Wreck of the Bridleway Limited

by Locomotion

Prologue

Foreword: Vinyl Scratch

Whazzup, everypony – I'm Vinyl Scratch, otherwise known as DJ PON-3. I'm not much at writing stories, but just recently, me and my better half were asked to provide material for a new compilation drama thingy based on the accident what brought us together. For those of you who have read the adaptation of my diary by Print and Press, you may remember that I had to move over to Ponyville in order to get away from those pushy parents of mine, and in doing so, I ended up having to leave a really special mare behind. Ten years later, something really horrible happened up in the mountains, and the sad bit is that the population of Equestria went down by nearly ten ponies that night – but it also led to the very event I'd been yearning for. I'm now a married mare, and I couldn't be any happier; but after speaking with Loco about it, we all agreed that we could do a lot worse than share our stories of the crash with the whole world.

Me and Loco have been real pals ever since that night, and so have the rest of his family. He may not have much of an interest in music, and he's not exactly a pop-lover, but we still enjoy hanging out with him and his folks every so often. In fact, if it weren't for him being there at the time of the accident, I'd have lost the will to live after a while, so I'm real glad of him saving the love of my life – and that he's managed to find love himself after all these years, but that's another story. As for this one? Well, it all began in the middle of an early spring night, seven years ago, with an express train chugging its way across Equestria...

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Foreword: Octavia M. Philharmonica

Throughout my entire adult life, I have become revered as one of the finest and most prolific musicians in Canterlot, if not the entirety of that fair and pleasant nation known as Equestria. I had always been interested in music since before I was born, or so I'm given to understand by my ever loving parents to whom I am indebted for their encouragement in realising my life ambition – indeed, I owe a lot to them both for initiating me into the world of music in the first place. My mother was a flautist for the Royal Canterlot Symphony, and is still performing at certain social events with her own little group to this day; whilst my father owns a highly successful record label with ties to some of the most famous musicians of our time, including Lavender Rhapsody and Sapphire Shores.

My main area of interest, as far as music is concerned, has always been the more classical genres such as baroque and renaissance (although, confidentially, I'm partial to more modern styles as well), so when I first started taking music lessons at school, it was only natural that my instrument of choice was the cello. However, it wasn't until my high school years that I really started coming into my own, thanks largely to the head of the Music Faculty at Canterbury Preparatory School, Miss Falsetto. I've always been told that I was her star pupil, but while I'm flattered that she should think so highly of me, I personally think that said honour should really go to a certain Linsey Woolsey, whom you may better recognise as Vinyl Scratch or DJ PON-3. She was far less fortunate than I, having been brought up in a regrettably shallow family of textile merchants who firmly believed that their children should inherit their business. Linsey never took any real interest in the fabric industry, preferring instead to carve her own path in life as a pop star; much to the chagrin of her parents who did everything they could to discourage it. So many obstacles to overcome, and yet, against innumerable odds, Linsey continued to hone her talent and forge a strong friendship with me that I secretly hoped would grow into something more.

I must confess, when I came out of the closet to my parents about having an interest in mares rather than stallions, and in particular the crush I had developed on Linsey, I expected them to be outraged; but once again, they were highly supportive of me, saying that they would never think less of me just because I “batted for the opposite team”, to coin a phrase. If I wanted to take my relationship with Linsey to the next level, they said, then I had their blessings. Sadly, however, this wasn't to be, for Linsey gained her Cutie Mark only a few days later, while I was still working up the courage to confess to her. Where it was a moment of joy for me when I got mine, it was more of a travesty for Linsey whose parents hit the roof when they discovered it was related to music, and from there, things went downhill very quickly. I myself tried to reason with her father that he was taking it far too harshly, but he wouldn't listen; and shortly afterwards, I learned that Linsey was to be sent away to a finishing school in Fillydelphia.

As with every other pony, there are many things that I have come to regret in life; examples of which include breaking my mother's flute when I was a toddler, going through a phase of popularity over true friendship in my elementary school days, and even upsetting the Canterlot elite with a performance of the “Pony Pokey” at the Grand Galloping Gala one year. In my defence, regarding that last point, it was requested of me by a dear cousin of mine from Ponyville (and you can draw your own conclusions as to whom), so I could hardly turn her down. But my greatest regret is that I never told Linsey how I truly felt about her before she left. We both knew she would never make it to Fillydelphia, because when I spoke to her about it, she told me that she planned to give her parents the slip and get off at some other town halfway; but it still didn't ease the pain I felt when she finally departed Canterlot. My only consolation is that, on the final night she and I spent together, she had the heart to share a kiss with me under a moonlit sky.

Many sad and lonely years went by, and I eventually formed a small orchestra of my own with myself as composer and lead musician. The group as a whole only consists of six members – two violinists, one pianist, one harpist, one sousaphone player, and myself on the cello – and we normally only have three or four members playing at a specific event, but we've built up quite a name for ourselves over the course of time. That said, life never really felt the same without Linsey, and there were a fair number of nights where I was just lying awake in bed, wondering what might have been if our lives had taken a different turn and even questioning whether she and I would ever see each other again. It wasn't until early in the spring of 2009 that I got my answer.

Before I continue, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to my parents for inducing me into the world of music, to Miss Falsetto for teaching me everything I know and helping me to hone my talent, to Locomotion for saving my life, to Messrs. Print and Press for all their assistance in compiling this story, and last but not least, to Vinyl Scratch just for being the strong-willed disc jockey I know and love. I also wish to offer my condolences to all those who lost loved ones to the Horse Junction rail crash, of which, as will be revealed, I was just one of the victims.

Octavia Melody Philharmonica,
Bachelor of Music

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Foreword: Locomotion

I had always been interested in railways from a very early age, but not until we moved to Ponyville when I was aged three, primarily so my Dad could take up a job in a nearby research lab, did I finally manage to make good of that interest. By the time I was eight, I had already made a great many friends among the staff at Ponyville MPD, and by the 24th of March 2009, I had been working alongside them as a part-time cleaner for eighteen months – but that particular day was to become one of the most significant in my whole life.

I didn't originally intend to write this memoir, but recent events regarding two local musicians, both of them from Canterlot, have prompted me to think again. The two of them have been in a pretty close relationship for a good seven years now, and only recently they have taken the final step and tied the knot. It came as a great surprise to me when they asked me to be their Best Stallion, and while I thought it a great honour, I also felt somewhat unworthy, thinking back to the events of that fateful night seven years ago.

It does seem ironic that two young lovers should have been happily reunited by an otherwise tragic accident, and it's rather stuck with me for my whole life; not least because of the lives lost, and how a simple signalling error ended up wrecking one of Equestrian National Railways' finest expresses. Even today, I find myself looking back over the events of the crash and wondering if there was anything I could have done to prevent it. The only bright side, as far as I'm concerned, was that I ended up playing matchmaker without even realising it – and all this through the simple act of rescuing injured passengers from the wrecked coaches. This, then, is the story of my involvement in the Horse Junction Rail Disaster...