What Lies in My Future?

by Dawnrex15

Rating: mature
Tags: Slice of Life, Sad, Anthro, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark
Length: 6144

Caster Forge has lived a tough life. His trials always showing the best of him. And now you will see his tale to success.

Prequel to Love at Second Sight

Some ponies are born into a life of success and grandeur. Others are made to work for their fame. For Caster Forge, it is a life of having everything and nothing which has made him into who he is today. And everypony of great stature starts off as foal, whose dreams will carry him toward his future.

This is his story: one of chance and effort.

Hear it is folks. After over a year and a half of waiting the next story in this series is here. Reminder, this is not a sequel, but a prequel that shows the life of Caster Forge. Showing his marks, the rise to his position, and the lessons he undergoes that shape his values.

Caster Forge and his family belong to me.
MLP: FiM belongs to Hasbro

Cover art by Animadrawsart
Beta-read by sevenofeleven

Published 2017-02-06 00:30:01 UTC
Last updated 2019-08-07 04:47:47 UTC

Chapter 1: The First of Many

     A light breeze blew across the mid-day sky as the slowly setting summer sun brought an amber glow to the land of Equestria. The view was certainly beautiful from those who stood on the earth below. But in the sky, it could not get any better. Such was the case for the city of Cloudsdale which stood proudly and gracefully in the world above. Despite it being a city made purely of clouds, it had been carved into a place of brilliant architecture and design. Houses and other buildings dotted the land, columns with intricate carvings were spread around, holding the city and its citizens up, and roads were paved to give the place a sense of direction. And through it all, the Pegasi were able to call this place home as the ponies went through their daily lives.

     Some were working at shops to sell their delicacies and supplies. Others took to spending time with friends and loved ones. One group was engaging in the latter as several colts and fillies had gathered in Cloudsdale Park for a game of cloud ball. Both on the cloud floor and in the air, the children were kicking and passing around what seemed to be a condensed ball of clouds. At the moment a green furred colt with a black mane was flying past a few of the other kids to reach the cloud ring goal on the other side. He soon realized that he was about to be surrounded and took a quick glance at the players below. He spotted one of his team mates, a colt with a sepia mane and light brown fur, and quickly kicked the ball over to him as he shouted his name.

     “Hey, Caster, heads up!” he hollered.

     The pony, unfortunately, didn’t seem to notice and by the time he realized what had happened he was hit on the head and fell to the ground. The others went over to him to see if he was all right as he sat back up.

     “You okay, Caster? That looked like it must’ve hurt,” a filly stated, searching his head for a bump.

     “Y-yeah, I’m all right,” Caster replied, rubbing the sore spot.

     “I’m sorry, Cast,” the green colt said. “I must’ve hit the ball a bit too hard.”

     “No, it’s my fault. I just wasn’t really focused at the moment,” he said, embarrassed that he wasn’t focusing on the game.

     “I guess it was both of our faults,” the colt stated, sheepishly extending a hand to him. “What say we just move past it and get on with the game?”

     “That’s fine with me,” Caster said, grabbing hold before being lifted up.

     “All right, everypony, so far the game’s still four to four,” a yellow filly with a red mane shouted, pointing to a set of score cards next to her. “Next team to score a point wins the game!”

     All the foals cheered with childish glee as they all started to plan out their new strategies. Caster, on the other hand, stood off to the side lost in his thoughts.

     The colt in question was known as Caster Forge. He was somewhat of a loner in his class, not because he didn’t like the idea of having friends, he just didn’t know what to say to them. Whenever he’d try to approach a group, he always got lost by whatever they were talking about and would just back off, afraid to make a fool out of himself. The only reason he was here today was because his brother had invited him to play with the others. Caster was hesitant at first, but soon decided to at least give it a try if it meant getting rid of his silly fear, even by just a little.

     When he first arrived, Caster was afraid that the others would just shove him away, not interested. But to his surprise, he found them welcoming him in with open arms. Even when he confessed he didn’t know how to play, they gladly showed and taught him all the rules. Slowly, Caster started to relax and became more into the game, though his mind would still blank out when he actually tried to talk to someone. Yet through it all he was still glad just to be part of something with others.

