Chapter 1
Into Place
Maple Leaf shouldered open the heavy weatherproof door and ducked his head, squinting against the strong sunlight pouring into the dim interior of the building. He stood hesitantly in the archway, looking out over the architecture of the Junior Speedster’s Flight Camp that lay spread out before him. The marble columns and roofs glowed pearly white in the beautiful weather, framed against the iridescent blue sky, as cottony clouds performed a slow swirl in the breeze. The air was filled with the snap and zing of bunting and banners, streaming proud in the wind, and the chatter of the young students as they zipped overhead in pairs and trios towards their lessons. A bell tolled, its sonorous call filling the air, indicating the changing of the hour as well as a warning that the next classes would soon begin.
I wish I could just go back inside and avoid this. Maple Leaf groaned to himself and paced forward, allowing the door to close behind him with a thud. He glanced behind him, idly regarding the stout oaken portal, again considering the possibility of hiding inside. He shook his head as he dismissed the thought. All that would happen is I'd get in trouble again, and that would mean another lecture.
"Hey, blank flank." Maple Leaf snapped up his head in surprise as he heard a voice targeted at him, then felt the flush of embarrassment at the verbal jab. Two colts from his class were passing by, on their way to the same destination as himself. The taller of the two smirked at Maple Leaf as he continued. "Shake out those big wings and get to the course. If you don't, you'll be the last one there and you'll make Coach mad." The shorter colt snickered as he waved his wings as emphasis and added his own words. "Oh wait; forgot you're always the last one anyway."
They chortled as they hopped into the air and took wing, easily flapping towards the west end of the campus as they left Maple Leaf below. He hung his head, dark red forelock hanging over his eyes, and heaved a deep sigh.
I don't need to be told I'm slow. And I don't need to be told that I don't have my mark yet. He glanced back at what he saw every day, but was made so much more acutely aware of every day at the flying school: a bare chocolate-colored flank, covered up by the feathers of his large, folded up wings. He partially extended his left wing and glumly regarded its length as the tips of the primary feathers almost touched the clouds beneath his rear hooves.
These big things have been nothing but trouble. I can barely get into the air, and even then I can barely go anywhere. He sighed again, then shook his head. Still, I have to get going or I WILL be late. He crouched down and jumped high into the air, grunting with effort. He opened his wings at the apex of his leap and began hammering the air, slowly rising from the clouds below as he followed the other two westward.
***
Maple Leaf glided forward, the sun shining brightly in his eyes as he headed towards a wide, ribboned-off area on the edge of the main platform of clouds that supported the flight academy. Beyond, he could see the serenely floating silhouettes of crafted water vapor: large rings, tall pillars and small flat blobs, each with a colorful flag waving in the breeze. His heart sank at the sight of it. I hate the obstacle course.
He could not spare more than a quick glance at it though; the starting platform was crowded with a line of young pegasi, standing attentively before a mare who was clearly in charge. With a touch of panic, Maple Leaf flapped frantically in an attempt to speed up and dropped heavily to the surface near the ribbon barrier. Roll call was already in progress. He trotted into place at the far right end of the line of students, head low, hoping that his appearance was circumspect enough to not call attention.
"Maple Leaf." came the voice, in a stern tone. He gulped and looked up quickly, his green eyes locked with the grey ones currently gazing back without emotion. Coach Quicklash stood with the poised energy of an athlete, her white mane and tail tousled slightly by the wind and her dusky coat shining. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she regarded Maple Leaf at the end of the line. She continued, voice roughened with age and the experience of years of teaching.
"You cut it very close this afternoon. I suggest that you take note of the time and make haste in the future."
"Yes, Coach Quicklash." Maple nodded quickly and broke eye contact, staring at his hooves. He heard a muffled giggle coming from his left and flushed. He kept his gaze downward as she resumed listing off names.
"Newlight." "Yes, I'm here."
"Rosethorn." "Here."
"Starwing." "Yep."
"Vinecrest." "Present."
Maple Leaf listened as each student replied, cocking his ear in turn from Quicklash to the assembled. He then waited, expecting the usual short statement she made every day about being careful followed by an order to begin. But the silence lengthened, and he picked his head up to look at his teacher in surprise at the break in routine.
Coach Quicklash stood motionless, facing away from the line of students. As a quiet muttering began among some of them at this unusual behavior, she began to speak, not looking back, silencing the noisemakers before they began to do more than whisper to one another.
