"I should never have brought her there. That place gave us so many opportunities to learn and do science but... it wasn't worth it."

"So this is your friend?"

Kylie glanced nervously around at the half circle of ponies staring studiously at her. Summer, sitting slumped next to the white mare, grunted affirmation with flat ears and narrowed eyes in unmasked regret and contempt.

Weeks had passed since the first day of school and Issac had integrated himself into their small group outside the corporate walls.  Both of the fillies parents were absolutely delighted they had made another friend, not minding that he was a colt. He joined in on study sessions and came to their houses to hang out. They never really went out much before, but Issac was keen about going out to get trivial things like books or snacks. Sometimes he would take them out to just hang out around town. It was a bit exhausting for Summer but Kylie was much more ecstatic about their bi-daily outings. 

Issac had even introduced them to his parents. His father was a tall stallion, a guard at the facility Rose and the others stayed in, but he introduced himself as just a royal guard. His mother was a frail looking mare who owned a flower shop, some of the flowers coming straight from her backyard. She was nice, and beautiful, with dark red hair and matching eyes, along with a bright orange coat that Issac obviously inherited. His father had his blue hair and eyes and a grayish blue coat. They were an odd pair but Issac shared many of both their traits. 

School was so far quiet and it made Summer uneasy. Daily, she received glares from the other colts and fillies for obviously having something to do with that one colt's fall on the first day, but so far no one had confronted her, or talked to her, just looked at her grudgingly. They were definitely matured in their restraint, or maybe patience. Hopefully, the cruel foals of their generation would grow into more compassionate stallions and mares.

Summer was definitely an odd child. She had frantic magical abilities that were irregular in their use. Sometimes she stared off into space and when she snapped out of it, her magic had gone and done some odd task. Like writing what she was thinking about on paper or in a book (which became a problem if the book wasn't hers) or reaching across the room to grab the snack she was craving, all without her knowledge until she realized what she had done. Also, there was the issue with her cutiemark. 

She was a late bloomer. Usually, fillies and colts get their cutiemark at the latest by fourth or fifth grade. Unfortunately, Ponyville was a small, homey town with lots of down-the-line families that had expectations of their next generation's special talents before they were even conceived, thus the ponies in the town usually got their cutiemarks in second or third grade. You would think that the ponies would be more kind in a small town like theirs, with lots of farms and small businesses and most of the time it was, but the foals in this town were bored and had only one thing to talk about at their age, and that was their cutiemarks, making the one thing they loved to make drama about be the lack of said cutiemarks. 

Kylie was a godsend. She shouldn't have been so happy to have another soul to be tormented beside but she very much was anyway. She wasn't completely cut off from the world of socialization thanks to that filly and she hoped that they would get their cutiemarks together, so they wouldn't leave each other behind. 

Cutiemarks were law in this town. It was terrible but true. 

So the younger ponies were stumped on how to feel about Issac, a supposedly "high ranking" colt who sat with two of the "lowest ranking" fillies in town. He was a royal guard's son and was set to become one himself being that his special talent was protection, a bit of information he had shared on one of their outings.

"Well, for as long as I can remember I've been inspired by my father," he said with a proud smile. "To the common ponies, the royal guards; the ponies in armor, are just that, ponies in armor. But to me, these ponies are protectors. They stand and they watch for any sign of danger and when danger shows its ugly face, they'll be the first to step up and fight for the citizens of Equestria!"

"But there hasn't been any attacks on Equestria since the crowning of Princess Flurry Heart, which was like before we were born!"

"There's always something. Something will happen this lifetime, I just know it. And you can bet your flanks I'm going to be ready for it."

"Careful what you wish for."

Summer had given it lots of thought and had decided that Kylie should be introduced to the second life she'd been living. Her long trips to the corporation every weekend were excused as going to work with her dad since she'd taken an interest in magic science, which she actually had. Sometimes she got to the corporate lunch period late, which was the time she had started coming at, and she spent the extra time meeting informed characters and talking to them about the creations of potions and potential medicines. They were tested on rats, which lifted most of the worry for the foals at the facility off her mind. Even so, and she wasn't told directly, but she was partially certain that after the rats were tested the doses were managed and given to the ponies in their care as well. 

Unfortunately, Summer wasn't one to look on the bright side very often. While they weren't giving the new medicines straight to the foals themselves and were testing them on rats first, they were still giving foals unregistered magical medicines; drugs, that she wasn't sure any of the princesses were aware of, and if they were aware, she wondered what the princesses thought was so drastic as to do it in secret. It was a red flag telling Summer that something wasn't right. 

