The sunlight had came again, cracking and breaking apart the thick sheet of the smog and cloud. Manehattan awoke with the sounds of shouts and early morning chatter in homes and apartments. Ponies walked causally through the city to their designated jobs and careers for another day. Yesterday's storm had left the lowly city and moved on, leaving Manehattan soaked. In small parts, flooded.
Summer shuddered at the sudden feeling of sunshine hitting her face. Having waken up minutes before, her body was still in its own waking process. She stretched her legs, walking about the abandoned building her and Hail took shelter in.
With that thought, she walked back into the nurse's room. Summer poked her head in and saw Hail, stirring in his sleep. A smile spread across her face, she didn't know why. Hail's form suddenly turned over, his now open eyes facing her. They brought worry to Summer, bloodshot, glazed.
"Morning." She said.
Hail stared back, blinking once.
"Uh, I was thinking about something." She said, walking over to sit by his bed. "Maybe you should stay with me until your mom gets back."
Hail stayed silent as she continued. "I know it sounds crazy, but I think you'll be safer that way." She said. "I'm not gonna let you out of my sight again."
"Didn't stop you yesterday." He sat up, looking down at her. "Those ponies nearly killed me the last time you abandoned me." He grunted as he slid carefully off the bed, holding his stomach. Summer moved to help him, but he pushed her away. "Plus, I have my own way of getting out of this."
Summer crossed her hooves. "Which is...?"
"...Which is me getting a hold of my dad." He said, confidently. "He's the commander of his sector in S.C.A.V.A. If anyone can help me, it's him."
Summer stood up, grabbing her jacket and puling it on. "Okay, if you say so."
Hail grunted, the injection Summer gave him the day before had fully wore off and left his torso in numbing pain. He dropped slowly to all fours and hobbled out of the room. Summer followed close behind, being there in case Hail falls over.
"I'm kinda surprise at you, Dove." Summer said, bringing her hood over her head and smiling.
Hail looked straight ahead. "What are you talking about now?"
"You're taking over the whole situation, and even more, you've been beaten to a pulp at least twice and here you are!" She walked beside him.
"Yeah, bucking great." He said, rolling his eyes.
"It's a complement, kid." Summer said. "You really need to lighten up."
Hail let out an exasperated sigh. "You want me to lighten up?!"
"Hay, you're alive right?" She said, looking down at him as they reached the end of the hallway and neared the exit.
"I...guess." Hail said. "Barely, really."
"Then, there you go!" She said. "Besides, you got me to beat up any bad ole' bucker who comes between us." She grinned. Hail shook his head.
"I'll never understand you." He said to himself. "So, any ideas on how to get across town without getting caught in broad daylight?"
They stepped outside into the morning sun, it felt good to Hail. He breathed in the morning air and tilted his head up to the sky. The clouds and smog were being broken by the sun, making them a really bright. Summer stepped from behind him and stared down the street they came from the day before.
"Hmm..." She sat back, placing a hoof on her chin. Hail watched as she thought, he himself couldn't think of any ways to get to his home without being spotted. They had to be wanted criminals by now, their faces plastered all over the news and posters with their picture and word 'wanted' written in big red letters across it. Just like the wanted posters of bad guys from the cartoons he watched when he was a young colt.
"You know, I don't really think everypony in town would really be on the lookout." She said finally, standing up.
"What makes you say that?" Hail asked. Summer laughed, then shook her head.
"P.G. isn't the type to go to the news for help on escapees." She explained. "Counting on all the shit they've pulled, they would all be locked up or executed on the spot."
Hail furrowed his brow. "Wait, are you going to explain how you know all this?" He asked. "Or are you just gonna let things slip every now and then?"
She shrugged. "Will it keep you around?"
Hail shook his head. "If I wanted to leave, I would have by now. I'm not that easy to get rid of."
Summer smiled. "Good, neither am I. Now, c'mon." She waved a hoof and started off down the street, Hail followed.
~ * ~ \ ~ ^ ~ / ~ * ~
"C'mon, c'mon!" The anxious stallion said, slapping his hooves on the counter. He stood in the local pharmacist, getting a refill on his medication. His eyes twitched, and his teeth chattered, sweat dripped down the sides of his head and down his neck, disappearing under his black coat. His mane was frazzled from the feeling slowly taking over his body.
The pony behind the counter fumbled in a draw of different types of tubes, filled with different types of capsules. "Sir, remain calm." She said, her voice monotone and glancing up at the stallion for only a second.
Flamerider shook his head. "Oh, no. You don't understand!" He said, looking left and right. "If I don't take those pills soon-"
"Here they are." The pony said, pulling out a pill container with a plain white label. "Here you go, sir."
Flamerider did not hesitate to snatch the pills out of her hooves, tossing a couple into his mouth and swallowing. He shut his eyes, allowing the medicine to take effect. That was too close... He thought. He turned away from the counter and down the isle, different medicines lining the walls around him.