"I have a special treat for you today. I encourage you all to do your best, because I have a guest who has come to watch. She enjoys seeing the progress of the future fliers, messengers and weather controllers of Equestria, and has agreed to join us here today. So please be on your best behavior."
Maple Leaf felt confused, as this had never happened before to his class. Occasionally one of the other teachers would sit in and observe, chatting with Coach Quicklash as the students performed their drills, but there had never been this sense of something truly unusual in the air. The other students could feel it as well, and whispering rose again, cut off as she resumed speaking.
"So, I would like you to welcome..." Quicklash turned, a small smile on her face, as from the horizon a bright lance of light began to head towards the gathering, rapidly growing larger. "Captain Spitfire of the Wonderbolts!"
The lance of light corkscrewed into a tight spiral as it passed over the gaping , wide-eyed line of pegasi, glowing bright gold as it slammed into the clouds next to Quicklash with a bright flash of light and a peal of thunder. The students danced backwards, blinking and gasping, as the flash resolved itself to be a golden-coated mare, posing proudly with her wings widespread, false flames crackling around each feather, matching the hue of her fiery mane and tail. She stood for a moment with a devilish grin on her face as the students regained their wits and began to cheer, then folded her wings to her sides as the illusory flames faded away.
Maple Leaf stood silently, blinking as the sunspots danced in his vision, the cheering of his classmates ringing in his ears, jaw agape. Captain Spitfire, here! He had never dreamed of seeing one of the elite fliers up close, and here was their captain, the most skilled of them all! He shook his head in amazement as Quicklash raised her voice over the cacophony of the excited youngsters.
"As I said, Captain Spitfire is here to observe how skilled you all have become. You will have plenty of time to ask her all of your questions later, as you all have an obstacle course to run!"
Maple Leaf felt his heart drop, elation instantly turning to dread. I have to run the obstacle course? In front of HER? His eyes widened and he quickly snapped his gaze to his teacher, the shining, smiling form of Spitfire beside her, as she said the words that normally filled him with resignation but today filled him with fear as the other pegasi flapped their wings in excitement beside him.
"Ten laps! Be safe and get in the air!"
***
For most of the students, the afternoon was a delight. They pirouetted through the air, dashing through the cloud rings and weaving through the pillars like a needle through velvet. The air was filled with their laughter as they flashed through the course, each eager to finish so they could ask the famous Wonderbolt all their pressing questions. Spitfire stood below, with Quicklash, gazing up as the young ones went through the practice.
For Maple Leaf, it was misery. He was acutely aware of his performance as he vainly tried to have any semblance of grace, flapping through the air with all the dignity of a wet blue jay. His forays through the cloud rings were slow as he tried to avoid touching the sides with his large wingspan; going through the vertical pillars were short bursts of movement, nothing like the sinuous flight pattern of the quicker pegasi. The only time he could relax was when slowly gliding between the sections of the course, when he caught his breath and glumly watched as the other students passed him by, a lap or more ahead, before he returned to his awkward attempts in dealing with the course.
He completed his ninth lap and grimaced at the thought of one more, then started as he realized that he was the only one still in the air. He aborted his run, dropping down to the corner of the platform furthest from the crowd of students, a lump in his throat. The air was filled with chatter as questions were fired quickly from all directions at Spitfire; she laughed as she fielded them, a grin on her face as they gazed wide-eyed up at her. Quicklash stood beside her, attempting to exert some control over the flock of hyperactive younglings. Maple Leaf's face burned with embarrassment.
I made a fool of myself out there. He quickly turned and trotted away; he didn't think anyone would care, or had even noticed, that he hadn’t completed the assigned ten laps. I'll take a lecture later over being laughed at, in front of HER no less. They were all too busy seeking attention from the Wonderbolt, and none of them had a glance to spare for him. He gritted his teeth and sped up, galloping away from the obstacle course, leaving behind the conversation and noise.
***
Maple Leaf flopped down bonelessly into the clouds on the southeast edge of the academy. He pressed his face into the softness between his front legs, ears flat against the sides of his head, fervently wishing that somehow today could have never happened.
I finally got to meet a Wonderbolt and it's Captain Spitfire. She shows up in a whirlwind of light and got to watch as I flew the worst course I ever have since I came to the school. I'm going to get laughed straight out of the dormitory tonight.
