One Path

by TheOnly

First published 20th of April, 2012

The story of Trixie growing up in the city

"My father always told me, “Life is full of paths. Be careful in which ones you choose.” I’ve always found meaning in that message, but looking back I came to my own conclusion. Instead of multiple paths, I figured that maybe life is just one path."

Chapter 1

I’ve never really felt at home before. There’s no place like home, I was always told, but that was just a little too literal for me. I guess I could call the apartment I lived in a home, but I didn't. It didn't bother me too much, though. I was only six years old, but I already saw great things in my future. I couldn't wait to grow older and become successful. It would make my parents smile, and that was something I didn't see very often. Not just a smile, but a genuine smile. Anypony can fake a smile.

Sunny days were all we really saw down here in Manehattan, the city was always either scorching hot in the summer or rainy and warm in the other seasons. I didn't complain too much, the weather didn't really bother me. Whenever it would rain I’d just sit inside by the window reading. I loved to read.

Whenever I could, I read. It was one of the things I enjoyed to do; it was my alone time. The library was my favorite place in the city, even if it was dilapidated and small. I always told myself that I should read at least one book every day, but that couldn’t happen. There was just too much going on to set aside that much time for reading.

Smoke from the big factories made the air smoggy and unclean; it smelled. I hated the factories and wanted them to go away, but dad told me they had to stay. I’d always been one to fight for what I believed in, but my dad was the one person whose word I wouldn't argue against, even if I thought he was wrong. He was one of the only ponies I looked up to.

Spring was upon us city dwellers, and small grass grew through the broken concrete and cracks in the street. Stallions pulled small carriages up and down the road, earning a living whatever way they could in this pit of a city. If there was one thing I didn’t like about the city, it was the ponies. I liked most of the ones I met, but the ones that my dad told me about, I hated. It seemed silly to hate somepony I didn’t even know, but the way my dad described them made me angry. They all seemed selfish, their entire lives revolving around money.

It was another bright day and I could see some of my friends playing outside on the street below. They had a plastic ball that they tossed back and forth, and in this part of the city having a plastic ball was a big deal. I looked behind me and saw the mop lying on the floor. Chores, they were always getting in the way.

My family and I lived in a small apartment on the outskirts of the city. It wasn’t the worst apartment in the area, but it could have been bigger. It had a small kitchen where my mom spent most of her time, cooking and singing. She loved to sing. The living room had a chair, a couch, and a chair that had its back torn off being used as a table. Our old table had broken when my I had “fallen into it by accident”. I never told my parents that I was practicing magic.

Most of the books I read were about magic and all its wonders, and every day I learned something new whether it be a spell, or about the history of magic. Being a unicorn, it seemed natural to practice magic, but neither of my parents wanted me to. They said it would only cause problems, and until I was older I shouldn’t play with something so powerful. Either way, I couldn't cast any spells yet anyway. I'd been practicing for an eternity and had no results. All the spells I knew from the books were useless.

I tried to listen to them, I really did. But the allure of magic was so strong that I just drifted to it. Magic seemed to find the unicorn, rather than the other way around. It was a curious element, and curiosity always got the better of me. It didn’t really matter at that moment anyway, because I had chores to do.

Picking up the mop in my mouth, I started to brush it gently on the wood floor, getting rid of all the filth. My family was poor, so as far as tools to help with the cleaning, we had a mop and a towel. Anything that required any other tool had to be done using our hooves, or by misusing the mop. I had become accustomed to it: same old chores, same old mop and towel for most of them, and same old makeshift methods of doing all the other ones.

Laughter from outside. I longed to be out there with my friends right now, and neither of my parents were even home. I could have easily slipped out unseen, and been back in time to finish my chores before my parents came home. I didn’t, though. The thought of my dad coming home and finding that I hadn’t finished my chores caused me to work twice as fast. Getting scolded by my dad was one of the worst things I could ever imagine.

Sweat dripped off of my face as I flew through each chore. Our apartment was always hot, and it was impossible to keep cool, so my family had just learned to deal with the sweat. My eyes looked toward the clock every so often, making sure there was still going to be time to go outside. Every minute counted.

Finally, with the list of chores completed and making sure I hadn’t missed any spots, I ran down to where my friends were playing. I enjoyed the outdoors, the sun shining in my face, the wind blowing through my mane. Of course, the tall buildings didn’t allow much wind, and any slight breeze I got was a gift. The smell was awful, but I had gotten used to it. Not many things in the city were pleasant, but that just made the pleasant things that much better.

Finally I had arrived in the small area that my friends and I called the Park. The Park wasn’t actually anything resembling a park, but rather it was a small, flat, concrete square that lay outside all of our apartments. It lead into a street, but nopony came down that way, considering it was a dead end. I liked it like that, it gave my friends and I our own special place to play.

The Park was alive with laughter. I saw my friends tossing a ball around and others having conversations over in the corner. Small patches of grass poked out of the cracks in the ground, signaling that spring was here. The grass always grew when spring came. There weren’t many trees or bushes to look at, so as far as vegetation grass was all we got. Off to the side of the Park was a small patch of dirt. Sometimes a flower or two grew in that patch, but usually it was just more grass. It was always really exciting when we got a flower.

It didn’t bother us much, we had all seen a tree before, except for Pip. He had never seen one, but he always heard us talking about them and got excited. He always claimed that one day he would see a tree, and that that day would be soon. I laughed whenever he said that. Trees were sparse where we lived, but as you moved further out of the city you could find lots of them. Sometimes, in the middle of the city, you could find trees purposely put on the street for looks. Most people said we didn’t really need trees, all of our apples came from Appleloosa.

Throwing a ball and catching it was easy, but some of my friends were pegasi. They’d be able to perform all sorts of fancy tricks, especially some of the older ones who were talented at flying. Sometimes I wished I had wings, they seemed to be so much better than a unicorn horn. I wasn’t able to use my magic at all, but I was practicing a little every day. Progress had yet to be made, but I knew if I kept at it I would eventually get there.

“Toss me the ball!” I called out to a pegasus. Without hesitation he tossed the ball from the air. Everypony knew that I was good at this game, and I knew that, too. Ever since we had started playing I had made sure that I was one of the best. It gave me something to brag about, and considering the conditions I lived in there wasn’t much else to show off.

With seasoned skill, I tracked the movement of the flying orb and leaped. I caught the ball between my teeth landed on the ground. I prepared to toss the ball to whoever I happened to see first. That pony was Pip. He was standing away from the group, watching the ball hopefully. He usually didn’t play because he wasn’t strong enough to toss the ball very far. I felt bad for him.

With a snap of my neck, I sent the ball soaring towards Pip. His eyes lit up as he saw his chance to participate in the game. Moving from side to side, the small pony readied himself to grab the ball out of the air. All the other ponies watched, waiting to see whether or not Pip would be able to prove himself. It was his moment to shine.

It was wasted. The ball hit him in the face and fell onto the ground. All the other ponies burst out into laughter as he rubbed a hoof against his face. I could see tears welling up in his eyes. Not because the ball had hurt him, but because of the embarrassment. He sulked back into his corner, staying totally out of the game now. I felt bad, but there wasn’t much I could do. I had to continue to play, and he'd probably get over it.

Out in the afternoon sun, we played catch until we were all sweaty and had run out of tricks to perform. After about an hour of competing to see who had the best trick, Aerial took the crown with his double loop and spin catch. I had been a close second with a diving catch off the wall. He was three years older than me, so I didn’t feel too bad.

Pip was still in the corner, but he had no thoughts of joining the game. I looked at him while all the other ponies left to go home. I really wanted to go comfort him or something, but I just couldn’t get myself to do it. Instead, I tossed the ball over to him. It landed at his hooves and he stared at it. Assuming he didn’t want to play, I began to trot off. There were places to be and I wasn’t going to miss out on them. Before I had left the Park, I heard his squeaky voice call out from behind me. “Thanks for including me.” He didn’t let me respond, instead he ran off towards his home. Pip was an interesting colt sometimes. He lived in a small apartment just like I did, but his parents weren’t very caring. They didn’t care where he was at night, what he did, and they fed him scraps, or so I’d heard from the other ponies. It made me sad to think about it, so I didn’t. I've talked with him before, and we seemed to get along well, but Pip was shy.

The road led into the city, but I’ve never actually traveled all the way down it. I’d only go so far as the library. It was where I spent most of my alone time. Cracks were forming on the ancient bricks that formed the library, and the books inside weren't much different. Most of them were falling apart and missing pages. The covers were faded and unidentifiable. The place hadn't been renovated in years, and there weren't any plans either. It wasn’t the most ideal library, but it would have to do. I’d been going to this library for quite some time, almost everyday since I had found it. The books inside were amazing, and I wanted to read every single one. Almost every single one. There was one section of the library that I always avoided. It was filled with old, creepy books that I didn’t want to look at. It was better that way.

Magic. That was what most of the books I read were concerned with, but more importantly it was what I was concerned with. Unicorns were supposed to have a natural affinity for magic, but I just loved it. Even though I wasn’t good at it in the slightest yet, every day was training. For months I had felt the beginnings of my magic, but had never fully performed a spell. I didn’t mind, I knew that it would come.

Most are old and sweet, but the one this library had was young and shy. She spent most of the time behind her desk, watching the few book readers come and go. This librarian wasn't very social, but she was like me. She loved to read. I’d talk with her on occasion, she knew me pretty well considering how often I entered the library. We’d always share a hello, sometimes conversing a small bit before I dove into the sea of knowledge.

Shelves with books were a sight to behold. So many to read, so little time. I read the spines of the books, looking for an interesting title that would boost me ahead in my magic practices. Almost all of the books were old and dusty. I was one of the only ones that actually used the books in the library. There were no candles in the library, and it was only one floor. It had about ten or twelve shelves full of books. Two of those shelves housing the creepy books in the corner.

