The sun rose high into the sky, spreading its light over a small California town. And slowly, the town woke from its slumber, its populace rising from their beds and starting their days. This town was called Canterlot, and is the setting of our story.
Canterlot, as towns go, was an unremarkable place. Your average American town, it had a number of shops and businesses, several cafes, an industrial park to the north of the town, and a big railway station with connections to Cloudsdale to the north, and Halfway, Crystal City, and Los Angeles to the south. The most prominent building in the town, however, was the school. Canterlot High School, or CHS for short, was a large, imposing brick building which housed both a Middle and High school. It had, standing outside, a large statue of a horse rearing up on its hind legs, which had become a mascot for the school's sports team, the Wonderbolts. Split over several floors, it had many students, most of whom were friendly characters, but some were not so nice.
Just on the outskirts of the town was a small farm. Well, I say farm, but perhaps orchard would be more appropriate. The main structures were a handful of barns, two of which had rails leading out of them linking into a vast rail circuit which surrounded the site, and ran around the many orchards that the farm featured. The other notable structure on site was a house. Built of wood, it was painted red, and had a porch built of white timber. Inside, it was what you would expect of a family home built at the turn of the 20th Century. A kitchen, a sitting room, a basement and laundry room, an office, a flight of stairs, and five bedrooms, each opening up along a narrow corridor which, I can tell you, was dimly lit and replete with trip hazards, ranging from ethernet cables to parts of alarm clocks.
Inside the furthest along bedroom, at the end of the corridor, the setting was rather plain. There were two chests of drawers, one of which was right under a large window, a bed rammed against the back wall, a bedside table with a lamp, a greenish-yellow carpet, and a desk, upon which a desktop computer sat. The walls were painted green, and had a few framed posters hung on them. In the bed, a young girl was sleeping, and it is with her, that our story begins.
When the sun rose, as it was known to do every morning without fail, it had an annoying habit of shining through the window and straight into the girl’s eyes. As it did so, she grunted, and rolled over to the left, muttering to herself, “Ah hate ya somedays, Mister Sun”.
A loud knock at the door was enough to rouse her from her slumber.
“Apple Bloom! Time ta get up!”
She sat up straight in her bed. “Comin’, ma!”
Apple Bloom pulled herself out of bed. She was the youngest member of her family at nearly 12 years old, and had yellow skin and red hair. She was short, at about 4’ 9”, something she was ribbed about mercilessly by her peers. She had orange eyes, and was currently dressed in a green nightgown. Rubbing her eyes and yawning, she wandered over to the shower, feeling her way over as her brain hadn’t completely switched on yet.
Later, having showered, she dried herself off and got dressed. After a few moments she emerged from her room, wearing a green T-shirt, blue jeans and orange trainers. Dodging between the various hazards in the corridor, she slid down the bannister and landed in the reception, where a beautiful smell assailed her nostrils. The distinct aromas produced by pancakes, maple syrup and butter were irresistible, and Bloom wandered into the kitchen to see her mother working her magic over the stove.
Pear Butter was a woman in her late 30s, with peach skin and orange hair. She wore a chequered blue shirt and jeans, topped off with orange work boots. She looked over to see her youngest standing next to her, and smiled. “How’d ya sleep, Bloom?”
“Well, thanks,” Apple Bloom replied. “When’s food?”
“Just a bit longer,” her mother replied, “and then it’ll be ready. Please wait for the others this time, OK?”
“Sure, ma!” Bloom said, and took her seat.
A few moments later, another individual wandered into the room. She was a few inches taller than Apple Bloom, and had orange skin and blonde hair. At this moment in time, she was dressed in a green and white work shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a blue denim skirt, and brown boots with 2 apples on each. She walked toward the table and sat down. “How ya doin’, sugarcube?”
“Fine, thanks”, Bloom said back.
“Applejack, where are ya manners?” asked Pear.
“Sorry, ma. Good mornin’, y’all!” Applejack frequently used this as a way of greeting everyone at once. She was older than Apple Bloom, and was currently in the 10th Grade at CHS. She certainly looked a lot older than her 14 years, and was an incredibly hard worker. Sadly, she had recently fallen out with several of her friends, one of them over apparent timetabling confusion. Still, she remained an honest and hardworking individual, who could always be counted upon in the apple harvesting season (which was almost upon them).
