Fallen Angel meets up with Firestorm. While they talk, they make a shocking discovery by chance.
Fallen Angel runs into Firestorm while she's on shift. While they converse, they suddenly hear something in a dark alley. Just by chance, they manage to stop a horrible crime from occurring, and Angel gets to meet an extraordinary pony, who proves to him that one bad pony isn't enough to ruin a kind personality.
The Prince's Tavern 5985 11th Street, Manehattan February 8th, 1011 A.B. 6:03 PM
"...And that's the last time I catch you here, understand?" Firestorm yelled.
The teen-aged filly sitting on the ground below her nodded, tears in her eyes. Firestorm and another officer had just caught her trying to get alcohol with a fake ID. Firestorm picked her up off the ground.
"You can't do stuff like this, Sunrise!" Firestorm continued, calming down. "You're lucky it was me that came here and not another officer, because you'd be on your way to a jail cell by now. Lucky for you, I'm not one of those officers that's unforgiving. But I'll tell you right now, if I get called out here, or another bar again, and it's you that got me called out, you're not going to be as lucky. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, ma'am," Sunrise sobbed, nodding her head.
"Alright," Firestorm sighed. "Silver, can you take her home, please?"
Firestorm turned Sunrise over to the other officer, Silver Shield, who took the cuffs off of her front hooves.
"Lead me home," he said to the filly, and she led him around the corner.
Firestorm turned around, keying her radio.
"72-Uniform to Dispatch," Firestorm stated, "call is Code 4, show me 10-8." She was letting dispatch know that the call was over, and she was back on patrol.
"10-4, 72-Uniform," Dispatch replied.
Firestorm walked east down 11th Street, contemplating the call she'd just been at. This was the 4th time this week, and the 2nd today, that she'd been called out to a liquor store or bar because an underage pony had been trying to buy alcohol. She knew the spike in underage drinking could be attributed to the attack on Manehattan just a few months ago. It was noticeable in adults, too. So many ponies had lost a family member or friend in the attack. Lots of them could only think of drinking their problems away.
Since the attack in October, the death toll had officially been counted as 1,768 ponies, a staggering amount. 8,316 more had been hospitalized or treated for some sort of related injury, and 13 ponies were still recorded as missing. Firestorm herself had lost her partner, Shiny Cloud, in the attack when the Crystaller Building collapsed. She visited his grave from time to time, just to make sure she didn't forget about him. The city of Manehattan never truly stopped moving, even when it was brought to its knees, so it was almost easy for the city as a whole to move on.
Lost in thought, Firestorm almost missed a familiar voice calling her name.
"Firestorm?"
She turned around to see Fallen Angel, one of the friends she'd made on the day of the attacks. Not only had he and his sister, Shining Star, delivered clean drinking water for the first responders, Angel had helped get a little filly away from the building after Firestorm carried her out. He had also gone back and rescued another mare from the rubble after the collapse. For a young stallion such as Angel, he'd already done a lot of good in the world.
"Hey, Angel!" Firestorm exclaimed, greeting him with a hoofbump. "What brings you to this side of town?"
"Oh, you know," Angel shrugged, "just exploring, seeing what's going on around the city. I'm guessing you're working?"
"Yep," Firestorm responded, "Just got off a call, actually. Is Shining Star with you?"
"Nah, just me," Angel answered. "Star and Crimson are out at the Mall of Manehattan, so I figured I'd wander around while I've got time to myself."
"That's cool," Firestorm stated as they started walking together. "Today's been insanely busy. I can't tell you how many times I've been called out because some filly tried to get alcohol!"
"You're joking!" Angel exclaimed.
"Not only that, but it's not the first time I've been to this exact store today!"
"That's crazy," said Angel. "Hey, is that a new uniform?" He pointed out Firestorm's navy blue uniform.
"Yep," Firestorm replied, "This is the spring uniform; long sleeves, but no overcoat. We have uniforms for every season. For some reason, though, they give us the spring uniforms in February, so we get to freeze our wings off all day."
"If you want, I can get you a spare jacket from the apartment," Angel suggested.
"Isn't your apartment on the complete other side of town?" Firestorm reminded him.
"Oh yeah," Angel responded with a chuckle. "Still, I'm sure it wouldn't take too much time."
"I think I'm good for now," Firestorm answered, "But thanks for the offer."
"No problem."
"Besides, it's 6 o'clock on a Friday. I think it would take at least an hour or two to get--"
A loud scream from the alleyway ahead of them suddenly interrupted Firestorm.
"Somepony help me!" the voice cried out.
