The Day Everything Changed

Chapters

Chapter 2: On The Ground
Chapter 3: Helpless
Chapter 4: All Hands!
Chapter 5: A City On Edge
Chapter 6: A Hard Lesson to Learn
Chapter 7: Heroism in the Making
Chapter 8: Breaking News
Chapter 9: Making Progress
Chapter 10: Lockdown
Chapter 11: The Paths Cross Again...
Chapter 12: The Collapse
Chapter 13: Search & Rescue
Chapter 14: The Hardest Part
Chapter 15: Aftermath
Epilogue
Chapter 1: A Normal Day...

Chapter 2: On The Ground

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 3: Helpless

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10:00 AM

Crimson Moon could finally see the tower through the gaps of the other buildings around her. The cloud of smoke was now drifting over her, but she could feel the wind changing directions, so there was a chance that the smoke would start to head west instead of north. She turned a corner, and found herself staring right up at the hole from the blast. She found her way through a crowd of ponies on a street corner, then turned her camera on. As she started to film again, she pointed it towards an oncoming fire engine, pulled by a group of firefighters. A big white 14 was displayed on the side, on the door of one of the hose storage spaces. The firefighters turned down a side street and stopped just past the corner, where they unlatched themselves, and began to put on their gear. No room for one more at the base? Crimson thought.

As she turned her camera back towards the burning tower, she could hear chatter from the ponies around her:

"I heard that it was a bomb, but nobody's saying anything."

"It had to have been a bomb! Look at how big the hole is!"

"Can you imagine the ponies that are up there? They must be going crazy right now!"

"I know I'd be trying to find a way out of there!"

Crimson crossed the side street to find a better view for her camera. As she passed the firefighters, a voice on one's radio crackled, "Dispatch to Squad 17, we have 100 civilians trapped on the 70th floor. They reportedly have a lot of smoke coming in through the doors. They want to know if they should evacuate or stay put."

Another voice chimed in, "Tell them to stay put. We're coming up on the 2nd floor, and there's already smoke in the hallway."

"They're doing the best they can," Dispatch replied, "but they're starting to break windows with chairs up there."

"That's alright," the 2nd voice, presumably the leader of Squad 17, responded. "Breaking the windows helps to let the smoke out of the building. Tell them to stay back from the windows though. We don't want any of them falling."

Crimson had to walk away. She couldn't bear listening to the radio. She knew that the ponies up there were going to do anything they could to get out of there. For pegasi, it was easy; they could just fly away. Crimson had even seen a couple doing so. However, unicorns & earth ponies couldn't fly. They pretty much had 2 choices; stay in the building, and risk burning to death or choking on the smoke, or jump from the building, and almost certainly die, granted that nopony rescued them in midair. And Crimson had yet to see that happen.

Crimson ran down the side street, and turned another corner. From this viewpoint, she could only see the Brass Head on top, and barely at that. So much smoke was coming out of the building, that the Head was almost completely shrouded. Crimson watched a pair of teenagers running towards the building in front of her. They seemed to know where they were going, so she decided to follow them.

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10:04 AM

Shining Star and Fallen Angel were so close to the building that they could smell the smoke coming out, even though they were still several blocks away. They stopped on a corner to let a medical carriage pass, then crossed the street.

"One more block, and we'll stop there," Angel said to Star. They were getting really close to Bridleway, which would be filled with onlookers. However, that street led straight to the building, which meant they'd be able to get as close to it as they could before the police blockade stopped them.

As they reached the corner, a group of ponies ran past them, one screaming, another with tears falling down their face.

"Why are they running away?" Star asked Angel.

"Gee, I don't know," he replied sarcastically. "Maybe they'd rather be safe than sorry?" Behind them, a dark red unicorn began to film on her camera. Angel took notice, and whispered to Star, "You see that? When those become more affordable, that's all anyone will do."

"I'm not so sure of--" she started to reply, but was cut off by several ponies screaming.

"Look!" Angel yelled. "Someone's falling!"

Sure enough, as Star looked up, she could see the silhouette of a pony falling from the tower. The shadow disappeared behind another building, but an audible BANG could be heard. Star could only turn away, as Angel shook his head in disbelief. The unicorn with the camera ran past them to the sidewalk ahead, and sat down on the pavement, pointing her camera upwards at the building. Angel tried to follow her, but was stopped by a police officer.

"Sir, I can't let you past here," the officer told him sternly.

"What about her?" Angel yelled, pointing at the mare with the camera.

"I'll deal with her, but you need to get back first."

Angel complied, frustrated, as he stepped away from the orange pegasus, who then turned around and started to march over to the mare. Before the officer reached her, however, another pony cried out, "Look! Another pony's falling!"

The officer looked up as another silhouette appeared. As Angel & Star watched in surprise, the officer spread her wings and took off towards it!

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10:13 AM

Firestorm was positioned on one of the busiest streets in Southern Manehattan. Crowd control on this, out of all the streets, was going to be really tough. Luckily, Shiny Cloud, her partner and best friend in the force, was right next to her, so her anxiety wasn't as bad as it could be. Even so, it was the most stress she'd ever been under in her life; the most notable building in Manehattan had exploded, and was going up in flames before her very eyes. She didn't stare at the building most of the time; just an occasional glance upwards and behind her. She had to focus on the street, where more and more ponies were starting to gather.

Soon enough, however, she had to break her almost statue-like stance when a group of adolescents crossed her path. The first, a red unicorn, sat down on the sidewalk behind her, filming with one of those new cameras. The other two didn't seem to have a set destination, however, so she moved towards the stallion.

"Sir, I can't let you past here," she said assertively. She wasn't going to let anyone get to the building except for emergency personnel.

"What about her?" the stallion yelled back, pointing at the unicorn on the pavement.

"I'll deal with her, but you need to get back first." Great. Now she had to get rid of the mare, too.

As the stallion stepped away, Firestorm turned around and started trotting over to the unicorn. As she did, however, she heard screams from the crowd behind her. "Look!" A mare cried out, "Another pony's falling!"

The officer looked up as a silhouette appeared against the glass of the building. She had heard the screams of the crowd many times already, as it seemed one pony after another had jumped from the building to escape the flames. She knew their choice was tough, but she couldn't stand working crowd control, while seemingly nopony tried to save the free-fallers. Lucky for her, she was a pegasus, who had done competitive flying before her career as an officer began. And this time, enough was enough.

Firestorm spread her wings, leaped up, and took off towards the building. From her judgement, she had barely enough of a window to get to the falling pony before time ran out. She was flying as fast as she could, but she still wasn't sure it would be enough.

It was more than enough. She met the pony about 15 stories up. She wrapped her forelegs around their torso and shot upwards to avoid slamming headlong into a glass window. Gotcha! she thought. Now to find somewhere to safely land. Firestorm gazed over the many possibilities. She wanted to be far away from the danger, but not too far from where she was supposed to be positioned. She spotted a clear space on the street, not even a block from her crowd control spot. Perfect.

She slowed to a glide, and started her descent to the sidewalk below. She made sure to land as soft as possible -- no point to risk injury to either her or her passenger -- and set the pony, a young, cream-colored unicorn mare with a yellow-shaded mane & tail, down onto the pavement beside her.

"Are you alright?" Firestorm asked her.

"I'm fine," the mare replied, keeping her forelegs wrapped around Firestorm in a thankful embrace. It seemed she didn't exactly want to let go, and Firestorm couldn't blame her. "Thank you so much!"

Firestorm could hear the crowd behind her, cheering and whistling. However, the first pony she saw when she looked back was Shiny Cloud-- and he didn't seem to be as happy as the crowd was.

"What the hell was that, Firestorm!?" he almost screamed at her. "You could've seriously hurt yourself!"

"Hey, I knew the risk," Firestorm said calmly, hoping it would soothe her partner. "I saw a chance and I took it!"

"You're supposed to be on crowd control, not a rescue mission! Get back to your position, NOW!" Cloud yelled, giving Firestorm a shove.

"Hey!" the mare called from behind Cloud. "If it weren't for her, I'd be dead right now; the least you could do is give her credit for it!"

Shiny Cloud flashed a death glare at the mare, some of his anger still burning in his eyes, but Firestorm could tell he was considering her words carefully. They both knew that Cloud could go off on Firestorm if she even attempted to do something dangerous. He liked to look out for his new partner, but sometimes in his frightened anger, he'd get a bit too carried away with his emotions. Firestorm hoped that he wouldn't say anything hurtful to the mare, either.

Unfortunately, his response would have to wait. A large BOOM echoed through the sky, followed by the crowd on the corner screaming, several taking off down the street. As Cloud sprinted down to the corner, Firestorm took a faster route, flying up to the roof of the building behind her. As she reached the top, her eyes went wide, and she gasped, both front hooves covering her muzzle. She was face to face with the most horrifying sight that she had ever seen in her life.

Another fireball was erupting from the building, debris raining down on the streets below.

Chapter 4: All Hands!

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10:18 AM

As the officer flew away from her, Crimson Moon took a daring chance. She fled down an alleyway, and found herself going around the buildings across from the Crystaller Building itself. Fallen Angel and Shining Star followed after her, wanting to see where she was going. Further they went, turning onto another street, before Crimson stopped outside a cafe, on the corner outside of the building.

She sat down on the sidewalk like her other spot, making sure she was plenty far back from the police line before filming the burning tower, as Angel & Star sat down at a table on the patio. As others around her reacted to the scene, Crimson took to filming one stallion, leaning on the back of a parked carriage, listening to radio reports. As he looked down and saw her, he asked her, "Can you believe this? I bet this was on purpose, ya know?"

He looked back up at the tower to see a piece of paper fall to the ground beside him. "I honestly hope it wasn't," he continued, "because that means that anywhere could be next. Baltimare, Canterlot, Fillydelphia... Hey, Know How!" he called to a white unicorn mare with green, wavy hair, standing at the door to the cafe. "Doesn't that one Ponyville town have a princess now?"

"Yeah," said Know How, "that Twilight mare. Princess of Friendship, whatever the hell that means."

"That could be a target, too," the stallion turned back to Crimson. "That one would really rile 'em up, ya know? I'm talking war almost guaranteed."

Crimson didn't want to respond. His rant could go on forever for all she cared. Lucky for her, the stallion stopped there, and continued to stare up at the tower. Crimson, meanwhile, was starting to think that this could probably go on for a while. She wondered if she'd be able to sit for so long, let alone if her camera had enough film. Unfortunately for her, her question was answered very quickly.

Crimson watched in horror as a fireball suddenly erupted out of the building, just a few floors below where the original blast was, followed by a huge BOOM as the sound echoed across Manehattan. The stallion beside her jumped back, as several others around them screamed in terror. Crimson then saw debris raining down; not just paper, but metal bars and glass as well. She knew she had to run.

Crimson jumped up with a start, and sprinted around the corner, ducking behind another parked carriage as the debris fell to the ground. Crimson saw a metal fragment slam the pavement, right where she had been sitting. If she had still been sitting there, she could've been seriously injured, if not killed. Thank Celestia, she thought as she pointed her camera back up at what should've been a clear view of the tower, but was now shrouded by paper and pieces of the building. Meanwhile, Star & Angel ran inside the cafe, hoping not to be hit by anything. All Angel could do was hug Star to console her, as she buried her face into his chest, sobbing uncontrollably.

"BLUEBERRY!" Know How screamed. Crimson watched as the stallion, presumably Blueberry, just barely got out of the way of another metal fragment.

"I'm all good!" he yelled back at Know How. "We gotta get outta here!"

Crimson turned around and filmed the two of them galloping down the street, several other ponies around them. She ran to the cafe window and set her camera down, then leaned her back against the wall, holding her head in her hooves. This isn't real, she thought. This CAN'T be real! She took a minute to regroup her emotions and console herself, then picked the camera back up and started filming people inside the store next door to the cafe; one mare wept into her forelegs, while a stallion beside her tried to comfort her. Many others inside reacted with shock and disbelief, unable to process what had just occurred.

As she turned to go inside, a police officer got to the store's door before she did, and opened it wide.

"Everypony out, now!" he yelled, waving his hoof back and forth. Most left in a sprint, but a few trotted away in an orderly fashion. Crimson watched as another officer, the orange pegasus from earlier, flew down from the sky and began to clear out the cafe. Star and Angel were two of the last ponies out, fleeing into a fire station down the street, where several other ponies cowered in fear.

Crimson decided that now was her chance to get even closer to the tower than before. She turned the corner and hid behind a parked carriage to film the tower, now with 2 rings of smoke & fire around the outside. Firestorm sat down at the front of the carriage, her radio blaring with several voices at once.

"17-LIMA TO DISPATCH!" one voice yelled. "We've just had another blast on about the 65th floor! Transmitting 5th alarm at this time for Fire & Rescue!"

A few moments later, another voice chimed in, saying the two words Firestorm had hoped she'd never hear in her career: "ALL HANDS! ALL HANDS! All off-duty police officers & firefighters are to be recalled at this time! Please respond to the command post at 618 Bridleway Street...."

