It's Quiet in the City

by SkyArrow

Chapter 6 - A Small Setback

For once, I woke up early today. I know, what a shock, especially since I went to bed so late. Even more of a surprise, Kat slept in. Yes, you heard me right. Kat, Ms. Early Riser Extraordinaire, slept in.

Jay, however, was ever the early bird (heh), and woke up along with me. I made myself a simple breakfast: a box of dry Apple Jacks cereal. We had some pancake mix, even some oatmeal that we could make, but I didn't feel like making a mess trying to just make breakfast. So, cereal it was.

My feathered friend had a different idea of breakfast, eating an acorn when I trotted outside. I hadn't planned on it, but before I knew it, I was trotting (cantering? Uh… something between trotting and galloping. Kat's the expert, not me) through the neighborhood with Jay flying by my side.

I didn't bring anything with me, but had figured it wouldn't matter. I didn't think I'd be gone very long. My little morning trot ended up taking me to a park a couple of blocks down. Rosberg Family Park, to be specific. Within the unmaintained park, I could see plenty of trees still hanging onto their leaves, giving a last hurrah of fall before the coming winter.

I took a deep breath and resumed my trot. But this time, it wasn’t for travel. Slowly, I sped up, picking myself up again each time I tripped and fell. It was like riding a bike. At first, you were clumsy, but eventually, you got into a rhythm; a flow where you barely even registered what you were doing with the pedals. It became second nature in a sense.

I was running, no, galloping through the park, the wind flowing through my mane. Not even Jay could fly fast enough to keep up with me. At this speed, I felt lighter than air, while the ground sped past me. I'd bet I could easily catch up to a car if I wanted to.

I also think I was glowing again, too.

Unfortunately, my blissful gallop did end with tripping over a loose branch before I went tumbling onto my back. It hurt a bit, but the grass mostly cushioned my fall. I was also probably covered in grass stains. I didn't care, though, laughing as I looked up at the sky above. Wow, I felt so full of energy!

Jay finally caught up and flew over to me. I smirked up at him. "Heehee, I totally beat you."

He gave me a dismissive tweet and landed beside me on the grass.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, you're just jealous you can't run like me."

He proudly spread his wings, lifting his head up as he gave them a little flap.

"Yeah, if you say so, feather-brain," I giggled.

I spent some time there for a few more minutes, feeling the grass beneath me, before I got up and started making my way back. I didn't take a shortcut this time, instead going for a bit of a longer route through Queen Street. It was for scavenging purposes, and definitely not because I wanted to gallop around some more.

It was a fairly occupied street, building-wise that is. With all the stores and shops lining the street, it was undoubtedly a hub of business before the 'Ponying'. We really needed a name for that.

Should we start separating now from then? Maybe we could call then Before Pony or BP, and now I guess AP? I wondered.

If we did that, I guess we'd still be in 0 AP; not even a year into this new era. These thoughts drifted, though, as something else took my attention. My ears flicked in a direction. I’ve been a pony for a little over three days now, and I've learned that my ears are like a noise compass. With my ears as my guide, I quickly went in the direction they pointed, the sound getting clearer.

It was the type of sound you never wanted to hear. The kind you'd hear in a horror movie. A child screaming in genuine terror. I heard dogs as well. Vicious sounding ones. I picked up my pace, breaking into a full gallop as Jay struggled to keep up with me. It didn’t matter if I had only just figured it out this morning and doing it on concrete was risky. I just hoped I wouldn't be too late.

I arrived at an alley, the sounds of barking getting louder as I got closer. From what I could guess, there were about four dogs there. I wasn't a fighter, so I had no idea what I was going to do. All I had were instincts, and they told me that this kid was in danger, and I was the only one around to help.

I poked my head around the corner and found that my suspicions were right. There were four dogs, all of them looking emaciated and starved. I'd feel bad for them, if not for their target of aggression. There was a small white-coated pony child on a dumpster, trying to fend them off with nothing but a rolled up newspaper in his mouth. He looked terrified and had red stains all over his fur.

I tried to think of something I could do to help, but in a situation like this, there wasn't time to think. So, in a burst of sudden willpower and built up energy from somewhere, I ran towards the dogs, about ready to try to run them off. However, I didn’t even need to get very far, before something very odd happened.

