//------------------------------// // Ch. 1: "What it's like to fall." // Story: Remnants of a Dying World // by Dusk-Spark //------------------------------// “Do you know what it’s like for a pegasus to fall? The first thing they tell is 'don't panic' but that's easier said than done when you're hurtling towards the ground. Time tends to slow down when you're in a situation like that; several seconds could feel like several minutes and all you can do is helplessly wait for it to happen. You start remembering the past, trying to find something that you could've done to change things. It's pointless though, you're already free falling for who knows how long and then...you hear the crack...” Galloping Gorge. Three simple ponies from Vanhoover took the first train that morning and spent nearly two hours hiking up to the highest cliff. The blue pony stared down from the cliff, his mind couldn’t stop thinking about how high up he was. What if this didn’t work? What if he’s not so lucky this time? What if he loses more than his wings? What if he does survive, but left the oven on and then when they get back home the house’ll be burned down?! No, no, no, no! This was definitely not gonna work. He was gonna turn back around to Granite and Shard, tell them this was a bad idea, get on the train to Vanhoover with the two other ponies, go home, but would probably get some donuts on the way back and then- His cowardly thoughts were interrupted when he felt a hoof bump against his side. “Are you alright? You‘re not chickening out are you?” The brown Earth pony asked. ‘YES! FOR CELESTIA’S SAKE, THIS IS SUICIDAL! GET ME OUT OF HERE! I WANNA GO BACK HOME!’ ...Is what he wanted to say, but instead he said; “Who? Me? No, of course not. I‘m just…admiring the…height…of the Galloping Gorge.” He kicked a pebble off the edge, straining his ear to hear the eventual noise. …. Several seconds passed and he heard nothing. “Noctilucent. You ARE afraid aren’t you?” The earth pony stifled a laugh. So easy for him to laugh, he’s not the one who has to jump off the cliff and hope he doesn’t became a pony shaped SPLAT on the ground below. Speaking of which, he still hasn’t heard the pebble hit the ground. Would he have been able to hear it anyways? They're really high up so- Oh wait, Granite had asked him a question, “I already said I wasn’t.” “You should be fine.” A green eyed unicorn spoke up from nearby, checking up on the device strapped to Nox’s back. “Granite spent months building the glider, researching featherless flight, and finding a suitable location to test the prototype. I calculate an…83% chances of success.” 83% she said. 83%…not 90%, not 95%…but 83%…wasn’t that like a B- mark or something? This was crazy. Clearly, some all knowing creator did not want him to fly. That’s why his wings were smashed up in that freak accident so many years ago, “Yeah…” Nox wasn’t at all happy with the odds. Couldn’t they have tried somewhere safer? Somewhere where if he fell he'd just get some bruises instead of a place where he'd probably be dead before he hit the ground? Maybe somewhere like...the bouncy house at Shard's filly sister's birthday next week? “And, if anything goes wrong.” Her horn glowed a faint gold color, “I’ll catch you.” She tried to smile, to reassure him that everything was gonna be okay. But Shard hardly ever changed that deadpan expression of hers, so her smile came off forced. That did not inspire a lot of confidence in the blue pegasus. It was so unnerving that he just wanted her to STOP smiling. While it was true, Shard could definitely save him (she was really good at telekinesis afterall). Shard's magic had a maximum range, furthermore would she even be able to catch him while he’s plummeting to his doom before he fell outside her range?! “I’m not scared or anything but, maybe we shouldn’t do this? I mean, it’s not SO bad living as a ground walker. I‘ve completely forgotten my wings were…well…like this…” It was a half lie, he couldn’t go a single week without someone staring at the stubs that used to be his wings. Always reminding him of that freak accident. Always a reminder of that flash of light, the unfamiliar sounds, feeling like nature's chew toy… 'Don't think about it.' “Nox. It WILL work. Just trust me, I tested it myself. Besdies, when have I ever steered you wrong?” Granite guilty grin betrayed his inspiring words. Nox stared at his cousin with a raised brow. Oh did he have a list of reasons... “When we were colts, you got me to eat tomato juice thinking it was apple juice, I threw up for like 20 minutes. You spent all of nightmare night jumping out of random places, trying to give me a heart attack. You tripped me when we were running away from a prank that YOU initiated. You took me on a double date once but neglected to tell me that my date was a literal pig.” There was a whole bunch of other reasons, but if Nox had to list them all then the three ponies would be up on this cliff all day and possibly until the end of time. ...Why were they friends again? At the mention of a date, Shard shot an odd look that Nox couldn't quite decipher, at Granite. “A double date?” “I-In my defense, she never mentioned that it would be her pet and she was a little screwy.” He cleared his throat and hit the device with his hoof. The glider sprung open, nearly knocking Granite and Shard off their hooves. “Note to self, step back the next time you turn it on.” He said under his breath. Shard stood up and dusted herself off, she took one look at her wind measuring device. “The wind is starting to pick up. If you plan on doing this, it has to be soon.” Granite took one look at the weary Nox and said, “Look, when this works. Imagine the devices I can build for disabled ponies? We‘re doing a good thing here. And besides…What would Rainbow Dash do?” “…” Rainbow Dash. A childhood hero of his, mostly because they were both blue and pegasi. Even as he reached adulthood, the phrase: "What would Rainbow Dash do?" would continue to be something of an inspiration to him. And what would Rainbow Dash do if she were here in