Author's Note

TO THOSE WHO BOTHER TO READ THIS.

I am so sorry about how long this took. Between my gf's grandfather's death, and the funeral, and Covid, and a bunch of other nonsense that doesn't bare mentioning, I have been busy. Much to busy.

So I want to thank you for your time and patience (those of you who have had one or both)for hanging in there with me. Hopefully, we will be back on schedule. Such a schedule as it is. Before you is essentially chapter two of the rewrite and I stuffed it full of exposition and story driven plot. Not to be confused with pony plot, that is an entirely different genre.

Now I know what you're all thinking, shut the hell up and let us read. Well fine, I didn't want to give you an apology anyways.

Lmao, anyways, thanks for reading!

Peace.

Reflections and Recriminations

The flash of lightning and the crack of thunder accompanied, and drowned out, the yawn that stretched Cloudy's jaw as she fought to stifle it. Rain drummed on the roof of the cab, and she could clearly hear the curses of the coach team who were no doubt directing toward her and her ward. She would have to pay the team extra just on guilt alone of asking them to work in the rain and muck like this.

She grabbed onto the bar set above her as the whole carriage suddenly lurched to the side. A new set of explicatives and labored grunts issued forth as the vehicle was pulled back on the narrow trail proceeded up the ridge.

Righting herself, and muttering a quick prayer, she looked across the interior to a very bored looking colt. Orion had barely reacted to anything since they had climbed aboard. His hand casually threaded through a loop, he was busy muttering and shaking his head. As if arguing with himself, though with all the creaks of spring and wood, and the droning of rain thudding the roof, she could hear only a little of what he was saying.

He had been going on like that for some time. Cloudy could understand, even approve of his self recriminations, but the tone from what she could hear was rather self destructive. Another lurch of the carriage brought her attention back to their course.

The team had surprisingly chosen a less used road out of the city, instead of the main thoroughfare that ponies normally used. Perhaps they caught on to Cloudy's paranoia, and chose a path that took them higher into the mountain range. While the uneven roads did rock the carriage quite a bit, as well as the occasional sliding, it was still well maintained and clear of obstacles, the bare minimum to be sure, but still overall safe.

The rain just made everything more difficult. The scene however, was magnificent, even in the darkness. The height vantage had afforded her a view of the city, and she truly was grateful for it. Her hometown of many years was still charming to her, even after all the decades she had spent traversing its parks, the museums. It was no Canterlot, but its rustic visage certainly had its own charms.

Lights could be seen moving about Manehattan however. By the sheer number moving back and forth in the haze of rainfall, it would not be a stretch to say most of the Manehattan police force was out tonight. Though she couldn't be sure. The Directress had to chide herself, this could just be normal routine though doubt still loomed large in her mind.

The pit in her stomach told her that they hadn’t left a moment too soon. Glancing to Orion once more she could see him watching those lights now as well, still from his side of the coach, he had slid down in his seat and bore an apprehensive look upon his face.

As they had boarded the carriage he asked her a question. Though it had the air of knowing what she was already going to say.

"What are the chances of us getting out without getting caught?" He had pitched his voice low, enough that the others had not heard.

It was a testament, and a reminder to her, of how intelligent he truly was. Eight year olds did not ask those kinds of questions. They would be more upset by the fact that they were pulled out into the dead of night, during a downpour, and voice their complaints, loudly at that. He did not. He was quiet and reserved, and always saw more than those his age would notice.

"He is so smart," she had marveled then, as she often did when he made a statement or did something far beyond what was expected. She had avoided giving him an answer even as the carriage slowly made its way out of the city, but she was sure now that they would not be found, so she hoped. His intelligence bothered her, she had thought about it before, especially after his arrival and his subsequent interactions with those around him. But these were idle thoughts, she pushed that away. Firming her resolve she set herself to giving a long overdue lecture about the consequences of his actions.

"Orion, I hope you actually understand the ramifications of what has happened. I mean really understand them. What both I and Miss Dream were forced to do tonight, for you."

He glanced at her briefly, before his eyes swung back to the window, back to the sweeping lights.

"Yep."

She was incensed. Everything she was doing, Azure, Tartarus, even the pull team currently struggling with the rain slick road to deliver them to their destination and he could only acknowledge it with a one word affirmative?

"I do not believe that you do. You-" he cut her off.

"You're risking your license. Hell, even Miss Dream's, in an attempt to save me from what I can only assume is disastrous consequences of my actions. You all are risking your careers with no safety net. I know full well what's at stake." He fixed her with a knowing glare that stilled her tongue. Very un-foallike at all. "Do not equate my short response with me being my typical asshole self. I am fully aware of what I've done and the consequences should this escape attempt fail."

For a brief moment she just gaped at him. If not for the apparent size difference she wouldn't have been able to tell who the adult actually was. He held her eyes with his own as lightning flashed, illuminating the cabin once more, the thunder rattling the window panes. Then he turned his gaze back to the outside world and she shuddered, released from the spell those far too wise eyes had cast upon her.

There had been more than a few times he had fixed her with that look, and for the life of her she could not place why it bothered her so. It was like looking into the eyes of a predator, which was absolutely preposterous of course, but she could not shake the feeling that they gave her.

She watched him for a long time after that. Unable, and she admitted if only to herself, really unwilling to continue the conversation such as it was. It was clear he was still angry. At himself? Maybe, judging by his demeanor and words. Cloudy found her eyes eventually drifting to the outside world soon enough. Another yawn stretched her jaw as she realized how long this journey was likely to take. If the rain and mud of the roads was going to be a constant hindrance, that is. The train would have been faster of course, but she had not wanted to risk the chance that those guards had been looking for anything other than them.

The small pins on some of their lapels in the shape of a sun with hands that glinted in the street lamps was more than enough of a give away. Backwater must have already been waiting for something like this to occur, it was the only explanation she could think of.

Thinking about that just served to unnerve her further, so she turned her thoughts to the journey ahead, and more importantly, to whom she was going to see.

She felt a little guilty. Okay, more than a little guilty.

It had taken an emergency for her to visit her friend, rather than actually wanting to for the sheer pleasure of it. Daisy had been nothing short of a pillar of strength for her to lean against during school and her childhood. She repaid that by only writing occasionally once she had left Canterlot. They both were very busy mares, and that was understandable, but the only thing that truly separated them was a two day train ride. She had more than enough vacation time saved up, she could have made the trip at any time.

Deep down she knew the real reason she had stayed away. Her friend Daisy had gotten married just after high school, had foals, and was in a herd that supported and loved her. Cloudy, had yet to even attract the attention of a stallion. True, she was only forty-one, still young by earth pony standards, but it was enough to make her scream sometimes.

