Author's Note

Welcome to Chapter 15!

Greetings and salutations, I hope whatever time of day it is that it finds you well. I like how this chapter came out. I enjoyed the interactions the ponies had within. In fact, it felt like this particular entry took a life of it's own for me. Not much in the way of action, but I still think its one of the better ones.

As always, I work by a donation based system. So if you enjoy my work, consider sending me a donation on my Kofi.

And thank you. Thank you for taking this journey with me.

Leave a comment and tell me what ya think, and thanks for Reading.

Peace

Growing Pains

Monday brought something new.

His new lesson on hot air balloons had practically written themselves with all the knowledge of air currents written by the prominent members of the pegasi community. That and his own experience of a few ride-along would easily fill in the one hour a day he had with the class.

Orion was all too happy with this arrangement, which meant he did not need to contend with the glass blower anytime soon.

However, it wasn't the mare with dubious business practices that had caused him to pause on the now familiar path into town.

Rarity stood beneath the boughs of an old oak. The tree casting shade across the walkway she stood on. More importantly, she was standing in his way, eyeing him critically with brilliant blue eyes.

His one and only real interaction, the morning of his arrival in Ponyville, had left him with the feeling that she was more than a bit pretentious. With all that purple and gold jewelry, it was hard not to think otherwise.

She wore the latest fashions, or so he supposed, as he really didn't have an eye for trends. Though her comment that day made him think her's might just be handcrafted.

They certainly seemed sturdier than his own clothing.

The coiffed purple mane and tail in spiral patterns made her look more adult than she actually was. Not to mention her liberal application of purple eye shadow and either lipstick or gloss helped seal the image.

She was a unicorn and as white as he was black. Her horn did not curve slightly as his did, nor was it as long. Instead, it was thicker at the base and spiraled to a rounded point about four or more inches from her head. He'd call that almost petite.

She was shorter than he was as well, shorter than Applejack too. In fact, he suspected that even Twilight was taller than her.

But what really stuck with him, and why he believed her to be one of the upper crust of Ponyville, was her accent. Vastly different to the others all around southern twang most had in town, she sounded like she had come from one of the North Atlantic states.

It was polished and awful. It sounded fake as sin.

As he approached, she stood straighter. "So it's not just happenstance then…." Rarity appeared to want something of him. He wondered if he should just tell her to fuck off. He was looking forward to taking it easy today.

"Mr. Falls." She spoke crisply.

"Yeah, what do ya want?" He snapped. She recoiled, her face scrunching up. "Maybe that was uncalled for."

"I would like, not want," she responded tersely after a few moments, "is to procure your services for a project I have been working on the past few weeks. Dear Applejack has said you were more than capable of manual labor."

Orion just gave her a flat stare. She wanted him…for manual labor. Then a frown creased his features, his eyes darting for the ground.

Usually, a stallion would be the one asking a mare to do something like this. Or a mare would go to another. In this society, he was beginning to painfully learn that ponies had specific roles they wanted to be played by specific genders.

"This isn't something a mare would typically ask a stallion or a colt to do." He finally responded. Then he looked back at her. "So why?"

The white filly, in an even whiter blouse, tapped her lips with a finger in thought. "That is true. Normally I would get Applejack to assist me with this, but she is unfortunately entangled with her chores on her family's farm. She said to ask you." She looked him up and down briefly. "You do have the look of one used to working hard. And judging by what she has claimed, this shouldn't be too far out of your abilities."

He ground his teeth a little. He couldn't be sure, but he thought she had just insulted him.

"And you know no one else that can help you?"

Instead of answering his question, she made a slight humming noise. "You know, you have such an odd manner of speech. "No one, anyone?" It is all so strange. It is good that Mrs. Sunflower is not asking you to teach Equis class."

He gave her an exasperated look and moved to walk around her. She was being annoying, and he had no interest in dealing with her. She moved to block him.

"Ah, you're the kind of colt that gets right to the point, I suppose." She coughed lightly and gave him a pleading look. "To answer your question, no, I have no pony to turn to with this issue. At least, no pony our age. My parents are still in Manehattan, or I'd ask Mother to assist me instead." Sighing, she continued on. "Would you please help me with this?"

He mulled it over for a moment before giving up his own sigh. She was Applejack's best friend, and he would be an idiot to piss her off now by refusing to help the marshmallow pony.

"At least tell me what the hell you're asking before I agree to whatever you have planned." He mumbled.

Seriously, why is there an orphanage in almost every town he visited?

Save for some of the small villages on his way to Canterlot a few years back, most had some type of child's home somewhere amongst them.

He voiced his question as he and she lifted the last of the boxes from the back of the cart.

"You don't know?" She asked in surprise.

"If I did, I wouldn't be asking now, would I?" He huffed back. The damn things were heavy. She gave a sheepish smile and a nod but didn't answer him as they stepped inside the orphanage.

Clothes, to be more specific, foal's clothing, were packed in the wooden cartons. Clean and pressed, they came in a riot of colors and styles that, when paired together, didn't actually hurt the eyes.

True, Rarity had made them all with magic, but the effort she had put in was impressive nevertheless. What was more surprising, is she wasn't charging anyone for it.

She was using the magazine from last week to aid her in making sure she got it right.

From the little he had gathered from her as he lugged the handcart across town, getting weird looks and laughter from the locals, her family was textile merchants. One of the largest in Southern Equestria by all accounts, at least what she has claimed. All the cloth she used to make the colorful wear was either out of fashion or cast-off fabric. She did it because she wanted to, because she felt the underprivileged should have the same as her.

It was rather generous.

His orphanage question had been birthed due to the fact that they were currently carrying the completed garments into a two-story structure, not unlike the school house he now worked in. Though the colors were far more muted.

Ponyville's Home of Orphaned Foals was not a sad place. The kids ran amok in the halls as they passed the two laboring ponies, excitedly babbling to each other as they speculated on what they would wear. Many of them he recognized from class, but most were as yet too young for organized lessons.

He couldn't help but smile as their faces lit up with each new box popped open. He had never done anything like this when he was a human. It was rather nice, and left a warm feeling in his heart.

Maybe he would start a charity when he began to make his millions.

Rarity set the last box on the ground in a field of blue. She had chosen to use her magic, which made him jealous as hell about it. Wiping her brow, she beamed as she watched the little munchkins tear into her gifts.

He had honestly not expected any of this when she had stopped him earlier that day, and it made him reevaluate her. His original assessment had been unfair, he supposed. While she did try too hard to emulate a society, she'd likely find it distasteful in the end. The purple-maned filly was still as warm and kind as all the other Ponyvillians that he had met. More so considering the effort and financial drain she had undertaken.

Even to his untrained eye, that cloth did not look cheap regardless of her declaration of uselessness.

Stepping out into the late evening, the sun just above the horizon of mountains to the west. He asked her again why there were so many orphanages in Equestria.

"Well, I'm afraid the answer is not pleasant." She dabbed her cheeks with a cloth. Her fur was starting to look a little out of sorts. "You may not be aware of this, but the Everfree is not the only danger we ponies face in our day-to-day life."

He nodded along. He had actually never thought about the fact that Ponyville was only one of the many towns that had parked themselves so close to the hazardous woods.

"Over the last twenty or so years Princess Celestia, along with a cadre of merchants and entrepreneurs, have sent out expeditions and even small colonies in the farthest explored reaches of our world." She plucked at her shirt. "Not…every outing is successful." She finished.