Chapter 5: A City On Edge

Author's Note

No Crimson POV for this one, she'll be back though!

Chapter 5: A City On Edge

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10:24 AM

Fallen Angel and Shining Star had left the firehouse and started running away. For how long, Star wasn't sure. She just knew she had to get out of there. After a while, Angel stopped to sit down at a bench, Star doing the same after noticing.

"How far do you think we ran?" Angel asked Star. "A half mile?"

From where they were now, they couldn't see the tower. Only the smoke, now with an extra ball from the 2nd explosion, was visible. Star was visibly shaking, while Angel was lost in a daze.

"Mommy!" a young colt cried to his mother beside him, tears flowing down his face. "Is the fire coming to us?"

"No, sweetie," she replied, an obvious aura of fright in her voice, "just go back up to your father. Everything's fine."

The colt did as he was told, climbing a staircase up to a door, and going inside.

"Did you two see it?" the mare asked Angel.

"Yes, ma'am," Star replied for him. "It was right in the middle of the tower."

The mare shook her head in disbelief. "I don't understand how they're going to help the ponies up there!"

Angel had the same concern. All at the same time, emergency personnel had to climb at least 60 flights of stairs, rescue people from the building, and fight a fire that was quickly burning out of control. He knew there had to be a way for him to help.

"Let's go," he said to Star as he got up from the bench. "We have to go back."

Star looked at him in as much disbelief as the mare. "Are you insane?" she cried. "You just saw what happened, right? You don't know how many times that thing could blow. For all we know, that tower could even come down at any moment!"

"I saw what happened, Star," he replied back, "but at the same time, I have the feeling that the ponies out there need all the help they can get. You can either come with me, or sit here and hope that I'm not dead. Either way, I'm going back."

Star pondered for a moment, then finally said, "Fine," and got up. Angel gave her a hug, told her, "I love you", then began to run back towards the tower. Star reluctantly followed behind, wondering if the day could get any worse, and hoping not to know the answer soon.

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10:29 AM

Firestorm was in the restroom of the cafe, weeping harder than she ever had in her life. She didn't even need to use it. She just needed time to herself. The stress was building up inside of her, and she was hoping the situation wasn't going to get any worse. The All Hands call that she had dreaded since joining the Manehattan Police Department had just gone out over the radio. Now, almost 2,000 ponies would be suiting up in their police uniforms and fire suits and heading to the scene of what was probably the worst tragedy in Equestrian history by now. How many of them would make it back, including herself, was a question to which Firestorm didn't know, and didn't want to know the answer.

After a few minutes, she stood back up and walked out of the cafe, staring up at the burning tower. Shiny Cloud was standing beside the door, waiting on his friend & partner.

"You OK?" he asked her. "You look like you've been crying."

As Firestorm nodded, Shiny Cloud gave her a hug. As he pulled away, he told her, "I know it's bad right now, but we've got to focus on getting our job done."

Firestorm turned away, and started to walk back to her position on crowd control.

"Where ya going, Stormy?" Cloud called to her. She turned around and saw the pegasus pointing up at the building.

"I think the rescues are that way!"

Firestorm just stared at him, both shocked, and confused. He didn't mean... did he?

"While you were in there, a radio call went out," Cloud explained. "All pegasi officers have a new assignment. We've got to go up there and make as many rescues as we can. Right now, we can only take the floors with no fire, while we wait for the fires to get put out."

"Better than nothing!" Firestorm exclaimed, already on her way up. Not only was her day getting more exciting, she was going to save more lives in the process!

Cloud followed her up, and flew up beside her. "You take the roof!" he yelled to her. "I'll start in between the blast zones and work my way up!"

"Got it!" Firestorm yelled back. Cloud stopped about 70 stories up, and started looking for a broken window. Firestorm, meanwhile, put on a mask to block the smoke and flew straight to the roof, where the Brass Head was barely visible, sticking out over the top. At a corner of the roof, where almost no smoke was passing over, several ponies were at the edge, trying to get clear air. Firestorm landed behind them and pulled her mask off of her mouth.

"Hey!" she called out to them as they turned around. "Who's first?"

Chapter 6: A Hard Lesson to Learn

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 7: Heroism in the Making

Author's Note

No Crimson again, she'll be back soon!

Chapter 7: Heroism in the Making

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10:55 AM

Fallen Angel & Shining Star were on their way back to the scene, Angel carrying a case full of water. They had been forced to go all the way past Bridleway Square to find a shop still open, but luckily, they had more than enough. Now only a few blocks away, they had been able to give a few bottles to anyone who needed them. Their main focus, however, was the emergency workers at the scene.

As they galloped towards the burning tower, they passed a street closed off with caution tape. Angel looked down the street, and could easily see why. An unfortunate pony had been hit by a metal fragment from the debris, and although they seemed to be alive, looked badly injured. Angel looked to Star and shrugged.

"Maybe those guys need some water?" he suggested to her.

"Hey!" Star called out without any hesitation, "Do you guys need a drink?"

"I'll take one!" came a reply as a firefighter trotted up to them. Angel handed him a bottle, and the stallion took a drink from it.

"You guys staying safe?" he asked the pair.

"So far, yeah," Angel replied. "We were told to give clean water to emergency guys, though, so we may have to get a little too close for comfort to the building."

"That's alright," the firefighter responded. "As long as it's for a good cause. Just try to stay out of danger, 'kay?"

The firefighter turned and started to trot back to the others. "You're good kids! We need more ponies like you in the world!"

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11:00 AM

Shiny Cloud climbed through the window he had just busted out, trying to find his way through the debris. He and Firestorm had just seen a hoof go up, and he was now on yet another rescue operation. He weaved his way around one desk after another, trying to find the pony.

"Hello?" he called out. "Can you hear me?"

A voice to his left replied, "Over here!"

He turned to see a young mare, buried under a pile of chairs, a desk, and what he thought was caved-in ceiling. He rushed over, and started pulling the debris off of her.

"Firestorm!" he called out to his partner. "I need some help over here!"

Without a moment of hesitation, Firestorm flew in and started to help him. Soon, the mare was free, & Cloud started to look over her, trying to make out how badly hurt she was. Luckily for her, it looked like only her front left hoof was burned; other than that, only a few cuts and bruises. Even still, the burn definitely needed medical attention. Firestorm helped the mare up, gingerly touching the burned hoof to keep her in as little discomfort as possible. Shiny Cloud grabbed her other side, and the two carried her down from the tower.

"There's a medical post on the southwest side of the building," Cloud told Firestorm. "We can get her some help there."

It didn't take long for Firestorm to spot the medical post. However, there were already quite a few ponies out there. It could be a while before this mare got the care she needed. On the other hoof, there weren't many other options around. All the hospitals were either too far away, or probably filling up with patients fast.

Cloud & Firestorm set the mare down softly, and Cloud called an EMT over to take a look. Once the EMT got to work, Cloud turned to Firestorm with a smile. "Let's get back up there, shall we?" he asked.

"You can go on ahead," Firestorm told him, "I'm gonna get some water."

"Alright," he responded, "but don't be gone too long Stormy!"

With that, Cloud took off back towards the burning tower, looking to find more ponies in need. Firestorm, meanwhile, started looking for a place to get a drink. Emergency carriages were swarming all around her. Many police officers were on the ground, either organizing crowd control, or a game plan for the trip inside the tower. A pair of officers in front of her were unloading equipment from their carriage. Firestorm trotted past them and started to head towards the command post. Surely she'd find a drink there.

A large crowd of ponies ran past her as she walked, escorted by a few officers and firefighters. These must be people who worked in there, she thought. Meanwhile, her radio, which hadn't gone silent at all today, was still blaring out directions for other officers. Luckily, it told her where a closer command post was, just a block to her left. She turned down West 6th Street, and soon found the command post, inside an insurance building. She breathed a sigh of relief once she walked into the air conditioning. The summer heat had been starting to get to her, let alone the heat from the smoke & fire. The terrifying scene outside could wait a few moments. She was going to take a well-deserved break.

Chapter 8: Breaking News

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11:00 AM

Crimson Moon continued to watch the burning Crystaller Building as she filmed the people reacting around her. She'd lost track of where she was, but she felt miles away. In reality, she was standing on a corner about a half-furlong from the tower, but the buildings in Manehattan had a reputation of distance illusion; that is, they made short distances seem further than they really were.

"My company occupies all the floors that got hit in the first blast," one stallion had told her. "I haven't been able to get through, but I was only there six months ago. My office is now up in Manefair."

"What company?" Crimson asked him.

"Almacs Solutions, Inc." he replied. "They're on floors 78-82."

Crimson heard another stallion cry out as he ran up the street, "We've got to get out of here!"

The other stallion seemed to heed his advice, turning around and trotting away, albeit calmly.

Crimson turned back to see a mare backing away from the scene in tears, staring up at the tower in disbelief.

"I can't believe this happened again!" she exclaimed. "I'm so devastated!"

Crimson put down her camera, still filming, and gave the mare a hug, letting her sob into her shoulder.

"I have a lot of friends that work in there," the mare told her as she turned away. "I really hope they're okay!"

"I hope so, too," Crimson called after her. "Stay safe, OK?"

For now, all Crimson could do was follow her own advice. This situation was getting out of control, and she was starting to wonder if that tower was going to hold.

"I don't think there's any way you'd be able to get those fires out," one stallion told another. "Even if they get the lower fire out, how are you going to get to the higher one?"

"Exactly," the other replied. "What can you do, you know?"

"Did both of them go off at the same time?" a mare asked one of the stallions.

"No, the higher one went off first," he answered. "The lower one just went off about an hour ago."

"Whoever put the bomb there is smart," the mare commented. "Nopony would expect it early in the morning. Late enough that everypony is at work, but early enough that they would've had to put it there last night. Really smart."

Crimson thought this mare was crazy. For one, the bomb story hadn't even been confirmed yet, and if it were a bomb, this mare was starting to sound like she was the one who made it.

"This is a strange world," another mare exclaimed, "where ponies will attack other ponies for no reason other than their differences."

Crimson knew that was a cold, hard fact. Many of the attacks these days were from differences in viewpoints. A few weeks ago, she'd even heard on the radio's news report of a unicorn murdering an earth pony in Bronclyn, just because they were different races! The world around her was getting scarier, and this attack was just another snowball in the avalanche.

A stallion was starting to freak out behind Crimson, so she turned around, but didn't focus the camera on him. She'd learned with her camera that some ponies didn't like being filmed, all for their own reasons. One had even nearly smashed her camera on the pavement a few months ago, just because he happened to walk in front of the shot she had of the Bronclyn Bridge. That just added to her scary world theory.

"Do you know how many people are dead?" The stallion yelled at who Crimson believed was his friend. "Do you know how many fucking ponies are dead?!?"

Crimson winced in response to the stallion's language. Surprisingly, he was one of the first ponies out of all that she'd filmed today to swear. Most of the time, you couldn't even go 2 blocks without hearing swear words left and right.

She decided to walk away, so that his expletive-filled freak-out wouldn't take up her film. She found a spot where a group of ponies were listening to a radio report.

"...given the large scale of this tragedy," a newscaster stated, "one has to wonder how the fire department is going to deal with both of those fires in such a confined space--"

"Sorry to interrupt, Script," another stopped him, "but we just got a new report in. It is an official statement from the Manehattan Police Department..."

The stallions around Crimson told everypony to quiet down, as the news reporter gave the statement that Crimson had dreaded to hear, but everyone basically knew:

"The Manehattan Police have just confirmed to local news stations, that the first blast from today's tragedy... is believed to be from a bomb or other explosive device...."

Several ponies gasped in horror around Crimson as the reporter went on. "They have not confirmed what the 2nd blast was. They say it is still being determined, but I will repeat: The Manehattan Police have confirmed that the first blast was caused by an explosive device...."

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11:14 AM

Firestorm stepped back outside from the command post and was almost immediately met by a sergeant.

"Firestorm!" he yelled over the noise, "I need you to clear out the roof of a building 3 blocks north of here. There are a lot of ponies up there, and they're in danger if this building comes down!" He pointed out the location of the building on his map. It was the 16-story Foal Seasons Hotel, one of the premier hotels in Manehattan.

"I'm on it!" she replied, flying up above the command building. You could easily see the hotel, as it was taller than most other buildings, but shorter than the main skyscrapers of Manehattan. Firestorm spotted it quickly, and flew with incredible speed towards it.

As she got to the building, she could count 8 ponies on the roof, one filming with his video camera. That makes two of you today, she thought to herself.

"Hey guys," she told them calmly. "Sorry to break up your party, but I've been told that this building needs to be cleared out. I need you guys to come downstairs with me."

A few younger stallions groaned in disappointment, but lucky for her, all of them followed her orders, and followed her to the elevator.

"Was the 2nd blast a bomb, ma'am?" another young stallion asked Firestorm.

She replied bluntly, "We don't even know if the first one was a bomb." That was a lie. It had been confirmed over the radio just a few moments ago that the first blast was believed to be from a bomb. The 2nd, however, they were still trying to determine. Firestorm didn't want a panic to spread. The last thing the police needed to deal with today was a stampede.

