//------------------------------// // Chapter. 3 – The End of Innocence // Story: The Road to Who We Are // by hamishwarfare //------------------------------// Chapter. 3 – The End of Innocence The years passed by uneventfully for the three steadfast friends; with ups, downs and everything in between. Starlight had even managed to shrink the size difference between them, though not by a significant margin. It was a little after Twilight and Rainbow celebrated their tenth birthday, when the three were summoned to Directors Race Control’s office. The three sat side by side, in their now fully established seating arrangement; with the two bigger ponies on either side of the smaller one. It was an almost instinctual habit the larger two had; they couldn’t tell if it was for her protection, just feeling natural, or in an effort to hoard their first friend outside of themselves. The Director of the RC Orphanage was seated across from the three young fillies, his desk separating himself from them. He could no longer call them all small fillies, as two of them were actually the same size as he was. But by the looks they were giving him, it meant nothing to them; he was still well and truly in charge. “I’ve called you three here for a rather important decision; one that may very well change your lives forever more.” He turned his attention to the only pegasus of the fillies. “Rainbow, the Military Flight Academy in Cloudsdale has begun accepting cadets for their junior division.” This clearly caught the filly’s attention, causing the older pegasus to smirk. “Ah, I see you realise what this means. Yes, this is the primary entry point that all of the current and former members of the Wonderbolts A team underwent.” His focus on the young pegasus doubled. “They have limited positions, and accept only the most passionate and brilliant of flyers. They want the best; so much so they cover all costs while you are under their tutelage. “This is their application form; they are very hard to get a hoof on, even with my connections I only managed six. Think it over VERY seriously, as you shall be leaving us if you are successful; talk it through with Twilight as well as Starlight Glimmer. But, this application form is yours if you wish to proceed.” It was with reverence that the young pegasus filly accepted the sheets of paper from her senior. “Now, for you two. You both have come on leaps and bounds in your studies; achieving some of the highest scores in the history of my wife’s family’s orphanage. I dare say we’ll soon be running out of things to teach you; even our nurse, Miss Kind Heart, has stated to me that she’s teaching you both spells that our seniors struggle with.” With a wing he pulled out two sets of forms and laid them out in front of both unicorns. “These are application forms for the prestigious Gifted Unicorn University located in Canterlot. Despite the name it starts accepting truly talented unicorns from a young age; covering all the education you will ever need. Or at least that is what their brochure claims.” He folded his hooves on his desk. “I’ll be honest with the two of you; I do not know terribly much about the university. However its reputation certainly precedes itself; it is by far the most respected of unicorn schools. Because of that their intake is as tough as the academy Rainbow is applying to; and unlike Rainbow they expect you to pay through the nose for the honour. “Not everything is lost for you two, however. Within these forms are also applications for their scholar program, where they supply you with a bursary. It comes with expectations, so even if you are successful with the bursary you are expected to work for it.” He leaned back in his chair and let out a weary sigh, “You’ve got time to think things over fully; but they’ll need to be filled in and sent off by the end of the month at the very latest. Come to me, or any of the staff really, if you need any additional advice, or help with those applications. If you do fill those in and get to the examination stage, then we shall pay for your expenses to get to the respective cities. “I wish you luck and hope you make the decision that is right for you.” The mountain city of Canterlot; once upon a time it was the heart of the old Kingdom of Unicorns, now the capital city of Equestria, a gift for the unity of the tribes. Others would say it was a guaranteed way to ensure that unicorns stay in charge. Few would say, however, that the city was not the beautiful gem it aspired to be. The streets were wide and entirely cobbled, the buildings themselves are all made out of marble and detailed in gold and purple highlights. The store fronts were made out of large single panes of glass for easy