle Star gave me some bits. We’re going out for ice cream.”

This got their attention. Valley jumped up, shook off, and trotted over, a goofy grin pasted on her face. Her mane was full of grass. Copper got up and paddled over, a little smile on her lips.

Valley was walking herself in circles, excited, “Yay! Did he say we could get whatever we wanted?”

Trying to hold Valley still, he pulled grass clippings from her mane, “As long as we don’t spoil our dinner. Aunt Fairy is making that pesto later.”

This pleased Copper, “Great. I love that stuff.”

Lark marshaled them along, “We don’t have all day. Aunt Fairy wants us to stop by the store for a few things on the way back.”

His sisters didn’t complain about this. He didn’t expect them to and they rarely complained about anything. Like him, they had grown up rather quickly, and he was happy to say, they usually didn’t throw fits when they didn’t get the things they wanted. It didn’t stop them from asking for the occasional sweet, but to them it was a treat. This was why they were so happy to go get ice cream. Lark was happy too.

The three of them ambled down the sidewalk towards the east downtown area. Lark had been here before, for the exact reasons he was out now. Valley pranced around, thinking about what she might get at the shop. Lark looked to Copper; she just paddled along, a contented look on her face. She was enjoying this more than she let on. He knew her well enough. Not given to fits of glee, it was still easy enough to see when she was happy.

Lark looked around. He’d never really thought about the architecture in Fillydelphia. Now, he found he missed it. There were few skyscrapers in Vanhoover. Seeing something his whole life, he never really appreciated it until it was missed. Still, Vanhoover was interesting enough. He had yet to be to the western park of the city, but he wanted to see the port.

There had been mountains out east, the Foal Mountains. It was a far older range than the Unicorn Range that rose up east of Vanhoover. Compared to the rounded peaks back home, these mountains were positively jagged. Turning around, he could see them rising in the distance; Vanhoover was built on a river delta and the land was quite flat away from the mountains, allowing a good view.

One of the biggest differences was the flora. Back in Filly, and around it, it was mostly deciduous forest. Old growth forest he had heard it called, far more ancient than the younger forests around Vanhoover. But evergreen trees met less raking for Lark. There were plenty of deciduous trees in the city--ponies liked them--but there was no overabundance, so the streets and yards would never be inundated with fallen leaves.

Of course, he had noticed the accents. Ponies sure sounded different out there.

The lack of agriculture was jarring. Other than a few specialty crops, there was very little farmland around Vanhoover. Used to seeing the rolling hills growing wheat, barley, and oats, Lark saw it was largely restricted to vineyards and edible fruit production.

Lark sure didn’t know much about farming, but it seemed ponies out west thought food came from the grocery store. He knew better, but he still knew squat about raising much. He had kept a garden back home... nothing major, but they didn’t have to buy so many vegetables in the summer and fall. Maybe his aunt and uncle would let him keep one there; they had the space, and he was reasonably sure the yardwork was now his. Still, if they had Valley clean the gutters, instead of him plodding up a ladder, he could live with that. The various tools his aunt and uncle had made any work almost enjoyable, if not pleasant and productive. It made little sense to him, the things they had, considering they really didn’t do yardwork.

Coming back to reality, he saw they had reached the vicinity of the ice cream shop. It was more crowded now, and he pulled Valley back closer to him, so she wouldn’t run into anypony. Ponies out there seemed less likely to take offense to bumping into another pony, but it was still unappreciated.

Entering the shop, they could smell cake baking. Getting in line, Lark checked the menu. Things weren’t cheap in Vanhoover, but Filly hadn’t been either. 10 bits could still get them practically anything they wanted. Valley wanted a raspberry shake, while Copper settled for a few scoops of mint. Lark thought a raspberry shake sounded good, so he got one himself, leaving them with four bits. Lark was pleased. Even when the girls had opportunity to get anything they wanted, they stuck to the sensible. He tried to, as well.

By 4:30 p.m., they were finishing up, sitting on a bench outside the shop.

Lark told them, “Make sure to thank our aunt and uncle later.”

He didn’t really need to do that. They were very courteous little foals and usually had nothing but the best manners. Despite some of the mischief they got up to, they were good fillies. Still marveling at how well they were doing, this close to Dad’s death, he was very glad they had a decent place to be. He wasn’t crazy about everything, but they had it pretty good. And school would start up in a few days. He’d meet ponies then, he kept telling himself. Deciding to try to look at the bright side, he looked forward to the next week.

On the way home, they stopped by the store and picked up the requested items. Holding onto his uncle’s change, he decided to give his sisters the four bits he could have kept. Grateful--and never wasteful with money--they decided to buy a few tubs of mixed berries. It would be a nice treat over the next couple days. As Lark often admired, they were sensible.

Lark thought, four bits. Not a lot of money, but he could have kept it. Then again, there was really nothing he wanted to buy, and he loved seeing his sisters happy. Content at this, they went back to the house.

Dinner was nice, and afterwards, Lark read to his sisters. They might get too old for this soon, but for now it was a pleasure shared by all of them. By the time he finished the story, it was just about bedtime. Their aunt and uncle wished them goodnight, but little more. Lark had been tucking his sisters in their whole lives, and he didn’t stop now.

Copper was already asleep. For such a reserved filly, who didn’t appear to expend much energy, she could sleep at the drop of a hat. Valley, on the other hand, had trouble settling down. It was always this way with her, but had been worse since they moved. New house, new family… It wasn’t hard to figure out.

“Lark…”

“Yes, Valley?”

“Do you miss home?”

He couldn’t say he expected this question, but, “I do. And it’s okay if you miss it. I know Copper misses it too. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“I miss my friends…”

Though he'd had few, there were some ponies he missed as well, “I miss mine, too. But we’re here, now. Your aunt and uncle love you, and they’ll take care of us. It may be a new place, but we have each other, too. I know school isn’t your favorite place, but we get to go back on Monday. Once you settle into things, everything will be fine. And I’ll be there for you... whenever you need me.”

She yawned, “I guess I am kind of excited to go. Some of the stuff looks really fun!”

“It will be fun. You’ll get to go there with your new friends, and you’ll meet so many more ponies.”

But Valley didn’t hear him. She had drifted off to sleep, a pleasant look on her face. Lark tucked in Valley, checked on Copper, and left them.

He decided to go downstairs for a minute, to thank his aunt and uncle for giving his sisters a treat. He found them on the couch, reading.

Aunt Fairy looked up, “Yes, Lark? What is it?”

“… I just wanted to thank you again for the bits earlier. The girls really enjoyed their ice cream… I enjoyed it too.”

Uncle Star smiled, “Oh, you’re welcome, Lark. We were glad to do it. Are your sisters tucked in?”

Lark nodded, “Yes. Valley said she misses home, but… she’ll be fine.”

The degree to which he cared for his sisters didn’t exactly baffle them, but it was most unusual. But that’s what growing up for him was like. They had never wanted foals, but with a colt like Lark... and fillies like Valley and Copper... maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

Uncle Star looked evenly at Lark, “Lark, listen. If there’s anything you want, please let us know. You don’t need to think only of others.”

They knew Lark gave up the four bits for his sisters. What a colt could do with four bits if he wanted to! What full-grown pony doesn’t like to have a few extra bits? And he gave it all to them? Lark certainly thought of himself--he certainly had his share of complaints--but he often put that aside for the girls. It was all he really knew.

Still, “I want to start a garden. In the yard.”

His aunt and uncle stared at him and then at each other; they asked in unison, “You want a garden?”

“Yes. We kept one back home. I… kind of miss it. It’s just… all city around here.”

If this was what Lark wanted… it was a small thing. After discussing it, both agreed.

“Sure Lark. You can have your garden. And you can use our tools. Just don’t tear up the entire yard...” Aunt Fairy ended in a giggle.

Lark almost leapt for joy, “Yes! I have something to do this weekend!”

Both were dumbfounded... a garden in Autumn?

His uncle almost laughed, “Lark, you can’t grow-”

Lark had his motor running, “I’m not planting anything. With the soil around here, if I turn it over in the Autumn, it’ll settle out nicely in the Spring. It’s mostly silty-clay in the delta. When it freezes, it swells the soil, so the soil is rejuvenated. I can get the hard part done now. And then when it’s time to plant come Spring, I just have to fence it off and plant.”

This little colt probably knew more about this than they did, so they gave him the okay.

Uncle Star finished, “Okay. But like your aunt said, don’t tear up the whole yard.”

“Don’t worry. This time next year, you’ll be glad for this. Homegrown beats the store any day.”

So, they watched their odd little ward gallop up the steps to bed.

Author's Notes:

So, Lark and his sisters are off to school in a few days. Things aren't looking terrible for them. Hope the second chapter was a little more interesting than the first, and that you enjoyed it.

If you have a better grasp on grammar than me, forgive the inconsistent comma usage. I've always suffered in that area. We stopped learning grammar in 9th grade, and it wasn't covered in general college English, either. I was a science major, not a language major, so composition was never pursued.

These stories are for fun, anyway, not perfection. If something's enjoyable, that matters the most to me.

Anyway, thanks for reading and watch for the next chapter. Lark makes a few friends, and then a few enemies.

Chapter 2: East Vanhoover Private

Lark ached a little on his first day of 5^th grade. He’d spent Friday and Saturday preparing for next year’s garden. Very grateful to his aunt and uncle, he was most excited about the Spring planting. He even knew what he wanted to plant. Still, he knew it would be… six whole months before then. Oh, well. He still felt good.

With the huge backyard there were several places to set up, but he had chosen the southeast corner of the house. There were no obstacles to block sunlight from the south of that direction, trees in the yard would protect the garden from the harshest afternoon sun and heat from the west, and best of all, perhaps, he could see it from his room.

He’d chosen his spot, established boundaries, and tilled, by hoof and shovel, a 35x20 ft. area 12 in. deep. He even added some coarse sand to alleviate the heavy clay. His aunt and uncle were astounded at how quickly he was able to do it. It only took him Friday, taking his meals outside. After sleeping like the dead, Lark took a wagon the next morning and went to a community compost site. He made several trips back and forth, obtaining mulch. Around the perimeter of the garden, he established a mulch barrier and ran several paths through the garden itself. Once finished, he cleaned up, ate three times what he’d normally eat, and went on to spend most of Sunday asleep. Everything was ready regarding school, so he was unconcerned.

And now, he sat in his new classroom. The other foals didn’t seem to notice him; they chattered, some whining about Summer being over, others happy to see old friends again. Lark just sat, looking at his worn hooves. He hadn’t been able to get all the soil out. But he felt good. He’d been aching to get some real exercise, both to cure his boredom, and to distract him from his several worries. But he needn’t worry so much. His sisters would be fine. As different as they were, each had a magnetic personality, and he was unconcerned overall about them fitting in. It was just his “inner big brother” getting the better of him.

Aunt Fairy and Uncle Star gave them a nice sendoff that morning. They had pancakes and eggs, always good, and the siblings walked to school together.

Looking up at the clock, it read 8:25 a.m. In a few minutes he’d meet his new teacher, Ms. Breeze Pearlshine. Supposedly, she was a no-nonsense mare, but she was said to be fair. Lark knew she wasn’t there to be his friend; he may like her, and she may like him, but her job was to teach, first and foremost. Looking around again, Lark noticed the classroom itself. Used to colorful displays and cartoony posters, the classroom seemed rather drab. It didn’t bother him, it was just… different. The foals seemed the same no matter where he was.

The clock struck 8:30 and the bell rang. Foals that were standing around took a seat. Lark had expected, perhaps, that he would have a name-tag waiting for him on a desk. Some teachers in the past had done that, but that day he just sat down and trusted any assignment would come later. As the last of the foals sat down, Ms. Pearlshine walked in. The class hushed up.

She was… different than Lark had expected. The title “Ms.”, he had long thought, was for old mares that had never married, or were divorced. But Ms. Pearlshine looked to be less than 30. A Pegasus, she wore heavy cat’s-eye glasses, but looked young nonetheless. Her mane was strawberry-blonde and her coat a pastel green. She was the best-looking teacher he’d ever seen.

Standing before the class, she addressed them, “Good morning, students. Welcome to the 5^th grade, class B. For those of you that don’t know me, I’m Ms. Pearlshine.”

She had a pleasant voice.

“I will be assigning seating over the next few days, but for now, let’s everypony introduce themselves. Many of you know each other, but some of you are new or may not know some students from other classes.”

Ms. Pearlshine reintroduced herself. She was from Canterlot, having gone to college there. She had been on a college track team, but she had wanted to teach.

Lark could see the athlete in her. Maybe... she was a coach, as well. This could be where she got her reputation for seriousness from. The other foals had remained quiet the whole time. Lark had yet to figure out if they did this because it was a private school, if it was the teacher, or if they just hadn’t gotten bored yet. His answer, he figured, came when a few colts behind him began showing each other some card game.

Barely even raising her voice, or changing her manner, Ms. Pearlshine scooped up an eraser and flung it. It whipped by Lark’s head and scattered the contents of one of the colts’ desks.

“Put your game away. And please pay attention. You can play at recess.”

They cleaned up and sat.

Lark was wowed by Ms. Pearlshine. That was all. No malice, no threats, just a quick display of dominance. The incident forgotten, she finished up her introduction.

Lark tried to pay attention as the students began to introduce themselves. Most of them had been going there since they were kindergartners. He managed to catch a few names, but not many. Orange Cuckoo, Spearmint Gum, etc. It took a while before he came up. But his turn arrived. He wondered how they’d react to his name. He stood up at his desk.

“Good morning. I’m Larkspur Blossom-”

A few giggles erupted from the class.

Yes, yes... He knew he had a girly name. He had never asked his dad where the name came from. But it was his.

Even Ms. Pearlshine was giggling behind a hoof. He noticed some who laughed were fillies, looking at him most interestedly.

“Now, settle down class,” Ms. Pearlshine smiled, looking at him. “You do have a most interesting name, Larkspur. Please go on.”

“Please, call me Lark. I just moved here this summer from Fillydelphia with my little sisters.”

He chose to omit why, or where they were now, and thought of other things to say. What did he like? Cooking, cleaning? Sounded weird...

“I like gardening. I actually spent the weekend getting a garden for Spring ready. Come Winter Wrap-up, I’m planting. I also enjoy… history. Ever since I could read, I’ve been going after my dad’s old books.”

He couldn’t think of much else to say, so he sat down.

“Thank you, Lark,” Ms. Pearlshine said. “We have a few more students, and then we can begin today’s lesson plan.”

Lark noticed a lot of eyes looking his way. Without letting on, he noticed interest, outright dislike, and some dreamy fillies eyeballing him. Recess could prove interesting. Ms. Pearlshine kept good discipline. No other need for her to “regain their attention” came up.

Recess occurred twice each day, at 10:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. They had 15 minutes for the first outing and 45 for the second. Not bad. Lunch was at 11:45 a.m., so that would be a while.

The first recess bell rang, and the students filed out. Ms. Pearlshine discretely called Lark aside. He was unsure what to expect. It could be about his living situation, the fact his dad had just died, or any other number of things.

But, “I’m sorry I laughed at your name this morning. It’s such a nice name.”

This was unexpected.

“I just remembered seeing your name on the register and I… couldn’t help but wonder what kind of colt you might be. You certainly are an interesting one… How do you like your first day so far?”

There wasn’t much for him to say, yet, “I’ve only been here this morning… Not much to say, yet.”

She was tickled at his manner, “Oh, I think having you around will be interesting. Now, off with you. Hopefully you and your classmates can have a little fun. Run off some of that energy.”

Lark began to walk outside. The morning had been alright. Math was first. Then language. Now recess. He expected to see a few interested foals when he walked outside, but he hadn’t expected to see most of his class waiting for him. Good or bad, it was hard to say what this was.

A unicorn colt Lark remembered as Tuxedo Parade approached him. He looked like a panda.

“So, ‘flower’, how’d you wind up at a place like this?”

Lark had his poker-face up. Tuxedo was already looking for trouble? He’d expected a little more beating around the bush before trouble. He decided to be cool.

“Didn’t want to walk all the way to another school. This one’s closer, ‘panda bear’.”

The response took the class by surprise. A few of them giggled, especially the fillies. Tuxedo didn’t appreciate it, and neither did his apparent cronies, coming to his side. His cronies were all unicorns, some of them appeared to be from another class.

“You’ve got a lot to say for an Earth pony,” his horn sparked. “I don’t like you, already. You're weird.”

Lark stood his ground. He wasn’t afraid. Admittedly, there wasn’t much that scared him anymore. There were only a few things that bugged him.

Tuxedo went on, “The weirdest thing I’ve heard about you so far is you’re the only Earth pony in your family. Your sisters are a unicorn and a Pegasus…”

This got Lark’s goat. His sisters… Anytime somepony even hinted at making trouble for his sisters, he got mean in a hurry.

The panda-coated unicorn didn’t seem to notice he'd awoken something better off not provoking, “What grade are they in, now? I bet-”

Lark moved about as quickly as they’d ever seen anypony move. He propelled Tuxedo against the brick wall near the entrance and held him fully aloft by the neck. All the work he did beefed him up a little, if nothing else.

He seethed, hissing like a puff-adder, “If I catch you--if I even hear that you went near them, I’ll snap off that horn of yours and shove it down your throat. I’ll watch you choke on it!”

Any fight Tuxedo might have had in him died right there. He’d been kicking his legs helplessly, but had stopped, close to pissing himself. The rest of the class was floored as well. Lark eyed him, looking rather incensed. But it passed quickly.

Lark put him down and stepped back, almost immediately calm once again.

Tux was unsure what to do. His face betrayed fear, but he also showed frustration and embarrassment... lots of anger and disbelief, too. It was hard to say what might happen next, because a playground attendant barked at them from a distance.

“What are you foals up to over there?! You better not be fighting!”

One of Tux’s crew shouted back, “Just talking.”

With that, Tux and his crew split, leaving Lark and the rest of the class. Not really knowing what to do, some still showing interest, fear, awe, most of them wandered off. There was still more than 10 minutes left of recess.

Lark walked towards the playground. He noticed ponies skirting him a bit.

Great first impression, Lark, he thought bitterly. At least he’d established himself. Leaving his classmates behind, he decided to look for his sisters.

Other than the kindergarten, grades 1 to 6 shared the playground. He noticed things looked divided. Younger foals around the playground, older ones at the ball courts or in small groups dotting the yard. Not really following him, a few of his classmates were watching him.

And Lark saw his sisters. Valley was running around with a bunch of squealing fillies, kicking up sand and easily outpacing them. Copper was nearby, sitting quietly with several foals, including a single stallion. They were talking and apparently it was nice, because they were laughing. Lark had thought to check on them, but seeing they were doing fine without him, he began to walk away, smiling.

“Lark!”

He turned. It was Valley, running full-tilt towards him. She jumped to him, and he managed to catch her with a spin. She had gotten hefty enough that he doubted he could do that much longer. Her eyes shined, and she shook loose. She gathered up her friends.

“Girls, this is my big brother, Lark. Isn’t he cool?”

She went on, introducing him quickly to all the fillies that had been running around with her. He wouldn’t remember their names a minute later, but he was sure he’d be seeing them. Looking over to Copper, she had noticed. She smiled and waved. Lark waved back, and Copper went back to talking. Walking away, he was now sure his sisters would be just fine.

While most of Lark’s classmates lost interest in his display of dominance, a few saw this. Not Tux or his friends, but a few fillies and a colt or two. Lark was proving to be most interesting. Lark spent the next few minutes looking around, when the bell rang. The students filed back inside.

Back in the classroom, it was time for social studies. Lark found the subject boring… in the school setting. There wasn’t much to say about their government, nothing new anyway. What bothered him was the “history”. Lark had spent his childhood reading about war, pioneers, death, disease, and the changing of the land, but anything schools taught was mush in comparison.

His dad had told him that about the time he was young, hard history had been phased out of school. This applied to both private and public schools, apparently. He didn’t care about the first time “The Running of the Leaves” was held. Lark knew some of his father’s contemporaries, some of whom history professors, felt the last couple hundred years of peace had softened Equestria. The hardships that formed the land were forgotten, in favor of mush. War was some far-off thing most ponies didn’t even acknowledge as real.

Lark didn’t like mush. He cared more about topics such as the Centauri-Equestrian War, 80 years before; of note, a single platoon of starving ponies held a mountain pass for five weeks in the face of a whole centaur army. Lark had never read his actual memoir, but Lieutenant Zip “Fire” Jetscream had been a formidable Pegasus. His platoon, which became known as the “Fireland Platoon” for their gruesome defensive tactics, was legendary. And where did this happen? Well, just south of where they were now, in present day Vanhoover, quickly rebuilt upon the coast. Lark could go on and on about the exploits of dozens of conflicts over the centuries.

He also knew that going after these topics invited trouble. He’d never had a teacher that would at least admit to knowing much. It seemed a forbidden area of study. He’d even gotten in trouble for writing reports about such material, or sharing it with other foals. Disappointed, but unsurprised, the subject of social studies took them to lunchtime.

In the cafeteria, Lark filed through the line, got his daisy sandwich, milk, and veggies, and sat down alone at a table. He hadn’t done much to participate in social studies, keeping quiet. He wondered how his reputation was doing. He’d let that panda-looking pecker say four or five sentences before going for his throat. It was rather unlike him, and he regretted acting out that strongly, but he hadn't been sent to the principal's office and wasn't worried much. It just pissed the shit out of him when anypony even looked at his sisters wrong.

Lark did notice a lot of students looking at him. Word of his actions had spread. Meh. What was there to do?

Munching on his sandwich, he heard hoofsteps behind him. Ready for trouble, he tensed up.

“Uh, Lark?”

It was a filly’s voice. He turned, and instead of seeing the trouble he was ready to… deal with harshly… there were three of his classmates, all fillies. Cute fillies.

Lark eyed them, “Hi.”

Looking nervous, one of them came forward as Lark took a bite of his sandwich, “Lark, could we sit with you? This table is the only one with three empty spaces… so…?”

He stopped chewing and said evenly, nodding to the spots, “Sure.”

They sat down. And said nothing. They just sat, apparently uncomfortable sitting with this already legendary 5^th grader.

Lark casually stated, “I wasn’t able to catch everypony’s name this morning.”

The one who addressed him, a unicorn with a creamy coat and a black mane, fiddled her hooves, “Oh! My name’s Medium Waltz. Funny name, I know. Parents thought ‘Slow Waltz’ sounded… well, dumb. I said I collected stamps... this morning?”

Maybe she had. He couldn’t remember. The other fillies perked up.

One of them, a very pretty little Pegasus with a lemony coat and short, off-white mane, spoke next, “I’m Thunder Rider. I have to ask, Lark, how is it an Earth pony has a unicorn and a Pegasus for sisters? Are you all adopted or something?”

The other fillies cringed and shied away from her. It could be trouble.

Lark found this girl interesting. She may have not thought through all that well, but she was funny in her bright manner. The tension rose, the other fillies continuing to scoot away. Even Thunder realized she goofed.

But Lark laughed. Everypony in the cafeteria probably noticed, as they shut up and looked his way. The fillies sitting with him were dumbfounded. It was the first real emotion other than his brief 15 seconds of anger anypony had seen all day.

He looked at Thunder, who was now relaxing, “No, no. We’re related. My dad’s family saw marriages of every kind. It got to the point that it was a surprise what a foal turned out to be.”

While strange--and a bit off-putting--it put the girls at ease. The last filly was also a Pegasus and had yet to introduce herself. Her coat was a chestnut brown, but she had a pink mane. Quite the contrast.

“I’m Misty Twirl… I have to say Lark; your Pegasus sister is adorable! And so fast!”

Lark guessed someponies had seen that, “Yeah. My sister, Valley Lily. She’s a 2^nd grader. My other sister was around, but she’s a bit less… active than Valley. She did wave to me. Looked like she was enjoying herself, so I left her be. Her name’s Copper Curls... 1^st grader.”

Thinking about the trouble she had caused when very young, he laughed again, “When Copper was first able to perform magic, she’d sometimes light the couch on fire. Valley had energy, but at least she couldn’t do that. It was hard to keep up with them sometimes.”

This opened up the table for a bunch of things to talk about, mostly what the girls liked. Lark sat, and listened, not eager to spill everything right then. But it was nice. They explained that each grade had two or 3 three classes, A, B, and C, depending on what was needed for a specific grade each year. With so many 5^th graders that year, class C had been activated as it had the year before when they were 4^th graders. He chatted with these girls as they ate lunch, and soon, the bell for recess rang.

Trotting outside, Lark was in a pretty good mood. Lunch had been pleasant. Misty shared a pack of bubble gum with the others and they were seeing who could make the best bubble. Gum usually wasn’t allowed in school, but they could enjoy it over recess. And hopefully they’d dispose of it properly… Lark wasn’t great at blowing bubbles, but he had fun. He also couldn’t whistle or roll his tongue, which the fillies found funny.

Lark hoped he could become friends with these girls; they were nice. He walked alongside them a while. Misty had gushed over his sisters, having several little sisters of her own, but had little to say otherwise. Thunder would barely shut up long enough to eat, talking about the coltband she was into and strawberries and ice cream and hoofball. She just wouldn’t stop.

He did enjoy Medium’s company, especially. Neither shy, nor outspoken, he could relate to her. She liked to listen, and she would only speak when there was something to say. This wasn’t the thing he liked about her though. She was funny. Thunder’s careless comments were amusing, but she lacked the wit with which Medium was rife.

Approaching the hoofball field, Lark was suddenly jerked up by one of his back legs. He let out a surprised yelp, now dangling a good few feet off the ground. Medium and her friends were taken aback and one of them shrieked. Lark looked around. Of course. There was Tux and his douche-bag patrol, or whatever Lark might end up calling them. One of his goons had Lark levitated, and it was a little shaky for Lark’s liking.

Tux strode up, a smile on his face, “Well, well, look who made it to my side of the playground.”

Lark slowly revolved unhappily. His glasses were askew, and it took him a moment to focus. He said nothing, frowning. Tux motioned his fellow unicorn to lower Lark closer to his level. He spun Lark, who was on an invisible pedestal, so they could see each other. Lark waited to take a swing. Just then wasn’t the time.

Tux laughed, and he spun Lark around. He spun him until all was a blur to Lark. Lark became so dizzy, he almost puked. By now, all the foals nearby were paying attention while Tux’s colts warned away others, keeping an eye out for teachers.

Tux stopped Lark, “You’re a real smartass, Blossom. Think you’re tough? Doesn’t mean much against magic.”

The unicorn zapped Lark; it was the most physical pain Lark had ever been in. It hurt so much he couldn’t even cry out. Then he went limp, moaning. Just as Lark was regaining his senses, Tux bucked him in the side, spinning him again, and Lark yelled out. The wind knocked out of him, he swallowed his gum as he tried to get his breath back.

A few fillies screamed.

What’s this guy’s problem? Lark contemplated. That hurt! Any other thought fell off as some of the other colts laid into him. Unable to defend himself, Lark took a beating. By this time, some foals had run off screaming for a teacher. Lark didn’t notice. He was too busy getting pummeled.

Oh, why did I have to bait this guy earlier? He’s just probably some spoiled nobody whose parents run the school board, or something. Lark may have thought such things, but he was still too busy being pummeled.

Next, the unicorn holding Lark propelled him across the playground sand. It burned and got everywhere on Lark. He was hefted up and thrown down a couple times, as Tux and his friends laughed. If the ground hadn’t been deep sand, Lark might have been seriously injured. This just hurt. And Lark was getting desperate. He was getting angry.

Lark tried to gather his thoughts. He managed to gather a couple hooves full of sand and held on tight. Then the unicorn brought him close to the group, lifting him up higher than before. Lark was sure this throw would take him out, so he hurled the sand into his captor’s eyes.

He lost control of Lark and howled. Facing off against unicorns, Lark should have lost, but they weren’t dealing with any little colt. Within a second of landing on his hooves, he bucked Tux in the stomach so hard he brought up his lunch. Not even stopping, Lark let out a terrifying yell and laid into the other Unicorns in Tux’s little gang.

They stood no chance. Lark grabbed one of them, attempting to cast a spell, and slugged him with his hoof until his horn quit glowing. He then propelled him across the sand, wrapping him around a leg of the swing set. The one that had been holding him was still screaming, his face full of sand. Lark ignored him, grabbing another who was starting to run, and he threw him bodily into the gathering crowd. The foals scattered, leaving the flying unicorn to faceplant in the sand. Headbutting another so hard he saw stars, and putting him in a headlock, he clobbered him with his free legs.

Lark looked around in a daze, still holding the semi-conscious foal in a headlock. He had lost track of where he was, he was so worked up. Tux’s crew had split in fear. Except for one, so scared he didn’t, or couldn’t run. Or maybe he was just stupid. Lark couldn’t forget his stupid face, laughing at him, bucking him in the ribs. Leaving behind his bucking bag, Lark chased the slow, clumsy colt, literally kicking his ass through and around the jungle gym. It was like these unicorns forgot they had magic, and Lark was having his way with them.

And this whole time, all the foals in the area were watching this. None interfered. It was… scary.

Lark’s object of the ruthless asskicking collapsed, after a monstrous kick to the balls sent his fat ass end over end. But Lark didn’t kick him when he was down. Not that he was against kicking somepony when he was down, he just didn’t have the energy to do so. He just staggered towards the group, his glasses awry, panting and coughing up sand. He saw his new filly friends. They looked aghast. Lark looked down at himself. He was dirty, a little scraped up, bruised, but nothing seemed broken. He adjusted his glasses, setting them straight.

Looking back at the massacre he had unleashed, he noticed Tux hadn’t moved much. He just lay there, gagging and crying. The rest were incapacitated or had escaped. Lark didn’t even see the teachers approaching, galloping across the playground. Too bad it was over.

That hadn’t been the first fight Lark was ever in, but it had been a while. What were those idiots thinking, starting trouble with him for no good reason? Over what? A smart observation to a smart query? Not discontented with himself, he chuckled at the fallen. He was no sadist; they were just stupid enough to deserve it. It sounded awfully chilling to those assembled.

“Stupid colts…” Lark spat.

Coughing a few times and gagging once, he keeled over and took a little break from consciousness.

Author's Notes:

So... Lark made a few friends and caused a little mayhem. What an eventful first day for a 5th grader. Just what will this do to the social order around the school? That will come a little later, but soon enough.

Regarding world-building, I'm assuming the ponies have anything we humans would have had circa 1970-something. They have movie theaters, video games, and film strips as canon, so I would find it believable they would have wall phones. I also believe they have internal combustion, so motorized vehicles are possible. Why not? It's just a story, after all.

Next time, Lark faces up to his punishment.

Again, forgive the comma usage, and thanks for reading.

Added an image for the cover page of the story. If you guessed it was Thunder Rider, it is. Made with General Zoi's Pony Creator game on DeviantArt. Thunder Rider is now my profile avatar. The story's image is a character that shows up later in the story.

Chapter 3: In-school Suspension

“LARKSPUR BLOSSOM! SUSPENDED ON YOUR FIRST DAY?!”

His uncle used his full name. Ha! Lark thought they were past this. This wasn’t the first time that day his uncle yelled at him. It was Tuesday morning, now. Lark had gone to the hospital the day before, as had a couple of Tuxedo Parade’s flunkies.

Tux had been okay, just winded and gagged. The one who had tossed Lark with magic just needed his eyes flushed. Lark himself had some serious bruising and had chafing in a few places. The foal he put into the swing set had a few broken ribs, while the one he threw broke a leg upon faceplanting.

Unlike the colt with the broken leg, Lark hadn’t spent the night in the hospital. He had made it home late, picked up by his aunt, and his aunt and uncle waited for the next morning to let him have it.

Lark was in no mood for this crap. Everything hurt. He didn’t care that the school was in an uproar, or that Tux’s parents, who did happen to be on the school board, were out for his blood. And his aunt and uncle’s blood, maybe. And the school’s, certainly. The little bastard and his douche-crew attacked him, mostly unprovoked, and Lark put them in their place. A flower insulted a panda. Big deal. What was he supposed to do when they came at him?

What was funny to him is that he blanked out for most of the fight. He could barely remember anything past attacking Tux, other than the shocked looks of all the foals that had watched him lay down a beating.

He sat, hearing, but not really listening, to his uncle. Lark could understand his upsettedness. Taking in a colt and seeing this kind of trouble? So soon? Not good. But it got old. Lark had tried to explain his side, but his aunt and uncle weren’t interested in hearing it. They knew of Lark’s propensity to fight. It was no family secret. It just didn’t happen often.

Every couple years, they would hear about Beige and Sugar’s son going bonkers on some colts. It wasn’t the occasional fighting that bothered anypony. Foals sometimes get into fights. It happens. But Lark went overboard every time, usually against overwhelming numbers, never losing. Lark didn’t look for trouble, but he sure went hog-wild when it came his way.

Until things could be sorted out, Lark would sustain an in-school suspension. Things could get worse, or better. He would have to explain himself to the principal and his teacher, all with his aunt and uncle present. And they weren’t happy about this. They had business to attend to. Welcome to “parenthood”. And Lark wasn’t happy about this. A lot of feelings were buried shallow and now he had to dig them up. What would they do to him?

The thing that bothered Lark most was his sisters’ upset at his actions. They were upset that he was attacked, that he fought as violently as he did and won, that he went to the hospital, and that he was in trouble. He didn’t expect them to understand. What do you say to a little filly when her brother does such a thing? Lark sure didn’t know. Neither did their aunt and uncle. Lark hadn’t communicated with them since first recess the day before.

After a meager breakfast, most had little appetite, Aunt Fairy and Uncle Star led the siblings to the school. Lark, covered in bandages, noticed everypony’s eyes on him as he moved. They looked… ill at ease. He could only imagine the upset caused the day before. He really had no idea what would happen, as he spent the afternoon of the day before out cold.

Valley and Copper went to their classes. Lark hoped they wouldn’t have a bad time of it, but he could only hope. It was out of his hooves.

Sitting down in the principal’s office, Lark saw Ms. Pearlshine. She probably didn’t expect to be there the second day of school, having to deal with some far-off transfer colt. Also present were the principal, Mr. Munchies (Lark tried not to laugh at this. Guy looked scary.), and the vice-principal, Mrs. Flipsy.

Lark noted Ms. Pearlshine. She didn’t look angry; she looked sad. And he hated disappointing her. He’d only spent half the day under her tutelage, but he'd enjoyed it. The principal and vice-principal looked grim.

The colts Lark fought were all under some form of suspension as well. It... hadn’t gone smoothly. Some of their parents had power and were butthurt about this.

The principal opened up. He stated the facts. Foals reported Tuxedo and his friends verbally attacked Lark and that Lark made a fool of Tux, culminating in him threatening Tux. After lunch, one of Tux’s friends held Lark aloft, and they took turns beating on him, including the zap from Tux. That was a big violation, using magic to harm others. Levitation used against others was frowned upon, but it had never been used in such a way to their knowledge. Lark suppressed a snork at that statement...

Then Mr. Munchies explained Lark escaped by temporarily blinding the colt holding him, before bucking Tux, “wrapping one around” the leg of the swing set, tossing another like a rag-doll, beating one into unconsciousness, and finally kicking a “special needs” colt--literally--around the playground until he couldn’t stand up.

Lark internally scoffed at the “special needs” crap. That asshole was right there, bucking him along with the rest of them. Just thinking of his stupid, laughing face still filled him with rage. And he didn’t see the need for this trouble. He defended himself. But what were they going to do? Give him a medal? Later in his life, he would have answered that question with, in a pig’s ass they’re giving me a medal!

But he couldn’t argue with what was said: it was all true. Other than saying he did this to defend himself, and that he thought nothing of trading a few verbal jibes with another student, he had little to say. But he did say this. He chose to omit the fact he sort of… blanked out when he fought. It happened whenever he fought. He also kept to himself why he threatened Tux that morning. Nopony reported to remember why he did it; they only remembered Lark pinning Tux to the wall, but Lark wouldn’t forget the mere mention of his sisters. He wasn’t even asked why.

What came next bothered him. It was no surprise his teacher knew of his past, or the administrators, but he had to sit and listen to his aunt and uncle recap all the heartbreak and misery of the last six or seven years. What a life! From seeing his dad fall apart, to taking care of his sisters from the time he could barely read, to losing his dad... He tried to remain stoic, but the prods tore open such fresh wounds. He wanted to roll up into a ball and cry.

He didn’t listen to much more. And he had nothing more to say. He just saw the sadness in his teacher’s face, the disappointment and resentment shown by his aunt and uncle, and the grimness of the admins. Ms. Pearlshine hadn’t said a word, other than introducing herself to his aunt and uncle. What was there for her to say? It was just her misfortune he was in her class. Not her fault at all.

To recap, he was to serve in-school suspension, not less than one week, or until a final decision was made. He could face expulsion. Or he could walk away from this. Or something in between. Time would tell. Until time told, he would receive private instruction, primarily from somepony holding the lucky position of teaching such foals, but also by Ms. Pearlshine. He wouldn’t find out until much, much later that she volunteered for the job, and she normally would have had little to do with the punishment.

So, after about a half-hour, Lark’s aunt and uncle left. Leaving the principal's office with Ms. Pearlshine still inside, he saw Tux’s parents, who were rather majestic unicorns. His father had the same stupid coat as his son. Apparently, Tux was “too traumatized” to be there, and he wasn’t present. The looks they gave him… whew! And the looks they gave Ms. Pearlshine! It sickened Lark. She introduced herself and they looked at her as if she were pus. He could feel his heart seize up in his chest, seeing her vulnerable expression, watching the door close on that room. Within a second of the door closing, he heard screaming.

Trying to set aside his hurt, he walked down the hallway. He got a drink of water. Passing by classrooms, he ducked. It wasn't all that long until recess.

Well, no recess for him. Not for a while. He was glad to be alone. He’d had enough stares for the day. He probably wouldn’t see much of his classmates; he was restricted to the “remedial/utility” room. He would eat there, and he would use the bathroom housed there. That’s where he was headed. Surprised at not having an escort, he decided they wanted everypony on deck to deal with those assholes, Mr. and Mrs. Parade.