Issac was present when Summer told Kylie about the facility and the foals there, as well as how that was where she met Issac himself, but when the time came for Issac to go home, Summer spilled her suspicions about the corporation and her dealings with a particular red-maned mare to the filly as well. 

Kylie was at a loss. Summer said she would be going to the facility the next day and invited her to come along. The white filly was hesitant, but her curiosity overwhelmed her caution and she agreed after Summer's father talked with her parents and gave his permission. They offered for her to stay the night and the mare took a while longer than usual to fall asleep, fidgeting and moving around while she thought over everything Summer and Issac had told her. Eventually, Summer realized she had dozed off and in the morning they both woke up, ate breakfast and hopped on a flying chariot with Summer's father to the facility. 

They passed through the huge metal hatch that led to the elevators and into the facility and eventually arrived right in time for the lunch period to begin. Kylie looked at everything with wide eyes and Summer wondered if she had looked the same for her first time at the facility. When she looked up at her father, who's face told her that she definitely had, she huffed and waited impatiently for the metal doors of the elevator to finally open. 

And then they were there, waiting by the oak tree for the ponies to congregate for lunch. Jake trotted over happily but gave Kylie a confused head tilt when he went to sit down. Rose was escorted and sat softly down against the stump of the tree by Jet, not taking any notice in Kylie since her delicate eyes were closed. When she finally opened them, however, they locked immediately onto the unicorn, making Summer flinch. When Issac arrived he did a double take at the sight of Kylie. Summer hadn't exactly told him she would be bringing her that day and she smirked at his surprised face. The smirk fell away though when Jake asked his question. 

And so it begins, she thought.

"That sounded like you talk about me," Kylie mumbled to Summer, who glared at her from the corner of her eye, before smiling politely. "Yes I'm Summer's friend. My name is Kylie Sparks. It's nice to... meet you." Kylie faltered at the end of her sentence as Jake began stuffing his mouth with a sandwich and chewing with his mouth open. Issac glanced at him and sighed before smacking him upside the head and pointing to his mouth when Jake glared at him. 

Jake swallowed before talking again. "Ah, I see! Well we are very much privileged that Summer would bring her best friend to a place like this just to meet us." Jake had a way of going from gross immature colt to pleasant well-mannered colt that confused and ticked Summer off. Jake had a way of pressing all her buttons the wrong way. He began naming the ponies in the circle, pointing to them all as he went around respectively. "I'm Jake, this is Issac, that's Jet and that's Rose!"

"Uhm... I already know Issac. We're in the same class."

"Hmm, reeeally?" Issac glared at Jake at his teasing tone and Jake continued eating his sandwich with a smug look.

"This place is really far away," Kylie continued, rubbing her cheek with an awkward hoof. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around the whole secret corporation thing."

"Well try to wrap your head around this! I've got an announcement, my friends!" Everyone turned their attention to Jake who stood up and did a pose, showing off his flank. 

"Boo-ya!"

"You got your cutiemark?!" Jet exclaimed, before emptying the contents of his lunch bag and using it to help him with his breathing. 

Sitting on Jake's flank was a shield, similar but not exactly like Issac's cutiemark, the underside encrusted with vines and a sword jutting through. Everyone stared at the colt's flank with differing expressions, the most noticeable being Summer and Kylie's. 

Summer's expression darkened from dreadful surprise to gloomy acceptance while Kylie put on a forced, slightly wobbly smile. They had all been too focused on the fact that Kylie was with her this visit that they hadn't noticed his cutiemark the whole time. Now that Summer had, she extremely regretted bringing Kylie even more. 

"Congrats," Summer mumbled.

"That's- great!" Kylie said forcefully. "Good for you!"

"'Bout time," Issac said teasingly. "I'm not surprised it took you so long, you're not the brightest." That stopped Jake in his flaunting and quick as lighting he got up in Issac's face.

"I got it didn't I! Doesn't matter when." Jake turned around and kicked some grass at the pegasus who blocked the trimmings with his wing. 

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Jet will you calm down already?! It's not that exciting!"

"Oh, you really wanna go don't you?!" 

Jet was slowing in his panicked breaths and Summer began to worry for his health when he started wobbling and going cross-eyed like he was going to fall over and pass out. 