The dogs were suddenly knocked away by a large burst of blinding energy. One that seemed to be coming from… me? It didn’t seem to be lethal, but it did scare them enough to run off. I stood there, watching them run off until I was sure they were gone, then looked up at the kid. He gave a weak smile before passing out there.

---⬦⟢⬦♢⬦⟣⬦---

What's this, the third time I've run – galloped, I mean – as fast as I could today? Even with my freaky new pony stamina, I was beginning to get tired. Especially after that strange energy thing. I wasn’t even sure if that was from me, but who else could it be from?

Right after the kid passed out, I picked him up by the scruff, hoping not to hurt him, and put him on my back. After that, I immediately booked it back to the hospital.

"You should have worn your boots, or told Kat where you were going," an angelic mini-Martha chided me on my shoulder.

"Oh, don't be uptight. She needed a bit of fun. Plus, she rescued a kid. You should be happy!" another mini-Martha, this one with devil horns, said on my other shoulder.

I shook my head, my illusions disappearing. I can’t be taking a trip to crazytown today. With a quick check behind me, I confirmed that I still had the kid on my back, while Jay was flying after us from a couple of yards back. I had just rounded the corner from Buckley Avenue onto Park Street and took a shortcut through the backyard of the hospital.

Kat was waiting in the driveway, giving me a miffed look before seeing the kid on my back, causing her expression to soften. She didn't say anything; she didn't have to. What was important was that this kid's life was in danger, so she quickly levitated him inside and went to one of the treatment rooms.

---⬦⟢⬦♢⬦⟣⬦---

I waited for I don't know how long. To keep myself occupied, and to try to be useful, I did some chores around the hospital: refilling Jay's bird-feeder, watering the plants in Kat's indoor garden, doing inventory on our supplies, and even bottling some water from the tap preparing for the eventual degradation of our plumbing systems.

I made Kat some lunch as well. Not anything nearly as good as what she makes, but it was Ramen Noodles made with care. She didn't end up coming out though for it, so I headed over to her place to take a shower. I had hoped she'd come out when I came back, with good news (or bad news even, just so I could know).

Unfortunately, that was not the case. The only time she came out was to use the bathroom, and even then, she went right back into the room afterwards. I know the kid was injured, but I hoped Kat would realize she needed to care for herself too.

---⬦⟢⬦♢⬦⟣⬦---

It's been two days now, making it November 18. Thankfully, Kat didn't work herself dead and did end up eating the food I set out for her. Our radio plan was put on hold for the time being, for obvious reasons.

I hadn't gotten a good look at the kid – or colt, as Kat tells me – until today. He had brown eyes, a very unkempt sandy mane and tail, and white fur. The oddest thing though was that the colt had wings. They looked severely disproportionate to his body, so I doubted they actually worked. I recalled something about a horse with wings being called a pegasus from that useless Greek Mythology class I took. Though, I guess it wasn't so useless now.

He still seemed a bit out of it and laid there, probably still under whatever medicine Kat had to give him.

I turned to Kat. "Is he going to be alright?"

She nodded. "Yes. It's good you found him when ya did. He was suffering from heavy blood loss. His blood-type matched mine, so I was able to help with that. He's going to have scars, though."

"It could be worse, I guess. Has he said anything yet?" I asked.

"He murmured something about someone named 'Amy'. Other than that, no," she said. "I'm gonna check on the hens. I heard a wolf last night. Can you stay here and keep an eye on him?"

"Of course," I said as she trotted out. I made my way over to the bed he'd been laying on and sat next to it. He was covered in bandages all over. It was then when I heard him cough. I turned my head towards him and saw him staring at me, a mix of many emotions at once coming across in his expression. As to be expected, confusion was the most prominent one.

I decided to break the silence and introduce myself first. "Hey there. I'm Martha. Remember me?" I asked with a smile, to which he nodded slowly, carefully. "That's good. The nice mare who's been caring for you is Kat. You're in good hands, err hooves. Can you tell us what your name is?"

He frowned a bit, looking down, but managed to answer with a small voice. "Paul. Paul Harris."

I didn't want to make the poor thing have to speak anymore, but I know he wanted some answers. "I bet you're wondering what happened to everyone, huh?"

He looked up at me again. "I sure am."