Book after book, title after title, I kept finding wealths of information. Choosing only one would be so hard. Eventually, I decided to pick one that was more my level of magic, titled: “Basic Levitation Spells for Unicorns”. Levitation was one of the most basic and useful spells a unicorn could use, and it would help me out alot with my chores. I had always seen my mom use her magic to move things through the air swiftly and precisely, and for months I had wanted to learn. This was my chance. “Chapter one...” I began.

An hour or two and six short chapters later I found myself at the back cover of the small book. It was one of the smaller books on the shelf, considering levitation was one of the most basic spells to unicorns. With my new found knowledge, I thanked the librarian for something, probably her time, but it was just a habit of mine to thank the librarian on the way out even though I didn't ask her to do anything. I was set on trying out this levitation spell. If I could get it right my life would be completely different. Chores would be so much easier to do.

Upon entering the smoggy air of the city, I noticed some pebbles resting on the road. Something small and light, perfect for my first attempt. Using what I had learned from the book, I went through the steps of casting the spell slowly, making sure to get everything exactly the way the book dictated. I felt all my energy being centered around my horn. My whole body tingled as I saw a small light emanate from my horn. The pebbles shook and wobbled, slowly being overtaken by the spell.

I could feel the energy being transferred from my horn into the pebbles, it was like nothing I had ever experienced before. The pebbles wobbled slightly. My mind was racing and my heart pulsing. The book said nothing about an increase in heart rate. Squeezing my eyes shut, I focused on the spell and only the spell. The pebbles trembled some more, and so did my entire body. My head hurt, I wasn’t even sure if I was doing the spell right anymore. I couldn't think straight, I had totally forgotten the spell. Feeling had left my legs. The small light forming around my horn went out abruptly, and the pebbles stood still on the ground. I opened my eyes. Failure once again, and this time at levitation.

I walked home slowly, reflecting on the failed attempt at one of the simplest spells that a unicorn could use. It was humiliating, but luckily nopony had seen it. My head had stopped hurting and I could feel my legs once more. It seemed like I’d need more practice before I could start moving on in the world of magic. For once, though, my failure had bothered me. I felt it, I was so close, but the moment where I should’ve given a final push I let go.

Looking from the street, my apartment seemed huge, but the rooms that made it up were much too small. I didn’t know whether or not my mom or dad were home, they came home late sometimes. I walked up the stairs and entered my empty apartment. For once, I was actually glad I didn’t have to face either of them. My face would give my mood away, and one of them would ask what was wrong. I didn’t want to have to lie to them, or tell them the truth. Sometimes the truth should be the best kept secret.

As the sun went down and day turned to night, I had finished making supper for myself. All throughout the process, I constantly thought of how much easier the levitation spell would make my work. The thoughts plagued me, every time I did something the idea of levitation helping went through my head. Now my failure outside the library really started to hurt, but I’d have to get over it unless I wanted my parents to ask. The last thing I wanted to tell them was that I had been experimenting with magic again. They always told me it would come naturally, but I knew they just wanted to keep what little furniture they had left safe from untamed magic. They'd probably lock me up if I told them.

Swinging open, the door revealed my father who had just arrived home. My ears perked up and my eyes widened, I always loved it when dad came home before I fell asleep. Galloping over, I leaped into the air and gave him a hug. Today he was smiling, which meant work went better than usual. He worked at a factory, and he got to do all sorts of things. Usually when he came home he’d tell me all about them, but tonight he was tired. His dark blue coat was tainted with small stains, and he smelt terrible. He was smiling nonetheless.

“Hey Trixie, how’s my little girl doing?” he said, his eyes glowing as he looked at me.

“Today was fantastic! I’ll tell you all about it but first I wanna hear about your day.” I smiled. He almost always told me about his day when I was awake, I only bothered asking out of courtesy.

“I’d love to but I’m really tired, sweetheart. I’m really sorry. Maybe tomorrow.” He trotted off to his bed, leaving me to sit idly in the living room. This was the first time he was too tired to tell me about his day. Something must have happened at work, and tomorrow I’d find out one way or the other. For now, I let him go to bed. I respected my father more than I respected anypony else. He was the best dad I could have ever asked for, and I couldn't be angry at him.

As I curled up on the couch where I usually slept, my mother entered through the door. I acted as though I was asleep. Most of the time I’d rush to greet her, but I could hear her mumbling under my breath. She wasn’t happy, and when she wasn't happy it was best to avoid her.

“Stupid clients, always have to mess things up.” She looked over at me, curled up on the couch. She softened her gaze for a moment before trotting into the bedroom. Both my parents had insisted that I get the bed and that they sleep on the couch, but I had refused. The couch was the only mattress I enjoyed, and it was all mine. One of the few possessions I had was that couch.

Out the one window of my apartment I could see the moon. Its luminosity brilliant in the night sky, it was complemented by the stars. Beauty was an understatement, words couldn’t describe how the moon and the night mixed so that they became one entity. Simply put, darkness and light found their perfect match, and created the night. Painting a dotted picture across the sky, the stars created whatever shape my imagination allowed. The moon was always at the center of the sky, owning the night sky. If there was one thing I noticed about the night sky, it was the moon. I could see myself in the moon.

Imagination was a powerful thing. Even though it didn’t resemble me at all, I somehow saw myself there in the night sky every time I looked up. It was as if I was staring down at myself, or something was, making sure I was safe. That everything went according to plan. I liked this reassurance. Anytime I felt sad, or hurt, I could always depend on the night sky. The night sky was always there, looking down on me.

Darkness consumed me, and slowly I was drifting off into sweet sleep. Once my eyes were completely shut, I could feel my body preparing itself for rest. All my muscles relaxed as memories of today’s events played through my mind. My breaths became systematic and involuntary. Sleep was upon me.

There was a quiet knock at the door. It had almost been inaudible, and if I had been any further into falling asleep I wouldn’t have heard it. Opening my eyes lazily, I looked over towards the door. Who could be knocking at this hour, I thought. I pulled myself off of the couch, almost having to force my body to resist going back to sleep. I took slow steps, making sure not to make any noise. My hooves barely made a sound as I made the seemingly endless journey to the door.

I pulled the door open slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible. Standing outside the door in the dark hallway was Pip. His eyes were slightly welled up, and a pillow hung from his mouth. He was shivering from the cold night air, and his ears drooped. I wasn't sure if I should let him in or not, but I remembered throwing the ball at him and embarrassing him Without a word, I let him in my apartment. I felt bad for him, kicked out of his own home. It was heartwarming, though, that he had chosen to come and sleep in the comfort of my home with me. He silently positioned himself on the nearby chair, putting his pillow down on the hoof rest. He gave me one last look, as if to say “thank you”, before closing his eyes.

I stared at the sleeping colt for a while, admiring the way his stomach fell and rose. It was so peaceful. Sometimes he’d move around a little bit, only to find a new spot to settle into. Silence. I found my own sleep overtaking my mind once more, and before I knew it my eyes were closed and my thoughts had moved on to dreams. Usually I didn’t dream, and tonight was no different.

Chapter 2

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Once I had woken up, I only remembered darkness from the sleep before. I sighed and wished that I was able to dream more often. It seemed like such fun, and when I was able to dream it was one of the best experiences I could ask for. I guess what my father had told me before was true. Things are always better when they aren’t regular. He had used the stars to explain this to me, since I didn’t understand half the things that came out of his mouth.

He told me that the stars were beautiful because we only saw them for short moments in the night before we fell asleep. If we saw the stars all day and night, they wouldn’t be magnificent at all, because they would be regular. I didn’t understand it still, but it made a little more sense. He was a wise stallion.

Another morning meant more chores. Before getting up I automatically checked the chair Pip was sleeping in. He wasn’t there. I assumed he had woken up early and just left. At least, I hoped he did. My parents wouldn’t kick him out, but I certainly hoped his parents didn’t come dragging him back to their horrid apartment. I’ve never seen it, but Pip’s description of it sounded awful.

Morning time. A quick goodbye to my parents as they rushed out the door and I was alone to do my chores. Every day, same routine. The only spontaneity I found in my life was the few hours I had to myself after I finished my chores. Life wasn’t as fun as I wanted it to be, but I’d have to deal with what I was given.

My chores consisted of mostly the same things every day. I’d clean the floor, dust off the little furniture we had, take out the little trash we had, clean the few dishes we had, prepared a small lunch for myself, and later prepared supper for the family. A few other chores tagged along every so often such as cleaning the window, organizing the rooms, and went into the nearby store to buy some food. Money was sparse for us, but there was a small amount that was set aside for food, and I was entrusted with access to it.

Although it may seem like these things wouldn’t take long in the small apartment I lived in, being a small filly made some of the chores difficult. Magic would make this so much easier, I thought as I inefficiently maneuvered the mop with my mouth. Any chore I did- dishwashing, preparing lunch, even washing the window- could be so much easier with the assistance of magic. With my chores done faster, I would have more time with my friends.

Dream as I may, chores were chores and doing them took a large portion of time out of my morning. It was nearly afternoon by the time I was done every single day. I’d eat a small lunch, sometimes even skipping the meal, and finish up my last chores. Next on the agenda, go outside.

The Park had been the place my friends and I had been playing in for a while, and ever since we started calling it the Park we rarely deviate from the area. Considering it’s only a small square of flat concrete ground, with a small dirt patch to the side, it wasn’t much to be desired for. Let alone offer anything fun to play with. It didn’t matter though, because we were always coming up with games to play. This particular day we decided to play tag.

