TCB: Rails and Dreams

by Berry Pony

Rating: everyone
Tags: Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Other, Slice of Life, Alternate Universe, Human
Length: 54329

Cherry Shine has a dream - to build Equestria a modern electrified railroad.

Cherry Shine has a dream - to build Equestria a modern railroad. My unabashed self-insert describing my problems and triumphs in planning, financing, building and running a modern railroad. All while starting out as a poor unicorn, fresh from the Conversion Bureau.

Set in a Conversion Bureau world in which Equestria coexists with humanity.

Published 2012-08-22 07:54:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-12-23 20:29:01 UTC

I find a place to stay

I find a place to stay
Berry Pony

"Attention, ponies!"

I stretched out and opened my eyes. Around me, the walls of the old Royal Guard barracks echoed to the noise of fifty other ponies waking up. We had arrived the night before, collected from various Conversion Bureaus, flown by chartered jet to several port cities, and transported to Canterlot. The last stage was a nerve racking ride on one of Celestia's flying chariots from Los Pegasus to Canterlot. I'm not good with heights - while I'm not frightened - I'm very much uneasy and always happy to head back down to safer ground. I'm so glad that I'm not a pegasus.

"Time to get up." A white pegasus in the Royal Guard armor was striding up the rows of bunks. "Today, you will get your assignments."

In the bunk above me, a blue pegasus yawned and looked over the side of his bed. "Good morning, Cherry Shine," he said, catching sight of me.

"Good morning, Blue Dew"

Blue Dew had been one of my fellow passengers on that flying chariot run. He was the one that ran from side to side of the chariot, exclaiming over the sights passing far below us. From my position, lying against the front of the chariot as far as possible from the edge, I could only watch his antics. He was probably the kind of idiot that did free base jumping from tall radio towers. I couldn't even watch a video of people climbing a radio tower without cringing.

"'morning," came a voice from the bunk next to mine. Sandstorm was one of the two earth ponies that came from the Phoenix Conversion Bureau. He was a tan pony with a brown and white mane. "What's up?"

"We're going to see where we've been assigned," Morning Dew said. He hopped out of bed and fluttered to the floor. "I hope we get breakfast first."

Slipping into our saddlebags, we followed the white guard pegasus out of the barracks, down the hallways of Canterlot castle and into the messhall. The white pegasus walked to the front of the room and waited to get everypony's attention.

"You will have thirty minutes to eat breakfast." the white pegasus said. "Then you will wait until your name is called and go with the waiting guard pony. Follow their instructions." With that, the white pegasus turned and left.

As I ate my breakfast and drank my juice, the first names were starting to be called. When Blue Dew's name was called, he wished me luck, stood up, and walked away.

"Cherry Shine!"

I stood up and walked out to meet my guide. The grey unicorn in golden armor nodded and led me down echoing hallways to a room. The name plate hanging over the doorway read 'Conversion Bureau Services'. She knocked once and opened the door. I thanked her and entered. The door closed behind me.

The room was occupied by several low desks covered in papers. Shelves containing scrolls stood against the walls. Windows gave a glimpse of the castle's gardens outside. Underneath a wall clock, a bluish grey unicorn sat at a desk. He kept reading as I entered.

"Um... hello."

The bluish grey unicorn looked up at me. "Cherry Shine. Your papers say that you are able to grasp the basic elements of magic. You are able to read and write unicorn script at starting level. Is that true?"

"Yes, sir."

"Courteous at least," he muttered. "I have an opening for a newfoal here in Canterlot for an ambitious young unicorn mare, serving as Upper Crust's aide-de-camp. She will provide training in exchange for your services. You will be handling her social affairs, booking parties, arranging gatherings and such."

"Pardon me sir, what is a newfoal? I haven't come across that term before."

"Newfoal? Ah yes. It is the term for those recently converted to a pony." He examined me before asking, "are you interested in the position?"

"I'm sorry, sir. Thank you but I'm not interested."

"I am sorry to hear that," he said. "It is a good opportunity and opens the door to future social contacts. Do you have any particular position in mind?"

"Are there any openings in... Ponyville?"

The bluish grey unicorn stared at me. "Why would you want to go there? There is nothing there but muddy roads and low-class yokels. You certainly can do better than that here in Canterlot. If Upper Crust's position does not suit you, would you be interested in a position at the Royal Canterlot Library? Initially, you would be re-shelving books but I am sure that you would find it easy to advance to a research position."

I was very much tempted. There was nothing I liked more than digging into a large library. I had spent most of my time at the university, sitting in the depths of the stacks of the library, reading up on one subject or another. I love books. Books had the most interesting things to teach.

"Sir, you have given me a most generous offer. But I'm afraid I'll have to turn it down. I spent too much of my time buried in libraries and ended up without friends. I don't wish to make the same mistake again. No. I wish to go to Ponyville."

The bluish grey unicorn looked at me like I had lost my mind. "Why?"

I considered telling him about my vision in which I would bring a modern electrified railroad to Equestria. But as I glanced at his scowling face, I decided that a different approach was needed. "Sir, I think that going to Ponyville would allow me to easily make more friends. Staying in a small place like Ponyville would teach me more about Equestria and its ponies than working for a socialite or digging myself into a library. And besides, it isn't that far from Canterlot after all."

"Very well," he finally said. "I should warn you that outside of the aid of the local Bureau representative, Conversion Bureau Services is unable to give you further aid. You will have to make your own way, find your own job, and pay your own costs.

I smiled. "I wouldn't want to have it any other way. Um, what is the name of the Bureau representative in Ponyville?"

"Lyra, Lyra Heartstrings. For some reason, she is fascinated by humans." The bluish grey unicorn wrote something down on a piece of paper. "Here. This is a voucher for transportation to Ponyville." His magic lifted the paper off his desk to float in front of my muzzle. "Present it at the Canterlot Station. Take care, Cherry Shine."

I grabbed the floating voucher from the air and placed it into my saddlebags. Then I thanked the bluish grey unicorn, turned and left the room.

Walking down the hallway back to the mess hall, I ran into Sandstorm and Blue Dew. "Cherry Shine, I'm going to work for the weather team," Blue Dew shouted. "I'll start my training in Cloudsdale. I'm leaving tomorrow by flying chariot."

Sandstorm was quiet. When I asked him what they had found for him, he replied he was going to help in land reclamation in the area around Dodge Junction. He reached in his saddlebags and pulled out his travel voucher. "I'll be travelling by this train."

I looked at the train voucher held in Sandstorm's mouth. An uneasy feeling came over me as I pulled my own voucher from my saddlebags. "Sandstorm," I said. "I think that we've got the same train heading south. When I left the Conversion Bureau's office, it was shortly after nine. If we want to catch that train - we need to run!"

I can't say that I saw much of Canterlot that morning. I just remember endless rows of clean, white buildings, tidy street squares, and lots of ponies that couldn't be bothered to help two breathless ponies because their lack of cutie marks showed that they were newfoals. A street cleaner that we ran across, guided our steps downhill in the right direction. A quiet unicorn that we almost bumped into was kind enough to point out the Canterlot Station.

A few minutes before the train's departure, we arrived on the station platform. We presented our vouchers to the mare at the ticket window and stamping or hooves with impatience, waited for her to issue our tickets. Then we ran out to our waiting train.

Boarding the tiny cars, we found seats, hopped up and sat or lay down. Sandstorm was tired and I was completely wiped out. "At least, we made it," I said once I caught my breath.

Sandstorm raised his head and picked up his ears. "We barely made it. But shouldn't the train be moving?"

I sat up and glanced at the large clock affixed to the Canterlot Station. "Actually, Sandstorm, we should have missed the train by two minutes. Of course, that clock could be fast - but I can see another clock showing the same time."

"Wait a moment," Sandstorm said, poking his head out the window. "I think that the four earth ponies now boarding the train are probably our crew."

After another two minutes, two of the train crew entered our car, headed for the caboose at the end.

"Excuse me," I called out to one of them. "Do you know when this train is leaving?"

The brown earth pony glanced at me, then at my bare flank. "Well, missy, engineer's gotta stoke up steam and we'll be moving along presently." His partner gave me a look and the two left through the rear door.

Seven minutes later, there was a rush of steam, the car gave a lurch and the train slowly began to pull out of Canterlot Station. There was a brief clatter as each car passed over the switch points and then we felt the train pick up speed.

Now that we were finally on our way, I had a look around. We were riding in a coach - eight cushioned seats on a side, six of them paired up to a window. There were no real backs to the seats - just a green glass-like separator. The coach was lit by individual magical lanterns. Figuring that giving two ponies to a cushion, eight cushions to a side, I came up with a carrying capacity of 32 ponies to a car. I hoped that the toilet facilities would be adequate for that number of ponies, I checked the corners of the coach. There was no toilet on board. Suddenly, I wished that I hadn't drank that juice at breakfast. I stood up and got down off the seat.

"Where are you going?" asked Sandstorm.

"I'm going to have a look around," I replied. "This is my first chance to see an Equestrian train in action and I'm curious. I'll be back."

I walked down the end , opened the door, stepped onto the platform and stopped. The train's cars were not connected by a vestibule. Rather, I had to jump from car to car. The landscape rushed past and the wind howled. Beneath me, the rails and ties looked like a blur. The cars - as far as I could tell - were coupled together with a simple link and pin. I could not see a method for the caboose to communicate with the engine nor any signs of air brakes. My best guess is that the crew brought the train to a stop by tighting the hand brakes on some of the cars.

I jumped to the platform on the next car and opened the door. The car looked like our own - 16 cushioned seats and no bathroom. There were a few other ponies that looked at me when I entered. I grinned and kept on walking.

A few cars later, I stood on the platform of the caboose. Instead of entering, I looked through the little window. Inside, it held a kitchen and bunks for the train crew. I caught a glimpse of one of the crew members riding up in the cupola. Watching for hotboxes, I guess. (When a railroad car's wheels are improperly greased, the friction can ignite the grease - this is called a hotbox. Old time railroaders spent a lot of time watching for hotboxes.)

Returning the way I came, I smiled at Sandstorm and headed in the other direction. Two cars identical to ours - and then the engine. I studied the engineer from the first car's platform. He watched the oncoming track and from time to time, fed the firebox with the loose coal around his feet. He looked back and I waved at him before leaving the platform.

"I have seen 1840's railroading and somehow, it works," I said when I came back to Sandstorm. "Not well but I now know what it was like when the Baltimore and Ohio first stretched rail lines along the Potomac or the 'Adler' first steamed between Nuremberg and Fuerth in 1835."

While I had been taking my tour of the train, the train had descended from the heights that Canterlot stood on, through a set of spiral tunnels similar to those on the Canadian Pacific, dropped into narrow valleys, through many tunnels, across high bridges and now ran generally southward. The clouds grew from a thin veil over the sun to an ominous grey cover. As it grew darker, a member of the train came through the cars and lit the coach's lanterns. When we entered a broad valley, the first few drops began to fall.

The engine whistled sharply and the train began to slow down. Peering from my seat, I could see a station and a platform slide into view. Our train slowly shuddered to a stop. There was no signboard as to which station it was.

"I think this is your stop," said Sandstorm. "Write to me, Dodge Junction, and let me know how you are doing."

I put on my saddlebags and descended from the lit train into the light drizzle. The station was closed and dark. I turned to wave good bye.

The clouds suddenly poured down a deluge of rain. I quickly ran for the narrow eaves of the station but I was completely drenched. A whistle blew and the train slowly pulled out of sight, taking with it, my last source of warmth and light. I was left, huddled against the station, watching the walls of rain.

This is why I don't like travelling. It always leaves you somewhere stranded far from home, looking at rain coming down from the clouds.

Just as suddenly, the rain stopped and the sky became lighter. I looked out from underneath the eaves of the station to see lots of brightly colored pegasi flying among the clouds. Some were kicking the cloud cover apart, others were steering the clouds off towards the forests. The sun finally broke through and began to warm the ground. Watching those bright pegasi tear through the clouds, it struck me for the first time, what a strange, alien culture I had become a part of.

I blew a long strand of yellow mane out of my face and left the darkened station, heading into town. Just as in many European cities, the railroad came long after the place had been settled and therefore was on the outskirts of town. Ponyville lay mostly to the south of the station with farms and houses creeping up the sides of the valley. In the far distance behind me, still partially hidden by rain and clouds, were the towers of Canterlot.

Jumping over puddles and stepping past rivulets of rainwater, I trotted into Ponyville. The half-timber construction was familiar to me - I had often seen similar construction in the villages of central Germany. The thatched roofs and colorful decorations, however, were new to me. I stopped to admire a white and pink fence with hearts on every upright. Across the street, a house bore shutters with heart stencils. On every roof, there were heart shaped lighting rods.

I closed my eyes. It was all too much for me to take in at once.

"Pardon me, miss," a voice broke into my thoughts. "Are you all right? You look soaked through and through."

I opened my eyes to see a flying white pegasus with a red and green mane looking worried at me.

"We're sorry. We had a cold front coming in from north of Canterlot that ran into our scheduled afternoon shower. That created this really big rainfall."

"I see."

The pegasus kept hovering in the air in front of me. "We told everyone to stay under cover until we could deal with the problem but I guess... you didn't get the word."

"I've just arrived here from Canterlot." I began. "And don't worry about the rain. Ponies are waterproof by design. I laughed. "You know your way around town, right? Do you know where I could find Lyra Heartstring's place?"

"Lyra?" she mused. "I don't really know her. You might inquire at the town hall."

"The town hall. That's a good idea. Where do I find the town hall?"

The white pegasus flapped higher in the sky and pointed toward the southwest. "It's in that direction," she shouted down to me. I can see it from here."

I looked in the direction that she was pointing at and saw more houses, gardens and trees blocking my view. "Thank you," I shouted up at her. "I think I can find it from here." As the white pegasus flew off, I went in search of more information at the town hall.

The town hall was a tall cylindrical structure set out in its own public area. It was with relief that I trotted through shallow puddles up onto its large encircling porch. Wiping my hooves on the doormat, I pushed the door open and went inside.

There was a office inside with a broad set of stairs leading upstairs. In the front, a distinguished looking silver grey earth pony was filing scroll cases. He bore a pair of round eyeglasses on his muzzle.

"Hello," I said.

He paused in his filing. "May I help you?" he asked without turning from his task.

"Would you be so kind as to tell me where to find Lyra Heartstring's house? I'm new in town - just arrived in Ponyville - and I'm feeling my way around."

"New in town?" He turned to face me. His face was in a state of shock. "Has... has Pinkie Pie found you yet?"

"No, why?"

He started to speak quickly. "Lyra Heartstring's house? Go up the street just to the left as you leave the town hall. It'll be the fourth on the left. If that is all, good bye." He seemed to be eager to push me out the door.

"Um, one more thing. If I wanted to start a company, who would I see?"

"A local company?"

"I think, the company would cover all of Equestria."

"We would be able to provide you with local charter here. For a company that serves all of Equestria, you would need to acquire a royal charter as well. Good bye," he said as he pushed me out the door. I heard him lock the door.

I turned away from the town hall - to face a poofy-haired, bright pink pony with a mischievous smile. "Hi, you must be new here, Miss Pink-as-me," she began.

I don't remember too much after that. There was a welcome wagon. A cake. Singing. Balloons and party streamers. Somehow, there was an alligator too. I can only remember coming to, standing in the middle of a muddy street, a party invitation in my teeth, wondering what had just happened. Shaking the remnants of the party confetti out of my mane, I went to look at the address that the silver grey pony had given me.

I knocked carefully at the door. A few moments passed and a mint green unicorn opened the door.

"Hi, I've just arrived from Canterlot-"

"Have you seen Pinkie Pie yet," the mint green unicorn quickly asked.

"Yes, yes, I have."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, good. Why don't you come in. The pegasi have messed up the weather - again - and it will take the rest of the day to straighten it out. My name is Lyra Heartstrings and how can be of assistance?"

I entered a cozy room with comfortable seating and low tables. "As I was saying, I've just come from Canterlot and they told me that you are the local Conversion Bureau representative..."

Lyra brightened up. "Yes, I am. Do you have your paperwork from the Conversion Bureau?"

"One moment." Using magic, I opened my saddle bags and levitated the papers over in front of Lyra.

"This, this is a party invitation from Pinkie Pie!" she said. "Tonight."

"Um, that must have slipped in with my other papers."

Lyra looked me in the eye. "Do not consider even thinking of not going to that party at Sugercube Corner. Bad things, really bad things happen to ponies that skip a Pinkie Pie invitation."

"So, I had better go?..."

"Yes, you should! At least, there's enough time to find you a place to stay before the party. I have around twelve other newfoals staying in and around Ponyville. I'd prefer you to room with a unicorn family but they don't have any free rooms." She tapped her muzzle with her hoof, thinking. "I suppose you want to stay close to Ponyville?"

I nodded.

"Ah, I know of a place that might suit you. Baritone and Bottlecap run a hay farm up on the north side of Ponyville. That's not too far. They're earth ponies - would you mind staying with them?

"Not at all," I replied.

"That's good. Some of the newfoal unicorns have such strange ideas about being better than everypony else - luckily, we don't see them down here in Ponyville." She used her magic to write something down on a piece of paper and floated it into the air. "This will give you an introduction. Their daughter's gone up to Canterlot to study and they have a free room."

"Thank you, Lyra."

"After you arrange things with Baritone and Bottlecap, make sure that you come back in plenty of time for your big welcome party."

I found their farm out past the railroad station. Vast fields of tall grass stretched from their barnyard almost to the edges of the forest. There was a few large barns, a smaller equipment shed or two and a inviting farmhouse. As I entered the barnyard, two large dogs ran out and started barking at me. I wanted to run but pushing the urge aside, stood my ground. Trembling.

"Harlan. Able. What is it?" came a shout from the farmhouse. A door opened and a grey earth pony with a darker grey mane appeared.

"Hello! I understand that you have a room to rent?" I said as the two dogs circled me and growled. "Lyra sent me."

"Harlan! Able! Come here!" The stallion walked across the barnyard. "We've had some things wander in from the Everfree Forest," he said as an explanation, "and the dogs are here to help us defend the farm. Who's a good dog, who's a good dog. You are, yes you are."

The two dogs came up to the grey stallion and wagged their tails. He signaled that I should come up and let the dogs become acquainted with me. I nervously walked up and after bumping noses with them, they decided that I was harmless.

"Who is it, Baritone?" asked a blue mare as she came to the door.

"This pink unicorn," the grey stallion responded. "She's asking about Spring Leaf's old room. Wants to rent it."

"That's nice. Why doesn't she come in for a spell?"

I followed the farmer and the dogs to the farmhouse where I presented them with my letter from Lyra. There was a short discussion which ended up in me paying half my bits from my small bag for rent. In turn, the pair would provide me with a room and board for the month.

I lay on my bed, legs folded under me. My few belongings were hung up or folded and packed away. A moment to relax. A moment to - oh no, the party!

I rushed downstairs to the kitchen. Bottlecap was washing up dishes. "I've got to go back into town!"

"Why? It won't be safe after dark."

"I've got to go to my Pinkie Pie welcoming party!"

"Oh dear. You certainly don't want to miss that. Bad things happen to ponies that miss a Pinkie Party. I'll tell Baritone to stay up and keep a watch for you. Go - and please come home early. Baritone has to start early to start cutting hay on the western 40."

I nodded and galloped off.

I woke the next morning. It took me a few moments to remember where I was. I remember... the party. The balloons, the cake, the party games. Dancing and singing. I remember shaking hooves with a lot of ponies, none of whom I could name anymore. There was punch. I remember the punch because I got tipsy. A brown stallion offered to walk me home. The last thing I remember was being tipped into bed.

I rose, brushed my mane and tail and washed up. Then I descended downstairs to find Bottlecap working in the kitchen. "'morning," I quietly said.

"Morning? It's almost noon. Baritone's been out all morning. I'm just making lunch. I know that Pinkie Pie's parties are infamous but please don't make a habit of it."

"Did I... Did I come in late last night?" I asked as I planted my haunches on the floor near the kitchen table.

"No. Baritone told me that you had come in early but you looked like you had a bit too much." She turned and laid a plate of food in front of me. "Eat up. This is some of the lunch I'm making for Baritone."

I quickly set to work, clearing off the plate.

"What do you plan to do this afternoon?" Bottlecap asked as she finished packing her husband's lunch.

"I thought that I'd start looking for a job. I'm going to need bits to pay my way here, to take care of expenses and as seed money for my big dream."

"That's admirable. And before you start looking, could you do me a favor, dear. Baritone is in the northwest quarter. Would you terribly mind, bringing this lunch pail out to him?"

"No problem." I took the tin pail's handle in my teeth and trotted away.

(Edits - 28-August 2012: Formatting, typos, Stupid oversights.)

Hayfields and Telegraphs: I get a job

Hayfields and Telegraphs: I get a job
Berry Pony

It was really a beautiful day. Clouds from yesterday's storm floated in a clear blue sky. Gently rolling hills, covered with fields of grass or freshly plowed, filled the landscape. In the distance, a line of darker green marked the edges of the Everfree forest. A plume of smoke in the distance, moving across the fields, showed the afternoon train steaming towards Canterlot. And in the far distance, I could just make out the towers of Canterlot.

I trotted on country lanes through hay fields and past small copses of trees, the wooden handle of a tin lunch pail in my teeth. Gentle breezes tossed the grass leaves back and forth. The sun shone, warming my back. It was great to be alive.

I crossed over a ridge and spotted Baritone working in a field. He was using a hay fork to turn over hay lying on the ground. Putting down the lunch pail, I called out to him. With almost no effort, the grey stallion jabbed the hay fork in the ground and came up towards me.

Baritone pointed out a nearby clump of trees and we descended the ridge to lie down in the shade. He took the tin pail from me, held it in his hooves and popped the lid off with his teeth. "I see Bottlecap's got you running her errands," he said as he laid out his lunch.

"She asked me to run this out to you. I have to go in to Ponyville and see if I can find a job... um, you wouldn't have any farm work for me to do?"

Baritone stopped eating his lunch. "Begging your pardon," he said slowly. "I don't think that you're cut out to work on a hay farm."

"But..."

He held up a hoof. "I know that you mean well, but a unicorn is simply not strong enough to do the work that a hay farm requires." He paused. "I tell you what. Go down there, pull that hay fork from the ground and try your hoof at turning over some hay."

"Okay, but why do you have to turn it over anyway."

Baritone sighed. "Those constarned pegasi dropped a rainstorm on my fields yesterday. Now, the grass's too wet to cut and the hay needs to be turned over or it'll rot. I was fixing to bring up the hay baler this afternoon too."

I left Baritone to eat his lunch and walked out onto the field. The hay fork had been buried up to its handle in the ground. Taking a hold of the handle in my teeth, I pulled. The hay fork would not budge. I focused my magic on the hay fork and gave it a telekinetic tug. It was like lifting a huge tree. I let my magic lapse and turned around. Giving the handle of the
hay fork a powerful kick with my hindlegs, I felt the ground giving way. Then I turned around and placing my teeth on the handle again, worked the hay fork loose.

Panting with effort, I looked at Baritone resting under the trees. He merely signalled that I should proceed.

Raising the hay fork in my mouth - it was a bit more than my magic could lift - I slowly walked over to a pile of hay and pushed it underneath the wet hay. It slid about halfway in. I then tried to lift the loaded hay fork into the air. The hay fork resisted all my efforts to raise it. I finally gave up and walked back to Baritone.

"I guess I won't be getting a hay tosser cutie mark today," I sadly remarked to Baritone.

"At least you tried. That's more than can be said of most unicorns up in Canterlot. There's a reason that earth ponies do most of the serious farming in Equestria." He pushed an apple towards me. "Here. I'm sure that you will have more luck finding a job in Ponyville."

I bit into the apple. After a while, I quietly said, "Maybe if my magic had been stronger..."

"Cherry," he said. "You might have been able to toss some of the hay. But in the long run, using magic would have tired you out even faster than doing the usual way. There are times when magic can be used and there are times when magic shouldn't be used." He stood up and swished his tail. "And now, it's time to finish turning this hay."

He walked over to the hay fork, took the handle in his teeth and easily tossed its load over his head. As I started to head to Ponyville, Baritone had found his rhythm again, jabbing the hay fork into the hay and throwing it in the air.

Crossing the railroad tracks, I paused for a moment in the middle. The tracks looked to be a bit further apart than I was tall. I'd have to check the actual gauge with a measuring stick but if these tracks were really four feet, eight and a half inches apart-. (Or 1435 mm)

"Hey! You! Pink unicorn with the yellow mane! What are you doing? Didn't your mother ever tell you that you should never play on railroad tracks?"

I looked up to see an angry earth pony with a dark gray mane and an engineer's cap come running out of the Ponyville station.

"I... I was just..." I stammered as I hurriedly jumped off the track.

The grey earth pony stopped in front of me. "You can never tell when a train will come," he said before glancing at my blank flank. "Oh Celestia's beard! A newfoal. No wonder you were playing on the railroad tracks. Let me make this perfectly clear, newfoal. Tracks bad. Trains, stay away. No play here. Go now. Understand?"

I could only respond to him by nodding.

The earth pony turned and walked back into the Ponyville Station. I followed him inside. Before he could disappear through the door marked 'Employees Only', I said, "Um, pardon me?"

The earth pony turned back to me, his ears pinned back. "Yes," he snapped.

"Um. Who do I talk to about working for the railroad?"

His ears came forward but he was still angry. "Newfoal, what do you know about railroading? What's that thing on the front of the engine?"

"A cowcatcher."

"What's that thing underneath the smokestack?

"A smoke box."

"Let's try this, newfoal - on top of the engine, there are several domes. What purposes do they serve?"

"One is definitely the steam dome - the water boiled into steam collects there and is directed by pipes to the cylinders. I guess the other domes hold sand for using when you need a bit more traction."

"Hmm." He sounded a little less angry. "Okay, kid, you're running up a grade and your engine is starting to lose power. What do you do?"

I thought for a moment. "You would lengthen your piston stroke with your reversing lever, give a bit of sand to your driving wheels and slowly open your throttle, being careful to watch for wheel slippage," I replied.

"Well kid, you do know your way around locomotives."

My examination was interrupted by the rapid chattering of some device inside the door. The grey earth pony listened to it for a moment before turning back to me.

"Is that... is that a telegraph I hear?" I asked as the chattering stopped.

"Yes, it is. How else do you think we can dispatch trains?"

"I didn't know that you had a telegraph system. I didn't see any poles on my way down from Canterlot."

He opened the door to the 'Employees Only' room,and walked over to a device that looked like a enlarged telegraph key. Nearby was the sounder that I had heard tapping. On the wall, there was a square board with crystals. A large window gave a good view of the station and its tracks. I followed the grey stallion in and examined the board. There was writing on the board, PY, CN, HF, BL and more. I looked back at the other instruments. There was no wiring to be seen. "How does it... work?"

"Something that you unicorns came up with. The key and sounder can be slaved to any other set of keys and sounders across Equestria, using that switch board," he said, pointing to the board with the crystals. "How it exactly works, you unicorns can explain better than me. I just know that it's what allows this railroad to work."

The sounder began tapping again. It sounded like a regular pattern. "HF HF HF CN HF HF HF CN", he translated. "That's Canterlot calling Hoofington."

The instrument was silent a moment, then broke into a short clatter again. "I I HF", the earth pony said. "That's Hoofington's answer. Now the message will follow. HR 29 HF HF HF 29 CN. That's Canterlot, letting Hoofington know that the train dispatcher has orders. Hoofington will - yes, there he goes, I I HF, telling Canterlot that Hoofington is ready to take down the train order." The instrument continued to clatter.

It all sounded very similar to the message protocol that I was familiar with on Earth. "About jobs with the railroad?" I prompted.

"Sorry kid," the grey stallion answered. "You may know something about railroads and all - but we don't need any unicorns at this time. Try for something a bit more along a unicorn's strengths. Why don't you go see if the local book store is hiring." He wanted to say more but the sounder started clattering again. "PY PY PY CN - that's Ponyville. Back to work." The earth pony sat on his haunches in front of the key and began tapping.

I started to walk out the door but I suddenly stopped. "My name is Cherry Shine. Nice to meet you. What's your name?"

The grey stallion waited for the sounder's tapping to stop for a second. "Cannonball, my name is Cannonball," he said before turning back to his instrument.

I closed the door and left the station.

Ponyville looked quite different to me. Gone were the threatening storm clouds and the muddy streets. I trotted past brightly colored structures that resembled Renaissance Fair tournament tents, down a street lined by half-timbered houses, underneath shady green trees and into a public square. Ponies were everywhere, shopping, walking, talking and watching their vendor's carts. Some of the ponies waved to me. I waved back.

"Cherry Shine?" shouted one of a pair of earth ponies sitting at a shaded table outside of a street cafe. She signalled that I should come over.

I walked over to her. "Hi?"

"Hi. I wanted to introduce you to Apple Cobbler. Apple Cobbler, this is Cherry Shine. She was a riot last night at Pinkie's welcoming party. You should've seen her, standing on her hind legs and dancing around a lampshade on the floor. She was shouting 'Ola' and held a rose in her teeth."

I did what? I don't remember that.

Apple Cobbler, a light brown earth pony, tittered and said, "Hi."

"Hi, Apple Cobbler. Nice to meet you." I turned to the other earth pony whose name I had completely forgotten. "I've got to go see a pony about that thing at that place. Nice to run into you." I said before leaving.

Behind me, the two earth ponies broke out in peals of laughter.

Sure sounded like the party was a lot of fun. I just wish that I could remember it.

Turning a corner, I stopped. There was a small cloud, high over the street on which a pegasus was taking a nap. I sat back on my haunches and just stared. They told us at the Conversion Bureau that pegasi sometimes did this - but talking about it is quite different from actually seeing it for yourself. The dark grey pegasus opened his eyes, shifted around and went back to sleep. I shook my head and went in search of the bookstore.

A sign of a bound volume marked a small building as Ponyville's bookstore. Several recent releases were displayed in a small bow window. I glanced at them before pushing the door open. A bell chimed over my head. Inside, I stood in a small space, surrounded by shelves of books and displays of novels. In the back, a counter stood, covered with more books and small items.

A orange unicorn with a light blue mane and small eyeglasses at the end of her nose came out of the back. She gave me a studying glance before asking, "Welcome to the Ponyville Bookstore. Are you looking for a particular book - or are you just browsing?"

"Um. I was wondering if you had any... need for help? In the bookstore?"

The orange unicorn clip-clopped closer to me. "It's just me here. The bookstore isn't quite busy enough to require another pony here."

"Thank you," I said and turned to leave.

She glanced at my blank flank. "Ah, another one of Lyra's newfoals, I see. I thought I knew all the unicorns in town. Let us see what you know. How far is your schooling, child?"

"I can make out most of the unicorn glyphs and sigils."

"Hmph. About what you'd learn in the first year at magic kindergarten. Now, can you levitate that book?"

I floated the book as she asked.

The orange unicorn turned around. "Hmm. Something a bit harder. Try levitating that display of books," she asked, pointing out a rack of Daring Doo fiction.

I reached out with my magic, surrounded the display of novels, and tried to lift it. The display shook a bit but refused to rise. I felt like the display of books was nailed to the floor.

"Enough," the orange unicorn ordered. She looked around the bookstore again before floating a few small objects in front of me. "Brute strength is not your forte, it seems. Let us try with a task requiring fine control. Here is a needle and thread. Can you thread the needle?"

