Sometimes, dreams are all we have. Sometimes, that's enough.
Hidden deep within a maze, well away from prying eyes, there is a statue. The last great work of an artist long forgotten, her time-worn visage watches the raising and setting of the sun and the moon as though enraptured.
Who created such a marvel, this sculpture of copper and brass, of crystal and cog, and why, is unknown, lost to the mists of time... until now.
This is the tale of a painter and a clockmaker, and the love they shared.
This is the tale of a dreamer, who knew only her dream.
Now with reading by Illya Leonov: Listen to it here.
Chapters (2)
Beautiful. Feels poetic and mysterious. I love it. Great work!
gifs.gifbin.com/1233928590_citizen%20kane%20clapping.gif
This was definitely worth reading. You have an interesting style, and I'm interested to see what you could do with a longer work.
It sucks how you write all this great stuff, yet it always seems to end up on the front page when there aren't many people checking....
2719511 Eeyup.
Ah, well. A little popularity is better than none at all.
Hey, you've been featured on Equestria Daily!
Brilliantly written! A beautiful piece, short and sweet and somber.
I don't think that I could possibly express how I see this in words, though I shall try.
I only have one word to describe it, and it is: "beautiful."
This was heart-wrenching.
Well done.
Mind if I do a recording of this? I'll be finishing my current series tomorrow and I'd love to do this one. I've only got about 60 subs right now but hey, gotta start somewhere.
Short and sweet. A nice and graceful prose. A heartfelt story. Nicely done!
3018367 Oh, yes! Please do!
3018659>>3018225>>3017816>>3017804 Thank you all.
wonderful. This is true poetry. You should put it on amazon. It doesn't mutter the word pony so it could be acceptable as non fanfiction.
Whoa. This is one of the most well written stories I've ever read. Note that I did not say fanfiction, and that I used to read a LOT. This was beautiful, heart wrenching, and heart warming. You deserve lots of praise, and many, many views.
Oh, this was gorgeous. One of the loveliest pieces of fiction I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Poignant, tender, and bittersweet. It's rare to find a story written with such grace. Though it's fairly short, that doesn't lessen the impact. This is a story that doesn't draw tears, but it does pierce the heart with a deep, longing ache. This is the kind of story that stays with the reader for a long while, that haunts the mind long after the final word has been read. To me, those are some of the best kind.
Well done. I feel almost clumsy in describing the feelings this story gave me, but that's all I have to say. This was a real treasure. Just...well done.
holy jebus that was incredible, left me crying tears of joy...on the inside. if that makes any sense. great work
Huh.
Pony Pygmalion?
All right, this is fantastic. Short and sweet-sad, no wasted words or names or places. Beauty by frugality.
This is poetry, but that cliche doesn't do this story justice. This is beauty in simplicity, simple emotions and ideas, but all the more powerful through your brevity. Really, just fantastic work.
By the way, your story is amazing. Simple and poetic I am afraid I could never do it justice. The tale is short and bittersweet but in a balance that works for it well. Overall it was a terrific read.
3058699 Thanks so much.
You have no idea how much I'm looking forward to your reading.
Great story, very well written and committed to its style, although it is a bit self-indulgent at times.
I'll just toss this here for anyone else who wants it, though by the time you read this you'll probably have finished the story
Listen again. It is worth it.
Thanks for writing this.
3652220 Thanks for reading it.
Thank Celestia that I saw this pop-up in my news feed, because this is an absolutely brilliant story! The construction is austere, but the words that are there have ten times the impact.
Bravo to the author on a truly wonderful composition! Have a fave! Hell, I'd give two if I could!
Very nice!
Pity there isn't a 'melancholy' tag
3017816 I think the English language needs a new word, just to describe the level of amazing, beautiful happiness this story attains.
Well done, author. You deserve WAY more views and favorites.
And, for the first time, I find myself enjoying the story so much, and yet perfectly satisfied. I want nothing more of this, but it's because you perfectly wrapped it into two short, poignant chapters.