Pegasi always had an unfair advantage when it came to tag, so they played their own game in the sky while the grounded ponies had no choice but to play on the ground. There were seven of us stranded on the floor, three unicorn and four earth ponies. I was one of the unicorns, along with two other fillies who were a couple years older than me. Both of them could use their horns to a basic degree, boasting their ability to levitate small objects and make things move through the air. I could only sit and watch in jealousy and despair, wondering when it would be my turn.

Pip was one of the four earth ponies, and the youngest, too. Two of them were my age, and were twin brothers. The other was an older filly who was a turquoise color. She took the role of leader within our small group. After agreeing that she would be “it” first, we ran around, yelling and laughing in the afternoon sun. It wasn’t long before we were all panting and resting in the shade.

Books. They were the one thing that could cool me off after an hour or two of running around. Not because I wasn’t moving when I read, but because it was relaxing. With everything that I have to deal with reading was the only thing that allowed me to take a break from the world. And the library was the door.

I smiled at the librarian as I trotted in, still sweating from the heat of the sun. Surveying the familiar titles once again, I looked for another guide to doing the levitation spell. There just had to be some sort of trick or some hints that would help. Each book seemed less helpful than the last one, and there weren’t many left to check. And there was certainly no chance of me going to the forbidden corner. At least, self-proclaimed as forbidden. My eyes scanned the shelves, absorbing all the titles.

Equestrian History, no, Advanced Magic for Unicorns, no, How to Fly for Pegasi, no, The Tale of Daring Do, no, The Fairy Potter series, no. Aha! I had found a book dealing with simple spells for beginning unicorns. It was perfect! Standing on two hooves, I reached it on its high perch on the shelf and pulled it out with my mouth. Sitting on the ground, I began to flip through the pages. My only thought was, Magic would make this so much easier.

Levitation. I stopped, there it was. Luckily I had seen the word and stopped flipping, or else I would’ve had to go back. The spells were under the “Telekinetic” section, which was dedicated to, as the book put it, “spells that moved objects through the spell and spell only. Requiring no use of physical instigation, relying on only the magic.” My eyes widened as I viewed the page. There was a lot more to levitation than I thought. I skimmed through the pages, trying to get the gist of the section. I learned more than I wanted to.

After finishing the section, I had found that the levitation spells I had been practicing were only a small part of the whole thing. Those spells only affected objects that weren’t already in motion. The spells concerning objects that already had momentum were different, and as the weight of an object increased, the ability to levitate it didn’t change at all. Instead, the difficulty surrounding the levitation was totally up to the size of the object. I had skipped all the details that explained why this was the case.

I had also learned that trying to telekinetically control another living thing was harder than I thought. Unlike inanimate objects, only the more advanced of the levitation spells could lift living things. Otherwise, the one being lifted and moved could easily break out of the magic that was controlling them. It was all fascinating, but way too much to take in, and at my level of magic I wasn’t concerned with any details. I looked for the most basic levitation spell. It was the first spell listed in the book, and the one with the least description underneath it.

Reading carefully through the block of text under the spell, I tried to absorb every last bit of information I could. Closing the book, I looked out in front of me, determination welling up inside. Placing the book back into the shelf where I had found it, I trotted outside the library to give the pebbles another try. Just like yesterday, they were lying motionless on the concrete, soaking up the sun.

Recalling what I had read moments before, I focused on my horn, directing my energy to it. Within a few seconds I could feel the spark that meant my horn was glowing and ready to cast the spell. I focused on the spell as much as I could. My mind kept jumping from the spell to the way my legs were trembling. I was sweating more than I had playing tag, but my eyes remained fixated on the rocks. One of the tricks to help learning the spell was to concentrate on what you were casting it on, according to the book. Thoughts of all the words on the pages I had read jumped into my mind and right out. I could feel the spell becoming more and more powerful as my horn glowed a little more.

The pebbles quivered, the spell finally taking effect. Now was the time to push. This was what all my previous practices were leading up to. I tried harder than I had ever before. Now the pebbles were shaking.

My hooves dug into the ground and my eyes squeezed shut. It was now or never. Opening my eyes, I refused to give in to my body. I had to do it. The pebbles looked as though they were about to lift up off the ground. My first time at the spell was almost complete. It only required a bit more effort. Calling upon the deepest sources of energy within me, I tried for the final push, the push that would complete the spell. I could feel myself being initiated into the world of magic at this very moment. My goal was only a second away.

“Trixie!”

Broken concentration. The pebbles stopped where they were as the sound hit my ears like a brick, causing my horn to abruptly cease the light it was emitting. I turned my head, ready to tear apart whoever had prevented me from completing my first spell ever. Luckily for that pony, it was Pip. Any other pony would have felt the wrath I had inside me at that moment. Only Pip could stifle it.

He trotted over to where I stood, not understanding what he had just done, and looked up into my eyes. “Trixie, where are the trees.”

I sighed. I had probably had this conversation a million times, and each time the wording just changed, “I told you Pip, the closest trees are beyond the gate behind our apartments.”

“Can we go?” he pleaded, looking deeply into my eyes.

Another sigh. I had nothing better to do at the moment, and I didn’t feel like using any more energy on the spell, so I said yes. Little did Pip know that there wasn’t any way to get over the tall fence.

We passed by my apartment, going to the gate behind it that separated open fields from the city. When the open fields ended, the trees began, but the trees were too far in the distance to see them from behind the gate. With an adorable effort, Pip attempted to jump over the fence. I giggled as I told him we weren’t going to be able to go over the fence today.

“Why not?” he asked.

“Because,” I tried to find the right words, “By the time we get to the trees it will be dark out and we won’t be able to get back to our apartments through the darkness.”

He frowned, his ears drooping as he kicked a hoof wishfully on the ground. I had never actually gone beyond the fence before, but the last thing I wanted to do was get lost in the night. I decided that we’d venture off beyond the fence to find the trees next week. This week I didn’t have time to, I was going to be hard at work practicing my magic, and Pip was going to help me. Not like he would have a choice, anyway.

I turned from the fence, having observed that the sun was just about settled beneath the horizon, small orange wisps of light were the only signs of the fiery star. Only a couple clouds occupied the sky, changing color to match the light of the sun. The sunset was always peaceful, but not as much as the night sky. I had always enjoyed the night sky more than the morning sunrise or sunset. Maybe it was because of the mystery, or the dim lights that were so intangible. Unlike the sun, this light didn't have much of a visible effect at ground level. That was probably why I liked the night sky. It was elusive and mysterious, like my magic.

Chapter 3

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It was still early for my parents to arrive home, so upon entering my apartment I took time to settle down and read a little bit. I always kept a small stack of books in the apartment, in case I had nothing better to do. All the chores had already been finished, and I wasn't hungry for supper. My parents wouldn't be home for an hour or two, so reading was the only activity I could do alone. I searched through my stack, picking out a book with the title Equestrian Philosophy. Philosophy. That was a funny word. I didn't remember taking this book out of the library, but it looked interesting. "Chapter one..."

I absorbed the information like a sponge. All the teachings of Maristotle, all the ideas that ponies had, all the different concepts. As much as I'd like to understand everything that I read, I only understood half of that book. Each page brought a different idea. A different outlook. A new way to look at something that I never saw as having multiple sides.

"Trixie, I didn't know you liked philosophy." My father stood in the doorway, watching me read. I turned quickly, jumping away from the book and into the hooves of my father. "You know, I've been reading that book, too," he said.

"It's really interesting, don't you think?" I was beaming with joy. Finally, my father and I could talk about a book, something I enjoyed most. Something we had in common.

"Trixie, if there's one thing you need to know that that book says, it's this: Life is full of paths; be careful in which ones you choose. Everything else in that book is meaningless."

My smile went away as I looked at him sideways. The book hadn't said anything like that, but if my father believed it than so did I. It made sense, too. Life was multiple paths as far as I knew. I'd like to think that I've been taking the right ones at that point. And if my father thought the book was meaningless, so did I.

Philosophy no longer concerned me, I wanted to see what my father had been doing. "So dad, what happened at work these past two days."

"It's been hard. These past few days I've been getting my hooves dirty and working overtime, but I've been getting the eyes from my boss, I might be getting a promotion soon."

"Is that good?" Even though I questioned him regularly, I was still clueless about how business and companies worked.

"Yes, Trixie, that's really good. It means more bits for our family." His eyes drooped. I could sense that he was tired from a long day of work, so I let him trot off to bed. This was the second time in a row I hadn't been able to speak with my father for more than five minutes. Usually he'd come home and we'd talk for hours, but these days he just didn't have the time or was too tired. I guessed it was for the better, with the promotion and all. A few minutes passed, and soon enough my mother trotted through the door.

"Mom!" I ran and gave her a hug, it wasn't everyday that I got to see her. I hoped that we would be able to talk longer than my father and I.

"Hello Trixie," she cooed, kissing my forehead.

"How was your day?" My mother worked at a publishing company, using her excellence in magic to handle the pages of books with expertise. Although I loved my father, most of my traits seemed to come from my mother. My affinity for books and need to learn magic both came from her. The only trait my father seemed to pass on was arrogance, but he called it pride. My eye color also came from my mother, a deep violet. Our manes were practically the same, a light blue with an even lighter blue on the outside. My father did have some influence though, as our coats were both a brilliant azure.

Both my parents were unicorns, but my father was much less experienced in magic than my mother. He said that he never found magic really interesting, so he never pursued it. My mother, however, spent most of her childhood pursuing magic. She spent most of the summer learning new spells, just like I wanted to. But, she recounted the numerous times her magic caused problems within the house, and since our family doesn't have the bits I couldn't cause that kind of expensive damage with my magic.