He swiveled his head and rested his chin on his left foreleg as he sprawled out. The late afternoon sun shone down gently on his right flank as he spread out his wings slightly and sighed. I'll never get another chance to meet a Wonderbolt. Even if I did I'd probably screw it up again. He closed his eyes and heaved a deep breath.
"Mind if I join you?"
Maple Leaf jumped to his hooves in a flurry of feathers and legs with a squawk of surprise. He spun around to find Spitfire standing a few ponylengths behind him with a smile on her face and an eyebrow cocked, humor dancing in her orange eyes. He opened and closed his mouth wordlessly, then finally composed himself for the sense of her words to penetrate his fragmented thoughts. He shook his head.
Spitfire moved forward and sat down next to Maple Leaf, gazing out over the landscape far below, allowing the frazzled youngster time to gather his wits. He finally returned to his previous resting location nervously, wings pressed tightly to his sides. "Uh..." he hesitated, not knowing what to say.
"I didn't get a chance to speak to you earlier." Spitfire looked over at the tense colt. "Your classmates were very enthusiastic and I had a little trouble getting away. As your teacher said, I'm Spitfire. Your name is Maple Leaf, right?" She smiled encouragingly.
"Uh, yeah. Maple Leaf, right. I uh... it's a pleasure to meet you, Captain Spitfire." Maple Leaf smiled back, then ducked his head as she chuckled.
“Call me Spitfire. The title’s a mouthful.”
He glanced up, his forelock covering his left eye as Spitfire looked out over the vista again and continued speaking.
"I noticed that you were having a little trouble out there on the course and thought I could maybe offer a little advice. Maybe you'd be interested in some observations?" She glanced over as his green eyes widened in surprise, half-hidden behind his red mane.
"Help? Yes! I'd take any help I can get, especially from you! I..." Maple Leaf hesitated, then looked to the side as his voice lowered. "I've dreamt of flying as well as you. The Wonderbolts, that is. I want to go fast and far, but my wings..." He twitched his wings and half-extended the left; even only partially stretched it was obvious how much larger they were than even an adult pegasus's.
Spitfire smiled and cocked her head to the side in thought. "Yes, your wings are larger than many others'. You were getting some good lift out of them out on the course; the problem I saw was that their size made it difficult to beat them fast enough to keep you stable, correct?" Maple Leaf nodded, listening closely as she continued.
"You're still young. Your body is still growing, and it will grow to meet the challenge of those wings. You said that you want to go fast; that will definitely help. The increased surface area means that more speed means more lift." Spitfire made a swooping motion with her hoof. "As your muscles grow you'll be able to flap much stronger and get more lift, and more speed." She smiled at Maple Leaf, and he nodded, but still looked a little worried.
"Now, your stamina is quite good for your age. Your classmates that finished first were gasping for air, but you were barely breaking a sweat. You conserved your energy on the long straight sections, gliding. And maneuvering those wings..." "She paused as Maple ruffled his feathers unconsciously, and smiled. "They've given you good lasting power. That will serve you well in the future."
Maple Leaf hesitated, but he had to ask. He didn't know if this kind of conversation would ever occur again, and he had to make the most of it. "So you say the answer is... time?" Spitfire nodded and listened as he continued with a dejected tone of voice. "I'm already older than many of the others, but I still don't..." He tapped the tip of his feathers against his bare flank. Spitfire let her expression soften with sympathy.
"I know it's hard being late in getting your mark. There's ponies in every generation who have the same issue, but it does always work out. You will get your mark, I promise you." She stood gracefully and shook herself, small wispy bits of white cloud swirling away. She looked down at Maple Leaf. His brown coat and red mane contrasted against the white surface, long legs folded nervously. He regarded her with a small bit of worry in his eyes, and she smiled, gently placing hoof on his shoulder.
"Sometimes you just have to relax, and let things fall into place."
She took a couple steps away as a contemplative look filled Maple Leaf's face. He smiled and looked into Spitfire's eyes, green to orange.
"Thank you, Captain. You've given me a lot to think about."
Spitfire returned the smile with true warmth and turned, trotting away. Maple Leaf sat up, flexing his wings idly as he gazed out into the azure sky, turning her words over in his mind.
