It was very dark that morning. The snow still pooled on the ground as trains thundered up and down the coast, steam, diesel, and electric effortlessly intermingling with one another on the crowded rails. As was normal, one of these trains had originated from Canterlot. This train had departed from that city at five that very morning, and roared through Crystal City at around 100 miles an hour.
Steam poured from the stack as the engine roared up the track, a veteran New York Central Railroad J3-a with full Dreyfuss streamlining. It thundered through the Narrows, and onto the long, fast stretch to San Fernando station, arriving on time after a barnstormer of a passenger run.
After an uneventful taxi ride, Apple Bloom and Pear Butter gathered in the lobby of the airport.
“Sorry the others weren’t here ta see ya off,” Pear said.
“It’s only a few days,” Apple Bloom replied. “So Ah ought ta be OK. Besides, it’s mah cuz’! Of course, Ah’ll be OK!”
Pear smiled. “Ah’ll just miss ya, that’s all.”
Apple Bloom nodded. “Ah’ll call home each day. See ya!” With that, she turned around and dragged her case with her, vanishing into the distance as she did so.
Pear stood there and watched until her daughter had vanished through the departure gate, and then turned around in order to head back home.
Apple Bloom sat down in one of the cafés at the airport and helped herself to a burger. She knew, despite some of the things that mass catering did in order to meet demand, one thing that they never ruined was burgers.
A beep from her phone distracted her attention, and she opened it up to see an update from MyStable. But who had sent her a message?
She opened the app, to see a message from Diamond Tiara.
Diamond Tiara: You’re going to New York, and getting to see the sights! So jealous.
Apple Bloom sighed, and typed a reply.
Apple Bloom: I’m just going to see my cousin, that’s all. It’s not as if I’d go shopping for fancy clothes anyway.
Another message entered the chat.
Scootaloo: Are you going to see any sports games?
Just as suddenly, another appeared.
Sweetie Belle: My sister asks you check out some of the major fashion outlets in the city.
Apple Bloom sighed.
Apple Bloom: No, I am not seeing any sports games, or checking out fancy clothes or any of those things.
Another speaker entered.
Silver Spoon: What a shame. You’d look great in a dress.
Apple Bloom cursed silently under her breath, and typed back.
Apple Bloom: Neither me nor my cousin will be seen wearing those things, let alone shopping for them!
There was a brief silence in all the communication traffic, before one last message appeared.
Cozy Glow: Have fun!
Apple Bloom smiled at this, and sent her last reply.
Apple Bloom: Thanks, Cozy, but I’ve gotta go. They’ve just called the flight.
Then, a mountain of messages appeared wishing her good luck.
Apple Bloom sent one last reply, then put her phone back into her pocket to finish her food.
Apple Bloom had done many things up to this point, but flying was not one of them. The sensation of being pushed back into her seat was one you never forget, or even wish to experience in the first place, but it was not possible to travel from end of the States to the other by train without getting held behind at least 8 goods trains.
That, and there was no direct way of travelling from one end of America to the other (in this case, California to New York State) in one go. The California Coast Railroad’s track did not connect to that of the Union Pacific, so a continuous journey would have been impossible in that regard. And even if the track did link up, the Super Chief had been canned years ago due to poor ridership and operating costs, so that wasn’t an option.
It would have meant changing at several different cities, first catching a train from LA up to Omaha, Nebraska, the Union Pacific rail terminal. Then she would have got on a train bound for Greensboro, North Carolina. This would have required yet another change for a service to Washington DC, and finally another change for New York City.
That, and the trains often ran horribly late. Apple Bloom didn’t get it. If the California Coast Railroad could run an intense timetable with express and stopping passenger services interweaving with heavy and fast freight, why couldn’t AMTRAK? The national passenger train operator was, put simply, a joke, unless you lived in the Northeast Corridor.
Bloom pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind as the flight attendant came around to hand out headphones for the in-flight entertainment, and the captain’s voice was suddenly audible though the cabin.
“Hello ladies and gentlemen,” the voice of the captain said. "This is your captain speaking. Welcome aboard Delta Airlines flight 40. We have just lifted off from Los Angeles International Airport, and are due into John F. Kennedy International Airport at 5:58 PM local time. Current time at destination is 12:30PM local time, so please reset your watches. We are also switching on the backseat entertainment system, and will be serving hot and cold beverages as the flight progresses. We will also be serving a hot meal on the way. Thank you.” The internal flight messaging system switched off.
Apple Bloom shook her head. Her cousin had told her that the food was often awful, and now she flicked (or should I say punched) the screen, given how badly de-calibrated it was. She settled on watching something about...something or other.