Nox's position? “…” The answer was obvious. He lowered the goggles on his head and steadied himself. It’s been so long since he last felt the rush of the wind, would he even remember HOW to fly? Yes, he'd been drilled on it the moment he entered school. All pegasi were, but this was a different form of flying after all. “I can do this.” He said to himself, trying to wash away his doubts. “I can do this.” He said again, as if saying it enough times will steady his nerves. He looked to Granite and nodded, this was going to happen. Then he looked to Shard and waited for her signal. “Nox, there’s something I have to tell you.” Granite started. Before Granite could finish what he was saying, “It’s time, go! Go!” Shard cut through their conversation, pointing a hoof to the edge of the cliff. As if Shard’s voice was the sound of the starting whistle, Nox broke out into a run towards the edge of the cliff. “I actually never tested this before!” Granite called to Nox after he’d already jumped off the cliff. “WHAT?!” Too late to stop, he was already over the edge and plummeting! ‘Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap!’ He wasn’t flying! Panic started to set in. ‘Steady yourself, Nox!’ Funny. He still remembered his old flying lessons. ‘Keep steady. Don't fight against the sky, let the wind do most of the work…’ . . . . . . No splat? No pain? Is this what dying was like? He opened one eye and saw…the ground below him passing by. This was…flying. He was flying. HE WAS FLYING AGAIN! He could barely contain his joy! He turned his head to see Granite doing a victory dance of some kind and Shard…just sitting there, her horn still glowing faintly. Nox waved to the two of them as he glided along the strong winds. He didn’t realize how much he’d missed this feeling. For once in his life, he felt like everything was gonna go back to the way it was before the accident. Granite was working on a design that would fit over Nox’s wings based on the bat-like wing structure of the Nightkin. He’d be able to return to Cloudsdale, live like a pegasus again, maybe become a symbol to other ponies who were…like him. He couldn’t help but smile at the future's glow over the horizon. He could almost hear the horns of victory around him. . . . . . . His smile started to fade when he realized: That sound wasn't in his head. The sounds brought back memories from years long past, to that time. No. No. It couldn't be happening again. Must be a mistake, it had to be! He tried pleading with the mental image of Celestia, surely this was all in his head?! No such luck. There was no mistaking the sounds and bright flashes around him. He made a hard right, trying to turn back. Maybe he'd make it to the ground this time, maybe he'd be safe? It was already too late. The bright flash of light blinded him. He remembered the old flight instructor from school. A portly, orange pegasus stallion with a thick beard. Nox had thought he was half goat at one point, didn't help that he was called the goatee. His voice boomed out over the crowd of young ponies, "Alright you little chicks, pop quiz! You find yourself free falling out of control, what do you do?!" Nox's hoof shot up immediately! He was so eager to please back then. "Yes, little blue, you have the cloud." Nox cleared his throat. He'd read enough Rainbow Dash interviews to recite them all by heart, he could totally do this. "W-Well..." Stage fright was starting to take over. 'Just pretend to be Rainbow Dash. Be, Rainbow Dash.' Nox hesitantly reached atop his head, pulling the goggles down over his eyes. Get into character. "Th-the first rule of surviving a free-fall is: Don't panic." He felt himself losing control, hurdling through who knows where, dozens of hundreds of unfamiliar sounds around him. Absolute chaos. Nox's eyes drifted to a group of older pegasi flying overhead, some had stopped to observe the class. His eyes widened when he saw...her. "Th-th-the second rule is: Regain your focus, understand the situation, and come up with a landing strategy." The feeling of his body being tugged in multiple directions. Open his eyes, and he sees the giant metal monstrosity. He swerves to avoid it, and the next one. And then more. Flashes of light and an unknown force knock him around. Where was he now? She'd finally landed, staring at Nox with interested eyes. A confident smile on her face. It was really difficult to not melt there, he was so close to his idol! He coughed and continued, "The th-third rule is: Don't dive straight down, find a steady glide and start your descent at a sloped angle. Try to get your wings to act as a wind barrier, the purpose here is to slow down to a safe fall, not to um...do a sonic rainboom." He nearly giggled that last line. One of those flashes boomed too close. Can't maintain control. Freefall. Can't pull up. Which way was up? Crash imminent. "And the last rule, squirt?" Rainbow Dash had stepped before the crowd of pegasi, staring down at Nox with interest. "Th-th-th-the last rule, the rule is: Keep a steady descent until your hooves touch the ground, try not to trip. Then do a victory lap because you just landed like a Wonderbolt!" He finished the speech and looked up expectantly to Rainbow Dash. "..." What kind of expression was she making? He couldn't tell, he was just too mesmerized by her rainbow colored mane, shining against the sun's brilliant lights. He felt a hoof pat his head. "Nice work, kid. And um, try not to get too excited next time." She said over a snicker. "?" Nox hadn't realized his wings were fluttering, lifting him off the ground. Oh that was embarrassing, but it was worth it! Rainbow Dash just complimented him. Were his cheeks flushed? They felt like they were. "Well then," Goatee cleared his throat, "very nice answer, Noctilucent. But, there's a difference between theory and practice. So it's time for some flying exercises." He blew his whistle, "In the air, ponies, lets go!" It's funny how much you remember when you have to put what you've been taught to practice... The sickening crack resounded throughout the air...