viewing of what is inside. It is a city of wealth and opulence. Even with the weather as bad as it currently was, the city of Canterlot was very impressive. It was a small group of three that made their way through the main gates of the second most prestigious place in the city. Benches and fountains were scattered around the grassy lawns that decorated the courtyard; walkways leading to the many different buildings had their own sign posts to help direct ponies to their destinations. Those were not needed for this group, as they were already following others that had made the pilgrimage to the primary building within this complex. At last out of the rain, the three felt a wave of magic wash over them that removed the majority of the water from their bodies. There was a cloakroom of to the right hand side; clearly being operated by a group of teenage students. The scent of the ages was clear to the three of them as they made their way through the building; it was similar to old pages and dry stone. As they delved deeper, the opulence they were expecting wasn’t there; it was clear that this place did not need to show off. The old stone corridors with their trim of almost black woods spoke volumes of its history and just how important this place was. Eyebrows were raised at them when it was found that the both unicorns were here for the junior entrance exams. But all the paperwork was in order, so it was with slight reluctance that the two potential students were allowed through to the first stage. “Now, Miss Twilight. This is the final examination; all you must do is hatch the dragon egg resting there.” Twilight found herself the last filly to be granted access to this room; even Starlight had come and gone. Her face did not look reassuring and she refused to talk about the test. The unicorn who spoke to was the oldest of the four sitting in the third row of a curved auditorium; seven seats deep and each row held over a dozen more seats. This was a large lecture hall and she found herself on display in the middle of it all. Her examiners were all very well-known professors and scholars in magical circles. Braces Britches, the head of the Telekinetic school. First Folio, lead lecturer in magical theory. Professor Flintheart, senior lecturer in Runes. And finally the pony who had spoken to her; Crystal Clear, senior lecturer and authority figure for Magical Applications. “You have up to thirty minutes to complete this task.” Twilight gulped, but nodded her head in understanding. “Your time begins, now. Good luck.” Immediately Twilight’s mind began to race; dragons were one of, if not the, most magical resistant races known on Equis. Physical attacks over magical was what was used to deter dragons from raiding Equestria. She almost launched a piercing spell at the oval polka dot purple object; when she remembered her task was hatching the egg, not cracking it. Her mind flew through all the spells she knew; she tried Telekinesis since Braces Britches was an examiner. Nothing. She tried several different heating spells, thinking a mother dragon would use her fire breath to hatch their young. Again, nothing. She tried lightning magic, well the spell Spark, as a means to get magic deeper into the egg. Still nothing. Her mind searched through her spell catalogue, she tried the Mend spell just in case it was reversing the magical effects. Clearly not. Her mind was going around in circles; she could feel panic beginning to grip her. She could just make out someone announcing that five minutes had passed. Her breathing was quickening at a worrying rate and she started to feel the beginning of a magical surge; whiteness was starting to form on the edge of her vision and her legs were starting to tremble. “TWILIGHT!” The voice startled her, and her world froze as she latched onto the mental voice of her sister. “Rainbow! Its no good! Their last test is impossible!” “Twilight, calm down; there’s no way they would give you an impossible task. You know what they want; they’ve already told you everything you need to know. Like you tell me to do, repeat the question and focus only on the relevant pieces of information; also make sure you keep in mind any extra details they gave you. If going head on isn’t working then try something else, think outside the box. “I know you can do it!” Twilight stopped everything and took a deep breath and re-evaluated the task and what she was told. ‘Thirty minutes to complete this; that’s a generous amount of time. Clearly this is something that will take a while to complete. Throwing spells isn’t working; let’s see if there is anything that’s preventing my magic from hitting the egg.’ The few detection spells she knew and cast on the egg showed nothing; however when she tried the basket she found some runes carved into the handle, hidden from sight. She smiled, while she did not know what most of them did; it was thanks to the few that she could recognise – as well as their position within the arrangement – that lead her only one logical conclusion, this could only be a transfer matrix. Her magic was being diverted away from the egg. She let out a smile as she tried varying her magic, trying to find a spell or wave length that the diverter would not interfere with. ‘Just simple channelling of magic is ignored. Huh, is it really that simple?’ with nothing to lose and a future to gain, Twilight tried her latest thought. Time ticked by and the lecturers were getting board. For the last fifteen minutes this strange filly had just stood there with her horn glowing in her magical aura. The rune instruments had initially shown real promise in this candidate; basic to intermediate spells used, sure, but the power behind them was noticeable. At one point it even dangerously spiked. But now there was nothing; no spells, and no movement from the candidate. With only five minutes to spare the unicorn on stage stopped her horn glowing, and opened her eyes, apparently satisfied. Crystal Clear cleared her throat, “Are you givin–” she was stopped by a sudden and loud crack. All eyes were drawn to the egg nestled in the basket; a clear line could be seen on the shell. Others followed and webbed out from the initial sight; in a matter of seconds the shell was covered in cracks. A pin could be heard dropping, no pony dared to interfere with what was happening. Then, the egg shattered and the fragments were scattered around the wide eyed, purpled scaled, green finned baby dragon. It was alive and very much out of its former cocoon. “YES!” The unicorn on stage cheered herself as she looked at what she had achieved. The clock on the wall said she still had time to spare. This broke through the stunned minds of the examiners. “C-congratulations Miss Twilight. It, appears you passed. Please make your way out of the examination hall and return to your guardian. We shall be in touch with your results shortly.” Twilight thanked the examiners for their time and left the room with a hop in her step. The carriage was swaying back and forth as it was pulled along by the iron locomotive at the front of the convoy. The trip was quite long and uneventful and while the excitement of travelling by rail kept her going at first, this far into the journey made it a long time ago. Rainbow was with four other pegasi and Race Control as they sat quietly together, with another pegasus staff member. Miss Snow Bank was a strict, but fair member of staff who taught Equestrian. Just like with her sister and Starlight, the orphanage could not afford to bring excess students on these excursions; so she was on her own. At least physically, she could still talk to Twilight over the connection they shared. Right now Rainbow had her eyes closed as she listened to Twilight read the second edition of Daring Do to her; it was only the third time she had read it. The weather was pleasant from what could be seen as they travelled along; there was a light sprinkling of fluffy white clouds to break up the blue of the sky. It was almost picturesque. The train carriage lurched suddenly and very noticeably; luggage was knocked off their racks and passengers were flung from their seats. It was only thanks to lightning fast reflexes grabbing the edge of her seat that prevented Rainbow from being flung. The others in her group weren’t so lucky; it looked like Miss Snow Bank’s wing was sprained, and a few of her classmates bashed their heads on the window. Race Control looked to be the only other pony in their group that managed to get through the incident unscathed. It took some time tending to injuries and looking after other ponies before one of the trains conductors came by and informed them of what had happened. Apparently something had happened to the tracks and it wasn’t noticed; the train engine was now derailed and they were going to be stuck there for hours. “Rainbow, calm down; there’s still time, and you’re a pegasus. Fly the rest of the way to Cloudsdale. This is just another obstacle blocking you; and who taught me how to overcome such challenges?” Twilight was right. “We can fly there. We’ve still got time!” “Fly? The conductor just said we’re an hour and a half away still; and that was going at the trains pace. Sure we still got time, but could you keep that pace up for a whole hour and a half?” It was a red furred pegasus that shot her idea down. Rainbow had seen her around the orphanage, but never did catch her name. Bickering continued, and