It was cold. Winter had arrived, and Dainty moved his hooves to warm himself up.

“Nervous, sweetheart?” Steel Strings said.

“Well, a little,” Dainty said, looking to both sides of the train track.

The Ponyville Rag waited in Ponyville station, their instruments and luggage in carts. Honey Drop’s parents, as well as Steel’s parents and Hard Fiber’s mother were there to say their farewells. Honey Drop was also accompanied by the mare with the teal coat, who was now his marefriend.

“I so wish you could come with us!” Honey said to his parents. “Imagine us trotting around Manehattan, getting to know all those landmarks and those places? It would be so cool.”

“Yes, don’t worry, mom, I’ll take care,” Fiber said to his mother. “I think we’ll be together most of the time, anyway, so there’ll be no danger.”

River Mouth took a satisfied breath. In the end, it was quite a small miracle that they all managed to make this trip. Danty had to arrange it with his employer, and River had to talk with the professor in charge of the research project, which had been restarted a little more than a month before. Everything was working out.

“It’s crazy to think,” Dainty said, “we started so little time ago, and now… look at us.”

“Yeah, I know,” Steel said. “It’s amazing. And it’s gonna keep getting better, Dainty, trust me.”

“As long as you’re with me, I know it will, my love.”

They smiled at each other, and Dainty had the impression of hearing the train in the distance. The ponies on the platform started to get up. Honey Drop, Hard Fiber and Steel Strings hugged their parents and said their goodbyes.

Dainty’s heart pumped a little harder as the train screeched to a halt before them.

In memoriam Renato Rocha and Renato Russo

Force always

Author's Note

All songs mentioned in this story are based on real songs by the Brazilian rock band Legião Urbana, to whom this story is dedicated. The songs from the setlist in chapter 8 refer to these songs:

• Is It - Será
• Almost by Mistake - Quase Sem Querer
• When the Sun Shines Through... - Quando o Sol Bater na Janela do Seu Quarto
• It's Too Early - Ainda É Cedo
• Before Six - Antes das Seis
• I Was a Teenage Werewolf - Eu Era um Lobisomem Juvenil
• Factory - Fábrica
• Seven Cities - Sete Cidades
• The Vampire Theater - O Teatro dos Vampiros
• I Know - Eu Sei
• Pony in the Lion's Den - Daniel na Cova dos Leões
• Let's Make a Movie - Vamos Fazer um Filme
• For a While Now - Há Tempos
• Chalk - Giz
• Wind on the Coast - Vento no Litoral
• The World's Been Acting... - O Mundo Anda Tão Complicado
• Twenty Nine - Vinte e Nove
• Theorem - Teorema
• Waiting for Me - Esperando por Mim
• Lost Time - Tempo Perdido
• For Now - Por Enquanto (encore)

The songs used as chapter titles are as follows:

• L'Avventura - ditto
• After the Beginning - Depois do Começo
• The Storm - A Tempestade
• A Perfect Day - Um Dia Perfeito
• Metal Against the Clouds - Metal Contra as Nuvens
• Sacred Heart - Sagrado Coração

Thanks to my friends from the SFFC for reading the story just after it was finished, and serving as beta readers and offering input. Special thanks to Meteorite Shower, for allowing me to use her character and being so supportive.

Finally, thank you for reading!