Manehattan leaves its hoofprint on everypony who ventures into it.
“Manehattan is big enough that you cannot trot from one end to another in a single day. Not even if you avoid getting lost or accosted in the tangled web of twisting streets and dead end alleys.
It’s too big, actually. It’s vast, immense. Seas of ponies, forests of buildings, roads wide as rivers. It smells like urine and sweat and coal smoke and tar. If I had been in my right mind, I never would’ve gone there.
In the fullness of time, I became lost. I took a turn too early or too late, then tried to compensate by cutting through two tall buildings. It wound like a gulley carved like a river that had left to find a cleaner bed. Garbage drifted up the walls and filled the cracks between buildings and the alcove doorways. After I had taken several turns I caught the rancid smell of something dead.”
Rarity stopped writing. She sat in her signature chaise lounge, quil dripping with ink as it hovered in the unicorn’s magic, and quietly re-read what she had written about her first venture into Manehattan. She sat in silence for a long moment before she finally used her magic to touch the quill back to the pages of her friend’s journal:
“However with all things considered, I did come to the city with the best of intentions.”
***
“A Train to 207th street, A Train to 207th street. Next stop will be West Manehattan”
…
“A Train to 207th street, A Train to 207th street. Next stop will be Manehatan square.”
…
“A Train to 207th street, A Train to 207th street. Next and final stop will be 207th street, all boarded passengers must exit the tram at the next destination”
...
Rarity woke up to several firm taps against her shoulder, and opened her eyes to see a train official standing over her.
“End of the line, ma’am” The official said. “207th street, Everypony needs to be off the train.”
The official held out his hoof to help Rarity get on her hooves. Somewhere between Ponyville station and Manehattan, she must’ve fallen asleep. She remembered one minute looking out the window and watching the sunny fields and pastures roll by one minute, and the next minute she’s being woken up in the evening by a train official.
“How very kind of you” Rarity mused through a tiny yawn as the official helped her up. “Thank you.”
“Not a problem at all ma’am.” The official smiled “Always a pleasure to help a pretty filly such as yourself. Are you going to need any help with your saddlebag or your dresses?”
“My.. dresses?” Rarity was confused, but as the official pointed his hoof at a clothing rack full of dresses that was parked right next to Rarity’s booth, it all started coming back to her.
Earlier that week, she received an invitation to showcase her dresses at an up-and-coming fashion show in West Manehattan. The fashion show was being hosted by Pasterns and Fetlocks, a new clothing boutique in Manehattan featuring designs from Equestria’s finest fashionistas. And after seeing Rarity’s work with Sapphire Shores and Hoity Toity, Pasterns and Fetlocks extended an all-inclusive invitation to debut her designs; travel and hotel were provided free as courtesy of the boutique, all Rarity had to do was show up and showcase her designs.
Never being the one to turn down free advertising, Rarity quickly RSVPd, and within the week she was on a train to Manehattan with a rack full of her finest dresses.
“Ah yes, my dresses” Rarity said fanning her face with her hoof. “You’ll have to excuse my [blank], I’m still a bit groggy from my nap- Wait. Did you say 207th street?”
“Yes’m,. 7 PM, 207th street. End of the line” The official recited from memory.
“Oh no…” Rarity could feel ropes of heat spreading down her spine. “I was supposed to check into my hotel in West Manehatan half an hour ago. However am I going to get there now?”
“Not to worry Ma’am, there’s a train leaving in 15 minutes that will take you through that station.” The official assure her, reciting from memory the train schedule that took years of working on a train to memorize. “You can be in your hotel at the top of the hour. All you have to do is go to the counter and purchase another ticket.”
“Oh thank you!” Rarity said as she vigorously shook the official's hoof. “You’re a life saver!”
“still my pleasure ma’am,” The official said as Rarity rushed to the train doors with her dress cart. “I wouldn’t be a very good official if I didn’t help my passengers- Hey ma’am, you forgot your…”
The official tried calling out to Rarity with a sense of real urgency, but once her hooves stepped over the threshold the doors closed and the train lurched forward. The official watched from the window as the white unicorn galloped up to the ticket counter with her dresses in toe before the train got far enough away from the station that he couldn't see her anymore.
***
“I need one ticket for the next train to West Manehattan please” Rarity half-yelled as came to a dead stop at the ticket counter.
“one moment please” The ticket vendor said as she flipped through a big book of train schedules and started writing down some numbers in a stub book.
Rarity took that moment to catch her breath and quickly prune herself. The run had frazzled her hair a bit, and rarity could see in the reflection of the glass separating her from the vendor that her makeup was smeared slightly; most likely from drooling while she slept on the train.
“No problem.” Rarity thought. “I can just cover that up with some makeup from my saddleba-”
Rarity was about to stick her muzzle inside her saddlebag when she realized she wasn’t wearing it. She then remembered hearing the official calling out to her as she galloped off the train.
“I left my saddlebag on the train.” Rarity said aloud to herself, feeling a great gravity coming down on her. “All of my money and makeup and hotel information… I left them on the train.”
“Ok miss, the 7:15 to West Manehattan” The ticket vendor said as she ripped a ticket from the stub book and placed it on the counter. “That’ll be 6 bits please… Uh miss?”
The ticket vendor stuck her head out the tiny window to see Rarity galloping to the edge of the platform, watching as the train she rode in on turn somewhere along the horizon and chuffed along on it’s way back to Ponyville.
***
“I stood there on the empty platform, lost in Manehattan. The night made everything seem deformed and twisted. Buildings turned into monsters and the moon into a gleaming eye watching me fall apart inside. Maybe it was just my mind playing tricks on me, trying to scare me, or maybe it was just what I felt inside.
My inner turmoil seemed to be reflected on the streets themselves as I was forced to walk with my dresses ten miles to my hotel.
It was so dark, dark and still, and a little bit haunting. Every step I took I thought I saw a shadow in the corner of my eye. I heard hoofsteps, I heard laughter, I heard cries from stray animals. I thought I was going to die.