Appleloosa Right off the train (Open)

[Ancre]

The train stopped. It had rolled on and on since Manehatten, and Opuntia the earth pony had watched the landscape change through the window – her hometown's great skyscrapers, the flowing grass of the Saddleveil plains, great forests and their many trees, rocky mountains ranges underlining the horizons, and finally the yellow sea of sand and the cactus that seemed to dance in the hot atmosphere. She had never been so far from home before.

Home ! Manehatten wasn't her home anymore, and that's why she had traveled all the way to Appleloosa like she did. She had bought a little house on a hill, had brought her savings and a lot of young cactus to start her farm and all of her personal belongings. She had a few books, a few clothes for special occasions, a brush, she had everything a pony needed, and it was strange to see everything fit so nicely in so small a luggage as hers.

And she had her hat. It was a cool hat, a black one with a pink ribbon around it ; she had bought it the day she had set her mind on settling here, because all the ponies from Appleloosa wore awesome hats on the newspaper pictures, and because she wanted one for herself. It was also a way of affirming her choices in front of her family, and a reminder to keep on forward when she felt unsure of herself and her goals.

Opuntia got out of the train, carrying all her luggage and her cactus on her back and carefully unloading them on the platform. She looked around, taking a look at the little town, the ponies and the buildings. She was here ! She was finally here ! She was smiling like a little foal in front of a gigantic present. This was going to be so awesome ! All she had to do now was to find her house and plant the many cactus she had.

But while she could plant her cactus all by herself, she certainly couldn't find her way around the place all alone .... Dragging her bags around, the green pony mare turned toward one of the local ponies and asked : “Hey ! I've never been to Appleloosa before, mind giving me some pointers ? I don't know the place.” and with a second thought, “Uh, and I'm Opuntia, hello !” she added with a smile.

[Mojo]

It was a typical sunny, warm day in Appleoosa. As was his custom, Sheriff Silverstar would always trot over to the Train Station to meet an arriving train. Trains did not often come to this remote western pony outpost so any time a train comes, it is a very big event. As the mustached stallion approached the station, he heard the familiar flutter of wings above him. Without looking up, the Sheriff said.....

"Mornin' Miss LaMare!"

"Good morning, Sheriff," Louise Lamare said as the brown Pegasus mare landed beside him. "I see the train's on time! Very reliable transportation isn't it?"

"Absoltively!" the Sheriff replied as the two watched the train stop. As passengers walked down the entry ramp, the two saw a mare with a black hat on speaking to some of the gathered crowd:

“Hey ! I've never been to Appleloosa before, mind giving me some pointers ? I don't know the place.”, “Uh, and I'm Opuntia, hello !”

"Hello!" Louise neighed her greeting to the newcomer. "Welcome to Apploosa!"

"That's right ma'am," added the Sheriff as he took off his hat. "We loves havin' tourists come visit our fare town! I'm Sheriff Silverstar, and this here's Louise LaMare, one of our newest citizens! How can we help ya?"

[Ancre]

Opuntia was welcomed by a smiling pegasus mare, soon joined by no other pony than the sheriff. They both wore cool hats just like in the pictures in the newspapers ! So far the earth pony mare wasn't disappointed. They greeted her hello, happy that they were to see a tourist visiting their town.

“I'm not a tourist !” the green pony enthusiastically corrected. “I'm from Manehattan, I've bought a house here ; it's on a hill near the town, but not in it exactly. Which is good since I want to start a cactus farm ! I'll have the space I need that way.” she explained with a wide smile.

“But I've never been in Appleloosa before. Never been out of my hometown before, actually.” she continued. “So, uh, I need help to find my way home. I don't … exactly know where is that house, actually. I don't know the city just yet !” Opuntia finished.

True, it was a bit foolish on her part to plan such a big trip and forget such important details. The green mare thought it was a small enough town for her to figure things out eventually.