"12-Sierra to 72-Uniform, do you copy?" That was the sergeant that Firestorm had talked to, calling her on the radio.

"Go ahead 12-Sierra!" she called back.

"Are you still clearing the roof out?"

"I'm coming down the elevator now!" Firestorm replied. "We're about to get out."

"Copy that," the sergeant responded. "When you get done, Shiny Cloud's been looking for you."

"10-4," Firestorm acknowledged. "Over and out."

The elevator opened, and Firestorm allowed the stallions to get out first. As she galloped out of the building, one asked her, "Where do we go?"

"Just head uptown," she told him. "That's the safest thing you can do."

Firestorm spread her wings and took flight once again, headed back to the tower. It looked like it was going to come down any second, but she knew the fire crews were almost to the 2nd blast zone. Either way, the tower was probably done for. It was just a matter of when it was coming down.

Chapter 9: Making Progress

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 10: Lockdown

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11:30 AM

Crimson Moon was now one block west of the burning building, watching from the entrance of a Maneway station. According to announcements that she could hear from the loudspeakers inside, all Maneway service in and out of Manehattan had been shut down. In her mind, she was surprised the city wasn't on complete lockdown yet. To be fair, people needed to evacuate from the city, but absolutely nobody besides emergency services should be allowed in.

As Crimson kept rolling, a firefighter galloped up to her.

"Ma'am," he told her, "we're moving back the blockade to a 5-block radius. You need to move back to where it's safe."

Crimson, for what felt like the umpteenth time today, got up from her spot, and started to move back, following a large group of office ponies being evacuated from the building across from her. As they ran, yet another battalion of fireponies ran the opposite direction, headed straight to the tower. Crimson didn't know anyone braver on this day than the emergency services responding; in her mind, they were headed for certain death, at least if the building came down. She knew they were as fearful as everyone else, but that only made their bravery even more powerful.

Crimson stopped just for a moment, to look at her surroundings. This could be the last time I'm ever here, she thought. Down one street, a badly injured pony was being loaded into a medical carriage. In the opposite direction, only one pony was running up the street, filled with paper and ashes. Finally, she looked back up at the tower, one corner of which was being engulfed in flame. Crimson was sure that even if the fire up there could be put out, there was probably no way to save this tower.

Crimson moved a few blocks to the east and found herself in one of the many city parks. It seemed tiny, but there was still a bench to sit down on, which is exactly what Crimson did. All this running around was making her tired, and she needed some rest. She also needed to clear her head, as her emotions were starting to get to her. She'd been on the verge of bursting into tears many times, but for the most part, she'd held it in.

Suddenly, a loud rumbling sound forced Crimson to shoot up from the bench. A group of ponies that were at the street corner to her left started screaming all at once, and a few took off galloping down the street. Crimson ran into the road to see what was going on. The sight caused her to scream herself, and she dropped to the ground in tears.

The Brass Head of the building was coming down!

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11:36 AM

Fallen Angel and Shining Star were at the blockade, packet of water bottles completely empty. To Angel, his mission for today had been completed successfully; even in a little way, he had played his part in helping at the scene. Shining Star, however, was lost in her thoughts. Though it didn't show on the outside, she was experiencing the worst flashbacks she had ever had.

Three years ago, Shining Star had been talking with her father about plans for college. Even though she was only 15, Star was becoming a very intelligent mare, and she and her father both knew that high profile colleges were keeping an eye on her. Who knew, maybe even the School for Gifted Unicorns was watching! She was the most stable she had been in her life, and had all but figured out her plans for life.

That is, until the fateful day came.

In the blink of an eye, Star had seen her entire world crumble around her. She and Fallen Angel had been at the first mass of the Summer Sun Celebration in the First Celestial Church of Canterlot. She had watched in horror as a gunmare had pulled a revolver out and opened fire inside. By the time the gunfire ceased, Star had escaped, but hostages had been taken in the church. The situation ended up lasting for 12 hours, all ending with the Equestrian Royal Guard intervening, inadvertently starting a gunfight and coming out victorious. It hadn't come at a cost, however.

By the end of the gunfight inside, most of the hostages were dead, including both of their parents. Angel had been hit in the shoulder, and carried out by the Captain of the Royal Guard himself. He had been in the hospital for almost a month, while Star stayed by his side. That was only because she didn't have anywhere else to go. If it hadn't been for Cloud Sweeper and Comet Trail, they would've been homeless. Star thanked them almost every day for everything they'd done for them--

"STAR!" Fallen Angel yelled, snapping Star back into reality. "Have you even heard a word I just said?"

"Sorry," Star replied, "I was... zoned out."

"We've got to head further north, they've got us at a 5 block radius now."

Star groaned as she hopped up from the strangely-comfortable sidewalk and started trotting back to the new blockade point, Angel following close behind. Police officers followed them on either side, escorting civilians out of the emergency zone. Meanwhile, many other officers, firefighters, and medics were headed in the other direction. Star assumed that they were part of the group that recieved the all hands call.

Suddenly, a mare in front of them who'd turned around started to scream. Star turned around, as did Angel. The pair watched in horror as the Brass Head on the top of the building started to crumble. Angel turned right back around and started sprinting up the street, but Star was frozen in fear as the Brass Head turned into a cloud of golden dust, ash, and metal, and crashed to the streets below!

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11:42 AM

33rd Floor, read the sign Firestorm passed. She was with the crew of Engine 231, which had come all the way from the center of Bronclyn as a part of the All Hands call. They were getting close to the floor where a report of a group of injured ponies came from. They had passed a couple of them on the way up, and some of the group had left to lead them out.

Firestorm saw the marking on the stairwell wall that read 34th Floor. She could hear murmurs coming from above them. The lead firefighter, Third Alarm, gave a command to quiet the squad, then called out, "Hello?"

The sound echoed through the stairwell, and Firestorm covered her ears. After today, she was surprised she wasn't deaf from all of the noise.

"Can you hear me?" Third Alarm called out again. The crew waited a few moments in complete silence. Quietest it's ever been in this city, Firestorm thought.

Finally, a response came: "Help us!"

Firestorm breathed a sigh of relief. They had finally reached the injured ponies! The squad rounded the staircase to find a group of at least 20 ponies, all of them leaning in some way against the wall. One of them, a young stallion no more than 20, shot up from his spot and bolted to the group, wrapping his forelegs around Third Alarm in a thankful embrace.

Third Alarm said nothing in response, telling the stallion to sit down as he started to check him over for injuries. Thankfully, he only had small cuts, although there seemed to be a lot of them. Firestorm, however, had her eyes on another stallion, on their side at the end of the wall. Her stomach tightened as another firefighter trotted over to him. They checked for vitals, only to turn away. They had come too late for him. Firestorm choked down a cry of grief as she looked away. She knew this happened all the time, but it hurt her every time.

"Firestorm," Third Alarm beckoned for her. "Why don't you check her out?"

Firestorm turned back and saw the chief pointing to a young filly in the middle of the group. She had to be no older than 12, and Firestorm couldn't tell what she was doing in the building. If she were on the way to the observation deck, she'd have taken the elevator, and probably would have been rescued by now.

"Hi!" Firestorm switched flawlessly to her soothing voice. Whenever she had a call that involved foals or pets, she would always use this voice to calm them down, and it worked every time. She could tell that it was needed here, too, as the filly had been crying.

"Are we doing okay?" Firestorm asked as she wiped a tear off the filly's face. The filly only shook her head, too frightened to speak. Firestorm found that her right foreleg was badly cut in multiple places. Firestorm wondered how she had gotten them, but she quickly had her question answered. The elevator doors were wide open, stopped on this floor. She must've been hit by some debris falling down the elevator shaft.

Firestorm looked to the mare beside her. "Are you her mother?" she asked, and was met with a choked out "Yes." This mare looked like she was in some real discomfort, and Firestorm called over another firepony. As they focused on the mare, Firestorm turned back to the filly, pulling a bandage out from the first aid kit she'd been given. As she started to wrap it around her foreleg, she asked the filly in her soothing voice, "What's your name, sweetie?"

The filly managed to force out the name, "Silver Spirit."

"Well, hi, Silver!" Firestorm replied, "My name's Firestorm! And I'm going to help you get out of here! What do you think of that?" This got a little smile from the filly, and Firestorm beamed as she gave Silver Spirit a hug. She took her hoof, and helped her back up, telling Third Alarm, "I've got her ready to go!"

As she did, however, a loud rumbling sound echoed through the stairwell. Firestorm looked up, and even though she didn't see anything, she ducked, placing the filly underneath her to protect her in case anything fell. Nothing did, however, and soon, Firestorm sat back up, making sure the filly was okay.

"73-Uniform to 72-Uniform!" the call came out on Firestorm's radio. "Firestorm, do you copy?" That was Shiny Cloud.

"Go ahead, Cloud!" Firestorm called back.

"You guys need to get out of there as quick as you can! The Brass Head just came down!"

Chapter 11: The Paths Cross Again...

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11:45 AM
Crimson Moon slowly got up from the pavement, tears flowing down her face as the golden-gray cloud of dust moved closer. The Brass Head of the Crystaller Building had just fallen to the ground, and Celestia knew what had been hit below. As a throng of ponies fled from the area around her, she calmly turned around, and started to gallop away, struggling to keep her emotions in check. She knew she could cry; everypony else had at some point. But for reasons she didn't quite know, she was trying, and failing, to hold it back.

Crimson turned down Park Street and ran to the Maneway entrance. She knew fairly well that service had already been suspended, but it would make for great cover from the dust cloud. She nearly tripped on the stairs leading down into the tunnel, but managed to make it down in one piece. Strangely enough, not only was nopony else down here, nopony had followed her, either. The station was deserted, as if she were in an apocalypse. The only things inside to greet her were the littered chip bags, plastic wrappers, and other garbage that normally lay around.

Crimson picked up a newspaper laying on a bench next to the tracks. On the cover read, Tuesday, October 1, 1010 AB: Famed Chef Summer Sky Dead From Heart Attack At 76. Crimson held the date up to her camera, somehow still rolling; October 1 was a day that she, as well as the entire country of Equestria, would never forget.

After a few moments, Crimson gathered up enough strength to finally climb back out to the real world. The street outside now looked the same as the Maneway station; nopony around for Crimson to encounter. She turned the corner and went back to her spot in the park, covering her face to keep from breathing in the dust. To her surprise, the building was still standing; it was only the Brass Head that had fallen. However, the fires still burned as strong as before, and Crimson knew the tower could come down at any moment. And yet, something inside her told her to go towards the danger, not away.

Crimson started to gallop towards the burning building. It wasn't long before she found herself back at the cafe where she'd seen the 2nd blast go off. It seemed that this place was the central point of her day. From there, she could see just how bad the damage on the ground was. The building across the street from the Crystaller Building had a gigantic hole down the middle where part of the Brass Head had come crashing down. Underneath was a parked fire carriage; if you could call it that. It looked like it had taken a direct hit from either the Head, or a nuclear bomb. It was crushed at the front, and the rear wheels were stuck in the air, as if it were kneeling down.

Crimson found herself still wanting to go into the emergency zone. She knew the dangers of it; if that building came down, she only had a few seconds to find somewhere to "shelter", and even then, it wouldn't be foolproof. If she didn't find a spot in her immediate vicinity, she'd be dead in seconds. Meanwhile, she could get the last shots of the burning building from its base; she was sure that, collapse or otherwise, this building wasn't going to be here for much longer.

Eventually, her curiosity won over, and she took the first step past the barricade....

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11:51 AM

Shining Star, for the who-knows-how-many-th time today, had her head buried in Fallen Angel's shoulder, sobbing inconsolably. She knew that at least somepony was dead from the Brass Head coming down, let alone how many were hurt. She also knew that one thing still remained on her brother's mind; he still wanted to go back and help. He no longer cared about the dangers of going in; as long as he made a difference in the efforts, he could sleep happily tonight.

Luckily for the both of them, and for pretty much all of Manehattan, the tower was still standing. At the same time, however, the fires were still burning, possibly even stronger than before. If the Brass Head had come down, there was a strong chance that the building could collapse as well. And even worse, nobody knew if, or when it would.

Angel let Star away from him, and she sat down on the ground, covering her face with her hooves. Her mind was clouded with bad thoughts; how many ponies were dead, how many were probably hurt, flashbacks to her previous encounter. However, the one thing she didn't know, was if this day could get any worse. And with things going as bad as they were now, it probably would.

Star sat up and uncovered her face to find that her brother was no longer sitting in front of her. Star hoped to Celestia that he'd gone to get a drink, but there was only one way to find out.

"Excuse me," she asked a mare beside her, "do you know where my brother went? Greyish-silver, with black mane and tail?"

"He went up the street that way," the mare replied, pointing towards the tower. Star looked up, and confirmed her worst fears as she saw Angel at least a block away, galloping past the firefighters around him. He was once again going back to the tower!

Star thanked the mare as she took off like a shot down the street, trying to catch up with her brother. She was officially convinced that he'd gone insane, and that he needed to have some sense talked into him. Sometimes, when one thing stuck in his mind, that was all he'd want to do. Today, it seemed to be "help in any way you can," and giving out the water didn't seem to cut it for him.