That actually made a lot of sense. He had forgotten exactly what age he was in. For humans, it was almost too easy to set up a town or outpost in less than hospitable places. They had all the infrastructure to handle that. For these people, they had none of that. When they went out, they were truly on their own. Survive or die.

That fucking sucked.

"So the offspring of those failed expeditions come back here?" He asked.

Nodding, she replied. "Yes. They arrive here and are then transferred to other locations throughout the kingdom. To give each foal a chance. A chance for a good herd that will love and cherish them."

He was confused for a moment before he realized she didn't mean specifically here, but just in the nation in general. It could have been just as easy for him to arrive in Prance as here now that he was contemplating it.

Just then, Mr. Dollop came out of the back entrance. All beaming smiles on the elderly blonde stallion's face.

"Thank you so much, Miss Belle. I've not seen them so happy in a long time." He turned and gave him a dubious but not altogether hostile look. "I'm surprised to see the troublemaker here."

Dollop Cream, like many, believed he needed a firm hand on his ass to set him straight. In his humble opinion, he shouldn't be running around fighting ponies or timberwolves. He may be right about that.

Word of his escapades in Canterlot had finally leaked out somehow, though the how was a serious question as he had done his best to keep details as vague as possible. It was more than likely that either a newspaper or a visiting relative ruined the efforts.

It had painted a very mixed opinion for a lot of the locals. Though most aired on the side of, "he's good with the Apples, he's good with me," and left it at that.

This stallion did not share in that belief.

"There were no timberwolves to fight, so I figured the dainty lady next to me could use a hand." He snarked. "Got a question for you, though, Hoss. Why is it that you're the only stallion I've seen running an orphanage?"

Rarity had looked at him somewhat quizzically, but he honestly did wonder. As long as he had lived amongst them, he had yet to understand their culture in some areas.

Mr. Dollop had his own look of disbelief. Then he coughed into his hand before he replied.

"I'm surprised you don't know this."

"Yeah, let's just say I didn't really get to grow up around ponies until, like, I was five." That was the truth. He hadn't grown up in this world. He was doing it now, of course, but some things were just hard to absorb.

"I suppose so, considering where you come from." Sympathy did not look as odd on his face as Orion would have thought. "The reason why I'm one of the few to take on this mantle is really quite simple. Stallions tend not to accept other foals into their herds as readily as mares have shown to do. I suppose you could say it is a long-ingrained instinct."

"Oh….OH." That made a lot of sense. They were a lot like lions. When a rival male takes over a pride, he will kill the former male lion's offspring. Thus forcing the females to go into heat so he can have his own bloodline survive.

He wondered if ponies had a similar issue, except maybe not the whole killing bit.

"Yes, exactly. It's a holdover from our more barbaric days of the distant past. Rival stallions without a herd would sometimes take over and kill the offspring." Dollop explained further.

"Well, shit. That's dark as hell." He had no idea what to say. To think ponies could be so vicious is not something he would ever have believed.

"Yes, quite. We have come a long way from our distant ancestors." There was a moment of silence. Rarity hadn't said a damn thing the entire time, but the discomfort on her face told it all. "In any case, I suppose I should thank you as well."

"Ah, don't thank me too much." He was grateful for the topic change. "In all honesty, she and another that was not there strong-armed me into it. I could be napping right now." He chuckled.

"I'm quite sure." The judgemental stallion had returned. "Well, off with you both. I've got an orphanage to run."

They waved goodbye to the kids, and he grabbed the cart to start pulling it back across town. The sun was already dipping into the mountains, he didn't have a lot of time to get back to the barracks.

He looked at the purple-maned pony beside him and opened his mouth to ask what was next, and a sour apple sucker was shoved into his mouth. She gave him such a dazzling smile that he had trouble remembering their rather dark conversation only a few moments ago.

He spat out the sucker. “Fuckin’ overly sweet piece of.…”

Rarity really was pretty, and he imagined if she dialed back on the makeup, she would look more stunning. He had long accepted the fact that one day he would have to kiss, and likely bone a pony, and that acceptance altered his perception of them.

She suddenly latched onto his arm, beaming up at him.

Now it was awkward. His arm being squished between her breast made him blush and nearly drop the handles of the cart he was pulling.

"The hell are you doing?" He exclaimed, trying to shake her off him.

"Don't you think I did not notice, Darling?" He gave her a baffled look. "You enjoyed yourself. I saw the way you smiled at those foals. You were happy to help. I think you got more in common with Mr. Dollop than you think, my Dear."

He gaped at her. "This girl…" He decided not to finish that thought. Instead, he chose to try and throw her off. Maybe get her off his arm.

"Darling? My Dear?" He laughed. "Easy there, killer. Buy me dinner first."

It was her turn to blush though she didn't ease up on her grip. Instead, she just fired right back. "I suppose you're handsome enough. The roguish look matches you well, I think. But those clothes…." She mused thoughtfully. "I can dress you better." Then that wicked smile popped up on her face. "So I suppose a date wouldn't be too off-putting. Can you cook?"

His mouth fell open, and she laughed delightedly.

"I'm teasing you, Darling. Relax, I have not yet decided if you would make a worthy Prince." He did not feel relaxed, and he wished she would let the fuck go.

Getting to her house was no issue, except for the fact that she clung to him the whole way like a tick. Once done putting away the handcart, they walked to the front, and he was reminded how garish her home was.

Three stories in the design of one of those Victorian homes he had seen in pictures on the internet, it was not ugly but definitely overdone. He had daydreamed of owning his own home and had gone through the gothic phase of his teen years, so this would have gotten younger Orion really excited. The color palette was of various purples and dark blues.

His first thought was this was her personal home that her parents had built for her, and she was doing the Japanese thing of living on her own. That turned out not to be the case.

Her dad, Hondo Flanks Belle, seemed to be wrapped around her finger. He had readily agreed to paint it in the colors she had wanted. Her mothers, Cookie Crumble Belle and Sky Tracer had raised no objections either.

Currently, they are out of town. Which made him nervous when she said he would need to strip once they got inside. He turned to leave.

"I am not getting naked for no girl I have known for all of a week." He declared, struggling against a deep blue aura wrapped around his waist. But he was making headway to the door, pulling her along.

"Darling, please stop. I only want to get your measurements! I promise there will be no impropriety to be had tonight!" She was sweating with the effort of trying to stop him from leaving. She had actually held onto the door frame of the living room.

He eyed her suspiciously, "No funny stuff?"

She grunted with exertion. "No funny stuff, I promise now, please, would you come back in and let me measure you."

Orion stopped trying to use her as a pony plow. "Fine, fine. Though why do you want my measurements so bad anyway?" He had begun stripping off his clothes, leaving only the briefs on. Maybe he could get her to make boxers.

"So I can repay you for your help, Darling. Now that you're un-" She stopped.

Looking up, he saw her ears and face flushed red. "Oh great, she's a bit shallow after all."

"Applejack certainly wasn't lying. You are...well built for a unicorn. I don't think I have seen another colt like you..." She stood away and used her magic to begin taking the measurements she wanted; she did his chest twice. And paused by his bands."Those look...fetching on you. Gold would look better, but silver is a good look regardless."

"Oh? Gold does it for me, eh? And do you go undressing all of the guys you meet?" He was grinning as her blushed deepened. "Besides, they're steel. Can't afford silver."

"You are very uncouth, you know that?" She was writing everything down on a notepad that hovered beside her. But that blush remained.

"Well, excuse the orphan for not getting one of them fancy educmacations," that was a lie, and they both knew it, "and whut not like all them rich ponies who has that ther' money they always be slinging about." He was glad AJ wasn't here. He had utterly butchered her accent.

