The Fallenby GoldenarbiterChaptersPrologueIn memorium fugaChapter 1Indefinite HiatusPrologueIn the beginning, there was nothing more than scattered particles. When some of these particles collided, there was light, there was sound, and there was thought. Not just any thought, but the first thought. The thought of something far from comprehensible. It is far too bright. The light dimmed. It is far too empty. Matter was created. It is far too loud. Sound was muted. It is far too chaotic. Shape was given to the universe. Stars were born, galaxies were created, and planets were molded. It is far too... Lonely. The thoughts moved to one of the planets at a whim, and created life. The planet was a small and unassuming green world around a small and unassuming yellow sun. Various plants and animals roamed the surface of the planet, not caring about how they just appeared, but more about how they could survive. Beside these various animal species were forty hairless bipeds. They looked around and recognized their sentience. The population of these bipeds rose over the course of a hundred years. Over five generations, one hundred and sixty were born. The eldest did not die however, which confused them. Over their long life, they had seen all the world around them wither and die. Plants were becoming infertile, animals were starving, and the water was evaporating. Resources amongst tribes became their greatest treasure, and soon wars were fought over the wealth of the dying land. Many died. A pulsating orb of pure light descended from the sky as the war finished its seventh day. The warring tribes put aside their differences to partake in this phenomenon. Stop fighting. The apparition spoke. So the fighting stopped. “What are you?” asked the leader of one of the tribes. I am the creator. “Why?” I was lonely. “They why did you let us fight? Why did you let us die?” The speaker was not angry, but curious, until he asked the last question, which he asked remorsefully. “Why is our home dying?” It is too far from the star. This world cannot sustain life. “The how are we supposed to live?” Come with me, Nephilim. All who accept me as their friend can come with me, and walk in my light. Most came forward, willing to put aside their differences. Others, did not. One however, the leader of a separate tribe, was dubious. “How did you create us?” He asked. I just did. “How did you create the world?” I just did. “How did you create life?” I just did. Infuriated by the lack of response, the tribe leader asked one last question. “How can we trust you, when you won’t answer my questions? Faith. Lowering his head, the Nephilim bowed. Fly, Nephilim. Fly to the heavens. The voice commanded. The Nephilim were startled to see glorious white wings had sprung from their backs. Those who were faithful, flew, those who were not, were left behind. The planet slowly withered and died, becoming red in the process, as a symbol to those who had no faith. The fourth planet in the stars orbit would be forever coated in the blood of the unfaithful. “I was one of the Nephilim. Lucifer, my tribe leader, was dubious of this power that called itself God. Blind is what I would call it. It never noticed what was coming. But then again, neither did I...” The second attempt at life was more successful. The blue planet was closer to the sun, and held life it did not create. This surprised the ephemeral being. It looked to the surface of the planet and saw a small utopia. A garden of great proportions. He called it Eden. There was a multitude of bipedal creatures in this Eden, who looked remarkably like his Nephilim. He called them human. He went to the humans on one perfect day in the land of Garden of Eden. They looked upon his visage and cowered, fear in their eyes at the awesome light. Arise. They rose. A young couple emerged from the crowd, one male, one female. “What are you?” Asked the male. “Where did you come from?” Asked the female. I am God almighty. I am everywhere. Again awed, the couple bowed. They were Adam and Eve, first of God’s followers. First of his betrayers. “Time flowed swiftly. The Nephilim, seen to the humans as Angels, watched over the planet and its inhabitants, as per His orders. The Seraphim Lords, keepers of the great Seraphim houses, who were considered Archangels by the humans, were our leaders. Lord Michael, the first of us to speak with God, became our watcher. He was promoted by God’s word to leadership, and ruled over all the Nephilim. “He was also God’s ‘go to’ guy. He taught the first humans, about many things. Of what, I know not for sure. He was the first to oppose Seraphim Lucifer. Michael was ruthless. Behind God’s back, he was forging the Nephilim into an army. For what purpose, I will never know. “As the humans grew more advanced, God had a ‘son’. His name, to the humans, was Jesus. His real name was Lord Azrael, or to the humans, the Angel of Death. He spread God’s message of peace and love, yet he would probably cause God the most pain. He eventually renamed himself Baalberith; God of the covenant. “Eventually, the humans rejected God. Saying they could find their way without him. Lord Lucifer had warned God that this would happen, that without direct intervention the humans would no longer fear God. “But they were his chosen people. We were forgotten while they thrived. We asked God why this had happened, to which he only responded that we ‘Should have faith’. By this point, a very large number of the Nephilim were outraged. We had been forgotten, left behind. Lord