Coltland Chronicles 3: Away from Home

by RomanceWriter1

Rating: teen
Tags: Romance, Drama, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 6334

Madeleine moves away from Coltland and becomes depressed. Meanwhile her little brother Thaddeus falls in love with a princess but she isn't allowed outside.

Madeleine has decided to move away to Northern Arabland (a spoof of Northern Ireland which is where I'm from) to start a new life but she later gets homesick and very depressed. Will she adapt to her new life or will she move back to Coltland? Subplot: Thaddeus falls in love with the queen's second daughter Crystal who hates the royal life and wants to go outside.

Published 2016-02-22 05:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2016-02-22 05:40:01 UTC

A Sad Princess

A Sad Princess

"Happy eighteenth birthday, Madeleine!" everypony yelled as Madeleine walked into the castle after working full time at the orphanage.

Usually she would have a day off on Hearth's Warming Eve but she loved working with the foals, fillies and colts at the orphanage and hoped that they would get good homes.

"Thank you everypony but you know that it's also Thaddeus and Mum's birthday today." Madeleine said grinning at her sixteen year old brother Thaddeus who stood beside her father Duncan.

"We already celebrated ours before you came home. We wanted to have your birthday on your own because you've turned eighteen." her mother Elena said smiling.

It had been a great number of years of Madeleine's life. A few months before her sixteenth birthday, she got a part time job at the orphanage, she got her cutie mark when she was fifteen and Elena's friends' foals all had their cutie marks and six of them found love and she hoped the others would too. After a lot of hours of fun and games, birthday cake and presents, Ivar, his daughter Lily and his wife Lyla went home to their house which wasn't far from the castle.

"There is also a Hearth's Warming party going on at the queen's castle. We are to dress formal." Eloise said in excitement. "Can we go, Mummy? Can we, can we?" Miracle and Lulu Belle asked with the excitement that Eloise was having.

"Is Lily allowed to come with us?" Mandarin asked with pleading bright green eyes.

"Can Blackstone also come with us? You know that he's so dreamy." Lulu Belle said dreamily and Annabel laughed and scruffed her daughter's mane.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go to Svetlana's house and she can help us get ready and do all our manes. She's amazing at it apart from her merchant work." Olga said in delight.

Everypony then walked out of the door. All the mares, Madeleine and the fillies were in Svetlana's house, sitting on chairs in front of the mirrors and trying on dresses.

"Does my mane look nice, Mummy?" Eloise asked in a panic and she checked to see if her mane was good.

She always wanted to look good, like those posh ponies but Eloise wasn't posh.

"It still looks good to me, Eloise." Svetlana said as she tightened a dark violet bow into her hair.

"Ow! Must it be so tight?" Eloise complained and she winced in pain.

"Remember the words your late grandmother always?" Colette said as Colleen was brushing Eloise's hair.

"Beauty is pain?" Eloise said and Svetlana walked off to tie Lily's mane into a bun and put some lilies in it.

Colette nodded her head slightly.

"Does this dress make me look good?" Valentina asked Annabel, as she spun around, wearing a sparkling green dress and she had an emerald necklace around her neck.

"It looks great, Valentina! It goes with your eyes." Annabel said in delight and Valentina hugged her tightly.

After an hour and a half, all the mares, fillies and colts were all dressed up for the Hearth's Warming party and they walked to the queen's castle as it was not too far.

"Lily, my little flower, you always look beautiful." Mandarin said and she blushed when he held her to his side and he gave her a kiss on the head.

They all arrived and the queen was standing outside the door with her second daughter who was the same age as Thaddeus. Her oldest daughter was now living in Lyngway with her husband. She adopted her second daughter when she was left on the castle steps, like the way Mandarin was left at the steps of the orphanage. The queen had her light brown hair tied up in a formal fashion, she wore a rainbow sparkled dress and she had sapphires in her hair.

"Welcome, loyal subjects! Enjoy the Hearth's Warming party! If you have anything to say, just let me know." the queen announced as she smiled and her daughter also did the same except it looked like she was forcing herself to smile.

Thaddeus looked at her for a moment before he bumped into Madeleine from behind.

"Is something the matter?" Madeleine asked with concern.

"No, I just... umm... lost my hoofing is all." Thaddeus replied nervously then he tugged the collar of his tuxedo.

