The Day Everything Changed

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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.

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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...

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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."

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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....