Michael, Lord Azrael, and Lady Gabriel remained amongst his chosen, but that’s because they were constantly kissing his feet. “As the humans would die, they would all be accepted into Heaven. Getting pleasure, peace, play, and whatever else their vain mortal hearts could want. We were their servants. Most of us despised it. “Lucifer came to me one day, asked me if I was still loyal to him. I said yes. He told me to follow him, and not to tell a soul about what was about to happen. That was when I came upon a sight I will never forget. “Lucifer walked calmly up to God, looked him in her metaphysical eyes—” “I’m sorry, did you just say your God switched gender?” Luna’s meek voice asked. I nodded. “We never really found out if God was male or female... We just assumed both, so the pronouns are interchangeable. May I continue?” “Of course. I was just curious.” “Anyway, Lucifer looked God in the eye, and told him that he was going down to earth. He was going to make them fear God once more. God detested the act, and said he would not allow him to hurt the humans. Lucifer just turned around and walked away. Not three days later, Lucifer had gathered up a sizable chunk of the Nephilim, and several of the Seraphim, Lord Azrael being one of them. In God’s pain, we left Heaven. To teach the humans a lesson.” “One more question,” Luna interjected. I waved her on, asking her to continue. “The Seraphim, you refer to them as if the Seraphim Lords were separate. Why?” “The Seraphim were the great warrior houses of the past. The tribes. We were considered the... nobles, amongst the Nephilim. Of the Great Houses, Lucifer’s, Azrael's, Gabriel's, and Michael’s were the most significant. Back to the invasion of Earth. “In the early stages, the invasion moved fast. City after city fell to the untouchable might of Lucifer’s armies. Azrael, led a small team of the best warriors the Seraphim had to offer. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. “Eventually, the ‘Guardians of Heaven’ moved to oppose us. Lucifer, who had been branded by God as Satan, was eventually slain by Michael. We pressed on however, drawing the war out for as long as we could. “I never wanted to kill the humans. Just humble them. It was Satan who told us it was necessary. I still have mixed feelings for what happened. “After the war, those of us who survived, were exiled; stripped of our great power. I was the first to be thrown from Heaven. Seraphim Gabriel carried me to the edge of the tribunal platform, and tossed me off. I still contemplate why she looked sad. “From there, I plummeted to only God knows where in the universe, but you already know that part of the story.” I finished the short version of what I remembered. Waiting on Her Majesty’s word of approval. “Yes, from my sister’s perspective, but not from yours. Please, tell it.” In memorium fugaI was above the cloud layer, my wings lazily moving up and down to give me lift. My movements were sluggish as I looked around, seeing not but clouds. I heard a muffled voice come up from behind me. “Are you alright...” The voice was female, that I could tell, but as she trailed off in speech, I think she said my name. “What? Who are you?” As I turned to face the unknown woman, I saw something that awed me. She was surrounded by a corona of light. Her face was blurred, but the rest of her body was clear. She wore a long white robe that extended slightly past her feet, and her wings were of the purist of whites. Her skin was alabaster and her hair was jet black, but I still could not make out her face. She seemed to ignore my question as she grabbed my arms in her hands, and started pulling me with her. “C’mon, it’ll be fun!” “But who are you?” I exclaimed again in frustration. As she started pulling me down towards the clouds, I resisted by flapping my wings. “Come on. You are always so uptight! We need to get you to live a little!” Her voice was defiant, as if I made a habit of ignoring her. “Please, for me?” She asked. There was an ounce of pleading in her voice that made my resistance drop instantly. “Okay,” I heard myself say, not remembering opening my mouth. “I’ll do it for you.” “Thank you so much!” She let go of one of my arms as she said this, but proceeded to pull me down with the other. After several minutes of decent, she finally let go. “Okay now just tuck your wings around your body; It’ll act as a pressure dampener.” “A what?” I said, again without my own consent. “It’ll slow you down, so you don’t hit too hard.” Even though I couldn’t see it, I could feel her rolling her eyes. Who is this? I feel as if I’ve known her for... a long time. I watched as she made a bubble around herself with her wings, and fell. My eyes widened as I felt myself doing the same. I could feel the wind rush through my feathers, and the adrenaline coursing through my body gave me a rather familiar rush. I don’t know why it felt familiar, but it left me with another feeling: Dread. I contemplated this turn of events until I felt a sharp pain in my wingtips, and my vision was suddenly obscured by water. Coughing, I dragged myself upwards, towards the familiar light of day. She was already on the surface, laughing as she saw me sputtering, trying to maintain float with water logged wings. “Did you forget to waterproof them again?” she asked, still having trouble keeping her voice under control from laughing. “Yes.” I responded. With an uncontrolled flick of my wrist, and a powerful thrust from my wings, I was airborn, watching the rivulets of water fall from the