Everypony walked in and they sat down at a table.

"This is so exciting!" Annabel said and she nearly jumped out of her seat but Jordan held her down.

"I'm going to talk to somepony, I'll be right back." Thaddeus said and he got out of seat beside Madeleine and walked over to where the princess sat.

"Umm... hello." Thaddeus said nervously and the princess looked at him with dark green eyes.

"Hello..." the princess replied the same way he did.

"I saw you outside and it looked like you were forcing yourself to smile." Thaddeus said with a face of concern.

The princess nodded slowly then sighed.

"I just hate being a princess. I am always told what to do and everytime I get a question wrong, my tudor always hits me on the forelegs with a ruler. I am always told to smile but I just really can't," the princess said in a sad voice. "I'm never really allowed outside and I really want to but I'm afraid my mum will then lock me in my room if I try to go outside."

She then sighed and hung her head down. Thaddeus looked at her with sadness. He had never heard a princess say anything like that.

"But you have wings, you can just fly out of the window of your room and go outside. Lulu Belle used to do it a lot. She's the toughest and the most rebel out of all the foals in my home." Thaddeus said and he put a hoof on her shoulder.

"But my mum could take my wings away and I'll just be an earth pony but thanks for understanding me, I've never talked about it to anypony," the princess said giving a small smile. "My name's Crystal by the way."

She held out her hoof to him and after a moment's hesitation, he shook it and they smiled at each other.

When some slow violin and piano music came on, all the couples walked onto the dance floor.

"Would you like to dance, Lulu Belle?" Blackstone asked holding out his hoof.

Lulu Belle giggled a little.

"Lead the way, good sir." Lulu Belle replied and he took her hoof and led her to the dance floor.

The party ended and everypony went home. They went into the castle, all exhausted.

"Everypony, there's something I need to tell you," Madeleine said in a nervous voice. Everypony turned to stare at her. "I'm moving away in two weeks to Northern Arabland."

"What?!"

Everypony gasped and Madeleine nodded her head slowly then looked to the ground.

A New Start

A New Start

"You're moving?" Lulu Belle asked in shock.

Madeleine nodded slowly and still had her brown eyes looking at the ground.

"Why don't you stay here for a few more years or so, then think about moving?" Duncan asked smiling at her sadly.

"I wish I thought of that before but I've always planned to move to a new country to start a new life. I can't always be here forever, Dad." Madeleine replied looking up at everypony.

"Duncan, I know you don't want her to grow up but she has and we can't always be there for her." Elena said putting a hoof on his shoulder.

"I know that, honey, it's just we've been raising her all her life and time's gone so quickly and she's still my little filly." Duncan said and he then gave a sad sigh.

"I'm moving to Northern Arabland in two weeks because I do need a new start in life. I already applied for a job at an orphanage they had opened because of my experience with foals, colts and fillies," Madeleine said happily and she gave a brave look when she looked at the ceiling. "I will miss you all."

She then walked upstairs to her room.

Two weeks later

Madeleine was having help, lifting the boxes with magic to the next ferry that would take her to North Arabland.

"Wait, Maddie, I wanted to give you something," Elena said and she levitated something out of her saddlebag. "It's a locket that I've been saving until you would turn eighteen."

She levitated a golden locket in front of Madeleine and she captured it in her hooves. Madeleine gave a grin then she used her magic to put the locket around her neck.

"Thanks, Mummy, I'll cherish it." Madeleine said smiling and she then hugged all of her friends, family and the colts and fillies.

"Last call for Northern Arabland!" the captain of the ferry yelled and Madeleine turned to everypony and used her magic to lift her bags and boxes onto the ship and walked onto it.

Madeleine sat in her cabin on the ferry and looked at Coltland from the window for the last time. Her new life was now going to begin! It would be difficult at first to adjust to the new country but then she would get the hang of it.

Meanwhile, Thaddeus walked to the castle, took a nervous breath and knocked on the door with his right hoof. It took a while before one of the guards answered the door.

"I'm here to talk to Princess Crystal. Would she be available right now?" Thaddeus said, looking at the guard nervously.

"Her Highness is having her lessons right now and is to not be disturbed at the moment." the guard said in a grumpy and annoyed voice.

