//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Fillydelphia // Story: Sombra's Light // by Visharo //------------------------------// I was in the sky again. The great blue sky. Nothing could bring me more joy than flying in this great expanse, the freedom of going anywhere. It's intoxicating. My grin turned into a frown when I realized that something could bring me more joy. More specifically, someone. I shook my head, dispelling any negative thoughts that might arise, determined to find him. Instead, I focused on the great view that lay before me. The sunlight, no longer blocked by pollution due to lack of gas-expelling machines, casting beautiful rays over trees, rivers, and rocks. I took a deep breath in, smelling all the scents flowing in the wind. When I opened my eyes from my blissful state, I saw some buildings over the horizon. I flapped higher, trying to get a better view. With each beat of my wings, more breath left my lungs. I let myself glide forwards, too caught up in the sight. Buildings that rose beyond the horizon, sunlight glinting off the broken windows, and magnificent walls that were erected to keep the Cursed in. I chuckled, the Ministry of Defense weren’t always the brightest. *** My smile never fell from my face as I glided towards the great crumbling city of Filly. As I flew closer, I could make out that the city seemed to be split up in different sectors, through tall walls. In my angle, however, I couldn't tell how many there were. On the rooftops, I saw patches of green, no doubt gardens. In the far distance, closer to the center of the city, one of the towers had flashing lights. I frowned, was that pony so desperate to die? My musings were cut short by agonizing pain. My vision went pitch black for a second, maybe more. When I came to, I found out that I was falling. Then I noticed the excruciating pain in my right wing. Gritting my teeth, I ignored the ground coming ever so closer, and peered at my hurt wing. A bullet hole was right where my humerus was. I screamed in anguish when I tried to extend it. I was falling way too fast to slow my fall, let alone glide. With tears in my eyes, I stared at my broken wing, hoping that death by concrete would be quick and painless. I have no idea how long I've been falling for, but when I landed, it came as quite a surprise. On the bright side, I was still alive. I fell into a large patch of blue garbage bags, whatever were inside those bags broke my fall, making me relatively unhurt. The bad news, I fell on my injured side. I stood up shakily, sobbing as I tried to move to a safer place. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?" A cruel voice rand out. I groaned slightly as I moved a forehoof to wipe away the tears. There, a few steps away, stood three ponies. A large purple mare, a dusty brown stallion carrying a large gun, and a blue stallion. The mare grinned as she took a step closer. Her red eyes stared at me with malice; the left one had a scar over it. "P-Please, I mean no trouble." I whimpered, too injured to have a fight. "Did you hear that? It sounds like the Chicken is trying to talk!" The mare grinned before laughing uproariously. I flinched, seriously hoping there weren't any Cursed nearby. The blue stallion also grinned while the dusty one just stared impassively. Even in my pain-induced haze, I knew immediately that he was the most dangerous of the three. I watched miserably as Purple trotted up to me with that smirk and peered down. I struggled, trying to get away without putting too much strain on my broken wing. "Awww, is poor Chicken in pain?" Purple crowed, seemingly not even caring if any Cursed heard. "Gutshot is truly the sharpest shooter in Filly!" I just groaned, and tried to move away again. "Hey now, no need to leave!" She started to lift a hoof. I backed up with a whimper, hoping that this wouldn't be the end for me. Purple just grinned sadistically and walked next to me, her hoof still raised. Then, without warning, brought it down on my chest. My groans turned into a bubbly gurgle. My head turned completely blank as Purple kept up the pressure. My mouth was open in a wordless scream, begging for anypony to come rescue me. "Silly filly. Nopony would want to save a Chicken like you." Purple raised her hoof again, but instead of hitting my chest again, she stomped on my broken wing. Right where the bullet hole was. A shriek tore through the air. After a while, I realized it was mine. I lay on the pile of bags, sniffling and whimpering, unable to make a single word as pain flooded my senses. "Shit." Blue suddenly spoke. "Boss, Cursed are moving in." "Alright." Purple looked back at me. Gutshot was