now pristine surfaces. “Well?” She asked, still bathing in the water. “Well what?” I raised an eyebrow in confusion, causeing her to snicker again. “Did you enjoy yourself?” “I don’t like adrenalin. You know this.” She flapped her sleek wings, propelling herself free of her crystal bath, sighing. “I know you don’t. But we need to bring you out of that little world you’ve built for yourself. Everyone is worried about you.” Again I was helpless in my body, as she came forward with her arms open, and embraced me. I felt a single tear fall down my cheek, and I smiled. “Alright,” I said, “Let’s have some fun.” Me and the faceless woman parted from our embrace, and flew back to the sky. For what could have just as easily been minutes or hours, we dipped and weaved between and through the misty clouds. But eventually the sun started setting, and our smiles started fading. As we drew close again, something peculiar lept out at me. I could make out her face. Her eyes were blue as the ocean, and her face as majestic as her wings. It was the face of perfection, And I understood what this woman meant to me. Still I did not know her name, but for now, I could bask in the warm glow she emitted. We once again moved to an embrace. “Thank you.” She said to me, her voice in a whisper. As our faces inched closer together, a searing pain in my back wrenched my eyes closed. When I opened them again, there was nothing but a black void, opened only by small pricks of light. Chapter 1Chapter 1 “I remember I was falling. Not the gentle free fall where you could just open your wings and be free of it, but a harsh plummet. My brains felt like they were in my feet and the heat from my descent was nigh unbearable. “I was passing in and out of consciousness. The ground was approaching, but from what I saw between gaps of the fire, and gaps in my mind, I could not tell how fast. “Eventually I passed through the high altitude cloud layers. The deceleration jarred me into consciousness as the moisture around the planet started to reduce the heat of atmospheric reentry. “The ground was approaching. I was only a few kilometres above it before I felt something I had not felt for many thousands of years. Fear. The fall would not kill me, that wasn’t the point of banishment, but it would hurt, and it would be completely unavoidable and extreme in its nature. “I felt the impact from the ground, a soft crunch that seemed more muffled than it should have, and then I passed out.” Where am I?I remembered falling. I remembered hitting the ground. I remembered nothing else. Attempting to look at my surroundings proved futile, as when I moved my neck, the searing pain caused me to cry out. Alone. The thought caught me off guard, but it made sense. My eyelids were growing heavy, so I closed them, content with lying in whatever position I was in. While I slept, I dreamt of fire. I was awoken by the pointy end of a wooden stick. Unsure of whether I should be grateful or angered by the disturbance that broke me from the dream, I opened my eyes. A shrill cry echoed through my now pounding head, as I cringed and attempted to snuff out the bright sun by closing my eyes again. “Gabriel?” I asked, as if the name had meaning. Shifting my weight, I looked over towards the offender. The sun was bright, and I was surrounded by what seemed to be a moss covered ravine. The entirety of my body ached, but it wasn’t nearly as terrible as when I fell asleep. What I saw confused me greatly. A small, white, winged unicorn was looking at me with fear I hadn’t thought possible. It’s eyes were wide and panic stricken, and its wings were flared to make it look larger. Between myself and it was the stick I had been awoken with. I looked around for the voice I heard, but I was surrounded by hills on all sides. One other thing caught my attention however; a long trench that got increasingly narrow the further away it got. I was on the bottom of a rather large crater. “Where did she go...” I mumbled, scratching my head as I looked back to the scarred creature who had backed itself as far away as it could, without flying. “Hey, I won’t hurt you.” I said, addressing the creature in as soft a voice I could manage. “What are you?” My eyes widened as the sounds escaped its mouth. “I...” I tried to find an answer, but after several long seconds of finding nothing, I shook my head. “I don’t know.” Where am I? What am I?The thoughts echoed cruelly around my head. I must have had a pained look on my face, because the small equine lowered her wings, and went from looking terrified to weary. “What are you?” I mirrored its question, creasing my brow as I became increasingly frustrated by my lack of knowledge. “I...” She blushed. I knew where this was going. I had just said the same thing. “I don’t know.” Looking around, trying to find any semblance of recognizability, I asked the next question on my mind. “Where are we?” The pony looked around before completely dropping its defensive act. Looking to the ground, she whispered an answer. “Were in the San Palomino Plains.” “You say that like it’s a bad thing.” I responded, keeping my voice low. “Everyone here thinks I’m a freak.” her head lowered and her eyes closed. I felt sympathy for the creature. I understood rejection, but I could not recall from where. “I do not think you’re a freak.” I responded, as much for her benefit as mine. I had no idea if the surrounding creatures were hostile, and if she was to be my first link with society, then I needed a friend. "You... you don't?" She stammered, her