The Waterfall Choice

The Everfree; such an unforgiving, corrupt piece of land. It chews up the soul and spits out the nasty like nopony’s business. This forest, everything in and above it is said to not function the same as our pony-controlled Equestria; the plants grow on their own, the animals take care of themselves, feeding on others, and clouds move without pegasus intervention.

And thats where our story begins, not with a hungry Chimera, a pack of hungry Timberwolves or an Ursa Major, nothing of the sorts through which the paranormal earth hosted, but rather skyward, entering the vaults of heaven itself... a cloud.

Above the eerie shrubbery, ranging miles on end through all sorts of dreaded green, a heavy gust stirred, whistling through the gaps amongst condensed flora as crooked branches scratched on each other in aid of this grim symphony. The winds blew the leaves away, possessing them as they danced drunkenly with tipsy swerves before gently kissing the dirt.

Timberwolves howled and Chimeras roared to the abnormal occurrences of this event as the violent winds continued in synchronization with the natural melody, a rare sight indeed, as ominously darkened clouds roared throughout the skies with flashes of intervallic bright light, a perfect contrast of breathtaking seconds as they danced in circles, forming a mass of violent, unstable energy. Second after second, the cloud continued its tantrum, signalling the wind that it was ready.

With a final, gentle push that the wind had supplied, everything was dead in the Everfree. No sound. No dancing. No more clouds as those were sent off to Ponyville.

For the first time in ages, Celestia’s sun shone brightly and freely over the forest. For the first time in ages, the Everfree didn't seem so eerie, and that alone was a sign for a certain zebra to worry.

"Oh no," Zecora held her breath in awe, gazing at the shelf cloud, spontaneously lighting the way with a trail of light and the scent of ozone as it ionized the atmosphere. Ironically, within the safe haven of the forest, she predicted its path, observing as it drifted with aim towards the gargantuan concrete structure from miles away; Ponyville’s dam.

Breathless and mouth agape from a loss of words, her eyes dilated in fear as she had foreseen the misfortunate events of many lives to be lost through the flooding images with her machinations. Ponies drowning, millions of bits worth of damage and a village to be wiped clean from Equestria’s map.

No, she had no more time to stand still and dilly dally, she had to warn them. Pushing the horrific mental images back from whence they came, the zebra shook her head and galloped steadfast towards the doom-fated Ponyville. "I must warn Ponyville of this ill-fate before it is too late!" she muttered a rhyme through her laborious breaths.

Then and there, staring at the nimbus ever-so approaching the dam, she immediately knew that all lives couldn’t be saved... but a few would do.

Throughout the cobblestone-laid streets of Ponyville, the inhabitants young and old, sizes and a mixed match palette of colors alike flooded the streets, occupied with their daily chores and businesses, as they earned that extra bit to meet month’s end. Even through their busily laid out schedule; may it be bucking apples, baking delicacies and the weekly assortment of books, the citizens enjoyed what they did, a smile on their faces as they worked alongside their unique talent.

Everypony had seemed to enjoy basking in the sun of this bright day...all but for one, lonesome pegasus who stood nameless, lost in the crowds, for even I cannot remember his name.

Everything of this stallion was as black as pitch during the night of Nightmare's Night; his mane, coat and tail without a glimpse of any other color, overshadowed his cutiemark, for even he had forgotten what it once looked like. Or did he even have one?

The only trait that differentiated him from a meaningless shadow, were those eyes, shining as bright as piercing stars through Luna’s fathomed night. He was a silhouette amongst the citizens, and that shall be his new name. Silhouette.

This shadow, like any other followed his master, but the pony himself just followed the crowds until day's end. Nothing more. Nothing less. He had no place to be or no time to be met with. All that was his purpose, was to survive. His words many of times have fallen short to the deaf ears of the citizens, only an order or a request to add to somepony’s hard-earned bits was heard.

