The Fall

by Malicious-Badger

Part 5

Down.

I was in the air, the wind flowing through my mane, my eyes watering from the speed. Flight was always natural to me, but this flight didn't feel right, my wings felt heavier, I felt heavier, it was as if the guilt I was feeling turned into physical weight and was bearing down on me. Though I felt slow in the weight's presence, I was going as fast as ever.

I broke through the clouds leaving a gaping hole behind. At this point in time I felt like I had nothing to live for anymore, after searching Ponyville, finding the ruins, and know my friends were dead, there was nothing left, but family. I was leaving behind everything that has been the latter half of my life, I was leaving only in hope that maybe my first home, also of clouds; Cloudsdale would still be there, as would maybe my family. It was I long shot, I knew that, it was Ground Mares Day; nopony was supposed to be up in the air, what would anypony have any business doing in Cloudsdale, how was I supposed to know, I had to go see for myself.

Up in the air I felt the loneliness again, it was the thought that I was the only one around the world to still be seeing the open sky and soar through it, whilst gazing towards the potential beauty of the terrain below. But I was not able to enjoy that open sky, nor was I able to admire the landscape; both had been tarnished. The sky was a sea of soot-blackened clouds, with miniscule breaks between them, allowing the rays of sunlight to pass through, down onto the earth, which to was in turn a lost mess of broken trees, burnt ground, and overall dread.

As the wind rushed through my mane, I felt my eyes starting to tear; I didn't know why, well I did subconsciously but I didn't know why I was crying then, I just didn't know what was provoking it. The small tears streamlined off my face and through the clouds, you could almost call it raining. It could have been the resurfaced thought of my friends, or the fact that I felt I was truly going home for the first time in years, or that realization that it is most likely probable that my family was dead too.

From the last time I was there, in Cloudsdale, it was due west of Canterlot; Cloudsdale has a tendency to relocate itself based on how the weather is, who knows how much an explosion would affect it. I stayed my course, fly directly north west of Ponyville; despite being able to see Canterlot, which is practically the same distance of Cloudsdale, in the distance the fact is it is actually a fair distance away, probably about 2 hours worth of flight time. My wings grew heavier and heavier throughout the flight, it was pathetic of me, I hadn't even been flying for little more than an hour and I was dying for a rest. Saving myself the hassle of not wanting cramped wings that would fly me any further than a pony could jump, I gave myself a rest. I attempted to find the whitest cloud I could, but there was not one in sight, not above nor below me, there would be nowhere to rest. I couldn't stay up in the clouds. I went back down, down to the ground where I could hopefully find a nice spot to rest in, if any place still existed. On the ground I was right next to the road, which led to Canterlot. I had found a ditch on the side of the road that looked comfortable enough to take a rest in. I went and lay down; I was so worn out that I let myself close my eyes, I fell asleep.

Walking

I was already heading my way towards Canterlot, after I had skirted the edges of Ponyville. I didn't want to look back so I just kept moving forward, over the charred, and broken road. It was truly an obstacle the road; cracks everywhere, holes, mounds. Heck it was probably easier to walk alongside the road rather than on top of it.

Though there were the physical set backs, the emotional set backs kept me from keeping my pace, I started to slow my advance. What was the point of rushing? Who would I be helping? All I could accomplish with running was making myself tired. I couldn't expend any energy that was unnecessary; my supplies were to limited for that. I slowed down to a brisk trot.

Usually this road would be part of the track during the autumn, for the running of the leaves. It was a lot different than then, there were no leaves to run off, there weren't any trees really for that matter; they were more like dead sticks that protruded from that ground, making their presence know, being a symbol of the life that once was. There was no scenery to appreciate, there was no life around, and I was the only colour left in the world. An orange speck; the fire of vengeance, I was the fire lighting the way to the truth.

The path was becoming increasingly difficult to traverse; there were more cracks than road by that point. I left the road, which is on a slightly elevated path, and headed down the right side. Usually I would never walk off the path, to many chances to fall and too many bumps and holes, however now, it seemed a much more pleasurable walking route; the ground was flatter for one.

I was not even half way yet when I stopped to have a rest. I took an apple out of my pack and sat down to eat it. I was truly more thirsty than hungry but the explosion had tarnished our water supply on our farm, and I assumed that finding more fresh water would be hard. Be that as it may, the juices from the apple, and its natural sweet, sugar, gave me the energy to get back on my feet and continue walking.

I was quickly getting more exhausted from not drinking anything, but as luck may have it I suddenly heard something. It was the sound of flowing water! And it was flowing fast; it was not to my knowledge that there was a broad stream or river along the way to Canterlot. I quickly ran through the charred shrubbery, heading towards the sound that was emanating on my right. It got louder as I got nearer, and I was still a decent distance away. I was straying further and further off the path, deeper and deeper into the charred forest, the sky was getting darker, I slipped.

I had tripped over a dead stump or something, and was quickly falling down the side of the hill, down the thin valley, and down to the water flow. I let out a scream; pain ran through my leg, it seared all the way up my back. The river was coming in view, and I had to do something, or else I'd be swept away. While I rolled down the hill, I reach frantically for something to grab onto, but there was nothing, everything was dead. There was nothing stopping me from diving head in. At least it would clench my thirst.

Scream.

I woke abruptly, to the sounds of my friends, it sounded like Applejack screaming. My mind was really starting to play tricks on me. I rubbed my sleepy eyes awake to view the night, how could the stars still shine and moon, show its face when there was nopony to greet it.