Apple Bloom was not surprised at the taste of the food. Most of it had been buried in cooking oils and special salts to recreate the taste of food on the ground, and on that ground it had failed miserably. She wished she’d brought her own food. It would’ve been so much easier.
The flight touched down at John F. Kennedy International Airport 40 minutes late, and Apple Bloom trudged through the departure halls, a dwarf lost in a sea of giants lugging massive cases about. Suddenly, her phone buzzed loudly as she reached baggage reclaim, and she took it out.
“Hello?”
“Lovely to hear from ya! I’m Mrs Orange.”
“Mrs Who?”
“Mrs Orange, yer aunt. I take it you know which way to travel to get to Edison?”
“Yup. Get mah stuff, catch the subway to Grand Central, get a commuter train to Edison, then Ah believe y’all be there ta pick me up.”
“That’s pretty much it,” Mrs Orange replied. "We look forward to meetin’ ya, I’m havin’ ta keep yer cuz’ on a leash here!”
Apple Bloom laughed. “Sounds good ta me. Well, see ya there.”
After recovering her case, which was a considerable ordeal, Apple Bloom boarded the subway, passing through Grand Central a few minutes later. She stepped into the departure hall on her way to the mainline platforms, and her jaw dropped.
The station had a massive, vaulting roof, reminiscent of the one at San Fernando, and great glass architecture that made the light shine down and illuminate the departure hall (which still had a scrolling departure board). She consulted the diagram, and headed for Track 29 (no, not that Track 29).
The train for Edison was being worked by a Metro-North GE P32AC-DM, or Genesis unit. The train itself consisted of 10 stainless steel carriages, and Bloom boarded coach C, as indicated in her ticket. She must have dozed off, as next thing she remembered, she was standing on the platform at Edison looking for somebody who resembled Mrs Orange’s description.
She eventually found a woman with yellow skin and orange hair, who recognised her almost immediately. “Oh, you must be Apple Bloom!” she exclaimed.
“Erm, have we met?” Apple Bloom asked.
“I last saw you a long time ago, but not a day has passed without you being mentioned. I know you talk to my daughter as much as you can.”
Bloom laughed. “Yeah, that.”
After an uneventful car ride to the Orange’s home, Apple Bloom got out, wrapped up warm in her winter coat, and knocked on the door. Three times, as specified.
The door opened momentarily, and the person Apple Bloom had wanted to see for so long was right behind it. “Cuz’!”
Bloom stepped through the door, and took Babs Seed in a tackle hug. “Babs! It’s been so long!”
“I know, right?” Babs laughed. “But I’ve got so much planned for us. I want ta get ya involved with as much stuff that goes on this city as takes yer fancy.”
There was a loud cough, and the two girls broke their embrace to see Mosely Orange standing there. “Babs, can you help your mother take Apple Bloom’s stuff to your room?”
Apple Bloom looked confused. “Ah’m stayin’ in Babs’ room? That ain’t fair on her!”
Babs laughed. “Don’t be silly, yer goin’ on a spare bed. The spare bedroom is currently bein’ redecorated as it was in rather poor shape.” Off the girl went, to try and get things in order, leaving Apple Bloom with Mosely Orange and another, older girl. She looked to be about Applejack’s age, and was currently fiddling with a cell phone.
“Sunflower!” Mosely barked.
The girl looked up from her phone, quickly said, “hi,” and then looked back down again.
Mosely sighed. “Good grief.”
Babs trekked back downstairs, and sat down on the couch. “So, how’s life been in Canterlot?”
“So much has happened!” Apple Bloom cried, as she hung her coat up. She was then greeted with a look of confusion from Babs. “What?”
“Hey, are those the new threads I bought ya for Christmas?”
“Yup!” Given the colder weather, Apple Bloom thought it would be appropriate to bring some new and warmer clothing. She was wearing a pair of winter boots, to avoid slipping on ice, thermal socks, a pair of blue jeans more appropriate for the cold, and an orange long sleeved shirt with a collar. “I thought they were perfect fer the cold.”
Babs laughed. “When I was over in Canterlot that November, I coulda sworn you wore nothin’ but that green shirt, jeans, and trainers!”
“Ah like them!” Bloom retorted. And that fact alone was true. “It also reduces the amount of washin’ we have ta do.”
“Well, that all sounds fun,” Mrs Orange said, “but it’s now time for dinner. Let’s go folks, and remember to wait on line!”
“On line?” Apple Bloom asked.
“New York English,” Babs explained. “Same as ‘in line’.”
After a most satisfying meal, Apple Bloom expressed a desire to sleep. Nobody blamed her, as she’d had a very long day. And so came to an end Apple Bloom’s first day in the Big Apple.