Bridging Words

Chapters

01 - Nightmares and a Journal
02 - Full belly, hollow heart.
03 - What a Drag

01 - Nightmares and a Journal

"Hey, YOU!"

Freezing in place you begin to panic, Miss Conson had caught you trying to sneak away from the line of kids leading into the lunchroom.

"Young man, this is the third time this week I have found you slipping away during lunch time, going to stare off into space out in the courtyard if your previous "outings" are anything to go by."

Keeping your mouth shut you slowly turn around to face the large woman, nodding your confession to her accusation with a contrite look upon your face. She keeps her stern expression for a moment before facing the other kids and speaking to them in a firm voice.

"The rest of you hurry along and get your food now, this is not a discussion that needs an audience."

You felt your skin crawling as the other kids filed out of the hallway, almost every one of them either whispering, glancing at you, chuckling at you, or pointing at you. When you were relieved of the prying eyes of your housemates Miss Conson lost her hard edge, her face softening as she kneeled down to eye level with you.

"Listen, there is nothing wrong with having your own quiet time, but you cannot go and starve yourself for it."

Managing eye contact was hard as you felt a heat rise in your chest.

"It's fine, I'm not hungry."

Miss Conson put a hand your shoulder, her warm smile dipping somewhat.

"Is this about the couple that came to pick up Jeff the other day? I know tha-"

Quickly you shove her hand off and back up a few steps, the heat in your chest spreading out to your face as it starts to turn crimson.

"You don't know nothing! Jeff was just some dumb orphan like the rest of us, so don't go thinking he meant any more to me than any of those jerks just because he liked to hang around me!"

Punctuating your point by pointing a thumb at where the other kids had been you fold your arms over your chest and look away from Miss Conson. Her smile drops all together as she stands back up, looking back down at you with the same stern expression as before.

"Now listen here, just because you're moody does not mean you can go around disrespecting me. I am still the head of this facility and I demand respect."

Before you could stop it you felt the words leaving your mouth with all the same ferocity as you would if you had been spitting fire.

"Well you know WHAT?! You can take MY respect and shove it right up your-!"

"ENOUGH!"

She cut you off before you could even finish your sentence, but the furious shade of red that coloured her cheeks combined with her stiff posture told you she knew how it would have ended.

"If you really aren't hungry then you should have no problem whatsoever spending the lunch hour in your room! And you can also help the staff clean up the lunchroom once the others have finished eating, so be expecting my call when they are done, understand?"

Face just as red as hers and a rebellious fire burning strongly within, you almost retort again, but knowing you had already buried yourself deep enough as it was, you instead bite your cheek and nod sharply, yet you still refuse to make eye contact.

"Well then, off with you. I don't want to see you again until I call for you."

Not even wanting to look in her general direction, you turn around and stomp down the hall back to your room. Really it wasn't just your room though, each room of the orphanage was able to hold up to four kids at any given time with two bunk beds each. When you make it there you quickly climb to a top bunk and lay down, still fuming. More at yourself than at Miss Conson if you had to be honest.

She's strict yes, but that's more just a necessity when she constantly had to deal with a large group of kids. Otherwise, she was a very nice woman and from what you know you could have done much worse than being stuck with her. You do feel bad giving her so much trouble, she only ever tried being nice to you, but she doesn't understand that you just want to be left alone. Then she had to mention Jeff.

Jeff was an okay kid, you guess. He wanted to spend a lot of time trying to talk to you for whatever reason, not that you really cared. You shared a few interests and weren't bothered that much by him. The thing was that he was just seven years old when he got adopted. Having lived in an orphanage since almost birth you knew how the game was played, the parents always wanted the nicest, YOUNGEST kid they could find. A kid they could grow up with, so the older you got the lower your chances of getting adopted were. You could be the nicest kid in the world, but if you were thirteen or older you would need all the luck in the world to get adopted.

Jeff getting adopted reminded you of how close you were getting to that near-to-impossible-to-adopt age. Being ten years old was scary for you. If you turned thirteen and were still here you know you would still be here all the way up until you were eighteen, legally an adult.

