Chapters Mill Whistle
"Tooooooooot!" screamed the lumber mill whistle at 7:45 AM as a ten year old green pegasus filly was walking through the drizzle. The filly's name was Mill Whistle and her wet white and blue mane dripped with the excess water pouring down. She could hear the lumber train approaching as it's steel wheels squealed against the wet rails. It's diesels hummed and black smoke puffed out of the exhaust stacks of the sw1200s (1200 hp switching locomotives). The train whistled two longs, a short, and another long as it came onto the street.
Roughly 10 years and 9 months earlier.........
After a few months Misty felt kicks. She tried to keep it a secret from her mother, but the morning sickness gave it away. One day her mom said sternly to Misty, "You keep skipping school because you feel sick, you've gained weight, Misty!, tell me what's going on", Misty replied sobbing "I think....it happened....when that...stallion...chased after me!, I'm pregnant mom!". Misty's mother tried to comfort her daughter.
The foal was born right when the 8:00 AM whistle sounded in the Vanhoover hospital. When the doctor placed the foal in Misty's forelegs Misty cried. "She's beautiful" Misty said holding the green pegasus foal with blue and white tufts of mane, "I'll name her Mill Whistle".
Please take care of my foal. Her name is Mill Whistle. Please help her find a family that will love and take care of her.
Back to the Present
"It's your stop Mill" said Misty trying to fight the tear, Heavy slowed the train and Mill Whistle said "Bye!". Misty and Heavy continued on the next half mile of track to the mill.
Mill trotted to the school just as the the 8 AM whistle roared. At the saw mill Misty and Heavy ended their shift which lasted from 8 PM to 8 AM. Heavy walked to his run down house on the outskirts of town. While Misty walked to the orphanage.
Author's Note
Hope You like it!
Misty woke up to the 1:00 PM ending lunchtime whistle. It was still overcast but the low fog receded. Since it was still a couple hours before Mill Whistle got out of school Misty went to the Flume's Diner.
Misty grabbed a newspaper and the headline said "Stallion Gets Crushed by Logs", Misty sighed and put the paper down. It was not uncommon for ponies to die because of the relatively deadly working conditions.
Meanwhile at Mill's School.............................
"You all did great on your end of year tests" said a red earth pony mare with a cutie mark of a wood rose named Ms. Woodrose, "You may have recess until your parents get here". The other foals rushed out of the classroom while Mill Whistle got up again slowly. "Bye Ms.Woodrose" said Mill Whistle with a noticeable hint of sadness in her voice, "You aren't leaving yet" said Woodrose. "Am I in trouble?" asked the green filly with even more sadness, "No" said Ms.Woodrose.
"I'm your mom and I love you" said Misty, "I love you to mom!" Mill replied. Mill felt Misty's fore legs wrap around her in a warm embrace. It was 4:00 when the two left the schoolhouse.
Goodbyes and a Journey to a New Home
"Class, this the last day of school for this year and there is a student that is not coming back next year" said Ms. Woodrose, "Mill Whistle, say farewell to the class". "I'm moving down south to Ponyville with my mama, I don't know if I'll ever be coming back to this logging town where the trees reach into the clouds, so goodbye my fellow classmates" said Mill, "Bye Mill Whistle, I'll miss you" said a yellow earth pony colt. Mill Whistle trotted over to the little colt and hugged him. "I'll miss you to Tug Raft" said Mill Whistle.
The train station had few ponies in it. The worn yellow building had certainly seen better days. The floorboards creaked under the weight of baggage carts and ponies. "Canterlot bound train on track one in five minutes" announced the stationmaster. "Well we're heading to our new home" said Misty, "Where the sun shines and where it ain't so gloomy" replied Mill Whistle. A couple of worn GE P40dc's (a type of General Electric locomotive used Amtrak) brought up the train to Canterlot.
"Come on, this is our train" said Misty, "Ok" replied Mill. "All aboard!" called the conductor who was an orange stallion, "Honk, honk" went the train as the engine started revving up and the train started rolling. The orange stallion walked by Misty and Mill. "Hey, I haven't seen you since the rail academy, I forgot your name" said Misty, "Oh, Hey, ah, Misty!, long time no see, I'm Time Keeper remember" said the orange stallion with a pocket watch cutie mark. "This is my daughter Mill Whistle" said Misty, "Nice ta meet ya" said Time Keeper holding out his hoof. Mill shook it happily.