"It was tiring. Same old books, same old boss. Same old clients..." I could see her looking off to the side, her brow furrowing. It seemed that every time she came home she had some reason to complain about her clients. At least, one of them. One of her clients never ceased to make her angry when she arrived home, and whenever I'd ask she'd just say it was nothing, so I'd given up. There was no point in trying to make my mother talk about her work when she didn't want to. If there was one trait my mother had that I didn't it was that she was stubborn.

"Well, I hope tomorrow is a lot of fun!" I always said that when she came home to cheer her up. It also relieved her when she was tired, so that she knew she could go get some rest and I wouldn't feel bad. That wasn't true, I'd always want to talk with my mother but I let her go get some rest anyway. It was best for her, and the family. Unlike my father, my mom didn't like to talk about things too much. When my father wasn't too tired from work, he could talk for hours about his experiences, and I could listen for hours.

Alone in the living room once again, I curled up on my chair. Even though my father had told me that the book was meaningless, it didn't mean I couldn't read it. I opened the book up to where I had left off, around chapter five. The musings of one of the great pony philosophers was being quoted, his style had been labeled "unique".

[If you skip over this part you won't miss much.]

History. History is an interesting concept. Although many ponies like to agree that history exists so that they can look back upon it and learn, ponies fail to see where history's shortcomings lie. Throughout the ages, history has been written to keep track of everything that has happened. Every important act or event that has occurred is recorded for reference by future civilizations. This is why I pose the question: Where does history fail? It seems to stand that ideas are the only things that move on, that continue. One's ideas that they spread while alive is all that will stay with the new generation. All that can be left behind in the wake of death--the only thing that never dies--is an idea.

Some say that ideas die with the pony, but this is not true. Only unspoken ideas are taken to the grave and killed. The most resilient virus is an idea. Once the brain perceives an idea, it cannot let go. It stays there, refusing to leave. Ideas can never truly die when they are passed on, which is why it is safe to believe that no ideas are new. Anything that can be thought of has already been thought of, and the newer generations simply reuse old ideas. This leads to the idea of history, which exploits the bad ideas so that the future generations can live without failure. If that was so, then ponykind would be living in utopia. No, history fails to exploit the bad ideas, to show the mistakes so that they are never made again. Instead, history only promotes the ideas that won.

History, it seems, is only provided by the victors. Those who come out victorious write history, they spread the word, it is only their story that is passed around. Only they're ideas don't die. These ideas carry throughout history, and they never change. Because what once made victors, will always make victors. And as long as those who fail, who crumble beneath the victors, as long as their ideas are buried beneath the dust, history will never be complete. Until every idea is recorded, every perspective written, ponies will never have true history. It is because of this the world is imperfect. We cannot learn from the mistakes if they are recorded as success.

Once ponies are able to realize this, to correct history and keep ideas alive, then will life be perfect. One only sees life from their own perspective. One spends their entire life seeing the world from their own mind, through their own bias. History shows us the perspective of only one side, and that information is processed by one's mind. Everypony will see everything differently, but it is only our ability to synthesize all the biases to create the true image. Throughout life, one may see a blue rock. Another may seem the same rock, and claim that it is green. It is only by combining the perspectives of all that conclusions about reality can be drawn. To see that the rock is actually blue-green.

Once history and life can be seen from the perspective of all, it will be seen from the perspective of the sky. Because the sky views all, and sees all as it is. It views the world as one would through the minds of everypony. This view and this view alone shows the truth behind what is seen. The view by the individual mind is an illusion. Only collaboration of thought can clear the illusion, and show the truth. Life is full of mysteries, and it isn't proper to try and figure them all out. The best one can do is to hope that life brings them to the end, and they can view the world from the skies perspective. Then, they can hope that they join the night sky as a star, looking over the world and only seeing the truth. Death, not life, brings the truth. Life brings the questions. But we won't understand the answers without going through life.

I yawned. That's enough reading for one night. All the philosophy had made me tired, and my eyes pleaded to close. I laid my head against the couch cushion, allowing sweet sleep to overtake me.

Chapter 4

“Alright Pip, read the steps to me.”

He stood a couple feet away from me, the Beginner’s Guide to Levitation Spells open in front of him. We were standing in front of the library with the sun shining in our faces. The same pebbles were there, taunting me.

Today was the day; I could feel it. After a good night’s sleep, a small amount of chores, and a large breakfast I was fully ready to do it. There wasn't a single force against me. The wind wasn't blowing, the sun was shining, and the birds were singing. I was nervous though. I had to do it today, I was convinced, and if I failed I'd never be able to face the challenge again.

"Step one," started Pip. I listened as he rattled off the steps, following them exactly as dictated. Like all the previous attempts, I could feel the energy rushing to my horn. I had to keep focus if I wanted to execute the spell. Pip continued to name the steps one after the other, and I followed them. There was a faint glow around my horn, the spell was beginning.

Just like before, my legs began to tremble and I could feel the sweat rolling down my face. Focus Trixie. I could feel all my energy being transmitted to the horn, where it was harnessed. The light became brighter just before I shut my eyes. Now my brain was pulsing. I couldn't even hear Pip's voice anymore. I was oblivious to the world, the only thing that mattered was the spell. Everything I had read about levitation spells was flashing through my mind, and my body felt like the energy was being sucked out of it. I felt as though I was going to pass out. I heard a snap.

My legs stopped shaking. It had only been a couple seconds. I was afraid to open my eyes, that had happened much too quickly. Something must have happened to me. My ears were still ringing, but it only felt as though a couple seconds had passed. Curiosity got the better of me, and my eyes opened. At first all I saw was Pip jumping up and down, yelling something. Then, in front of me, I saw it. Three pebbles floating in the air encased in blue magic. It took me a moment to realize that I was the cause of it, and when I finally processed it I jumped backwards and screamed with joy. Sadly, the quick motion and wave of joy that overcame me broke my concentration, dropping the pebbles back to the ground, but I didn't care. I had completed the spell.

It surprised me how quick and simple it was. It felt odd. After the spell had been casted and the pebbles were in the air, it wasn't hard to keep them there at all. It was as though after there was finally enough magic harnessed the spell would take effect, and then the amount of effort required was lowered drastically. Pip and I celebrated for a while, jumping up and down and squealing untranslatable words.

The next week went by faster than any other had. Every day I stood outside the library with Pip cheering me on as I became more and more comfortable with the levitation spell. After a couple days of practice, my legs stopped shaking altogether. Soon enough I could cast the spell with my eyes open. The difficulty of the spell was slowly diminishing.

Weeks turned into a month, and by the end of the month I could naturally cast the spell. I felt like I was mimicking my mother, being able to just snap the spell off and on at will. Granted it still took me a little bit of energy, but all the practice and support from Pip had pushed me further. I could cast the spell without thinking about it too much. Albeit that it was only on pebbles, but it was the spell nonetheless. With enough practice, I could levitate the pebbles with ease. It still took concentration and focus on my part, but it wasn't nearly as hard as my first few attempts.

Soon enough, I moved on to other things. Pip suggested I try levitating something heavier, like a book. Although the spell was just as easy to use, the difficulty of lifting the books into the air was much harder than I was used to. The jump from pebbles to books surprised me. Once in the air, it became simple to move objects around in the air. However, with the books, lifting them and then moving them was more difficult than the pebbles. I decided to read some more on the subject.

After browsing the library for a few minutes, I came across a book about how levitation actually worked. Most of it I already knew, but I came across an interesting bit of information. The difficulty holding a levitation spell doesn't vary with the weight of an object, but rather the size. The larger the object, the harder it was to levitate it and keep it in the air. As opposed to levitation being the same on all objects, it was also more difficult to levitate animate life forms. This was because life forms had a natural tendency to resist magical forces being used upon them.

For the next few days I practiced levitating books and other small objects. I never did any magic at home, so Pip was the only witness of my accomplishments. It surprised me that he never got bored, watching me do the same spell over and over again until I was good at it. He just sat and cheered me on for hours as I lifted a pebble or a book and whisked it through the air.

A month had passed since I became comfortable with the spell, and I decided to move on to bigger and better things. Pip even volunteered to be levitated, but I failed miserably. That was when I learned just how much harder levitating living things was. I had always been a show-off, and I wasn't going to stop now. When all the fillies would gather at The Park, I'd use my magic to help me play catch. Sometimes I'd levitate the ball slightly to the left while it was moving so I could have a better catch.

That's another thing I learned. After practicing magic with Pip for a long while, I read more about the subject of levitating. I learned that moving objects are harder to cast the levitation spell on, because the spell has to account for stopping the object that already has momentum. With this new information, I dedicated the next week to strengthening my skills.

I had Pip toss small rocks at me which I would try to levitate. The book didn't lie, trying to stop and levitate the moving rocks was harder than I expected. Pip even hit me with a rock a couple times, and I'd have to wait while he died laughing to continue the practice. Like most things I practice, stopping the moving rocks became simple. I learned how to focus my magic through my horn more effectively.

After many days of practice, I considered myself skillful enough with the levitation spell that I could use it in my house without problems. Chores became much more simple, with the levitation doing half the work. While my parents weren't home I could use the spell without any problems. I eagerly awaited the day where my mother would see it fit to start teaching me magic, and I could impress her. Then I wouldn't need to worry about keeping my practice a secret.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Life moved on, the sun set and rose and the moon did the same. Every day was filled with new opportunities. Pip started to spend more time in The Park, so I joined him. Practice became the second thing on my list, and I preferred the joys of playing in the park with all the other fillies. We would toss a ball around, or hold contests. Whenever there was a contest, I always chose to be with Pip. Even though he wasn't the biggest or strongest, he had the most determination. No matter what we were doing he would strive to be great at it. Even though he didn't reach his goal every time, he still tried.

