Twilight Sparkle, scholar extraordinaire and permanent resident of the Canterlot Grand Library has been thrown out of her comfort zone and into an adventure to chronicle the frontier life in the town of Appleoosa and the impact the Grand Rail, a project reminiscent of the transcontinental railroad, has on the population... with a few bandits, explosions and trickery thrown in for good measure.

This story is essentially an alternate universe fic retelling the story of how Twilight first met her friends, with a wild west setting and flavor.