I sighed. "I'm sorry. I wish I could say, but I don't know either. I just know that some of us have come back like this, and at different times. Do you know when you came back, Paul?"

He looked up in thought. "I... guess just a few hours before you found me. That's when... nevermind."

"Huh?"

"I said nevermind!" he shouted, then exhaled. "Just... it doesn't matter anymore."

I was about to say something, when he continued. "So what now?"

"Hm?" I asked.

"When your friend finishes helping me. What are you going to do with me then?" he asked.

"Well, we can probably help care for you. You can stay here with us, and we'll keep you safe and fed," I assured him.

"I don't need help. I can take care of myself," he stated matter-of-factly.

I had to suppress a giggle at that. "Are you sure about that? I know your parents might not be here, but they'd probably be concerned about you staying safe."

It was only after I said that aloud, that I mentally hit myself for the parents line. It definitely hit a sour note for him, but not in the way I expected. "My parents? Lady, I'm 30 years old."

I deadpanned. "Uhh... what?"

---⬦⟢⬦♢⬦⟣⬦---

"Uhh... what?" Kat echoed about five minutes later, perfectly replicating my own expression.

Paul put a hoof to his face, wincing a bit but not letting the pain deter a good facep– facehoof. "How many times... do I have to tell you...? Are we speaking different languages or something?"

Kat, sitting on her haunches from shock, waved her hooves. "No, no, we understand ya perfectly. But... we're having trouble believing you. Judging by our sizes compared to yours, you look to be a young pony colt. Maybe around 10 or 11 years old."

"So you're calling me a liar?" he asked, making a huff of annoyance, which I couldn't help but note as adorable.

"Now, I didn't say that, Paul. I guess anything is possible, seeing how we've got so much other stuff that makes no sense. It's just... off-putting," Kat stated.

Paul sighed. "You're telling me. One minute I'm on my motorcycle, next thing I know, I have no grip on it, and I'm falling off at high speeds. I think the blood attracted those dogs."

"Motorcycle?" I asked.

He nodded. "That's right. My pride and joy, or at least it was when I could still ride it, and it wasn't totaled," he shook his head. "So, you said I'm what, a pony?"

"Pegasus I think, actually," I pointed out.

"Pegasus, huh?" he smirked, a bit of excitement in his eyes. "Well, how about that. Not a grown one, though?"

Kat shook her head. "No, sorry. Despite how old ya were before, all signs show that you're in your adolescence in this form."

He grumbled, once again in a cute way. "And there's nothing you can do? Nothing at all?"

"I'm a veterinarian, not a miracle worker," she saw me raise a hoof and shot me down. "No, Martha, I don't think my magic can do anything for this either."

"Magic? What, like hocus-pocus alakazam?" Paul asked, intrigued.

"Mostly just levitating things around. I haven't tried doing much more than that," Kat explained.

"Woah. Show me?" he asked.

Kat complied, and levitated me up. "Wha– heey! Set me down, Kat!"

She giggled and released me from the magical grip, while Paul looked on amazed. “Well, what about you, then?” he asked.

“Me?” I asked him. “I can’t do any magic.”

“Then what was that you did in the alley?” he pushed, Kat glancing my way as well. I guess I forgot to mention that to her…

“I’m not sure what that was. Or if it was from me. Might be related to my glowing, but I really don’t know, Paul. If it is anything, I don’t think it would fix this. Sorry.” I replied.

He sighed. “Alright. Well, can you at least give me a rundown of what you do know, at least? I really feel lost here…”

Kat smiled. "That we can do."

We spent the rest of the day catching Paul up on everything we knew and had done. From our off-sync arrival times, to our pony-compatible car. He had been interested in that bit, but also a bit upset we didn't have a motorcycle for ponies. We also told him about our radio plans, and he immediately offered to help, or rather demanded we let him help.

Most importantly, though, Paul's day job was as an electrician, which was great news for us. Once he got back on his hooves, he'd be a great asset to our little team. I paused to think, would it be considered child labor if he had the mind of a 30-year-old?

Anyway, we concluded the day with a nice meal (in other words, not made by me), and I spent some time drawing our newest member of... whatever our little group is called. Maybe Kat could think of a name.

Author's Note:

Not dead! Just...well, had an encounter with the procrastination leprechaun.
Also, ignore the publish date saying April for this chapter. That was a misclick from a while ago.