The directress's lips frowned a bit sadly. Even though an air carriage was only a little more expensive than a ticket on a train, she had no real excuse other than her jealousy.

That brought another to her mind.

Though she had known about the air service that the state provided, she just couldn't employ it this time. Pegasus would not fly in rain with a coach strapped to their backs, much less at night. They would have had to wait till morning, and by then they may have been caught.

One thought connected to another, and just like that, she was brought back to the reason for their late night departure. A quick glance saw him in the same position, more erect that before, staring out the window on the other side. He had resumed his mutterings.

Settling in her seat, she looked back to her own view, and watched Manehattan slowly retreat into the night. With nothing left to do, she thought about how she had first met this strange little pony that now sat across from her.

Cloudy sat in her office, it was nearly eight in the evening, an open folder in front of her with only a few lines sparsely written on the thin sheets of paper. There wasn't much information on her new ward. She looked up at the subject of that report, a lanky and malnourished black colt with an ember orange mane. He glared back at her, defiant, suspicion heavy in his posture and eyes.

"Miss Night? Could you please start again? I'm afraid I didn't catch all of it." In truth she had caught almost none of it. Pegasi we're known for their quick mannerisms in their speech. A cultural habit due to their natures of battle and speed, the latter long since left behind for many. "Please, start from where you're from and to which organization you work for." That would be important, as she had to file his arrival with the right archive in the city.

The mare just grinned toothly and bobbed her own head.

"I'm sorry about that. Yellow always says I never slow down to take a breath." She chuckled to herself. "As I said before, my name is Moonlit Night. I work for Hearts for Foals, well we are affiliates of them, our official name is Wings of Grace. HFF, and its organizations, have chapters based in Paris Prance, Stalliongrad Prussia, and two right here in Equestria, Trottingham and Neigh York." She smiled proudly. "I am from the Stalliongrad chapter, hence the name difference, and this little guy is from there as well." She made an attempt to ruffle his mane but his hand shot out like a viper, striking her own. A resounding slap echoed in the small office. "He's a little temperamental," she chuckled as she wiggled her hand, as if the blow had actually stung.

"No family what so ever?" The Directress inquired. It was unexpected, but not unheard of for a foal to have a family members unfit to take care of them.

"No, or at least no pony came forward after about a week of him being in our care." She responded. A pained smile touched her lips briefly.

"Okay," the matron breathed, "why don't you tell me what you know about him. Starting with how you learned of him in the first place." Cloudy steepled her fingers before her, she could write it down later as she had a mind like a vault, and wanted to watch the colt for any responses as Miss Night began her report.

"Well, we first learned of him through the local community, and had already been searching for him for some time. A stallion named Stone was the most reliable on locating him, and was the second to approach us about him."

"What herd does Mr. Stone belong to?" She interrupted. She could not imagine a stallion letting a lone colt live alone in the gutters of the streets.

"Uh, none that I know of." Moonlit blinked in puzzlement at the question.

But the Directress only nodded, it made sense then, the stallion couldn’t have tried to save him himself. With no support of a herd of his own, it would be very hard for anypony to raise a foal on their own, much less a lone stallion.

She had one more question about the matter.

"And what is his profession?" The nervous smile she got in return confused her.

"He...uh, he is a prostitute." Cloudy's brain fizzled.

"He's a what?"

There was a strange noise that came from the colt. His face was a curious mix of emotions now. Amusement being the most prominent as he seemed to fight down his humor.

"Ah..ha yeah a stallion of the evening. You know, a pony paid for sexual activities?" She made some rather rude hand gestures. The snickering from the foal only grew worse.

She was floored. Prostitution was illegal in Equestria, though she had heard that the profession was still in practice in Prance and the less civilized places of the known world. But to actually hear of it, and the direct involvement they had, made her sick to her stomach. Not out of disgust, but of horror that a stallion would be forced to live a life like that.

"I hope some effort was expended to see him…out of that."

"Unfortunately not my department, and...well Stalliongrad is not like Equestria. The laws there are much looser and crime is more prominent. I couldn’t tell you if anything will be done or not." The social worker shrugged uncomfortably.

Cloudy closed her eyes and said a small prayer to Faust for this Mr. Stone. She could only hope and pray for his good health. "I understand," she finally said, "please, continue."

"Alrighty!" Moonlit exclaimed, clearly happy to get off the subject.

"Anyway, the report stated that he arrived in the city about a year ago. No pony knows where he came from, only that he was first spotted in the market."

"And you only learned about him a year later?" Cloudy responded harshly.

"That was found out in the investigation. We started hearing of him about three months before Mr. Stone came in. An old mare running a stall in the eastern market was the first to say something, and that had gone first to the local guard. For whatever reason, they had neglected to inform us, so don't blame me!" She defended.

"Fine. Continue." This was certainly turning out to be one of the more bizarre rescues she had heard of.

Miss Night took a moment to compose herself before going on."So, we performed an investigation, as I said before, and we discovered that he was likely stealing to survive before being taken in by Mr. Stone. It was only once the aforementioned stallion had personally given his report did we even learn of him; however, asthe local guard did nothing to report any of it to us. We only found out about the elderly mare's part in this later." She paused, taking a sip of water.

That annoyed Cloudy. If she wanted a story she would go to the local bookstore. Her eyebrows rose in a 'get on with it' expression and the mare continued with another sheepish grin.

"A local crime family, whose name I'm afraid is classified by the way, was also tracking him. We learned through Mr. Stone as to the why and...uh…" she leaned forward, in a hissing whisper, "apparently they wanted to use him in the same business the stallion was in."

The Directress only stared in abject horror. Potential fear froze her gut like lead. Horror for what obviously happened to Stone. Potential fear for what could have happened to the colt.

"Did you notify the authorities? That kind of activity has to be illegal!" She screeched, causing the mare in front of her to flinch.

"Yeah, no. We could...but Stalliongrad is not exactly a nice place, as I have said before." She raised her hands at the heated expression on Cloudy's face, "it likely would come to nothing as the local governments are….buck, their corrupt as Nightmare Moon. There's literally nothing we can do other than rescue what ponies we can. And foals at that."

That caused everypony to fall silent for a long time. The cerulean furred mare staring at her desk with tightened fists.

Moonlit eventually took her silence as permission to continue.

"We managed to get to him first, thank Celestia. When we went to Mr. Stone's home we found it thoroughly trashed. Apparently members of that family had been there before us. We should have known that was the case as the stallion had looked like he had been used in a pit fight. By some miracle, as we chased down every thread of a led we could, we ended up cornering Orion in a dead end alleyway late one night. We turned the corner only to see something that turned my stomach and Yellow Strikes to vomit. Oh Yellow is a Unicorn by the way, he's my partner when it comes to dealing with foals. He's trained-"

Cloudy tuned her out.