Yet another person arrived in the room. His skin was a peachy tone, and he had bright orange hair. He wore a red jacket over a white shirt, as well as blue jeans and red and white shoes. He was the oldest of the three, and was in his final year at CHS. He stepped over to the table and sat down. “Sorry Ah’m late,” he said, with a deep and broad southern accent.
“Did ya oversleep, Big Mac?” Applejack asked.
“Nope”, Mac replied.
“Sure ya did!” Bloom laughed, with a mischevious look in her eye.
“Shush, you”, Mac replied, laughing as he did so.
Not long after, Pear brought the breakfast over to the table. “Soup’s up, everybody!” she called, in her characteristic manner.
The meal was concluded a few minutes later, with everybody having had their fill and Apple Bloom having demonstrated the reason she was nicknamed ‘the hoover’, as she had thoroughly demolished a stack of 4 pancakes.
Mac, as ever, looked amazed. “Why is it that the smallest folk eat the most?” he asked, jokingly.
Bloom turned bright red. “Hey, that ain’t funny!” she cried.
“The youngest of us need the most energy,” Pear told her oldest child.
Applejack snorted. “Ain’t that the truth! She went through that plate like it was nothin’!”
“True”, Pear finished. “Mac, please don’t tease Bloom about her height, you know she doesn't like it.”
Applejack looked at her watch. “Right, time to go!” she called. Today was the 2nd day of the new school year, with Bloom just starting 7th.
The three kids grabbed their bags and ran out of the door, Applejack grabbing her Stetson on the way. Pear suddenly stepped out, holding a red bow. “Apple Bloom!” she hollered. “You forgot somethin’!”
Bloom turned right round, and ran back to the house. She then clipped the bow into her hair. No way would she go anywhere without it, it meant that much to her. She thanked her mother, and then sprinted off down the path after her siblings.
After a few minutes, they reached the streetcar stop. Canterlot had a streetcar system modelled on that in New Orleans, which used bright red streetcars with the letters CTA painted on them. One was parked there, waiting for them. The 3 siblings boarded and showed their passes, then sat down at the front of the car. The driver released the brakes, sounded the horn, and off they went.
The streetcar passed a few stops, making calls at Thiessen Boulevard and Rudell Street. The car then called at Songco Drive. Bloom looked over to one of the houses to see a girl emerge from one of the doors, run down the path, and call back, “C’mon Rarity, we’re gonna be late!”
Another individual emerged through the door. “I’m coming Sweetie Belle! The Streetcar won’t leave without us!”
Nonetheless, Sweetie Belle took off, crossed the street, and boarded the streetcar. She immediately took a seat next to Apple Bloom. “Hi Bloom!” she called.
“Mornin’ Sweetie Belle!” Apple Bloom replied, with a similar level of enthusiasm.
Sweetie Belle was a little younger than Bloom, and had white skin with purple and pink hair and green eyes. She wore a red and white striped shirt, a pink jacket, a yellow skirt, white socks, and a pair of pink flats.
Rarity, on the other hand, was older than Applejack, and had white skin and purple hair, with dark blue eyes. Currently wearing a turquoise blouse, a purple skirt with a diamond pattern on it, and purple boots with 1 diamond set in on the boot, she sat on the opposite side of the streetcar to Applejack.
“Why’s Rarity all antisocial?” Bloom asked.
“She’s still mad at Applejack over something or other,” Sweetie Belle replied.
After a few more stops, the streetcar called at its final destination. Canterlot High School sat between Faust Street and McCarthy Road. The two girls got off, crossed the road, and headed in through the front door of the school. They passed a couple of lockers, took a left, and found their own lockers, which (ever so conveniently) were right next to each other. A girl was there waiting for them. She had peach-orange coloured skin, and purple hair and eyes. She wore a grey T-shirt, green slacks and grey trainers. She waved to them. “Hi girls!” she called.
“Morning Scootaloo!” Bloom replied. Scootaloo was the oldest of the three of them, but not the tallest (that honour went to Sweetie Belle). Lighter in build than the others, she was frequently mistaken for a boy, which was a little embarrassing. Nonetheless, she was an enthusiastic girl, who enjoyed sports and games, including riding her scooter down the corridors.
“So,” Scootaloo continued, “Lookin’ forward to today?”
“Ya sure bet!” Sweetie Belle replied. “Form room looks to be fun, and we even get our introductory session in the library!"
Scootaloo didn’t look so convinced. “Boring.” she said, rolling her eyes.
