Story Time.
Maud wasn’t always the quiet, intellectual, renaissance mare she was the day she met all of Pinkie Pie’s friends. No, there was a time when she was joyful and happy and laughed. She even smiled on more than one occasion. She smiled, rolled in the mud, and rejoiced in her sister’s party passion. Maud was, in fact, a spirited pony that nopony would ever mistake for not being Pinkie Pie’s sister. But what happened that made her so reserved, so quiet, so… mysterious? The answer is simple.
She fell in love.
Love is a beautiful, fragile thing. Like a flower, except you can't eat it. Unless you're a changeling, then you can. Love is weird like that. Then again, so is friendship. I mean, friendship is magic. I mean, who cares about studying ancient tomes and lore when you can just hit people up on Hoofbook and MyStable (which is so dead even I haven't heard about it, whatever that is). Speaking of which—
"I'm trying to paint," Maud deadpanned as she lifted the brush in her mouth. It was more of a mumble, I admit, but creative license makes things much more clearer to the reader. There Maud stood, taking in the spectacular view of her rock farm, so she could paint yet another masterpiece. Her palette was full of fresh paint, ready for when she would mix them to create gray, grey, ash gray, and a grey a little like the first. Even with a somewhat limited range of colors, Maud knew she would create another masterpiece. She was a master painter, the best of the best, one that even the Greats would be in awe of. She was—
"Oh stop it, you," Maud said, the corner of her lips creeping up into a smile. Her cheeks were a rosy red, if roses were made of stone. It was kinda cute really, as if a statue could blush. A beautiful statue, worthy of being set in a museum—"I mean it, stop!"
I apologize. Hearing this, Maud nods and continues to paint, ignoring me.
Oh my, where are my manners? What kind of narrator gets distracted by his love—
"Ahem," Maud coughed, glaring into the distance. Being a being outside of perceptible existence, I could not be glared at. However—okay, point taken. Back to what I was saying...
Pardon me, audience, but allow me to start the story properly. Properly, as in the beginning.
~woohoo transitional image~
It started on a dark and stormy night. Why? Because a lot of stories start that way. Don't call it cliche, it just happens. Stories start on bright and sunny days, or nights where the ocean is calm and smells like spilled table salt and vinegar. Stories have to start somewhere, and you probably read it before. Stop being such a critic! Though, I do admit, some are more exciting than others. Like stories that start on the day of the apocalypse, now that's exciting!
"Who ARE you?" a small voice screamed in the dark corner. To the naked eye, it would appear that what should have been a bed in the corner was actually a fort. On closer examination, it would look exactly the same. It was kinda obvious like that, being a bed fort and all. You were a kid once, right?
Maud peaked out of the fort, her teeth chattering and her eyes darting to and fro. She looked for the invisible monster in the shadows, the monster that would snatch her up the moment she set a hoof on the floor, drag her under the bed, and gobble her up. The monster hiding in the closet that would grab her mane with sharp, strong claws and drag her to the dark recesses of the closet and her doom. Or maybe—
"S-stop it! You're scaring me!" Maud screamed as she dived up the collapsing fort. She hugged a pillow and dug her muzzle into it, sobbing in terror. She cried more pleas for something to stop, but it went unanswered. The nonexistent monsters would not answer, neither to ease or amplify her terror. After all, they were only products of her imagination. They—
"Wait, r-really?" she sniffed, looking up from her position. She peered into the shadows, narrowing her eyes, only to see various toys and clothing strewn across the bedroom. To her, they appeared to be monsters. But now, as her eyes adjusted, they could be seen for their true form. Useless trinkets, nothing more. Nothing to be feared. "Thanks, mister!"
Her cry went unnoticed, since there was nopony in the—
"But you're here! I think? Where are you, mister?" she said to nopony in particular. It wasn't like anyone was in the vicinity, capable of hearing her speak—"Seriously, mister. I can hear you. Please come out? You're starting to scare me..."
She pouted, puffing out her bottom lip and sniffing at approximately once every three seconds to maximize the potential cuteness factor present in adolescent foals as a safety mechanism against predators. Surprisingly enough, it works.
Wait.
Maud, can you hear me?
"Yes!" Maud clapped her hooves together. "Are you one of the nice invisible ponies that Pinkie talks about? Are you going to play with me too and teach me special tricks?"
I, uh, suppose. This wasn't really in the job description... then again, this wasn't a job. What exactly is this anyway?
So, then, I began to talk to Maud...
"Yes, mister, I get that. Why are you talking about yourself in third pony?"
Sigh.
