When Towers Fall
When Towers Fall
No single word could describe it.
No single word could illustrate the pain and torment of those that had lost a loved one that day. A single word couldn’t encompass the damage that the attackers caused, physical and emotional. Nothing short could describe the fires, the smoke, the dust, and the rubble.
No single word, but many.
Fear. Death. Hopelessness. Pain. Disbelief. Shock. Anger.
All on the day the towers fell.
On that day, we saw our nation grind to a halt. The skies were empty, devoid of traces of man and Mother Nature. A cloudless day. A godless day.
But I saw plenty more.
I saw a great symbol of our country collapse into dust and rubble, and I saw its twin follow suit. I saw the terror on the faces of the people I helped, all wondering the same thing: why is this happening?
There were things I didn’t see. I didn’t see my friends get killed. I didn’t see their bodies disappear under the mountain of molten steel that usurped the mighty buildings.
And then there were things that I didn’t want to see, and yet I couldn’t look away.
People choosing their own fate, escaping the flames and plunging hundreds of feet to their deaths. Bodies, some intact, most not, littered across the hills of rubble.
I didn’t want to see any more of it. But the smoke had swallowed the entire southern tip of Manhattan. The smoke didn’t go away. The horror wouldn’t go away.
And neither would she, not until she had done her duty.
When she showed up in my apartment a week after the attack, I didn’t know what to think. As I came to my senses I realized I must have been hallucinating, because there was no way that something like that was just sitting on my sofa, giggling.
A horse. A tiny gray winged horse. She talked with a girl’s voice.
Should I have been afraid? Probably, but she didn’t seem like a threat.
Then again, neither had Mohammed Atta. How’d I know his name? The whole damn country knew his name, but I knew it for different reasons.
I knew it because he killed my brother, my best friend, and about a thousand innocent people.
But I wasn’t afraid of her. She walked up to me and sniffed my hand, recoiling slightly. I guess she didn’t like the smell of ash on my hands. But she nuzzled my hip, and out of instinct I patted her head like she was a friendly dog.
Curious, isn’t it? I should have been in shock, seeing this talking pegasus in my apartment, one with very strange eyes and a very heartwarming giggle. But I wasn’t shocked. I hadn’t been expecting to come home to a winged horse on my couch, but then again, I hadn’t expected a lot of things that week.
She told me about her kind, a race of horses (or ponies, as she called them) that talked and lived like humans, but without the big fancy steel buildings. She told me about her land, Equestria, how it was maintained by two royal sisters, one of day, the other night.
I asked her why she was here.
At that point her eyes drooped and she frowned. She said that the princesses of Equestria had felt a great disturbance in a faraway land, and this young pony, curious and giddy as she seemed, ventured to find the source of the disturbance.
She found it, and from the forlorn look on her face, I’d say that she wasn’t expecting this, either.
And then she said she wanted to help me.
I thought about that for a long time, eventually forgetting that the pony was even there. A creature from another land wanted to help me. What could I say to that? Yes? No?
I asked her, can you bring my brother back?
She shook her head and frowned.
I asked her, can you bring my buddy back?
She shook her head and frowned again.
I asked her, can you make this nightmare go away?
She didn’t shake her head but rather gave me a hug, and as she held me in her hooves, crying tears from those wild-looking eyes, and I felt warmth that I hadn’t felt in so long.
It was not the kind of warmth that I had felt from the fires. That was evil heat from a fiery monster that claimed the towers. No, this was loving warmth. I felt her heartbeat on my chest. Eventually I hugged her back, and we were locked in embrace, the two of us, man and pony.
When the hug dissolved she looked up at me, sniffling.
She asked me my name. I told her, and then asked for hers.
Ditzy Doo. What an odd name. Unique. I liked it.
She asked me what I did. I told her that I fought fires, saved lives, and helped people. She said that she worked for the postal service, delivering letters to other ponies. I don’t know why but I hugged her again, and she smiled and closed her eyes. I ran my fingers over the feathers on her wings and across her furry back. Her smile nearly blinded me.
She helped me.
She helped me?
I looked at her and gasped. There was a hole behind her, and through that hole I could see grassy hills and bright sunshine. She told me that it was her portal, her way back home. I felt a flutter of envy, but it passed and I told her that I understood, that I knew she had to go back to her ponies.
She kissed me on the cheek, asking me if she had helped me. I say yes, Ditzy, you’ve helped me more than I can imagine. Your compassion picked me up. Your kindness gave me wings. You did very well, Ditzy.
She smiled and took a step through the portal, but just as she was about to leave, she turned around and looked at me, and her eyes were straight. She said something to me.
When towers fall, people rise.
And she stepped through the portal and vanished. My apartment was empty.