For Rarity's part, she just blinked at him, blush gone. "You're an...Orphan?"

"Uh yeah. Thought AJ would have told you. Didn't she? I didn't exactly keep it a secret."

"I...I am so sorry...what happened? If I may ask, I know it's not polite..." A finger on her lips silenced her. A-ha! Blush back in full swing. He debated but figured what was the harm. So he told her a rough summary of his life while he got dressed again. The blush had gone away once more, but tears seemed to become the new mainstay on her face. Great. Another girl he made cry.

"That is...so...s-o...sadddddd!" She wailed. She really let loose the floodgates. Full waterworks and falling on the couch and everything. She was a dramatic one, that was for sure. "Y-y-yyyyyyou been all alone since you were five...", She broke down again.

"Jesus Christ, girl, this shit didn't even happen to you. Why are you so worked up?" That didn't slow her tears, not a wit. "Come on, Rarity. I'm okay. I may not have a family, but I had an excellent opportunity to go to one of the best-rated schools in the nation. I'm amongst the top of my class." The deluge hadn't stopped, and his mind searched desperately to shut it down. "I even know Princess Celestia, which is bizarre for me, for real. I have an amazingly good life going for me."

Tears were finally slowing beginning to ebb, then stopped altogether. "Y-you know the Princess?" Her eyes sparkled, then darkened. "And I suppose you see her with your usual ensemble." It wasn't a question. His usual garb was a random collared T-shirt and slacks when he wasn't wearing his school uniform.

"Uh, at least twice now. Though, my shirt was pretty ripped up on my second meeting. I was pretty much topless." He looked at her, noticing her aghast expression. He couldn't help himself, and he pushed it. "The way she was looking at me, I think she has a thing for colts, if you know what I'm saying." He winked, and she sputtered and fainted.

"That was almost easy."

Chuckling to himself, he draped a blanket over her and left the home after dressing himself, locking the door behind him. Maybe too easy. He whistled to himself as he meandered down the street.

The sun had gone down, so he was already screwed anyway.

It was over. At long last, his month of suffering had come to an end. Errant Strikes removed the ring with a simple pull, and he immediately began to scratch his horn in earnest.

"Dear God, it itches!"

Once Orion finished satisfying his most base needs, he turned around and lifted the entire family of Apples, and one surprised Belle for shits and giggles.

He got thumped by Granny for his troubles, but that didn't particularly bother him and he laughed in response as she growled at him. Applebloom, though really not aware of anything beyond someone laughing, joined him.

The old mare whacked him again.

Rarity handed him a package with a smile and a smack for including her in that little telekinetic cuddle puddle. She hadn't forgotten his prank on her that night and had been openly harassing him over it for the rest of the month, in a good-natured way.

Opening the gift, he found a series of shirts in browns, grays, and oranges. A bunch of black slacks were underneath.

He was speechless.

Orion could only thank her and got a tearful hug in return before he turned to board the train. Applejack and her whole family mobbed him before he had made it two steps. It was nice. The town of Ponyville may be unimaginative with names. But it was home to some very decent people.

Sitting down in the second to last train cart, he sighed heavily. He'd have to come back for the holidays. Errant sat beside him with a grin.

"So I see you made some "friends"." She remarked rather coyly. He grunted in response. He knew what she was implying and wasn't about to give the mare a chance to rile him. Looking at her, he wondered if he should question the guard on where she had been during his stay. He hadn’t seen a tail hair except in passing.

Instead, his mind turned toward his return to Canterlot. A jerk in his seat and the bellow of the train's whistle indicated that they were beginning to move.

He wondered, as the countryside began to pass his window, what kind of reception he was going to receive when he got back. He wasn't worried about Mrs. Evergarden or the kids at the orphanage.

It was the school that concerned him. Only a month prior found him beating the absolute hell out of a group of dumbasses in full view of much of the student body. How would they perceive him now that it was revealed that he needed to eat meat to survive? How would they reconcile the fact that he was so dangerous physically?

Snoring jerked him from his musings. Guard Lieutenant Errant Strikes had fallen asleep at his side. Head tucked into her chest. She had gone out like a light the moment they pulled away from the station.

He wanted to laugh. No matter the dimension or people, military members seemed to operate the same way.

At her hip was a small folder. He picked it up, already suspecting what it was. He was right.

It was a summary report of his activities during his time in Ponyville. Surprisingly, it didn't cover the lessons he had taught during the science hour. Only remarking that he was in good standing with Emerald Sunflower and the students.

Unsurprisingly, it also covered the timberwolves incident during his first week. That made him wince uncomfortably. Apparently, Errant had gone to Sweet Apple Acres and interviewed the family there, as well as Sergeant Green.

There was a brief explanation of his suspicions about what had happened the night the timberwolves tried to bait the Apple family out of their home.

Besides the aforementioned, it generally gave a brief documentary of his time in the town, including helping Rarity with her gift delivery.

He thought about tossing the entire thing out the window for a moment. Instead, he dug into his satchel and came out with a quill and inkwell and wrote beneath the timberwolf report.

"Dear Princess Celestia," he began to write, "I did what I thought was right. Feel free to argue with me over the merits of my actions at your earliest convenience if that is what you wish. But I'd do it again in a heartbeat." He signed his name and slid the folder back into its place by Errant's hip.

Turning back to the window, he chuckled to himself. "What if I'd called her Princess Sunbutt?" He almost pulled the report back out to do just that. He decided against that, fingers just inches from yanking the file back to him. With what was in the file, she was going to be pissed off enough with him as it was.

Settling into his seat, he tried to sleep the hour and a half trip off himself. Orion didn't want to think about what awaited him at the end of the rails.

"Princess?" Came the clipped voice of Lucky Write, thankfully pulling her away from the expense reports that covered her desk.

The disaster in Maredo'lado had hit the country hard. Millions of bits were spent on the expedition, over three thousand lives, all lost with no rhyme or reason at all.

The investigation team that sent in the report had not found anypony. Not a single survivor. All that remained was a destroyed ghost town half buried with sand and no leads.

Local Zebrican tribes would not say what happened, or couldn't. It made her angry that their people would not help solve this mystery. Furious even.

Her ponies' lives were lost to their sands. They should at least indicate what had happened.

Compounding this was the report that Tover, a small town on the outskirts of the Everfree, had been decimated. All signs pointed to a timberwolf attack. A few traumatized foals had made it out of that with two badly wounded stallions. Another twenty-five hundred dead.

Worse yet, there were no bodies to consecrate. They had been taken into the forest. That was alarmingly new behavior considering most beasts from the woods just ate where they killed.

Two catastrophes in the span of a year had left her scrambling to allocate funds to the recovery of Tover, which no pony would want to move to after the report came out, and compensation for the herds that lost family members trying to settle in Maredo'lado.

It was maddening and made her want to weep.

So she was very much grateful for the distraction.

"Yes, Lucky?" Picking up a now cold teacup, she sipped the bitter liquid inside. It had been good Prance Black Tea.

"Lieutenant Strikes is reporting in." She responded, stepping fully into the royal study. "I told her that her report should go to her commander at her assigned station, but she has told me she was ordered here." That last bit wasn't a question but came very close.

Celestia's eyes grew wide in surprise, and then she laughed to herself. "Has it already been a month? My, how time flies. Yes, Lucky, I did ask her commander to send her here. Please, send her in. Send her in!" Getting up, she tested the carafe her tea came in and found it still warm. She tossed what was left of her drink out the open window that she had opened earlier and poured a new cup.