     “Equestria to Caster, hello?” a voice suddenly spoke up.

     Caster was broken out of his thoughts when he looked to see a colt with orange fur and a golden brown mane, who had an impatient look in his blue eyes. It was his older brother, Jack Spirit, trying to get his attention.

     “C’mon, Cast, we need you over here to discuss our next plan of action,” Jack said, pointing back to their team.

     “Oh right, sorry about that. My brain kind of wandered again,” Caster stated, shaking his head to relieve his thoughts.

     “Let me guess, still afraid of hanging out with the others,” Jack asked, receiving a slight nod from his brother. “You really need to let this go, Cast. They haven’t done anything wrong to you since you got here and it doesn’t seem like they’re going to start now. I really want to help you make some friends but you seriously have to try and loosen up if you want to get anywhere.”

     “…O-okay, I’ll try,” Caster said, trusting in his brother’s advice as he tried putting on a smile.

     “Good, now how’s about we work on our strategy,” Jack said, walking back to the group.

     Caster nodded eagerly as went over to where his team members had gathered. Jack had always been one of the best ponies he’d ever known. Everypony seemed to enjoy being around him, as he just seemed to put everyone in a good mood. That and because he was one of the very few unicorns to be born in Cloudsdale. It was very rare for different races to be born in Cloudsdale, particularly unicorns, so naturally the other foals couldn’t help but gawk at seeing one up here, only kept aloft by an enchanted amulet hanging around his neck.

     But despite all that, Jack never let that change who he was. He was always there to listen to others and help with whatever advice he could give to them. And if it weren’t for him, Caster wouldn’t have been able to come out here today, and he was ever thankful for that. Breaking out his moment of thought, Caster suddenly remembered that he had a game to help with.

     For a few minutes the ponies planned on who would go where and what they were to do.

     “All right, you three be sure to try and keep the defense up in the air,” the green colt said, the players nodding in agreement. “Jack, you and the ground team stand ready by the goal to receive the ball from the goalie.”

     “We’ll do our best,” Jack said, the others agreeing.

     “Um, what about me?” Caster asked, wondering what he should do.

     “I want you to stay on the sideline as our receiver in the air in case the ground team gets blocked,” he said, having confidence that Caster will do his job.

     “I’ll do my best,” he replied, giving a hesitant nod.

     “All right then, everpony, break!” the green colt exclaimed, as they all took their positions.

     The yellow filly from earlier, who had been made referee, walked into the center of their game field holding the ball in her hands. With a small toss of the ball into the air, the final match began anew.

     One of the children from the other team managed to knock the ball over to the other side of the court as the others rushed in to grab it. A little colt managed to do so as he kicked it around while avoiding other players, heading for the goal. When he was in range he gave it a swift kick towards the goal, only to have it blocked by the filly goalie, who passed it down to the team on the ground.

     It was received by another filly who passed it back and forth between herself and Jack as they made their way to the other end of the court. They were stopped when three large colts blocked their path, looking down at them with confident grins. Jack looked up at any available players and saw Caster off to the side of the court, wide open and unsure what to do. It would be a risky move, but Jack didn’t have much time to think at the moment.

     “It’s all yours, little bro!” he yelled out, throwing the ball up to Caster.

     Recognizing the sudden shout, Caster looked to where his brother was and in a flash, caught the ball in his hands. All eyes locked on to Caster as the other team members zipped toward him to wrest the ball out of his trembling hands. Caster soon realized his predicament and moved out of the way just in time as he rushed to make the goal. He continued avoiding the other players, occasionally passing it back to one of his other teammates. Soon he was near the goal post while one of the colts had the ball.

     The colt then threw the ball into the air over to Caster, as the other players rushed in to grab it. Caster, acting on instinct, flew up as fast as he could and managed to knock it away from the others. Then, in a flurry of adrenaline, did a back kick flip with all the strength he could muster, making the ball zoom past the others and into the other team’s goal ring for the winning score. Losing his balance, Caster was sent tumbling down onto the soft ground below him as he panted in exhaustion.

