The shriek of the whistle was the first thing she heard: the 8:45, pulling into the station right on time. Strawberry Sunrise’s green eyes snapped open, bright as the morning sky, and she slipped out from under the covers, a smile already spreading across her face.
Today was the day.
The air in her little room was as chilly as ever, and usually, the cold would cut deep. But today Strawberry Sunrise hardly felt it. She all but skipped the three steps across to her tiny kitchen and poured herself a cup of water. A meager breakfast of dried haycakes, and she was good to go. Ready for her big day.
Humming with pleasure, she backed out of the door, flipping her saddlebags on as she went. As she trotted down the hallway, she took care to place her hooves in the spots she knew wouldn’t creak and give her away.
She passed one door, two, three, all without incident, all her neighbours unwoken -- until the door at the end of the corridor swung abruptly open.
“Strawberry!” croaked a thready voice, and Strawberry flinched.
“Morning, Mr. Cranky!”
“Rent’s due,” he spat, and she did her best to keep her smile in place.
“Cheque’s in the mail, Mr. Cranky, sir! See you later!”
Before he could open his querulous old mouth to object again, Strawberry darted past him, making for the stairs and the safety that lay beyond.
The air was thick with the morning scents of the city -- smog and coffee, cinders and the promise of something new around every corner. Whinneapolis was the bustling hub of the entire province, and though the tiny apartment took the lion’s share of Strawberry’s salary, and a heck of a lot of scrimping and saving, she wouldn’t change it for the world. She lived here, at the heart of it all -- the city where dreams could come true.
And where hers would come true today.
“My office, Miss Sunrise!” called Gasket as soon as she pushed open the door, still panting from the fourteen flights of stairs. Three years she’d worked here, and three years that elevator had been out of order.
But the prospect of what the boss would say was more than enough to restore her spirits, and she hastened inside.
“I’m ready, sir!” she said, before the door had even swung shut behind her. “I can do it!”
The grey stallion regarded her blankly over the top of his spectacles. He sighed and shook his head. “Relax, Miss Sunrise. It’s a tiny farmer, not the Princess of Equestria.”
“I know!” she chirped. “But it’s my first solo assignment, sir, and I just want you to know that I’m going to give it my all!”
Another long exhalation from his nostrils. “Well, you could stand to lose the attitude. You’re a debt collector, not a singing telegram.”
Instantly, Strawberry twisted her face into a ferocious scowl. “I will not let you down, sir.”
He slid the address across the desk to her, and she couldn’t keep the grin from her face any longer. Her first solo job! A real promotion! This was the land of opportunity. This was the reason she had left the family farm and come to the big city.
Outside, another whistle blew. The 9:30 to Canterlot, leaving the station. Who knew what that train carried? What prospects it might hold? In less than an hour, it would be climbing up the side of Canter Peak, above the clouds themselves. And just like that train, with its whistle like birdsong, who could tell how high Strawberry Sunrise might climb?