Chapter 1 - First Contact
On the day of Rails's arrival, Mango hardly got any sleep. One part was because she was excited to finally meet this internet pony friend she's been friends with for years by now, and also nervous over how he's going to perceive her. Online ponysonas' one thing but offline was where the real deal were at. The other part, however, was a much more real reason: Rails arrives early in the morning. Obviously, Mango didn't want to leave Rails hanging out alone at Ponnsylvania Station, lost and unable to find familar faces around him. Therefore, like any good friend, she wanted to be there early to pick him up as soon as he steps into the arrival hall.
Needless to say, she was feeling really tired and sleepy that morning. Then again, she didn't have school to deal with, not that she gave too much of a mind to that. Since the train arrives real early, she even had to take a cab to get to the station. Fortunately for her, the cab pony wasn't too grumpy like all the others in busy New Trot City. He was nice enough to engage Mango in a small talk on the way, which she appreciated because that kept her from falling asleep. They arrived slightly earlier than planned too, so Mango tipped the cab pony upon arrival at the train station, as she felt that he deserved it.
Ponn Station, Mango thought as she looked up at the sign. Been a while since I've been here, looks like it hasn't changed much, she inspected her surroundings. At this point, a luring smell of a nearby hot dog stand started to tickle her nostrils.
"Grumble," went Mango's belly.
Not now, Mango rolled her eyes at her inablilty to contain her hunger. In her haste to get out of the house, she's forgotted to pack food and spare change, so she's left with a $100 bill, which is her weekly allowence that she allocated to herself. There's no way that hot dog stand is going to break that up into smaller change this early in the day. Besides, in about 20 minutes' time, Rails was going to arrive. Maybe he's got something from the bistro car that he could share with Mango, or that they could have breakfast together in a fast food place or something.
With that thought in mind, Mango strided into the train station.
"I don't think Rails had any Wi-Fi on that train." Mango wondered out aloud, glancing at her phone that was showing a chain of private messages she send to the earth pony on Neighsayer.
It was a minute till arrival and she could practically hear the train rolling into the station tunnels. As jumpy as she is, Mango had to try to stay calm to not appear like a total weirdo in front of so many strangers in the chaotic station. There were ponies everywhere, rushing to get in line, buying snacks and drinks from the vending machines, going to the bathroom and purchasing tickets at the various counters. She was having a hard time keeping track of where everypony was going that she dazed out a few moments prior.
As if on cue, the public announce system garbled into action.
"Passenger train 2091 from Fillydelphia is now entering the station. All passengers bound for Fillydelphia, please wait for other passengers to alight the train before boarding. Our porters will be there to guide you through the boarding process."
Mango shook in her seat in excitement. She took out a piece of cardboard sign that she prepared, at night when she couldn't sleep, that read: "Welcome to New Trot City, Rails", and proceeded to the "Arrivals" gate. She held up the sign up gingerly.
I really need to go out more, she thought to herself. I'm way too shy for this kind of stuff.
As the passengers streamed out of the gate, Mango got more and more nervous by the second. What if Rails doesn't like the way she looks? What if he doesn't like her mane? What if he thinks she's too much of an edgy OC? Then again, she's not red and black, so she's at least somewhat saf-
"Hey Mango!!!" Rails shouted into Mango's ear and nearly scared her into falling over. Fortunately, Rails managed to catch her just before she hit the cold concrete floor.
"WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!" Mango complained loudly, still being held by Rails.
"It's not my fault that you didn't hear the prevous two times I called out to you." Rails shrugged, and then looked around.
"This is an awkward situation for the both of us, don'tcha think?" Rails winked.
"No you," Mango blushed slightly, totally unintentionally. She got back on her hooves hastily.
"Grumble" went Mango's belly again, louder this time.
"Ugh... Excuse me... Do you have anything that's edible, Rails? I mean, we could eat at nearby joints as well..." Mango aked, embarassed as well.
"I do have half a hay sandwich that you could have, I don't want you to faint before we even reach the nearest food place!" Rails quipped while handing Mango the sandwich box.
Therefore, Mango chomped down the hay sandwich in between a conversation with Rails on the way to the nearest McHoovies for a fix of Hayburgers and Straws. It sure was kind of an exciting morning. It's not everyday that Mango went to the train station to pick somepony up. Still, there's much more in store for the two ponies.
Author's Note
Now, this story isn't really meant to be taken seriously. However, I am trying to make this an enjoyable read for everyone. This is my first story, so I would like as much feedback on it as possible. I don't know how many chapters it's going to have, but I did plan this to be at least 3 chapters.
Of course, this is a working progress and I write the first things that comes to mind.
Chapter 2 - Second Opinion
McHoovies, later on.
Casually slurping on her famous McHoovies Milkshake™ and nomming on a double pounder hayburger, Mango stared at the white coated earth pony sitting in front of her, busily attacking his fried onions. His mane was slightly unkept from travelling on the train, likely due to the fact that he woke up early on the train and had not bothered to tend to his personal appearance.
