//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: The beginning of the end. // by BAR0SS //------------------------------// Chapter 1 It was a calm and cool afternoon, and I was flying through the sky with little effort as the draft I was in was doing most of the work. I couldn't help but feel at peace as the wind passed through my gold mane and the feathers of my black wings. I normally flew quite fast, so this was actually a nice change of pace for me. I was on my way to Cloudsdale. My special somepony was staying in an apartment there for a few days and I had the intention of surprising her. I made my way into the large cloud city and flew straight to the apartment complex where she said she would be staying. I landed on the cloud ground, my hooves making a quiet 'poof' noise as they made contact with the cloud, before I walked past the gate and began to walk around to find apartment number 12. I found it. It was obviously the 12th door in a numerical order, and it was right between door number 11 and 13. 'Duh.' I walked up to door number 12, but stopped just outside of it. I then reached into the pocket of my Wonderbolt's jacket and pulled out a small box with a note that was wrapped around it. I removed the note and began to read. ---------- To the mare who gave me a chance, This bracelet is a symbol, should you accept, of my devotion to you. You have always been there for me, ever since you found me at flight school. You have helped me in so many ways, that it would take a large pile of paper and a scribe, just to list them all. I would be honored if you would do me the favor of giving me your hoof in marriage. (Cue restaurant band playing a romantic song.) Will you marry me? ---------- I read the note over and over until I had memorized it as best as I could. Felling that I had, I placed the note back into my pocket and carefully opened the small box. Inside was a gold bracelet that had my cutie mark and hers upon it. It wasn't much, but she told me that she preferred things to not be overly complicated. I closed the box and placed it back into my pocket. I then made my way to the door and opened it. As I stepped in, I heard a sound that pushed me to the edge, one moment I will always remember. A moan. My eyes grew wide with concern. I then shook my head and made my way to the bedroom as quietly as I could. With each step, the moaning grew louder and louder. I stood outside of the bedroom and, as carefully and quietly as I could, I opened the door. I felt my heart stop as many different emotions swelled inside me, but one emotion was prominent. Despair. Inside of the bedroom, my special somepony was lying on the bed. I could tell it was her from the color of her coat. But that was not what got my attention. There was somepony who looked remarkably like my own brother on top of her, thrusting. And by the sound of it, she was enjoying it. My heart wrenched painfully, causing me to look away. I couldn't stomach what I was seeing. I closed my eyes, letting a tear to run down my face before I turned and casually closed the door and began to walk out of the apartment. As soon as the door clicked shut, there was a commotion inside of the room followed by the door opening again. "Wind Slash, What are you doing here?" she asked. I didn't answer, I just kept walking. She ran in front of me, trying to block me, but I just carefully pushed my way past and continued walking with my head lowered. "Wind Slash, please. What's wrong?" she asked as she ran up beside me and placed a wing over my back. I just slapped her wing off with mine. "I really did think you cared about me." I said as I continued to walk away. "But as usual, I was wrong." "What do you mean? Wind please." she said as she ran in front of me again and hugged me. I placed a hoof on her chest and pushed her off. "You better go. I think my brother is probably getting lonely." I said as I opened my wings and took off from the ground. I hovered and looked to her one last time. She had tears in her eyes. "Please don't go, it wasn't what it looked like." she said as she grabbed my hind leg and sobbed. I got my leg free and took off my Wonderbolt's jacket and passed it to her. "I'm sorry I wasn't good enough. Good bye." was the last thing I said before I turned and flew away. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I awoke with a snort. It had been 4 years since that night. The Wonderbolt's had been looking for me, but I had moved far out of their search area to this town called Appleossa. The townponies of Appleossa knew who the Wonderbolt's were, but they had never had any contact with them. Here, I could be myself and not raise any suspicions. "Howdy partner. Good ta see you're finally awake." Came the voice of Braeburn. Braeburn is the only pony here that knows my story. I felt he deserved to know why he had to fix me up after I had crash landed in this towns apple fields while he was working. I told him that My Ex-marefriend had cheated on me and I was flying for four days straight after. But while I was over this town, my wing cramped and I dropped like a rock straight into the apple fields. He knows that I 'was' a Wonderbolt, and had agreed to not let others know. And not too long after, I had a job in this town harvesting apple trees. "Now that ya had yer break, how about yer help me with these Apple trees." Braeburn said before he kicked a tree, causing the apples to fall and land in the baskets below. I got up from resting against a tree and stretched my legs and wings. "*YAWN* Alright boss. Which field did you want me to harvest?" I asked. "Well I'll take this side, I want ya ta just head over to the south side and work ya way north." he said. I nodded before, but before I took off, he called me. "Hold on Wind Slash, Ah need ta ask ya something. I'm catching a train tonight to ma cousin's, Applejack's and Big Mackintosh's farm in Ponyville, and ah think you should come along." he explained. I thought about it for a moment. I didn't really want to go because I am not recognized here. In Ponyville, some Wonderbolt fan might notice me and then all heck would break loose. "I can't Braeburn, I can't afford to go away. I need to keep my income as is." I said. "If ya do come with, you will be working on ma cousin's farm, and I'm sure they would pay ya." he said. "I don't know..." I said as I looked away into the distance. "Look, I'll be honest with ya. Ah know ya still trying avoid them Wonderbolt's an all, but ah really do think ya need to go out and try to find a new living for yourself. Ah really do appreciate the help, but you're a pegasus. Ya shouldn't be doing the work of an earth pony." he said. I glared at him. "What are you trying to say? Am I not good enough, just because I have wings?" I asked angrily. "N-no. It's just that... well, look at them." he said. I raised an eyebrow at his request, but complied none the less. I looked over my left shoulder as I slowly extended my left wing. Looking over it... well, I guess I can see where Braeburn was coming from. I had been neglecting my wings ever since I crashed here. Even I can’t help but admit they looked bad. The muscles where thin and weak and what feathers were there were out of place or damaged. "Ah don't mean to try an hurt ya feelings, but with wings like that, can ya even take off any more?" Braeburn asked. "Pfft, of course I can." I boasted before I opened both my wings to their fullest. What I didn't expect was the strain I had felt when I did. I shook off the weird feeling and gave my wings a good flap to take off, only to get up about 1 metre from the ground before falling back down on my stomach. Braeburn trotted to me and helped me back up. "Ya see, this is what ah mean. Yer a pegasus, but yer wings can't allow ya ta stay in the air. And even if they could, they have become so thin that I'd be willin ta bet that ya wouldn't be able to stay up fer more than a second or two." he said. "Alright fine, I admit that I am a disgrace of a pegasus, but I just don't have any desire to fly anymore." I said as I got to my hooves and dusted myself off. "How can ya say that. Ya were born with these here wings, and yet ya act as if they don't even exist. Do ya even know what this is?" he asked as he pointed to my cutie mark. My cutie mark was a pair of golden wings that had a silver sword between them. I had received it when I realized that I was, not only good with a sword, but had quite good agility in the air while fighting against my friends when we fought with sticks. "That Braeburn, is a lie. It is supposed to be what I was good at in life, but as you just saw, I can't very well do that anymore." I said as I turned away. "All the more reason ya should come ta Ponyville. I'm sure one of Applejack's friends could help ya get back inta shape." he said. "No, I won't let any possible Wonderbolt fan near me. If I go to Ponyville, I will stay on the farm and work." I stated. "Why?" he asked as I sat down. "You know why Braeburn. I don't want to have to put up with the effort to listen to 'her' shit excuses and pleas for me to come back. She had her chance and she lost it by cheating on me with my brother. Oh, and if I ever see him again, I bet Celestia herself won't even know what will happen." I said angrily, and emphasizing the word 'her' heavily. "Ah understand Wind Slash. If they do find ya, ah will do what ah can ta get them to leave ya alone, but ah still think that ya should take this here chance to get them wings back inta workin order, and stop living in the past." he said as he sat down next to me. I sighed. I didn't really want to go, but Braeburn was right. 