You hated this, you hated that stupid adults only ever picked super young kids, you hated that you were still here, you hated all the other kids here, you hate, hate, HATED your stupid real parents. No, stupid wasn't strong enough for them.

Dumb, idiotic, booger brained, jerkface, GOD DAMNED LITTLE FU-!

Your breath hitched suddenly, only then did you notice that you had been crying, your hands aching from having clenched so hard. Wiping your face off with a shirt sleeve you look out the room’s singular window. The sun hung in the sky, casting its warm rays through the glass and into the room, the warm light on your skin comforting.

You stare out into the open world, just wondering what you could be doing right now if you weren't stuck here. Watching T.V. with some friends on a comfy couch, exploring the place you would be living in, going to a normal school, going on vacation with your fami-

You cut that line of thinking off there and shift around in bed, your comfort diminishing a bit. Feeling your eyes grow heavy you figure that you might as well catch a quick nap before you had to help clean up the lunchroom. Turning over to face away from the window you close your eyes and let sleep drift over you slowly, the sun on your back being the last thing you remember as the outside world fades away.

When you wake up you're in Canterlot Castle, in your room given to you by your adoptive mother, Princess Celestia.

You've woken up from a similar nightmare every night for the last three months, always at some godforsaken time. Looking around the room you repeat the same ritual you've developed in these long months, wiping the tears from your eyes, going through all the steps you read about that help you determine if you're in a dream or not, such as pinching yourself and looking for a reflection in mirrors. When you finish checking to see if you were asleep or not you go and shower, getting ready for the day ahead. It was still another hour until the sun rose, but you know from many restless nights that you wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. So instead of leaving your room right then you instead sit at your desk, take a journal you had in one of its drawers out, open it up to where you had written previously, and begin to transcribe your dream onto the next blank page.

This has become your routine, trying to understand dreams and reality at only the young age of ten just so you could have faith that the home you now lived in was, in fact, real.

Author's Note

And it starts, the sequel to my surprise hit Linguistic Walls. I took extra are with this chapter and will be with future chapters, so please feel free to tell me where I mess up so I can improve. Besides that I hope you enjoyed the read and are eager for future chapters.

Proofread by the amazing WrittenWord333.

02 - Full belly, hollow heart.

Walking was what you were trying to do, but it would be more accurate to describe it as your slug impression.

Your feet dragged across the tiled floors of the hall, one could reasonably compare your spine to the stem of a wilted flower, your arms would need to be tied to your torso in order to keep them from hanging so low that they practically touched the ground, and it would not be surprising if others thought your eyes had been moved to the top of your head with how low it was hanging, it was a wonder you could see ahead of you otherwise.

If someone was able to get a clear view of your face they would see the shadows under your eyes, looking more like makeup with how solid the discoloration was. To top it all off your movements were slow and wobbly, seeming like you were ready to fall over at any given moment.

After stumbling your way to the grand doors of the dining halls you take a quick detour to a bathroom nearby, thanking whatever genius decided to put the bathrooms in such a convenient place. Like other mornings, you repeat a routine developed out of your personal need to maintain your appearance of everything being fine. Waiting in a stall until you were sure you were alone you begin to work on getting yourself at least halfway presentable.

Stretches to pop your muscles and help wake you up a little more, splashing your face with water and combing your hair, and using the flip comb you had gotten recently to straighten it out. Last you do a final check up to try and catch any lingering blemishes. Unfortunately, you had no real way to combat the dark spots under your peepers and would have to rely on good old truth bending to explain those at breakfast.

Before going you took a moment to sit down and just think. You found yourself doing that much more than you ever had before. You weren't worried about being late to eat as being up a few hours earlier than even Celestia, the one who raises the sun itself, made sure you had plenty of time to do as you wanted.

Being up this early did afford you some advantages. Namely being able to avoid ponies who would ask you questions if they saw how tired and tattered you looked, but also being able to avoid the awkward privileges being a prince allowed you for a little while longer. You hated waiting in line and crowded hallways, for sure, but having an entire hall of ponies split apart like you were Moses made you very uncomfortable. Being a prince was the least of your problems, if you could even really call it a problem, but it was something you wish wouldn't be made into such a big deal.