Just like any other living being, he of course felt emotion... he felt pain, loneliness and suffering. Each day he'd prevent himself from making a scene out of sole desperation, not wanting to be more of an outcast than he already was, nor a frowned upon figure. All that he had wanted was a friend.

During the night, he'd taste the strangest flavour, the saltiness of tears mixed with the aroma of forming dew. Only then would he be free; space for the lonesome pony to camouflage within the darkness, the only time he is allowed to savour his sanity until the time of dawn draws near.

It vexed him, knowing he has to repeat the same process everyday, yet expecting a different result. Insanity driven, he was.

Silhouette had felt the similar suffering as did the Lunar Princess during her imprisonment on the moon. The only thing they had in common was that they both knew they were being ignored, the shadow and the night, forever trapped within their cages of solitude and loneliness. Back then, he followed the Princess as was his role of a shadow, yet it wasn't on purpose for him to act as she did, to blend with the night and the crowd. It was just him.

 The daylight had filled both their hearts with sadness, patiently awaiting the silent night air to soothe them, day after day. During the night, there was serenity, a place they both could call home.

But now, as the Princess of the Night has returned, free from corruption, she no longer felt the painful isolation as did Silhouette. And that is who he is. Isolated.

On this day, sitting upon the concrete rims of Ponyville's water fountain, his mind rushed with thoughts wanting to end the madness. During the day, here was his place of serenity and tranquility, similar to the night as the petrified mare stood tall, surrounded by the water that spurted from her lips as well as, providing him with the shade from the sun's beating rays.

He had claimed this spot for many reasons, but one stood out more than the rest. Here, ponies used to gather around this reared stone character, as they drank from it's surrounding pool to rest and regenerate before heading on home. It was a place for small talk and gatherings of friends--something he had so desperately desired.

Other than that failure of a plan, it was only this very spot that rested his soul, a lone reminder of the night. It was the only seat where the cold water that splashed against the surface could beat against his back. But, when mixed with a cool breeze? Oh, it was set to relax from a tiring day of being a blighted curse on society.

The effects slowly disappeared with the years of the same treatment passing by.

He sat there, just watching as ponies went along with their daily business, acting "natural" in his presence. Once in awhile they would stop to stare, only for him to acknowledge, and once again, be ignored. But, another thing that he did remember--the only sort of interaction in a long time--was to be "kindly" removed from the premises so that another could get a drink on more than one occasion.

The statue never asked any of those things from him--she was a kind and quiet mare, standing gracefully on that one spot, overlooking him with shade and quenching his thirst with the water she provided. She was there for the good and the bad times, but mostly the bad. She never asked anything of him. She was his only friend.

The fountain was his home, and he memorized everypony's name, from Applejack, the apple salespony and Element of Honesty, to Zippy, or more preferably, Mr. Zippy the elder, half-blind mail pony. Each day was the same for him, and nothing ever changed. The same ponies, the same outcomes, the same night, it was too much for this one stallion.

Today was different, for the first time in his life did he see this oddly striped pony, a zebra--if memory had served him correctly--he denoted from the markings of black and white. But why on this particular day?

Through heavy breaths, desperate for a break, Zecora muscled through the fatigue her body endured from the lengthy distance she had travelled. Dodging crowds majestically, swerving left and right, jumping over a cart and two, the hasty zebra abruptly pulled the brakes in her tracks, drifting on the cobblestone path as her hooves anchored through the rough earth, pitching dust and pebbles as she finally came to a halt to warn the folks of the Farmer's Market.

"Everypony, you need to evacuate before it is too late!" she forewarned with urgency, reaching out a hoof to the ears of the citizens. Words fading with the now awkward wind, someponies were left curious as others were unbothered.

One pony from the crowd was brave enough to stand out and comment on her supposed 'random' outburst. "Well, I think the poison joke finally got to her head." He and a few others then laughed at his immature reaction.

The blood rose to her cheeks, embarrassed from taking role of being the laughing stock of the crowd. With a flaring snort of her nostrils and a stomp to the cobblestone to those who paid no heed to her warning, she left them to be damned by their once avoidable fate.