Firestorm and Angel stopped in their tracks. Firestorm quickly moved her wing in front of Angel, signalling him to stay back. She drew her gun from its holster, and swiftly, but cautiously, moved towards the alley. Another scream, quickly muffled, confirmed their suspicions; somepony was in trouble.
Firestorm ran into the alleyway, gun pointed in front of her.
"MANEHATTAN POLICE!" Firestorm shouted with authority. No answer came. She crept down the alley, checking behind every box or corner she passed. Someone was down here, she knew that. But where?
Suddenly, a stallion burst out from behind the stack of boxes in front of her, knocking Firestorm to the ground. Firestorm keyed her panic button, quickly getting back up as the stallion grabbed her, and a grappling match ensued. This stallion, an earth pony, was bulky, almost pro-wrestler bulky. His jet black hair seemed to match perfectly with his ashen-gray coat, only intensifying his threatening look.
Firestorm tried to look around as she fought with who was now her primary suspect, trying to figure out where the voice calling for help was. But she couldn't see anything. She was moving too fast. She tried to break away from the stallion, but he quickly whipped her around, and Firestorm hit the brick wall of the building to her left back-first, her head ricocheting off of it as she fell to the ground with a thud.
All Firestorm could see was white. Her head suddenly pounded with pain as her vision slowly returned, and she saw the stallion make a break for it, knocking down a stack of crates as he fled from the alleyway. She wanted desperately to go after him, but all she could do was watch, concussed, as he galloped to the left, towards the bar where Firestorm's most recent call had ended.
And unfortunately for him, right into the path of Fallen Angel.
Angel quickly tripped up the stallion, who was sent sprawling face-first into the pole of a "No Carriage Parking" sign. He attempted to get up and flee again, but Angel tackled him this time, forcing him to the concrete sidewalk. Angel tried to keep him down, but the stallion was struggling, trying to wriggle free of Angel's grasp.
"Firestorm, I got him!" Angel yelled. But there was no answer.
"Firestorm!" he yelled again. Maybe she was helping whoever was still in the alley way. He knew she hadn't fired her gun, so the situation couldn't be that bad, right?
Angel was snapped out of his thoughts by a wild hoof to the face as the stallion got a leg free. Angel briefly staggered, but managed to keep himself upright as he felt the inside of his mouth start to bleed. The stallion tried forcing his way back up, nearly knocking Angel over, but Angel kept him wrapped up. Still, he felt his strength start to fade; he wasn't going to be able to keep him down forever. Where the hell was Firestorm?
Angel's internal prayers were answered, as another stallion came up from behind the suspect, tackling him back down to the ground. It was Silver Shield!
"I got him, I got him!" Silver yelled to Angel, who quickly let go of the stallion and backed off as Silver whipped out a pair of cuffs. As Silver got the stallion under control, Angel ran back into the alleyway to find Firestorm.
"Firestorm!" Angel yelled. Still no answer came. A lump started to form in Angel's throat. Surely Firestorm wasn't dead; he hadn't heard any gunshots go off. But whether she was badly hurt was a different story, and one where Angel hoped the answer was "no".
Finally, Angel saw Firestorm peek out from one of the stacks of boxes. He breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that his friend was okay. His relief quickly turned to concern, however, when he noticed she was struggling. One hoof rested on top of the boxes, and it was the only thing keeping Firestorm upright. She was noticeably staggering, and about to fall. Angel then saw the blood trickling down from a cut on her head; he knew instantly she was in trouble.
"Woah, Firestorm!" he yelled as he grabbed her around the torso. "Not so fast! Let's sit down now."
Angel eased Firestorm down to the ground, helping her rest against the same brick wall that had caused her injury.
"Manehattan Police!" echoed a loud voice behind him. He turned around to see another officer, gun drawn, stalking down the alleyway. The officer's thick, red beard matched the boxes in the alleyway.
"Over here!" Angel cried back, waving the officer over. The officer quickly rushed over, setting down next to Firestorm.
"You okay, Firestorm?" he asked as he retrieved a bandage from one of the many pockets of his utility belt.
"N-Noooo..." Firestorm groaned, reaching a hoof up to her head.
"No, don't do that, girly!" the officer ordered, grabbing her hoof and setting it back down on her side. Angel backed off, sitting down beside the stack of boxes behind him; as much as he seemed to save the day in this city, he knew when to let the professionals do their work.