It was sad really, Luna was right, people are never awake to see the beauty of the night. To feel the awe one feels whilst looking up at the stars; it can make one feel very small, and in a world on their own it can only help amplify the loneliness. We are so insignificant. As I sat looking up at the night sky I pondered the time. I hadn't had an accurate note as to the time for three or four days now. I tried to read the time by the moon, but I didn't seem to move, it sat, stuck there high in the sky, full in size and brighter than ever. The moonlight emanated so brightly that it was almost as bright as Celestia's sun, or at the very least as bright as something could be, while surrounded by the dark of the night, shining upon the darkened world below.

There wasn't much for me to do but think. I had no intentions to roam during the night, because though the moon was very bright, there is always bad visibility in dark skies. So I didn't move, I was entranced by the silence around me, and the malefic clouds that shrouded the night. The stars were shining bright that night, at least the one that you could see were.

I really hadn't made an impact on my journey by this point. I don't know if I was lazy or something, but getting up for some reason didn't feel like an option. I sat in my bedding in the ditch; right next to what was a great big tree. It was dead now, though I don't think that it was just the tree's life that died on that spot; with a tree that big I could only guess that there was some animal family living in it. This could only remind me of Fluttershy. I was right there with her, before I took off to do my rainboom. She was so happy that day, I wished she was up in the clouds with me when it had happened, so at least I'd not be the only pony around here…

It was 2 hours later, the sky was getting a lot darker, and any decent weatherpony would know that what I saw were signs of a storm. Except, I didn't know, I was too entangled in deep thought to notice my surroundings; it was only till I heard a snap, and then another snap, except the latter one I had also felt, that I had noticed. A bolt of lighting had struck down from the stormy skies, and hit the big tree, it snapped off a large branch that was consequently right above me. It came down hard, and hit me like the weight of a dragon's gold. The snap had come from my wing. The branch had broken it, for all the good fortune it was worth; I was not trapped under the branch, but I was too injured to get up, to go, and seek shelter, to clean my wounds. All along my wing there were scratches, and a few deep gashes, but none compared to the pain of my wing joint. The pain was immense, as I couldn't move under the pitter-patter of the raindrops. I tried to scream, but I couldn't.

It took me a couple of minutes to pass out from the loss of blood, and the searing pain. I lay there and let everything fade to black. I had truly had never felt more alone in my whole life before then.

Roots.

I stopped. It wasn't a pleasant one, but I stopped. In the darkness I hadn't seen the steep ditch that landed right before the river, because of that I just went rolling down. I landed in a pool of water, though it was only about ankle height. I think I was unconscious for a while or something, because when I came too it was raining. I could feel the drops on the top of my head.

I could feel the drops on the top of my head… I had lost my hat. That hat meant the world to me; I'd almost go as far as to say that it meant more than my friends. Many ponies don't know bout my hat, but that hat was a gift that my pappy gave me when I was just a little filly. That hat has always reminded me of the strength and determination from my father. He is also the reason I'm representing the element of honesty, he was the best stallion I ever knew, and he raised us to always seek the best in people and don't hold lies; it's the easiest way for people to get hurt. I never take that hat off if I could help it, so to know that it was not there was devastating.

My hope wasn't all gone though, that hat could have well been rite out of the ditch for all I knew. I stood up to go check but fell right back down. My bucking legs were hurting real bad when I tried to stand. I think I must have landed or caught them on something when I fell, that's before I lost my senses.

Now I was losing hope. What was I doing? Why was I going to Canterlot? What was the point of it all!?

With out my mane all matted I tried to stand. I rose slowly, ignoring the pain. I made sure to grab my saddlebag that had fallen off, and spilt some apples. After I had put my saddlebag on I started to look around, surely, hopefully my hat was there somewhere. It wasn't, nor was my last piece of emotional attachment to the world I once knew.

The rain soaked me but there was no stopping that. There was no shelter, no protection from my hat. I had no home to stay in, no bed to lie in. There truly nothing left but pain, misery, and nothingness itself. I was cold from the rain.

I wasn't thirsty anymore.

I stopped my crying; it was getting me nowhere, and helping me with nothing. I ate an apple; it was nice and juicy, sour, but sweet. It helped me regain my lost energy. With a bit of a limp I carried on, through the rain, through the night, the seemingly endless night.

Time didn't matter anymore, only what was left, and what might be. The thought of there being something in Canterlot was only ever so slightly reassuring. Everything could have faded to black at that point for all I cared. All I want to know were the answers; who…? Why….? How…? What pony would ever do this, what cruel heartless incentives do they have.

There was no more that day, or rather; night, just walking. Walking under the night skies and full moon I realized; nothing actually mattered to me anymore, for that day, was the day I died… on the inside.

Comments

[Mrantefjant]

Please make it a happy ending!
Don't make an ending where the commit suecide and just before they die they see eachother and realise that they where never alone.
PLEASE

[Malicious-Badger]

553409 well i won't be say that there will be a happy ending and everyone is alive again and yay and shit. no. but i can promise you resolve. and if you have been reading carefully you will realise that there is an antagonist in all this. everything will come together neatly. this story is written as a sort tragedy, so it is bound to be sad one way or the other.

[Mrantefjant]

553882
Whell I'll be wating for the next chapter
P.s. A fanfic where everybody lives and go yay? No thanks, that would just be wierd!

[RDash]

Awesome chapter! Can't wait for more
553882 I'm glad that you're not making one of those endings. I hate when something bad happens and then someone licks a rock and everything is back to normal like nothing has ever happened (strange metaphor). Anyways, I'm sure that this story is in good hands, keep up the great work

[Malicious-Badger]

558915 eyup, and because of the long hiatus, im working double hard to get the next part out, its already 1/3 done :D and i have a day off tomorrow, and LoL is broken so looks like i got some writing to do ^^