doing nothing, just staring at the events that unfolded before him. "Alright Chicken, it looks like you are going on a walk! How does that sound?" A groan hadn't even fully left my lips before I got hauled up onto Purple's back. The trio ran away from a horde of crystalline monsters, with me in tow. With every bounce, I coughed. My ribs weren’t doing good and I couldn't feel a single thing in my wing. How did everything go so wrong? Through the pain, I lifted my head to look at the surrounding area around me. I didn't get very far, as in that moment, Blue's head exploded. Purple reared back in surprise, sending me flying. I didn't even register that gravity had temporarily lost its hold on me, then I hit a wall, sending me back into darkness. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ I sat on a grassy hill, overlooking the peaceful town of Ponyville. "Beautiful, ain't it?" I turned to see who spoke. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ "Shit!" I bolted upright, then yelped when my right wing exploded in pain. I groaned and slowly fell back down onto my pillow. Wait, pillow? "Hello? Is anybody there?" I tensed, ready for anything. Searching my surroundings for any possible weapon, I noticed that I was in some sort of clinic. Drugs and bandages lined the cupboards, and some spare beds were also set up. I tried to sit up, then winced and remembered my injury. I lifted the covers slowly and took a peek at my wing. It looked as if it'd been cared for by a professional, with bandages and everything. A tang of apples filled the air, making my nose wrinkle in surprise. "It's for healing." A white mare explained, walking in. She gazed at me with kind green eyes, with a bright red mane adorning her head. "I trust you haven't moved around a lot, undoing the bandages I worked tirelessly to wrap. I've never had a pegasus patient before, I must say, it's an experience and a half." She chuckled. "Umm, no, I haven't." I tried to sit up for the third time, and failed when the strange mare pushed me back down again, though, not unkindly. "Where am I? What happened?" "Those questions cannot be answered by me. I'm just a doctor!" She winked before checking the bandages around my wing and nodding, saying that it'll heal in time. I nodded my thanks and smiled. "You're going to need your rest, your questions can be answered tomorrow." I blinked lethargically as the strange doctor injected me with something. Another blink. Then I closed my eyes for good. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ A brown colt smiled at me. Only that smile, nothing else. I could not see his eyes nor his cutie mark. Just his smile. "Yeah, it is." /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ I woke up with a groan and took in my surroundings with a sleepy gaze. A couple of moments later, I steeled myself and promptly rolled off the bed. I landed on the floor in a heap. I blinked then pulled myself up to my hooves. After a few unsteady steps, I made my way out the door. "Hey, if it ain't the strange pegasus that fell from the sky!" I looked up blearily to see a red stallion making his way to me. I shook my head, clearing away leftover sleepiness, and brought my head up to look at him properly. The stallion had a rusty red coat, adorned with multiple scars and bandages, hard but not unkind blue eyes, and a grapple hook for a cutie mark. "Bit of a mouthful. Call me Shattered." I took a deep breath in, letting my senses roam around me in case I needed an escape. I stood in some sort of lobby with chairs, beds, and bags scattered about. There were a total of five ponies, including the stallion who called me out. Behind him, I saw an open window that led outside. That'll be my escape plan if everything goes wrong. "Shattered, eh? Folks call me Hookshot. Pleased to meet yer acquaintance!" He grabbed my hoof and shook it. My foreleg felt sore after he finally let go. "Now, I'm sure yer wondering about a bunch of things, so lemme show you to our leader. He'll explain everything!" Hookshot took off, and I followed cautiously, glancing at everypony here, wondering if this was a trap or not. We neared the window that I was eyeing earlier, and my curiosity got the better of me. I trotted over and peered through it. My mouth fell open. We were so high up, I couldn't make out any details from the ground below. From this single window, I could make out many more towers, just like this one, and the occasional radio tower. On the rooftops of the lower buildings, I saw gardens and ponies tending to the plants. Shacks were built on top, giving cover, and giant stands were placed all over that glowed purple. "What are those?" I