What was his problem? Was he always like this? The grumpy guard then slammed the door in Thaddeus' face. Thaddeus sighed sadly then walked down the steps of the castle. He looked back at the castle then sighed again.

"No, no, no! That was wrong, I thought I told you to study that yesterday!"

Yelling was heard and he could hear the smack of a ruler then he could hear Crystal crying. What was wrong with her being outside? He then sighed in anger and sadness.

After two hours and fifteen minutes, the ferry stopped and Madeleine looked out the window and saw what Northern Arabland. It looked really nice and she could see some hills. She got out of her cabin and used her magic to carry her bags and boxes to a carriage she had arranged to pick her up and take her to her new house. After some time, she arrived at the two story house that she bought with her pocket bits that she had been saving since she was ten years old. At that age, she had plans of moving out but that was usually after having an argument with her parents or Thaddeus. Madeleine paid the driver and he then got out to help her with her bags and boxes. They went through the back door and they set the boxes and bags into the utility room where the washing machine and dryer were. She thanked the driver and he nodded then walked out the door. She levitated her things into the kitchen then looked around and smiled.

"Looks like I'll be enjoying it here." Madeleine said with a smile.

Not Allowed to Play Together

Not Allowed to Play Together

A knock was heard on the backdoor and Madeleine walked to it and opened it.

"Hello, I'm your neighbour, Gooseberry." a pegasus mare with a lime green body, minty green hair with a white stripe and light blue eyes, stood there with a big smile on her face.

"Oh, hi, come on in." Madeleine said as Gooseberry walked in and she looked around in surprise and delight.

"You're lucky, I wish my house was like yours. The last owners built it about a few years ago but they left for reasons unknown. They never told me why they left," Gooseberry said but as soon as she mentioned the last owners, her voice turned into a sad one.

They must have been friends at the time.

"Anyway, if you need help with anything, just let me know and you can do the same with me."

She then gave a grin and walked out the kitchen door then the back door. Madeleine then looked around at all the rooms and smiled. Yep, just the way the photos had shown when they were sent to her in the mail. Madeleine then decided to go out to the town, it was a big city and everypony looked really friendly. She looked around, smiled then saw a local shop. The shop was called "Race", not a very grocery shop like name but she went in anyway and looked at everything they had. She needed some food and drinks since she hadn't had any in quite a few hours. Madeleine levitated a few cakes, fruit, vegetables and some carrot juice (her favourite drink). She got them to the till and a earth pony stallion took her groceries and scanned them.

"That'll be six bits, please." the stallion said and Madeleine levitated six bits out of her saddlebag and gave it to him.

The stallion nodded at her and she smiled at him, levitated the bags that had her groceries then walked out of the door. As she walked, she looked at the city again before she bumped into somepony and she dropped her bags.

"Watch where you are going!" the pegasus mare she bumped into said in an angry voice then she flipped her hair out of her face and walked off.

Madeleine looked at her in surprise and annoyance then got up and got her groceries back into the bags then walked the rest of the way home.

Thaddeus walked around town, looking bored and having nothing to do. He looked around at the caste then sighed. "Pssst!" a voice heard and he turned around to see where it was coming from but he couldn't figure it out. It was heard again and he walked over to the back of Valentina's bakery. He gasped at who he saw! Crystal sat there, looking at him with a grin.

"Crystal, what are you doing here?" Thaddeus asked in surprise. "How did you get out of the castle?"

She then gave a small giggle and still gave him that grin.

"I flew out of my bedroom window. I did lock my door but my mum will not be suspicious because she is used to me locking my door," Crystal replied with another giggle and her dark green eyes sparkled. "Come on, let's go to the woods and hang around there!"

She got up and jumped up and down gently until she then winced in pain. Thaddeus noticed some red scars on her forelegs. Crystal looked at the scars and gave him a look but he already knew what the answer was.

"What if the guards will be around there?" Thaddeus asked nervously.

"They never go and guard there anyway until nighttime. We'll hang around there until around five then I can go home so I don't get in trouble with my mum." Crystal replied with a lot of confidence.

"Alright, we'll be there until five and then I have to be back at school in a couple days because my Hearth's Warming break is almost up." Thaddeus said, tracing a shape on the ground with his hoof and he had his grey eyes to the ground.

"Lucky, I have to have lessons all the time, even on weekends." Crystal said in annoyance and she crossed her forelegs.

