Black Glimmer

by iki

First Stage

Author's Note:

For a better reading enjoyment, visit the blog, Information Minute 3.

The wind ruffles the pony's mane while the red-hot sun burns the green landscape and the few trees she passes.

"Hang on honey, it won't be long" says the pony while watching the temperature indicator which is already moving almost in the red area.

She rushes along the road where there is no one far and wide, not a single house or rest stop where she could stop and replenish supplies, as she has been on the road for a week from the last town and she finished her last meal, well... we'd rather not talk about food or other supplies.

After a few more hours, when the air starts to be breathable and does not dry out the lungs, because the sun has been on its downward path for a long time and does not burn with such force.
The pony takes a deep breath of the pleasant cooling air and nearly chokes on an uncontrollable cough when she spots a building on the horizon.

After exiting with the sound of a door slamming, she walks past a large old tank to a small house with a garage.

"Hello, is anyone here? She calls around the room filled only with half-empty shelves.

"I'll be with you in a minute! Someone calls from the back room.

Happy that it works here, immediately the pony runs through the shelves looking for anything to eat.

"I wouldn't eat that" An older pony in overalls stops her and points to the expiration date.

With a shrug of her shoulders, she shoves into herself several chocolate bars with a banana that are almost as old as herself.

"How long have you not eaten young one?

"I ran out of supplies three days ago, because there's nothing along the way, so I had nowhere to get some food" She tries to speak with her mouth full and another bar ready in her hoof.

"That must have been awful" He continues the conversation as he walks away.

After the sad realization that she can't see any more food, she gets up and examines what else is in the small shop.

"By the way, I'm Smoky" He introduces himself as he places the smoking bowl on the counter at the cash register.

"I'm Cinnamon, nice to meet you" She tries to keep calm looking at the bowl of soup.

"You don't have to drool on my floor to convince me to give it to you, this is for you" He smiles as Cinnamon wipes the drool from her mouth in shame and pounces on the bowl like a hungry dog.

"Where are you going?" Smoky asks as he mops the floor.

"To Unguland"

"You still have a long way to go" Smouky takes the empty bowl while Cinnamon sits down on the offered stool next to the counter.

"The journey doesn't bother me as much as if I'll be desperately looking for a place to eat again"

"Further on, it shouldn't be so bad, you've just passed the most desolate part, about 500 km is the city " Smouky sits down next to her and relaxes with a pipe in his mouth.

"I'm glad to hear that, how is it possible that it's so deserted here?

"The main road was diverted from here due to the high number of breakdowns and accidents, since then this road has been going downhill and everyone except me has gone elsewhere, this road remembers a lot and there used to be a shopping mall and many others lining the road" He narrates dreamily, while blowing cherry smoke.

"Why did you stay here?

"There's nothing waiting for me anywhere, I don't have time to start over elsewhere, besides, this station has been in our family for generations and I've spent my whole life there and I'll live it out here too"

"Don't you have a family or a house to go to?

"I have a house, but it's been empty for years, I don't even go there anymore, I moved here and I live here peacefully"

"That Sounds Lonely"

"Everyone gets used to that over time, I like solitude"

After moment she starts going through the shelves and carrying things that can be useful on the counter, but even though she has collected almost everything, she will have to stop somewhere else tomorrow at the latest and get food.

While Smoky is counting the purchase, Cinnamon goes to her car where she starts cleaning and throwing away the piles of trash she has accumulated during her time without a single rest stop.
As soon as she rearranges everything and cleans both the trunk and the interior, she sticks the badly worn nozzle into the fuel filler neck and lets it fill the tank, while she takes all the waste to the trash.

"I need water, but I don't see it anywhere"

"How much do you need?

"I have two 20L canisters, won't that be a problem?

"Of course not, give them to me and I'll be right back" He lets out a last puff of smoke and takes the canisters with him.

As soon as she checks that everything under the hood is replenished, she starts loading things into the trunk, which she generously pays despite protests, but she owes him her life and didn't want to be ungrateful.
As they both say goodbye, she sits back in the vehicle, the door slams with a muffled metallic sound, and after turning the key, the engine comes to life, with a deep gurgle and leaves the old gas station waving to Smouky, who is standing in front of the house.