***
Spitfire trotted back towards the main buildings of the school, her shadow trailing long behind her. She could smell roasted carrots wafting in the air; dinner was being prepared and she could feel her stomach grumble at the delicious scent. Maybe I can get a bit to eat, if I can get the students to give me a moment's peace, she thought, chuckling to herself. The sound of wing beats sounded overhead, and she peered upwards as Quicklash descended, landing carefully next to the Wonderbolt.
"Ah, there you are, Spitfire. I wondered where you had gone off to after I dismissed the class. You seemed quite eager to be somewhere." Quicklash shifted her weight and cocked an eyebrow inquisitively. "Did you accomplish what you wanted?"
Spitfire nodded and cocked her head back towards her shoulder, indicating the direction she had come. "Sure did, Coach. Had someone I needed to speak to." Quicklash raised her head and peered over the younger mare, and a slight smile made its way into her expression as she made out the slight form sitting in the distance.
"So you spoke with young Maple Leaf. You must have noticed the trouble he was having on the course." She sighed and shook her head, her rough voice soft with sympathy. "The poor boy has rotten luck. He tries hard, but his wings give him so much frustration. The others in his class can be... well, you can remember how it was when you were here."
Spitfire closed her eyes briefly and sighed. "Yeah, a competitive attitude is encouraged here. Usually it's fine, Coach, but sometimes..." She blinked and gazed up at a puff of cloud without really seeing it, eyes unfocused. "Sometimes some ponies get left behind, with an attitude like that." She stomped her hoof and shook her head vigorously. "But I think I cheered him up." She grinned widely. "I told him to just relax and let things happen as they may, and-"
"What is he doing?" Quicklash interrupted, staring over Spitfire's shoulder, a confused look on her face.
Spitfire turned to follow her gaze, and saw Maple Leaf standing poised, one hoof upraised, a short distance from the edge of the cloud layer. Something about his tense body language, his wings pressed tightly to his sides, made her uneasy, but she couldn’t elaborate why. She stared blankly, then gasped in alarm as he burst into motion, charging forward. Spitfire shifted her weight, throwing herself forward, not knowing his intent but panic screaming in her mind. Even as she began to flap her wings and rise up, she watched Maple Leaf as he planted all four hooves into the soft vapor. He leaped high into the air and, making no attempt to fly, dropped head first into space.
***
Wind.
The roar of wind filled Maple Leaf's folded back ears as he plummeted, the puffy underside of the school pulling away above him. Tears gathered in the corners of his eyes as he kept them open a bare crack at the force rushing up at him. This is why the Wonderbolts wear goggles... His nose and throat felt like ice as wind rushed into his nostrils.
He had never felt such freedom, such joy, as he did now. Never before in his life had he reached these speeds, felt the adrenaline rush through him, felt his heart pound so hard in his chest. A wide smile crept, unnoticed, over his face as he rushed towards the trees far below. He stretched out his body, reducing his air resistance as much as he could, tail streaming out straight behind. He listened to the wind scream.
The Flight School had been floating high today, serenely bobbing a long way above a wide deciduous forest. Maple Leaf eyed it as he began to get closer, smaller details emerging from the expanse of emerald as the gap between himself and the reaching branches narrowed. He felt his pulse race as he prepared himself. I hope this works or this is going to hurt a lot...
***
Spitfire strained, wings hammering with every bit of power her body could muster as she raced after the brown-and-red blur below her, desperately trying to reach him, eyes blinking away tears, mind racing. Why did he jump? Why isn't he flying? Gotta get to him, getting too low... She gritted her teeth and poured her heart into her flight, unable to catch up to the falling colt who had such a lead over her and who descended like a bolt through the sky. Almost there, too close to the ground, gotta... Sudden movement ahead of her startled her and she jerked her head up, orange eyes wide.
***
NOW!
Maple Leaf slammed his wings open wide, feathers cutting through the air. He gasped as the force of the sudden move slammed into him, his shoulder muscles screaming as tendon and bone was pushed to its limit. He ground his teeth together as he began to turn his lightning fall into a narrow arc, wings trembling from the strain, swapping vertical speed for horizontal. Come on. Come on! The leafy layer below leaped closer, and he shouted at himself, deep in his chest. "COME ON!"