What a couple of days... And he may be gone soon! He had no idea what would happen. He was curious why things turned out this way. What kind of power did panda-colt’s parents have? Was the administration really willing to take an ass-fucking from them, instead of telling them, go to Hell, your colt’s a turd? Was that colt really the one that ran the playground? He’d only been there half a day to see, but it seemed so. How did that joker stay in power?

Lark unseated him with only a little more difficulty than if Tux had been a drowned rat floating in a bucket of piss, and his little pecker-head minions the imagined rat’s postmortem shit. Sure, he got the tar beaten out of him by a bunch of gutless unicorn pansies and fainted after he’d had his fun, but it had been remarkably easy to win, in retrospect. He’d swiped their balls and cast them to the four corners of Equestria!

Ergo… he tried not to worry. He’d been through plenty in his life. He’d just take the week and see what happened.

Lark made it to the room, and he found himself alone in a small space. The room was plain. There was a clock, a calendar, a whiteboard, a small restroom, a door leading elsewhere, and not much else besides a table. He was taking in the unimpressiveness of the room, when he heard somepony enter through the door leading elsewhere. It was a grizzled stallion, an incredibly old Earth pony. He ambled in.

“You must be Lark,” he said. “I’m Mr. Chippy. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to see any foals in here for a while.”

Lark tried to look at him evenly. It was hard.

But then the old fellow’s eyes lit up; it was like his inner colt was shining through, “I think you set the record, Lark. It's just your second day here, and they put you with me. I kind of retired 16 years ago, but they let me keep an office here. I substitute teach when they need somepony, or I just give advice when it’s asked. And I usually wind up with cases like yours. I’ve been here for… 60, 61 years.”

Lark's mind jolted. 60 years?

He chuckled, “You see a lot of things when you get to be my age. But I’ve never seen a playground ruckus like what you put up yesterday.”

Lark did had a few more seconds to think. 16 years? When he retired? This guy was ancient. He had to be pushing 85. Of course, he kept his mouth shut.

The old stallion continued, “But we’re not here to talk about glories or regrets. We’re here to learn. And you’re with me until those jokers in the office decide what to do with you. So, let’s try to get along and keep you in the loop. I’ll be teaching you until the last period of the day. Your teacher, Ms. Pearlshine, will be seeing you at the end of each day, to make sure you’re on par with her material, while your class has gym outside. Any questions?”

Lark had none. He shook his head. It was the first response he’d given since nodding that he was indeed, Lark.

“Can’t ya talk, kid?”

“I can.”

“The quiet type, eh?”

Lark considered, “Not really, Mr. Chippy. Just don’t have much to say today. Feeling a little… humbled.”

At this, Mr. Chippy laughed, “I heard you were an interesting colt. I think this week will be fine. And I hope you stick around, but we’ll see. For now, let’s get started.”

Due to the mischief from the day before, his class had been unable to cover the afternoon topics and had supervised quiet reading in place of them. Ms. Pearlshine had been preoccupied, Lark being her student, so she had some catch-up with the class.

Ms. Pearlshine had given Mr. Chippy the lesson plan for both days, so they ran through math and language before lunch.

Lark sat and ate alone in the little room, while Mr. Chippy slunk off to his office, Lark suspected, for a quick nap. Lunch was okay, if plain, and that was nothing to complain about. There wasn’t much he turned his nose from.

Next came Lark’s least favorite topic, social studies. Mr. Chippy ran through it, and Lark was unable to hide his disinterest.

“What’s wrong, Lark? You were fine earlier. Don’t tell me you’re bored. In my day-”

“It’s not boredom, sir, it’s… something else.”

The old stallion was nonplussed, “Then... what?”

Lark couldn’t help it; he was in a mood, “This crap isn’t history. Nopony cares about the planting of the first “Friendship Garden” in Canterlot. I don’t, anyway. It’s mush.”

Going on, about to realize what he was spouting, “My dad had a history collection. It’s mine, now. I’ve read everything he had, and I’ve never seen it in school! I bet nopony even knows how Vanhoover was founded... the war! As old as you are, you-”

He stopped, as he had realized he was spouting. Mr. Chippy looked at him again, as if dazed, and then he laughed again.

“Oh, ho! A colt that actually knows a thing or two! You’re right! I was in the middle of my career when they watered things down. Stupidest thing I’ve ever seen in all my years of teaching.”

Lark contributed, “I remember my dad’s colleagues. Dad was a professor of engineering, but his friends taught history. They went on and on about that!”

Thankfully, the real topic wasn’t banned or actually punishable, it just wasn’t in the curriculum, so talking about it didn’t hurt anypony, which it shouldn’t anyway.

The two of them got so caught up, they shirked the other lessons for a while. After realizing half-an-hour had passed, they got back to it. Reading and science only took a little while. That was all for the lesson plan, so Mr. Chippy took Lark to the gym.

Until the weather turned, gym class was outside, so Lark had free range of the gym. Mr. Chippy had him run laps and set up a floor course to check his agility. The old stallion may not have looked it, but he had coached buckball and hoofball at the school for 35 years. He knew how to put foals through the paces.

He was more than impressed at Lark’s speed and quickness, despite Lark being so sore from his adventures the day before. He suggested Lark go out for a team, but Lark shook his head. He’d never enjoyed sports, much. Mr. Chippy thought it a waste, but couldn’t hold it against him. Things weren’t what they used to be. It was all the red tape and “touchy-feely” nonsense that had him quit coaching, not his age.

They went back to the room, neither dissatisfied with the day. While Mr. Chippy had to teach the malarkey social studies, some of the civics was important. And they would study the material, but he told Lark to look up the 10^th Equestrian Summit and bring a short summary of the event. They would discuss it for a short time the next day. The early get-togethers of politicians were the least of his favorite history topics, but it beat whatever dogshit the class would be going over. Pleased with this, he bid Mr. Chippy goodbye, almost forgetting all this was supposed to be a punishment.

The day had been great, using the term loosely, but now he had to face his teacher. That hurt look in her eyes sat at the forefront of his mind. And he didn’t look forward to meeting her.

But meet her he did. She came in a few minutes after Mr. Chippy left. She looked tired. Very tired. Lark was unsure what to begin with, but he didn’t have to.

She closed the door and sat down across from him, her kind face looking strained, “How was your day, Lark?”

Great. The day was great. But Lark couldn’t just say that. Again, he noted how sad and exhausted she looked.

“Today was… okay. I think working with Mr. Chippy will be fine. We made it through your material, and I even got to run off some energy in the gym a little while ago.”

She smiled, genuinely, but wearily, “I’m glad to hear that. Mr. Chippy was--and is--a wonderful asset to this school. He was actually my faculty advisor. Well, me and a couple dozen other ponies. He’s been here for so very long, after all.”

“Yes. 60 years, he said. Just saying it… wow!”

She stifled a giggle, “I know.”

Then neither had much to say. But Lark had some questions, so he just decided to come out and get it over with.

“Ms. Pearlshine? Can you fill me in on anything that’s happened since yesterday? Are you allowed to? I just feel kind of… lost. Mr. Chippy didn’t tell me anything. I didn’t ask him.”

Ms. Pearlshine sighed, “I’ll tell you what I can. The same as you, all the colts involved in yesterday’s… conflict ... were suspended. A couple are in-school, as you are, but a few of them may be facing expulsion. They have caused issue in the past.”

She hesitated before continuing, as if she didn’t want to say it, “You’re the only one to show up today, regardless. Once I was… done with the other meeting, it was quiet this afternoon, in class. Some of your classmates are worried about you.”

This surprised Lark a little. Ponies worried about him? He didn’t think he made much of a good impression.

What he really wanted to say, he wasn’t sure how. But he tried.

Pensively, he began, “I… heard Tuxedo’s parents… when I was leaving the office this morning. I’m… sorry. I’m so sorry.”

This shook her, “What?”

He continued, feeling increasingly upset, “I saw this morning, how upset you were. I’m sorry. They screamed at you… for no reason. After what that Tux and his… friends did to me… And then they think they can just come in, blaming everypony else? Blame you? Your face… This wasn’t your fault! I’m sorry for causing trouble for you.”

He was too upset to continue. He wasn’t crying, but he was so angry he was shedding tears. He wanted to tear the world apart. He shook uncontrollably.

But her touch calmed him down. She held his hooves, and he was astonished to see her crying. Now, he was shaken.

She leaned in, “Lark… don’t think that way. What you did... it’s not your fault they acted that way. I can deal with that. It happens more often than it should. It hurt, but that wasn’t what bothered me this morning.”

What was it, then? Lark couldn’t think what.

“I knew what you and your sisters came from. I’ve known about it since you enrolled, and I saw your name, your most interesting name. I can’t imagine. And hearing your aunt and uncle repeat it… And seeing you. You looked like you wanted to run, Lark. I sat there… I did nothing. I didn’t speak up for you. Maybe there was nothing I could really say, but I sat there and let them all talk down to you.”

Lark was now… well, it was hard to describe how he felt.

“I didn’t know what to say. I’ve never felt that helpless, dealing with a student issue. I’m worried about you… and you don’t seem to even think of yourself. A 5^th grader, worried about his teacher? Lark… you’re such a kind and thoughtful colt. Your sisters are blessed to have you. Your aunt and uncle are blessed. And I’m so very proud to have you in my class.

“I hope… I pray… that you get through this. I will try to help as much as I can, but I don’t know how this will turn out… Still, if you need anything, or somepony to talk to, just remember there are ponies in this school, ponies in this world, that would gladly help you. Never forget that.”

With that, she bowed her head. Pulling her hooves back, she removed her glasses. They were spotted with her tears, and she fussed with them. Lark just sat, at a total loss of what to say or do.

Then she tried to marshal a smile, clearing her throat, “Now, did you have any questions regarding the material you and Mr. Chippy went over?”

This roused him, and he merely answered, “No. I think today was fine. I’ll think about it, and if I have some questions, I’ll let you know. I haven’t had a chance to look over all of today’s homework.”

“That’s good, then. I guess you wouldn’t know, but we have a spelling test on Friday. Be ready for it. I may put on a quiz or two next week, but that won’t be set until Thursday, so I’ll let you know.”

She stood up, and he did too.

As they parted for the day, she said to him, “Take care, Lark. I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon. Just try and keep your head up. It’s all anypony can do.”

He stood, feeling small, “Yes, Ms. Pearlshine. I’ll try. I have to go meet my sisters. My aunt and uncle don’t want them walking home alone. Take care.”

“Yes, you go on. Goodbye.”

She went towards the lounge, and he went to find his sisters. And he found them, by the principal’s office, just where he had told them to wait. They looked… scared of him. He didn’t like that, but he couldn’t think of how to deal with it just then. He merely nodded towards the door, and they followed.

By the time they made it out to the playground, it was largely deserted. That was fine with Lark. Less trouble. A few foals watched him, obviously quieting down when they saw him. Lark just moved on, his sisters in tow. As they made their way home, Copper leaned in and nuzzled him. She looked drained. Valley kept close as well, her dark green eyes intent on him. He chuckled, nodded, and she jumped in as well at the invitation, nuzzling him.

With this, he wasn’t so bothered. On the way home, he encountered no misfortune. He hoped he would last the week.

Author's Notes:

Glad to see a few people have been reading Larkspur Blossom. Hope you've enjoyed it so far.

Next time, Lark continues his suspension, receives a surprise visitor on the last day of his "captivity", and learns when his expulsion hearing will be held.

Chapter 4: Waiting for the Other Horseshoe to Drop

It was Friday, now. The week had been peaceful. Lark hadn’t seen hide or hair of any of the colts he trounced. He had seen a few of his classmates, but only at a distance. He was in no hurry to speak with them, mainly because he didn’t know what to do or say. All Lark did was bring his sisters to school, take his punishment, and upon retrieving Valley and Copper, make a beeline for the house.

Saying the week had been enjoyable was a stretch, but Lark wasn’t dissatisfied. Mr. Chippy ran him through all the coursework, they discussed a few interesting history topics (even the Equestrian Summits were absorbing when somepony could put things in perspective), and Lark got to run off his stiffness in the gym, feeling much better by the end of the week.

Come Monday, a decision regarding his status at the school would likely be made. He didn’t know what would happen; nopony was telling him much if they knew. Lark knew his teacher, Ms. Pearlshine would do what she could for him. He also knew Mr. Chippy would probably put in a good word for him, as well. It was strange to him how unworried he was. He could be facing expulsion, or who knows what, but he felt at ease.

His aunt and uncle, upon learning exactly what happened Monday, were no longer that upset with him. They weren’t happy, but they couldn’t exactly hold it against him. Throughout the week, Lark had gone from not liking them much, to appreciating and even liking them.

Even better, his sisters were fine. He had expected trouble for them, either being ostracized or given to some short-lived pseudo-popularity, but things seemed stable, at the least. His teacher, his aunt and uncle, and even the girls themselves informed him they were well.

Sitting by himself in the “utility” room, eating the unexpectedly good pizza the school apparently served for lunch most Fridays, he realized he would miss working with Mr. Chippy. He knew from the start it would be temporary, and that he might not be a student there anyway come Monday, but he had liked Mr. Chippy. But if he stuck around, he knew he would see Mr. Chippy, and he would be back with Ms. Pearlshine.

He even began to miss his classmates. Sure, he was avoiding them during his punishment, but he’d barely, if at all, gotten to know anypony, other than the fillies he’d had lunch with Monday. He wanted to know them. He wanted to be their friend, not just the fillies, but all his classmates. Just wait for Monday. It was all he could do.

Jostled from his thoughts, the door to the hallway rattled. He almost choked on pizza as the door burst open. What looked like a piece of lemon-meringue pie came tumbling through. It was Thunder Rider, her burnt cream-colored mane a mess. She was clutching a lunch tray.

“Ha! Didn’t spill!” she held the tray proudly, her citrusy countenance shining. “Stupid door, making me juggle stuff.”

She came up to the table, “Hey, Lark!”

Not much he could say to this, “Thunder! What do you think you’re doing here?”

Not looking hurt, she took a seat, digging into her lunch she'd smuggled in, “Thought I’d check up on our little unicorn slayer. Just see if you’re still alive and lickin’.”

“Of course, I’m alive. You’ve seen me getting led around, and I’ve seen most of the class. You even waved yesterday.”

She giggled, “Yeah, and you wouldn’t even wave back!”

“I was told to ‘not fraternize’ with other students. Now, what are you doing here?”

“Lark, I just said. I’m here to see you, buddy. Things have been… interesting since Monday. You wouldn’t believe some of the stupid rumors foals are spouting.”

This had him interested, “Like what?”

Unable to stop laughing, she sputtered, “That you got sent to mine for coal in a prison camp, somewhere… That you kicked the principal in the balls… Oh, oh! My favorite is you got expelled, your family kicked you out, and you were living under a bridge in the North Vanhoover Park with some stallion with no legs. Just stupid, considering you’re right here.”

Lark uttered, “Stupid…”

“It’s been… weird not having you in class. I think everypony misses you.”

Nonplussed, Lark mumbled, “I barely said a word, other than introducing myself, getting laughed at while doing so, and… yelling at Tux. And lunch with you, Medium, and Misty, I guess. I was in class half the day! What’s there to miss?”

At this, she looked a little hurt, “Lark… You were just so… funny. You seemed… interesting. We wanted to get to know you. Lots of other ponies do now, too.”

Lark grimly hoofed his now empty lunch tray, “A lot of good that does me, come Monday… Since you’re here… tell me what’s going on. I don’t know anything that’s been going on. What’s the deal with that panda-jerk? I feel like the only colt on Earth in here.”

With a little encouragement, she told him. Tuxedo hadn’t been to school all week. His parents accused the school of letting their little darling be brutalized, and they kept him home. He was supposed to have an in-school suspension, but it wasn’t acknowledged.

What a laugh.

His crew wasn’t really around, either. Most had out-of-school suspension, and they would probably be expelled next week. One was serving a term in-school, as Lark was, but was playing hooky. The dynamics around the school and playground were turned on the ear.

This answered what was going on, but not why things were the way they were. Lark wished to know that. She told him.

Tux’s parents were rich, and they had a lot of pull over the school system. Due to politics, Tux could run wild. Since 3^rd grade, he’d gathered the strongest unicorns in elementary school and had pretty much been king of the playground. Even the students in middle school, now, feared him. Everypony feared him. And nopony would stop him. He hurt ponies.

Lark was mildly disgusted. Not much of a story. They let somepony like him push them around? Even big kids were afraid of him? It sounded like horse apples to him. He’d wiped the sand with those candy-asses. Once he was loose, they crumpled like paper. Lark had dealt with some unpleasant foals over the years, and these guys were cake to do in.

She finished, “Monday was the first time anypony ever stood up to him.”

Lark put idly, “I didn’t stand up to him… He said something smartass, so I gave it back to him. Nothing…”

“But you put him against the wall! What did he say to you?!”

Lark looked in deeply, “…”

A little dismayed, she asked, “What? Not gonna tell me?”

He answered in a low voice, “I won’t.”

This put her off a little. What was it?

What’s Lark hiding?

The colt, noticing her manner, waved a hoof, “Don’t worry about it. It wasn’t a big deal… I just let him know…”

“B-b-but Lark! Nopony ever stood up to him or his gang! And you just put them in their place, like pow! You were so brave. It’s like you weren’t even afraid!”

She went on about this. Lark sat there, listening, but not enjoying it.

Thunder finished with, “You’re a hero, Lark.”

After listening to her, he couldn’t help but hide his growing contempt, “A hero? Me? I don’t get it… How could anypony let him push them around? He’s nothing…”

She looked at him, slightly stricken. He didn’t notice. And went on. Sometimes Lark forgot he wasn’t just some ordinary colt…

“I’m no hero. I’m nothing special… But… those guys were nothing. They had magic! There’s no way I should’ve stood a chance. I thought I was done! Like, seriously done… But afraid? No…”

Thunder felt the atmosphere in the room change. It was… chilling.

“I’m not brave. There’s just not much I’m afraid of anymore. Those assholes just wouldn’t let it be. It was nothing; it was stupid. Stupid… And they attack me?! They had magic, and they ran like babies!”

Still tied up in his rant, he failed to notice how upset Thunder was becoming, “I hate ponies like them… Don’t even have the guts to stay for the party they started. Cowards… And they ran the show around here? For 3 years?!”

He had worked himself up to the point he couldn’t really talk anymore. He felt… powerful, like nopony could stop him. But Thunder could. He finally noticed her expression. And did she ever put a damper on his fighting spirit.

“Thunder?”

She had a look he’d never seen before. She looked terribly sad, but at the same time... hopeful. It was the oddest expression he’d ever recalled.

“Lark… you are a hero. You don’t know what it was like here… You’re… you’re my hero.”

Thunder began to cry. It was almost dumbfounding to Lark, this pretty, confident, outgoing, seemingly hyperactive filly, crying. And it took him from… whatever he was, back to the pony his sisters loved and admired so much. The pony the girls had talked to on Monday. Back to Lark.

Lark moved in, putting a hoof on her shoulder, “Thunder…”

She considered his eyes, hers puffy and bloodshot, “He… hurt me, Lark. He and those other colts… hurt me badly, more than once. And lots of other ponies, too… We were… scared to do anything. And then you show up one day, and just stop him?”

Crying harder, she couldn’t go on. Moved by her brokenness, he moved in closer, and hugged her. She clung to him, and he let her stay that way a moment. Then, she began to calm down.

Then, the door burst open. Mr. Chippy entered, munching on a slice of pizza. He saw the extra foal in the room and the scene to boot.

“Ah ha! Look at you, Lark! What a heartbreaker you must be!” he joked.

Thunder pried herself loose from Lark, reddening a little, wiping at her tears. Mr. Chippy did a take.

“Thunder Rider? Ha, ha! What are you doing here? As far as I know, you don’t have a detention yet, and it’s after school, anyway.”

Twiddling her hooves, “I, uh, just wanted to see Lark… I’m sorry, sir.”

He chuckled, “Take a look Lark! We got to know each other pretty well, last year. We called her the “Detention Queen”. She got sent at least once a week, it seemed. I get stuck with detention duty sometimes…”

She blushed, “Lark! Don’t listen to him. ‘Detention Queen’…”

Lark hadn’t done or said much since Mr. Chippy came onto the scene. He shrugged.

The old stallion ruffled her hair, “Well, if you don’t want detention, I suggest you hurry outside before somepony sees you here. Lunch is getting out, so go. I’ll take your tray.”

With that, she nodded, and looking at Lark, blushed, “Goodbye, Lark… Thanks.”

She swiftly exited and merged with the crowd of foals, going unnoticed by them.

Mr. Chippy laughed, “She’s a good filly… Just goofs off too much, sometimes. We never called her queen of anything, but she did spend a lot of time clapping erasers after school…”

He looked to Lark, who was flummoxed, “Okay there, Lark?”

Lark came to, “Uh, sure.”

“You made a pretty good friend if she’d sneak in here to see you.”

“We had lunch with a couple of her filly friends on Monday.”

Mr. Chippy was amused. This colt was unreadable, sometimes. Hadn’t he noticed all the blushing?

All the same, “Have a good lunch, Lark?”

Lark thought, “It was… enlightening.”

Such a word to use, mused the old timer, “Well, I guess it’s time to continue. This may be our last day together, before the other horseshoe drops. Ready?”

Lark grinned at the teasing, “Sure. I have my summary of the Recapture of Midnight Castle, right here…”

They finished the afternoon, and they even shook hooves, each eager to see the other again, hopefully not in detention.

Again, Lark sat alone, waiting for Ms. Pearlshine to show up. Looking back on the day, it had been okay. He managed to finish everything, so unless his teacher sprung something on him, all he had to do was be ready for a quiz or two the next week. The spelling test had been easy. And working with Mr. Chippy had ended well enough.

He did have to think about Thunder, though. What that must have been like, the school the way it was. He really did miss a lot of things, things that should have been obvious to him. Her sadness, and then happiness at his triumph. That many foals felt the same way. The fact he’d done something heroic? He didn’t feel heroic. He had been scared when panda-douche mentioned his sisters, but it wasn’t bravery or fear that propelled him to do what he did to those stupid foals. That was to save his hide. It was impossible to even put a name to what he felt when he fought. He didn’t particularly enjoy it, but… it was something.

Whatever it might be, thinking about it would have to wait. Ms. Pearlshine walked in. Lark had noticed throughout the week that her youthful, pretty face looked more and more haggard. He was under no delusion what she must be going through. If panda-suck’s parents were steamed enough to treat their son like a princess and hold him at home, screaming Lark was some kind of monster, it must have been a hassle, to say the least, for his teacher.

As she had every day, she tried to marshal a smile for him, “How was your day with Mr. Chippy?”

“It was fine. I’m happy to say I finished all the work, so that opens up the weekend. Spelling test seemed okay. That just leaves a little time to study up for next week’s quizzes… if I’m around come Tuesday.”

She looked grim, but somehow reassuring, “Try to stay positive… But, yes, the board will be meeting on Monday to determine your status here. Perhaps you haven’t heard, but the board met today regarding the colts that were given out-of-school suspension... and the colt serving his punishment as you have been.”

“Can you even tell me how it went? That stuff secret until Monday?”

She shook her head, “I can tell you. It’s been published. All the colts who have been serving out-of-school suspension have been expelled.”

Lark felt a chill rise in him. Sure, the guys were assholes, but he could sympathize. More importantly…

“What about the one in my horseshoes? I heard he’s been skipping.”

Thinking, she said, “Well, I’m not sure. They can’t expel him or do anything else until he appears before the board with his parents, the principals, and his teacher. Things don’t look good for him, though.”

That answered the question. But the elephant in the room had yet to be addressed.

“What about Tuxedo Parade?”

She winced, “I guess I can tell you. It’s… complicated. The board really let those foals have it. It’s no secret they’ve been trouble, and with their records, the board had an easy choice. But with Tuxedo… his parents have managed to keep him out of most trouble. I really shouldn’t talk politics with a student, but they might have us over a barrel. They’ve lodged a formal complaint against the school and…”

There was a knock on the door.

Ms. Pearlshine let off, “Come in.”

In came Aunt Fairy and Uncle Star. They sat down. Lark was a bit shocked to see them.

His teacher sighed, “I’ve been talking with your aunt and uncle, Lark. This could be bad. Mr. and Mrs. Parade have lodged a complaint against the school… and you.”

This sure didn’t sound good. Lark couldn’t think of much to say.

Moving on, she said, “They’re claiming the school let you assault their son, and that the school, and his teacher, didn’t punish you harshly enough. That’s about the size of it. They’ll be presenting their case on Monday during your board hearing… which may also hold pivotal for me. They... took offense at me trying to lessen their recommended punishment. They wanted you expelled outright.”

Uncle Star put a hoof on Lark’s shoulder, “Just remember, Lark, we’re not upset with you anymore, but… oh, boy.”

Aunt Fairy tried to put it a better way, “We’re going to do what we can come Monday. Your teacher and the two of us will do our best.”

Lark fretted. Ms. Pearlshine was putting herself in harm’s way for him?

The colt blathered, “Ms. Pearlshine! Why’d you do that?! It’s not your fault I fought anypony! I’m not worth-”

She interrupted him, “LARK, you are worth it. Don’t ever say that. It’s so sad… You’re my student and you’re worth it. I said I was proud to have you in my class and I meant it. Your classmates want to see you again. So, we will fight.”

Lark felt drained. That sure was something to hear... and see. She'd been moved near to tears.

His aunt added, “We love you, Lark. And we’ll do what we can."

Lark may have felt drained, but he also felt satisfaction. Maybe he was worth something, after all.

Author's Notes:

Well, it won't be long before the hearing. Lark must now get through the weekend, bored out of his mind, and sick with worry. But a welcome distraction might just pull him out of his funk.

Thanks for reading, and look forward to Chapter 6. Thought I'd release Chapter 5 early, with everything else going on Super Bowl Sunday.

Chapter 5: Sunday Outing

By Saturday night, Lark’s concern over his hearing on Monday had grown more than he cared for it to have. He’d always been the kind to live in the moment, and he actually didn’t think about the future much. For better or worse, he’d been this way for as long as he could remember. Until then, he’d convinced himself he’d just coast and come what may, what happened would happen.

So, it was an unfamiliar feeling to be afraid of whatever decision may be rendered Monday. He’d never thought much of himself, he had just begun to realize. His teacher and aunt and uncle sure felt this way. But Lark had met some foals he wanted to become friends with. He wanted to go back to his class. He knew this now, and it hurt.

Having spent the day loafing around, unable to find interest in much of anything, Lark had just finished dinner and was staring at his ceiling. He heard his sisters in their room, practicing their spelling, taking turns quizzing each other. Copper was doing better than Valley, who was getting flustered. Lark couldn’t help but chuckle. They were doing fine… and he continued to stare up a while.

Soon, it was late. 8:30 p.m. He didn’t expect his aunt to call him downstairs. He went and found his aunt with the phone.

“Uh, Lark, there’s a filly named Medium Waltz asking for you.”

Lark was perplexed, Medium? He took the phone.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Lark! Found your family’s number in the school directory! What are you doing tomorrow?”

Nothing… “Nothing.”

“Great. Why don’t you meet me and Thunder outside the school playground? I’m calling Misty, too. We’ll have some fun. Bring a few bits.”

Having nothing to do and really too flummoxed at receiving a call, “Uh, sure. When?”

“11:00 a.m.”

“Sounds fine.”

“G’bye, Lark.”

Click.

Lark looked up at his aunt, “Guess I’ll be out tomorrow.”

She was happy to hear he’d be doing something. He’d been moping around the whole day. Maybe this would clear his mind.

“Any idea how late?”

“No.”

“Well, no worries. I know you don’t mind leftovers if it comes to that. Now, why don’t you go shepherd the girls off to bed? It’s late.”

“Yes, Aunt Fairy. Good night. Think I’ll read a while.”

For the first time since he’d been there, she gave him a little peck on the forehead, “Goodnight, Lark. I’m waiting up for your uncle. Hopefully he doesn’t make too much noise when he comes home.”

She laughed. Uncle Star had been at a buckball game at the community college. He and his friends would probably be tying a few on, right about then.

Lark went upstairs, got his sisters settled down, and decided to read a few chapters of Daring Do. Not his favorite, but a friend had given him a few battered volumes of the series back in Fillydelphia. He fell asleep reading, looking forward to the next day.

---

Lark woke early on Sunday and went out for a trot. Looking forward to seeing Medium, Thunder, and Misty that day outweighed his concerns of Monday. When he got home, he found his aunt and uncle awake, so he woke his sisters and bade them to breakfast.

Lark reviewed for a quiz he may, or may not, be around to take Tuesday, until 10:30 a.m. Giving his glasses a quick cleaning, he set off to the school.

He found Misty Twirl there, having arrived before anypony else. Her bright pink mane conflicting with her chestnut coat, she was easy to recognize. Staring the other way, she hadn’t noticed him, seeming lost in her own mind. Lark tried not to startle her, calling her name gently, but it happened anyway. Jumping around to about face, wings flapping, her soft blue eyes bugged, and she yelped.

But then she focused, and looked at him, “Oh, hey there, Lark. Didn’t see you.”

She had said this brightly, as if nothing had happened.

Lark had jumped like he was goosed when she moved, “G’morning, Misty. Looks like you’re the first here.”

“Yes… The other girls will be here soon. I’m glad Medium called me up. Otherwise, I would have just loafed around. It’s weird seeing you. Haven’t seen you almost a week.”

He’d seen her, with her mane, “Yeah… it’s been quite a week. Mr. Chippy’s interesting. I even got away with no homework for the weekend.”

“I wish Medium’d called me first. I would have had her ask you for your sisters to come along. I met them the other day, at the library. Copper is so funny. She kept on pestering Valley with her magic. It got so bad, the librarian had to break them up when Valley started chasing her around.”

Lark had heard about all the interesting ponies his sisters were meeting over the week. It didn’t surprise him one of them was Misty, considering how Misty had gushed over Valley at lunch on Monday.

She went on, “I was thinking about bringing my biggest little sister, Merry Twirl, but I didn’t ask Medium or Thunder. She’s 9, only 13 months younger than me.”

“Valley and Copper are the same way. Just when Mom had a foal, another was on the way. It was a surprise to her.”

Misty giggled, “My mom actually yelled at my dad when she found out she was pregnant again right away. My uncle told me once when he and my dad were playing cards.”

That was pretty funny. Lark laughed along with her and then heard a voice down the street.

"Hey!"

They spotted her by her creamy coat.

Medium Waltz was galloping from up another street as fast as she could, her dark mane flying behind her; she almost crashed into Misty, “Ha! I beat Thunder here! I can’t believe it.”

Just then, Thunder Rider dropped out of the sky, “Medium?! Did you cheat? How’d you beat me here? I know you can’t teleport, yet!”

“I ran,” Medium answered, gulping air. “You know what that means?”

Misty giggled as Thunder sulked, and Thunder said, “Yeah, yeah. I have to spring for toppings when we get ice cream…”

Medium was still gasping, “Oh, yeah!”

Thunder noticed Lark, “Eep! Lark?! What are you…?”

He tilted his head, “Medium… invited me?”

Looking to Medium in outrage, the lemon-meringue pie-esque filly flushed and stammered.

Before anything else could happen, Medium nudged Thunder, “C’mon, lemon-head, let’s make tracks.”

Misty, guffawing at the show put on, followed them. Lark started after them when he got his senses back. Thunder sure was putting up a fuss, getting propelled along by Medium. She sure was acting funny. Keeping to the back of the group, he walked in silence.

Their first stop took them by a café. Everypony had breakfast, so they weren’t up for a big lunch and settled for something small. But Thunder, still red and stammering, ran to the bathroom the second they were seated. Medium looked after her, a look of mild regret on her face. Misty glared at her, and she motioned her to the bathroom.

Medium went over and in. Lark, looking on with confusion, watched. Misty lounged in the booth they had managed to get and sighed, looking at the table. Before Lark could think of anything to say, she spoke.

“I really wish I hadn’t laughed at Thunder back there. She’s so embarrassed.”

Lark hoofed the tabletop, “Yeah… I noticed. Why?”

Misty didn’t look like she wanted to explain, “Medium. If you thought the way she was acting on Monday was normal, it’s just because she didn’t have a bug in her ear. When she gets an idea about something, she goes all in. I told Medium not to do it, and I was sure she wouldn’t, but she did anyway. She never told Thunder you’d be here today. I knew, but I didn’t think she’d surprise her. After we found out Thunder snuck around to find you at lunch, Medium’s got it in her head to play matchmaker, trying to get you two together. Medium thinks Thunder… has a crush on you.”

Lark did a take, “M-me?!”

“Well, yeah. It’s pretty obvious, now, isn’t it? I didn’t think so, but seeing that? Sure, she does. I’d have kept quiet, but I don’t think that would do anypony any good.”

Lark reeled, “What am I gonna do?”

She looked at him oddly, “How the heck should I know? I’m as surprised as you.”

“I don’t get it. I’ve talked with her, like, twice. I mean, you three are the only foals I’ve talked to… other than panda-fruit. Why me?”

Taking a moment to think, she said, “Since you’re freaking out... and she’s freaking out, I have an idea.”

Leaving Lark at the booth, she called back, “Order me a coffee cake and Medium the same. Maybe a couple chocolate milks. Don’t bother ordering for yourself… or Thunder.”

Lark sat, unsure of what was about to happen.

---

Misty found Medium, as she expected, outside of a stall, looking lost and anxious. Naturally, Thunder was hiding in the stall, not crying or anything, but mortified.

Misty wasn’t happy with Medium, who flinched under her tirade, “I can’t believe you! I didn’t think you’d do it, but you did. I thought things might work out anyway, but it sure doesn’t look like it after this.”

Medium was practically dancing in distress, “I know, I know! I screwed up. What are we gonna do?”

Thunder could be heard from the stall, “You tricked me, Medium! You never said he’d be here!”

Misty knocked on the stall, “Well, you and Lark can go be embarrassed together. He knows.”

Silence came from the stall, then, “He knows what?”

Misty rolled her eyes, “That you have a crush on him!”

Medium cringed at the statement... Did Misty really have to just blurt it out?

Thunder cracked the door to the stall, “What?”

Medium tried to buck up, “Yes. Lark knows you have a crush on him.”

Thunder did a take, opening the door fully, and then she laughed, “A crush? I don’t have a crush on Lark! He’s my friend! That’s just weird…”

It was apparent to the girls Thunder was serious. She had no clue.

Misty said, “I’m pretty sure you do.”

Medium nodded.

Scoffing, Thunder went on, “I do not! C’mon.”

Thunder trotted out of the bathroom, as if to prove her point, the others in tow. When she spotted Lark again, he didn’t spot her, but she blushed and ducked out of sight. Her face looked like a cherry. Medium and Misty ducked down too, espying Lark from their hiding spot. Thunder was looking like she might die of embarrassment.

"Mm-hmm... She's got it..." Misty lamented. "Big time..."

Medium looked defeated, “So, uh… Misty? Did you have an idea?”

Misty frowned, “Yes… but I don’t know if it’ll work.”

Thunder squeaked, “What am I gonna do? He can’t see me like this!”

Misty decided to have a little faith, or she was at least willing to gamble, so, “I have an idea, Thunder. You’ll have to trust me.”

---

The coffee cake had shown up. Lark had to convince himself not to eat it. The chocolate milks also looked inviting.

Just when he was about to go for it, the fillies returned. Thunder sat down across from him, looking a little more like herself. But it didn’t last long.

Misty, starting to shovel in her cake, just said, “Cat’s out of the bag, Lark. She knows you know and you know she knows. Go take a walk together. We’ll catch up later.”

Medium’s jaw dropped. That was the plan?! She looked over to Thunder. Thunder again looked like a cherry. Medium was about to do something, but Lark stood up. He grabbed Thunder by the hoof and led her out of the shop.

Medium’s jaw dropped even further. Misty shrugged and sucked down her milk.

---

Lark was walking down the sidewalk, now. Thunder was close, yet faraway, unable to make eye contact with him, alongside him. She still looked like a cherry, possibly even worse. She had no idea what to do.

After a bit, they were in a park. Nopony had spoken yet.

Lark spoke first, seemingly to himself, “It’s just my luck. I make a friend that likes me and I’m probably getting expelled tomorrow. A week! And I’m gone.”

Thunder wasn’t expecting him to just say something, so she just murmured.

But upon a murmur, she found words, “I’m sorry, Lark… It must have surprised you… I’m surprised… I don’t think I… I didn’t know.”

Lark didn’t mean to be cold, “I don’t get it.”

“Don’t get what?”

“How anypony could like me… especially "like me-like me".”

There it was again... that unpleasant... something Lark sometimes emanated. Thunder halted.

Lark noticed, “Why’d you stop?”

Thunder hadn’t been crying at all that day, but she was starting, “Why, Lark?”

“…?”

“I don’t get it, Lark…”

“What?”

For the very first time, the first time in his entire life, somepony asked him, straight up, “Why do you always put yourself down? Do you really think so little of yourself?”

That was hard for him to answer. There was no denying he did. Never thinking much about it, he was now faced with it more and more over the last week. The strangest thing, it didn’t faze him, not even a little. He looked up to the sky, searching within.

“I do… don’t I?”

He took a pause almost long enough for the sun to shift his shadow, “I think I… sometimes… hate myself. And I don’t know why.”

The answer devastated Thunder, “How could you? You… You’re such a wonderful pony! I’ve only known you a few days, and it’s clear to everypony you’re special. Your sisters love you. Your family loves you. …I love you. Crush or not, you’re my friend and I love you! The whole class wants you back! We want you to win tomorrow and come back to us.”

He was taken aback at her response, “Thunder…”

“I said you were a hero, Lark, and you are… You’re my friend… So, please don’t say that. Don’t hate yourself… It’s so sad. If anypony heard you say that… I think it’d break their hearts.”

A foreign bloom made itself known in Lark’s chest. He had to sit down. He hadn’t felt anything like this before.

Thunder could tell something was wrong, “Lark?”