Turning about, she found her secretary gone and in her place, striding to the center of her study, was Errant Strikes. Coming to a stop, she saluted smartly, hand across her chest.

"Your Highness."

The mare was unduly nervous. Noticeably so, as her left hand fidgeted on the file she carried.

"At ease, Lieutenant. Tea?"

"Ahh…no, your Highness." Her right hand joined her left on the package. "I was…told by Commander Stout Wing to make my report here. To you." She held the field report out to her.

Something had happened by the look on the mare's face. Celestia took the file from her, placed it on her desk without opening it, and fixed the mare with a steely gaze.

"How long did it take before he got into trouble." It was not a question.

"T-two days, Princess." Errant stuttered out.

A long-suffering sigh escaped from the weary monarch's lips. "What happened?"

"It's...in my report…" the guardsmare swallowed audibly and trailed off. They wilted under her sudden glare.

Celestia schooled her face to stillness. She was being unfair to the young lieutenant.

"I am sorry. I should have expected this. Please tell me what happened?"

For a moment, the mare could only stare in shock. Before, she comically shook her head and coughed into her hand.

"Well, um. Okay, two days into his thirty-day community service, Orion Falls…."

"He had fought and killed a Timberwolf?"

The monarch was still having trouble wrapping that concept around her mind. She had long since released the lieutenant to her duties and now sat in her study rereading a rather inept report on Orion's activities in the town of Ponyville.

The very idea of a fourteen-year-old, a colt no less, harming anything was near impossible to believe for the average pony. Yet, as she read through Errant Strikes' sparse constructed account, she couldn't help but be impressed and be reminded just whom it was covering. This was more than a little concerning, however.

The little message Orion had left, that the good lieutenant hadn't seen, gave her a giggle. Obviously, he had somehow gotten his hands on it without his escort knowing.

However, the colt had far more experience fighting than the lunchroom brawl had indicated.

"There is also the fact that he was willing to square off against the other as well." The entire event chilled her bones.

With the attack on Tover, and now Sweet Apple Acres, she was forced to order increased patrols. Something was stirring in the Everfree.

As she contemplated what other measures she would have to take, not only with the town south of her capital but the nation at large, she couldn't help but have one question rise amongst her plans.

"Just who are you, Orion?"

It had just turned noon when he and Errant had stepped off the train. Giving her an awkward hug goodbye that she had pressured him into, he forced his way into the press of bodies and walked to the nearest tram station.

He idly wondered, as he boarded the tram cart, how long it would be before Celestia would demand to know what the hell he had been thinking.

Orion arrived back inside the orphanage with little fanfare. It was Thursday, and the rest of the kids were still in class, so it was only Mrs. Evergarden that was there to greet him.

Climbing the steps to his room felt oddly easier. His time volunteering on the farm had been good for him, it would seem.

Opening the door, he was greeted with a disheartening sight.

On his desk was a pile of paperwork. A closer inspection showed it was his assignments over the past month.

"Oh fuck me…." He lamented. Orion had not anticipated this.

Atop the pile of delinquent documents of his inevitable doom, was a scroll wrapped in purple ribbon with a seal. The emblem of a double six-pointed star had been pressed into the wax.

If he remembered correctly, that was Twilight's cutiemark.

With dread, he snapped the seal and unraveled the scroll.

"Dear Orion,

"I hope my letter finds you in good spirits. As I write this, it is the day before you are due to return, and with that in mind, I have taken it upon myself to gather your assignments for your past thirty-day suspension.

"With the weekend coming, and you not due in classes till Monday, I anticipate that you will have more than adequate time to complete the courses within that time."

He snorted in agitation. While he could appreciate her help, he couldn't help but be annoyed that he would not have the weekend to relax and get back into his routines.

And why did she sound like some government functionary? Was she pissed at him?

He read on.

"I have also included my own notes during my time in those courses, to better facilitate help to expedite the completion of your studies. I rewrote it all on the standard paper as that may be easier to sort and store."

It seemed she wasn't upset. Not if she was going through all this. Still, this letter was so stiff he could have used it to prop up a wall. He spied a separate pile of papers in her familiar style next to his work.

"I hope to see you in good health and well rested Monday.

"Sincerely,

"Twilight Sparkle

"P.s. I look forward to questioning you on your visit to Ponyville. I've never been, and I wonder what it might be like there."

That last bit had the most emotion he had seen out of the short missive. He let loose another sigh and put the scroll down. He'd just have to ask her about it Monday.

Putting his things away quickly, he started sorting through the pile. It was going to be a long weekend.

He hadn't even sat down yet when there was a knock on his door. It was early morning, and he had just gotten back to his room after grabbing a cup of coffee from the kitchen.

Grumbling about not wanting to do any chores, he opened it to Mrs. Evergarden and an armored mare he had never seen before.

He seemed to be doing a lot of sighing as of late. Honestly, Orion had expected this, if not so soon.

"Let me get my coat." He groaned as he turned toward the pegs.

"How did you know?" His matron asked in a bewildered tone.

Turning from the wall, he pushed his arms through the thick blue wool of his jacket and grinned at her. "Call it a hunch." Turning to look at the brooding royal guard, who had not said a word. "Well, get going. I got homework to do, might as well get this over with."

"Well, this room is familiar."

He had quickly been ushered into an official-looking carriage, one pulled by pegasi, and promptly set off for the castle. He nearly fell out in relief when they had landed less than five minutes later.

It had felt like an hour to him.

Heights didn't usually bother him. He had flown in planes and on airships before. Those were dependable well maintained machines. No problems there.

But the idea that his life was in the hands of a pair of horses with wings slapped on their backs made him more than a little nervous. They were people, and people grew tired, made mistakes. No matter how many times he had seen them all do it, he could never be comfortable with the idea of someone towing him through the sky.

Once he was finished worshipping the earth he had been blessedly reunited with, much to the amusement of the two stallions that had separated him from it, he was guided in by a maid to the same room he had first had a conversation with Celestia in.

He really didn't want to do this, and he had a pretty good feeling about what she was going to ask. Fortunately, he felt he had a pretty good alibi. The best part, it was true.

The gilded doors opened, and the devil appeared.

"Orion, thank you for not putting up a fuss and coming so quickly." She said formally. Her horn was already glowing, that could be a bad sign. Now he wished he hadn't taken a seat as she waved away his attempt to stand.

"What would have been the point of arguing with that wall of steel you plopped on my doorstep." He forced a laugh, her lips didn't twitch. "Let's get this over with. Thanks to your student, I don't get to spend a relaxing weekend getting back into the groove of my life."

She paused and fixed him with a look before finally sitting down in front of him, and a familiar file dropped in front of him. Her horn did not wink out.

"Care to explain what happened your first week in Ponyville?" The Princess's stern voice brooked no humor. Oh, she was upset, upset.

"Tried an easy method to save the Apple family's dog and fell off the roof. I wasn't positive I could outrun the bastards, so I fought, and won." That was a plain enough explanation. Though really, it was a shitshow from the very beginning.

"Orion, do not insult my intelligence. I gave explicit instructions for you to keep out of trouble and for the nullstone ring to remain on during the duration of your community service. You violated both. Why?" The heat from her tone alone would have been enough to cook him had it been possible.

"Because a family member of the people that had been nice enough to feed me was in danger. And I thought I could save 'em easily with a capesso spell, the fluffy pup would have been safe, and we would have been buttoned up inside the family home." That was precisely his plan to a tee. Her horn was still golden, so he had a feeling she was using that truth spell on him.

