Prologue
To Fall or Fly
GigaMix
To fall or to fly, two very important things a Pegasus learned at a very early age. Flying is the best thing anypony could experience. The sensation of the wind under a Pegasus’s wings brings out the most pleasing emotions that one can feel. Some may even call it orgasmic. There are so many that wish that they could just fly forever, never stopping, not even to sleep.
To fall though, brings out the total opposite emotions, pure terror. No Pegasus ever lives its life without have a nightmare of just falling, spinning uncontrollably, not being able to stop no matter what, most Pegasus just wake up in a cold sweat but a few just fall right back into an seemingly infinite loop of pure terror.
Why Rainbow Dash? You were my mentor, my friend... my sister... I always looked up to you no matter what, trying to make you proud of me. I would do anything to make you happy, but I failed. Just because I felt to help a fallen friend... I thought you would be proud of me. To see me sacrificing what was most important to me for the good of others. But instead you hated me for it and killed two of the few ponies who actually cared for me... I loved you... Yet you put me of through more agony than anypony deserves and you kept me from flying for years. And now… I'm falling…
Orion.
Aurora.
A single tear leaves Scootaloo's scarlet eyes as she plummets down toward the land of Equestria. The pain of the liquid thunder finally reaching her, making her entire body fill with pain. She felt as if each one of her organs were being ground into a fine powder and burned. Her head felt as if it was as light as a balloon, yet throbbed with at an intensifying rate. To Scootaloo it was so painful she could not even scream.
As she neared the ground, the last emotion she thought she had seemed to appear. Not fear or pain but a pure, heartbreaking sadness. One that could make anypony cry for hours on end, not even stopping to take a breath.
Scootaloo was only seconds away from connecting with a large pool of water. It was surrounded by a vast forest that stretched on for miles and miles. Right above the forest was a beautiful rainbow. One that showed with a brilliance like no other. To any other pony it would have brought on a wave of happiness, but to Scootaloo it was a dying memory. Long lost under her grief.
Scootaloo thought she saw something beyond the rainbow. A light blue Pegasus was flying as fast and flat as its body seemed to let it. Its front hooves straight out towards her as if intending to catch her. It was fast, almost as fast as Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash? It has to be! Nopony else flies like that... But the… Why, why would she be coming for me? Does she still care for me? After all those years locked away? No.
Remember she tried to kill me! She probably just wants make sure I die!
But she called me her sister. She wanted me to live, I could see it in her eyes.
Then why Dash?… Why?
That was Scootaloo's last thought before she collides with the water and all sense faded away, evaporated into the darkness, like smoke into the night sky.
Author's Note
I would like to thank my editor Argon Glow and StormierCash (soon to be changed). I'd also like to thank and apologize to Aurora Dawn for giving permission to write this story and for not finishing it. I went to start writing this like a week before summer vacation (2 months in Germany with no computer = no writing) and it has been so busy with school and orchestra that I just haven't been able to really sit back and think about this story. But with the help of my friends I should be able to write my own, its just to hard to write about someone elses work, sorry guys.
Ascend
Gigamix
“The rainbow factory. It used to be known as a place of glory. The product it produced always put smiles on the faces of the ponies around them. What they made truly were magnificent. But now it’s a product of mourning. Earlier today we heard that one of the most beautiful things were made from the lives of others. We all want to know what more about how and why the factory got away with this terrible crime for so long and what Celestia will do to make sure this never happens again. All of this should revealed within the next few hours. Come join us then and we shall shed some light on this very dark turn of events. We wish you all a good day, and thank you for listening to the Ponyville Public Radio…”
With a small hiss, the radio cuts out leaving a heavy silence over its audience. Two bewildered stallions were sitting side by side in a field of apple trees. They wait what seems like hours before either takes any action. The first to move is a large stallion name Fire Stripe. He has been working on the farm for just over 5 months. He has a bright yellow coat with a deeper yellow mane and tail. A long division of red that runs down the course of his back. Which, in fact is how he earned his name. He has dark rings under each of his raging orange eyes from countless hours of work on the farm. He looks over at the much younger white unicorn with concern etched in his eyes. His friend looks subconscious. An almost dead look in his electric blue eyes. The young white unicorn stares up at Fire Stripe and says with a voice quiet and shaky says.
“How and why would they do this. He opened his mouth to help comfort his friend but was interrupted by a shout from behind them.
“Firestripe, Spark Plug, lemonade an’ applepie! Come and get it while its fresh!” It was the very tomboyish voice of AppleJack calling them over to the front of the house. Firestripe slowly gets up placing a comforting hoof on Sparks shoulder before turning away. Spark soon getting up to follow, staying just a few paces behind Firestripe.
As the farmhands neared the quaint two story house, Applejack noticed the worry evident on their faces. She frowns but quickly speaks up, “I know its been a tough few days fellas, but I believe we can meet our apple bucking quota for the month. Yall picked enough the last few days to make up for me getting all hurt like ah’ did.” Its true, she had hurt her right foreleg while working with some of the heavy equipment in the shed. This had put the Apple family behind in their yearly schedule and also why Fire and Spark had been hired. “So, if tats what this is all about, you can be darn tootin that we’re ahead of schedule!”
Her smile starts to slip again as Fire and Spark don’t relax, if anything they seem more tense. They sit there for a few minutes before Fire speaks up.
“I’m truly sorry, but that’s not what its about at all. It’s a bit more serious than that.”
The way Firestripe was speaking began to scare AppleJack. He was usually so laid back and calm. She had never seen him this tense or worried.
“What happened? Is somethin wrong with the apples or livestock?”
Spark couldn’t hold it anymore.
“No, its none of those things. It has to do with the dissapearances of all the Pegasus colts and fillies. More so, its about the Rainbow Factory.”
Author's Note
I know how bad this, but remember this one is unedited. I would really like to finish this someday when I have more time. Sorry if there was anybody looking ahead to reading To Fall or Fly.