Heading out the exit, Flamerider made his way back to the P.G. building, he hummed to himself as he walked down the sidewalk. He loved this city, despite his line of work of remaining in doors and sitting in front of a hundred screens all day. He loved the sun, hating how it was barely visible. His body tingled, that meant the pills were working.
As he walked, Flamerider thought back to P.G., and its activities. He didn't completely understand what they did with the imformation he provided, nor the outcome of it all. In his own mind, Flamerider thought he was making Manehattan safer. Making it a better living environment. Then again, The Director, he...despised him. Never listening to reason when the situation called for it, never listening to his ideas. Of course, what could he do?
He was passing through an alleyway, a shortcut to the building when he saw something across the street. Something making him stop his thinking and hide. He ducked behind a nearby dumpster and leaned his head out, getting a clear view of two ponies he recognized.
"No. Bucking. Way." He whispered, pushing his mane back out of his face. "But-how did-"
The subject had her head low, avoiding eye contact with any by standers, while the other one, the pegasus, hide behind her. Flamerider had no idea what to do. Should he follow them, or head back to warn the Director?
Or did he know already?
At that moment, he found himself slipping out of the shadows of the alley, following where the two went...
~ * ~ \ ~ ^ ~ / ~ * ~
"Only a few blocks...now." Hail panted, sweat dripping down his head.
Summer looked behind her, staring at the tired pegasus. "You wanna stop and rest?" She asked.
Hail stopped, leaning up against the wooden fence. "Yeah...sure."
Summer sat down next to him, staring up at the sky. She could hear Hail's heavy breathing, plus the distant chatter of the city in the distance. "It's a shame."
Hail's ears perked up. "Wha...?"
"The sky." She said. "It's just completely cover in dark clouds. The sun is barely even showing."
"Well, Manehattan isn't the most Eco-friendly city in Equestria." Hail explained, catching his breath. "There are facilities on the far side of the city, factories. They spew out this smoke that cover only the skies above us." He tilted his head back, looking up to the sky.
"I hope this doesn't bother you," Summer started, "but have you ever though of being up there?"
Hail turned to her.
"Like, you know." waved her hoof in the air. "Fly? Do you ever wish you could just jump into the sky and fly away?"
Hail grew silent, mentally asking himself the same question. He never really did, sometimes it would come to him watching other pegasi growing up. He took a hoof and rubbed his back, flicking at one of his dead weight wings. He couldn't feel or move them, some days he would forget he even had them.
He looked away, staring down the street. "Why bother?" He said.
Summer heard the sorrow in Hail's voice and brought her hooves to her face, regretting the question. She looked up and saw Hail walking by her.
"Come on." He said, not stopping. Summer nodded and stood up, walking after the pegasus. She watched as he with a different sense of feeling. His head aimed low, his ears drawn back, his tail dragging on the dirty sidewalk. She felt something tug in her chest, causing her to flinch slightly.
***
A few moments later, they stood outside of the Showers residence. Or what was left of it. Bright yellow caution tape surrounded the area around Hail's home, its purpose being to warn others to stay away. Trash coated the yard, windows were broken, the door hung loosely off its hinges, graffiti coated the walls, and a signal light was left on.
Hail found himself speechless, staring at the hollow image of his home. He walked slowly towards the front door, Summer followed ready to defend him in case someone was still inside. The door had a chunk of it missing, which was found on the floor several feet away from the door. Hoof tracks covered the area by the door, glass from the window were seen as soon as they stepped inside. The couch had been flipped, the t.v. stolen. Everything that wasn't bolted to the ground was either torn apart or gone.
Summer moved past Hail, looking around the room for any movement. Hail stepped into the center of the living room, him and Summer being the only living part of it. He kicked at pieces of the table the t.v. sat on and walked down the hall, his room being his destination. Summer followed him, not liking the looks of the situation.
He stepped into the doorway, not surprised that the door was broken. Gone. Everything. Well, not exactly. His mattress was taken and all that was left of his bed were the bloody covers he left. His desk was thrown at the wall, it laid a heap of chipped wood. His clock wast stolen, any posters were ripped down, and it seems that the dresser was left untouched.
All of this was enough to crush Hail. He fell back and sat on the ground, his eyes shimmering and his teeth grinding against each other. He was angry, sad. He felt violated that a bunch of ponies came in and kidnapped him, leaving only the pigs of the city to clean up after the mess. Instead, they put up thin yellow plastic reading 'Do Not Cross' around his house and left it wide open. Like putting a bow on a birthday present.
Summer sat beside the fallen pegasus, wrapping an arm around him and pulling him closer. He made a weak attempt into pushing her away, but fell into her hug, the flood gates in his eyes breaking and leaving him a whimpering foal.
Summer brushed his head with her hoof, letting him empty his emotions into her chest. She didn't know what to say, so she didn't speak, only sat there and held Hail as he felt as though his world had been set ablaze in a matter of a week. They sat quietly in the center of Hail's bedroom, his silent sobs being echoed through out the hollowed out house.