Thinking you've had been on the pot for long enough you heave yourself up and with a small bit more energy and a lot less slouch you head to the dining hall, not stopping your thoughts from running around your mind.

You figured it would be best to stick with what you have been telling Celestia for the last few weeks, that you were just getting really sucked up in those new Daring Do novels she got you and you couldn't sleep without finishing that last chapter, though ideally you will try to just avoid the topic altogether.

Standing before the opened entrance flanked by one guard on either side you take in a deep breath and let it out slowly before walking in. Like always only the earliest of risers were there eating, barely a hundred in what would soon become just over a thousand were spread about in the many tables. Each table was set simply into long rows and loaded with various different breakfast items waiting for their ultimate fate, except for one table near the back.

Aside from its position and slightly more ornate design this table was hardly any different from the rest. That's something you loved about Celestia. She never boasted her royalty, always trying her best to come off like any other pony, though even an alien like you could have seen how that could be difficult from day one.

Speaking of Celestia, as you made your way to the table you could see her and your aunt Luna talking.

Your aunt.

She was your biggest problem. You don't mean to sound like you haven't grown to love her too, she's a great pony to be around, always with a story ready to tell or some good practical advice.

But she could see into dreams.

As the Princess of the Night she had a great amount of power over dreams and would help guide ponies through confusing dreams and protect them from nightmares. And with your recent nightmares it was natural that you feared she would get into your dreams. Thankfully for reasons they have yet to figure out she couldn't get into your head. You could barely understand most ponies as it was and the magical mumbo jumbo they tried to explain to you about the whole dream situation went right over your head, all you needed to know was that for now, you were safe.

As you approached the table Celestia noticed you first. You saw her put on a caring, soft smile that you knew was trying to cover her concern. In your short lifetime you had gotten more experience in things than most of your age, most of all though being faces. Living in the orphanage you have seen many faces, studying them to try and read the feelings splayed across them, trying to figure out what they thought about you. You could see the worry in Celestia's, past the smile and happy eyes, her worries and doubts. It was easy to figure out why she felt like that, you had only been looking and feeling worse as time went, despite your best efforts to appear fresh-faced and bright-eyed.

Throwing those thoughts away for the moment you smile back as she greets you.

"There's my Sunshine! Good morning, sweetie!"

No matter what mood you were in, Celestia's joyous demeanor always cheered you up. Smile growing a bit stronger, and a bit more sincere, you dig through your head for the right response in Ponelish.

"Morning mom."

Luna had noticed you by now and was smiling at you as well. As you took your seat you examined her face as you had Celestia's. Like her sister she had a smile that was meant to betray love and care, and again you could see the concern she held for you. Unlike Celestia though, there was the edge of doubt you could detect in her face. Neither of them really believed you about staying up late to read, but Luna in particular was set in trying to worm out the truth from you whereas Celestia tried to gently coax it out of you. This meant that at times it could become a bit of word based war with her as you deflected her invasive questions and you tried to subtly convince her that your dreams were of no interest and that she shouldn't bother with you.

"Morning aunt Luna."

"And an ever -~-~ta-~- morning to you as well, dear nephew."

And of course you couldn't forget the fact that she liked to speak in that old-fashioned manner of hers. That by itself would have been manageable, but when it was also in another language altogether. You looked to Celestia for help.

"Re-pu-ta-ble, dear." She sounded out for you.

"Oh."

Flashing an awkward smile at Luna you begin to dig into breakfast, trying to avoid more talking, her and Celestia sharing a look before following suit. The first few minutes of eating were quiet as more ponies filled the large room and began to eat as well, your own meal consisting of waffles, french toast, and scrambled eggs, all cooked to perfection. It was strange having to switch to a completely vegetarian diet, but the amazing cooking crew in the castle had just as amazing alternatives to make the change rather easy.

Luna clearing her throat got your attention as you finished off a bite of egg.

"So nephew, has "Daring Do and the Crystals of Mongdu" been an engaging read for you?"