The sun slowly descends above the ground, it starts to burn her face, but thanks to the black glasses she can at least see the road, it is interesting how aggressive the sun is in this area, as if along this road it shone more than anywhere else.

"Now I don't have to think about it anymore, I'll leave this road in a moment and it won't bother me anymore" She says out loud while leaning her head out the window and enjoying the cool air that is after thousands of kilometers in crazy heat very pleasant.

CCRRRRRRR!!!!!

“Shut up! Curses a sleepy Cinnamon because she can't find the alarm clock and take it out.

while stretching in front of the car, Cinnamon watches as the sun rises again, creating long shadows all around her in complete silence without a single obstacle blocking the view of the wide plains where it's just her and the black painted car.
The long road that leads far into the green wasteland without life is behind her and with a smile she turns in the direction of her journey where she sees a tall wind farm that she didn't see because of yesterday's darkness, it must mean that she is approaching a city and civilization.

She wipes the dew from the windows and mirrors, gets into the car, has breakfast and drives off towards the tower.

Stunned, she watches the approaching horizon, hoping that beyond it will be something more than just a wasteland, only to lean back in her seat in disappointment when she sees the same thing as the last 3000km.
As Cinnamon crosses another plain where there is nothing in sight, she looks around and hopes that she will at least see something somewhere.

SSKKRRRRRRRT!!!!!!!
Cinnamon slams on the brake with both hooves when she realizes she's passed the sign, shifts into reverse and goes back to what she missed.
It was only with an effort that she didn't get out of the car and start bouncing in the middle of the road like a crazy pony while looking at the sign.

COLTWILL 50km

<ATMOSPHERE 2.>

"Yahoooooo" She calls as she rushes down the road.

But her joy was interrupted by a car that appeared in the rear mirror, there was no one behind her in the distance, so how is it possible that someone is approaching her and driving like a madpony.

"He's a total jerk!!!! Cinnamon screams in rage as the car that was speeding up close behind her brakes causing white smoke to form around them.

Cinnamon hates being stuck on her ass, now one would-be racer is almost licking her bumper.
The only way to get rid of him is to slow down, so Cinnamon lets her hoof off the gas and hopes that the racer will pass her, but the driver of the car seems to want to race even though she don't.

DUM.. DID HE SERIOUSLY BUMP INTO ME?!! Cinnamon fumes with rage.

"Are you fucking kidding me?! DUM…

"I will not race! She grinds her teeth after another impact.. THUMB...

“That's enough!!! Another impact makes her fur stand on end.

"Come on honey, show what's in you, but be careful" She presses the gas pedal lightly, while the purring of the engine turns into a hum, the car starts to accelerate while the racer is still clinging to her.

As soon as they cross the next horizon already at 150 km/h with the Racer still caught on the back, they reach a long right-hand bend that leads past an abandoned barn.

With a smile, she rushes into the corner when the car behind her begins to brake quickly, but she only eases her hoof on the gas, clinging to the edge of the right part of the road as the tires screeching as they struggle to maintain grip, while the whole car leans to the left.
As soon as the rear wheels begin to slip and the car starts to oversteer, Cinnamon steps on the gas while turning the steering wheel slightly against the direction of the turn with the engine roaring and a white cloud trailing behind the car.

She guides the car in a controlled drift through a corner that turns a little further in front of her into an almost right angle.
Cinnamon laughs, her smile widening at the challenge before her and shifts the shifter into second gear.
The car starts to toss and bounce on the road like crazy, when Cinnamon lets her hoof off the gas to slow down enough, it's very risky with the possibility of a roll over, but if she doesn't slow down quickly she will fly off the road and crash into a deep canal along the road.

With a quick step on the gas, she regains control of the car, she approaching a sharp right-angle turn, but she's still going too fast to make it through.
In a second, there is a sharp bend in front of her, cinnamon presses the brake with her left hoof and the gas pedal with her right to the ground, the front wheels immediately start to squeal, and to the sound of the deafening roar of the engine, the car begins to overturn quickly thanks to the rear wheels still drifting.