However, as he watched the officer wrap the bandage around Firestorm's wound, going into the basic concussion protocol questions, Angel couldn't help but notice audible, but muffled sobbing coming from further down the alleyway. He quickly sprung up to his hooves; he'd forgotten about the mare in distress! He galloped around the stack of boxes, and found the cries to be coming from between two stacks of crates on his left.
On the ground below him lay a young white mare, admittedly one of the prettiest he'd seen in his life. Her long, curly violet hair was ruffled up; she'd obviously been in a struggle with the stallion they'd encountered. The mare dared not look up, rather covering her face with her forelegs, all the while sobbing inconsolably. This poor mare, Angel thought to himself. Manehattan's dark side had gotten the best of her.
"Hey!" Angel shouted, trying to get the mare's attention as he reached for her shoulder. "Are you okay, miss?"
The mare moved her foreleg to get a glimpse of the stallion that seemed to be her rescuer. But as she felt Angel's hoof on her shoulder, she quickly recoiled, trying in vain to shrink herself further into the space between the crates. Angel cursed at himself. Why would I do that? he thought. He started to look around, and spotted a bag lying in a puddle beside one of the crates. This bag looked very expensive, seemingly made of fine leather. In fact, Angel recalled seeing one just like it on display when he walked Crimson and Star to the shopping center. The one he'd seen was on sale for 1,000 bits! No wonder the stallion had chosen her as his target; anyone in Manehattan would be eyeing that bag!
Angel slowly crept towards it, trying a bit too hard not to startle the poor mare beside him, and picked it up out of the puddle. He quickly swept off any dirt lying on the bottom of it.
"I've got your bag," he told the mare.
She slowly looked up from her defensive position, eyes noticeably red and tear-stained.
"It's a little bit wet," Angel continued, giving the bag back to the mare, "but I'm sure that's no problem."
The mare reached a hoof out, grabbing the bag from Angel, and looked over it, seemingly making sure it hadn't been seriously damaged. Then she looked back up at Angel, starting to cry again. Only this time, they were tears of... thankfulness. Angel didn't have time to prepare himself before the mare quickly wrapped her forelegs around him in a tight embrace. He could feel her tears on his shoulder, but he didn't care. He returned the hug as he looked around. He'd just helped to save the day again!
Angel then noticed another officer checking out Firestorm, and decided to get their attention; after all, there was another pony in need of assistance.
"Hey!" Angel yelled, then whistled towards the officer, raising his hoof in the air. The officer quickly took notice, and rushed over, carrying a medical kit. Angel stepped back to let the professional take over again; he'd done everything he could. Everything he wanted to do. Now it was time to sit back and let the aftermath boil over, then decide what to do from there on out. One thing was for sure, however; Firestorm was going to need a hospital visit.
"Which hospital is she going to?" Angel asked one of the EMTs. Firestorm was showing symptoms of a concussion, and they were taking her to a hospital for further evaluation.
"Grand Garden!" the EMT replied, to which Angel nodded his head in thanks. He knew where he could find Firestorm once this was all over, and that's all he needed. He was about ready to go get Crimson & Star from the Mall of Manehattan. They were probably getting worried about him by now.
From what Angel had overheard, the mare's bag was stolen by the stallion, who then ran into the alleyway. The mare had tried to go after him, but he had easily overpowered her. Furthermore, a pocketknife had been found on him, meaning that if Firestorm and Angel hadn't been in the right place at the right time, who knew if anyone would have stopped it. Who knew if the mare would be alive. Thankfully, she was alive, thanks to the fearless officer and her friend that had saved the day. In fact, all she had were a few scrapes from the asphalt in the alleyway.
Angel was starting to walk away when he overheard the conversation between Silver Shield and the mare.
"Dear sir, I would think it would be obvious, but if I must make it clear: I am not comfortable walking home by myself! If this has already happened to me once, who knows if it'll happen again?"
Angel couldn't help but feel bad for the mare. First her purse got stolen, and she nearly got murdered in the process, and now she didn't even have anyone to walk her home! From what Angel had overheard earlier, she wasn't even a local; just on a business trip. Angel pondered whether it would be worth doing another good deed; Crimson and Star were still waiting for him. On the other hoof, this mare needed to get home safely.
Screw it, Angel thought. Crimson & Star can wait.
Angel promptly turned around and walked back up to the mare.
"I can walk you home, if you'd like," he offered.
The mare just looked at Angel with a confused expression.
"Darling," she said to him, "I appreciate the offer, but I barely even know you."
"Well," Angel replied, "in the - what is it, an hour?- that I've known you, I've helped save you from your attacker, and got your expensive purse back. If the cops themselves won't do it, I will."