As the weeks passed by us, I seemed to lose track of time. One day Pip and I would be tossing a ball back and forth, laughing about some joke he told, and the next we would be outside the library. Pip helped me pick out books, learn the spells, and even cheered me on. Whenever I needed something, like a stick or another rock, he'd run off to get it for me. It was a mutual relationship though, as I tilted the odds in his favor when we played in The Park. My magic was quite useful when it came to the games we played, and he enjoyed having my help.

The other unicorns were all capable of performing magic, but with all my practice I was at there level. They used to poke fun at the fact that I couldn't use magic, but Pip stuck up for me. He told them that I was more magically talented then all of them, which incited a little competition. I was nervous, and although I don't remember the details I remember Pip cheering and encouraging me as I performed spells I had been practicing for weeks. The other unicorns were stunned.

I always considered Pip a good friend, but this brought him closer to me. He helped me stick up for myself, and seemed to know my abilities better than I did. He'd visit my apartment often, as he didn't want to stay in his where his parents bickered all the time. I'd read books to him, and although he preferred fiction, he had to deal with the nonfiction that I read. I'd sit on the couch and he'd be on the ground, listening as I ran my mouth, giving the words on the page life. He'd absorb it all, more than I did, and talk about it. He'd ask questions, and I'd answer them.

As we played and learned, years seemed to sneak past us, making time seem so quick. We had both grown older, and my parents allowed me to use magic in the apartment. They openly accepted my practices, but they didn't start to teach me yet. Pip had grown older, too. The small colt that couldn't catch a ball before could hold his own in a wrestling game with the other colts. Most of them still treated Pip as the runt of the group, but he was growing. We both were. Life was moving on and all we could do was look back and remember all the games we played on The Park.

The games became more sophisticated, with more rules and objectives. Each game required more skill and time, and soon most of our afternoons were spent playing "capture the flag" or "Ponyball". No longer were the days when tag and catch took up most of the time.

As the times moved on, so did the practices. I learned new spells, and improved on the spells I knew. Particularly the levitation spell, which I tried to perfect. I tried to become stronger with my magic, and each day I felt as though I was. Nine years had passed since I had first met Pip, and it seemed that every day I saw him.

I felt a real connection with him

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey Trixie."

I was outside the library toying around with some rocks when I heard the voice. It was Pip, trotting up to meet me just like every other day. For the past few years or so we had been meeting outside the library to practice my magic. He looked a little anxious, as if he wanted to ask me something but was afraid of the answer. We had been meeting here for years, and this was the first time he looked like that.

"Hello Pip." I didn't move from my spot. He looked at me and didn't speak for a while. I assumed that he was trying to find the write way to phrase whatever he wanted to say.

Finally he spoke, "Can you show me a tree?"

I hadn't seen a tree myself in a couple years. Usually I never went beyond the library, so I didn't see trees very often. I had only seen a tree once when my father brought me into the city. I could only vaguely remember the tree, and could only see faded images of it in my mind.

"Why do you want to see a tree?" Trees were located either in the inner parts of the city, or the forest beyond the gates. Both were dangerous and far away.

"Flurry was talking about one in The Park today and everypony had seen one but me. She said she had just visited the forest and she saw some trees." He frowned. I could sympathize with him, being left out wasn't easy. All the other unicorns could do the levitation spell easily when I was just learning. Luckily, now it was different, but before I had felt his pain.

"Flurry is a pegasus, Pip. She can fly over the gate and to the forest whenever she wants. We'd have to walk all the way to the forest."

"I know, but I really want to see one. Can we go? Please?" There was no way I could decline, he had been helping me practice my magic for weeks upon weeks. And sometimes all he could do was stand on the side and watch. This small request was the least I could do for him, but the forest was far away from home and if we got lost we wouldn't be able to make it back.

"Fine. I'll take you to the forest, but not today. But we aren't going in it, we're just going to stand outside it and look at the trees. Then we're coming straight back home, understood?"

"Understood!" He hopped back to The Park, humming a happy song. Probably going to go brag about seeing a tree now. I looked towards the rocks and then The Park. I guess I won't practice today.

The Park was bustling with activity, all the ponies from the other apartments were out and lively. Somepony had brought a new ball, so two games of Ponyball could go on at once. Some fillies were playing jump rope in the corner, and the pegasi were having a flying competition. It was always fun to watch them perform tricks. Sometimes I wished I had wings instead of a horn, they were so much easier to use. Pip was taking part in a game of Ponyball in the middle of the square, using some of the techniques I had taught him a few days back.

The Park was a joyful place, filled with laughter and games. It may have been surrounded by gloomy buildings, and it may have just been a square of concrete, but we made the most out of it. When the sun began to set, we all knew that it was time to go, and just as fast as The Park was filled up it was emptied out. Everypony had to get home to finish their chores. Within the hours that we had to play, most of the ponies spent it just talking. The older they got, the more the other ponies wanted to talk. I found that silly. You could talk inside a house, but you couldn't experience nature in one. I liked being outside because it was different. Different from the apartment I knew all too well.

The time came where the sun started to fall out of its pool of blue and into the horizon. The diminishing sunlight signaled that it was time to go, and The Park cleared out. All except for Pip and myself. If we wanted to go to the forest, we'd need to plan it out the day before.

After everypony had left and were back in their apartments, I trotted over to Pip. Without a word we trotted past the apartments to the fence behind them. Behind the gate was only grassy land, the trees weren't visible from here. Unlike the pegasi, we couldn't just fly over the fence, and I only knew one spell, and that wouldn't help in the situation. It wasn't easy to go around the fence, either, it spanned around for miles. The only option we had was digging, and since Pip was a colt I let him do that. Not so much that I didn't want to, but that he wanted. Colts and dirt was something I'd never understand.

He went to word on the ground near the fence, pushing all the dirt to the sides. Small, a small indent in the ground had been dug up, and it was working its way under the fence. Plenty of divots lay around the small indent as Pip threw the pieces of turf behind him.

The hole was just deep enough to crawl under the fence on my stomach, and it wasn't deep enough to look too suspicious. Pip could fit under with ease, but I had to lean my head forward so that my horn wasn't sticking up. I congratulated Pip on a job well done, and we trotted back to our apartments. The sun had almost fully set.

Inside my apartment, I found that most of my chores had yet to be done. My parents weren't home yet, and with the help of the levitation spell, my chores were done quickly. While I washed some of the dishes, the mop magically floated through the air and cleaned the floor. Multi-tasking was harder than I thought it would be, as sometimes the mop would follow the circular motions my hooves were making. Sometimes I'd be paying too much attention to the mop, and I'd be cleaning the same plate for much longer than I needed to.

Through the difficulties, I managed to finish my chores. I rested on the couch. Tomorrow was going to be a big day, and I'd need a rest. As much as I wanted to stay awake and await my parents arrival, I rested my hear on the couch cushion and closed my eyes. My mind wandered while I drifted off into sleep. Thoughts of the day's events played through my mind.

Tomorrow I was going to the forest.

Chapter 5

Out of all the days that it could of happened, it happened when I awoke the next day. One look out my window and I could already sense the misery Pip was going through. It was raining. That meant staying indoors for the entire day, or going outside and catching a cold. It wasn't just a drizzle either, a flash of light entered the room every now and again, leaving a boom of thunder in its wake. Most of the ponies in the outskirts of the city are never told when the pegasi schedule a storm, so whenever it happens its a surprise. The only benefit of a storm was that neither of my parents could get to work, and that meant that they would be home all day. If there had been no lightning, they would have to go like always, but since it was a thunderstorm they got to stay home all day.

Neither of them were awake yet, so I could only sit quietly on the couch. The thunder had woken me up, and the soft noise of the rain kept me up. I could only think of how disappointed Pip would be, looking out the window and realizing he wouldn't be able to see a tree today. I just hoped he wouldn't take it too hard, there was always tomorrow.

The raindrops and the wind was soothing in the quiet of the morning. The rain was a constant noise that filled the silence that would be there otherwise. Low tones of the wind mourned through the rain. Thunder rolled around every few minutes, perking up my ears, and then waited until they were back to normal before booming again.

I wasn't hungry for breakfast, it was too early. My parents probably wouldn't be up for a little while longer, and when they did wake up and saw the storm, they'd probably go back to sleep. They didn't get much sleep during the week, with work being early in the morning. Usually by the time I had woken up they would already be gone. Waking up before them was a rare occasion. I'd be able to say goodbye to my father and mother before they galloped off to work, and then I'd have to wait almost the entire day to see them again. Some days I wouldn't even see them, because by the time they got home I would already be asleep.

I heard a small tapping noise. That's odd, storms don't make that noise. I heard it again. I looked behind me, and sure enough the small tapping noise was coming from the door. I sighed, I didn't want to get off the soft couch to go and open the door. Then I remembered something. I looked towards my parents' bedroom to make sure nothing was moving, and with a small grin I used magic to turn the nob and open the door.

Standing in the hallway was Pip. He was sopping wet, his mane matted down along his neck and his tail drooping to the ground. He trotted into the room, leaving a small trail of water behind him. He looked up at me, his eyes glimmering with excitement. I didn't want to wake up my parents, so I whispered.

"Pip, what are you doing here?"

He frowned, as if it were obvious. "We're going to go see the tree, remember?"

"Pip, we can't go into the forest in the rain."

"Why not?"

"Because we might get sick. And if we get lost it wouldn't end well."

"But you said..." His eyes started to tear up. "You said we could go today."

I sighed. He just wasn't going to see logic through on this one. It surprised me how much he wanted to see a tree, but curiosity gets the better of everypony at some point.

"It's going to be cold and wet, are you sure you want to go?"

