*SNAP*
A hypothetical mare hypothetically has a hypothetical choice to make.
The clock is ticking.
Won gold medal in Bicyclette's "A Thousand Words" contest in category "Angst."
Dramatic reading by The Mystery Fluttershy Fan.
Dramatic reading by Pony&Wolf Productions.
Thanks to Equimorto and various Anons for proofreading and feedback.
Think on your family. Enjoy the view if you can… await your fate. Not much more one can do.
Interesting choice of tags. In the show, Cherry Berry actually falls out of the sky in a ruptured balloon and is saved by Mare-do-Well. Very obscure reference if intentional, incredible coincidence if not!
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Well, to be honest this isn't meant to tie directly into any episode. But I do find the duality of her character pretty interesting and I don't think anyone else in the show would fit a situation like this as well as her.
Screaming non-stop like a torture victim, because every inch of your brain will be screaming I'm falling I'm falling I'm gonna die oh god
Or at least, the pony wouldn't turn into some two-bit philosopher in the last throes of their life. Reeks of rationalfic.
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Ah well I'm sorry to hear that. I didn't mean to be pretentious, I just thought this would be a fun concept to explore in the terms of the contest after it popped into my mind randomly yesterday.
Definitely not intentional. I haven't read any and the extremely patchy knowledge I do have about them comes from listening to others discuss such fics.
Either way, I hope you'll like whatever I write next better.
This really ought to be in parentheses, or in a new sentence.
My thought is look for water, and try to go in as vertically as possible with minimal profile. At terminal velocity, the surface tension will make the impact the same as hitting concrete if you can't break through it. If there's no water, look for trees, and spread your profile out for as much air resistance as possible. You'll want to keep your limbs above the level of your torso, ironically; something is going to break if you're lucky enough to hit a branch, and ribs are there to be broken in order to protect your organs. You'll need your limbs in working condition to get down and get to help.
Failing those two, I'd just be happy to have had as much time as I have. I was supposed to be dead years ago, already made my peace with it and at least it wouldn't be going in my sleep.
I guess in this story the reader is the 'voice' inside Cherry Berry's head.
That does raise the question of why there are these attempts by Cherry to save face. Maybe it's supposed to represent denial or some other sort of deep psychological thing
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You reek; the smell of those who lack imagination.
I like this. I've always been afraid of heights, and the idea of plummeting to my death is genuinely scary to me.
Still, I've always wondered what one would feel while free falling to their death, hypotetically speaking, of course.
Keep up the good work, friend!
Uffff!!!!
Chills!!!!!
<3!!!!!!
Shock, denial, dissociation... It's a lot more productive than blind panic, and earth ponies can never shake the need to do something useful, even in their last moments. I imagine many such pioneers spend their last moments contemplating how to get the most out of them, including any available extra moments.
Wonderful blend of disquieting doom and thoughtful contemplation. It's always nice to see an Angst entry that doesn't tug at heartstrings like an amateur puppeteer. Thank you for this, and best of luck in the judging.
oof, poor Cherry Berry!
so true
the hypothetical phrasing is beginning to make this feel like a Ben Shapiro meme, and i am here for it
oof, yeah, those last-minute regrets! especially in the vaguely-defined world of Equestria, where random ponies really can just meet very powerful and important ones, and the world is filled with too many wonders to even know about, much less see. ironic, too, as Cherry Berry would be the adventurous type for her love of aerial vehicles
aww, and yeah, it does feel like there's something deeper in Cherry Berry being an earthpony
and augh, love the last fall as the one opportunity for a denied ability to fly, just a great trope
it has happened before! and one might as well hope as there's no benefit now in being steely-eyed about the chances
augh, so powerful to address the reader like this! i think of this as her talking to herself in the story, gaining a hoofhold on her thoughts by phrasing everything as if addressing someone. i mean, i guess that's just regular ol' talking to oneself, too! but wow, love the associations that come with that. something about how we are the most loyal audience to ourselves, and the only one that will truly be with us until the very moment that the final curtain falls. i really love that!
love the introspection, love how this explores the depths of possibilities of this background pony, taking her One Trait and spinning it out into an entire character in this most meaningful moment of her life. wonderful stuff!
Hello! Have a review. I really, really liked how you eschewed melodrama, which would have been the obvious route to take, with your fic. Fascinating and powerful. Congratulations on the Gold Medal! Have a fave too.
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Thank you very much for the kind words! It's nice to be on the receiving end of reviews occasionally I'm almost ashamed to admit that some of the parts that you praise are more very lucky accidents than something I consciously planned, but I'm still very pleased the end result was satisfying.
Great story! I have recorded myself reading it for the audio version and will be working on it soon.
You're a genius!!! <3!
Plot Twist: While looking to cause some random "friendly chaos", Discord scans through the minds of various nearby ponies and finds that most of them were leading the same boring lives most in Equestria were leading at the time and would likely never change anytime soon, even with some "chaotic fun". While just about to leave the area in defeat, his ears peaked up and just happened to hear all of what Cherry Berry was thinking during this whole ordeal. He takes pity on the poor adventure craving mare and freezes time, while offering her a choice to be the first of his own version of the Elements of Harmony or to maintain the most potential ending coming as a consequence of her previous choice if choosing otherwise. She accepts his offer and then is not only saved at the last second before hitting the ground, but rewarded by Discord for joining his new group by making her a Pegasus on par with Rainbow Dash (for the lols - he is discord after all), and then sends her on Daring Do-like adventures to collect relics for him, both in Equestria and beyond... XD
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While this does sort of defeat the point of the story, that is a pretty funny interpretation for an ending. Discord's gonna Discord.
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Yeah, I know. Eh, it's just my preferable twist ending to make the story seem less tragic, especially that the ending leaves it more up to interpretation, even while so still seeming an obvious outcome no matter what (lol). I also think Discord would be about one of the only creatures that could actually save Cherry Berry at this point... He's like Pinkie, just popping out of nowhere to be both fun or problematic, basically to make the world more entertaining for himself and revolve more around him.