So, here's a thing. · 2:17pm Feb 22nd, 2017
"Parties... are a terrible thing.
"Before you say anything—I grew up in Las Pegasus. I know my way around a party. It's not like I've only been to terrible parties before this, and so have this... crazy, mixed-up view of what parties are. I know full well they're supposed to be fun. I've had a hoof in making them fun, for thousands of ponies. When you're in the balloon-animal game, there's no shortage of work in Pegas, right?
"But... the City of Flights changes things. Nopony doesn't have fun in Pegas. So when ponies show up at your parties, and they are delighted by the balloon hat, or the balloon spear, or the balloon replica of Princess Celestia... sure, it makes you feel good. But then the worm creeps in.
"The worm? Um.
"I guess... it's the feeling that ponies enjoying themselves isn't good enough. You want to be epic. You want to be this amazing presence who commands respect wherever he goes. You don't want to produce parties, you want to be known as the pony who produces parties. To hang out with the high rollers, the Objectively Better Ponies, at the VIP lounge at Gladmane's.
"And that's the thing that eats you up. Once you don't let your parties be about themselves, once you start seeing them as needing to uphold this brand, this reputation of quality you have going on, once you stop celebrating the fact that ponies are having fun and start worrying that the next mistake will be the one that exposes you as the rank amateur you know you are inside... well.
"You're never going to always be the best. Not even if you try your hardest. And it gets harder and harder to try your best as you hate your parties more and more by seeing only what they are not.
"That... darn Cheese pony.
"That's a pony who knows what's going on. He pulls fun out of midair, like a magician pulling doves out of his sleeve. That's when it really went wrong. To see him at work, headlining the greatest bashes in Pegas... to see him do everything you dream of doing, without even breaking a sweat... that's the hardest thing to take.
"It makes you hate your stupid balloon animals. Never mind how happy they've made the little fillies and colts over the years. All you can see, every time you work, is that you will never be Cheese Sandwich, no matter how hard you try. It's at that point you become an adhered-point balloon—
"Sorry, professional reference. You're a balloon who's lost a little section of its protective cornstarch. It doesn't slide any more. It sticks. And once it starts sticking, it starts rubbing. And the latex gets thinner and thinner. You look fine on the outside, but you're secretly ready to burst. All it takes is one little rub—the pony might not even mean it to hurt!—one little rub to say that maybe you're past your prime, or have been coasting on reputation, or are fine for what you are but are certainly no Cheese Sandwich—and pop!
"You stop asking for advice, stop talking with your friends. Any work that you do is done in the course of a minute or two, slapdash. You lie to yourself and say that these are just spontaneous little exercises to keep your creativity working. Truth is, they're all you can even do. If you even stop to work carefully for a second, stop to consider what you're doing in the interest of putting out good product, the sheer ugly monstrousness of your project overwhelms you and you just... give up.
"And so you get worse and worse because you can't stand to do the thing you thought you loved for more than a few seconds at a time, and because you get worse and worse you hate what you do more and more and it never gets better."
A silent moment.
"There are ponies who would you should keep trying," she says. "Keep throwing yourself against that wall. Celebrate your failures as elements in the great cycle of always getting better, always learning anew."
"Ponies have said that exact thing to me," I admit. "I didn't listen."
"Good," she purrs. "They're wrong, you know. They don't know the truth that I know, and that you suspect. You waste yourself by playing a broken game. You'd be like... like that cartoon pony trying to kick the hoofball that the girl pony just always pulls away. Is that still a thing? I have to admit I've been away for a while."
"It is still a thing," I confirm.
"You're in a great deal of pain."
My lip quivers. "It's terrible to have a purpose in life and to hate it," I say.
She raises her staff.
"I can help," she says.
Oh yeah.
This is something that's often missed: the ponies of Our Town joined the cult, because at the time, the equality Starlight was offering felt like a better deal than continuing their lives the way they had been doing.
This is an interesting thing.
A deep look at a trap any artist can fall into, and an excellent origin story for Party Favor. I wonder if he ever learned that his skills impressed the pony who inspired Cheese Sandwich.