"She certainly likes to ramble if given the chance." Since her and the colt's arrival, she had been nothing if not chatty.

"Miss Night. What was it that made you sick?" She interrupted.

"Oh sorry, again. Well as I was saying, we turned the corner and he was eating a…rat.” Her voice dropped again,” a raw rat." She emphasized, shuddering and her feathers ruffling in disgust. This story had gone from horror to something she had no words to describe, she just stared at the foal in front of her. Who grinned back at her, sharp incisors glinting in the office lights.

"Those teeth!" In his mouth was a pair of canines, in fact there were two sets. One on the upper and one on the lower jaw, the rest looked to be almost the same as your average pony.

"Yeah, it turns out after a medical examination that he's actually an omnivore of all things. Can you believe it?! An omnivore pony! Noponys actually heard of one before. Trust me we checked! There are no records!"

Cloudy could only sit in stunned silence, never in her life had she heard of a pony eating meat. There were rumors of course, of high endurance runners and fliers eating fish but she had never heard of anything like anypony eating red meat, let alone a raw rat.

After a few moments she realized that Moonlit had actually stopped speaking on her own for once. Looking at the gray furred mare she noticed that she wore a knowing look. Apparently she understood the Directress's need to compose herself for a moment.

As she did she noted the grimace on the colt's face.

"It seems that he didn't particularly enjoy that meal either." She mused as her stomach began to settle. After about five minutes, when she felt she could handle more, she spoke up again.

"I...I would ask you to leave any further details to the report if you don't mind." That got a ready nod from the pegasus, "please continue."

"Right, well...um once he dropped...that, more like threw it at us, he tried to escape. I am so glad we wore our armor that night. This colt turned everything in the alley into a weapon. Boxes, clothing wire to wrap us in, buck me he even threw a fist and blackened Yellow's eye good!" She chortled to herself.

The tale was only getting stranger and stranger, almost out of this world, she found herself chuckling just at the absurdity of it. The Orion wore a smug smile.

"How was he doing all this?" Cloudy said, once she composed herself.

"Somepony at least taught him how to use levitation to great effect. Or he's a prodigy. A rogue box thrown conked Yellow in the head and I was suddenly on my own with a rather violent little beast. He even stabbed me!" She laughed again, harder this time.

"Stabbed her?"

"I'm sorry, did you say he stabbed you? With what?" Her eyes drifted once more to the colt. The smug look now turned into a neutral frown on his face. Disappointment?

"A piece of iron. He had a little bit of fabric wrapped around one end and somehow managed to sharpen the other end to a point. I have no clue where he got it from, only that he swung it with enough force to dent my breastplate. Damnedest thing I've ever seen or been a part of." She ran a hand over her ribs, no doubt imagining what would have happened had she chosen not to wear her protective gear that day.

"Anyway, I finally managed to nab him and restrain him. He fought like a wild animal for another ten minutes with me while I struggled trying to put a null ring on his horn."

Cloudy couldn’t help herself, she looked back at the colt sitting on a chair in the corner, furthest from the door. She looked for signs that would indicate his unusual aptitude for violence.

All black, his color was as deep as shadows. His fur was rather unkempt, and judging the state of his hooves, it was likely his first time ever having them trimmed and shod. He had walked in awkwardly, as if they hurt him.

His mane was the color of embers. Orange with hints of brown throughout. It was a rather pretty blend and unusual as well, but it looked like straw. First bath in months if she was not mistaken, the mane and tail had likely suffered from neglect. The tail had been shorn short as well.

His horn was perhaps the prettiest thing about him. Patterns of swirls indented the horn from base to tip. There were still burs and rough patches here and there. Not a true trim then, but one done in haste to get the worst gone. That seemed the extent of his grooming.

The gray eyes captured her. They looked so old on a body so young."What must you have endured? I am so sorry my little pony. You will never have to live that life again, I swear it."

His long ears twitched as he looked at her quizzically. She must have been making a face. Composing herself quickly she turned back to Moonlit. "Is there anything else?"

"Ummm, oh yeah we did a blood test, with the physical examination. It was how we found out about his meat eating habits, but it came back with more. Or less. I don’t really, it was very weird."

Cloudy missed the moment his little hands tightened, her attention now back on the WFF agent.

"Oh? How "weird" are we speaking of?"

"Well as you know, he's the first ever omnivore pony. Teeth and blood prove it. He even threw up the moment we force fed him hay. A scan showed that he actually lacks the enzymes to break that kind of plant matter down. When they looked at his blood, well, he has a unicorn parentage. But there is another blood type no pony has ever seen before. It's very strange. We've sent samples to various academics to study, but aren't hopeful of the results."

"Hasn't he said who his parents might have been?" This was all very intriguing. To have a parentage that was unknown to ponykind was unheard of. If there was another race out there that they knew nothing of would be the discovery of a lifetime.

"No. He hasn't really said much of anything that would indicate where he might have come from." The way she emphasized the word 'said', spoke volumes.

"What? What is it?"

Moonlit chuckled. "His language is colorful, he sounds like a griffon of all things. Maybe somepony from Ryolt. But he definitely got his lessons from somewhere else other than any home of ponies."

"How…..what did he say?" Cloudy was not sure she wanted to know.

"During his 'rescue'," she mimed quotations, "he screamed some rather….confusing things at us. At one point he screamed out "knock knock"." She suddenly held her stomach in mirth, struggling to continue.

The black colt's lips twisted in an attempt to hide his own mirth.

"And….and Yellow actually asked... who's there." She drummed her hooves into the wooden floor. "He...hehe….he...oh Celestia...he fired back, 'your mother's a whorse' and punched him in the eye!"

Moonlit could barely stay in her chair. Cloudy did not share in the humor. "That's terrible language for any foal to know." She admonished her.

"I know,” she chortled, “but it was just so funny and out of the blue!" It took several minutes for her to compose herself.

During that time Cloudy took the opportunity to finish the paperwork of custody transfer, eyes still wide at the insanity of it all. She wondered if she would end up regretting taking him in.

"Is there...anything else?" She asked hesitantly, handing the finished file over to Moonlit Night.

The mare chuckled as she accepted the file, standing up she stuffed it into a hip bag. "No, I'm sure this is all correct. Expect a visit from the usual by the end of the week, once I file this of course. Oh and I guess the CFP as well." She made a face.

Cloudy could only join her in her own eye roll. The CFP was a pain in everypony's flank and no pony had any bones about showing it.

"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you Miss Night." She shook the mare's hand in a firm shake.

"Absolutely no problem. Thank you for taking him off our hands, since you know, Canterlot dropped on us." She smiled graciously before turning to the colt. "And you Mr. you better stay out of trouble ya hear?" She ruffled his mane as he glared back, jerking away.