30 minutes later........
"We're here mommy!" yelled Mill Whistle, "Yup" replied Misty. "Bye Time Keeper" they said, "Bye girls, hope you have a good life in Ponyville!" said Time Keeper. Canterlot was filled with hustle and bustle. The tall buildings were bright and stood out unlike the gloomy building back in Vanhoover.
"Sky's train leaves in a few hours, so we'll explore before heading to Ponyville" said Misty, "Sounds fun mommy!" squealed Mill Whistle.
They then trotted to three EMD SD40-2s. The locomotives were painted grey with white lettering and red on the front and rear. It was Saturday so there was not any ponies to start the locomotives before Sky and Hotbox got there.
Welcome to Ponyville
"You've got your cutie mark!?" Misty yelled as she rushed over, "Yup" said Mill Whistle. Mill's cutie mark was a wrench next to a rail. "Congratulations, now let's get this train to Ponyville" said Sky. They all walked to the lead locomotive and sat waiting for the dispatcher to give them the green light.
"7623 you have permission to proceed on the main over" said a voice over the radio, "Ok, 7623 headed out" replied Sky. "Honk, honk" blared the horn as the train rumbled out of the yard. Once the train started moving Sky set the throttle in the idle notch because the grade between Canterlot and Ponyville was one of the steepest railroad grades in all of Equestria at 3.5%.
"Mill, can I ask you something?" asked Sky the green pegasus with a blue mane, "Sure, what is it?" asked Mill Whistle.
"Can I marry your mother?" asked Sky
"Mom do you want to marry her?" asked Mill
"Yes" answered Misty
"I pronounce you trainmare and wife, you may kiss the bride" said Mill Whistle
Misty and Sky kissed for what seemed like an hour but it was really only a minute or two. "Stop smoochin' and do your damn jobs!" yelled Hotbox, "I'm the damn conductor and this is my Celestia damned train". "Ok, little sis' " said Sky. "Ponyville is in twenty five miles, Mill were almost home" Misty said hugging Mill, "I can't wait!" exclaimed Mill Whistle.
The landscape changed from mountains to farmland slowly but surely as they rolled on. The rocks were replaced by green hayfields, barns, houses, and dirt roads.
"Mom what will our new house be like?" asked Mill Whistle yawning
"It's a surprise but you do get your own room" answered Misty
"I can't wait to see it"
"You'll see it soon enough"
At 8:55 PM the consist pulled into the Ponyville yard. "Shut 'em down" ordered Sky, "Ok, I got it, hey kid come" responded Hotbox. "Ok" said Mill Whistle as she followed Hotbox to the 2nd locomotive, "Press the big red button that says 'Shutdown', then flip the master switch" ordered Hotbox. Under her watchful eye Mill Whistle shut down the two trailing locomotives.
It was a beautiful star filled night that night, the moon shown bright.
"Bye Hotbox" said Sky, Misty, and Mill
"Good night see ya later" replied Hotbox
Hotbox trotted to her home near Ponyville's town square.
"Now let's get you home" said Sky
"Finally" said a groggy Mill Whistle
"Get on my back" said Sky
"Ok" said Mill as she used what little energy she had to fly up onto Sky's back.
"Hold on" Sky said as she spread her wings. With a few flaps she was fifty feet in the air. Meanwhile Misty used a teleportation spell to get home. Mill Whistle slowly drifted to sleep on Sky's back. They arrived to a yellow two story farmhouse with a front porch. Sky tucked in the little green pegasus filly and kissed her on her forehead. Mill Whistle was finally at her new home. Away from that hellish logging town in Northwestern Equestria.
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The Next Day
The next day Mill Whistle woke up in a nicely sized bedroom that was painted yellow with empty shelves and a nightstand. She had an extremely soft cloud bed. The few belongings she brought from Vancouver didn't fill the room. She thought to her self "I'm finally home, a place where ponies love me".
THE END
Author's Note
Dear Reader,
