Princess Luna arrived at the cubicle and exhaled a nervous sigh of relief. He was still here.

Kevin had his back turned when Luna entered his mini-office, but he knew that anxious sigh all too well. It sent Ponilovian shivers rattling through his exoskeleton. He froze in place for a second or two, staring at the floor, then went right back to packing his things. Luna waited a few moments before speaking.

"I am glad that I arrived in time. I thought certain I would miss you," she said.

The changeling turned around, holding a cardboard box containing most of his work-related possessions: a few books, pens, papers, scrolls, and a couple of posters.

"Well, there's not much to clean out," said Kevin. He rested the box on the ground and sat down in a chair. "But you've always had uncanny timing. What can I do for you?"

Luna's brow furrowed slightly. "This is not about me, Kevin. It is about [i]you[/i]," she said. "At the very least, I wanted a chance to say goodbye."

"Okay. Goodbye," he said.

Luna lowered her gaze. "That is not what I meant."

Kevin placed a chitinous hoof over his face. "Okay. Well, I... I don't really know what else is left to say. I failed, and I'm sorry."

"What you have endured is far from trivial," said Luna, pulling up a second chair to sit down at her student's level. "You have shown incredible bravery and sacrifice. You should be proud of how far you have come."

"Save your pity for the next drone in line, if there ever is one," said Kevin, raising his head to finally meet Luna's gaze. "As the first changeling admitted to graduate studies at Celestia's School, my missteps have set a damning precedent."

Luna snorted. "That is preposterous. You have made the path easier, not harder. Ponies will remember you and your work. They will know that changelings are capable of great things because of your sacrifice."

"They'll know we're capable of failure," said Kevin, turning to look at the wall.

Luna shook her head. "[i]Everypony[/i] is capable of failure, Kevin. Failure at this level of study is normal. Very few ponies are capable of completing a doctorate in the magical arts."

Kevin shrugged. "I suppose."

"It took great courage to realize that leaving was the correct option. Most students aren't able to make that decision, and must be forced out," said Luna.

"We both know they weren't about to force me out, so I had a moral imperative to act. After all this time the School was still making exceptions for me," he said. "It was never about me, anyway. It was about what I [i]represented[/i]. That idea was too important to everypony."

"Well, it is a noble idea. Nevertheless, you are correct. The faculty looked at you as an icon of progress rather than a student. In this way, the School is the one who has failed you," said Luna. She scooted her chair forward to close the distance with her former student.

Kevin chuckled darkly. "You know what the worst part about it is? I'm pretty sure I never had a chance," he said. "I was accepted into the program on substandard test scores and a weak track record with research. Everypony on the committee knew my deficiencies. I've been waiting seven years for this horseshoe to finally drop."

Luna reached out and placed a gentle hoof on Kevin's shoulder. "Kevin, your efforts have earned my respect. The offer to teach remains open."

"Maybe someday. I'm too ashamed to consider it right now."

Princess Luna lifted Kevin's chin to look into his beautiful alien eyes. "I think you have more pride than you admit. You could have come here disguised as anypony, but here you sit before me, your true nature revealed."

"I needed to be honest with myself when I did this," said Kevin. "Even after everything that's happened, it feels wrong to hide who I am."

Luna smiled warmly. "I am very proud of you, Kevin."

"I know you are, Luna," he said, and he shut his eyes tight. "Ponies joke about starving graduate students, but in all this time? I've never once been hungry."

The alicorn pulled her protege into a firm embrace as he began to cry.