threatened to escalate, when a faded orange wing was raised; Race Control wanted silence, he got it. “Rainbow, are you sure, are you certain, you want to try and fly all the way to Cloudsdale? This will be nothing like you’ve ever attempted before, and our timeframe is tight; there will be no stops. You can apply again for next year’s intake; there are other ways to get into the Wonderbolts.” Her eyes said it all, but Rainbow still gave a single firm nod. “I’m sure. I’m getting in this year.” “Anyone else? Alright, Snow Bank stay with the rest of our wards; and if the option presents itself, start making your way back. There’s no reason to go any further, and the try-outs will probably be wrapping up by the time they sort this all out.” He gathered his saddlebags from under his seat, silently thankful that they hadn’t moved. He took a quick look at the golden memento pocket watch, before looking over at the still determined filly. “Sigh, alright. I’ll be teaching you on the wing how to glide using updrafts; we’ll need them if you are going to have any energy left for the try-outs. We also do not have a compass, so we’ll need to follow the track to prevent us from getting lost. At least until we can see the city. Lets go.” The journey was exhausting; both mentally as well as physically. The methodical and precise nature of flying without flapping your wings, planning when to flap for the greatest benefit; even the control of the angling of her feathers was tested to the limit of her abilities, and then some. Far off in the distance, they could make out the floating city made of cloud; with the Rainbow Factory acting almost like a lighthouse. It was a rejuvenating sight, and had spurred student and teacher on; but that was almost half an hour ago. It felt like it was just as far away as it was then. Race Control pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time once again; he cursed. He looked over at his student; she had come a very long way. His left wing cramped again; he was too old to be flying for so long. They were running out of time, and he could not go any faster. “Rainbow,” he shouted over the wind, silently glad that it still sounded strong. “Stop there, I need to give you my saddle bags.” “Sir?” “We’re running out of time, and I can’t go any faster. Once we’ve secured the bags you’ll need to almost double time it in order to get to registration before it closes. They will not allow you to sign in if you are late. They are military and this is the first test.” Once the bags were secured Race Control gave his student a reassuring smile. “If possible wait for me, but if not its ok. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Now go!” Rainbow was exhausted as the majestic city floated underneath her, but she couldn’t enjoy the view and she was beginning to panic. She was lost, she couldn’t see the stadium and there were no distinct markings other than the Rainbow Factory off to her right. “Twilight, I can’t find the stadium!” “Rainbow, you’ve still got time, and I can help you navigate. I’m in the library.” “Still?” Twilight’s voice was reassuring and confidant, it helped calm Rainbows swirling emotions. Rainbow could feel the eyes roll as Twilight gathered what she needed. “Ok, where is the Rainbow Factory to you? You should be able to see it wherever you are.” “To my right; like maybe two or three on a clock if I’m looking at 12.” “Alright, I understand. Hmm, ok if you fly a little more to the left, it’s on the other side of the city. Apparently its quite obvious thanks to its size.” Rainbow listened and flew in the direction Twilight gave her. Cloudsdale was bigger than either filly thought, but eventually they saw what was clearly a stadium. ‘There it is!’ She flew right for it, aiming for the main entrance where she could just make out a set of tables. She landed with enough force to dislodge some of the compacted clouds. Her legs wobbled and her back was cramping something fierce, she had never flown so much at one time before. “Ma’am, are you ok?” The voice was a little croaky, but it was very familiar to the young filly. She looked up and came face to face with an orange mare with mane of spiky fire; it was Sargent Spitfire from the Wonderbolt A team. Her idol, role model and exactly the pony she wanted to grow up and become. “Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh. You’re Sargent Spitfire!” The mare raised an eyebrow at these antics, “Uh, yeah? Can I help you?” “OH! Right, is registration still open?” “For the next few minutes, but it closes precisely at two thirty. No exceptions.” Rainbow’s face relaxed and she let out all of the stress she had built up, “I made it.” “Excuse me?” The mare said as she looked around