"And you can go douse yourself in gasoline and walk into a welder's shop." The voice, while a bit high in pitch, carried a disturbing undertone. It was stiff and held a note of maturity she had not heard from a six year old before.

"See! That right there is what I'm talking about. I know what the latter means but what the buck is "gasoline"?!" She laughed.

Cloudy had no clue, but she could understand the implication clearly. "Where under Celestia's sun did you hear that from, young foal," she questioned harshly, loaming over the smaller pony.

His glare shifted from the agent to her, and lips morphed into a wicked grin. Those teeth and that smile were a terrifying combination.

"I learned it from the great nation of Nunya, which surrounds the land of Business. They don't like visitors." He laughed at his own joke, and Moonlit held no shame in joining in, though the look on her face told of her ignorance of what all that had meant.

She could feel her own face and ears warming from embarrassment.

"That, young colt, will be the last time you speak like that in my orphanage. Are we clear?" She was already beginning to regret signing the papers.

"Oh go screw yourself with a cactus, lady. I'll say whatever the fuck I want." Cloudy's eyes bulged. She was poleaxed, the audacity of this foal!

"And that is my cue to skedaddle! Good luck to you two!" The gray furred social worker bolted from the office through the window as opposed to using the door.

"Pegasi…" she lamented.

Turning her attention back from her office window she rounded on the colt, snatching him up by the ear without a word and marching him toward the office bathroom.

"The fuck lady! Let me go before I shove the desk up yo-" he never got to finish as she grabbed a bar of yellow soap and shoved it into his mouth, vigorously sawing back and forth.

His horn lit up and she flicked it harder than she normally would have. The magic sputtered out. She nearly leapt out of her fur when a loud clatter of several objects in the washroom crashed to the floor.

She kept the soap in his mouth longer for good measure. Finally she relented and removed the soap, casually tossing it into the sink behind her she set her fists to hips and glared down at the sputtering little pony. He hacked and he spat the suds from his mouth for a good minute before he glared back at her, his jaw set stubbornly.

"Now before you say anything further, young foal, know that you will get a similar treatment every time you let your mouth get ahead of you." She wanted to smile at the sour expression he now bore. That feeling of satisfaction was short-lived however. His horn lit up again and before she could react he had levitated the soap into his own hand.

With another defiant glare, he took a huge bite out of the yellow bar and snapped back hard at her. "Get bent, bitch." She could only look on in shock. What had she gotten herself into.

The next Morning found her bleary eyed as she stared across her desk at a CFP representative. Cardinal Rule was a bright red unicorn mare of an undetermined age. Her face smooth and well brushed was bellied by the green eyes that seemed to have seen much and held more secrets than Cloudy had life left.

Azure, after bringing in the surprisingly chipper Cardinal, had gone to get the Directress a much needed cup of coffee.

She would normally be drinking tea by this time, but after settling Orion Falls into his room, she stayed awake long into the night to fill out paperwork for his enrollment into classes that would begin in a few weeks. As well as writing out a request for a medical exam. The one she did last night was cursory at best, and she still wanted to confirm what Moonlit Night had said.

So coffee was to be her only salvation this morning.

The CFP agent had been surprisingly cordial given her organization's penchant for being belligerent with anypony not them. She had instead politely waited, adjusting the all black uniform she wore. The badge of her affiliation, having been dusted more than once, sat proudly on her left breast.

Cloudy hated seeing that badge. The letters, CFP, stood out boldly in gold under a red sun, indicating their relation to the Church of Sol, of whose emblem was a red sun cupped in white hands.

Many of her family were members, but she could not accept the idea that Princess Celestia was anything other than a longer lived pony for an undetermined reason. There was no way she was a goddess. And the Princess had as much said the same.

Despite Her denial. The church not only persisted, but grew exponentially over the past eight hundred or so years. With their growth came organizations that held them in high regard, often being funded by the church itself.

The Council of Foal Protection was one such organization that had begun during Princess Celestia's Herd First initiatives some twenty years back. Her goal had been to improve the lives of foals who had been left behind by their families. Whether it was conflict or famine did not matter, only that they found a home. Incentives were also given to those herds that managed to produce more colts, or adopted them in. Nothing seemed to motivate a pony quite like bits could.

Azure finally stepped back in with a hot mug of energy giving coffee. Four cream, four cubes of sugar, just as she liked it.

After a moment of silence in which she gave silent worship to the coffee bean, she spoke. "So I understand you are here about our newest arrival, Miss Rule."

"Ah yes, it's Mrs. Rule by the way, I am indeed here about Orion Falls." She smiled sweetly. Even her teeth were whiter than snow and straight as tiles to boot. She was the very image of a pony the CFP desired.

"I see." She took another sip. "I'm sure you have questions, so by all means," she gestured.

"Absolutely. First and foremost, I’d like to congratulate you on your success in becoming the Directress for this establishment, and keeping well within standards for the foals in your care.” Typical insincere bureaucratic buttering up. “Now, on the report it was said he was found in Stalliongrad. Correct?" She gave a nod, and Cardinal made a small notation. "I hear he was rescued before a pretty awful fate got to him." It wasn't a question per se, but she likely wanted confirmation.

"Yes. According to Moonlit Night, the agent in charge of his rescue, a crime organization was attempting to capture him. Their intentions were not for his benefit as you know doubt already read." She stressed that last.

"Name of the 'family'?" Her response came.

"Was classified for some reason. I didn't delve too deep into it because, well frankly, it's not my business. I could do nothing knowing that information."

"We take the threat to foals, colts no less, very seriously. It would make it easier for us to provide support if we knew what we were contending with. You should have investigated at least enough for a name." She retorted. The smile was gone. More writing, and the smile came back. "No matter, it shouldn't be too difficult to get into contact with her. Now, we understand his teeth are not atypical, how so? Also, this report said he was eating a raw rat, has he expressed desire for meat?" The disgust was clear on her face.

Using the excuse of taking another sip of the life giving liquid she paused before speaking. She had given him a quick examination that night before bed. Cloudy had confirmed for herself what his teeth were actually like, and while not too different from her own, the incisors and cuspids were clearly meant for more than just cutting vegetation.

She had thought it was her imagination during the turnover proceedings, but that had turned out to not be the case.

"Yes, I performed a brief examination myself just before putting him to bed. They look close to yours or mine, but there are distinct differences in the way the forward teeth are shaped. He has not mentioned meat as of yet to me. But I have not seen him yet this morning."

Cardinal Rule looked at her for a long moment, then grunted and began to write again as she spoke. "Let's just have a professional examine him shall we?"