gestured to the light. Hookshot looked back and peered through the window. He explained that they were crystals, enchanted to give off a special light that deters Cursed. It also slows down the transformation if you get bitten. I nodded with interest, storing the information away for later use. *** Hookshot trotted up to a door marked with black paint and knocked on it. While we waited, I mused at what I'd seen today. Ponies still thrive after the Light outbreak, through humane actions like gardening and making a community place like this base, or bullying others to get what they want, like that purple mare. "Who's there?" A gravelly voice answered. It sounded very weary, like the owner had overexerted itself. I sympathized. "The pegasus." Hookshot replied. "The pegasus who?" "Shattered...ummm." My guide turned to me, "do you have another name?" "Path. Shattered Path." "Shattered Path." We waited for another few seconds, then the door opened. Hookshot took the lead and stepped forwards. I followed, wondering who this 'leader' was. The room was relatively normal, a couple of beds, some bags, and a table filled with paperwork. A door led to a balcony, and outside stood a stallion. He turned when he saw us, and smiled kindly. He looked very old, and as such, his mane was a dirty gray. His coat was neon orange and terribly scarred; his dark pink eyes held much wisdom and humor. His cutie mark, though marked, was clearly a large bird in flight "Well, a pegasus that fell from the sky. I've truly heard it all!" The stallion chuckled and trotted slowly to the bed, before sitting down. "Umm, you’re welcome? Mister...?" I sat down opposite him, on a nice rug that reminded me of Spike. "Ah, forgive me. The trifles of being old, I guess. You can call me Crane." His eyes twinkled, his smile almost mischievous. "Now, I've heard from Pura Vida, that you have some questions for me." "Pura Vida?" "The doctor who saved your wing." "Ah. I must thank her for that. Yes, questions, where am I?" "Well it depends on what answer you seek. You are a pony on the planet Equus, in the country Equestria, in the city called Fillydelphia or Filly. But, I gather that isn't the answer you are looking for." I nodded, confirming his guess. "This safe haven is called Sanctuary, home to those who need it, located in the Outskirts." "The Outskirts?" "Mmm, yes...we need a map, you can get one from Winter, if you want your own." Crane shuffled through his pile of paper, finding no map. "Bah, things are so hard to come by these days. Yes, yes...the Outskirts, one of the sectors of Filly. There are three se..." "Four." Hookshot interrupted, still standing by the door. "Mmm, yes, four. Four sectors around Filly. The Outskirts, named for being the outer ring of the city, is where most of us live. The Drowned Sector is the worst one of the four, a dam broke and completely flooded the streets. The Ministry managed to stop the tide with walls right before Celestia torched it. It has Cursed who have adapted to being in water, and Sun radiation spots. No sane Runner would go there." Crane paused, rummaged through his many bags, and pulled out a canteen. He popped it open and took a long swig. "Where was I?" "The last two sectors." I replied, trying to curb my impatience. "Yes, the last two. Mmm...can't remember them." Crane blinked, then flopped to his side. "Uhh, hello? Are you alive? Hookshot, what's wrong with him?" I prodded his side. No reaction. "He's asleep." "ASLEEP?" I spluttered. "B-But how?" "Dunno, he needs to recharge every once in a while. It happens. Now come on, you should meet the others." *** "Awww, you must be hungry! Eat up, dear!" Winter Flame, a bubbly kirin, placed some noodles right in front of my muzzle. "It's not good to be hungry." She spoke as if she were scolding a filly. "Umm, miss Winter? Why are you here? If you don't me asking." I sniffed the noodles, letting their scent fill my nostrils. I grinned and dug in, making loud slurping noises. "If you mean here in Sanctuary, I came because ponies needed help! If you mean Equestria, it's the same reason!" The kirin gushed, her pale coat going a bit pink. "I don't like anycreature suffering, so I'm always there to help!" Her winter blue mane bounced around her head as she twirled on the spot, a bright smile lightening up the room. I swear, that smile glows brighter than Celestia. "Huh." I finished my noodles in record time, and placed the bowl back on the table with a sheepish smile. "So, umm, Crane said you had maps for sale?" "But of course, dear! I have everything for sale, from flowers to explosives to maps! Now which map are you looking for?" Winter pulled out maps of everything and