Letting a sigh out within your mind you get ready for a fight of the verbal kind with an enemy on their home turf.

"Yes, each...chap-ter is better than the last."

Your grasp on the Equestrian language was fairly decent at this point, but you still needed to sound out a word from time to time. It was getting easier for you to just speak in Ponelish rather than English, but you still found yourself slipping back and forth from time to time.

"That is good to hear. Pray tell, what did you think of the seventh chapter, "Daring's Dare"?"

That was one of Luna's favorite ways to try and trip you up, testing your actual knowledge on the books.

"I liked it, though why Daring HAD to throw the Tome of Ragun in the fire I still don't know, but I guess I still have the rest of the book to go through."

Daring Do wasn't your favorite series, not that it was bad or you didn't enjoy it, it just was not as interesting as some the other stuff you've found. Despite this, you've been reading it religiously every day to make sure you had the higher ground in these duels with Luna. Besides, they were a gift from Celestia, you couldn't just sit them on a shelf to collect dust.

"I don't think she remembered to put why in the book, though I do recall her saying it had something to do with a curse."

You looked back at Celestia who had just interjected, confusion clearly spread across your face.

"What? Do you think she goes off on those adventures of hers to scrounge through ancient civilizations and save Equestria without running over the details with me? She just likes to leave out all the bureaucratic wish-wash to keep the books lively."

She wore a small grin as she said this, but you could also see something like...hope in her expression as she looked at you waiting for your reaction. You just blink owlishly before looking back to Luna, Celestia’s brow curling into a confused frown as you went on like she didn't say anything.

"But yeah, it's getting pretty good and I can't wait to get to the next chapter tonight."

Giggling at her sister's expense Luna took the last bite of her food and began to get up.

"I am sure you are, though please try and be -~-~ of the time, you need your sleep just as the rest of us do."

You don't care to figure out the one word you couldn't understand, relief washing over you as Luna finally lets you be. You give a parting wave.

"I'll re-~-~-~, I mean, I'll re-mem-ber. Have sleep good."

Gah, stupid horse language. You were doing so good too. Luna just laughs at you good-naturedly, and you could hear Celestia joining her as she walks off to her chambers. Another saving grace, she was nocturnal, meaning you only had to talk with her in mornings and right before bed. As you watch her leave for the moment you get a heavy feeling in your chest, like it was somehow being squeezed from the inside. Guilt. You didn't like lying to Luna any more than to Celestia. She had been nothing but nice and welcoming, even when she tried discreetly probing you for answers, not once making a stink about you being human or Celestia’s adoptive son. The fact that she was even trying so hard to figure out what was wrong with you was such a kind gesture, and you hated having to shut her down every time.

Before you could dwell on it too long Celestia grabs your attention.

"Aware."

"Huh?" The sound universal for representing that you have no idea what someone was talking about escaped you as you looked at Celestia.

"She said aware."

"Oh, okay."

And that was that. She looked ready to say something else though and you waited for her to do so, neither of you saying anything else as you picked away at what little was left of your food. Soon Celestia would have to leave to start her duties as Princess, and you would be off to the library to meet with the specialized home teacher that had been hired for you. This is how most mornings started now, Luna looking for answers and Celestia being the passive loving mother, all ending in an almost crushing silence before you three went about your business.

You hated it more than the nightmares.

Plate clean and mug empty, you’re about to say goodbye and head off for another lecture on how to pronounce some random set of words with nickers and whinnies when Celestia coughs.

"So, sunbeam, we haven't had a good chance to talk for a while."

Oh god. If Celestia took a page from Luna's book and pushed you for information you know you wouldn't be able to lie to her for long. You quickly took a fake swig of your mug to cover you gulping before you replied.

"Ye-yeah, you've been really busy."

"Too busy. I can't say just how sorry I am for not making enough time for just us, sweetie."

You were sweating ever so slightly from the nearly choking amount of nervousness building up inside you. You thought that was just a thing that happened in cartoons but, oh god, that sad look she had. Every little transgression you've ever committed was at the tip of your tongue just to get this godawful weight off your chest. Forcing yourself to make eye contact you suppress all the sins fighting to escape from your mouth before speaking.

