This is long since overdue. I typed this up a long time ago and never got around to uploading it until now. Leave feedback if you want me to continue, it was fun writing.
The morning sun rose over the thick mass of cedar trees casting an orange glow as the rays of light pierced through a round window adjusted at the top of a modest sized wooden cottage. The sun's beams danced around the upper floor and gave the room a warm, Autumn-y feel. A dark wooden bed frame, designed to look like tree limbs, sat along the center of the wall. The bed had a green argyle blanket draped over the corners of a soft mattress. The blanket looked to be concealing something within its grasp. The clump of fabric began to shift around as the sun had illuminated the room until all the walls and floors were covered in a warm orange gaze.
The sleeping unicorn, by the name of Glimmering Springs, arose from the confines of her blanket and twisted her back as she let out a slight yawn to help her adjust to the light that was filling her eyes. She sat up and gave her spine one last pop before climbing out of the bed and wandering out of the bedroom and into a hallway. There was a polished wooden railing leading down a rectangular stair well and on the other side of the hall sat two doors with lovely silver door handles. Glimmer made her way over to the left most door and gave it a small push opening up to a small bathroom. A hazel aura appeared around her horn as she lifted a small brush from a a silver netted bin and began to brush through her mane to rid it of stray hairs. She turned the dials that sat over a large white bathtub, as warm water began to run from the facet and splash down into the basin of the tub as she slowly began to step inside. A nice warm shower was just the thing to help wake her up and prepare her for the day that laid ahead of her. She stepped into the bathtub and allowed the warm streams of water to wash over her face as she let out a sigh and began to scrub her mane with a hoof-ful of shampoo.
****
Glimmer watched as the swirls of foam began to spiral down the drain as the water washed the remaining soap from her coat before stepping out of the bathtub. She reached for a light blue towel and began to run it through her mane and down her neck. Once she was dry, she hovered the towel over to a small plastic bin and placed it in there with the other various towels and rags. She opened the door and carried the plastic bin down the stairs to wash them. The stairs opened up to a big living area, on the far wall were cabinets hanging along the ceiling with charcoal surfaces on all the kitchen counters. In the middle of them sat an island with the same design. Apart from the kitchen, the living space was nicely decorated with brown and tan furniture and warm casting candles rested on the coffee table giving the room a scent of pumpkin spice.
You could tell by the way Glimmer decorated her home that she loved Fall weather. Along the walls of her living room hung dozens of exquisite paintings of nature and framed coffee shop posters giving the room the perfect contrast of city life and seclusion. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy the company of others, it's just that she would rather live away from the complexities of the city. Glimmer enjoyed the peace and quiet that White Tail Woods offered her. The trees, the mountains, and the wildlife she would occasionally see upon looking out her window. Her favorites were the fawns that drank from a nearby pond.
She walked over to the door, still holding the plastic bin of towels, and pushed it open. A gentle breeze had entered her house along with the sound of chirping birds and other wildlife. She trotted over to the mailbox and retrieved the letters that were inside, before carrying her laundry out to a small metal pail and washing them. She was grateful that she had learned how to control water using her magic. It made cleaning a lot easier for her. As she hung the towels out on a line to dry she began to sift through her mail.
****
Glimmer sat on the couch to relax after doing all of the yard work and tending to her laundry. She was exhausted and almost done going through the mail she'd received earlier today. She noticed one of them was addressed personally to her from her friend, Invert in Canterlot. Both Invert and Glimmer were glad that their jobs allowed them to set their own hours, and that they could have frequent get-togethers whenever possible. Glimmer didn't have many friends, but for the ones she did have, she was immensely grateful.
Invert had always been a great designer, but it wasn't until she discovered her true talent was fashion that she really started to pave her way to a successful future. Of course she could never compete with Rarity in the fashion industry, but she poured all of her passion into it. It made her happy, so being the best wasn't her top priority. Blue Sleeves was also one of Glimmer's closest friends. He was great at solving problems and he could always find a way to achieve his goals, sometimes going to extreme measures to complete his task. Glimmer had always admired the way he understood the world around him. There was no problem she hadn't seen him solve in one way of another.
As Glimmer continued to read the letter, she saw that Invert had just been approved to design a fashion line for a formal event. Nothing too big, but nonetheless exciting for someone who just got her hooves in the water with such a career. She was organizing a small party with her friends to celebrate. Glimmer was happy to attend and wanted to congratulate her friend in person. She walked upstairs and grabbed a small coat from her closet and her art supplies bag. She thought about taking her navy blue cape in case it got too cold. Canterlot was fairly cold considering its elevation. She decided to grab it and toss it casually around her neck as she made her way to the front door.
****
Glimmer sat at the station eagerly awaiting the train's arrival. She was used to the long waits she would have to endure anytime she visited Invert's place, but that didn't make them any more bearable. The train slowly approached the station with its breaks hissing as it came to a stop. Glimmer had been looking at the cover of a newspaper stand and noticed the headline was mentioning something about a recent spike in patients at the hospitals surrounding Ponyville. Wouldn't have been the first time something like this had happened, what with the "Baked Bads" incident 2 years ago, but it's the pictures under the story that caught her attention. Why were the ponies treating the patients wearing hazmat suits? Before she could fully grasp what the paper behind the glass was talking about, a tall grey stallion wearing a business shirt had placed a coin in the slot on the machine and quickly took the last paper from the case.