By the time Star caught up to him, they were at the original barricade to the emergency zone.

"ANGEL!" She screamed, making him turn around in fright. "What in Celestia's name do you think you're doing?"

"Figuring out how I can help out," Angel replied.

"So you just leave me alone on a bench in the middle of a huge city we don't live in, wondering where the hell you are? That's not how this works Angel!"

"If I had told you where I was going," Angel started, "you would've made a huge fuss about it, and I'd probably still be back there arguing with you like I am now!"

"You're not even supposed to be this close in the first place!" Star was getting furious. "I don't care what you're trying to do, knock some sense into that tiny little brain of yours and come back to where we were! Now!"

"Star, stop acting like you're my mother. You know I'm trying to help, not kill myself, right?"

"Oh, please," Star scoffed, "if I didn't know any better I'd say you're just trying to make a name for yourself! Remember that you have your sister with you!"

"And she can leave whenever she wants to!" Angel yelled at her.

"Angel!" Star screamed back. "Why can't you see that you're being so stupid right now?"

"Oh, SHUT UP, STAR!" Angel snapped. "All I'm trying to do is help one pony out today, and you're out here whining at me like I forced you into this! You know you don't have to stick with me your whole life, right? You can go wherever you want in this city! Hell, I'd be happy for you to do that, as long as you're not by my side acting like a complete BITCH all day!"

Angel wanted to say a lot more, but stopped when he saw tears forming in his sister's eyes. He knew he'd crossed the line again. Ever since the day his parents died, he'd become more short-tempered. He was usually gentle around anypony, no matter what happened. But now, one wrong move or statement, and he was a ticking time bomb, waiting to erupt.

"Star," he started calmly, but he was quickly answered with a left hook to the jaw from Star. Without another word, she galloped away, leaving Angel alone, holding his face with one hoof.

He knew he'd messed up big time, but now his emotions were torn. He wanted to help at the scene, but at the same time, he wanted to find his sister, hug her tight, and tell her how sorry he was. But he knew that Star was definitely not in the mood for talking at the moment. The right thing to do, in his mind, was leave her alone for a little while.

Angel turned around and looked towards the base of the tower. It looked like an absolute war zone; the small buildings around it were either damaged or destroyed, as well as all of the emergency carriages on the street. One looked like it had been crushed by a wrecking ball, rear end sticking up in the air. Beside it, the crimson-colored unicorn from earlier was sat on the ground, filming the building.

Suddenly, a police officer came through the smashed hole in the glass of what should've been the door to the lobby, with a little filly clutching her back, right hoof bandaged up. Angel lit up with a smile. Here was his chance to help!

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11:59 AM

Firestorm had been galloping as fast as she could down the stairwell. It was taking a toll on her legs, but it was paying off, as she had already reached the fifth floor. The filly on her back was holding on for dear life, but at the same time, yelling "Whee!" as they zoomed down flight after flight of stairs. Firestorm couldn't help but stifle a laugh. This filly was adorable.

Lost in her thoughts, Firestorm zoned back in and saw the end of the staircase. She'd reached the lobby! Celestia knew how many floors up her fellow rescuers were, but at the moment, Firestorm was internally jumping for joy. She looked around, and saw the west wall, glass smashed to bits, as the way out.

"Almost there!" she told Silver Spirit, who only smiled in response. Firestorm climbed through what she thought was the door to the lobby, and found herself in a war zone. Golden-gray dust, presumably part of the Brass Head, covered every surface imaginable. A fire carriage, smashed to bits, was sticking up in the air. The building in front of it had been sliced in half down the middle by large pieces of debris.

Firestorm set the filly down, yelling, "That was fun, wasn't it?" The filly didn't respond, only picking up a dust-covered piece of paper from the ground and trying to read it. Firestorm figured she should let her partner know she was out and okay.

"72-Uniform to 73-Uniform!" she called into her radio.

"Go 72-Uniform!" came Shiny Cloud's reply.

"I've made it to the street," Firestorm reported. "I'm on the west side, just outside of the lobby."

"Copy that," Cloud responded, "On my way down!"

"10-4," said Firestorm.

"What does 10-4 mean?" Silver Spirit asked as Firestorm set her down.

Firestorm replied, "It's a code we use. It means I understand what he's saying."

"Oh," Silver said, half to herself. "What about 72-Uniform?"

"That's my callsign!" Firestorm told her. "That's how the other officers know who's calling, and who they're trying to talk to."

"Cool!" Silver yelled. "Would I get one if I become an officer?"

"Of course!" Firestorm said. "Every officer gets one."

"Awesome!" the filly yelled again. She obviously seemed very interested in Firestorm's job.

"Look out below!" came a familiar voice from above, and Firestorm looked up to see Shiny Cloud flying down from the tower. He landed carefully on the dust-covered street, then hugged his partner, thankful she was okay.

"Woah!" Silver yelled. "Who is he?"

"My name's Shiny Cloud," he told the filly, turning back to Firestorm. "Who's this little one?" he asked her.

"This is Silver Spirit," Firestorm told him. "I rescued her on 35. She seems very talkative about what I do."

Firestorm turned to Silver and said, "This is my partner. He's the guy I talked to on the radio just now."

"Can I try?" Silver asked Cloud, pointing to his walkie-talkie.

"Maybe on a different day, when everything's less busy," he told her softly, "but right now, we really need them."

Silver only groaned.

"I still need to make a few more rescues on 85," Cloud told her. "Care to join me after you take care of her?"

"Sure," Firestorm told him, "but I need to get her to the medical post. Have they moved it back?"

"Yeah," Cloud responded, 2 blocks north, in the bank building's lobby."

"Thanks, Cloud!" she yelled to him as he flew back up. She looked back down, and her gaze was met by the brown eyes of a silver earth pony.

"I can take her down, if you need to get back to work!" the stallion told her.

Firestorm was confused as to how he'd made it this close to the building, but didn't care to ask. She handed Silver over to him, and told him where the medical ward was. He only nodded in response, placing the filly on his back, who waved goodbye to Firestorm.

"Bye, officer!" She called out.

"Bye!" Firestorm called back. She wanted to get back to work, but she needed a drink first. She decided to head for the command post. However, she saw another pony, a crimson-colored mare, who was beside the crushed fire carriage, filming with her camera. This mare again? Firestorm thought.

"Hey!" Firestorm yelled to her. "You need to get out of here! It's not safe!"

The mare seemed to do what she was told, getting up from her spot and trotting south down the street. Firestorm watched her go for a moment, then turned away and headed for the command post.

As she turned the corner, Firestorm could see emergency carriages all around it, their red lights reflecting off the glass windows of the buildings around them. On the way up the street, however, Firestorm heard a low rumble, which quickly turned into a deafening roar. The buildings in front of her started to darken as a large shadow appeared over them. She turned back around, and gasped in horror, covering her mouth as she screamed.

The Crystaller Building, arguably the most loved building in all of Manehattan, was beginning to collapse.

Chapter 12: The Collapse

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12:05 PM

Crimson got up with a groan from her spot as she obeyed the police officer's orders. She knew one way or another she wouldn't have been able to stay. As she trotted up the dust-covered street, however, a low rumble started to echo. She looked back, and saw a shadow creeping over the building behind her. As the rumble turned into a loud roar, the ground started to shake, and Crimson looked up. The Crystaller Building, her favorite tower in the world, was coming down!

Her 10 second clock started ticking. She had to find a place to hide from the debris. As she looked around in a panic, she found a relatively-unscathed fire carriage sitting about 20 feet away from her. Better than nothing, she thought. Crimson darted towards it as the roaring only grew louder. She got down on her belly and tried to climb under the carriage. As she did, however, a huge metal bar hit her hard on her right side, causing Crimson to scream in pain as she rolled underneath. She could barely hear herself, however, as the roar of the collapse drowned it out, and the cloud of dust and metal flowed around her....

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Fallen Angel heard the filly on his back scream first. He turned around to see what she was screaming at, and found himself staring at the top of the Crystaller Building imploding on itself.

"Hold on tight!" he yelled to her as he turned back around, sprinting up the street as the building came down completely behind him. The ponies up the street began to stampede in the same direction he was going. However, one didn't; she stood still, clutching her face with her hooves as she watched the building fall. It was Shining Star!

"STAR!" Angel yelled to her. Her ears perked up, and her eyes met his. He could see them light up with joy, thankful that he was okay.

"RUN!" Angel screamed, and Star took off, the pair galloping side by side as the huge cloud of dust followed, hot on their trail. Star said nothing as they ran, only wondering to herself who the filly on his back was. She didn't exactly care, though; as long as Angel was okay, she was happy.

After a few minutes of running, Angel had to slow down and catch his breath. Luckily for him, the cloud seemed to have slowed, and wasn't an immediate threat. Angel set the filly down next to him as he sat down on a bench.

"That was fun, huh?" Angel asked the filly, who didn't respond, only shaking with fear.

"Who is that?" Star asked him.

"No idea," Angel replied. "An officer was going to take her to the medical post, but needed to get back to work, so I offered to get her there for her." Angel would've said more, but he trailed off as he realized that there was a great chance that the officer was dead. Nobody that was in the building could've survived the collapse. A chill went up his spine as he realized that this deed might've been the last thing anyone did for them. He needed to finish it. However, there was a new task at hand.

"I need you to do me a favor, Star," Angel told his sister, hugging her. "But before you do, I just want to say I'm sorry for what I said. I really should've thought twice before I said it."

Angel pulled away and picked the still-shaking filly up from the bench beside him.

"I need you to get her to a police station. I'll come back and find you, I promise."

"You're going back, aren't you?" Star asked coldly, blue eyes locked in a death glare.

"I have to, Star," he told her. "I know there are still ponies trapped in there. Besides, it's not like I'm gonna die. The danger's gone now."

Angel hugged Star as tightly as he could. "I love you, Star," he said, before turning away and starting the long trot back to the fallen tower. For the first time today, a tear ran down his face, but he wiped it away and kept going. He could save his emotions for later.
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Firestorm didn't know how, but she'd made it inside the Maneway station just in time before the dust cloud had poured over the entrance. Now, she was inside the tunnel, wondering what she was going to do. There was no going back out; the dust would choke her to death. At the same time, she didn't know which way the tunnel went. She turned her flashlight on, and began to walk as her walkie-talkie went crazy. So many officers, firefighters, and EMTs were calling in, saying they were okay, trying to find colleagues, or just figuring out what the new plan was.

Suddenly, the walkie-talkie went silent. Firestorm figured she'd lost the signal, before she remembered that the devices even worked underground. They needed to, anyway, since a lot of call-outs came in Maneway stations. As Firestorm stopped to listen, a voice came onto the radio: "Attention all emergency services: Role Call is now in effect. Only radio back when your callsign is called. We will begin with the Fire Department."

Firestorm felt her stomach tighten. Role call only went into effect in the case of a collapse when there were still first responders inside. She suddenly remembered her squad that she'd gone inside with. As far as she knew, she'd left them behind. Firestorm had to lean against the tunnel wall to keep from collapsing altogether as the tears started to fall. She'd left them behind. Had she stayed with her squad, she'd probably have still been inside the building. She'd probably be dead. They were probably dead. Firestorm had cried at a few call-outs, and she was proud in admitting that, but never like this. She felt absolutely horrible, like the whole world had crumbled around her.

"Squad 1-Alpha," the dispatcher on the radio called out. That was Third Alarm's callsign. Firestorm shivered as she heard it. It would probably be the last time she'd ever hear it.

"Squad 1-Alpha, copy."

Firestorm's head shot up. He'd responded! He was alive! Firestorm jumped for joy, covering her face with her hooves as the tears of sorrow turned to tears of relief. Somehow, some way, Third Alarm was alive. And from the callbacks on the radio, it seemed his whole squad was as well! Firestorm took a moment to catch her breath, before she grabbed her flashlight and kept walking. If she were heading north, the next station would be in close proximity to the Midtown Police Station, where she started her day. She'd rest and call back from there, and figure out what the new plan for search & rescue was. For now, she was thankful that her squad was okay. And hoping she was going the right way.

Chapter 13: Search & Rescue

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12:25 PM

Crimson Moon couldn't tell how long she'd been under the fire carriage. All she knew was that she couldn't get out. Not only did debris block her way out on all sides, but her right side hurt badly. She'd been hit by what she thought was a metal bar, but could've been anything. From what she could tell, her right foreleg was broken, and her back leg probably hadn't fared any better. She wanted to scream out, but something was holding her back. Maybe it was the shock. Maybe it was something else. She couldn't tell anymore.

Crimson tried to roll onto her back, as she was currently on her left side. As she did, however, her right side tensed up, and she cried out, clutching her foreleg. Tears finally started to fall from her eyes as she set herself down. This was the worst pain she'd ever been in, and that included passing up the time she broke her back leg when she was hit by a carriage as a foal in Baltimare. She turned her head to look at her camera next to her right side, still rolling and pointed towards her. She knew what she was filming was now part of Equestrian history. She wondered, however, if her footage, let alone herself, would make it out.