I took control of the two objects from the orange unicorn and tried to manipulate them. I found that I could keep the needle and thread from falling on the floor - but I was totally unable to bring the two objects together, let alone bring the end of the thread to the eye of needle. It was making my eyes cross over.

"Fine," said the orange unicorn. "Let me take the needle before you put your or my eye out."

I relinquished control of the needle and thread.

She ran through a few more tests to determine the limits of my magic. "Child, the good news is that you have not reached the limits of your potential," she finally said. "The bad news is that you have barely begun to tap your magic skills. And that means, much more hard work ahead. If you are interested, I can help you with instruction. I do run a magical class for unicorns here at the bookstore. It'll cost you a few bits - but you will find it most helpful in the future."

"I'd need to think about it," I said. "Right now, I need to find a job."

"Hmm..." the orange unicorn said. "You can lift a few things with magic, can read simpler items like labels and instructions. Have you tried applying for a job with Filthy Rich's Barnyard Bargains?"

"Barnyard Bargains?"

"It's an old business, founded around the same time that Ponyville was founded. Filthy Rich is a nice pony but watch out for for Mrs. Rich or their daughter, Diamond Tiara. Those two are not so nice ponies."

"Thank you," I said. "My name is Cherry Shine. I'll consider your offer to further my skills in magic - once I have a job."

"My name is Colophon. Come back when you are ready to start studying magic again."

I left the bookstore and headed across Ponyville. My route took me past the town hall so I decided to check on what I would need to get my railroad company started.

I passed a pegasus and a earth pony chatting while pulling carts. The earth pony waved - I waved in return - and the earth pony said something to her companion. They seemed to be giggling a lot as I turned the corner.

I trotted up the steps of the town hall and entered the ground floor office. The silver grey earth pony was examining some papers. He looked up.

"Yes - oh it's you. I need to know where you are staying and with whom. It helps us keep track of who is in Ponyville and where to deliver mail." He reached underneath his table and pulled out a small form. "Fill this out."

After filling out the form, I levitated it back to him. "Actually, I came in this afternoon to find out how to file papers for my company."

The silver grey pony took my form, glanced at it to check if I had properly filled every line, rolled it neatly and put it on top of a pile of similar rolls. Then he stepped to a high shelf, rose on his hind legs and pulled down a small roll of papers. "Cherry, you will need to fill out this form, and present to us here at the town hall office along with a filing fee of 250 bits."

"That's a lot of bits. I suppose the royal charter is even more expensive?"

"Oh no," the earth pony said. "All you need is to get Princess Celestia to approve it. Of course, trying to find a moment of Princess Celestia's time might be a problem."

I stepped away from his desk. "I'll... see what I can do about the fee."

"Don't you want the paperwork?"

I turned to show him my sides. "I've no way of carrying the paperwork - no saddlebags. And I'm on my way to see Filthy Rich about a job. Could you hold on to it until later?" I smiled hopefully.

"I guess I can," he grumbled. He took the roll of papers, rose onto his hindlegs and tossed the paperwork back onto its shelf. Dropping to all fours, he glanced into another box. "Oh, I almost forgot. You've got some mail here. They didn't know where to send it, so they dropped it off here." He reached in and taking the envelope in his mouth, presented it to me.

I took the envelope and using my magic, opened it. The lettering looked very shaky and childish. 'Cherry Shine', the letter read. 'I have come to Dodge Junction. The work is interesting. Write when you can. Sandstorm.'

Folding the envelope, I passed it back to the silver grey pony. "It's from a friend, wondering how I have been doing. I'll come back to pick it up, I promise. For now, could you hold onto it?"

The silver grey pony took the envelope reluctantly. I smiled at him and turned to leave. "Thank you for everything," I said as I exited his office.

'Barnyard Bargains' was a large barn on the edge of Ponyville, near the station. There was a store with ponies entering and leaving. The rest of the structure was warehouse for the things that Filthy Rich sold. I walked along the front of the barn until I found a service entrance. Then I pulled the door open and entered.

"Hello?" I shouted into the vastness. "Is there anyone here?" All that there was around me was industrial shelving with cases of things.

"Over here," came a reply.

I stepped carefully into the warehouse, past a ceiling high stack of soap to find a tan earth pony standing next to a shelf . He was trying to reshelf several spilled boxes of baking soda. My horn glowed and I began to pick up loose boxes and pass them up to the earth pony.

"Thanks," the earth pony said as we finished cleaning up the mess. "I appreciate the help. Now, who are you looking for?"

"I was hoping to talk to Filthy Rich and find out if he has a job for me."

"Mr. Rich?" the tan earth pony asked. I saw him a moment ago. I think he's up front in the store. Follow me, please."

We passed through a pair of swinging doors into the store. He led me down a series of aisles, looking. In between boxes of apple jams and apple butter, he stopped a brown earth pony with a dark mane, well dressed in a collar and tie. "Mr Rich, this young unicorn is looking for a job with us."

I dipped my head. "My name is Cherry Shine. I hope you can help me."

"I'll take care of her, Pine Shavings," Mr. Rich said. As I turned, I thought I saw Filthy Rich wink at the tan earth pony. The well dressed earth pony pointed to an office near the rear of the store. "If you'll come with me, I can learn a little about you. I see you haven't gotten your cutie mark yet - so I guess you're one of Lyra's little projects."

"Yes, Mr .Rich."

Once in the office, Mr. Rich sat on his haunches behind a desk covered in papers and shipping lists. I shook my head as he offered something to drink - I was feeling a bit nervous already. He poured himself a cup of tea, poured in a bit of sugar and stirred it with a spoon held in his mouth. Ignoring the cooling tea, Mr. Rich invited me to talk about what I experienced and seen. He was very interested in my experiences on Earth, asking questions about modern big box stores like Wal-Mart and Target.

I was starting to relax a bit when the door of the office opened and Pine Shavings came in with a hand truck loaded with three large cardboard boxes. "Zap Apple Jam. They need to go out on the next delivery van," Pine Shavings said. He left the hand truck and exited the office.

"Zap Apple Jam is one of the company specialities. I ship the jam all over Equestria." Mr. Rich explained. "Please continue explaining this concept known as rolling back prices."

I began to cover the various ways that big stores sold their goods. As I talked, my eyes kept flicking back to the hand truck with the three cardboard boxes. Something about those cardboard boxes was bothering me.

Mr. Rich wanted to know more about the membership stores like Sam's Club and Costco. But first, he needed to freshen up his tea.

I took the opportunity to really examine those three boxes. Each of them had 'This side up' stickers on them, all pointing up. They all had shipping labels - but one of the labels looked wrong. A careful examination showed that the shipping label was pasted upside down. Mr. Rich was pouring sugar into his tea so he was almost ready to continue the interview.

Something else was wrong with those cases, something that I was missing. While Mr. Rich was stirring his tea, I took one glance at the cardboard cases themselves. I almost missed it but there was a discoloration along the edge of the bottom cardboard box.

"That is mostly enlightening," Mr. Rich said as he put down his tea spoon. "Now let us talk about you and your work experience."

"Mr. Rich?" I interrupted. "I hope these boxes aren't going out like this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Someone's messed up in the shipping department. The middle box has its shipping labels applied incorrectly. And there's something leaking from the bottom box."

Mr. Rich stood up and walked around the desk. "I don't see anything leaking. And what's wrong with the shipping labels. They show the address of the buyer clearly enough."

"To read the shipping labels," I explained, "the box will be turned upside down. The arrows clearly show the box needs to kept right side up. And while there's no puddle around my hooves yet, there's something leaking from that bottom box."

"Would you ship those boxes if I ordered you to? If I told you that the delivery van was at the door and those boxes needed to go out?"

I looked from Mr. Rich's face to the boxes and back again. My tail swishing from nervousness, I said, "No."

"Why?"

"You said that Zap Apple Jam is one of your company's specialities. By shipping improperly crated jam, you would be hurting your company's reputation. The cost of not shipping this time would be outweighed by the cost to your reputation."

Mr. Rich sat on his haunches behind his desk. He studied me for a long moment. Finally, he spoke. "Welcome aboard, Cherry Shine."

"Huh?"

"The hand truck was a trick to see if prospective employees would spot anything wrong with a shipment. An attention to detail is one reason why Filthy Rich's Barnyard Bargins has become the cornerstone of retail in Ponyville."

"And your tea? I've noticed you poured two cups and haven't tasted either of them."

"Tea? I can't stand the stuff myself. But pouring the tea, measuring out the sugar and stirring slowly gives me time to study prospective employees."

Filthy Rich called for Pine Shavings. When the tan earth pony came into the office, he asked Pine Shavings to handle all the details of hiring me - and to take the fake boxes out of the office.

"Thank you, Filthy Rich," I said as I turned to leave. "I'll start early tomorrow morning as you asked." Then I followed Pine Shavings to fill out paperwork and receive my work apron and hat.

It was late afternoon when I left Filthy Rich's Barnyard Bargins, dropped by the town hall to pick up my mail and company papers and started to head back to Baritone and Bottlecap's hay farm. While my dream of a modern electrified railroad was still a dream, I had taken the first step to making it a reality.

Equestrian Railway: I start my company

Equestrian Railway: I start my company
Berry Pony

That evening, I lay on my bed, forelegs curled under my stomach, hind legs stretched out, studying a roll of papers. The papers that I need to charter my new company. I could hear Baritone downstairs talking with Bottlecap while sharpening the blades on his hay cutter. It had been a busy day,starting with recovering from Pinkie Pie's welcome party, continuing with finding telegraphs in use at the Ponyville station, and ending with landing a job at Filthy Rich's Barnyard Bargins.

I looked at my roll of papers, reached up with my hind leg and scratched an itch behind my ears. I did this without thinking. Shocked, I held my hind leg up and started at my hoof. Was I getting so accustomed to this pink unicorn's - now my - body? I flicked my tail in confusion. Shaking my head to clear it, I returned to the matters at hand - err, hoof.

The papers lay before me. I sighed. I wouldn't have the money to file these papers for about a month but they needed to be filled out. Alright. First line. Entity Type - check one box to indicate the type of company being formed. The choices were a business company or a professional company. Augh! What's the difference? My railroad would be a professionally run business. I decided to leave those check boxes blank for now. Okay, next line. Entity name - give the exact name of the company.

I stopped. In my mind, I could see the electric locomotives slide gently out of Ponyville station, electric motors whining as they accelerated smoothly for the steady grade up towards Canterlot. I had never considered the name emblazoned on the side of the locomotive or painted on the passenger cars.

Let's see now. 'Ponyville & Canterlot'. While that described the initial route of my railroad, it did not cover the final concept of the company. I needed something grander. I did not want to start thinking small like the founders of the Atchison and Topeka railroad who at last moment, added the name Santa Fe to their company's title. 'Ponyville North Eastern Railway?' I liked Ponyville well enough but it was no starting point like the London North Eastern Railway had in London. The LNER was absorbed in British Railways. And furthermore, the northeastern direction ignored the other half of Equestria. Suppose I used Equestria in the name... Equestrian Railway!

My horn glowed and a quill dipped into a ink bottle and scribbled 'Equestrian Railway' on the line. The next line was easy. I inked in that the business that the company was going to conduct would be to own and operate a railroad. The number and type of shares - I skipped that part for now. I quickly wrote the address of Baritone's hay farm as the place of business, added myself as the statutory agent and came to a complete stop at the list of directors.

I thought for a moment and then shrugged. I could ask somepony else for help on the items I didn't understand. Perhaps, I could see Lyra and ask her for advice. Capping the ink bottle, rolling up the papers and placing them on my small desk, I extinguished the light and went to sleep.

Morning came all too early on a farm. Baritone was busy collecting his hay cutters as I stumbled downstairs. Bottlecap was at the stove, pouring batter into a griddle cake form. "'Morning, Cherry," she said after putting the pitcher down.

"Good morning, Bottlecap, Baritone," I answered. "That looks very good."

"Just wait a little longer and they'll taste better."

Baritone had already taken his place at the head of the table. I sat on my haunches at the foot of the table. Looking at the hay farmer, I asked, "Do you think you'll get some of the hay baling done today?"

Baritone nodded. "Looks like it. The pegasi have promised us a few days of sun to finish bringing in the hay."

Bottlecap slid two warm oat griddle cakes in front of me before placing a stack of cakes before Baritone. She then put a jug of maple syrup on the table. "Eat up. Cherry, today's your first day at work."

I nodded and turned back to the hay farmer. "I would have thought it'd take a lot longer than a few days?"

He swallowed a mouthful of delicious griddle cakes. "Not really. You see, it only takes a few days to collect enough bales to fill up my barn. I could farm a lot more hay but it's a too low cost and bulky a product to ship too far."

I nodded, my mouth full of wonderful griddle cakes flavored with maple syrup.

"You've seen the little single pony carts in town? Each one of those carts can carry three or four bales at once. I can supply Ponyville well enough with those carts. But imagine how many ponies and carts I'd need to ship my hay over to Hoofington. The cost of hiring all those ponies would wipe anything I'd hope to make from selling my hay in Hoofington.

"That's enough business talk," insisted Bottlecap. "Baritone, off with you. I'll be by at lunchtime with your tinpail. Cherry, don't forget your saddlebags. You don't want to be late for your first day at work, do you?"

I finished my last bite of breakfast, licked off my plate for anything remaining, grabbed my saddlebags and trotted out the door.

At work, I placed my saddlebags in the alcove set aside for our stuff, slipped into an apron and walked up to Pine Shavings to start working. The tan earth pony introduced me to the other ponies working at Barnyard Bargins and set me to work, pulling jars of jam and jellies off the shelves for shipment to cities like Baltimare and Los Pegasus.

Several hours later, there was a knocking at the overhead loading door. Pine Shavings raised the door and a light blue pegasus stepped inside. His express wagon was standing outside, with two other pegasi hitched to it. I stared as the pegasi and the wagon were floating a meter in the air.

"Come on, Cherry. You act as if you've never seen a pegasus before. Let's get this onboard. They need to get going if they're going to keep to their schedule."

Pine Shavings began to push a stack of cartons towards the waiting wagon. I closed my eyes to clear my head and went to bring another carton.

"Newfoal, huh?" grunted the light blue pegasus. "Ain't seen one that's worth a puff of wind. My crew's all Equestrian born and it's going to stay that way."

"She's helpful," Pine Shavings remarked from the back of the wagon. "And Mr. Rich thinks enough of her to hire her."

I levitated the small carton and floated it into the express wagon.

The light blue pegasus did not say anything more as we finished loading. Pine Shavings counted the cartons one last time before allowing me to close the wagon's doors. "All set, Clear Thunder. I'll have your next shipment ready on Wednesday. Take care."

The light blue pegasus spoke to the two pegasi at the front of the express wagon and the three pegasi and the wagon took to the air.

Pine Shavings started to pull shut the loading door, stopping when he noticed me still staring at the rapidly disappearing wagon. "Does it bother you when you run into ponies like that?"

"Where I came from - I mean Earth - America, the country was settled by waves of immigrants," I said. "Each wave of immigrant was from a slightly different culture and often spoke a different language. The English complained about the Germans coming to settle among them. Then the Germans and English were unhappy that so many Irish were arriving on their shores. All three were disturbed when the Eastern European started to come. And so on. All of us newfoals will just have to learn to live with the dislike. We will get our cutie marks, we will fit in and in a few dozen years, we'll all complain about the okapi that are moving here and taking our jobs."

Pine Shavings stared at me for a moment. "Okapi?"

I used my magic and pulled on the overhead door. "Herbivore, antelope, looks like a cross between a giraffe and a zebra." The door rattled down its tracks and slammed shut.

The tan pony looked puzzled. "Giraffe?"

"Pine Shavings, does Barnyard Bargins do a lot of shipping?" I asked hoping to avoid having to look up exactly what a okapi looks like.

He took a moment to catch up with the change of topic. "Filthy Rich ships out his smaller, more expensive items. Those sell well in other ponies' stores. The larger and cheaper things aren't worth the cost of shipping with the pegasi. Now, what's a giraffe? How does it look like a okapi?"

It was late afternoon when I brought the results of our daily inventory up to Filthy Rich in his office. "You requested this as soon as we had finished it," I said as I placed the paperwork on his desk.

He began to read through the inventory while my eyes wandered around his office. A picture on the wall caught my attention so I stepped over to study it more closely.

"Like it?" Mr Rich asked. "That picture was taken by my great grandmother shortly after the railroad came to Ponyville. There's my great grandfather, Stinkin' Rich and the stand he set up to sell Zap Apple Jam."

The picture showed in sepia tones, a pony that somewhat resembled Filthy Rich, his tent, a sign advertising Zap Apple jam and a train pulling into Ponyville station nearby. The locomotive and its cars in the picture looked like the locomotive and cars today. "I like it," I finally remarked. "But look - there hasn't been change in railroad technology since the founding of Ponyville. They're using the same locomotives as then."

Filthy Rich walked around his desk and came up besides me. He examined the picture closely. "You know what? You're right."

"Mr. Rich," I said, my voice quavering, "if some pony came up with a better railroad then what we have now, would you be interested in investing in it?"

"That pony would have to make quite a case," the earth pony answered. "They would have to show that another railroad would show a profit within a few years. Perhaps. Maybe. I'd have to see their business plan. Have you heard anything?"

"Nothing yet, Mr. Rich."

It very late in the afternoon when I left Barnyard Bargins. Now that I had a real - and paying - job, I could start indulging myself. I ought to consider investing a few bits in myself and further my magic training. I could also waste a few bits in sugary pastries and further my stomach. Augh! I stopped in the middle of the street, unsure of what to do.

The books for sale in the display window at Colophon's bookstore made my decision. The only thing that I enjoyed more than a library was a bookstore. At home, I have - had - walls of bookshelves filled with paperback novels and hardback non-fiction books. Those books were probably all in boxes, piled in a garage somewhere. None of my nephews had any interest in reading. I shook off the sad thoughts and went trotting across Ponyville.

The bell over the door chimed merrily as I entered the store. Colophon was busy unwrapping a carton of books but she brightened as she saw me.

"Hi. What brings you back to my bookstore, child?"

I walked among the displays to the counter. "First, I want to thank you for your suggestion that I try for a job at Barnyard Bargins. That worked out very well. Second, I'd like to know if that offer to further my skill in unicorn magic was still available."

The orange unicorn adjusted her eyeglasses. "Of course, it still is."

We discussed the best times for her classes and finally agreed on meeting every Tuesday evening. It would be a beginning class along with another newfoal. I paid her for the class and returned my few remaining bits to my saddlebag. Before leaving the store, I looked around at all the books for sale. "I wonder... do you have any books on railroads or railroading?"

Colophon put her hoof up to her muzzle in thought. "Probably not. There's not much call for books on such a technical subject. Child, why are you interested in railroads?"

I considered for a moment. I had been keeping my plans close to my chest. But to carry out my plans, I would need help. Lots of help. I sighed and then laid out the paperwork for the company charter on the countertop. Taking a calming breath, I began to explain my dream of building a modern electrified railroad in Equestria. I told her about my experience - none, my resources - tiny, and my problems - huge. "And that about sums up my hopes and dreams. Do you think any less of me for having such dreams?"

Colophon smiled. "No, child. Dreams and hopes are how we unicorns create magic. If I were to crush every young unicorn's dreams with hard cruel facts - sooner or later, there would no magic left in the world. It is one of the reasons that I run this bookstore - to feed a young unicorn's imagination."

She looked at the first page of my company charter. "Equestrian Railway. You really want to bring this about? I don't know if they explained this to you at the Conversion Bureau but we unicorns can easily get obsessed with a goal. Twilight Sparkle is obsessed with check lists and getting everything right. Useful in magic where preciseness is needed. Rarity's obsession is designing the most elegant fashion. I find myself fascinated with typography. It is our obsession, our lifework. Be careful, child. Don't let your lifework control you."

She flipped over the pages of my paperwork. "But this will never do. Leave this with me and I'll see that it gets filled out properly."

"You'd... you'd that for me?"

"I would do so. This is the easy part. The real problem comes in trying to raise capital to build and run your company." The orange unicorn paused. "To undertake something as large as what you got planned, you would need a dragon's hoard worth of capital."

"A dragon's hoard? They hoard that much?"

Colophon turned to look at me. "Not much is known about dragons. If you were to go search my bookstore, you would find only about a sentence or two have written about dragons. It is agreed that they are lazy, they hoard enormous piles of gold and jewels, they are very greedy and that ponies have very little to do with them. Dragons know more about magic than any other creature alive. In the distant past, unicorns have gone to study their magic - none have ever returned. Not an option, child."

"I see," I finally responded. "Still, every journey begins with a single step, right?"

I left Colophon's bookstore. The setting sun painted the half-timber houses gold and red. The shadows of the trees were growing long in the waning sunlight. I crossed over the public area where the town hall stood and headed up the street.

"You! Yes, you with the blank flank!"

I suddenly looked up and around. From Lyra's house, a cream colored earth pony with navy and pink mane was waving vigrously at me.

"Pink unicorn with yellow mane! Come in here. Lyra needs your help."

I turned and walked up to Lyra's house. The earth pony closed the door behind me and pointed upstairs. "She's up there with a newfoal right now. She's asked me to find another newfoal and lady, you're it. Go up there and help."

"Bon-bon, did you find someone?" came Lyra's voice from upstairs.

"Yeah, I did. Pink unicorn," Bon-bon answered. She turned on me and indicated that I hurry upstairs.

Upstairs, Lyra was waiting for me outside a room. From inside, a low sobbing could be heard.

"Lyra?" I asked as I reached the top of the stairs. "What's going on?"

Lyra made a sign that we should be quiet and led me to another room. "Thank Celestia, you're here. I haven't the slightest idea of how to proceed. This has never happened to me. I mean, I have read that it's happened to other Conversion Bureau representives. But they never-"

I put my hoof to her lips to get a word in. "Lyra, just tell me what's happened?"

"Around six o'clock," the mint green unicorn began, "this pegasus knocked on my door. He was calling himself some strange nonsense like Gary Davison. I guess that is his human name. He said that his ponification had been a big mistake and he wants to return to his human form and return to Earth."

I interrupted Lyra again. "Could his ponification be reversed?"

"No. Maybe. I don't know. Perhaps, the process is one way, perhaps it can be reversed. So, anyway, what do I do? I had hoped that if this pegasus talks to another newfoal, he might understand. He's in my room now, crying." Lyra looked hopefully at me.

"Wait here," I said. My heart dropped. I'm not very good at emotional scenes like the one about to happen.

Knocking softly on the door frame, I entered Lyra's room. It was a pleasant room with a canopied bed, drawers, a desk and lots of books. A large window gave a view of the fading sunlight outside. On the floor was a white pegasus with a light blue mane. His coat was disheveled and his wings ungroomed - a few white feathers littered the floor. He was still crying softly into his front hooves.

"Gary?"

His head rose and his blue eyes looked at me. "Who... are... you?"

I stepped across the room and lay down beside him. "My name is Cherry Shine and I was once a human like you."

"I will be human again," he sniffed. "I'm tired of hooves, my wings are useless and I would kill for a hamburger right now. I want to get into my jeans, put on my leather jacket and ride my Harley down 5th Street. But I betcha you have no idea of what I'm talking about. These ponies... they don't understand. No freaking one understands."

"I liked the local Mickey Dee's. I drove a white Tundra truck. I saw American Idol on television - didn't like it. So you see, I can understand your words at least. Why don't you tell me about your ponification? Where did you go? Who went with you?"

Gary was silent for a long time. Lyra looked around the door frame but I shook my head and she went away again. "I went with Jennifer Nolans," he began. "She's my girl. Or used to be. She was fascinated with the ponies. We were to be ponified together. She came out an earth pony and I got these." He fluttered his wings. "So she goes off to learn how to grow things and deal with animals and I got stuck with flying. She gets assigned to Ponyville about 3 months ago and I got Cloudsdale. Stupid Cloudsdale. Anyway, we wrote to each other every few days. Then she up and sends me this Dear John letter, saying that she's moving in with this earth stallion, we'd never be happy together and have a nice life!"

Oh boy. What do you say at a time like this? No wonder Lyra wanted to hand this over to some other pony. "One moment, Gary. I need to talk to Lyra." I stood up and walked with Lyra down to the end of the hall.

"Well?" she asked.

"Lyra, what do I tell him? Gary regrets ever becoming a pony. He only wanted to stay with his girlfriend. But things happened and the girlfriend moved on."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'll try and see what I can do. You might try getting in contact with the local hospital and see if they can help."

She nodded and left. I gathered up my courage and returned to the room.

"Gary?"

"Yeah. Still here and still stuck in this stupid body."

I settled in besides him again, my forelegs gathered underneath me. "Gary," I began. "In life, we all make mistakes. Some of those are minor, some are major and a few are life-altering. And there is that fatal mistake - which you get to make once."

"Going to get ponified for Jennifer was a fatal mistake," Gary said.

"Fatal mistakes are the only kind of mistake that you cannot regret. We all regret the choices not taken. I knew a young woman. She worked in the lab next door to me at the university. She was funny, nerdy, and interested in the same interests as me. I lost track of her when her grant ran out. One day. I was coming out of the mall when I ran into her, I regret not asking her for her phone number right there and then. I still do - or did."

"Cherry, you're a mare. What were you doing dating a woman... unless - ."

"I wasn't always a mare," I snapped.

Gary stared at me. "You... why?"

"I don't want to go into it now. I don't regret taking the R63 potion. That was my decision."

"I thought I had screwed up," Gary mused. "But changing your gender - that's who you are... You're one seriously messed up guy - stallion - mare."

I jumped onto my hooves in anger. "And changing your very species for a petty infatuation with a girl isn't?"

Gary stood up, shaking his wings. "It was not an infatuation. I thought it was true love. I was wrong. Jennifer was just a stupid little girl who was running from her problems. I see that now." He glared at me.

"Perhaps. I should stop talking before I say something I'll regret later."

"Maybe you should," Gary said as he stalked across the room. He opened the large window.

"Wait!" I shouted.

Gary took one final look at me before launching himself into the air. Within seconds, he was gone.

A moment later Lyra showed up with a yellow earth pony in tow. "Where's Gary? What happened? Why is my window open?

"The discussion happened. It could have gone better. At the moment, Gary no longer regrets losing his girlfriend." My horn glowed and the window closed. "The problem is over. Doctor, I'm sorry that you came all the way for nothing." I looked out the window where the last glimmers of dusk was now fading into darkness. "I've got to get home. Goodbye, Lyra."

It was almost dark as I left Lyra's house. The streets of Ponyville were poorly lit with magical lanterns and light coming from windows. I made my way through the town, past the town hall and headed to the railroad station. There was no light on inside the railroad station. I crossed over the railroad tracks and headed out of town on a narrow country road leading to Baritone's hay farm.

I skirted a row of low shrubs and started across a open stretch across two freshly plowed fields. A quiet snap stopped me. I looked around, my ears swivelling to find the origin of the sound. Things were quiet. I began to walk on.

My path was illuminated only by starlight. The trees in the hallows were black on black shadows. I walked cautiously, alert for any changes in the sounds of the night. The self defense courses at the Phoenix Conversion Bureau came back to me. If I was in danger of being attacked, I should run. The best defense is not to be where the attackers are. Ponies have four legs - use them.

The quiet of the starry night was broken by the sound of something running. I gulped, broke into a canter and raced into a full gallop. I didn't look behind me - they had told us that looking behind you would only slow you down.

The chalky road glimmered dimly in the starlight. I galloped down the road, picking up and setting down my hooves as quick as I could. Something snapped at the hairs on my tail. I lowered my head, flattened my ears and ran even faster.

Down a long hill, across a shallow ford and up a slow rise, I ran. I could see the lights of Baritone's hayfarm ahead on top of the low hill. Something bumped at me from behind. I jumped and returned to running.

The two dogs at the farm had picked up my galloping. They started barking. The front door of the farmhouse opened. I continued to run. They had warned me in my self defense class - run until you are in a safe spot. Don't assume you are safe because you can see the safe spot.

Baritone turned the dogs loose. They came snarling and barking in my direction. I ran past them, up to the house, in the door and stopped in the farmhouse kitchen. My lungs were heaving, sweat ran off my chest and legs and I was taking large, ragged breaths.

"Cherry! Keep walking. Don't stop. You're safe now," Bottlecap said. "Baritone has gone with the dogs to chase the intruders off."

Under the administrations of the blue mare, I slowly walked circles while she rubbed me dry with large towels. I was reminded of trainers cooling out their racehorses after a race - it was almost the same.

"Whatever they were, the dogs chased them off," Baritone said as he entered the farmhouse. We expected you hours ago. Why are you so late?"

"Baritone," Bottlecap said. "The poor dear has had the fright of her life."

"I... had to help... Lyra... with a...newfoal..." I gasped. "It... got late."

"She should have gotten you an escort. We warned you that things come out of Everfree Forest at night. Next time, you'll get escorted, won't you?"

"Dear, Baritone and I have already eaten," Bottlecap said. "There's a bag of alfalfa pellets in the pantry and bowls are in the upper cabinet. You'll be okay now?"

I nodded.

The two hay farmers went upstairs. I took a bowl from the cabinet and poured myself a bowl of pellets. Not the most tasty of dinners but at least it isn't bermuda hay. The best human analogue I can think of diet rice cakes. Tastes about the same. Baritone has several fields of bermuda hay so I know what the stuff tastes like.

After my hasty dinner, I was glad to go upstairs to my small room. It had been a long day.

Discord, you idiot!

Discord, you idiot!
Berry Pony

Who knew that Equestria was that dangerous? They didn't mention that during the short lectures that we got at the Conversion Bureau. I knew that Discord had completely rewritten the rules of reality - including dropping Equestria off the shores of the eastern United States - but he was safely imprisoned in his statue again. But I had not expected to have to run for my life just outside of Ponyville.

In the following week, I was very careful to leave work and run home to the hay farm before the sun had finished setting. The work at Barnyard Bargins was fairly easy but after a day of using my telekinesis to shelve items, I found it tiring.

Evenings were spent talking to Baritone and Bottlecap - they were absolutely fascinated with stories about my life as a human and living in Arizona - and in reading my way through Baritone's small library. On some nights, upstairs and lying in my bed, I could hear things from the Everfree Forest prowling outside the barnyard.

Tuesday evening after work, I went to Colophon's bookstore. Baritone was kind enough to say that he'd come after my magic lessons and escort me home. I opened the door and entered the bookstore.

"Come in, child," came Colophon's voice. "We're using the back of the store."

I walked to the back of store to find Colophon and a light blue unicorn with a warm greyish mane sitting at a small table. On the table was a large teapot and three cups of tea.

"Cherry Shine, this is Written Dream," Colophon said as she poured a cup of tea. "Written wants to be a writer someday."

Written Dream, I noted with interest, did not have a cutie mark either.

"Hi," she said, inspecting me. "Very interesting colors. I like the pink."

"Hello," I replied. I walked around the table and took my seat on an empty cushion. "And thanks. I've grown quite fond of yellow and pink."

"So," Colophon stated. "Let us begin the lesson. A unicorn needs more than simple levitation - any pony can raise a teacup. A unicorn needs do it with style." She filled my tea cup to the brim. The tea steamed, bringing the scent of black tea to my nose. "Lift the tea without spilling a drop and take a sip," she ordered. "Concentrate on the teacup. Keep it steady."

I focused my magic on the teacup. It rose slowly in the air, tipped slightly, and spilled the tea on me. "Hot, hot!" I yelped as the teacup fell to the floor. The teacup shattered into a dozen pieces, covering me with hot tea.