I wonder how my mane looks right now? Probably as messy as his, I bet, Mango wondered as she subconsciously tried to smooth out her mane with her clean left hoof. She kept staring in Rails's general direction, spacing out due to her fatigue. Meeting her long time penpal felt like a dream come true, however cheesy that may sound. Just imagine, she could take him on a tour of New Trot City, see the always changing digital displays at Times Square. Maybe he'd fancy a walk around Maredison Square Garden...
"Hey, Mango, ya alright?" Rails's voice came from a faraway place.
"H-huh...?" Mango answered absentmindedly, still not quite snapping out of her daydream.
"I know I'm handsome and all, but you are starting to weird me out with your prolonged eye contact..." Rails gave an uneasy smile and another bite at his hayburger.
Mango, finally coming back to reality from fantasy, gave an awkward, sheepish grin, "O-oh! I'm sorry about that! I didn't mean to, I was just thinking about all the stuff that we could do while you're here and I guess I spaced out!"
Ugh, Mango nervously shook her head to clear her sleepiness. I screwed this up, didn't I, he's going to have a bad first impression of me, she thought.
"Hey, don't sweat it, you seem pretty tired yourself. I guess you were really looking forward to my arrival, huh," Rails teased, casually slurping on his drink.
"W-w-well I'm only d-doing what any good friend w-would do!" Mango stuttered loudly, apparently startled by the remark. It's been a while since someone made a good comment about her. She's not really known for her successes around town.
"Well, I'm pretty tired from the train ride as well, what'd you say we go back to your place for some rest before anything?" Rails, giggling a little at the sight of Mango nearly chocking on her milkshake, continued.
"I wouldn't want to miss out on all the fun stuff you've planned for me because I'm too tired to go on, after all." Rails finished his thought and fries, amused by Mango's inablity to contain her nervousness.
"A-ah, r-right then!" Mango gulped down the last of her milkshake and proceeded to help Rails with his luggage.
Outside the restaurant, Mango had finally managed to somewhat recollect herself from the embarrassing events earlier on. She's got a good whiff of the summer breeze to cool her head, while Rails was looking around him with sight awe.
"Wow, New Trot City is really something, Mango! You must never have a dull moment in this city, huh." He commented, looking at the signboard of Maredison Square Garden.
"You'll get used to the glamour after a few years living here, same as any other place," Mango responded, trying to flag down an empty taxi. "It's really nothing, honestly."
"To you, of course, you're local for goodness sake, so that's easy for you to say," said Rails, eying the traffic.
"Heh, I guess so. Besides, I really do need to get out more. Thanks to you, I just might." replied Mango, busy loading Rails's luggage onto the back of a cab that she managed to flag down.
On the way, the two ponies chatted a bit more. By that point, Mango had completely calmed down and was holding a discussion with Rails about the details of the visit. Even though they did talk a bit about it on the phone, she had since made a more refined plan. They are going to rest for a few hours into the afternoon, getting Rails settled down and then head out of the house again for a dinner at one of Mango's favourite restaurant, The Bellpony Place. Usually she went there for special occasions only, because the price point was a bit high for her, but she decided that this occasion was special enough to warrant such a treat and two consecutive days of TV dinners. Besides, it would be the first time she's been in there for a little under a year. The last time she was there, it was to celebrate her graduation from high school, which she hated with a passion.
Arriving at Mango's place, a typical suburban dwelling "that is not special in anyway at all", as Mango puts it, the duo began the process of unpacking. That is, after Mango had shown Rails around the house and made him sit on the spare mattress she found in the attic.
"Hmm. It's definitely softer than what I expected," Rails relaxed and stretched out on the mattress.
Mango threw a spare blanket she grabbed from her closet compartment at Rails, "Get some sleep then, I've got a ton of things planned for the evening." she said as she watched the pile of fabric hit him ("Oof!") squarely in the face.
"Heh, you better do the same, I won't want to wonder around without my tour guide beside me." Rails winked as he struggled with the blanket's orientation.
"A-alright then!" Mango sat down on her bed beside Rail's mattress. She can feel her face getting warmer again. "Stop t-teasing me and g-go to sleep already!" She retorted incoherently.
Rails gave a little snort and turned over, now snugly under his blanket. Mango lied down and tried to process the entire morning. It's been a little hectic, a lot of nervousness and excitement. It's been a while that she really hung out with anyone, since she only had a handful of friends in school to begin with, and they were all busy with their own lives. She gave a big yawn and let her heavy eyelids fall on their own. Her tiredness took over and she soon wandered off to dreamland.
Just before she fell asleep, however, she thought she heard a light snore from Rails. She recalled a little voice in her head, saying:
"He's quite a cute pony, you know."
"Hey, Mango, you lazy bum, wake up and take me to a food place already!" Rails, along with his stomach, protested as he rolled a sleeping Mango side to side on her bed.