Suddenly, she heard a voice call out, "Hello!"

Crimson stopped whimpering, keeping herself silent. She wanted to make sure her mind wasn't playing tricks on her.

"Can anypony hear me?!?" the voice called again.

Crimson lit up with happiness. A rescuer!

She sat up with all the strength she could, trying not to bang her head on the underside of the carriage, and screamed, "HELP!"

She waited a moment, hoping they'd heard her. However, no response came.

"HELP ME!" she yelled again. She was still met with silence. Crimson started losing hope, but the voice called out again, "We're coming!"

Crimson sat back, tears starting to fall again as she breathed a sigh of relief. She was going to be saved! Soon, she heard hoofsteps from her left side, and saw a pair of silhouettes form through the dust cloud. She watched them as they came closer, hoping they could tell where she was.

Suddenly, the beam of a flashlight shined towards her, and one of the silhouettes knelt down. Crimson met the brown eyes of a silver-colored stallion, a surgical mask over his face. He turned away, and took the mask off, yelling out, "Hey! We've got one injured over here!"

*******************************************************************************

Fallen Angel had made it back to the scene of the collapse. He now wore a mask over his face, courtesy of a passing EMT. They had tried to warn him against going back, but his mind was set. There were ponies trapped that he needed to save, and he was going to do anything he could to get to them. He passed the barricade and entered the disaster zone. The cloud of dust hung over the area like an early morning fog. Visibility was almost down to zero, and Angel needed to rub his eyes constantly to get the dust out of them.

He passed the line of emergency vehicles, which had surprisingly grown since the collapse. He thought about the officer that he had helped, and how he'd helped get the filly she'd given him to safety. He prayed to Celestia in his mind that she was okay. If she'd gone back inside, she was probably dead. And that was something he just didn't want to believe.

Angel found a group of fireponies in a circle, going over rescue and recovery plans. He decided that he should get in on it, and trotted up to them.

"Now, Maverick!" the chief called out, pointing to a golden-colored stallion in front of him, "I need you to take half of these guys and get to the west side. We had a lot of guys in Stairwell B that radioed back, so we need to get to them ASAP!"

"Yes, sir!" Maverick replied, and he turned to the others in the group, about 5 of which went with him.

"Now, the rest of you are with me!" the chief told the rest, and he turned around, meeting Angel's gaze as he did.

"Who the hell are you?" the chief asked him, a little bit startled by Angel.

"I'm here to help!" Angel told him. "Anything you need me to do, I'll do it!"

"Okay, well how about this: Get your ass outta here!" the chief replied harshly, pointing back. "It's too dangerous for civilians to be here!"

Angel almost exploded on him, but kept his anger in check. He wanted to save lives, not get criminal charges.

"Sir," he responded calmly, "with all due respect, I'm not going to do that. You need all the help you can get out here, especially with a lot of your crew needing help themselves. Please let me stay!"

"One second," the fire chief told Angel, turning to one of his men, who was trying to get his attention. The two whispered to each other for a while, making Angel uneasy. He knew the fire chief didn't want him here, and was particularly rude in making his opinion clear. However, his colleague could've been having second thoughts.

Finally, the chief turned back to Angel. "Tell ya what," he told Angel. "Stonewing here wants me to let you help, but I can't let you into the site without safety equipment. We don't want you getting hurt, so he's gonna take you to get geared up."

Angel nodded and said, "Thank you, sir!" This was his chance to save a life!

Stonewing guided Angel back to a large police trailer, carrying loads of safety equipment on board. Stonewing climbed up onto it and pulled down a hard hat, safety vest, and flashlight, handing them to Angel.

"I'll take you over to the southern side of the site," Stonewing told Angel as he put his gear on. "It's a long walk, but easier to access."

The two started trotting down the debris-covered street. Fire and police carriages were strewn about left and right, some more damaged than others. One police carriage was completely destroyed, looking like something Angel would find in a junkyard. He silently hoped nopony was inside of it when it had been crushed by whatever hit it. He stopped for a moment to process what he was seeing. Just a few hours ago, a skyscraper had stood where he sat; now, it was a huge pile of twisted metal, dust, and concrete rubble. He had never seen anything like it in his life, and prayed that he would never see anything like it again.

After a moment, Angel started trotting up the street again, catching up to Stonewing.

"So what's your name, kid?" Stonewing asked him.

"Fallen Angel," he replied.

"Huh," Stonewing stated, half to himself. "Seems kinda fitting for today."

As they continued to walk, Stonewing remarked, "You're mighty brave for doing this, you know? I'm surprised anyone besides us would want to be within a mile of this place."

"Shh!" Angel suddenly whispered. He'd heard a voice. He just knew he'd heard one, coming from somewhere in front of them. However, Angel couldn't see anypony anywhere. The street looked deserted, as if the apocalypse had begun.

"Hello?" he called out. He was met with silence, other than the sound of a breeze blowing a few papers across the street.

"Probably heard a siren or something," Stonewing told Angel.

"No," Angel replied, "I know I heard a voice."

Angel turned back to where he heard the voice and called out, "Can anypony hear me?!?"

"I don't think anypony can't hear you," Stonewing joked to himself, which was met by a glare from Angel.

"Help!" a voice echoed.

Angel turned back, his eyes fixed on a fire carriage in the distance, surrounded by debris. The lights on top still circled away, as if it were responding to a call that would never come.

"Help me!" the voice echoed again, and Angel turned to Stonewing with a look of astonishment, pointing towards the fire carriage.

"Over there!" he exclaimed, before turning back and yelling, "We're coming!"

Angel ran towards the damaged carriage, being careful not to step on any debris littered about. He grabbed his flashlight from the pocket of his vest and turned it on, kneeling down to check under it. Sure enough, he was met by the sight of a crimson-red mare underneath, gingerly holding her right foreleg. Angel had found someone!

He turned back and took off his mask as Stonewing knelt down as well.

"Hey! We've got one injured over here!" Angel yelled out.

He watched as a group of fireponies coming out of the remnants of the tower all looked in his direction, before one started to sprint towards him, the others following suit.

Angel turned back to the mare as Stonewing asked, "Are you okay?"

The mare shook her head, crying, "My right side!"

Stonewing got up and galloped over to the other side of the carriage, clearing away debris next to it.

"Where exactly?" he questioned.

"Everywhere," the mare sobbed, "Something hit me while I was climbing under!"

"Alright," Stonewing replied. "Angel, I need you to stay with her, okay? I'm gonna grab a backboard!"

Stonewing stood back up and started to gallop back to the emergency vehicles. As he passed the group of other fireponies, he yelled to the chief, "Be careful with her! She got hit by debris. Her whole right side is injured!"

"Got it!" they yelled back. They knelt down next to Angel, asking the mare, "Can you tell me your name, miss?"

"Crimson," she replied, "Crimson Moon."

"Okay, Crimson, just sit tight," the chief told her, "We've got a lot of help on the way."

He turned to his crew and yelled, "Everypony get ready! We need to push this carriage onto its side so we can get her out!"

The whole crew, including Angel and Stonewing, once he came back with the backboard, took up positions on the side of the fire carriage, ready for the command.

"One... Two... Three... GO!" the chief yelled, and everyone began to push with all their might. The carriage only moved a tiny bit, it's right wheels picking up off the ground by about an inch. Behind Angel, he could hear yelling from whom he thought was the chief. However, as he looked up, he could see another firepony run to the carriage and take a position in front of him, followed by 2 others. There must have been 10 or 15 rescuers with Angel by now by his estimate. Finally, Angel heard the left wheels crack, the wood finally giving way, and the carriage crashed down onto its side.

The rescuers erupted into cheers, hoofbumping and embracing each other for a job well done, before Stonewing and the chief knelt down next to Crimson. Angel got to her other side, and with the help of a few other fireponies, helped get the backboard underneath her right side. Stonewing and the chief brought the straps of the board over Crimson, carefully moving her to make sure not to cause any discomfort. Angel helped the others strap them down, before Stonewing, the chief, and 2 other rescuers carefully lifted Crimson up.

Now came the easy part: finding a medical carriage to get her to a hospital. Almost every single one had shown up to the site, as nopony knew how many needed them. Angel pointed one out on the south side of the emergency zone, and the rescuers headed towards it. A pair of the strongest fireponies Angel had ever seen ran ahead and got themselves strapped in to pull it. Angel followed them, opening the doors to the back for the others. Angel and another firepony climbed in first, helping Stonewing and the chief lift Crimson up into the carriage. The other two helpers shoved the back end of the backboard in, then closed the doors. This, however, confused Angel greatly; he was still inside.

He turned to Stonewing and asked, "I'm not climbing out?"

"You're part of the rescue team, right?" Stonewing responded with a smile, playfully punching Angel's shoulder. Angel could only smile back as the carriage started to roll, headed to a hospital he didn't even know the name of. It may have been the first time he'd ever done this, but it sure felt like Angel had been doing this his whole life. He was starting to think that maybe this should be his career...

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12:50 PM
Firestorm had made it out of the subway tunnel and into the police station in Midtown. She was now sat in one of the chairs in the lobby, drinking a both well-needed and well-deserved glass of water. For the past 20 minutes, she'd seen dozens of ponies file through, trying to track down loved ones, or get in touch with them to let them know they were okay. Firestorm herself had tried to contact the Wonderbolts headquarters in Cloudsdale and get a message through to her husband Blaze, but she knew it would be hours before she got a response.

As she took one last sip of water from her bottle, she watched a teen-aged mare open the door to the station, an even younger filly beside her. It took a moment for Firestorm to process, but she breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that the younger filly was Silver Spirit, the one she'd rescued from the tower. As the mare got up to the front desk, Silver seemed to be curious of her new surroundings, looking around the room to see what she could. Her eyes then locked onto Firestorm, and she saw a smile break out on the filly's face.

Silver suddenly darted out from under the mare, who tried in vain to keep Silver next to her. Firestorm got up from her chair and knelt down as Silver ran to her, and the two wrapped each other in a tight hug. The mare pardoned herself from the front desk and trotted over to them.

"Silver?" she asked the filly. "Who is this?"

"She's my friend!" the filly replied cheerily. "She helped me get out!"

Firestorm offered the mare a handshake. "I'm Firestorm. Do I know you from somewhere?"

"You probably know my brother from somewhere," the mare responded. "He's been going in and out of the site nonstop today. I only helped him give out water."

"Now I remember!" Firestorm exclaimed. "Your brother handed me a water while I was working! Silverish, with darker mane and tail?"

"Yep, that's the one," the mare confirmed. "I'm his sister, Shining Star."

"Nice to meet you," Firestorm said back.

Star didn't respond, only looking away.

"Your brother's a hero, you know that?" Firestorm added.

Star turned to meet Firestorm's gaze. "I know he saved this little one," she responded, nodding to Silver. "But I wouldn't really consider him one..." Star trailed off, and Firestorm noticed a tear starting to form in her eye.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Not really," Star replied, taking the seat beside Firestorm. "We got into an argument before he went back in to get this one. I don't want to talk about it much, but let's just say insults and certain four-letter words were exchanged."

"Why is that?" Firestorm questioned.

"I don't know, to be honest with you," Star answered. "I thought that he was so focused on going back for more that he was forgetting about me. We were in the Canterlot attack a few years back, and I haven't been able to go anywhere without him. He's pretty much the only way I keep myself calm now. I don't know what I'd do if I lost him. But now, we're both about to go to college, and I'm frightened to even think about living without him, as weird as that sounds."

"It doesn't sound weird at all," Firestorm told her. "I was the same way with my brother, Night Whisper. We were pretty much inseparable when we were younger, and when he joined the military, I was scared to death. But I soon realized that no matter what happens in life, at some point, we need to accept that we may end up not being able to hold the bonds that we've kept for so long. But that's perfectly okay. My brother and I still keep in touch, and I'm sure that you and your brother will, too."

"If he ever makes it out of there," Star muttered. "Last I saw of him, he was handing Silver to me and heading back to the building. I haven't heard anything from him since."

"Don't worry," Firestorm told her, reaching out to hold her hoof. "The worst of it is over, so I don't think he'll end up killing himself out there. The best you can do right now is hope for the best, as hard as it is to do."

"Shining Star?" the clerk at the desk called out.

"I'll be right back," Star told Firestorm. She turned to Silver Spirit and said to her, "I need you to stay right here, OK?"

Star trotted over to the front desk, wondering what she was about to hear.

"We just got a message back from Grand Garden Medical Center," the clerk started. "Your brother just checked in as a rescuer a few minutes ago. He was part of a team coming in with a patient."

Star rested her head on the counter, nearly crying out of relief. "How far is it from here?" she asked the clerk.

"About half a mile to the north," the clerk answered. "I can write an address down for you and send a message up."

"That's greatly appreciated, thank you!" Star told her. The clerk wrote down the address of the hospital on a notecard and gave it to Star, who in turn asked, "Have you heard anything about her mother?" nodding to Silver Spirit.

