Mapping Manehattan

by The Red Parade

resting

The diner used to be a popular one. It had lines out the door every single day. Rush hour was always a nightmare. Ponies liked to say that Royal Burgers was the best joint in Equestria. Being unique to Manehattan, ponies from all over flocked there to eat.

Lightning thought the hayburgers were okay. Nothing special. Now she misses it though. If not the food, then at least the atmosphere. Sitting at a booth alone in a dilapidated diner just wasn’t the same.

She is splitting a small snack of peanut butter and oats with Fiddlesticks. Fiddle loved apples, but it would be a while before the hotel garden could grow any. This would do for now.

Fiddle’s eyes wander around the empty restaurant. The screens where the menus were displayed aren’t working. One is dark, the other simply says ‘no signal.’ Fiddle wonders how many buildings in Equestria still had power.

She knows that most of the generators had some sort of backup mechanism in place. She also knows that whatever was left of the Royal Guards and military retreated to installations like the energy plants and holed up there. Waiting for orders. Or something.

Lightning just shrugs. Ponies survived for a long time without technology. They could survive a while longer. She munches on her oats. Fiddle picks up the small metal container that used to hold sauces. It’s empty now.

She remembers how they used to make smiley faces with ketchup for the foals. It certainly made them happy. It didn’t take a lot to make a foal happy. Fiddle wonders how many foals are still out there. She hopes that they all have their parents with them.

Her eyes go over to the register. A sign reading ‘pay here’ dangles from the ceiling, with one of its two strings snapped. She pictures a teenage pony working the register, trying to calm down an outraged mare who was upset he got her order wrong.

It was funny how ponies could still fight over trivial things like that. Nowadays they can't afford to be trivial. Those who were didn’t last long. She runs a hoof on the table, tracing small circles on the surface. The booth is pretty dirty, but everything’s dirty. It isn’t hard to clean off, anyways. Just have Lightning get a cloud above you and buck it.

The perks of loving a pegasus. Fiddle closes her eyes and tries to remember everything she could about Royal Burgers. Supposedly they always used the freshest ingredients, and had the best service in Equestria. They didn’t really treat their employees well, though. At least, from what she heard.

Lightning says that it probably wasn’t that bad. They paid a decent salary. Well, before the economy crashed anyways. She frowns. Some ponies out there probably died being nothing more than a fry cook.

Fiddle shrugs. That is just the way things are now. She looks out the window, at the barren buildings and ruined cars. Lightning just sighs sadly.

Comments

[Nitro Indigo]

Where do they get clouds from? Is all of Equestria post-apocalyptic, or just Manehattan?

[The Red Parade]

10144079

Since nopony is controlling the weather anymore, nature has taken over, resulting in natural storms and cloud movements.

I plan to slowly reveal more about what happened, so I won't answer that second question just yet.