body shaking with uncertainty now. "No. I do not" In more ways than one, this was true. I have yet to see another of her kind, so I cannot yet determine if she is indeed a 'freak' compared to the rest of them, as she would say. For a while, she stood there, staring at me. Her face contorted into a multitude of conflicting emotions. There was, of course, the earlier fear she wore along with the uncertainty, but now, intermingled with these, I saw sadness, regret, and... a twinge of hope. Once again, she spoke, trepidation dripping from her face. “Are... you sure? This... isn’t some kind of joke or trick... is it?” I shake my head from side to side, and I think I can hear a small, but audible sigh escape her lips. The situation of this poor equine greatly disturbed me. I laid there and pondered for a moment just how she came to be in her present state, with her leaf and twig strewn coat and mane covered in a layer of grime and dirt. And then the question came. “If I may, however... why are you out here all by yourself?” Again, she is apprehensive. She took several steps back, looking at the ground before her forehooves as though she was guilty of some terrible crime. “Ummm...I’d rather not talk about that...” A delicate subject no doubt. I will need to remember this. For now, my mind turns to less personal queries directed towards the equine. “Oh. Very well then.” I asked as apologetically as I could, “May I ask of thee, your name instead?” She still seemed to be taking a keen interest in the dirt at her hooves. I move my mouth to speak, but she speaks first. “It’s...” What I heard next was either a faint breeze, or her whispering something. My brow furrowed. “Come again?” Her face contorted from one of fear to one of silent courage. “My name is Celestia.” The gusto that had come to the filly left just as it came, and Celestia found herself cringing in fear; Her eyes again focused on the ground. I brought my hand to the underside of her muzzle, and she, not expecting that, jumped backwards. Her eyes were wild again, and her wings were flared. An unnatural glow accompanied the horn on her head this time, however. “S... Stay back!” She stammered. “I’m... I’m warning you!” “Celestia,” I brought my hand back to my side, letting my voice grow firm, but gentle. “I will not harm you.” The look in her eyes told me she was not as convinced as I. “Have I given you any reason yet to suggest that I would?” Confused, her mind tried to come up with a suitable answer. “Well... no...” She began, looking off to the side, “But, uh... could you please... not touch me... I’m... not exactly fond of that...” It was then that I noticed a slight... bruise atop her forehead. A small welt that would be easy to miss to a casual observer, but that I found to be unmistakable at such close proximity. Once again, my mind takes note of this as something to bring up in future conversation. “Of course.” I say with certainty, but perhaps a bit too quickly, “If you so wish it, I will not.” Celestia let out a breath I did not know she had been holding and her stance seemed to slacken a bit, though her horn was still firmly aimed in my direction. “Now then, may I ask where we are?” “Uh... we’re in the San Palomino Plains... er—” She said, rubbing that spot on her head where the welt was with a forehoof and closing her eyes in concentration, “I think...” “You think?” I quirked an eyebrow. “Well... I don’t exactly have a map on me and have just sort of been... wandering...” “Wandering?” “For a while...” I brought a hand to my chin and ponder for a moment. “Tell me... while you were... wandering, did you happen to see how I came to be here, in the, San Palomino Plains, was it?” Celestia looked away and rubbed the back of her neck anxiously. “Yeah. It was... actually hard to miss...” “How so?” “Well... how do I say this... gently...” She said, fighting to keep her eyes away from mine, “You sort of, kind of... um... fell from the sky going at a speed that would make most Pegasi proud, and you hit the ground so hard that you made a crater ...” “Ahhh.” She continued. “At first, I thought that a shooting star had just landed and I wanted to check it out.” She rubbed her hooves together nervously. “You see, I read that they had special magic properties, and well... I was hoping that I could use it to... become... normal...” Her eyes welled up with tears, as her voice lowered. I did not know how to respond to this display of sadness. Part of me wanted to reach out and hug the small heart-broken creature before me, but another part of me was reminded of the fact that doing so, currently, would likely just make matters worse. Instead, I opted to not press the matter and let her wipe her eyes clean. “Look at me...” She began with a melancholy chuckle, “Here I am being miserable with my life while you’re the one with a missing wing...” I raised a questioning eyebrow, before looking over my right shoulder. There was nothing there. Looking over my left, I noticed what would have been a fifth appendage, had it not been cut short at the second joint. I struggled to find my thoughts as my head began swimming. I heard Celestia gasp in surprise as I found myself closer to ground, clutching my head. I was scared, and I had no idea what was going on. Where am I? What am I? Who am I?The questions still compounded without being answered. My vision was fading, and my headache was growing, as I watched the ground flip sideways. There was a pressure on my shoulder as Celestia placed her hoof on it, mouthing words that I could not understand. Indefinite HiatusSorry Guys, read this.