Well done.
This... Was awesome.
Truly, there are no words to describe this. 
The writing is stark, austere, but it moves me. I am interested in more of such stories.
You've created something here, something the likes of which is rare in any place, much less this site. You've written a story that is simple, yet fascinating. Tragic, yet uplifting.
I'd call it "beautiful," but the word seems too small.
Hmm, I'll confess I don't really get why the clockwork didn't investigate when the beauty didn't show up again, unless it assumed she was "asleep". But this is certainly worth a green thumb.
4065972
The clockwork watched Celestia raise the sun every day, until her purpose was fulfilled. The beauty/Celestia didn't ever "not show up".
I would call this story beautiful, but that seems cliche. So, umm... pulchritudinous
4102756 "Always, she watched." Hmm. In retrospect, you're right. Thanks!
4102939 Glad I could clear that up for you.
Sometimes, dreams are all we have.
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Sometimes, that's enough.
This is amazing. I love the poetic feeling from the prose, and the actual story is a very interesting one, which I would love to see continue. Well, onto the next chapter!
Holy cow. That was just amazing!
Beautiful and gentle, bravo.
That was wonderful and beautiful, and the writing style fits perfectly, and manages to create a dream-like atmosphere. Great job.
A story like this rolls right past me.But that's okay! Even I am not blind to how well-written it is.
I say, sir. It is entirely unconscionable to set a stranger weeping in such a manner. >:'( Yes, very rude indeed. How dare you, sir. ;_;
This is a masterpiece, honestly. I listened to the audio version, and Illya's unconventional reading voice is extraordinarily well suited for this story. Congratulations to you both.
i listened to illya's reading and this story if beautiful. i am glad i found this fic. it is beautiful poetry incarnate
Yes, yes it was beautiful.
A Mexican was here
;-; Everyone is going to question why I'm crying , but I don't care, because this is beautiful...
this is the kind of story that makes me jealous as a writer.
i want to do fanart and fanmusic for this, but unfortunately I suck at everything
but really, this is awesome, I love it and I look forward to your future writings
Okay, what the hell is with the vicious dislike bombing? I looked at this a day ago from my home page (where it is proudly on display) and it was sitting on 133/1. One RCL feature later, it's at 150/5... after almost a year of having only one dislike.
Are people that jealous of a story that they see featured in the Royal Canterlot Library that they have to take their own frustrations at being inadequate out on a successful author who wrote something truly beautiful, melancholic, and thought-provoking?
There are very few stories on Fimfiction that can claim to have even a drop of emotion in comparison for such a short word length. I am actually personally offended on my fellow Aussie's behalf.
This kind of behaviour almost makes me wish I would never be featured by RCL, or Seattle's Angels, or anywhere for that matter.
I suppose you could say that it doesn't really matter. More people were able to experience this amazing tale and are better off for it, which every writer wants, I guess... it's just heartbreaking to see its gorgeous rating smashed to pieces by people who clearly either have verdant eyes or cannot recognise true beauty.
5349578
The RCL brings a story a lot of extra attention from people with high standards; there's a lot of folks who take the RCL's recommendations seriously and come to take a look at any story which is picked out by them. Thus, getting featured by the RCL means that you're going to get attention from the people who have the very highest standards and who are, consequently, most likely to downvote stories as a result.
Different stories get different amounts of votes as a result of RCL coverage; The Collected Poems of Maud Pie got about 160 or so upvotes and 2 downvotes after being featured by the RCL, for instance. It varies from story to story.
5349578 The reason I felt compelled to dislike it was because it felt meandering and boring, with too much of an emphasis placed on the prose itself and not what it had to say. The story felt weakened by the way the author attempted to deliver it. He's playing too many fancy tricks and licks too compel me. It's a nice story, and the prose is nice as well, but the two detract from each other, jive?
Though, you're probably right. I'm just a jealous bastard and I'm too stubborn to admit it. Sorry for taking that little clicky-color thingy so seriously.