The mare sat still for a moment, seemingly weighing her options. Then she turned back to Angel, the setting sun casting a glint of light over her bright blue eyes.
"As long as I'm not keeping you from anything," she answered.
"Not at all," Angel fibbed. "Even if it were, some things are more important."
The mare took a moment to thank the officers for their help. Angel did so as well; they had done a splendid job getting Firestorm some medical attention after she was injured. Finally, they turned back towards each other.
"Shall we get going?" the mare asked Angel.
"Lead the way!" Angel replied, waving his hoof towards their path. As they got going, the mare started to tell Angel the directions to her rental apartment on the northeast side of Manehattan. She was noticeably still on-edge, and Angel could tell every now and then she was still shaking from her traumatizing experience tonight.
"So my apartment is on 66th Street," she explained. "It's faster to take the subway from 10th to 72nd, but after all I've been through today, I'd rather stay on the surface streets, so I think it would be best if we stay on Park Avenue all the way up."
Angel realized that this mare lived a lot farther away than he thought. It would take him nearly 2 hours to walk that distance and ride the subway back to the mall! But then again, he'd already offered to help; leaving now would just make him look bad.
"Sounds good to me," Angel simply responded. Then he remembered something.
"I don't think we ever introduced ourselves?" he asked the mare.
"Oh," the mare replied. "Do forgive me. My name is Rarity."
"Rarity," Angel repeated to himself. "I like that name. It's nice to meet you Rarity. I'm Fallen Angel."
"The pleasure's mine, Fallen Angel," Rarity responded with a smile and a hoofshake.
The two walked along in silence for a few moments. Angel soon decided he didn't want to be awkward, and started to talk with Rarity to pass the time.
"So, what brings you to Manehattan?" he asked her.
"I'm a fashion designer," she told him, starting to calm herself down. "I run a boutique off of Bridleway, on 99th Street. It's near the Celestial Cathedral."
"Oh yeah," Angel replied, "I know where that is!"
"Anyways," Rarity continued as they reached Park Avenue, "My main store is in Ponyville, so I usually have another mare running the store here, Sassy Saddles. Wonderful mare! But she had to take this week off to go to her brother's wedding in Baltimare, so I came up to run the store for her. I also brought my younger sister, Sweetie Belle, with me, because she oh-so desperately wanted to see her friend Babs Seed."
"You're kidding!" Angel yelled. "I know Babs Seed personally!"
"Oh, really?" Rarity exclaimed.
"Yeah!" he confirmed, "She's friends with my sister!"
"Wow," Rarity said, half to herself. "Small world!"
"I know, right?"
"Do you know how Babs Seed is doing?" Rarity asked Angel. "I heard her sister was killed in the attack back in October."
"She's holding up pretty well," Angel assured her, "as far as I know at least."
"You said she's friends with your sister?" Rarity questioned.
"Yeah," Angel answered. "Her name is Shining Star. She's at the Mall of Manehattan now with my marefriend, Crimson Moon."
"Really?" Rarity exclaimed, briefly turning around to face Angel. "A stallion like yourself not spending time with your marefriend?"
"I dropped them off," Angel explained. "I just don't like spending time at the mall, that's all. Nothing that catches my interest. I'll go back and find them after I walk you home. Although I'll be cutting time close, since I want to visit Firestorm at Grand Garden tonight."
"Who's Firestorm?"
"The officer that got hurt helping you," Angel responded. "We've been friends since the attack, actually. I helped her get a little filly away from the building before it came down. I also found her ID on the street afterwards and returned it. It's also how I met Crimson; I was part of the rescue team that helped her to the hospital when she got trapped in the rubble."
"That's amazing!" Rarity yelled.
"It's nothing to me, really," Angel replied. "I just like to see a little good in the world. There's too many bad people that get the spotlight. I want to leave Equestria a better place than it was when I first got here, you know?"
"I feel the same way," Rarity agreed. "That's why I always leave a little room to be generous towards other ponies. Help somepony out when they're having a bad day. For example, you see that lovely mare sitting beside that building?"
Angel spotted the mare Rarity had pointed out, a younger, pretty-looking mare who didn't seem to be Equestrian. She was bundled up in what was either a sleeping Bag or a blanket; Angel couldn't tell which. What Angel could tell was that she was homeless.
"That," Rarity continued, "is Escanderya. She just moved here last year from Saddle Arabia. Last time I was here, this was a new part of town I'd never been to before. It was overwhelming, and I couldn't figure out where I needed to go. If it weren't for Escanderya, I never would've gotten to where I needed to be. Better yet, she walked along with me, just like you're doing now, to make sure nobody tried to rob me. Even in her troubling state, she still had the kindness to help a complete stranger."