PrologueIn the beginning, there was nothing more than scattered particles. When some of these particles collided, there was light, there was sound, and there was thought. Not just any thought, but the first thought. The thought of something far from comprehensible. It is far too bright. The light dimmed. It is far too empty. Matter was created. It is far too loud. Sound was muted. It is far too chaotic. Shape was given to the universe. Stars were born, galaxies were created, and planets were molded. It is far too... Lonely. The thoughts moved to one of the planets at a whim, and created life. The planet was a small and unassuming green world around a small and unassuming yellow sun. Various plants and animals roamed the surface of the planet, not caring about how they just appeared, but more about how they could survive. Beside these various animal species were forty hairless bipeds. They looked around and recognized their sentience. The population of these bipeds rose over the course of a hundred years. Over five generations, one hundred and sixty were born. The eldest did not die however, which confused them. Over their long life, they had seen all the world around them wither and die. Plants were becoming infertile, animals were starving, and the water was evaporating. Resources amongst tribes became their greatest treasure, and soon wars were fought over the wealth of the dying land. Many died. A pulsating orb of pure light descended from the sky as the war finished its seventh day. The warring tribes put aside their differences to partake in this phenomenon. Stop fighting. The apparition spoke. So the fighting stopped. “What are you?” asked the leader of one of the tribes. I am the creator. “Why?” I was lonely. “They why did you let us fight? Why did you let us die?” The speaker was not angry, but curious, until he asked the last question, which he asked remorsefully. “Why is our home dying?” It is too far from the star. This world cannot sustain life. “The how are we supposed to live?” Come with me, Nephilim. All who accept me as their friend can come with me, and walk in my light. Most came forward, willing to put aside their differences. Others, did not. One however, the leader of a separate tribe, was dubious. “How did you create us?” He asked. I just did. “How did you create the world?” I just did. “How did you create life?” I just did. Infuriated by the lack of response, the tribe leader asked one last question. “How can we trust you, when you won’t answer my questions? Faith. Lowering his head, the Nephilim bowed. Fly, Nephilim. Fly to the heavens. The voice commanded. The Nephilim were startled to see glorious white wings had sprung from their backs. Those who were faithful, flew, those who were not, were left behind. The planet slowly withered and died, becoming red in the process, as a symbol to those who had no faith. The fourth planet in the stars orbit would be forever coated in the blood of the unfaithful. “I was one of the Nephilim. Lucifer, my tribe leader, was dubious of this power that called itself God. Blind is what I would call it. It never noticed what was coming. But then again, neither did I...” The second attempt at life was more successful. The blue planet was closer to the sun, and held life it did not create. This surprised the ephemeral being. It looked to the surface of the planet and saw a small utopia. A garden of great proportions. He called it Eden. There was a multitude of bipedal creatures in this Eden, who looked remarkably like his Nephilim. He called them human. He went to the humans on one perfect day in the land of Garden of Eden. They looked upon his visage and cowered, fear in their eyes at the awesome light. Arise. They rose. A young couple emerged from the crowd, one male, one female. “What are you?” Asked the male. “Where did you come from?” Asked the female. I am God almighty. I am everywhere. Again awed, the couple bowed. They were Adam and Eve, first of God’s followers. First of his betrayers. “Time flowed swiftly. The Nephilim, seen to the humans as Angels, watched over the planet and its inhabitants, as per His orders. The Seraphim Lords, keepers of the great Seraphim houses, who were considered Archangels by the humans, were our leaders. Lord Michael, the first of us to speak with God, became our watcher. He was promoted by God’s word to leadership, and ruled over all the Nephilim. “He was also God’s ‘go to’ guy. He taught the first humans, about many things. Of what, I know not for sure. He was the first to oppose Seraphim Lucifer. Michael was ruthless. Behind God’s back, he was forging the Nephilim into an army. For what purpose, I will never know. “As the humans grew more advanced, God had a ‘son’. His name, to the humans, was Jesus. His real name was Lord Azrael, or to the humans, the Angel of Death. He spread God’s message of peace and love, yet he would probably cause God the most pain. He eventually renamed himself Baalberith; God of the covenant. “Eventually, the humans rejected God. Saying they could find their way without him. Lord Lucifer had warned God that this would happen, that without direct intervention the humans would no longer fear God. “But they were his chosen people. We were forgotten while they thrived. We asked God why this had happened, to which he only responded that we ‘Should have faith’. By this point, a very large number of the Nephilim were outraged. We had been forgotten, left behind. Lord Michael, Lord Azrael, and