He gasped for breath as he rocketed away, the highest branches only barely out of reach beneath his hooves. He began to laugh as he raced towards the setting sun, the canopy a dark blur beneath his outstretched feathers, the horizon glowing amber ahead. I did it! It worked! He leaned into the wind, a wide grin on his face as he flew into the distance, branches waving wildly below at his passing.
***
Spitfire spat leaves out of her mouth and shook her head, dislodging a branch from her mane as she scrambled to extract herself from the tall oak she had landed in. Maple Leaf's sudden actions had completely taken her by surprise. Unable to match his curve, she had zipped right past him, flapping frantically and flailing her legs to prevent crashing into the very forest she had been trying to save the young colt from. Only some quick snags and a handy branch had saved her from piercing straight through the leaf layer and dropping to the underbrush below.
She rose into the air and began pursuing the speck in the sky she knew was Maple Leaf, far ahead. So fast! Pounding her wings, Spitfire shook twigs out of her tail as she picked up speed, rushing into the sunset.
***
Shadows lengthened over the rolling countryside as the sun continued its slow arc below the mountains. The evening was filled with the chirp and chitter of a thousand insects and the conversation of a small flock of sparrows, finding a small birch copse to settle down for the evening. A pair of deer emerged from a dense thicket, beginning their nocturnal browsing, white tails flicking to and fro. One picked up its head, ears perked, scenting the air. The other, sensing something odd, froze in place, body tense.
The deer split, bounding across the open grassland as the birds erupted from their perches, calling in panic as a red blur screamed across the sky, barely above the tips of the green leaves, followed shortly by a golden duplicate. The insects continued their melody undisturbed as the two pegasi flashed overhead and were gone.
Maple Leaf was in pure bliss. He had never felt in such control of his own flying as he did now; the smallest twitch of his feathers allowed him to maneuver himself with total precision. He tucked his wings in slightly and did a roll, threading the needle between the tip of two pine trees, scattering needles behind. A single wing beat and he was speeding off again, following the glittering curves of a wide, shallow river, the scent of mud and spray strong in his nose. An instant later and he was gliding above the dusty track of a well-traveled road; in the distance he could see the shapes of a fairly large village and the glow of a few early lanterns in the windows.
As he rocketed above the settlement, he could hear the beginnings of voices raised in surprise below, but only snatches as he was away and gone before the words could be completed. His passage shook the upper layer of a huge tree in the center of the town. In only seconds he was beyond the outer row of houses. He could feel the thermal updraft gently pressing on the underside of his wings as he few over tilled fields, the sun-baked soil releasing its heat into the dusk like a warm blanket.
Maple Leaf could feel his muscles burning, the long flight and small adjustments to his balance relentlessly taking their toll on his stamina, and the ground was becoming shrouded as the sun barely peeked above the far-distant peaks, painting the sky in a warm palette. He cupped his wings and began flapping slowly to reduce his speed, landing carefully on a lone, small cloud. He took a deep breath, the scent of apples wafting on the breeze from the large orchard that rolled across the hills below. A light wind tousled his mane as a voice called out, and he glanced upwards in surprise.
"Maple Leaf! Finally, you stopped!" Spitfire glided down, the final rays of the day's light glinting off her coat and mane as she came to a gentle landing beside the young colt. Maple Leaf gawped in surprise, spreading his wings unconsciously but gasped in pain as his shoulder muscles knotted themselves in trembling exhaustion. He sat down abruptly with a grimace, wings limp at his side as Spitfire continued.
"How did you know how to do that? How did you go so fast? I couldn't catch you at all! That was incredible!" She gazed down with a smile and wonder in her eyes, then began to laugh with a sympathetic look on her face at his wincing expression. Maple Leaf gazed up with a self-deprecating half grin.
"Actually, the idea came from you." he replied, as the mare looked surprised. "Remember? You told me, 'you're good at gliding’. You said. 'let things fall into place'. I figured if I could get going fast, I could glide really well. And the best way I could think of to get some speed..." He grinned widely. "...Was to fall." He began to chuckle at Spitfire's dumbfounded expression, then abruptly sucked in a breath in a hiss as his tortured muscles stabbed in pain.