As soon as the car turns almost perpendicular to the exit of the turn, she releases the brake and takes off half the gas, while she turns the steering wheel to the left and control the direction of travel, which, despite all her efforts, leads off the road.
Just like that, she drives through the bend with the rear left wheel on the grass in the opposite direction, just around the canal, but immediately returns to her lane already in the straight direction of travel.

<STOP>

"There you go you little bitch!! Cinnamon laughing at how overpowered him before she notices the engine temperature gauge which would turn over if it could.

"Fuck! She immediately slows down and hastily pulls on the string dangling on the dashboard, which opens the hood a hoof-width apart.

"Sorry, sorry, it'll be fine, you'll make it, please hold on" Cinnamon caresses the steering wheel as she drives and with the fear of disaster in her eyes, she watches how the temperature is still held high in the red field.

A stone fall from her when after a few minutes of driving the engine temperature indicator returns to normal, which is currently still very high above the norm, but it has been normal for a long time.
She pulls over to the side of the road just to slam the hood and continues on toward Coltwill.

With the sound of the exhaust bubbling around and the mane blowing in the car because of the open window, she can see the houses in front of her along which the narrow road runs in an empty environment.
The joy of the city left her the moment she drove past the old weathered sign on a pole that leans to the side that says.

WELCOME TO COLTWILL

At the moment she is rather depressed, she is slowly driving through a road crossing a town in which there are ten houses and most of them are either abandoned or on the verge of falling down, there is not a single tree or old monument anywhere, all that is here is just dusty concrete and asphalt.

"That's SERIOUSLY cool, Smouky probably hasn't been here for a long time" She angrily looks around the abandoned city.

She parks next to a small shop, opens the hood and checks the condition, the coolant container is empty again.
With a nod that she expected it, she takes out a canister of water from the trunk, with which she fills the container, and when she returns to the trunk, she examines the rear wheel, which has almost no tread left.

"I'm so stupid, I let myself be provoked by some moron and I forgot that in a moment I won't have anything to drive on" She caresses and examines the tire, from which a steel belt peeks out in one place.

After checking both rear wheels, she moves to the back of the car which is without a scratch, thinks about it for a moment and then hits herself in the forehead.

"Oh yeah, I should think more about what's going on" She closes the trunk, on which there is an external spare wheel carrier, which covers the whole wheel with a metal cover, it is a little battered from impacts.

"A few dents where the paint is peeling off, it's easy to fix, it's strange how the red sun darkens my mind, as if..." She stops when she realizes that the sun is yellow.
She stares at the sun in disbelief, only to make sure five times that it is really yellow and not red like the last 3500km, she looks around the empty and dirty surroundings before her gaze stops at the old shop where she parked.

A small block-shaped house with a tiny five-car parking lot with grass growing through it, it looks like the best-preserved building in town.
She comes over and looks through the dirty windows to see what's inside, but unfortunately, even after wiping the dirt, it's impossible to see inside, she tries the door, but it's locked.
She takes out a wrench from the trunk and goes around the store to see if it has a back entrance, but this is perhaps the only building in the history that doesn't have a back entrance, and she just happened upon it.
She stands back in front of the front door, which is much cleaner than the rest of the building.
She doesn't think about it and looks inside at a completely empty shelf that seems to lead through the entire store.

"It looks empty, but it doesn't know that I won't find something good in the back warehouse" She says to herself out loud while evaluating where it would be best to break the glass.

After the last shard falls to the ground, she carefully crawls through the door and walks along the empty shelf.

"Fortunately, the other shelves are also empty, I was already worried that there might be something here" She angrily kicks the empty box on the floor.

She continues to the cash register, which is open and shows signs that someone was very interested in what was inside.

The back room where they apparently stored supplies is also completely empty.
In a combination of sadness and anger, she walks through the entire house again, finally collapsing back to the cash register where she is leaning against the counter.

"It's not possible, what am I going to do? She sees a few chocolate bars and the last sandwich she has in the car in front of her eyes.