He wondered how that worked, and also reevaluated what he knew of mind manipulation magic. Which wasn't much, but perhaps she couldn't just invade minds after all.

"So you jeopardize your life, for a dog?" She retorted scornfully.

"To them, a family member. And I'd do it again." He almost finished with something a little too close to the real truth.

The simple fact was that he was tired of running from problems. Running had done nothing but make it all worse. However, he might be going a little hard on that aspect of his life.

"Orion, it was a pet. As awful as this may sound, a pet can be replaced." Her face softened. "A pony's life, cannot."

"Have you ever had a pet?" He couldn't believe she was being this heartless.

"I actually have one now. A phoenix named Philomena." She said rather primly.

He almost had a brain hemorrhage. She has a phoenix as her animal companion. An animal that literally burns itself to death, only to be reborn as an egg that hatches in the ashes of its dead body. Well, it was no wonder she had a rather callous view on animal companions. She never had to really worry about hers.

She was staring at him strangely. He had been silent and still too long.

"So, how would you feel if your phoenix were to die?" He had to play this one by ear. Class had not discussed phoenix biology in any capacity. In fact, he had seen nothing on it in the copious amounts of animal reference books that Twilight had crammed into his hands on a weekly basis. It wasn't even mentioned in legendary beastaries she had given him. That was odd now that he thought about it. Why was there no mention of phoenixes?

Celestia smiled warmly. "Of course not. I don't suppose you know this, but a phoenix's life span is an almost endless cycle of death and rebirth. See, when a phoenix comes to the end of its life cycle, it burns away, leaving ashes. From those ashes, comes an egg. Once more, the bird will be born anew." Her eyes sparkled with delight.

He ruined that.

"Can a dog essentially rebirth itself?"

"Well, no. They cannot." She frowned, then her eyes grew wide, and he nodded.

"Yeah, exactly. For you, your bird can keep coming back. You will get time with them. For Applejack, once Winona is gone, she is gone. They'll not get a second chance. For the Apples, that dog is family. As much a part of them as a foal and herd. To lose her so quickly would be heartbreaking for them."

"I see." She nodded slowly. "Perhaps my experience has blinded me to the fact that my ponies are not so fortunate to find a companion that will live as long as they. I have forgotten how short life can be for some." Then she opened the folder with a flick of her horn, and her finger came down on the page. Hard. "I am more concerned with you in any case. Orion, where did you learn to fight like this?"

Oh good. He wouldn't have to lie after all.

"That…was more like flailing with hope. Most of my time was spent avoiding teeth and being bodied into things. I think they were mostly focused on driving me toward the forest." He shrugged uncomfortably at the memory.

"Yes." Celestia said softly. "About that, Lieutenant Strikes noted your suspicions. Would you care to elaborate on that?"

Orion stood and walked to the window. It looked out over the practice yards of the east side of the castle.

"Princess…it was a trap as clear as glass." He turned back to her. "That fuck was just going through the motions. Hell, the pigs had not even had their pen broken, and they were closer to the forest." The white monarch's eyes widened. "Yeah. Books in class say they're as dumb as any beast. Bullshit. Those fuckers set a trap and were hoping to catch more in that net when they toyed with me the way they did."

Celestia looked back toward the file.

"...these reports I'm getting really need to be more thoroughly researched." She huffed in exasperation, her horn finally winking out. "It seems everypony is only doing half the job." She was pouting now. It was rather cute to see. Her eyes suddenly sharpened. "Still, I do not approve. Orion, this is beyond what you should have done."

"I. Fell." He repeated. "I didn't get much chance to even do anything other than dodge a lot. Fuck me. I didn't even do that much punching till the damn thing was on top of me."

"You were lucky, Orion. Very lucky." She admonished. She was right, of course; it had been sheer chance that he had survived. It had been too much of a close call. Those fuckers had been relentless, and had they gotten him to the forest…

For a long moment, the colt and the monarch were silent. Both lost in their own thoughts. Hers were unknown. However, Orion's was on that night. He hadn't really realized just how close to death he had been until it was over. Rather than dwell on it, he had shoved it aside and buried it deep.

Unfortunately for him, this conversation with Celestia had stirred it all up again, and he was having a bit of a problem suppressing it to something manageable.

Not only the incident from Ponyville, but the near-death experience he faced when he had confronted Cottonridge had also decided to join in his increasingly agitated mind. Warm hands rested comfortingly on his shoulders. He was shaking.

"A-hhhh…s-s-shit." He stuttered. Looking up at her, he glared with little heat. "I b-b-blame y-you. I w-as doin' fi-ine till y-you wan-," he gulped, "wanted to grill me on this s-shit." He finished.

"Shhhhh….it is alright. You are safe, Orion." She drew him in, and his head was smushed into the tops of her breast, her own settling over his. Like her hands, she was warm.

That helped.

She held him as tightly as she dared. The poor foal.

This had been foolish. The idea that he might be an Umbrum had swam in her head despite all the evidence to the contrary. This just proved how fruitless it had been and showed her own paranoia for what it was.

He was an unusually brave colt. But that was not unheard of. Given his life, before coming to Equestria, she should have figured out that this would be how he would eventually become.

However, she could not help but smile as she began to rock him gently. From what she had found out, he really did not like being touched all that much. For him to not fight against her was an obviously rare privilege. One she relished.

He had been honest with her. He never once winced in pain, and she detected nothing in his mannerisms to say otherwise. She just wished her questioning hadn't brought this out of him.

Celestia had seen it before. Countless times in her long existence. One's first experience on the battlefield would bring this out of most, no matter how tough the exterior. It was not easy; killing a creature, no matter how base the foe might be, the act of taking a life can have a catastrophic impact on somepony. That and imminent death, of which Orion undoubtedly had faced down both.

Soon enough, he pulled away, and she was surprised to find no tears, just a numb stare boring through her.

"Are you okay now, Orion?" She cupped his chin, and he sluggishly pushed her hand away. Celestia frowned.

"Yeah...yeah, I think I am…." He rubbed his hands across his face. The numb expression was slowly fading. "Didn’t…didn't really let myself process all that shit when it happened."

"That is not healthy. I am setting up a meeting with a therapist." He, of course, objected.

"Absolutely not!" He declared with all the confidence of a stallion three times his age. "My brain, my choice."

"I shall not yield on this, Orion. You will see Doctor Fair Heart. She has experience with what you are going through. You need this." She fixed him with a pleading look. "Please. Not for myself, or anypony else, but for you."

His face took on the image of a cornered Diamond Dog as his eyes darted in apprehension. Finally, he nodded. "Fine. But I'm likely not saying shit." He muttered petulantly.

"We shall see." She paused, this had really lasted much longer than she had wanted, but something she had been mulling around since she had read the report made her broach the subject with him.

His talent for combat could not be ignored; even if it was only “hopeful flailing”, it was still remarkable. She would not be surprised to find that he actually has a cutiemark in punching of all things.

"Orion." She spoke up firmly. Her tone must have alarmed him because his eyes shot up at her. "I am going to make a proposal to you. You are under no obligation to accept at this time. But I do wish for you to consider it all the same."

"Okay…." His distrust ruled his body and face.

"Over the centuries, much fewer in this time period than any other for obvious reasons, stallions of incredible fortitude and strength of will and character have stepped forth from the shadow of the everypony. To stand bright in…why are you laughing?"

He was laughing, and it sounded slightly manic. He was clutching his stomach tightly and kicking his hooves. It took a few moments for him to settle before he spoke. And when he did, his voice was heavy with mirth.

"Are you trying to recruit me for the guard?" He stifled more giggles.