[Mojo]

"Oh, I betcha yur the mare movin' inta the old Mill Road ranch house!" the Sheriff neighed. "I knew the Tumbleweed clan was fixin' to sell the place once they moved back East. Say! Yur Opuntia, ain't ya?"

"Sheriff, how do you her name?" Louise asked.

"The Real Estate agent told me bout her, and gived me instructions to help her git settled in."

"Wow! You Appleoosa ponies really do look out for each other, don't you?"

"Absoltivily!" the Sheriff said with a nod as he turned towards Opuntia. "Ma'am, yur gonna need help with yur belongings, are they stored on the train?"

[Ancre]

So her house was known as the “Old Mill Ranch house” ! It was nice to see that she hadn't been scammed out of her money. The real estate pony in Manehatten seemed honest enough, and this just proved Opuntia was right to trust him ; but it was the first time she ever bought a house, let alone in another city, and she was relieved to see that everything went right.

“Yes, I'm Opuntia ! I believe I haven't caught your names however, sheriff, ma'am,” the green mare reintroduced herself. “My personal belongings are in my bag” she explained, “but I do have a lot of young plants to carry. I managed to get them all out of the train, I've put them over there” she said, showing them by waving a hoof. “I'd be glad to have some help to carry them all across the town, if you don't mind. It's a lot to carry for just one pony.”

Her “plants” were an assortment of spiky cactus, agaves, and other desert plants. Most of them were quite young, and none of them were really heavy, but they were cumbersome. There was just too many plants to transport at once. Without help Opuntia would probably have been forced to do two trips from the trains' platforms to her house ; but with the sheriff and the pegasus mare's help, they could carry everything without too much hindrance.

[Mojo]

"Like I was sayin', Miss Opuntia, I'm Sheriff Silverstar and this here's Louise LaMare, the famous novelist who wrote lots of books about ponies livin' in Pioneer times, sort of the way life is here in Appleoosa!" the mustached stallion neighed.

"The Sheriff's right, Miss Opuntia," added Louise. "Like you, I came to live in this wonderful Western town! It' reminds me so much of the stories in my novels! So happy you've decided to join us here!"

"Miss Opuntia, I have a wagon ready to help haul all yur belongin's up to yur house. After we load it, I'll hitch myself to it and we can carry all yur plants and stuff in one wagonload!"

"And I'll help too! Be happy to assist your move!" Louise neighed.

"Alrighty then, let's git started! While we're rollin' down the street, we can show ya all the sight, shops and other places of interest in town. Since yur gonna be livin' here, ya need to know where everything is."

[Ancre]

The Sheriff gently presented himself and his friend in more details. His name was Silverstar, and his friend's name was Louise LaMare, who wrote books about ponies that were quite similar to those in Appleloosa. The pegasus mare added that she was living here precisely because it reminded her of the stories in her books. Opuntia could understand that. Appleloosa's lifestyle was one of the major reasons she decided to settle here, after all.

“A famous writer heh ? I haven't read any of your books, ma'am, but perhaps I will have the chance to do so in the future.”

Sheriff Silverstar announced that he had a wagon to transport Opuntia's belongings. Well that was some good news ! Along with the pegasus mare, he gently agreed to help, and even proposed to give her a tour of the city. The green mare happily accepted.

“I don't have any other belongings than what's in my bag, save for all my plants, so there is no need to make two trips to the house. But I'd be quite happy to discover the city with you two !”

Her bag was quite small and seemed to be quite full and ready to burst open. Opuntia had done what she could with Manehatten's stupid regulations on passenger's personal belongings, and she hoped she would never have to cramp so many things in it ever again. She carried it on her back and walked towards the Sheriff's wagon, accompanied by Silverstar and miss LaMare.

[Mojo]

The three ponies quickly loaded the wagon. After they finished, Sheriff Silverstar went up to the front to hitch himself to it.

