Chapter 1
Looking up at the door, Holly Heartwood let out a disappointed groan of disappointment. The dirty brass numbers on the door said 211 ½, which meant that this was the place she was looking for. She looked up at the tall, thin brick building and let out another groan. There were broken windows and the place looked rather old. The front window was boarded over. She pulled the key from her coat, put it into the door, and then had to fight with the key to get it to turn. After a bit of a struggle, she got the stuck key to turn and then kicked open the door.
Her great aunt, now departed, had been kind enough to leave Holly a ‘prime piece of Manehatten real estate.’ Holly stared into the entryway of the narrow building was greeted by cobwebs. The entire row house could not be more than nine feet wide and it was five stories tall. Off to the right, she saw some rickety looking narrow stairs. She entered the house, her nostrils crinkling from the scent of mildew, and then looked around. The wainscotting was faded grey wood and the wallpaper had turned grey as well. The stairs appeared to be under a yard in width, which meant that the entry room was about six to seven feet in width. Holly’s cousin had described it as ‘cosy’ while Holly, now that she had seen it, could only describe it as ‘cramped.’ Holly closed the door behind her.
She looked around for a light switch and found a brass knob. She had no idea what it did, but it sat on a wall panel that looked sort of like a light switch. Reaching up with her hoof, she turned the knob. There was a hissing sound, followed by a few clicks, and then there was light. Flickering flames ignited inside of filthy, sooty glass globes and Holly realised that this place did not have electricity, it had gas lights. She turned the knob a bit more and illuminated the entry room. There was an old dusty couch that appeared to be two hundred years out of date. The fabric was faded, but in rather good condition for its age. It was a dull purple colour paisley print. There was a bookshelf made of greying wood filled with old, dusty books. There was a sitting chair that matched the couch.
The room was freezing cold. Unable to help herself, Holly grinned. At least the building should be easy to heat. That was the purpose of such a narrow home. Heat rose, and the narrowness meant that the heat had nowhere to go but up. She figured that she would need to find the furnace, which she guessed was down in the basement. She saw a narrow door at the back of the front room. The kitchen had a bit of natural light coming in through one narrow window that was above the sink.
Still grinning, she made her way to the door and pushed it open. It was on omnidirectional hinges, meaning that it could swing either way. Holly found herself in the kitchen next. She saw a fridge with a large dome shaped contraption on the top and she had a vague memory of her foalhood and seeing a gas powered fridge. Beside it was a narrow two burner gas powered range that had no oven. She looked around the kitchen, saw a tiny table and two wooden chairs. It was dusty but in good condition. There were counters, some cupboards, a door, and a recessed pantry that had been sealed off with cobwebs.
Turning around, Holly saw an oven built into a brick shaft. She suspected that down below the oven, at the base of the shaft, she would find the furnace. She also saw what she knew was a dumbwaiter, a device that no longer existed in modern homes. She walked through the small kitchen to the door and pushed it open. She saw stairs leading down into total darkness. Creepy, horrible, spooky darkness. Holly shivered and thought about walking down into the darkness, the feeling of cobwebs trailing over her skin, and who knew what sort of horrors lurked down in the basement. She shut the door and backed away. The furnace would have to be started later. She decided she could live with the cold.
Holly realised that the house couldn’t be more than thirty feet in depth. She looked around the kitchen once more. No more than three yards wide, thirty feet in depth, and five stories tall. That was a fair amount of living space… it was just… stacked, she reasoned to herself. Plus the creepy basement. Her aunt, Cara Cara Orange, and her uncle, Sumac Heartwood, had raised a family here, a family of seven foals. Holly could not imagine such a large family in such cramped quarters, but they had done it. This house had history.
Holly returned to the living room and noticed two paper envelopes upon the bookshelf that she hadn’t noticed before. She walked over, grabbed them both, held them in her lips, grimacing at the dust, and then sat down in the dusty chair.
She set the envelopes down upon the arms of the chair and then picked one of them up. She tore open the envelope with her teeth and then tilted her body towards one of the dirty gas lamps on the wall so she could see.
Dearest Holly,
Sorry the place is still a mess. Things were hectic after the funeral and there was a lot to do. I hired some maids, a group of them will be by within a few days to give the place a good cleaning, and then a maid will show up once a week to keep the place looking nice. You don’t need to worry about paying him or her, it is included as part of your inheritance.