"Nothing yet," the clerk responded, "but I'll let you know as soon as we get any news."

"Thank you," Star told the clerk as she turned away. She galloped to Firestorm, asking, "Can you watch Silver for me? I just found out where my brother is!"

"Sure," Firestorm replied, and Star nodded in thanks, leaving through the door beside their chairs. She needed to find one of the public transit maps, and figure out how to get to Grand Garden Medical Center.

Chapter 14: The Hardest Part

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1:40 PM

Fallen Angel leaned back in his seat in the lobby of the hospital, closing his eyes as he wished terrible memories away. Crimson Moon, the mare he'd helped to save, was in surgery for her injuries, and he was waiting to hear any updates the doctor had for him. The crew he'd come with had already left to head back to the site, but Angel had elected to stay behind. Once he had heard that his sister was coming to the hospital to reunite with him, it was an easy decision to make.

Angel leaned forward again and put his head between his front hooves. He couldn't believe that everything that had happened so far that day, had only occurred in the span of 5 hours. His day wasn't even half over, but it felt like years had passed. A million thoughts swirled around his head in just seconds. How was he going to get back to their hotel? Should he go back home early? And if so, when?

Luckily for him, he didn't have to think for long. Angel looked up to see his sister, Shining Star, gallop hurriedly through the automatic doors of the hospital. Angel stood from his chair, breathing a huge sigh of relief. Star turned and met his gaze, smiling as she recognized her brother. For the first time in what felt like days, the two met each other with open hooves, and hugged the tightest they ever had, thankful to see each other unscathed.

"Boy, am I glad to see you," Angel said as he pulled away. "Where's the little filly?"

"You mean Silver Spirit?" Star asked.

"If that's what her name was, sure," Angel replied.

"Well, just by coincidence, I ran into the officer you met at the tower in the police station I took her to," Star told him. "She's watching Silver now; I raced here as soon as I heard you were here."

"Thank Celestia," Angel responded. "I'm glad to hear she's okay. I thought for sure she'd gone back in the tower."

"Guess not," Star answered, taking the seat next to Angel's as he sat back down. "How did you get here?"

"I came with a rescue crew," Angel replied. "Believe it or not, I actually saved somepony's life out there."

"Really?" Star exclaimed with a hint of doubt.

"Yeah!" Angel responded, "She was underneath one of the fire carriages. Apparently she got hit by a bar while rolling under."

"Ouch!" Star yelled. "I hope she's okay."

"She should be," Angel reassured her. "She's in surgery now, but it shouldn't be anything more than a broken bone or two."

"That's good..." Star trailed off. She wanted to say something to Angel, but didn't know how to bring it up. Last time they talked about it, she'd ended up punching him in the jaw and leaving him at the tower. But she needed to say what was on her mind.

"Hey Angel," she began. "I've been thinking about our argument, ever since it happened. I think I was wrong, to yell at you. You were truly doing the right thing. I just wasn't keeping my emotions together."

"No, it's okay," Angel replied. "I've been thinking too. I was wrong to not think about you first."

"But that's the thing," Star pointed out. "You shouldn't have been. I was only angry at you because I was scared you were going to hurt yourself."

Tears started to well up in her eyes, and a noticeable choke formed in her voice. "The truth is, I'm terrified of even imagining my life without you in it. Ever since Mom & Dad died, you've been the only one that really took care of me. The thought of not having you there when I'm having a bad day, or helping me through the worst of times, makes me feel like the world is closing in on me. I'm scared of losing our friendship, and the thought of leaving for college is enough to make me wish that these days could repeat over and over. I mean, not this one of course," she added with a chuckle, trying to make light out of a depressing subject.

Angel reached out and hugged his sister, who was now beginning to cry. "Star, I promise you that no matter what happens, and no matter how far apart we get, I will always be there when you need me. I'm scared of leaving you, too, because just the thought of you being happy is enough to keep me going as well. I will always do everything I can to make sure that your smile never goes away."

For a few moments, the world seemed to fade around the pair as they consoled each other in the lobby of the hospital. As strange as it was, this was the most memorable moment of today; not the attacks that had changed Equestrian history forever, but the moment the two had finally figured out exactly how much their sibling meant to each other.

**************************************************************************************

2:14 PM

Firestorm didn't know how much time had passed since Silver Spirit's father had picked her up from the station. He had been extremely thankful to Firestorm for her help, as well as all of the other staff, and Firestorm had learned that Silver's mother had made it out of the site with a broken back leg, but was mostly unscathed otherwise. Now, Firestorm was waiting for her callsign to be called in the role call that had been going since the collapse. So many thoughts had been swirling around her head, and she felt that once the role call was over, all the pressure of the day would be gone.

"71-Uniform", the dispatcher called out. Next would be Firestorm.

"71-Uniform, 10-4," came the reply from an officer Firestorm didn't yet know.

"72-Uniform."

"72-Uniform, 10-4," Firestorm responded, her voice quivering with emotion as she spoke.

"73-Uniform," went the next call, signifying that the dispatcher had heard her. Firestorm sat back in her chair, breathing the longest sigh of relief yet. She felt a lot better, letting her whole department know that she was okay.

"73-Uniform."

Firestorm's heart ached as she heard the dispatcher repeat a callsign. Role call only gave 3 chances, and it was assumed that the officer was in distress if they didn't reply. In a disaster like this, however, she just assumed the officer was dead on the first repeat. There was no chance of finding anyone alive in the rubble, besides those on the stairwell that had miraculously held for about 10 floors. The one she, Third Alarm, Shiny Cloud, and many others had been in. But Firestorm had been the only one to make it out before the collapse, a decision she greatly regretted.

"73-Uniform."

Wait. Shiny Cloud wasn't with Firestorm. He'd been on the outside rescue missions further up. Firestorm's heart began to pound as she realized she didn't know whether her partner was okay.

"74-Uniform."

Firestorm tried to calm herself down. It was going to be a while before the role call would end, and she could get in touch with him. For some reason, though, she was blanking on her callsigns. Luckily, she had them on her, in case she ever forgot.

"74-Uniform, 10-4."

Firestorm pulled her pocketbook out of her uniform's pocket. On the inside cover, she'd written down her key callsigns that she would contact most commonly throughout the day. Dispatch was HQ, Shiny Cloud was 73-Uniform, the chief was 1-Adam, ---

Shiny Cloud was 73-Uniform.

"75-Uniform."

No... He wasn't... He couldn't be...

"75-Uniform, 10-4."

There was some sort of mistake. Firestorm had written down the callsign wrong. His radio was broken. Something. Anything!

"76-Uniform.

Tears started to slowly fall down Firestorm's face as her vision tunneled into a thousand-yard stare. She brought a hoof up to her mouth as her face went expressionless. She couldn't focus on anything. She couldn't even recognize the figure walking through the door across the room.

"Firestorm, Thank Celestia!" Blaze called. Her husband, a member of the widely-praised Wonderbolts military aerial acrobatics team, had finally arrived in Manehattan from Cloudsdale.

Firestorm snapped back to reality when she heard her name. She glanced up and saw the familiar face of her lover. But she could only focus on the thought that stood out in her head, one she never thought she'd ever have to face in a million years. The hardest part of being an officer.

Firestorm ran to Blaze and buried her face in his chest, hugging him the tightest she ever had as she finally let her emotions out. She started to sob inconsolably, the tears from her eyes leaving a stain on the navy blue dress uniform her husband wore. Blaze tried vainly to soothe his grief-stricken wife. Once she was calmed down a bit, she'd be able to tell her husband in words why she was so upset: her partner wasn't going to come back, like her husband had. In fact, she was never going to see him again.

Shiny Cloud, her partner & best friend, the stallion who had welcomed her with open hooves to the Manehattan Police Department, was gone.

Chapter 15: Aftermath

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5:45 PM

Fallen Angel perked his head up as he saw a doctor walking towards him and his sister. Star almost instinctively stood up from her chair, having done this many times before while Angel was in the hospital himself.

"I'm guessing you're here for Miss Crimson Moon?" the doctor asked Angel.

"Yes," Angel responded, "I'm Fallen Angel. I helped rescue her from the rubble." As he turned to nod towards his sister, he added, "And my sister, Shining Star."

"Well, Mr. Angel," the doctor started, "I'm happy to tell you that Crimson's surgery was a success. She should be able to leave the hospital in a few days, and will probably be fully recovered by the end of next month."

Angel breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, doctor," he replied. "Is it okay to see her, by any chance?"

"She's just woken up, so I would give it a few minutes," the doctor answered.

"Okay," Angel responded. "Thank you again, Doctor, uh..." Angel trailed off. "I don't believe I got your name."

"Doctor Everlane," was the answer.

"Okay. Thank you, Doctor Everlane," Angel said to him. He turned to Star and asked, "Want to come see her with me?"

"Why not?" Star shrugged, "Got nothing better to do here."

Angel only smiled in response, giving his sister a big hug. He turned towards a chair, picking up the camera that lay on it.

"This is hers," he told Star.

She only nodded as they trotted to the front desk.

*************************************************************************************

Crimson opened her eyes as she heard the knock at her hospital room's door.

"Come in!" she said softly, trying not to hurt her hoarse voice.

The door opened, and Crimson was surprised to see one of the rescue ponies step inside, followed by a similar-looking mare. She knew she'd seen the mare before, but couldn't remember where.

"Oh!" Crimson exclaimed with surprise, "You're one of the fireponies who found me, right?"

"Actually," the stallion answered, "I'm not a firepony. Just a regular pony." He stuck out his hoof to shake hers. "I'm Fallen Angel."

"Nice to meet you," Crimson told him, turning to the other mare, "And you are?"

"I'm his sister, Shining Star," she replied. "I was just along for the ride."

This earned a chuckle out of Crimson. Angel held something out to her, and Crimson quickly recognized her camera.

"I believe this is yours?" Angel told her.

"Oh my goodness!" Crimson gasped, reaching out to grab it with her good hoof. "Thank you so much! I thought I'd lost it for sure."

"I picked it up while we were getting you out," Angel explained. "I figured it meant a lot to you."

In fact, the camera meant a lot to everyone involved in the attack's investigation; as it would later turn out, it was the only camera in Manehattan to capture the entire attack on video from the start.

"Thank you," Crimson exclaimed again. "You're amazing!"

"My pleasure," Angel replied.

Star piped up from the corner of the room. "I'm gonna get a drink. Do either of you want anything?"

"I could use a nice glass of water, please?" Crimson answered.

"Same here, Star," Angel added. Star nodded to the both of them and trotted out, closing the door behind her.

"So," Crimson started, "How long have you lived in Manehattan?"

"I actually don't live here," Angel told her. "Star and I were supposed to check out Manehattan University today. We graduated from school in May."

"You're kidding!" Crimson yelled. "That's my school!"

"Really?" Angel responded. "How about that! How is it?"

"Actually a lot better than what others make it out to be," Crimson explained. "It's in a really good place in terms of access to shops, attractions, other places. And it's got some of the best professors. With the classes I take, some of them are in their office the whole day, and they'll help you with anything you need."

"That sounds nice!" Angel replied.

"Plus, from my dorm, there's a nice view of the... skyline..." Crimson trailed off, realizing how different the skyline would look every day, now that her favorite tower was gone.

"I wish I knew," Angel responded. "I bet every day is a dream come true out here, huh?"

"Literally depends on the weather," Crimson joked, getting a laugh out of Angel. "How long are you guys staying?"

"It was supposed to be until Saturday," Angel started, "But now, who knows how long?"

"Maybe, if you can stay a couple of days, I can show you around the campus once I get out of here."

"Are you sure?" Angel asked her. "I don't think you can get around much, and I don't want to get in the way of your classes."

"Oh, please," Crimson scoffed, "At this point, I'd be surprised if classes aren't cancelled for at least the rest of the week. Plus, I could just show you around when I get back home."

"True," Angel replied, "But I'd still have to ask Star about it."

"About what?" Star popped her head in through the door, carrying a tray of 2 glasses of water and a lemonade.

"Crimson apparently goes to Manehattan University," Angel told Star as she set the tray down on a counter, "And she'd be willing to show us around once all of this clears up."

"Well then," Star responded with surprise. She paused a few moments, then added, "We don't have to pay her, right?'

Crimson giggled. "No, but tips are greatly appreciated!"

Star and Angel laughed in reply. If it weren't for Crimson being in the hospital, it would almost be as if the attack hadn't occurred. Even though they had only known each other for a few moments, the trio were sharing jokes as if they'd known each other for years. Just for a minute, the world seemed to stop, and all hostility and danger faded into the back of their minds. It was as if today were just a normal day...

**********************************************************************************

8:00 PM

Star and Angel had finally left the hospital and were on their way back to their hotel. That is, if they could find a way to get there. Virtually all of South Manehattan was shut down, no public transportation was running, and the long way around (which went through the coastal towns of mainland Equestria) would take them all night. Their only reasonable choice was to book another hotel, but who knew which ones were still open?