"As I reckolect, Miss Opuntia, that thar house you bought comes furnished. Mr, and Mrs Tumbleweed decided to buy all new furniture when they got to Hoofington. Sounds like you got yurself a good deal!"

"I came here looking for a house to buy a few months ago," Louise admitted as she took her place on the front bench of the wagon. "Been staying at Madam Bistro's Bed and Breakfast in town. Nice place, maybe we could stop there on our way through town!"

"Alrighty gals, I'm ready to roll, let's go!"

[Ancre]

The three ponies carefully loaded the wagon with all of Opuntia's plants and goods. It didn't took much time and soon they were ready to go. The sheriff pony hitched himself to the wagon, the pegasus mare sat on the front bench, and the green earth mare opted to walk.

Sheriff Silverstar commented on the good deal Opuntia had made. Apparently the house was furnished – something the real estate agent hinted at, but that she overlooked in her excitement. She was so eager to quit Manehattan and start a life of her own, and she was so unexperienced in these affairs, she had settled her decision in a heartbeat : she could afford it, so she did. The green pony smiled at the sheriff's comment and replied :

“Well that's a lot of good news in a very little time sir ! If things keep on that way, my coming here is going to be a brilliant success ! ”

A lot of things could have gone wrong, but so far everything had gone right instead. The most important part in her acquisition was that it had sufficient terrain to start a farm. That it was furnished, or on a little hill with a stunning view of the surrounding landscape, or that it had two big Saguaro cactus at the right and the left of the front door was an added bonus. But she did liked hearing so many unexpected good news about her deal.

The three ponies walked in the little town's main street. Opuntia looked at everything with great curiosity and great delight. The wooden houses, the shops, the ponies saying hello to the Sheriff, everything was just like she expected.

Louise LaMare talked about her arrival in the little town as well. She had come here just a few months ago and had stayed in ma'am Bistro's Bed & Breakfast. It was a nice place to be, and she suggested they stop there on their way.

“Why not ?” Opuntia answered. “And I'll have to find some paper and pen to write a letter too. We could go there and have a meal and I could write my letter sometime today.”

[Mojo]

"Shopping! What a wonderful idea!" Louise LaMare neighed as she clapped her front hooves together. "We simply MUST go shopping together! You wouldn't believe all the great little stores are here in this town!"

"They'll be plenty of time fer that sort of thing later," the Sheriff said as he continued to pull the wagon. "Maybe Miss Opuntia would want to git settled in her new home first. I know you love to shop, Miss LaMare, but I reckon we best go and unload all these things into the house first, don't ya think?"

"Well Sheriff, we're going to be passing by the General Store anyway. Why not stop by and let our new friend buy the items she'll need to settle in?"

"Reckon that makes sense. ma'am. Miss Opuntia, what do you think?"

[Ancre]

Opuntia looked at the stores and thought about the proposition for a moment. Then she turned towards Louise LaMare, who seemed excited to go shopping.

“You know what ? I think it's wiser if we just move on to the house first. I haven't actually seen it, so I don't really know what I'll need. Plus we won't be carrying two dozen of cactus all across the town – makes more place for the stuff we'll buy you see !”

The green pony smiled. She didn't expected to really start working on her farm before tomorrow, as she already had so much to do with the moving, so she could very well visit the city later during the day, and spend some time shopping with the pegasus writer.

“What do you say, miss LaMare ? We move to my house, unpack the stuff, take a look around, and then go back to town to buy whatever I will need. Seems good, no ?”

[Mojo]

"Alright, it would make more sense to actually see the house and move your stuff in first and then see what additional items you need to purchase," Louise admitted with a smile as the wagon continued moving down the dusty street. "See? Over there's the General Store and over there across the street is the Sheriff's Office."

"Are you gonna tell her about the horse drawn carriages, the horses drawin' horse drawn carriages, the Wild West dancin' and Mild West dancin' too, Miss LaMare?"

"I don't think so. That joke's getting WAY too old and stale," Louise confessed before pointing up ahead. "And over there's Madam Bistro's place! Great food and nice beds too!"

