On These Broken Wings

by NekoFallenOne

Chapter 1: Skyfall

Have you ever stopped to gaze up at the sky, enjoying the sheer beauty of it all? When you are watching the slow movement of the clouds, and soaking in the warmth of the sun, ever notice something shimmering slightly in the corner of your eye? You may try your best to discover what that shimmer might be, or to catch another glimpse, but it would be futile. The moment you turn your head to focus, it zips off in another direction, never to be seen again.

Someponies may say that it was a trick of the light, or perhaps dust in your eye. While others would direct you to a doctor to get your vision checked out. Both would be wrong.

For there is a story to go with this strange phenomenon, and it is quite the tale indeed. For that is no mere illusion born from Celestia's sun, or a stray piece of dust. It is actually a pony, and his name is Sky Shimmer.

Chapter 1: Skyfall

It was another beautiful day in Equestria, the weather ponies did a great job clearing all the dark clouds from the sky, allowing Celestia's sun to shine unhindered upon the inhabitants of Ponyville and the surrounding areas. A slight breeze blew through the rolling hills of Sweet Apple Acres, sending the leaves aflutter and the apples gently swaying upon their branches.

Down in the center of town, colts and fillies went about their daily routines, some heading off to work, making their rounds in the marketplace, or perhaps stopping for a small treat at Sugarcube Corner. The fountain, always a popular spot for ponies to rest and catch up on gossip, take a light lunch, or even wait for their very special somepony to profess their undying love, was busy as usual.

And up, high in the sky, a small speck could be seen against the otherwise pristine blue sky. A few ponies looked upwards, then dismissing it as perhaps a passing bird. Others paid it no attention, rather focused on reading the latest in the gossip column. While others, the ones who like to pay attention to detail, would look upwards at the speck, and notice something quite odd.

The speck was slowly getting larger. As many ponies continued to stare up at it, they could see it growing by the second. Almost as if it was something falling. Though there may have been a spark of concern for whatever may be dropping out of the sky, those watching seemed to be drawn to it. Waiting, wanting to see what it may be.

With a deafening explosion, the object in question slammed into the center of the fountain, sending mortar, stone, pones and water in all directions. Broken free, the water shot up high into the air like a geyser, raining down onto anypony in the area.

As the dust and debris cloud slowly cleared, and the unfortunate ponies sitting by the fountain got back to their hooves, what lay among the ruins was soon cause of panic and concern.

Amongst the stone and rubble of the once majestic town centerpiece, lay the body of a pegasus. Body bruised and bloody, wings a mangle of flesh, bone and feathers, a small stream of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

“Quick, somepony get some help!” cried a nearby pony, her red mane whipping about as she turned yellow head, her green eyes scanning the crowd, the Cutie Mark on her flank easy to spot, a single red rose. Uncaring as to the destruction of her flower cart, Roseluck's eyes focused on a nearby pegasus, motioning with a hoof. “You! Please, fly as fast as you can to Ponyville Urgent Care! Tell them that there has been a terrible accident!”

The pegasus nodded, turning on her haunches, she quickly took off into the sky, a worried expression on her face.

Turning back to the crowd, Roseluck spotted a pair of large stallions near a cart, one of which she recognized. “Big Macintosh! I need you and your friend to empty that applecart quickly and help to transport him!” This was met with a solemn nod and a 'eehyup!' from the red workhorse.

Turning back to the ruins of the fountain, she carefully made her way closer to the fallen pegasus, cringing slightly at the gruesome sight. As she neared him, she let out a small sigh, as she spotted his chest slowly rising and falling, albeit a bit ragged. “At least he is still breathing..” she muttered to nopony in particular. Reaching out a hoof to push strands of his grey mane from his face, she whispered softly to him, as she waited for Big Mac to get the cart ready. “Just hang in there!”

Twenty minutes earlier...

Flying. There is nothing in Equestria quite like it. The freedom a pony felt as they soared through the clear skies, feeling the wind caressing their face and flowing under wing. The exhilaration one felt upon diving down, only to pull back at the last moment, rocketing back into the sky. Never being restricted to plodding along the ground upon one's hooves.

These feelings, and many more, flowed through Sky Shimmer's mind, as he flew. Wings catching the updrafts, allowing him to rest his muscles and glide through the sky. Looking downwards, he could make out the buildings and streets of Ponyville, small dots of many colors marking the various ponies who called the small town home.

Just two more weeks! He thought to himself, pushing his wings against the air to gain more altitude. Two weeks, then I can try out for the new Royal Guard!

Ever since the return of Princess Luna, there had been a call for new recruits to join the Royal Guard, to supplement their numbers and provide an escort for the princess of the night. Sky Shimmer had not thought of joining such an elite force when it was still only Princess Celestia ruling, but something about the new ruler called to him. It just felt right.

To fly as escort, serving the beautiful Princess Luna, and helping to protect the realm would be a dream job for anypony. Especially a skilled flier such as Sky Shimmer.