"Or maybe you just need a closer look? Here ya go! Take a look!" Jake turned around again and started shoving his furry gray butt in Issac's face who whinnied in horror before turning tail and running in the opposite direction across the grass. Jake immediately followed in pursuit. 

"Come on Issac! It's high definition! If you don't appreciate it who wiiiill!!!" Summer watched the two colts run around in struggling circles with a thick heart, but her ears twitched in surprise and she fully flinched when Kylie burst out laughing next to her. 

Open mouthed and eyes squeezed shut in absolute amusement she laughed at their stupid display of male competition, but how? Summer would have thought she'd be as down as she just became. 

"Hahahaha! Oh my Celestia! You guys are hilarious! Hahaha!"

"What?" Summer blinked at her in confusion while she continued laughing joyfully. 

Her surprised trance shattered when the two colts tumbled on top of her  in a flurry of limbs and fur and her face got squished in the grass. She heard Kylie wheeze with the start of a new fit of laughter before she grunted in panic and pain as the colts continued to wrestle on top of her. She didn't like that at all and without even thinking, her magic pulled the two of them away from each other and up into the air where they twisted and struggled in sudden astonished panic. 

"Would you two PLEASE knock it off!" Summer shouted as she got up and glared at the two struggling colts. She hadn't been that horrified since her mother forced her to wear her first dress. Jake was spinning in a forward motion, waving his hooves in an attempt to stay upright and Issac was flapping his wings unevenly trying to steady his movement.

"Ugh... I think I'm going to throw up..." Jake said as he spun. 

"Alright alright! We'll stop fighting, now put us down- whoa!" Issac cried out as he lost balance and fell forward into an upside down position. Summer's magic suddenly dissipated as she scoffed and rubbed at her face, causing the two colts to fall right on top of their heads and onto their backs in the cold grass. Kylie's muffled giggles broke through their groans of pain and Summer glared at her which only made her squeak and giggle even more into her hooves. The embarrassed unicorn pouted angrily and looked away. 

Rose wasn't paying much attention to Kylie, as Summer had thought she would, instead she was staring at Summer herself with interested, lidded eyes and the filly's heart twisted at her intense gaze. She looked away in Jet's direction to find the colt trembling on the ground with his brown paper lunch bag sat atop his head and a distressed look on his face. 

"You guys need to stop roughhousing during lunch, you're freaking out Jet!" Summer got up and used her magic to remove the bag from his head before picking up an apple which had fallen out when he discarded the bags contents. She polished it on her chest before handing it to him and  accepted it with trembling hooves. 

"But Summer," Jake cried dramatically as he sat up, rubbing his head. "This is the only time to play! The rest of the time here the adults are always taking our blood or giving us pills or other boring stuff." The gray colt trotted over to his lunch bag and sat back on his haunches to finish his sandwich with big bites. 

"I get lots of pills..." Jet mumbled, low enough so only Summer could hear and the filly looked at him quizzically, but Jet just looked down into the grass with fidgety scrutiny and ate his apple.

"But that won't matter pretty soon. I'm getting out!" Jake announced excitedly.

"What do you mean you're getting out?" Issac questioned. "There's a way to get out?"

"Oh sure there is! You don't expect them to keep us kids here until we're brainless adults right?"

"I never gave it much thought..." Issac looked away in contemplation. 

"So how are you getting out? When?" Summer inquired. 

"Well, we were all transferred here from an orphanage right? And every other week they take some of us who are being looked into by parents back there to meet them so we can be adopted because there is no foster care with us, we're already being fostered by this facility or whatever."

"So... you're getting adopted?" Kylie finsihed with a head tilt. 

"I know right!" Jake said jovially after throwing his hooves up in excitement. "By the ponies who helped me get my cutiemark!" 

"What even is your cutiemark?" Issac asked.

"Well..." Jake wiggled his flank and looked down at said cutiemark. "Uhm..."

"You don't even know?" Issac raised an unimpressed brow. 

"Well I mean, it doesn't show it very well, but I'm pretty sure it's for sword fighting." 

"Sword fighting? That's a little taboo isn't it?" Summer said. 

"No! It's just hard to do!" Jake refuted. Suddenly his joking tone turned into serious admiration and, to Summer, slightly intelligent explanation. "Swords are usually used by unicorns because then they're easier to maneuver, but I tried it out with my soon to be adopted father and he made it look easy when handling it with his mouth. So I gave it a try and aside from the weight it wasn't that hard!" 

"Wait- does that mean you want to be a royal gaurd? Like me?" Issac asked rushed and panicky. Jake's smug expression returned once again and he threw an arm around Issac's shoulders with a smile.