An exterminator will be by soonish to deal with the infestation of spiders in the basement and the sub basement. The kitchen appliances are all in good repair and are quite functional, if a little quaint. The oven cooks twenty degrees hotter than the knob says, so keep that in mind. If you are wondering where the bathroom is, don’t worry, one exists. It is on the third floor, the middle of the house. It is the only bathroom. Cara had the opportunity to have another bathroom built, but at that point, Sumac was gone and her foals had moved out, so she didn’t see the need to do so. The water heater is heated by gas and I must warn you, the water is hot, so look out. I know from experience and staying with great grammy Cara that turning on the hot water knob a smidgen and turning on the cold water knob full blast will produce one very hot shower or bath.
The house might not seem like much when you first enter, but there is a nice dining room and a full sized sitting room on the second floor. It really is quite lovely, or it was, before it became somewhat neglected.
I sincerely hope that you will decide to keep the house. Great grammy Cara wanted you to have it. I had to go home to Las Pegasus to deal with a few things, but I will be returning to Manehatten soon to visit you.
Love, Roble.
Misty eyed, Holly folded up the letter and thought about her cousin. They had been as close as siblings when they were foals, but then, life had happened. Roble was the ambitious sort, always chasing a deal, always working, always trying to make money. After getting her cutie mark, a roller skate of all things, Holly had joined the roller derby circuit, working under the pseudonym ‘Holly Homewrecker.’ The roller derby was fun, but always moving from city to city was tiring, the pay was lousy, and as Holly was now maturing into a full grown mare, she could see that such an endeavour was fruitless. Many of the older skaters on the circuit were horrible, jaded, cynical, bitter sorts, most of them alcoholics, and none of them had chased down the elusive big payout, the cushy life promised by promoters if they could just get noticed, get sponsored, and start getting commercial endorsements.
Holly was glad that she was out.
She lifted up the second envelope and tore it open. She pulled out the paper inside, which had been spritzed with perfume.
Dear Hot headed Cuss,
I know that you didn’t know me very well, but Sumac and I were very fond of you, proud of you for being such a feisty little scrapper. I only met you a few times, but you left an impression on me. I kept tabs on you and I watched you as you progressed in your career. I knew at some point that you’d grow up and you’d reach the point where you are now, ready to settle down and make a real life for yourself.
Out of all my relatives, I felt that you were the one most deserving of the house. The others, they have all they need, they have money, nice homes, and good careers. Your mother was a proud mare and she refused to take any help and she raised you on her own, something I respect a great deal. You turned out fine, but you don’t have much.
I was once like you. I was dirt poor and didn’t have anything. I met a nice colt named Sumac. He was the shy, quiet sort and we fell in love. He took a job in the furniture factory and after a few paychecks, he made a down payment on the house that you are sitting in right now, and he did it without telling me about it. It was quite a surprise. I adored the house almost as much as I adored him. I took on every odd job I could find and he worked two shifts a day to keep up with the house payments. We raised seven foals in this house. For a time, our oldest, Lilac, she lived here with her husband, Chestnut. Lilac gave birth to her twins in this house. Those were such joyous times and I remember them fondly. Lilac’s colt, Parson Brown, when he was all grown up, he lived here with his wife, a lovely mare named Sandy Shores. She gave birth to twins, Roble and Mosley. It was Roble and Mosley’s little sister that caused that big fuss by going off and marrying into the Apple family. She was a hot headed cuss as well, and your cousin, a mare named Applejack, she’s also a hot headed cuss, and stubborn too, as well.
We have a fair number of hot headed cusses in the family and quite a few of them have lived in this house.
Since you’re reading this, it means I’m dead now. The doctors told me I was dying, I didn’t care much for their opinions and I didn’t believe them. Of course, they told me I was dying ten years ago, so I guess time and old age has saved them from being liars. But I knew my end was coming soon, so I had this wrote down for me.
You have always been a plucky little hot headed cuss. Don’t you go changing that. Manehatten is a tough city. It takes a tough mare to live here. Of course, the wealthy sorts living up at the top of their towers don’t know nothing about the problems us common ponies face down here, but you don’t pay them no nevermind. There is adventure to be had in this city. I’m certain that you will find something that suits you. I don’t think you’re ready to settle down just yet, so go out and take whatever you can from the city and live each day to the fullest.
Sorry darling, I need to cut this short. I feel powerful tired and I need to rest my head.
Love and smushy hugs, aunt Cara Cara.
Reaching up, Holly wiped her eyes with her fetlock. She looked around the house. She had felt disappointed upon first seeing it, but now she felt a newfound sense of pride. She looked down at the letter once more and as she was looking down, a few water spots appeared, darkening the paper. With a great deal of care, she folded up the paper and placed it back inside of the envelope.