Lady Gabriel remained amongst his chosen, but that’s because they were constantly kissing his feet. “As the humans would die, they would all be accepted into Heaven. Getting pleasure, peace, play, and whatever else their vain mortal hearts could want. We were their servants. Most of us despised it. “Lucifer came to me one day, asked me if I was still loyal to him. I said yes. He told me to follow him, and not to tell a soul about what was about to happen. That was when I came upon a sight I will never forget. “Lucifer walked calmly up to God, looked him in her metaphysical eyes—” “I’m sorry, did you just say your God switched gender?” Luna’s meek voice asked. I nodded. “We never really found out if God was male or female... We just assumed both, so the pronouns are interchangeable. May I continue?” “Of course. I was just curious.” “Anyway, Lucifer looked God in the eye, and told him that he was going down to earth. He was going to make them fear God once more. God detested the act, and said he would not allow him to hurt the humans. Lucifer just turned around and walked away. Not three days later, Lucifer had gathered up a sizable chunk of the Nephilim, and several of the Seraphim, Lord Azrael being one of them. In God’s pain, we left Heaven. To teach the humans a lesson.” “One more question,” Luna interjected. I waved her on, asking her to continue. “The Seraphim, you refer to them as if the Seraphim Lords were separate. Why?” “The Seraphim were the great warrior houses of the past. The tribes. We were considered the... nobles, amongst the Nephilim. Of the Great Houses, Lucifer’s, Azrael's, Gabriel's, and Michael’s were the most significant. Back to the invasion of Earth. “In the early stages, the invasion moved fast. City after city fell to the untouchable might of Lucifer’s armies. Azrael, led a small team of the best warriors the Seraphim had to offer. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. “Eventually, the ‘Guardians of Heaven’ moved to oppose us. Lucifer, who had been branded by God as Satan, was eventually slain by Michael. We pressed on however, drawing the war out for as long as we could. “I never wanted to kill the humans. Just humble them. It was Satan who told us it was necessary. I still have mixed feelings for what happened. “After the war, those of us who survived, were exiled; stripped of our great power. I was the first to be thrown from Heaven. Seraphim Gabriel carried me to the edge of the tribunal platform, and tossed me off. I still contemplate why she looked sad. “From there, I plummeted to only God knows where in the universe, but you already know that part of the story.” I finished the short version of what I remembered. Waiting on Her Majesty’s word of approval. “Yes, from my sister’s perspective, but not from yours. Please, tell it.”
In memorium fugaI was above the cloud layer, my wings lazily moving up and down to give me lift. My movements were sluggish as I looked around, seeing not but clouds. I heard a muffled voice come up from behind me. “Are you alright...” The voice was female, that I could tell, but as she trailed off in speech, I think she said my name. “What? Who are you?” As I turned to face the unknown woman, I saw something that awed me. She was surrounded by a corona of light. Her face was blurred, but the rest of her body was clear. She wore a long white robe that extended slightly past her feet, and her wings were of the purist of whites. Her skin was alabaster and her hair was jet black, but I still could not make out her face. She seemed to ignore my question as she grabbed my arms in her hands, and started pulling me with her. “C’mon, it’ll be fun!” “But who are you?” I exclaimed again in frustration. As she started pulling me down towards the clouds, I resisted by flapping my wings. “Come on. You are always so uptight! We need to get you to live a little!” Her voice was defiant, as if I made a habit of ignoring her. “Please, for me?” She asked. There was an ounce of pleading in her voice that made my resistance drop instantly. “Okay,” I heard myself say, not remembering opening my mouth. “I’ll do it for you.” “Thank you so much!” She let go of one of my arms as she said this, but proceeded to pull me down with the other. After several minutes of decent, she finally let go. “Okay now just tuck your wings around your body; It’ll act as a pressure dampener.” “A what?” I said, again without my own consent. “It’ll slow you down, so you don’t hit too hard.” Even though I couldn’t see it, I could feel her rolling her eyes. Who is this? I feel as if I’ve known her for... a long time. I watched as she made a bubble around herself with her wings, and fell. My eyes widened as I felt myself doing the same. I could feel the wind rush through my feathers, and the adrenaline coursing through my body gave me a rather familiar rush. I don’t know why it felt familiar, but it left me with another feeling: Dread. I contemplated this turn of events until I felt a sharp pain in my wingtips, and my vision was suddenly obscured by water. Coughing, I dragged myself upwards, towards the familiar light of day. She was already on the surface, laughing as she saw me sputtering, trying to maintain float with water logged wings. “Did you forget to waterproof them again?” she asked, still having trouble keeping her voice under control from laughing. “Yes.” I responded. With an uncontrolled flick of my wrist, and a powerful thrust from my wings, I was airborn, watching the rivulets of water fall from the now pristine