    Still dazed from his actions, he could barely make out the sudden loud noises around him. Recovering, Caster soon realized that it was the other players cheering as they approached him with astounded faces.

     “That was awesome, Caster!” one of the colts exclaimed.

     “It was impressive is what I’d call it,” another stated.

     “How did you manage to do all that?” a filly questioned, surprised by what had happened.

     “I don’t know, my body just seemed to move on its own I guess,” Caster Forge replied, recalling his actions.

     “Well regardless, it was still pretty amazing,” she said, the other kids agreeing and making Caster blush in response.

     “All right, all right, that’s enough embarrassing my brother. After all, that’s my job,” Jack Spirit said, bringing Caster into a headlock as he proceeded to give him a playful noogie.

     Caster certainly agreed, it was very embarrassing. Yet as he looked around at the others and saw all their smiling and laughing faces, he felt a sense of ease and happiness inside him. These weren’t the expressions of ridicule that he had feared, they were of acceptance and praise. And he couldn’t help but smile as well, despite his predicament. It was a feeling he had hoped to experience for so long and all it took was to break out his self-made barriers.

     And so the day went on as the colts and fillies all hung out together, playing other kinds of games and using the nearby playground. All the while Caster had become surprisingly more active and enthusiastic, much to Jack’s delight. He may’ve gone on a bit too much about his winning goal moment, but Jack didn’t mind too much. He was just happy to see his little brother interacting more with others for a change.

     Eventually the day had to come to a close as the sun began to set over the horizon. All the children had gathered together to say goodnight to each other, while Caster thanked them for letting him join in.

     “So, does this mean we’re friends now?” Caster asked, seemingly confident but a bit hesitant.

     “Of course, Cast. If you ever want to hang out again, just ask and we’ll try to get together again,” one of the colts said, the others agreeing then.

     “Sweet. Well we’d better get going, don’t want to keep mom and dad waiting. See you guys again soon,” Caster stated, him and Jack waving and walking away.

     They all did the same as everypony went home for the night. Along the walk home, Caster couldn’t stop smiling about how good his day was. Jack noticed and smiled as well.

     “So I take it you enjoyed yourself today, Cast?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

     “Absolutely! I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun,” he replied, still thinking about it all.

     “Well I’m glad you were able to have some fun at least, little bro. And I hope I can see you doing more of it in the future,” Jack said.

     “I hope so too, I wouldn’t miss another chance like that for the world,” Cast said, already planning another day in his mind.

     The two brothers continued talking on their way home, bringing up hilarious moments of the day as well as old ones from previous days. Eventually they found themselves at their cloud-made home, just as the moon and stars began to appear overhead. Walking inside, they were greeted by the cool breeze of the air conditioner as it warded off the humidity of the summer air. Along with it, Jack and Caster could smell the aroma of freshly cooked vegetables as they went past the living room and into the kitchen.

     There they found their parents, Copper Gold and Amethyst Emberglow, as they were finishing setting up the dinner table. When they noticed their sons had walked in they put on their best happy faces as they approached the children.

     “There’s my little boy,” Amethyst said, picking up Caster and bringing him into a motherly hug.

     “And here’s our little scamp,” Copper said, bringing Jack into his own headlock noogie.

     “Nice to see you too, Mom. I’ve got some big news to tell you,” Caster said, breaking out of the hug with excitement.

     “I’ll say, you won’t believe how great today went,” Jack said, fixing his mane.

     “Well do tell us, it’ll be nice to hear how your game went,” Copper said, keeping up his smile, while seeming a little uneasy.

     Amethyst was the same as she helped the colts into their seats as they all sat down for dinner. From there they partook in the delicious meal set before them while talking about Caster and Jack’s day with the other foals. From the start of the game, to Caster’s winning goal, nothing was left out. All the while their parents listened with rapt attention, proud to the see their youngest son taking a step forward in his life. Yet it also made it harder for the subject they needed to bring up.

     Soon the meal was finished as Copper and Amethyst cleaned up while Caster and Jack had some cookies and milk for dessert. Once they were finished the two adults sat back down, their cheerful expressions gone and replaced with ones of nervousness. Caster and Jack took notice and realized their parents needed to talk about something important.

