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// Chapter 1:  The Accident 
// Story: Broken Wings, Broken Spirits 
// by Darkblaze15 
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There really is nothing better than the freedom of flying.
The words constantly whirled around my mind like the very wind that whistled loudly in my ears.  I zoomed past rooftop after rooftop, eyes focused on the dark gray target ahead of me.  Flapping my wings as furiously as a hawk chasing its prey, I channeled all my extra energy into surging as far forward as fast as I could as the final rooftop loomed near.  With a fierce growl that sounded a little too savage for a colt my age, I soared past my opponent and crossed over the rooftop, signaling the end of the race.
After performing a few victory somersaults in the air, I landed on the front lawn of my cloud home.  It was a humble little abode, at least by cloud house standards, that sat in the middle of one of the numerous cul-de-sacs within the Harbor Heights suburb of Cloudsdale.  Three bedrooms, two baths, spacious living room and kitchen – perfect for me, my parents, and my younger brother Riley.  Being born and raised in the same house for almost fifteen years has its perks; I knew pretty much all of the colts and fillies within my neighborhood pretty well, including the grey colt who landed next to me, panting as the adrenaline of the race wore off.
“Well, Jacob, looks like another win for me,” I teased as I playfully pretended to mark down another tally on an imaginary scoreboard.  I don’t usually like to brag that often, but when it came to beating my best friend in our little pick-up races, I can’t help myself.  I remember the very first time he challenged me to a race in elementary school to show off to his friends.  I will always remember the look of sheer shock and surprise on all of their faces when I took khim to the cleaners that day.
“Yeah, yeah, talk it up all you want,” Jacob says, stretching the muscles in his powerful yet massive wings.  Whenever ponies would see us race, they would get confused as to why I would win so much, since Jacob’s wings were bigger than most colts our age.  While his wings may seem more powerful, years of practice and sprints have allowed me to advance my agility and perfect my technique so that I could easily outpace him in a race – even if he had the lead! “I’ll find a way to beat you one of these days,” he added.
“Well, I think you’ll be waiting a long time for that, bud,” I said coolly, “I must be a natural or something if you can’t break your longest losing streak yet!”
“Har har, you must think you’re so clever, don’t you?” he chuckled sarcastically.
“I think so, don’t you?” I teased him again. Just then, my mother, a pale cream pegasus with dark blue and gold-streaked mane and tail, stepped out of our front door upon overhearing our debate.  She worked in the local design firm, earning a respectable reputation as graphic designer and taking in clients almost every week.  As such, she would often be working weekends either in town or at home, but she managed to schedule the day off to finish some housework she missed last weekend.
“Everything alright out here, sweetie?” she asked with a hint of that instinctive motherly concern.
“Yeah, we’re good, Mom,” I reassured her, “Jacob and I are just trying to decide who’s the better flyer.  Spoiler alert; it’s me!” I added with all the intention of Jacob hearing me.
Mom chuckled, “I’m sure, hon.  Listen, I’ll be out back in the garden, can you keep an eye on Riley for the afternoon?” She stepped aside to let my younger brother by five years, a tan colt with light gray mane and tail, hopped out of the house, looking eagerly at us for entertainment.
“Okay Mom,” I said, causing Riley to squeal with excitement and bound down the yard to meet up with us.
“Thanks, John,” Mom said, “And if there’s anything else you boys need, I’m sure you know where to find it.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Darkblaze,” Jacob responded as she walked around to her garden out back.
“So, what’re we gonna do today?” Riley asked enthusiastically.
“Hm, I dunno, what do you wanna do today?” I countered playfully.
“How about we go to the weather factory?” he suggested, “We can wave to dad from one of the windows!” My dad, a navy stallion with reddish brown mane and tail like me, worked at the Cloudsdale Weather Factory for as long as I can remember.  I’d anxiously anticipate the days when he’d bring Riley and I into work to show us around.  I’d always thought it was so fascinating to see all the machines working together to create the weather of the land. (not that I could ever see myself working there)
“What do you think, Jake?” I asked my friend.
“Sure, we can say hi to my dad, too,” Jacob said nonchalantly.  Coincidentally, his dad worked at the weather factory, as well, having started only a few days before my dad himself.  This actually turned out to be a major factor in Jacob and I becoming close friends after our first race, and I couldn’t be more grateful for it.  Although we constantly competed against each other, it was all in the name of good fun and we rarely held grudges against one another for very long.
Nevertheless, we took to the skies on our journey to the weather factory, Jacob and I matching a steady pace while Riley followed slightly behind due to his less-developed wing muscles.  We soared past streets of ponies enjoying the breezy Sunday afternoon, waving whenever we’d see somepony we knew from school or our respective neighborhoods.  As we rounded the last corner onto the long straightaway leading to the factory, Jacob gets that mischievous glint in his eye that signals to me whenever he’d be looking for a rematch.  I accept his challenge with a grin and we take off down the street, leaving Riley in our dust.
As we soar down the street, Jacob powers ahead, cackling with delight as he sees me fall behind.  Little did he know that it was all a part of my strategy; I kept my pace all while feeling the wind around me for a particularly strong breeze. Suddenly, I felt it; a slight change in wind strength from behind, but just enough for what I needed.  I flapped my wings furiously, allowing the wind to carry me further and faster than normal.  Just as we approached the perimeter fence surrounding the buildings, I looked back at my friend, seeing his shocked face as I overtook him and crossed over the fence, signaling the end of yet another victorious race.  I looked behind me again, whooping and hollering over winning our little sprint, as I took a few victory laps around the nearest building.
What happened next is still a blank to me, but from what I’d gathered from Jacob and Riley after the fact, here’s what went down. A freak cloud-mixing malfunction from within the factory released a dark storm cloud super-charged with stato-electric energy into the sky – and I zoomed right into its core.  Flashes of blinding white light and excruciatingly-loud booms filed my vision and hearing, all culminating in a searing-hot, painful sensation across my back.  I remember falling back down to the ground, the clouds breaking the pain from the fall but not the pain in my back.
Jacob and Riley entered my blurred vision immediately after hitting the ground, horrified looks donning their faces. Jacob muttered something about never seeing anything so terrible happening before and Riley said he would get Dad from inside.  After that, the pain in my back intensified so much to the point that I blacked out on the spot, wondering what in Equestria could’ve happened to me…