"It's not your fault! I mean it's not t-too bad, I'm used to being alone..."

Thanking whatever benevolent beings of the higher power for Celestia not noticing your strange tone you try to calm down as she talks.

"That's the very reason why I need to fix my schedule as soon as I can, you don't need to be alone anymore, you have a family now."

Visions of the orphanage flash through your mind, the fears that held you silent when it came to your night terrors redoubling.

"I may be a princess, but you're my son-"

You beg her mentally to stop before you broke down.

"-And I need to be there for you. Especially now more than ever."

She brings a hoof to your cheek, her eyes staring right into your soul as one of the most caring and sincere smiles you've ever seen graced her face.

"I know you like to do things on your own, I just want you to understand you don't have to anymore."

You looked fine, and that was as close to actually being fine you were ever going to be in this moment. The monster known as fear held a blade of your ingrained independence as it bared down on your need to seek solace for all your troubles with Celestia. Grabbing her hoof harder than you wanted you pull it down and look away from her face sharply.

"~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~!"

"I'm sorry?" Celestia asks, confusion and worry lacing her voice.

Face burning red and stomach turning you stand up abruptly, voice coming out just under a yell.

"I said I get it and thank you and I'm done with breakfast so I'm gonna go now bye!"

You make a hasty retreat, not bothering to look back and see the hurt look you know you'd find on Celestia's face. Walking briskly, refraining from breaking out into a full run, you don't look up at the looks of confusion all the ponies you pass have as you make it out the door. The second you make it around the corner into the next hall you go into full on sprinting, your mind screaming at you for not telling Celestia and Luna about the nightmares, as you raced between the high walls until you make it to your room. Slamming the door behind you and sitting down, back against the door, you finally let the tears stream down your face.

You hated this, you hated this, you hated this!

You hated the nightmares, you hated not knowing if they were real, you hated being tired all the time, you hated lying to Luna, you hated lying to mom...

It hurt. It hurt that you didn't know. Were you asleep now, laying in bed back at the orphanage? It and this both felt so real. You wanted to tell mom about it so badly. You wanted her to come hold you and tell you it was all right and that it was just nightmares. You wanted Luna to be able to get into your dreams and tell you that it was all fake and you really were here in Equestria with a new family.

But how could you honestly believe any of this was real? You, a random orphan, being transported to a magical world full of talking ponies of varying species and other mystical creatures and being adopted by a princess? Even having just talked to them, even having just run through almost a half mile of the castle halls, even though you could feel the tiled ground under you and the wood of the door on your back you couldn't say it was absolutely real anymore.

It would make more sense that this was the dream, wouldn't it? And you were scared that the second you told anyone here about any of this you would wake up. That if Luna got in your dreams that she would tell you to wake up and be right back to waiting out the days until you were eighteen.

That if you told your mom, the mare you have come to love so much, the mare you wish more than anything was holding you right now, that she would disappear.

Why?

Why can't you just be allowed to have a family?

It was ten minutes later when you had calmed down, though calm and okay aren't the same. You picked yourself up off the ground, dried your face, and went to the bathroom. You had enough time to make it to the library before you would be considered late for your lesson to clean up.

Washing up quickly you check yourself over to see if you're presentable before walking out of your room, closing the door slowly with a click.

Author's Note

Alright, it's done! I'm sorry for the tardiness, this was a bit harder to write than I thought it would be, but I hope all the effort was worth it.

Proofread by the amazing WrittenWord333.

03 - What a Drag

Walking through the maze of tables, helping the cafeteria lady gather up discarded trash or clean the odd stain with a spray bottle and cloth, you can feel your anger lingering still somewhat as you are left to your own thoughts while working.

Ugh, peach cobbler? It was definitely a good thing you missed lunch today.

You slid the glop of congealing dessert into your trash bag and begin wiping away the mess it left behind. As you wash it away you try to focus on this feeling at the back of your mind, one that told you had forgotten but can’t remember what, hoping to force the memory to your mind. Table now free of cobbler menace you pause a moment, staring at the spot you had just cleaned. You don't know what was causing it, but SOMETHING was bothering you. It had been bothering you since you had woken up from your nap and it was really starting to annoy you.