Colophon turned her attention to Written Dreams. "While Cherry cleans up her mess, try lifting the teacup." She turned back to me and with a wave of her hoof, she indicated a dustpan and broom. "The trash is over there."

Using my magic, I swept up the broken remains. Behind me, a second crash showed that Written had also failed to levitate her teacup.

"No matter, child," Colophon said as she set out two more teacups. "Come, Cherry. Give the broom to Written and try again. I've got lots of teacups and a big teapot."

By the end of the lesson, both Written Dreams and I had been able to pour and drink gracefully from our teacups. It was starting to get late. Colophon took the empty teapot to her sink while Written stood up.

"Thank you, Colophon. I've got to run - we start awfully early in the morning and I need to there to start cooking."

"What do you do that makes you get up before the crack of dawn?" I asked.

"I'm a cook at the Shamrocks cafe. I cook for the breakfast crowd. Bye!" She trotted out the door.

I looked at Colophon. "The lesson isn't about merely drinking tea, is it?"

"Very good, child. You're learning control - handling an almost full cup of tea - and concentration - keeping the cup levitated while drinking it."

"It's a shame about all the teacups," I said.

"Oh, I don't know about that." Colophon concentrated hard and the shards of Written's last dropped teacup rose in the air. The shards assembled into their former shape, before glowing brighter and brighter. When the glow faded away, it revealed the teacup floating in the air.

I applauded by stamping my hooves on the ground.

Colophon smiled at me before tossing the cup at me. I barely was able to catch it with my magic. "I can't do that for every teacup - it takes a lot of energy to reassemble the cup. But I hope you too can do it. Someday."

There was a knocking at the door. We turned and watched Baritone come clopping in, his dog by his side. "Are you done yet?" he called out.

"Yes! One moment, Baritone." I slid the teacup safely onto the table top. Turning back to the orange unicorn, I asked, "Next Tuesday again?"

"Oh yes, child," Colophon said. "We'll see you then."

Grabbing my saddlebags and tossing them on my back, I followed Baritone out of the bookstore.

We walked through the town, crossed the railroad tracks and began our trek over the open fields. Able - or Harlan - I could never tell the mastiffs apart, ranged in front of the grey stallion. Our way was lit by the waxing crescent of the moon.

"Thank you, Baritone," I said after a while. "For coming to fetch me."

"Um," he said. "Did you learn much?"

"Yes! And I learned that I have even more to learn."

He stopped to listen to a distant sound. I stood stock still until he called Harlan over and continued walking.

"Colophon wants me to practice during the week," I said before scrambling to catch up. "Picking up cups filled with water and such. But..."

"But?"

"I wish that I had time to look over her books. The lesson started right when I got there and I had no time to do anything else until the moment you arrived. I've gone through all of your books - and while I'm real grateful, I've read about as much as I can take of farming and farm theory."

Baritone kept walking. "Why don't you try the library?" He stepped over a small rivulet of water and began to climb the final hill to his barnyard. His dog ran ahead.

I stopped in shock. "I hadn't thought of that! I'd completely forgotten about the Ponyville library. Next free day I'll - ." I glanced around, suddenly aware of being alone and how dark it was and raced to follow the grey stallion as he entered the barnyard.

My work schedule gave me one day off every six days. On the morning of my day off, I came downstairs to find Bottlecap about to set out for the farmer's market. "'morning," I said.

"What're you up to this morning," Bottlecap said as she placed her saddlebags on the kitchen table.

"Since I've gotten here, I haven't seen much of Ponyville or the surrounding countryside. I want to hit up the library in Ponyville and perhaps, wander the country south of Ponyville."

Bottlecap paused and looked at me. "Cherry, if you go hiking, go with somepony else. Promise me that you won't go alone."

Under her stern glare, I could only acquiesce. "I promise, I will."

She turned back to her saddlebags. "I'm sure that one of your unicorn friends will glad to come along. Now, go along, have fun, and don't forget about the scheduled late afternoon showers."

I trotted out the door, my saddlebags on my back and a spring in my step.

Crossing the railroad tracks, I entered Ponyville and started to search for the library. An earth pony directed me down a street toward a large tree. As I got closer, I saw that the library was in the tree itself. I trotted up to the door and opened it. Inside, I entered a room carved from the very wood of the tree itself. The walls had been shaped into bookshelves loaded with various volumes. A passage led somewhere below and a stairway cut into the side of the tree led upstairs.

"Twilight's not here," came a voice from upstairs.

"Err, I didn't come here to see Twilight. I was hoping to borrow some books."

"Oh." A small dragon descended into the chamber. He was shorter than myself with purple and green scales. "I didn't recognize your voice. You must be a newcomer to Ponyville. And a newfoal," he added, looking at my lack of a cutie mark. "You're a newcomer newfoal! I'm Twilight's assistant, Spike."

"Cherry Shine. And I'm wondering if I am allowed to borrow books from the library."

"Sure thing. You just need to fill out a library card." Spike ran out of the room, returning with a small card. Then he ran upstairs and back again with an inkpot and a quill. He handed both to me. "The rules for the library are posted over there," he said pointing out a placard.

I began to fill out my borrower's card.

"So, what kind of books are you interested in?"

"I was hoping that you had some books on dragons."

"Dragons? Why'd you want to know about dragons?"

"I'm kinda interested in everything about Equestria. Seeing as dragons are the largest living things in Equestria, I'd like to know more."

"Can't help you there," Spike said, crossing his arms. "We have nothing on dragons here. Twilight has already looked. Ponies know very little about dragons. Very little."

"But... but, you must have run into dragons now and then. Seems like the Everfree Forest is a natural to have a dragon or two."

"Well, yeah. I wandered into a green dragon's gem hoard by accident," Spike began. "I had quit my assistant's job and was... looking for new opportunities when I found myself in this cave. There was so much gold and gems. I didn't know that the owner would show up and accuse me of stealing and trespassing. I mean, we're both dragons, we're both bros, right? If Twilight and Owlowiscious hadn't shown up, I'd be a goner."

"Sounds like that green dragon was unfair to you, Spike."

"Yeah, he was."

"Spike, did you have any other encounters of the dragon kind?"

"Yeah. Not really. Twilight and her friends had to go evict some dragon from a cave high up in the mountains. That dragon was snoring so bad that the smoke was covering the valley. I didn't go - I had to take care of Fluttershy's annoying little friends - but Rarity tells me that the dragon was lying on a bed of gold and gems that filled the cave."

"And?"

"Fluttershy gave that dragon a good talking to - and the dragon left. Why can't she talk in the same way to her animal friends? Make them behave?"

"I guess dragons like sleeping on gems?"

Spike smiled. "And gems are good eating too. But watch out - try and take one gem away and they get all hot and bothered. And then they breathe fire."

"So, the library doesn't have any reading material on dragons. Do you have anything on Equestrian geography. Or history?"

Spike jumped up and disappeared through a door set in the wall. He returned a little later with a few hard bound volumes. "These are written in the Earth Pony script - easy to read. I've got one written in the Unicorn script - can you read Unicorn script?"

"A little," I confessed. "I'll borrow it and see if I can work my way through the text. It'll give me something to do in the evenings.

A short while later, I left the Ponyville library with several books in my saddlebags. There was a spring in my step.

My route took me past the Ponyville town hall. I was heading down the street towards the west when I passed Lyra's house. On a whim, I stopped, turned and knocked on her door.

"Hi, Cherry Shine," the mint green unicorn said as she opened the door.

"Hi. I was wondering...," I began while pawing the ground. "If you were going to... that is... if you're not too busy..."

Lyra looked confused.

"I need somepony to accompany me while hiking south of Ponyville," I blurted out, "and would you like to come?"

"Oh."

"It's a nice day and all and besides, I'm willing to talk about life as a human," I added quickly.

She hopped in the air in her excitement. "In that case, I'd be glad to accompany you."

At that moment, Bon-bon appeared behind Lyra. "I'm coming too," she said. "Somepony with a lick of sense has to keep an eye on you unicorns."

It took a moment to leave my saddlebags with the library books at the house before the three of us set off. On a small bridge made of a red stone, we crossed the small river south of Ponyville. The dirt road passed several outlying homes, a few orchards and a series of freshly cleared fields. A darker green showed where the woods ran down to the valley floor. Beyond the woods, the mountains stood in the distance. The road ran down the valley and disappeared in a forest. Our trail left the road, wandered along a river, and climbed up into a range of hills.

"I was talking to Spike at the library," I said as we walked. "and he mentioned that Fluttershy had chased off some dragon. I guess it was up somewhere in those mountains."

"That was a few years ago," Lyra mused. "I don't remember all the details but I remember that the smoke was coming from that peak." She pointed out a tall peak that stood by itself. "We were all glad that the dragon left. So, Cherry, tell me about life as a human."

Bon-bon rolled her eyes. I began to tell of growing in Arizona. I spoke of riding bareback at full gallop through fields of cactus, of riding the school bus for over an hour every school day and the way I would sit on the back bench and read. I told about hot summers and how our swamp coolers would fail to work once the humidity got too high. As I dredged up memories, our path led us past a waterfall and into the cool trees.

We stopped on a rocky outcropping to take in the view. Ponyville was a smudge of houses to our northeast while the mountains continued to be distant. Ahead, the river was dammed by a large concrete structure. The trail continued across the top of the dam and headed higher into the hills. Water ran though the spillways before pouring in a thunderous roar over the falls downstream. Arriving at the dam, Bon-bon and Lyra started across while I admired the view. Behind the dam was an immense lake. Sunlight sparkled on the surface of the lake.

Turning from the lake created by the dam, I looked downstream. At the bottom of the dam was a small building with three outlets. On top of the structure were three thin cones, surrounded by rings and topped with balls. The building was supposed to be a powerhouse for the dam but there was no wires leading away for the power.

"Lyra?" I called out.

"Yes, Cherry," Lyra said as she and Bon-bon trotted back to me.

"Who designed and built this dam?"

Well, it appeared one day after Discord got out." Lyra said. "I guess it got left behind when Discord got returned to his statue."

"It's not well built," Bon-bon added. "We've had to repair the dam several times. The dam keeps leaking. However, we do enjoy the lake that it created."

"I wonder..." I began. I trotted to the far end and studied the slope leading down to the power house.

"Be careful," Bon-bon warned.

"I think I can get down to the power house if I cross the slope up there. Then I'll descend from the far side down to the power house. There's got to be some door or something to get in."

"Power house?" Lyra wondered.

"That structure. Creates electricity from the energy of falling water. If I'm right, there are three turbines running generators inside."

I crossed the woods at the top of the slope. On the other side, I began my descent. With each step, my hooves kicked rocks and pebbles loose. They tumbled down the slope into the rushing waters below. Step by step, I worked my way lower, descending on what might be charitably called a narrow goat trail. From time to time, my hooves would slip and I'd sit on my haunches, trying to avoid a rapid descent in the churning waters below. At the water's edge, I waved to Lyra and Bon-bon to show that I had arrived safely.

Approaching the power house, I was struck by the silence. There was no water rushing out of the penstocks, no whining of the turbines, no crackle of electricity. The only sound I could hear was was the distant roar of water over the spillways.

I made my way over to the edge of the power house. Green stagnant water slowly washed in and out of the outlet pipes. Then I walked up to the power house itself. Walking around the outside, I could see no sign that anypony had ever been here. I could not even see anyway inside. Finally, I turned around, planted my forelegs firmly and kicked at the side of the building.

It was like kicking a mountain. The pain ran from my hooves at the point of contact - through my fetlocks, up my cannons, my hocks, and my gaskins to my hips. Kicking the powerhouse was not the brightest of ideas. I sat down quickly on my haunches and willed the pain and numbness to subside.

While I waited for the feeling in my hindlegs to return, I thought about what I had learned. The powerhouse was a fake, a solid mass of stone that resembled a real powerhouse. Discord must have seen a picture of a real dam somewhere and added a powerhouse at the bottom without realizing what a powerhouse really was. There was no intake, no turbines, no generator, no penstocks, and no electricity. Just a stone mass with some doo-dads on top to make the whole thing look pretty.

"Discord!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. "You idiot!"

Standing up, I felt weak and tired. But I still had to climb all the way out out of the canyon. Slowly, I began climbing. It seemed like it took hours to make my way to the top of the slope.

"Well?," asked Lyra once I had walked back to where the two of them were waiting. "What did you find?"

I took a moment to catch my breath. "Nothing. Discord put in the powerhouse because he thought it would look nice. It's all a fake."

Lyra looked at me. Bon-bon studied the waves sparking on the lake. Finally Lyra asked, "Why are you so interested in powerhouses?"

I started to explain my dreams of constructing and running a modern electrified railroad in Equestria. I told her I hoped to use the electricity from this dam to power my locomotives. "Once I have proven the technology would work and the first stretch to Canterlot was built and running - I had hoped to use the earnings from the Ponyville - Canterlot section to build more dams, more powerhouses, more railroad. But I've been shut down right at the start. No powerhouse, no electricity, no way that my railroad will ever get off the ground." I threw myself on the ground and sobbed into my hooves. "My life is ruined! This is the worst thing ever!"

"Unicorns," Bon-bon sniffed. "They always get so involved in their obession. I know, Lyra, my love. You have your own obession. I don't know how I put up with it but I do." She looked fondly upon the mint green unicorn. "But," she continued, looking at me. "This isn't the end. You'll have to find another way. Now, pull yourself together and let's get started on our way home before it rains."

From the ground, I looked up. The blue sky was being slowly covered by pegasi ferrying in clouds from the Everfree Forest. Bon-bon stood, waiting. I wiped my eyes on my fetlocks and stood up. Under darkening skies, we trotted down the trail back to Ponyville. The wind picked up, hinting of the coming downpour as the sun disappeared behind a bank of threatening clouds.

It had not begun raining yet when we arrived at Lyra's house. I collected my saddlebags, quickly thanked Lyra and Bon-bon for the afternoon and left. The first few raindrops fell as I left Ponyville. I crossed the railroad tracks and began galloping home, hoping to avoid an impromptu shower.

Out of breath, stiff from my kick earlier, and exhausted, I stumbled onto the porch of the hayfarm as the skies opened up and the deluge began. Turning around, I admired the pegasi's handiwork. The distant forests and hills disappeared behind a veil of falling grey rain. Rain drummed on the roof, poured over the eaves and pooled in the yard. I never grow tired of rain. In Arizona's desert, you learn to appreciate and enjoy it.

"Cherry, is that you? Come inside," came Bottlecap's voice from the kitchen.

"Yes. Coming," I replied. I turned and entered the house.

That evening, I sorted through my books. Picking up the history book written in Unicorn script, I laid down on my bed, tucked my legs underneath me, reached up with my magic to adjust the light to shine on my book and made myself comfortable. A quick mental flip opened the history book to the first chapter. 'In the year 1204' I could make out but what was this symbol next to the date? Probably something to do with the keeping of years. 'King' was the next pair of symbols, followed by more gibberish. I was guessing that those symbols stood for a personal name. 'first' and more nonsense. Augh! I hadn't even started in and already, I was lost. The Unicorn script I had learned was good enough for foals and tourists - but anything more than reading 'Exit' on a door was impossible.

I closed the book and set it aside. I'd have to borrow or buy a primer on Unicorn script and use it to understand this history book. Rolling over on my bed, I thought about the day's events.

Learning that the dam would never produce power meant that I wouldn't be able to use it to power my electric locomotives. I'd have to create another industry to build dams, install generators, and hang wires from the dams to my railroad. Augh and augh again!

Lying on my back, my hooves in the air, I thought about alternatives. Diesels? Equestria didn't have much of a oil drilling industry. There was no refineries at all in the country. The lubricating oil I had seen - and reshelved on the shelves of Barnyard Bargins - all came from plant sources. So every drop of diesel oil would have to be imported at great cost from Earth. I flicked my tail in irritation. That would be really popular with the Canterlot folk.

I rolled over again, resting on my side. Steam? Coal? Equestria had a nascent coal mining industry and the existing railroad systems did use coal burning locomotives. This meant that the infrastructure for my railroad was already there. Places like Ponyville and Dodge Junction had water tanks and coaling platforms already. And furthermore, I had a large number of skilled ponies already familiar with the tasks needed to run and maintain a steam locomotive. This solution was looking better and better.

Steam locomotives first - while laying track that would support a modern railway that could be electrified later. Yes. There was one remaining problem - where to find the modern steam locomotives that I needed.

I sat up and levitated a scroll of paper over to me. I needed a check list. First, I needed to visit the Equestrian locomotive builders and see what they produced. Second... well, I could not think of a second item until I had seen the Equestrian locomotive builders. I put down my list.

Picking up a clean sheet of paper, I decided to get in contact with Brandon Ford. He had been my room mate for a short time while I was getting converted. He had decided against conversion but had left me a short note explaining why.

'Dear Brandon,' I wrote. My penmanship had greatly improved since I started working at Barnyard Bargins. For example, ponies no longer needed to come back and ask me if I had written potato soup or tomato soup.

I have finally settled in here in Equestria - found a place and a job. I am doing all right. I think you would liked it here in Ponyville. There are more mares than stallions. But you would have to give up your thumbs. I am working at the local equivalent of Wal-mart, stocking shelves. Evenings, I am still studying. No Nintendo Ultra-Wii-Supers here. I hope you are well. I am going to ask a big favor of you. I have enclosed a few bits - would you go out and buy some magazines and newspapers? I would like you to buy a few issues of Financial Times, Investors Business Daily, Wall Street Journal and the Economist for starters. Maybe two-three weeks worth and mail them back to me. If the bits aren't enough, let me know and I'll send more.

Signed, Cherry Shine.

I turned the letter over, folded it, dropped a few bits in, sealed it and put Brandon's address on. Tomorrow, I would drop it into the mail.

A cave is a hole in the ground

A cave is a hole in the ground
Berry Pony

It was three weeks later and I had not heard anything from Brandon Ford. I probably needed to give the mail more time - but the waiting was beginning to wear on me. Each evening, I'd arrive at Baritone and Bottlecap's hay farm, check the day's mail and end up disappointed.

This afternoon after finishing at work, I headed to the bookstore for my weekly lesson. I arrived at the shop, opened the door and walked past the stacks of books to the back of the store. Seeing my teacher, I said, "Hello, Miss Colophon."

"Hi, Cherry, how is that primer on Unicorn script working out for you?" she asked, looking up from her preparations.

"It's helping somewhat but I find the going still very difficult. There are a lot of archaic words and spellings used throughout the book."

"Well, stick with it. Knowing how to read Unicorn script well will help you later." The orange unicorn laid out several small items on the table.

"Oh, I almost forgot." I reached into my saddlebags and levitated a small bag of bits onto the table. "Here is payment for the next month of lessons." I spilled the bag's contents onto the table and began pushing bits towards her.

"Thank you, child," Colophon responded. Her horn glowed and a major part of the coins suddenly rose into the air and descended one by one into a coinbox.

I watched in wonder as the last of the coins dropped into the coinbox. After shaking my head, I gathered the rest of my coins - one or two at a time - and returned my small bag to my saddlebags. After paying for Colophon's tutoring, and other minor expenses, I had saved... 10 bits to pay for filing the paperwork on Equestria Railway.

"I wonder where Written Dreams is? She should be here by now," said Colophon as she finished her preparations.

The front door chimed. Written Dreams and a light brown pegasus with a black mane walked down to the back of the shop. "Hi, Cherry," she said. "Hello, Miss Colophon. This is my boyfriend, Windstorm. Can he stay if he promises to sit quietly and watch?"

"This is a bit unusual," Colophon replied. She turned to the pegasus. "This will be tutoring for unicorns. It will be boring for you. However, do you still wish to watch?"

Windstorm nodded.

"Windy's my boyfriend. I knew him as a student in London," Written said. "We got converted together. He was curious as what I was learning - so he got a day off from the weather team training and came to see me drop teacups and push books around." She laughed.

"I was wondering what was so all important that she would miss a date with me to go do instead," added Windstorm.

"Children," Colophon said, calling us to order. "Windstorm, if you could go there, out of the way, and if Cherry and Written would join me at the table - we can get started."

A few hours later, I was tired from my efforts. We had been pushing ourselves, trying to keep more and more items in the air. I felt a pressure around my horn as if trying to do any more would make it fall off.

"That is enough," Colophon said.

A small rain of objects clattered onto the table. Written quickly used her magic to stop a bobbin that was rolling off the table. Windstorm slowly stood up and stretched his wings.

"Next week, we will continue this lesson," Colophon said. Then she turned to me. "Oh, Cherry, I have your paperwork finished."

"That... is wonderful." I replied.

"I'll need five bits from you for a share."

"Five bits? Share? One moment."

While I struggled to get my small bag out of my saddlebags, Colophon placed the scroll of paper, an inkwell and a quill on the table. Windstorm wandered on over to take a look.

I spilled the bits in the bag onto the table again and levitated five bits over to Colophon.

She set them aside, wrote something on the paper and rolled it up. "There. You now own one share in Equestrian Railways Ltd. I've also subscribed - I trust that is satisfactory?"

"What? Oh yes," I said gathering up my few bits and returning them to my bag.

"I'm confused," said Windstorm. "Equestrian Railways?"

I explained - once again - my dream of building a modern railroad in Equestria.

"Cool," said Windstorm, looking interested. "Electric locomotives?"

"Steam locomotives at first. I plan to electrify later."

"Same kind of locomotives as they have here?"

"Heavier, faster. They'll be pulling heavier cars. At higher speeds."

"Cool."

"Windstorm was a major fan in Germany when I first met him," Written Dreams said. "He was going to all the steam meets and events and knew all the people in the big railroad clubs."

Windstorm nosed around in Written Dreams' bag and put five bits onto the table. "Sign me up. I'd like to get in on the ground floor too."

Written Dreams glared at him.

Colophon took the papers from me, filled out another entry in her elegant copperplate and rolled up the papers. "That's 15 bits in the company treasury now. Shares will printed and distributed once the company papers are filed at the town hall."

"Thank you, Windstorm," I said.

Written Dream said, "Next week, same time, Miss Colophon?"

"Practice at home - only through practice will you get better."

The unicorn and her pegasus boyfriend left as Baritone entered the bookstore. I put the papers and my small bag into my saddlebags and left with my escort.

The next morning, much to the surprise of Bottlecap, I got up very early. It was my day off from work and I had plans. Plans that I did not want anypony to know. I had explored much of Ponyville on my other days off, visiting the park, touring the varied streets and looking at the scenery.

"Going hiking?" asked Bottlecap.

"Yes. I'm going to with Written Dreams," I said quickly.

"Make sure you come back early. Days are growing shorter and the sun sets quicker now. I don't want to have to send Baritone out to retrieve you."

I packed some hay pellets, some apples and a juice box into my saddlebags and took off. The sky was dotted with small clouds, the sun was shining through early morning fog. It looked like it was going to be a gorgeous day.

Trotting down the country lane, I saw Cannonball standing outside the Ponyville station. I waved and then trotted up to him. "Hi."

"Hi yourself. Where are you headed so early in the morning?"

"Hiking. Exploring. Say, Cannonball, do you know who makes the locomotives for the railroad?"

Cannonball frowned at the sudden change of subject. "Locomotives? Why do you want to know."

"Just curious."

"Well, all of our locomotives have been built by Ball-Windy Machine Works of Fillydephia."

"Oh, really? Anyway, it's nice to run into you. Have a nice day."

"It looks like it'll be a nice one," said Cannonball. "Enjoy it."

I left him standing outside the Ponyville station, trotted across the railroad tracks and through Ponyville. This early in the morning, the farmers were still coming into town and the marketplace was filled with wagons and ponies setting up their stands. I stopped at the Shamrocks cafe to let Written Dreams know that I'd be hiking with Lyra and Bon-bon. Then, I crossed the stone bridge and headed out of town. My destination was the peak that Lyra had pointed out.

The muddy road ran south, crossing fields and skirting the woods. At a shady spot, I pulled out a map that I had bought at Colophon's bookstore a week ago. From here, a trail ran from the road up into the mountains. If I was reading the map correctly, I should be able to climb to the peak in a half day. I rolled up the map and returned it to my saddlebags.

I left the road and followed the trail. The trail began easily, turned into a series of switchbacks and then became very steep. It was hard going up the slope and I'd have to rest often. At the top of the slope, I found a trail running along the side of the mountain. At least, it was easier to walk along than the steep slope. There was one spot where the trail stopped and I had to jump across a deep crevasse. As I climbed higher and higher, the sun warmed the landscape and burned off the fog.

The old remains of an avalanche forced me to carefully climb over it. The trail switched back and forth before ending in a broad ledge. From one side of the broad ledge, I could see all of Ponyville's valley - the distant towers of Canterlot, the green orchards, the plowed fields, the darker green forests and the faint glimmers of light reflecting off the lakes and streams. A faint thread of white showed the noon train running to Canterlot. The sun was high overhead.

The other side of the broad ledge had a cliff face with a enormous cave. Rocks had fallen and partially blocked the opening. I walked over to the edge of the opening and listened.

Silence. The air coming from the cave smelled cold, stale and wet. I took a deep breath and stepped past the fallen rocks into the cave. It showed signs that it had once been occupied - there still were massive furrows in the ground, left by huge claws. Markings high on rocks showed the size of the creature. Stalactites were broken off and left where they had fallen. I slowly walked to the center of the huge chamber and looked around.

Of the dragon's hoard, I could not see one gold coin, not one tiny gemstone. From the description that I had heard, this surely was the site where Fluttershy had told off the dragon. But of the dragon and his immense hoard, there was no sign. I started to use my magic to light my horn when something stopped me.

Did you ever face a written examination, not having prepared for it? Or be asked to turn in a lengthy homework and realize that you haven't even started it. It is a slow feeling of fear and dread that sneaks up on you, leaving you feeling helpless. I started to back out of the cave. Step by step, I made it out onto the broad ledge. The sense of fear and dread slowly left me. But I did not want to go back into that cave for anything.

I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. The dragon was long gone. Time was passing. Shadows showed that the sun was past high noon. It was time that I needed to be off the mountain.

The trip back down the mountain was pretty uneventful - except for the long steep slope near the bottom. A few rocks slipped from underneath my hooves, I lost control, started to run, picked up ever more speed, fell, and slid to a stop. An examination revealed no injuries but I now had scrapes and cuts along my legs and flanks. Groaning and stiff with pain, I got onto my hooves and limped the rest of the way back into Ponyville.

The sunlight was turning gold as the day came to an end. Trees and bushes cast long shadows as I slowly made way back to the hayfarm. When Bottlecap saw my injuries, she was horrified. Over my protests, Baritone was told to draw a warm bath while she grabbed a first aid kit off the shelves and popped the lid.

"Lie down, Cherry. On your side," the grey earth pony ordered. "Ah, what a mess. What happened?" She took a bottle of a strong smelling disinfectant, opened it and placed it on the floor.

"I fell down a slope."

Bottlecap poured the disinfectant onto a piece of cotton. "This is going to sting a bit. I've got to clean out your wounds." She took a pair of tweezers in her teeth and picked up the cotton swab.

"It's just... ouch... scrapes... ouch... and OUCH!"

She teased some gravel and dirt out of my skin. "That Written Dreams should have watched out for you," she said as she prepared another cotton swab, "To let you come home in such a state. Really!"

I didn't want to get Written Dreams into trouble. "Written couldn't come along," I quickly said. "So I decided to continue exploring by myself. There was this slope. It was bit steep for me. Ouch, ouch, ouch... ouch."

"Mmmm." Bottlecap gave me a long studying look. "I do wish you had found somepony else to come along." She discarded the dirty cotton swab and grabbed a fresh one. "After I finish cleaning your injuries, you will get into that warm bath that Baritone's drawing - and afterwards, it's straight off to bed!" Pouring more disinfectant on the swab, Bottlecap prepared to pick up the tweezers again. "Hold still. There's a nasty cut alongside your hock."

"Ouch!"

In the morning, I felt somewhat better. I left the hayfarm with only twinges of pain from yesterday's misadventure and trotted down the country road.

At Barnyard Bargins, I dropped off my saddlebags, slipped into my apron, and went to find out what needed to be done. Pine Shavings, Filthy Rich and the other ponies working at the place were all gathered at the swinging doors leading out to the store floor.

"I'm not going out there," one of the sales ponies said.

"We can't all be in here," Filthy Rich said. "Somepony has to go out there and find out what they want. Sell them something."

"Hi," I said. "What's up?"

"Cherry!" Filthy Rich fell on me as if I was a rescuer. "You're a newfoal."

"Yes but -"

"There are humans in my store. You've dealt with humans before. Of course you have, stupid of me to forget. Go out there and find what they want."

Pine Shavings gave me a powerful shove and I was propelled through the swinging doors.

"And sell them something," came Filthy Rich's voice through the door.

I straightened out my apron, took a deep breath and started to walk through the stacks of canned and bottled goods.

Standing at the cashier's stand was a man and a woman. He was in his middle forties, powerfully built with reddish hair and beard. He was wearing khaki hiking shorts, expensive hiking boots, a plaid shirt and tinted sunglasses. She was in her late thirties, a dishwater blonde with jeans, shirt and expensive hiking boots. Her sunglasses were perched backwards on her head.

"Hi and welcome to Barnyard Bargins," I said.

"Oh look, Mike," said the woman. "There's one of them cute ponies now."

"Where're you guys hanging out?" Mike said. "We've just got into town and the place is like a ghost town."

"Err," I started, drawing a hoof back. "Ponies... are naturally skittish. They are... I mean, we are not used to you yet. Give them time and we'll grow accustomed to you."

"I'd like to touch one. They look so soft, so cute," mused the woman.

"Sell them something," came a whisper from the swinging doors in back.

"Can I help you?" I asked. "Perhaps you would to bring back something as a souvenir of your trip?"

Mike looked around. "What would you suggest?"

"Why not try our regional speciality, Zap Apple Jam?"

"What's that?"

"Zap Apple Jam is made from the apples from a kind of magic tree that grows only -," I began.

The woman reached down and stroked my neck. "So soft, so pink."

I flattened my ears and stepped back. "I'm not a teddy bear," I protested to the woman. "I'm a pony, a person, just like you."

"Lay off, Ashley," Mike warned. "It doesn't like to be touched."

Closing my eyes, I started to speak in a restrained voice. "I have a name. Cherry Shine. I'm a mare. A unicorn mare." I opened my eyes. "I work for my living at Barnyard Bargins, stocking the shelves. I live in Ponyville in Equestria. It is a real country, just like Austria, Spain or even America. It is not a toy place like Disneyland with cute animals for you to play with."

Reaching around to my side, I took off my apron. "I got these cuts and bruises yesterday while climbing in the mountains. You can get hurt here, even killed. This is not some little girl's fairyland."

"Gee, we're sorry," Mike apologized. "Can we start again? I'm Mike Roberts and this is my wife, Ashley. I'm a lawyer for Apple patents and intellectual property and Ashley's a web designer. We're from Mountain View, California."

"And I'm Cherry Shine," I said in turn. "How about that souvenir?"

"We'll...." Mike said, looking at his wife, "take two jars of Zap Apple Jam."

My horn glowed and two jars rose from their shelf, floated across the store and settled next to the cash register. I rang up the sale.

Mike counted out the bits while Ashley secured the jars of jam in their enormous backpacks.

"Will there be anything else?" I asked.

"Is there anyway to get back to Canterlot quickly?" Mike asked. "We left our tour group to go hiking in the countryside and really need to get back."

"Mike heard a rumor about a dragon flying outside the forest here. The forest had a name like Ever Tree Forest or something." Ashley said. "We don't have any dragons in California - we love dragons and so we came to check it out. We didn't see anything but the countryside is so beautiful."