Rarity then turned back to Angel, a gentle smile on her face.
"And now," Rarity added, pulling a hoof-full of bits out of her bag, "it's about time I return the favor."
Rarity quickly looked around, seemingly searching for something. What she was looking for, Angel didn't know. Then she turned back to him.
"Tell me, Angel," Rarity asked, "You seem to know Manehattan well. Do you know where the nearest hotel is?"
Angel took a moment to think, then replied confidently, "Yes, I do. The Everlong Hotel, on 14th Street, that way." He then pointed to his right, and Rarity quickly trotted to the street corner. Sure enough, there was a sign down 14th Street that said The Everlong.
"Impressive," Rarity remarked, handing the bits over to him. "Can you do me a favor and see how much a room costs for one night?"
Angel simply looked down at the bits this mare had just gave him. The fact that she already trusted him enough to handle her money was astounding enough, but furthermore, she was using it to buy a homeless mare a room at a luxury hotel for the night, just an hour after nearly being killed by a stranger herself? This mare is crazy, Angel thought; she knows too well I could just run off with it! Plus, there's no way she'd afford a room there!
Before he could protest, however, Rarity turned around and started crossing the street, leaving Angel to fulfill his task.
"I guess," he responded under his breath. He turned and walked down to the building. This hotel was a lot larger than many of the others on this side of town. It had to be 30, maybe even 40 stories up! As he moved towards it, he noticed a valet pony for parking any carriages. He decided to ask him.
"Excuse me," he beckoned, and the valet gave him his full attention.
"Do you know how much it costs for a night here?" he questioned.
"350 bits, good sir!" the valet answered.
"Thank you!" Angel expressed, and turned back to find Rarity. 250 bits! Angel believed he'd confirmed his theory; there was no way she'd afford that. And yet, as he returned to the street corner, he found Rarity leading the Arabian mare towards him.
"How much?" Rarity inquired. Angel feared what her reaction would be.
"350 bits," he replied anxiously.
"Really?" she exclaimed. "I thought it would be a lot more. That's nothing!"
Nothing?!? This mare had officially gone insane. 350 bits would get Angel a hoofball signed by Brett Furlong! Or better yet, a ticket behind the plate at a baseball game at Metro Stadium! What did she mean, nothing?
Despite his beliefs, Angel gave Rarity her bits back, and she led Escanderya with her. Angel still couldn't believe she was seriously going to pay 350 bits to house a homeless mare for one night!
Angel walked behind Rarity and Escanderya as they approached the same valet pony he had talked with. However, he noticed that the stallion was looking rather uncomfortable as they approached him, which hadn't been the case when Angel did. Angel suddenly got a gut feeling that something bad was about to happen.
"Hello there, good sir!" Rarity greeted the valet, "I'd like to book a room for tonight. I was told it would be 350 bits?"
"Yes..." the valet replied slowly. "For you, or for her?"
"Her, please," Rarity answered.
"Well, I'm sorry to inform you about this, madam," the valet suddenly responded coldly, "but as of October 2nd, we don't allow terrorists like her in our hotel."
Angel couldn't believe his ears. Did he seriously just call a homeless mare a terrorist?
"I beg your pardon, sir?" Rarity exclaimed, equally as shocked as Angel towards the valet's suddenly cruel words.
"It's not complicated, madam," the valet explained. "She's from Saddle Arabia, correct?"
"Yes," answered Escanderya.
"And, if you're smart enough to figure out who was behind the Crystaller Building attack, then I'm sure you can put two and two together as to why we don't serve Arabian ponies anymore."
All Angel could do was watch Rarity's anger grow. Here she was, trying to perform a random act of kindness towards a homeless mare who had helped her before, and she was being denied because she was Arabian? Rarity looked ready to beat this valet into a pulp, and as much as he'd like to see a peaceful ending, Angel didn't necessarily want to hold her back.
"Oh, for goodness sake!" he suddenly heard a voice behind the valet, who turned around to see one of his coworkers behind him.
"Spring, don't tell me you're going along with your Arabian pony shtick again!"
The second valet stalked over to the first, presumably Spring, looking even more angry than Rarity did. Spring did his best to shrink away from his coworker's glaring amber eyes.
"Why don't you make yourself useful, and go park that carriage over there?"
Spring quickly rushed away, and the second valet turned to Rarity.