     “Mom, Dad, is everything all right?” Jack asked, slightly worried.

     “Is this about the broken vase last week? I swear that was an accident!” Caster Forge exclaimed, thinking that now he would receive his punishment.

     “No, no, it’s not about that, Caster,” Copper Gold said, trying to keep his son focused.

     “Your father and I have been talking about this for a while now. It was tough to decide on but we believe it’ll work to help us all,” Amethyst stated, her hears drooping as this was getting harder to discuss.

     “Well what is it?” Jack asked, more curious than nervous.

     Amethyst and Copper looked at each other and nodded in agreement before looking back at their children and taking a deep breath.

     “We’re moving to Canterlot,” they said in unison, earning surprised looks from both of the colts.

     “We’ve realized that the shop hasn’t been making much money lately, what with all the imports of ground materials we’ve had to make,” Copper said, knowing they’ve just barely been able to make it financially.

     “Plus there haven’t been many customers asking for jewelry lately. We figure it best to move somewhere where everypony is more willing to buy our merchandise. We hope you both can understand,” Amethyst said, wondering if they would be all right with this sudden change.

     Both Jack and Caster were quite stunned by this sudden turn of events, Jack’s eyes widening while Caster was facing the floor. After all it’s not every day you’re told you have to start a new life somewhere else. Jack Spirit seemed to understand well enough, having known more about how other ponies can feel about a situation.

     “Well, if it helps us all, I suppose that’s all right with me,” he said, still feeling conflicted. “What about you Cas-”

     Jack didn’t have a chance to finish his question as he heard something hit the floor. Looking down he saw that it was Caster’s glass of milk, its contents spilled across the floor. Looking back up he saw Caster with what seemed to be anger and sadness carved onto his face as he spoke.

     “You can’t do this to me!” he screamed out.

     “Caster, please,” Amethyst said, trying to calm him down. “We’re not doing this to you on purpo-”

     “LIAR! I finally make some friends and suddenly you want to take that all away from me! What, am I not allowed to have friends?!” Caster yelled, his face scrunching in anger.

     “Calm down, Caster, you’re overreacting!” Copper said, seeing how personally his son was taking this.

     “Am I, am I really?! How would you feel if you had lose so many things that were close to you?!” he claimed, standing up in his chair and pointing angrily at his father.

     “Caster that’s enough, you need to calm down!” Jack said, grabbing his brother and trying to force him to sit down.

     “GET OFF OF ME!!” Caster screamed, shoving Jack away and against the wall.

     In the process he sent himself tumbling over and hitting the floor. Their parents rushed over to them to see if they were okay. Jack seemed fine as he sat up, only having a minor bump on his head. However, Caster didn’t seem much better as they could hear him starting to cry. Amethyst went over to him and saw the tears rolling down his cheeks in heavy doses as he curled up into a ball.

     She tried to comfort him, only to find her hands being smacked away as Caster bolted out of the kitchen and up the stairs. They soon heard a loud slam echoing throughout the house before muffled cries of sorrow took their place.

===============================================================

     Night had fallen on Cloudsdale as the moon shined overhead, illuminating the soft cloud homes. Many of the homes appeared dark with no lights coming from inside, as most ponies had adjourned to their dream lands for the night. But one little colt was not offered the same pleasantries as the moonlight brightened his otherwise dark room. Yet he could not see it as he had taken to wrapping himself in several layers of blankets on his bed.

     Caster Forge had spent the last hour or so crying his heart out in solitude, wanting to believe that this was all some horrible dream. Yet no matter how many times he pinched himself or slapped himself in the face, he knew that this was all too real. Soon he would have to leave his new friends behind and go back to the same loneliness he was currently in. The thought made him want to cry again, only to find that his tears had run dry after so long. Caster didn’t know what to do, simply bringing the blankets around him closer to try and comfort himself.

     Soon the silence around him was disturbed as he could faintly hear the sound of his bedroom door opening and somepony walking in. It was soon followed by the mystery pony taking a seat beside him and gently rubbing the blankets above him.