Shaking, his hooves quivering, Lark began to cry.

“Lark!” she sat down beside him, off the path, hooves on his shoulders.

His glasses dotted with tears, his hooves still quivered, “I’m… scared. I don’t want to have to go. To come all the way out here, make a few friends, meet a few teachers I like, and just lose it all! Over this?! I want to stay. It’s not fair…”

She shushed him and leaned on him. Comforting Lark was the last thing she had expected doing. He may have been tough, but… he was still just a colt. After a moment, he settled down.

He was ashamed, “I’m… I can’t believe-”

She assured him, “It’s okay, Lark. It’s okay. Whoever said colts can’t cry can suck it.”

She hugged him, and he patted her hoof.

“Thanks, Thunder… I feel better.”

She perked up, wiping her eyes, “Good. Now... no more of this negativity. Ready to go find the girls?”

“I need to wash my glasses first, but sure. Let’s go.”

---

Misty led Medium towards the park. If she was going for a walk, it wouldn’t be her last place to go.

Misty took off, “I’ll just look up high.”

Medium watched her friend, shielding her eyes from the early afternoon sun, “Can you see them?”

“Oh, yeah! Take a right next block ahead of you and walk a bit. See you in a minute.

Medium saw Misty bolt off, so she galloped to get where she was told. After a minute, she spotted all three of them. Panting, she arrived.

“Every... pony... good?” she gasped.

Lark looked fine.

“Yes… Everything’s fine,” Thunder could say this without reservation, and it showed true.

Medium and Misty shared a look… Good enough for them.

Misty smiled, “Why don’t we go do something fun?”

That was their primary purpose for the day, so off they went.

They caught a 2:00 p.m. movie at the downtown theater, and they went for ice cream after. Of course, Thunder had to shell out for the toppings. Only a bit or two, but it was a time-honored punishment among the girls for being the last one to show up.

By the time they were done at the ice cream shop, they were ready to head back to their homes. Lark lived the farthest away, and they happened to move in that general direction. Misty broke off first, bidding them farewell. Medium split off a few minutes later, leaving Lark and Thunder alone. They walked quietly for a time. Then…

“Lark, this is where I leave you,” Thunder glowed.

He hadn't been paying much attention; he blinked, “Okay, then… I hope to see you tomorrow.”

“Lark… about earlier… If you don’t… like me that way, then it’s okay. I just want you to be my friend. But think about it… I hope things go okay for you tomorrow, so… good luck!”

Before he could give any response, she kissed him on the cheek with a giggle, rosy-red in the face, and she took off as fast as he’d ever likely seen a Pegasus fly.

So… that happened. Lark was bewildered a minute, watching her disappear to the size of a speck. He felt his cheek, remembering the warmth of her lips.

Then, he trembled happily, a shout building in his throat, “…Okay! Let’s see what happens next.”

Not feeling entirely hopeless about the next day, he went home. Sunday night was casserole night, and he’d make it just in time for dinner.

Author's Notes:

Since the last chapter and this one were kind of short, thought I'd release Chapter 6 today.

Next time, Lark's fate as a student at East Vanhoover Private will be decided. Will be a longer chapter. Expect it before week's end.

A side note: horses typically have a gestation period of 11 to 12 months. Some, such as with ponies or dwarf horses, may foal earlier than this.

Chapter 6: The Hearing

Lark had tried to sleep Sunday night, but he didn’t get much. He knew his aunt and uncle were on his side. So was his teacher and probably Mr. Chippy. If Thunder’s word had any substance, some of the students were maybe on his side. Thunder was on his side. Part of the reason he had so much trouble sleeping was the thought of that little peck she gave him before she flew off.

Lark knew he had family, and yes, friends, in his corner, but it didn’t fully pacify the demons of nausea dancing the two-step in the Hell that was his lower trunk. In other words, he was nervous to the point of sick. He couldn’t even stomach the thought of breakfast.

Familiar to the previous week, on Tuesday, Lark found himself, on this Monday morning, walking to school with his sisters and their aunt and uncle. Today was the day: he would either be expelled or… something else would happen. Scot-free? No dice. Continued suspension? Wouldn’t be surprising.

He thought of Tuxedo Parade, or panda-pecker, to use one of the already innumerable names Lark had cooked up to describe the little turd, sitting pretty, somewhere, while his parents were shielding him. Would he be at the hearing? Lark had no idea. It wouldn’t surprise him, either way, but there wasn’t much that surprised him anymore… other than fillies having crushes on him or acts of compassion of which he felt he was undeserving.

The question Thunder asked him the day before--about how little he seemed to value himself--continued to play out in his mind. Did he really hate himself? Not really. Did he value himself? Yes. Always? In ways other than serving and pleasing others?

“…”

He didn’t know. He wasn’t even actually thinking about the very last part, there. Too young for it to really click. But the questions stuck in his head. It was only in the last few weeks he began to ask himself these things. He was still trying to figure out the answers.

Looking to his aunt and uncle, they had a grim determination about them. He knew they would fight for him. The odds were… really impossible to guess. Nopony knew how this would play out. Lark wished to Heaven he hadn’t wound up in the position he did, whooping some colt’s ass... and his little rats, too. It was just stupid. A few verbal barbs led to Lark pinning the panda-tard to the wall... and then Lark getting turned into a bucking bag, ending with Lark rising up and destroying a hoofful of unicorns. Despite how stupid it was, Aunt Fairy and Uncle Star stuck by him.

Lark was now sure: he both liked and loved his aunt and uncle. They cared about him. They respected him, at least as much as a colt merits, and he wanted to do them proud. He wished he hadn’t brought any trouble on them, but his fault or not, trouble had landed. It was just a matter of seeing where it went.

Approaching the school, Lark saw some of his classmates, including his three friends. His friends. That’s what they were. They stood there tight faced, before the class. There was no cheering and no words of encouragement, but their faces showed a lot of them were with him, or at least didn’t show much animosity. He nodded to his friends, and they marshaled determined faces to give him.

The entire school, at least everypony outside, was watching him. You could’ve heard a butterfly fart, it was so quiet. His sisters going towards their classes, Lark and his aunt and uncle headed to the small auditorium which had been set aside for this occasion. Ms. Pearlshine stood there, outside the door, looking determined, but congenial.

“Are you ready, Lark?”

Was there a choice? “Not really.”

She tried not to chuckle at his reliably interesting manner, “Well, ready or not, it’s time. You’re all with me.”

Ms. Pearlshine led the three of them in. The four ponies walked down the center aisle, towards the front. Lark saw where they’d be sitting. The “defendant’s box”, Mr. Chippy had called it. The old stallion was in attendance, not appearing to sit anyplace strategic, but he had a “good seat”, for lack of a better term. He gave Lark a little nod.

Lark saw panda-cum’s parents, and what appeared to be their lawyer, in the front, on the other side of the room from where he would be. A lawyer, for this? He didn’t see panda-drip himself though. Where could the little dildo be? Other than the two case parties and Mr. Chippy, only a few ponies were in the peanut gallery.

The school board was up on the stage, along with the principal and vice-principal. The school board, Lark had never seen. They were wearing poker-faces. His own school’s admins, though, looked like they’d been diagnosed with the clap. It was painfully clear they didn’t want to be there.

Panda-face’s parents turned to glower at Lark as they approached the front. The “defense” took their chairs, and the circus would soon begin.

The obvious head of the board brought out a gavel, giving it a few bangs, “If the stenographer will take note: this hearing of expulsion for the student Larkspur Blossom, under the authority of the East Vanhoover Private School Board, will now commence. Board members Mr. Ebony Parade and Mrs. Colorful Parade are recused from the board in this matter--and a vote in this matter--as they have jointly filed a complaint to the board, which will be addressed in this hearing.

“At the end of today’s hearing, the board will meet to discuss the final decision. The student in question may speak for himself and/or rely on counsel on his behalf. His counselors are his guardians... his uncle Star Charmer and his aunt Fairy Charmer... and his teacher, Ms. Breeze Pearlshine. Anypony wishing to speak in defense of Larkspur Blossom’s character may do so at the designated times.

“Any decision rendered by the board may be appealed by the party in question, or by way of formal complaint, to be discussed later. Is the party in question ready for the hearing to further commence?”

Ms. Pearlshine stood up, “Yes, sir.”

The board leader turned to the Parade party, “Is the party submitting a formal complaint prepared to present?”

Their lawyer stood up, “We are prepared.”

The gavel fell again, “We will begin with an official reading of the submitted complaint. Proceed.”

The complaint was read by another board member. It stated Lark and Tux had a verbal exchange that resulted in Lark pinning him to a wall by the neck, with Lark threatening to ‘snap off his horn, shove it down Tux’s throat, and watch him choke’. Lark couldn’t remember it verbatim, but he had made such a threat. They probably weren’t even aware at what set Lark off; maybe only Lark was, and he realized he might have to explain why.

Continuing, after Lark threatened Tux, he continued into the yard as if nothing had happened. It was clear to Lark’s party this was meant to paint Lark as a callous colt, who thought nothing of acting in such a way. It would be interesting to see how they presented the fight.

They did present the fight. But stringing Lark up by his leg, zapping him, and beating on him when he was defenseless was summarized in the term ‘exchange’. A lot was skipped over, and the first truth regarding the fight, the fact Lark put sand into a colt’s eyes before taking on the entire group, was presented. Tux’s parents didn’t really care about the other colts; they were concerned for their son and how he had been brutalized by some transfer student.

Despite not being injured to the point of needing emergency medical attention, Tux was "upset and terrified to go back to school". The in-school suspension Tux received was not accepted by his parents, as Lark was the "aggressor". They wanted Lark expelled and Tux exonerated, with the school’s apology for suspending him.

Even at Lark’s young age, he wondered if things were crooked enough around there for this crap to stand. What did that little crap tell his parents? Had they heard what the principal’s office stated? What students stated? The teachers? Lark wondered. Sure, he might be expelled for what he did; this he understood, but panda-crabs would face up to punishment as well, probably expulsion. They couldn’t hide what happened, so they would justify and explain away Tux’s actions.

Would it work? Things would have to be really crooked. Maybe they were.

Lark looked to his counsel. They had on poker-faces. Other than summarizing a few things, no lie had been told, other than Lark being the "initial aggressor". But so very much was still to be said. They weren’t shaken.

Before the party in question could be heard, the school’s report was read. It was truthful, and decidedly objective. The only portion left out was why Lark pinned Tux in the morning. Lark again felt that sick feeling in his gut. Admitting just how scared he was? That he’d probably do anything to protect his sisters? He’d never been put in the position to actually seriously harm anypony, and there was no telling what anypony might do until faced with such a thing... but in his heart, Lark knew stepping over that line might not be below him.

Tux’s parents and their lawyer would again have a chance to speak, to rebuttal the school’s official statement, but would have to wait for Lark’s party to present.

At last, Ms. Pearlshine spoke, “I only had Larkspur in my class for half a day, but I saw his brightness... his intelligence. And working with him last week, I saw many other things in him. But I didn’t see the coldhearted colt the complaint describes. You know as well as I, Principal and Vice Principal, what Lark has been through in his life. We knew, and we heard it a second time last Tuesday. I see no errors in the school’s report on this matter. I only wish the school’s statements--and Lark’s history--are taken into consideration, before a final decision is rendered.”

It wasn’t much, but it was a heartfelt statement. Lark felt a twinge at Ms. Pearlshine eluding to his past, but was filled with pride, knowing she was willing to fight for him. That alone gave him some hope.

The leader of the board looked to the lawyer. Mr. and Mrs. Parade hadn’t said a word. They sat stone-faced, but with an ugly contempt unmistakably etched on their countenances.

“What says the party filing the complaint?”

The lawyer stood up, referring to his notes, “As no teachers or other staff witnessed the alleged scuffle, and only the words of students give any validity to this matter, it is suspect. We also question the character of Breeze Pearlshine. The board would recognize her past activities, and it is clear she has a bias towards Larkspur Blossom.”

Lark looked over to Ms. Pearlshine. She looked like death, suddenly, on the brink of tears. He had thought she looked miserable in some of their interaction during the week, but this was another level. What was happening...?

The lawyer continued, “We must also address the fact Larkspur Blossom attacked Tuxedo Parade that morning. We will not use the term ‘unprovoked’ to describe this action, but some schoolyard name-calling is no excuse, ever, to physically and verbally threaten anypony. Neither is a pony’s ‘past’. For these reasons, and reasons we could further discuss, we suggest consideration against Larkspur’s continued education at this school.”

Looking over to Tux’s parents, he saw smug contempt, as opposed to the rather stony faces they had been presenting. His own aunt and uncle looked concerned. But he was most worried about his teacher. She looked terribly sad, as if she was fighting with something inside. If she was, he could relate.

The board addressed Lark’s aunt and uncle and Ms. Pearlshine, “Is there anything either of you would like to say in defense of your nephew? Or Ms. Pearlshine?”

Lark felt another flutter of pride, watching his aunt stand.

She said, “Yes.”

She looked at Lark with an apologetic glance, but one laced with mirth. It was perplexing.

Aunt Fairy then turned to the board, “Star and I never wanted foals. We decided years ago, when we married, we didn’t want any.”

Looking to Lark again, with a crooked smile, “Maybe you realized that, right away. You’re so much more intelligent than anypony seems to give you credit for. I’m sorry to say it Lark, but it’s true: we never wanted foals. When my sister, Sugar Plum, passed, we made a promise to her that we would do what we could to take care of her foals, if it was ever required of us.”

Still , she looked to Lark, “I’m so sorry, dear. As you know, we avoided that responsibility. And it’s something we’re trying to come to terms with.”

From there, she told the board his life’s story. Everything. From the naughty little colt they disliked, to the neglected colt taking care of his little sisters, to the death of their dad, to the selfless colt they had grown to love over the last month. She poured her heart before all present. Lark found himself in tears, he was so gratified. His uncle patted his shoulder. Even Ms. Pearlshine looked better than she had, a sad little smile on her lips.

Aunt Fairy ended with, “Lark loves his sisters more than anything. He loves them more than he loves himself. It’s strange to me… that a colt would think so little of himself. It’s sad… that he seems to hold himself in such low esteem. But I am so very proud to have taken him and his sisters into our home. I’m proud of him. And I’m glad we took them in. I know Star feels the same way. We’ve learned for the first time just how wonderful foals can be.”

She glanced over to Lark once again, her face glowing, “I cannot pretend to know why Lark attacked that colt Monday morning. But I am sure he had a reason.”

Again, Lark felt the twinge. Would he have to say it?

Ms. Pearlshine stood up, her hoof on Aunt Fairy’s shoulder, “I agree. I want Lark back in class and so do the rest of my students. Please consider the school’s report-”

The lawyer stood up and barked, “Must we really listen to this? The word of some aunt who's only known this colt a month? And his teacher? A mare who abandoned-”

The gavel struck, loudly enough to hurt the ears. It shut the lawyer up, and everypony else jumped as if they were goosed. Well, everypony but Mr. Chippy. He sat there easily, not showing a thing.

The head of the board glowered at the lawyer, “You are out of line. Your concerns regarding Breeze Pearlshine have been noted. But this is not her hearing. It is Larkspur Blossom’s. I request you stay in the confines of this matter. If you have something to say, briefly make your point. The other party must have opportunity to speak further.”

For the first time, the lawyer looked spooked, but he recovered, “I understand. Again, I state for the reasons previously stated, that Larkspur Blossom face expulsion for his actions. We cannot overcome family bias, which is why Mr. and Mrs. Parade are recused. Nor can we ignore the fact Larkspur’s teacher obviously holds him in special regard. His past is no excuse for his actions. And the words of foals alone are no grounds to stand upon. If the story cannot be collaborated by staff, it holds little value.”

Lark sat, knowing this was a fair statement. It was all true. Would even admitting his fear hold any water? Would it? He looked over to his aunt and uncle. They didn’t look defeated, but they didn’t exactly look hopeful, either. Ms. Pearlshine looked sunk. Whatever this “abandonment” was about really took the wind out of her sails.

The board spoke, once again, to Lark’s side, “Unless you have anything else to say, we will be moving on to closing statements. You have time, but be concise.”

Lark decided it was time, and he stood up, “May I speak?”

It surprised some ponies, but the leader of the board looked back evenly, “You may, Larkspur. Proceed.”

Lark had to think a moment. What he said might sink him. Could it save him? He didn’t know, but he wanted to tell the truth.

“I had a reason for pinning Tuxedo to the wall last Monday morning. Whether it means anything to you, or not, I want to tell you. I need to tell you… It’s true I love my sisters. More than anything. I think I would do anything for them.”

He spoke evenly and without much passion, “I did threaten Tuxedo that morning. I don’t remember what I said to him… but I remember what he said. He called me a ‘flower’ and asked me why I was going to school here. I shouldn’t have taken the bait, but I made a wisecrack and called him ‘panda-bear’. He and his friends didn’t like that. The class was there, and they laughed, some.”

At that point, his manner visibly darkened and from the depths of his soul came, “Then Tuxedo told me he knew about my sisters… the fact one was a Pegasus and the other a unicorn, and he wondered what grade they might be in… I snapped. I don’t know if he meant anything by it, but I acted on it. That’s why I threatened him. I was afraid.”

Lark stood there, in anguish, feeling cold relief flood through his body. He'd said it. Whether it did any good or not, he'd said it.

His aunt and uncle looked shocked, as did Ms. Pearlshine. The board looked rather nonplussed, as did the school administration. Mr. and Mrs. Parade looked pissed. And their lawyer looked flummoxed. It wasn’t what he said, but more the way Lark said it. And it was obvious to everypony there that they were potentially dealing with a dangerous colt. Even Mr. Chippy took note of this, not having seen such fire in Lark.

Lark continued, feeling a little weak in the knees, “That’s why I did what I did. I was scared… And when they came at me again later that day, I was scared. They just wouldn’t let it be. I even said I wasn’t scared--to lots of ponies--but I was. Tux zapped me! I’ve heard what it used to be like here. Tux and his friends have been terrorizing the school for-”

Mr. and Mrs. Parade began to shout. The lawyer tried to shut them up.

Mr. Parade stood, “I won’t sit here and listen to some basket-case badmouth our son! If you-!”

Whack, whack, whack! The gavel once again silenced the room.

The head of the board scowled, “You will hold your tongue until it is your turn to speak. This isn’t your show.”

Mr. and Mrs. Parade looked like they were about to bust a nut, they were so worked up.

The board addressed Lark again, “Continue, Larkspur.”

He did, “I’ve been told by one of my friends I’ve made that Tux and his friends have been terrorizing the school for a few years... that most ponies fear them. She told me he… hurt ponies. She told me…”

Lark hesitated.

“What did she tell you?” the leader of the board's eyebrows were raised.

He shook his head, “I can’t… It’s not my-”

“Tux and his friends hurt me,” came the voice of a filly.

Everypony looked. It was Thunder, skipping class and standing right in front of them.

Ms. Pearlshine gawped, “Thunder?”

Lark couldn’t believe she was there. Mr. Chippy stepped up behind her.

The principal looked down at the old stallion and hissed, “Apple Chippy? What are you up to, you old geezer?”

The old geezer grinned, “Oh, Principal Munchies… You should know better than to speak that way to me.”

The ancient fellow paced before the board, “It is unusual, I know, but as a former board leader--and a former principal of this school--I wish to make a request…”

Lark did a take. Old Chippy was the principal here?! And he once sat where the guy with the gavel is? Looking over to his party, he saw hope in his teacher’s eyes and in his aunt's and uncle's, too. He saw disdain in most other places.

The head of the board looked down, and he actually smiled at Mr. Chippy, “Sir, out of respect for your six decades of service to this educational facility, you may state your request.”

Almost immediately, Mr. Chippy answered, “Listen to what this filly has to say. And take it into consideration.”

The principal and vice principal looked more and more as if they wished to be elsewhere. The complaining party looked incensed.

The board leader quelled the bickering beginning to take place on the board; he addressed the little Pegasus, “Young filly, what is your name?”

“I’m Thunder Rider, sir. I’m a 5^th grader in Ms. Pearlshine’s class.”

“And you have some things you wish to say?”

“… I don’t wish to say anything. But… if it might help Lark, I’ll do it.”

The board's leader sat back, “Very well, Thunder Rider.”

She stood there, looking small and scared. Mr. Chippy put a hoof on her shoulder. Seeing his grandfatherly gaze, she felt encouraged.

Her voice shook a bit, “Mr. Chippy didn’t ask me to do this. I asked for this. I never even told him why… Last year, when I broke my wing… it wasn’t an accident…”

This alone got greater attention from the room.

She began to weep, “I’ve seen this stuff happen before. Tuxedo and his friends hurt ponies, and even if his friends got into trouble, Tux’s parents were able to get him out of it. We were scared… I was scared… a lot. Tux and his friends attacked me when I was flying. One of them shot me out of the sky, and I broke my wing when I landed.

“They were afraid of getting in trouble, but… Tux told them not to worry. He said his parents could cover it up. Then he… threatened me. He said he’d… hurt me worse… if I said anything. So, I just said it was an accident.”

Mrs. Parade stood up, gaining the attention of everypony, “This is an outrage! Our son has never been in trouble! There is no evidence-!”

The gavel struck the table so hard it snapped at the handle, really gaining everypony's attention, “You will hold your tongue until she is finished speaking! Do I make myself clear?!”

It was clear, but she and her husband glowered. Lark again looked over to Thunder. She looked terrible. His teacher looked awful, as well, her hooves over her mouth. Mr. Chippy, for the first time Lark had seen, looked angry. But he patted the filly on the back, soothing her.

The board spoke, “Thunder Rider? Is there anything else you’d like to say?”

She looked drained, shaking her head and crying softly.

The board's leader sat up, “This filly's statements must be addressed… But we cannot address them immediately, I’m afraid, outside of this case. We must finish this hearing. Apple… is there anything you would like to say?”

The old stallion looked up from the crying filly, a grim look on his face, “There are a thousand things I’d like to say, Cotton… But I will just say this: I didn’t see what led up to the fight Lark had with those other colts. No staff did. But I trust the foals at this school… most of them, anyway. I trust Lark. I worked with him for most of last week, and I can say I’ve never met a student quite like him.

“He’s one-of-a-kind, and you’ll never see his like again. I stake my 61 years in education on his character. Don’t expel him. Give him a chance, and he will show you the good things you’ve heard of him.”

Lark was floored. Mr. Chippy had that to say on his behalf?! It was more than he could dream of. Looking to his party, it was obvious nothing else had to be said.

Still, the board had to ask, “Is there anything else the party in question has to say?”

As was just stated, there wasn’t.

“The party submitting the complaint?”

What was there to say after that? A filly making such a claim? And some old guy who used to run the same show? The lawyer was almost at a loss.

All he could come up with was, “I reiterate my earlier statements: the bias exhibited by Larkspur Blossom’s family and teacher, in addition to his past and a few verbal barbs being inexcusable as a defense, and the fact only foals witnessed the alleged incident, are grounds for this support of Larkspur’s character to be discarded.”

He sat down.

The board leader asked, “For final statements, is there anything else anypony would like to say?”

Both parties said no.

The board stood, “We will discuss for a time. If a decision is not reached by 3:00 p.m., we will recess until 8:00 a.m., tomorrow morning.

In place of the gavel, he pounded a hoof on the table.

---

Outside of the auditorium, Mr. and Mrs. Parade and their lawyer retreated to another part of the building. Lark ran up to Thunder, who was trying to walk away, and hugged her. He hugged her deeply, and she hugged him right back, despite her initial reluctance to stick around. There was nothing that needed to be said. Mr. Chippy came up to them, putting a hoof on Thunder’s shoulder. He shook hooves with Lark and led the filly away. Lark looked after them with a heavy heart.

Ms. Pearlshine, looking teary, exchanged “cheers” with Aunt Fairy and Uncle Star. They may not win, but they had done what they could. Lark hugged his aunt and uncle. Looking to Ms. Pearlshine, he went to hug her, as well. She appeared to hesitate a moment and then relented.

Uncle Star spoke up, “Lark, your aunt and I are going to get some fresh air.”

“Okay, Uncle Star.”

They trotted off, leaving Lark with his teacher.

Ms. Pearlshine stood there, looking quite miserable.

Lark gazed up to her. She wasn’t tall, but still taller than him. But now she looked small… and young.

“Ms. Pearlshine?”

She sighed, “Lark… it will be a time before they make any decision. I need to talk with you. I could use some fresh air, myself.”

He knew this was going to suck, “Okay, Ms. Pearlshine.”

They had a quick drink of water, and then they went outside. They sat down by a bike rack.

“Lark… there are some things a teacher should never tell her student. But given everything that’s been going on… I think you should know. It may help you understand.”

He recalled her reactions to the barbs against her, “It’s about what the lawyer brought up… isn’t it?”

“It is… Lark, you are a most unusual colt. There aren’t many that go through what you have and come out the other end as clean as you are. Maybe I do feel some bias towards you. I love all my students--all the ones I’ve had and even the ones I’ve known a week. A couple of them were just expelled, and I don’t know what will happen with Tuxedo, but they were still my students. You must understand that.

“But I see myself in you. I told you and the class I was a track star in college, and that is true, but there’s more to the story. My mom was an alcoholic; she came to care about nothing else. She just died last year. And my dad’s been in prison for 22 years. He killed five police officers. He's going to die behind those walls... The only thing that kept him from the gallows was his lawyer. I haven't seen him in 13 years... And I don't ever plan to again.

“Like you, I grew up taking care of my younger siblings. I have two younger brothers and a little sister. They’re fine now, but… I took care of them from the time I was 10. After Dad went to prison, Mom fell apart and took up the bottle. But I was desperate to keep us together. You know a little about the foster system, I'm sure: four foals would have a hard time finding anypony to take them all. So, I did what I could.

“I managed to juggle all this: school, working so we wouldn’t be homeless, stopping my mom trying to use what little money we had to get drunk every night… I was able to do this until I was 16. I… had a coltfriend for a while. And then... I had a foal of my own. When that happened, he disappeared, this coltfriend, and I never saw him again. Things fell apart after that. I couldn’t take care of them all. I dropped out of school, to work full-time, but that got the attention of the authorities. Mom had gotten worse, and after a few incidents they couldn't ignore it. It wasn’t just the alcohol… Mom had other problems upstairs.”

In control of herself until then, she broke down a little at this point.

“When they saw what a mess things had become… I lost them. I… was forced to give up my little filly for adoption. Maybe I could’ve done something about it, but I didn’t know what I was doing! I was 16! My younger brothers and sister… were placed in the system. Mom was sent to the mental hospital in Canterlot, where she stayed until she died.

“I managed to stay out of the foster care system. I worked part-time, enough for a little apartment. I was emancipated and went back to school. I only missed a semester, so with a little work on the side, I managed to graduate high school on time. I got into a good college and competed in track, because it was the only thing that ever cleared my mind. Running. Flying, too.

“I never thought much of being a teacher, but… I met Mr. Chippy. He was already retired, of course. He'd left the position of principal, and was on the board. When I met him at a career expo, I knew I wanted to teach. He guided me. He knew what I came from, but he guided me. And he advised me, when I just happened to land my position here. He claims I got the job on my own, but I don’t know about that. There were more than a few that didn't want me around, learning what I came from... I was the daughter of a cop-killer and a basket-case, after all...”

Lark sat this whole time, without a lot to say. This was some heavy stuff.

Ms. Pearlshine sat there, and Lark saw the teenager in her. A frazzled, sad teenager with a heavy eyeglass prescription.

"Again, Lark... this was... very unprofessional of me. Only a few ponies here know about all that. I told you... because I want you to know that some ponies understand. You need to understand that. You said to me last week that you didn't think you were worth all this. But you are. You're important. You're a wonderful colt and your sisters couldn't ask for a better brother. Your aunt and uncle couldn't ask for a better nephew. And I want my student back. And win or lose, this was worth it. That's why I wanted to help you..."

There still wasn't much to say. Lark sat there, feeling young, was unable to come up with much. He had to ask one thing.

Perhaps it was unwelcome, but he wanted to know, “Your… family… where are they now?"

She looked less than upset at the question, “My brothers and sister are fine. I told you and the class I was from Canterlot. That wasn't entirely true. I went to college in Canterlot... We lived, right here, in Vanhoover and they stayed local. They’ve all grown up, of course, and are doing just fine. We still get together every week for lunch… I… have no idea what became of my little filly. All I can do is hope she’s happy... I guess I shouldn’t say 'little filly'. She'd be in high school, I suppose… Maybe I was wrong, putting them through all that. Who knows how things could have been? ...I know I didn’t abandon or fail them, really, but I can’t help but feel that way sometimes.”

Lark, being young, couldn’t think of much to say, but tried, “We do what we can.”

She smiled a bit at that, drying her tears, “I suppose… Thank you, Lark.”

He wasn’t sure what he was being thanked for, but, “You’re welcome.”

After a few minutes, they went back inside.

---

The board was out for only an hour. They had made a decision.

The leader stood, “We will now announce our decision regarding this expulsion hearing for Larkspur Blossom.”

Everypony held their breath.

“Regarding the complaint against Larkspur Blossom, it has been dismissed with prejudice. And we have decided Lark will continue his education at East Vanhoover Private School.”

Lark sank down in relief, his aunt and uncle hugging him, and then his aunt hugging Ms. Pearlshine. Mr. Chippy was back to see the end of things, and smiling, he walked out.

Mr. and Mrs. Parade were infuriated and screamed. But their bullshit would wait for another day. The board approached them immediately, regarding the accusations against their son. But that would be for another day.

Lark, looking with happiness on his aunt and uncle and teacher, felt a great gladness fill him up. There was no way he could ever thank them enough. Leaving them, he decided to take the rest of the day off. Ms. Pearlshine said he could join the class again the next day.

Walking out of the building, he spotted Thunder. She ran up to him.

“Oh, Lark! I just heard the news! This is great!”

She practically jumped into his hooves. She was small, but a little heftier than Valley, and he went down, laughing. They both laughed, hugging again.

“You’re not staying today?”

“No… I just want to relax… Thunder… Thanks for… what you did in there. I can’t even imagine how hard it was.”

“It was hard… but if it helped, it was worth it.”

He looked at her, about as grateful as anypony probably ever felt, “You better get back to class. Don’t want to get a detention with Mr. Chippy, do you?”

She giggled and then blushed, “Well… see you tomorrow, Lark. I’ll tell the girls you’re doing fine.

With that, she turned and went inside. Lark looked around. It was still morning. A lot had already happened that day. He felt like he was worth something, and he looked forward to the coming days.

He’d just missed the bell to bring students in from recess. Alone, and glad nopony saw his tears, he decided to take a minute at the swing set, before going wherever he might.

Author's Notes:

How about that? He made it. With the knowledge he has friends, and finally realizing he's worth something, Lark should do alright.

Admittedly, this chapter wasn't the easiest to write, but I think it turned out okay. For anyone that ever had to deal with big trouble in school, I know this doesn't stand up to the real thing, but... ponies. Have to suspend some disbelief.

Next time, Lark tries to settle into school. Hoping to have Chapter 8 up Monday. Thanks for reading.

Chapter 7: Happiness and Buckball

Much had happened in the last 5 weeks. Lark gladly went back to school the day after his hearing. Tuxedo Parade’s parents had little time to file any appeals to the school board’s decision regarding Lark’s pardon. They had a problem of their own: their son was accused of some pretty nasty stuff. Tux’s own hearing, regarding his alleged bullying activities over the last few years, was scheduled for the Friday of the second week of school, mere days after Lark was absolved.

But rather than face whatever that Friday may have held, the whole family split. They maintained panda-cakes was being treated in ways beyond unfair, and they would take their money and influence elsewhere. So, they moved to Baltimare, leaving their house staff to pack their shit, to join them anon.

The departure opened 2 spots on the school board, but beyond that, who gave a crap? Nopony would miss any of them. The last anypony outside of his family and party of interest ever saw of Tuxedo Parade, was the colt crying and gagging after Lark, probably by chance, gave him an easier time than any of the others. They’d all been expelled, too, so things really were turned upside down.

Tux would never face justice for what he did to Thunder, and all the other foals over the years, but he would never forget what Lark did to him. His pride was shattered and perhaps that was justice enough. If his pride was the only thing that suffered, he had gotten off easy. Perhaps he’d become a better colt for it.

Lark could have probably cemented his position as king of the elementary school, but he had no interest. Power abhors a vacuum, but things were so out of balance, they went on as if nothing ever happened, other than the lack of panda-pie and his cronies. For lack of a better word, things were peaceful. Nopony rose up, but many wanted to follow Lark.

Even the 6^th graders were weary of him, afraid he might try to muscle the older kids out of the ball courts. After seeing what Lark could do without magic, wings, or anything apparently special, nopony stepped out of line. They feared him. Lark made no such move.

The middle school kids, some of whom had been terrified of Tux’s unicorn gang, were blown over thinking about some little Earth pony that wrecked them all… at least the ones he managed to catch. Did they want to try their hooves at some little elementary colt? Was it worth it? What they did know, was there was a hole in the order of things. But somehow, Lark was still sitting somewhere in the middle of that hole, keeping things… unpredictable.

Lark seemed like such a friendly colt, but the couple of times he snapped, it was a ride. Nopony, at least those who didn’t come to know Lark, had any idea what the colt might do if anypony crossed him. It may have been silly, treating him like he was a force of nature over 2 incidents, but things were that shaken up. Lark was a gargoyle. His mere presence precluded trouble. But…

Lark just wanted to make friends. Feeling simply great about getting to stay, he set right into it. He didn’t immediately make good friends with the entire class, a lot of them were unsure of anything about him, but a few more wanted to sit with him at lunch. His best friends remained Thunder, Medium, and Misty. Over the first week he was with them, the class at least warmed up to him, enjoying his overall pleasant manner. And that wasn’t bad.

Lark saw his sisters doing very well, making lots of friends. Their aunt and uncle’s house rapidly became a popular after-school hangout, with the pool and all. It took Aunt Fairy and Uncle Star some getting used to, a bunch of squealing foals running around the house, but they were good kids.

Valley and Copper attracted well-mannered ponies to themselves, and their aunt and uncle soon found joy in having so many foals around. They baked cookies endlessly, it seemed, and even got to know some of the other parents.

“Parents”… That’s really what they had become.

They were especially pleased Lark had made some friends. He kept a smaller circle, mainly the 3 fillies they came to know so well, but that was his way. They spent some time at the house, but mostly hung out in quieter locales. It was apparent he was especially good friends with Thunder.

School was going just fine for Lark. It was math, language, social studies, reading, science, and gym, day-in and day-out. He tried to think positively about social studies. Ms. Pearlshine knew he didn’t like it and came to learn of his thoughts on the matter. Letting him know he had to do the work, she still encouraged him to continue his little summaries with Mr. Chippy, and they did, often meeting for a brief time after school. Lark still had to walk his sisters home, but they always wanted to play in the schoolyard before going home, so he had time.

The other subjects were easy for Lark. Though… for as strong and fit as Lark was, he had never enjoyed gym class. Not lacking coordination, he just never liked sports. Thunder thought he was crazy. The first 3 weeks of school saw them playing hoofball. Lark had participated, not really enjoying it.

But 4 weeks into the schoolyear, they played buckball. This, Lark had some interest in playing. He’d never tried it, they’d never had it at the school in Fillydelphia, and he was excited to play it. Not particularly good at the start, he took enough interest to practice with his friends. They had all 3 types of ponies among them, so Thunder and Misty took turns.

Much of the school had warmed up to Lark, seeing the good things about him, and not just the “violent tendencies” that had scared them so much. Some students even played against them, and they held a few friendly buckball matches during recess. By the end of the week, Lark had a decent handle on the game.

---

As the 6^th week of school began, Lark was at once ecstatic and disappointed. It was the last week of buckball in gym. He’d gotten pretty good at the Earth pony position. He wasn’t great, by any stretch of the imagination, but had a lot of fun with it. His enthusiasm for the game was infectious, and as hard as it might be to believe, even the foals who were terrible at gym enjoyed themselves.

Lark never thought he’d look forward to gym the most of all his subjects, but what could he say? He just hoped whatever they do next would be enough fun to keep his interest. He was enjoying this about as much as his short history reports with Mr. Chippy.

For the last week, they were divided into teams for a tournament starting Thursday. Lark found himself with a unicorn colt named Light Seeker, and a Pegasus filly named Daisy Hawk. Light was pretty good with his magic, Lark had learned, and enjoyed his company. He was okay at the unicorn position and got better every day. Daisy, he hadn’t come to know too well. She wasn’t friendly with some of the girls in class, notably Lark’s friends, thinking them rowdy. Not particularly talented, she did try hard in her position. He wanted to like her. He could tell she was less stern than she let on. With Light and Daisy, he thought he had a decent team.

He’d wanted to have Thunder on his team, but her talent with the game was so high, she was given a few washouts as teammates for a handicap. “Washouts” was how she viewed them anyway, at first. She liked them, she just didn’t ever want them on her team. Thunder liked to win. Team play didn’t bother her, if she had a good team.

Medium and Misty wound up on a team together, both still beginners with the sport, but had a good Earth pony at the front. Despite the imbalance, they became a pretty good team once they practiced a bit.

It might have been for the best Lark wasn’t teamed up with Thunder. She sometimes got a little too competitive. Also, he felt as if he was letting her down. It was no secret, even to most of the class, she liked him. He liked her, and thought of her as his best friend, but didn’t like her the same way. It was the first time a filly had liked him in such a way, and he was unsure how to deal with it.

Having become better acquainted with a few of the colts in class, they tried to give Lark advice about girls. Of course, they didn’t have much idea of what they were talking about, really, but acted like they knew a few things. It beggared their imaginations that Lark, the toughest colt in elementary school, would have such problems. Lark shook his head, smiling at this silliness. He didn’t like the idea of all the foals in class knowing just how tough he knew himself not to be. Thunder knew… but that was okay.

The week proceeded, and Lark found his team taking on Thunder’s.

“Well, well, well, Lark… We meet at last,” she said in an overly dramatic, theatrical voice. “You and your team will meet your doom at our hooves.”