After their talk, the two cantered to the woods and sat down at the lake. What made that lake so special for everypony anyway? Maybe it was one of the most romantic spots there. That Thaddeus would agree with.

"It's so beautiful here." Thaddeus said as he laid down on the grass and looked at the clouds.

Crystal also did the same and she looked at him slightly with a big smile.

"Hey, that cloud looks like a star," Crystal said with delight and she clopped her hooves together. "That one looks like a bunny. See the fluffy tail?"

After some cloud watching, the two then played a game of tag. They laughed, screamed and even yelled at each other if one of them was now it. At one point, Crystal grabbed for Thaddeus and the two rolled about a little and they both laughed then blushed a little. They were about to kiss when a snap of a twig was heard. The figure walked out of the shadows and they noticed that it was Duncan. When he saw them, he didn't seem to mind and was surprised to see Crystal. He gave her a nod and she nodded back. Another snap of a twig and they noticed that it was the queen! Oh hay, this was not good!

"Crystal, you are outside?!" the queen demanded and Crystal cowered in fear. "Come on, young lady, we're going home!"

"What is wrong with her being outside? They were just playing!" Duncan demanded in anger.

The queen then used her magic to lift her daughter into the air.

"I don't care and now that your son was with my daughter, I shall ban you from visiting the castle even if it's for parties or any emergencies." the queen said and she then flew away while still levitating Crystal.

She turned to Thaddeus and mouthed goodbye to him, waved and gave an about to cry look.

Author's Note

The shop "Race" is a spoof of the shop "Mace"

Feeling Down

Feeling Down

Madeleine arrived home with all her groceries and thankfully didn't bump into anymore local ponies like that mare earlier. She levitated all the groceries out of the bags and sorted them in their right places. Fruit in the bowl, vegetables in the fridge or freezer and the cakes in a drawer where the sweet things would go. She then went into the living room, grabbed a book from the bookshelf and sat down on the chaise lounge that was at the window. It was a history book about Coltland that she had been reading since she was a filly. She then suddenly felt a sad feeling go through her. Why was she feeling this way? Was she already missing her home country?

It was evening time when Madeleine decided to take a walk on the towpath. The woods were really nice and they didn't scare her one bit, no matter how dark it was, since it was winter. She then had the same bad feeling going through her and she slowed her walking and sat on one of the benches that she saw. As Madeleine sat down, it started to thunder then rain poured heavily. She sighed in sadness and she had the urge to sing a song.

She opened her mouth and started to sing:

"Away from home

I'm feeling so lonely

So sad

I now have a sad feeling

I know

How it feels to be away

From home and miss everypony

And start to become sad"

Madeleine then got up and walked again.

"In my head, I see my hometown

When I moved, I looked back there

And I wonder if they are missing me

I hope that Thaddeus is getting his true love now

I know that he's happy there

And I hope that my parents will still be together

And I hope that everypony's happy still

Even though it's only been a few hours"

Madeleine then trotted and looked at her reflection in the river.

"I miss Coltland

But I wanted to start a new life

My hope is going

Away and I feel hopeless

Without them

I feel like the ground is sinking

And I feel like I'm fading

All I can see now is darkness"

Her tears then dropped into the water.

"I miss them

But everyday I feel like crying

For some time

I'm starting to lose hope

I miss them

I hope they haven't forgotten me

And I hope there isn't anything bad

While I'm separated from them"

She then fell to the ground.

"I miss them

I miss them

I miss them

But I'm away from home"

Madeleine got up and it started to rain lightly. She walked slowly back to her street and went to Gooseberry's house which was just next door. She knocked on the door slowly. It took a while before Gooseberry came to the door.

"Madeleine, you look terrible! Are you okay?" Gooseberry said in surprise and concern.

"I just need somepony to talk to, Gooseberry." Madeleine replied and the pegasus stepped to the side and let her walk in.

Madeleine walked into Gooseberry's living room and sat down on one of the comfy chairs.

"Would you like a mango smoothie?" Gooseberry asked from the kitchen.

"Yeah, I could have something to drink right now." Madeleine replied and she looked at the fire that was going on in the fireplace.

Gooseberry came back, holding a tray steadily on her head which had two glasses of mango smoothie. Madeleine used her magic to levitate the glasses off the tray and onto a coaster each. She then levitated the glass and took a big sip. She nodded and gave a sad smile at Gooseberry who gave a look of concern.