Glimmer had gotten up from her bench and walked over to board the train. She could not shake the image she had seen on the paper from her mind. Something about it didn't seem quite the same as other incidents that happened in the Ponyville area. It seemed more serious than usual. She eventually managed to forget about the image and focus more on the party that was being held for her friend. Glimmer had lost herself looking out the window at the long beaches that stretched along the coast line of Northern Equestria. It was one of the reasons she moved out there; she loved the scenery. She had leaned her head back against the seat of the train. It was going to be a long ride to Canterlot and she wanted to rest before her arrival.
Glimmer was jolted awake by what felt like a kick to the chest. She looked around panicking as she saw the other ponies being tossed around as the train tipped on its side, over the railing, and off the support bridge overlooking an old harbor. Glimmer tried to free herself of the same fate of being propelled through the air, but she could not maintain her grip on the seat and was eventually swept away. The train hit with a large crash against a rock jutting from the wet sand and sat tipped over a small river that cut through the beach and all the way up to the mountains that loomed in the distance. The blow had winded Glimmer and she found herself unable to stay conscious as she felt an intense pounding in her head.
****
Glimmer sat up and stared around at all the wreckage from the train's unfortunate collision. She put a hoof to her cheek to find that a large piece of glass from the train's window was embedded deep within her skin. She winced in pain as she tried to remove it using her magic. Painful as it was, she did eventually manage to pull the crimson stained shard from under her right eye. She tossed it to the ground feeling as though she was going to cry before realizing that there were no other ponies around in the wreckage of what once was a crowded train. No matter how hard she thought about it, it didn't seem to make sense as to why they had left her there. Did they think she was dead? Did they not think to help out a defenseless young mare such as herself? Or were they leaving in a rush as though they were running from something? Glimmer tried to convince herself that that was not the case, but the only thing that made sense to her was the fact that she would've been chased as well by whatever the others were running from.
She convinced herself that they didn't see her under all of the debris and simply left her behind. She was content with the idea, as much as she doubted it was true. She could not help but remember the newspaper stand and the bold letters printed along the top of the paper.
"Maybe the spike in hospital stays were because of the faulty railways" She remarked to herself, still coping with the pain in her cheek and the deep red that ran down her hooves and shirt.
She stood up and brushed the dirt from her mane as she began to search for some kind of onboard medical kit. As she searched, she couldn't help but notice a second train that was laying not far from the one she had been riding. It too was tipped on its side and in a state of suffering from high impact. She checked all the cabinets and drawers for a first aid kit, or anything that could soothe the pain from her face. She had stepped outside and was met with the steps of the train leading over a large rock that divided a river that ran below. She quickly stammered her hooves at an attempt to keep from losing her balance and plummeting into the water. With a cautious step, she placed one hoof on the slippery rock and improvised the rest of her way down to the beach. She placed her hooves firmly on the ground before being overtaken by a huge sense of relief.
She began to trot with a limp over to the other train to see if they had a first aid kit onboard. She couldn't get in the door on account of the train being tipped on its side and racked her brain for a solution.
"What would Blue Sleeves do in this situation?" Glimmer commented to herself as she searched for a way inside.
As much as she didn't want to, she had picked up a small rock with her magic and launched it at the slim window along the back of the train. She climbed through the narrow space and tried her best not to let the remaining glass along the edge cut her too much. She eventually squeezed through the narrow gap and began to search the wreckage.
She could hardly believe the state the second train was in. While the first one was partially tipped on one corner, this one was completely on it's side. She found it difficult to search though the debris for anything that could aid her in her predicament. As she began to make her way to the front of the train, nothing could prepare her for was on the other side of the door.
****
Glimmer forced the small crack in the door leading to the front car open. She saw something that put her in awe. A dark blue stallion in a conductors uniform sat in the seat of the train, mouth agape. Blood trickled down from the corners of his mouth and his eyes were open and glaring at Glimmer. It made her feel sick seeing something like that happen to an innocent pony. She softly closed the door and sat at its threshold.
"Who would just leave him like this?" She asked as tears began to well in her eyes.
She had almost forgotten what she was even doing riding to Canterlot this late, until she remembered.
"Invert!" She blared at the top of her lungs, realizing that her friend must be worrying about her whereabouts.
She ran to the back window and squeezed her way through it. She took off in a dash down the beach, looking for the nearest civilization where she could contact her friend. Glimmer looked up at the sky. It was much darker than it was at the time she had left her home. She had wondered if Invert had known that something was wrong. Glimmer would never miss one of her friend's parties intentionally, and they knew that. She wouldn't know what to tell her once she had finally gotten to Canterlot, and from the looks of the train situation she was going to have to walk the rest of the way.
