It was a day after the Winter Gala, Scootaloo was at the train station with her two friends, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom, they had decided, if Scootaloo was going to go? They'd all go, and it's not like their sisters or parents could go and do anything about it since they where by all means, in pony culture, considered to be old enough to live on their own and make their own choices, at the age of 15 you where considered an adult and allowed to do what you wished, within the law of course.

Despite that both Applebloom and Sweetie Belle knew that their sisters would most likely try to track them down, and it would be pretty easy to do so, they did not hide where they where going, they each left notes, by the time they'd find them however it would be a little to late to stop them, except Scootaloo, whom had talked to Rainbow Dash about joining the Empire so that she could finally be able to fly, and Rainbow Dash had, much to Scootaloo's surprise, encouraged her to go and join.

Each filly had two suit cases filled with the possessions they'd wished to take with them, Applebloom had brought some outfits, basic things like a toothbrush, water, a few scrap books filled with photos of various family members, her diary, those kinda things, while Sweetie Belle had brought pretty much the same, except for her bringing her various walkmare music tapes, along with her walkmare tape player and headphones to listen to them along with blank tapes she could put messages or music onto with the use of her walkmare's microphone setting, Scootaloo only had one bag however, filled with clothes and the few personal items she owned.

The Friendship Express slowly pulled into the station, after it came to a complete stop the CMC boarded the steam locomotive after presenting their VIP tickets, they'd pooled their bits together to get a VIP car all to themselves, overall 60 bits, while pricey, it came with it's own toilet and bunks, something they'd need since the train ride was going to be ten hours long, the Empire was south rather than north, due to some weird teleportation from what everypony knew, so it would be awhile before they got to the badlands.

The train started rolling off the tracks after letting out a loud hiss of steam, it was seven AM, it would be near 5 pm by the time the train arrived at the Empire, so they decided to waste some time reading or listening to music or just napping.

Meanwhile back at Sweet Apple Acers, Applejack was knocking on Applebloom's bedroom door "Come on Applebloom! It's time to wake up! Ya'll are gonna be late and miss breakfast!" Applejack knocked again, before pretty much saying screw it, and opened the door, only to find the room empty of Applebloom, and a few of her personal items, looking around she noticed a note on the bed, and picked it up.

Dear Applejack

I have decided to go to the new Crystal Empire with Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, I know you most likely won't be happy about this, but I'm old enough to make my own decisions, once I get there I'll write you a letter to let you know how everything is going.

Applejack stood staring at the note before she face palmed. "Celestia damn it Applebloom....Celestia fucking damn it...."

------------------Ten Hours Later-------------------

The train came to a screeching halt, to which Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom grabbed their bags and got off onto a rather barren station, even then the station was a mile or so away from the actual gates of the Empire, something that had been made apparent as a long road of black concrete had been constructed, and a bus station placed next to it, the CMC dragged their bags to the station and sat on the bench there. "What do you think the Empire will be like?" Sweetie Belle asked, turning to Scootaloo.

Scootaloo shrugged. "From the magazines I've seen, it's better than anywhere else that's for sure, I don't know all the details, just those published in news papers and magazines." She shrugged again.

Applebloom nodded. "My sister went there and said it was like a paradise, everypony could get anything they wanted or needed, within reason that is, fancy robots n stuff like that was common, and there was more than jus crystal ponies, she saw diamond dogs, minotaur, zebras, and changelings."

Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow. "Changelings? I thought they where evil."

Applebloom shrugged. "I dunno bout that, but it looks like the bus is here."

It was true, an automated bus that you'd mistake for an average metro bus had pulled up, aside from it's wheels being white and it having round headlights, and no driver, it looked like a bus you'd see somewhere in a large city taking people to and from places for cheap, aside from the mentioned details and the two laser turrets build into the door of the bus to prevent hostiles from boarding, the CMC boarded the bus and seated themselves, they where the only three on the bus itself.

The ride only took about 15 minutes before the gates of the Empire came into view, they where built into a large, tall, and most likely thick, wall of metal and concrete that had a shimmering blue field surrounding the outside of it, the large gate opened as the bus pulled up, and then inside, before it closed again and the sound of large locks was heard and the gate sealed itself shut from all potential attacks.

The bus doors opened and the CMC got off with their bags, while the bus just seemed to stay put as the doors to it closed up, and a mister handy floated up. "Visitors or are you here to sign up for Citizenship?" It was holding a pen and a clipboard.

Scootaloo spoke up. "We are all here to sign up for citizenship." Applebloom and Sweetie Belle nodded in confirmation.

One of it's eyes nodded. "This way then to the Citizen Sign Up Process, CSUP, for short." The mister handy floated through a door into a room filled with tables, pens, papers, and terminals, the new holographic kind. "You three are to fill out the relevant information asked on the terminals, go over the rules and laws of the Empire, the perks of being a citizen, what you have to do once you join, your employment options based on, or your lack of, cutiemarks, please press the red button that is labeled 'press for assistance' after you are finished, or have any questions." The handy floated out of the room, to where nopony would know, unless they followed it only to find it at a desk sorting through papers, because it had nothing else to do.

The CMC each went to their own terminal, and began the long process of filling out the needed information, taking some tests, learning some of the Empire's history, enough that they wouldn't need to blindly stumble around when they where granted entrance, this took three hours, during 15 minutes of which they where provided with basic sandwiches and water and juice since it had been hours since they had last eaten.

After the process of filling out information and going over a few things had been done, they where lead by two gen 2 synths carrying Empire standard combat rifles, marksman stalk, bayonet, extended magazine in .308, etc, and wearing Fallout 4 marine combat armor, they where taken to a room that had another mister handy in it, along with chairs and tables, more like desks than tables, and they where seated at a desk each.

"Please pick up the lie detection crystals and repeat after me." They grabbed the green crystals they had been presented with. "I swear to uphold the values of this Empire, to cause no harm to citizens unless in self defense."

"I swear to uphold the values of this Empire, to cause no harm to citizens unless in self defense." The crystals glowed green, showing they where telling the truth.

The mister handy continued. "I swear to follow the laws presented to me to live within the Empire, I accept any responsibilities placed upon me when or if I seek employment, either by civilian businesses or by the Empire government itself."

"I swear to follow the laws presented to me to live within the Empire, I accept any responsibilities placed upon me when or if I seek employment, either by civilian businesses or by the Empire government itself." Once again a green flash.

"That will be all, you may place the crystals down and go to the DNA and Identification room to get your blood samples taken, and ID's issued to you, along with charge cards for your bank accounts, of which the amount of 1000 standard bits will be placed for you to use as needed each, unless you wish for a shared account, then 3000 bits will be placed into one."

They where lead to a room that held a nurse handy robot, pretty much a miss nanny robot but with a red medical cross painted on it, and called a nurse handy, within seconds each of the CMC had one vial of blood taken from them before they where given stimpacks, causing the needle hole to close up, then a short walk later they each had a picture of themselves for the Citizen Identification System.

All of this took most of the day, and once they where done, they where now legal citizens of the Crystal Empire, ready to begin their new lives as such.

Author's Notes:

Heya everypony! I decided to write a chapter from someone else's pov, what did'ja think of that? Lemme know