Curiosity coursed through Silhouette's veins of this mad mare's warning, cunningly following her through the shadows, as she hastily made it to her next destination, the library. "Twilight, Twilight!" Zecora called out, pleading for the mare through furious pounds on the hollow tree's scarlet entrance.

A few passing seconds later, and the door finally opened, giving way to a lavender coated mare, surprised for the most to see her exotic friend of the Everfree. "Zecora! What's wrong?" she asked, concerned of the zebra's well being as she noticed her friend's panted breaths. "Would you like to come inside, maybe have some water?"

"We need to leave, we are all in danger, I have come to believe!" Zecora, even through her exhaustion, rhymed. "Get your air balloon and the other Elements of Harmony, something this way comes from the Everfree!"

With a resentful sigh, Twilight responded to the mare with less engrossment than previously. "Zecora, I hardly doubt that a manticore, a pack of timberwolves or even a Ursa Minor is something we can seriously call, 'a danger' anymore," Twilight stated her experiences of trouble from the past, pausing still in her place as her mind could think of only one other possible reason. "Wait... is it an Ursa Major?!"

"No, no, it is something much, much worse," the zebra warned, pulling the mare outside of her book assorted fortress to gaze upon the gaseous, mass product of the Everfree. Zecora herself was yet again lost for words, the shelf cloud even bigger and much more violent than before as flashes of crackled light tore the atmosphere, striking against the concrete bastion.

Both mares observed as the cloud sapped, taint and absorb the other smaller nimbuses within its range as it had then widened its horizon over Ponyville, most of the nimbus' focus still at the source with great determination to bring crumble that wall.

The sudden change in atmosphere had definitely caught most of the village's attention, still most lacking interest as lightning had yet to strike in their region. Darkness had spread across Ponyville, obscuring its palette of brightly mixed colors as only through bright transitions of light were they at their full artistic potential.

The two ponies trapped in time, patiently awaited for the cloud's next move. With one blinding strike against the stony defense, their answer was finalized seconds after with a thunderous roar that outmatched the Royal Canterlot's voice amplified to the power of ten. It was time to go.

"I have to write a letter to Princess Celestia!" was Twilight's first reaction until Zecora prevented her with a firm grasp on her shoulders.

"No, there is no time, Twilight," the striped equine predicted. "At this rate, all we can do is evacuate. I've tried with the others, all they do is laugh at their doom, little do they know, this will soon be their sunken tomb," Zecora's grim words laid a heavy weight on Twilight, as if it wasn't enough for either mare to share. "Warn your friends, bring them here, we can give this place the boot and escape with our loot," she advised through the continuous rolling thunder.

The Element of Magic paused for a moment, thinking as Zecora did of all the lives to be lost. She then knew, just as the zebra did, that as much as she wanted to save the entire village, everything was against her; time, limited space and of course, magic.

"I-I understand," Twilight stuttered with concern, watching back at all the other ponies who ignored to heed the zebra's warning.

And thus, the first choice was made.

With a final bolt of electricity through the darkened skies, the area whited out from it's blinding flash. Everyponies' ears screeched in pain as the earth shook with that rolling thunder, stones of the concrete dam crumbled apart as liquid then seeped through the its crevices.

"We don't have much time, I'm going to teleport them here!" Twilight quickly shouted her response, anchoring her hooves in the soil of the soon to be forgotten lands. "Get Spike and the air balloon in the back, Zecora!" The Element of Magic ordered, curiously eyeing at the wave's progression as it consumed the trees that lead from the mountain.

Through the now panicking shrieks of the Ponyville citizens, the zebra could've only silently nodded if her words were to be drowned out by their air polluting sounds.

Twilight continued her spell, gritting her teeth as her horn flared with the intensity of a darker shade of violet as sweat dripped from her brow. A trickle of blood drew from her snout, splashing into the earth with the final casting of her spell. Through continuous strenuous huffs and the stinging fatigue that coursed through her very soul, she strained her eyes to look forward, fearing that she had failed in the performance of her spell.