     “Caster, are you okay?” the pony asked, Caster realizing it as his mother’s voice.

     He didn’t respond, only shrinking deeper into his little sanctuary. He didn’t want to see her as she seemed just as responsible for bringing this upon him. He could hear the small sound of a sigh before she spoke again.

     “I know that this is hard to deal with, I’ve dealt with losing friends like this when I was your age as well,” Amethyst said, trying to comfort him. “But sometimes these things happen, and it’s not to hurt you. We just need to be somewhere where we can bring in enough money to support ourselves and that includes you as well. We are still thinking of you, your father and me.”

     The silence in the room continued as Amethyst watched the large lump of blankets move slowly up and down, showing Caster’s deep breathing as he took in her words. Deep down he knew she was right, it was for the best of everyone that they move. Yet what it meant for him still hurt so much. Feeling the need to voice his opinion, Caster shuffled his way through the maze of blankets before popping his head out, though facing away from his mother.

     “Please, don’t make me lose them,” he croaked out, his voice weary and worn out.

     “I’m sorry, Caster, I’m afraid there’s no other option,” Amethyst said, doing her best to ease him. “But who knows, you might be able to make some new friends in Canterlot.”

     “But I won’t know anyone there, Mom,” Caster stated, feeling scared at the thought. “I only got to be friends with the others here because I’ve been around them long enough. I’d have to start all over again with others who don’t know anything about me.”

     “Well, maybe that’s a good thing,” she replied, causing Caster to turn in her direction a bit, avoiding eye contact. “Perhaps now you can have a better chance at showing them who you really are and making a better first impression.”

     “But what if they don’t like me anyway? I mean I still don’t have my cutie mark after all. What if they just make fun of me?” he said, remembering the few times he had been teased by bullies for having a blank flank.

     “From what you and Jack told me about earlier today, I doubt that will be a problem,” Amethyst said, gingerly placing a hand on his shoulder. “Just be yourself and you’ll be fine. And don’t worry about trying to make friends on the first day. Be patient and the right ponies will see who you really are.”

     As Amethyst continued to talk, the more her words started to sink in. Caster started thinking of all the possibilities the future may hold. While some of them seemed bad, others had a more appealing outlook to him. The idea of having to start over didn’t seem completely terrifying anymore, as he imagined trying to be more social than he was before. Caster was still sad to leave so many others behind, but he realized the potential that the future still held for him.

     Reluctantly he turned around and looked his mother in the eyes. Amethyst could see how red his eyes were, also noting his messy mane and the streaks of tears and snot on his face. She quickly grabbed the hot towel she had brought with her earlier and began cleaning up his face soothingly. It was something Caster had loved for as long as he could remember. Whenever Caster felt this down, his mother’s soft touch and gentle scrubs always managed to ease his spirit. Soon enough he was all cleaned up as Amethyst looked at him with her soft motherly gaze.

        “Whatever happens, Caster, don’t forget we’ll all be here for you if you need us,” she said, bringing him into a gentle hug.

     Feeling a little better, Caster returned the hug, burying his face in his mother’s embrace. As his body began to relax he let out a yawn as he could feel his body start to succumb to the world of slumber. Seeing this, Amethyst fixed up his bed sheets a bit and tucked him into bed more comfortingly, resting his head against the soft pillows.

     “Now get some rest my little colt. You’ve got some apologies to make tomorrow as well as chores,” she stated, giving him a stare that showed how serious she was.

     “Aww, pony feathers,” Caster said, knowing he was still in trouble for his actions earlier.

   “But look on the bright side, you still have your birthday coming up soon,” Amethyst said, reminding him of what’s to come in the future.

     Caster couldn’t help but give a small smile as he had almost forgotten his own birthday next month. Only now, he had a chance to spend it with more ponies than before. As those thoughts surged through his mind, he found himself drifting into slumber as his soft snores could be heard by his mother. With that she gave him a quick kiss on the forehead before silently making her way out of his bedroom and closing the door behind her, getting ready for the many busy weeks ahead of them.