"Yes." There wasn't much more I could do. I did promise him I'd show him a tree when we began my practice, and I guessed now was the time. I hopped off the couch and looked for a quill. On the table, there was a quill and some ink. Using the back side of a piece of parchment, I wrote a short note to my parents:

Dear mom and dad,

Do not worry about me if I am not home when you read this, I went to the library to read some books while it is raining. I will be back as soon as I can.

Trixie

The library was one of the few places that was open no matter what the weather was like. Even though I hated lying to my parents, it was for the best. I didn't want them to come looking for me past the fence in the rain. I rolled up the parchment and left it on the table before turning to Pip. With a nod, we trotted out the door.

Outside was just as I had imagined it would be, cold and wet. The second I exited the apartment, my mane was soaking wet and my tail weighed much more than it should have. Cold raindrops hit my body, causing me to shiver slightly. Within a few seconds, both of us were completely drenched and cold. The wind didn't help either.

"Let's go." Pip's teeth were chattering, but he managed to get the words out. We trotted to the fence behind the apartments, and the hole was still there. A little muddy, but it was still deep enough to crawl under. When I pulled myself through the small hole and to the other side, my entire stomach was covered in mud.

I had only been on the other side of the fence once as a part of a practical joke. The pegasi thought it would be hilarious to pick me up and put me on the other side of the fence until I pleaded to be let back in. Other than that, everything I had heard about the other side of the fence was from my mother and father. They told me all sorts of stories about what lay beyond it, especially about the forest. They told me a forest was just a large collection of trees. I had only seen one tree, so I assumed that a forest just looked like a bunch of trees lined up side by side.

We trotted for what seemed like eternity. I lost track of time and the movement of my legs just became mechanical. At first it was just a flat field, but it soon became a collection of hills. Through the rain and the wind, there didn't seem to be any trees nearby. It was cold and the rain was pouring down my face. We were trekking up the side of a hill when I realized exactly how far we were away from my apartment.

"Pip, maybe we should turn back."

"No! We've come too far to give up now." I thought about it for a moment, but I couldn't let go of my opinion. It wasn't safe out here, and seeing the trees would be much more enjoyable in the sun.

"Pip, come on. Let's go back." I stopped trotting, giving him a signal that I was serious. He stopped trotting for a moment, too.

"No." He continued to trot forward.

"Fine, but I'm not going to continue on with you."

"That's okay." I couldn't believe it, that was the first time he hadn't listened to me. He was completely intent on seeing the tree. I stood in place for a little longer, wondering whether to turn back or not. The wind and the rain were making my mind turn towards turning back. However, I knew I had to follow Pip. I couldn't let him go to the forest alone, especially in a thunderstorm. It surprised me how badly he didn't want to feel left out.

I reached the top of the hill, and below me Pip was galloping up the next hill. I followed him, hoping that I wouldn't lose sight of him for too long when he went over the top of the hill. Going down the hills wasn't very hard, but going up the hills meant being pounded by the rain and getting the wind blowing through your face. I trotted as fast as I could, but by the time I was halfway down the hill, Pip was out of sight.

When I finally made it to the next hill, I galloped up it, trying to catch up with Pip. The wind blew past me, trying to push me back while the rain hit my face. I was forced to close my eyes. My legs felt like they were going to give out from under me, I hadn't realized just how long I had been trotting for. I used every bit of energy I could find to continue galloping against the wind, rain, and gravity. Galloping up hills was no easy task.

When I finally reached the peak of the hill, I sat down and took a deep breath. Below me, I saw it. A gigantic expanse of green. This was it. This was the forest that Pip wanted to see so badly. It spread for miles and miles until I couldn't see beyond it, all i could see was the tops of these trees. The green tops. In the darkness of the storm and through the rain, it was difficult to see the trees, but I recognized them. They looked just like the first tree that I had seen. But this was different. One tree was a sight to behold, but an entire collection of them was amazing.

I snapped back to reality and scanned the area for Pip. I couldn't see him anywhere, and the rain and the darkness didn't make it any easier. Suddenly I heard his voice.

"Trixie! Help me get out of this mud!" He could see me but I couldn't see him. I tried to follow the sound of the voice but the wind had distorted its direction. All I could see was a wide expanse of trees. I took a step forward and attempted to descend the large hill. At the bottom I was sure to find Pip. I needed to help him, I couldn't let anything happen to him.

There was a flash of lightning, and the flash was all too bright. I watched as within a split second a bolt of electricity fell from the sky and hit a tree. With a huge clap of thunder, the flash of light was gone just as fast as it came. After the deafening thunder, the rain and the wind seemed silent. There was a small cracking noise from the forest.

"Trixie! Help!" It was Pip's voice again. He shouted at the top of his lungs the word "help", and I was about to run down the hill. But then I heard a loud crack, and in front of my I saw the tree that the lightning had struck. It was a large, old tree, and the lightning, with the help of the wind, had given it the final push. The tree was teetering for a moment before it started to fall backwards. Pip's screams became more frantic, and finally it dawned on me what was happening.

The tree was going to crush Pip, but I couldn't even see Pip. My mind rushed for a solution, working faster than I thought possible. I thought about running down to save him, but I was too far away and the tree would be down by then. My mind rushed through each and every possible scenario. Then I remembered my horn.

There was no time to waste, I focused on the falling tree and channeled my energy to my horn. I didn't even think about the how big the tree was compared to the objects I was used to levitating. I felt the magic slowly transferring from my horn to the tree. Everything I had learned from the books was going through my head. I dug my hooves into the muddy ground and pointed my horn directly towards the tree. My eyes were squeezed shut. I could feel the energy slowly leaving my body. For the first time in years, my legs began to shake as I used the spell.

I wasn't sure if it was working or not, but I used every ounce of energy I could muster up to use the spell. The fact that a tree is a living thing didn't come to me until I was casting the spell. I remembered what the books had said about life naturally resisting the levitation spell. This only doubled my efforts. I couldn't feel the rain anymore, all I felt was the pain of using energy I didn't have to keep the tree from falling. All I could feel was the pain from having to stand on legs that couldn't support me. I couldn't hear the wind or Pip's screams, it was completely silent to me.

Only a couple seconds had passed and the spell had already completely emptied me off all my energy. I was trying to pull the tree in the opposite direction, away from Pip. I wasn't sure if there was sweat or rain rolling off my face, or how far my hooves were pushed into the muddy ground. My legs wanted to give in, but my mind knew what I had to do. Even when I thought I didn't have any energy left, or that the extent of my magic had been reached, I pushed harder. I wasn't going to let anything happen to Pip.

Then I heard a snap.

I fell to the ground, my legs giving out from under me.

My eyes remained closed, and I lay still atop the hill. In only a couple seconds, so much had happened.

The rain fell and the wind continued to blow as I lay there. Silent.

Chapter 6

The funeral was later that day. I was the only attendant.

The tree had come crashing down, and my magic wasn't enough to stop it. Just when I had thought that my magic was finally getting stronger, when I needed it the most, it failed me. I only managed to stall the tree for a split second before it was too much for me to handle. My magic snapped and I collapsed on the ground. When I woke up later, with no concept of time, I remembered Pip. I looked to see if the tree had fallen the other way, but to my dismay it hadn't.

I had galloped down the hill as fast as I could go, and went straight for the fallen tree. All I could hope for was anything but what I saw. The fallen tree had crushed Pip. I used magic to pull him out from underneath it, and it was far too easy. At that moment I remembered something.

Living things are harder to levitate.

I looked at Pip. Without a word I levitated him and trotted slowly back from where we came. I couldn't think about how bad my legs ached, or how bad my head hurt. All I could think about was getting back home. His body was limp. I knew this was my fault.

The rain still fell off my face, and the wind pushed against me as I trotted up the hills, but I carried on. I showed no emotion. The only thing I could think about was the mechanical motion of my hooves as I trotted, the rest of my mind was empty.

When I arrived at the fence, I levitated Pip up and over the and crawled under it myself. I didn't even notice the mud I got on my coat. We arrived at The Park and I didn't know exactly what to do. I brought Pip inside the apartment he lived in. Although I had never been to his apartment before, I recalled him telling me the number of his room. I found the number, Pip beside me.

I knocked on the door, greeted by what looked like his mother. She had the same white coat and brown patch around one eye. She stared at me quizzically before seeing Pip. It looked as though she was about to cry, but she didn't. She claimed not to know Pip, and that we were both strangers. Then the door slammed shut. I checked every other room, trying to see if anypony knew Pip. Many claimed they knew him, but none claimed him as their son.

I checked every single apartment room, and got the same answer every time. I had given up. Whoever Pip's real parents were didn't care enough about him to come to his funeral. I held it later that day.

I was the only pony there in the rain. I was standing by the small patch of dirt that was near The Park, only now it was muddy. I laid him down gently on the dirt while I dug a hole. I wasn't sure how funerals worked, but I knew it was proper to bury the dead pony.

No eyes were watching me. Nopony cared about Pip. I couldn't tell my parents, they'd scold me for going past the fence. I laid his peaceful body in the small hole I had dug out. He looked as though he were sleeping, a deep, peaceful sleep. I wished he was sleeping.

I didn't shed a tear. Water was falling off my face but it was all rain. I couldn't get myself to cry. I knew I should have cried, but my eyes were dry. Maybe it was because of the shock, or because I knew it was my fault, but no tears left my eyes. I only stared coldly at the body. I didn't move for an hour, all I did was stare at the body in the cold rain. I felt sick but that didn't matter to me. I wished I could cry, I even tried to cry to show my sadness, but I couldn't get myself to do it. I tried to trick myself into thinking that the raindrops were tears, but I wasn't fooling myself.

I realized that staring at him wouldn't make him come back. Not even the strongest of magic could bring him back. It was getting late, and the rain wasn't letting up. I didn't even know how long I had just been standing there. Staring.