"We could hike back but we'd miss our departure date," Mike continued. "I see that you have a railroad, but I can't reach the internet to check for schedules. No bars." He reached into a pocket and pulled out an Apple smartphone. Turning it on, he showed me the screen. "No bars at all. And GPS doesn't seem to be working either."

I turned to Ashley. "A dragon in the Everfree Forest? How interesting. It is really a shame that you couldn't see one for yourself." Then I returned to Mike. "There is a train leaving at noon for Canterlot. The schedule for the day should have been posted outside the station."

"There was no one at the station - I looked already," Mike said, putting his Apple phone back into his shirt.

"One moment, then I'll come with you," I said.

I walked back to the swinging doors where the rest of the Barnyard Bargin ponies were waiting. "I'm just going to the station to help Mike and Ashley get on the noon train to Canterlot. Why don't you come out? They're perfectly safe."

Pine Shavings pawed the ground. "If it's alright with you, I'd prefer to stay here."

Filthy Rich looked troubled. "I'll... come out. I saw you make the sale and... it'd be foolish to fail to tap into... new markets."

I turned around and together we walked back to the two humans. "Hello," Filthy Rich said as he saw Mike and Ashley. "My name is Filthy Rich. I own Barnyard Bargins."

"Hi," Mike said. "This is a nice business that you have, Filthy Rich. And a really helpful employee in Cherry Shine."

Filthly Rich smiled. "Thank you. Best prices in Ponyville. Tell your friends. And Cherry is doing very well for a newfoal."

"Very well. Let's go over to the station and try and get you on your way to Canterlot, Mike," I said.

The two humans picked up their enormous backpacks and easily swung them onto their backs. I waved to Filthy Rich and we walked outside. I led them across the railroad tracks and up to the station. From inside, I could hear the clatter of the telegraph.

I knocked at the station door. "Cannonball," I said. "We need to talk.

The door slowly opened. "What?" Cannonball asked.

I told him that the two humans were really nice and only wanted to buy tickets for the train. After some further explanation, Cannonball finally sold them tickets to Canterlot. Saying that he was needed at the telegraph, Cannonball made his escape. The station door closed.

On the platform, Mike and Ashley sat down on waiting benches. I was still troubled by the reactions of the ponies in Ponyville so I walked up and down, swishing my tail. "Ponyville is really a nice place," I began. "The ponies here aren't used to strangers."

"It's okay," Mike said. "You don't seem to be typical of the ponies here." He thought for a moment, then said, "Forgive me for asking." He pointed to my blank flank, "but what are those bright tattoos or markings on a pony's hindquarters? I've seen them on unicorns in Canterlot and that brown pony has a tattoo of three money bags."

"They appear on a pony's coat when the pony discovers what his or her special talent is. For example, Filthy Rich's special talent is making more money."

"So, you're saying that once a pony knows what they are good at - that marking appears."

"Yes. We call it a cutie mark. Unlike a tattoo, the markings are only in the colors of our coat - not in the skin underneath."

"Then where's yours," Ashley asked. "You haven't found out what you're good at yet?"

I nodded.

The distant sound of a train whistle echoed off the hills and mountains.

"Why?" she asked.

The train whistled again, closer now. A rapidly moving cloud of smoke and steam could be seen above the trees.

Mike made a fist and slammed it into his palm. "I knew it. Why would a pony know anything about Disneyland, Austria and such? I've been looking around and I have yet to see anything about the rest of the world anywhere we've been. It all makes sense now."

The engine of the train was approaching the station, bell ringing and brakes shrieking. Cannonball came out of the station and was waiting.

Mike leaned down to me. "Cherry," Mike asked, "what is a newfoal? That brown pony called you an 'newfoal'.

The train rolled into the station in a cloud of steam and smoke. Ponies appeared at the windows of the passenger cars, looking at us. As the train shuddered to a stop, the conductor swung down off the engine and walked to Cannonball.

"A newfoal... is someone who's become a pony and emigrated to Equestria," I said slowly.

Shocked, Ashley stared at me. "That's why you have no problems with humans - you were one - once."

"Yes."

Around us, ponies were leaving the train, others were hurrying to board the cars. Cannonball talked with the conductor for a moment. All the ponies were giving us a wide berth as they moved to and fro.

"And that's why you don't have a - what did you call it? - cutie mark?"

"Yes," I replied.

The conductor nodded at Cannonball, glanced at the station clock and moved to his engine. The last of the ponies boarded the train.

"So, really, you aren't a pony at all," Mike stated. "but a human in the shape of a pony?"

"Why?" Ashley asked. "I don't understand. Why did you give up your humanity?"

The engine gave a short, sharp whistle.

"Your train," I shouted. "It's leaving. You'd better get on it."

Mike stood up. He grabbed his backpack. "Ashley, we'd better get going."

Ashley took one last look at me, picked up her own backpack and followed Mike. They hurried onto the passenger car platform, and opened the door to the car's interior. From the station platform, I could see a few ponies getting up and leaving the car.

The conductor blew his own whistle and stepped onto the engine. Doors slammed shut. The engine's cylinders blew a rush of steam and slowly, the train began to move. I caught of Mike's tinted sunglasses looking at me through his passenger car window. Ashley was looking straight ahead. Mike waved once at me. The engine started to pick up speed as the train left the station. Within moments, the train was gone.

Cannonball returned to his telegraph, closing the door.

I was left at the station with some disturbing questions.

Stranger in the Dark

Stranger in the Dark
Berry Pony

I swished my sadly abbreviated tail. Another box to unpack, another row of shelves to restock. Another workday at Barnyard Bargins.

After falling into Froggy Bottom Bog - twice - being chased by an angry, fire-breathing dragon and being told to spend the night in the barn, I was feeling a bit pessimistic about ever getting my railroad funded, let alone built. I lost my saddlebags with my financial information - thrown aside in an attempt to mislead my big, bad, nasty, draconian pursuer. And with the saddlebags, I even lost Brandon Ford's address back on Earth. I could not write to him and ask him to send me more issues like the Wall Street Journal and Investor's Business Daily.

I pulled the box off the loading trolley and dumped it on the floor. Reaching around to my side, I used my mouth to grab the knife and open the box. Another box to unpack, another row of shelves.

Early this morning, Bottlecap had taken me in hand. We went down to Ponyville to the Day Spa where the blue earth pony announced we had a emergency. Aloe and Lotus took me inside to soak the rest of my swamp stench away. Then they shampooed my mane clean and tsk-tsking about the loss of most my tail hair, trimmed the remains of the tail into a neat brush. "Zhez tail, eet vill grow back, but eet vill take time," Lotus assured me.

Bottlecap was waiting in the lobby. She looked up as I came in.

"You know," I said to her as we left the Day Spa, "a pony could grow accustomed to this."

"Cherry Shine," Bottlecap said, turning to face me, a serious look on her face. "This wandering, this exploring. It's got to stop. You have been a very lucky mare up to this point. I happened to run into Windstorm and Written Dreams in the market yesterday. They knew nothing about your going out. You went out on your own. Equestria is a very dangerous place, nothing like Earth at all. Promise me that you will stop running off into the Everfree Forest."

"Err..."

"You could have run into gryphons or manticores or..." She sighed. "Promise me or leave our farm and home and find a new place."

"I.. I promise. No more exploring. Really. Honestly."

"I will hold you to your promise," Bottlecap said. She turned to walk back to the farm. "Baritone and I'll see you tonight."

That was this morning. I had arrived late at Barnyard Bargins and made my excuses to Filthy Rich. He looked at me and my shaving brush tail and told me to start unpacking boxes.

"Cherry, would you come up here?"

I put down the box I was working with and trotted up the aisles to the front of the store. At the cash register, I found Filthy Rich and two humans. Both were dressed in nice business suits. The younger man wore a pair of Rayban sunglasses. The older man had on a pair of expensive wireframe glasses. With his round face and large moustache, he reminded me of a jovial walrus.

"Cherry, would you get these gentleco- err, gentlemen, a pair of bottles of chocolate milk from the back?" Filthy Rich asked. "And a pair of boxes of dried apple slices?"

I nodded and went off to fetch the articles. When I came back, Filthy Rich was saying that it was shame they had to return to Canterlot - tomorrow was the annual Running of Leaves.

"Many of the local ponies partake in the race which is said to help the trees shed their leaves," Filthy Rich continued. "The race course runs all around Ponyville and the valley and the finish line is in the park."

"Interesting," The older human said. "And does the running cause the leaves to fall?"

"The trees along the length of the race course loose their leaves. It might be ponies running that does it. I don't know - I let the unicorns like Cherry here explain that."

The older human turned to me. "And how do you explain it?"

"Err... I'm fairly new to Ponyville," I answered. "This will be my first Running of the Leaves. I'd have to see it first."

The younger man lowered his sunglasses. "Pardon miss?" he asked. "Your tail? Why is it so... short? All the other horses' tails I've seen have been sweeping and long."

"Ah," I began, waving my little shaving brush of a tail. "Ah... I am given to understand that everypony will be wearing their tails much shorter next season. It'll be the rage in the coming year..."

Filthy Rich gave me a long look but didn't say anything.

The cash register dinged, the bits were exchanged and the humans walked out. Filthy Rich watched them go. "Those two humans are in business, scouting out new markets. At the moment, they were just traveling around and visiting places." He thought for a moment. "At least, we're getting used to humans being around," he added.

"You're doing well," I said. "Pretty soon, you won't need me to deal with humans any-." I quickly realized what I what was saying and closed my mouth.

Filthy Rich was lost in his own thoughts and didn't appear to have heard.

"Filthy Rich?"

"Err, right. Finish up restocking those shelves, then you can go have your lunch."

I joined Pine Shavings and another earth pony mare, Dusty Lily, heading out to lunch. The day was warm, dry and clear. The pegasi were collecting the clouds and herding them over to the Everfree Forest. The sun was drying out the race course from the storm last night.

"Pine Shavings? I was wondering if I could bum a few bits off you for lunch today," I asked as we walked through Ponyville.

Dusty Lily looked inquiring at me.

"Can I ask, why?" Pine Shavings asked. "Don't you bring your own lunch?"

"I wondered why you asked to join us today," the beige pony said.

"And sit on the loading dock in Receiving and eat by yourself," added Pine Shavings.

"I... I kinda was rushed out of the house this morning. I didn't get time to make my lunch like I do everyday."

"Surely, you must have some bits in your saddlebags? Oh, in your rush to get outa the house, you forgot your bags too?"

"It's a long story but I'm too hungry to tell it now," I answered.

"So if I bribe you with hay fries and a milkshake, you'll tell the whole story? Okay, but I'm going to hold you to tell us everything."

"Everything," added Dusty Lily, her eyes glittering. "I was afraid you would turn out to be one of those solitary newfoals, friendless and a loner. You just needed a little push." She tossed her head. "Maybe you'll join us more often? That loading dock in Receiving is cold and hard."

We turned the corner and found ourselves at one of Ponyville's many outdoor cafes. Pine Shavings found us a table under the trees, ordered for the three of us and waited until I had wolfed down my food.

I told my story, simply and without leaving out anything - except the reason that I approached the dragon in the first place. Pine Shavings listened without comment while Dusty Lily ooh'd and ah'd at times.

When I finished, Pine Shaving stared at me for a moment. "That was a very dangerous and foolish thing you did," he finally said.

I sighed. "I know. And I won't do it again. I'm done with exploring and wandering."

"Cherry Shine, are you going to run in the Running of Leaves tomorrow?" asked Dusty Lily, changing the subject. "Pine Shavings and I have registered already and gotten our hip numbers and everything."

"I'd thought I'd come and watch. Filthy Rich is giving us the day off, right?"

Dusty Lily nodded. "He's running too. Got the hip number '1'. In return, the Running of the Leaves has to put up a big banner advertising Barnyard Bargins. He's a good businesspony."

The day of the Running of the Leaves Race was bright and chilly. All the trees were colored red, gold and yellow. The sky was clear - pegasi had kept the clouds from drifting in from the Everfree Forest. As I trotted down to the starting area, ponies greeted me and each other. Stretching over the start line was a banner. On one side, it read 'Running of the Leaves' - on the other side, 'Barnyard Bargins for the Best Bargins'. Milling around the starting line was a crowd of ponies, each preparing for the race to come.

Bon-bon was out there, warming up, trotting in place and stretching out her front legs. Next to her, Pine Shavings and Dusty Lily were watching. Rainbow Dash, leader of the local weather team, was coaching a group of pegasi with shouts and cheers. In the watching crowd, I spotted Lyra bouncing up and down. I decided to join her.

"'morning," I said to the mint green unicorn as I stopped next to her.

Lyra stopped bouncing and grinned at me. "Hi, Cherry. Come to watch?"

"Yes!" I paused to look over the field of racers. "Lyra, there aren't that many unicorns in the race."

"That's because a few years ago, Twilight Sparkle, a known nerd and egghead, came in fifth by using a few common racing tricks. You know - confidence, pacing and common sense. Ever since, the earth ponies and the pegasi have made it their goal to beat - if not each other - Twilight Sparkle and the other unicorns. The Running of the Leaves may be a race for fun but you know that races for fun can be the most vicious competition of all."

"And how does Twilight Sparkle finish these days?"

"After coming last a few times, she watches the race instead. She's over there,... oh, Princess Celestia has come to watch the race as well."

I looked across the race course where Lyra was pointing. Moving among the lesser ponies like a ocean liner moves through lesser craft was a tall, regal pony with a blinding white coat and a green-bluish and pinkish mane. She bore the horn of a unicorn and the wings of a pegasus. As she moved, the ponies around her bowed or kneeled in respect.

A trumpeter played Boots and Saddles. Ponies lined up on the starting line. The bell rang raucously and the racers were off. Floating in the air, a pony was giving us the race action from a balloon, letting us know what was happening. Leaves swirled from trees as the racers disappeared from sight. I could follow the race by watching the balloon floating over the runners in the distance.

Across the now deserted race course, Princess Celestia and Twilight Sparkle were quietly talking over a table. Mrs. Cake was serving them cake from Sugar Cube Corner.

"Hello," Colophon said as she walked over with Written Dreams in tow. "Enjoying the race?"

"Yes, Miss Colophon," I replied.

Lyra had begun to bounce up and down again.

"Windstorm is running," Written Dreams said. "There's no talking to Windy at the moment - he's so competive and all. That's because Rainbow Dash has threatened to make all of the weather team swim laps in the Ponyville Reservoir if the pegasi don't finish better than the earth ponies." The light blue unicorn looked unhappy.

Lyra stopped bouncing. "And Applejack's team better repeat their win like last year or she'll make them buck acorns off of oak trees. Poor Bon-bon..."

"Hmm," Colophon interrupted. "As long as I have all of you here, why don't I introduce you to the princess?"

"What? Now?" I stammered. My ears fell. Written Dreams looked flummoxed.

"Yes, Cherry," the orange unicorn answered. "Now. The time could not be better. Everypony is off running or following the runners so we won't be interrupted. If we were up at Canterlot, you would have to deal with courtiers, major-domos and other members of the court. Now, we have an opportunity to quietly talk to the princess." Colophon adjusted the eyesglasses on her muzzle and turned to go. "Come along then," she ordered.

Written Dreams and I followed Colophon across the race course, Lyra bouncing along behind.

"Ah, are you sure this is a good idea," I asked, hurrying after her. "I'm not exactly dressed to meet the princess." In my rush to get to the race this morning, I had only given my pink coat a quick once-over. I had not thoroughly brushed my yellow mane or short wisp of a tail. "Or really ready."

Colophon headed directly for Celestia's table. "Nonsense, child. The princess is always delighted to meet her subjects." She approached the table. "Now, remember what I taught you. Manners maketh the unicorn."

"Good morning, Your Majesty," Colophon said. She bent a fore leg to bow deeply before straightening up again. Written Dreams and I bowed and remained looking at the ground.

Celestia paused, her fork floating in the air as she was about to take another bite from her decorated cake. "Ah, Miss Colophon, welcome." The fork came to rest on her plate. "It has been a while since I saw you last."

At Twilight Sparkle's confused look, the princess added, "Miss Colophon was an instructor at the School for Gifted Unicorns before retiring to the countryside."

Colophon gave Written Dreams a signal to rise. "May I be allowed to present my student, Written Dreams? Written Dreams would like to become a writer someday." Written Dream rose and smiled.

"I look forward to reading what you have written," Celestia said graciously.

"And may I present Cherry Shine, my other student?" Colophon gave me a nod to rise. "Cherry is presently working at Barnyard Bargins but she hopes to build a railroad someday. Both Cherry and Written have recently come to Equestria and are working hard at their studies."

I rose to look at the princess.

"Oh, um... really? Such big dreams for a newfoal," Celestia said. "And how far has your railroad come?"

I fidgeted and pawed the ground with my hoof. "I... we... have a few bits in the treasury... and hope... to file the company... charter soon, Your Majesty."

Princess Celestia smiled. "Well, you certainly have your work cut out for you, Cherry Shine." She looked over my head at Lyra who was standing behind us.

"Your Majesty," Colophon said. "With your leave, we will withdraw now." She backed away from the princess' table and hinted that we do the same.

Celestia nodded and then signaled Lyra to come closer. We left the two in deep conversation while we crossed the race course again.

"That was... interesting," Written Dreams said as we waited for the racers to finish. "What was the point?"

"Hush, child. You have now been introduced to the princess. It will make things alot easier the next time you meet Princess Celestia. You merely mention that you met her at the annual Running of the Leaves and then go on to discuss whatever it is that you wish to discuss with her. Trust an old unicorn's advice. You can even remind the princess that it was her old instructor that introduced you. It's called 'pull' and we unicorns are very good at that game." Colophon sniffed proudly and then looked over at the woods.

The sound of galloping indicated the first racers were closing in on the finish line. There was a explosion of falling leaves and three - four pegasi came bursting out of the woods to rush across the finish line. A pair of earth ponies followed, running hard. Then the rest of the racers came in, arriving in ones and twos.

"Windstorm is going to be impossible to live with," moaned Written Dreams. "He's going to be insufferable. Unbearable. Arrgh! I'd better go on over and see if I can help them cool down."

The pegasi had run all out and collapsed. That last minute sprint had completely wiped them out. The earth ponies were in better shape, slowly walking around and cooling off. Lyra could be seen with Bon-bon, talking quietly to her and offering drinks of warm water.

Rainbow Dash was flapping around, quite proud of her weather team. Applejack took her defeat quietly, offering a few words of encouragement to her farm team.

I noticed a few unicorns come cantering up to the finish line and decided to give them what help I could. Grabbing a few towels and water bottles, I approached the tired unicorns.

"Thanks," said a red-brown unicorn with a wrench cutie mark as I floated a water bottle to her. "They must have been practising hard."

"We were thoroughly outclassed this year," added a dark grey stallion with a light grey mane. "Thank you for the water," he added.

"I heard that Rainbow Dash makes the weather team run laps before flying. Every morning," said a yellow unicorn. "And Applejack has her team running around Sweet Apple Acres."

The reddish-brown unicorn took a towel off me and mopped her white mane and forelock. "Hey, you're new around here. I like that short tail - gives you a real gamin look. I'm Quick Fix."

"Cherry, Cherry Shine."

"Pleased to meet you, Cherry. Over there, ducking his head in the water pail is Comet Tail and Mister Tall Dark and Too-Slow is Graphite. We're the unicorns that run, the ones that haven't given up, the also-ran, Team Unicorn!" She smiled at me.

"I'm happy to have met you-" I started to reply when the announcer started to give the results of the race. I shook my head and pointed a hoof at the bull horn.

When the announcer had finished and the medals given out, Princess Celestia stepped up and spoke a few words - and the Running of the Leaves was done for another year.

Written Dreams was admiring the medal that Windstorm had won, Colophon was talking to a few friends. Filthy Rich, Pine Shavings and the Applejack Team were walking away after promising that they would take back first place next year. I looked around before starting to make my way back to the hayfarm. By myself.

"Hey, Cherry?" Graphite asked. "Want to join us in drowning our loss in a few glasses of cider? Team Unicorn could use some friends right now. And you look like you use a friend too."

"Sure!" I squeed. "I'd be happy to come."

In the next few weeks before Nightmare Night, the few remaining leaves on the trees were blown away by storms crashing in from the north. Puddles, ponds and rain barrels had a ring of ice every morning. Only dried stalks, dead leaves and frozen ground remained of Bottlecap's garden. Baritone was busy fixing things around the farm and preparing for the winter to come.

Every morning, clad in Baritone's old rain slicker, I galloped from the hayfarm to Barnyard Bargins, trying not to slip and fall into the many mudholes and puddles. At Barnyard Bargins, Filthy Rich had stocked up for the coming Nightmare Night with costumes, candy and party decorations. When lunchtime came around, I'd take a break from moving boxes and selling candy to join Pine Shavings, Dusty Lily and the others to go out and eat. Often, I'd still bring my own lunch. The loading dock in Receiving where I used to eat by myself was now the coldest spot in the store.

Colophon drilled Written Dreams and myself relentlessly on magic. She wanted to make sure that we had the basics of unicorn magic down before starting - as she called it - the interesting part. As homework, she would give us reading assignments in Unicorn Script. Only by understanding the script, she told us, can you hope to unlock the more advanced aspects of magic.

Between work and Miss Colophon's lessons, I made an effort to join the unicorns of Team Unicorn after work hours for talk, planning and discussions. Winter had put an end to this year's competition but they were full of plans for next spring.

"Cherry, I'd still think you should try out for striker on our Hoofball team," said Quick Fix. "You're quick and strong enough to make a good forward."

The night was cold and clear. The unicorns of Team Unicorn had gathered in the Tackroom Bar and Grill, enjoying hot cider and puffed pastries. It was the night before Nightmare Night and Quick Fix was once again recruiting me for her favorite sport, Hoofball.

I took the mug of hot cider in both hooves, breathing in the warm fumes of cider and spices. "I don't know, Quick. I never was one for sports when I was on Earth. Perhaps, that's why I became a unicorn."

Quick Fix slapped me on the back. "That was then, this is now. How will you know if you don't try. The team needs you, Cherry."

"But I'll just mess things up." I lifted the mug and drank deeply.

"You can't mess up things worse than they already are. 0-14-2 last season and I can't believe we got two ties," said somepony.

Quick Fix glared at the other unicorns before turning back to me. "You'll at least consider it?"

"All right. I'll consider trying out."

"Yay! Hoofball season starts soon after Winter Wrap Up so you don't have much time to make your decision. This next year will be different!"

"Yep, this next year, we won't get the two ties," somepony muttered.

I put down the mug. "This will have to be my last mug. I've got to start early in the morning for the last day of Nightmare Night sales. Anypony want to escort me out to Baritone's hayfarm tonight?"

Graphite and Star Bright, a grey unicorn stallion with a bluish mane spoke up and offered to come along.

Leaving the warmth and lights of the Tackroom, we trotted through the dark streets of Ponyville and out onto the open countryside. It was cold enough that our breaths left little clouds of white mist. On the open fields and hills, a cold wind blew through our coats, chilling us to the bone. We spoke little, keeping our thoughts to ourselves. The night was quiet as well - the only sounds were the beat of our hooves on the frozen ground.

At the bottom of the hill leading up to the farmyard, I turned to my two escorts. "Thank you for bringing me out here. I can go from here."

"A pleasure, Cherry," said Star Bright. "Take care!"

"I'll race you back to Ponyville. Last one is a rotten egg!" shouted Graphite as he took off.

The two stallions turned and galloped down the road. Within moments, the sound of their hoofbeats disappeared. I turned to walk up to the farmhouse.

"Stop, little pony," said a voice. A black pony walked out of the darkness. "I would have words with you." His coat was black, his mane and tail were black and the only color was his red eyes shining out of the darkness.

"Who... who are you?" I asked as I studied the best way to run.

He gathered himself up and jumped directly in my path. As I started to leap away, I glanced at his eyes and stopped - I had become lost in his glowing red eyes.

The world around me vanished, became dark. The only light illuminated a snow filled circle about 60 feet (20m) across. I found myself standing at one edge of the circle. On the other side, there was a black dragon, immense, powerful, wonderous. He was so large, much of his massive, scaly body disappeared into the darkness.

"What do you want? Who are you?" I kept asking.

The dragon shot out a taloned hand and grabbed my head between his thumb and forefinger. I felt my memories rushing through my head as someone was playing them for his amusement. The claws of his huge hand grasped me thoroughly - I could not move. My thoughts, my dreams, my hopes - he read through them as if dumping a computer memory. And at the end of the memory dump, he merely released me, his claws opening to drop me.

"I? CALL ME NERIUS," the dragon said. "I NEEDED YOUR MEMORIES TO PLACE CONTEXT TO THE THINGS I HAVE READ."

I got back on my hooves and looked around. Snow was falling slowly onto the circle of light. "Where am I? What is this place?"

"IT IS BUT A BIT OF MY MAGIC. I HAVE MOVED US IN THIS POCKET REALM SO THAT WE CAN TALK WITHOUT BEING INTERRUPTED."

"But... you... I saw a pony. A black pony."

"IT IS BUT A FORM THAT I TAKE," Nerius said. "WITH YOUR MEMORIES, I CAN NOW TAKE ANOTHER FORM THAT YOU ARE MORE FAMILIAR WITH." His dragon form became blurry, amorphous before coalescing into the form of a distinguished man in his late 40s, a tinge of gray at his temples, wearing an expensive Savile Row suit. He resembled a elegant cross between Pierce Brosnan and Cary Grant. The man glanced at the Rolex watch at his wrist then smiled.

"Is this not what you wanted?" the man asked with a English accent. "Let me be brief. While visiting my concubine a little while ago, I came across a discarded saddlebag. Malinostra ignored it, thinking the contents worthless. She has always had a limited imagination, satisfied to rest on her gold. Stupid slut. But I found the information most valuable. To think of the enormous wealth that I could accumulate from financial markets on Earth. A market where the greediest person is rewarded, the risk taker is always protected and the governments stand ready to guard the speculator from his mistakes. This must be exploited."

The man walked across the circle. "But how do I access this Earth? Who would know more about this brave new world? I looked deeper into the saddlebags and found a letter from someone on Earth to a local pony. From the letter's address, I was easily able to track down this local pony."

The man grinned. "And now, I have you, my little pony, to thank for showing me this world. But time is money and there is much to be done." He lightly brushed falling snow off of his suit. "My next destination is Switzerland where they have the most interesting ideas about banking laws. When the time is right, Cherry Shine, I will provide your railroad with investment capital. It is only fair and fitting for providing me with such an opportunity. When the time is right, I will send for you."

The light in the circle faded and darkness overcame me. I blinked and I was standing where the black pony had surprised me. Of Nerius, I could see no sign.

In distant Ponyville, the clock tower struck. Nightmare Night had begun.

Nightmares on Nightmare Night

Nightmares on Nightmare Night
Berry Pony

I was scared. Returning to Baritone's hayfarm late at night, I had run into a dragon. A big, black, scary dragon. He had magic, oh, he had magic all right. Snapping me in a pocket realm, Nerius grabbed my head between his thumb talon and index finger talon and read off my memory and thoughts like a open book. When he was done, he changed his form into a human, told me that he'd be going to Switzerland, and in time, contacting me to make funds available for my railroad. It's the least he could do for telling him about a new world and its riches.

This is what I wanted, right? To make contact with a dragon, give them information about Earth and its... opportunities for making money. And then provide enough venture capital for getting my railroad and my dreams off the ground. It would all work out, wouldn't it?

Turning my head from side to side, my ears twisting to catch any sound, I couldn't hear anything. The dragon, now a man in his elegantly tailored suit and Rolex watch, was gone. I stood, shivering, at the bottom of the hill rising up to the hayfarm.

I should probably warn somepony. Perhaps even Princess Celestia. And what would I say? That I went exploring to try and find a dragon and his hoard - and the dragon found me, thanks to my lost saddlebags. The dragon was headed to Earth, probably even now, and the princess should take steps to do... what? Warn the SEC? Talk to the European Central Bank? Write a stern letter to the Editor of the Times?

And speaking of my saddlebags, why hadn't that black dragon returned them to me?

Arrgh! I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. The cold wind continued to blow, teasing at my yellow mane and chilling the pink fur on my body. It was time to get inside where there was light and warmth.

Besides, I thought as I started up the hill, it was always possible that Nerius would be unable to make much of a dent in the Earth's financial markets. Morgan Stanley lost 9 billion dollars in Howie Hubler's credit default swaps. Lehman Brothers lost $2.8 billion in the subprime mortgage crisis. A single rogue trader, Nick Leeson, bankrupted the venerable Barings Bank, losing 827 million pounds in index futures. A dragon's hoard simply could not make that much of a difference, no matter how much gold and jewels it held.

My thoughts brightened. Nerius was frightening and powerful. But he had never faced the piranha-like masses of Wall Street insiders like the kind depicted by Gordon Gekko. The black dragon would probably be overwhelmed by it all.

Funny that? Nothing to worry about. I put the whole thing behind me.

But it's a shame that I wouldn't be able to take advantage of Nerius' offer. Having Nerius' capital behind me would make the task of building my railroad a whole lot easier - perhaps we could raise the money some other way. Bake sales. We'd need a whole lot of bake sales.

I trotted up to the farmhouse where it'd be warm. Tomorrow would be Nightmare Night and I'd be busy in the morning at Bargin Bargins, selling last minute candy and party decorations.

"Another box of lollipops!" I turned and galloped into the back of the store. The rush of ponies buying last minute Nightmare Night items had started as soon as we had opened the doors. It showed no signs of letting up. "And bring up another six cartons of black licorice." I had been at it for hours, hauling boxes of candy from the stockroom and keeping the bins and shelves filled. Filthy Rich was assisting Dusty Lily at the cash register, Pine Shavings was monitoring our inventory and helping customers. And I had been running my hooves off, trying to keep up with it all.

"Is it always this bad?" I asked Pine Shavings as I looked over the seething herd of ponies in front of the cash register.

"Yep," replied the tan earth pony. "This way, buying at the last moment, parents can insure that their foals won't find any candy. Oh, we're running short of peppermint sticks again. Better bring up some more."

I turned, ready to run back into the stockroom again.

"Courage, Cherry. It'll soon be over," Pine Shavings added before I left for the safety of the backroom. "We'll close at noon to allow employees a chance to get ready for Nightmare Night festivities. Oh, you'd also bring up some more wrapped candies too."

Around lunchtime, the last of the customers left the store and Dusty Lily closed the doors. Filthy Rich smiled. "Thank you, thank you, everypony. I think, looking at rough estimates, that we did better than last year. As soon as you've completed cleaning up, the rest of the day is yours. Enjoy the festivities!"

"Cherry Shine? What's your costume?" asked Dusty Lily as we trotted away from the store. "Wait until you see what Pine Shavings and I have got."

"I'm going over to Pin Cushion's costume shop now to pick it up," I replied. "I wanted to keep it simple so I'm going as a princess." I grinned. "Want to come along?"

We trotted through a town busy with preparations. Booths were being stocked, games were being set up, and pegasi were flying from pole to pole, hanging garlands and decorations. I saw Baritone and a member of the Apple clan hauling in a wagon filled with pumpkins. Other wagons were standing around, filled with hay. A large dance stand had been erected near the town hall and ponies were standing on it, checking the lights.

We passed three humans, gawking at the activity in Ponyville. They weren't the only humans in town - quite a few had come to see the festivities.

At the costume shop, I found a line of ponies standing outside, all waiting to pick up their costumes. "I'm sorry, Dusty," I began, "this is going take a bit of time. Shall I meet you later?"

