Snow Hoof was not a shy pony. Growing up, her parents had scolded her numerous times about 'stranger danger,' but the pony couldn't help herself. In her mind, strangers were just friends you hadn't met yet. Her parents were being overly cautious, anyways; they lived in Ponyville, such a tiny little town that nobody could be kidnapped without someone seeing it. The Earth Pony was often complimented on her sleek white coat and her auburn mane and tail, which she kept braided. Her blue eyes seemed to be able to gaze into a pony's soul, and while some referred to her as gangling, they weren't the ones that saw how elegantly she moved despite her tall stature.
She was doting on others, whether they were older or younger. Ponies in Ponyville knew that if something was troubling you, you just needed to talk to Snow Hoof and she'd do her best to make you feel better. And when someone in Ponyville was hurt, she would be doing her best to nurse them back to health. Some called her motherly. Others, who had seen a protective side of her that only came out when she caught somepony picking on her friends, called her scary. If you harmed someone she cared about, she would use those blue eyes to stare straight into your soul as she gave you such a verbal lambasting that it was painful. This earned her the very interesting Cutie Mark very early in life, one of a shield with a bear's head design on the front.
And now that she was ten years old, she was ready to get her first Saddlemon and set out across Equestria. Her goal was to make a lot of friends and try to make the land a better place. Her methods? Whatever necessary. She gave long, sorrowful goodbyes to her family and friends before boarding the train to Canterlot.
Sitting in a compartment on the train, she found herself alone with one older Stallion, grey-coated, mane and tail both greasy, black with bits of gray thrown in. His eyes were cold, slate eyes. A long horn jutted proudly from his head, and he wore a wine colored suit that covered his Cutie Mark. He regarded her, gave her a small smile, and spoke.
"On your way to get your first Saddlemon, filly?" His voice was smooth as silk, a slight Trottingham accent to it.
With a slight nod, Snow Hoof said, "Yes I am. I'm so excited to finally get to travel."
"Are you going to be taking the gym challenge? Hoping to beat the Alicorn Sisters?" His eyes flashed a bit in the light coming through the window.
She shook her head quickly. "Oh, no, my aspirations aren't that great. If I do, I do, but I'm just wanting to have new experiences and meet new friends."
"Do you have a lot of friends where you come from?" He was watching her intently, eyes boring into her.
"Yes, I'm friends with everypony in Ponyville. I make sure that I talk to anypony who's new in town, to give them a proper greeting." She smiled a bit, feeling somewhat nervous around this stallion.
"You're quite the extrovert, aren't you?" He grinned slightly, eyes narrowing.
"I'm not sure I know what that means."
The stallion chuckled, looking back out the window. "You enjoy meeting new people."
"Oh. Yes, yes I do. And it's a pleasure to meet you, mister..."
"Quake. Earth Quake."
For some reason, that name sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. With a slight, shrug, she settled into her seat, closing her eyes.
When she woke up, she was in Canterlot, and Earth Quake was gone. Stepping off of the train, she found herself lost in the confusion of the city, unable to tell which street was which.
She was wandering the streets still when night started to fall. The majority of the populace disappeared into their homes, leaving just a few to wander around as the darkness settled over the capital city. She had no bits to her name, just the saddlebags on her back to carry her camping gear. But she had the feeling that camping in the streets would get her in trouble by the burly white guards that seemed to be on every street corner.
Then, inspiration hit her. She had never been a slow pony, but she wasn't exactly the quickest, and some days were just, as the people of Ponyville said, 'Derpy Days.' She approached one of the guard quietly, nodding her head a little bit. "Excuse me, sir, could I trouble you for directions to Professor Oak Leaf's laboratory?"
The Pegasus looked at her quietly, sighing a bit. "The lab is down this street, and hang a right. It's the first building on the left side of the street. Please, move along."
"Thank you, sir," she said quietly as she started trotting away. She knocked on the door to Oak Leaf's lab lightly. The door opened, a brown Unicorn in a white lab coat looking at her. "Ah... Hello. Rather late for a visit, isn't it?"
"Oh, so sorry to disturb you, sir. My name is Snow Hoof, and I--"
"Say no more, I know just why you're here. Though I should say, I was expecting you hours ago. I'm Professor Oak Leaf, leading authority on Saddlemon. Unfortunately, you weren't the only pony to come in for your starter to day. You'll have to make do with Bulbasaur, is that all right?"
"Oh, yes, that's fine. I absolutely adore them, so that's wonderful." She gave a polite smile as Oak Leaf looked at her.
"Yes, well... It's awfully late, you should probably start your journey in the morning... I have a guest room you can stay in if you want."
"Yes please, if it's not too much trouble," Snow replied, smiling bashfully. This was such a great day. She had received her first Saddlemon, and tomorrow she would set off on her adventure. She couldn't wait to make lots of new friends, along with her Bulbasaur.