"Kid, you're not gonna get done anytime soon if you’re just gonna stand there daydreaming."

Snapping out from your little trance you look over at the lunch lady as you come back down to earth, realizing you had just been staring at the still-greasy tabletop for several minutes.

"R-right, sorry."

Ignoring her pointed look you get back to cleaning, wiping off a few more stray chunks of food as you think again.

The lunch room wasn't especially large, and even going at a leisurely pace you could be done undoing a typical mess in about forty minutes, nor was it even hard work. On a better day you would have had no problem volunteering for the job for brownie points, but as it was your punishment it made the easy work feel all the more bitter and tedious to him. The nagging in your mind wasn't helping alleviate the annoyance either. As you finish off another table you tie off your trash bag, it being full now with numerous milk cartons and discarded foodstuffs. You still have at least two more tables to clean and then you’ll be sweeping and mopping the floor. With a low growl you turn to go grab another bag and dispense the used one in the dump, not looking ahead of yourself as you gave your bag a glare only to run straight into the lunch lady who apparently had been right behind you.

“Hey, whatcha’ think you’re doin’?!”

Backing up you still had sense enough to feel embarrassed for blindly bumping into her, even in your less than exuberant mood.

"I'm really sorry about that, I wasn't paying attention!"

"I noticed."

She pins you with an unhappy look before sighing and holding the new bag out to you.

"Take it and give me the full one, I was coming over to hand it to ya anyway since I saw yours getting full, I'll take it to the dumpster so you can hurry up and finish off these last tables."

Nodding quietly you exchange bags with her. Again she gives you a look, one you can't quite place before she walks off. You watch her for a small moment before getting to work again. The lunch lady was always a strange one. Not exactly mean, but not the most talkative or the first one to help. You really didn't know that much about her, not even her name, as the staff weren’t required to wear name tags. You knew more about her co-worker, Helen, then you did about her. In truth, you kind of liked that about her. You had gotten so used to personal questions or someone trying to be "nice" to you that you didn't realize at first just how much a breath of air the mysterious food server was. And now you were done.

You hadn't been aware of the work as you had pondered about the lunch lady until now. Half-full bag in hand you make your way to the kitchen, heading for the back door and the employees car park, where the dumpster was kept. A short walk later saw you outside, where you found the previous subject of your thoughts leaning against a wall and smoking.

Huh.

You had never seen someone smoking up close. The appeal of it never really made sense to you, but you figured it wasn't your place to try and dictate how people live their lives. The smoker gave you a brief look before looking back out into nothing in particular. Shrugging, you walk past her to the dumpster, ducking under her puffs of smoke, and quickly rid yourself of the smelly bag. You take a quick glance at the lunch lady before heading back for the door.

"You’re a good kid, ya know that?"

What?

"What?", vocalizing your thought.

The lady wasn't looking at you as she took another short puff of her cig.

"Quick to temper and stubborn to boot, but other than that ya got a good head on your shoulders, kid."

You just stare at her blankly, genuinely at a loss for words. A little creeped out and confused if you were honest. Finally, the lady looked at you, giving a snort at the mix of expressions on your face.

"I'm not gonna bite ya, just figured you'd like someone to talk to. Either that or back to the sweeping and mopping, your choice."

You hesitated but gave in to your curiosity, the lady's sudden willingness to speak intriguing you. Tentatively you step forward to stand about a half foot away from her, mimicking her stance against the wall. You both just stood there in silence as she puffed away the little that was left of her nic stick before tossing the butt away, not offering any more conversation while you tried to think of what to even say.

"So...?"

Another snort.

"You really aren't used to talking are you?"

Skin prickling a bit at her comment, you want to retort but hold your tongue for a moment instead.

"No, not really."

"Think you're too good for the other kids or somet’in?"

God, did she have to say that so plainly? At least she could sound like she was mad or something.

"No. I don't like talking with younger kids."

"Makes sense, this place has got a bunch of the real young tykes, maybe ten or so of you older ones, I can’t exactly be bothered to count."