'I guess it would be nice to be able to fly again.' I thought to myself. "Fine, you win, I'll go to Ponyville." I said. This caused him to smile at me greatly. Without looking to him, I got up and began to walk to the south side of the apple field. 'I hope nothing goes wrong.' I thought to myself. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I had been in the south side of the apple field for about 3 hours, kicking trees and picking up the apples that fell into the baskets before placing them into a cart that I had pulled here. I sat down beside the cart and took a break. I looked over my shoulder and to my wings again. "Why the hay did I let my wings get this bad?" I asked myself. I moved them around, feeling the tightness in each muscle from just being held to my sides for the past 4 years. I stretched them out to their fullest and continued to move them around. After a moment of just lifting them up and down over and over, I closed my eyes and concentrated on what I could remember from when I last used them. I eventually got the flapping motion right and slowly added more and more effort into lifting off. After a few seconds, I opened my eyes and saw that my hooves were no longer on the ground. A huge smirk plastered itself on my face, but soon disappeared. I was exhausted already. I let myself down slowly from the few centimetres I lifted myself up and landed softly. I only managed to stay in the air for about a minute and a half, but I just beat Braeburn's 'Second or Two' limit, so I am happy about that. I let my wings sag down to the ground. They had become so weak that the minute and a half I was in the air, I had felt like I had just cleared the entire apple orchard by myself in one day, but the strain was in my wings. 'That will be enough for today.' I told myself as I lifted my wings back off the ground and folded them back to my sides. A task that should have been easier than it was. After I had caught my breath, I walked over to the cart and hooked it to myself before I started to pull it back to the apple orchard's barn back in Appleossa. When I arrived I pulled the cart into the barn, and found Braeburn unloading his cart of apples. "Welcome back partner, how'd ya do?" he asked before he lifted the last basket from his cart and took it over to where all of the other baskets where and looking to me. “Actually, don't answer. Ah can see by ya shaking wings that ya were concentrating on trying something else.” I looked to my wings and saw them shaking. "Yeah, I tried to fly again. But I managed to stay up for a minute and a half." I said proudly. "Only a minute and a half? From what ya told me, ya used to be able ta stay flying fer 4 days, and ya used to be able to pull all kinds of stunts and tricks while ya did." Braeburn said, causing my confidence to disappear and my head to droop. "I know. I have lost basically all that I was." I said dejectedly. "Hey now, cheer up partner. I reckon that ya can at least be half as good by the time we leave Ponyville. Speaking of which, ya gotta go home and get ready. The train leaves at 6, and we will be staying in Ponyville fer about two weeks." Braeburn said. "Two weeks!" I shouted. "I don't mean anything against your cousin's, but I can't be there for two weeks." "Don't worry. Ya’ll be fine. Ya'll see." he said as he walked over to the harness of my cart and unhooked it from me. "Now get. And make sure ya pack well." he said as he pushed me out of the barn. "Fine." I said as I began to walk in the direction of my small house. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "All Aboard!" shouted the conductor of the train. I hurried and got aboard before finding Braeburn lying on a bunk on one of the further train cars. I made my way to him and threw my saddlebags onto the bunk across from his. "Ya sure did pack light." Braeburn said before he jumped down and looked through my saddlebags. "I'm not a fashion designer Braeburn. I only ever take what I need to take." I said. "Does that include this?" he asked as he pulled out a small section of my old Wonderbolt's outfit. I pushed him away and quickly shoved the section back into the saddlebag before closing it and looking around. I was relieved to see that nopony else saw. I ushered Braeburn over to me. "Ok yes, I'm taking it. But I don't need you to go around showing it to all of Equestria, especially when there are other ponies in this same car." I said to him in a whisper. "Sorry. But why do you have it?" he asked in the same volume. I sighed before climbing up onto my bunk and turning back to him. "I don't know. It just reminds me of who I once was." I said. Braeburn gave me a confused look before shrugging his shoulders and making his way to his bunk. "Well, it's a long ride. I'm gonna get some rest." he said as he lay down. I just nodded to him. "Night." "See you in the morning." I said as I too rolled over. I felt the train jerk forwards before I closed my eyes, and soon I was asleep.