//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 - Manehattan // Story: Unfinished Business // by 1Bit //------------------------------// The Manehattan skyline was a bleak and dulled rendition of it's former self. No sun could be seen through the thick cloud layer so the whole city lay in darkness with only the softest of lights being emitted from street lamps along the streets. Like a living nightmare, Manehattan was a testament to how far Equestria had fallen since the beginning of the Crystal War; no blue skies, no happiness, no joy. All that was left was a shadow of what Manehattan used to be, with decaying sidewalks and decaying morale. Despite that fact, it was clear to Twilight and Starlight on the train in to the city that Princess Celestia was determined to keep morale up where possible. Every building seemed to be covered with colossal posters that displayed vivid backdrops and dozens of happy ponies laughing and dancing in pure, clean sunlight. The slogan read, We're trying to save this Equestria, will you try to save it too? and right underneath it was a lot of smaller print detailing work placements at local factories or workshops. Twilight looked away from the train window and slumped back against her seat looking glum. Starlight, on the other hand, couldn't snap her eyes away from the window. The vision of wartime Manehattan found itself engraved in her mind, eating away at her guilt and sorrow. Tears began to slowly appear in the corners of her eyes and the otherwise silent train carriage was filled with the soft sounds of sniffling coming from Starlight. Everytime she looked away, she found herself drawn back to the window as more depressing scenery came into view. Even now, Starlight struggled to come to grips with what was truly unfolding here. "It doesn't help to dwell on everything Starlight. I know it looks bad, but we need to stay focused." Twilight said, smiling. "I'm sorry." Starlight tried to wipe away some of the preliminary tears and looked down at the bottom of the carriage. Even the carriage seemed to have suffered in this iteration of Equestria, with the carpet all frayed and torn as well as the whole carriage being filled with all manner of litter. "I just can't believe this could really happen to Equestria. Is our entire existence so fragile that it could break like this so quickly?" She choked a little on her words as a lump formed in her throat. She sat back down on her seat, which replied with a loud creak. "I'm just as surprised as you are, but when you think about it, Equestria gets attacked by all manner of magical creatures. For Equestria to still be standing when Sombra returned is impressive in itself. Even in our time, many others came before him intent on laying waste to Equestria and clearly they were stopped, even without me and my friends." Twilight's speech did little to qualm Starlight's worries. Despite Twilight's attempt to cheer her up, all it did was make the situation worse. "So what you're saying is that no matter how hard we try, we're always going to be under threat? That Equestria has no hope of survival?" Starlight replied. Her voice was sharp and to the point, cutting through the stingy air like a knife aimed directly at Twilight. "No, it isn't. What I am saying is that no matter the threat, we find a way to overcome it. And this won't be an exception." Twilight's wings unfurled and she hovered over to Starlight and sat beside her. It should have been no surprise to her that she elicited a few stares from other ponies on the train. Any alicorn would. Twilight returned the stares uncomfortably, rubbing her hooves together awkwardly. She sighed. "I hope we can get off this train soon, I don't like so many ponies staring at me so...strangely." On cue, the train began to slow to a halt and the entire locomotive was consumed by smoke that billowed out of the small station they were heading straight into. Before they'd even stepped off the train, the smell of smoke and coal was strong in the air. The smell only got worse as everypony rushed off the train and their nostrils were invaded by the putrid smell that plagued the city. A horrible mix of fumes, litter, smoke and sweat. Very different from back home. The station was filled to the brim with ponies, most wearing long trenchcoats and hats which obscured their true identities from view. Nopony looked at each other aside from a fleeting glance as they rushed to and fro, either leaving Manehattan or entering it. Those who weren't in trenchcoats were stuck in what looked like work clothes; fabric poorly stitched together and carrying around brown parcels which seemed to contain another set of clothing which looked to be in just as bad shape as the ones they were wearing. Twilight cautiously moved forward with Starlight in tow. She lifted a small coat out from her saddlebags and carefully put it on until she was sure her wings weren't visible. Satisfied, she pressed on through the masses, cutting through hordes upon hordes of Manehattan ponies who all looked lifeless with dull, emotionless eyes. It was as if they moved around because they were programmed to. There was no life here. Not like the two mares knew. "It feels like the further we travel into this place, the worse everything gets." Twilight whispered back at Starlight, narrowly dodging bumping into a large group of ponies in work clothes lining up in front of a rusty gate as she turned her head back forward. "Well, do we even know where we're going?" It was a fair question on Starlight's part, who felt like she'd been kept in the dark this entire time. "If I know Rarity, any help she might be doing would surely be to do with fashion and clothing." Twilight thought for a moment, devising any kind of plan. "If we can work out where the main workshops might be, perhaps we can narrow everything down and find Rarity much quicker." She ducked and weaved, occasionally muttering embarrassed apologies whenever she knocked into a pony. "There's just one problem." They finally broke free from the prison-like walls of the station, stepping out into the dark streets. While it may have not been as overcrowded as the station, there was a sense of hostility in the air. Windows were shattered, walls were vandalised and bins were overturned. Starlight moved closer to Twilight, gnashing her teeth together and staring out at the city with wide, terrified eyes. Twilight gulped. "The only problem is getting through all of this."