for anypony else; it was almost strange how quiet the surrounding area was. Rainbow didn’t notice, she was trying to look through the saddlebags on her side. Eventually she gave up and took the saddlebags off for easier access. “AH HA! Here it is,” Rainbow pulled out a thin paper folder with her name on it. She gave it one final look to confirm it was hers before she hoofed it over to the older mare. “And this is?” Spitfire asked as she used one of her wings to take the folder. “My registration form and acceptance letter, I’m pretty sure it is anyway.” “I beg your pardon?” “Yeah, I’m here to become a Junior Cadet for the Wonderbolts!” “Ma’am, you can’t become a Junior Cadet.” The words were said with absolute finality and with a cold edge. “What! Why?!” “Because the Junior Cadets are for colts and fillies, children; you are clearly not a child.” “What? B-but I am. I just turned ten at the end of March.” The older mare levelled a fierce glare at Rainbow, causing her to flinch and take a step back. “Pull the other wing. Do you really expect me to believe that you are ten?” “I-I-I mean, yeah. I-I know I’m big for my age, but I haven’t ev–” “Big for your age?! You’re as tall as me!” Rainbow blinked and indeed noticed she was staring right into Spitfire’s eyes. Rainbow gulped, this was nothing like she was expecting. She had wanted to meet Spitfire since forever; she was just so cool and daring, and awesome. But it wasn’t supposed to go down like this, she wasn’t supposed to be looking at her like this; they were supposed to become friends. “I don’t know what kind of sick game you are trying to play, but it stops here! You are not getting past me.” Rainbow was trying to be brave, trying to keep her emotions in check as all her teachers back at the orphanage had taught her. She was desperately fighting the urge to cry in front of her role model. “I-If.” “I will not allow some sick freak even near the Wonderbolts!” A chime sounded behind Spitfire, causing her to smirk. “Times up. No more applicants will be accepted. Better get out of here before I have you arrested for remaining on military property without just cause.” Spitfire flung the file right into the face of her opponent, never once even looking at the name on the folder. Rainbow’s world was crashing down around her; she hiccupped and a whine escaped her ever tightening throat. Her breathing was erratic as she fought not to cry, her lip was trembling as she fought so hard with herself; then she felt it slip, felt her grip release on her magic. A wave of heat radiated out of Rainbow, causing Spitfire to take a step back and shield her face. She pulled her wing back a second later and noticed that the strange mare had vanished, a trail of fire the only sign of where she went. “Freak.” Spitfire was surprised to see a small trail of black smoke; looking down she noticed that the paper folder had instantly turned to ash. This raised a surprised eyebrow, and its brother joined it when Spitfire noticed that the compacted cloud itself had scorched hoof prints within it and was smouldering. That pegasus had just set alight a cloud. Spitfire wanted nothing more than to forget about that crazy encounter when she turned and found the saddlebags were still sitting there. They were a little scorched, but otherwise in good condition still, if just a little worn. “Hey wait, I recognise these.” She looked over them and found a familiar Cutie Mark embedded into the front flap, a white fluffy cloud with a checker flag sticking out of it. Her concern grew a little more, and she was about to look through the bags when she heard her name being shouted. An old Stallion landed nearby, panting quite hard and looking exhausted. “Spitfire, pant, good to see you. Did, phew, did Rainbow make it? Did she make it before the deadline?” Seeing the stallion caused Spitfire to smile. “Race Control. I’m sorry but I don’t know who you’re talking about? But you should have been here earlier; there was this freaky mare trying to get into the event. Bloody peedo.” The stallion finished regaining his breath and looked back at the young mare. “Rainbow is a filly under my care. Light blue fur, rainbow mane. I didn’t see her as I flew over, so I’m hoping she didn’t get lo–” “Wait, are you serious! That’s the description of that freak of a mare who was trying to get in!” “What?” “Yeah, just a few minutes before you got here; this freaky mare tried to get in, claiming to be ten. I sent her packing, and she just about set herself on fire before flying off.” Race Control paled considerably, his eyes going very wide. “Fire?! Oh no. Where did she go? WHERE?!” “Jeeze, calm down. She flew off in that direction. Hey, which reminds me; have you been teaching