The spell had been successful casted and Twilight was everything but relieved, for there was no time. Fifteen ponies stood before her; every Element of Harmony and their kin, baffled of their whereabouts.

"Twilight!" a snow white mare, Rarity exclaimed in consternation. "What in Celestia's name is happening?!"

It took a few minutes for Twilight to understand that not everypony was aware as she was, but some part of her mind doubted the fact that even they weren’t so oblivious to at least feel the earth tremble beneath their hooves.

"That!" Twilight answered, pointing with a convenient hoof to the leaking gargantuan dam as one final attack from the unstable skies shattered the defense through the water poured, aiding in its escape to a final massive torrent.

Seismic sea waves over-conquered the valley, adding the minuscule amounts of water from the river to add to its collection, demolishing hundreds of trees in no more than a matter of seconds. The narrow path that once lead to the dam maintained size and shape of the tidal wave, pushing it in no other direction but towards the small town of colorful ponies.

Time was of the essence.

"Wull, that answers my question," Applejack commented, strangely enough to be collectively calm throughout the apocalyptic events of the situation. Yanking the rope from Zecora, the apple-bucking vendor had taken charge with commands for everypony to follow. "Everypony, move it and small up! That means you, Big Mac!" she ordered her crimson red brother, in control of the situation, the only pony not worrying in distress.

"Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, go on Big Macintosh's back. Pinkie Pie, you do the same with the baby Cakes. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, both of y'all got wings, so you two fly and don't forget to take Scootaloo with ya," she reminded the spectrum manned mare. "We are going to make everypony fit!"

Frantically galloping into the enclosed, wooden--and not to mention--tightly squeezed basket, claustrophobia had become an added member, somehow through following Applejack's plan to the last letter, all fourteen ponies; The Elements of Harmony, the Cutiemark Crusaders, the Cakes, Spike and Zecora somehow managed to each find a spot before the time had arrived for Ponyville's ruination.

"Wait a gul’ darn secon’, fourteen?!" Applejack astonishingly exclaimed, somehow miscounting one pony. "Wuh-- where's Fluttershy?!"

Everypony immediately scanned the chaotic setting, even in the basket itself for the timid mare, until she, herself brought their attention to her with a spoken up, confident voice. "I-I'm not going," a voice whispered behind the controlling, stetson wearing mare.

"What?! Don't be mad, you child," Zecora exclaimed from within the confinements of the air balloon.

"Y-you can't make me... because, I am staying here, w-with my animal friends," Fluttershy spoke up for those who had no choice but to stay. "I won't leave them!"

And then, the second choice was made.

"Why yo-" Applejack began, but was quickly interrupted by a white hoof in her mouth that hushed her on the spot. Rarity glanced at the mare with piercing eyes, and without a word to be spoken--as stubborn as she was--she permitted the pampered mare to take control of this dilemma. "Ah really hope yuh know what yuh're doing, Rare," the Element of Honesty whispered a comment to Generosity before heading into the balloon. "But make it quick," she hissed.

With a cough to clear her throat, Rarity nodded back to everypony as she made her way toward Fluttershy.

"Look, darling, I'm not going to force you to come with us, we have Rainbow Dash and Applejack for that," Rarity quipped at the two mares, shooting a glance that made both stand down from their offensive stature, "but, I'm rather her to tell you this. Think rationally before you act. You have wings--something most ponies here would literally die for, at a time like this... I know I would," she heartily admitted.

"And because I know that we've both accepted this for a fact, is exactly the reason why you've chosen to stay here on purpose." The fashionista had hit the nail directly on the head, strong in her words as she gently placed that snowy hoof to rest on the butter coated mare's shoulder.