Again you felt a bit off put, but also a little...relieved?

"I can talk to the other older kids sometimes, but it's not really fun."

"Can't imagine it is. Older means you should be getting wiser, more experienced. It can't be fun talking about what's gonna happen when you turn eighteen."

Did she really just say that with such a straight face? She did, you having seen her speak the words yourself. NO adult you've met ever has been so forward with orphanage stuff if it wasn't about adoption. They always wanted to dance around it like it was a pit of snakes or something. Then she just comes out and says that?! But...you weren't really mad as much as you were shocked. In fact, something about it made you happy, in a roundabout way you couldn't describe.

"Yeah, it's not...we talk about what jobs we'd have mostly."

It wasn't much, but you felt like offering the small tidbit to her.

"Jobs, eh? And just what kind of job would you be looking for?"

"I don't know really, just something that would let me travel a bunch. Maybe a trucker."

"Trucking ain't the worst life, but you'd be living in that truck most of the time ya know. Air attendant, that'd be a good job for ya. If you can keep your head out of your arse you could land it pretty easy kid."

You were again surprised by her. She really wasn't afraid to talk however she wanted, even to a ten-year-old like you. You think you understand why you liked it though now, it was refreshing. An adult just talking to you normally, no sweet words or half-truths, only straight, honest talking.

"I've thought about that too. But I'm also kinda still...well you know."

"Waiting to get adopted?"

She hadn't broken eye contact with nothingness until then, glancing sidelong at you as she asked her question. There was something in those eyes, but her question weighed more on your mind at the moment.

"...Yeah. I'm still ten, I've got time."

She looked away, the same flat expression on her face.

"Not as much time as you think. Most kids who get picked up are about seven or eight. Not saying you need to stop hoping, but I would turn a blind eye to any applications if I were you."

Okay, maybe you didn't like such honest talk after all. You were starting to feel like heading back in and getting the lunch room done before Ms.Conson came to check on you, but something about the conversation still held your interest.

"Why would I look at an application now anyway, I can't get a job anywhere legally anyway."

"Just giving out some advice kid."

A short silence followed, you fidgeting in place as you wondered rather or not you should go now. But there was a question that had bubbled up inside your head.

"Why did you say I had a good head on my shoulders? What does that even mean?"

She didn't respond at first, but after a second she turned her head to look at you fully, her mouth shaped in a snarky but genuine smile.

"I don't rightly know kid. You ain't exactly had much a chance to do anything impressive here. I guess you just strike me as the type, but I could be dead wrong. Either way, we've wasted enough time out here. Get yourself back inside and get that room done, the longer you take the longer I have to stay here."

You're left standing against the wall as she walks past you, cutting your conversation short. You're trying to process what she even said when she pauses in the entrance way.

"Come on, I don't have all day!"

"C-coming."

-~-~

Some time afterward you had a mop in hand, half of the lunch room so clean you could eat your food off it. Given its previous state, it looked like someone had tried. You had been thinking about the sort talk you’d just had. It was probably the most honest talk you've ever had. Not just with an adult, but with anyone. Adults always trying to be nice and to spare your feelings instead of just being straight with you while other kids were either too young to keep a good conversation going or they were too busy getting ready for when they were gonna get adopted, keeping themselves inside that little bubble of theirs, never wanting to face the possibility that it’ll never happen.

It made you think about a little bit of everything. About parents, about kids, about what you want to be when you were older, about what you were going to do when you were done here, and about the lunch lady herself. She was sitting in a corner reading a magazine, looking over at you every few minutes or so to make sure you were still working. You really didn't understand her anymore now than you had before but you think you might actually like her now. If for nothing else then to at least have someone who would talk level with you, if she was willing to talk again anyway.

Thinking about it had brought that feeling of something forgotten back to your brain. You scratched the back of your head as if you could physically get rid of the nuisance in your mind, but predictably it only further pestered you. You held the mop in one hand and rubbed your face in frustration in another, wishing for nothing more than to be back in your room so you could privately deal with this nagging.