The house was not a house, but a neglected family member. Holly decided then and there that it was time to grow up and maybe become a little more responsible. She had her inheritance money and she knew that if she looked, she could find work, even if it was just pulling a cab.
Sniffling, Holly decided to have a look upstairs…
The wooden planks creaked beneath her hooves as Holly climbed the stairs. It was dark at the top of the stairs, but not too dark. It seemed some light was coming in through the filth encrusted windows. At the top of the stairs there was a dusty painted portrait of Princess Celestia wearing jewel encrusted golden armor, standing in a heroic pose with the sun behind her. The words “The Sun Shines Eternal” were etched into the frame of the painting.
Turning around, Holly took it all in. In the back of the large room there was a spiral staircase leading up. There was furniture covered in dusty slipcovers. She saw the dumbwaiter against the wall and there was a dining table with a chair on each end and three chairs on each side, eight chairs in total.
This room was open, it ran the full width of the house and the depth. An old hoof cranked hi-fi was in the corner opposite the spiral staircase. Dusty old photos in brass and wood frames adorned the walls. Soot encrusted gas lamps stood out from the walls and a large gas lamp chandelier hung over the dining table. The chandelier had glass globes and brass horseshoes.
Holly took note that many of the fixtures in the house were brass.
She made her way to the spiral staircase and prodded the stairs with her hoof. The stairs were black iron, and not dark wood as she had first thought. As she climbed, the wrought iron staircase made a cacophony of sound as her hooves thumped upon each stair.
The third floor had a landing and three doors. The only light was a tiny bit of winter sun shining through the narrow window by the stairs. The first door led to a small bedroom. It was empty and some of the wallpaper was peeling off of the walls. The second door opened into a bathroom.
Reaching out with her hoof, Holly turned the brass knob. It took a moment, there was a hiss, and then the gas lamp flickered on. The bathroom was small and the bathtub was enormous. It was a big claw footed tub, deep, wide, and covered in pale, mint green enamel. Holly looked around and saw a pony staring at her, which startled her. She looked at herself in the mirror. She was, for the most part, an unremarkable earth pony. She was not a bright, garish colour, like some earth ponies. She was more of an unnoticeable, muted shade of burnt orange that might be mistaken for brown under certain types of light. Her pale lime coloured mane was spiky, stuck out in all directions, and needed a good combing.
Her looks had not helped her on the roller derby circuit. She did not have exciting colours, nor was she considered ‘sexy’ by the promoters. It always led to bottom billing, right down at the lowest point on the list with the drunks and the washed up hasbeens. Her only defining characteristic was the rollerskate on her backside, and as far as talents went, this one hadn’t done her a lot of good, but it had been fun. She could skate like it was nopony’s business.
She puckered up her lips and blew some of the dust off the mirror. It too, was trimmed in brass and wood. It was cold enough to see her breath. Turning her head, she looked at the toilet. It was old. The toilet was an actual bowl upon the floor. Above it was a brass water tank and brass pipes led down to the toilet basin. There was no toilet seat over the bowl, oh no, this toilet was too old for that. This model of pony toilet was ancient, the old drop and squat, where a pony held their backside over the bowl while they did their business, whatever their business was. The basin was low to the floor, just a little above fetlock height, and was a pale green that matched the tub.
Backing out the bathroom, Holly checked the last door. She tapped the brass handle and pushed it open. This bedroom faced the front of the house and had three narrow windows that allowed the sun to stream in. There was a large brass and wood trimmed bed. The mattress was covered in a plastic slip to keep the dust off. The room, though small, was beautiful. The wood wainscotting was grey, but old style craftponyship shone through. There was no wallpaper, but old, faded blue velvet lined the walls above the wainscotting.
From what little Holly knew, Cara Cara had died in her room, and Holly suspected this was the place she had met her end. The golden light from the windows left a sunny patch upon the bed.
If she was going to sleep here tonight, there were things that needed to be done.
Trotting along the streets of Manehatten, wearing her heavy winter coat, Holly Heartwood was enjoying herself, as was evident by her smile. The winter day was cold, it made the lungs sting, but the cold was invigourating. Overhead, a few pegasi flew and the streets were crowded with earth ponies.
Manehatten was considered by many to be an earth pony city. It was a city of practical technology. Electric lights. Gas lights. Electric elevators. Steam elevators. There were factories here dedicated to practical earth pony endeavours. For the longest time, Manehatten had been a poor city, but that had changed over time. Now, it was full of new money, glittering high rise banks and financial districts were replacing the old factories. There was a booming fashion industry along with a theatre culture that rivaled Canterlot. The old row houses, brownstones, and townhouses were being torn down and replaced with high rise apartments. Neon signs blazed, even during the day time. Advertising was everywhere, even on the backs of pony drawn cabs.
