The Waterfall

In the clear summer air, I fly. Wind whips by, blowing soothingly through my mane. The smell of hay floats throughout the air—an intoxicating aroma that always puts a smile on my face. The muscles within my wings ache as I accelerate, but the sheer speed and exhilaration more than make up for the effort.

I pull up, ascending vertically until I meet the sky’s icy chill, then I release, slipping into a controlled free-fall, spreading my wings and placing my full weight on the air currents. The sudden lift beneath my wings brings a familiar warmth to my heart.

That feeling never gets old.

My thoughts wander as I glide among the clouds. Up here, none of my problems can worry me. This is my thinking place. I can glide for hours, thinking about philosophy, imagining my next art project, humming songs to myself... simply pondering life.

Sometimes I think about nothing at all, like meditation in the sky. I simply focus on the air currents beneath my wings, the direction of the wind, and the warmth of the sun on my back. I don’t think any unicorn or earth pony could quite understand. Up here, all I hear is the quiet shifting of the wind, and distant bird calls from far below.

I’m flying towards the waterfall. It’s a place my parents would take me when I was younger. Deep within the forest, surrounded by tall oak and cedar trees, is a small mountain, composed of tall smooth rocks that jut straight up out of the ground, forming a tall, but narrow cliff.

The mountain is cylindrical and hollow, and hidden within the massive boulders is a gorge with a lush, wild forest. At the top of the mountain is a deep turquoise pool of water that calmly flows inward to the edge of a large outcrop, where the crystalline water cascades straight down, falling over a hundred feet to a small lake within the canyon.

It is here where I got my name.

My parents were both pegasi, and they were both explorers at heart. When they were young, they made plans to elope and explore the world. While they did move around quite a bit, they always remained within the country. Every weekend they would go exploring—just small outings. They would pick a direction and fly until something caught their eye.

On one sweltering mid-summer day, they found this place.

It was a day so hot they decided not to fly at all. Even high in the sky, the air was still quite warm, and the sun was relentless. They decided to explore the forest on hoof, staying cool under the relatively thick canopy.

It was about an hour into their stroll when they caught sight of a giant rock formation through the trees. They hurried towards it, excitedly, kicking up dirt as they galloped at full speed.

As they got closer to the mountain, they spread their wings and took flight, gliding over fallen logs and small rivers, and zooming between tall, leaning trees, until they broke through the canopy, and flew straight up towards the rocky precipice. Flying up and over the edge of the mountain, they instantly spotted the blue/green oasis and, a moment after, the cascading waterfall.

This was just the thing they needed on this abnormally warm day.

They flew underneath the waterfall, spiralling around it and flying circles around each other—all the while slowly decreasing their altitude. They laughed in joy and surprise as they splashed through the falls, the cool water soaking into their coats, their manes hanging damply over their faces. Finally, they dropped into the lake below, basking in the soothing, cool water.

My mother dived below the surface, disappearing for but a moment, and then surfacing mere inches from my father’s face. “You look absolutely stunning with a wet mane,” he said. My mother smirked, and splashed water in his face.

“And you look like a wet dork! ...Dork.”

They took turns splashing each other, until my father gently grabbed my mother’s hooves. They paused a moment, and gazed into each other’s eyes. My mother leaned forward and nuzzled my father lovingly.

They were floating in a large nook that was recessed behind the base of the waterfall. The rock face was smooth, with the exception of several large cracks, and receded in far enough to comfortably fit two or three ponies behind the falls. My parents smiled as they looked through the waterfall at their surroundings.

“It’s so beautiful here,” my mother said, “it’s bright and sunny, but looking through the waterfall almost makes it look like it’s raining—just here, over this forest.”

Peering out from behind the falls, she could see the cyan water stretch out around her, the trees rising up around the edge of the lake. Beyond the trees, she could see the enormous rock face that enclosed the area, a smooth grey escarpment that sparkled in the sun.

There, beneath that waterfall, surrounded by brilliant green trees, hidden within a small mountain, two pegasi revelled in a moment of absolute joy.

My mother looked up to my father, “What about Forest Rain?” she asked.

“Hmm?” My father looked down into her eyes.

“We should name him Forest Rain, and take him here once he learns to fly.”

My father smiled, “I think that would be wonderful.”

My parents and I would come here often when I was little. Flying up over the sheer rock face seemed almost impossible at first, but it got easier and easier throughout the years. Eventually, school and work became more demanding, and we started coming here less and less.

As I got older, so too did my parents. In my teenage years I grew quite distant, and as my parents aged, they didn’t travel as much as they used to. They’re still adventurous at heart; but they just have different types of adventure now.

I certainly inherited their spirit though!

These days, now that I’m out on my own, and manage my own time, I spend as much of it out here as I can. This place isn’t just a beautiful and well-kept secret, or the place where I got my name... it’s a part of me; just as much as my wings are.

It is here where I can be myself; where I can escape, and think, and appreciate all of nature’s beauty. It is here where I can sing, and tell stories, and record every word, so that other ponies can know of the beauty and magic that I experience every day, in Equestria.