"I deeply apologize, madam," he pleaded, "Everything Spring said is very much untrue. He's one of those radical kind of ponies that hates Arabians with a passion. How he hasn't lost his job, I have no idea. I'll be happy to help you with your belongings," he added to Escanderya, whose shopping bag of belongings he picked up.
"Are you staying here as well, madam?" he asked Rarity.
"No, sir," she replied, handing him a few bits. "Just paying for her."
Rarity turned around and handed Angel her bag.
"Can you watch this for me while I go inside?" she inquired.
Angel simply nodded, and watched as Rarity followed her friend inside. Angel was convinced there wasn't a thing in the world this mare wouldn't do. As much knowledge as he had gained about Manehattan in the past 4 months, she had just proven there was a lot more left for him to learn.
Rarity's Apartment 429 66th Street, #2-D, East Manehattan 8:12 PM
"There's no way," Angel exclaimed. "I mean, as much as I've seen today, you'd be a perfect fit for it, but you're actually..."
"I don't get why you're so surprised," Rarity said humbly. "Sure, I've saved the world more times than you can count, but it doesn't really mean much to me."
"I know," Angel responded as they reached Rarity's door. "Still, I'm in the presence of one of the freaking Bearers of the Elements of Harmony! And better yet, I helped save your life today! It's like... what are the chances?"
As Angel spoke, Rarity pulled her keys out from her bag, and unlocked the door to her apartment. She allowed Angel to go in first, then followed behind, shutting the door behind her.
"Sweetie Belle, I'm back!" she called out to a seemingly-empty apartment as she set her bag down on the table beside her. A mirror hung over it, and Rarity took a moment to look in it and fix her hair, ruffled from her tangle with the thief.
Angel looked back into the hallway and watched a young filly peek out from a door on the right side. She looked a lot like Rarity, but had lighter-colored, two-tone hair. If he hadn't known it was Rarity's sister, Angel would've thought she was her daughter.
"Rarity, thank Celestia!" Sweetie Belle yelled as she sprinted down the hallway. Rarity quickly wrapped her up in a tight embrace, and Angel couldn't help but smile at the sight.
"Where have you been?" Sweetie asked. "It's past 8 o'clock!"
"It's a very long, very complicated story," Rarity replied, "but I'm sure that Fallen Angel, here, would like to stay for dinner to help me tell it. Wouldn't you?"
"As much as I would," Angel answered, "I still have to get my sister and marefriend from the mall, and I'm already running late as it is. I can come back tomorrow, though, if you have time?"
"Sounds like a plan," Rarity responded. "Before you go, though, I should introduce you. Sweetie Belle, this is Fallen Angel." Rarity looked at him with a gleam in her eye. "If it weren't for him and his friend, I might not have made it home tonight."
"Cool to meet ya!" Sweetie Belle greeted him.
"Likewise," Angel retorted, reaching down to shake her hoof.
"Sweetie Belle, could you be a dear and turn on the radio for me?" Rarity asked.
"Sure thing!" she answered, already halfway to the radio. Angel could tell she had a lot of energy, just like he did when he was a young colt.
"I'm gonna get going," Angel announced as he headed out the door, "but it was very nice to meet the both of you. I'll see you tomorrow!"
"See ya!" Sweetie Belle shouted as the radio came to life:
"... 27-year-old Ransom Note is being held in Reins' Island Prison on charges of theft and battery, as well as a felony charge of assault on a police officer. At last notice, the injured officer, identified as 26-year-old Firestorm of East Manehattan, was in stable condition with non-life threatening injuries at Grand Garden Medical Center....
"I'm sure he'll be here any minute now," Shining Star reassured Crimson Moon. The two had been waiting outside the Mall of Manehattan for over 3 hours now, expecting Fallen Angel to pick them up at any moment.
"If he's not here in the next 5 minutes, I'm going home myself," Crimson announced. She sat herself back down on top of the concrete ledge that served as a passenger pick-up for carriages. She leaned down to look at her thigh, which was still healing from the injuries she had suffered in the attack on Manehattan just 4 months earlier. Although the pain had gone away, the scar would remain forever.
She looked back up to see a silhouette against the lights in the mall's lot. Shining Star took notice too, jumping up from her seat.
"Angel!" she yelled as she wrapped her brother up in a hug. Crimson kept in her seat, not nearly as excited, but very relieved to see her coltfriend was alive.
"About time you got here!" she playfully scolded him.
Angel cast his bright green eyes on his marefriend, smiling ear to ear. He seemed as relieved to see Crimson as well, which told her that something wasn't right.