anypony how to make flame trai–.” She couldn’t finish her question before the stallion frantically flew off in the direction pointed out to him. Spitfire was annoyed at his reaction, and his rudeness; so she took flight and chased after him. Rainbow wasn’t hard to find; she had flown down to the nearby open field, with very little vegetation. Race Control let out a sigh when he saw this, “good girl Rainbow. You remembered to get away from other ponies.” “Hey what’s the big idea? And what’s happening over there?! Should I go get help?” Spitfire had followed and sounded frustrated and angry. The field looked like it had a candle in it, but on a truly massive scale. The tip of the flame reached higher than a typical tree, and its width looked like it could fill a large room. And there in the centre of it all was a small shape. The two pegasi landed as close as they could; but the heat being emitted was intense, so they were still a dozen meters away. “No normal amount of water would put that fire out. I’ve seen these flames melt steel. There is only one pony who can calm that down, and it looks like she’s already there.” Spitfire looked over to the flames once again, and indeed noticed a second pony inside of the bonfire. “Who’s that? How is she managing to survive in there?” “That’s her sister, Twilight.” “Sister? That can’t be right? I can’t make out any wings.” “…Twilight’s a unicorn.” “Unicorn? Your orphanage is a strange one…So what happened, anyway? Why were you so late?” “Our train derailed an hour and a half from Cloudsdale station. Out of all my applicants that got accepted to the try-outs, only she was willing to fly the rest of the way.” “And she’s still able to make that? Man she’s powerful.” “She’s not making that, at least not deliberately. Sigh, this is heart break. Honest and painfully true heartbreak.” He gave Spitfire a glare out of the corner of his eye, “You must have made quite the impact on her.” “Hey don’t go blaming me for this! I thought she was a freaking paedophile!” “It was stated in her application form, and the acceptance letter mentioned her abnormal height had been noted and taken into consideration. Also if you looked past her height; you’d have seen that her wings, while large, are still underdeveloped and haven’t sprouted her adult feathers. Sigh, I always said to your father that you can be too rash and hot headed at times. Heh, it runs in the family after all.” By now others had noticed the giant fire and had started bringing rain clouds over to try and stop it. Small burst of steam could be made out here and there, but it had no effect at all. “You best get back to the stadium. They must be looking for you?” Spitfire heard what wasn’t being said but nodded her head in acceptance. She paused as she finished turning to leave. “Hey, grandpa; could you tell her I’m sorry? I didn’t mean to hurt a filly. Maybe, she could try again next year?” He grunted but couldn’t hold back his tongue. Hot headedness ran in the family and she had badly hurt one of his wards. “She idolised you, you know? You and the Wonderbolts. I don’t know what she’s thinking right now; but I suspect trying again next year is at the very bottom.” He didn’t turn around to see his granddaughter fly off; he kept his eyes firmly on the fire, and his two wards within. The door to his office opened after he gave permission for the pony to enter. A new day brought with it new problems and he suspected he knew exactly how this meeting was going to unfold. “Ah, Starlight Glimmer and Twilight. Thank you both for coming so quickly.” He turned to the bigger filly; his eyes turning soft. “How is Rainbow today?” Twilight flinched slightly, but it was a question she knew was going to be asked. “Rainbow’s. Sigh, she’s currently redecorating out room; and I’m pretty sure we will be visiting the kiln later on.” “Sigh, I suspected as much. I won’t keep the two of you long; I can imagine you both have things to do. These arrived earlier today for you both. I think you can guess where they have come from.” He passed over two identical envelopes to the young unicorns. Silence filled the office as they read their results. It was Twilight who broke the silence. “I’ve been accepted, and managed to succeed in getting the bursary as well. Term starts the first of September.” Her brow furrowed in confusion. “But I am requested to arrive at least a week sooner? And they won’t tell me why in the letter? Huh.” Starlight was quiet, her ears were pressed against her head; she only spoke when she felt eyes on her. “I-I’ve been accepted as well; but due to unforeseen circumstances they are unable to offer a bursary. T-They state that they understand my p-predicament and are willing to delay