//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1: Dropping In 
// Story: Second Chances 
// by White Comet 
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Manehatten. Once the pride of the Equestrian east coast. Now in the aftermath of the Great War, it lies in ruins. The usual hustle and bustle of the busy streets were now only filled with the sounds of Changeling boots stamping down in unison as they marched, combined with the deep rumble of truck and tank engines. Nevertheless, the citizens did their best to rebuild from the rubble. Despite the intimidation of the Changeling guns being pointed at them whilst they did.

But for some, rebuilding wouldn’t fix everything. Peach Stone knew that feeling all too well as she plodded along one of Manehatten’s main high streets. On her back, she carried an old sack full of essential food she needed. Some acquired legally through rations… Some not so much… She occasionally tossed her long yellow mane with faint red highlights to the side to see what was going on around her, but other than that, she kept her head down. All she could see were Changeling soldiers mostly anyway, coupled with the destruction of the buildings and roads that had been hit by bombs during the war. The Changelings were on full alert these days as the threat of rebellion grew ever stronger.

As if the universe could reach her thoughts, the sound of shouting and gunfire ahead of her quickly drew her attention. She raised her head only to see the panicked ponies around her running and screaming. The Changelings quickly tried to bring some order to the chaos, with the nearest bugs trying to organise an orderly evacuation of the civilians while the rest ran headfirst into the action.

Page bit her lip, glancing back at the sack she had on her back. The items she acquired on the black market were not going to go down well with the Changelings if she was caught with them. But at the same time, if she was caught trying to escape…

Her thoughts were interrupted by an explosion not far in front of her. Her ears folded back at the ear-piercing sound. Fear took over and without even thinking about it, her hooves took off into a gallop and she ran along the street, ignoring the gunfire and the shouting and only just barely looking ahead enough to see where she was going.

She charged down an alleyway, her hoofsteps being impaired by the various trash cans and other obstacles littered throughout it. Thinking she was safe down the alleyway, she slowed her pace and gingerly stepped around all the obstacles. She took a moment where she fully stopped to try and control her breathing. Using all the control she had to try and at least get her breathing into some sort of rhythm instead of frantic wheezing.

Her attention was suddenly drawn by a scream directly above her. Her head quickly snapped upwards to see a pegasus in the midday sky. His dark turquoise coat had a streak of crimson red running through it… blood… Peach gasped. He had been shot in midair!

The pegasus fell helplessly through the sky, falling like a stone until he impacted on the arched roof of one of the highrise buildings that made up the alleyway that Peach was standing in, slowly sliding down the arch until he fell again down through the alleyway.

Instinct kicking in, Peach ran towards the falling pegasus. All attention to the world around her went out the window, she only cared about catching him. Anything in her way just got kicked out of her way by her hooves.

With only seconds to spare, she dived across the alleyway and placed herself between him and the ground. She let out a loud sharp grunt as the force of the impact forced the air out of her lungs. She felt the food in the sack on her back get squished under his weight and the impact, but that was the least of her worries. If anything it probably helped break his fall.

If she had any breath left, she would be using it right now to breathe a sigh of relief. But instead, she tipped to the side to gently slide him off her back. She rested him up against the wall, trying to assess his condition. She could immediately see that he had been shot in the front left leg, just where his leg meets his barrel. It looked like the bullet went in one side and out the other. Peach couldn’t help but cringe at the injury.

The stallion let out a mild groan, drawing Peach to look into his blue eyes briefly before his expression slowly sunk and his eyes closed. Fearing the worst, Peach quickly checked his pulse and breathing. He was alive, just unconscious.

Before she could assess the situation any further, she heard the sound of Changeling voices approaching. Most likely looking for their kill. She looked at the stallion, then at her food sack… it was pretty big… She was starting to form an idea…

“Earth pony strength, don’t fail me now.”







Peach’s ear twitched upwards as she heard the faint groans of somepony next to her. She lifted her head when she realised that it was coming from the stallion currently lying on her well-worn beige couch. She held back a gasp as she turned her head to peek through the curtains, seeing the light barely cutting through them. It must be early morning.

She bought herself to her hooves, feeling her muscles complain from sleeping on the floor. But she quickly shrugged it off, moving the blanket off her body and slowly approaching the stallion. “Hey, are you okay?” She whispered gently, peeking over him.

The stallion's ears twitched at the voice. “Ugh…” He groaned, lifting his right forehoof up and giving his eyes a rub before slowly opening them. The lack of light in the room made it easier on his eyes, but it was still light enough for him to make out the details. He was in a living room of some description, resting atop somepony’s couch. The walls were painted a faded yellow and the carpet was a dark brown. But he didn’t remember getting here. The last thing he remembered was…

His blue eyes quickly locked onto the orange iris of the mare standing beside him. Her gaze gentle and her expression welcoming. “H-hello?” He began, still very confused. “Where am I?”

“You’re in my house,” The mare answered with a smile. “Do you remember? You took quite a fall.”

“A fall?” He tried to recall, moving to sit upright on the couch. “Ahh,” He hissed, his right forehoof quickly squeezed into some bandages wrapped around his left shoulder.

“Easy, easy,” Peach pleaded, bracing him with her own forehooves. “You were shot right there. It ain’t gonna be healed overnight.”

The stallion gently rested his left forehoof down so it was supported properly. “I was shot?”

Peach nodded. “You and your buddies got into a tussle with some Changeling soldiers. I was running away and… Well, you got shot right above me and… kinda landed on top of me.” Peach twisted the story a little, but it was still mostly accurate. She stood up, turning towards the doorway. “Are you hungry?”