My mind was so blank I could barely formulate words, but I somehow managed to. Under my breath I let out a solemn, "Goodbye." The wind swept away the words as soon as they were spoken, bringing them to some other land. I took in a deep breath and gave my friend one last look. I used the levitation spell to put the dirt over his body. There was nothing to use as a tombstone, so I trotted over to the library.

Out in front of the structure I found some rocks and pebbles. The same rocks and pebbles I had been using for practice all this time. I levitated them and brought them back to the grave. I laid them down at the top of the grave. I looked down at what I had done.

I closed my eyes and bowed my head. The wind blew through my wet mane. I knew I had already said it, but I felt like it needed to be said again. "Goodbye Pip." This time the words weren't swept up by the wind. I was convinced they stayed there. The words that I had spoken would never leave the grave. I turned around and trotted back to my apartment.

I was still sopping wet, and I knew my parents would be furious, but I didn't care. I entered my apartment and laid down on the couch, the water seeping into it. As I laid there, there was only one thought that played through my mind. "It's your fault." I tried to oust the idea but everything pointed toward it. My parents were at home, and my mother yelled at me for being wet inside the apartment but I wasn't listening. My father saw my expression and called my mother off, he knew I didn't want to be spoken to.

The idea turned over in my mind for an hour. The only conclusion that I came up with is that it was my fault, and there was nothing I could do. That was something I didn't want to believe. What could I do? I needed to answer that question.

Night came far too soon. My parents left me on the couch to think, not even offering supper. I wasn't hungry anyway. The question continued to bother me. What could I do? There had to be something. I looked out of the window and at the stormy clouds. Then I realized what I had to do.

Pip wasn't here anymore because of my failure to be powerful enough with my magic.

I had to become an expert in magic. I could never let something like that ever happen again.

My mind was made up. I was going to become the best at magic I could be, and nothing was going to stop me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Years flew by. I wasn't a child anymore. My life from Pip's death onward had been completely changed. Every day after that I practiced. I would trot out in front of the library and master whatever spell I happened to come upon. My first task was to perfect my levitation spell, because that was the one that failed me. I gave myself rigorous tests, lifting multiple stacks of books at once. I learned how to channel my energy more effectively. Slowly but surely, every day of practice improved my magic just a tiny bit more.

The other ponies went along their regular business. The day after the funeral they noticed that Pip had gone missing, and when I told them the news they all just fell silent. Nopony felt like playing anymore, and although the sun was still high in its perch The Park was cleared out. The next day, however, they were back at it. Only a day of grieving had been spent by these ponies, and it made me furious. I couldn't show my anger, but I just wished they'd care a bit more. I didn't understand it.

Every night, I would look out into the night sky. I couldn't see myself in it anymore. I used to be able to look into the night sky and see myself, see the mystery and vastness of magic, but now I only saw a sea of darkness speckled with stars. It had lost its meaning.

The Park lost its jovial nature. All I saw it as was the resting place of Pip, the place where Pip enjoyed being. I avoided The Park and the playing ponies and went straight for the library. Every moment I spent outside I spent perfecting a new spell. Every day was a new way to test myself, push myself farther. Every night was a new time to remember why I was doing that.

Days became weeks, weeks became months, and months became years. I grew older along with the rest of the world. Every day brought a new practice, a new spell, new information and new revelations. Every day was a day that I would remember Pip before I fell asleep. The gap of time didn't matter, the day that the tragedy had happened was clear as day in my mind.

Time moved on, and life followed. My parents openly accepted my practice with magic, and as I grew older my mother even taught me a few tricks, but times were getting worse. Money was running low, and there wasn't much we could do to keep ourselves out of poverty. If my father didn't get the promotion he had been talking about, we'd be done for. We just weren't bringing in enough bits.

My parents couldn't afford for me to go to school, so the library became my school. By the end of a couple years, I had read every single book in the library, bar the ones in the corner. Even after all this time, I refused to go into the corner. Every day was the same routine, read a book and then practice magic. Then I'd go home and do chores. There was hardly any time for play, but every now and again I'd stop by at The Park to catch up with the ponies I had grown up with. Everypony was getting older, including me. No longer were the times where we would run around The Park and play games. Instead we'd talk and ask each other how life was.

I never forgot why I practiced magic so much. Even though so many years had passed, Pip's death was the single event that motivated me to keep going. To become the best I could be at magic.

Then the day came. It had been eight years since Pip had passed, and I was older. I was ready to take on life by myself, without the constant help of my parents. But it seemed that my parents would be needing my help.

My father didn't get the promotion, but rather got fired. The company needed to "maximize profits" or something, and one day my father came home teary-eyed. We all had a tough time, but my father found another job. My family was never one to lie down and die after being pushed over. We were resilient. He said it didn't pay enough bits to uphold the apartment and our family, and that I'd need to find a job.

I knew it was inevitable, so I sought out a job in the only thing I knew. Magic.

There weren't many jobs that required a pony the focused completely on magic, but I knew what I had to do. My father always told me that great people became great because they did things they were great at. With all the practice I had behind me, I believed that I was great at magic and would only become better. Performances.

It started out as a small show in The Park. The ponies that I knew so well gathered around and watched me perform tricks. They would stomp and tell me nice things, but my father said it wasn't enough to keep the family alive. We were almost about to lose our apartment, and life would only be downhill from that point on.

My father brought me into the city one day. On his way to work, he brought me along to let me perform for a larger audience. This was the first time I'd be in the inner city since I was a filly. The inner city was different. Everypony was hurrying. Everypony had somewhere to be. Rush this way, rush that way, no time to lose. Time was only to be used, and everypony was trying to make the most of their time.

My father left me in the central square while he went to his new job, a worker in a small building. He never told me exactly what he did, but it had something to do with business. I didn't mind, though, I was only here to do what I did best. Magic.

Years of practice channeled their way through my horn and into whatever objects I could find around the area. I performed tricks that I had been practicing for months, perfecting and even tweaking the spells. Nopony seemed to notice me. They just continued to walk along their path. I performed the best tricks I knew, but nopony seemed to care. They were all too busy with using every second of their time "effectively". It wasn't until I saw another performer that I learned the secret.

He stood in the middle of the crowds of ponies, and yelled out to them. Calling them to behold his tricks. To my surprise a group of ponies formed around him, and it continued to grow. He challenged the crowd to give him a task he could not complete. The ponies would shout out some job for him to do, and using his unicorn magic he would complete it.

I snorted, everything that he was doing I could do better. I could tell that this pony hadn't been practicing with near as much perseverance and dedication that I had. That crowd should have belonged to me.

I called out to the pony. "Hey!" The crowd turned to look at me, a simple azure unicorn standing by herself in the central square. The performer stared at me.

"I bet that anything you can do, I can do better!" I heard a wave of chatter overtake the crowd. The unicorn eyed me suspiciously. He stepped out of the circle the crowd had made and approached me, the crowd following close behind. Now the circle enclosed both of us.

"Alright then. Let's see you do this." His horn lit up. The crowd fell silent as he performed the spell, his horn growing brighter and brighter. I felt the ground beneath me begin to shake, and then abruptly fall from underneath me. The unicorn had removed the ground beneath me and created a hole. From the bottom of the hole I could here the laughter and cheers of the crowd. He was laughing, too, but I knew just how simple that spell was. I pulled myself out of the small hole and snorted. It was time to show the crowd a real show.

My horn lit up this time, and using the information stored in the back of my mind, I recalled a powerful spell I had practiced a while back. Within a second, the performer was at the bottom of another hole, but this time the hole was made of soap. I had learned the soap spell when I was reading the "Book of Miscellaneous and Useless Spells". Turns out they aren't so useless. The other performer couldn't get out of the soapy hole, and practically had to beg me to pull him out. When I finally did, the crowd stomped and cheered for me.

It was a feeling that I hadn't felt before. Social acceptance. The other performer challenged me again, but spell after spell I outdid him. Each time he used a spell, I could recall a practice session where I had perfected the same one, or a better one. The crowd cheered every time. I could get used to this.

After that day, my routine had changed. The same routine that I had been using for years had finally been broken, and replaced by a new one. My father would bring me to the inner city every day when he went to work, and I would stand in the central square performing magic. Not just performing however, but challenging. Every day brought a new challenge from the onlookers, and practice had paid off. I could meet every challenge.

The people began to expect me. I was becoming a regular occurrence in the days of the ponies, and they seemed to enjoy my performances. Their generosity is what struck me the most, as even though I didn't ask for it they left bits for me. My father was proud of me, but the meager amount of bits I made each day wasn't enough. We were going to lose our apartment.

I performed more advanced tricks in the next days, hoping to make more bits for my family, but nothing was working. I only attracted a larger crowd of busy work ponies who were too busy to leave a bit or two. But one pony had different intentions.

A stallion named Flair approached me after a performance, offering me a job in performing. At first I thought he was lying, that it couldn't be possible, but he was serious. I accepted, and we got to work on my appearance.

Life seemed to rush by. Everything was just a blur of events that I could only look back on and see the big picture. I wasn't even sure how it happened, but I found myself on a mobile stage in a cape and hat performing for all of Manehattan. It was the same routine, ask the audience for challenge, and my years of practice were able to cope with every task thrown at me. Soon enough, the amount of bits I was making was enough to pay the rent and uphold our family.

I performed for a couple of months in just Manehattan, traveling across the city and showing off my talent. I lost track of time, and all I could remember were the countless shows I put on. Flair told me he saw a bright future ahead of me, but I saw that future a long time ago. A future where my practice and magic would bring me places.