"Sure. Seven-ish? Outside Sugar Cube Corner?"

"That sounds good to me. Look for a pink pony in a pink princess costume, okay?"

"Okay," Dusty answered. "Will do." She trotted off.

The line moved forward. Another pony left the shop carrying a pair of bags. I flicked my short tail in impatience.

"Cherry? Cherry Shine? It's me, Sandstorm from Phoenix."

I turned to stare at a tan earth pony with a brown and white mane.

"Don't you remember? We got converted in the Phoenix Conversion Bureau at roughly the same time. Travelled to Equestria? We rode the train as far as Ponyville? I continued on to Dodge Junction..."

"Sandstorm! What are you doing in Ponyville?"

The tan earth pony smiled. "I'm headed to Baltimare to take on a new job. They're levelling an island outside of the Barrier to make room for a bigger airport. Celestia wants it easier for humans to travel to and from Equestria."

The line moved. I stepped forward. "New job? Last time I heard, you were doing land reclamation in Dodge Junction."

Sandstorm stepped aside to let a yellow pegasus leave the store with a box under his wing. "Yeah, I was doing land reclamation for a while - planting trees and trying to get grass to grow. My trees weren't looking too hot and my grass was kinda browned and shriveled. So I wasn't doing too well making things grow."

"So what happened?" I poked him with a hoof.

"Turns out that a crew was filling in a ravine and needed some help. You see, land reclamation is not only replanting trees, it's also restoring the land to make it possible to plant stuff. Well suddenly, things just clicked. I was able to figure the amount of earth they needed to fill the ravine. Then I showed them where to excavate so that the ponies had to move the least amount of dirt. It was like I had a talent for surveying and estimating. There was a light tingling on my side and when I checked, this appeared."

Sandstorm moved aside and turned to show the cutie mark on his flank. It was a theodolite - a optical sight used in surveying - standing on a tripod. "It came as a complete surprise."

"You have your cutie mark..." I breathed.

"Yeah. Anyway, they want me in Baltimare for this airport job. I heard that Ponyville throws a hummer-dinger of a Nightmare Night party so I arranged so that I'd make a stopover here."

The line moved again. I got up to the door of the costume shop. There were only three ponies ahead of me now. So Sandstorm had his cutie mark already. He knew what his special talent was, what he was going to be happy doing. I started to feel a bit envious.

"Hey, do you know of a good place to eat? They didn't give us anything to eat on the train ride over here and I'm starving."

Sandstorm had his cutie mark. I was so envious.

"Cherry?" Sandstorm inquired, looking at me.

Another pony trotted out of the store, her bags firmly under her wings.

"Okay. You've got something on your mind - I can see that. I'm going to find someplace to eat. I'll see you later." The tan earth pony started to walk off. "Take care, Cherry."

I was jealous that Sandstorm had gotten his cutie mark - for shoveling dirt around. But he was out in Equestria, doing stuff, making a name for himself and I... I was restocking candy boxes at Barnyard Bargins. No. I shouldn't be jealous of Sandstorm for his cutie mark. He was in the right place at the right time. I wouldn't be working at Barnyard Bargins forever. I'd find the venture capital, I'd build my railroad and then I'd run my railroad - and when it was running, I'd discover my own -.

"I asked if you would like to pay the balance on your deposit," the beige unicorn at the counter repeated. "Hello?"

"Huh? Oh, right. Sorry, my thoughts were elsewhere," I answered.

"Balance? Deposit? There are more ponies waiting," said the harried unicorn. Behind me, two other ponies glared at me. A glance at the door showed a line of ponies stretching down the street.

"Sorry." I paid the rest of my bits and collected a box with my evening's costume. Turning, I trotted out of the store.

Heading up Stirrup Street, my package floating in the air beside me, I thought about Sandstorm and his cutie mark. Suddenly, a heavy wagon, burdened with supplies for the festival, turned in front of me onto the road. It almost hit me but at the last moment, I jumped out of the way. Unfortunately, my head slammed into a fence post. My package fell to the ground as I saw stars. The heavy wagon rolled past.

I was on my haunches in the road, sitting in front of the fence post. The world was spinning in front of my muzzle. I hoped that it would stop soon.

"Oh, are you all right?" Filthy Rich asked as he walked up in front of me.

"I... I think so." My vision cleared and I was able to focus again. Standing next to Filthy Rich were two mares. One was younger than the other.

"Cherry, may I introduce my wife and my daughter, Diamond Tiara. Diamond Tiara has been up at Canterlot at finishing school and has come down to Ponyville for the festivities." He turned to the two mares. "This is Cherry Shine, our new unicorn employee at Barnyard Bargins."

"Nice to meet you," I said as I attempted to stand up. Sitting on your haunches in the mud is not the way that I wanted to meet the boss' wife or kid.

"Likewise," Mrs. Rich said in a chilly tone. "Come along, Filthy, we still have calls to make before tonight." She sailed past me, headed up the road.

Diamond Tiara's blue eyes glittered at me as she stepped closer. "Oh look," she hissed quietly. "No cutie mark. You have never learned what your special talent is. Dirty and muddy too. Poor dear."

"One moment, dear," Filthy Rich said, turning away from his wife. "Cherry, you were carrying a package when you had your accident. Where is it?"

I got onto my hooves and swished my little tail. The world spun around me for a moment before stopping. "My costume?" I asked, blinking my eyes.

Filthy Rich looked around while Mrs. Rich made impatient gestures. Diamond Tiara thought for a moment before whispering to me. "Or is there another reason that you're a blank flank? Could it be that you've come from Earth?" The pale magenta pony grinned maliciously. "Converting to a pony? Ha! You'll never become one of us. You'll never get a cutie mark, blank flank."

She stepped aside, revealing a crushed box beneath her hooves. "Daddy, is this it? Oh dear, it's been stepped on."

I reached for my costume box, picking it up with my teeth.

"It's been found? Good. Come along, Filthy. Diamond Tiara," Mrs Rich said. "We are wasting precious time, dilly-dallying here."

Filthy Rich looked at me. "It's a costume, right?" he asked. "It probably won't get damaged by crushing the box. You'll be all right, won't you?"

"Daaaaaaaaad?" Diamond Tiara whined. "Come on now."

"Go. I'll be okay. Thank you for looking out for me," I replied.

The three walked away. Diamond Tiara checked to see that her father wasn't looking before sticking her tongue out at me. Then the three turned a corner.

I watched them go. Filthy Rich was a good pony - although he could be real hard as a business pony. But I couldn't stand Mrs. Rich or Diamond Tiara. With any luck at all, I wouldn't have anything more to do with them.

With the crushed box swinging from my mouth, I trotted up the street toward the railroad tracks north of Ponyville, headed back to the hayfarm.

"Cherry Shine, what are you doing?" scolded Colophon's voice. "Carrying your baggage in your mouth? A unicorn does everything with style!" My teacher stepped out of a tea shop, a disapproving look on her face.

I set down the package. "Miss Colophon," I began. "I -."

"And look at you! Splattered with dirt and mud. What happened to you? You haven't been exploring in the Everfree Forest again, have you?"

"No, Miss Colophon. There's been a slight... accident. I jumped out of the way of a wagon when I hit my head on a post."

Colophon looked up and down the street. "Child, you should come with me," she said as she levitated my costume box in the air. "I will make you a cup of tea. You can brush off your mud and get cleaned up. Then, since we have a few hours before the festival gets under way, you can tell me of your readings in Unicorn Script."

I sighed and followed her across Ponyville to her bookstore.

"Miss Colophon?" I asked as we were walking, "I do not wish to offend but why do you refer to me as a 'child'?"

"Pardon me, Cherry," Colophon chuckled. "It is an old habit of mine. I call everypony who does not have a cutie mark, 'child'. I guess I learned it when teaching large classes in Canterlot. Ah, here we are."

Colophon unlocked the door and let us inside. "Bathroom is upstairs and to your left," she said as we entered the rear of the store. I will get started on the tea. Then we can see how badly damaged your costume is."

When I came down the stairs, Colophon's kettle was whistling on the stove top. The unicorn was filling a tea ball with black tea. The table was covered with saucers, cups and a plate of scones.

"Feeling better?" she asked as she lifted the kettle off the stove.

I nodded. "Yes. Thank you, Miss Colophon." I was clean, brushed and feeling refreshed.

Colophon dropped the tea ball into the teapot and poured in boiling water. "Come, sit down and relax. It will take a few moments before the tea is ready."

I took my place at the table. The freshly brewed scent of tea and the rich smell of baked scones filled the room.

Setting a tea cosy on the teapot, Colophon floated it over onto the table. She sat down across from me and closed her eyes. "Ah, this is wonderful."

"Miss Colophon?" I began.

"Yes, child?"

"I... " I was unsure of how to start. I was pretty sure that Nerius would be swallowed up in Earth's convoluted financial system but there was always the chance the black dragon would come out on top. "I think I might have met someone... who could give us the seed money to start construction on our railroad..."

"You sound uncertain," Colophon said without opening her eyes. "Why?"

My hoof made little circling motions on the tablecloth. "I do not know if this... person... has the best interest of our railroad... or Equestria... at heart."

"Hmmm... Someone. A person." The orange unicorn opened her eyes and looked at me. "You're not talking about a pony, are you?"

"No."

"It is every pony's right," Colophon said, "to decide whom they want to do business with." She concentrated and leviated the teapot. Pouring each of us a cup of tea, she paused and asked, "one lump of sugar or two?"

"Two. No, three lumps."

Three lumps floated from the sugar bowl to land in my tea cup.

Colophon quietly sipped from her cup. "So, what are you going to do?" she finally asked.

I emptied my cup. "I do not know. But right now, could I trouble you for another cup?"

Colophon smiled and lifted the teapot again.

After emptying the teapot and clearing the plate of delicious scones, we decided to look at my crushed costume box. Snipping the threads, I unwrapped a long dress with sleeves, armlets, and a hennin - a cone-shaped headdress - to which a veil is attached. The hennin was crushed but the dress was protected by the paper wrappings.

"Let me have this," Colophon said. "A bit of work with a hot iron and some unicorn magic should make this as good as new." She took the headdress and disappeared.

I studied the long dress. "How am I to put this on? I can't bend my forelegs all the way back. How do ponies even dress like this?"

"You push your forelegs into the sleeves and a servant - or a friend - pulls the dress into place," came Colophon's voice from the other room. "In fact, that is why Canterlot unicorns all dress up - it shows that they can afford servants to help them dress."

"I seem to remember something similar with fashion in the 18th and 19th century on Earth. Dresses for women were designed to require a servant to assist them."

"There," Colophon said as she re-entered the room. "All better." She levitated the cone-shaped hennin and placed it on the table. "I will help you get ready for the festival. Later. But first," she grinned. "Grab the Unicorn Script book from downstairs. I will freshen up another pot of tea. You can explain what Moon Pearl the Magnus said about the limitations of magic."

I groaned and went upstairs to retrieve the book.

As we were studying, the sun slowly sank to the west. The shadows grew long as the dying light faded into grays and blacks. Evening crept up on us as houses lit lanterns and turned on magical lights. I detested Moon Pearl - his writing was boring, obscure and confusing. He never wrote anything without taking a side trip through several dictionaries of obsolete, archaic and unused unicorn glyphs. Often with added footnotes and references to books long since forgotten. At times, even Colophon would find herself confused and dive into her dictionaries and glyph tables to confirm a reading of a given glyph.

The clock in the kitchen chimed six. Colophon looked up and closed her book. "That is enough for today. You have done well. Moon Pearl is difficult going. But if you're going to enjoy the Nightmare Night festival, we had better get you ready."

I put Moon Pearl back in its place upstairs and returned to get dressed. With Colophon's assistance, I slid into the dress and put on the armlets. While Colophon buttoned up the dress, I attached the hennin to my forelock and mane. As a last touch, Colophon pinned a long veil to fall from the cone down my back.

I grinned. Colophon smiled and levitated a mirror to show me a fairy princess.

"Shame about your tail," she said. "The dress hides most of it but for full effect, you should have a long sweeping tail from the back of your dress."

"Thank you, Colophon. And now, can I help you into your costume?"

"No. I got it. My costume is not as complex as yours." She disappeared in the other room and came out in a little while dressed as a barbarian. Helmet, furry bodice, leather boots, and a honking great axe. "A little unexpected from a teacher and bookseller?" she said.

"Quite so," I agreed.

Locking the door of the bookstore, we set out to see the Nightmare Night festival.

The full moon rode high over the festival, lighting the activities around town hall. There were black tents, topped with the all-seeing eye, promising scary secrets inside. Nightmare Moon's silhouette decorated every pole and sign. Booths of every variety sold candy spiders, pies and mysterious potions. Garlands of stylized skull lanterns hung from booth to booth. Vendor's carts stood throughout the festival grounds, selling wrapped candies and flowers.

On the south side of the town hall where bridges crossed the little stream, catapults had been set up to hurl pumpkins at targets. Ponies could also bob for apples at Applejack and Apple Bloom's booth.

And everywhere, there were ponies dressed in colorful costumes. They were dancing at the dance stand to a Country and Western band, enjoying cupcakes topped with molded sugar eyes and trying out all the games that the various booths offered. Fillies and colts ran around, a bag tied to their necks, vying to collect as much candy as they could.

I excused myself, telling Colophon that I had promised to meet a friend and went in search of Dusty Lily. Colophon headed over to browse the Cakes' booth. Outside Sugar Cube Corner, I looked over the milling herd of brightly costumed ponies - but did not see a beige earth pony - or her coltfriend, Pine Shavings.

"Boo!"

I turned to look at a white pony with a flowing long white dress and large white hat. Only her blue eyes were not colored white. "Dusty Lily?"

"The same. How do you like my costume? I'm a spectre, a ghost. Pretty cool, huh?"

"I hope that white washes out," I remarked.

Dusty Lily made a little gesture of concern. "I hope so too. The book said it'll take only two baths to completely remove the dye."

Pine Shavings walked out of Sugar Cube Corner, holding a plate of sweets in his teeth. He had on the garb of a steampunk engineer, complete with top hat, goggles, and frock coat. Brass tools peered from every pocket. "Evening, princess," he said after placing the plate in front of Dusty Lily. "Care to join us?"

After dining on cupcakes, crullers and other baked goodies, we went to enjoy the festival. Pine Shavings showed himself as a master of the catapult, hitting the target three times out of three pumpkins. After my second pumpkin followed the first into the river, I gave up. Dusty Lily had her fortune told by a mysterious pony but refused to tell us what the pony had said. I bought a bag full of candy corn and passed it out to the foals running past.

Across the open grounds, I spotted Written Dreams waving at me. I excused myself from Dusty Lily and Pine Shavings and walked over to the unicorn.

"My god," Written Dreams said as soon as I got close to her. "Would you look at that? Cherry, you look like a freaking Disney princess. There's enough pink about you to even make a Hasbro executive happy."

"You didn't call me over to make fun of me or my costume, did you? Because that's cruel and unbecoming of you," I replied.

Written Dreams grinned. She wore a brightly colored corsair's costume with bandoleers and a pirate's hat. She motioned me to follow her between two booths. I followed her to find Windstorm waiting as well. He was also dressed as a pirate.

"Why, Cherry, I'm better than that," she said as she turned to face me. "No, I wanted you to see this. I sold an article to the Ponyville Express earlier today. It was a long piece, arguing for better educational opportunities in Ponyville."

"Well, congratulations," I replied.

"There's more," Windstorm said.

"I poured my heart into the article," Written Dreams continued. "And after I put it on the editor's desk and he had read it and then sent it down to be set into type, I got a wonderful feeling." She flipped back the tails of her corsair's coat. "I got my cutie mark." On her light blue flank could be seen the symbol of an ink pot and a quill. "Isn't it exciting?"

"It's... certainly... wonderful..." I stammered out. "I'm happy for you." But all I could keep thinking, Written Dreams has her cutie mark too?

"I'm so happy. I always knew that I wanted to write," Written Dreams said. "Isn't it wonderful that I got my cutie mark from writing?"

"I'm happy... for you." I bit back tears. First Sandstorm and now Written Dreams got their cutie marks. Was I doomed to be a 'blank flank' for the rest of my life, never knowing what my special talent was? "I... have to go," I called out as I broke and ran.

"Wait!" Written Dreams shouted as I galloped away from the festivities.

As I ran away, holding back my tears, I knew that if Nerius came back to me, if he offered the money to start building the railroad, I'd definitely say, yes, yes, YES to the black dragon's Faustian bargin.

Fillydelphia Story

Fillydelphia Story
Berry Pony

I think that Baritone and Bottlecap felt as if they had their teen-aged filly back in the house. I'd come home from working at Barnyard Bargains, ask if there was any mail or telegrams for me - and upon hearing that there was none - clatter upstairs to my room, slam the door shut and sulk.

I was eagerly awaiting a communication from Nerius. The black dragon had promised me that when the time was right, he'd send word from Switzerland on Earth. But as the last of the fall leaves drifted to the ground to be covered by the first snows of the winter, I still hadn't heard anything.

In the meantime, my mood swings and attitude were probably driving my landlords and acting foster-parents crazy.

At Barnyard Bargains, it was a quiet time. Filthy Rich kept us busy by taking inventory. After a long morning of counting sacks, I was glad to toss my apron into a corner and follow Pine Shavings and Dusty Lily out to the Shamrock Cafe for lunch.

The day was dark and gloomy with a chilly wind blowing out of the north. We decided it was too cold to enjoy dining outside so we looked for a table inside. While Pine Shavings went to find us something, Dusty Lily and I waited in the doorway.

"I'll be glad when we wrap up inventory," Dusty Lily began. "Who knew that Barnyard Bargains had such a variety of brooms and dustpans?" She sighed. "At least, when this is done, we'll get a few days off. Pine Shavings and I are going up to Canterlot for a short vacation. Do you have anything planned?"

"No."

"You should get out and see some more of Equestria. Go to Canterlot or Manehatten, live a little," Dusty Lily insisted. "All you've seen is Ponyville."

"I got us a place," Pine Shavings said, coming out of the crowded interior. He turned back inside as we followed. We weaved in between tables of ponies and waiters balancing several plates at once.

A few days off. What would I do with the time? I could visit Canterlot. But then, something that Cannonball at the station had said about Fillydelphia struck me. Equestria built their locomotives in Fillydelphia. I wanted to see what capacity was in place for building the type of locomotives that our railroad needed. I wanted to go to the Baldy-Win Machine Works in Fillydelphia.

"Here we are," Pine Shavings said, pointing a table near the windows. We took our places and Pine Shavings looked for a waiter.

I turned to the beige earth pony. "Dusty Lily, I'm going to take a trip to Fillydelphia."

"Bottlecap, Baritone, I'm going to take a trip to Fillydelphia," I said to the two hayfarmers. They stared at me as if I had just proposed to walk from Ponyville to Canterlot on a tightrope. "It's a short visit - I'm just going for the day so I'll be back the following evening."

"But, but, why?" Bottlecap asked. "I thought you were done with wanderings and explorations." The blue earth mare remembered my last few trips and how they turned out. I was still growing out my tail from my last journey.

"Fillydelphia is a modern pony community. It's not like I'm going back to the wilds of Everfree Forest," I explained. "I want to see a bit more of Equestria - and someone suggested starting with Fillydelphia."

"I don't trust Fillydelphians. They talk funny," Bottlecap muttered.

Baritone looked at his wife, then back at me. "When are you planning to go?"

"Barnyard Bargains shuts down for their winter break in a day. I was figuring the day after tomorrow?"

"You'll telegraph us that you arrived?" Bottlecap asked. "And promise me that you will be safe. I've heard tales that they'll knock you on the head and and when you wake up, you'll find yourself miles from land and forced to work on a pirate ship or be tossed overboard." She shuddered.

"Pirates? In Fillydelphia?" Baritone snorted, staring at his wife.

"Bottlecap, I will avoid going near the harbor," I promised. "I'll be safe and stay in the middle of Fillydelphia. It's only for a day, after all. What could possibly go wrong?"

"A lot can happen in a day," the blue earth pony muttered.

"How are you going to pay for the trip?" Baritone asked. "It seems like you're always short of bits."

"I've been saving," I said proudly. "Tomorrow, with my bonus from Barnyard Bargains, I'll have more than enough bits to pay for train tickets and an overnight stay in Fillydelphia."

The next day dawned bright and cold. The sun shone on a frozen landscape. Frost coated the tree branches and brown grass. Each breath I took left puffs of steam floating in the air. The ground was ice solid. I cantered along the path from the farmhouse to the railroad station, trying to warm up. I had on one of Bottlecap's scarfs but it didn't seem to help much. Before me, all of Ponyville was spread out, smoke gently rising from fireplaces and chimneys.

Crossing the railroad tracks north of the town, I stepped onto the station platform and walked up to the ticket window. "Hello," I called out. "I need a ticket to Fillydelphia."

The ticket window opened. "Hi, Cherry Shine," Cannonball said. "Why don't you come inside? You look frozen." The ticket window slammed shut.

Stepping inside, I found the ticket agent feeding the station's potbelly stove. Using a coal shovel in his mouth, he flicked the stove's door closed. He then put the coal shovel away, turned to me and said, "Now, what can I do for you?"

"Does it always get this chilly?" I said as I got closer to the warmth of the stove.

The grey earth pony nodded. "Always gets this way a week or two after Nightmare Night. Cold snap that's good for the apples."

The heat of the stove was wonderful. I stepped closer to bask in its warmth.

"Cherry Shine? Ticket?" Cannonball prompted.

"Oh. Ah... yes," I stammered. "Cannonball, I need a ticket to Fillydelphia. On tomorrow's train."

"Single?"

"Single? You know I still am! I've been too busy to meet any stallions yet."

The grey earth pony closed his eyes. "Newfoals..." he muttered. "Okay, let's try again." He opened his eyes. "Single ticket? That's one way to Fillydelphia. Or do you want to buy a return ticket as well?"

I moved my rump closer to the heat of the stove. "Oh. Yes. I want to travel to Fillydelphia and return."

"You'll need to change trains in Canterlot," Cannonball said. He turned to study a schedule of trains posted on the wall behind him. "Morning trains... hmm... let's see now..." He rose up and used a hoof on the station wall to steady himself. His other hoof brushed down the schedule, looking for train connections. "The Morning Express from Dodge City makes a stop here at 10:23 and gets into Canterlot around 1:00 PM... That misses the Fillydelphia train by a few hours."

"Is there an earlier train? I don't want to spend a whole day waiting in Canterlot."

"The Overnite from Los Pegasus? That stops here at 7:30ish in the morning. You can then catch the Fillydelphia train. You'll have to hurry to make your connection in Canterlot though."

I nodded. "That will do."

With Cannonball's help, I was able to schedule a return trip on the following day, again with a change of trains in Canterlot. An exchange of bits and I had my tickets for Fillydelphia. Saying goodbye to the warmth of the potbelly stove, I headed out into the cold again to tackle my next errand.

Blowing clouds of steam like a steam locomotive, I trotted across Ponyville toward the town hall. I climbed the steps to the town hall and opened the door to where I knew it would be warm. At least, warmer than outside.

"Hello," I called out to the silver-gray earth pony working in the offices. "I'd like to file this charter for my railroad company." I dropped a scroll of papers onto the counter top.

The silver-gray earth pony looked down his muzzle at me. "Do you have the filing fee?"

"Ah, yes." I reached around to my saddlebags and tossed a heavy bag of bits onto the counter. Nerius still had my original saddlebags - these were some cheap linen bags that I had picked up at Barnyard Bargains. "It's all here."

"I shall determine that," the earth pony sniffed. He opened the bag and began counting out bits. I was a bit concerned, glancing at his cutie mark and seeing that it was a snarl of red tape.

"...two hundred and forty nine, two hundred and fifty," he said, finishing up the counting. "It seems that you have the correct amount." The silver-gray pony swept up the bits and dropped them into the bag. "Very well, let us look at your paperwork."

I knew for certain that the forms had been filled out correctly. Colophon, my teacher and former instructor in Canterlot, had been rigorous about the scroll of papers, completing it as if it was a test. The legendary thoroughness of unicorns prevails again.

"It seems that you have completed the form correctly," the earth pony said grudgingly. "Let me check with my superior before approving this." He took the bag with my bits and the scroll of papers and disappeared through a back
door.

"Heya, Cherry Shine!" said a reddish brown unicorn with a white mane as she stumbled in through the town hall doors. "Cold enough for ya?"

"Hi, Quick Fix," I replied.

"Got some time to practice hoofie?" Quick Fix asked. "Spring will be here before you know it and you need to be ready for the first game."

Quick Fix was talking about hoofball, a game similar to football - or soccer as it's called in the United States. Hoofball - or hoofie, is played with seven ponies on a side, three on offense, three on defense and a goalie. For some reason, she thinks I'd be good at it.

"Practice? Where? Quick Fix, if you haven't noticed, everything is frozen hard."

"Oh yeah. Hmm. If I come up with someplace, I'll let you know." She bounced back out in to the cold.

The back door opened again. The silver-gray earth pony returned to the counter and laid my scroll of papers down. "All approved," he said. Then he reached underneath the counter, pulled out a large seal and stamped the front of the form. Returning the seal to its hiding place, he slid the scroll of papers in front of me. "Remember, this entitles you to do business in Ponyville. To operate across Equestria, you will need a royal charter. We do not issue those here. Thank you and have a good day."

I put the scroll of papers back into my bag, wrapped my scarf carefully around my neck and prepared to step outside into the cold. Pushing my way through the town hall doors, I found Quick Fix standing outside, telekinietically bouncing a hoofball in the air.

"I found us a place," she said. "It's perfect."

"Where?"

"Follow me," she smiled, catching and holding the ball in the air.

She led me around the town hall to a broad stairway leading to a pair of double doors. Pushing our way in, we found ourselves in a large room, two stories at least with balconies overlooking the small stage at the end.

"This is the main ballroom. We use it for the Summer Sun Celebration and other civic affairs. Cool, huh?" Quick Fix grinned. She trotted across the floor with the hoofie ball to the stage. "Close the door - you're letting all the cold in."

I closed the double doors and looked around. A pale light was coming in from the skylights high above the room. The walls were decorated with colorful banners. Quick Fix had dropped her ball and was moving two floor lamps into place in front of the stage.

"Okay. Cherry. I've set up a goal. I'm going to guard it - try and bring the ball up to me and score. If you think you can." Quick Fix's ball, pushed by telekinesis, sailed across the room at me.

Somehow, I trapped the ball, found it between my hooves and started pushing it towards Quick Fix's end of the room. When I guessed I was close enough, I kicked the hoofball towards the goal. Quick Fix quickly interposed herself, sending the ball thumping off the walls.

I recovered the ball and started another try at bypassing Quick Fix's defenses. My hooves squeaked and slid across the polished wooden floor as I drove the ball toward the goal. The ball's crashing and bouncing echoed throughout the room. Quick Fix kept up a constant chatter, encouraging me and pointing out little tricks as she stopped another wild shot at the goal.

I was galloping after yet another missed goal, trying to stop the hoofball when I heard shouting from below.

"What's going on?" an older mare was yelling. "What's all that noise?" Her voice seemed to be coming up a back stairway.

I stopped and looked at Quick Fix. She mouthed the word, "Run!" and galloped towards the door. Grabbing her hoofball with levitation, Quick Fix shot past me as I snatched up my cheap saddlebags. We got to the double doors as Mayor Mare entered the ballroom.

"If you foals are in here again, I'm going...," she shouted as we burst through the doors. The rest of her shout was cut off as the doors swung shut. We ran down the broad stairway and out into the cold.

"I don't think much of your place," I said to Quick Fix after we pulled up a half block away.

Quick Fix grinned. "We can look into using some of the farmers' barns. Those are big enough to shot goals in or practice passing. How about tomorrow?"

"Sorry, Quick Fix. I'm planning to travel to Fillydelphia tomorrow."

The reddish-brown unicorn's face fell. "Okay then. You'll contact me when you get back. When we do find another place to practice, I'll have try you as a defender. You, Cherry Shine, are hopeless as a striker. But never fear, I'll find a place for you in my team."

Next morning came all too early for me. I've always been a late riser and wanting to sleep in is something I didn't lose when I became a pony. Bottlecap pounded on my door until I responded coherently, rushed me through a quick breakfast of toast and coffee, slapped my stuffed saddlebags on my back and shoved me out the farmhouse door. I stood a moment in the cold, trying to get my thoughts together before remembering that I needed to be at the station like five minutes ago. So I took off at a gallop.

Going at a full gallop with the ground frozen and puddles iced over, I was often at the edge of falling. But I arrived at the station platform in time. The Overnite Express from Los Pegasus was already waiting, steam leaking from the cylinder cocks and a plume of greyish smoke rising from the tiny locomotive's stack. The conductor was in consultation with Cannonball and the engineer tapping on the connecting rods. I nodded to Cannonball and climbed on board.

Inside, the passenger car was as cold as a refrigator. The stove in the corner of the passenger threw out a smidgen of heat. And as expected, all the seats close to the single source of any warmth - had been taken. I took a seat at the far end of the passenger car and looked out.

The conductor yelled, "All aboard." He stepped onto the train and doors slammed shut on the passenger cars. Smoke billowed forth as the tiny engine started to move. The platform, the station slid away as the train picked up speed. I looked away from the window and began to search my bags for a second scarf or a blanket - something to help me keep warm. Trains in Equestria had steam heat - or so I thought. I was wrong and I was cold.

The train was rolling along on the plains north of Ponyville when the conductor came through the passenger car. "Ticket, please," he asked. I rooted around in my linen bags before coming up with it. He took the ticket from me, and holding it in his mouth, ran it through a punch machine hanging from his neck before giving it back to me. "Thank you," he said before moving on.

Ponyville lies in a valley. Canterlot is on a mountain, off to the side of the valley. Our route took a long sweeping curve, climbing into the hills before entering a long series of tunnels and bridges, climbing ever higher. I could look out of my window and see our tracks, far below us. As the train climbed higher, the locomotive moved ever slower. At last, the engine finally came to a stop with huge clouds of gray-black smoke billowing into the air.

"What's wrong? Why have we stopped?" I asked of the conductor as he was passing through the cars. The other ponies in the car didn't seem concerned.

"Don't you worry none, missy," the conductor replied. "Engine just needs to make more steam 'fore goin on."

With a peep from the whistle, the tiny locomotive started moving again. There was a heart-stopping moment as the drivers lost traction and spun wildly but the engineer slammed the throttle shut. Then he opened the throttle carefully again, trying to play the friction of the drivers against the weight of the train. We crawled up the rest of the mountain, stopping twice more to let the tiny locomotive to make more steam.

At the top of the grade, the train picked up speed. I could see from my window, a second set of tracks coming in from the east - probably the line to Baltimare and Fillydelphia. The tracks ran parallel to ours before merging and becoming one line entering Canterlot.

As the train steamed into Canterlot, I glanced at my ticket. I had to catch the very next train out of the station to get to Fillydelphia. A second glance at the Canterlot station clock showed that there would be no time to grab a small lunch. The hurried breakfast of toast and coffee seemed like eons ago.

At least, I didn't have to change gates or platforms. I stepped off the Overnite Express from Los Pegasus, waited as that train left and stepped on board the Fillydelphia train as it pulled in. The locomotive whistle blew, the doors slammed shut and we left Canterlot, headed for Fillydelphia.