nothing at the same time. I stood there, baffled at how much she had. "I've got some on Equestria, some on Manehatten and the other cities, and...oooh, I've got one of my hometown! I'm keeping this. So dear, what are you looking for?" "Uhm, just an updated map of Filly, if that would be alright." I smiled, trying to not look stupid. "Here ya go, dear! That'll be 104 bits." I almost choked, if I still had noodles in my mouth, I would've died just then. "A hundred and four!? B-But that's so much! What are you going to do with so much money!?" I stuttered, completely flabbergasted. "Now now dear, a kirin's gotta eat!" She winked her sapphire blue eyes, I almost wilted if Hookshot hadn't caught me. "Yep, she's a real nasty piece of work. Buttering you up, then makes an outrageous deal." Hookshot muttered. I nodded my thanks, then trotted up to the still smiling kirin behind the counter. "No way. I'm not buying anything for that price, I'll just make my own map!" I huffed and walked away. *** The next pony Hookshot led me to, was a mechanic called Jerry Can. "Another mare to join this fare! Howya doing, my name's Jerry, what can I do ya for?" Jerry struck a pose, his vibrant red coat shimmered in the purple light of crystals, and his dark eyes glowed with mirth. His flank bore a jerrycan to my utter surprise. "Nothing for now, just showin' Shattered around." Hookshot patted my back to my annoyance. I smiled awkwardly and greeted him. "Say no more! If ya need any fixing, I'm yer stallion! Adieu!" Jerry bowed deep then popped back up with a flourish and went back to working. *** "Next up, we have our head gardener; Primrose." Hootshot gestured at a small pink filly. The duo stood on the top floor of Sanctuary, which was accurately dubbed: The Garden. There were six to seven ponies, all covered in dirt, and working on the pony-made farm. The pony who stood proudly above them all, was a unicorn filly. "Hiya!" Primrose skipped down from her perch on top of a barrel and hopped over to me. Her muddy green mane bounced wildly as she made her way over. When she came closer, I noticed that she had primrose petals for a cutie mark. "B-But, she's just a filly!" I was still overcome that a filly ran The Garden. "So?" Hookshot looked mildly surprised, then grinned, "you aren't much older, aren't ya?" "Th-that doesn't mean anything!" I spluttered, trying to think of a way to regain my honor. "Lady Flatulence helps me!" Primrose lifted up a stuffed animal, in the shape of a pale tiger, with her pale green magic. "Do you like her? Flatulence says she likes you. Please miss, I don't want my friend to be sad!" "I do like her. In fact, I like her very much." I reached out slowly and petted the stuffed tiger. To my shock, Primrose tackled me. "Hubwa huh!?" I was about to push her off when I heard sobbing. I was aware that everypony stopped what they were doing and stared at what was happening. I looked at Hookshot for help, but he seemed just as surprised as everypony else. "M-Momma p-petted her just l-like th-that." Primrose bawled, not letting go of her bone-crushing hug. I sat there, in a very awkward position, and tried to comfort the filly as best I could. Running my hoof through her mane, and making soothing sounds. Internally, I was freaking out. Who is this filly!? After a few more minutes, Primrose finally calmed down and pulled away. "I-I'm sorry miss. It's just, you remind me so much of Momma." Then she fled, taking Lady Flatulence with her. *** "What was that all about?" I asked when we were four floors under The Garden, trotting to who knows where. "P-Primrose w-was...ahem, sorry this is hard for me." Hookshot shook his head, clearing whatever haunted him. "Primrose was orphaned four years ago. Crane found her, hugging her mother's corpse, and took her to Sanctuary. Since then, she hasn't let anybody touch her, and few are allowed to touch Lady Flatulence. So now I'm wondering, who are you?" "Me? I'm Shattered Path, a Dasher from Ponyville, I have travelled far..." "You're from Ponyville!?" He stopped abruptly, and raised his voice, attracting attention from those camping nearby. "Umm, yeah? Why is that important?" I said, utterly confused. "I heard that it was utterly destroyed, completely run over by Cursed. That the Princess of Friendship was slain in her very own castle!" My confused gaze turned hard. So hard, that Hookshot stepped backwards in surprise. Even the unwanted spectators saw my expression, and turned away quickly. Instead of answering him or letting him continue, I turned and walked away. "Look, I'm sorry if I asked a pers..." He called out, desperation clear in his voice. "Zip it! Tell me where I'm supposed to