~hey look another convenient transition because I can't think of more stuff to talk about wooo~
"Soooo, you can hear them, too! Ohmygosh now we can throw invisible parties! Well, we're not invisible but they are so it's totally still cool! Do you wanna throw a party? Do ya do ya do ya?"
"Yeah!" Maud finished the rock candy necklace for her sister. After the final thread, she picked it up with her teeth and slipped it onto her little sister's neck, giving her a tiny nuzzle. "Though, it does get kinda annoying."
"What do you mean?" Pinkie said, scratching her mane. To the fillies' knowledge, they heard different voices entirely. Pinkie Pie never responded to this narrator, nor could the other supposed narrators interact. Even so, Pinkie Pie remained the bright child of the Pie family. Maud preferred to keep to herself, despite having a similar gift.
"That," Maud said, jerking her head to reference the invisible voice. As much as I tried explaining I was merely a narrator narrating a story, they still referred to me as an "invisible pony." I mean, I don't even have a body! At least, I don't think I do. Maybe I'm just asleep, or I'm an angel. Can I be an angel like Celestia? Is Celestia an angel? It would explain the whole celestial reference, the white wings, and the fact her magic deals with the sun and heavens. Or—
"He talks soooo much," Maud drawled, rolling her eyes. "He never shuts up, and constantly talks about stuff that doesn't matter! It's so annoying!"
"Is that why you're so quiet?" Pinkie Pie said, cocking her head. "Do you not talk a lot because everypony is talking so much so you just kinda sit there with a blank look on your face and pretend to listen but keep thinking, 'oh my gosh, I don't have to be here,' like, all the time?"
"Uh, yes."
"Okay! I'm so happy we don't have that problem! YAY!"
They hugged.
And it was cute.
~random time skip weeee!~
"So, Maud, you thinkin' of asking somepony special to the Super Duper Special Spooktacular Halloween Dancey-Wancey?" Pinkie Pie asked, bouncing down the row of rocks as Maud stomped them in half. Maud bent down and bit down on a rock, chewing as her mind pondered the implications of her desires. Growing up with a special friend of hers had led to, well, special feelings. No point in showing how it developed, it just happened. Love is a flower, but not all flowers bloom slowly. Sometimes a flower blooms overnight, or when you aren't looking. Life is a garden, but every flower is different.
"Y-you know?" Maud looked up to the skies as her cheeks flushed. "You knew the entire time? W-why didn't you—"
Hush, my dear Maud. Would it be right to force feelings from a teenage mare? Do you not remember what happened when poor Pinkamena became of age and went through her "edgy" phase? I'm sure you remember the black spandex, don't you?
Maud shivered, no doubt memories of anti-rock bands and their "music" polluting the home of the Pies. Maud loved rock, and rocks, but anti-rock music was drawing the line.
"I get it!" Maud screamed to the heavens, or namely me. "But I can't ask you, alright? You're not even—"
Maud, please. Please, don't go there. I-I'm sorry...
"Wait, I didn't mean it like that!"
...
"I'm sorry!"
...
"Please..."
Maud broke down and began sobbing on the ground, unable to bear her friend through the ages disappearing. It had been the first time in years I have silenced myself like so, to not tell the story, and it had frightened her. But the very act of narrating, which I happen to be doing now, brought a tearful smile to her face. I had forgiven her.
"Thank you!"
You're welcome, Maud.
"Who are you talking to?" one of their sisters said, walking by as she dragged a rock across the field. The unusual duo shrugged as the filly walked past. "Weirdos..."
~the scenes are getting progressively shorter so that means the story is coming back to the present soon woot woot~
"Narrator..." Maud sat at the checkerboard-tablecloth table, leaning on her forelegs and closing her eyes in an alluring stare. Well, she always looks like that, but this was extra alluring. Oh wait, that's my cue.
Maud...
"Narrator..."
Maud!
"Narrator!"
The other ponies in the incredibly fancy restaurant, or as an average-at-best cafe in laymare's terms, stared at Maud as she screamed toward thin air. Ignoring the invasive eyes boring into her privacy and soul, Maud continued to scream.
"I love you!"
I, uh, I-I love you too, Maud.
But we can't be together.
"Why not?"
Because, Maud, I can't hug you. I can't kiss you. I can't hold you at night when you have a nightmare, meaning I can only watch. Do you know how hard it is to watch the mare you love toss and turn in her sleep, crying and screaming in terror as her own mind devours itself into darkness? Maud, you need somepony who can take care of you. Not a lifeless hack like me...
"That's not true!" Maud said, slamming her hooves on the table, accompanied with her saddlebag. She opened the bag and began to search inside it. Once her hoof hit something solid, she gasped. "Besides, I have just the thing!"
