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.