"What did I just say, kid? You're wasting our time standing around acting like you got into the liquor cabinet!"

"Ugh, yes ma-!"

You take a step back to address her, only to have that leg go out from under you. Your mind only registers that you must have stepped on the wet, just-mopped before your head hits something hard and you black out.

You're sitting rigid in your seat immediately, gasping as your mind tries to discern the difference between the fall you had just had and the black and white that filled your vision. Before you had the chance to put everything together your vision shifted once again as the black and white was replaced with the unamused face of the pegasus mare, Ruler, your personal teacher. As it turns out, she had just removed the paper that had stuck to your forehead while you were sleeping.

"Young prince, do you find my lessons to be nothing more than a glorified chance to nap?"

Mind still breaking the cobwebs as its gears slowly began to spin up again, you grasp for a response.

"I-I-I-I'm really sorry Ruler. I mean Miss Ruler! I-"

"Yes yes, you're ever so sorry. I've heard it all before."

She trots back to the chalkboard on the wall straight in front of you, the trip taking her only two seconds within the confines of the small classroom. You guess it had some other purpose before becoming a room of learning, a utility closet or something along those lines, but it worked fine for smaller class sizes, able to seat at least ten students if you had to guess.

You shrink in your chair at her remark. Miss Ruler was not the nicest of ponies, but she was excellent at her job. With her mentoring you, you had gained a rapid understanding of the Equestrian language, but with recent events it had only become harder and harder to focus or even stay awake during her lessons. She had been recently trying to work you up to more advanced words and writing, but falling asleep every other lesson had, understandably, hindered your progress.

Miss Ruler slapped her namesake wooden ruler upon the chalkboard behind her, pointing to a small list of words.

"Can you at least tell me what each of these words say?"

Looking at the board you scan over the list.

"Uhh, Parasprite, Cac...Cactus, Helium, and Unicycle?"

"Hmph, correct this time, but you still missed a hearty chunk of your lesson. Seeing as it's almost time for you leave I will simply have to increase your homework for tonight. Look over your study sheet while I work out your additional homework."

Sighing in defeat you look around your small desk for the aforementioned paper.

"Yes Miss Ruler."

Nodding stiffly she trots off to her own desk and begins writing as you look over your own paper. As you look it over you vaguely feel the spot where your head would have impacted in your dream, the phantom of the pain coming to you in the form of an imagined pressure. You wanted to write down what you had dreamed, but Miss Ruler was sure to catch you and bring it up with Celestia. It was bothersome, but there was not much you could do about it. You just file it away for now and hope you could remember it for later. Not too long later there is a knocking at the door to the secluded classroom before Celestia's head poked out from behind it, her eyes quickly landing on you and her lips curving up into a smile.

"Hello, Sunshine!"

"Hi, mom."

Your smiles weak but real as she walks fully into the room and addresses Miss Ruler.

"Did everything go well today Ruler?"

Writing off one last sentence before giving a nod of satisfaction Miss Ruler looked up to Celestia.

"As well as usual your Highness. He behaved himself and paid attention, for as long as he was awake at least."

Celestia glanced at you worryingly before looking back at the smaller mare.

"I see. I assume he will have more homework tonight?"

"Indeed. But more importantly, I wished to speak to you about the young prince’s sleeping habits. This is the seventh time this month he has been sleeping during lessons. I would like it if you could speak to him and see what the root of the problem is."

Giving you look that you really could only describe as sad yet determined, Celestia nodded her agreement.

"Yes, I believe it is time I had a proper talk with him about his behavior."

That's not what you wanted to hear. You couldn't handle a talk with her. You'd rather study for the next three months straight if it meant you could avoid it. But when Celestia beckoned you to follow her you hung your head and got up, gathered your school supplies, Miss Ruler yelling after you down the hall because you forgot to grab your homework, and with dread building in your gut left the room as you fell in step with Celestia.

Author's Note

Okay, sorry about the wait time. I've got a few different projects in the pipe line, a few new stories and a few new chapters. But I think I'll be putting more focus on this story until it's done.

Either way, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed.

Also, if you get the titles pun, I'm not sorry.