When she calms down, she gets up and goes back to the car, irradiated by the Sun after the darkness in the house, she closes her eyes and doesn't notice the stone in front of her on which she trips and falls with hysterical laughter, raging at the bad luck that has accompanied her for too long, she rolls on the ground in anger.

Desperate, she gets into her car and drives past a few houses that are standing still.
When she arrives at a low-rise house that looks like it's going to collapse at any moment due to a fallen roof and no sign of plaster, she walks past it to a closed garage.
With fear, she takes hold of the peeling White Gate, which creaks open upwards.

She stands in shock, doesn't believe what she sees, bad luck again.
There is nothing in the garage but the car under the sunken roof, with broken windows, mold inside and a layer of rust from the outside that doesn't even show the original paint.
Carefully she crawls through the debris of the ceiling and walls to the back of the car where there might be something, it is the only place where the ceiling is not collapsed.

Bad luck again, there is nothing here, all that remains is to search the trunk.
When Cinnamon first looks at the trunk, it's clear that with her luck she won't be able to open it, after a moment of hesitation she relaxes and presses the car sign that should open the trunk, but it doesn't even move.

"Damn it, I'm tired of pretending to be surprised!!" She furiously repeatedly kicks the winged symbol on the trunk until all the anger is out of her.

"What's wrong with all this bad luck? I really don't like it anymore" She talks to herself while she brings a crowbar to the stuck trunk of the sedan, jams it under the back door of the trunk and leans on it with all her weight.

From the metal groaning creaking and screeching, the door of the trunk opens a little, with the hope that there might be something inside, she jumps up with her front legs and with all her strength falls back on the crowbar, which slams into the green trunk, which opens wide after a loud crack.
She immediately pokes her head in and I examine what's in there, but in the dark well-preserved trunk, there is not a speck.
The empty trunk makes Cinnamon feel like breaking something, so she kicks the side of the car with such force that the car sways.
Behind the creak of the car's corroded chassis, another sound is heard, as if there was a canister of water in the trunk, But she doesn't see one.
There could be a jerrycan on the back seats, but because of the sunken roof, on which there is a large stone, back seat is not visible.
As she looks at the back of the car from the side, something feels wrong, she looks in the trunk and then again at the side of the car.

"Oh yeah, you won't fool me you bastard" She rejoices after discovering that the back wall of the trunk is fake.

She enthusiastically takes out a wooden partition on which the same carpet as in the trunk is glued, behind which there is a crate and a tool box, which must be completely full because they are very heavy.

After a moment of panting from the effort of carrying it out through the Debris, she stares excitedly at the open crate, which took her breath away because it's full of spare car parts.
Despite the fact that some things do not fit the car or are unusable due to their age, she still has great joy, which was completed by a tool box full of wrenches, screwdrivers and ratchet nuts.

"Well, at least luck smiled on you" With a smile, she caresses the side of the car with the expired chocolate bar in her mouth.

She takes all the things out and lays them out in front of her so she knows exactly what she found and sorts it into her tool boxes.
She squeals with joy when she finds a three-pronged universal wrench for loosening oil filters, as she managed to lose hers a long time ago.

While the oil from the warm engine pours into the container under the car, as well as the water from the radiator, she prepares the last clean blankets, which she spreads on the back seat and puts a pillow on them.
When she can no longer hear the running water from the radiator, she tightens the drain valve and begins to disassemble the supply hose from the engine to the radiator, around which coolant has been leaking for a long time.

Thanks to the plumbing tape she found in the looted crate, she can finally fix it.
She wraps a few layers over the radiator inlet, which she claws back with a thick black hose, which she pulls down with an iron clamp.
It's already getting dark when oil is poured into the new filter, which is then installed in the car and after tightening the drain bolts, new oil is poured into the engine.

"Enjoy it" She says as she watches the engine oil light turn off.

She turns off the engine and sits down by the fireplace that she lit a moment ago, currently serving as the only source of light, with a view of the sea of ​​stars, which the tongues of flame from which red fireflies fly away, "I evaluate today as a success" She says calmly in the warmth of the fire.