[Ancre]

Louise LaMare agreed to Opuntia's proposition, and settled on presenting her the town while they walked toward the house. There was the store. There, the sheriff's office. Sheriff Silverstar commented with a bunch of puns of words, which made Opuntia snort, in a mixture of surprise and chuckling.

“Well, it's not an old joke if you've never heard it before !”the green mare replied.

The pegasus pony continued to show the different sights of the town, like madam Bistro's Bed & Breakfast. Eventually they all left the town and continued walking on a dusty road. Opuntia and the others could see the house they were trying to reach, proudly sitting on its little hill.

Finally they reached it. Walking up the hill under the sun was more tiring than they thought, but everypony simply shrugged it off. 'I'll get used to the sun too', thought Opuntia. She didn't even disliked it. It was nice to live in a desert, and she couldn't wait to see what the nights would look like.

The house had kept all the promises the paper had made. It was a bit old, and it looked a bit small, but it was perfect for Opuntia. It was built in the style of every other house in Appleloosa : four simple and sturdy walls, painted in bright red, covered with a gable roof, with the slopes on each side of the house.

The green mare opened the front door of her new house, with the key she had been given, and the three of them entered inside. The first floor was a living room, and was furnished with a table and chairs, as well as chests and coffers to store the things a pony would need. It was well lit, with windows on every wall, yet private enough.

At the back of the room there was three doors, one leading to the bathroom, one leading to the kitchen. Both of these rooms well simply furnished but adequate, and the kitchen had a door that opened to the outside of the house. It also had a trap that led to a dark cellar. The third door led to a spiral staircase.

Under the roof was the sleeping room proper. It had a huge bed, obviously made for a couple, which would give the mare plenty of space to turn ; it had a desktop under a window, and shelves where she could store her books and her clothes. The roof was low, and the wooden beams were visible.

“This is just great !” Opuntia sincerely exclaimed.

Her house was simply perfect. It could do with some decoration, of course, and some rearrangement here and there, but it was everything she wanted. Having put her bag on the living room's table, she turned toward the sheriff and the writer, and started to put all the plants inside the house.

[Mojo]

"Sure am glad ya like the place, ma'am," Sheriff Silverstar said as he brought in two big cactus plants on his back.

"Even the furniture looks nice," added Louise who used her wings to flight in and out of the house carrying items in faster than the Earth pony Sheriff. "Better pick up the pace, sweetie!"

"I'm movin' as fast as I can, Miss LaMare!" the mustached stallion giggled as he placed a smaller cactus in a chair and walked outside to get more stuff. Louise brought in another box of stuff, landing as she set it down.

"Oh my, I think I need to take a short rest break," the brown Pegasus mare said as she moved to sit down. Without looking, she didn't see the small cactus in the center of the chair.

"YYYYYEEEEEEOOOOOOWWWWWWWW!" she shouted out, leaping forward and colliding with the Sheriff. Both ponies fell to the floor.

"What in tarnation's wrong with you, Louise?"

"I sat on a cactus and my flanks really HURT! Somepony needs to pull these needles out of my..."

"I can't do that, ma'am. After all, I'm a guy and I reckon you wouldn't want me ta touch your posterier."

"Oh, stop acting so bashful and help me!" Louise shouted, turning her backside towards the stunned Sheriff.

"Well, alright, but don't ya be tellin' no pony I'm doin' this," he said as he carefully reached with his mouth and plucked the first needle out.

"OOWWWW! Careful! That stings!"

"Doin' the best I kin fer ya," the mustached stallion said before plucking one more cactus needle. "They sure is a lot of'm in your rump, Miss LaMare."

"No more comments, Sheriff, keep picking! I'm in agony here!"

A few minutes of needle plucking later, the Sheriff had finished the job.

"Reckon ya won't be doin' much sittin' fer a while."

"Very funny, Sheriff, very funny!"