The stallion chuffed, “You don’t have to give me anything.”

“Oh don’t be silly,” Peach replied, trotting out of the doorway.

The stallion took the moment to examine the room he was sitting in. A living room of a Manehatten terrace house. Fairly narrow, but it probably went up a floor or two. Pretty decent living. And judging by the various family photos he saw on the wall, there was probably a family living here. Although it was oddly quiet for that. And so far, the only pony he had seen was this mysterious mare that may have just broken his fall and saved his life, if he understood it correctly.

He looked down his body, assuming the mare had removed his jacket before letting him rest on the couch. No doubt to put those bandages around his shoulder as well. He wondered where she put it. Not that it would be much good if it had a bullet hole in it.

Peach returned carrying a tray with fruit in her mouth, setting it down on the coffee table just in front of the couch. “I’m sorry it’s past its best,” She apologised, taking a seat next to the stallion.

“It’s good enough to eat, I’m grateful you’d even consider sharing it,” The stallion replied with a smile, extending a wing and drawing up one of the bruised bananas. The banana looked almost as bruised as his body. “My name is Sea Salt by the way.”

“Oh, I’m Peach Stone,” Peach replied with a smile, taking herself an apple.

"I like your necklace, Peach," Sea Salt complimented, pointing a hoof at the medallion dangling down from around her neck. Its gold chain blended in well with her blonde fur.

"It's not for sale," Peach retorted quickly, looking down at it herself.

"I wasn't trying to buy it," Sea Salt quickly set the record straight. "I'm just saying it looks beautiful..."

Peach smiled, lifting it up with her hoof and examing the medallion. A golden circle housing a beautiful blue diamond. "It was my mothers..." She examined it for a few moments before letting it dangle back around her neck. “So I take it you’re…” Peach leaned closer to him, “With the ELF?” She whispered into his ear.

Sea nodded, “We were raiding them mostly for weapons. I wonder how well it went…”

“I didn’t hang around to find out,” Peach replied, taking a bite of her apple. She was used to the tangy taste of an expired apple by now.

A silence fell between them as they continued to eat, but Sea Salt couldn’t help but feel a little bit awkward about the situation. “Are you sure you want me to stay here? I’m pretty much a criminal at this point, my face is probably on wanted posters alongside Starlight Glimmer and Trixie Lulamoon.”

“It’s fine,” Peach smiled widely, “You can stay here for as long as you need to. You aren’t in the way.”

Sea Salt chuffed and nodded, glancing around the living room once again. More specifically, at the family photos. “What about your family? Will they mind?”

Peach’s smile slowly faded away before she glanced away in a frown, her eyes drooping downwards.

“I see,” Sea Salt answered flatly, swallowing a lump in his throat. “I’m so sorry… Are you all that’s left?”

Peach nodded slowly. “Just me…” She scowled, “And only me because I wasn’t allowed to go to war.”

“Too young?” Sea Salt asked as he picked up a picture frame from a coffee table, showing a tanned stallion with a dark brown mane, with the same red highlights in Peach’s mane. He was wearing a navy dress uniform, no doubt this was a graduation picture.

“I was,” Peach answered his question. “That was my brother Barley,” Peach answered. “He was aboard the Pegasopolis when it was sunk…”

Sea Salt could do nothing but sigh. “I’m sorry,” He repeated again, putting the portrait back on the table. “I was too young at the start of the war too. I wanted to go when I was old enough, but my mom wouldn’t let me. Said she didn’t want to lose me the same way she did dad…” Sea Salt gritted his teeth thinking about it. “Look how well that went…”

“It makes me so angry sometimes,” Peach rubbed her face, holding back tears. “My brother is at the bottom of the ocean, my father is just another dead body on the battlefield, and my mother died during the air raids near the end of the war. All the while, I sat here doing nothing.” Peach held her head in her hooves. “Was it worth it?”

“I think so,” Sea Salt wrapped his wing around her, gently pulling her towards him. “You would have ended up the same way they did. And if that happened, you wouldn’t have been around to save my life yesterday.”

Peach blinked, looking up at him. “I… guess…” She smiled, looking up at his confident expression. “Thank you…” She slid a hoof around his torso, returning the hug.

“Hey, I should be thanking you if anything,” He chuckled, then his ears pricked up as he remembered something. “Speaking of which, do you have my jacket?”

Peach nodded, “I do, do you want me to get it?”

“Please,” Sea Salt replied.

Peach stood herself off the couch and dipped into the hallway briefly, only to return with the leather flying jacket. “I stitched up the bullet holes,” She told him, laying it down on the couch next to him.

Out of the largest interior pocket, he pulled a dull faded book that was probably a dull faded green book, with the Changeling word ‘Lebensmittelkarte’ printed boldly across the top. The Ponish counterpart, ‘Ration book,’ was printed below. “Here,” He handed the thin book over to her.

“Your rations?” Peach took the book.

“I’m sure I don’t need to teach you how to suck eggs, but don’t go using it at the market, it’ll be traced back to me. Trade it on the black market, it’ll be harder to trace back if it’s caught.”

“What makes you think an honest pony like me would use the black market?” Peach jested sarcastically, raising an eyebrow.

“Nopony gets semi-fresh fruit without it,” Sea Salt answered, batting a hoof at the banana skin he left on the table. “Besides, a pretty mare like you must have no trouble sweet-talking your way into a good deal.”

Page did her best to suppress a giggle, but she couldn’t help but let a few puffs of air whistle through her grinning lips as her ears folded flat. “You charmer,” She felt the heat rising in her cheeks. Something told her she was going to enjoy Sea Salt’s company…