I stepped off of the train in Fillydelphia. The air was warmer, probably moderated by the influence of the sea. The city was larger than Ponyville with many red brick structures overlooking the sea. Looking around, I picked a nearby hotel to stay at - and hopefully, make up for my missing lunch. Trotting across the cobblestone street, I entered the Railway Inn.

A hour later, bolstered by a fine meal of hay, oats and apples, I left the hotel, looking for Broad Street - where I had been told Baldy-Win Machine Works could be found. Broad Street was easy to find - a wide road running from the docks, through the center of town all the way out into the countryside. But only by trotting up the road to Spring Street could I find
the collection of red brick buildings that made up the machine works.

I pushed open the small door in the building marked, 'Office'. Inside, I found myself in a room with a few ponies hard at work, looking over their ledgers and writing reports. On the walls were several illustrations of steam presses and printing machinery.

One of the ponies, an earth pony, finally noticed me. He set his bookkeeping aside, put down his quill and said, "Yes. How can we help you?"

"Hello. I've just come up from Ponyville. I am hoping to do business with you in the future and so, I was wondering - do you give tours of the plant?"

The brown earth pony scratched his chin in thought. "It's a bit unusual. Never had a pony interested in how we do our work. Let me see if I can get somepony to show you around."

"Thank you," I said.

He walked over to a door in the back, opened it and shouted, "Coal Fire! Get your tail in here! Customer wants to see the place!"

In a moment, a handsome ash-gray earth pony stallion with a brick-red mane and rose colored eyes stepped up to the back door.

"Show the young mare around the place," the brown earth pony ordered. Then he turned to me. "If you have any questions, please feel free to ask."

"If you would kindly step this way, Miss...," Coal Fire prompted.

"Cherry. Cherry Shine from Ponyville."

"...Miss Cherry Shine, and tell me what you would like to see? We offer a large variety of vertical and rolling presses. We have an apple press for pressing cider that you might be interested in."

We left the office through the back door and stepped out into a large hall. Machinery of all kinds stood quietly while a few ponies were working on one or another small projects.

"This is our finishing facility," Coal Fire said. "Here, we add the final decorative details to our presses before crating them for delivery. It's a bit slow right now but we hope to get several big orders from Manehatten in the spring."

"Pardon me, Coal Fire," I said. "I thought Baldy-Win also built locomotives."

His eyes lit up, his ears rose. "Oh yes, we do. Please, this way."

We walked past several rolling presses in the final steps of painting, through a door, stepped outside, across an narrow alley and into another hall next door. "We don't have any orders for new locomotives at the moment. But we do have several locomotives in for repairs."

He pointed at a small locomotive. "This is the 'Acorn'. She needs the bearings replaced on her side rods. We have to machine them up individually. Over here, standing on stone blocks with her wheels pulled is the 'Speedy'. She had a failure in her inside cylinders. To get at them, we needed to lift her off her wheels."

We walked on. "That's the 'Reckless'. We've had her for a while. She needs a new water tank - but we've been waiting for the railroad to find and send us a copy of her erection drawings." He sighed. "Every locomotive is different. Every one is unique."

"What's that over there," I asked, pointing at a canvas-covered shape.

Coal Fire walked over to the canvas and gripped a corner with his teeth. A flick of his neck and the canvas flew back, revealing a small locomotive with one leading axle and one driving axle. It resembled George Stephenson's Rocket from 1829.

"I see that you also do restorations for museums," I said.

"It's not for a museum," Coal Fire replied as he pulled the canvas back over the locomotive. "The 'Celestia' was pulling trains out of Fillydelphia when somepony let the water get low in her boiler. The heat of the firebox distorted and rippled the crown sheet. The railroad wants us to pull the boiler off and replace it before putting her back in service."

"I don't believe it."

"I can't believe it either. I thought that when I joined Baldy-Win Machine Works, I'd be building steam locomotives. Real steam locomotives like they did at Swindon. Instead, I'm working in a toy shop, working with toy locomotives." Coal Fire looked depressed with his ears at half mast.

"Swindon? Swindon, England, where the Great Western Railway had their shops? How do you know about that? Are you another newfoal like me?"

"Yeah. Trained as a machinist in Liverpool. I built several live steam locomotives as a hobby. My favorite was my scratch-built Castle class in 1/8 scale. That was fun but I decided to go pony to get a chance to work on real locomotives instead. But you see what I've got to work with." The ash-gray pony started to walk back towards the door.

"Coal Fire, wait," I called out. "I came to Fillydelphia to what resources Equestria had in terms of building and maintaining steam locomotives. If Equestria is ever to have a modern railway system, we'll have to build it from the ground up."

He stopped and looked at me. "What do you mean?"

"I and a small group of ponies are working on funding, building and running a modern steam - and maybe someday, electric - railroad in Equestria. Do you think you'd be interested in helping?"

"Sure, of course. Sign me up."

I reached into my cheap saddlebags and took out a pencil and paper. "How do I get in contact with you?"

Coal Fire gave me his postal address. In turn, I gave him, my address in Ponyville.

He tucked my address in his work bag. Then he looked at me again. "A new railroad in Equestria... that's going to take a lot of money. How are you going to get it funded?"

"Well, let's just say, I have a contact in Switzerland."

Tired and exhausted, I arrived back in Ponyville, late the next day. As it was evening and dangerous to be walking alone at night, Baritone met me at the platform with one of the large mastiffs.

"How'd it go?" he asked as I stepped off the passenger car. "Did you see anything interesting?"

"No, not really..." I replied. "But I think I may found another friend."

"So..." he mused as we hit the country lane toward home. "And what is this friend like?"

"He's really interested in his work," I said. "His name is Coal Fire."

"Oooohhhh," he grinned.

I turned to look at the moonlit fields we were trotting by.

At the farmhouse, Bottlecap was standing in the door, her blue coat outlined by the warm lights of the farmhouse kitchen behind her. "Welcome back. There's a letter for you, Cherry. A letter from Earth."

Consultations and Meetings

Consultations and Meetings
Berry Pony

"What's in the letter?" Bottlecap asked. "We've never gotten a letter from Earth before." The blue earth pony had a concerned look on her face.

I pushed my way inside past her. A long days travel from Fillydelphia had left me tired and hungry. "Bottlecap, could you please put a kettle on?" I asked. "It's been a long day but with a good cup of tea in front of me, I will explain why I travelled all the way to Fillydelphia and how this letter from Earth came here."

"And then we can hear more about this Coal Fire too, I hope," said Baritone.

"Yes, I'll explain who Coal Fire is as well," I said to him.

Sitting around the long kitchen table, the two earth ponies drinking tea, I began my story. How I became a yellow-maned pink unicorn mare in Phoenix, how I came to Ponyville and their hayfarm, how I found the present state of railroads in Equestria and how I decided that the ponies needed a modern railway system. I explained that initially, I had hoped to build an electrified system but gave it up when I discovered that the hydro-electric works near Ponyville was one of Discord's little jokes.

Then, I told them of my plan to raise capital by talking to some of the dragons that lived around Equestria - and how that resulted in me losing most of my tail to a female dragon living in Froggy Bottom Bog, burnt off as I was running for my life. I told them how that encounter led to another meeting with a black dragon named Nerius who took my economic information about Earth, promised that he'd be back and flew off.

I pointed at the letter from Switzerland. "And that's the letter that Nerius said that he would send."

Baritone grunted. "You still haven't told us who Coal Fire is."

I took a long sip at my hot tea and launched into another explanation. I told the two earth ponies how I had travelled to Fillydelphia to see their locomotive works - and discovered that Equestria had no real source of heavy locomotives. The only thing that made the trip worthwhile was meeting Coal Fire, a former British live steam modeler that wanted to build real steam locomotives.

"Live steam?" Bottlecap asked. "I don't understand."

"On Earth, we have railroad modellers that create actual working steam locomotives. Other than their scale, they work the same way as the real thing. In fact, building models of steam locomotives is the way that actual locomotive builders got their start. On Earth in 1831, the Baldwin Locomotive Works got started by building a miniature locomotive for an exhibition at the request of the Philadelphia Museum."

"That's interesting," Baritone said.

"If Coal Fire can build a model, working steam locomotive, he understands how to build a real locomotive," I snapped. "So, anyway, let's look at this letter."

It was a thick white envelope with 'Par Avion' printed across the front. The address was from a Banque Draco S.A. in Geneva, Switzerland. It was addressed to Cherry Shine, c/o Ponyville, Equestria. I wondered what the mail clerks in Switzerland thought of the address.

Using my telekinesis, I slid a tea spoon handle underneath the envelope's flap and removed the folded letter.

"Well? What does it say?" Bottlecap said.

"Dear Cherry Shine," I began.

"If you receive this letter, you will present yourself at my headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland in two weeks time. You will bring your financial plan with a breakdown of costs and profits so that I may judge if your idea is worthy of being funded.

A ticket from Equestria to Frankfort, Germany is enclosed. An employee of the bank, Marcel Bonna, will meet you at the airport and assist you in traveling to Geneva. He will be responsible for your hotel reservations and any other arrangements that are deemed necessary."

"It is signed by a Nero Draco," I added. "I guess that's what Nerius is calling himself on Earth."

I let the letter flutter down to the table. "I'm a bit torn as what to do - on the one side, this is a great opportunity. On the other side, I've become accustomed to living here in Ponyville. If I go to Switzerland, everything will change..."

"You've got to look into your heart," Bottlecap said, reaching out and giving me a hug. "And decide how you want to go forward."

"There'll always be a place for you on the farm," Baritone added. "We might have to clean out a corner of the pig sty but we'll find some place for you."

"Thanks," I said between gritted teeth.

"Don't mention it," he grinned. "But two weeks? That's not much time to create a plan."

I looked at the two earth ponies as they drank their tea. The kitchen clock ticked away the minutes. And I thought about my choices.

"I'm going," I finally said. "I've invested too much of my time and energy to give up now. I'll go see Colophon in the morning I'm sure she knows how to come up with a business plan."

After a restless and sleepless night, I got up the next morning, grabbed my cheap saddlebags and trotted down into Ponyville to see my teacher of unicorn magic. Entering the bookstore, I found the orange unicorn at her counter.

"Good morn- Cherry Shine? What are you doing here this early?" Colophon asked.

I reached into my linen saddlebags and drew out the letter from Earth. "This," I replied, levitating the letter onto her counter top.

Colophon's eyes narrowed as she read the letter. "I guess this has to do with that... being... that you met before the Nightmare Night festival. Who is this Nero Draco anyway?"

I sighed and began to tell Colophon the full story of meeting Nerius that cold evening.

"Oh, child," she said, "do you not know the old saying, do not meddle in the affairs of dragons?"

"For you are crunchy and good with ketchup," I finished. "I know, I know. But at least, he's far away and in Switzerland."

"Where you will be going," pointed out my teacher. "So do you have a financial plan to show Nerius?"

"Um, I thought you could help me draft one."

"Celestia's beard!" Colophon swore. "I am a seller of books and a former teacher of magic in Canterlot. This requires the knowledge of somepony expert in understanding how a business works." She tapped her chin with her hoof in thought. "I suggest that we bring somepony with real business knowledge into our group. Somepony like Filthy Rich."

"But, but, he's my boss..."

"Go!" Colophon poked me in the ribs with her horn. "Talk to Filthy Rich and see if he can help. I'll try and arrange for everypony else to come to the bookstore tonight for a planning session." She pushed me out the door and slammed it shut behind me. "Seven o'clock," she shouted through the door.

"Good day," I started. "Is Filthy Rich at home?"

The earth pony that answered the door looked down at me. He bore a white starched collar and a black tie. Since I did not appear to have a card, he sneered, "Who shall I say is calling?"

"Cherry Shine. I'm one of his employees at Barnyard Bargains."

"I... see."

"Please? I just need a moment of his time."

"Wait here. I will see if the master is receiving." The grand oak door slammed shut in my face.

After a few moments, the earth pony opened the door again. "If you please, follow me. The master will see you." He waited until I had crossed the threshold before closing the door again. Then he escorted me down a large, richly appointed hall into a home office at the end.

"That will be all, Randolph," Filthy Rich called out. "I will see Cherry Shine out again."

Filthy Rich's office was a large, well-lit room with French doors overlooking a snow covered terrace. From his windows, I could see a view of the fields stretching out to the mountains and Canterlot. He had equipped the room with book shelves, books and maps as well as a large oak desk.

"Never mind Randolph," Filthy Rich said as the butler pony left. "My wife hired him in Canterlot to keep the house running. I think he feels his efforts are wasted in a small town like Ponyville. Now, what brings you to me this morning?"

"Filthy Rich, I have a... financial problem," I began. I levitated Nerius' letter onto the top of his desk. "And I was hoping that you might be able to advise me."

While Filthy Rich perused the letter, I explained how I had come to receive the letter. I told my boss about my dreams and how I hoped to build a modern railroad for Equestria.

"I... see." Filthy Rich mused. He pushed the letter aside with a hoof and looked at me. "How far have you gotten with your railroad?"

"I filed the papers for the charter with the town hall."

"Who have you on your Board of Directors?"

"Well, there's me. And Colophon at the local bookstore. Windstorm from the Ponyville weather team. I don't know if Written Dreams wants to be on the board - she's a student with me at Colophon's magic studies..."

Filthy Rich shook his head slowly. "At the moment, Cherry, you have an amateur group, filled with enthusiasm but no real knowledge. Nerius' offer is quite generous but I can't see any way that he would seriously invest in such a slap-dash operation."

He walked from behind the desk to look out over the lightly snowed in fields and snow-capped mountains. "I think you have the right idea though. Equestria has long been hobbled by the lack of a real transport net." Filthy Rich turned back to look at me. "The time has come for a new way of doing things. When are you going to meet with Colophon and the others to discuss that letter?"

"Seven o'clock at the back of Colophon's book store."

"I need to talk to some other ponies and judge their interest. But I will be coming to that meeting at seven o'clock," Filthy Rich said. Then he walked to the door. "Of course, I may have some conditions. I think that they're not to harsh." He motioned for me to follow. "I hope you don't mind cutting this discussion short but I have ponies to see and proposals to make."

"But... of course," I stammered. I followed Filthy Rich to the front door.

"Seven o'clock," he repeated. "I will see you there." The front door swung shut. It was only then that I realized that Filthy Rich still had my letter from Nerius.

I sat for a moment on Filthy Rich's doorstep, trying to decide how to spend the time until seven tonight when Filthy Rich and his friends... I suddenly realized that Colophon didn't know that our small herd would double or triple in size. I had to warn her. Taking off at a canter, I ran back to Colophon's book store.

"Miss Colophon!" I shouted as I crashed through her front door. "We've got to get ready!"

The orange unicorn stopped me. "Slow down. Take a deep breath. Remember, you are a unicorn and unicorns never get hurried or stressed."

I closed my eyes and did as she asked me to.

"Now, what is the problem, child?"

"Filthy Rich. Friends. Want to come tonight. Want to hear us out."

"Hmm. I wondered when he would get that interested. Very well, it will give you a chance to practice selling your ideas to other ponies. You might consider it practice for your meeting in Switzerland. Now, let me think... I will need to clear some space in the store. It would be nice to have some refreshments from Sugar Cube Corner. A couple of pots of tea might be nice as well. As for you, you should try to in contact with Windstorm and Written Dreams and let them know about the meeting." She looked around at her display stands and bookshelves before turning back to me. "Well, off with you, Cherry!"

I found myself sitting outside Colophon's bookstore. Written Dreams - I really didn't know how to contact her but Windstorm might. As for the light brown pegasus, I looked up in the sky. It was a cold day with a milky white sky. There were no pegasi that I could see but in the distance was a single white cloud with a dark gray tail hanging over the edge.

I trotted down streets until I was directly below the cloud. "Hey!" I called up. "I need your help."

There was no answer. The dark gray tail twitched.

I stretched out with my levitation magic, wrapped it around the end of the tail and gave it a yank.

The tail disappeared. A young pegasus colt appeared at the edge of the cloud and glared down at me.

"Hi, Rumble," I said innocently. "I was wondering if you could help me?"

"Yeah, what'd ya want?"

"I need to find a pegasus. Windstorm. He's with the local weather team. I need you to tell him that there's a planning meeting tonight at the bookstore."

Rumble thought for a moment. "Sure, I can do that."

"And he should let his filly friend know as well."

"Windstorm. Planning meeting at the bookstore. Bring his filly friend," Rumble repeated. "Okay, got it." He stood up, stretched his wings, hopped off the cloud and kicked it to vapors before flying off.

I watched him disappear before walking back to the Ponyville bookstore.

To my surprise, Windstorm was already at the bookstore when I arrived. All the display stands had been pushed up against the walls and the free standing bookshelves had been put in the back room.

"Windstorm, that was quick," I said as I was levitating my cheap saddlebag onto a chair. "I'd thought Rumble would take longer to find you."

"I was at the weather station when Rumble found me," the tan pegasus replied. "There was not much going on so I took the day off and decided to help you ponies." He looked around. "So, where are the maps?"

Colophon and I looked at him. "Maps?"

"Maps. We're planning a railroad from here to Canterlot and you haven't looked at a topographic map? How else are we going to know how to run our railroad from here to there? How steep the grades are? How much tunneling would be
required?"

Colophon swished her tail in thought. "I don't sell maps. Perhaps they have them at the town hall? Or at the library? Cherry, why don't you go find out while Windstorm and I finish setting up the place."

"I'll see what I can find, Miss Colophon." I levitated my linen saddlebags from the chair onto my back and trotted out.

The pony at the Ponyville town hall did not have what I was looking for. They didn't have maps for the land between here and Canterlot. The only maps they did have were plat maps for the town and they certainly did not lend those out to any random pony. I thanked him, closed the door and trotted on towards the library.

Stopping at the library's sign of the opened book, I knocked on the red door. "Hello, is anypony at home?" I asked.

"Hold your ponies, I'm coming." The door was opened by a young green dragon. "Hi, Cherry Shine. Did you ever finish those books on Equestria? You know other ponies might want to read them."

"Ah, oh yes." I had borrowed books on Equestria geography and history way back in the early fall and never got to read them. "I'm sorry, Spike. I'll bring them back tomorrow morning. But right now, I need to find out if you have topographical maps of Ponyville and the surrounding countryside."

"Topographical maps? Yes, we have them. But I thought you were told not to go exploring on your own any more." He scratched his chin. "Is this in search of more dragon caves?" Spike leaned forward, his eyes glittering with interest.

"No, Spike. I've done with exploring for dragon caves." I waved my shortened tail. "I was lucky that it only cost me most of my tail. At least, it'll grow back."

Spike looked a little disappointed. "I don't know. Twilight will have my head if more stuff goes missing," he said.

"Spike, it is only for one night. I'll bring the maps back tomorrow, I promise. I really need them for the meeting tonight. Besides, I only need the maps of the countryside between here and Canterlot." I gave him my most pleading, most endearing look.

"Okay, but if I don't get them back tomorrow, I'll have to tell Twilight and you know how she is about missing books." Spike turned and waddled upstairs.

"I can never resist a pleading unicorn," Spike said as he returned downstairs, his stubby little arms filled with rolled up maps. "Here they are and I'd better see you early the next morning with them."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," I gushed as I reached over and kissed Spike on the cheek. "I'll take good care of them, you'll see." Then I levitated the stack of map rolls up and put them in my saddlebags.

"Aw, gee, it was nothing", Spike replied, blushing slightly. "But bring them back tomorrow morning." He raised his little hand to his cheek.

I trotted out of the library, leaving behind a bewildered Spike behind.

Back at the bookstore, Windstorm and Colophon had dragged the kitchen table out into the middle of the cleared space. A line of pencils, paper and erasers lay next to a book of tables and an abacus. As soon as I closed the bookstore door, Colophon told me to roll out the Canterlot map on the table.

"As you can see, the original railroad builders took a circuitous route from Canterlot down to the valley floor. From early accounts of Ponyville's history, we know that there was a dirt road from the valley to Canterlot," Windstorm said. "You read that part in your history books, right, Cherry?"

"Um, err. I never read that part. I was busy with my Unicorn Script," I stammered.

Windstorm gave me a disapproving look which was echoed by Colophon. He turned back to the table and spread out the topological map. His hooves ran over the map, looking for the old road. "I think it was along this line," he finally said. "It's a bit steeper with sharper curves than the existing railroad which explains why the original railroad builders didn't use it."

Colophon, looking over the light brown pegasus' shoulder, nodded. "I think it's about the same distance, though. We still use the road to walk or drive wagons up to Canterlot."

"On Earth, we had the same situation on Earth. At Raton Pass... or was it at Marshall Pass? Anyway, the existing wagon road was steeper and had tighter curves than a railroad could use." I looked at the map again. "And remember what we've learned about the current locomotives in Equestria. The original railroad builders needed a very gentle grade up to Canterlot."

"Right," Windstorm added. "We probably won't have that problem with more horsepower... more horse power. It sounds funny, considering we're horses. Anyway, I've flown over the route that the original railroad builders chose and it's unsuitable for anything else than a single track hanging off of a cliff face."

"A new route up to Canterlot?" I studied the map.

"Yes. Consider, our locomotives will be stronger and faster than the existing locomotives. We can bring in technology to build higher and longer bridges. We will be double-tracking our railroad to provide for future growth and more flexibility. I mean, we are designing for double-track, aren't we?"

"Double-track? Yeah, we'd better."

"So, where are we going to put the railroad," Colophon finally asked.

We all studied the map again. Canterlot stood on a high ridge overlooking the valley and Ponyville, Looking north from Ponyville, the main valley continued left while a higher valley lay to the right. Canterlot's ridge rode over the valleys like a ship's bow rode over the sea. The existing railroad had climbed up to the right valley before tunneling and climbing the ridge to the spire.

My hoof traced out a route on the left side, climbing the hills before being stopped by the need for massive, miles-long bridge to arrive at Canterlot's ridge.

Colophon's puzzled look showed that she was not doing any better.

"Suppose we...," Windstorm began. "Here." His hoof rested on a spot near Ponyville. "Then we follow along here, climbing into these foothills." His hoof slid along a route leading off to the right. "This will allow us to enter this valley and begin to climb."

I nodded.

"We continue on the eastern side of this valley," he continued. "Until we come to here." His hoof stabbed at a spot on the map. "We cross the valley on a high viaduct and enter Canterlot from the back."

"Your route... it resembles a giant horseshoe," Colophon exclaimed.

"Hmmm... your route goes miles out of the way. How much longer than the existing railroad?" I wondered.

Windstorm looked at the map and did some quick mental calculations. "Roughly estimating, I'd say it adds 30 miles (50 km) to the route. But, Cherry, there would be little tunneling and the biggest expense would be the high viaduct!"

"I like it," Colophon said. "From the high viaduct, you'd be able to see the whole route."

"Windstorm, I think we should mark your planned route as a first trial and see what everypony else thinks. It looks doable from the map but we have to get some ponies up there to actually look at the ground."

By late afternoon, we had completed all the preparations. A new map had been drawn, showing our proposed route - and hung from the back wall. Windstorm had swept out the meeting place and I placed cups and teapots on the counter for later refreshments. Colophon finally sent me home, saying that there was nothing more to do before seven o'clock.

At shortly before seven, I arrived at Colophon's bookstore, escorted by Baritone who was also invited. Colophon was boiling water for the tea. On the counter, next to the teapots and cups, I found a array of cupcakes and pastries from Sugar Cube Corner.

"Child, those are for our guests," Colophon called out from the kitchen.

I returned the cupcake to its stack and asked, "Is there anything that I could do?"

"No, I think I have everything. Make sure our guests are comfortable and I will be out shortly."

The door chime rang and Written Dreams and Windstorm came in. Then it ran again as Mayor Mare entered. More ponies arrived as the clock ticked down to seven. Finally, Filthy Rich walked through the door followed by his daughter, Diamond Tiara. Ponies talked among themselves as Colophon and I served tea and pastries.

The wall clock struck seven times. Colophon walked up to the counter and cleared her throat. "Good evening, fillies and gentlecolts. If I could have your attention," she said. "We will get started. I will turn over the floor to Cherry Shine."

"Me?" I whispered to the orange unicorn. "What do I say? How do I start?"

"It is your show," Colophon whispered back. "Just tell them what you told Filthy Rich. Or told to Nerius. Just be yourself, a unicorn."

I turned to my audience of ponies. "Hi," I started. "I'm Cherry Shine. I want to build and run a modern railroad in Equestria." As I continued telling my story, I watched the herd of ponies listening to me. Some of the ponies had heard my story before - others were hearing it for the first time. As I told them of my meeting with Nerius on the night before the Nightmare Night festival, I glanced at the set of their ears. Most of my audience had their ears up and glued to my speaking. It was a sign that they were paying close attention. One of Filthy Rich's ears was aimed at me - the other was listening to comments around him. Diamond Tiara's ears were back and her tail was rapidly swishing - signs of annoyance and impatience.

"And so, Nerius - or Nero Draco, as he calling himself while on Earth - wants me to come to Switzerland and present our financial plans for the railroad before funding it," I concluded. "Unfortunately, none of us know how to create this financial plan that Nerius is asking for. So I'm asking for your help."

Filthy Rich raised a hoof. "After talking it over with various other ponies in Ponyville, we decided to step in and help you. Ponyville - and Equestria - needs this railroad."

I grinned.

"But," Filthy Rich said, coming up to the front of the room. "We are very concerned about letting someone like Nerius control something as important as our railroad. He could wait a few years and then set freight rates that would squeeze us out of business. Or give certain friends of his better rates than the rest of us."

"I see," I said. "You're worried about a situation similar to the one described in Sinclair Lewis's novel The Octopus. A big railroad - Southern Pacific - comes into a valley of farmers and ends up controlling the entire valley through rates, rents and intimidation."

Filthy Rich nodded. "We need control over the railroad here in Ponyville - not in some far away place like Switzerland. And the one thing that we don't want to do is give control to a dragon. How does the old saying go? 'Never cut a deal with a dragon.' Or something like that?"

"But how do we build the railroad? I don't think that Ponyville can raise enough bits for even the first leg of the railroad," I wondered. "We need part of Nerius' vast hoard to fund construction and operations."

"Cherry Shine," the brown business pony said. "You're going to go to Nerius with a business plan that we will create. In this plan, Nerius is only be allowed to own 49% of the stock. We will undertake raising the balance of the funds here in Equestria."

"Really? You'd do that for me."

"But this offer comes with two conditions. First, I will turn over running of Barnyard Bargains to my wife and Pine Shavings. I will become the new president of the railroad. And second, you will offer Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon positions as employees working for you."

Silver Spoon's father nodded.

"Diamond Tiara?" I can't say who was more shocked. Me or Diamond Tiara.

"But Daaaadd..." she whined.

"Diamond, dear," Filthy Rich said. "Your mother has been spoiling you, trying to fit you into one of those rich and idle lifestyles. I've had enough. You are smart enough to stand on your own. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to be more than some rich unicorn's arm candy."

Filthy Rich turned to Colophon and me. "She's really good at doing the purchasing for Barnyard Bargains. But my wife insisted on sending up to Canterlot for finishing school. I'd rather that she know how to bargain for an extra discount on bulk items than know the proper way to dress for a garden party. This is my other condition."

"But of all the ponies," Diamond Tiara insisted, "why this particular blank flank?" Her ears were pinned against her head.

"Because she has been a good employee for the last six months and has a bright idea worth funding," Filthy Rich answered.

I looked away from the brown business pony at Colophon and Windstorm. Colophon merely nodded while Windstorm said, "Cherry, do it. It won't be your show any more but it's becoming something that might actually happen."

I turned back to Filthy Rich. "Alright, I agree to both your conditions."

He looked at Mayor Mare. "Did you bring the forms?"

She walked up to the front of the room and reached into her pouch. "Of course," she said, laying out a set of business forms, a quill and ink. "If you would be so kind to sign here," she said. "And initial here. And sign in this place here. That will finish the paperwork."

"Well," I said as I picked up Mayor Mare's quill. "It's not like shopkeepers haven't ever started a railroad before. On Earth, the Central Pacific - the railroad that with the Union Pacific was the first U.S. transcontinental railroad - was started by four shopkeepers from California. The 'Big Four', as they were later known, were merchants and general storekeepers when they started. All of them, C.P. Huntington, Leland Stanford, Mark Hopkins and Charles Crocker became famously wealthy and powerful."

"Let's hope we can do the same," Filthy Rich added.

I signed. The rest of the paperwork had already been filled out - the list of the board of directors of the new railroad included the names of the most prominent ponies of Ponyville. At the top of the list was Filthy Rich's name.

Mayor Mare collected the paperwork and put it into her pouch. With a few strokes of my quill, had I signed away my dreams? Filthy Rich and his friends were running my railroad now. My ears fell, my eyes filled with tears, and my tail drooped.

Windstorm was talking about the planned route with Filthy Rich, pointing out the costs and benefits of the longer route. Fighting back my tears, I turned away to start walking into the back room.

Colophon came up to me and put her hoof over my withers. "Child," she said, "Are you feeling sad - like it is the end of everything?"

I looked at her. "Yup."

"Whenever you are creating something, be it a book, a painting, a song or even an idea, there will come a time where you will have to send it into the world to fend for itself. Your idea of a Equestrian railroad is no different. Do you understand me?"

I nodded.

From somewhere, a monogrammed handkerchief appeared. "Now, wipe your tears, child, buck up and go and tell Filthy Rich what happens next. He may be running the show - but he is as much a beginner at running a railroad as you are. We have two weeks to prepare a financial plan and two weeks to convince a greedy dragon to lend us bits out of his hoard, Don't waste them feeling sorry for yourself!"

I looked at my teacher. "Yes, Miss Colophon."

Author's Note

Now that we have the name of Filthy Rich's butler - I changed the story to put in the correct name.

A Shopping List for a Wintry Day

A Shopping List for a Wintry Day
Berry Pony

The pounding only seemed to make my headache worse. The pain started above my eyes and continued until it reached the tip of my horn. I yanked open the door and screamed, "Will you guys knock it off? That hammering is driving me batty!"

The two carpenter ponies stared at me. "Sorry, ma'm. We're jus' drivin' in nails to get this wall up," one said.

We were in a three story building off of the town hall square. Filthy Rich had bought the building and was now converting the space inside to offices for Equestrian Railway. Carpenters and painters had been running all over the place in the week since Filthy Rich took over control of the railroad.

Windstorm and a picked crew had been out surveying the planned route in the trees and snow. I guess he called in some favors from his weather team because the weather, while cold, had remained clear. Filthy Rich and Colophon had gone to Canterlot to try and raise more money. That left me with the nitty-gritty details of actually building the railroad.

"Ma'm?"

"Oh. Sorry. I'm very sorry for yelling at you. Could you... find something quieter to do while we finish our meeting? I think we'll be done in an hour."

"We'll go get the rest of the lumber, okay?" The two carpenter ponies wandered off.

I closed the door and turned back to the real reasons for my headache. Standing across the improvised meeting table were Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. They were whispering to each other and giggling. Watching them with amusement was a newcomer, an earth pony recently come from Earth. He was a light gray pony with a dark brown mane. Steel Star had been a model railroader as a human as well as a contractor. Filthy Rich had met him in Canterlot and hired him on the spot. I did not know much about him. Cannonball had joined us soon after the meeting at Colophon's bookstore. I was glad to have him with us - his experience with Equestria railroading would be very helpful. Finally, there was a young unicorn busy taking notes and writing things for later. She was a white mare with a light green and blue mane and a cutie mark of a sun appearing through clouds. Her name was Sunbeam and she was another one of Filthy Rich's recruits. Around the office, she was known as 'Sunny'.

"Are you okay," asked Sunny. "Should I go get you some tea?"

