The Golden Days

Chapter 1

Apple Bloom looked out across the city, wind blowing her mane behind her, a vest of brown fabric fluttering in the breeze, and a setting sun creating a shadow for all of Fillydelphia to see. The skyscraper she had helping build and plan was almost done after months of difficult construction.

She looked at her flank, the Cutie Mark of a hammer and nails glowing brightly in the slowly dimming light. She wouldn't be where she was today if it wasn't for... Scootaloo. Apple Bloom turned away from her flank, instead choosing to look out across the great city.

Hundreds of other skyscrapers towered below her, a large portion of them her own design. The sun's light finally began the penultimate stage of setting, a pink and orange glow cast out to the far corners of the sky. She felt a slight smile caress her lips, marveling nature's work as well as her own.

Apple Bloom looked up and saw the orange of the sky, and immediately wanted to get down from her craft, any beauty she had seen before smashed. She stepped over the steel beams balanced on the concrete and iron, went down some weak, creaky wooden steps made of old plywood, down some longer-lasting steps made of iron rods poking from the concrete walls like stairs, down some more creaky plywood and out of the construction zone.

Her head spun. It was like that, every single night, watching her architectual masterpieces rising below her, but then to see the orange of the sky as the sun set, reminding her of Scootaloo and much she had fallen. Hell, she fell from one of the highest places a pegasus could fall.

She had been one of the best Wonderbolts ever to be seen, but eventually an old habit caught up with her at the height of her fame. Reading that news in the paper had been the closest Apple Bloom had been to actually communicating with the orange pegasus in years.

She now regretted not sending letters to her friend before she fell from glory, instantly changing from a pegasus looked up to by millions to a pony who was unstable and had no control.

Apple Bloom trudged through the streets, her heart heavy with grief. All of her friends were off, doing things with their lives, gaining new friends while she had to deal with loneliness. The street lights flickered on, and the dozens of giant screens on the skyscrapers became brighter as the light dimmed.

She reached a tall building, one that did not even come close to rivaling the size of the skyscrapers, but still looked down upon the other buildings. She pushed open the door with a casual hoof and walked inside. She went over to the stairs and began the long climb up. She didn't complain, though. It was good for her legs.

She reached the top floor of the building and found herself at her doorstep. She opened the door and walked in (the door is not locked because in Equestria, crimes are very uncommon). She was faced with the familiar sight of her penthouse. The large place had a nice white sofa, a glass coffee table, a fully stocked kitchen, and two bedrooms.

Yet, all of the ornate furnishings and appliances were instantly forgotten as the rest of the things in the room are taken into account. Blueprints for all sorts of buildings were strewn all across the furniture and kitchen without rhyme or reason, just a thin blanket of blueprintedness.

Apple Bloom walked over to the bathroom. She went in and started the shower. She slipped off her vest and went inside. The warm water washed over her, easing away all of the stress that came with being the chief architect for a major building company, cleansing her dirt-coated fur, and washing away the thought of Scootaloo.

She was in the shower for twenty minutes. She came out, dried herself off, then went out into the main living area. She sat on an area of the white couch that was not completely covered by the blueprints that were scattered across the penthouse. She examined the place, and found nothing to peak her intrest; nothing to inspire her mind.

She figured that was good since the entire place was full of blueprints, anyway, and a small idea would probably turn into one-hundred more papers to add to the mess. Her eyes looked over the glass coffee table, and she saw a pamphlet. It was a normal propaganda-style pamphlet, but the faces on the cover drew Apple Bloom closer.

The faces shown were three smiling faces and one face in the middle of these three. It was Sweetie Belle's face. Apple Bloom grabbed the pamphlet and opened it up. The inside was full of dates and show times; locations where they'd be performing.

Apple Bloom's eyes wandered over the small paper, reading the locations for the tour. Then, she saw Fillydelphia. They were coming to Fillydelphia tommorow. She gasped and checked the time. It was just after she got off her job. She could go, and finally see Sweetie Belle for the first time in years! Her head spun, and she put the pamphlet down.

She fell asleep knowing that she'd get to see Sweetie Belle tommorow...

******

Apple Bloom awoke. Her body clock told her it was time for work. She put on her worn vest, opened the door to the penthouse, closed it behind her, and began to descend the large multitude of steps to the lobby. She left the building and began to walk to her construction site.

She shivered in the morning cold, wishing she had expected the weather this morning. As she walked, a carriage rolled past. She looked into the window and saw Sweetie Belle sitting in the carriage along with three other ponies. Aplle Bloom's eyes widened. She yelled to the carriage as it rolled past.

"Sweetie Belle!" she yelled loudly. "Sweetie Belle!"

The carriage rolled past without a hint of Sweetie Belle even noticing her presense. Apple Bloom sighed.

"Damn," she said. "So close."

She once again began her cold walk to the site, slightly warmed by the fact her friend had just rolled past her in a carriage.