The Chains of Freedom
I stood on the edge of the ridge, contemplating whether or not to jump. I had seen all of my friends do it, so it couldn’t be too difficult. I have never been able to fly; too scared to take the risk, too scared to lose that sense of stability the firm ground offers. Maybe I still am. But I have to do it, I’m a pegasus, I was born to fly, to experience the freedom of soaring through the air. The ground holds no reign on me… or at least it shouldn’t.
Ever since I was a young colt my friends were always showing off their skills: their amazing tricks, maneuvers, or simply just their speed. They always talked about how amazing it was to soar through the air, the wind flowing through their manes, the freedom. But no matter how hard I tried, no matter the hours I spent trying to get stronger, I could never get off the ground, restrained by this cruel force of gravity. But today is going to be the day, the day that I would win. The ground could no longer control me.
I stood on the edge of the ridge, judging the distance of the drop. It was at least half a mile, more than enough distance to gain momentum for my first fly. I realize that if I fail, I will probably crash, which could cause major injuries, possibly even death. But it’s worth it, worth the risk. I hesitate though, a part of me; that stupid, annoying, stubborn part of me that never let me jump before. Now it surfaces again, like every single time before. I had been suppressing it, pushing it to the back of my mind; crumpling it up into a little ball, hoping that it would just go away. I turn back, maybe it was right; maybe it was the only part of me that was being smart. Maybe I should be listing to it, adhering to its’ sound advice. Maybe I’m making a huge mistake.
No! I can’t be thinking like that, I have to stay firm. I am not weak. I turn back around, ready to jump. I make up my mind, no hesitation, no regret. I back up slowly, trying to gain some speed so I don’t crash into the side of the canyon wall on my descent. As the edge started to get closer, I feel that same fear surfacing again, but this time I am beat it back. I pushed it to the back of my mind. I was overcoming my fear, and it felt amazing. Suddenly, the ground beneath my hooves was gone, and I was in the air.
I was free; I am no longer a prisoner to the ground, but a resident of the air. I could feel the wind, the wonderful, powerful wind, coursing through my very being. I could feel it seeping into my bones, invigorating my whole body in ways it I have never felt before. Why had I waited so long for this, to experience this sensation? Why had I tortured my body and imprisoned my soul to live without this for so long? All those ponies who said I never could do it, something that I just wasn’t meant to do. Always laughing at my foolish attempts, but how I had proved them wrong.
All those days I spent after school, all those days that I spent trying to fly, trying to get off this blasted ground. All the laughs, the ridicule, the lonely weekends, the ponies I thought were friends that stabbed me in the back. It was all worth it, all for this very moment. This feeling of being alive, unchained to everything. Soaring through the air without any restraint to the ground, to its abusive rules, to everything that held me back, I am free.
I started to realize that I was falling a little bit too much, time for me to pull up a little bit. As I spread my wings open to try and catch a little more air, nothing happened. I was losing altitude fast, and I wasn’t able to stop, my wings were still too weak. I slowly started to realize my mistake, how wrong I was. All my life people had been telling me not to, that I could never fly. The ground was getting closer and closer. I should have listened, oh Celestia I should have listened. There was no freedom in the air, only a different type of chains. There was no true freedom anywhere. All I have done was switch masters, one who was just as cruel. There was never any freedom, there is no place I can escape the cruel fate the destiny has befallen upon me. I am about to hit the ground.
“There is nothing I can do for him, I’m sorry,” The doctor said, finishing his examination of the body.
“Why would he do this, why would he throw his entire life away over this stupid stunt,” an older pegasus sobbed, tears rolling down her face “I told him it wasn’t going to work.”
“I am truly sorry for your loss, if there was some way I could help I surly would.” He stated with remorse, “but not even magic can save him now.”
“All his life he had just wanted to fly, even though he was constantly teased, he kept trying.”
“Did he ever realize that that was never going to be possibility,” the doctor said, trying to comfort the mare, “especially considering his condition.”
“I…I…don’t know how many times,” came her broken words through the tears, “I tried to comfort him, tried to console him, b…b…but he just would not listen. Oh Celestia, now he is dead!”
“Why don’t I take you home,” the doctor said, trying to calm her down, “You can come back in the morning so that we can take care of the body.”
“Can I have just a few more moments, I just want to sit here with him a little while longer,” The mare asked, tears streaming down her face.
“Of course,” the doctor said, gathering his few supplies and exiting the room.
The pegasus sat there, trying to contain her tears. She knew he wouldn’t have wanted to see her like that. Rising up, she walked over to the side of her bed, no longer crying, but a face full of sadness and despair.
She looked down on her son, with deep sadness in her eyes, “If only he had been born with wings.”
Author's Note
I realize this story is very sad, but I hope you understand why I wrote it. I would greatly appreciate criticism, or anything that you believe would help make this story better, and any stories I write in the future better.