Lark smirked. He was happy to see her in good spirits. Her team still wasn’t great, but with a little time and patience, the other two of them had gotten a pretty good handle on the game. They even began to have fun with it.

“Oh, I don’t know about that, Thunder. We didn’t make it this far to perish under you, or your minions!”

Daisy barked at them, trying to hide a little smile, “‘Make it this far’, nothing! The elimination doesn’t begin until tomorrow!”

Lark chuckled at Daisy. She was trying so hard not to laugh. They gathered with Light, to discuss their strategy.

Light looked over to Thunder’s team, now huddled up, “What do you think, Lark?”

“They have gotten better this week. Once Thunder stopped riding them so hard, they were like a new team. Daisy… watch out for Sherry’s kicks. If you’re not ready for the ball, she might ring your bell. There’s no way I could kick the ball that hard, and still make a basket.”

She nodded, “Sherry’s not that accurate, but she gets pretty close. If I stay off to the side, I shouldn’t have a problem sending it back to you.”

“That’s the idea. Light, you be careful of that kick, too. Yesterday, Medium tried to catch one of those, and the ball tore the bucket right out of her magical grip. She was lucky it only hit her flank. Don’t stand right behind it unless you want a broken nose.”

Light wasn’t excited about catching anything Sherry was kicking, she’d run track since they were little foals, and was the fastest in class; she could kick hard, “I hear you, Lark… What are you gonna do about Thunder?”

“Let me worry about Thunder. And Winner… I’ll try not to send him anything to catch. Everypony ready?”

Light smiled, putting a hoof in. Daisy grinned, looking happier than Lark had seen her, putting her hoof in.

Lark joined in, “Let’s see what we can do.”

They took up their positions. The class cheered. They’d been looking forward to this match-up all week. Lark saw Ms. Pearlshine standing with the gym teacher, talking and laughing. She’d made it out to see a few of their classes, and even showed them some impressive defense in demonstration. She still loved buckball, though she hadn’t really played it since she herself was a foal.

Thunder smiled at Lark, her eyes narrowing. Lark smiled back. The game began.

Sherry’s kicks were something else. A little less wild today, she was apparently aiming for more control, only letting up a little. She made 2 baskets in the first half of the game. Daisy managed to deflect most everything, other than a lucky basket and one that Thunder helped set up. Light had a field day catching the ball, so they had quite a few points.

Lark was having less luck than Sherry. He’d only given up a few points to Winner, so his team was ahead. But he hadn’t managed a single basket against Thunder. Daisy had given him a few good set-ups, but even she could recognize they had little chance against Thunder.

The whistle blew, and they would take a quick break. Thunder cheered, roughing up her teammates playfully. They were behind but doing okay. Unicorn baskets weren’t worth much, so if Sherry managed a few more accurate shots, they had a chance. She was sure she would be able to block most, if not all, of Lark’s bucks.

Lark was panting, and so was Daisy. This had been a rough game. Neither could blame the other. Thunder was good, and her team was getting better, even as they played. Light managed to catch everything Daisy hadn’t had to deflect and was barely mussed. Still, he was glad to have a few minutes to rest his eyes.

Lark wheezed, “I don’t know if we can stay ahead much longer. Any ideas?”

Light shrugged.

Daisy laughed, “I think they might have us, Lark. If you can’t make any baskets, I don’t think we can stay ahead. I can’t blame you, though… Thunder’s best in class at that. And I’m getting tired. My hooves are numb from Sherry’s kicks…”

Looking over to Thunder’s team, they were still laughing, “Well, don’t worry. Just keep setting up the ball like you have been, and I’ll keep trying to make a basket. You’ll have more to send me… Sherry’s starting to get the hang of it.”

“Don’t I know it,” she bemoaned, hooves now throbbing as blood returned.

Light guffawed, “Makes things easier for me.”

Daisy cuffed him, and they all laughed. Taking a few minutes, they got a quick drink.

Lark came back to the field. Looking over to class A, one of the other 5^th grade classes, he noticed a Pegasus filly he hadn’t seen before. She had a chestnut mane, and a rich, dark peach coat. She was sitting out their buckball game.

Lark went up to Pineapple Licorice, another Earth pony colt in his class. He was probably the best athlete in class, and easily the best buckballer in the grade. They weren’t really friends, but they didn’t dislike each other either.

“Hey, Pine… Who’s that filly in class A… the Pegasus sitting on the sideline? Haven’t seen her before.”

Pine looked, but already knew, “That’s Windy Meadow… I don’t really know her, but she just got back from Canterlot this week.”

“What was she doing there?”

Pine looked uncomfortable, “I don’t know much about it. She’d… been having problems flying last year. Her parents and her were gone most of the summer, trying to figure out what was wrong with her. She just fell out of the sky one day. If it wasn’t for one of her unicorn classmates saving her, the fall might have killed her.”

That was some story, “Yeah? Man…”

Lark looked her way again. She was… something. Even as far away as she was, Lark’s glasses helped him see. Her large, doe-eyes were blue-green, and her mane was wavy. She looked sad. He stared.

“…Lark. Lark. Lark!”

Pine was bopping the side of Lark’s head, an amused grin on his face, “Teacher’s calling you, man! Time for the rest of your game!”

Lark jumped, and took off, Pine and a few laughing good-naturedly at him. Nopony noticed him staring towards the other field.

He looked back again at the Pegasus filly, Windy Meadow…

The 6 players took up position. Lark managed to win the buck-off and sent the ball at the basket, to be barely deflected by Thunder. The ball flew over to Lark’s side, where Light caught it. The class cheered. After winning another buck-off, Lark managed to send the ball towards Thunder, only to have it deflected. Sherry managed to intercept and sent a scorcher towards Daisy.

Daisy gritted and deflected the ball towards Lark. Lark wound up and bucked the ball right into the opposing basket. The class roared. Daisy came down, actually hugging Lark, forgetting her front a moment. She shied away, with a blush, as Light joined them, hoofing both of their shoulders. It wasn’t exactly a lucky shot and they couldn’t believe they had gotten one.

Thunder couldn’t believe it. Nopony, not even Pine had scored on her in the near 3 weeks they’d been playing. Looking to her teammates, she saw their jaws drop. Surprised, but not frustrated, she went to them.

“I can’t believe he did that. Lucky or not, he had a good set-up… Sherry… I want to try something. Do you think you could buck the ball after it bounces? It might give you an angle.”

Winner nodded, “They sure wouldn’t see it coming… Sherry… with the extra couple of seconds, you could really wind up!”

Sherry looked nervous.

Thunder clapped a hoof on her shoulder, “I know we haven’t practiced this, but I think it might work. Give it a try. Even if it doesn’t work, if we keep playing like we have, I think we can tire them out.”

Sherry smiled, “Okay, Thunder. I’ll give it a try.”

Lark and Sherry squared off again. The whistle blew, and they went for it. Neither was able to get control, and the ball bounced up to Daisy, who sent it back to Lark. Lark made another basket. Thunder was unshaken. She motioned to Sherry to not worry and try again.

Facing off, Lark won the ball, and sent it across. Thunder managed to send it back, and Lark sent it to Daisy. Daisy was ready and gave him a nice set-up. Lark, ready to kick the ball, noticed Windy Meadow slowly trotting down the sideline across the field. He gave a weak kick, distracted.

Thunder, realizing he had missed a good shot, took her time with the set-up. Sending it to Sherry, Sherry grinned and wound up. The ball bounced, and she accidentally kicked it too low, with all her power behind it.

At once, Thunder and Daisy both cried, “Lark! Look out!”

Lark was still gawping at Windy Meadow and didn’t even see the ball coming towards his face.

Smack-a-dabba-doo! And down he went.

Author's Notes:

After a pretty good month-and-a-half at school, Lark winds up on the sidelines for a while.

He'd been distracted.

Look for the next chapter and we'll see what happens.

Chapter 8: Head Trauma

“Lark!”

“Lark!

Opening his eyes, all was a blur. What happened?

What happened?

“Lark!”

I guess I’m not talking… What happened?

He saw Ms. Pearlshine’s face. She looked worried.

“Lark? …I think he’s coming to.”

A bright light shined in his eye. He was too out of it to do a thing about it.

Then he saw Daisy on his side, hoof over her mouth. Thunder was crouching down on his other side, looking terrified. Her eyes were full of tears.

“Lark…”

“Oh, Lark! I’m sooo sorry! I didn’t mean to hit you like that!”

It was Sherry, somewhere nearby, fretting.

An adult voice came in, “Sherry, calm down. It was an accident. Now, just come over here. Everypony else, give him room.”

“Holy balls!” a voice Lark couldn’t place shouted. “That knocked him right out!”

“You’re not helping! Stand back and shut up!” barked another adult.

Lark felt a moment of clarity, I got hit. That’s right… I was looking somewhere else, and the ball leveled me…

His eyes shifting in and out of focus, the sun blinded him. Turning his head to the side, he realized his glasses were gone. He was nauseous, and immediately projectile vomited.

“Ewwwwww!” cried several foals.

A few more screamed.

“Lark!”

“LARK!”

“Oh, Lark!”

“Oh, great! Somepony call an ambulance! This is bad!”

That tastes awful…

…

…

…

---

There was blood coming out of the wall. It oozed close to him and then ran away, disappearing into a vent by the ceiling.

A large, cartoonish ass started to fire pieces of red velvet cake from its confines, as giggling foals floated across the room, catching the cake on plates, and then exiting through a window.

A rat, wearing a smoking jacket, did a jig across the floor, “I am the mega-fucker!”

Lark’s eyes slowly crept open. He was in darkness, but there was just enough light to see. Everything hurt, but mostly his head.

“Looks like he’s finally waking up,” a voice said.

Before Lark’s eyes, appeared his aunt, “Lark? Can you hear me?”

His eyes fluttered, “Yeah, Aun’ Fairy… I c’n hear.”

“Oh, great. He’s slurring,” a gruff voice came in… Uncle Star… “What’s that mean?”

“It’s not unusual. Your nephew just suffered one hell of a concussion. I’m surprised he woke up as quickly as he did. Colt must have a real chin on him.”

Concussion? Must be a doctor…

The doctor came in closer, “Larkspur… Can you see me? Can you hear me?”

“Where’d the rat go?”

The doctor stood up straight, “Yes… your nephew took quite the hit. He needs to stay here at least overnight.”

Aunt Fairy worried, “Do you think he’ll be alright?”

“Probably. He needs a few days of rest. We’ll have a better idea of things in the morning. Nurse, make a note: patient regained consciousness at 6:45 p.m., 3 hours and 53 minutes after initial concussion.”

“Yes, doctor.”

Lark was awake, but he was dead to the world. While the nurse and a few orderlies tended to him, the doctor led Aunt Fairy and Uncle Star out.

“There’s not much you can do tonight. You should take the little ones home.”

Out in the waiting room, Valley and Copper were sitting with Ms. Pearlshine. The girls were scared but had been reassured Lark would be okay. He took a good hit, but he’d be fine after a while.

Aunt Fairy went to Ms. Pearlshine, “Oh, thank you, Breeze. You really didn’t need to stick around like this…”

Ms. Pearlshine tried to marshal a smile, “I wanted to. It’s scary to see this happen to one of my students… How is he?”

The doctor spoke, “Larkspur woke up, but he won’t be able to make sense of things for a little while. We’re keeping him overnight.”

Lark’s sisters looked mortified, so the doctor knelt down, “Girls, your brother will be fine. But we need to take care of him for a couple days. You can come visit him tomorrow, but he needs rest. Try not to worry and be brave fillies for your brother.”

They’d try, they promised, and Uncle Star led them out.

Ms. Pearlshine sighed, “Well, I have a few phone calls to make. Some of Lark’s classmates are really worried about him. I practically had to have their parents drag them home, so they wouldn’t come here. They’ll at least know Lark will be alright.”

Aunt Fairy chuckled, “You really do love your students. And I’m so glad Lark’s made some friends. I was… concerned about him for a while.”

“You needn’t be concerned. Lark’s made some very good friends. He’s such a friend to the class. I’ve never seen a student like him.”

“Well… Thanks again, Breeze. We’ll leave a message for you tomorrow when we find out more.”

---

Lark was in better shape the next day, but he was very sensitive to light. It displeased him this might not go away for a while. He also learned his glasses were broken by the ball. He was told he was very fortunate his lenses had been shatter-proof. Well, it wasn’t like he could wear them anyway. He didn’t even want to open his eyes.

Too loopy and nauseous to rest, he spent a long day not enjoying himself very much. He wasn’t angry at Sherry. It was an accident. Shit happens. He hoped he knew he wasn’t upset with her. He wasn’t upset with anypony. He was just upset. This sucked. Terribly…

And then he found out he’d be spending Thursday night in the hospital too. This would have dampened his spirits, but his spirits lifted when his aunt, uncle, sisters, 3 friends, and even Sherry showed up. His classmates had heard he was better but knew they wouldn’t see him until the next week.

Sherry was especially upset. Lark could barely make her out in the dimness but assured her it was an accident. He was distracted and got hit. Medium presented him with a get-well card the class signed, and they wished him well. Thunder stayed behind a moment, after the others left.

“Lark?”

“Yeah?”

She gave him a little hug, being careful not to disturb him too much. She let off.

“If your aunt and uncle let us, we’ll stop by your house tomorrow.”

“Sure… I’d like that. Tell Mr. Chippy I’m sorry I missed our meeting yesterday.”

She giggled, “Oh, I don’t think he’s worried about that, but I’ll let him know you’re okay.”

He leaned forward, “Sounds good.”

She took on a blush, which he couldn’t see in the dark.

“Lark?”

“Yes, Thunder?”

“Have you brushed your teeth since yesterday?”

What? “Uh, yes. A nurse helped me-”

She kissed him, lingering a few seconds. And then pulled back. Now even he could see her blush.

“I’m… sorry, Lark. I just wanted to do that.”

Lark was stunned, “Uh…”

A little smile gracing her lips, she turned away, “Feel better, Lark. Good bye.”

Lark looked after her, the light from the hall hurting his head abysmally.

The door clinked shut, leaving Lark with his thoughts.

What just happened?

---

Lark was discharged from the hospital at 10:00 a.m. Friday. It would be a few days before he had a new pair of glasses, but as he’d already decided, he didn’t want to wear them. The only glasses he wanted to wear where the huge, opaque shades the doctor gave him. They blocked out most light. In a dim room, he could actually get some sleep. And it was comfortable enough to be outside, or at least bearable. If he felt better on Monday, he might try to go back to school.

He and Aunt Fairy took a cab back to the house, and Lark gratefully sat in his room while she put up some room-darkening shades. It was like a cave, and he liked it that way. He could actually take off his shades.

“Lark, I know you’re not that hungry, but you need to eat something. I’ll bring you lunch around 1:00 p.m., something easy to eat. And don’t think about school. Just think about resting.”

“Yes, Aunt Fairy. Thanks.”

She left him, and all he had were his thoughts.

So, what do I do about Thunder now? No easy answer came.

Therefor, he thought about another filly. He tried not to. Thunder was his best friend, and he did love her, but this couldn’t go on. Lark just couldn’t get Windy Meadow out of his head. She’d been… captivating, to use a big boy word.

What does her voice sound like? What’s her favorite color? Who was she, really?

All these thoughts, and more, went through his mind. He tried to keep Thunder’s face in the forefront, but it was just pushed away.

He knew.

He knew.

It had never even happened before, and he knew.

He had a crush on some filly he didn’t even know.

---

Lark managed to doze a little that Friday afternoon, having eaten the soup Aunt Fairy made for him. He couldn’t see to read, unable to stand the light. He wondered if he could tolerate listening to music but didn’t want anypony to go through the trouble of setting it up for him in the dark room. Without these things, he knew the next few days would be bor-ing.

His sisters had a couple friends downstairs. He could hear them all laughing and running around. It didn’t bother him. They had refrained from playing upstairs, and the noise was minimal. In fact, if he had felt a little better, he would sit downstairs, just to be with his sisters when they were having fun. Still, he was content to a certain degree they were so happy. They were concerned for him, but not worried, and he was thankful for that.

Not daring to look out into the afternoon light, Lark had to come to terms with Autumn beginning. Summer was just about gone. And he was stuck inside. The next week, he would be able to go outside, certainly sit in a lit room, but would have to wear his shades for a good week. He loved this time of year, and just wanted to get back out there.

He heard the doorbell ring. He rolled over, away from his door. It was probably another of Valley’s friends. They’d been streaming into the house since school ended. The girls had gotten permission for a sleepover at the house, but it wouldn’t be happening that night. His sisters and their friends, knowing full well what happened to Lark, were disappointed but not upset about it. If he thought he could take the 8 or 9 gleeful fillies in the next room over, squealing half the night, he would have begged his aunt and uncle to let it happen. But it was out of the question. Just too much noise…

“Lark," Copper’s voice came from outside. “Can I open the door?”

The front door had been for him, “Let me close my eyes… Okay. Open the door and try to shut it fast.”

The door opened. Even with his eyes shut, it still hurt, that little bit of light from the hall. He heard hoofsteps, and the door shut.

“Hi, Lark.”

It was Medium. Lark opened his eyes carefully. The dark curtains on his window allowed in just enough light he could make her out when she got close. Misty came up beside her. Thunder wasn’t there.

Misty leaned forward, “How are you today, Lark?”

“I feel rotten… A lot better than yesterday, but I can’t really leave the room. I have to shut my eyes when I go to the bathroom. Have to leave the lights off.”

Medium soothed, “Oh, buddy. Wish there was something we could do for you… The class was glad to hear you were alright… or that you would be. Ms. Pearlshine called our parents after you woke up, Wednesday, and told everypony else yesterday. We wanted to talk a little more yesterday, but...”

Lark cringed, “Yeah… the last couple days are kind of a blur… I don’t remember some of the buckball game. By the way, how’d the tourney end up?”

Misty fidgeted, “Well, we weren’t able to do much after you clocked out. We had the tournament, but Light and Daisy wound up sitting out. They didn’t want to play without you. Not like they could play by themselves anyway.”

Lark felt bad, “Wish they could have played… They could have replaced me, but an Earth pony on 2 teams? Wouldn’t work…”

“That’s how things turned out. But don’t worry! They had a lot of fun anyway. Medium and I, our team lost to Pine’s, but it was close. He wound up taking on Thunder’s team. And they beat her.”

“They beat Thunder?! How?”

Medium twiddled her hooves, “Not sure. Winner was great. I was worried about Sherry, thinking she’d throw herself off, over what happened with you, but she did great, too. It was actually a good game, except for…”

Misty put in, “Lark, I think there’s something wrong with Thunder. She was all over the place yesterday. She couldn’t even get a handle on the ball, half the time. If she’d been on like the rest of the week, her team would have creamed Pine’s. Pine doesn’t even consider it a win, Thunder played so badly.”

Medium fretted, “I’m worried about Thunder, too. When they lost today, she just ran off. We tried to find her but couldn’t. It was stupid… but I think she really wanted to win. Maybe she feels like she let down Sherry and Winner. They worked so hard.”

Misty nibbled her hoof, “Sherry and Winner weren’t even upset. They’re worried about Thunder. The whole class is. She wasn’t even there for final roll call.”

Many thoughts went through Larks mind. Well, this is bad. I hope it’s got nothing to do with me, but… who am I kidding? It has to be. Great.

As if she was reading his thoughts, Misty asked him, “I know you feel like crap, Lark, and I probably shouldn’t bother you about it, but… Did something happen between you and Thunder?”

Doink! Not what he wanted to hear! Was she still just really worried about him? Or was it something else? Was it… the kiss?

Unable to help himself, he rolled over, “I don’t even know where to start…”

Lark would regret saying this very soon.

“What?” Misty’s voice cut.

Lark tried to bury himself in his bedsheets. I’m in it, now…

“What did you do?” Misty’s voice was sharp! He’d seen defeated frustration out of her, but not outright venom.

“…”

Medium became involved, “Lark?”

“Lark. What did you do?”

“…Nothing.”

Misty caught herself, “Did she do something?”

“…” Lark tried even harder to disappear into his bed.

Misty was not angry, now, just upset, “Lark… please tell me… what happened? What did you do?”

Lark’s irritation rose, and his head hurt, “I told you… I didn’t do anything.”

Medium jumped in, startling Lark. She had tears forming in her eyes.

“That’s right! Nothing! She likes you, and you do nothing! Do you have any idea how much she likes you?! Everypony knows she’s crazy about you! It’s the worst kept secret at school. So, why-?”

Lark sat bolt upright, now angry, “Nopony asked you to play matchmaker! Mind your own business!”

Misty shied back. Medium gawped at Lark, then the ground. She shook, looking back up at him. She was definitely crying, now.

“Lark, you asshole!” she spat.

With that, she bolted from the room, sobbing.

Lark, realizing what he had just done, called after her. He had to shield his eyes when the door came open. It swung on its hinges, as she hadn’t bothered to latch it. He heard a few exclamations downstairs, as the front door opened.

Misty quickly went over and shut the door.

Temporarily blinded by the light, Lark cried, “Oh, what did I do?”

Misty came up, putting a hoof on his shoulder, “She’s just upset, Lark… She and Thunder have been friends since they were babies. She’s worried.”

“I really wish I hadn’t said that,” his head was between his knees.

“Well… you did. I’m going after her. I’ll talk to her.”

She began to mosey over to the door, but turned around, “I know this sort of just fell on you, but you have to talk to Thunder… One way, or the other…”

“I know. But I’m kinda stuck here for the weekend.”

He didn’t think she would, but, “If you get a chance to talk to Thunder… could you send her here? I really can’t leave the house…”

Misty sighed, “Since you’re not asking me to play gofer, and that’s all you want… sure.”

“Thanks, Misty… I’ll think until then.”

Misty was able to smile; she knew Lark meant it, “Okay, Lark. Try to relax and get some rest. Guess I’ll see you Monday, if you’re well enough.”

“Bye.”

Misty left, making sure the door latched. Lark lay back in the darkness. And he thought.

---

Lark hadn’t gotten much sleep Friday night. His head just ached, and he continued to feel dizzy, sometimes. But he was able to get some sleep Saturday morning, and felt okay come lunch.

Still not up to reading, or listening to much of anything, he just lounged. That afternoon, he received a call. He went to his aunt and uncle’s bedroom, donning his shades just to walk around the dimly lit upstairs.

It was Thunder.

“Thunder… how are you?”

“…I’ve been a little upset… The game Friday didn’t go so well…”

“Thunder, I know I shouldn’t say ‘it’s just a game’, but it’s just a game. Your team had fun with you. They don’t really care, otherwise.”

She sounded a little troubled, “I know… I just can’t help feeling like I let them down.”

Lark knew there was more to it than that, “Uh… Did Misty talk to you?”

“Yes… I guess I worried them when I flew off yesterday. I… guess you want to see me?”

He sighed, “Yes… Sorry to ask you to come to the house, but… could you come by? I can’t… really leave yet.”

“Misty already told me. Would it be okay if I stopped by around 9:00 p.m.?”

“Sure…”

“Well… see you then.”

Click.

Lark hung up on his end, too. 6 hours. It would be that long before he saw her. He at once wished the time would hurry up and come, just as much as it would come next month, or something. He sat. And waited.

----------

Despite insistence he didn’t, Lark decided to wait for Thunder in the front yard. Even this late, he had to wear his shades; the streetlights might as well have been suns. Even the full moon that night, was almost unbearable. Still, he waited. He knew his aunt and uncle had his best interests in mind, wanting him inside, but he’d had enough for a couple days. He couldn’t even stand to have the porch light on. To anypony approaching, the house looked dead.

He tried very hard to keep his mind on Thunder. Thinking of Windy Meadow less, he had less trouble than he might have. Thunder was most important right then. His best friend he’d made since moving was more important. And he wasn’t looking forward to talking about what he should already have done so with her.

It wasn’t expected she’d be late. She could fly pretty fast, and even if she left her house at 8:58 p.m., she could land on their front step on time. She’d made it to school in 30 seconds, once, he’d been told.

And she wasn’t late. She came to a soft landing on the front walk, right at 9:00 p.m. He sat, staring, as she came up the walkway.

She didn’t look like she enjoyed being there, either, “Hi, Lark.”

With about the same enthusiasm, “Thunder.”

For a moment, she stood there, pawing at the ground with her hoof, looking away. She couldn’t see what Lark was up to. His eyes were covered, and his head was between his knees.

Then, at once, “Lark, I-” “Thunder, I-”

They stopped, did a take, and laughed. Lark felt good laughing. It didn’t help his head much, but it felt right. Thunder sauntered over to the front porch steps, and sat down, laughing fit to bust.

It took a moment for them to calm down. But calm down they did.

“…Lark? I’m… sorry about Thursday. I really shouldn’t have done that to you.”

He exhaled, “It sure surprised me.”

She smirked, “I can bet… I wish I hadn’t, now… You were so out of it, and now I’m… just confused. Got no idea what to do. I couldn’t even keep my head in a little buckball game.”

“…”

“I can’t do this anymore. I like you… a lot. But… I need to know.”

He knew what was coming. He hadn’t even rehearsed things in his head. And he could think of nothing to say to her.

She looked at him, as much as she could with his shades on, not looking hopeful or desperate, but worn-out, “Lark… do you think you could ever like me, the same way I like you?”

She had asked him calmly, without pretense or expectations. She just wanted an answer. Lark gave her one.

Tears started falling down his cheeks, from underneath his shades. He hoofed them off, wincing at the glaring of the streetlights. Lark wasn’t exactly crying, nor was he angry, but the tears fell the same.

“Lark!” she moved in closer. “Oh, please don’t cry.”

He sat up straighter, grimacing at even the miniscule light making its way into his eyes, “I don’t even know what I want, Thunder…”

Looking into her eyes, she saw how much he was struggling. He was hurting.

“Oh, Lark! This is silly. Put your sunglasses back on!”

But he didn’t. He just continued to look into her eyes.

“Thunder… I can’t… I’m sorry, but, I can’t.”

Thoughtful, yet not upset, “Lark…”

“Thunder… you’re… you’re my best friend, really. I’ve never really had a best friend. Before meeting you and the girls and the rest of the class, I didn’t even care that much about friends. I had some, but it just wasn’t the same. Coming here, seeing my sisters so happy… having a family… They’re my aunt and uncle, but they’ve done more for us than Dad ever did.”

Thunder sat raptly. Lark hadn’t spoken much about his dad.

“He… just fell apart after Mom died. Sometimes it was like we didn’t even exist. I was only 4! I didn’t know what was going on. So, I tried to take care of my sisters. I did it, for 6 years. I know I could never replace Mom and Dad, but… I was so scared we’d be split up- wind up in a foster home somewhere without them.

“I never even thought about the rest of the family… So, when he died… I was surprised Aunt Fairy and Uncle Star would take us in. But they did. I tried giving things a chance… and now we’re a family. I don’t think things could be any better. I’m… happy. For the first time, I think I really am. But, even with all that…”

He hung his head, “I’m sorry, Thunder. You’re my friend, but I just don’t think I can do it.”

With this, he started to cry softly.

Thunder leaned in closer, putting a hoof over his shoulders, “Oh, Lark… it’s alright.”

“What?”

Trying not to cry, but still smiling, “I came here, knowing it might turn out this way… I just hope… that after all this, you still want to be my friend.”

He embraced her so quickly it just about took her breath away, “I want that, too.”

She choked, “Could you let go?”

He did, “Whoops.”

Gasping, she laughed, “I’ll try to stop acting so weird around you. Better talk to the girls… bet they’re still worried…”

He just had to ask, still crying a little, “Thunder? Are you alright?”

She snuffled, “I guess… I just wish this was a little easier…”

“I know.”

They leaned on each other a moment, until their sniffles subsided.

Lark opened his eyes, scowling at the lights, “Oh! I’m so sick of this eye thing. It’s too bright!”

She guffawed, “Well, put your glasses back on!”

He did, grumbling, as she laughed heartily at him.

Still cackling, “Are you sure you’ll be able to come to school Monday? It’s so dark out here I can barely see!”

He held his head, and she stopped laughing when he groaned, “Lark!”

She steadied him, “Oh, Lark… Need some help?”

He was pretty wobbly, “…Sure. All I can get.”

Trying not to laugh at his misfortune, she helped him into the house. They found Aunt Fairy in the kitchen.

“Oh, Lark… Looks like you overdid it,” she shook her head, also trying not to laugh at his misfortune.

“He was a little wobbly, Mrs. Charmer, so I didn’t want to just take off.”

“Oh, thank you, Thunder. Would you like a snack? I was just going to bring something up to the girls.”

Thunder beamed, “I’d love something, thanks. I was hoping to say hello to them anyway.”

“Well, then, you two can save me a trip. Lark, do you need anything?”

“I’ll get a glass of water upstairs, but nothing else.”

She hoofed a platter of sliced fruit to Thunder, “Okay then, up you go. Good night, Lark.”

“G’night, Aunt Fairy.”

He wobbled upstairs, Thunder watching his step. He got a glass of water and went with Thunder to the girls’ room.

In her normal fashion, Valley jumped up, countenance glowing, “Thunder!”

She jumped at Thunder, just about knocking her over. Thunder laughed. Valley really was a hefty filly. She couldn’t believe Lark could catch her.

Copper simply smiled, taking the fruit tray and offering some to Thunder, “Valley and I were about to read a book. Want to join us?”

Taking a couple orange slices, “No, I can’t stay. I promised my parents I’d be back as soon as I could. Maybe some other time.”

Copper breezed over to the shelf, “Okay. You fly safe, now.”

Thunder grinned, “You know it.”

Hugging Valley, Thunder turned to Lark, “Lark?”

“Yeah?”

She hugged him, careful not to jostle his glasses, “Good night. I hope you can come back Monday. Just rest up.”

He patted her back, “Right.”

Thunder went downstairs, saying good night to Aunt Fairy, and left.

Copper picked out a book, “Looks like it’s just you and me, Valley.”

Lark surprised them, “I can’t really read, but one of you can. I’ll stay for a quick story.”

This pleased the girls. They dimmed a few lights, leaving only enough to read. They snacked on the fruit, as Valley and Copper took turns reading.

Lark was about as happy as circumstances permitted. His head hurt, along with everything else, but at least he still had his best friend.

Author's Notes:

Had some time this weekend, so I wrote a little more than I normally might for a nice, Sunday afternoon release.

Lark's certainly had some ups and downs since school started. But he still has his friends, and a new, increasing sense of self. I've never seen a let-down go that smoothly, but it's a drama, and I don't like when things get that bogged down.

Concussions suck, as our blue friend will continue to learn over the next couple weeks.

No waiting that long for the next chapter, though. I'll try to have it out by week's end. Thanks for reading.

Chapter 9: Windy Meadow

It was Tuesday before Lark could bring himself to go to school. His aunt walked the siblings and Lark hated the sun every step of the way. His uncle had spoken with the school, and Lark would be playing catch-up with Mr. Chippy. Lark was at once happy to work with Mr. Chippy again, but disappointed he couldn’t rejoin his class right away.

It was for the best, really. It wouldn’t take long to catch up, and the class wouldn’t have to accommodate his condition. He and Mr. Chippy could work under low light, not aggravating his ailment.

What really disappointed him, was the fact the Running of the Leaves had been held Monday. In place of normal gym class, the gym periods throughout the day took turns running near the school.

The leaves were down, and everypony was beginning to clean up. Lark hadn’t thought about it much, with so much going on, but forced himself to sit on the front porch to watch the students fly by. He even saw his friends and classmates.

A few of his classmates greeted him happily at the door, including Sherry, who hoofed the ground shyly.

Lark laughed at her, “I told you last week it was alright. You’ll never catch me distracted in a ball game again.”

His class was glad to see him in decent spirits. Medium was there, beaming. They had made up Sunday afternoon, so everypony was glad for that.

Smiling at Thunder and the girls, he asked, “So what kind of fun activity in gym do I have to sit out for the next 2 weeks?”

Aunt Fairy ruffled his mane, “3 weeks, Lark. And then, only when the doctor says it’s alright.”

His classmates tried not to laugh at Lark’s obvious disappointment but found it difficult.

Pine put in, “We’re playing kickball, for 3 weeks, or until it gets cold. If the weather turns before then, we start indoor volleyball early.”

Both, Lark liked, “Oh, well… I’ll just have to watch.”

Aunt Fairy said, “Just be glad you’re well enough to be here. Well, see you kids later.”

The class waved. At least some of them had gotten to know Lark’s aunt and uncle. Lark’s sisters went to their classes, while Lark and his class walked to Ms. Pearlshine’s. Greeting the rest of the class, he took a fair size pile of work he would be going over with the old timer in the little room.

Mr. Chippy was happy to be working with Lark again, but wished it was under better circumstances. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t have time to do any side projects, but Lark could either walk in the gym, or if he felt up to it, he could sit outside and watch his class play kickball. He just had to avoid getting hit in the head for the rest of the year…

But, things went alright. Lark, feeling much better than the week before, and eager to do something other than lie around in the dark, breezed through the material. He would easily be caught up by the end of the week, having missed 3 days. Unfortunately, he would have to work in the little room until he could deal with all the lights and sounds of the regular classroom. It would be a week or so, but that’s how it had to be.

That Tuesday, it was partly cloudy, but comfortably warm with a pleasant breeze. So, Lark decided to go outside. It took a moment to adjust, but soon he felt okay and went to the field. Of note, he still wasn’t wearing his prescription glasses, but could see well enough to navigate.

His class waved to him, and he gladly sat down to watch the game. It was fun. Sherry really kicked the ball hard now. Nopony could catch it, or even get to it in time. To level the field, no magic or use of wings was allowed. It was only fair. But it was a great game.

---

Wednesday and Thursday were fairly uneventful. Lark’s eyes got a little better everyday.

---

Friday was much the same. Easy time with the classwork, nice day outside. Lark had new glasses but hadn’t taken to wearing them outside. Lark watched the kickball game for a few minutes and decided to get up and walk around. He was free to walk anywhere on the field. Naturally, he kept close watch on any stray balls flying around. Maybe I should wear a helmet.

He hadn’t thought much about her, dealing with Thunder’s affection and his concussion, he espied Windy Meadow. She was standing by herself, away from her class, rather forlornly. He hadn’t thought about her much the entire week. He had just wanted to sit and relax. Without even telling his legs to move, he found himself walking her way.

What am I doing? I must be crazy. Lark continued to walk, getting closer. She was facing away from him, slightly, so she didn’t see him immediately. Windy must have heard him, as she glanced his way. She had teal eyes. He was now close enough to see without his glasses, and give the color a name.

Standing there, he fidgeted, “Uh, hi…”

Looking back to him, with little expression, “Hi…”

“You’re Windy Meadow. I’m Lark.”

A little smile crept to her lips, “Yes… I figured you were. How’re your eyes? Considering how bad I heard your concussion was, I’m surprised you can stand being out here, even with sunglasses.”

He was surprised by her manner. Her voice was very laid back. Her eyes seemed to be riding at half-mast most of the time. But her body language couldn’t be described as easy-going. It was as if she had energy but was unable to use it. She seemed… trapped.

“Yeah, I got my bell rung pretty good last Wednesday. My friends tell me it was quite a sight.”

She couldn’t help a giggle, “Oh, yeah. I don’t know if anypony in class A saw it happen, but we sure saw the rest… I shouldn’t laugh… I got my ‘bell rung’ once when I was little. I could barely leave a darkened room for 3 weeks.”

Some common ground… “3 weeks… that’s at least how long it’ll be before I can do much again. I hope I can play volleyball… It’s bad enough missing kickball.”

Eyeing him, “You just transferred in this summer, right?”

“Yes. My sisters and I moved here before school started.”

“…I’ve heard quite a bit about you already. I missed your… rise to fame, but I’ve heard quite a bit. Sure was weird to come back here, and find things so different.”

Her face brightened a little, and she tried to stifle her giggling. She’s cute…

He hoofed the back of his neck, “Mmhmm. Things were rough for a bit, but… I’m still here.”

“Larkspur Blossom… how’d you get a name like that?” The question was innocent and without malice.

Still, Lark blushed, “I dunno… Mom named me, but… Dad never told me why. I never thought to ask.”

Her face softened, “Oh. Sorry for asking. I… know you and your sisters live with your aunt and uncle.”

“It’s okay. Seems there aren’t many secrets around here.”

Windy chortled humorlessly, “I know that… What’s everypony been saying about me?”

That was some question for Lark, “One of my classmates said you’ve been gone a few months to Canterlot with your parents. He said you’d taken a nasty drop and you had to go there to see what was going on.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s all I know…”

“Well, I haven’t been around long anyway. Not surprising. My dad got transferred here around Winter Wrap-up for work. I’ve lived in 6 cities and have gone to 4 schools, including this one. But we’re finally settling here. Mom and Dad put their hooves down, and this is it.”

This was good news to Lark. If he became friends with this filly, she wouldn’t up and disappear at some point.

Lark’s mind was wandering. And Windy could tell, even with the sunglasses. So, she put on a funny face. Standing in front of him, she waited until he came back.

His eyes focused and he saw her, “Ahh!”

He fell backwards as she let her face slip back to normal, and she laughed at him as he scrambled back.

“You are something, Lark… Wanna go for a walk? I’m bored just standing around.”

Recovering, he wondered just what he’d gotten himself into, but, “Sure…”

They began to walk. She was quite a bit smaller than him, so he tried not to walk too quickly. And she was in no hurry to begin with, so it was a slow walk. Risking a glance over, he noticed something off in her gait. It seemed… disjointed.

“So, Lark… why’d you come over to see me?”

This was… unexpected. He began to wonder if this filly just said whatever popped into her head. He was reminded of the first time he met Thunder. Valley could be that way… when she forgot her manners. But this was different ground than he’d seen. It was a question he had a hard time answering. Now, he wasn’t so sure it was some crush. Something about her just attracted him, and he wanted to meet her.

“I… dunno. I noticed you last week and I was… curious. Since I’m out of gym activity for a while, I had an excuse to come over. I just wanted to meet you, I guess.”