"What troubles you so?" Gooseberry asked as she took a sip of her smoothie.

"I know that I've been here for hours but I'm starting to miss my home country and I now have a feeling that it wasn't a good idea and I'm getting a sad feeling rush through me." Madeleine explained sadly and she finished her smoothie.

"I'm not from here either, I'm actually from Pranica (a spoof of Africa) and it took me some time to adjust to this country then afterwards I felt fine. You're just homesick and upset that you have left all your friends and family but soon you'll be just fine." Gooseberry said with a reassuring smile.

She then got up and patted Madeleine on the head and back.

"Thanks, Goose, I feel a little better now. I'm going to go home." Madeleine said and hugged her neighbour before walking out the front door.

Crystal sat in her bedroom as her mother stood over her.

"What did I tell you about going outside?" the queen demanded as she paced the room.

"You can't keep me in this castle all my life or until you arrange me to be married to somepony of Afghanisteed or Pakisteed!" Crystal yelled and the queen looked at her with surprise.

"Don't talk to me like that young lady!" the queen yelled back and at that boiling point,

Crystal got up and pushed her mother to the side and she hit into the dresser. Crystal looked at her in shock before flew out of her window, crying with regret and fright.

Author's Note

Yes the song is based off On My Own by Les Miserables and I listened to DisneyFanstic2364's parody version of it for some inspiration. I even tried singing my own version but it didn't sound too well because my parents were home at the time.

Love Can Be Found

Author's Note

I won't be featuring Madeleine in this chapter like I usually would with any chapter but since I love writing Thaddeus and Crystal so much, why not have a whole chapter with them?

I had to change the lyrics "they" to "she" because Crystal is supposed to still be mad with her mother.

I don't own the rest of the other lyrics of "Love Will Find a Way" from Lion King 2.

I also made a new record of the number of chapters finished in one day. I finished two chapters "Three" and "Four" in one day which is a new record. Woohoo!

Love Can Be Found

Love Can Be Found

The next morning, Thaddeus walked to the castle and knocked on the door. It took some time before the grumpy and annoyed guard from before, answered the door.

"Hello, I'm hearing to see Princess Crystal, I want to talk to her." Thaddeus said in a scared and nervous voice.

"Her Highness isn't here at the moment, she disappeared last night after an argument with the queen." the guard said then slammed the door in Thaddeus' face.

Crystal was missing? Where in the hay did she go? What happened last night? Did she go to woods? Thaddeus trotted to the woods and he looked around behind every bush, tree or a big rock but he didn't find her. He sighed and sat down at the lake that they hung around at yesterday.

Crystal sat in a tree and sighed in sadness. It had only been hours since she had run away from home. What just made her snap like that? She had never done that to anypony because she would always cower in fear.

She then flew slowly to the ground and sighed in sadness then she opened her mouth to sing:

"In a perfect world

One we've never known

We would never need

To face the world alone

They can have their world

We'll create our own

I may not be brave or strong or smart

But somewhere in my secret heart"

Crystal then walked slowly.

"I know love will find a way, anywhere I go

If you are there beside me"

She then flew up in the sky and looked at her mother's castle.

"Like dark turning into day

Somehow we'll come through

Now that I've found you

Love will find a way"

She then sat on a rock and hung her head.

Meanwhile Thaddeus was still at the lake and he started to sing:

"I was so afraid, now I realise

Love is never wrong

And so it never dies"

Thaddeus looked up to see Crystal sitting on a rock and he walked closer to her and she then looked at him and smiled.

"There's a perfect world

Shining in your eyes"

The two then both started to sing together and trotted to each other.

Crystal sung first:

"And if only she could feel it too

The happiness I feel with you"

They both hugged each other tightly and Crystal kissed him on the cheek.

They then sung together:

"She'd know love will find a way

Anywhere we go

We're home if we are there together"

The couple then sat down and looked their reflections together in the lake. They continued singing:

"Like dark, turning into day

Somehow we'll come through

Now that I've found you

Love will find a way

I know love will find a way"

After they looked at the lake for a bit, two butterflies flew past time and Crystal got up and chased after the butterflies, laughing with delight. Thaddeus then did the same and they chased each other until he caught her and they rolled on the grass together. He then kissed her and she kissed him back. They stopped and looked at each other then smiled at each other.