"Looks like when I get out of here you're gonna be stuck with me." Issac frowned deeply and thrust the gray colt off of him with a powerful wing thrust. 

Summer heard Kylie giggle and their eyes met in unison. The cream-colored filly returned to the Kylie's side before the other filly hid her mouth behind a hoof and whispered, "These guys are hilarious!" She giggled when Summer rolled her eyes, but she wasn't finished. "and cute!" she finished with a wink and Summer felt her face heat up a little but had no time to acknowledge it as Kylie was magically picked up and moved three feet away from her.

  ~o0o~  

It was nearing the end of the 90 minute lunch period when Summer felt the intensity of Rose's gaze draw her attention again, though when she looked over Rose wasn't paying her much attention. Even so, she meandered over and sat down next to the red-maned filly, and rested against the slim oak tree. The leaves were drying up and falling in small masses and the white light that filtered through the clouds stole the yard's saturation, but she had only noticed when she sat next to that mare. 

Rose was simply staring down at one of the tree's leaves lain atop her front hooves. It was yellow and arid, which before Summer would have considered normal for the changing of seasons. Now, though, she regarded it as strange that the tree they sat under then was the only oak covered in yellow, crumbling leaves while all the others were still a mix of green and yellow. She had read once that this meant the tree was sick, but she couldn't have guessed why. Not at the time. 

"I'd like to talk to you in my room before you leave," Rose suddenly said, bringing Summer out of her thoughts. Before she could answer, the bell announcing the end of the lunch period started ringing across the yard and the winged filly stood, immediately assisted by Jet who guided her to the elevators, under her wing, across the grass. 

Summer watched her go until Kylie shook her by the shoulder and inquired as to what was going on. Summer explained that it was just the end of the period and, accompanied with Issac, they started toward the elevators along with all the other fillies. Summer's father was talking with a guard to the side, of whom she eventually recognized as Issac's father, and Kylie and Issac were absorbed in conversation. She hesitated and looked between them and the elevators where the fillies and colts were all piling into. 

The elevator doors were closing, but before they shut completely Summer was caught in Rose's stare once again and the world around her red irises seemed to darken for a split second. Then the doors closed and the yard was somehow greener and her name was being called.

"Summer!" 

"Uh.. huh what?" Summer looked up at her father who was looking down at her with a concerned expression. 

"We're going to be leaving soon, I just want to talk to Mr. Shield for a bit longer," he explained.

"Oh alright..." Summer glanced at Issac's father, who was talking to Issac and Kylie, then at the elevators again. "Well... do you mind if I go to Rose's room for a bit? She wanted to talk to me." 

"Well," her father hesitated and looked around the nearly empty yard. "Sure, but remember to not go in anyone else's room, read any files and to tell me ev-"

"-erything that happened," Summer finished. "As always, I know."

"You know she just won't talk to anyone else, Summer. Your time with her hasn't sprouted any useful information, at least science wise, but I do think she's beginning to come out of her shell."

"She's not hiding in a shell," Summer argued without thinking and her father raised a brow at her. "I mean... she's not in a shell it's just..." She looked away towards the elevators. "I don't know... can I go now?" 

"We'll meet you in the lobby on the 4th floor. Don't take too long." Her father ruffled her hair with a large hoof and chuckled when she smacked his hand away and patted it down. 

"Okay okay. I'll be back soon." She trotted off towards the elevators and pressed the button for floor 4. The doors opened immediately, as if waiting for her to press the button, and she stepped inside before watching the doors slide closed and the buttons each light up until they reached the 4th one.

When the doors opened again the fillies and colts were still returning to their assigned rooms. She walked down the hall, glancing into each of the rooms as she passed. Some of the children were still talking in their doorways while others were hugging and saying goodbye to each other. Their actions made the filly wonder back to what Jake had said earlier. 

"This is the only time to play! The rest of the time here the adults are always taking our blood or giving us pills or other boring stuff." 

Were the children not even allowed to see each other besides lunch? She had never thought about it. 

Most of the doors in the hallway were already closed and locked, while the one's that were still opened were vacant and dark if not occupied by children trying to talk a little longer. Summer assumed the dark rooms were an attempt to save power since the facility was so huge it couldn't spare a single unnecessary light left on. It was good they had Rose then, since she didn't like her light left on anyway. The door locking mechanism was one that Summer was slightly admirable of while also apprehensive about in that they couldn't be opened from the inside but could be opened from the outside. It made her wonder why the children were locked in. Of course they were children, maybe they didn't want them wandering the halls, but maybe there was another more morbid reason. A reason that Summer wouldn't get to know anytime soon, if ever, so she didn't dwell on it.

