//------------------------------//
// Running 
// Story: Life of Cinder 
// by SandStorms 
//------------------------------//

Stone awoke when light from the newly risen sun shone in through the window and fell upon him. He rolled over, stretched and rubbed his eyes.  He hated mornings but knew he had to get up and go to work. Can’t get a living being lazy, he thought to himself. He stumbled out of bed and went into the bathroom to get ready. When he was ready he walked from the room and saw Cinder’s bed empty.
He must already be up, Stone thought as he walked out of the room. He looked around and saw no sign of Cinder. Stone began to panic when he checked the whole apartment, and didn’t find the young colt. He ran into the kitchen and looked around, then his eyes fell onto a folded piece of parchment. He bolted over to the note and read.

Dear Stone,
I’m sorry about leaving without telling you, but I can’t stay at your place anymore.
I just can’t stay when you face going to prison because of me.
Please don’t come looking for me. I will find out how to take care of myself.
Love,
Your Brother,
Yours Truly,
Your stowaway,
-Cinder


Stone put the letter down and rushed out the door. He looked up and down the street for the colt, but saw only a few ponies finishing their morning chores. 
“Cinder,” Stone muttered.

~~~
Cinder awoke to the sounds of ponies moving out on the street. He was in an alleyway hidden behind a trashcan. The alleyway was cast into a looming shadow hiding Cinder from view. The alleyway was dark due to the tall buildings that he sat in between. The building on his left was a busy restaurant that even early in the morning was already serving ponies. The building to his left was a farmers market, it wasn’t overly busy, but Cinder could still here ponies going about their business inside. Behind him, the alleyway branched out and cut in between the buildings. Blocking the path to this alleyway was a chain-link fence. Though Cinder found a small gab just big enough for him to fit under.
Cinder’s thought was disrupted by the sound of his stomach growling. Cinder sighed, I should have grabbed some supplies from Stone’s apartment…

Cinder was shaken from his thought when a pony turned around the corner of the market building and started walking down the alley. He was taller, and had a light-green coat with a black mane. He was wearing an apron with the shops name sewed on. He was also carrying a large trash bag over his shoulder. Cinder was frozen in fear as the pony was walking down the alleyway. He stopped at the trashcan that was closest to the street. He tossed the bag over his shoulder into the can. When he turned to begin walking out of the alleyway.
As he turned he froze as he saw Cinder frozen halfway down the alley. He stared blankly at him, unsure exactly what he was seeing. This encounter lasted for a few seconds, when Cinder saw a look of recognition raise over the pony’s face. “You’re the colt in the missing posters!” He cried out, but stopped when he saw Cinder shying away from.
“No, it’s ok,” he said softer this time, “You don’t have to run anymore.”
Cinder still was backing away from the stranger. The pony seeing this insisted, “I bet your parents are worried sick about you, lets get you back to th---.” He stopped midway through his sentence as he saw tears form in Cinder’s eyes.
Cinder choked out, “I wish they could worry.” He then turned and ran towards the fence and slipped through the gap at the bottom. Cinder heard the pony’s hoof steps behind him and then the sound of hooves grind to a halt at the fence.
“Wait!” He cried out, but Cinder was already gone running between the buildings.

~~~

Stone trotted down the road looking down all the alleyways and every once and awhile called out causing many ponies to turn to find the source of the voice calling out. There were the couple of small families passing him that looked at Stone with a look of understanding, he was a pony who was looking for a young one. Many carried on with their business, but a few ponies stopped to see was Stone was doing. Though, Stone paid no attention to them and kept walking down the streets and worriedly looked for the young colt he had once cared for. He had no such look finding the young Cinder. Stone turned down the next street and began to walk down it. He had only taken a few steps down the street when he heard a voice call out from one of the alleyways.
“You’re the colt in the missing posters!”
Stone ran to the source of the voice and turned down the alley.  He saw a red blur fly out of view behind the fence and then a shop pony cry out “Wait!”
Stone ran up to the fence and pressed his head up against it and peered down the alley, but Cinder was already gone.
“No,” Stone fell back, put his head in his hooves and shook his head in disbelief, “I’ve lost him again.”

~~~

Cinder didn’t know how long he had run, but he had crossed many roads and entered a lot of different alleyways. He stopped at the edge of the market district to catch his breath. Ahead of him laid the slums, rows upon rows of old, and worn houses where laid out in front of Cinder. Cinder hoped that this would be the last place Stone or Dusty would look for him. Cinder hoped to find some spot to lay his head down in this dark and run down part of town. Gathering himself up he walked across the street and started down the street.

~~~

It was midday now, Cinder had walked up and down the rows of old homes, and finally came to a stop and a home that, much to Cinder’s disbelief, somehow looked even more rundown then the homes around it. It’s roof was drooping even more that the houses around it, all of its windows were broken, planks of wood covered the spot where a door had once stood, but now the door sat laying in the grass. The grass and what looked to be some sort of garden, was no overrun with weeds. The paint that had once been on the house was now cracked and peeled everywhere.
Cinder looked at it and thought back to how lucky he was with his parents. He sighed, thinking to himself that he could never have something like that ever again. Shaking the thoughts from his head he walked up the weed covered path up to the entrance to the broken home. He slid under the planks cover the front door, the splinters of the wood scraping his back. When he was in the house, he looked around the room and saw some shattered glass lying on the floor below the windows. There were a lot of holes in the walls showing the internals of the home. The floor creaked every step he took the breeze caused the house to tilt slightly. Cinder was surprised that the house was still standing after all the damage Cinder had found. He even thought about looking for another place to stay, but his legs protested and threatened to collapse under him if he took another step. Cinder spotted an old tattered rug at the edge of the room and went to it. It smelled terribly of mold, but it was the only spot in the house that wasn’t covered in broken glass or broken wood pieces of wood. Cinder put his bags next to the carpet and laid down, using his bags as a pillow. Even though it was midday Cinder fell to sleep immediately.

~~~

Cinder awoke in the early morning with the early sun shining brightly on his face. The light was coming though the broken windows and over to the corner where Cinder was now laying. Cinder rubbed his eyes in protest of getting up. Finally accepting defeat, Cinder rose to his feet and stretched his legs out causing a few of his joints to pop. Sleeping on the ground wasn’t one of my best decisions, Cinder thought.
He checked his saddlebags to make sure he had all his things and then made his way towards the door. He peeked out to make sure there wasn’t anypony on the street. When he saw the coast was clear he walked out the door.
The sun was only just coming up over the roofs of the houses. Cinder’s stomach growled, interrupting his thoughts, I need to find some food. Cinder began up the street back to the market area to find some food.