"We should run away together, live somewhere in another town." Crystal said with confidence as she got up.

"I can't go away from my home, I need to take care of my parents and their friends' foals because they would rely on me," Thaddeus said in shock but she then gave a sigh of annoyance. "I'm going to go to school now, I'll back for you after half past three because that's when school ends." Thaddeus said and he gave her a kiss on the head before walking off.

Dreams Do Come True

Author's Note

This is going to be the last chapter.
Sorry the story is shorter than the other ones in the series, I've just run out of a few ideas and there will be something I'll ask you all but you need to read all of this and get to the end to find out.
Should I do audio dramas on this series?
Anyway, enjoy this last chapter.

Dreams Do Come True

Dreams Do Come True

Madeleine walked to the orphanage that she was going to start her first day at. She hoped it would be really good and just like when she worked in Coltland. She trotted into the building and looked at all the foals, colts and fillies that were in different rooms and they all looked at her in wonder and surprise.

"Ah, Madeleine, I'm so glad that you are here!" a unicorn with a light pink body, white hair and light blue eyes squealed and she shook Madeleine's hoof really fast. Wow, wasn't she the happy one around here? "My name is Sweetie Pie, by the way. I help with all the foals, colts and fillies around here and I supervise them."

After talking to Sweetie Pie, Madeleine sat in one of the rooms and played and supervised the colts and fillies that were aged between seven and eleven. Those were the colts and fillies she took care of back in Coltland and a few got good homes.

"Where do you come from? I like your accent!" a unicorn filly with dark purple eyes, a light yellow body and a long violet mane and tail, asked with a grin.

"Oh, I'm from Coltland, it's a really beautiful country. I also worked in an orphanage there," Madeleine replied, smiling at the filly and she scruffed her mane. "What's your name by the way, little one?"

The filly gave her a small smile.

"My name is Blackberry." the filly replied then she went off to play with another filly.

Thaddeus walked out of his technical college at three thirty. He then walked to the woods to see if Crystal was still around.

"Crystal, are you around here?" Thaddeus whispered and he looked around.

He heard rustling in some bushes and she walked out slowly and she gave him a tight hug then kissed him.

"We have to be quiet, I saw my mum around here and I've been hiding from her because I don't want her to find me," Crystal said in fright and she looked around really fast with her dark green eyes.

"Right now, I think she doesn't even care about me. She never says that she loves me and she never spends any time with me."

She crossed her forelegs and gave an angry look.

"Crystal, she does care about you. Why do you think she was looking for you?" Thaddeus said and he gave her a stern look.

Before she could say anything, she heard her name being called. The queen then appeared and she gave a face of surprise and she trotted up to Crystal and gave her a tight hug.

"Crystal, thank goodness that you are safe! I was worried about you even though I still have a slight headache after you pushed me over but I forgive you," the queen said as she let go of her daughter then looked at Thaddeus for a moment then back at her daughter.

"I've realised that you have made your first ever friend and the reason I didn't allow you outside was because I wanted to keep you safe because some ponies want to ponynap a princess for ransom, but I realised that I was wrong. I now see you are happier when you are outside."

"What about my dad? Are you going to make peace with him again?" Thaddeus asked nervously and he looked at Crystal from the corner of his eye.

"No problem, I'll go to him in a little and talk to him. In the meantime, you two enjoy yourselves." the queen said and as she was about to leave, Crystal tapped her on the shoulder with her right hoof.

"Uhh... Mum... me and Thaddeus are more than just friends actually." Crystal said in a nervous voice then she gave a grin.

The queen's pink eyes widened then she gave a small laugh.

"If you are serious about this relationship, I'm not going to stop you." the queen said putting a foreleg around her daughter then she flew off.

"Come on, Crystal, let's go down to Valentina's bakery where she works alongside her son, Mandarin." Thaddeus said, giving his mare a tight hug then they walked to the town.

The couple walked into Valentina's bakery where they were greeted by Mandarin.

"Hey, Thaddeus, who's the lucky mare?" Mandarin said giving a look with his eyes.

"This is my marefriend, Princess Crystal." Thaddeus replied with a smile.

"Oh, the Princess Crystal? Why, welcome, Your Highness, let me lead you two to a seat," Mandarin said with excitement and he lead them to a table at the window.