When she reached Rose's room she hesitated at a sound coming from her right. When she looked over she saw Jetson peering out of his doorway. 

"Jet? What are you doing?" 

"Rose said..." He looked at her with big eyes, for once not nervous or scared. They glinted with what seemed to be curiosity and excitement. "I'm leaving my door open just in case." 

"Just in case what?" She questioned with a suspicious tone.

"Something happens!" Jet whispered eagerly. "Go in! I'll wait here," he urged and disappeared behind his door which he closed the door partially so the lock wouldn't click into place. 

Summer swallowed and looked back at the door, which seemed very tall all of a sudden, before turning the handle, hearing the click of the mechanism unlocking, and pushing the door open. When she peered inside she saw the usual scene, the bed, the examination table, the door to the bathroom, and the desk. Rose sat behind the desk, looking up at the wall above it, and when Summer came in, shoving a book in the doorway so it wouldn't close completely, she came up next to her to also look at the wall. What she saw was different from all the other times she had visited.

There were pictures everywhere. Drawings made in a way that seemed sloppy, but she related the style as though seen through a water droplet. Some were fuzzy, others seemed scratched into the paper, but all were exaggerated in their own sense. They suggested to be drawings of places or things but they were either too close or too far away and the ones that seemed to be viewed at a comprehensible distance on the paper were tilted or angled strangely. She knew what they all were, however, because each drawing was paired together with a rough draft of one of her stories that she'd written over the couple months she had been visiting. She recognized the scenes, the characters, the scenarios in those pictures. 

But how did she get them so spot on?

"Your stories are very detailed." Rose said, as if answering her thought, and she broke her gaze away from the wall to stare at her in amazement. 

"What is your talent, Rose?" Summer asked. She didn't know why she asked, it was never something she cared for, special talents. She didn't care about others, and now that she thought about it, she hadn't ever cared for her own. She didn't care to find out what the other children were bullying her over, or what it would mean for her future. When she got it, which she would have to eventually, whether by chance or by fate, she would do what she always did. Whatever she wanted. 

Rose stared down at the carpeted floor with shaded eyes, shaded even in her dark, gloomy room, lit up only by a single night light shifting through the colors of the rainbow. 

"I don't know..." She raised her head slightly. "I can't remember, and anyone who did is either gone or won't talk to me." Summer realized the questioned must have been obvious if not a bit insensitive. Rose had no memories before her parents death, and also her sister wouldn't talk to her. 

"I'm sorry, I..." 

"But this wall is an example of your talent, Summer."

"My talent?" Summer looked back up at the wall with narrowed eyes and sudden scrutiny. 

"I couldn't have drawn any of these if it weren't for your detailed stories."

"Is this what you wanted to talk to me about?" Summer questioned, though it more sounded like an accusation. "How you think story telling is supposed to be my super special talent? I don't want to hear it." 

"I asked you to write me stories, but you gave me much more than that summer. You gave me documents."

"Documents? What are you even saying?" Summer wouldn't deny she felt spiteful, and turned away from the wall. She didn't care for special talents. She hated them, in fact. 

I hate talents. Just go away. I don't care. I don't care about talents.

"You're turning away from who you are." 

"And what am I? A story teller? A documenter? An artist? A scientist? Who am I then?!" Summer shouted and felt something wet and warm fall down her cheek. When she wiped at it, it was cold, and she squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment and shame. She was crying. When had she ever cried? "Either way it's nothing special. I'm nothing special."

"I can't tell you who you are," Rose said, her voice vibrating with a sudden light and when she touched Summer's shoulder it felt warm and alive, nothing like how Rose portrayed herself each and every visit, every day, every week, all the time. The red maned mare turned her around and again she saw the wall, her stories brought to life from her writings. 

Her writings.

"Only you can."

"I'm..." She felt her heart beat in her chest and sniffled before wiping her eyes. "I want to remember... the good times..." The room began to light up though she couldn't tell from where. "The bad..." Rose removed her hoof from her shoulder.

"What are you then? What do you want to do."

Her body felt warm and she realized the glow was coming from her herself. 

"I want to write it all down. I want to be a writer."

Thus marked the day she got her cutiemark.