go and then you FUCK OFF! GOT IT?" I whipped around and roared straight in his face. "Down, down another floor. T-Talk to the R-Runners..." Hookshot whimpered, his jovialty all but diminished. I stalked off, my angry glare eased slightly when I heard, "Shit." *** I was decidedly less angry when I made it to the Runners. It took some asking for me to find them, and the occupants of Sanctuary were more than happy to give directions. There were five of them talking with each other in front of a broken window. When I got closer, I realized that the window wasn't broken, but completely gone, leaving unfiltered sunlight to flow in. Still somewhat pissed, I stopped in front of them without announcing myself. "...and then he jumped and bucked the, oh hello." A rugged gray pony lifted himself up and looked at me; his kindly eyes made me relax a bit more. "Who are you?" "Shattered. I'm new here, Hookshot was giving me the tour, this is the last stop." I explained as nonchalantly as possible. "And where is he now?" He asked, not unkindly. Around him, the other four were starting to get up as well. "Oh, we got separated." I refused to give him anything else. "Ah. Well, my name is Rebar, but everybody calls me Uncle Rebar. This is Fragola, Flash Point, Bourbon, and Tic Tac." A bright red mare, a dark blue scowling stallion, a light brown grinning stallion, and a smooth gray stallion, respectively. "Hola." Fragola waved a hoof, and Bourbon gave me a big grin. Tic Tac just nodded. "Well, well, well. Another newbie for me to pound! Welcome to your first day, I'm your trainer Flash Point, and I'd like you to introduce you to my friend, my hoof!" Fragola and Rebar shook their heads in disappointment. Bourbon was still grinning, and Tic Tac was just watching with a careful eye. In fact, I knew that he was analyzing, it was something about those eyes. "Flash, ey? Let's get this over with." I loosened up my muscles, happy that I could finally release some of the tension Hookshot made. Flash just grinned and charged; his friend rose up and came straight for my face. I simply turned ever so slightly to the right, and the hoof came crashing down past my cheek, a single hair length away. Bourbon started cheering and I saw Tic Tac's eyes widened with interest. I let a small smile break through. Time to give them a show. Flash rose up, fury in his purple eyes. I smiled tauntingly, an enraged enemy, makes more mistakes. He took the bait and charged me head on. Right before impact, I breezed to the side, letting him trip over a pile of bags. Oops, how did that get there? "Oh, you are going to pay for that!" Flash snarled, drool dangling, and galloped at me with reckless abandon. I anticipated this and instead of leaning off to one side like I'd done before, I leaped upwards. Before the poor stallion realized what had happened, I was on his back and he was pinned to the floor. I stood victoriously, my hooves still on Flash, I could feel all my anger leave me. "¡Santa mierda! ¡Eres magnifica! Lemme give you a hug!" Fragola stepped on Flash and gave me a hug, just like she promised. What was happening? Why do these ponies like hugging so much!? "Hell yeah, that was amazing! Ya gotta show me how to do that!" Bourbon started jumping up and down, then started to imitate my moves to little success. "I want you to meet me at the party tower, I'm almost always there! We could..." "Well played. I must say I'm surprised, nopony has taken down Flash like that." Rebar trotted up, smiling at me. "Why did you guys let Flash attack me? Seems like a not very nice thing to do." I countered, pressing harder on Flash. He groaned, no doubt his ego bruised. "Well, we see if they are Runner material. Flash can sometimes get overboard with newbies, but we stop him before that happens." Rebar explained. "And am I Runner material?" I asked, not sure if I wanted the answer to be yes. "You could be one of the greats! In fact I'll tak..." "I'll train her." Tic Tac interrupted. His voice deep and smooth, his dark brown eyes made me almost melt inside. "Uh huh, and what does that entail?" I asked, skeptically. In my years of traveling, I learned to take caution in friendly and handsome ponies, just in case they turn out to be a maniacal mass murderer. It's happened before! "Intensive training. You're going to need rest. See you in the morning." And just like that, I was dismissed. I blew at some hair that fell before my eyes, then stalked off. Flash groaned as he got up from the floor. I have no regrets. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ We stared at the great yellow sun disappear past the horizon and the moon rising to take it's stead. Beautiful indeed.