These thoughts, and more, repeated over and over in Star's head. She'd never heard any city as quiet as Manehattan was now. Even at night, Canterlot never seemed to sleep, and neither did Manehattan. For all she knew, Angel and Star were all by themselves, in the biggest city in the world. She was only snapped back into reality when she heard Angel call her name from about 100 feet behind her. She turned around to find him holding up a wallet.

"It's somepony's wallet," Angel confirmed as she reached him, "and it looks like there's money in it!"

"What's it doing lying in the street?" Star asked.

"No idea," was Angel's reply. He took one of the cards out and studied it for a moment. Star peered around his shoulder to find that it was the ID inside.

"I'll see if I can find where the address on it is," Angel told her, trotting over to one of the public street maps on a nearby corner.

"Seriously?" Star asked, a bit cranky from her exhaustion. "What are you going to do, return it? It's 8:00 at night, literally nopony's here anymore, and if there is anypony here, I'm sure they don't want to be disturbed!"

As per usual for today, Angel wasn't listening to her complaints.

"It's only a few blocks away!" Angel yelled, taking off down the street towards wherever the address led him. "Come on, Star!"

Star only groaned as she planted a hoof to her face, before galloping after him.

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8:46 PM

Firestorm opened the door to her apartment in Midtown and trudged inside, her husband Blaze behind her. Firestorm barely made it to the couch in the main room before collapsing onto it in a heap of sorrow. As far as she was concerned, her world was crumbling around her. Shiny Cloud, her best friend and partner since she'd joined the police force, was gone. So, too, was the Crystaller Building, and more likely than not thousands of more lives.

Blaze opened the sliding door and stepped out onto their balcony. Firestorm paid no mind to it, other than the fact that the only audible sound was the Midtown Cathedral pealing a mourning bell. The whole southern portion of Manehattan had been evacuated, mostly in the southern part of town, and so far, none had been allowed to go home. For the first time since the city was founded, Manehattan had plunged into an almost-total silence.

Firestorm picked her head up as she heard a knock at her door. Who in Equestria was knocking on the door at this hour, especially when half of Manehattan wasn't even home? Blaze stepped back inside, shutting the sliding door behind him, before trotting to the front door. He opened it to find a pair of teenagers standing in the hallway.

"Good evening, sir," the stallion started.

"Not really," Blaze pointed out, "but go on." Firestorm silently rolled her eyes.

"My sister and I found this wallet lying in the road a few blocks away," the stallion reported. "The address led us here. Is there anyone here named, um..." The stallion trailed off, squinting at the name on the ID. "...Firestorm?"

Firestorm sat up, calmly checking her pockets and realizing that, indeed, her wallet was gone.

"Yes, that's my wife," Blaze responded. "Can I see it, please?"

"Sure," the stallion replied, handing the wallet to him. Firestorm got up from the couch and trotted to the door, wiping away a tear from her eye as she took her wallet from Blaze. She looked at it for a moment, just to make sure it was hers, before looking back up and giving the stallion at the door a hug.

"Thank you," she choked up, starting to cry again.

"It's no problem," the mare beside him replied. "Just doing what's right."

Firestorm released the stallion from her embrace, and wiped away the tears in her eyes before looking at the mare, whom she quickly recognized as Shining Star from the police station.

"Oh, it's you!" Firestorm exclaimed. "So this must be..."

"Fallen Angel," the stallion finished. "Aren't you the officer from earlier?"

"Yeah," Firestorm remembered, "you got the little filly to safety!"

"I was wondering if you were okay," Fallen Angel replied. "I saw the tower come down, and I was scared that you were inside."

"I hadn't gone back in yet," Firestorm solemnly replied. "My partner, however..."

Angel suddenly remembered the bright blue stallion who'd asked Firestorm to go back in with him. If not for him, Angel wouldn't have been the one to get the filly to safety. In fact, none of them, not even the filly, might have even made it out of the collapse. For a stallion he knew for a few seconds, Angel still felt a brief wave of sorrow for the fallen officer.

"So why exactly are you two still out on the streets?" Blaze asked Angel. This question also lingered in Firestorm's mind.

"Our hotel is across the river in Bronclyn," Star answered for him. "So we can either find a hotel that's miraculously open, or go on an all-night trip down the coast of the mainland."

"Yep," Angel sighed, "And it's starting to look like we have to go around."

Without thinking, Firestorm replied, "Why don't you just crash here for tonight?"

"You'd do that for us?" Star exclaimed, but was interrupted by Blaze.

"Woah, woah, hold on," he yelled. "Firestorm, we barely know these kids. All I know about them is that they're nice enough to return a wallet. Sure, this one saved a few lives, and the girlie helped give out water, but to me, they're still complete strangers, and I don't feel comfortable about this."

Firestorm scoffed at her husband. "Seriously? These two have been the nicest ponies I've met all day! Hell, they went out of their way to return my wallet at 9:00 at night, even though the chances of us being home were slim to none! The least we could do is let them sleep here."

Blaze pondered for a moment, then turned to Angel. "No loud noise, alright? I'm happy with how silent the city is right now."

Angel took that as an agreement. "Yes, sir," he responded.

"Then it's settled," Firestorm said. "I'll show you both to the guest room."

*************************************************************************************

10:50 PM

Angel couldn't get any sleep, and he knew Star was from the slight snoring coming from her side of the bed. He was too terrified to close his eyes. Terrified that he didn't know what lay ahead when he opened them again. That he didn't know if this was a dream or not. It sure felt like one. But that would mean Firestorm, the nicest police officer he ever met, and Crimson Moon, the cutest mare he'd ever seen, and the first friend he'd made in Manehattan, weren't real. Wait, he didn't just think that, did he?

Angel slipped out of bed and quietly opened the bedroom door. He carefully stepped into the hallway, not wanting to wake anyone up. To his surprise, however, he heard the radio going in the living room, and found Firestorm and Blaze still awake, lying on the living room couch. Facing away from Angel, Firestorm had her face buried in her husband's chest, and Angel could hear her quietly sobbing. He knew how badly she was hurting, but he didn't want to disturb them. He decided his mission to get a drink wasn't worth it. He silently leaned against the wall, out of sight from the couple, and closed his eyes as he listened to the radio's report:

...It is believed, however, that the 2nd explosion at the Crystaller Building was from leaking gas pipes that were ignited by a fire burning in the elevator shaft. So far, the confirmed death toll in the main attack is at 790, with about 1,200 other injuries confirmed, and hundreds more reported missing. All of these numbers are expected to rise.

Meanwhile, a 2nd explosion occurred in Canterlot at about 11:30 this morning, at the main gate to the Parliament Building. Although there was no structural damage to the building itself, the blast leveled an abandoned 5-story building across the street. So far the death toll in that explosion is about 10, with more than 200 injured by shrapnel.

What we don't know at this hour is who is responsible for this pair of terrorist acts, as nobody has claimed responsibility. Princess Celestia has been in talks with other world leaders about the attacks, as have Princesses Luna & Cadence, and we are awaiting a speech from Celestia at any moment. The Elements of Harmony have been called into Canterlot, and are on standby at the moment in case another attack unfolds. For the first time since Nightmare Moon's banishment, all Equestrian borders are closed, as are the borders of the Crystal Empire and the Griffon Kingdom.

There is one thing that is for certain, though: today is October 1st, 1010 AB, and it is a day that not only Equestria, but the entire world, will never forget....

Epilogue

**************************************************************************************

October 7, 1010 A.B.

7:15 PM

The last few days had been a blur for Fallen Angel and Shining Star. Their guardians, Cloud Sweeper and Comet Trail, had caught the first train out of Canterlot to meet them in Manehattan, but the railway lines could only make it to Fort Riverhill on the mainland's coastline. They had to get into Manehattan over the Almanor Bridge on the western side the next day, and finally found Angel & Star on the 3rd. Once they had reunited, tears could not stop being shed by either party.

Star had ended up going home with them once the Maneway stations had opened back up on the 4th, but Angel had decided to stay in Manehattan to look after his new friend, Crimson Moon, much to the anxiety of the others. Not only was he dedicated to helping her until her injuries healed, but he also had a way to get a look at Manehattan University. At this point, however, he didn't care what it was like; he was already set in his mind to apply for a spot in the spring semester. He already had a friend with which he could go to class.

As they had sat in the hospital room day after day, Crimson and Angel had listened to the radio in the room as the world reacted around them. As it turned out, the party responsible for the bombings in Manehattan and Canterlot had been a team of Saddle Arabian rebels that Saddle Arabia themselves had been fighting for years. Once the facts became known, Celestia had issued a rare declaration of war on the rebels, and sent troops from the Royal Guard into Saddle Arabia. At the same time, the Elements of Harmony had been called in, and were stationed in Canterlot in the case of another attack. So far, however, the only report was a scare in Fillydelphia that turned out to be false.

Angel unlocked the door to Crimson's dorm room and pushed it open as he backed in, holding Crimson's wheelchair with his front hooves. He was starting to get used to this, but he was still glad it wouldn't be long until Crimson was able to move around on her own. He picked the grocery bag that he'd sat outside back up, then closed the door and carried it to the table in her kitchen.

"You all good?" he asked her once he set it down.

"Yep," came the reply. "Thanks for helping!"

"My pleasure," Angel responded, showing off the newspaper on the kitchen counter. "Check that out!" he exclaimed.

On the front cover of the newspaper was a picture that an amateur photographer had gotten in the aftermath. It showed a group of rescuers carrying a young mare out of the rubble on a backboard. Although none of them were identified, Crimson and Angel knew exactly who they were; Crimson was the mare on the backboard, and Angel and the fire crew were the rescuers.

"Wow!" Crimson yelled. "That's amazing!"

"Yeah," Angel replied, quickly flipping through the paper for any interesting new details on the attack. "Good grief, look at this!" he spoke up again. "15 fireponies from one unit got killed. They're saying the whole squad was wiped out."

"Oh my gosh!" Crimson exclaimed. "Which unit?"

"Um, Squad 5," he replied.

Crimson froze. "You're joking, right?"

"Nope. Know somebody from there?"

"No, but I filmed all of them!" Crimson shouted. "They all walked by me while I was on a corner. Quick, grab the camera for me!"

Angel obliged, and Crimson scrolled through her footage until she found what she was looking for. The camera was the first digital model in Equestria, and therefore, could play footage without the hassle of having to pull film out and develop it. Sure enough, she had gotten film of the whole squad marching past her, headed for the tower. More likely than not, Crimson had the last known pictures of the crew alive.

"Wow," was all that Angel could say. Chills were running up his spine. Trying to get the frightening thought out of his mind, he asked Crimson, "Need anything else?"

"Can you open that sliding door for me?" Crimson asked, pointing to her balcony door, and Angel trotted over to it, sliding it open for her to wheel out onto the balcony. This was the first time Crimson had even dared to go out there since she got home on the 5th. As sad as it was, she didn't want to see her favorite sight anymore, now that it had been drastically altered. She rolled her wheelchair to the railing, where she took her first glimpse at the "new" Manehattan skyline, minus her beloved Crystaller Building. All of the lights in every still-standing building were lit up, as well as a spotlight pointed into the sky at the southern tip of the island, a tribute by Manehattan in memory of the fallen tower. All that could be seen from where it once stood, however, were emergency lights from the numerous rescue crews that were still on the site. It had been 6 days since the attack, but it still felt like the day had never ended to Crimson.

It was only when Angel wrapped one of his forelegs around her in a hug that she realized she had started to cry. If anything, the hug had only made it worse. It was finally sinking in that she had gone through, and survived, the worst attack in recent Equestrian history. It seemed as if the world had lost its innocence, exposed to the harsh realities offered by a cruel foe. She returned the hug to Angel, burying her face into his shoulder, and the two sat for what seemed like forever, as Crimson tried to wish away the attacks, and cling to whatever hope she had left that it still wasn't real.

Suddenly, they heard a knock at the front door, and Angel hopped up to answer it. When he opened it, he was surprised to find Firestorm, the officer that had let him and his sister stay in her home after the attacks.

"Hey!" Angel exclaimed. "Good to see ya!"

"Good to know I have the right address," Firestorm responded, holding up her notecard with a smile. "May I come in?"

"Sure," Angel answered, letting Firestorm inside. Crimson came inside from the balcony, and Angel shut the sliding door before taking a seat with Firestorm in the living room.

"You're probably wondering why I'm here," Firestorm started.

"A little, yeah," Angel replied.

"Well," Firestorm continued, "I got a chance to talk with my superiors about you, and what you did to help out at the attack. To make a long story short, they want you to come into the main headquarters tomorrow. A little birdie told me there might be a new award being made, and you're to be the first recipient!"

Angel's eyes lit up, and his face broke out in a smile. "Really?" he exclaimed. "That's amazing!"

Firestorm reached into her uniform's pocket and pulled out a small box. She opened it to reveal a medal, with a design of a pony on it, carrying another pony on its shoulders. It also had an engraving on the bottom that read, "Shiny Cloud Medal of Heroism".

"This is what it's supposed to look like," she told Angel. "I designed it myself, and I named it after my partner. It's the first ever civilian-rank medal for our police department, for regular ponies who go above and beyond, even risking their own lives, to save others."