She seemed pleased at the answer, however mysterious it may have been, “What an answer! I have to say, I was interested in meeting you too. Guess it wasn’t so bad you were staring over at me. I just wish the knock to your head that brought you to me wasn’t so bad.”

Lark was baffled, “You noticed me looking your way?”

“Sure. It’s not like it was subtle. I fibbed earlier. My class didn’t see you clock out, but I did. I might not have wound up seeing it, but your game was better than anything from my class.”

“You saw that? Really?”

“Oh, yeah. That Sherry filly really messed you up. You should have seen your class carry on. I supposed it was scary, being there when it happened. You have some pretty good friends, Lark.”

He noticed she ended on a low note, “I guess… They sure made a fuss over me.”

A tension suddenly took the air around them. And Lark had to say what was on his mind.

“Have you… made many friends since your family moved here?”

He knew it was a rude question, but something in his gut told him to ask.

She halted, and contemplated, “Not really. Just a couple weeks after we came here, I took that fall. Before that… I moved around so much, that I… never made many. I’d like to, but…”

Lark could relate. He’d only had to move the once, but he’d never really cared much about friends. He’d been too preoccupied with the life he’d never known much beyond. It was normal for him. But now that he had a real family… things looked a little different. He didn’t mean to take advantage of her manner, but spending some time with a laid-back filly might be easier on his mind than the girls from his class.

“How about we do something this weekend, Windy?”

She looked flummoxed, “Huh?”

He took on a confidence he didn’t really feel, “Let’s do something this weekend. What do you like to do?”

Windy, after taking a moment to process, fumbled, “Oh, you wouldn’t think it was fun…”

“Try me.”

“…I hear the university is putting on a lecture covering the Las Pegasus Boom… from when the city was founded?”

Lark could have died, right there. A filly who was interested in history? And a pretty one, to boot. What else did she like?

Seeing the gears working in his head, she relented, “Yeah, I figured-”

“I would love to go! You like history? W-w-what else do you like?”

This surprised her about was much as it did him, “…You’re not pulling my leg, are you?”

“No! Really! What else do you like?”

She felt a spark. A warm happiness came up inside her. And she beamed.

“Well… the art museum here is pretty good. I haven’t been to the other museums, but I hear good things.”

Lark was… well, ecstatic, “Let’s go to the lecture.”

Then, he deflated a little, “I… don’t know if I can get there. It’s too far to walk in my condition.”

“Don’t worry about that. Meet me at the bus stop north of the school at 9:00 a.m. Bus is free for students. It’ll take us right there.”

Wow… “Okay, Windy.”

Looking over to their respective classes, they saw their teachers gathering up their students.

“Well, see you tomorrow, Lark.”

“Sure.”

They each had a bit of a distance to cover. Lark trotted away briskly. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Windy walking.

She wasn’t flying, despite the great distance she had to cover.

She was just trotting in her unusual gait, much faster and without apparent difficulty, but it was there.

It would have been most rude, but he was very curious, now. There was a lot he was wondering about his new… potential friend.

Rejoining his class, Medium convinced Lark and Misty to go to the ice cream shop near the school. Thunder was going out of town with her parents, so she left the moment school was out. But Lark’s sisters came along, as did Misty’s. He hadn’t had the chance to meet all of them. He counted: 1, 2, 3, 4… Yes, 4. What that must have been like. One in each elementary grade under 6^th grade… Seems her dad got yelled at a lot by her mom, he mused, remembering Misty’s story.

As they set off, Lark remembered Windy. If he’d known, or given it a thought, he might have invited her.

---

Lark woke up Saturday morning feeling the best he had. Lark’s aunt and uncle weren’t crazy about him going on such a daytrip, but Lark had been cooped up, so it was hard to hold him back. Plus, he’d met another filly. So, they told him to take things easy and ring them if need be. He managed to wear his new glasses, which fit under the huge shades he wore. It was good to see again.

So, after a light breakfast, he trotted to the aforementioned bus stop. He didn’t have long to wait. Windy showed up a moment later. Still, she didn’t fly, trotting towards him in the gait he’d noticed. He could even hear the difference in her hoofsteps.

It was an odd thing to see: she looked like a combination of his 2 sisters. She moved in a forthright way, but her face betrayed a bliss he found spellbinding. Not a hair was out of place, perfectly groomed, she strode up to him, her doe-eyes at their now familiar half-mast. He’d thought Thunder was cute… Windy was… something else.

“Good morning, Lark,” she said pleasantly.

He realized he was staring, “Uh, good morning, Windy.”

Smiling at his manner, eyelashes fluttering, she giggled at him, “You’re easy to please. All I did was wash my mane and tail.”

Man, where did she learn to throw curve-balls like this? His eyes darted, and he chuckled.

“So, were you waiting long, Lark?”

He was glad she didn’t seem to linger on his gawkiness, “Oh, no. I just got here a couple minutes ago. My aunt and uncle had to do a house showing, so I had to fix my sisters breakfast.”

“Oh, I’ve seen them. They’re adorable. Valley? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a filly that fast. It’s hard to believe she and Copper are related.”

It came as no surprise she knew of his sisters. It seemed everypony did.

With little pause, “What’s it like, having siblings?”

More right field questions. “I… dunno. It’s all I’ve ever known so it’s hard to say. But I’d have to say… I dunno.”

Looking down the road, “Me, I’m an only child. With all the moving we did, and everything else there’s been to deal with, my parents just had me.”

They continued to chit-chat, and after a few minutes, the bus came. It took them to the university, and Windy pointed out a few landmarks to Lark. Once it came time to leave the bus, Lark hopped right off. He turned and saw Windy taking her time with it. She was having trouble. Without even thinking about it, he held out his hoof to her. She halted and gawped at it.

A little smile on his own face, he noticed the very slightest blush on hers. Her eyes were wide with surprise. A tiny smile crept across her lips, and her eyes softened from their initial wonder. He helped her down.

Walking beside him, she whispered, “Thank you…”

Lark was concerned. What was that all about? “Uh, sure.”

The campus was pretty big. He’d never seen the place. The architecture was something. It reminded him of the campus his parents had taught at.

“So, uh, Windy? Where’s the lecture?”

Her face lit up, “This way.”

Trying to hold pace with her, he walked along. He just couldn’t get enough of the architecture. It was the only thing that looked like Fillydelphia he’d seen thus far. She noticed his interest, and let him enjoy the time.

Lark expected an auditorium. They found themselves in a windowless classroom in some newer building that had just gone up for their business expansion. He was… put off. There wasn’t much there. Just an overhead projector, a lectern, and a couple tables. There were only 7 other ponies there. A couple of them looked like college students, but the rest appeared to be faculty.

This didn’t seem like much. Looking over to Windy, he saw her unfazed. In fact, she greeted a couple of the ponies as they sat down. They hadn’t seen her in months. At 10:00 a.m., the lecture began. By noon, Lark’s head was full of old, yet fresh knowledge. He’d always been more interested in war and pioneering, but the gamblers and bootleggers that built Las Pegasus were something.

“Glad you liked that, Lark,” Windy was moving in a slow trot. “They do this most Saturdays.”

“Really? I wanna go again.”

“Looks like I won’t have to do this alone, now. I found out about this right after we moved here. I only went a few times, but it’s one of the things I missed most when Mom and I were stuck in Canterlot.”

“I thought your dad went, too.”

“He came out a few times, but work kept him here, mostly.”

Lark had a lot he wanted to ask but decided to not worry. Nudging him, she brought him out of his thought bubble. She went into her saddlebags.

“Lark. I have this coupon for the new pizza place off-campus. I know the school feeds us pizza every Friday, but we could split the cost of lunch and get a whole pie.”

Never one to turn down a deal on food, he agreed. He brought along a few bits, thinking they might get something. Taking the direction of the shop, they encountered a concrete stairway that would take them out of the university grounds to the old downtown area.

Lark was ready to trot on up, but he noticed Windy falter. Waiting, he saw her take her time, as if her step was unsteady. She didn’t struggle, per say, but it took some careful maneuvering. He wasn’t sure if he should stay with her, run ahead, stay behind, or help her. While he was thinking, she made it up.

“Uh, Lark. Up here…”

He looked up at her, and saw a little smile, “Oh.”

Trotting up the stairs, he joined her. Her countenance betrayed something odd, as if she knew something he didn’t. What it could have been was a mystery to Lark. This filly was something of a mystery. Again, while he was thinking, she started off. He perked up and went after her.

When he came up beside her, she was chortling, “La-a-a-a-ark… One of the funniest things I’ve heard about you is you think too much. It sounded like such an odd thing but seeing this… they’re right!”

He knew he overthought things. He’d always been that way. At this point in his life, he was too young to worry about it, though. It was also something, he would be reminded of his entire life, he would never overcome.

Lark had no idea what was going on with Windy. Did she have a limp? Or some other injury? Was she hurt when she took her fall in the spring? He thought of all the textbooks he’d paged through in his dad’s library. Then he caught himself.

There you go again, Lark. Thinking too much. Looking over to Windy, she had an odd, dreamy expression, somewhere between amusement and confusion. Before he really got his bearings, she batted her eyelashes at him, with a smirk.

That did it. Lark jumped away, on pins and needles, wondering just what kind of filly he was becoming friends with. She laughed at him, so hard she almost cried. Lark knew he probably looked like a cherry.

“You’re so easy, Lark! You disappear into some world of your own, and you never know what might be waiting when you get back.”

He was about to retort. He liked her, but the couple of times she startled him were getting old.

Letting up with the laughter, “Okay, Lark… No more games. I promise.”

Can she read minds? Lark wondered. She was certainly perceptive. A lot more so than he himself was.

She hoofed his shoulder, “Over lunch, I’ll quell your curiosity.”

Lark thought that was a strange statement, but recognizing what she was, he could at least buy it. They walked a block to the restaurant in relative silence.

In the pizza shop, they ordered a couple colas and decided on a supreme pizza. Lark was glad she knew how to eat variety. He’d struggled for years with his sisters, trying to get them to try different foods. Of course, both were still picky eaters and Lark had to put up with years of single-topping pizza, or holding mushrooms and peppers from pasta.

Through the magic of using a coupon to its greatest extent, the pair got an onion blossom to share and complementary breadsticks.

Beginning to graze on what they had, Lark looked to Windy. She had already sucked down a full glass of cola and was making a real dent in the food. He’d never seen a filly eat like this, not even Thunder. It took him the morning to figure it out, but he realized she didn’t worry about things that much. She was like him… living in the moment but worrying less about everything. It was like looking in the mirror and seeing a caricature of himself.

Her words jostled him out of his thoughts, “So, Lark? What worries you?”

Worry? He wasn’t exactly worried about anything then. He just had a lot on his mind. And he was curious.

“Uh… I’ve never seen a Pegasus not fly when she had the chance.” He forced himself to say. “And then…”

He suddenly felt sick. He couldn’t bring himself to finish, do you… have a brain tumor? A “carefree” filly? Living in the moment? Gone to Canterlot half the year? The problems walking? It fit.

It was no secret, Looking at Lark, that he was upset. She quickly got his attention.

“Oh, Lark. I’m sorry.”

Lark realized his eyes were getting near swimming time, “Huh?”

Genuinely looking apologetic, “I’m sorry… I promised you no more games. I thought I’d have a little fun with you, all the thinking you do… So, I’m sorry I upset you.”

“Oh, I…”

Putting on a sad little smile, “Well, you were looking at me like I’d just told you I… was dying, or something. That was mean of me. So… sorry.”

Lark sat up, “Why jerk me around?”

That bit a little, “I didn’t mean to jerk… fine. I was jerking you around. But I didn’t think it would be anything. I’m… just trying to make light… about why I was in Canterlot for so long. You want to know, I’m sure.”

Realizing how sorry she was, he relented, “I’m sorry, too… if I made you uncomfortable. You don’t have to tell-”

“But I want to. I think… we’re friends now. And you’re worried about me. So, I’ll tell you.”

The pizza came, and she began to tell her story.

Author's Notes:

You'll learn plenty about Windy next time. I don't mean to leave things on a small cliffhanger, but the chapter would be a lot longer than I want. Plus, I need something to work with if I'm going to put out 2 chapters a week.

Just for the sake of pacing, I've been trying to keep chapters between 2,000 and 5,000 words.

Anyway, thanks for reading. Hope you're enjoying the story. Expect Chapter 11 in a few days.

Chapter 10: Visiting the Meadows'

While beginning to down the supreme pizza that just arrived, Lark listened to Windy’s story.

Windy had been born in Ponyville but didn’t remember the place. They moved to Trottingham when her dad got a transfer. He was a geologist, and his work took him many places. She remembered Trottingham, but not well, as they packed up to Canterlot when she was 5. Then Baltimare, then Las Pegasus. There wasn’t much to say about a lot of it.

What there was to know was when she was 7, living in Baltimare, her “problem” became apparent. She’d always been a weak flyer, but a 7-year-old having some problems flying wasn’t unheard of. Some Pegasi were older than that and had never flown yet. It showed up in her gait, which he certainly didn’t miss.

At first, the doctors thought it might be a brain tumor, and boy, did that terrify her. It shook the family. Even if it wasn’t cancerous, it was a huge detriment. Thankfully, it turned out not to be one. Still, nopony had any idea what was wrong with her. Many looked at, and examined her, but nopony had seen whatever it was. All they knew was it was probably neurological and/or had something to do with her Pegasus magic.

But, the problem never progressed. Her ability to fly never got any better, but she didn’t lose function. She had to watch her step and carefully coordinate herself, but it never got worse. So, not ignoring the problem, but not fretting over it, they kept an eye on it.

As he had heard, something happened a couple weeks after moving to Vanhoover. She had been in gym class, when she simply locked up while flying, and fell out of the sky. A classmate caught her with his magic, so she was unhurt by the fall. It was alarming to her parents, her doctors keeping an eye on her, and naturally, to Windy herself.

After further baffling doctors in Vanhoover, she was sent with her mom to Canterlot, to see a medical specialist in Pegasi Magic. It was found her ability to fly took a sudden drop. It came and went, but she was able to fly. Her ability only completely quit on her a few times. Even more unsettling, was the fact she began to fall through clouds sporadically. These tests especially scared her. She’d wound up dropping through them, only to be caught by a unicorn or Pegasus therapist.

The real hit occurred when she could no longer fly. This happened at the end of the summer. She'd gotten worse and worse, but a day came she was unable to lift. She tried and tried. Her doctors told her that was it. Her parents told her the same. It was a hard pill to swallow.

She and her mom had stayed for months in Canterlot, while the doctors tried to piece together what was wrong. Just in the last month, from where they were in the pizza shop, they finally figured out what was wrong. It was something they’d never seen, and there had only been a few cases documented, ever, but they knew what it was.

It was magical ataxia. A neurological problem, it affected her locomotion and deteriorated her natural Pegasus magic. It was the reason for her coordination problems and her failing magic. The problem was progressive, but the few cases had been so varied, predicting anything was impossible. She may remain the way she is, or… she tried not to think about it too much.

Lark watched her continue to eat steadily. She was being… awfully cool about this. It’s not like she enjoyed telling him all that, but… she’d basically told him that whatever this ataxia was… might kill her. His stomach knotted up, and he hoofed his plate away.

“Oh, Lark… I didn’t mean to bother you with all that. And I really hope I didn’t kill your appetite. It’s just… I’ve had more time to think about all this than I care to have. I’m sorry if it upset you.”

He pulled his plate back, still bewildered by her coolness, “Oh, it’s okay…”

Seeing his discomfort, “I told you I was making light earlier. I don’t know what else to do with this. I suppose… you can either laugh or cry. And I’ve had enough of being scared. I’ve just… had enough of feeling sorry for myself. I did too much of it when I was young… maybe I’d have made some friends if I tried to lighten up.”

This struck a cord with Lark. Feeling his appetite return, he continued to eat. They sure had enough to get their fill. He realized he felt good. He was glad to be there with her.

“Well, Windy… you have a friend in me.”

She looked at him with her pleasant, but unreadable expression, “I’m glad to hear that.”

Lark smiled at her, continuing lunch. He told her about Mr. Chippy, and the couple weeks of work he’d done under him. The old-timer would probably delight in meeting her. Neither had been at the school for long, but there were certainly things they could tell the other. Enjoying their lunch, they managed to stuff themselves and would have no leftovers.

Both soon had sugar rushes from drinking too much cola. They were leaving, and the clock read 1:30 p.m. They tried deciding what to do next. Lark knew the natural history museum was just a block away.

“You said you’d never been to the Vanhoover Natural History Museum, right? Student admission is free on Saturday. Let’s go.”

Windy grinned, “Oh, that does sound fun.”

And they did go. Lark found it a joy to have a friend that was interested in this stuff. He loved his friends from his own class, but none of them had any real stock in his admittedly eclectic interests. Little did he realize, but she felt the same way.

It was almost 4:00 p.m. by the time they left. Lark had so much fun with her, he actually forgot about his headache for the day. Of course, even the shades couldn’t save him from the glaring, afternoon sun.

“Gah!”

She winced, “Ooh. I remember that feeling. Unless you feel like doing something else, let’s head back. I think you’ve had enough fun today.”

She couldn’t help but laugh as he nodded, and she said, “I’ve had enough walking for today, so yeah! Let’s head back.”

They made it to the bus stop without incident. Along the way, he learned she lived only a block opposite his side of the school, so she had a convenient route, even if she couldn’t fly. He realized what it must be like for a Pegasus who couldn’t fly. Perhaps it was like… losing part of yourself.

They didn’t chat much on the ride back to the school. Neither minded the quiet. It was nice to just sit down for a while. Windy had to nudge Lark, when they arrived. He’d nodded off a little. Departing the bus, Lark trotted down easily. Then he remembered Windy. She made if halfway down, and he wouldn’t have stepped in if he hadn’t seen it coming. Her left back leg, which he’d noticed gave her the most difficulty, buckled.

He caught her. She was very light for her size, a little smaller than his other filly friends. She hardly weighed more than Valley. The bus driver looked concerned, but Lark had her, and motioned him away.

Windy was leaning on him. He wasn’t about to let go.

She whispered, obviously embarrassed, “I’m sorry, Lark…”

Taken aback, “Sorry for what? Don’t be. Are you okay?”

Testing her leg, she put weight on it, “I think so… it just… buckles sometimes. I did more walking today than I’m used to.”

He hadn’t planned on it, but, “Let me walk you home. Just want to make sure you get there okay.”

“Oh… You don’t have to. It just happens, sometimes.”

“Oh, it’s fine. It’s only a block. My eyes feel okay, so let’s go.”

Smiling warmly at him, she felt her eyes mist up, but she blinked it away, “Okay…”

As they walked, Lark looked around. His uncle had told him this part of town, even this close to where they were, was many decades older than their neighborhood. Their neighborhood was some park 15 years before, that was relocated. Lark could see the difference. The houses they were walking past were made of brick, mostly, as opposed to wood and steel. Some of the houses had been there 150 years, his uncle said, but were not nearly as old as the port. Being in the housing business, they’d decided to buy a newer house, simply for the sake of modernized utilities. Some old houses that were refurbished cost a literal fortune.

In a word, Lark would describe the neighborhood as impressive. Each house had its own character, with so many different landscapes.

“Here it is, Lark.”

He looked to the house. It was like, and unlike, any of the other houses he could see. Windy’s parents sure loved flowers. He knew more than he cared to admit about flowers. The front of the house was rife with them, along the porch and front. It was dying back; obviously, somepony was cleaning up to prepare for the cold weather that would be along fairly soon. The other thing that got his attention, was the perfectly manicured lawn. Whether it was her mom or dad that took care of the yard, or even some landscaper company, he wanted an introduction.

But perhaps the most interesting thing in the yard was the single tree. He could see more in the back, but this tree caught his attention. He recognized it immediately, though he’d never seen one in real life. It was a pecan tree.

He got excited, “Windy, has the tree ever flowered, or nutted? I can’t believe it’s even survived the winters up here.”

“It sent out some flowers this year, but no nuts,” a voice unlike Lark’s or his friend’s, drawled. “Fella owned the house before never even saw flowers.”

Lark looked up. A lanky Pegasus stallion was looking down at the two of them. His burnt yellow coat and blaze orange mane stood out against the white painted rail he was leaning on. Round, steel-rimmed glasses sat low on his face, partially obscuring his argyle eyes. Lark thought he looked like a hippie.

He smiled down to them, “How was the lecture, Windy?”

“It was fun, Daddy. After lunch, we went to the natural history museum.”

Her dad… He seemed like an interesting character.

Looking at the colt, “You must be Lark… How are you?”

Lark wanted to be polite, “Yes, I’m Lark. I'm okay. You must be Mr. Meadow… Nice yard.”

Mr. Meadow grinned, “Well, thanks. Wish you could see the flower garden when it’s actually doing something… Call me Sunny if you like. Sunny Meadow, isn’t that something?”

Lark was unsure about this, “Sure… I tell you, it’s so cool you have a pecan tree.”

“Yeah, I don’t know how it’s managed to live this long, either. I was told it was put in about 25 years ago. Guess the weather was right for a bloom. Sure surprised me.”

Lark’s mind entered garden mode, “My aunt and uncle have a nice, big yard, and this looks just about like what I want to do. I’m just a little worried about the soil… newer development and all. I just tilled in the garden last month, for Spring. I added a whole inch of coarse sand to deal with that clay. I want to get some compost started when I can in the yard, but Aunt Fairy…”

Lark was distracted by Windy. She was looking at him intently.

“Lark… you didn’t tell me you were into gardening. I love gardening.”

Mr. Meadow chuckled, “That’s how it is around here… I like turf, Windy likes gardening, and speaking of flowers, here comes the wife.”

A gorgeous Pegasus mare appeared beside Mr. Meadow. Lark could immediately see from where Windy got her pointedly good looks. Her coat was a lighter shade of peach and her mane was a shocking blue. Her green eyes had a sharpness to them. She looked like a model… but he was reminded of his own mother. A sure kindness in her face was unmistakable.

She beamed at Lark, while playfully shoving her husband, “Yes, yes. I’m the wife.”

Mr. Meadow stood back, as if presenting the greatest thing anypony had ever seen, “Ain’t she something, Lark? I’m just some long-hair geologist and I land this?!”

Windy blushed, “Daddy!”

So Windy can blush like a cherry, Lark smirked. He had started to think she was so even-tempered, but what foal doesn’t freak out when embarrassed by their parents?

Mrs. Meadow cuffed him, laughing with a blush, “Oh, stop it Sunny. We have a guest.”

Mr. Meadow, shaking his head, chortling, leaned once again on the railing.

Mrs. Meadow turned to Lark, “Hello, Lark. I’m Fair Meadow.”

Fair Meadow. Wow. “Hi, Mrs. Meadow. I was just admiring your flowers… well, I wish I could. I’m sure it was something to see until last week.”

She smiled softly, “Oh, thank you, Lark. I’ve been waiting to have a flowerbed like this since Sunny and I were in college. All the moving around, though… Windy probably told you, but this is the 6^th city we’ve lived in since she was born. And even more before then.”

Mr. Meadow sighed, “Well, no more of that. I hope to stay right here until I’m old and gray… Come up on the porch.”

Lark hadn’t even considered that, being caught up in the conversation. But he got ready to make the climb. Almost unconsciously, he was watching Windy. He knew what might happen, and he didn’t want to see her fall. But she made it. Seeing she was fine, he relaxed and went to sit in one of the open chairs.

Lark may not have given a second thought to watching out for Windy, but her parents noticed what he was doing. They noticed something was wrong. But, for now, they decided to keep quiet on the matter. It was the first friend their daughter had brought home since moving, and maybe only the second or third she ever had brought home.

Mrs. Meadow grimaced, not at Lark, but when she saw him wince at the sun, “Oh, Lark… We heard you were the foal that got the concussion in buckball last week. How are you feeling?”

He appreciated the consideration, “Not bad, now. Sudden or bright light gets me, but I’ve just about gotten to the point I can sit in a lit room without a problem. Doctor says I’m doing about as fine as he expected. I can probably go back to my normal classroom sometime this next week.”

Smiling, she leaned back on the loveseat with her husband, “That’s good to hear… so… you said you liked gardening?”

“Oh, sure. I like yardwork in general. Maybe it’s the Earth pony in me… But I don’t know about that. My aunt and uncle have pretty much let me take over the work outside… except for cleaning the gutters. They’re both unicorns, my youngest sister’s one, and my other sister is a Pegasus, so I think they can deal with that.”

Mr. Meadow chuckled, “Magic must make taking care of the grass a breeze. But, a little know-how works well enough. I’m a geologist of course. I guess I didn’t say, but I have a new position now. Before, I was just a traveling technician, but now I’m Dr. Meadow, of Earth Sciences, at the university. One small perk is the lab. I can soil test anything I want. S’why the yard looks so nice.”

Lark grinned, “That’s cool, Mr. Meadow. I can’t wait for next Spring. I have a plan, and the yard should look awesome once I can start on it. I did an analysis of my own, but with magic.”

Mrs. Meadow perked up, “Magic? Really?”

“I’m just hoping it’s accurate. My little sister, Copper, has a talent for magical theory. I told her what I wanted, and she figured out a spell to test for the soil makeup. It was pretty cool… But I’m sure Mr. Meadow’s lab is something.”

Windy sat there, happy to see her parents enjoying themselves. Not that she wasn’t. She knew a thing or two about a lot of things, but soil chemistry wasn’t one of them, so she just listened.

Mr. Meadow gave a little head tilt, “Wow… Could you… show me?”

Lark was nonplussed, “Uh, sure.”

Mrs. Meadow chuckled, “Your sister must be something special to come up with that. She’s what… a 2^nd grader?”

“Oh, no… Copper’s a 1^st grader. My sister Valley, the Pegasus, is a 2^nd grader.”

Mrs. Meadow was wowed, “If I had brains like that, I wouldn’t have gone into modelling.”

She and her husband broke down laughing. I thought so, Lark grinned to himself. A model.

Lark began to think of Windy… he hadn’t heard a peep out of her for a while. As if he’d said this out loud, Mr. Meadow spoke up.

“So, how was the natural history museum? All the places in town I’ve been, I haven’t been there…”

Windy took this, “Museum was interesting. They have that touring exhibit from the San Palomino Desert villages. I’m glad Lark suggested we go. I didn’t know anything special was going on.”

Mr. Meadow beamed at Lark, “A history lover, huh? I suppose I have a passion like that of my own: archeology. I had a little taste of it, in all the traveling I’ve done, but it’s time to settle down, and just be a boring geologist.”

Mrs. Meadow cuffed him, “There’s nothing boring about what you do. At least you get to spend some time in the field. I never got to even leave my lab.”

Lark was confused, “You’re a geologist too? I thought you said-”

Mrs. Meadow burst out laughing, “Oh, the modelling thing? That’s a joke between Sunny and I. Though… I did do some modeling. It was easier than waitressing. I did some of that too. But a geologist? No… I’m a chemist.”

So, the whole family is smart. Lark pondered.

Mr. Meadows spoke up again, “Tell us a little about this garden you’re putting in at home.”

The word “home” struck Lark. But he supposed it was his home, now.

“I tilled in last month, like I told you. Nice and big. Tilled down a whole foot with just my hooves and a shovel.”

They all chatted on, happily. The sun moved further west. Lark soon noticed the time.

“Whoa! I have to get going.”

“Couldn’t you stay for dinner, Lark?” asked Mrs. Meadow.

Oh, did that sound good to Lark, but, “My aunt and uncle have a business party tonight. I promised I’d get back and watch the girls. I guess I didn’t mention it, because I didn’t think I’d be staying so long.”

Mr. Meadow smiled, “We certainly enjoyed having you, and we hope we haven’t kept you. Need a ride?”

“Oh, no. It’s only 2 blocks away. I live pretty much the opposite side from the school as you. And I’ve got a little time, yet.”

Windy stood up, “If you have a few minutes, Lark, let me show you the backyard.”

Lark stood up as well, “Sure, Windy.”

He turned to her parents, “Thanks for having me. I had a really fun time today. I’m just glad to be feeling a little better.”

Mrs. Meadow smiled, “Please come back and visit.”

Lark was sure he would, “I’d love to.”

Mrs. Meadows stood up, rousing her husband, “Come on, dear. We have to get dinner ready.”

He stood up, “Good bye, Lark. See you later.”

They went inside, leaving the foals on the porch. They began to walk to the steps.

“Your parents are pretty cool, Windy. You’ll have to meet my aunt and uncle sometime. They’re a little less… laid back, but they’ve sure made a home for my sisters and me.”

Windy gave him a little smile, “I’d like that… I’m… glad you got to meet them, Lark. They’re… very special to me.”

Lark was simply baffled by some of the things he heard Windy say, but took it with a grain of salt. At the top of the steps, Windy halted. She looked… scared.

“Need a hoof down the steps?” Lark asked evenly.

It was apparent Windy was unused to such gallantry, or at least not expecting it from a peer. But she gave another little smile and leaned on him as they made their way down the steps. She was thankful for this. Once they were on level ground, she led him to the back.

They weren’t really spying... but they were. Mr. and Mrs. Meadow saw Lark helping their daughter, and then noticed her happy expression and his laughing face as they disappeared around the back. Husband and wife exchanged a bittersweet glance and went about their work in the kitchen. They knew Windy was in good hooves.

Windy showed Lark the backyard. It was almost as impressive as the front yard. And he saw the garden Windy had planted when they moved there. She never got to even see it grow, being in Canterlot for much of the year. But she had good hopes for the next year. He felt the same way about his own garden. It was nice to make a friend they could each share this with.

But Lark had to go. He wouldn’t be late in getting home, but he couldn’t dawdle. So, he helped Windy into the house, again wishing good night to the Meadows, who were preoccupied in the kitchen.

Windy turned to him, taking one of his hooves. She had on about the most poignant expression he’d ever seen. Her soft eyes glistened happily, an expression of the upmost content on her lips.

“I really had fun today, Lark. See you Monday?”

Would she? “Of course! Maybe we can talk a bit at recess. You know they keep us to our own classes in the cafeteria.”

“Sure.”

And with that, she went inside, shutting the door. Lark stood there, having had one of the best days he could remember. A happy chill went up in him, and he trotted across the porch, down the steps, onto the sidewalk, and then towards home.

He’d made another friend. It was a great feeling. As he trotted home, he was unaware of just what he’d gotten himself into.

Being the young colt he was, he had no way of knowing just how special this friendship would be to him… and to her. He had no idea he had just made the best friend he had ever or would ever have. His friendship with Windy would change him and his world in ways he never imagined… and in ways nopony could ever guess.

Author's Notes:

So, Autumn is in "un-bloom" and Winter approaches soon enough. As Lark continues to navigate through the latter years of elementary school, where will his friendship with Windy take him?

Rest assured, this will never be a harem story, but throwing Windy into the mix with his other filly friends will be interesting.

Thanks for reading, and look forward to the next chapter. I'll try to have it out in the next week.

Chapter 11: Fall into Winter, Part 1

Lark was glad to see the rain stop. He’d never really thought about it, but Vanhoover sat in a temperate rainforest. Living in Fillydelphia, he wasn’t unused to rain. Just not this much. It had been a wet Autumn. Now it would be a snowy Winter. It was just around the corner. They were 11 weeks into school, and they could see the weather factory turning out the new clouds.

Valley and Copper were excited. Winter was their favorite time of year and they looked forward to the snow. Lark only hoped his aunt and uncle, or Copper, had a means for dealing with the snow. It would be too much to do on his own.

His growing group of friends had proven interesting. Without really thinking about what he was doing, he had brought Windy into his circle, only a few days after meeting her. Medium and Misty loved her. Windy meshed well with Medium's sense of humor, and shared Misty’s relatively even manner. The handful of colts he had become friendly with enjoyed her too. But first and foremost, she was Lark’s special friend. To many she had already become his best friend.

One may recall another friend of Lark's… one whom he himself had passionately declared was his best friend. Thunder liked Windy. She admired Windy. She even envied Windy. Windy was prettier, smarter, more carefree… and many other things she hated to admit to herself. Thunder still held a torch for Lark.

If Lark had more experience in life, he might have tried to… avoid the trouble an older colt might have seen coming. But that comes later. The last month had been good for Lark.

To his great happiness, his head mended, and he was able to get back to normalcy. He would be very careful not to get his bell rung again, if he had anything to say about it. His aunt and uncle met Windy’s parents, and as different as they were, they were actually becoming pretty good friends.

Windy met Larks sisters and adored them to a degree which even Misty thought excessive. And Lark, taking Copper along, visited Mr. Meadow’s lab. It turns out the spell worked and was as accurate as the equipment in the lab. Lark couldn’t have been prouder of Copper and the staff were floored. Copper smiled shyly, pleased her idea worked.

Lark spent more time with Windy at her parents’ house. Lark’s library was nothing to sneeze at, but Mr. Meadow’s was incredible. Lark was even allowed to borrow books. The family had an appreciation for art and had objects from all over the world. Windy’s parents were certainly well-traveled. They told stories of the places they’d been and seen, and Lark loved to hear about it.

Windy was certainly welcome at Lark’s aunt and uncle’s place. They adored this beautiful, well-mannered filly. Lark’s friends spent a little more time here, as the weather got colder, but still had other places they liked. Valley and Copper, their friends tromped mud into the house, and soon enough, it would be snow. They tried to be patient about it, and it wasn’t so hard when they could clean up the mess with a glow of the horn.

What Lark hadn’t been ready for, was the stallion-to-stallion heart-to-heart he wound up having with Mr. Meadow, just a week after meeting him. It was hard to find a way to bring it up, but it had to be done. Windy told Lark what was going on with her body. And Lark knew the gravity of what may happen in the future. It didn’t need to be reexplained.

Without exchanging too many morbid words, Mr. Meadow wanted Lark to know how grateful he and his wife were that their daughter had a friend like him. They knew how he’d been watching out for her. And Mr. Meadow wasn’t talking down to him or patronizing him. He certainly didn’t mean to thank Lark, as if Lark had taken on some great burden of pity. It was from the heart. There are just some things that will never be easy to talk about.

Lark, feeling very young and small, was unsure how to respond. This was some heavy stuff for an 11-year-old. But he let Mr. Meadow know how much Windy meant to him.

On a lighter note, Windy definitely enjoyed her group of friends. Though she couldn’t do everything they could, and sometimes would sit out the things they did, she never tried to hold it against them. She usually had no trouble walking, or even trotting. Sadly, she hadn’t been able to gallop for a couple years. And flying was out of the question.

But she was able to do most things with them. She particularly enjoyed walking around with them. There were plenty of interesting trails to see. And a few of Lark’s friends even took a liking to the museums they began to go to. Most weekends since Autumn began found them touring, for few bits or free of charge to them, somewhere. Being a student had its perks.

---

So, school and life went on, to the later Autumn, soon to be Winter. Lark was happy. He had a handful of friends he loved, his sisters were doing fine, and he really felt at home with his aunt and uncle. He also felt very welcome at the Meadows’. Things were great. It was hard to say if the 11 weeks seemed long or short.

But, as mentioned earlier, Lark had prodded the hornets’ nest. Becoming such good friends with some girl, when he already had such a good filly friend? He thought nothing of it. What 11-year-old colt would? But Thunder’s animosity had grown. She felt conflicted. Windy had become her friend- one of her best. She wanted to be happy for Lark. She knew how rough things had been for him, and he was so very happy. And she was still his friend. He never treated her any differently than he had. Still, she felt how she felt. It would only be a matter of time before there was a problem.

Said problem would occur just before the first snowfall of the year. It was a Friday afternoon. Many of the foals in school were excited for the scheduled snow the weather teams would release that night. When they woke up in the morning, they would have 6 inches of perfect snow. Snowball fights and snowponies were on their minds. Lark thought about the snow he would probably wind up moving all weekend… maybe he could get the unicorns to do it instead. But it didn’t bother him. He knew everypony would help him out.

Looking around the class, Lark’s classmates were a little rowdier than usual, in their excitement. Ms. Pearlshine tried to show them patience. It really hadn’t been that long ago she was a foal, gleefully waiting for the first snow of the year. She had to maintain order a few times, but never had to chuck any erasers across the room. At least gym class started in a few minutes. Lark had finished everything school wise that day and would have no homework bogging down his fun.

The clock struck 2:00 p.m., and they were sent to gym. Volleyball that been fun, but now they were playing indoor hoofball. The gym was only big enough for one game, so the teacher had them constantly switching out. Lark didn’t particularly enjoy it. The nice thing was, his class still had gym at the end of the day. Once they moved inside, the other classes in elementary switched to different times of the day.

The only thing Lark didn’t like about this was Windy was in another class. He could only see her before and after school, at recess, in passing, or on their own time. Soon after meeting her, he began walking her to school. The thought of her walking to school on her own, with her difficulty, bothered him. She didn’t ask him to do it, and she was tickled pink he would. He walked her home, too.

Lark’s sisters had taken to walking to school with their friends by then. They knew the way and there were enough of them. If they ran into trouble, he once taught Copper a spell that was supposed to turn ponies inside out. It had been a joke when he was a little foal, but he now hoped it didn’t really work. Some of the crazy things he taught her did work, he had learned.

While waiting for his turn in the hoofball game, he thought of Windy. He’d met her a little before 8:00 a.m. that day. To combat the cold, she had on the cutest hat and scarf, along with a new pair of snow boots. The temperature had literally dropped overnight in preparation for the snow. It was a pleasant walk, like it always was, the two of them happily chatting about this, that, and whatever.

They were excited for the next day. Lark had found a toboggan in the trash and had fixed it up. They’d have to go out of town for any sledding action, but a shuttle ran back and forth from one of the Vanhoover area ski resorts all day Saturday. Lark had convinced many of his friends to go. Windy, of course, was coming, as were Thunder, Medium, Misty, Light, Daisy, and even Sherry. Lark thought about his sisters, but his aunt and uncle saved him the responsibility by deciding to take them ice-skating the next day.