"Hey, Mum! We have a royal guest here! Let's get lots of cupcakes served to them!" Mandarin then galloped into the kitchen.

"A royal guest?! Let's get those cupcakes made, the family way!" Valentina was heard yelling in excitement and then a smash of a plate was heard.

"For crying out loud, Mum, you dropped those cupcakes I made earlier!" Mandarin yelled in surprise.

"Talk like that to me again, lad, you are not getting any strawberry shortcake for desert tomorrow!" Valentina yelled back then they both started laughing.

"Mandarin! Are you here?" Lily called out as soon as she walked through the door. "Oh hi, Thaddeus and Crystal, how are you doing?"

Thaddeus smiled at the filly with a mint green body, light pink eyes and a blue and white mane.

"I have one question, Lily, where is Miracle by the way? I totally forgot where she went to." Thaddeus said and Crystal just smiled at him and Lily.

"Oh, she's at the hospital where she got an illness. That was why she didn't attend the Hearth's Warming Party and also why her parents weren't there because they stayed to give her company. Dahlia also did the same with Elizabeth and Autumn," Lily said with a sad face and voice. "But she will be out tomorrow, she's feeling a lot better."

She smiled then walked into the kitchen. A week later, Madeleine walked into the orphanage again and was looking forward to work again. Blackberry was her favourite foal to play with, she was always smiling, funny and was always very friendly. She walked in and walked to Sweetie Pie who was looking at a book.

"Oh, Madeleine, I want to talk to you," Sweetie Pie said with a smile like she always did. She then levitated a chair next to Madeleine and she sat on it while Sweetie Pie sat opposite her on a desk. "Since you've been here for a week now, how would you like to adopt a foal?" Sweetie Pie said with a grin.

Madeleine gave a wide eyed expression. She was allowed to adopt a foal? Her mum and dad would be proud to have a grandfoal!

"Are you sure, Sweet? You really mean it?" Madeleine asked just to make sure that she hadn't misheard her. Sweetie Pie nodded and still gave that smile.

"Which one would you like? If they have a sibling or two, then they need to go with them, it's so sad to separate them." Sweetie Pie replied and she opened a book that had a picture full of foals.

"I'll take Blackberry. She's been my favourite foal since I got here." Madeleine said with a grin.

"She has a sister named Hazel and you'll have to take her as well. I won't charge you any bits for them," Sweetie Pie said and she closed the book and levitated it back onto the bookshelf. "I think Blackberry will want to go with you. She really likes you. I've seen how you two have really bonded. Come on, let's go get her and her sister."

Madeleine and Sweetie Pie got up and walked to the room.

"Can we have Blackberry and Hazel over here, please?" Madeleine said and Blackberry looked up at her with a big grin and she and Hazel walked over to them.

"I have good news for both of you. You're going to a new home with Madeleine." Sweetie Pie said happily and Blackberry and Hazel gave gasps of surprise and they hugged Madeleine tightly.

"Mummy!" the sisters said and they giggled. Madeleine felt a rush of happiness go through her chest and she hugged them back.

After work, Madeleine, Blackberry and Hazel walked home. Blackberry was jumping about alongside Hazel. They walked into the home and when they walked through the kitchen door, Madeleine saw all her friends and family! Gooseberry was also there.

"Congratulations!" they all yelled and Blackberry, Hazel and Madeleine all looked with surprise.

"Why are you all here?" Madeleine asked with a happy and teary voice.

"Since it's been a week since you lived here, we decided to throw you a party." Valentina said with a grin and she looked around with pride.

"Who are these two lovely fillies?" Elena asked, kneeling down to take a closer look at them.

"Mum, Dad, meet your grandfillies, Blackberry and Hazel. I adopted them today." Madeleine replied and Elena looked at Duncan with happiness.

Duncan then walked over and the proud grandparents gave the two fillies a tight hug. The party started and everypony partied throughout the entire day. Everypony's dreams had come true over the years. Elena and Duncan got grandfoals, Thaddeus had found his true love and Madeleine had adapted to her new life in Northern Arabland.

Then at a hill, a unicorn mare with a green body, long brown mane and tail and green eyes and had an open red book with a pink heart as a cutie mark, stood there and she turned to the audience and gave a wink.