Diary of a Railway worker, entry 1.
Well, I guess I might as well jump straight in.
The name's Starry Night.
I'm a railway worker, assigned to the Manehattan Area Rapid Transit (MART) division of Equestria Railways. I've been working at this for a while now, but only recently got the idea to actually talk about my experiences in this... diary? Blog? What do you call it?
Sorry, just a second. My wife's calling, I'll be back in a moment.
Sorry, where were we? Ah, yes, I was talking about myself. Admittedly, something I'm not very good at, but I guess we all need to try something new at some point.
I wasn't the one who had this idea, incidentally. It all started a few days ago when we had Rarity over. Yes, that Rarity. She had popped over to act as a consultant on my wife's latest fashion line, Études de Bleus. I admit now I have absolutely no idea what the buck that even means.
If that sounds familiar, then yes, I am married to Coco Pommel, the Manehattan fashion designer and all about lovable mare who stole my heart all those years ago. Anyways, she invited Rarity back to our apartment for some tea (or coffee, I always preferred coffee given the long and strenous hours I work), and naturally we all began chatting about our various lines of work.
Rarity, naturally, wanted to know what I get up to as, despite being best friends with my significant other, she doesn't really know a lot about me. So I went in and started explaining, having to stop now and then to explain terms which were obvious in my lines of work. If this happens in this blog, I do apologise. I personally find it helps if I imagine that somebody's talking to me about clothes, a topic I confess I know little about, and that in turn prevents me from devolving into unneeded technobabble that people won't neccesarily understand.
After a short description of a typical working day, most of which involves fixing things or keeping things running, Rarity looked to have had something of an information overload and asked if we could shift topics. I tuned out as they discussed another clothing line, including a new one where they'd team up to produce some 'fabulous'. If those two worked together they'd basically corner the market, especially since Suri Polomare gave up making clothes and went into coffee making instead.
Rarity left the next morning, and Coco then went to speak to me. "Dear," she said, "why not tell others about what you do?"
"How would that help?" I replied. "Nobody seems to really get my line of work, and when I try to describe it it's like somebody turned all their lights off."
"Not everybody is technically minded," she replied. "Why not put some personal stuff in there as well to spice it up? That's what Rarity does on her blog."
"Personal stuff? Coco, you know I'm not good with emotions and that sort of crap."
"I'd be more than happy to help," she smiled at me. Damn, when she smiles, I can't help but go all mushy inside. She's just so wonderful and caring.
"I'll give it a shot then," I said finally, after some thought. "Though what should I write about first?"
"Well, why not about you and me?" she suggested. "Ponies are always saying that we're the least likely couple imaginable."
"Do they? Well, I suppose that'll work."
Well, here I am now, and I suppose that's what I'll discuss. In case you live under a rock, this is what my wife looks like;
How did we meet, I hear you ask? Well, we met at a small coffee shop I like to frequent just outside Manehattan Union Station. Not only is the food and drink good, it's quite literally a few feet away from where I work. I had just gotten in on fixing a damaged Pacific when I trotted into somepony and knocked them over.
After recovering from the shock, I then realised I was covered in coffee. Not only that, very hot coffee. Ignoring the heat, I went over to mare I'd knocked over.
She apologised for having trotted into me. I insisted that I had trotted into her, and offered to buy her another drink.
"Thanks," she said. "If Suri found out I'd spilled her drink she'd be so mad at me."
"Suri Polomare?" I asked. "The seamstress?"
"Well, she prefers 'fashion extraordinaire', but I suppose seamstress works."
I had heard of Suri Polomare, plenty of rumours, none of them good. Some of my mates had bought some of her wares, and had complained of shoddy workmanship.
So I went and bought her another one, and it went from there, I suppose. I discovered our schedules crossed at that establishment, and we made something of a habit of meeting up there. As it went on, I learned more about her. Coco was an aspiring fashion designer originally from Fillydelphia, trying to make it big out here in Manehattan. Unfortunately, she confirmed that most of the negative stuff I'd heard about Suri was true. Not only was her workmanship shoddy, she also didn't make her own clothes. Coco sewed them all, with next to no pay and zero credit. It made me mad, let me tell you, and I vowed to never buy any of Suri's fashions. Not that I would buy high end clothing anyway. Far too fancy for me.
A few weeks after that, I think we both realised our feelings for each other- which coincided with Coco quitting her job. Turns out Suri stealing Rarity's designs outright was the final straw, and I must admit that a full coffee cup to the face is quite the way of announcing your resignation. But she was worried that she wouldn't have any line of work.
I knew she was mates with Rarity, the fashion designer I mentioned earlier, so I suggested she start her own business. It was that moment I decided to propose to her.
To say she said yes was an understatement. We were married a few weeks later at Manehattan Cathedral, and several of my colleagues at MART had lined up engines at the bridge running over the road where our carriage was going. They blasted those horns and sounded those whistles like there was no tomorrow!
So, that brings up to today. We're married, share an apartment in Manehattan, and work very different hours and lives; me, in the grime and muck of the railway, she in the world of clothing and design. Polar opposites, you might say.
Well, I think that's enough for our first entry. If any of you have any questions about my work, or indeed anything else, comment below and I'll do my best to answer them.
See you next time!