Windy hadn’t gone sledding in years, and confident she’d be able to hack it, really wanted to go. Lark had learned her parents didn’t really restrict what she did. They seemed to trust her judgement about what she could and couldn’t do. If worst came to worst, Windy could rest at the lodge while everypony else was outside. Windy was prepared to deal with that if it happened. It was par for the course.

One thing bothering Windy was the apparent wedge she was driving between Lark and the other girls. She saw it, plain as day. Medium and Misty didn’t mind as much, realizing Lark had made such a friend, but it was Thunder that concerned her. She and Thunder were friends, but when Lark started walking her to school, Thunder didn’t like it.

Thunder had become jealous of what Windy and Lark had, and Windy felt awful about it. Avoiding it was getting harder, and she knew soon she would have to talk with Thunder. She planned to ask Medium and Misty for advice that afternoon. That had her feeling better, and she tried to pay attention to the funny story Lark was stumbling through.

Of course, Lark was entering the hoofball game, unaware of all the tension… just a colt. The idea of getting clocked in the head again scared him, so he found himself taking it easier than he might. He knew after the first concussion, a second one would be bad news.

Having made it through another session without getting his bell rung, he went back to class with his classmates. Ms. Pearlshine wished them a good weekend. She herself would be getting together with some old friends from college to go skiing. Skiing looked fun to Lark, but he had an aversion to compound fractures, so he’d never tried. There were a number of ski resorts in the area, so it wasn’t likely his group of friends would come across their teacher.

The bell rang, and the class rushed out, hearing Ms. Pearlshine call for them to be careful. She didn’t want to see any of her little ponies coming back in casts or anything. Lark shook his head, laughing at the awful idea of that.

He briefly met with his party, discussing the shuttle bus. It conveniently loaded and unloaded in the school parking lot. It was 3:00 p.m., and they were going to a little café close by for pie and cake soon. The eight of them would be attending their girls’ high school volleyball game against Riverside High after their snack. None of them were terribly interested in the game, but heard it was a fun place to hang out.

Everypony quickly ran home to drop off their stuff. Lark, of course, went with Windy to her house. As he’d no reason to take his saddlebags home for the weekend, he just left them at school. He and Windy would leave from her house to the café.

Lark turned to Thunder, beaming, “See you in a little while, Thunder.”

Thunder faltered, but tried to look back evenly, with a smile, “Okay, Lark… See you, Windy.”

The doe-eyed Pegasus turned, smiled, and nodded. She went away with Lark, her familiar gait keeping them in Thunder’s line of sight longer than she cared to watch them.

As Thunder had many times before, she once again found herself unable to intrude upon Lark and Windy. She wanted to walk with him, even if it meant, well… walking. He’d been missed lately, spending so much time with Windy. Sometimes when Windy struggled with whatever they were doing as a group, Lark would stay back with her, or even sit out so she wouldn’t be alone. Thunder wanted to spend some time with her friend too, and it had been lacking…

It had gotten bad enough, that even though Windy was her friend, she wished the lame Pegasus would just… disappear sometimes. And it hurt her that she had begun to think of Windy in such a way. Lame. It was something she hated about herself… such ugly thoughts. Windy was special. Lark saw it.

Still, what did Windy have that Thunder didn’t? Sure, she was prettier… and smarter… and more interesting… Thunder tried to stop thinking about this. But how could Lark like her more than me?! The lemony Pegasus felt hot tears in her eyes as she watched Lark and Windy turn their corner. After settling down, she took flight and made it home.

---

The group met at the café at 4:00 p.m. Knowing dinner waited for them later at home, they shared some appetizers. They listened to Medium explain some crazy theory she had read in a book about aliens, or something. She wasn’t making a whole lot of sense and was growing flustered. Misty and Windy kept trying to throw her off track, with some abstract nonsense, much to the amusement of the group.

Having grown used to some of the crazy ideas Medium either heard of or came up with, Lark had solidified a few of his own beliefs: he didn’t believe in ghosts or aliens. But it was fun to listen to her. Looking over, he thought of what a devious duo Windy and Misty made. Normally of stable nature, they were given to fits of high glee and good-natured cruelty when they both thought something was stupid. If Medium didn’t think it was just as funny as they did, he might have put a stop to it.

Light sat back watching the show, laughing. He had more friends in another class, due to the 5^th grade being so tossed up, but he always enjoyed whatever Lark’s group was up to. Of all the colts Lark knew, Light was his best friend among them.

Daisy and Sherry, not having been in class together before, had become very good friends. As opposed to the “rowdiness” they both disliked in Lark’s original circle of friends, both were fairly serious fillies. The fact one was a stalwort track star and the other an obligate couch potato, was about the least important thing in their friendship. Some ponies just become friends and it isn’t always clear why. While Medium was playfully arguing with Windy and Misty about alternate dimensions, Daisy and Sherry tried to tune them out, working on a book of crossword puzzles one had brought.

Lark sat in his court, feeling great. He was surrounded by his friends, they were going to have fun at the game, and then after he and his family moved a little snow, he could grab that old toboggan and they would romp at the resort until they couldn’t stand up anymore. Even as young as he was, he had a stroke of clarity, feeling that life was sometimes perfect, and the weekend would be something to treasure.

Thunder, on the other hand, sat amongst them all, not really in any particular position, uninterested in her share of hay fries. She was feeling down. She’d failed to sit next to Lark, Daisy somehow winding up there. Not that it would have made a difference. Lark seemed to have eyes only for Windy in the end. She had half a mind to make up some excuse and just go home, blowing off the resort trip. The idea of watching Lark and Windy frolic all day, Lark protecting her fragile constitution, had her stomach doing the jitters. Nopony was even talking to her…

About 5:00 p.m., the group walked back to the school, whooping and hollering about the fun they would be having in about 18 hours. Medium was caught up in an energy vortex, reminding Lark very much of Valley, as she pranced about. Misty and even Sherry, to Daisy’s displeasure, were guffawing at her antics. Windy was talking to Light, whom she had briefly shared class with the year before, about her current teacher. Ms. Pearlshine was popular among students, and she hadn’t wound up there.

Lark led the way, not thinking of anything in particular. Thunder had been holding up the rear, and she saw her chance to talk to Lark alone. She increased her trot and went to join him. But as she came up, she found herself at a loss. She couldn’t think of anything to say…

Lark both noticed she had joined him, and saw she was sulking, “What’s up, Thunder? You okay?”

Her brewing resentment flew out the window and she was excited to talk with him. Beaming to herself, she opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She still had nothing to say. Eyes now downcast, she paddled along next to the pony of whom she was supposed to be a best friend.

“Thunder?”

She wasn’t ready to give up, but she could feel a lump rising in her throat. She could feel her eyes heating up; if she wasn’t careful, she might start crying in front of him. What’s wrong with me? I thought I was done with this… He said ‘no’…

“…Just a little worried about my grades. I told my parents I’d try harder. I have… but they might not think it shows.”

This wasn’t entirely a lie; she was concerned. But that wasn’t the reason her eyes were threatening to well up. Lark nodded in grave understanding.

“Really, just ask Ms. Pearlshine if you need help. I’m sure Mr. Chippy would be happy to help you, too.”

Sometimes she wondered if Lark was clueless or just dumb, “Maybe…”

Noticing just how down she was, “I know you’ve been trying harder this quarter. Ms. Pearlshine knows you have. You’ll get it.”

She knew his words were genuine, but it did nothing to quell her feelings.

“Sure… Thanks, Lark.”

With that, she slipped casually to the back of the group. She was alone again. By this time, Lark had fallen back, with Light taking the lead, and he was once again talking to Windy. His expression… she’d never seen it on him when they were together. She knew he loved their time together, but he was different with Windy. Her eyes heating up again, she looked away, focusing on the ground.

Now she really wanted to go home. And the idea of going sledding with her friends tomorrow brought her no happiness then. But she trudged on, not just because she didn’t know what else to do, or how to get out of it, but because she had generally always been an optimist. It took a lot to knock her down. But maybe this was it, though. She actually looked forward to the noise of the gymnasium, with the game and all, if only for it being loud. She could sit and just try to stay cool, maybe think less about her best colt friend… if he was that anymore.

---

The gymnasium sure was loud. The East Vanhoover colors, blue and silver, were everywhere, glistening in lights. The high school really loved their girls’ volleyball team, and with good reason: they were the city champs 3 years running and they were on course to have a solid year. They might not win in the end, but their love of the game was inspiring.

Lark hadn’t really met any high school kids. They were big. So were the middle school kids. Lark thought about it, realizing in 2 years he would be a 7^th grader. It seemed like such a far-off thing, but later in life it would seem like nothing to him. Not many, but a handful of older elementary school students, probably all 6^th graders, were watching. Other than families, they realized they were the youngest students there.

It was about 6:45 p.m. East Vanhoover was ahead. It had proved to be a hoof biter, and despite going there to just “hang out”, they found themselves excited for their school. It had been a great game so far, and Lark was very glad he went. He sat between Windy and Sherry, yelling his head off.

They were all cheering enthusiastically… save Thunder. Due to the crowding, they were stuck sitting in 3 rows. Thunder was in the back with Daisy, who was whooping with uncharacteristic abandon.

Then the crowd at once roared and groaned as Riverside scored the set’s deciding point. It had been so close. This meant each team had won 2 sets. A volleyball match is best out of 5 sets, so a tiebreaker game was necessary. A 15-minute break was called to get everything ready, and for the teams to catch a breath. Everypony had a few minutes to run out for a snack or a restroom break, but most remained glued to their seats. The final set would be something to see. Win or lose, it would be a fitting end for one of the teams, and not a bad end at that.

Other than Thunder, the foals were chatting excitedly about the match. It sure beat sitting around at home or loafing. Thunder wanted to be happy for her friends, but she just couldn’t be anything but bitter. All the noise finally started getting to her. Becoming more and more angry, she saw Windy and Lark facing one another.

She couldn’t hear a word of it, but Windy must have said something funny, as both broke down laughing. They laughed until they cried, and then faced forward. Windy leaned on Lark, and Thunder watched him snake a hoof over her shoulder, hugging her in tight. He was still shaking with mirth.

That did it. Her heart sank, and she felt hot tears begin to fall down her cheeks. A furious growl began to build in her throat.

Daisy noticed, “Thunder… Are you okay?”

With a frustrated shriek, Thunder bolted straight into the air, upsetting her neighbors and almost kicking Daisy. Medium and Misty noticed her take off. Alerting the others, Lark helped Windy down the bleachers and the rest of them followed suit.

Author's Notes:

It's hit the fan, and Thunder will have to deal with some tough realities. So will a few of the others.

I didn't want to end the chapter so abruptly, but the chapter ran long, so I divided it up. I'd rather update twice a week between 2K and 5K words than dump a large chapter weekly.

Lark and his friends have a whole lot of time left in school, so the story will go on for some time, not to mention the 2 or 3 sequels I have planned. I do have a master plan for Lark's tale. It's just some of it's been written, but there's a lot of fleshing out, particularly in his late elementary and middle school years. He was originally an older character with a more fleshed out background.

Well, thanks for reading. Look for the next chapter in a few days.

Chapter 12: Fall into Winter, Part 2

After leaving the gymnasium, Thunder had already made it past the high school cafeteria to a hallway. It wasn’t much of a hallway; it was full of chairs, stacked up close to the ceiling, not even leading to a door. She was confident nopony would find her there. It was dark and that was okay, considering what she was about to do.

Thunder sobbed. She tried to keep it quiet, but it was hard. She hated Windy, sitting there in the dark. She hated Lark. What did I do wrong? Why can’t Lark leave that crippled Pegasus alone? And she hated herself for thinking such ugly things about a filly that had been nothing but loving and kind to her… and to everypony else. Everypony loved Windy… …Why can’t I be more like her?

---

Lark wasn’t sure what to do. He knew Thunder was upset, about what, he was too young to connect the dots, but he was worried for his friend. Daisy suggested, with no malice, they not worry and have Medium or Misty call her house later. She was sure Thunder could take care of herself, and they could spend half the night looking for the skilled flyer.

While a valid point, Lark still was worried. He decided to look for her. It was cold outside, so maybe she just stayed inside. Still, Daisy, Sherry, and Misty would look outside, while everypony else would look inside. Regardless, they planned to meet back at the gym entrance in 15 minutes. Lark and a couple others suggested, without malice, that Windy just wait at the entrance. If Thunder came back, she was to try to keep her there.

Windy didn’t figure on that happening. Thunder wouldn’t want to see her. Nor did she have the slightest expectation Thunder would come back to the gym. Windy knew damn skippy why Thunder was so upset, and she wished she had dealt with it earlier. She noticed Lark, Medium, and Light took off in different directions, but none of them thought to run into the darkened cafeteria. Or what might be beyond it. She didn’t know. She’d never been to the high school and had no reason to look at a map of it.

But she did know something: she was a girl. She was a girl who spent more time than she cared to remember crying off in dark places, where nopony could bother her… or hear her.

It was as sure as anything. She had 13 or 14 minutes to get back if she was wrong. Watching her step, and not bothering to look for a light, she sought out her friend.

---

Naturally, the rest of the party had been searching fruitlessly, but they had 10 minutes before meeting up again. They were blissfully and thankfully unaware of what would happen in a couple minutes, but they would know it soon enough…

---

Thunder’s intense, but muffled sobs had subsided to hiccups and sniffling. What would she do now?

She didn’t know, but she thought soon she’d be able to calm down. Maybe she could sneak out while nopony was looking… make a beeline for home. It was plenty dark, and she hadn’t heard anypony nearby looking for her. She was sure her friends were worried, but she’d try to contact one of them, maybe Medium. There was no excuse she could think of for her flying away and her impending refusal to go on the resort trip in the morning.

By now, her eyes had adjusted to the dark. The only light she had was an exit sign across the main hallway. It was creepy back there, in that little enclave. As upset as she was, the place was scary, and she suddenly felt the urge to leave. Standing up, and moving from behind the chairs, it scared the crap out of her to come face to face with another filly.

So shocked she couldn’t even scream, Thunder yelped and backed into a stack of chairs, knocking down the entire tower.

“Whoa, whoa, Thunder! Settle down…”

It was the last pony on Earth Thunder wanted to see right then, except maybe Lark. But she was still shaken up enough she forgot her upset feelings.

“Windy! How’d you find me? You scared me.”

Thunder hadn’t heard her coming. She was tied up in her own mind. Windy had no trouble hearing Thunder sniffle, even from the cafeteria. She heard it almost as soon as she walked in. It was then Thunder realized she was still crying.

Windy, even in the darkness, didn’t need to hear Thunder crying to know how upset she was; it was plain to see, “Oh, Thunder… I’m sorry I scared you. Let me find a light switch. It’s dangerous back here.”

“No!” Thunder’s voice came sharp.

The sharpness in Thunder’s voice immediately told Windy she was over the initial shock of meeting in the darkness. This isn’t gonna be pretty, is it? Still, she tried to settle things down.

“Thunder… everypony’s worried. You should at least let them know you’re okay.”

Thunder rounded on her. That’s what you have to say to me?! Was Windy clueless, or was it just another instance of her irresistible kind-heartedness? She came about a flinch away from striking Windy, but realizing what she was doing, didn’t.

Instead, she hissed at Windy, her eyes still streaming, “I don’t want to see anypony, now… especially YOU! So leave me alone! I’m going home…”

Windy was actually afraid; she knew if Thunder decided to get physical, she stood no chance. It had looked like things might go that way, but Thunder began backing away, sniffling.

“Thunder… come back here.”

Thunder began walking faster towards the bit of light outside of the cafeteria. She wasn’t worried; she could outrun gimpy and lap her on a racetrack. So, she was surprised when she heard the disjointed trot catch up, followed by being spun around by a hoof.

“Thunder… I think we need to talk.”

Thunder didn’t mean to push her so hard, but Windy went skidding across the floor. It was a mixture of shock and anger that gave her shove power. Thunder was terribly torn over the options presented: she could run, almost certainly getting away; she could help Windy, and then run; she could stay and listen to whatever Windy had to say.

It took Windy a minute to get her footing, but she managed to stand up. Thunder expected her to cry or something, but not another plea for her to listen.

“Thunder… please…”

“No, Windy!”

Thunder went on walking. Windy’s distinctive gait could be heard as she tried to catch up. Thunder didn’t know what was stopping her from galloping away or incapacitating Windy. It only opened a window for Windy to speak.

“Thunder, please!”

Thunder’s blood was rising. But she kept on moving, Windy at her shoulder. The hallways here were lit by the school’s emergency lights.

“Thunder… Stop!”

“Leave me alone…”

“No. Stop.”

“Get away from me, Windy…”

“I’ll leave you alone when you listen to me.” At this point though, she wasn’t sure what she might say. It was beginning to look like a lost cause.

Beginning to cry again, Thunder kept moving, a little faster now. They had reached an exit. Windy knew if Thunder got outside, she would lose her.

Windy caught up, putting a hoof on Thunder’s shoulder; it wasn’t easy for her to walk on 3 legs, “Please, Thunder.”

That did it. Thunder rounded on her, shoving Windy against a locker.

“Get away from me! You broken record! Go away!”

None too gently, she sent Windy sprawling across the floor and into the opposite row of lockers. She hit with a loud clatter that would have woken up the dead. Thunder stood there, panting, looking down at Windy. Instead of rushing out the exit, something compelled her to remain.

Windy groaned, stirring on the floor, “…That really hurt…”

Thunder stood there, her spleen at its breaking point, “You…”

Windy managed to look up. The hatred in Thunder’s eyes was no small thing.

“You ruined everything… coming back after some long stay in Canterlot… Everything here was great until you showed up.”

Windy, still getting her bearings, heard this, but didn’t say anything yet.

“I was happy before you came along and took Lark from me! My best friend!”

Still trying to keep her cool, Windy began to glower up at Thunder.

“What’s Lark see in you, anyway? Just what is it you’ve got that I don’t?” her voice dripped scorn. “Some needy little Pegasus that can’t even fly anymore… You can’t even walk without him looking over your shoulder, watching your little limp.”

Windy was getting angry now, too. She had never dealt with anypony giving her such a hard time about her condition, but she was amazed she wasn’t angrier. She still knew the two of them were friends, despite how ugly this was. Windy knew Thunder was just really upset, pouring out anger. Thunder hadn’t crossed the line yet, but…

Thunder spat, showing all her pent-up frustration against the helpless Pegasus, “Why don’t you just stay away from Lark? You and your disease… Stop riding his coattails. He doesn’t need somepony like you bothering him.”

Hearing that flipped a switch in Windy’s mind, and she staggered to her hooves about as quickly as was physically possible for her. It was possible she had never felt angrier in her life… even some of the times she cursed and hated the world around her for what was happening to her body.

Letting go, and opening her mouth, Windy hollered, “And what’s your problem?! You and your dumb, easy life! Getting by with C’s and D’s. Sometimes I think you’re so stupid, I’m surprised you know what hole to stick food in!”

Thunder was so taken aback, having heard little more than demure speech and lively chatter from Windy. Windy was positively bellowing.

Windy went on, “You and your stupid little crush… Get it through your head that Lark doesn’t like you that way!”

This got Thunder’s full attention. It really hurt to hear somepony say that. And it showed. Within a few seconds, Thunder’s countenance betrayed immense hurt. She was breaking.

Windy looked with full cruelty on her object of frustration, “Is that what this whole drama is about? Some colt not liking you? You wanna know what happened to me this summer?! Some doctors, after poking and prodding me for 5 fucking months, told me I was probably gonna die by the time I was 25 or 30!”

Thunder looked aghast. She wasn’t sure what to be upset about.

Windy went on, unaware the commotion had attracted an audience in the last minute or so. She laughed humorlessly, so hard her voice cracked.

“So, don’t piss and whine at me about Lark not liking you. I’m never gonna fly again. In a few years, I might not even be able to walk. And then, by the time you go to college, if you make it into college, I’ll probably be drooling in a bed somewhere! So, fuck you! Your problems aren’t worth my time…”

Ambling up to Thunder, who was now prone under the verbal assault, Windy leaned in, “So why don’t you leave me alone, you pathetic, little horse?”

For the first time she could remember, Windy felt powerful. She wasn’t cruel by nature, but anger can turn anypony cruel. It felt… kind of good… seeing Thunder blubbering on the floor.

Windy sneered, turning to leave. Maybe she’d go out the exit, and just walk home. She didn’t care at this point and was ready to just split. Upon turning, she came face to face with Lark and their 5 companions. They looked horrified.

A sickness dawned in Windy’s stomach. How much of that did they hear? She looked specifically at Lark. He looked… it was hard to described what he looked like. What did Lark hear? What did he hear me say?!

The 6 ponies were speechless. Windy was rooted on the spot. What stirred her from her inactivity was hearing Thunder sniffle.

So Windy, going with her gut, opened the exit door and trotted as fast as she could away from the high school. Looking back, nopony was following her, but it probably wouldn’t be that way for long. She had to get away. She had to get off the school grounds. Then maybe she could escape downtown. Not looking back again, she tried to move faster.

---

It was a strange scene back by the little exit in the dimly lit hallway. Medium and Misty were trying to comfort Thunder, who was positively shaken. Light really wished he’d just gone home… he hadn’t been that interested in the game and it would have saved him the sight of that. Daisy and Sherry were trying to process what they had just witnessed. It took some doing.

And Lark, for his part, felt lost. He’d heard something about Windy saying she’d die someday, but mostly he was just shocked she unloaded on Thunder that way. How could he have been so blind? Not noticing the growing trouble among the girls? For that, he felt stupid.

But he knew he had to find Windy. Something was wrong, and not just what they had seen.

He spoke up, “Medium. Misty.”

They looked up.

“When she’s able, take Thunder home… or keep her with one of you… Everypony else, go home… The resort trip is off…”

Looking to the exit, it had been just a minute or so since Windy ran off; he could catch her, “I’m going to look for Windy.”

Before anypony else could talk, he opened the door and ran into the darkness.

---

Windy had made it to the edge of the school property, her breath already ragged. She could see the downtown area lit up, ponies out shopping or barhopping. Surely, she could disappear.

It came as no shock to hear a voice calling out to her from somewhere behind her.

“Windy… Stop!” Lark hollered.

No… Windy was close. She looked back. He was gaining on her very quickly. It was no surprise… he was one of the fastest colts in 5^th grade.

Lark was only a few lengths behind her, when they both ran into hoof-traffic, and she disappeared around a corner. By the time he was free of the crowd, he found she was nowhere to be seen once he made it that far himself.

“Windy!”

She heard him but didn’t stop. Ducking into an alleyway, she was confident she could double back and get home.

---

…

…

…

---

Snow began to fall as Lark continued searching for his friend. It had been an hour since that awful scene. It had to be 8:00 p.m. He ran, his mind racing. Windy… where are you?

He couldn’t believe he lost her. He was the 3^rd fastest runner in his class and he couldn’t catch her from behind. Thinking back, he lost her downtown. She could be anywhere. He debated whether he should just give up. It was a sure thing she’d turn up, quite ashamed of all that happened… Not that it was just her fault. But Thunder was safe with his other friends, probably warm at home, by then. Maybe he should tell Windy’s parents she was out alone somewhere… but what would he say to them? Was there a chance Windy went home?

He couldn’t answer these questions, but Lark decided he couldn’t give up. He had to try to find her. Maybe he’d look in the park.

---

Sometime later, Windy had been walking a couple hours. It was cold, but not cold enough to bother her. She was a pony, after all. Their coats existed for a reason. The hat, scarf, and booties she’d thought to wear that day were serving her well. If she wasn’t feeling so rotten, she would have been pleased with herself.

Windy didn’t go home. After a moment of thinking, she decided it wasn’t the place to be. It was the first place Lark would look, when he gave up looking downtown. She hadn’t really had a direction in mind, but something led her to the place she wound up. She entered the gate.

Arriving back at the schoolyard, specifically the elementary side, the night was very still, other than the heavy snow. The lights lit up the playground and she could see the jungle gym looming in the distant shadows. The clock on the side of the gymnasium read 9:20 p.m. The sand was still soft. It would remain so until water got in and froze. It gave way agreeably under her hooves.

She was alone. Taking off her scarf and hat, she put them aside on a bench. She looked to the sky.

It was such a beautiful night. It was a little above freezing, giving the snow a delightful feel, perfect for packing. She thought of all the snowponies foals would be putting up come morning. Tomorrow was Saturday, and they would all wake up to the first snowfall. It would look mightily impressive.

But that’s not why she was there. She remembered Thunder’s words, and that awful fight. The hurt expression on Thunder’s face… The cruel words… Lark seeing her like that… Him seeing both of them like that… She still didn’t know how she had gotten away. She knew she couldn’t outrun any of them. Either she evaded them, or they let her go. Did it matter? She hated to think of Lark and anypony else worried about her, but she had other things on her mind.

Sizing up the yard, Windy unfurled her wings. They were a little stiff, but they moved just fine. Stretching every day, she never gave up keeping her range of motion. She never would. Thinking of her wings bent up and stuck to her side, nearly immobile like some farm-raised chicken? No… never…

Thinking of her promise to her parents, to stop trying, she decided it was impossible to keep. It was the only time they had ever told her to quit trying anything. It was certainly in her best interest to stop. She hadn’t tried since right before leaving Canterlot. And it hadn’t worked then. Not at all… Still…

This is it. After this… maybe I can finally give up…

Windy trotted as fast as she could, spreading her wings, and flapping, lifted. Barely clearing the ground, she tumbled painfully into the snow. Regaining her footing, she tried again. And failed. And then again. After a few minutes, she found herself crying. And then screaming. She tried flying until she was barely able to stand.

“Stupid wings! Work! Work! Fly…”

Still, she tried. And she couldn’t fly. Again, and again… Was this really it?

She stood there, knees knocking, trying to stop her weeping. It was now cold enough that her tears were freezing on her muzzle. You can’t give up, Windy. Just one more time. You have to fly one more time.

She looked up to Heaven, “Please… let me fly one more time…”

Windy steadied herself and took a deep breath. She began by walking, then trotting, breaking into a 3-legged gallop. She had learned some time ago she could move much faster if she tucked her left back leg. This could work. Spreading her wings, she began to flap. Running as fast as she had in a couple years, she tried to take off.

Her left wing locked up, and she skidded to the ground. She was fortunate to not have broken her wing.

This time she couldn’t stand up. She lay there, on her left side, feeling completely broken. She wept silently. She was so tired… Maybe she’d just lie there… and never get up again. She didn’t even hear her friend approaching.

“Windy!” Lark stood a short distance away, panting.

She lifted her head, just enough to see him out of the corner of her eye and dropped her head back down.

Looking around the brightly lit schoolyard, he saw the sandy snow. He saw the skids, the divots, and the indentations. It was obvious what she had been trying to do.

He ran up to her, “Windy!”

Too tired to move much, she resigned herself to his hooves. He cradled her. She seemed so small… He felt his heart sink. In her eyes, he saw a defeat he hadn’t seen since he was 4 or 5. It’s how his dad looked after his mom died. It unnerved him. He couldn’t even bring himself to be angry with her.

“Windy,” he croaked, “Why? Why’d you do this? You could have really hurt yourself.”

He set to checking her out. She was in rough shape, but otherwise unhurt.

“…I… …fly…”

He looked down at her. Her eyes were welling up.

“Windy?”

“Lark… I had to try. I just wanted to fly… one more time… But… I can’t… It’s the end… And I think now… I can give up…”

At this, she broke down completely, clinging to him. All he could think to do was hold her. Choking up, it was maybe all he could do.

The snow fell heavier now, quickly covering up any traces of her last attempt at flight.

Author's Notes:

Maybe you didn't expect the story to take a turn like this so quickly, but Lark and Windy's story is far from over. There's plenty more to come.

Some friendships will be patched up, and some things will need to be accepted, but things will go on. Winter will become Spring, bringing with it new hope.

But Lark and his friends still have a lot of Winter fun ahead of them. It's a magical time and they will make the most of it as foals.

Thanks much for reading. I really hope everyone reading has enjoyed the story. Look forward to the next chapter. I'll try to have it out in 3 or 4 days.

Chapter 13: Winter Break and the Sledding Trip

It had been a month since that awful night in the high school, and at the playground, where so many hurt feelings were felt. Hearth’s Warming was a couple days away, and the grade school ponies had a week off, until after the new year began.

One may think there may have been no going back from all that. It happened though. It was hard, but not impossible.

---

Lark was glad he went looking for Windy. If she’d fainted out on the playground by herself, with nopony to find her, she may not have been found until somepony stumbled over her frozen body. She would have slept through her own death.

Lark was horribly torn over what to do once he was with her. He considered taking her to his aunt and uncle’s place, to let her rest and calm down, letting her parents know in as little detail as possible, what happened. But deciding his aunt, uncle, and sisters didn’t need that, he brought her to her parents.

Mr. and Mrs. Meadow weren’t exactly happy with what happened but knew their daughter had been struggling with finally getting some things out of her system. Windy had things on her mind, constantly, that other ponies never really faced. They couldn’t really be angry with her but were concerned. Lark told them as little as possible, saying she’d had a nasty argument with one of their friends. They didn’t ask too many questions, thankfully.

Still, they were very thankful Lark went looking for her and that she was safe. After politely refusing their hospitality, he phoned his aunt and uncle, letting them know he was on his way home. They hadn’t even been remotely concerned. They knew he was out with friends. He decided to tell them what happened at home, and not over the phone.

Not really knowing what would happen after, he went home, trying not to think of having to deal with the aftermath… whenever it happened. Upon reaching home, he told them what he had to. They were unhappy for Lark, seeing his fun weekend go out the window. He’d just try to relax. He might get together with a few of his friends, other than Windy and Thunder, who needed to cool off.

Before it got too late, Lark called Misty. She told him Medium was staying with Thunder that night, and that everypony else was home safe. He let her know Windy was safe, not telling her everything. They agreed to meet for brunch the next day and she would invite a couple others.

---

Sleeping better than expected, considering what happened the night before, Lark met Misty at the usual café. Medium was still with Thunder, having brought her stuff to camp out a few days. It was a 3-day weekend for them, so it could be expected they’d see neither Thunder or Medium until Tuesday. Lark had no idea when Windy might rise out of her funk.

Daisy and Sherry joined the pair. Light was sleeping in. After the drama, and the declaration the trip was off, he’d decided just to hole up a few days and do whatever it was Light did in his own time. Lark couldn’t blame him. He’d just come to know a lot of them and would probably shy away a bit after the fireworks the previous night had displayed.

Lark was really hungry, so he ordered a large skillet with everything: pancakes, eggs, hash browns, cheese… The girls made their orders, and they all had hot cocoas.

Misty fiddled with her cup, “So… how’s Windy?”

They all knew both Windy and Thunder were at fault, so they somehow managed to not take sides.

Lark sighed, saying as little as he could, “I got her back to her parents. She’ll be fine… I found her trying to fly at the playground and took her home.”

He didn’t need to explain the gravity; they understood how upset Windy was.

Misty changed topics, “I think… Thunder will be okay, too… She just needs a few days to calm down… I just hope she and Windy can get through this.”

Lark wasn’t exactly optimistic about them making up. That had ugly. And everypony knew the girls were fighting over him, or at least his time. It was no secret Thunder had still liked him, at least not to the ponies around Lark. He felt so dumb for not seeing it. He really thought their talk at his aunt and uncle’s place, back when he couldn’t even stand moonlight for his epic concussion, was the end of things. He thought they could just go on being friends… best friends… Oh, boy… Now he began to see part of the reason Thunder was so upset.

It was only a few minutes until their chow came, so Lark dug in, burying his frustration in food. The girls looked on with some disgust. The way Lark and Windy could out-eat the rest of their friends put together wasn’t the nicest thing to watch.

Daisy wasn’t one to just let things lie, but instead of griping Lark about his eating habits, “You have been spending a lot of time with Windy, Lark. I’m sure a lot of the reason Thunder’s so upset is the two of you were pretty much besties until you met Windy. I think you need to let her know she’s still your friend…”

Lark already knew this; he'd just been thinking on it. It brought him no joy to hear it from Daisy, but she was right. Sherry, he knew, agreed, even though she was trying to shrink away from the conflict. And he knew how Misty felt about all this.

“…I know you’re all right. I just… don’t know how to deal with things, now.”

The girls gawped. What a stupid thing to say.

Misty sat up, working on her own plate, “It’s not that hard, Lark… I’m pretty sure Thunder’s realized she’s been friend-zoned, so just spend a little time with her.”

Lark found that easier said than done. How do you stay friends after a love rejection? Did he really need to reexamine things? Should he spend less time with Windy? He was loathe to admit it, but Windy was now his best friend. As much as Thunder meant to him, she seemed like just a friend, now. Windy was special.

Sherry, looking contemplative, surprised the group by speaking up, “Lark? Do you… have a thing for Windy?”

Lark had realized just a day or so after meeting Windy, that he didn’t exactly have a crush on her… It was something else entirely. She was his best filly friend, but she wasn’t his fillyfriend.

Still, Sherry’s question had him choking on half a pancake. Struggling, he grabbed a glass of water closest to him, Misty’s as it turned out, and sucked it down, clearing his throat.

“What?”

Sherry asked again, “Well… do you have a thing for Windy? You… really seem to like her.”

It was hard to put into words just what Windy was to him. What was it about the little, doe-eyed Pegasus he was so nuts about? The girls looked intently, Misty and Daisy impressed with Sherry’s nerve.

“Girls… I don’t know… Windy… She’s my best friend. It’s not a crush, but… there’s just something about her…”

To the girls, Lark’s face was unreadable. But there was something going on. He had on an expression that could be described as… whimsical. It was weirder than shit.

Misty decided for the group they’d had enough weirdness out of Lark; a little went a long way with him, “Well… I know everypony’s still upset… worried… but I think we just need to go do something fun. It’s not like it’s the end of the world or anything. Our friends just had a fight. We can’t just sit and worry…”

These were wise words, and the others agreed.

They’d just finished brunch, around 11:30 a.m., and had a whole day ahead of them. Of all the things going on, there was a strings recital at the university at 2:00 p.m., so they took the bus there. Lark hadn’t known Daisy played in the elementary school orchestra. She was first viola and had suggested they go there.

Lark was not glad to be without them, but he realized if Thunder and/or Light were there, both of them probably would have scoffed at the idea. Medium wouldn’t have been keen on the idea. Windy would have loved it, but those there were open to the idea too.

Seeing college students and faculty play so exceptionally, Lark fleetingly wished he’d practice his mom’s violin more. Was he good enough to play in the elementary school orchestra? Maybe… but it didn’t interest him, and he mostly contented himself working through her old sheet music.

The girls certainly enjoyed the show. Sherry had never been to a recital. Afterwards, they got milkshakes from the hayburger shack near campus. Deciding to call it a day, they would relax and do whatever the rest of the weekend brought each of them. They would continue to give Windy and Thunder space, but Misty would keep in contact with Medium. Lark had half a mind to call up Windy’s parents but couldn’t decide what to do. So he decided not to worry too much.

The quartet of friends parted ways, to see each other again Tuesday.

---

That was a month ago. Lark was happy to say Windy and Thunder had since made up. He needn’t have worried as much as he did. Both fillies felt very foolish about the way they acted. Windy hit a milestone, which helped put things into perspective. Thunder hit one as well, and while less distressing, it humbled her.

They’d avoided each other for a week or so, with their friends trying to balance their time between them. Both girls were beyond accusing the other foals of taking sides. They knew how badly they’d screwed up. Lark tried to stay out of it. It was a girl thing and he was glad to let Misty deal with it.

Misty, using her rather blunt method of getting other ponies to communicate, sent Windy and Thunder on a walk. And it worked. There wasn’t much crying, or vows of eternal friendship, but they agreed to be better to each other. Each knew how sorry the other was.

It was slow, and they were lukewarm to one another for a couple weeks, but by the time Hearth’s Warming was upon them, they were fine. Things wouldn’t be the same, but at least they had understanding and could be friends again. Forgiveness is hard…

With school out until the new year, many a foal was excited for Hearth’s Warming. But it being Saturday, they had a few days to wait. Lark was walking around with Pine and Light downtown. Each of them had a little shopping to do and thought they’d get it over with so they could concentrate on other things.

It being the weekend, the ski resorts were slam packed. As a group, they’d wound up putting off their sledding trip, but they were going Tuesday. Everypony in Lark’s circle was going: Windy, Thunder, Medium, Misty, Light, Daisy, and Sherry. Pine had been invited, as he and Lark had become much better friends than before, but he and his family were traveling to Canterlot to be with family.

Hearth’s Warming Eve was Wednesday, so it might have been a close call for everypony, but the rest would be going, all staying local for the holiday. Tuesday would be a good day to go; the resorts were closed Hearth’s Warming Eve and Day, but the dates the resorts were least busy (unless on a weekend) occurred the eve of Hearth’s Warming Eve. The resorts saw about 15% of the activity they would on a weekend and about 45% of what they might see on a normal weekday.

This translated to less time riding the ski lifts, less ponies to watch for, and more chances to ride down the hills. Lark, Pine, and Medium had dragged the toboggan Lark found to one of the few hills in town. Having greased it up, they found it roared down the hill at a frightening pace. The toboggan could hold 5 or 6 of them, so it would be positively dangerous up in the mountains… they couldn’t wait.

Lark, knowing his aunt and uncle didn’t really need anything, got them a large box of liquor-infused chocolates. His sisters hated these, and he wasn’t a fan himself, so his aunt and uncle could have them all. He knew they loved chocolate but tried to keep it out of the house as they tended to quaff sweets when available.

He got his sisters an astronomy book to share. Copper would probably appreciate it more, but Valley was surprisingly knowledgeable on the subject. For his friends, he planned to bake a lot of butterscotch cookies. It was a recipe his mom had, and it was one of the best things he’d tasted in his life. His aunt and uncle loved the recipe. It was easy and all the little foals running around their house enjoyed them with high passion. He would bring a batch to share with his friends on the trip and give them each a full batch on the Eve.

Light and Pine had finished shopping, so the colts decided to go pony-watching at the downtown ice rink. Light and Pine were at the age where girls stopped being gross and they stood slack jawed at the high school mares (they looked mare enough) dancing on the ice.