"You will not believe the crap I've been through tonight," Angel started...
"IIIIIIITTTTT'S FIGHT NIGHT! Equestrian Wrestling Entertainment returns to Madisoat Square Garden on Sunday, February 24th! The main event: Cherry Blossom vs. Thunderlane in a Steel Cage Match for the World Heavyweight Championship!..."
Firestorm groaned as she tried in vain to turn the radio off. It would help if she'd actually look in it's direction, but if she sat up, she felt like throwing up. Even with the pain medication the nurse had given her, it still felt like her brain was going to blow right out of her skull. She'd never felt worse in her life.
Before she could reach the radio, she heard it suddenly shut off. She looked over to see Fallen Angel pulling up a chair to her bed.
"Mornin', sunshine!" he teased.
"Heyyyy," Firestorm greeted him. "It's the Angel of Darkness, or whatever the hell your name is."
Fallen Angel had been warned that she might be hopped-up on medication, so he fully expected her to act this way.
"Fallen Angel," he corrected.
"Right, sorry," Firestorm apologized, noticing Crimson Moon sitting down beside him. "Oh, and you brought Crimson with you too!"
"And Shining Star!" Star piped up from the other side of the room.
"Coooool," Firestorm slurred. "The gang's all here."
She giggled a bit, then added, "Sorry, I'm hopped-up on pain pills."
"I figured," Angel replied. "The nurse told us before we came in."
Firestorm, not listening, pointed both her forelegs in no particular direction and exclaimed, "Don't do drugs, kids!"
Fallen Angel shushed her, trying to help her remember she was in a hospital at 10 o'clock at night.
"It's not all fun and games," she added. "My head still hurts like hell."
"I bet," Crimson responded. "I hear you had a nasty spill."
"Yup," Firestorm answered. "Jackass slammed me against a wall and cracked my noggin."
Then she gasped, and turned to Fallen Angel.
"Is the mare okay?"
"Yep, she's all good," he replied. "Just a few cuts and bruises, and a partially soaked bag, but otherwise, she's A-OK."
"Good, good," Firestorm sighed. "That's all that matters. I'm sure you were more than helpful?"
"I might've tackled the guy into a sign," Angel admitted with a chuckle. "I think he used to be a wrestler, because I could barely keep him down. If it weren't for Silver Shield, I'd be dead meat!"
"Where's Blaze?" Shining Star asked.
"She was in here about half an hour ago," Firestorm answered.
"Wait," Fallen Angel exclaimed. "She?"
"Yeah," Firestorm clarified, "turns out she was a girl, just looked like a guy. Crazy, isn't it?"
Angel figured that this was her medicine talking, so he led her on.
"Yeah, I'd say so," he replied sarcastically.
"Sometimes," Firestorm said to nopony in particular, "abstinence is a bad thing." Then she chuckled to herself.
"Wouldn't that make an interesting song?" she asked, then started singing to herself. "I didn't know she was a girl..."
"Okay," Angel stopped her, "let's settle down."
He suddenly heard a knock at the door, and looked up to see Rarity in the doorway.
"Hi there," she greeted everyone.
"What are you doing here?" Angel asked.
"I wanted to come by and see how one of my heroes was doing," she answered with a smile.
Firestorm slowly lifted her head up to see who was there.
"Who the fffff-fudge are you?" Firestorm yelled, censoring herself.
"Oh, good grief," Angel said to himself, covering his face with his hooves. In reality, he was trying to hide his smile, and barely holding back a laugh.
"My name is Rarity," Rarity introduced herself, smile only wider from Firestorm's comment. "You helped save my life tonight."
She offered a hoofshake, but Firestorm merely waved her hoof around, trying what looked in her mind to be a stylish hoofbump.
"I'm Firestorm," she announced. "It's a pleasure to meet you. And good to see you're okay."
"Same to you," Rarity replied. "More or less."
"Rarity?" came a voice from the hallway, and Fallen Angel watched Sweetie Belle poke her head through the door.
"Oh, there you are!" she exclaimed, entering the room.
"Hey Angel," she added with an upwards nod, to which Angel simply waved in greeting. "Who's the mare?"
"Crimson," Crimson answered for him, "Crimson Moon. And you are?"
"I'm Sweetie Belle," she responded, "I'm Rarity's sister."
"That's cool," Shining Star said. "Were you with her when Angel and Firestorm saved her?"
"No, but I got to hear the story," she replied, "and boy, was it a good one!"
Angel watched as Rarity pulled something out of her bag, the same one Firestorm had helped get back.