The condescending tone made Cloudy's teeth grind. She had already made plans for such, but she spent years attending night classes in order to provide emergency medical care to the foals placed under her. In fact she still held a valid nurse's license, and this mare had just flung her hard work in the mud.

She did her best to keep the anger from showing on her face, she hoped she had succeeded.

"Now on the report, it was said he was... confrontational at the time of discovery. Very unusual, that. Most colts are frightened to their hooves or at the very least docile. How would you describe his current behavior?"

Opening her mouth to answer, she paused. Behind Cardinal Rule, and out in the hall, stood Orion Falls. He was pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"Orion! What do you think you're doing?!"

The colt jerked around nearly spilling his coffee and dropping the carafe.

"Um, I think I'm getting myself some wake up juice? Unless I'm hallucinating or something." He responded blithely, an annoyed look plastered on his face.

By this time the CFP agent had turned with a raised eyebrow at him as well.

"I take it that you're little Orion Falls. We were just speaking about you." She smiled kindly. "You know coffee is a big filly's drink, maybe you'd like an actual juice?"

"Maybe you'd like to get cornholed behind a shed. I'm not a juice kinda guy. I like my coffee." He took a hefty sip and smiled satisfactorily.

Placing the pot down in its place, he meandered back down the hall. He hadn't even bothered to put cream or sugar in it.

Cloudy's head was in both her hands.

"That...is Orion Falls?" The bewildered tone mirrored her own from last night.

"Yes, yes it was. Celestia help me, that is him."

The rest of the interview went downhill from there. Cardinal Rule demanded he be turned over immediately, and she refused. There was no way under the sun that she was going to turn him over to an organization that had very dark rumors floating about it. The mare left in a huff, spouting threats. She had lost her smile the moment she had made her demands, and had never gained it back.

The coffee mug he had used appeared again an hour later, washed and put away.

"Well, at least he knows how to…" Her mind seized up. He knew how to clean up after himself.

That was her first inkling that there was something very off about this particular colt. Far more than just his attitude.

After the CFP agent's visit, a strongly worded letter had come that afternoon by dragon fire.

It was about what anypony would have expected. Veiled threats to her career and establishment. But, no writ of release was included. Just more demands for Orion to be turned over.

An inquiry of hers found that somepony had petitioned for a custody transfer, but the judge had informed her they had no evidence of neglect. It pays to have a history of well fed, well educated foals coming from her orphanage.

She did take the little black colt to be seen by a doctor. She hated to admit it, but her license would not stand up if somepony really wanted to take him under the guise of medical malpractice.

If anything, it only confirmed what both she and Miss Night had already known.

"He is in fine shape," Dr. Heart Hooves was saying. "A little malnourished but I know you will have him better fed then most foals."

Orion was sitting off to the side reading a book, or at least looking at the pictures she assumed. Odds were he wasn't a very strong reader, if able to at all.

Dr. Hooves was sitting behind his desk signing a few lines on the paperwork and not meeting her gaze.

"I feel a 'but' in there somewhere Doctor." She pushed.

"Well. I. Uh. The thing is, his teeth aren't for show. We examined his blood and digestive system and found, well, he's actually an omnivore." He pushed the papers aside and stared, not at her, but at the colt. "I've had a few hippogriffs as patients, and while they primarily use a beak they still have teeth. But in his case they are entirely unique. A unicorn with a need for meat protein is not something I've ever seen before. Celestia bless me, no pony I've ever heard of is like this. None of the other two tribes have a hint of it. Not to mention how odd his DNA is, or what we can make of it."

Orion's eyes were no longer focused on the book, now watching the doctor with what looked to be anxiety over the edge of the pages. Cloudy's own eyes shifted back to the physician. "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean. What is wrong with him?"

"Nothing is wrong per se, it's just that there are two distinct parentage strains. One is most certainly unicorn. The other, we have never seen before. Do you have any clue as to who his parents were?"

Of course she had no clue, and if the colt knew he wasn't saying. "No. Nopony does. He was found on the streets of Stalliongrad eating a rat so I can only assume he was abandoned early in his foalhood." It was getting much easier to speak of his rescue. That both comforted and bothered her.

"Well, that's a shame. He is going to need a very specific diet I'm afraid. No hay for one thing. Most flowers as well. I'll have it all written down for you. What he will need is a steady intake of meat. I recommend fish as we have a strong griffon population in the city and that will make it easy to get it. Fish should be relatively cheap as well. Also most fruits, and various vegetables. Again, no hay or grasses of any kind."

There was a groan from behind her she chose to ignore.

"I will have to find some recipes. Is there anything else?"

"No, other than his dietary requirements he is a healthy almost normal unicorn foal. About six years old if I've judged the teeth correctly." He smiled blandly.

She thanked the stallion for his time, and before long they were making the short journey back to the orphanage.

"Orion, do you know who your parents are? It could be very important." It had been eating at her since Dr. Hooves had told her and she felt that the wait had been long enough.

"I never really got to know either one if I am being honest. They left me behind long ago." There was such a forlorn look on his face that she could not help but scoop him up, hugging him fiercely.

"It'll be okay little one. I will find you another family. One who will love you for who you are." She whispered. He struggled in her arms.

"Yeah that's great and all but could you please put me the fuck down?" He whined, which drew a giggle from her.

She held onto him for the rest of the walk despite his protests.

He had fortunately, for all involved, arrived in the middle of the summer holiday. This allowed her to make arrangements for an exam to see where he stood academically.

If she was being honest with herself she was worried he wouldn't even be able to read, which meant he would have been held back at least a year just so he would be caught up. That would likely be most embarrassing for him but she would not allow for him to just be pushed through. Though she was encouraging that he knew how to spell his own name. In cursive no less. So when his results arrived a week before the new school year was to commence she was quite surprised.

He surpassed almost all expectations. History seemed to be his only lacking subject. The notes that came with the results actually spoke highly of him from the auditors.

She called Orion into her office late in the afternoon just before dinner. He walked in with a disgruntled look and a sour attitude.

"Yeah what do ya want?" She blinked. Did he just growl at her?

"First I want you to change that attitude, little foal." She barely kept herself from snapping back.

He sighed heavily running his hands through a much softer looking mane. "Sorry, sorry just, the brats you got in here don't know how to leave anyone alone, and I'm feeling a bit dickish about it," he grumbled.

"Are they giving you a hard time? Is anypony being mean?" She asked kindly, her features softening at realizing that he was having trouble with his fellow foals. He didn't say anything but jumped into the chair before the desk, he stared at the wood for so long she thought he had forgotten she was even there.

But before she could get his attention, "Yes? No? I don't know. Most are just curious about me, and I guess being the new kid and all they would want to know about the FNG in their midst. But they seem to have yet learned the whole personal space and private time rules, and some of them are going to learn it the hard way if they don't let up."