"W-w-whoi-ish-d-dis?!" Mango tried to form words in her daze and confusion, to no avail.
"Come on, Mango. It's nearly 7 o'clock and if we don't go out now it'd be too late for dinner!" Rails stopped shaking, seeing that Mango is at least somewhat awake.
"G-gah, fine, but did you really have to do that?!" Mango said, groggily and angrily.
"Hey, not my fault when I've tried everything from an actual alarm clock and banging pot and pans right next to your ear." Rails shrugged.
Mango rubbed her eyes and inspected her phone. The screen read 6:30 pm.
"Huh, have I really been out for this long?" Surprised, Mango turned to Rails for some form of clarification.
"Sure looks like it! Given that you didn't get any sleep last night, it's a pretty reasonable amount for a nap," Rails said, somewhat impatiently. "Are we going or what?"
"Can you at least wait till I've straightened out my name?" Mango looked into her dressing table mirror and replied.
The Bellpony Place was just a stone's throw away from Mango's house. It was situated by the riverside, where locals and travellers alike enjoyed a little peddle boat ride in the evening. Besides the water entertainment and a subjectively there's really not much else to the suburban town. Everypony went about minding their own business, greeting each other out of politeness when they pass by, the rhythm was slow and steady, if it could be called that.
After being seated on the balcony facing the river, Mango had settled for a soothing vanilla carrot and yam stew to go with her hay steak, topped generously with applesauce. On top of all that, she had a glass of sparkling apple cider to wash it all down. Meanwhile, Rails was digging into a neatly presented stack of sushi, with apple strudel as dessert and cola as his drink of choice.
"The athmothphere ish really -" Rails said between mouthfuls of food.
"Relaxing?" Mango finished his sentence. Rails nodded. "Yeah, not much goes around here, really. It is a small town after all."
Rails cleared his mouth with the help of his cola. "I won't mind living here myself though. Fillydelphia is not as bustling as Manehattan, it still feels life goes by too fast sometimes, you know?" He said, gazing over the waterfront.
"Heh, you should totally try it for a few years, I doubt that you'd be still alive with all the boredom!" Mango joked.
Author's Note
Well, we're nearing the completion of this chapter, I appreciate your patience for following along, and hope that you would stay till the end.
Also, tag refinement and more clichés!
Prelude - On the Railway To Town
"Uuuuuuugh, I didn't think holiday would be this boring! This is almost as bad as staying in school!" Mango Foalix, a peach coated pegasus with mint coloured mane, lamented.
It was the start of the summer holidays. Even though it's just the first day, Mango was already feeling unbearably lonely staring at her Vapour™ with over 200 games. At least in school there's bullies to retort. Pmod was fun and all... For the first few hundred hours. And then it just kind of drags on, like all the other games, even with all the game modes that it has to offer. On top of that, all her friends live miles away in different places all around Equestria and only the Internet had kept them connected. Even her best friend, Rails, an earth pony, lives a few hours away in Fillydelphia. How she wished she could actually talk to him in person, right here, right now.
Therefore, when her phone rang on that day, she didn't think it was anything too special.
"Hello, Mango Foalix here." Mango picked up the phone and spoke in a disinterested tone.
"Hello Mango! I haven't called in a while, so I thought I would call in and ask you for a favour from a fellow sh*tposter!" the voice on the other end chirped enthusiastically.
"I'm sorry, but who is this?" Mango, obviously taken slightly aback by the caller's overly excited tone, asked back.
"Seriously Mango, did you just wake up or something? It's me, Rails! We hung out a lot on Pmod and Ponychan, remember?" Rails repiled with slight amusement at Mango's latency.
Mango had taken the phone off of her ear and in front of her eyes to make sure that it was really Rails calling. She manages to shake off her disbelief and the sudden onslaught of excitement just enough to reply: "I'm still here, you fabulous bast*rd. What do you want?"
"Well," Rails began.
"I'm on summer vacation right now, I'm sure you are as well. Now, I have some business to do in Manehattan, plus meetting up with a few friends here and there. I've heard that rent is expensive in town, so I was wondering... You won't happen to have a spare guest room or something, would you? I could pay you rent." Rails asked apprehensively.
"Are you kidding me? You are actually coming to Manehattan?!" Mango is almost unable to contain her excitement.
"I do have an extra mattress lying around somewhere, if you'd like you could sleep on the floor with me in my room! I mean, it's not the best thing, but there's a kitchen, a bathroom, a TV and internet... I can even tell you my Wi-Fi password if you beg, or pay, me hard enough." Mango teased.
"But seriously, you're welcomed to stay with me during the course of your visit! I'm always happy to help out a fellow sh*tposter, a best friend at that."
So, Rails and Mango discussed about his train schedule, arrival times, luggage and then some things that he's looking forward to do in town. So, deal was made between them. It was going to be straightforward visit... Or so they planned.