"Wow," Angel stammered as he studied the medal. "I honestly don't know what to say. Thank you."

"The pleasure's mine," Firestorm responded as she got up. "I wish I could stay longer, but my shift technically isn't over. I just got a break between calls, and decided to stop by. Like I said, the official ceremony's tomorrow. I'll see you guys then!"

"For sure!" Angel responded.

Firestorm turned to leave, but stopped when she spotted Crimson's camera, lying on the counter.

"Whose camera is that?" Firestorm asked.

"Mine," was Crimson's reply. "I used it to film the attack."

This further interested Firestorm.

"Do you mind if I take a look at it?" Firestorm requested.

"Go ahead," Crimson answered.

Firestorm sat back down on the couch, holding the camera up and looking through the footage. "How much footage did you get, exactly?" she asked Crimson.

"All the way from the start," Crimson responded. "I usually film videos to send to my parents of stuff that I do on days off from school. I was supposed to meet a friend in Altasano Park, but while I was talking about it, I saw the explosion."

As Crimson was talking, Firestorm started to watch the first clip on the camera with the view of the skyline.

"Hi Mom, hi Dad!" Crimson's voice started from the video, "it's Crimson! Today I'm going to meet Morning Shadow, and I'm really excited! We have so much to talk about, like my studies, and her new job. Plus, I've planned a whole list of activities for us to do together, like ice skating at Rockhoof Plaza, going to the top of the Crystaller Building," -- The camera turned to the aforementioned tower, then back to Crimson -- "and of course, a picnic in Altasano Park! I can't wait to get the day started. I'm so excited I can barely--"

Crimson's smile suddenly turned into wide, frightened eyes.

"OH DEAR CELESTIA!" Crimson cried, and the camera turned back to the tower, which now had the first fireball erupting from it. Firestorm stopped the footage, and turned to Crimson.

"I can't believe it;" she exclaimed. "You might just have the only footage of the attack from start to finish! It was rolling when the tower came down, correct?"

"Yeah," Crimson replied, "And when the 2nd blast happened. I couldn't turn it off after I got hurt, though. I don't know when it died, but I ended up having to get new batteries for it when I came home."

Firestorm studied the camera for a moment, then asked, "Do you mind if I take this in to headquarters? I think the sergeant would want to see it."

"Go ahead," Crimson responded. "I'm sure they'd be happy to watch it."

Firestorm got up and put the camera in a spare bag that Angel offered.

"I'll be sure to return it as soon as I can," Firestorm assured Crimson.

"It's okay," Crimson replied, pointing out her wheelchair with a laugh, "I don't think I'll be needing it for a while."

"Thanks for coming by," Angel said as he got up. "Before you go, you don't have a map on you, do ya? I need to learn how to get around this place before I actually live here."

This got a chuckle out of Firestorm, who answered, "If I find one by tomorrow, I'll be sure to give it to you."

"Okay," Angel replied. "Thanks again!"

"See you at the ceremony!" Firestorm retorted as she shut the door behind her.

Angel sat back down on the couch, admiring the medal as Crimson rolled over to him. He went to place it back in the box when he noticed a paper underneath what should have been the bottom of the box. He pulled it out, and found that it was a note. He started to read it aloud for Crimson:

"To Fallen Angel, the best friend an officer could ask for. I think you'd make a great partner! Hope to see you on the force soon! With lots of love, your friend, Firestorm."

************************************ THE END **************************************

Author's Note

If you've made it to the end, I'd like to thank you for reading. I almost didn't finish this for multiple reasons. One was that I was scared of how people would react to it, as this is no doubt a sensitive topic. The other was horrible timing, through no fault of my own, as a few real-life bomb scares in New York happened right as I was finishing up the last chapters. But I'm glad to have finished it, and glad that you've taken the time to read it. I hope you enjoyed the story, and any constructive feedback is appreciated! Who knows, maybe more stories of Crimson, Angel, Star, and Firestorm are in the foreseeable future? Thanks again for reading!

--Replach

Chapter 1: A Normal Day...

Author's Note

This story is loosely based on real life events, mainly the events of September 11, 2001. If any stories of this kind offend you, don't read any farther.

Chapter 1: A Normal Day...

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October 1, 1010 A.B.

9:00 AM

The alarm clock buzzed its usual jarring noise. At least that's what Crimson Moon thought of it. She was just glad it woke her up every morning, unlike her old alarm clock, which only seemed to wake her up for just a moment, enough to turn it off and fall back asleep.

This time, however, the unicorn was up with a start, nearly smashing the button to turn it off. She paused to stretch before leaping out of bed. Today was the day she was going to meet Morning Shadow at Athasano Park, near the heart of Manehattan. She had been looking forward to it for weeks; she hadn't seen Morning Shadow since the day she left Baltimare to attend Manehattan University. She had everything planned out on what they were going to do today, even double checking every place she had in mind in case something were to be closed or cancelled. Nothing was going to ruin this day.

Crimson shot off to the kitchen to make her usual breakfast: oatmeal with a side of lemonade. You could tell her anything bad about it, but lemonade was the only thing she drank. It was just one of the quirks to Crimson. As the oatmeal cooked, she pranced to the balcony of her dorm room and opened the sliding door. Stepping outside into the relatively warm morning air, she looked out at the skyline of Manehattan, flanked by a cloudless blue sky. This was quickly becoming her favorite thing to see in the morning. Even though it was everywhere you could look, she didn't seem to mind the tall buildings, or the smell of asphalt and, well... other big city stuff. This was her home, and she was convinced that she didn't want to leave once her Cognitive Science studies were complete. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. Today was going to be her day, she just knew it.

Closing the door behind her, she went to the kitchen and finished making her oatmeal. She grabbed a jug of lemonade from the fridge, and as she poured it into a glass, she grabbed her video camera and turned it towards herself. She loved to send videos to her parents back in Baltimare, just to update them on what was happening in her new hometown, miles away. It was her way of keeping in touch with family. Plus it made her friends jealous, as she was the only one of the group who could afford the new technology.

After finishing her breakfast, she turned the camera on, and gave her usual start to her video: "Hi Mom, hi Dad, it's Crimson! Today I'm going to meet Morning Shadow, and I'm really excited! We have so much to talk about, like my studies, and her new job. Plus, I've planned a whole list of activities for us to do together, like ice skating at Rockhoof Plaza, going to the top of the Crystaller Building--"

She turned the camera towards the skyline through the sliding door, and focused on the Crystaller Building. Dead in the center of Manehattan, the building was the first in the city to be almost entirely made of glass on the outside, save for the brass horse's head on the top. It was the signature building of the skyline, and Crimson's favorite in the whole world. She had planned to go to the indoor observation deck with Morning Shadow and see the view from the clouds.

As she turned the camera back towards herself she continued: "...and of course, a picnic in Altasano Park! I can't wait to get the day started, I'm so excited I can barely-- OH DEAR CELESTIA!"

Crimson screamed as she turned the camera back to the skyline. A bright fireball was erupting into the sky around the Crystaller Building! A thundering boom echoed across the sky, making the windows shake so badly, she thought they would shatter. She kept the camera rolling as the ball of flames turned into a streak of jet black, making its way across the skyline. At that moment, Crimson knew that her plans with Morning Shadow were going to be on hold. She'd found her new plan for today: capturing the events that were about to unfold, and change Equestria forever.

**********************************************************************

9:13 AM

Shining Star breathed in the smell of her morning coffee. Her hotel in Bronclyn had the loveliest cafe in the lobby, and she and her brother, Fallen Angel, were having breakfast and listening to the morning news on the radio inside. They were on vacation, their first without their new parents, as they called them, and so far enjoying every minute of it. Their first time alone in a new city, and this was their first day to see the sights. Both Star & Angel were looking at Manehattan as a possible location for college. However, no trip comes without its sightseeing. So they were getting the fun stuff out of the way first. Their big plan for today was to see a wrestling show at Madisoat Square Garden. Perfect for the two of them, especially Angel, who was a die-hard EWE fan.

"I'm gonna head back up to the room," Star said to Angel. "I think I left my wallet on the bed."

"No problem," Angel replied. "I'll be waiting down here."

"I hope so!" Star joked as she trotted to the elevator. She didn't know what she'd do without Angel. He'd been more than a brother to her; he'd been a guardian. Whenever Star was in trouble, or needed a shoulder to cry on, Angel was right there for her. She believed his name fit him perfectly. If she didn't know any better, she'd think he truly were an angel.

Star opened the door to their hotel room and, just as she'd thought, found her wallet lying on the bed on the far side. As she bent down to grab it, a bright flash from outside startled her. She looked out the window, pushing the shade aside, to see the Crystaller Building engulfed in a fireball. She gasped and all but sprinted out of the room and back to the elevator. She didn't want to be on the 14th floor of the hotel anymore.

As she made her way into the lobby, the news was just breaking on the radio in the cafe. Angel got up from his chair and ran to Star.

"Did you hear that?" he asked her. "The Crystaller Building--"

"I know!" Star interrupted him. "I could see it from the window! It just exploded, and black smoke started pouring out!"

Angel looked like he had seen a ghost. Star could tell what was running through his mind, and she was having the same thoughts: This isn't happening. It's just a dream. You'll wake up soon... Please wake up soon!

Angel sat back into his chair at the cafe and began to think. Star could tell he was trying to figure out a way to react. She hadn't exactly figured it out either. One thing was for sure: their plans for today were definitely cancelled.

Finally Angel looked at her, a determined look in his eyes. "We need to get down there," he stated to her.

Star couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What? Are you insane?!?" she yelled.

"There's going to be hundreds of ponies that need all the help they can get out there," he told her. "We've been in that situation before."

Angel wasn't exaggerating. When the twins were 15, a gunmare had attacked their church in Canterlot. Both of their parents had been killed, and Angel had been hit, before the Equestrian Royal Guard ended the standoff. In fact, the captain himself had carried Angel out. When a nice couple, Cloud Sweeper & Comet Trail, had taken them in, it was the first step to a long trail of rebuilding.

"Yeah," Star replied, "and we're not going to do that again!"

"Trust me, Shining Star!" Angel pleaded. "We know exactly what's going through their heads right now. I want to be the one helping this time! Think of it as repaying a favor."

"Favor?" Star yelled. "You think the Royal Guard saving your ass from a gunmare was a favor?"

Angel wasn't listening, grabbing his bag as he ran out of the lobby of the hotel, and up the street, where ponies were just learning of the occurrence unfolding.

"ANGEL!" Star screamed out. "At least wait on me!" She took off in the direction he had gone, but Angel had disappeared into the crowd. At this point, Star didn't know where she was going to end up by the end of the day, but she knew for sure that her life, as well as many others, weren't going to be the way they were just moments ago.

**************************************************************************

9:21 AM

Firestorm stepped out of the Midtown Police Station on 11th Avenue. The young pegasus was happier than ever. She had finally tied the knot with her fiancee, Blaze, a member of the Wonderbolts, and had just moved into a new apartment on 138th Street. Sure, it was a long trip to work, but she didn't mind. Especially during the happiest days of her life!

From what Firestorm had heard, her partner, Shiny Cloud, hadn't bothered to wait on her. He was already on a co-op call with the fire department, inspecting a gas leak on 5th Avenue, near the stock exchange. She figured she'd join him there, but as she started trotting down to Everfree Avenue, she noticed a small crowd starting to gather at the corner, looking up towards the sky. Knowing how many calls came out in Manehattan per day, Firestorm had quickly learned that a crowd was the first sign of trouble. She knew she had to meet Cloud, but she figured she would at least stop to see what the fuss was about. She turned the corner and looked up. What she saw nearly made her spit out the coffee she was drinking.

She was met with the sight of a large plume of smoke billowing out of the Crystaller Building, flowing over the buildings around her. Several floors seemed to be engulfed in flames, but she could hardly tell for sure; from the view she had, she could only see the northern side of the building. She'd never seen anything like it.

A lump formed in her throat as she half-expected the "All Hands" call she'd dreaded since she joined the force to go out. "All Hands" meant every officer, whether they were on-duty or not, was called in. It had thankfully never been used since Firestorm started last year, but with a call like this, there was a good chance she'd hear it for the first time.

As if on cue, the walkie-talkie on her side started blasting with several voices at once: "75-FOXTROT TO DISPATCH! We just had an explosion in the Crystaller Building! Advising 3rd alarm at this time, roll every medical team available!"

Firestorm started to sprint towards the building. She knew it was a long run away, but as big as the building was, it looked like it was the next block over. Behind her, she heard a siren, as a fire engine rolled by her, being pulled by four fireponies. Several others followed behind, all wearing fire suits and helmets. She figured she'd follow them; they were obviously going to the same place.

It wasn't long before they were within blocks of the building, and Firestorm was able to get a better glimpse. It seemed that the entire top of the building was engulfed in flames, and debris was still raining down from it. She could see pieces of paper, metal bars, and what she hoped was a chair falling to the ground, and the occasional flame blowing out of a window. A million thoughts raced through Firestorm's mind; the primary one was whether she'd make it home tonight...