"Well that's alarming."

"Orion, I would very much appreciate it if you did not do whatever it is you are planning, please?" His grunt could be taken either in acquiescence or resistive, she couldn't be sure.

But he had become surprisingly amicable after his arrival, at least with her and other members of her staff, so she had high hopes that he would have the self control not to get into any fights.

"So….what did ya need boss lady?" She snorted in amusement at that. He had taken to calling her boss lady or just boss whenever she wanted something from him. And while annoying at first, she realized that when he used that he was willing to pay attention, and play along with what she wanted. Usually.

"Your test results came back today." She held up the packet in her hand.

"It's cancer isn't. I knew I shouldn't have smoked so damn much in pre-school." He deadpanned, amusement in his eyes.

"N-no it's not that kind of test." She struggled to contain her laughter.

It was another surprise about him, his more adult humor. He was often telling off colored jokes that would fly over other foals' heads but not her and Azure. It would often lead to the pair struggling to not devolve into giggles, and gaping at his crudeness.

Some of the jokes drifted into no-go zones, and he would often have to be chastised for it. But for the most part he kept it mostly clean.

"Sorry I couldn't help it. I take it those are my test results for school. How bad did I do that you had to call me in here?" He leaned back in the chair, a frown creasing his features.

"Actually the only subjects you had trouble with were History, and some minor Equish trouble. Everything else….Orion who taught you?" It had been a question that had burned in her mind since first reading his examination results. No, it was before even that. When he had signed his own name in cursive on the placard outside his room. Could Mr. Stone really put that much knowledge into his head in such a short amount of time?

He smiled sardonically, "I can't actually tell you because I don't know or remember. Why?"

"Well, your command of math and basic science is beyond most foals your age, Orion." She spoke his name again to make a point. "History you know near nothing of, of which I can actually understand. But I do have to wonder why you had trouble with Equish, considering your other scores."

"Oh that's easy, you people insist on using that terrible vernacular of yours," he smugly responded.

"What's wrong with the way me and Azure talk? And what do you mean by you people!?" She frowned at his laughter.

"Anypony? Somepony? You've got to be kidding me? How exclusive does a race of people have to get before it's apparent speciesism is untenable?" That gave her pause. Not just because he may have had a point, but his surprising lexicon of words.

"What do you mean?"

"It's simple, how would you address a mixed group of species? A quick way mind you."

That got her thinking. But only for a moment as she smiled. She had been taught this as a foal of course. "I would say, "everycreature may I have your attention"." She was proud of herself, for a second till he burst out laughing.

"Yo-... you'd reduce….oh God dammit….you would reduce everyone to a beast?" He struggled to say through bouts of giggles.

"That is the correct way to address multiple species. I don't see how that's funny." Cloudy huffed.

After he stopped laughing he smiled benignly at her.

"Okay, what would you call an animal from a forest that you don't know?”

Her pause of thought was longer this time, and her eyes widened.

"I would call it...a creature…." He waved his little hand into the air to keep going, "I suppose you have a point."

"Oh I know I do. That's why I absolutely refuse to use those speciesist terms. Everyone is included in my conversations," he smiled.

She could only stare at Orion once more.

Most six year olds were trying to show you what they made, speaking so fast that their words jumbled together in their excitement. Not him. He always spoke clearly and concisely, leaving nothing to miscommunication, even if some of what he spoke on was confusing.

Cloudy was tempted again to ask him about his past. But she knew steel was weaker than his resolve not to say anything. She dismissed him, and was left to marvel at the surrealness of it all.

It wasn't long after his enrollment in school that inquiries were made about him. Cloudy had expected it to happen.

She had decided not to have him held back in classes and just scheduled after school lessons on history so he could catch up. Given their earlier conversation, she did not believe he would bend on his preferred word usage, so there was little point to adding to his workload by attempting to use correct and accepted vernacular. He was completely caught up with all lessons after only a few months.

Cloudy was really impressed. Orion's study ethic was just one more point of strangeness between himself and others his age. His scores in class, as well as his fortitude to catch up with everypony else, had gotten his teachers talking. Which got potential parents listening.

Hope for him swelled, but she put a moratorium on any adoption procedures till she was sure he was ready. He was still far too antisocial when it came to others his age, choosing books and solitude to playing games and interacting with foals.

Still by January she could no longer responsibly delay families from seeing him, and so scheduled his first visit in the second week of the month.

It was a disaster.

"Wait, no! Come back! I haven't finished telling you how a monkey with tourette's could do your job better!" Orion roared with laughter as the herd of three practically ran out of the receiving room.

Azure chased after them uttering apologies that fell on deaf ears as Cloudy gaped in outrage at the colt."Where did it go wrong?"

The first family to visit him had also been the very first to show interest, so she had figured they should be allowed first contact. Soft Tone and her herd were organizers for public speaking events, often participating themselves if it was a particular passion for them. During the summer they would be booked all over Equestria, but during the fall into spring they would do more local work which would be perfect for Orion to have a stable school environment. They had two other foals, both fillies, and were excellent candidates for adoption.

It had started out rather tepid. Not for Soft and her family's lack of trying.

Finally he asked a question of them. He had been deflecting or outright ignoring their questions and the stallion, Airy Words, was starting to show signs of being upset.

"So, your job is to promote speaking events? Of any kind?" His tone should have been Cloudy's warning that he was up to something.

Mrs. Tone smiled, a beautiful smile that lit up the room. "Yes it is. We go about the country putting on events for ponies to speak of their passions or what might concern them. It is really very rewarding."

"Uh huh. Are your services expensive?" His eyebrow was cocked upwards. That got her attention if not the herds.

"What are you planning, colt?" Her eyes narrowed at him.

"Our services depend on how many speakers and what stage we need to have built in order to accommodate them all. Also there is catering that will need to be-"

He interrupted her.

"Yeah that's great, avoid the bit question, but why do they need you to do it?" He grinned at her.

"W-what?"

"Why would anyone need you to host an event? Especially to go as far as hiring your services from across the nation. I'm sure that it cost a pretty penny just to book you, which sounds like a rip off by the way." He chuckled ignoring the aghast looks. "Listen, it's not hard to go and schedule an appointment with the mayor or some shit. Catering? I'm sure a dozen restaurants or bistros would jump at the chance to showcase their wares and make some cash doing it. As for you, your passion is speaking about how beautiful flower arrangements can be?"

"Yes," Soft answered in a strangled tone.

"A monkey, a lobotomized monkey, would likely make a better speaker," he finished.

That had silenced the room. A tomb held more noise.

"I think we're done here," The deep baritone of Airy's voice broke the spell.