tuition but do expect it paid in full in a timely manner. Sniff, I-I can’t go. I can’t pay those fees in only a year.” Her vision was watery, but it still came as a surprise when her letter multiplied in her hooves. Starlight blinked in confusion and looked up as she saw Twilight get up from her chair. “Take mine,” was all she said before she quickly left the office; slamming the door behind her. “T-Twilight? WAIT!” “Miss Glimmer!” Starlight froze in place at the tone she had just heard. She shivered, she had never heard Race Control raise his voice before. She turned to face him and saw something that was a very rare sight to see upon his face; sadness. He was gentle when he told her to retake her seat. “Miss Glimmer. You have been with us for a few years now; tell me, have you ever seen those two apart for long?” she shook her head, no. “We may feel it strange that two ponies of different tribes call themselves sisters; but I have no other words to describe how powerful their bond is. Maybe it is still not strong enough. I’ve known them since they were in diapers; they are literally inseparable if they so choose to be. We had no option but to allow them to share cots and beds until they wanted their own; and I suspect that is because we do not offer larger mattresses. “Twilight was going to refuse this invitation; that you needed it has actually helped her, in a way. At least this way she feels like she is helping out a friend. I suspect Rainbow will already be objecting the decision; but if the tables were reversed, all that would be different right now is who would be turning down the invitation. “Miss Glimmer, I cannot tell you what to do when it comes to this; but if you are willing to listen, I would suggest you accept the gift Twilight has offered you. Allow her this feeling of helping out a friend, so she can endure what her sister is suffering through.” Starlight was quiet and timid, her eyes misting up again; but she nodded her head, and crushed both letters to her chest. “Very well; I shall contact the university and let them know the situation.” “I can’t do this!” “Yes, you can. You got in, just like I did. The only difference is that they gave me a bursary; which I gifted to you.” A billow of steam was expelled from the train, obscuring the red carriage. The platform was filled with ponies of all tribes coming and going; families saying their goodbyes, or even welcome homes. “But they needed you for something. I can’t take that from you at least.” Twilight shrugged her shoulders, “Whatever it was I’m sure you will be just as good at it. They’ve never actually told me what they need me for, so I guess it can’t be just something only I can do.” “Still…” “Hey” Rainbow butted in, stopping the argument she knew was moments away from starting up. Again. “Do me a favour and actually spend some time outside of their library, ok? It was hard enough getting the two of you out of the orphanages one. I can only imagine how hard it’ll be with a university sized one.” It was a sad giggle that Starlight promised to spend time out of the library. The train whistle blew, letting all remaining passengers know that it was about to depart. Starlight turned to leave, but paused. She quickly spun around and launched herself at her two friends; doing her best to hug both of them at once. “I’ll come back whenever I can. I want all the stories; the good, the bad, and the boring. And I’ll teach you all that I can.” She felt two sets of hooves wrap around her as her friends returned the gesture. “You’re the best friends I’ll ever have.” “Try to make some others at least.” Twilight replied as she squeezed just that little tighter. A second whistle called the trains departure and Starlight had to quickly scamper into the door, just before a conductor came by and closed it. Rainbow and Twilight kept waving until the train was just a spot on the horizon. “Well, I guess that’s that; both of our dreams leaving us thanks to a train.” “Looks like it.” The two were silent for a time. “Hey Rainbow? There is a silver lining to this, to us being ten still.” “Oh? What’s that?” “Well, we’ve still got lots and lots of time to find a new dream.” She turned to face Rainbow. “How about this time we find a dream we can do together?” “Yeah, like maybe actually finding our Cutie Marks.” She looked over to their respective flanks. Both were still as unmarked as they can get. The two slowly set off, back to their orphanage. Back to their home. “Hey, do you think we could become Daring Do?” “Giggle, only if you stop hating History as much as you do. She is an archaeologist after all.” Both fillies laughed together, taking off into a gallop as they raced each other back to the only home they knew.