Spitfire shook her head, amazed at the audacity of the stunt, but she couldn't deny its effectiveness. "Wings hurt, eh? Yeah, we've gone quite a distance from where we started. Probably the longest flight you've ever taken, right? Laps around the course are one thing, cross-country is another." Spitfire gazed out across the low hills, evaluating their location, taking note of the village in the distance, now glowing with light, individual buildings becoming disguised in shadow. She then glanced down at the exhausted Maple Leaf, and cocked an inquisitive brow. "Speaking of, how exactly did you think you’re going to get home?"
He blinked. "I..." he started, then broke off without an answer. He realized that he had absolutely no idea where they were; he had never been in this region before, and actually had no idea where the flight school was located in relation, beyond somewhere to the east. The sun vanished beyond the horizon, the indigo sky becoming speckled with dim points of light. He tried to think of what to do, his wings making it wordlessly clear him that flying was out of the question.
Spitfire sighed, then smiled. "You could have done this earlier in the day, you know." She chuckled as Maple Leaf flushed with embarrassment. "Luckily, I do know this area. A friend of a friend lives in that town we passed by earlier; you know, the one you buzzed." She held up a hoof, laughing, as his blush deepened and he dropped his head. "It's okay, it's okay, just try to be a little more discreet in the future. You startle someone into breaking something and the bits are coming out of your pouch." She grinned and flexed her wings, feeling a joint pop as she worked out a stubborn kink. Maple Leaf watched in surprise, wondering what she was doing.
"I'm gonna push this cloud down to ground level, but I think I’ve had enough of getting caught in trees today. Keep an eye out below us.” Spitfire sprang into the air, making a tight spiral and began pushing the cloud lower. The shadows danced across the two of them in rhythm with her wing beats, as he fended away any grasping branches with his hooves. The cloud sank below the leaves and came to rest above the soil, shadow wrapped around them like a cloak.
Maple Leaf stepped gingerly off the cloud and folded his wings up, wincing as they sang their protests at being moved. Spitfire alighted near him, her movements more sensed than seen in the darkness. She dealt the cloud a swift kick with a hind hoof and it burst into swirling fragments of fog, dissipating into the night. Together, they moved towards the pinpricks of light in the distance, threading between the silent trunks of the apple trees, emerging into the open at the edge of the orchard.
The wide valley before them was transformed as a full moon peeked over the eastern horizon, flooding the landscape with silver illumination. The hummocks and rolls of the ground blurred in the soft light, the edges of dark blades of grass touched as if by frost. Maple Leaf paused, struck by the beauty, gazing towards the inviting glimmer of lights of the town in the near distance. Spitfire paced up beside him, taking in the vista spread before the two.
She cleared her throat as if to begin saying something, then stopped as something came to her attention. Maple Leaf turned to regard her, cocking his head in wordless question. Spitfire extended her right wing and gently tapped Maple Leaf’s side with the tips of her feathers.
“Looks like congratulations are in order,” she said with a wry grin, amusement dancing in her eyes.
He looked back in shock and beheld what he had been far too involved to notice. His previously bare, plain brown flank was now adorned with a mark, glowing in the moon’s gleaming light. A brilliant white cloud perched there, a single crimson leaf arching below, captured in the frozen moment as the wind carried it away. Maple Leaf's vision blurred as he gazed at it, tears spilling from the corners of his eyes, a smile of wonder on his face as his mind sang with joy.
Spitfire choked down her laughter at the rapt glee in the young colt’s face, settling for a wide smile. “Usually youngsters don’t get their mark in such a... dramatic fashion. Or a dangerous one.” She lost control and began to laugh, as Maple Leaf’s face flushed. He began to laugh as well, understanding how reckless he had been. He rubbed his eye with his foreleg, wiping away tears as his merriment settled down and Spitfire coughed with a chuckle.
"That town's name is Ponyville, and I know a couple of ponies that live there. Let's go get you introduced to one of them, let you get some rest, and tomorrow you can figure out how to get back to the school." Spitfire began trotting forward and he hurried to catch up. She glanced back at him and grinned at the way he had his wings tightly folded to his sides, the careful way he moved to keep from jarring them. "And maybe the day after tomorrow you can actually fly back. Maybe a couple days."
Maple Leaf laughed along with her, and Spitfire broke into a gallop, calling back over her shoulder. "I know your wings hurt but your legs should be fine! Better keep up!" He burst into speed, following her as they leaped out into the valley, moonlight illuminating their path almost as well as dawn. Onward they ran, the lanterns and candles in the windows slowly growing closer as their laughter filled the night breeze.