Grey mane blowing in the breeze, and grey and black tail flowing behind him, Sky Shimmer twisted in the air, enjoying the feeling of the wind blowing across his grey coat and wings. He loved to fly, and took every opportunity to take to the skies as he could get.

Closing his red eyes, he let his thoughts wander as he continued to spin through the air. Soon a slight change in sound caused his ears to twitch to the side. Squinting, he concentrated on the new sound, trying to figure out just what it may be, but all he could make out was that it appeared to be coming closer to him.

Pulling himself out of the spin, Sky Shimmer opened his eyes and looked towards the direction of the strange sound. At first, there was nothing but open sky all around. As he was about to give up, he spotted something in the distance, what appeared to be a slight ripple of color amongst the blue. Whatever it might be, he was certain of one thing: it was heading his way. Fast.

With a heavy flap of his wings, he tried to bank out of the way of whatever it was that was approaching him, wanting to avoid it until he was certain as to what it may be. Unfortunately this turned to out to be futile, as just when he started to turn, it collided with the pegasus.

The force of the wind was incredible, Sky Shimmer felt as if he had just collided with a wall made up of pure air. His ears were filled with a deafening roar, as he was violently pushed to the side, being carried along through the sky. Craning his neck to the side, all he could see was a blinding display of color, all the shades of a rainbow crammed together.

No matter what he tried to do, he continued to be pushed through the air by the sheer force of the wind. His muscles straining, feathers blown chaotically, and hooves wheeling about blindly. What in the hay is this? He thought as he struggled to free himself.

Turning his head to face the direction he was being forced, his eyes widened in shock at the sight before him. A large thundercloud loomed eerily ahead, seemingly out of place in the pristine blue sky. It was not necessarily the cloud that shocked him, but what was atop it.

Sky Shimmer could see the unmistakable yellow mane and grey coat of a certain pegasus, bouncing merrily atop the dark cloud, with not a care in the world, causing forks of lightning to randomly shoot out from the mass.

Damnit! I can't stop...! he thought to himself, as his vision became filled with the dark, rolling clouds on one side, and the bright, eye-searing spectrum of colors on his other flank. Closing his eyes, and whispering a silent prayer to the Princesses, he simply let himself be blown into the oncoming storm.

Pain. Horrible, joint-tearing, flesh-searing, mind-numbing pain shot through Sky Shimmer's entire body as the two forces collided with a thundering explosion. He could feel the intense heat of every strike of lightning, nostrils filled with the stench of burning hide and feathers. Luckily his hearing had become a dull roar, or he would have become terrified of the hideous howls and screams emitting from his muzzle.

What felt like an eternity of never-ending torture, lasted only mere seconds, but Sky Shimmer had lost track of all time after the initial impact. The force of the wind and subsequent collision with the thunderhead rocked his body in all matter of directions, completely disorienting the pegasus.

As suddenly as it began, it was over. Mind reeling from intense pain, unable to feel most of his body, Sky Shimmer slowly opened his eyes in time to see the inner trailing edge of the prismatic force carrying on through the clear sky, having obliterated the thundercloud upon impact. He could not see any sign of the grey pegasus, and his heart sank, hoping that nothing had happened to her.

Sighing, he closed his eyes for a moment, before they shot back open upon a sudden realization. He was still thousands of feet in the air, and his wings were no longer moving.

Turning his head this way and that, Sky Shimmer frantically attempted to determine the basic principal of which way was up. His mind slowly came to the realization that gravity still worked, and that he was currently falling backwards at an alarming rate.

Attempting to right himself mid-air, a simple trick that every pegasus learned at an extremely young age, he soon became panicked. No matter how hard he tried, he continued to fall backwards, wings not responding to such simple commands. Craning his neck at an almost impossible angle, which caused him to begin to spin mid-air, Sky Shimmer strained to look at his back.

The sight before his eyes almost caused his stomach to turn, and he was thankful that he was unable to feel most of his body. Closing his eyes, he ceased his futile efforts to right himself and gave in to his inevitable fate.

With a sickening crunch, Sky Shimmer felt his body impact the ground at incredibly high speed. Felt the bones in his legs crack and hide tearing from his flesh. Pain quickly washed over him once more, followed by a numbness that seemed quite plesant.

The last thing he heard before darkness overtook him completely was a muffled voice crying out for help.

Author's Note:

Ok, so I have been having this story bouncing around inside of my brain for a while now. It focuses on one of the characters I created as part of the world of Equestria, and tries to explain who he is and why he looks the way he did. Though there will be some inclusions of the mane cast of characters, I am trying to focus on my own characters and not rely on the standard "insert random OC and be instant friends with all the ponies!" kind of storytelling. The select characters I choose to include are there for specific plot devices (And not that kind of Plot!), and aids to establish where my tale fits into the core series.

Hopefully you enjoy my first attempt at writing some pony fiction. This is far from my first attempt at writing any kind of fiction, but I still hope that I do such a wonderful series justice. Let me know how you like it, and any ways to help tweak the story or writing!