Outside the sun was shining through the haze, and I went to the window, hoping to see something new.
But no, the urban jungle was still there, and the ruins of the Twin Towers still smoked.
I looked at my hand and saw that it was no longer shaking, and then I did something I never thought I would ever do again.
I smiled.
Also LikedSimilarAuthor
- BR · 2.7k words · 11 4 · 1.1k views
- BaroqueNexus · 2.7k words · 42 2 · 1.7k views
- Da Bunnana King · 1.7k words · 33 41 · 2.5k views
- RodBottom · 2.3k words · 29 4 · 1.6k views
- Vectored Thrust · 7.9k words · 21 2 · 2.3k views
- CompleteIndifference · 3k words · 43 1 · 678 views
- Da Bunnana King · 3.6k words · 26 35 · 1.7k views
- no sh*t sherlock · 2.8k words · 24 8 · 1.1k views
Stats
Page generated in 0.138 seconds
Total duration
990 users online
1,598,686 hits today, 2,073,628 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Twin towers, touchy subject. Not one people will tread lightly. Oh and it's on Fimfiction, a site about magical ponies.
You're fucked. That's all I can tell you.
beautifully written, beautiful story.
*Sees topic of story*
*Sees character tag*
Yeah I already know where this is going. If I'm right you're a bad, bad person.
EDIT:
Actually read it, glad that I was wrong
1254556
You're completely wrong, and this was actually a very good, touching story.
Edit: Glad you read it despite your preconceived notions!
A lot of emotion was packed into such a small story.
It has a fantastic message as well.
While I enjoyed it, many people are going to downvote merely because of its subject and cover image.
That being said, it was well written, and quite nice.
dontloseyourdayjob.com/wp-content/uploads/Big-Boss-Salute.jpg
1254572
Yeah, I actually read it after I posted, glad I was wrong
Never Forget
Wow. I totally expected this to suck....it didn't...
1254576>>1254544
The only way touchy subjects become less hurtful is to speak about them, bring them to the forefront.
As a member of the generation that was taught to fear and hate Osama Bin Laden, I can say that I'd much rather talk about it than have it be that thing on everyone's mind that they are too afraid to speak of.
Comments like these are why it's still a touchy subject.
1254544>>1254556 Speak the name of the beast, and he will come.
~~~
That being said, the grammar's a mess. Though this wasn't supposed to technically BE in story format. This is more a poem is I understand correctly. So that gets a free pass. Spelling's coherent as well, though if you are going to make it a poem, I'd suggest adding a space between paragraphs now and again. Just so the reader doesn't suffer Wall-o-text syndrome. That being said:
Why in the good name of Kim Jong-Il would you ever write this?
Yeah a touchy subject, but a good story. Glad a read it.
I have a .gif that is incredibly related to this story.
I don't think I should post it.
1254544 You should change your comment to "HEY IDIOTS, READ THE STORY BEFORE YOU DOWNVOTE IT!!", since you are the owner of the all important first comment.
1254608 POST ITTT
1254614
http://imgur.com/LJr9f
I'm not imbedding it.
1254613
No, I wont. It's a touchy subject and people will just down vote it because of what it is.
I did read it too, its just "meh".
1254618 Dude...
Well, doh
1254618 The fun has been doubled!
1254618 I laughed so hard when I saw it
Now i sorta kinda feel bad. a little...
You really know how to get attention, BN.
I mean Jesus, 9/11?
Good thing the story is done right, otherwise I might have to gut you through the internet. Instead, you get a favorite and upvote.
1254613
Agreed.
1254619 It's no masterpiece, but it's not worth downvoting, I don't think. I'd say at least half of the red bar up there came from people who just saw the description, cover photo, and character tag, like Eakin.
You sir. Have written a touching story.
I, as God or Allah or Yaweh as my witness, like this story.
Plus good on you for posting a touching story the day before 9/11
Plus is this from experience?
I admit all my mental alarms shot off the charts when I saw this on the page and clicked the story rather then the chapter so I could read the comments so I could see if I wanted to proceed or not, I shall proceed.
-reading now brb-
Edit:
Back!
Wow! That was good!, I mean yeah it was short but very to the point while avoiding much of the drama bringing up something like 9/11 can bring.
This was not a story so much on just who did what, or maybe hinting had who deserved or didn't deserve what but rather simply about dealing with a tragedy.
Of course there are many tragedies that occur every day,
but few are felt by so many as they did on that day allowing us all to relate.
Very well done, you have my favorite and my thumbs up.
1254657
Actually, I never downvoted it
I merely delivered the prophecy of doom.
Was a little off-put with the topic, but nicely done, grammar seemed tight to me, pacing was good, and I admit, briefly, that I was worried this would turn into a HiE. Was nice to see the story kick that notion out the window
Well, this is certainly better than I expected. I seriously thought you were gonna do something colossally stupid with this, but I like the direction you took it. Absolutely wonderful.