"I'll be... fine," I replied. I looked at Diamond Tiara.

She peered back at me with truculent look on her face.

"Diamond, why are we about to run out of survey stakes? Windstorm picked up the last of them yesterday."

"Gee, its getting on to winter. I'd thought that the ground would be too hard to poke with sticks," she sneered. "So I haven't ordered any more."

Silver Spoon tittered.

I sighed. "Put in another order today. Have them flown out to the survey team when they arrive."

While Diamond Tiara mouthed her pencil and made a note, I turned to Steel Star. "How are we doing on rails?"

Steel Star rose and put his hooves on the table. "I had to travel down to their rolling mills to try and get some answers. With some badgering, I was able to get them to say, yes, they can produce rail that heavy. They'll have to set up a new production line and they can only produce rail in roughly 36 feet lengths (about 10 m) but they can do it." He pulled forth a roll of papers and tossed in front of me. "Here's the quotes. Our heavier rail's a bit more expensive than their standard rails but we've already discussed why their in-stock rails are too flimsy for our use."

"Very good, Steel Star. That's one less thing we'll have to import from Earth. We'll worry about welding the rail into longer lengths once we start receiving it."

"I don't understand?" Cannonball asked. "Why can't we just use plates and bolt the sections of rail together?"

"While the sound of wheels hitting rail joints makes a very nice clicky-clack noise," I replied. "The wheels cause wear on the ends of the rails. Longer welded rails don't have that problem. Sunny?"

"Yes, Cherry?"

"Can you inquire and find out if unicorns can be used to join the ends of railroad rails together? If we can do the welding with magic, we won't need thermitic welding apparatus."

Sunny nodded.

"Turning to ties now," I continued. "We still haven't found somepony that can make stressed concrete ties?"

Diamond Tiara poked Silver Spoon who quickly sat up. "No," Silver Spoon replied. She grabbed a flimsy with her mouth and tossed it onto the table. "This pony promises to deliver those cement ties when - and I quote - he can float them upriver in his cement boat. I do have a lot of offers to supply us with wooden ties."

I sighed again. "Thank you, Silver Spoon. We'll take wooden ties if there's nothing else - they'll only last 20-25 years under best conditions and then we'll have to replace them. We'll table the concrete ties for now."

Silver Spoon picked up a pencil and made some notes while Diamond Tiara began to whisper to her.

"Now, ballast. In my explorations around Ponyville," I said, "I saw a lot of smooth river stone piled along the banks of the rivers and creeks. They aren't what we want - and there's not enough of it to be used. We need a supply of hard, broken rock, like those from a mine."

"A mine?" Sunny wondered. "They used to mine crystals underneath Canterlot. I think the miners dumped their broken rock in the valley. There must be huge piles of tailings left."

"Really? If you could tell Windstorm the next time he comes flying in, he could fly over and have a look. If the tailings are where you remember them, then all we need to do is run a track out that way and shovel the rocks into dump cars. Our only costs would be laying a track to the old mine and labor."

"There's one thing you haven't touched on yet," Steel Star began, "Is what we're going to use for rolling stock. And what form of locomotive power?"

"Coal Fire's traveling up from Fillydelphia early next week to meet with us," I replied. "He's planning to buy out the railroad repair and construction parts of Baldy-Win Machine Works and set up his own shop. I'm hoping that we can -"

The pounding started again, a hard thump-thump-thump that rattled my teeth. "Pardon me," I said before turning to step through the meeting room door.

The carpenter ponies had returned and had started to remove the framing of an interior wall before moving it.

"Could you," I shouted, "give us another five minutes or so? We're almost done in there."

As the two carpenter ponies put down their hammers and reached for their lunches, I turned back to the meeting room.

"-this lameo blank-flanked mare is going to spend all of daddy's money. She doesn't-" Diamond Tiara was saying as I returned. Catching sight of me, she quickly switched to whispering to Silver Spoon instead.

I smiled but didn't react. "I hope to have more news after talking to Coal Fire. We'd better wrap this up so that the carpenters can finish their work. Cannonball, I need final estimates for the cost of our stations in Canterlot and Ponyville."

He nodded.

"Silver Spoon, when will you get the figures for our construction labor?"

"When do you want to start construction?" Diamond Tiara interrupted. "Silver Spoon needs that information to make her calculations."

"I was planning to break ground when spring begins. I think that's right after Winter Wrapup, right?"

Diamond Tiara smiled maliciously. "You do realize that all the ponies will be busy with spring planting. You won't be able to hire anypony until late spring at the earliest."

"Err... ah... I wasn't aware of that."

"And after that, most ponies will be busy with farm work until middle of summer at least," Diamond Tiara added.

"I was thinking of bringing in construction ponies from Los Pegasus and Baltimare," Silver Spoon said, looking at Diamond Tiara, "but it will be much more expensive."

"Which my daddy will have to pay for," Diamond Tiara muttered. "I don't he will be very happy about that."

"Silver Spoon, work out the figures and give us the higher costs. At this point, we need a final estimate to take to Switzerland. We can always reduce the construction costs and make our financial backers happy later."

Silver Spoon nodded. Diamond Tiara glared at me.

"I think that's it for this meeting," I said. "In a week, I expect your final costs for our project. Talk to me if you have any problems or concerns."

Ponies began collecting papers and stuffing saddlebags. Diamond Tiara left followed by Silver Spoon.

As they left, the carpenter ponies returned to work. They began hammering again as I fled the building.

Just outside, Steel Star caught up with me. His eyes watched Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon walking across the snowy town square. "Why do you put up with her," he finally asked. "She's been nothing but trouble. If I had someone like that back on Earth, I'd send that person packing."

"Who? Oh, Diamond Tiara? First, her daddy's putting up a lot of money and his limited time into our railroad. Second, she's good at her job. She knows how to get supplies and materials at a reduced cost. Thirdly, while she's sniping away at me, she brings up good points. I hadn't realized that most of the earth ponies would be busy with their spring farming until she mentioned it."

"I still think she'll cause trouble in the future," Steel Star warned.

The carpenter ponies must have hammered at their interior wall long enough. It gave way with a crash. The building shuddered. That caused the snow on the roof to slide down the steep slope and fall to the street below.

I shrieked as the wet, cold snow hit my back and soaked into my coat, tail and mane.

Steel Star was on the ground, rolling and laughing.

"Very funny, very funny," I said as I shook off what snow I could. "Laugh it up, Steel."

"The look on your face, Cherry," Steel Star gasped, "was priceless." He stood up and came over to help brush off the snow. "You should've seen it."

Cold and soaking wet, I glared at him.

"If it will help, I'll buy us some coffee at the cafe. It'll warm you up."

"Can I have tea instead?"

"Sure."

It was warm, dry and toasty inside the Shamrock Cafe. Steel Star and I sat at a table overlooking the street outside. A teapot steamed gently as we watched ponies come and go. The tea was wonderful, a hint of bergamont and lemon to the taste.

I raised my muzzle from my tea cup - I had not yet learned the trick of levitating the cup and drinking from it - and asked, "It's not much like building a model railroad, is it?"

Steel Star turned from looking through the windows. "Huh? Oh. No, it isn't. If it were, I'd be ordering lumber and gluing and screwing it together to make L-girders. My layout plans would be pinned up to my walls and I'd be thinking about how the scenery would be constructed. I'd probably have bought the locomotives and cars already and know how long my trains are going to be..." His voice trailed off and he returned to watching the street outside.

"Cherry, Cherry Shine? Where have you been keeping yourself?"

I looked up and around to see a brown unicorn with a tan mane come up to our table. "Hi, Quick Fix," I said.

"I've been wondering when we can practice some more for Team Unicorn - I've discovered a new place to try out our shots! But you've been hard to find." She looked at Steel Star. "Is he keeping you busy lately?"

I put a hoof to my forehead. "Quick Fix, this is Steel Star. He's the head of construction for our railroad. Steel Star, this is Quick Fix, member of Team Unicorn and a runner in the Running of the Leaves."

Steel Star nodded and went back to looking outside but I noticed his ears turn to listen to us.

"Quick Fix, I've been busy, real busy with our railroad. I've almost got the business and financial plans together - and then, next week, I've got to travel back to Earth, to Switzerland, to present our plans to a financial backer. I haven't been trying to avoid you - honestly. But with the trip next week and everything, I wonder how I even have time to sleep."

Quick Fix looked crestfallen. "I see..."

"Once this trip is done and things start to look a bit less... hectic, I promise I'll come practice. There's still time before Winter Wrapup, isn't there?"

Yeah...," Quick Fix finally said. "But you should be - need to be - practicing every week. We haven't even started to work on your defending skills."

"I promise, I'll come practice. Just let me get this Switzerland trip done first."

"Okay," she said before turning and slowly walking away.

Steel Star turned back to me. "Hoofball season starts shortly after Winter Wrapup? Aren't we starting construction then? Where will you find the time to do that as well?"

"I don't know," I replied. "I really don't know."

Properly warmed up and dry, we parted, Steel Star to his duties and I to start looking into alternatives to the question of finding ponies to build all things that needed to be built. First of all, I needed to do some research. That meant another trip to the library.

Approaching the familiar library tree after a brisk cross town walk, I thought I heard a sudden rush of tiny footsteps followed by the snick of a door being locked. Pushing on the front door of the library showed that I heard correctly - the door was locked.

I pinned my ears - yes, I could hear Spike's breathing behind the locked library door. "Spike, Spike, open up! It's me, Cherry Shine. It's cold out here and I need to use the library," I called out.

"Oh no, you're not getting in," Spike replied through the door. "You still haven't returned the books that I lent you from last time. You haven't even returned the maps that I lent you after you promised to return the other books. Now, when Twilight Sparkle gets back, I'm gonna turn the whole affair over to her. Let's see how you like it when you explain those missing books to Celestia's favorite student.

"Spike, if I bring back the books, will you let use the library?"

"Ha! You promised me that you'd do it last time - and while the kiss you gave me then was nice, the books are still missing. What am I supposed to do - give the kiss to Twilight Sparkle? Instead of the books?"

I pawed the snowy ground. "Well, if I bring the books to you right now, can I use the library then?"

"Books first," the dragon said. "Then we'll talk."

I could hear his footsteps move away from the door - apparently he considered the conversation over. I had been remiss about returning the books I had borrowed so long ago. If I wanted back into the library, I'd have to take the long run back home and bring back the long-overdue books. I turned to leave.

My eyes fell on a weathered poster, pinned to the side of the library. It was offering a free self-improvement course, to be taught at the maze in the gardens. It was old - the dates were from this past summer - but the course had been taught by a minotaur named Iron Will. I used my magic, pulled the pins from the signboard, rolled the poster up and put it into my saddlebags. Then I galloped off.

Breathing deeply, I stood exhausted outside the library a little more than a half an hour later. "Spike... I... got...your... books," I panted. "I ran... all the... way... home and... got them... Please... let... me in."

The door opened. "Let me see them," Spike said warily.

I concentrated and the 'Equestrian History: A Foal's Guide' rose out of my saddlebags before dropping back.

"Okay, you better come in," The dragon stepped aside as I dragged myself inside. While I was running, I didn't seem to notice the cold but standing outside the library, I started to feel the chill in the air.

"Thank you," I finally gasped.

Spike was already at my saddlebags, pulling out my long overdue books and stacking them on a table. "That's all your books but where are the maps?"

"Maps? They're still... at Colophon's bookstore. I'd get them... but Colophon is currently... in Canterlot."

"I see," Spike said. "And what's this? It's not one of our maps."

Spike was holding up the rolled up poster that I took from the signboard.

"I saw that... pinned outside," I replied, still trying to catch my breath. "If there's one minotaur, there's got to be more... If I could get in contact with them, we'd solve our railroad's construction labor problem."

Spike looked doubtful. "I don't know," he said. "I seem to remember there being a book about monsters of Equestria that mentioned minotaur tribes. Let me have a look."

In short order, Spike returned with a thick tome entitled 'Monsters of Equestria: A Bestiary'. Sitting down on a stack of books, he began to quickly flip through the pages. "Ah-ha! Here it is," he finally said. "Minotaurs are a savage species, known to prey on ponies. They can be found in the Haysead Swamps where they roam in tribes of 20 to 40 individuals. Very dangerous." He closed the tome with a final-sounding thump. "Cherry, if you take my advice, forget it."

"But... but... but they're strong and they have hands so they'd be perfect to work on the railroad."

Perched on his stack of books, Spike studied me. "The minotaur that taught this class, Iron Will, might be civilized - but that's not true of most of them. If you go into the swamps looking for minotaurs, you most likely would be captured. They'd plan to eat you. Or enslave you and then eat you later. Then I would have to organize a rescue effort - like we did when Rarity got captured by the Diamond Dogs."

"Rarity? Diamond Dogs? What happened?

Spike stood and with pride, told how Rarity and him were out digging for gems when the Diamond Dogs decided to grab Rarity, pull her down into their tunnels, and force her to find and dig for the jewels that they prized so much. Spike ran back to Ponyville, collected Rarity's friends and returned to break into the Diamond Dogs' tunnels. Using a spell that Twilight Sparkle had learned from Rarity, they found where the Diamond Dogs were keeping Rarity. Spike persuaded Twilight Sparkle to act as his steed and then charged, lance in hand, to free Rarity from her bondage.

He paused and added that Rarity was in complete control of the situation when Spike and her friends broke into the chamber where she was being held. The only thing that they could do is help Rarity cart her gems back to Ponyville.

"These Diamond Dogs, what are they like?"

Spike thought for a moment before explaining that little is known about the tribes of Diamond Dogs. They prefer to live underground in warrens that they dig themselves. Burrowing for gems and jewels, their mines run for miles. No pony knows what they do with it. Twilight Sparkle once speculated that the Diamond Dogs may offer their gems to dragons but there's no evidence supporting that theory. "And that's all that anypony knows," Spike concluded.

"And where did you going searching for gems, Spike?" I asked.

"There's a good field of jewels southeast of town - hey, you aren't thinking of going there, are you?"

I smiled and swished my tail. "Why Spike, why would I do something as foolish as that?"

Spike climbed down from his stack of books. "Don't even think of it! We almost lost Rarity in that maze of tunnels," he said, waving his taloned finger at me. "You'll end up a pit-pony, pulling their carts for the rest of your life."

I kissed him. He was so cute I couldn't resist. While he was still thinking of something to say, I turned and left the library.

Over the next few days, it snowed almost every day. I think the pegasi had given up and were letting the clouds drop their load onto Ponyville and the countryside. On the day that Coal Fire was going to arrive, the sun tried to poke through thick clouds. On a snow covered station platform, Windstorm and I waited and watched for the smoke of Coal Fire's train.

At last, a smudge on the horizon announced the impending arrival of the train. It had only three passenger cars behind the engine. As it got closer, we could see four strong earth ponies harnessed to the front of the train, rapidly pulling it down the snow-covered tracks. It pulled up to the station and the four ponies stepped out of their harness.

Coal Fire stepped down from the shortened train and looked disdainfully at the engine. "We got into the foothills outside of Canterlot before the engine started to slip. Luckily, they brought along the helper ponies from Fillydelphia or we would never have arrived at all," he snorted.

"Hi, Coal Fire," I said. "Can I introduce you to Windstorm? He's been busy laying out our route to Canterlot."

Windstorm bowed his head. "Welcome to Ponyville. We were going to meet in the company headquarters but the painters have been busy. The building reeks of wet paint so the painters have been leaving the windows and doors open to air out the place. This means the building is also freezing cold."

"We're going to gather at Colophon's bookstore." I added.

As we trotted through the snowy streets of Ponyville, Coal Fire told us of his progress. Filthy Rich and he had come to an agreement in the last week and organized his new company, 'Railway Works Fillydelphia'. He had taken a lease on a barn and acreage outside of Fillydelphia and arranged to have tracks laid into the barn. Some ponies were already hired and starting to work on Baldy-Win's backlog.

"But I have much bigger plans," Coal Fire said as we arrived at the bookstore. "I want to put in new buildings - with erection shops, transfer tables and machine shops. I hope that you can arrange the finance to make it come true."

"So do I," I answered in a small voice.

Inside the bookstore, the rest of our railroad staff was waiting. I made more introductions and we settled down to work.

"I want to thank Coal Fire for traveling to Ponyville in this weather," I began. "We have almost completed our business plan which I'm taking to our... financial backer in Switzerland at the end of the week. The business today is to decide on the rolling stock and locomotive power. For this reason, Coal Fire has agreed to take part in our meeting."

"It is obvious to every pony here," Windstorm said. "that the existing rolling stock and locomotives leave alot to be desired. The question is, how soon can Railway Works Fillydelphia provide more modern alternatives?"

"At the moment, RW Fillydelphia is more of a repair shop than a manufacturing shop," Coal Fire said. "When we scale up, we can start producing the simpler freight cars fairly quickly. At the moment, Equestrian Railways needs flat cars and gondolas, correct?"

Windstorm, Steel Star and I nodded.

"Do you plan to construct them along European or American models?"

Steel Star raised a hoof. "I don't understand. European? American?"

Windstorm turned to the grey earth pony. "Coal Fire is referring to the way that the cars are constructed and coupled together. The American model means that the cars use a single coupler both to connect cars as well as to absorb the shock and wear of coupling and uncoupling. European cars use a loop and hook method to connect trains. The shock and wear is taken up by two buffers mounted at the corners of the cars. I'd like to point out that existing Equestrian railroad cars also use the loop and hook method. We'd be introducing the use of buffers in Equestrian railroads."

"There's less danger of a pony being crushed with the buffers and hook method," added Coal Fire. "So, for back-compatibility with existing railroad cars, we'll go with the European model." He picked up a pencil and scribbled a few notes on a piece of paper. Dropping the pencil, Coal Fire continued, "I can have RW Fillydelphia work up a simple design for temporary use but if we could get some freight cars from Europe, we could use them as a pattern for future work."

All the ponies looked at me.

"Err, why is everypony looking at me?"

"Cherry, you are going to be in Switzerland at the end of the week," Coal Fire said. "This is a perfect opportunity to look around and try to pick up plans, models, information and schematics of modern railroad cars. You might even be able to acquire some actual railroad cars."

"Don't limit yourself to just freight cars," Windstorm added. "See if you can find some information about passenger cars as well. Something like the 'Am' and 'Bm' classes of the Deutsche Bundesbahn."

"Am, Bm?" I was getting confused.

"They were 26.4m (86 ft 6 in.) long passenger cars used in much of the German long distance trains. More than ten thousand cars were built so..." Windstorm thought for a moment before writing something down on another piece of paper. "Here, Cherry. Here's the address of Friedrich Speyer, a good friend of mine at the Leinetal Eisenbahnfreunde Verein. He can help you find what you are looking for. I'll write to him and let him know that you are coming." With his hoof, he slid the paper across the table towards me. "He can help you."

"Locomotives?" wondered Steel Star. "How soon before you will be able to start cranking out some modern steam power, Coal Fire?"

"If we're building them from the ground up, it may take us a year or two before we start producing anything. I am still in the planning stages. Ponies have to be hired and trained, supply chains set up and machines have to be built to build the locomotives. This isn't building a quarter-inch scale model."

He looked at me. "If we had locomotives to restore, I think we can reduce the time to three to six months."

I sighed. "So in the meantime, we'll use ponies to haul building supplies out to the track layers?"

"Unless you can find some steam locomotives for sale," Windstorm answered. "Talk to Friedrich Speyer and his club. Maybe they will have some ideas for you."

I looked at the ponies in front of me. "So, all I need to do - is persuade the financial bankers that this railroad is worth investing in, then go out and find us the rolling stock and locomotives?"

Coal Fire, Windstorm and Steel Star nodded.

"Oh... yay."

I am converted to a pony

This is my self-insert. Every author to FimFiction must have been tempted to write one - some even do. An unabashed romp through Equestria, starring the author. I've placed my self-insert in the Conversion Bureau universe so all you haters - start clicking that Dislike Button up in the corner. The rest of you, sit back and enjoy the ride.

I am converted to a pony
Berry Pony

"So, take off your clothes and place them into that basket", said the unicorn entering the room. "There's a paper robe you can use if it'll make you more feel more comfortable."

I stood in the ponification room in the back of the Phoenix Conversion Bureau. The room was small with cheap pressed board cabinets along the walls and a large stainless steel examining table in the center. Someone had tried to give the room a more personal touch by hanging prints of flowers and birds on the walls. The butter-yellow unicorn started to look over her paperwork.

I undressed with my back to the pony and dropped my clothes and my remaining items into the wicker basket. I've heard that the Zen Buddhists believe that you don't own your possessions but rather that the possessions own you. Still, as I turned away from the basket, I worried a bit about what I've left behind. I gave away most of the stuff I've owned, donated my truck to PBS, turned my home over to my sister and her kids, and closed my bank accounts. As I picked up the paper robe, the enormity of what I was doing made me a bit nervous.

"Nervous?" asked the butter-yellow unicorn.

"No... not really," I lied, slipping into the paper robe.

"There's nothing to be worried about," she said. "I've done a lot of ponifications and hardly anything has ever gone wrong. Please sit up here," she added, pointing to the stainless steel table.

I hoisted myself onto the top of the table, wincing at the cold feel of the steel. Smoothing out the paper robe, I looked at the butter-yellow mare.

"Eyeglasses too."

I took off my glasses and gently tossed them into the basket. Without my glasses, everything took on a soft, fuzzy appearance.

The unicorn's horn glowed and a clipboard and a pen rose from a nearby cabinet to float in front of her. "Before I start, there are some questions that I'm required to ask. Nothing revealing but we at the Conversion Bureau want to make sure that everyone understands and agrees to the ponification process."

"Okay."

"My name is Popcorn and I will performing your ponification today," she began. "Answer each question with yes or no. If you feel something is unclear, stop me and ask me to clarify the question. If at any time, you want to stop the questions or the ponification process, please let me know. Is that clear?"

"Popcorn," I asked, "if I want to back out, what happens?"

"You put your clothes back on, step out that door and leave the Phoenix Conversion Bureau. We do not want to convert anyone that does not seriously want to be converted. Do you want to end the ponification process?"

"No. I was just wondering."

The butter-yellow unicorn glanced at her check list. "Let us begin. First,do you understand that the ponification process is a one way conversion? Once you become a pony, you can no longer return to being a human."

"Yes."

Popcorn made a mark on her check list. "Next, do you understand that the Phoenix Conversion Bureau can not determine what kind of pony you'll be converted into. Whether you become a unicorn, an earth pony or a pegasus is based on your genetics or your lifestyle or something else. We don't know. But are you willing to accept whatever kind of pony you are converted to?"

"Yes... I understand. But...?"

Popcorn made another mark and paused. "Yes?"

"I've heard that the Conversion Bureau stocks a potion that lets you... change gender? Potion R63, I think it's called?"

The unicorn studied her check list. "Yes... we do have some of that potion. Is there some reason that you want to be a... mare?"

"Well, you see... I'm starting over in life. New body, new situations. I've played at being a male for 50-odd years. I think I've done a decent job at it. I've enjoyed Dungeons and Dragons and other tabletop role-playing games - and in those, I've almost always played female characters. At first, it was to balance our parties. But I've come to enjoy the different perspective. It was the same in computer games. I found I could empathize more closely with the female characters. So, I'd like to try playing as a mare - in real life."

"Real life isn't playing," the butter-yellow mare said.

"'All the world's a stage. And all the men and women merely players' to quote Shakespeare. Are you familiar with it?"

Popcorn was silent for a moment. "From 'As You Like It'. Yes, I've read his plays. If that's what you want. But you realize this change is permanent. Once I give you the potion, that's it."

"I understand that. I can't choose what type of pony I'll become - but at least, I can choose what gender I'll play."

"If you understand that, I'll need to ask them to bring up a supply from Central Dispensing. Do you mind waiting a moment?"

"Not at all."

Popcorn left the examining room, leaving me to chill my butt on the shiny, cold tabletop. She returned shortly with a white earth pony with a mane of red hair. "Candystripe, I'll need three ounces of Potion R63," she said."And some 12-gauge needles. We've run out again."

"Yes, ma'am," Candystripe answered. The earth pony disappeared.

"Now, where were we?" Popcorn levitated her check list again. "Last question. Are you willing to give up your human loyalties and ties and swear allegiance to Celestia and Luna?"

I was familiar with this request. When I became a citizen of the United States back when I was a teenager, I had to swear an oath, giving up my German citizenship. "Yes."

Popcorn made one more mark on her check list. Then she returned it to a cabinet and levitated a tongue depressor. With her doctor's tools, she proceeded to give me a full physical examination.

"Is this necessary?" I asked as Popcorn fitted me with a sphygmomanometer.

"We check everything before administering the potion," she said, pumping up the sleeve around my arm. "It lets us know if there'll be any problems." The unicorn stopped pumping and watched the pressure gauges rise and fall. "Nothing wrong with your blood pressure."

Popcorn stripped off the sleeve. "So, while we're waiting for Candystripe to return with the potion," she said as she put the sphygmomanometer away. "Why do you want to be a mare - I mean, a pony?"

"I really want to build and run a railroad."

"Really? Can't you do that on Earth without becoming a pony? I've read that they have lots of railroads and things like that."

"No one is building anything on Earth anymore. Germany is expanding it's high speed rail system a little. I think, China is laying rails to Tibet. But most of the construction has long since been done. And besides, the railroads of Earth are run by transportation conglomerates, more interested in maximizing profits than running trains. No, I want to build a railroad in Equestria."

"Last I recall," Popcorn responded, "Equestria was served by a network of railroads. I took one from Baltimare to Canterlot before coming here."

"Ha!" I snorted. "American locomotives (A wheel arrangement of a 4 wheeled bogie with 4 driving wheels, often summarized as 4-4-0 or 2'B) with an inside crank and no separate tender. Passenger coaches of wooden design, riding on 4 wheels. All of which hasn't changed for hundreds of years. Top speed is as fast as a charging buffalo. When the engine breaks down, the crew of four earth ponies is harnessed up to finish the train's run. Am I right?"

"Yes but..."

I shot out my arms. "I have a vision. Electric locomotives, powered by hydro-electric dams." I swept my arms around. "Trains powered by clean renewable energy, traveling smoothly from city to city, to glide into a glass-covered train shed at Canterlot. A train shed like those at Cologne, Munich, Paris' Gare du Nord and Paddington Station in London. Trains with electric locomotives, proper passenger carriages, equipped with modern toilets riding on four wheeled bogies, real dining cars and sleeper wagons. It'll be glorious!"

Her ears pinned against her head, Popcorn took a step back from me. "That's... nice. Everyone should have a dream and I wish you luck... with yours."

Candystripe popped up around the door. "I have your potion, Popcorn. What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," the butter-yellow unicorn quickly said. Her horn glowed and a small bottle of sparkly red liquid rose in the air. She pulled a syringe out of a drawer and fitted it with a needle. Candystripe stepped around the stainless table while Popcorn drew the liquid into the syringe. "Lay down, please," she said as she tapped the syringe.

"Why?"

"So when you pass out," Candystripe said, "you won't fall off the table." She turned and using her mouth, picked up a tray with a paper cup filled with a grape colored fluid.

"Any last thoughts?" Popcorn asked. "This is your last chance to change your mind. No? Then, take the anaesthetic from Candystripe's tray and drink all of it."

"And that will make me into a pony?"

"No. It'll just knock you out. This," she gestured with the syringe filled with red potion, "will convert you."

I took the paper cup from Candystripe's tray, swirled the fluid around the cup once and drank it all. "When does it start worki-?"

I can't say that I remember dreaming. Slowly, I woke, vague memories of pony dreams vanishing like morning mist.

"What lovely colors," I heard Candystripe say. "Pink with a yellow mane and tail. I wonder what color the eyes will be?"

"Oh, I think he - I mean - she's coming around," Popcorn said. "Do be a dear and let Sunrise Star that he'll have another unicorn for his 'Introduction to Magic' course.

As Candystripe walked out of the room, I opened my eyes.

"How do you feel?" Popcorn said, peering closely into my eyes.

"I don't know..." I said. My voice sounded funny, a soprano rather than my usual tenor. The first of many changes I'd just have to used to.

"Green-blue eyes," she pouted. "I guess Candystripe wins 10 bits off me. Why couldn't you have had red or magenta eyes instead." Popcorn walked around behind me and sniffed at my tail. "At least, you aren't in heat. It's a side-effect which a statistically small but significant number of mares go into season after administering potion."

I raised my head and flicked my tail. Golden yellow hair rippled and flowed across the tabletop. Another change, more disturbing than the change in my voice. I had a tail now.

Popcorn made some entries on her paperwork and then levitated several stainless steel instruments. "Relax. Stretch out. This might be a little bit uncomfortable."

"Another physical examination? I thought you did one before I got ponified."

Popcorn grinned. "This one is to make sure that everything got converted and is working correctly. It's standard procedure when Potion R63 is administered. Now, if you would be so kind as to lift your tail?"

I gasped as the cold instruments slid in somewhere underneath my tail. After a short and harsh eternity, Popcorn dropped the instruments onto a tray. "Everything looks good. No problems that I can detect. Are you ready to get off the table?"

I slid slowly off the table and with Popcorn's aid, managed to remain standing on all fours. I looked around, trying to get accustomed to my new height. From my manly height of six feet, I was now seeing the world from the height of a young girl. Yet, another change to get used to.

"Popcorn, my hooves are sore and tender. Is that supposed to happen?"

The unicorn had returned to her check list, scribbling things down and finally finishing with a flourish. "That's normal. Your hooves are those of a foal. Give them a little while and they'll dry out and harden up. Now, do you feel up to walking? Walking down to the cafeteria? Ponification uses up a lot of the body's reserves and it's a good idea to get a good meal into you afterwards."

We made it out of the ponification room and down the hallway, taking each step at a time. Each time, I'd overbalanced and be in danger of falling, Popcorn would be there to provide a steadying shoulder. I began to relax, letting my body take over and instinct guide the placement of my hooves.

Pushing our way through the cafeteria doors. the first person I saw was my roommate of the last three days, Brandon Ford. My initial thought was that Brandon had grown to immense size, towering over me.

"Here, let me look at you," said my roommate. "Dude, I can't believe you went through with it. You're so... pink! And a unicorn! Cool!" He walked around me before grabbing my tail and lifting it. "Hey, I think they made some kinda of mistake. You've got-"

"Hey!" I shouted, yanking my tail out of his hand and pinning it against my hindquarters. "Brandon!"

"Your voice is different too," he continued. "What-"

"I know. I requested it. Yes, I wanted to be a mare."

"But-"

"Just deal with it. I know what I'm doing."

"Here you go," said Popcorn, putting a tray in front of me. "Haycakes, apples, peeled bananas, dressing and apple juice." She looked up at Brandon. "You sir, will have to get your own." She turned back to me. "I'll take care of filing your paperwork. Come see me if you have any questions. Good luck!"

With the meal in front of me, I suddenly realized I was starving. I started to devour my food.

Brandon started to say something but remained quiet instead. I liked Brandon - he was from Scottsdale, much younger than myself, big, and muscular. He liked things that went fast. He too, was a fan of the show when it was on. At the moment, he was undecided as to whether to convert and emigrate to Equestria or not. He had hoped the seven days of courses and education would help him choose.

Everyone knows that five years ago, the island nation of Equestria appeared in the North Atlantic. No one knows why it appeared but some of the Equestrians claim that it was another one of the Diety of Chaos - Discord's plans. The rulers of the island nation, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, appeared in New York and proclaimed a willingness to work with the humans of Earth. A barrier would be placed over the island nation to keep invaders out but anyone could visit if they applied for a visa. They could visit, but not stay.