Lark enjoyed himself too, but he’d never gone through any phase he thought girls were gross. He’d always loved them. It might have just been his experience having sisters, but he didn’t care to think about why. His colt friends sometimes ginked him for his apparent lack of excitement when it came to watching girls, but it was nothing new to him. Plus… he had more filly friends than any other colt he’d ever known.

Soon bored with gawking at girls years beyond their experience, Pine led them away to get a soda somewhere. Having a few root beers, the boys split ways. They wished Pine a good trip and Lark would see Light Tuesday morning at the school to hop the shuttle bus out to the resort.

---

Lark spent some of Sunday at the Meadows’. Mr. Meadow had built a greenhouse off the south side of the house and showed Lark a few things he’d been working on. The greenhouse was primarily to grow plants from seed so they could be transplanted in the spring to Windy’s garden and to keep a few of their sun loving houseplants.

The other reason was for Mr. Meadow’s hot pepper breeding. In his years traveling, he’d gathered the hottest peppers he could find. Another of his harvests was ready and as usual, he had hundreds of the things. Too hot to really enjoy or give as gifts, he saved a lot of seed after testing the qualities of the peppers. A goal of his was to grow this into a business.

A stupid thing Mr. Meadow did with the peppers was spread them among his circle of friends, seeing who could take the heat the best. Lark knew the peppers to be hot, but he ate a few anyway, just for the experience. It was hot. Mr. Meadow laughed at the colt, he himself in tears for the heat of eating some himself. Mrs. Meadow tutted them and gave them each a large bowl of ice cream.

Lark, lips still burning, sat upstairs with Windy in her room. He found it rather plain for a filly’s room, but she had it the way she liked. Lark knew how important family was to the Meadow family: Windy’s room and the rest of the house were full of pictures of the places they’d been, but mostly family. Windy had never been one to play with dolls and she found stuffed animals to be “sad and creepy” so she mostly had books. She also had a classic music collection.

One of her few hobbies, she collected records, mostly classical. She had an ancient turntable in the corner and the two of them sometimes listened to recordings he himself had sheet music of. Windy didn’t play any instruments, she found her fine motor skills lacking, but enjoyed reading scores. Now, the turntable was playing a poignant piano arrangement. It was a piece he didn’t have himself, but one his mom had played on the violin from memory.

It was one of the things he really remembered about her. Almost every day, he heard it. It didn’t bring tears… but it was special to him. At times, he wished he had the sheet music for it. But every time he had a chance to buy it- once, he could have had it for free- he never got it. Something about it… scared him… like it would open up some wound in him.

Windy noticed his melancholy, “You okay, Lark? Is it the ballade?”

Not really off in his own world, “Yeah… it was Mom’s favorite piece. I sometimes feel a little sad when I hear it…”

She paddled over to the player, “Oh, if you’d like to listen to something else-”

Sitting up straight, he quickly said, “No. Please leave it on.”

Hesitating, she relented, “Could I… start it over? I’ve never really listened that closely to it.”

They were only a few minutes in, so he nodded. She did so.

She sat next to him and listened intently. She’d listened to the piece a hundred times, she figured, but… it was… so lonely. Wanting to say, how could anypony love this so much? she decided to sit and wait. It was… mesmerizing. There was no better word to describe it. She noticed a sniffle out of Lark. Just a little one, but it happened.

She leaned on him, still listening. The piece climbed in and out of melancholy. Lark snaked a hoof over her shoulders and they listened to the happy crescendo. Of course, the piece didn’t end happily. It faded away into desolation. And ended somberly.

Windy was wowed, “Wow… I guess I can see how somepony could love that so much.”

Lark blinked a couple times, “Yeah...”

Shaken from their concentration, Mrs. Meadow called from downstairs, “Windy, Lark! Cake’s ready.”

Lark was ready for something happier than the ballade, so he helped Windy off her bed and went downstairs.

Bidding the Meadow family goodbye, later, Windy would meet Lark and their friends on Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. at the shuttle bus. That night, a large dump of snow fell on the whole of Northwest Equestria.

---

The fresh dump of snow had been dealt with harshly on Monday at Lark’s aunt and uncle’s. He was even more excited now. That day would be busy, so the skiers and sledders would “break in” the snow for them tomorrow. They would have some good sledding Tuesday. He’d slept like a rock Monday night and was thankful not to wake up sore.

About 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Lark whooped and hollered as he grabbed the toboggan and pulled it in a healthy trot to the school. He didn’t like leaving his sisters, but this was a trip for him, being old enough to go alone with his friends. He knew his aunt and uncle planned to take them another time.

It was a beautiful day. It was just below freezing, and the day would be mostly sunny. He’d donned his “concussion” glasses for the day. He hadn’t realized how cool the polarization made things. Other than his coin purse and student I.D., tucked deep in his jacket, he only carried with him the batch of cookies to share with his 7 friends.

Upon arriving at school, he found he was the fourth to arrive. Thunder, Daisy, and Light beat him there. They greeted each other excitedly. Next, Windy came with Misty. Windy’s was on Misty’s way, so she made sure Windy would get there alright. As the shuttle bus was pulling up, Medium and Sherry came galloping from opposite directions; they weren’t late, just excited. They all stood in their little snow boots, coats, and hats, chattering up a storm.

Only about 10 other ponies were waiting. They were all families, none of the foals known to Lark and his friends. Once the bus opened, everypony’s gear was stowed and they made the schlep out to the Juniper Hill Ski Resort.

Approaching the mountains, the foals became even more excited. The slopes glistened, and they could already see a few skiers barreling down the hills. Lark’s opinion about skiing and compound fractures hadn’t changed, so he would stick to the toboggan and maybe a little tubing. Thunder and Sherry were actually accomplished skiers, so they brought their own gear. Thunder intended to talk Medium into trying it, but it was a stretch.

Upon parking, the bus dumped them and their stuff off, to go back down to the city for the dozen or so ponies that would probably be waiting. It was a slow day… even slower than Lark had heard or anticipated. All the better for them. They paid the 15 bits each and split up. The girls skiing wanted to get a few runs in, so they wouldn’t be tired later. Tubing and sledding took a lot less energy. The rest rode a different ski lift for the sledding hill.

Deciding to “test the waters” before going the full distance on the toboggan, they stopped at the middle of the line. Looking down the slope, they could still see the city of Vanhoover shining in the sunlight; they could even see the port, ships coming and going in the far distance… It was a sight to behold. Lark couldn’t wait for Summer, as much as he enjoyed Winter. There was a whole other list of things to do, and he’d do them all with his friends.

As Lark figured, 6 foals could fit on the long toboggan comfortably.

Misty looked down the hill nervously, “So… who’s steering?”

Lark figured he would, but was open to anypony else, “I’ll go first. Light, you’re heavier than the girls, so sit on the back. Everypony else, just get in line behind me.”

Even halfway up the slope, it was a full ¼ mile to the bottom. It was a serious sledding hill. But it was sparse for admission, so they had range of the hill. Once everypony was situated, Light slowly pushed them to the edge. Other than Misty, who was a little scared, the rest of them were raring to go. Windy, sitting third on the sled behind Daisy, was cheering.

Lark adjusted his sunglasses and held the ropes, “Okay, Light! Nice and easy over the edge. Make sure you can get on.”

“Got it Lark,” Light pushed until gravity took over, and jumped on behind Medium.

Misty was whimpering, for which Medium was giving her guff. Lark tried to look ahead, and it seemed smooth sailing, which was what they did. The greased bottom went gliding over the packed snow.

While Misty screamed, the rest of them in back screamed with a smaller degree of fear. What a rush! Lark had no idea how fast they were going, but they were barreling. He could hear Light and the girls laughing behind him. Glancing back, everypony looked positively buoyant, other than Misty. Lark hardly made a peep. Not really one for loud shows of emotion, unless he was angry, he let the air rush through him, feeling the toboggan jostle underneath them. This was working better than he had hoped.

It worked a little too well. Lark hadn’t even thought to install any kind of braking system, so when they reached the bottom, they didn’t lose much speed. It wasn’t crowded, but there were still a bunch of ponies at the bottom.

Lark was yelling as loudly as he could, “Out of the way! Sorry! Coming through.”

His party was a little less enthusiastic now, as they almost made it to the parking lot. Lark steered them into a patch of deeper snow, which finally stopped them. His hooves hurt from holding on so tight. He sighed and looked back. His friends looked a little spent but smiles soon tugged at their lips.

“Whoo-hoo! That was awesome!”

“Why didn’t you install a brake, Lark? That was nuts!”

Misty staggered off the sled, looking positively grateful to stop, “Oh, that was so scary!”

Medium roughed up her friend, “You did it, Mist! I told you it wouldn’t be that bad!”

Windy moved to Lark and hugged him, “Oh, thank you for taking me along! That was so much fun!”

Light shook a little, “That was… something, Lark!”

Lark looked back, Windy hanging on him, “Sure was…”

A dangerous light came into Light’s eyes, “Hey… anypony want to try the full length?”

Misty’s jaw dropped, “Are you crazy?! We could die!”

Lark hadn’t thought much about it, figuring that was enough excitement, riding half the hill, “Hell, yeah, let’s do it! You want to steer, Light?”

“Yes! I promise I won’t get us killed.”

Other than Misty and Daisy, the party laughed.

Daisy said, “Is that really a good idea?”

Misty agreed; both were genuinely concerned, “Yeah… it could be dangerous.”

Windy spoke up, “I want to go.”

That’s all Lark and Light needed. They grinned at each other like hyenas, ribbing each other in their laughter.

Medium rubbed her hooves together, and said, “Well, I’ll go too.”

Misty and Daisy refused to go. But they had watches and agreed at a time to meet back at the bottom. The girls still wanted to see what would happen. They planned to get a couple hot cocoas and would watch for their friends at the bottom.

So, Lark and his brave companions rode all the way to the top. The view shamed the earlier one. They could see the ocean disappearing into the distance, their city gleaming in the late morning light. It was something to behold. Wasting little time, Lark explained how to steer and hoped for the best.

With Light steering and Medium behind him, Lark took anchor behind Windy. The fillies held on for dear life and Lark settled in. He’d thought to install a few hoofholds closer to the back, to keep everypony’s flanks on the toboggan.

Lark called up, “Everypony ready?”

They apprehensively murmured their ascent and Lark hoofed them to the edge. He didn’t even bother giving them a running push; they didn’t need it…

This was a scary ride… Thrilling, but a little terrifying. Lark looked ahead nervously. There were a lot more tubers on the hill now. Thankfully, Light steered around them fine as they sped past them at some untold speed.

“Lark…! You’re crushing me!”

And he was, “Sorry, Windy!”

But she just laughed at him, cheering louder than the rest.

Hitting the bottom with even more speed, Light called back, “Just gonna use a little magic to slow us down.”

He did, and they glided to a nice, controlled stop.

Lark staggered off, “Good driving, Light…”

“Thanks, pal,” he gasped back.

Windy and Medium were hugging and squealing, “That was awesome!”

At this point, Misty and Daisy galloped up, with Thunder and Sherry in tow.

Thunder gawked, “That. Was. So. Cool! Misty told us what you were doing. We had to see it.”

Sherry looked at the toboggan, “Lark… Could… Thunder and I go next?”

Lark didn’t mind, “Sure. Plenty of room.”

To the surprise of everypony, Misty spoke up, “Uh… Could I go?”

Everypony did a take, and as if this wasn’t surprising enough, Daisy put up a hoof, shyly, “…Me too?”

Lark looked to Light, “What do you say, Light? We can wait down here… Girls’ run?”

Light crossed his hooves with a smile, “Could be fun… Sure!”

The fillies squealed, jumping about. Medium would steer. She had the magic after all, if they had any trouble. As they had for the previous run, they decided a time for launch. Lark and Light watched Thunder and Sherry’s ski equipment and got a snack.

Once the time came, they eagerly waited. They could see the speck that was the toboggan with the fillies, but they could already hear Misty screaming before they could make much else out.

Medium was skillfully weaving around, and Light was sure she was using magic… Might have been helpful. As the girls came close enough to make out, they could see Medium in front, with Thunder taking anchor, whooping and hollering. Hitting the bottom, the girls sped by like a rainbow missing a few colors, catcalling the colts.

Gliding to a stop, they disembarked. Misty looked a little used up, but she had an eager air about her.

“Again…”

The company cracked up, but it was time for lunch. Splitting a few pizzas and appetizers, they had thoroughly enjoyed the day so far. They spent the rest of the day taking turns on the toboggan while the others rode tubes. Thunder and Sherry tuckered out early, so they stowed their gear and went tubing. Much to her happiness, and that of everypony else, Windy lasted the whole day.

---

As the bus took them back to Vanhoover, a few of the girls and Light were snoozing where they sat. Windy had fallen asleep on Lark’s shoulder. She looked so cute sitting there. Across from them, Thunder and Daisy were awake. Daisy sat contentedly, staring out the window, but Thunder looked at Lark. They exchanged a little smile, before Thunder settled in for a few minutes of shuteye.

Lark sat, tired, but happy. This had been one of the best days he could remember. He was sore now… The tubes had bucked and sent them bouncing down the hill a couple times. Still… what a day.

The next day was Hearth’s Warming Eve. Medium’s parents, it turned out, were throwing a big party. And Medium’s friends were invited. This would be some fun. He just hoped Thunder didn’t try to get him under the mistletoe or anything. She was truly over him but loved giving him a hard time about things. If it wasn’t so funny, he probably wouldn’t tolerate it.

But Windy would be there, too. Not that Lark had any ideas. There would be enough mischief going on, anyway. Medium, it appeared, had gotten the idea in her head that Light and Daisy made a good item. He’d heard her talking it over with Misty. Misty of course, looked ready to strangle her creamy-coated bosom buddy. Hadn’t she caused enough trouble the last time she played matchmaker? But Lark chuckled at the idea. It would be interesting to see what the next day would hold.

Author's Notes:

Hope the "fast make-up" between Windy and Thunder wasn't too lame. Sometimes when both parties screw up that badly, common ground is more quickly found. It's been that way in my experience, anyway. I could have written a couple chapters about whatever conversation the girls had, but I didn't want to.

This chapter ran longer than I planned, but it was too much "fluff" to merit making separate chapters. Not every chapter has some big punchline, and this one was mostly for fun.

Next time, Medium Waltz may or may not get up to some cliched holiday mistletoe mischief, with her friends gathered together. The next chapter, at least planned, will bring the foals into the new year and back to school.

Look for Chapter 15 in about a week. Thanks for reading

Chapter 14: Hearth’s Warming and the New Year

Lark found out the main reason his circle of friends had been invited was because most of their parents were invited. The Waltz household was absolutely packed Hearth’s Warming Eve. The tables were full of food. There was… a full keg of beer and another on reserve… in addition to an open liquor cabinet. Lark was glad they had walked.

Lark was glad his aunt and uncle had made friends with the parents of his classmates, but it seemed his aunt and uncle knew more about his shenanigans than he wished. Their families talked.

Valley and Copper weren’t there. In fact, it didn’t seem any foals under their age were there… or any older. It was just Lark’s circle and a couple other students he knew of, but didn’t really know, from Windy’s class. A few of his friends had older siblings but they were off at their own parties.

Misty’s parents had a foalsitter for her four little sisters, and most unusually, Ms. Pearlshine was watching Valley and Copper. Lark heard from more than just a couple ponies, reliable sources or not, he didn’t know, that Ms. Breeze Pearlshine was a mess at parties in her younger days.

Every bad drinking story he’d heard from older ponies seemed to include her doing something outrageous. He was torn between wanting to see this and not wanting to see. Whatever the case, she’d been invited but politely declined. It might have been a sight, but probably a sight her students needn’t see.

Lark was unconcerned about his aunt and uncle. They drank little and just didn’t seem to enjoy it that much. Windy’s parents were there and one of the first things he learned about them was they were teetotalers. He shouldn’t have judged, but he figured a globetrotting, “beatnik” geologist and a “model” chemist with a flair for looking wild would imbibe.

Briefly introduced to his friends’ parents he hadn’t met, Lark and the foals were shepherded downstairs to be left to their own devices. Their parents had adult things to attend to. But there was plenty of good chow and drink downstairs.

Hoofing a root beer and snapping off the cap, Lark looked around. Other than Windy, Medium, Thunder, Misty, Daisy, Light, and Sherry, there were a couple other foals. One of them, Cypress Cork, “Cy” to his friends, was a longtime pal of Light. Lark didn’t know him well, but knew he was something of a class clown, using his unicorn horn to its full advantage. The other colt he’d never met but had seen him. He was an old Pegasus friend of Medium, named Dust Devil. Despite his name and fiery mess of a mane, Lark quickly came to realize he was about the nicest colt he’d ever meet. Dust and Medium were in class together since kindergarten and this was their first year apart.

Medium’s parents had an interesting basement. They obviously liked to entertain, with a billiards table, a ping pong table, and a pinball machine. They also had a full bar setup downstairs, all its contents locked up or upstairs, that was solid oak. The stereo was tuned in to a local station playing Hearth’s Warming Eve tunes, droning in the background.

Lark had played billiards a few times and he wound up playing on a team with Light against Cy and Misty. Thunder and Sherry held a game of ping pong while Daisy watched. Everypony else sat around and chatted. The pinball machine was on the fritz, so there was no playing it. Lark didn’t think this a bad way to spend an afternoon.

After losing to Cy and Misty (Misty having lots of experience on the table in question), Lark went for another drink. He looked around, not having thought of Medium for a while. He espied her grinning deviously near the bar… As he guessed she might try, she had a sprig of mistletoe. He thought to himself, at once amused and worried, What’s her game?

As he went on, talking with his friends, he noticed just what she might be up to: it appeared she was strategically sticking it to different places in the rafters. Her idea must have been to get Light and Daisy under it at some point… But would she announce it to the group or trust somepony would notice it and give into the old tradition. As he had on the way back from the resort trip, he worried Thunder might try to mess around with him; it was her way. But that was if anypony even noticed.

Misty probably did. Maybe he’d talk to her. Then again, as far as he knew, neither Medium nor Misty knew he overheard talk of “playing matchmaker” back at the resort. Deciding to not worry about it, he’d watch out for it himself, as not to get stuck underneath it with anypony. Still, he thought he might share the ploy with somepony.

“Windy… do you see what Medium’s up to?”

Sitting on a sofa, snacking on the veggie tray, she smirked, “You noticed too? Yeah… I wonder if she’s gonna blurt it out when she had what she wants or trust somepony to notice?”

Lark chuckled, “I was thinking the same thing… Do you think Misty notices? She’s had an eye out for Medium’s schemes lately.”

“Maybe,” she mused. “Until you said something, I was just gonna watch out for the trick and see what might happen.”

Sometimes they did think alike. They sat, trying to hide their amusement and knowledge. Around this time, Thunder and Sherry, both terrible at ping pong, gave up the game. Now that everypony was standing around, Thunder considered the room.

“So… what should we do next?”

Medium, as if she had been waiting for an opportunity to do something other than being creepy, “Since we’re all here, let’s play… truth or dare.”

This got Lark’s attention. He’d never played the game but knew what it entailed. Looking around the room, nopony looked at odds with the idea. In fact, he noticed some most dubious expressions on a couple of the girls… Oh, boy.

The only one to fret, though still eager to play, was Sherry, “My parents said they didn’t want me playing that game, but… whatever. Let’s play!”

There was a murmur of ascent, and a few nasty chuckles around the room.

Misty, predictably, wanted to set up a few rules, “Fine, but I name the rules.”

Medium conceded, “Sure. We know you’re fair. Let’s hear.”

The rules were as follows: they would spin a bottle to see who went first. There were 10 foals there and everypony had to be asked a question before being asked a second question. Nothing really crazy was allowed. This was especially true in dares. Nothing dangerous that would really compromise anypony… Questions of truth were to be kept within reason, but that was more a courtesy than a requirement.

They sat in a circle, Lark next to Windy. Daisy took up on his other side and Misty was directly across from him. Lark had just finished yet another root beer, so he supplied the bottle.

Medium took center, setting down the bottle, “Okay. I’m going to use magic to spin the bottle around. Then I’ll let it go and it lands where it lands… I won’t mess with it after the spin. That goes for Light and Cy… No messing around with magic.”

She sat down and spun the bottle. It went round and round, stopping on Daisy. Taking on the giddy demeanor they occasionally saw in her, she giggled and stared about the room. Lark really wished she’d lighten up like this more often. It was nice to see.

“Misty… truth or dare?”

All eyes turned to Misty. Lark hadn’t played, but he heard one wasn’t supposed to ask for a dare for a while. He figured she’d ask for a 'truth'.

And she did, “Truth.”

Lark never knew Daisy to be of lascivious or otherwise devious nature, but he’d be learning an awful lot of things about his friends on that day…

Daisy rubbed her hooves together, “Okay… What would you do if you were a colt for a day?”

This wasn’t the kind of question they’d expected from her, but as Lark would, everypony would see things in a different light soon enough.

Misty hoofed her mouth, thinking, the rest eager, “Hmm… I’d try to pee my name in the snow.”

The room rocked with laughter. Misty didn’t blush often, but she was now. She even got a few hoofs on the back. But now it was her turn.

“Medium… truth or dare?”

Medium did a take. Misty was up to something… She could tell. The rest noticed Medium looked a little worried.

Misty pressed, the ghost of a smile on her lips, “Medium?”

Medium thought this might be a losing proposition either way, but, “Truth.”

Misty didn’t look disappointed, “What’s the most childish thing you still do?”

Medium again did a take. That’s it? She was worried her “little plan” would be exposed… or something else that she couldn’t quite put her hoof on, but was worried about. As for the rest of the room, this was a good question, ripe for a good answer.

“Well… I… like to sleep with a nightlight…” Medium mumbled.

The room, at least a couple of foals, groaned. That wasn’t that unusual. A few of them did that.

Medium gawked, then laughed, “Seriously? I thought you’d all call me a baby or something! I suppose it’s not that bad… So, uh… Lark! Truth or dare?”

Taking the “safe” way, “Truth.”

Medium looked positively elated, “What’s the grossest thing that’s ever come out of your body?”

The group cringed. What kind of question was that? What was Medium thinking?

Lark had expected something worse. There were so many things to ask and she goes for something gross? Still, this wasn’t a big deal.

“Once when I was really young, I ate about 10 bits. It was pretty gross when it came out again…”

They all cringed, Windy hooting with laughter next to him. Lark hadn’t been embarrassed, but hearing her laugh… he felt a little heat creep into his face. Regardless, Lark felt he got off easy. Back to the game… He was curious about Sherry.

“Sherry… truth or dare?”

Sherry squeaked, sitting bolt upright with a tint of red on her cheeks. Lark still thought it funny. She was the tallest foal in 5^th grade, the fastest runner in class, and full of vigor. But she was truly a shy filly. Lark had nothing mean in mind. He just wanted to have fun.

Sherry did the unexpected, “Uh… dare?”

And it was unexpected. Hadn’t she heard the unspoken rule? Never go with a dare on your first question! Still, she had never played, so nopony thought much of it. And they knew Lark wouldn’t be mean.

Lark found himself glad he was the one giving her a dare; he wasn’t so sure some of the fillies in the room would be so kind, “I dare you… to attempt to do a magic trick.”

Sherry looked relieved, even giving Lark a thankful look. For all the times he said it was okay and that he didn’t hold it against her, she was still in a way convinced he hated her for the concussion. Lark wished she’d stop feeling that way… Perhaps choosing her for the question had sent the wrong message…

However skilled Sherry was at running, jumping, and other things, she wasn’t very good with her hooves. She had a clumsiness other foals found… endearing. Other than her shyness, it was one of her few “faults”. Medium supplied her with a deck of cards she found behind the bar, upon Sherry’s request. Sherry also donned a bathrobe Medium found in the bathroom.

Sherry, managing to balance on her back legs and blushing a little, cleared her throat and spread her hooves, “Today, the Magical Sherry will…”

Nopony would know what she would do. All the cards spilled out of one of the sleeves, floating across the floor.

“Whoops…”

Everypony laughed, while Sherry grinned shyly, “Ta-da.”

It took a couple minutes to clean up the cards, so everypony had a few minutes to freshen up their drinks and snacks.

The game went on, with little offense, and soon everypony had made it through two turns. Things were getting a little more… interesting.

As it turns out, Thunder was terrified of bugs. Those close to her knew, but Lark sure didn’t. Windy once broke an antique vase and lied about it. Dust had this weird crush on his cousin when they were little foals, but that isn’t that odd… Daisy farted loudly when she met Princess Celestia; she was surprised, and it slipped out.

As the game entered its third round, Lark continued to monitor Medium’s little game. The mistletoe hadn’t moved in a while, but he was sure she was still up to something. Windy knowingly glanced at him, both wondering if anypony else had caught on. They smirked and went about their business of playing the game.

It was Dust’s turn now. The mild-mannered colt thought a moment.

“Windy… truth or dare?”

By this time, everypony had gotten into a groove and was ready to play the game. Windy looked back at him evenly.

“Dare.”

The foals oohed and ahhed. Windy was only the second of the fillies to choose a dare. Lark wondered what it might be. Dust had been pretty easygoing, but he had no idea what the colt might cook up. His dare was creative, if potentially boring.

“I dare you… to compose a short poem right now.”

A few foals groaned. They were expecting things to get juicy. A couple of the fillies would have had her kiss the pony to her left… or at least it was something they wanted to see. They’d probably have no problem with it. Lark, sitting on that spot, wondered what Windy would come up with. Windy had a creative mind, but he hadn’t known her to do this kind of stuff.

Windy gave a little smile. They watched her for a moment as she muttered to herself, smiling a little. Opening her eyes, they sparkled mischief.

“There was a young filly named Patches

Who chanced to be born with two snatches,

Said while hitting the flask,

‘Is it too much to ask

For a stallion with tool that matches?’”

Lark couldn’t believe it. That. Was. Amazing! To his surprise, Sherry especially laughed hard at that, while the rest of the foals groaned in disgust and amusement. Looking over to Thunder, she looked like a cherry. Even Medium, known for her occasionally gross sense of humor, was floored. Light and Dust, colts not known for enjoying disgusting things, guffawed.

Lark would have been okay if the mistletoe was above them right then. He could have kissed her for such hilarity. Windy sat there, grinning shyly, obviously reveling, yet regretting her nasty little poem. It was a brilliant way to turn a possibly boring dare on its ear.

But now it was Windy’s turn to ask, “Medium… truth or dare?”

Medium looked uneasy. Just what would Windy pull after that? Neither way seemed safe and the rest of the foals noticed her apprehension. She had a nasty feeling neither way was safe. But… she wanted juicy. She couldn’t chicken out at her own house party.

She gulped, “Dare?”

Windy looked bemused. Had she hoped for a truth?

“Well, I was hoping for a ‘truth’, but I have another idea. I dare you… to spin the bottle. Whomever it lands on… you have to transfer an ice cube from your mouth… to their mouth!”

Medium blanched and the room gasped. This was a big deal and Medium knew it. She’d heard of variations of this dare, where she’d have to do something like that with the pony on her right or left. Sitting between the only other unicorns there, both colts, that could have been… something. The game had really taken a step up. But she wanted juicy… she got it.

“Okay. Somepony get a clean ice cube.”

She went up and spun the bottle, while the rest looked on in trepidation. It was a fair spin, not manipulated by magic. It landed on Daisy. And Daisy looked none too pleased. But she wasn’t going to chicken out either. Thunder brought a cube, blushing profusely. The only foals looking at ease were Lark, Light, and Windy. The rest looked as if they wished they were elsewhere. Misty looked especially worried. This was getting… dangerous.

Medium took the ice cube and tried to hold it between her front teeth. She had trouble keeping it there, so she had to hold it within her mouth. Sitting across from Daisy, it was hard for the rest of the foals to decide who looked worse. Both looked as if they were about to eat farts, or something.

Daisy leaned in, “Okay… let’s get it over with…”

Medium whimpered as she went for it. Everypony looked on in curiosity. Windy had an unusually feral look about her.

Daisy had opened her mouth, quivering. Medium was just about there, when she dropped the ice cube, blushing profusely, and scampered away.

“Oh, I just can’t do it!”

Everypony groaned. It was rather uncouth for the host to chicken out at her own party. Daisy looked relieved but knew this wasn’t cool. Medium sat back in her previous spot, shaking, looking both ashamed and afraid.

Windy imitated a siren, “Penalty, penalty, penalty!”

Medium and the rest knew what this meant: since Medium had chickened out on a dare, she had to do something else. Procedure for such punishment was not well understood, but it was ultimately up to the one who dared the unwilling recipient. Windy asked Misty, more of an expert on the subject, how to proceed.

“Well,” Misty pondered. “You could just give her another dare… You could even ask ‘truth’… Or you could give her an in-game punishment. She’d have to comply for the rest of the game.”

Medium looked even more worried. Windy had been… different that day. Windy considered her friend. She felt…a little bad about the dare. She knew Medium wasn’t one to dish out what she couldn’t take, at least most of the time. Medium was always a good sport about everything, so if she flat out refused to do something, she must have been really uncomfortable about it.

Windy saw Medium’s worry. Windy didn’t want to embarrass her, but she wanted Medium to learn a lesson… not about the game, but about something else. It was an opportunity to end some potential trouble.

“Medium… I dare you… to not prank anypony, or otherwise stir up mischief, for an entire week... Starting now.”

The room gasped. That was a pretty savage punishment! Medium was aghast. She glared at Windy, locking eyes with her.

Making sure nopony else could notice, Windy motioned with her eyes to the ceiling. Medium understood… She’d been found out. At least Windy didn’t announce it to the group. Looking back, her idea to cause trouble was… rather insensitive. Windy was merciful, especially after Medium chickened out. Still…

“Windy… does it have to be a whole week?” Medium simpered, a little grin visible at the corner of her mouth.

Windy considered, “Well… I was thinking about having you kiss one of the boys…”

Another gasp was raised. The colts looked at each other nervously, while the fillies tittered. Medium, now flushing about as red as was possible, eyed Lark… just him. He noticed, feeling his blood run cold.

Medium giggled, shifting in her spot, “Well… that might not be so bad…”

Windy cackled, “Too bad! I’m going with the prank ban.”

The room laughed at Medium, half-seriously begging Windy to reconsider. Lark felt himself safe. With the group settled down again, and the penalty’s service beginning, they continued their game.

After a few minutes, Lark noticed Medium’s horn glow. He looked to the mistletoe, in its hiding place, go poof. Lark smiled, good girl… He looked to Windy, trying not to look too satisfied with herself as she eyed him. He grinned back, good work.

Things continued without offense, and after several hours, it was time to go home. A lot of their parents were pretty toasted. Thankfully, they either walked or called taxis, Medium’s parents confiscating keys. Lark gathered up his aunt and uncle, bidding Medium and her family a Happy Hearth’s Warming. Lark’s aunt and uncle were chatting with Windy’s parents, as they left out the front door.

Lark was standing with Windy and he said, “Happy Hearth’s Warming, Windy. Wanna meet up after… what?”

Windy was looking above them. Lark looked up as well. There was a sprig of Mistletoe between them, hanging above the kitchen door. Lark mentally kicked himself; he'd noticed it before going downstairs and forgot about it.

Windy began to flush. Lark did the same.

He put a hoof behind his head, chucking nervously, “Well… I hear it’s bad luck if we don’t…”

Windy began to shuffle before him. He’d never seen her look so nervous.

“…”

Lark sighed, “No big deal. I know it’s silly-”

Seeing nopony else was watching, Windy put a hoof to his lips, silencing him.

Her eyes darting around once more, “Oh… what the heck?”

She put a hoof on his shoulder, standing on her tiphooves, and leaned in, kissing him.

Lark saw stars and fireworks went pop, pop, pop in his mind. Windy, backing up with a silly grin on her face, giggled.

Wrapping her scarf around her neck, “Well… Happy Hearth’s Warming, Lark. And I do want to meet up after Hearth’s Warming is over. Call me.”

With that, she bolted, as much as she was able, out the door and after her parents. Lark stood there, dumbfounded. And he might have for a while if his aunt didn’t call.

“Lark! Let’s go!”

Well… Lark guessed it wasn’t the first time a filly planted a kiss on him. But it was his favorite occasion so far! He ran out to join his aunt and uncle.

---

Hearth’s Warming Day had been nice. They didn’t exchange many gifts, but Lark and his family enjoyed themselves with it. There just wasn’t much they needed. After a very nice brunch, Lark and his sisters played in the yard. A couple inches of fresh snow fell late on the Eve, so they contented themselves building snowponies. They’d spent the rest of the day with their aunt and uncle, reading and enjoying each other’s company.

The days leading up to the new year were fun too. Lark and his friends dragged the toboggan to the biggest hill in town and rode some. It wasn’t as thrilling as the resort had been, but it sure didn’t cost them anything. A special treat for Lark had been meeting Daisy and Sherry at Windy’s where they sat around reading music scores. It sounded very strange to the rest of their friends, but it sure was a good time for them.

---

Lark looked out of his bedroom window. It was New Year’s Eve. While he could have gone somewhere to play with his friends, or some party, something compelled him to stay home. His aunt and uncle, ever since their first New Year’s together, had spent the night at home. It was quiet there, and they had each other.

It wasn’t the idea of leaving them alone, with or without his sisters to watch over, that bothered him. He wasn’t sure what it was. He looked to his clock. It read 11:39 p.m. In less than 21 minutes, the new year would begin. He found himself thinking.

Not even five months… It hadn’t even been five months since Dad died. Lark was a little surprised to realize he hadn’t thought of him much. He couldn’t say he felt guilty about it. He…

He didn’t know what to think of his old man. He never… he never really knew him. He kept a roof over their heads and they were never in need… of anything but a dad. Lark suddenly felt very upset. He pulled off his glasses. And he sat on his bed, crying softly. He still wasn’t sure why he was so upset. It baffled him, but as the writer keeps saying… Lark was only a colt. Just an 11-year-old colt…

What’s wrong with me? Why now? I didn’t feel like this at Hearth’s Warming. But that’s the thing about a new year… it always stirs up memories, even in ways other holidays can’t. Hearth’s Warming had a pony thinking about their entire life, that which they could remember. But a new year… had ponies thinking about the old year.

And what a year it had been for Lark… The first half was unremarkable. Other than being a little older than before, and in 4^th grade, it was not unlike anything he could remember. As far back as he could remember, he watched over his sisters. It took him many years to realize this wasn’t normal. By the time he did… his dad was gone, and Lark found himself on a train, with his sisters, to Vanhoover.

But since then… he’d made some friends. For the first time in his life, he had real friends. And he loved them. He loved Thunder. He loved… Windy. He really loved Windy… He enjoyed school, possibly for the first time in his life… he really enjoyed school. And he was happy. Before moving to Vanhoover, he didn’t know what happiness really was. He wasn’t unhappy, particularly, but he wasn’t happy.

Trying not to think too bitterly about his dad, Lark realized, as he had many times recently, just how good things were then. The clock read 11:55 p.m., now. Lark decided to go downstairs and wish his aunt and uncle a happy new year.

They were in the dining room together. Walking by the couch in the living room, he saw his sisters, snuggled up in a blanket together. They’d been allowed to stay up to see the new year. He smiled to himself. He'd figured they wouldn’t be able to do it.

Lark entered the kitchen. His aunt and uncle were talking, sipping on wine they’d cracked open.

His aunt smiled, “Hi, Lark. Are the girls sleeping?”

Lark smiled, “Yes. They were so excited. This was the first time they were allowed to stay up.”

Uncle Star chuckled, “They were talking a little while ago, but I figured they’d doze off. They really tuckered out at the park today.”

Lark thought about that. He had taken his sisters to the park. Valley had fun being launched from the swings, seeing how far she could glide without flapping.

Aunt Fairy looked concerned, “Lark… are you alright?”

Uncle Star noticed too, “…”

Lark thought he’d done an okay job wiping his face. He’d figured on giving his aunt and uncle a short goodnight and heading back upstairs. The dim light throughout the house should have hidden the evidence of his crying.

He saw no point in lying, “I… was upstairs thinking… about the year. And I felt… strange.”

He couldn’t think of any other word to say. “Strange”. But there was nothing strange about it.

Aunt Fairy moved over a chair, beckoning Lark to sit between her and her husband, “Lark… please join us.”

Lark would rather have petted a shark but did as he was bade.

Uncle Star, unable to think of anything worth saying, tried anyway; it was worth something, “Lark… Please tell us what’s bothering you.”

They both knew what was bothering Lark. They’d known for a time, and it worried them some. Lark usually seemed okay, but they knew he was holding onto something heavy. It was something he’d been unable to cope with.

Lark still wasn’t sure exactly what was bothering him. It was so foreign a feeling.

Aunt Fairy put a hoof on his shoulder, “Lark… we love you. We love your sisters. Having the three of you here has us realizing… we’ve missed an awful lot of good years we could’ve had.”

She laughed, a few tears appearing in the corner of her eye, “I wish we’d had a few foals of our own. I truly wish that now. But we can’t turn back time. What matters most is what’s here now… and where we go in the future.”

Uncle Star gave Lark a firm kneed to his other shoulder, the fatherly kind, “Lark… having you and your sisters here has been the best thing that’s ever happened to us.”

He realized the gravity of what he just said, but it may have been the push Lark needed, “I only wish happier circumstances had brought the three of you here.”

It was the push Lark needed. He began to quiver a little, his eyes heating up again. He wrapped his hooves around his aunt and uncle’s hooves.

“I don’t remember much before Mom died… I remember her voice a little… and the ballade she always played on her violin. But… I can’t remember anything else about her. All I remember is Valley and Copper, crying… Crying for… Mom. Or Dad… Somepony. I didn’t want them to cry… or be scared.”