Also, when I clicked on this, Thoughts of a Dying Atheist by MUSE started playing. Is Itunes trying to tell me something?
And now for.... *drumroll* a rating!
4 MICHAEL MOORES OUT OF 5
Wait, what? No.
1254690
this made me shiver somewhat
This was beautifully written
You know, I heard there was some rage about this fic and as a veteran of the war the event this is based off of started (Afghanistan(OEF)) I find no real error in this. Its (SPOILER ALERT) a fic where a guy gets a hug from a pony in wake of the aftermath. Nothing offensive. So yeah. Carry on.
1254730 yeahh...
I gave a thumbs up because it honestly wasn't bad. It's a touchy subject, but you had good intentions.
If Fox News were to find out about this fic, Bronydom as a whole would be dead.
1254762 Echoing Krass' comment above, how? This story is about a guy doubting himself getting a hug from a pony. Not a single condemnation of anything or a big fancy preachy story about how the War on Terror was wrong. Just a story about a guy getting a hug when he needed one.
1254762 Precisely. We'd have soccer moms driving SUVs down boulevards waving rifles and shooting anything equine or equine-related. Not forgetting the public outcry and huge burst of support for anti-homo demonstrations.
Meanwhile, here in Britain, we'd call it bad taste and move on
1254801
Lets face it, everyone's initial reaction with this story was "Oh Lord, someone's crossed over MLP and 9/11. How can someone be so tactless? Have so little respect for the dead?" I know for a fact that's what mine was, and plenty of others seem to have had the same first thoughts. Whether or not the story was good doesn't change the first impressions.
Do you really think Fox would stop to actually read such a thing? Not a chance in hell mate.
They'd spread the fact that Bronies were mocking tragedies with Ponies around everywhere they could before you could blink.
The story itself could be the next Ulessys' Odyssey, but that doesn't matter in the slightest as you actually have to actually read the story to get past the initial disgust.
1254806 Eyup
Maybe the Mail or someone'd finally find out about Bronies and spread some shit around. But who the fuck listens to the mail anyway?
1254847 I guess, though implying anyone on the internet really takes Fox News seriously
1254857
Howard Stern then. Or some overly-protective Christian housewife group. Or any one of the thousands of pants-on-head retarded American shock-jockey douchebags who peddle that crap.
1254847
1254857
While fox has always been a tactless bunch always looking for the next big shock even before getting into the news business I hope your not suggesting that conservatives are necessarily this way.
Because as far as "right wing" bronies we do exist I assure you.
1254915
Who mentioned Conservatives?
Only you I'm afraid...
1254922
Thus why I asked my good sir,
just had to make sure *offers bro hoof*
1254943
Fair enough.
I may not understand your political views, but I'm willing to agree to disagree.
Besides. I'm fairly sure the comment section of a 9/11 story isn't quite the best place for political debates.
1254955
indeed, agreed, and right back at ya, keep loving and tolerating my friend, *(\
Y'know, this wasn't bad. Kind of poetic in a way. Doesn't deserve the downvotes that are based solely on the subject, so it's a like from me.
Q: What’s the last thing that went through the minds of the 9/11 jumpers?
A: Their ankles.
Not usually one to like a story, but this one definitely deserves it. Just glad it isn't a trollfic, thank you sir-and-or-madam!
This is a good fic that touches a subject that those who saw it will never forget.
9/11 marked a generation and changed America, whether for better or for worse remains to be seen, but it changed our nation alright.
It's too bad we can't find some New York brony who will attend the ceremonies at the new memorial tommorrow who could pull this up and read it at the very end, it would help us all to understand that regardless of what happened we must move on with our lives and strive to make sure that we make this country a better place, strong but not overexerating in its power, firm to those who threaten this great nation but fair those who look to our country as a beacon of hope, and maybe someday a country that will learn to not always judge others based on their looks or their race but on their actions.
Plus I'm sure that it would help us all feel a little better.
1255473
That would be a horrible idea.
See my previous posts as to why this fic should stay hidden if Bronydom wants to avoid another scandal.
1255496 This fic doesn't change anything, it ends with the man looking out at the wreckage that is ground zero and realizes that thanks to Derpy he no longer feels so upset, in the end he's still himself but he knows that the attacks are not the end.
1255540
You've misunderstood my comments then.
It's irrelevant how good this story is. How touching it is. How heart-warming the ending.
None of that matters.
People will see this story, judge it instantly for tarnishing the memories of the dead with a colourful children's cartoon and hate Bronydom because of it. No amount of writing skill could prevent that.
No good would ever come of this fic coming to light.