She folded her arms and glared at him from the side of her eye. "Yes! Is that such a surprise? You have an extraordinary aptitude for combat. I recognize the wild nature you exude. But I once knew a stallion who would not stop diving into the water to rescue those still trapped beneath a capsized vessel. I see much of him in you."

"Yeah, and I bet he didn't come back himself on his last trip, did he?" He scoffed back.

Celestia was silent a moment before answering him. "...you are correct. I cannot lie to you that his actions that day did not cost him his life. But he saved twelve ponies." After what he had done, she had thought he was beyond this kind of disregard for another's noble deeds.

"I don't want to be like that." Her left eyebrow arched, almost on its own. "I don't! Listen, he did what he thought was right. And I guess to a certain extent, I do too. But I didn't just jump from the roof of the Apple's household thinking of being some hero. I slipped on some loose shingles in the fucking rain. I fought to survive at that point."

"Do you think that the Apples do not see you as a hero? That the citizens of Ponyville do not know of your deeds and think fondly on you?" She mused for a moment. "If all you did was fight to survive, why did you recreate a spell not often talked about, much less taught? "Auferte" is not a well-known fundo. Not for…oh six, seven hundred years now, I think. Using it to send the Apple's dog into the house in the middle of all that had been a brilliant move."

It wasn't disregard for that noble stallion's sacrifice. It was self-preservation that made him resist willingly placing himself in danger.

"Wait? What? "Auferte"? There's a name for that? The hell is a "fundo"?"

Celestia giggled. "Fundo means to cast. And yes, my little pony, you recreated a spell that was the exact opposite of capesso. It's fairly more complicated and was eventually replaced with the ease levitation brought. It takes knowing the location you're trying to put the item in rather intimately. You can see why it fell out of favor?"

"Yeah. But I didn't just come up with it on the spot." The monarch's eyebrows rose, and he blushed. "I had…started working on it months ago. I figured if the principles behind capesso worked as they did, then the opposite should work just as well. Honestly, Winona got lucky she wasn't turned inside out. My success ratio was pretty awful before that night."

"That is even more impressive." Celestia was impressed. While it was true that the spell was already created, he had not known of it beforehand and had worked hard to create something new for himself.

"Eh, it doesn't matter." He rubbed his face. "Going back to the other thing, I want to live my life, Princess. Really live it. If anything, I would hope this shrink of yours will be able to help my ass with my impulse control. I do reckless shit, and it's going to get me killed." He sighed and ran his hands through his mane. The beads of metal and wood cracked discordantly together. "Gonna sound rude here, but are we done?"

It was rude, and she did not like how he seemed to be less inclined to help himself, wanting only immediate solutions. It was short-sighted, but the set of his shoulders as he sat before her told the monarch that she would not get much more out of him this day.

Honestly, she let him get away with far too much, and she wanted to come down harder on him. But his closeness with her student, which was proving a net positive as Twilight had started to gain a few friends outside of him, made it difficult for her to want to follow through.

"Yes, I suppose we are. I am glad to see you safe, Orion. I hope the events of the past month shall allow you to act with more foresight than you have allowed yourself." She gave him a wry smile. "Such as taking on grown ponies for the sake of others."

"Oh, come on! That was one time!" He shouted, causing Silver Bell to peek her head in and glare at him as she opened her mouth. She did not go unnoticed. "Can it, chrome-dome." Her look of offense, of course, was ignored as his eyes swung back to Celestia. "Ya can't keep lordin' that over me."

She could not help but laugh. Not just for the country twang in his voice that he no doubt picked up in his time in the rural town, but for his almost immediate forgetfulness of the arguments about family members and the place the Apple's canine occupied.

"Once? My dear colt. According to your earlier logic, the events in Ponyville would make it the second time you acted with little regard for self-preservation in the service of others." Oh, this was delightful for her as she watched his lips flap with no sound escaping past them.

It was strange in a way, Celestia usually would not desire to upset a foal of any age. But something about Orion made her mind treat him as she would an adult in court. Rather than withdraw entirely like most would, he challenged, and fought back for his own space within her sight.

In many ways, he was an adult in his own right, and she had recognized it while still acknowledging his youthfulness. A strange conundrum she found herself in.

As he started stating his case to the contrary, though she was sure he knew it was fruitless, she began to sketch out a plan to help him deal with the trauma he had earned.

Somepony should have done it when he had been rescued in Stalliongrad, yet that part of his care had been neglected. And she would be lying to herself if she was not curious to know what drove him to intervene for others.

"You have been neglected, young Orion, but no more. You have a bright future ahead of you, and your courage and quick wit will be added by the help I can give you now."

Leaving the three-story white bricked build, Orion ground his teeth.

He had agreed, despite not really having an option to refuse, he still did it, but this Fair Heart chick was already getting on his nerves.

Growing up back on earth, he had been subject to more than a few psychologists and therapists. His grandparents had been concerned about his antisocial behavior and tendency to get into trouble in class. So they ran through the gambit of "professionals" that never seemed to actually want to solve his problems.

Because of that, he never really allowed them to help him when the rare one that actually cared popped up. Instead, he simply made up nonsense they both knew was bull and carried on with his life.

Dr. Heart actually held a doctorate in trauma. More notably, she dealt with soldiers and guards specifically. So he was her very first foal case. Celestia wasn't playing around, that was certain.

But like everything in his life, there was a complication.

The shrink saw him as just another teenage foal. Worse yet, she saw him as a typical colt, which meant she was rather infantile and soft in her approach to dealing with him. Becoming alarmed and even outraged when he rebuffed her, causing her to lecture him on how terribly he was behaving.

This had the unfortunate effect of him telling her rather forcefully to take her notepad and shove it into her unmentionables before marching out.

He was definitely going to get a letter from the Princess about this.

It wasn't long before he found his hooves had taken him to the park across from the orphanage. Taking a seat at the bench, he watched as kids played and herds walked the well-maintained mulch paths.

"You knew this was coming eventually, dumbass." He admonished himself. And he had been expecting it on some level since Mrs. Branch, but to be smacked in the face with blatant sexism was jarring.

He supposed he had gotten lucky up to now that no one but the old nag had called him on it. In this society, or at least in the cities, stallions did not bicker with Better Mares.

He wanted to fault them for it. However, the sad fact was he could not. For whatever reason, evolution, a curse, some mad gods' idea of a good time, mares had been running the show for a very long time. It was institutional at this point.

As he was beginning to seriously contemplate a role in the overthrow of a matriarchal society, someone sat down next to him on his bench.

Turning his head to look, he bit back a curse. Dr. Fair Heart had followed him.

Neither spoke for a time. He had shifted to look away from her while staunchly refusing to run from the mare. Again.

Soon enough, the psychologist was the first to break the ice.

"I…apologize, Mr. Falls." He snorted. Still refusing to glance back at her, despite the remorse in her voice. "I am more accustomed to mares having survived terrible incidents in battle. Them dealing with survivor's guilt. The loss of limbs and purpose in life."

"That doesn't mean you can just dismiss others' problems because they happen to have external plumbing." He quietly responded. He had done enough shouting in her office.

"No, and that was my mistake." He could hear her sigh heavily and shift. "I've never…thought that a colt could go through the same things. Looking through your file that the Throne had provided, I couldn't accept, or at least rationalize it as possible." Her hand touched his shoulder.

Orion nearly jerked away, but he had worked too hard not to look like the petulant child. His storming out notwithstanding, he tolerated the contact.

"Is there a point to this little speech?" Okay, now that was petulant. "Sorry."