I don't think I've ever seen my parents genuinely smile, but if there's one thing I remember from the rushed years that passed by so quickly, it's when I walked into my apartment on my birthday and saw them smiling at me. It had been a year since I started performing onstage. A year since I had actually turned the years of practice into something. A year since I had met Flair, and although I knew so little about him, he had made so much of me. The year seemed like a day in my mind, I couldn't even remember what had happened throughout it. It seemed all too fast, like I wasn't able to keep track of everything that was going on. I can't even describe the year in detail, I can only outline the major events in my mind.

But that day stuck in my mind. When I walked into my apartment I saw my parents smiling at me.

And this smile was genuine.

Final Chapter

If somepony was to ask me where the time had gone, I wouldn't be able to tell them. It seemed like everything leading up to Pip's death was slow, and memorable, but afterwards it was just a rush of lost memories. Sometimes I wish that I could remember it all, remember everything that happened in the years afterwards.

After I saw my parents smiling at me, I knew I was where I wanted to be. Doing what I loved in front of large groups of ponies, performing my magic. I always thought magic was a deep and mysterious thing, but I learned something from all the practice I did. Magic was just like anything else. At first it's hard to handle, but along the way it gets easier. Every single afternoon outside the library had the same driving force. I knew the only reason I was pushing myself so hard was because of guilt, but that turned into something. I realized something because of that, how much of an impact Pip had on me.

After a while, my show became popular within Manehattan, and I was making enough bits to uphold the family. My mother and father could start working less, and I saw them more often. Eventually, Flair told me that my show needed to expand. That I needed to leave Manehattan. Neither of my parents could come, but that was alright. With the collective money we made, we bought a new apartment. A bigger, warmer, more welcoming apartment that was still on the outside of town where it was peaceful. I wouldn't be living there, however. There were greater things I had to attend to.

Flair gave me an opportunity to travel around Equestria and perform. I didn't decline. Magic was something I loved, and if I loved it I was sure the crowds would, too. I was proud of my magic. I remember when I used to call my father's pride arrogance, but I knew what he meant now.

I had to leave Manehattan, leave my fillyhood for the show. After I had accepted the offer, I had three days to get ready for travel. The first two were spent packing and performing my last shows in Manehattan. The last day was spent saying goodbye.

I didn't know where to start, really. So I started with my apartment. The small, cold room where I had spent most of my life. Most of the apartment didn't really need a goodbye, but I did say goodbye to the couch. It was where I slept, read, and thought. I remembered the countless hours spent pondering on the couch, and the one night Pip came over to sleep. I think that's when we first became friends. I'm not sure.

I trotted down the apartment steps, saying one last goodbye before exiting. Now I had to say goodbye to The Park, the place where friendship came to grow. Pip had spent most of his time here before helping me practice, and it was where I first met him. The Park was a place where differences were set aside and only fun existed. There was no room for bickering or sadness, just the high-spirited play of fillies. Most of my afternoons were spent in this place. It may have just been a square of concrete in the middle of a few apartments, but it meant more. It was a meeting place, somewhere that we could call our own. To the side there was the patch of dirt. The small rectangle of dirt that we checked for grass every now and then.

I usually avoided looking there to avoid reliving past experiences, but today was a day to say goodbye, and it seemed necessary. When I turned to look at it, I noticed something. In the middle of the dirt there was a flower. Right where Pip had been buried. A pink flower that grew tall out of the soil, something that I had never seen as a filly. Usually when we had flowers, they would be small and dull. This one was different. It was brilliantly colored and sturdy. I hadn't cried at the funeral, but I could feel a teardrop roll off my cheek at this moment.

I whispered a final goodbye to Pip, and although I had said it many times before I knew that he deserved a goodbye at this time. I admired the flower for one last moment before continuing my journey. There was one last place I had to visit.

The library was the most important place of my days. It was where I practiced magic, the one thing that I loved. The library looked even worse than it had before. There were more cracks, more weeds growing in the front. The color of the bricks had faded and the windows were cracked. I heard from somepony that the library was going to be closed soon. I wished I could keep it open, but I knew I couldn't. All I could do was say goodbye.

First I had to say goodbye to the outside of the library, the street. The place that housed all my practice and provided the pebbles that I had first lifted. Where Pip and I spent most of our days laughing and playing while I learned about magic. I never really thought of it, but it was our own little area. We were the only ones that came there. I stood outside for a while, just reminiscing about all the practice I had done there. All the days I spent making sure that I never let my magic fail me again. It reminded me of Pip, and how he was the reason I was here.

I trotted into the library. The smell of musty old books entered my nostrils immediately. I missed that smell. All around me were the books that I had spent countless hours reading. The books that taught me the basis of everything I knew about magic. The librarian recognized me and said hello. It was a rare occasion when that happened, but I said hello, too. It seemed out of place. I was saying goodbye to everything, and there I was saying "hello" to the librarian. It was funny how things worked like that.

I walked through the aisles made by the bookcases, reading the titles of the books off the spine. I remembered every single one. At least, I thought I did. Eventually, while saying goodbye to all the books I loved, I came across a title I didn't know. I looked around, only to find that I was in the corner. The corner that I had vowed I would never enter, and now I was in it. Since I was saying goodbye, I decided to check out the books that I had never seen before. These books were the oldest in the library, and their subject matter interested me. They had to do with time spells. Magic that could bend time. I opened one of the books to a random page, and read the spell listed there, just to see what time spells were all about.

"Time spell, use this spell to go back in time and replace your past self with yourself for a few moments. After a few moments, you will be transported back to the present. Warning, changing past events could lead to a large rift in time and create a completely different present."

Time intrigued me, and it surprised me that I never studied the magic of time before, but now was a time to start. The spell seemed simple enough. My mind floated toward the idea. I can save Pip. I sat down, contemplating what seemed like a passing thought. It seemed like an easy decision, but it wasn't.

Now I laid on the library floor. I had the decision in my hooves to save Pip by going back in time, or stay in the present and go on to perform in front of crowds. Going back in time would threaten the existence of my show, maybe even affect my prowess in magic. The only reason I practiced magic so much was because of Pip. If I went back to save him, I would be risking all those hours spent learning the craft of magic. I would be risking my family's happiness. I would be risking the new apartment that my parents got to live in. If I didn't have the show, my family would be on the streets at the moment. On the other hoof, going back in time would mean that I could save Pip. I was completely confident I could do it all these years later, and Pip would still be alive today. My mind spun the consequences back and forth, Pip's life was obviously more valuable than the money or the fame. Why didn't I just do it?

I looked down at the words on the page. There it was, the spell that had so haphazardly introduced itself into my life at the moment I wished to leave. I thought about it for a couple minutes, a conclusion or decision slipping from my grasp.

Life seemed like such an elusive concept, but really it's simple. So simple that I seemed to miss the meaning most of the time. The way I see it, life is really about the concepts. The ideas. The beliefs and the fantasies and the stories that we can imagine. The unreal seems to outweigh what is real. Wood rots, stone crumbles, ponies die. It’s only ideas, concepts, stories, music, and beliefs that live forever. All we can do is hope to leave behind a part of us in the unreal, so we will live forever in the hearts of ponies.

My father always told me, “Life is full of paths. Be careful in which ones you choose.” I’ve always found meaning in that message, but looking back I came to my own conclusion. Instead of multiple paths, I figured that, maybe, life is just one path. One path that we ponies trot on through our entire life, and as we trot we leave behind good events and bad events. Good events lead to our happiness, and bad events lead away from our happiness.

Maybe we can’t see the road in front of us, and as we trot forward we’re experiencing new things. It seems like life would be constantly changing, but it doesn’t. We just change, and life stays the same. And as we change we find new things on this single path. We notice new things, and we leave behind more events. Behind us, we can see all the events we leave behind, and reflect on them. Maybe....maybe....when we come to the end of the road. The place where wealth, popularity, social status, and material goods mean nothing. The place where the only thing that holds any meaning is happiness. And maybe, looking back on our entire life, laid out on that single path, we could see all the events in our life. And hopefully, we don’t see any bad ones. Because at the end of life, nothing should take away from our happiness.

It’s not about the decisions we make, but rather what we do with what we are given. And even though it seems like a bad event when it happens, if we look back on it and find where it has led us, we’ll see it as a good event. It seems everypony tries their best to let go of the bad things that happen to them, but I think we should hold on to them. We should make the most of these events, and turn them into something good. Because if we learn to live life as it comes, and make the best of every situation, we’ll find that at the end of the road, we’ll be happy. And behind us, all the events that were once malevolent become beneficial. The past isn’t changeable, and it never was meant to be. We shouldn’t spend so much time dwelling on what we did wrong, but how we can fix it. How we can see all the bad things as reasons for good things. And ultimately, this leads to the end of the road, where we can look back. And hopefully, all we see are the good things.

I believe that there is just that one path. That single road that we journey down. We can’t avoid any parts of the road, and have to accept what life throws at us. The most successful ponies are the ones that walk down the road with their head up, not worrying about where this one path leads us and making the most of it. Because it’s not about what you did, but how you did. Life wasn’t meant to be infinite amounts of forks in the road. It was meant to be one path, that we could look back and be proud of. Our path. The single path we trot upon. Because in the end, we’re all headed towards the same place. We all have the same destination, but what we do differs. And we all get there on the same path. This single path.

It doesn't matter how long something last, but what happens while it is there. I believed that I made the most of my time with Pip, and that his death is what led me to where I am today. Although I would never see him again, he left an idea behind. That I had to be the best I could be. And that idea is what pushed me to pull my family out of poverty, to become something I knew I was but wasn't ready to achieve. Even though Pip didn't live very long, the impact he had on my was bigger than I could imagine. Although I wished he were still here, I couldn't change the path I was on. I could only look back and make the best of what life gave me.

I closed the book.

Maybe some things happened for a reason.