"And that is what I have come to say to you, Fluttershy." She had seemed less willing in her words, that motherly voice chipping away, showing her true emotions at the pegasus’ noble decision. "N-not to come with us if you wish not to, but rather to say, 'I understand'... I understand that you're determined to see this choice through..." she paused holding back her own flood of tears, "and because you're so determined, I will help you see this through, as I am doing right now."

"B-but... as much as I'd love to stay with you, I still have my little sister to protect... a-and I can’t--"

Rarity's sobbing words were only halfway through as Fluttershy brought her into a final embrace.

Surprisingly and strongly enough to hold back from her own jerking tears, Fluttershy momentarily comforted the mare before setting her off, as she observed the frightening progress of the approaching mass of blue. "I understand, Rarity. You have Sweetie Belle to protect, and the animals count on me as well... but--" Her sorrowful eyes met with the unicorn's.

"--Sweetie Belle won't have a sister if you're stuck here with me," her gentle voice, even at these anarchic of times, soothed Rarity's soul. "We must do our jobs."

Only in that moment did Fluttershy release her best friend from their bind, the white mare departing with these final words. "Once our jobs are done... I'd come back for you," she promised with a gallop away, her head hung low as she jumped onto the wooden basket, in fear, even at this moment, that her friends would see her in this horrid unfashionable state.

With the burners lit, the air balloon filled with the numerous vibrant ponies was lifted with the heated air and was set forth towards their salvation. Everypony was silent, holding back their breath as they--just as Rarity did--support the forever grounded pegasus in her final moments. The unicorn on the other hoof was crying more than Pinkie Pie, yet showed more of her support as she frantically waved her handkerchief. "Goodbye, Fluttershy... don't forget that we will always love you!"

The butter coated mare responded with only the same wave of a hoof goodbye... and then she simply trotted away.

Hiding her tears as Rarity did to prove that she was fully determined to go through with her plan, not once did she glance back for those painful regrets and memories.

Even through the chaotic state that Ponyville was now in; carts and fruits littering the streets, quickly disowned by their possessors, Fluttershy trotted through memory lane filled with the panicking screams of everypony. Even through these perilous of times, something was odd. Not something, but somepony.

To her right, the Element of Kindness spotted an ebony stallion meters away as she paused in her tracks. As peaceful as she was, Silhouette copied her emotion, sitting upon his haunches, lost like a foal without his mother, watching as the world before him fell apart. He paid no attention to the rest of the crowd and their futile background noise, but only towards her, the lonely mare.

She approached the lost ebony stallion, only with one question in mind. "W-would you care to spend the end of Ponyville with me?"

Finally noticed and lost for words, the stallion nodded as he got off his haunches and proceeded to the center of the colorful town with her. Throughout their trots, they took one last glance at the sky with a farewell to those who rightfully used the ability of flight, abandoning their home as they safely escaped with their family and other earthbound members.

As they approached the fountain, the two pegasi watched the true nature of life unveil in these dark times.

There were only four true sides of ponies to have been seen; One, those whose constant prayers were unheard. Two, those who panicked, scattering around aimlessly, questioning the Gods as why they've forsaken them. Three, those who accepted it, staring death in the face as they patiently awaited its coming, just as Fluttershy and Silhouette did.  And finally, there were the guardians who chose to stay and comfort the young.

Furthest within the boundaries of the tiny village, the second target of the quickly approaching tidal wave stood bright and proud, unbeknownst of the oncoming calamity. The kindergarten.

Through the windows, upon seeing the mass body of water, Cheerilee half-heartedly sighed, closing her eyes before the collision. A tug at her hooves brought her attention to a much smaller pony, a chubby colt as he stated in fright, "Ms. Cheerilee... I'm scared. W-what's happening?"

The world upon her shoulders, as well as the lives of these colts and fillies, she looked back to the plump pony with a smile and simply lied. Everything was wrong about today. "Nothing, nothing!” she announced in her usual perky tone. “It's just water, like at the beach!"

She then paused with this heavy burden. The children were not supposed to be here with her at a time like this... they needed the comfort of their parents... but little did the foals know, the teacher would've done just as fine.