"No, no, you have a right to be upset. You are such an unusual pony that it is difficult to approach you properly. My point is that…I would like to start again. If you would allow it."

He finally looked at her. Gray furred ears laid back in her excessively curly blue mane. Gray eyes peered back at him past a pair of half-rimmed glasses. Deep concern was held in her gaze. She really was sorry.

She had not brought her notepad, he noted with a wry grin.

"And this isn't to stay on Celestia's good side?"

A scandalous look flashed across her face at the name. "No! Stars above, no! The Princess is the least of my concern." She cocked her head, an eyebrow arched. "Why do you insist on using her name like that?"

"Why not? First of all, nowhere in any law I could find prohibits someone from using her name in any capacity other than with the title in front of it. Second, on that list is look at all the businesses with her name plastered on the signs above them. Clearly, they do not fear the wrath of the Riven Throne. And finally, you would think someone as long-lived as she would appreciate being reminded that she is still a person. Even if it never directly gets back to her." That last might have been total bullshit.

"I see." Was her response. After a bit, he wondered why she was being silent until he remembered her earlier question. She was waiting for an answer.

"Fine. But let's…keep this stuff to recent events. I'd rather not talk too much about the past." He finally relented.

"I can accept that." She glanced around and smiled. "And if you would like, we can conduct your sessions out here or in an open and comfortable place of your choosing."

Looking around the park himself, he nodded. "Yeah, I hate offices. Sitting rooms, too for that matter. This'll do."

"Excellent. Well, strike when the iron is hot, as my mother would have said. Tell me, Orion, how do you feel after surviving a rather terrifying attack as you had done down in Ponyville? What went through your mind?"

"Heh, you don't waste any time." He chuckled. "I suppose at the time, nothing was going through my head. I was so caught up in the moment I didn't think about what I was doing. Only what needed to be done. I had a plan, but…."

Coming back to school was very weird for him. He figured that the students would avoid speaking to him, and they had done so.

What made it so strange was he felt like the walking embodiment of Moses. As he passed through the halls, the ponies would give him a wide berth that made him feel like he was walking in a bubble.

They were also doing their damnedest not to even look at him. Pretending he was not even there while still making room.

"For fucks sake, this is ridiculous." The problem was how should he go about stopping it?

For the entire first week, he formulated and trashed ideas. One having been making and handing out the fountain pens he had finally perfected, with "I'm sorry" carved into them.

That was a moneymaker, and he wasn't about to give it up. Not to mention he only had the one available to him at that moment. The cost in materials alone would be too much for his meager allowance to allow him to do it with any degree of speed.

What he ended up doing was interesting, if a little disruptive, and easy. He liked easy.

What was she to do? Twilight had been avoiding Orion since his return. Her excitement at seeing him again had been shattered upon seeing the colt walking through the hall his first day back.

Everypony avoided him, creating a gap in the press of bodies in his passing. There was no way she could not have seen him.

The moment she had laid eyes on him, that scene on the mezzanine stilled her hooves. Practically anchoring the purple filly in place. She was still scared of him, despite the assurances, the Princess had given her.

It left the taste of bile in the back of her throat.

Disgust at her own fear. At her shame. Was he not her friend? Did he not prove time and again that he was a good pony that only had a few rough edges? A grim sense of humor?

The sound of muffled explosions jerked her from her thoughts, nearly making her fall over in surprise.

She was in the east wing near the cafeteria. This was Orion's lunch hour. Her eyes grew wide.

“Not again!”

She pushed the door open, skidding to a halt in front of the cafeteria.

"As you can see, just touching the compound with nothing more than a feather can result in a rapid series of explosions."

"What?!"

Orion was standing in the center of the room, a table in front of him, and Mr. Chloride stood near him, beaming from ear to ear.

On the table were various beakers she recognized from the chemistry department. In front of that were little plates, some fractured, popping loudly as a burnt feather was brushed over the strange magenta-colored substance sitting on top, the vapor rising into the air in a similar color.

"He is….teaching…during lunch hour..?"

Twilight's mind couldn't rationalize what she was seeing. She had never imagined her friend as a teacher. He hated most other ponies their age in fact. To see this…it was too much for the star student.

"Yes?" He called out, a smile on his face as he noticed a hand had gone up. He was actually enjoying himself.

"Uh…why does it do that?" Violet Beaker called out.

"That's a bit complicated, but I'll break it down for you as easy as I can." He grinned as he made another explode on the table with. "Nitrogen atoms like to form bonds of three. They like to fuse a little with other things." A yellow ball, and three green balls appeared in front of them. "However, when you stick 'em all together," she watched as the three green balls connected to the yellow in a bunch on one end, "they form a kind of tension. The iodine atoms are bigger than the Nitrogen atom is. It makes them very reactive to touch of any kind. The wrong breeze could set it off."

He demonstrated by dropping the remains of the feather on the last one. It, of course, exploded.

"Like that. It's a very unstable molecule structure." Another hand rose. "Yes?"

"Why is it only one side?" Talcum asked.

"Unfortunately, I don't have enough time to give a more in-depth answer, but it's basically where the electrons are on a Nitrogen atom. That's why the tension."

"I think that's enough, Orion. Why don't you get to what you originally wanted to say." Mr. Chloride said, a hand on the colt's shoulder.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. Can you-?" He gestured to the table.

"Of course, I can have that cleaned up in a jiffy." He smiled warmly as his horn burst to life.

"Cool, thanks, boss." He turned to the rest of the cafeteria, the atmosphere more palpable now that the fun lesson was over. "Alright, you idiots. Now, the past week y'all have been avoiding my ass. Pretending I don't exist and shit. That's going to stop. I'm not some loose cannon that's going to go on a rampage and beat the hell out of everyone. I'm not gonna eat anyone either just cause I need meat to maintain a healthy diet." He laughed. "Besides, I don't know what all ya feed yourselves, but I doubt it would be healthy for me."

"But you hurt ponies!" Shouted Fancy Breeze.

"Yeah, because they were hurting me, disgusting. What was I supposed to do? Let them kick my ass? Besides, you were there. Why didn't you defend me?" She gave no answer, but she sat back down, looking ashamed.

"So you are not going to be hurting anypony else?" Another she did not know asked.

"Not unless one of you is dumb enough to try what Golden Trot and his little gang of misfits tried to do. I don't want problems. I just want to get through school like the rest of you. So as long as you treat me with the same civility you treat each other, we should get along," he shrugged his shoulders, arms outstretched, "just fine. That doesn't mean you have to be my friend. Just be cordial."

The cafeteria grew silent. Everypony looking at each other. Then a new pony raised her hand. Twilight recognized her, Buttercup Spray. The filly that had been confrontational on Orion's first day.

"Shoot." He said with an expectant look on his face.

Her hand slowly lowered, and she cleared her throat.

"Why is it that you need meat?" She blushed furiously at his chuckle. "Well, it's not natural. For a pony, that is."

"No…no need to get defensive. I was just thinking I might need to pay for a set of cards to be made. So that they can explain this." He rubbed his hands together and gestured. "As to why, I'm not really sure. It's just always been that for me. I suppose one of my parents had a little more carnivore DNA than expected and out popped me."

"Oh." She sat down thinking.

Another hand shot up, Fancy Pants this time, and Orion nodded to him.

"Does it taste good?" He asked curiously, with no disgust on his face at all—just open and honest curiosity.