===============================================================

     Morning quickly came as the sun emerged from over the mountains, its light peering into Caster’s bedroom. However the small colt was nowhere to be found, along with the rest of his room. Indeed all his furniture and belongings had been moved out, leaving only the small bits of dust that had begun to form. The rest of the house was no different as nearly the entire place had been emptied out, leaving only the essential utilities lying around.

     Suddenly a few fillies and colts run in through the door from the backyard, heading straight for the kitchen. Inside were a plethora of food, treats, and goodies sorted across the countertops. They each grabbed a few cookies before making their way outside, which was anything but empty. The backyard had been filled with many varieties of party decorations and games. There were steamers and balloons of multiple colors hanging from poles that swayed in the breeze. Confetti was scattered all over, changing the clouds milky white glow into a palette of color.

     The games were what any would expect at a foal’s birthday party, including pin the tail on the pony, a piñata, some board games, a bouncy castle, and a small dance circle where the fillies and colts gathered around a radio blasting catchy tunes. And in the aforementioned bouncy castle was the colt of the hour, Caster Forge, bouncing around with joy along with many other colts and fillies and his brother.

     “This is one great party, Cast!” one of the colts stated, doing a quick flip.

     “You can thank our parents for that, they really pulled out all the stops today,” he replied, seeing them talking with some of the other parents away from them.

     “Well I’m sure they wanted to make it special for both us, considering,” Jack Spirit said, bouncing back and forth across the walls.

     “Indeed, best not let it go to waste!” Caster said, putting more strength into his bouncing.

     It truly was a special day for both of them, considering it was their last day in Cloudsdale. It had been a tough month for the two brothers, especially when they had to tell their friends the news. They were disheartened at first, but they soon began to understand the situation and promised to make their remaining time together as memorable as possible. They had all spent nearly every day together, which also gave Caster a chance to work on his social skills. Though he still had some difficulty being around others he managed to give it his all for the sake of one last hoorah with the others.

     It was also rough with having to move out the home he had spent so many years living in. But it was also exciting thinking what his new home would be like, considering he had never been to the ground before. There were so many possibilities of what could happen that he could barely keep track of them all. Yet it mattered little, as Caster knew that his family would be there to help guide him through it all. And with that in mind he was able to make it through the past few weeks much easier than he had thought.

     Those same thoughts played out in his mind as he continued to jump around with the others in the bouncy castle. Eventually Caster grew tired as he exited the inflatable attraction, only to find his parents waiting outside.

     “Enjoying yourself, Caster?” Amethyst asked, flashing him a big smile.

     “Absolutely, this has been a pretty awesome party, Mom,” he said, returning the smile with one of his own.

     “Glad to hear it, son,” Copper said, feeling proud to have made this day worth it all. “We’re just happy you’re having a good time.”

     “Well I owe it all to you guys,” Caster said, bouncing up and down with glee.

     The two parents couldn’t help but laugh, seeing their son so excited, and leaned down to give him a loving family hug. It lasted for a bit before they separated as Amethyst and Copper went to announce the next event.

     “All everypony, it’s time to gather around for some cake!” Amethyst said, receiving cheers from all around her.

     Everypony dropped what they were doing and made their way to a large table with several chairs, plates, and utensils adorning it. The fillies and colts all took their seats as well as their parents, leaving Caster and Jack a spot at the head of the table. They all waited a moment before Amethyst and Copper came out holding a large cake as everypony began to sing.

‘Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Caster, happy birthday to you!’ they all hollered out as the cake was set before him.

     Caster looked upon the cake with amazement. The whole thing looked like a cloudy sky with an image of the sun in the corner. In the center was a little frosting doodle made to look like him with some text surrounding it which read, ‘Happy 8th Birthday Caster Forge’. It looked as beautiful as it was delicious and Caster couldn’t help but feel lucky.

     “Go on, make a wish,” a filly said, enthusiastically as others followed suit.

     “Better make a good one, Cast,” Jack said, whispering with a small smile.

     Caster thought for a bit on what he wanted, but there were so many things he could’ve wished for, especially because of today. But in the end he decided on a simpler wish and, with that in mind, blew out the candles. Everypony around him cheered as they began dividing the cake among them all. As the foals quickly shoveled down the pastry treat, they all talked of what living in Canterlot was going to be like.