"And that's what we're going to do," she smiled through her foreseeable deception. "We're going to play a little game called 'Pretend', and where are we going to pretend we're going?" she asked the class for confirmation.

"To heaven?" one smart, pink filly responded, tilting her head to those tiny shoulders in confusion. Oh, how that pained Ms. Cheerilee's heart that some already knew.

“If that’s where your beach is, Ruby Pinch, then yes.” The teacher then guided the fillies and colts to their last enjoyable seconds. "Okay, when I start counting, everypony close your eyes real tight and just imagine having fun," Cheerilee informed, as she too obeyed her own instructions. “When the count reaches zero, open them and everything will be okay.”

Her soul in pain, it took her a moment to muster up the courage to start the countdown.

"Ten. Nine. Eight."

The thunder roared once more, making the foals jump in fright, yet they continued to focus on the game with shutted lids. They can hear their teacher's voice trembling, the teacher who promised that when they open their eyes, everything was going to be alright.

"Seven. Six. Five."

The sound of rushing waters could've been heard nearing the school throughout its collision course, crushing trees as well as other households. But, the sound of other ponies? Nothing.

"Four. Three."

Her voice trembled, cheating the game as she opened her eyes to glance at her little bundles of pride and joy for the very last time. She came to her knees, looking up to the sky in prayer for a miracle. The miracle that never came.

“Two. On-”

As the two pegasi sat in harmony before the petrified mare of the fountain, the wave was now mere seconds away from impact.

Fluttershy was being torn inside out, gazing at the destruction of her home.

Sitting upon the concrete rim, they watched as a lone mother rushed for her filly before the approaching, violent tides as it mercilessly overshadowed them. Finally, the mother caught and cradled the daughter within her hooves before being struck down.

For the mare, time slowed down through the realization of the events that they were both going to die.

She defended her kin with the shield of her back as a last defense against the crushing ocean. With a final flashing light, a ping alerted their ears as a pair of meaty, pure white stallion hooves embraced both mother and daughter. Even in these final moments, they smiled at their respective husband and father, not a moment too soon to share the same fate.

With the seismic wave nearing the concrete fountain, Fluttershy closed her eyes at the scene, shuddering through their silent screams. Through this acceptance of ill-fate as The Element of Kindness sat beside the ebony stallion, she said only but this.

“I’ve never seen you around here before. What’s your name?... Urhm, that is, if you don’t mind me asking...”

The stallion opened his mouth, but no words came from the surprising revelation.

“I don’t know.”

Through the tranquil air, the serene passing of streaming water splashed upon the ebony pegasus' face. In a daze and through muffled sound of crashing waters, he awoke, squinting through the engulfing white light as he rose a hoof to protect his sensitve eyes.

His body seemingly lighter than before, he surprisingly got up in ease rather than through tenuous amounts of expected fatigue from his previous attempt to surface the rough currents through drowning lungs. He could only remember the water pressuring down upon him, swallowing his body as he sunk into the abyss of his hometown. In his last breaths, he saw the flowing pink mane dance in the drift of the ocean below, the owner in a deep slumber from the impact of the wave.

Shaking the painful image from his mind, he got to his hooves and slowly paced himself forth to where the stream had ended. He saw no rocks or stones below his hooves, it was if he stood on the water itself, as he stopped at the edge of the hill, observing as the cascading water majestically roared as it crashed upon the similar elements below.

Was he supposed to jump? He had already chosen death on purpose... but could he do it again?

His mind racing in contemplation, he opened his eyes to relieve himself of the stress in guidance of the surrounding air, a reminder of the night as a refreshing breeze passed by through the mountain top.

With a scanning of his environment, he then saw another pony, a gentle mare perched at the edge of another unsupported waterfall... it was Fluttershy, suffering the same fate that he had chosen, bewildered at the choices that laid before her.

In limbo, could she do it again?

Which pony would be the first to jump... or would neither fall bait from the trickery of this land?

Three more choices remain.