He wasn’t aware at first that he was beginning to cry, “So, I did anything I could to help them. I changed them… I read to them… I taught them to read… I… saw them to their first day of school… both of them. And… Dad wasn’t there. When they cried… he wasn’t there. I didn’t even know him. I remember the look on his face when Mom died, though… He was gone…”

Lark sniffled, not letting up, “That day… my sisters were at a slumber party. I was making dinner for Dad. He called me into his study. He told me… he was proud of me… I’d never heard him say anything like that. I wish I’d said, ‘I love you, Dad’, but I couldn’t… I just said I’d go finish his dinner… When I went to get him…”

At this point, Lark came unhinged and fell apart; his voice came out choked, “How could he do that to us? How could…”

Years of grief poured out of him. His aunt and uncle, crying a little themselves, joined together in an embrace, with their nephew in the middle. They embraced him as a son, as the new year came in.

---

Lark sat in school, the first Monday of the new year. He was feeling better than he had. After… wishing his aunt and uncle goodnight, and a happy new year, he was so drained he had to be helped up to his room. But they tucked him in, staying there until he fell asleep. The next day, nothing much between them seemed to have changed… except Lark felt better. He felt… closer to his aunt and uncle. They felt closer to him. And that was no small thing.

He greeted his friends and other classmates. Some of them, he hadn’t seen since the last day before break. He realized he felt good, sitting there. Hearing his classmates chatter about the good times they had over their long vacation filled him with a satisfaction he couldn’t place. Sometimes... life was just good.

Ms. Pearlshine, pretty as ever, walked into the classroom. The class went silent as she called for attention.

“Good morning, my little ponies.”

“Good morning, Ms. Pearlshine,” they replied.

She smiled, “I hope you had a nice break. Let’s begin today’s lesson.”

The new semester had begun.

Author's Notes:

I had thought about placing Lark's "realization" about his dad further down the line, but felt it was a good time to bring it up. The rest of the chapter was fluff, so I guess that's what got me thinking on it.

Changed the story's cover art. Love Thunder, but Windy is the leading filly in Lark's story. I may play around and make a composite of Lark and his friends, many of whom have designs now, if I figure out an easy way to do it.

Next time, spring is on the cusp.

Thanks for reading. I'm glad some folks are enjoying the story. If you enjoy this one, and you haven't taken a look at my other, please try reading Princess Essenta. It's quite different, being an adventure story primarily, but it's another story I've been wanting to tell.

Expect the next chapter within a week. I'm having more fun than I expected, fleshing out and bringing to words Princess Essenta, but I hope to steadily put out both of my current stories.

Take care.

Chapter 15: The Last Day of Winter

Lark was about as excited as he had been in a while. The next day was Winter Wrap-up! While thinking about the garden he would begin to sow, the moment all the snow magically went poof, he was happy Windy would be helping him with it. For that matter, he was helping her as well. They’d sat down, pondering and improving upon their designs. Their friends had said they wanted to help as well. It would be done lickety-split.

The last couple months had been nice. Lark never really enjoyed Hearts and Hooves Day, but with all the filly friends he’d made in 5^th grade, it was more enjoyable than it may have been. Thankfully, none of them seemed to be at odds over him. Medium had been right about something: Light and Daisy did make a decent couple.

Even without prodding from the meddlesome filly, the two were sweethearts now. Lark was happy for his colt friend, but kind of missed him. He saw less of him, and just hadn’t made good friends with the other colts in school. He didn’t mind colts such as Pine, but they just didn’t mesh.

But putting that aside, Lark looked forward to the spring. He’d miss winter, perhaps for the first time in his life. To him, winter had meant moving snow, watching his sisters, and little more. This year, he’d been able to do a lot more than that.

It was a Tuesday, and unfortunately for school age ponies, they’d be stuck in school during the Wrap-up. They’d be able to see through the windows, but they’d miss watching the entire process of the weather teams and the unicorns, one of the few times they aided the Pegasi, cleaning up the mess of winter. Going in, it would look like it did as Lark walked, and it would be glorious spring when they left school.

Lark was heading off to Windy’s, as he had been doing just about every school day since he'd gotten over his concussion. He happily trotted down the sidewalk, entering the older part of town. The brick houses looked even more picturesque surrounded by snow, rising high above the snowdrifts in their height. The snow drifts in his own neighborhood sometimes reached the gutters, with their single or split-level characters.

The fiery looking stallion in the Meadows’ driveway waved to Lark when he saw him, “Good morning, Lark!”

“Mr. Meadow… why bother shoveling the snow? The unicorn patrol will be by here tomorrow.”

Mr. Meadow paused; he laughed, “Oh, right… Winter Wrap-up is tomorrow. I’ve been in the lab so much in the last week I’ve lost track of the days.”

Lark nodded, “Yeah… Mrs. Meadow says you’ve been something of a stranger.”

“Well, we’re recataloging our geode collection… Not the most exciting thing ever, but it’ll make things easier in the coming years. I’m planning to stay at the university until I give up the ghost… might as well have an easier time.”

Lark saw Windy paddle out. She took her time with the stairs.

“Careful, Windy! We have a bit of ice this morning,” Mr. Meadow called.

She called back, “Right, Daddy… Good morning, Lark!”

Windy made it down the stairs without incident, a bit of color creeping into her face as she approached the male folk. Lark supposed her parents were always sure to clean up the walk, for the sake of their daughter if nothing else.

Eying the situation, Windy giggled, “Daddy… I can understand the sidewalk, but the driveway? Winter Wrap-up is-”

“Yes, yes… Lark already called me on it. It’s a real shame the first day of spring landed in the middle of the week. Last year, it was a Saturday… But that’s how the calendar goes. You two still planning to put in the garden tomorrow?”

Lark and Windy had been growing seedlings of Windy’s favorite vegetables in Mr. Meadow’s greenhouse. They’d grown material for Lark’s as well. There was space. For all the work Lark helped Mr. Meadow with, it seemed a small favor to the colt.

Mr. Meadow himself couldn’t wait to see his lawn again. His wife’s flowers were mostly perennials and were likely staring to poke up as they spoke. He and his wife were planning to take the afternoon off the next day to enjoy the Wrap-up. Mrs. Meadow didn’t work full-time, but she took up a position at a pharmaceutical lab part-time, since Windy was in school during the day.

Lark never got tired of seeing Mrs. Meadow… She was just gorgeous, and he wasn’t the only colt in his circle to feel that way. But this morning, she was at the lab early, working with some test results.

It was also Mr. Meadow’s time to head out. Windy had locked the door on her way out, so all he had to do was fly away. He and his wife had a cart, but the only reason they had one was because Windy needed it.

He smiled at the foals, “Well, be careful on the sidewalks. Windy, your mom will be home well near the end of the day, so she might need your help with dinner. Could you come right home?”

“Will do. Have fun reorganizing.”

He shook his head, “I’ll try, dear… See you later, Lark.”

“See you, Mr. Meadow!”

The Pegasus took off in a flurry of snow, leaving the two. They began the brief schlep to school. Looking around, Windy knew she would miss the beauty of winter. There was nothing like seeing the trees frost up; it was just pretty. But she wouldn’t miss the ice on the ground. It was hard enough to walk anyway, without ice to slip around on.

But walking hadn’t been so bad, lately. Something she’d never seen before, but she wished she had, were the little crampons on her snow boots. The steel cleats gave her an edge and she hadn’t taken a tumble in a month. Lark even slipped more than she did, which she found hilarious.

She was so very glad to walk with Lark. She’d come to lean on him more than she thought. He was reliable, helping her to and from school every day. The couple times he was sick, Misty walked with her, not because Lark told her to, but because she wanted to. Her flight path went right over the neighborhood, so it was easy enough to spot Windy and land.

A warm happiness went up in her heart, just seeing him beside her. The… little peck she gave him Hearth’s Warming Eve had played out in her mind more often lately. Whether ignoring the mistletoe was bad luck, or not, she didn’t care. She’d… kind of just wanted to do it anyway.

The two of them didn’t always talk on their walks, unless one of them saw something worth mentioning or had something important to say. Lark was paddling along, a little smile on his face, probably unaware of what was going through her head. It was clear to her, after all these months, that she…

“Lark! Windy!”

Pulled from her thoughts, Windy looked up. Misty was gliding down to them. It was 7:55 a.m. This was unusually early to see her on her way to school. She could make it there in four or five minutes by air.

Lark called up, “G’morning, Misty! What has you out this early?”

“Thought I’d catch the two of you.”

Windy glowered internally. She knew it was silly… and kind of selfish, but she didn’t like when other fillies joined in on their “walk to and from school” time. Still, Misty was the least offensive in this department, except maybe Sherry, and she lived in a totally different direction.

Windy marshaled a smile, more genuine than not, “What’s up Misty?”

There had to be a reason for Misty coming to see them. She wasn’t a filly to break her routine unless she had a good reason.

Misty smiled, looking rather… elated. Lark eyed her suspiciously… this was dubious.

“Uh… Misty? What are you grinning about?”

Misty, going full scrunchy-face, “You two will not believe what I just heard!”

Lark was definitely concerned now. He’d never seen Misty behave this way. She was practically spouting joyful, nervous energy.

Windy cocked her head, “You gonna tell us… or give yourself a stroke?”

Misty squealed, “The Angels are putting on a show at the Vanhoover Stadium tomorrow afternoon to celebrate Winter Wrap-up!”

Lark pondered, “Oh, yeah… They’re…”

Misty looked scandalized, “They’re only the hottest coltband in Equestria! They’ve just announced it on the radio! They were going to put on a free show and Vanhoover was picked!”

Windy sniffed, “Big whoop. They don’t even play instruments.”

Misty rounded on her, “Windy, you’re my friend, but never speak an unkind word about The Angels. I’ve wanted to see them since 2^nd grade!”

Lark was uncomfortable. Misty was practically creaming. He knew The Angels… He’d had to listen to their “angelic” droning for the last three years. He was about as interested in seeing the concert as gluing his nutsack to his forehead.

Windy didn’t have a nutsack, but she concurred in spirit. She didn’t care if those tenor-voiced simps were putting on a show, even if it was free. She wouldn’t cross the street to see them.

Misty was still raving, “I bet everypony in school will want to go!”

That caught Lark and Windy’s attention. They did the algebra in their heads: (Winter Wrap-up=Fun garden day for Lark and Windy with friends, iff some fruity pack of colts doesn’t throw a surprise concert the same day). Maybe it was geometry…

All the same, this sucked. They’d planned to all work together on the two gardens. They couldn’t blame their friends for wanting to go to the concert… no matter how lame it was, but they’d miss having the help.

Misty, despite being unaware of their calculations, “I know I said I’d help the two of you with your gardens, but… I can’t miss this!”

Lark sighed. This wouldn’t be the only one.

Misty took off, “Sorry! I gotta tell everypony else!”

Lark and Windy stood there, unhappy with this development. Rather than thinking maybe some of their friends would help them anyway, they were thinking something else.

“So, Lark… how many of our friends do you think hate The Angels enough to skip the show?”

Lark laughed, shaking his head, “Dunno.”

They continued walking to school, discussing this matter. They wanted to do the gardens the next day, but doing so without help… Neither was optimistic about it. The Vanhoover Stadium could hold 45,000 ponies. It was sure at least a majority of those seats would be filled with foals, colt and filly alike. And those were just the seats! It was an outdoor show, and the field would be standing room.

By the time they’d gotten to the school, it was clear everypony knew about the show. Misty had planted a few seeds of knowledge, but she wasn’t the only foal with a radio. Foals of every grade were ecstatic. Lark sighed, and he and Windy made their way into school.

Since they had almost 20 minutes before the bell, they looked in on Mr. Chippy. The old stallion was reading the newspaper in his room.

He looked up, “Lark, Windy… good morning.”

“G’morning,” they both answered.

“School’s sure in a hullabaloo today. The news wasn’t even early enough to make the paper…”

Windy sat with a grumble, “It’s just so stupid…”

Mr. Chippy chuckled, “Well, to you it may be… I don’t get it myself. But, things were pretty crazy when I was a foal. My parents thought our music was awful…”

Lark prodded, “Yeah, that jazz music…”

Mr. Chippy tossed a paper ball at the colt, eliciting a laugh, “I may be old, but not that old… When I was your age, maybe a few years older, rock ‘n’ roll was born. It sure was something… You two make the lecture over the weekend?”

Lark shook his head, “No… Windy had a cold. I didn’t want to go alone.”

“Well, I didn’t go either… seems every time I go, you two can’t. Then the other way… Oh, well, wife had her sister in town, anyway.”

That’s just how things were. But it looked like they’d all make it the next weekend. The next topic was the establishment of Whinnyapolis, so that would at least be interesting. Lark, until sitting through the Las Pegasus lecture, hadn’t appreciated how trade and more dubious undertakings could so form a city.

The two left Mr. Chippy and went to their own classes. They’d see if anypony wasn’t planning to go to the concert. Maybe they could still get a foal or two to help.

Not surprisingly, everypony in their circle was planning to go see The Angels. After all, it was a concert free to the public and a quarter of the city would fit in the venue. It would be huge. Lark and Windy sat during afternoon recess, watching the other students buzz about. It was the last day they’d see winter and their schoolmates were making the most of it.

“I guess… we’ll only be able to get in one of the gardens. Wanna do yours, Windy? We need more than just a few of us to move everything from your dad’s greenhouse to mine…”

Windy shrugged, “I guess that’d be fine… Don’t worry, Lark. It’ll still be fun! Mom’s agreed to help. She’s also baking a pie, so there’s that. Daddy may be a little later than expected.”

Had Lark been the little asshole some other colts were, he’d make a crack about Fair Meadow’s sweet apple pie, but he didn’t, “That sounds great… Aunt Fairy never bakes pie… it’s too much work. And as many little fillies go running through the house, cookies are easy. I never thought I’d get tired of Mom’s butterscotch cookies…”

“Oh, well. The concert’s not until tomorrow, Lark. I’m sure we’ll come across a foal or two to help us.”

They sure didn’t find one. The end of the day approached, and Lark walked Windy home.

Windy, disappointed they’d found no help, but very happy they’d get to work on her planting, “I guess we could get things organized at the greenhouse. The quicker we can set things out, the easier things’ll be.”

“Sure.”

When they got to the Meadow house, Mrs. Meadow still wasn’t home. Lark and Windy went out to the greenhouse and took stock. Everything looked good. Carrots, radishes, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers… they’d even gotten a rhubarb plant from one of Mr. Meadow’s colleagues. Windy wasn’t crazy about the stuff, but it did make a nice sweetbread.

They’d figured out where everything was going, so after roughing up the ground a little, it might not even take an hour to put everything into the ground. They could just sit and enjoy the warm afternoon, while the rest of the school was killing brain cells listening to those geldings complain about how lame they were.

Finding this idea most humorous, they parted ways. Lark found his sisters in their yard, making one last snowpony for the year. He knew how much they loved winter, but they looked forward to the promise of what spring had to offer. Too young to be interested in the concert, they’d either play with their friends or stay home. They may have been happy to help at Windy’s but Lark decided his sisters, at least Valley, would be a little too energetic for Mr. and Mrs. Meadow.

Lark would certainly let them help him. They’d helped him garden since they could walk… Well, maybe not that early. Ponies could walk when only a few hours old. They’d been helping them since they could talk… That sounded better to Lark.

Valley bounded up to Lark as she often did, managing to knock him into the snow drift in the yard. Lark hadn’t been paying attention. Copper laughed especially hard as Lark chased Valley around, unable to catch the giggling, squealing filly. Lark wasn’t really trying to catch her… he was just playing.

Horseshit! He couldn’t catch her! He hadn’t been able to for a while. She could really move. Eventually Lark tired out and sat in the snow. Valley crept up to him, trying not to get too close, but he surprised her and caught her. She giggled and cried out as he tickled her. It was something that still worked on her.

Gathering up Valley, he took her into the house with Copper close behind. It was dinner time.

---

After another fruitless day of recruiting ponies to help with their gardens, they’d officially settled on Windy’s with Lark’s to be determined. Medium, leading a rather large group of colts and fillies, apologized for not being able to help. It was a heartfelt, but brief confession, as the group practically ran for the stadium. It was only about six blocks away, near the edge of downtown.

Waving at their friends, Lark and Windy noticed there must have been half the school running that way. But they turned their attention to other things. The snow was gone, the grass was green, the air was… comfortably warm. Puffy clouds in the sky floated about. Birds sang. Breathing deep, they felt they had before them a perfect afternoon.

Knowing a little working the ground and pie awaited at the Meadow’s, Lark practically skipped. Windy managed to keep up, barely able to contain her own excitement.

It had been a whole year since Windy had first moved to Vanhoover. And she was now in a much better place, as she trotted alongside her best friend.

Author's Notes:

Despite going it alone, two best friends have a near perfect afternoon ahead of them.

Next time, spring moves on and the end of the school year approaches.

Expect Chapter 17 in the next week. I'm hoping to put out a chapter a week from Larkspur Blossom and Princess Essenta. The writing for Princess Essenta, I feel, is going well enough. I've also started releasing The Virgin Company, the story of Lark's war hero, Lt. Zip "Fire" Jetscream, if you remember his thoughts back in Chapter 3. It will hopefully see a couple chapters a month.

Give my other stories a read if interested.

Thanks for reading, and take care.

Chapter 16: Spring Already?

The school year was quickly winding down. It was already late spring, with only a couple weeks until summer. The gardens Lark and Windy planted had taken off quite nicely. The spring had been about average for moisture, if a little wet the last week, so things were about as good for growing as could be. Lark’s crops, if a decent garden qualified as such, were reacting better than he’d expected to the improved soil.

The sun was waking Lark before his alarm clock every morning. But Saturday morning, he had to set it. He was leaving on the camping trip before daybreak.

---

Windy’s dad, Mr. Meadow, thought it would be fun to take Windy and a few of her friends camping. He’d been unable to get out of the office most weekends and wanted to do something before the woods and trails were overrun by tourists and summer hikers. Planning ahead, they’d chosen an area in the foothills of the Unicorn Range. Lark was excited, in part because they’d see where Lt. Zip “Fire” Jetscream set up his first protection against the Centauri 1^st Army.

Mrs. Meadow, for all the things her husband was able to rope her into, hated camping. All the bugs, cold wetness, and hunger had her longing for a roof with walls and windows with screens, a bathtub with hot water, and a couple of oatburgers slathered in ketchup. In short, she wouldn’t be going along.

Windy loved camping almost as much as Mr. Meadow, but hadn’t gone in a couple years. But they’d have access to shorter trails and never be far from where they were staying, so any difficulties she may have were minimized.

Along with Mr. Meadow, his daughter, and Lark were going Thunder, Medium, Daisy, and Pine. Lark hadn’t expected Pine to come, but apparently Pine’s dad, Mr. Licorice, was a hiking buddy of Mr. Meadow. He’d have gone too, but his knee was acting up; he’d been a professional hoofball player whose career ended with a rather nasty injury. He’d be spending the next few days in his chair with an icepack.

Misty, Sherry, and Light, from Lark’s main circle of friends, had other things to attend to, so they would be missed. But, with only Mr. Meadow, six foals were enough to keep track of anyway.

They’d get on a bus bright and early Saturday morning that would take them to the trailhead. It was only a short hike in, and they’d have facilities, so it would be a comfortable weekend. Mr. Meadow had a couple of canvas tents; the fillies would get one and the colts would share with Mr. Meadow.

Lark had his saddlebags but wouldn’t need much else. A canteen, flashlight, sleeping bag, and bug spray were about all he could want. And the tents weren’t a big deal to carry. They were horses, after all.

---

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Lark’s alarm clock woke him up; he shut it off. 5:30 a.m. He yawned, briefly checking his saddlebags. He had what he wanted, so he ran downstairs, trying to be quiet as not to wake the family.

Aunt Fairy had been thoughtful enough to whip Lark up a little breakfast the night before; all he had to do was heat it up. Lark quickly ate, did his dishes, left a note of thanks and farewell, and began walking down the sidewalk at 5:50 a.m.

The bus was leaving from the school at 6:45 a.m., so he had a little time. He chose to head to the Meadows’. He could at least help them haul the gear to the bus they’d catch.

He saw Mr. Meadow carrying a large set of saddlebags down the front steps, “Good morning, Mr. Meadow!”

He looked up, “’Morning, Lark. Got everything?”

Lark did, “Yup.”

“Great. It’s only a block, so each of us can carry a tent.”

Mr. Meadow knew how to pack. He had all the food and cooking supplies they needed, right in his bag. All the foals had to do was pack light and bring personal effects.

“Hi, Lark!” Windy paddled down the steps, saddlebags riding as she trotted along.

“Hey, Windy!” Lark hugged her. “You good, today?”

“Sure… I’m just so excited to get going.”

Mr. Meadow lifted a tent, dropping it on Lark’s back, “We’d better get moving.”

The tent wasn’t too heavy, even with his saddlebags. It was figured Lark could hoof his bags off to another foal and spirit the tent by himself.

Arriving at the school, everypony else was already there. Thunder was caught up in an energy vortex, Daisy trying not to laugh at her silliness. Pine and Medium were chatting, smiling about something.

Windy called, “Hey, everypony! Ready for a fun weekend?”

Were they ever… It had been raining quite a bit, even for Vanhoover. It had finally dried up a few days and the forecast was nothing but sun as far as anypony knew.

The bus soon arrived, and they hopped aboard. It would be a couple hours before they reached the trailhead.

While Mr. Meadow and a few of the foals dozed off, catching up on sleep missed from the early morning, a few played Go-Fish.

---

The walk out to the site was a pleasant one. After pitching their tents, they set up the rest of their camp. At this point, Mr. Meadow wished he’d brought another adult. With six foals and a lot going on, he couldn’t be in two places at once. But Windy and Daisy wanted to stay in camp while the others went on a short hike. They’d be able to get lunch ready. It was agreeable enough.

After walking around for about an hour, admiring the developing summer landscape, the five ponies returned to find a nice pile of sandwiches and salad.

Once they’d finished lunch and cleaned up, they decided to go on a hike as a group. Lark and Medium wanted to see a specific trail again, so they went on a brief hike. Windy held up fine, and while not moving quickly, they had a comfortable walking pace.

After dinner, they sat around telling stories, trying to outdo each other. The stories had been pretty tame so far. Some were gross, some were kind of funny, but none of them were great. They began to get bored with the exercise. Mr. Meadow sort of hung out, almost out of earshot, letting them be kids.

Medium waved a hoof, “I have a story.”

The prospect was dubious. Lark remembered how gross she could be when she had a mind to, but… she had nothing on Windy. If the others had heard some of the things Windy had told him in private, they’d look very differently at the peachy Pegasus.

Pine laughed, “This could be good.”

---

Medium cleared her throat, “This is a story about why cats land on their feet: once upon a time, there was a little kingdom. The king’s daughter loved cats. She loved them so much, she’d ask for one for her birthday, for Hearth’s Warming, for any occasion.

“So before long, the castle was overrun with kitties. They had kittens and kittens and more kittens, and they had kittens and more kittens. Literally up to their noses in cats, the king had his soldiers devise a plan. They invented the catapult. Every night, while everypony was asleep, they’d round up as many cats as they could catch. They’d put them in the cat launcher and send them in every direction for miles! Other places with kitty problems of their own did this too… Soon everypony was catapulting cats.

“Most of the cats went splat… but the smart ones landed on their feet. The soldiers sent cats to their kitty fate until not a single cat was left in the castle. The king’s daughter was very sad… But one day, all the smart cats found their way home. The king’s daughter was so very glad her kitties came home.

“And that’s why cats land on their paws… and why they’re smart. Smart cats make more smart cats! Uh, the end.”

---

Medium giggled and Windy did too. The rest… were less amused.

Thunder blanched, “That’s awful! How could you think that’s funny?! All those poor kitties…”

Medium shrugged, “It’s just a story.”

The others grumbled; it hadn’t been a very good story.

Mr. Meadow laughed, from afar, “Oh, I remember that one for colt scouts.”

Pine spoke up, “I have one from colt scouts… I heard it last year. It’s funny.”

Whatever he’d tell them, it couldn’t be any worse than Medium’s catapult story. Lark never thought of Pine as being funny or anything, but they’d see…

---

Pine began, “There was a pony that loved canoeing but every time he bent over to pick up his paddle, he'd get an awful crick in his back. It hurt something fierce, so he went to see the doctor.

“The doctor checked his back and could find nothing wrong, but he gave him some advice. He said that if it happens again, instead of just picking up the paddle he should grab it with both hooves, stick the end of it in the ground, and slowly pull himself up to the top of the paddle.

“On the next canoe trip, the pony reached for his paddle and wham! that crick in his back started hurting again. Following the doctor's advice, he stuck the paddle in the ground and, worked his way up the paddle. When he was finally standing up on two legs his back didn't hurt, and he was very pleased to find himself ...up a paddle without a crick.”

---

Pine sat, looking as if he’d just given everypony a swell gift. It’s too bad his gift was as lame as a one-legged pony climbing up a ladder while carrying a bucket of paint.

Windy crowed, “Boo! That sucked!”

Mr. Meadow looked up from his book, with warning, “Windy…”

“But it did suck!”

The others laughed; it did suck. Mr. Meadow agreed silently, trying not to laugh at his friend’s son, now sulking.

Pine, unused to being embarrassed, didn’t much like it, “Okay, Windy… Why don’t you tell us one?”

Lark was at once eager and concerned. Windy had a creative mind… But her dad was there, so she wouldn’t come up with anything too nuts. He figured if either of her parents had heard about her little poem at the Waltz’s Hearths Warming party, a certain filly would have tasted a mouthful of soap.

The rest wanted to hear… other than the surly Pine.

Windy smiled, fluffed her wings, and sat more comfortably, “Okay… I’ve got a funny one…”

Mr. Meadow frowned, groaning, “Oh, not that one, Windy…”

Daisy’s developing radar for naughty things went off, “Oh, Windy, pleeeeaaase tell it. This has to be good.”

The other foals perked up at this development.

Mr. Meadow shook his head, laughing, “Well, I’m going somewhere else for a few minutes. I hope you kids don’t talk about anything too bad. Oh, Windy… if your mom heard some of…”

His voice trailed off as he went to the latrine. The young ones were ecstatic! The old man left so he wouldn’t have to “be held accountable” for whatever the fuck came out of his daughter’s mouth.

---

Windy giggled feverishly, reddening in the face, “You will not believe this… It happened at my old school… before coming here.

“My teacher in 3^rd grade always made me take a note to another teacher. She said she trusted me and to never look at the note. I did it a couple times a week. After bringing the note to him for a couple months, I got… curious. I opened it just once.

“It read, ‘need someplace else- not my classroom this time.’

“I was just a little filly… I didn’t know what it meant. But then, she and the other teacher were arrested the next year because they got caught… making whoopie on the prep table in the school kitchen! They’d been doing it for weeks! We were eating the stuff the lunch ladies put together on the table.

“It was then that I finally understood what those notes were about.”

---

The foals sat, repelled by this. They’d been educated; they knew what whoopie was. Windy was cracking up, barely able to sit up. Daisy, blushing profusely, was giggling stupidly. The colts were definitely grossed out. Thunder and Medium looked positively revolted.

Lark didn’t know what to say; it was just another tirade of sickness out of his best friend. He didn’t know whether to laugh or puke half the time. His friends had just seen the side of Windy he occasionally got a glimpse at.

So, while he didn’t puke, he laughed in amused horror, “Oh, Windy! That was sick!”

She continued to giggle, barely able to breathe. It beggared the imaginations of the foals how Windy came across some of the things she did… Just “lucky”, they guessed.

Mr. Meadow returned, looking refreshed, “So, Windy… did your friends enjoy the story about the squirrel who lost his nuts?”

The faces of the foals answered his intentionally foolish question. Lark smiled inwardly. It was the father/daughter joke the two shared. Whenever one of them did or said something questionable, this was how they acknowledged it.

“Oh, I think they enjoyed it,” Windy simpered.

Thunder looked positively nauseated, “Could we do something else… maybe sing songs?”

Knowing things would only get worse, they all jumped on the idea. They sang songs, roasted some marshmallows, and settled in for the night.

---

Lark had trouble falling asleep. He’d found he rarely had any trouble sleeping anywhere, but he just couldn’t get comfortable. So, he got up, figuring he could lounge around camp… maybe get a drink and visit the latrine…

But he wasn’t the only pony awake. He saw… Windy… sitting up on a rock, staring up at the night sky. He quietly paddled up to her. She noticed, smiled, and helped pull him up.

“Windy, you shouldn’t have tried crawling up her on your own…”

She laughed, pointing in front of them; it was level ground. Lark had climbed when he could’ve gone around.

Before he could voice his embarrassment over the trivial thing, she hoofed him, “Lark… I’ve never asked. Do you know much about astronomy?”

He knew a lot about astronomy. It’s where his sisters got their love of it from. Noticing just how bright the stars were, he wished his sisters could be there. Well, maybe once they were older. Uncle Star and Aunt Fairy enjoyed the great outdoors even less than Mrs. Meadow.

“Sure, I do. I thought you did, too.”

She shook her head, “I know some… I never really became interested in it until this one night in Canterlot… last summer.”

Lark knew this was a sensitive topic for Windy; she was referring to her long stay in Canterlot, as the doctors were baffled by her condition.

She looked up wonderingly, “It was… about a week before they figured out exactly what I had. There was a power outage in Canterlot; the whole city went dark. It was… a little scary inside. Mom had gone to stay in the motel, so I was alone. I took a flashlight and found my way to the roof. I just had to get out of the dark.

“I went out and… it sure was dark, looking at the city. I could see the lights of Ponyville, really far away. But above Canterlot… the sky was clear as a bell. You could see everything. I’d spent years looking up but never thought much about it… I’d seen the same sky, so many times when we went camping.

“But for some reason… it got me thinking that time. The sky’s probably looked the same as long as ponies have been around. And it’ll look the same after we’re gone… whenever that is. I know it’ll… look the same after I’m gone…”

Lark was never comfortable when Windy started in on the mortality stuff. But she sat there, in what appeared to be perfect contentment, albeit a bittersweet look about her face.

She hoofed his shoulder, “Oh, don’t listen to me… just a bunch of crap about… life. The last year has given me plenty to think about.”

He nodded, “I suppose.”

“What do you think, Lark?”

He was confused a moment, “…About what?”

She giggled, poking at him, “Because I know what I think.”

Her fiendish look could have meant anything; Lark marshaled a smile, “What do you think?”

“I think… I hope we can be in class next year together… all of us. I… really wish I’d been in Ms. Pearlshine’s now… having met you… But that’s almost gone. Our class is big. It’ll be like last year. Things’ll get tossed up. Who knows? Maybe we will wind up together.”

Lark hadn’t really realized just how much he wished for the same thing. He just hadn’t thought much about it.

He sighed, “I’d like that too…”

“But we won’t know until, like, a week, before school starts. Keep your hooves crossed,” Windy stood up, cracking her back. “Well… I think I’m ready to lie down, now.”

Lark looked over, “Need a hoof?”

She walked down the same way she came up, “Nope… I’m good. See you in the morning?”

She’d asked it like it wasn’t a certain thing; he frowned, “Uh… yeah.”

Windy smiled at him dreamily before paddling towards the filly tent.

Lark was never quite sure what went through that girl’s head. But he’d learned to not think about it too much. As for himself, he decided to watch the stars for a while. He’d have a chance to see the full night sky again, soon enough, but first school had to let out. They’d be heading back to Vanhoover the next morning.

---

And so, the last two weeks of school ran out as a bathtub draining… faster than it may have seemed to… Soon the water was gone, and they’d reached the end.

---

Ms. Pearlshine stood before her class. It was the last few moments of the last day of school. The pretty Pegasus had been on the verge of tears the entire day. Her students were very eager to leave. And she couldn’t blame them. She still remembered when she was their age. 22 years didn’t really seem that long ago.

She so wished her students could understand how she felt. She’d seen 10 classes come under her tutelage. It was time for the 10^th to go. Many of the first ponies she taught were already out in the world with jobs or degrees. But it only got harder every year. She so loved her students but could forgive them for being young. She was just a pebble in the road to their roads of life. Most of them weren’t even listening. But she said what she wished.

“My little ponies… The time has come for us to part. I must say, I’ve enjoyed working with all of you this year. You’ve taught me plenty and I look forward to watching you continue your studies. I know most of you will be back next year; it will be nice to see you when our paths cross. For those of you going elsewhere, good luck. Remember the year we’ve shared and put forth the same you gave here.

“It wasn’t all that long ago I sat where you are. I remember it with such fondness. Go enjoy your summer. Enjoy being a foal. Enjoy the time. Enjoy the moments. Be kind, be yourself, don’t be afraid to take a risk or do what’s right. And always remember-”

RIIIIIIIIIINNNG!

Many of her foals were already screaming for the door, their noise almost drowning out the school bell.

Ms. Pearlshine gave a small, conceding smile, “…Always remember you have those who love you… who want you to succeed… and will help you when you need it.”

As her former students streamed out of her room, she sat at her desk. Another lousy, canned speech… She wasn’t sure if her ill-prepared words meant much of anything to anypony. It was impossible to come up with something worth saying, it seemed… She sighed, as the last student seemed to disappear through the doorway.

Standing up, she began to erase the board. The hoof strap she had broke so she had to use her mouth… it tasted awful. She thought she was alone, but it shouldn’t have surprised her a bit that one student stayed behind. It was one she had no problem showing emotion in front of, which was good because her face was a mess of mascara and tears. It sure wasn’t the first time he’d seen her cry.

“Ms. Pearlshine?” Lark began. “Could we talk a few minutes?”

She should’ve expected Lark to be standing there, but she had assumed he’d just left with the others. He was still just a student after all… Why stick around to talk to some 30-something-year-old four-eyes?

“Oh, Lark… Of course.”

She fumbled around for her tissue box, but her nerveless hooves failed her. Lark fetched her a few. She couldn’t ever think what she’d done to deserve a student like him…

“Thank you, Lark,” Ms. Pearlshine was able to wipe her face a bit. “I admit… I will miss having such a thoughtful colt around… You really are a rarity.”

Lark smirked at this; Ms. Pearlshine usually didn’t mince words with him. Given some of the things she’d told him, he supposed she was a friend as much as a teacher. His family had certainly gotten to know her… How often does your teacher foalsit your little sisters?

“Are you okay, Ms. Pearlshine?”

She blew her nose, “I’m fine, Lark. I feel like this at the end of every year. I can’t help myself.”

He sat, understanding as much as he was able; he was rather empathetic for his age. And they knew of the other’s deeper torments.

Ms. Pearlshine continued, “It seems like yesterday I was meeting you for the first time. Your name… and your manner. I really was tickled pink to wind up with a student like you.”

She blubbered a little bit; Lark felt the only thing to do was pat her hoof.

He had a few things to say himself, “You really did help me out… those first couple weeks of school. I can’t imagine where I’d’ve wound up if you hadn’t… stuck up for me.”

“Oh, Lark. I was so glad to do it… It really surprised the admins when I came forward for you… Especially when I tried to intervene with the decision the board was already leaning towards. You really were in danger of expulsion. But I wasn’t the one that made any difference in the end… I’m just some… well, teacher… It was Mr. Chippy… and your wonderful friend, Thunder, that made the difference. I’m going to miss her very much… There’s something else…”

Lark decided to just listen.

His teacher sniffled, “Lark… you may think less of me, but I must say it. I wouldn’t have done that for just anypony. I told you, after barely knowing you a week, what happened to me when I was young… and how much you reminded me of myself. If I… hadn’t taken such a shine to you, I might have just stood back and let the system work. I was… scared. Scared they’d remind me of what a… disappointment I may have been.”

Still, Lark just listened.

“Lark… I’m so very pleased things turned out so well for you. Whether it was happy chance… or some kind of faith that got you and your sisters through all of that… Maybe it was just the unexpected love of an aunt and uncle. But here you are…!”

With that, the bespectacled Pegasus broke down, crying into the crooks of her front legs. Lark was kind of glad the door had shut; nopony needed to see this. He leaned in, finally ready to talk.

“Ms. Pearlshine… don’t call yourself a disappointment. And thanks… thanks for everything. I really did have a good year.”

He really had nothing much else to say.

Ms. Pearlshine got up from behind her desk and hugged her student. He returned it. He himself had no tears to shed. He’d worked out plenty over the last nine months. That day he felt pretty good.

His teacher laughed, “You really have grown up so much this year. In more ways than one…”

This was true. He was almost up to her eye level. And… he’d finally realized a few things… mainly that he mattered. But he’d figured that out a while ago.

Ms. Pearlshine broke it off, “Now… go out there and enjoy your summer. I’ll see you again in the fall… maybe sooner if your aunt and uncle need a foalsitter. Better hurry up; I have a feeling somepony’s waiting for you in the hall.”

Smiling, Lark left the classroom, and Ms. Pearlshine, behind him. And sure enough, Windy was sitting out in the hall, a little smile on her face.

“You good, Lark?”

He hefted her to her hooves, “I’m great, Windy.”

Giggling, she prodded him along, “Good. Now, everypony’s heading to the ice cream shop. They’re only a couple minutes ahead, so we should be able to catch up.”

The pair left the school and the things with it, behind them for a few months. They’d see Mr. Chippy, and maybe a few others, surely, but it was summer for the time being. Breaking into a trot, they spotted their friends and went to join them.

Author's Notes:

Thanks for reading Larkspur Blossom. Look for Lark and Windy, a sequel, in the future.

Apologies for the delay. I was busy with work and wanted to get another story a couple weeks ahead of schedule. I've also been editing a few goofs I've noticed in past material. Also went in and replaced page-breaks with the horizontal rule. Should help in navigation and clarity.

Lark has ended his time under Ms. Pearlshine's tutelage, but it won't be the last we see of her.

I you enjoy Larkspur Blossom, take a look at my other stories. Princess Essenta is an adventure story and The Virgin Company is a war story.

I hope this chapter wasn't too fluffy. I wanted to do a camping story before their school year ended and there will be another in the sequel when the foals are old enough to go by themselves. I was in scouts myself and heard a hundred silly stories. As far as the ponies go, I wonder what they use the rest of the pigs for. The gelatin for marshmallows comes from somewhere. It's kind of messed up ponies would eat gelatin.

Like or comment if desired. I'd like to know what folks think of the story.

Thanks for reading, and take care.