Also, lovely touch with the "City of Flights" bit, and Party Favor's poor listening skills.
4432301
"City of Flights" was nabbed from Jujubeland's "Second Time Around," which under FiMFic policy I cannot link you directly to because it has all the sexs. Not Safe For Rarity.
You turned a balloon animal maker into a dark and gritty tale of a burnout seeking release in a far off land using unnatural means. Well done sir, well done.
And this is not a published fic why? (Wordcount? :B)
*Slow applause*
4432337
Word count, and, too much glurge?
Oh my.
This was... Yeah. Very nice work.
~Skeeter the Lurker
4432353
You have a whole town of ponies to write up, I suggest you get to it.
Thanks for sharing your thing. :)
4432353
Depending on how much is missing, you could add just a smidge at the top to give us an anchor in "I" being the one talking...
4432353 Not at all. Maybe start a drabble collection?
4432403 And add in that excellent blog post from so long ago about Applestia (did you ever think about continuing it?), and that vignette about Forbidden Island With Ponies...
Now to just do this for EVERYPONY IN EQUESTRIA!
4432281
I'm not sure that's fair to say, considering the literal brainwashing Starlight (tried to) subject the Mane Six to. It's reasonable to assume that she applied some form of brainwashing to the others, as well.
As I recall, it's a happy ending for Party Favor. He enjoys ballon making again.
4432403
I second this.
4432281
Yeah, there's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it scene in S5E2 that heavily suggests a scenario much like Sky's written here, just with Double Diamond instead of Party Favor.
I have wanted to know what was up with that (and the rest of Starlight's/Our Town's backstory) for over a year now dhx where is it I'm not going to stop pestering you until you give it to me
...oh yeah, good work lovebuttwriter
Weird Al Yankovic does that to all of us, let's be clear here.
A very nicely realized piece, Sky. I have to agree with 4432281 and 4432604; there was a reason that Starlight was able to start her cult and have it be as successful as it was. I've always been curious as to what kinds of histories the ponies who wound up there would have had to make them want to join in the first place. Where do you have to be to want to give up a fundamental part of yourself like that. It's actually something I'd been brainstorming with another writer I work with, but what you have here is just a fantastic little glimpse.
As to the length of this... eh, about 200 words short of squeezing it into the word limit for its own story.
And look, here's one now:
There are ponies who would say you should keep trying
I think if the front end gets some atmosphere, build the setting, show that it's just perceived as a cheerful veneer, it could be done. Maybe a little more atmosphere and juxtaposed flashbacks if some more words are still required.
Nicely done.
Like 4432374 said, chop chop!
Alternatively, seeing a few ponies in before/during/after interviews would be compelling… I doubt all of their problems magically went away when Starlight arrived, or when she left.
4432353
See, this is why I have Obiter Dicta.
Of course, pretentious obscure Latin terminology isn't really in keeping with the, ah, Skywriter brand so... Scratch Cloud? Margins of the Sky? I Have A Truly Wonderful Fic About This That This Sky Is Too Narrow To Contain?
(It's brilliant, by the by)
4433330
Thank you. Rather than putting it in shorts I thought I might expand it into its own piece...
I've rarely seen depictions of burnout as convincing as this... Hoping that you're not writing from experience, even if it's an inevitable phase in an artist's career. You're too awesome to feel less than awesome :P
Preying on the disillusioned... Starlight did make an excellent cult leader.
A nice little character study!
4434035
Thanks! And yes, it is a little autobiographical. Ugh.
4436142
Sorry to hear. :(
But looking forward to seeing the expanded version!
4439538
Thanks. With any luck, it'll be soon.
Unless it all turns autobiographical again.
Awesome. I really like this! I had imagined something like this (and I probably never will write it), but from a hard-core party pony addict: I LIKE this.
4441240
Glad to hear it!
I guess I'm not the only one who'd like to see a Cheese/Pinkie/Favor headlined party. Equestria would explode!
Twice!
oh hello 2012 pony meme rest your old bones here