Humans that did apply for a visa found other problems. They had to have a sponsor in Equestria that would vouch for them. There were no facilities, no hotels, no real hospitality industry, and no consulates designed for humans. In short, it was more like taking a tour in North Korea or Soviet Russia if you did wish to go. And yet, each year, a few humans did go.

For those humans that wished to emigrate to Equestria permanently, Conversion Bureaus would be set up. The purpose of the Conversion Bureau was to teach humans about Equestria, convert them if willing, to ponies, and assist them in starting a new life in Equestria.

As I drank the last of my apple juice, I looked around. Not too many people took up the Celestia's offer - there were perhaps ten people and ponies in the cafeteria. My last roommate had lasted four days before saying that it was too weird for him and left the Conversion Bureau. I wasn't that sure of Brandon either.

"So, have you had a chance to work this baby?" Brandon asked as he flicked at my horn.

I sighed. "Hardly. I've just been converted. It takes time and effort to learn how to use magic. I'll probably have to go back to school. Magic Kindergarten even."

"Bummer." Brandon picked through his vegetable lasagna. "Have you picked a new name yet?"

"I had been thinking about that," I said. "I'd like to have a name that's sorta railroady. I will build that railroad in Equestria, someday!"

"Any thoughts?"

"Semaphore, for example. Those signals that show whether it is safe to proceed. Or Green Lantern, to show that the train can move on."

Brandon shook his head. "Semaphores like the flags that Boy Scouts use to use? And Dude, there's not a speck of green in the color of your coat, mane or tail. How about... Red Light, like the ones at the butt end of a train."

"Brandon."

"Something that'd go good with all that pink... Ah, I know. My grandmother was fond of a shade of lipstick known as Cherry Shine. It's almost the same shade as your coat. Cherry Shine! That'll be your new name."

"Brandon!"

He started to say something else before lapsing into silence.

I caught sight of him looking at me and asked, "What?"

"What is like? Being a pony?" he finally asked.

"I... don't know," I began. "I don't feel any bit different. I mean, I could now ask you what's it like to be human. It's a question that really doesn't make any sense. What am I feeling now? My hooves ache because they haven't hardened up yet. I need to keep swishing my tail because that stupid fly won't leave me alone. My stomach is full from eating lunch. Err, what more can I say?"

"Ah, there you are," said a rose colored unicorn with a dark blue mane. "Popcorn said that you had become a unicorn and were in need of some instruction. My name is Sunrise Star and I am the instructor in unicorn magic. Would you be so kind as to give your name?"

"Her name is Cherry Shine," Brandon quickly said.

"I see. We have a quite busy schedule, Cherry Shine, and not much time to do it in. Could you see me in my office in five minutes? We can arrange a suitable schedule for your basic training. Second floor, Room 210."

"My name isn't Cherry Shine," I said in a small voice.

"Then, my apologies. What is your name?"

"I don't know yet. I haven't decided."

"Second floor, Room 210, Miss Not-yet-decided." Sunrise Star turned and left.

"What's wrong with Cherry Shine?" Brandon asked, playing the innocent.

"There's nothing wrong with Cherry Shine. It's just..." I looked at my used plates and empty juice glass. "I don't know..."

What was wrong with Cherry Shine? Was it because Brandon threw the suggestion out as a joke? Or was it because the name had nothing to do with my railroad? In all my planning and thoughts, I had never considered what my name would be. Maybe I should reconsider it. Maybe some variation like Cherry Twist or Cherry Dream or -.

"Hey!" interrupted Brandon. "If you leave now, you'll just make Sunrise Star's office in time."

"Waugh!" I panicked, turned, tripped over my hooves, stood up and ran out.

I knocked at Sunrise Star's office door with my left hoof before entering.

The office was a small room overlooking the hot streets of Phoenix. On every side, higher than I could reach, bookshelves filled the walls. A low desk, covered in parchments and papers stood in the middle. Sunrise Star occupied a cushion behind the desk. As I entered, he laid down a glowing blue quill and looked up.

"Good. Being on time is expected of our unicorn students. We have much to accomplish and very little time to do it in," he said. "It is expected that each unicorn student leave the Conversion Bureau with some basic magic skills and an understanding of how to continue their studies." He paused.

"Yes, sir."

"Have you decided on a name? I need to enter you on the enrollment rolls."

"Cherry. Cherry Shine will do."

He gave me a long look before writing something down. "I have taken the liberty of preparing a schedule for your studies." A piece of paper glowed blue and rose to float in front of me. "Are there any questions?"

I looked over the schedule. It covered the remaining seven days that I would spend in the Conversion Bureau before leaving for Equestria. According to the schedule, my day would begin at six o'clock when I would rise, give me an hour to get ready and breakfast, continue with classes in magic until noon, give me a half-hour for lunch, give me more classes in magic and reading the unicorn script, allow me an hour for dinner, and finally allocate non-magical classes in the evening. The time after ten in the evening would be free.

The blue glow faded and I was able to snatch the falling paper before it fell to the floor. Sunrise Star was still looking at me so I shook my head.

"Cherry, I will see you this afternoon. Inquire whether the Conversion Bureau has an extra set of saddle bags. They will be most helpful in carrying your books."

I backed out of Sunrise Star's office.

Exhausted, I dropped my heavy saddlebags in our dorm room. Brandon looked up from his automobile magazine.

"Hard going?"

"You have no idea," I said. "I have a little time for dinner and then it's back to the classroom for me. Take my advice, Brandon. Don't become a unicorn. You'll spend all your life studying and never leave the classroom."

"That bad? At least, you got to use magic, right?"

"We were supposed to use magic to light our horns. It's the easiest spell to learn. After an hour, all that I got is a headache." I reached over, fished out a textbook from my saddlebags and threw it at Brandon. "This is my spellbook."

Brandon opened it. "What are these strange glyphs and sigils? I can't even make out which way to read this stuff."

"Every unicorn has to learn to read this script. There's a pegasus script that looks like ancient Greek too. Don't go pony if you don't want to learn, that is my advice." I sighed.

He closed the unicorn spellbook and put it back into my saddlebag. "Brushie, brushie?"

"Oh yes, please."

He reached across my bed and took a mane brush from the shelf. Then he sat on my bed and began to brush my mane slowly.

I relaxed and leaned into him. I don't know why the simple act of brushing out my mane was so calming but oh, it felt so good!

"What are you learning tonight. More magic?" he finally asked.

I glanced at my schedule which Brandon had pinned above my bed. "Dinner and then I get to report to the greenhouse. Tonight, I get a course on Equestrian Self-Defense." I picked up my saddlebags and dropped them onto my back.

Brandon stood up and returned to his bed, picking up his magazine. "See you later," he said as he returned to his reading.

"Later."

I returned to our dorm room on the evening of day three. It took another morning of staring at nothing and headaches before I got my horn to glow. Sunrise Star said that some unicorns had to overcome an internal block before they could finally channel magic. That afternoon, I managed to make a pencil stand up on end. This morning, I had actually levitated a dry wipe eraser. In the afternoon, I managed to use magic on a crayon and write my name. I was eager to tell Brandon about my achievements when I entered our dorm room.

Brandon's bed was neatly made. There were no car magazines lying on the floor and Brandon's hoodie wasn't hanging from his chair's back.

"Brandon?" I called out. I whirled and pulled on the closet knob with my new-found magic. The closet sprung open, showing that Brandon had cleared out his clothes.

I dropped the saddlebags on my own bed before finding a handwritten note pinned next to my schedule.

'Cherry Shine, I am sorry,' the note read. 'I have been giving this thing much thought lately - and giving up my humanity is much too high a price to pay for a chance to fly. I have watched you struggle to fit in with the unicorns. I find I can't do the same. Therefore, I have decided to withdraw from the Conversion Bureau and go to go back to my auto mechanic career. I wish you luck with your railroad. Something tells me that you're going to need it. I know that ponies travel freely between Equestria and Earth - one day, come and visit me. Brandon.'

I finished my days at the Conversion Bureau in kinda of a daze. I studied magic, trying to increase the number and amount of things I could lift - and walk at the same time. I read and wrote unicorn script. After dinner, I learned self-defense, dancing and the other arts that a young unicorn mare was expected to know. Then I would return to my empty dorm room. On the morning of the final day, Candystripe appeared outside my dorm room door.

"Everything packed?" she asked.

"Not much to pack. Everything I now own fits into my saddlebags."

"The Conversion Bureau wants to help you get started. So here's a small bag of bits to tide you over until you start earning your own." She reached into her saddlebags and tossed a small bag onto my bed. "The van to take to the airport will be here shortly."

I thanked her and lifted the small bag into my saddlebags. Then I followed her downstairs to the lobby. A stout human, wearing the uniform of the Airporter Van Service was waiting for us.

"Is that the last of the animals?" he asked.

"Mr. Harris!" Popcorn warned. "We are not animals as you know. Should you continue in this vein, the Conversion Bureau will have words with your superior."

Mr. Harris made a calming gesture with his hands. "Geesh, little lady. I call 'em as I sees them. If you... little horses... kindly... would get your butts in gear, we can get a move on."

I hurried outside into the blazing sun and climbed aboard the van. There were two other ponies on board, both earth ponies. Of course, the van was not designed for carrying ponies so I copied the earth ponies, got on a seat and lay down on my stomach with my legs folded underneath.

Popcorn and Mr. Harris came outside. He climbed into the driver's side and closed the door. Popcorn levitated a clipboard up to him. "Sky Harbor Executive Terminal. They're flying out on a chartered jet. Instructions and directions are listed here. Got that?" Mr. Harris took the clipboard, nodded and buckled himself in.

She looked us over, wished us luck and with her hind hoof, gently thumped the side of the van giving a signal that it was ready to leave.

The van pulled out of the Conversion Bureau. I raised my head for one last look at Popcorn waving. Then we turned the corner and accelerated down the street.

Traffic was fairly light and we easily got onto the freeway. The two earth ponies spoke little on the trip. Mr. Harris muttered to himself as he drove. I watched the passing cars and trucks. Was it only fourteen days ago that I drove up this same route to the Conversion Bureau? It seems like an eon ago.

Encounters of the Large Dragon Kind

Encounters of the Large Dragon Kind
Berry Pony

The days were growing shorter, the nights were getting cooler and the leaves were changing color. It would soon be time for the annual Running of the Leaves. Bottlecap spent a lot of time in her garden collecting the last of the summer crop. Her kitchen smelled wonderful as vegetables simmered before being canned for the winter.

I was busier than ever. Mike and Ashley were merely the first of the humans to visit. In the following weeks, more humans came through Ponyville, guided by a pony tour guide. They often stopped at Barnyard Bargins for a souvenir. While the other ponies became more accustomed to humans, I found myself most often the pony that dealt with them as they came into the store. At least, I had more bits jingling at the bottom of my saddlebags - Filthy Rich increased my paycheck.

Written Dreams and I continued our studies at Colophon's bookstore. Written was getting quite good at things like threading a needle while I was still bumping needle and thread together. I, on the other hand, was getting better at manipulating heavier items. Magic was unique to every unicorn - each of us would be better at some things than others.

Windstorm, Written Dreams' coltfriend, would attend these sessions, finding a quiet corner of the bookstore to nap in during the lesson and waking to escort Written Dreams home. After a while, they began to walk me home to the hayfarm, sparing Baritone from having to come to fetch me.

On a cold and clear evening, shortly before the annual Running of the Leaves, we had left Colophon's bookstore and were walking northwards. "Windstorm," I asked, "do you keep track of dragon sightings? In the weather patrol, I mean."

Windstorm, who had been walking ahead of me, stopped to look at me. "Yeah, we do. All dragon sightings are to be reported. Each day, areas of known dragon sightings are indicated on our flight plans and are declared a no-fly zone. Last thing we want to do is get a dragon angry at ponies."

Written Dreams beamed at her coltfriend. "Oh, sounds dangerous."

He grinned and began to walk again. "Not really. I have nothing to do with verifying dragon sightings."

We crossed the railroad tracks. The rails were shining in the moonlight but the station was dark and silent.

"The humans - the first ones I met in Ponyville - mentioned rumors of a dragon near the Everfree Forest. Any truth to that rumor?" I asked.

"The dragon was seen in the north end of the Everfree Forest," Windstorm recalled. "Close to the far north end of Froggy Bottom Bog. I wouldn't worry about it. It's a fair distance away from Ponyville. It probably won't come here."

The lights of Baritone and Bottlecap's farmhouse stood ahead of us. I thanked Windstorm and Written Dreams for escorting me and galloped home.

"Cherry," Bottlecap greeted me as she opened the door, "how'd your lesson go?"

"Fine," I replied.

"There's a package waiting for you in the parlor. It's all the way from Earth."

"Oh really? I've been waiting for it a long time." I dropped my saddlebags in the corner and went to take a look.

The package was about 16 inches by 12 inches (40 cm by 30 cm) and thick. It was wrapped with battered brown paper and tied with a string. The address label was marked and stamped with the various postal agencies trying to forward the package to the right address. Corners of the package had been ripped and torn. From the look of the package - anything fragile would have been beaten to worthless fragments.

I bit at the string. I tried to untie the knots. I pulled on the string. All to no avail. Finally, I went into the kitchen and borrowed a sharp knife. With a worried expression on her face, Bottlecap followed me out of the kitchen.

The knife made short work of the string. Turning the knife over to Bottlecap, I proceeded to remove the brown paper wrapping.

"What did you receive?" asked Bottlecap as she returned from the kitchen. "There's nothing here but newspapers. Lots of newspapers."

I grinned. "Ah, these are business newspapers. Wall Street Journal, Investor's Business Daily, Financial Times, and a few other newsletters. A few copies of the New York Times. And a letter to me."

Bottlecap looked confused. "What good are they to you here? You barely have enough bits to pay your room and board."

"We'll see. If my idea doesn't pay off, you can write this all off to unicorn madness."

The blue earth mare shook her head and walked back into her kitchen. I made a stack of the newspapers and lifting the stack with my magic, headed upstairs. Placing the stack on a chair in my room, I hopped onto my bed, lay down and
levitated the letter in front of me.

Dear Cherry Shine, the letter began. I was surprised to get your letter from deep inside Equestria. I have got my ASE certification. And I now work in a big garage. I hope to move to a place working on classic cars. Please let me know if you want more newspapers. Each bit is worth about 1,900 dollars in gold so you have plenty of money with me. I am glad to hear that you are doing well but there is no way I could give up my job or my videogames. That's all I can think of. Signed, Brandon Ford.

I returned the letter to the stack of newspapers, flicked off the light with my magic and went to sleep.

The next day was my day off. I awoke the next morning to find the entire landscape blanketed in fog. Looking out my window, I could barely make out the buildings of the hayfarm. The rest disappeared into a white mist. My map and my newspapers packed into my saddlebags, I came downstairs to find Baritone and Bottlecap eating breakfast.

"Good morning," I said. "Oh good, you have muffins."

"I baked them this morning," Bottlecap said. "You've got your saddlebags. Where are you planning to go this morning?"

I swallowed the rest of my blueberry muffin. "I was hoping to walk along the tracks north out of Ponyville. I haven't been that way before."

"You'll be careful?" Baritone said, looking over his copy of the Ponyville Express. "This fog won't lift much before noon and the newspaper says that another autumn storm is expected today or tonight."

Bottlecap looked worried. "You're not going to climb any mountains. Remember what happened the last time?"

My scrapes and scars were almost healed from sliding my way down that steep slope. "No, Bottlecap, I'm not planning to climb anywhere. I promise. Really, I'm done with mountain climbing."

This answer did not completely satisfy the blue earth pony. "Who are you going with?"

"I'm going to see if Written Dreams or Windstorm want to come along."

"Okay. You be careful out there."

Baritone took one look at me before returning to his newspaper.

Putting two banana muffins on top of my map, I closed my saddlebag and trotted out the door.

It was a strangely quiet world that I trotted through. The mist covered everything, draining the colors and muting the sounds. Trees would appear as dark shapes against the pale fog and then fade into the background as I trotted past them. The grass was heavy with mist, dripping small droplets of water. Only by following the road beneath my hooves could I find my way.

Closer to Ponyville, I could see the gray shapes of buildings appearing through the fog. Lighted windows and a few street lamps glowed yellow in the mist. I kept trotting.

At the dark and silent railroad station, I stopped. Levitating the map, I studied the layout of Ponyville and the Everfree Forest. If I started here... followed the tracks north... a bridge crosses this small creek. That creek flows into... I could follow it to Froggy Bottom Bog. Okay. This plan might work. According to my map, the northern end of the bog ended in hills and mountains. Hills that supposed to have caves. My goal. I rolled up the map and returned it to my saddlebags.

A dirt road ran along the railroad tracks, heading northeasterly. I guess it was northeasterly. Above me, the sun only gave a uniform light to the mist. I trotted along the road, hoping that the fog would burn off in the coming hours.

Hours passed. I think they did. I had no way of telling time in the fog. The road continued on, as did the mist-soaked ties and rails of the railroad.

I found the road descending slowly into a valley as the railroad continued on an embankment. As I kept on trotting, a railroad bridge loomed out of the mist. At the bottom of the shallow valley, the road crossed a small creek flowing towards Froggy Bottom Bog. As I left the road, suddenly a shrill whistle blew out of the fog and a train roared across the bridge.

When I could start breathing again, I went underneath the bridge and followed the creek. The creek bed was overgrown with young birches and tall grasses. I was forced to walk around bushes and through copses of trees, always returning to the creek to check that I was heading downstream. At least the fog was beginning to lift.

By the time I reached the large trees of the forest, the fog was almost gone. The creek had spread out, flowing lazily in several channels. I walked carefully as the ground had become soft and treacherous. The young birches and tall grasses were gone, replaced by towering old willows choked with vines. Ahead were large shallow pools of murky brown water, smelling of something unspeakable. Bubbles of foul gasses boiled from somewhere and popped.

My ears were assaulted with the constant breek-breek of frogs. When they weren't sounding off to one another, they were feasting on bugs. I don't know what the bugs usually feasted on - but today, they were feasting on me. I stamped my hooves, shook my head and swished my tail, trying to drive them off. More bugs spiralled in, drawn by the smell of fresh pink unicorn.

In between bouts of fighting the insect plague, I studied my surroundings. The northern end of the bog was where I needed to head - but which way was north? I remember reading that moss grew on the north side of trees so I started looking at trees.

The moss was growing all around the trees. The moss was growing over the rocks and everything else. The insects hopped over the moss and the frogs ate them.

I swished my tail madly to drive off the flies attached to my flanks and looked up at the skies. Through the trees' canopy, I could barely make out the sun's position.

At least, I had a direction to head in. Slowly, I picked my way through the swamp, trying to stay on firmer ground, and avoiding the deeper parts of Froggy Bottom Bog.

Sometimes, rocks showed me where the safe footing was. Sometimes, I had to guess. More than once, I splashed into shallow swamp water. And all the time, I found myself fighting bugs in my ears, in my eyes and around my muzzle.

Jumping from one hassock of grass to another, I finally slipped and fell into the dark brown muck. Water covered me as I began to sink. In panic, I pedalled my hooves, trying to bring myself under control. My head broke the water's surface and I found my footing in the soft silt. Climbing out of the stinking water, I pulled myself onto the rotten roots of a dead willow.

Frogs kept singing their one song.

I now smelled like the rest of the swamp - a stinking miasma that made a cesspool smell sweet. A brown-greenish soup covered me from ears to tail. I swished my tail - more foul smelling water sprayed from my tail hair. A quick check of my saddlebags showed that the maps, newspapers and my two muffins had not felt the effect of my quick immersion into the swamp.

And the bugs that had been brothering me - now left me alone. They couldn't target me by my scent. I guess every cloud does have a silver lining. A very, very narrow silver lining. I decided to take a break, eat my muffins and wait for the sun to dry out my swampy coating.

The sun shone weakly in a milky-white sky. The muffins smelled and tasted like swamp water - but everything I now smelled, smelled like swamp water. Sighing, I levitated a brush from my saddlebags and tried to brush the worse of the brownish gunk off of me. Finishing, I discarded the ruined brush and continued my journey.

The ground began to rise slowly. I found myself walking fair stretches along rocky spurs. The stink of the swamp slowly fell behind me as I started to climb into the foothills of the northern mountains.

At the top of one of the hills, I turned and surveyed the landscape. Stretching out before me was the murky green of the Froggy Bottom Bog. Around me was the broken hills covered in yellowing grass and scrub bushes.

I was looking for a fairly large cave opening like I had seen before. As I studied the hills around me, looking for canyon walls and steep cliffs, I spotted a faint tendril of smoke rising in the air.

It seemed to come from a canyon a few hills over. A steep canyon with a cliff cut from the side of a hill. I could not see a cave opening from where I was standing but there were a number of crushed bushes and flattened trees in the area.

I scrambled down hills and over rocks until I stood at the canyon's mouth. The canyon floor was choked with fallen rocks and spiky trees through which a narrow stream of water trickled. Steep canyon walls rose far over my head. I began to pick my way up the canyon, jumping over stones and boulders. At a sharp bend, a widening of the canyon showed where the water had sheered off most of the hill and left a vast cliff. Smoke rose gently from an opening in the cliff face. Around the opening, there were crushed trees and scattered bones. The air smelled faint of sulphur and ashes.

From inside the cave came the gentle rumble of a dragon snoring. Smoke drifted out of the cave, eddied and collected above the opening before dissipating into the open air.

I checked my saddlebags and entered the opening. As my eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, I slowly walked up a gentle slope to the back of the cave.

The dragon's snoring grew louder. Coiled on top of a mound of gold and gems was something about the size of a Boeing 747. Or maybe a Lockheed C-5 Galaxy. The length was about 230-250 feet long (70-75 m). Orange-yellow in color, the dragon had yellow scales running down its back. Its head was larger than Baritone's barn. Its wings were unfolded and covering the heaps of gold as if guarding its hoard against sneak thieves.

I stood in awe, unable to move.

The snoring stopped. A gentle breeze pulled at my forelock and mane as the dragon's nostrils gathered in my scent - then the nostrils released a hot, humid wind that blew over me. The dragon's reddish eyes slowly opened, revealing that it featured slit pupils. The eyes flicked back and forth before spotting me.

"PONY," it said. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

"Hi," I began. "My name is Cherry Shine. And I have a proposition for you."

The dragon raised its head and folded its wings. From a height of 65 feet (20 m), it looked down on me. "PONY. RUN AWAY."

I opened my saddlebags and quickly began laying out the financial newspapers that I had sent for. "What if I could tell you about a world where greed is seen as the greatest possible good? Where you could play with the lives, jobs and futures of others as if in a game?"

The dragon hesitated.

"Wall Street, London, Hong Kong. I'm talking about the great financial markets of Earth-"

"PONY," the dragon snorted. "DIE." It gathered its breath.

I was already running down the cave, abandoning my newspapers and magazines. The flames rushed down the cave tunnel, roaring and burning. I could feel the burning heat against my hindquarters and at the tip of my tail. Behind me was the ponderous tread of the dragon, rising to its feet and starting to follow me.

Shooting out of the cave opening, I stopped, ripped off my saddlebags, tossed them up the box canyon with my magic, and headed in the other direction. I raced down the treacherous canyon floor, leaping over boulders and diving around gnarled trees. I still smelled my hair burning.

My misdirection won me a few seconds of time as the dragon stopped to nose my discarded saddlebags. I was out of the canyon and racing toward the trees of Froggy Bottom Bog before I heard the dragon start to follow me again. The dragon's heavy footsteps thundered as it crashed through the rocks and trees on the canyon floor.

I galloped among the twisted old willows. My hooves were throwing up muddy splashes of water. The dragon, having left the narrow canyon, spread its enormous wings and with a mighty heave, took to the air.

The foul waters grew deeper, the old willows larger and more twisted and the miasma of the swamp stronger as I ran deeper into Froggy Bottom Bog. I skirted the edge of a large pond, splashed past a huge fallen willow, tripped over a submerged root and fell into a deep pool of stinking green water.

I yelped, got a mouthful of foul smelling muck, fought to clear my horn of clingy vines, pushed my head to the surface and spat out my mouthful of water. My hooves touched the side of the old willow tree. But before I could climb out of my unwanted bath, something overhead made me stop.

The dragon flew over the large pond. It seemed to hang in the sky, so huge that the mind refused to believe that something that large could actually be airborne. Wings that stretched forever, slowly beat as the dragon flew past. It reminded me of B-52 flyovers - majestic, slow and deadly. I ducked back into my watery foxhole.

Within a few moments, the dragon was out of sight. I pulled myself out of my cesspool refuge and shook off my latest green-brownish coat. That smell of burning hair was gone, replaced by a general swamp stink. There was a funny taste in my mouth which no amount of spitting could clear.

I needed clean water. Both to wash out my mouth and to rinse myself of the brownish-green slime. Out on the pond, a few bubbles of swamp gas rose from the bottom and popped. A fresh smell of miasma poured across the swampy terrain.

By dead reckoning, I figured I was somewhere on the northern fringes of the Froggy Bottom Bog. Hills rose to the north of me. From where I was standing, I could see glimpses of the hills. So if I oriented myself, I should be able to head easterly out of the swamps. If I got a look further north, I should be able to see a distant Canterlot clinging to the mountain.

Using my horn, I scratched an 'X' into the bark of the willow tree. Then I took sight on another tree in the direction I wanted to go. I worked my way to that tree, scratched another 'X' and lining up the two trees, picked a third tree as a new destination. As I walked, I kept an eye out for the return of the dragon. But it had not yet made another flyover.

The swamp ended in low scrub bushes and tall grass. As I guessed, Canterlot could be seen in the distance. But dark storm clouds were gathering. The sun shone weakly through a veil of uniform gray skies. It gave no warmth to dry my wet coat and soaked mane. And my tail - that dragon's flame had burned most of my tail hairs, leaving only the fleshy part of the tail.

I looked again up at the threatening skies. No dragon. But I decided to stay within the edges of the swamp as I traveled closer to Ponyville. Less chances of an unplanned dragon encounter.

A while later - there was no way of telling time - I was working my way around another willow tree choked with moss and vines when I heard somepony whistling a tune.

I changed my direction and followed the sound of whistling. Stepping between a rotten stump and the trunk of a willow tree, I discovered an old earth pony digging in the moss. He had a faded brown coat with a sea gray mane and a grey wisp of a tail. As I watched, he took a knife with his mouth and cut out a square of moss. He then rose to his hindlegs, picked up a spade and lifted the square of moss on a piece of brown wrapping paper. His cart was next to him, piled high with carefully cut and wrapped flats of moss. As I approached, he looked up from his work.

"Hallo," the earth pony said. "What'cha doin' way out here?"

"Hello," I replied. "I'm Cherry. Cherry Shine."

"Ah'm Cabbage." The faded brown pony looked at me and my burned off tail. "Hmm... Ya been botherin' old Malinostra, ain't ya? Peuwww! Kindly stand downwindish, missy. Ya reek strong enuf ta frighten off a polecat."

I circled him and stopped. "Malinostra? That thing has a name?"

"Yep. Ah an' her gotsa 'greement. Ah give her a small gift regular-like an' she don't bother me none when I'm cuttin' moss fer ma garden."

"You deal with that monster?"

"She ain't no monster. Ya treat her right and she'll ignore ya."

I closed my eyes. "How do you," I asked, "treat a dragon?"

Cabbage looked at the sky. "Missy, dragons are people like any other. Ya flatter 'em, ya gotta smell nice - not like ya swimmin' inna sewer -, ya bring 'em jewels ta eat. Dragons vain 'n proud, dragons are. Ya gotta show 'em respect, ya know. Dragons like that."

"So... if I went back to Ponyville, got myself cleaned up, got these jewels you speak of and went back to... Malinostra, do you think I could talk to her?

"Nah missy, ya blew it," Cabbage spat. "She knows ya now. She'll likely jus kill ya."

I looked at my tail - short and stubby with the tail hairs burnt off. "She clearly was trying to kill me already."

"Sees, Malinostra's jus tryin' to chase ya off. If'n she wanted ya dead, ya be dead." He gathered his spade and knife and put them in the cart. "Time ta be headin' home. His head pointed out the shafts of the cart. "Mind helpin' me out a bit? It's a long way home."

I stepped between the shafts and harnessed myself up. Cabbage reached into a box on the cart and pulled out two traces and another harness. He buckled himself into another harness and attached the traces to the shafts. With the old earth pony in the lead, we pulled the cart out of the swamp and across the rough ground. I recognized the hitchup as a tandem and as the wheelhorse, naturally, I was doing most of the work.

The cart pulled a lot easier once we hit the dirt road running along the railroad tracks. "Cabbage," I asked, once we had been travelling for a bit, "you seem to know a fair bit about dragons but in Ponyville, they say that ponies don't know much about dragons. How is that?"

Trotting in the lead, Cabbage spoke without looking back. "Dat's 'cause - an' beggin' yar pardon, missy - unicorns don't know everythin'. Dey never ask us ponies dat have ta live wit dragons."

"So you bribe dragons to get them to leave you alone," I mused. "Where can you get these jewels to bribe a dragon with?"

In front, Cabbage was enjoying the view. "Ask Diamond Dogs 'bout jewels. Diamond Dogs know their jewels. Why ya wanna talk ta dragons anyhew, missy?"

My own view was limited to Cabbage's short shaving brush of a tail. I sighed and explained about my dream of bringing a modern railroad to Equestria. To do that, I needed capital. Lots of it. I could not access the cash in Canterlot's monied society. As a newfoal with no money of my own and no cutie mark, I lacked the influence and contacts to raise money.

Dragons had lots of capital. They sleep on it. All I needed to do is find one that would listen, explain to them the financial dealings of Earth and let him go to work among the Wall Street financial institutions. With a dragon's hoard as a starting point and Wall Street's greed - that dragon would make a financial killing. And in return, I just needed a bit of that hoard as my starting capital.

Cabbage stopped short. I stopped. The cart rolled into my hindquarters, giving me a little push. The old earth pony turned his head to look at me. "Missy, ya crazy. Ah guess dat all unicorns are crazy but dis don't beat 'em all."

Once we got the cart rolling again, Cabbage spoke no more. As we followed the railroad tracks down to Ponyville, the sky grew darker. Crossing the tracks at the Ponyville station, Cabbage stopped the cart, thanked me for my aid and helped me out of the cart harness. Putting my harness back into the cart's box, the old earth pony said, "Missy, leave 'em dragons alone. Ain't no good gonna come outta awakin' their greed. Ah kin take da cart from here - ya be gettin' home now. Storms acomin' and time fer ponies ta be gettin' under cover."

I left Cabbage stepping in between the shafts of his cart and trotted up the road to the hayfarm. At the hayfarm, Bottlecap was standing at the farmhouse door. "Welcome home, Cherry. We were worried about you what with the storm - Celestia's beard! What is that foul stench?"

"I... err..."

"You're not coming into my house, smelling like that, young lady! Off to the barn with you!" Bottlecap turned and yelled for Baritone. "Boil up some hot water, dear. And bring the industrial strength cleanser." Then she looked at me. "Your tail! What's happened to your tail? Baritone, we'll need brushes and a tail comb too!"

I spent that night in the barn after being thoroughly soaped and bathed. My mane was untangled and my poor tail was trimmed and made somewhat presentable. Baritone brought out some extra blankets and a lantern, made up a bed with loose straw and wished me a good night. The storm hit after dark, drumming on the roof and blowing around the barnyard.

With the storm, autumn had finally arrived.