"Oh, I suppose that's not a good analogy," Orion murmured, finger on his chin. "How about….oh a troop of monkeys all throwing feces at the audience might be better."

They stormed out, with his last insult chasing after them.

"Orion!" Cloudy screamed, aghast at his behavior.

"Oh come on, you can't actually sit there and tell me that their careers could not have been easily done by the townsfolk they swindle. They're a joke!"

He was sent to his room hungry.

The next visit that she allowed, three months later, had not gone any better. She wanted to cry. After the third visit interest in him dropped significantly. These events also had the unfortunate consequence of bringing the attention of the CFP, and one Velvet Backwater, back down upon him.

Orion had turned seven, and was growing like a weed. He was all but raising himself, as he proved to be far better at cooking fish then Azure or her, and had taken over prepping his own meals. The cook they employed had outright refused to touch meat of any kind herself.

A bright spot of that was him helping with cooking the other foals meals with Mrs. Lemon Zest. The green furred mare had been delighted with the help and singing his praises, calling him a natural in the kitchen.

It was a Saturday afternoon, and Orion and Lemon had just gotten the kitchen cleaned, when a knock at the front entrance drew Cloudy's attention. On the stoop was a mare clad in a black pantsuit, with the badge of the CFP standing proud upon her breast. She took off her sunglasses and smiled.

"I take it you're Cloudy Sapphire?"

"Yes I am," she replied, then asked, "and you are?"

"Oh where are my manners? My name is Velvet Backwater. I am with the Council of Foal Protections. I am here because we got a number of reports of a rather unruly orphan unicorn. Orion Falls is a ward of this establishment, correct?"

The tone said she already knew he was, so Cloudy had no choice but to answer honestly. The mare's name tickled the back of her mind, something was disturbingly familiar about it.

"Yes he is. I'm sorry, what report and why was I not informed?"

"Oh well that's because they were filed with us. May I come in?" She asked nicely, but again, there was a tone of expected compliance. "Also, I would like to see young Mr. Falls."

Reluctantly she allowed the mare to pass and asked Azure to get Orion, there could be no good to come from this she was sure.

Cloudy sat in the middle of a long table that was in interview room two. On her left sat Orion, closest to the door, and to her right was Mrs. Backwater.

Other than the muffled sound of foals playing, and the ticking of the larger clock that hung on the wall across from her, there was barely a sound.

The moment he had come in, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. She had watched as his glance darted to the agent's badge and back to her face, a tightening of his jaw followed as he sat down in the chair across from her. He had learned quickly what those badges meant.

Backwater had contented herself with pulling out papers that Cloudy could only assume we're on him. Once she was done she smiled back at the glaring colt and interlaced her fingers together, and waited.

The minutes stretched by, it felt to her that it had been hours since they all had sat down, and still the two merely watched each other. His expression had morphed from suspicion and anger to boredom. Hers had remained a pleasant , casual smile, as if she had all the time in the world.

Finally he moved, and both mares' ears pricked up in attention. Cloudy wanted to laugh as he pulled out a book and began to read it, a quick glance towards the CFP agent showed visible annoyance on her face.

Another minute went by before Velvet's horn lit up and she attempted to snatch the book away from him. It became a tug of war as his own lit up, that strange black and gold mix, and held onto the book. His iron grip coupled with his magic made a comical sight as he struggled to keep the manual.

Finally the agent had had enough and simply teleported the book away from him, to her side of the table. Instead of shouting in anger, he merely blinked in puzzlement before nodding once to himself.

The mare herself brushed her mane to straighten the few hairs that had gotten disheveled from the contest of wills and strength, and glared at him. Her calm smile was no longer in evidence. He didn't even look at her, instead his horn remained lit and he was wiggling his fingers back and forth, a look of concentration on his little black face.

"He's trying to figure out how she di-" her own thoughts were interrupted when the book suddenly reappeared in his hand. She gawked openly, her expression mirrored by Velvet's own.

"So that's how it works. Huh. Neat." He mumbled to himself. The first anypony had said in a while.

Azure had told her he had been practicing levitation more and more, but this was the first indication that he was studying beyond what was normally allowed for a foal his age.

Typically, magical lessons were held in abeyance until middle school. It was safer for the parents and foals, as they didn’t get in over their head practicing something dangerous. A notable exception was for those foals in specific schools such as Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, or Trottingham's Preparatory in which they have several courses for younger unicorns that showed promise.

With apprehension, she realized Orion may actually fall under that category.

Velvet found her voice first. "Well, I can see that your scores are not misleading at least. But I did not take that from you for the fun of it. You are in a meeting, young stallion, and you're expected to pay attention to your superiors."

He had already cracked the book open again, a primer for introductory magic from what Cloudy could see, and looked at the mare across from him. Where he had gotten that book she had no idea. She didn't allow them in the open library. Too easy for little ponies to cause trouble with them.

"Well Fed-Pone, considering all you've been doing is smiling like a creep at me this entire time, I figured why let you waste my afternoon? So I'm studying till you have something meaningful to say, or you go away."

Velvet's mouth worked but no sound came out.

The Directress decided now was a good time for her to intervene. "Orion dear, please put the book away. Mrs. Backwater does have something important to speak to you about." Not that she wanted her here either, but she needed this to go smoothly so as not to cause more issues later.

He gave her a sullen look, but complied, shoving the book into his pant's pocket.

"Fine."

"Mrs. Backwater? If you would?" She gestured, hoping the mare would take the hint gently and begin.

"Yes, well. Thank you Miss Sapphire." She nodded graciously to her before turning her attention back to him. "I am Velvet Backwater, I am here on behalf of the CFP. Do you know who we are?"

"The Council of Foal Protections. Yes, I know who you are." He responded in a bored tone. She didn't expect him to be pleasant after the earlier incident, but he could at least be civil. It seemed Orion was bound and determined to keep the mare as upset as possible.

"Yes we are, cut the sass." The agent snapped. "We have heard an alarming number of reports about your ill behavior. Talking to your teachers we have found you are often confrontational and uninterested in the lessons, your only saving grace is that you can pass the tests with little to no difficulty. Families who have shown an interest in adopting you have spoken to your rude behavior. Why?"

For a moment it looked as if he was going to go back to the silent treatment.

"The why is, well kinda complicated yet not."

Backwater leaned back in her chair, no longer frowning as an interested look came over her.

"You have shown an absolutely stunning intellect. I mean you've just now figured out how to use 'Capesso' after seeing it performed once. That is impressive for anypony, much less one of your age and station. So, please, elaborate, why are you so hostile."

It seemed Velvet was attempting to be empathetic, it sounded stiff to Cloudy's ears. And that “station” comment would win her no ground.