surfaces. “Well?” She asked, still bathing in the water. “Well what?” I raised an eyebrow in confusion, causeing her to snicker again. “Did you enjoy yourself?” “I don’t like adrenalin. You know this.” She flapped her sleek wings, propelling herself free of her crystal bath, sighing. “I know you don’t. But we need to bring you out of that little world you’ve built for yourself. Everyone is worried about you.” Again I was helpless in my body, as she came forward with her arms open, and embraced me. I felt a single tear fall down my cheek, and I smiled. “Alright,” I said, “Let’s have some fun.” Me and the faceless woman parted from our embrace, and flew back to the sky. For what could have just as easily been minutes or hours, we dipped and weaved between and through the misty clouds. But eventually the sun started setting, and our smiles started fading. As we drew close again, something peculiar lept out at me. I could make out her face. Her eyes were blue as the ocean, and her face as majestic as her wings. It was the face of perfection, And I understood what this woman meant to me. Still I did not know her name, but for now, I could bask in the warm glow she emitted. We once again moved to an embrace. “Thank you.” She said to me, her voice in a whisper. As our faces inched closer together, a searing pain in my back wrenched my eyes closed. When I opened them again, there was nothing but a black void, opened only by small pricks of light.
Chapter 1Chapter 1 “I remember I was falling. Not the gentle free fall where you could just open your wings and be free of it, but a harsh plummet. My brains felt like they were in my feet and the heat from my descent was nigh unbearable. “I was passing in and out of consciousness. The ground was approaching, but from what I saw between gaps of the fire, and gaps in my mind, I could not tell how fast. “Eventually I passed through the high altitude cloud layers. The deceleration jarred me into consciousness as the moisture around the planet started to reduce the heat of atmospheric reentry. “The ground was approaching. I was only a few kilometres above it before I felt something I had not felt for many thousands of years. Fear. The fall would not kill me, that wasn’t the point of banishment, but it would hurt, and it would be completely unavoidable and extreme in its nature. “I felt the impact from the ground, a soft crunch that seemed more muffled than it should have, and then I passed out.” Where am I?I remembered falling. I remembered hitting the ground. I remembered nothing else. Attempting to look at my surroundings proved futile, as when I moved my neck, the searing pain caused me to cry out. Alone. The thought caught me off guard, but it made sense. My eyelids were growing heavy, so I closed them, content with lying in whatever position I was in. While I slept, I dreamt of fire. I was awoken by the pointy end of a wooden stick. Unsure of whether I should be grateful or angered by the disturbance that broke me from the dream, I opened my eyes. A shrill cry echoed through my now pounding head, as I cringed and attempted to snuff out the bright sun by closing my eyes again. “Gabriel?” I asked, as if the name had meaning. Shifting my weight, I looked over towards the offender. The sun was bright, and I was surrounded by what seemed to be a moss covered ravine. The entirety of my body ached, but it wasn’t nearly as terrible as when I fell asleep. What I saw confused me greatly. A small, white, winged unicorn was looking at me with fear I hadn’t thought possible. It’s eyes were wide and panic stricken, and its wings were flared to make it look larger. Between myself and it was the stick I had been awoken with. I looked around for the voice I heard, but I was surrounded by hills on all sides. One other thing caught my attention however; a long trench that got increasingly narrow the further away it got. I was on the bottom of a rather large crater. “Where did she go...” I mumbled, scratching my head as I looked back to the scarred creature who had backed itself as far away as it could, without flying. “Hey, I won’t hurt you.” I said, addressing the creature in as soft a voice I could manage. “What are you?” My eyes widened as the sounds escaped its mouth. “I...” I tried to find an answer, but after several long seconds of finding nothing, I shook my head. “I don’t know.” Where am I? What am I?The thoughts echoed cruelly around my head. I must have had a pained look on my face, because the small equine lowered her wings, and went from looking terrified to weary. “What are you?” I mirrored its question, creasing my brow as I became increasingly frustrated by my lack of knowledge. “I...” She blushed. I knew where this was going. I had just said the same thing. “I don’t know.” Looking around, trying to find any semblance of recognizability, I asked the next question on my mind. “Where are we?” The pony looked around before completely dropping its defensive act. Looking to the ground, she whispered an answer. “Were in the San Palomino Plains.” “You say that like it’s a bad thing.” I responded, keeping my voice low. “Everyone here thinks I’m a freak.” her head lowered and her eyes closed. I felt sympathy for the creature. I understood rejection, but I could not recall from where. “I do not think you’re a freak.” I responded, as much for her benefit as mine. I had no idea if the surrounding creatures were hostile, and if she was to be my first link with society, then I needed a friend. "You... you don't?" She stammered, her body shaking with