"I wanted to get you something as a token of my appreciation," Rarity replied. "I can't thank you enough for helping me."
Angel's mouth dropped as Firestorm held up a Heizenberg watch. Those things were worth at least 300 bits, if not more! How much money did this mare exactly have?
"Woah," Firestorm breathed, looking at the face of the watch. "This is a Heizenberg! Aren't these things really expensive?"
"A little," Rarity confirmed, "but I figured it would make a good gift. After all, now you can tell what time it is when you're on shift!"
"Yeah," she said, "but you really didn't have to buy me this."
"Nonsense," Rarity exclaimed, "It really means nothing to me. I wanted to get the best I could, no matter what the cost!"
Firestorm took a few moments to admire the watch, before finally saying, "Thank you. That means a lot."
"You're very welcome," Rarity responded. "Now, it's getting late, so I think Sweetie Belle and I should be getting back home."
"Same here," Angel seconded. "When are you getting out of here, Firestorm?"
"Tomorrow morning," she answered. "Although I'll be lucky if I don't puke on the way out," she added with a chuckle.
"Alrighty then," Angel said, "I'll see you later, Firestorm."
"See ya," she repeated, and the others took a moment to say their goodbyes before, one by one, they filed out of the room.
As they left, Sweetie Belle turned to Shining Star.
"So I hear you're friends with Babs Seed," she stated.
"Oh, you know her?" Star asked.
"My best friend back home is her cousin, so she visits from time to time," Sweetie explained. "I was wondering if you could take me to her place at some point. I'd think she'd be happy to see a friend."
"Sure," Star replied. "How long are you staying?"
"'Til Thursday," she answered.
"How about Sunday?" Star inquired. "I'm off of work that day."
"Sounds like a plan," Sweetie responded, turning to her sister. "You wouldn't mind, would you?"
"Not at all," Rarity replied, "as long as you stay safe."
"Sweet!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. "See you then!" She then darted off towards the elevator.
Rarity took a moment to turn around and give Angel a hug.
"Thank you," Rarity told him, "for everything you did today. I don't think there's a better stallion in Manehattan than you."
"It's nothing," Angel replied with a grin. Rarity chuckled, then turned away.
"I should probably catch up to her," she stated. "I'll see you around!"
"Bye," Angel waved. And with that, the pretty mare from out of town took off in pursuit of her sister.
Crimson Moon's Apartment Lower Manehattan 12:53 AM
A cool breeze blew through the air as Fallen Angel looked out on the balcony. The skyline of Manehattan always looked beautiful at night. Although it's biggest tower, the Crystaller Building, had gone months ago, the city still had a unique look that one could only find again if they looked really hard, in the deepest corners of the world. And in a city he had grown to love, tonight Angel could stand with pride, as he had helped save the day yet again.
Behind him, he felt a presence, and turned to find Crimson Moon behind him.
"Why are you still out here?" Crimson asked. "It's nearly 1 o'clock!"
"I know," Angel replied, "I'm sorry. Sometimes, when I look out at the city, I get mesmerized by it, and before I know it, it's 3 in the morning and I'm still out here."
Crimson giggled in response.
"I can't blame you," she sighed. "I was like that when I first came here. Everything was so unfamiliar, and I was taken away by everything. I still am, sometimes, when I sit out here by myself."
Crimson sat for a moment in silence, looking out at the city just as Angel had been.
"Hey, Angel," Crimson started, "You know that wrestling show that's happening in a few weeks?"
"Yeah," Angel answered. "What about it?"
"I was wondering if you were wanting to go," Crimson offered, "I'd be more than happy to go with you."
"Seriously?" Angel asked, surprised. "The mare who has never said a good word about wrestling in her life wants to take me to a show?"
"First of all," Crimson argued, "The only reason I've never said a good word about it is because I never say anything about it."
This earned a grin from Fallen Angel.
"Good point," he reasoned.
"Second," Crimson continued, "Shining Star's told me how much of a fan you are. I was wondering if you could, for lack of a better term, show me the ropes a bit. Teach me everything there is to know."
Angel pushed himself away from the rail and wrapped his marefriend up in a tight embrace.
"If you're absolutely willing to go, I'd be more than happy to take you," he finally answered.
"Sounds good," Crimson replied with a smile. "And for the record, it's me taking you."
"If that's how you want to see it," he joked. "Let's get some sleep, shall we?"
Angel followed Crimson to the door, then turned around and quietly shut it behind him, leaving Manehattan's beauty to be viewed from the eye of another beholder.