     “So be sure to watch out for those snobby rich kids down there,” one colt said, after taking a drink of some punch.

     “Oh come on, not everypony is like that in Canterlot,” a filly replied, feeling a little skeptical.

     “Try telling that to one of my older cousins,” another colt stated. “They ripped on him for years until he was able to stand up to them. All because he wasn’t as successful as them, even with a cutie mark.”

     “Well that was then, I’m sure a lot of the kids there are different today,” Jack Spirit said, trying to be more reasonable. “I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

     “We’ll just have to wait and see what happens, I suppose,” Caster said. “At the very least it will be pretty interesting seeing things on the ground.”

     “I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. I’ve been down to the ground a few times before, it’s really pretty,” a filly said, remembering what it was like.

     “I’ll take your word for it,” Caster said, already painting an image of it in his mind.

     They continued to talk as the foals ate as many treats as they could. And so the day continued with everypony enjoying the food and games and hanging out together. It was more than Caster Forge could’ve hoped for, but he knew it would not last. The sun above them continued to move across the sky as the party raged on. Eventually the day had started to come to a close as well as the party. Some of the guests started heading home, others stuck around to help clean up the party supplies. But the rest stuck around for the final goodbye.

     Just outside Caster’s home were him and his family, the remainder of their stuff loaded onto a large cart that had a few mover Pegasi beside it. All the while Caster and Jack were off to the side, saying their final farewells to their friends.

     “I’m sure going to miss you guys,” Caster said, hugging two colts with a sad smile.

     “Same here buddy,” one of them said.

     “Take care of yourself, Cast,” the other said, giving him a light shoulder bump.

     “I’m going to miss you, Jack,” a filly said, holding him close.

     “I’ll miss you too,” he said, returning the embrace.

     They all went one by one until everypony had said their goodbyes. Amethyst and Copper then called the two brothers over, making sure they were ready to go. Nodding in confirmation, Jack hopped into the cart while Caster stretched out his wings. With everything ready to go, they all gave one last wave goodbye to their friends before taking off into the sky. As they flew down to their destination, Caster could feel a small tear welling up before he wiped it away with his hand.

‘It’s time to move on,’ Caster thought.

===============================================================

     The sun had slowly begun to descend across the horizon as its light started to fade for the day. Yet its remaining glow helped to illuminate a large house that was being filled with bits of furniture and supplies. The mover ponies worked at getting serval boxes and pieces of furniture inside, as Amethyst and Copper directed them on where to go. Meanwhile Jack and Caster were outside gazing upon their new home. They had seen pictures of it before, but seeing it in person was pretty astounding to them.

     “I can’t believe we’re finally here,” Caster said, realizing how quickly time had gone by.

     “Yeah, but now that we are, we might as well make the most of it,” Jack said, thinking of what to do tomorrow.

     “Yeah,” Caster replied, turning away and looking towards the nearby cliff.

     He quickly walked over and sat down on the ledge, taking in the view. He could only describe it as beautiful. Miles and miles of grassy plains with a vibrant green hue. The Everfree Forest, though dark and foreboding, looked rather charming from where he sat. And a large waterfall in the distance which cascaded into a streaming river below. It was all so breathtaking that Caster could hardly take his eyes off of it all.

     “Maybe this won’t be so bad after all,” he muttered to himself, feeling a small pang of confidence inside.

     “Caster, come inside, it’s almost time for dinner!” Amethyst Emberglow said, trying to get his attention.

     “Be right there, Mom,” Caster replied.

     He took in one last look at the scenery below before picking himself up and heading back inside. As he closed the door behind him, he felt giddy to be in his new home, ready to start his new life.

Chapter 2: A Rough Start

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Chapter 3: Taking that First Chance

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Chapter 4: Realizing Your Potential

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Chapter 5: Beginning a New Path

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Chapter 6: Moving Past Your Limits

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Chapter 7: A Missed Opportunity

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Chapter 8: A Strange Twist of Fate

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Chapter 9: What Kind of Luck is This?

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Caster Forge Story Summary

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