“It’s only because they caught ya watchin’ YouTube on the school computers!” Bloom answered. “Besides, playing games ain’t the best of ideas!”
“Is that a challenge?” Scootaloo smirked. “Cause I would so whoop your sorry butt!”
“Whatever language is Rainbow Dash teaching you now?” Sweetie Belle asked. Rainbow Dash was one of the older girls, and Scootaloo idolised-no, worshipped the ground she stood on. Before she could retort, the bell went for class.
After a couple of boring briefs on very obvious things, it was time for the library session. After being told how to use the computer system, they were sent away to find books of their choice. Scootaloo went straight to the sport section, whilst Sweetie Belle headed for science.
The library had two floors. Situated under a huge dome, bookcases lined the back wall, and the floor itself was covered with tables, chairs, and a bank of computers set up in a circle. The top floor had more rows of bookcases, and this was where Apple Bloom went, looking for the transport section. She had long been fascinated by machines, and practically anything that moved on rails. As she neared the section, she suddenly heard a strange sound. She headed in the direction of the sound, and rounded a corner to see what it was.
There, at the end of the row of shelves, was a girl, sat on the floor with her knees drawn up to her face. She was obviously crying, and sounded quite upset. She had pink skin, blue hair that was rolled up into curls, and red eyes. She wore a white short-sleeved shirt with a green dress over the top, as well as green shoes.
Bloom couldn’t help but feel sorry for her, and walked over to her. “Hey, are you OK?” she asked.
“Thank you for asking, but no,” she replied, sadly.
“What’s goin’ on?” Bloom asked, giving her a tissue to dry her eyes.
“I’m having real trouble making friends,” the girl replied. “They all just laugh at me because of my interests.” She paused. “This whole making friends thing is just...too hard!” she burst into a fresh round of tears.
“What are you interested in?” Bloom asked.
The girl said nothing, but merely held a book up to Bloom. It was called The History of the Lake Everfree Railway, and had a few photos of narrow-gauge steam engines on it. “That ain’t dumb!” Bloom exclaimed. “That’s what ah’m a fan of!”
The girl looked up. “Really?” she asked.
“Yeah!” Apple Bloom answered. “Steam engines rock!”
The girl got up, and held out her hand. “I’m Cozy Glow,” she said.
“Apple Bloom, nice to meet ya’”, the redhead replied. She then looked down. “Do ya mind if ah borrow your book for a bit?”
“Not at all,” Cozy replied. “I’ve got to get going now, I’ve got an appointment with the counsellor. See you later!”
“See ya!” Bloom called.
Bloom read the book in detail. The line had been built in the 1880s to haul lumber out of the Everfree hills just a few miles to the north. The wood had been hauled to an exchange siding near Ponyville station, and then shipped onwards to the mainline. Sadly, the line had fallen on hard times, and closed in the late 1950s. However, the rails were never pulled up, and the last paragraph particularly intrigued her; “It is believed that there are still a few engines in a shed up in the hills, waiting to be found. Time will tell if they will be seen again.”
Apple Bloom was so engrossed she didn’t notice the bell had gone.
Later, the three friends met up at lunch. They chatted about random stuff for a while, untill Bloom spotted a certain girl wandering around with a tray, unsure of where to sit. “Hey, Cozy!” she called. “Over here!”
Cozy turned, and sat down next to them.
“Right,” Bloom said, taking control almost immediately. “Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, this is Cozy Glow. Cozy, these are my friends. Their names are Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle”.
“It’s nice to meet you both,” Cozy replied.
“So,” Apple Bloom said authoritatively, “Ah have an idea for somethin’ to do in the next few days.”
Sweetie Belle groaned. Apple Bloom’s ideas almost always ended badly. “What did you have in mind?” she asked.
“Well,” Bloom began, “In the library, ah got hold of a book on local railways. Now, in the Everfree hills there is talk of an old engine shed with engines still in it.”
Scootaloo looked excited. “Does this mean we get to explore in the woods?” she asked.
“Yup!” Bloom replied. “How does tonight sound?”
“Sorry”, said Sweetie Belle, “but I don’t think Rarity will let me. She tends to get mad when I get clothes dirty.”
“I’m busy tonight,” Cozy added, “but I am available tomorrow night.”
“I’d have to ask mom first,” said Scootaloo. “She may have been quite the explorer in her day, but I don’t think that she’d let me wander in the woods”.
Bloom looked in disbelief, then took a bite out of her sandwich. “Well that plum sucks,” she said.