"You mean; 'why are you making unicorns look bad'." Her mouth tightened. "I'm not stupid, I've heard what your organization prioritizes, though I am confused by why you’re focused on me. An Orphan." He raised a hand to forestall her. "It's simple, at least in statement if not reason, I don't want a family to adopt me."

That declaration silenced the room. Even the ticking of the clock sounded muffled to her ears. She could not believe he had said that, and the look on his face showed he meant it.

He did not wait for either to voice anything.

"The reason is I will be expected to perform as a family would want me to. Loving and grateful. I won't be. I'll be understanding and grateful to a small extent. But I won't reciprocate what they want from me. So why make someone pay the adoption fee price, feed and care for as well, for a guy who won't perform to their liking?"

".....and the aggression towards your teachers?" Velvet asked neutrally.

"That's mostly because they are upset that I'm not actually listening to them. Did you know they tried to ban me from the library? For reading too much?" He laughed. Though he hesitated a moment before continuing on, as if he was keeping something to himself. "I read during their lessons, but get my work done. I don't see why they are complaining considering I am at the top of the class."

"That might be because you're showing utter disrespect to them and the foals around you are starting to take note." The agent hissed. The frown was back, with a glare. "Others might get the idea they can do the same thing!"

"Oh and a few have, but the dip in scores quickly righted them. That and judging by how gingerly some of them sat, a firm hand as well." He smiled, it was a rather viscous one Cloudy noticed.

"You don't think that was unfair?" She had begun to write, of what was being said was certain. The quill sweeping across the pages in her magic as she continued her interrogation.

"How is it unfair? They tried to emulate me and failed. They learned not to do that anymore. If anything they learned their limits and can grow from there."

Velvet arched an eyebrow. "That is a rather adult outlook. Is that what you intended?"

Orion scoffed. "Hell no. That's just hindsight at work. I could care less how they live. I'm not there for them. I'm there because I have to be, and I don't have a lot of options otherwise."

"I see." The sound of quill scratching away at paper filled the room for a moment. "Enough of that for now. I am more interested in another report I have received. One of you needing, meat?" Her expression was one of stark disbelief. "I'll be honest, I find this one preposterous, Cardinal Rule recommended a physician examine him, has that been done?"

"Yes. Dr. Heart Hooves is the attending physician at Hooves's Pediatric Care. He confirmed the original report." Cloudy was proud of herself for grabbing Orion's file, she slid over his medical report. "He has been eating various types of fish for almost a year with no ill effects."

Velvet said nothing as she looked over the report, occasionally the scritch of her quill would fill the silence when she found something interesting.

"Well, his report will certainly be taken under advisement, but a second opinion will need to be obtained, as this Doctor does not have a license secured with the CFP." She pushed the file away from her.

"Yeah, but isn't he licensed nationally? Or was that certificate on his wall just for fucking show?" Cloudy was startled, he had been quiet for a while now.

"Yes, he would have to be to even have a practice." The agent responded back. "What does 'fuck' mean?"

Orion ignored her question. "Well last I checked the CFP has no official government backing at all. You're backed by a cult, I mean church, which doesn't have any backing by any governmental authority either." He stopped and mused for a moment. "Which means you don't have any authority to even be here examining me. Your organization is a collection of busy bodies interjecting your opinions and paper thin power where it doesn't even belong."

The Directress just stared. Where under Celestia's Sun had he learned all this from? When did he learn it?

Mrs. Backwater glared back hard at him, her hands gripping the wood of the table hard enough to make it creak from the pressure.

"I. Will. Not. Tolerate. You. Speaking. Ill. Of. The. Church!" She nearly shouted.

Orion stuck a finger in his ear and wiggled it about. "You wanna shout that again, a little louder? I don't think everyone heard you in the city clearly enough."

Eyes boring at the colt, Velvet spoke to Cloudy. "You will be turning him over to me. Today. From my professional examination I would say we have a budding sociopath. He will need to be reeducated on proper foal behavior. On proper deference to the mares in his life as well."

It had all decayed so fast, one moment she had hope that the meeting would end peaceably, if it was a bit rocky. Now she was being forced to make a decision that would mark her one way or another.

Her heart spoke before her mind could catch up.

"No." The breathy whisper of her voice seemed to boom despite the soft spoken tone.

"I'm sorry I don't be-"

"She said 'No' ya daft bitch. Meaning take yourself, your little bundle of papers, ya nasty three week in the sun rotted vagina and get the fuck out!" The little colt roared. Well it was all over after that. Velvet Backwater lunged over the table at him and he in turn hit her in the eye with the book.

The guards were called, mostly to escort the CFP agent away before worse happened. It was a lucky thing that a station was just down the street from the orphanage.

As the mare was escorted away, shouting at the pair that it was most certainly not over, she looked down to Orion, mouth opening but nothing to say. He spoke first.

"Yep I know, no dinner tonight." He laughed. He actually laughed.

"Do you realize what you have done?" She finally spoke.

"Likely made an enemy for life?" He looked back down the street. She had finally stopped screaming. "Honestly I could care less. The only reason her and those like her have any authority is because they browbeat everyone around them into submission. And if people actually stopped for a moment and remembered that little fact, the CFP would lose any influence they held if they were just ignored, we wouldn't be putting up with the likes of her."

Cloudy could only stare in wonder. She had been doing that a lot today, but she could not help it. This seven year old foal understood political intrigue better than some adults. He ended up being proven correct. Nothing ever came from the debacle of a meeting with Mrs. Backwater. Though she did learn why her name tickled her memory.

Velvet Backwater was an up and coming member in the CFP. Strong rumor was that she personally ran the organization's reeducation programs, and was known to have a particularly nasty streak when it came to stubborn foals that disobeyed in any way.

Treatment of that level was hard enough to leave most foals nearly catatonic.

Cloudy Sapphire shivered remembering that particularly uncomfortable fact. Grateful for the fact that she had managed to essentially smuggle Orion out from under that tyrannical mare's nose.

The question was, how did the CFP attain so much power in just a little over a year?

The rain was coming down harder now, as well as the pull teams cursing. She could feel the jerks inside the carriage when the team had to start and stop again. She was most certainly going to pay them extra for this, even if she had to dip in her personal funds to do it.

Taking a carriage put days onto the trip. The first town they arrived at she would send Azure an apology letter and inform her that it would take longer for her to get back. She could not risk telling her by what method they departed, even if the CFP could reason it out. Best not give them any help.

She smiled as her eyes rested on her charge. Orion seemed to have fallen asleep during her musings. Another yawn took her.

"Seems like he has the right idea. It's going to be a long trip."

She settled herself into her couch, wrapping her coat about herself tighter. Sleep sounded pretty good to her right about now. Thunder boomed overhead, interrupting the noise of rain pattering on the roof.