There was even a new underground steam powered train called a subway that promised to whisk riders across the town in mere minutes; Holly had seen the signs and the stairs leading down to the subway tunnels down below.
Steam rose from vents on the sidewalks and the air was filled with a million smells. The scent of laundry. The smell of popcorn. The smell of tofu hotdogs, which Holly thought were disgusting. Some ponies liked hotdogs, but she wasn’t one of them. She found them revolting. There were ponies, a few griffons, and even a few dragons selling food from carts.
The population of Manehatten claimed to be over one million strong and growing.
Emerging from Plunkett’s Housewares for Housewives and Hardware for Househusbands, Holly decided then and there that she could not and would not work in a department store. Not long after entering, she had been assailed from all sides with suggestions for cosmetics, hair dyes, mane dyes, tail wraps, exfoliating mud rubs for the whole body, all of it horrible, smelly, and disgusting. There was no way she could peddle that kind of crap to other ponies. Wearing makeup and being a pretty pony was not her thing. She liked violence, full contact body checks, and going fast. The last thing she wanted was to feel softer and smell pleasant. She sneered up at the sign as she hurried away, her shopping bags slung over her back, connected with a carry strap that turned the shopping bags into saddlebags.
After a bit of a walk, Holly stopped to rubberneck at an accident. Two wagons had collided and now a police pony was directing traffic, waving with his hooves while blowing a whistle so the accident could be cleaned up in safety. Police work might be interesting, but Holly wasn’t certain she was cut out for it. She was the rebellious sort who resisted authority.
Still, body checking bag snatchers and muggers had a certain appeal to it. The Holly Homewrecker Wham-Bam-Thank-You-Ma’am was a real crowd pleaser for a reason. Holly, who was a voluptuous earth pony, had a body full of dangerous curves. Those that called her a chubby earth pony got body checked. Once, during a match, she had been called ‘fat.’ The mare responsible for that little quip had been carted off in a wagon. Holly had a preference for the term created by the ponies of Germaney; and that word was ‘zaftig.’ She felt as though it was a fair and accurate description.
She had sheets, fresh bedding, a few things for the bathroom, and now, Holly was stumped. She knew she needed food, but she wasn’t certain there were any plates, or even anything to cook with. Owning a home was more complicated than she thought it was going to be.
As Holly headed home, she heard the howling of a steam whistle and saw a fire wagon being pulled by a few stout earth ponies. Pegasi flew along beside the wagon. Holly watched as the fire ponies went racing off to battle the flames.
Long after the wagon was gone, Holly remained, staring, her expression almost vacant. Lifting her head high, Holly had the most wonderful of ideas…
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A little more
Slice of Life is always nice!
and was greeted by cobwebs
picked one of them up
Hey, you got it published! So what'd you have to change?
6185321
I merged the first chapter with most of the second chapter in a hurried edit.
Interesting beginning.
More Kudzu!!!!
Three at once not enough? you have to tackle four?
Repeated sentence.
peddle
As you should know by now, pointing out typos is my expression of interest.
Good and promising setup. As I wrote in the respective blogpost, firepony work is going to be very interesting.
All that 'disappointment' on purpose?
One 'but' too much.
6185447
I felt it was whimsical. The disappointed groan of disappoint was kinda funny, at least to me.
Ha. You got it published.
6185452
I found it funny, too, I was just checking.
6185325 Glad you got it worked out. Definitely looking forward to see where this is going! Looks great so far.
Okay, I'm on for the ride.
Steam rose from vents on the sidewalks and the air was filled with a million smells. She scent of laundry. The smell of popcorn.
The scent of laundry.
Loved it! Will be waiting for the next chapter
Nifty start. Looking forward to Holly demonstrating she's tough enough to be part of the fire department.
Ponies, fire department, Third Watch flashbacks for some reason.
I like it! A good start, I like this Holly character, and its in the city of Manehatten, I like this!
Nice start, I will definantly read more of this.
Keep it up!
Juicy?
of
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Given what I know, I have expect the "extermination" of the spiders in the basement will require a living sword to deal with.
A distant relative of Sumac's, huh? I didn't expect that going in. I am intrigued. Her generally positive self-image concerning her weight makes me think that Pebble needs to meet her sometime.
This was rather nice. Against my better judgement, I feel optimistic for things.
just from the first chapter i can tell this is going to be a amazing story.