uncertainty now. "No. I do not" In more ways than one, this was true. I have yet to see another of her kind, so I cannot yet determine if she is indeed a 'freak' compared to the rest of them, as she would say. For a while, she stood there, staring at me. Her face contorted into a multitude of conflicting emotions. There was, of course, the earlier fear she wore along with the uncertainty, but now, intermingled with these, I saw sadness, regret, and... a twinge of hope. Once again, she spoke, trepidation dripping from her face. “Are... you sure? This... isn’t some kind of joke or trick... is it?” I shake my head from side to side, and I think I can hear a small, but audible sigh escape her lips. The situation of this poor equine greatly disturbed me. I laid there and pondered for a moment just how she came to be in her present state, with her leaf and twig strewn coat and mane covered in a layer of grime and dirt. And then the question came. “If I may, however... why are you out here all by yourself?” Again, she is apprehensive. She took several steps back, looking at the ground before her forehooves as though she was guilty of some terrible crime. “Ummm...I’d rather not talk about that...” A delicate subject no doubt. I will need to remember this. For now, my mind turns to less personal queries directed towards the equine. “Oh. Very well then.” I asked as apologetically as I could, “May I ask of thee, your name instead?” She still seemed to be taking a keen interest in the dirt at her hooves. I move my mouth to speak, but she speaks first. “It’s...” What I heard next was either a faint breeze, or her whispering something. My brow furrowed. “Come again?” Her face contorted from one of fear to one of silent courage. “My name is Celestia.” The gusto that had come to the filly left just as it came, and Celestia found herself cringing in fear; Her eyes again focused on the ground. I brought my hand to the underside of her muzzle, and she, not expecting that, jumped backwards. Her eyes were wild again, and her wings were flared. An unnatural glow accompanied the horn on her head this time, however. “S... Stay back!” She stammered. “I’m... I’m warning you!” “Celestia,” I brought my hand back to my side, letting my voice grow firm, but gentle. “I will not harm you.” The look in her eyes told me she was not as convinced as I. “Have I given you any reason yet to suggest that I would?” Confused, her mind tried to come up with a suitable answer. “Well... no...” She began, looking off to the side, “But, uh... could you please... not touch me... I’m... not exactly fond of that...” It was then that I noticed a slight... bruise atop her forehead. A small welt that would be easy to miss to a casual observer, but that I found to be unmistakable at such close proximity. Once again, my mind takes note of this as something to bring up in future conversation. “Of course.” I say with certainty, but perhaps a bit too quickly, “If you so wish it, I will not.” Celestia let out a breath I did not know she had been holding and her stance seemed to slacken a bit, though her horn was still firmly aimed in my direction. “Now then, may I ask where we are?” “Uh... we’re in the San Palomino Plains... er—” She said, rubbing that spot on her head where the welt was with a forehoof and closing her eyes in concentration, “I think...” “You think?” I quirked an eyebrow. “Well... I don’t exactly have a map on me and have just sort of been... wandering...” “Wandering?” “For a while...” I brought a hand to my chin and ponder for a moment. “Tell me... while you were... wandering, did you happen to see how I came to be here, in the, San Palomino Plains, was it?” Celestia looked away and rubbed the back of her neck anxiously. “Yeah. It was... actually hard to miss...” “How so?” “Well... how do I say this... gently...” She said, fighting to keep her eyes away from mine, “You sort of, kind of... um... fell from the sky going at a speed that would make most Pegasi proud, and you hit the ground so hard that you made a crater ...” “Ahhh.” She continued. “At first, I thought that a shooting star had just landed and I wanted to check it out.” She rubbed her hooves together nervously. “You see, I read that they had special magic properties, and well... I was hoping that I could use it to... become... normal...” Her eyes welled up with tears, as her voice lowered. I did not know how to respond to this display of sadness. Part of me wanted to reach out and hug the small heart-broken creature before me, but another part of me was reminded of the fact that doing so, currently, would likely just make matters worse. Instead, I opted to not press the matter and let her wipe her eyes clean. “Look at me...” She began with a melancholy chuckle, “Here I am being miserable with my life while you’re the one with a missing wing...” I raised a questioning eyebrow, before looking over my right shoulder. There was nothing there. Looking over my left, I noticed what would have been a fifth appendage, had it not been cut short at the second joint. I struggled to find my thoughts as my head began swimming. I heard Celestia gasp in surprise as I found myself closer to ground, clutching my head. I was scared, and I had no idea what was going on. Where am I? What am I? Who am I?The questions still compounded without being answered. My vision was fading, and my headache was growing, as I watched the ground flip sideways. There was a pressure on my shoulder as Celestia placed her hoof on it, mouthing words that I could not understand.