"It does. Much like I'm sure flowers and hay taste good to all of you. Because of my biology, I can't even have any of that. So it will cost me a pretty bit to feed myself once I get out on my own. You all are lucky." That got some small awkward laughter from the crowd. "Okay, one last question before I go and shovel food into my face. You." He pointed at a petite gray filly. "I think I know you."

"My name is…Lazy Rain…" Orion's eyes bulged. "Hi…Orion.." She said familiarly.

Lazy Rain was dressed in the official school uniform. Her long black mane fell in luxurious waves down one side of her face, though a strand wrapped delicately around her horn. Piercing blue eyes watched him with something she could not quite place.

Twilight didn't know why, but she suddenly found herself with an intense dislike for the gray-furred filly.

"Ho-ly shit. Lazy! Look at you." He laughed. "What are you doing here?"

"My family…lives here." She murmured quietly.

"Oh…ooooohhhh. Dude. Awesome, it'll be nice to see a familiar face." He smiled. "So your question? I'm presuming you've been holding onto it for quite some time."

"Are….are you dating anypony?"

A pin dropped could have been heard in that silence, and at that moment. Twilight watched his face morph from delight, to surprise, then shock, and finally horror.

The bell buzzed, and Orion quickly left the hall.

Winter arrived with all the control a society that manipulated the weather at will could. Meaning it was scheduled, and there was never a snow day.

He helped remove the frozen build-up from the sidewalk in front of the orphanage of the nightly deposit. Rather than use a shovel, he melted it with a blend of heat and air, carving a path through the inches-deep pile-ups so that everyone could leave safely.

He figured he should get it done as he was headed back to Ponyville for the holiday season.

It had been hell getting permission from Mrs. Evergarden, as the mare had been worried that he would get himself involved in another incident. It took a letter from Granny before she had relented.

He wondered if he should be worried, he had not seen what was in the missive, but it had the matron's eyes wide with excitement.

Twilight had invited him over to her family's home a week prior, and he turned her down, much to the filly's dismay. However, she brightened a bit when she overheard him giving Lazy a similar rejection.

There was trouble brewing there. Since that question the gray-furred filly had asked a couple of months ago, there had been an odd tension between the pair. Anytime Orion saw them in close proximity, he walked in the other direction.

Stepping off the train, he was greeted with a tackle hug by an overly enthusiastic apple horse. He squeezed her back while laughing at her antics, and the fact he was getting used to physical touch from these people.

"Hey, Applebottom, how's the family?" That earned him a rather vicious slug to the arm.

"Told ya ta call me AJ, 'Rion." There was no heat in her voice, and the twinkle in her eye made him laugh as he rubbed his arm.

"Whatever she whose rear is apple-shaped, what's the word?"

She relented her mock glare and spilled.

Her family had gotten together and gotten Big Mac a new plow. It was copper plated to ease the metal into the earth, making it easier to pull. Orion didn't think Mount Muscle needed it, not that anyone was asking.

Granny was whipping up all the family favorites for the holidays, which told him he might want to borrow Diesel's plow for himself.

Little Applebloom was still a freeloader, barely crawling. According to AJ, she had an appetite to beat all of them.

Rarity was in Manehattan with her family, but she sent her regards and a few shirts and pants as a gift. The clever filly made them a couple of sizes bigger so he could still fit into them.

It was during the night of Hearth's Warming Eve that Granny sprung her little surprise.

"Orion?"

He had been putting away the dishes for AJ as she washed them, she had gone upstairs to get ready for bed only a few moments ago. Pear was putting little Applebloom down for the night as well.

Big Mac had fallen asleep on the couch, and his dad was having trouble trying to wake him. Unsurprising considering how much the stallion had eaten.

"Yeah, Granny, need help with something?" He turned around, wiping his hands off with a hand towel.

"No, youngin', just wanted a minute of yer time if ya willin'." She replied, gesturing to the study room of the home just down the hall from the kitchen. "Join me?"

Curious, he simply nodded and followed after her.

Settling into a pair of comfortable farm chairs, she slid a mug with a dark golden liquid inside and picked up one of her own.

He took a sip, and his eyes widened in shock. The old farm pony had given him alcohol! True, he could barely taste it, but it was there all the same. He swung his surprised gaze at her.

"Now there's a colt who knows what Cider tastes like. Ya lived a very intrasting life, haven't ya, Orion."

He had a lot of questions, but she had a reason for all of this, and he wasn't about to start babbling. Instead, he took a deep sip and sighed. It was really good.

She merely chuckled and followed suit before putting the mug aside. She set her shoulders and caught his attention once more.

"Orion, me and tha family, have thought 'bout this a long time."

"Ahhh…shit. Don't tell me…."

"We'd like ta offer ya a permanent home here on the farm." She raised a hand to stop him. "Wait till I'm finished, colt." Nodding firmly once she saw that he was going to comply, she went on. "Now, I know ya like the education yer gettin' up there in Canterlot, and we don't want ta do anythang to upset that. I'm sure I ken arrange somethin' fer ya to stay at while goin' ta school. We ken afford it. We now yer also reluctant ta take up with anypony. But I think we ken give ya the best life here, durin' the summa. A place ta call home."

She sat back, took a swing, and watched as Orion thought furiously.

He couldn't deny that it was a good deal. The ability to get away from the capital and all its troubles, even for the summer, was highly appealing.

If they could really arrange for him to live up there on his own, he would have a lot more freedom to do the things he wanted to do. Depending on where he moved into, he might not even have to move his little workshop in the sewers.

He almost said yes.

He should have said yes, but as he thought, he realized all the trouble they could get into if he was suddenly found out to be the enchanter that fixed Celestia's gate.

Then came the resources and time he would lose during the summer. The three months off was when he got most of his experiments done. Forager had been instrumental in getting quality material for his projects. In turn, he had begun to pay off that help with the jewelry the old minotaur was having difficulty crafting himself, his little forge being enough to make such intricate pieces, and his magic having more refined control than a bull with a hammer ever could.

Then there was Twilight. Forced as he had been, he was loathed to leave her alone. Celestia was correct in her assessment of her protégé. The filly was really bad at making friends, though he had seen signs that she was getting better at that. Still, he had become relatively comfortable with their study sessions during the time off and would regret that loss immensely.

Besides, she was brilliant, and had helped him figure out more than one issue he couldn't solve himself. With her increased assignments and change in schedule, not to mention his own, they often didn't get a lot of time together.

But all that was secondary to the sudden sinking in his stomach. It was something he could barely admit to himself. He was scared. Scared of the change that would come from accepting this offer. He had always known that he would have to find his way in the world when he graduated. But that was planned for. This would upend all that. It was almost crippling how much he didn't want that.

"No." He quietly said, and Granny’s face fell. "Not that it's not tempting, Granny, and I do appreciate the offer, but….I can't. I just can't."

"I know ya scared, Orion, but-"

"That's part of it, much as it shames me to admit it. But it's only one part." It was his turn to raise a hand to forestall her. "Of which I will not be explaining. I…appreciate the offer, but I am going to have to say no." He drained the last bit of cider he had been given, and left without a word.

He had left once he knew they were all asleep, Winona tried to bark, but he silenced her with a spell that would dissipate within a few hours.

Despite the chill, he barely noticed. He cursed his cowardice. Because what he was doing was running away. He had run away from his grandparents all those years ago. Ran away from Stone getting his ass handed to him. Now he was running away from a family willing to open their home to him.

He felt sick, but he couldn't stop his hooves from taking him to the train station. He merely waited till the early morning train arrived, and he boarded it with a purchased ticket.

As the locomotive picked up the pace, he fought tears back as he held onto his things. The fear of truly caring about others, flogged his soul.