Slam!
She waved her hooves over a rock; a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It was the most beautiful rock ever seen in existence, and one Maud prized greatly. She had found it after much searching, to finally present it now.
"See?" Maud giggled, holding up the rock. She puckered her lips and planted a kiss on the rock before setting it down. "I can kiss you now, sort of. Like Boulder, but you!"
Oh my.
~and finally, Marty, we're coming back! To the future~
And that's where our story leads us, and unfortunately to the close. For after all, all stories must end. Eventually.
Maud spat out her paintbrush, her tail arching in surprise. "WHAT?" She turned around, looking toward the sky as if I was an angel speaking from the heavens. "Where are you going? Are you leaving me?" Her lip quivered as her eyes began to water.
I'm sorry, Maud, but I have fulfilled my role. I was to tell a story, and unfortunately we are at its end. The force that controls me, the hands of the universe that binds me to its will and guides me along the path, has ceased its desires and wishes to rest. Maud, I have to go. I do not wish for this, nor do I want to leave you behind. But I must.
"Please! Don't leave me!" Maud sat down and held her head, sniffing between sobs. She knew it was pointless, and only sobbed more as I said the previous clause in this very sentence. "Please..."
I know it is sudden, but you will heal. Time will heal all wounds, Maud.
"Please... I l-love you..."
I love you, too...
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oh my god it's here.
...I am so confused right now. What the hell did you do to my emotions, Flinty?!
Well, that was something different.
I wonder if narrators have a Heaven they go to when they reach The End.
I read this while sniffing cocaine.
Thanks for that Flint.
This was the first religious experience I've ever had.
That's heartbreaking! Why............wh......what possessed you to torture Maud in such a way!
You monster! You........you........you glorious bastard! D'''''':
PS. Write more!
This was beautiful, actually almost brought a tear to my eye.
Thank you so much for this, expecially the underlined parts.
That... was certainly a great take on a concept not many have even ventured upon. Driving feelings down towards your brain's epicentre to give you a "Romeo & Juliet" like vibe, with its forbidden love and inevitable end, convincing yourself to believe that their love is real. Which it is, in it's own weird yet alluring way.
Bravo, good sir. And might I dribble upon the idea of a sequel?
Um... Ow my feels.
Oh wow! This was great to read! And it was nice to get a break from the normal stuff you find on here, so thats another point you get for originality.
It really makes me want to go watch Stranger than Fiction again haha.
Good job!
Thumbs up and faved!
This is the most hilarious thing i have read in millennia.
I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. You came around and just punched my feels in the face! I feel betrayed! (kinda)
I need a beer after reading this, why you do this to maud, why, I feel like I just read some that has a Romeo and Juliet feel to it man, please write more you glorious bastard
This story was making me smile and laugh though out the whole thing!
Then the end... it broke my heart.
4169134 Unfortunately, all stories must come to an end...
Oh, hey, this was a nice story. *pause, sudden realization.* Oh. My. GOD.
4169513 Please tell me you got it, please tell me you got it...
4169520 I did. You magnificent bastard, you.
4169532
Continue it! Continue it no! YOU CRUEL HEARTLESS BEING!
Poor Maud
4167835 OH GOD, WHY HAVE THAT AS YOUR AVATAR IMAGE?! OH GOD?!
Jesus, how hard was that to write?
4169954 What do you mean?
4169969
Combining dialogue and narration seamlessly
4169980
Oh, I used the stream of consciousness writing technique. It wasn't too hard to slip into that persona, or at least for this one instance.
Why would it be appropriate for this story? Ask 4169513
Poor Maud
Rereading it again and goddammit I just realised something.
4170819
I'm 12 so I wasn't even alive when myspace was a thing.
4170865 What's Myspace?
4170869 Exactly
This brought up emotions I didn't knew I had.
Well done.
4170826
Still gonna reread it though. You can never expect what this fandom can do. Next thing you know, a fan-made sequel would be made.
Nudge *hint**hint*
Great, I don't know if I actually got what you were implying with the author note or not. It's frustrating.
The story was great, I love how the narrator is an actual being(well voice) in the story. It was heartbreaking to see Maud so happy and then...
4171464 If you're curious, PM me and I'll let you know.
SEQUEL PEON!
APRIL FOOLS!
But, seriously, I liked the story.
I think I got what your trying to say... but i'm not to sure I'm right, I hope i'm not.
Yo if it's what i'm thinking it is. That's some real deep stuff going on in that story......
The narrator reminds me of the narrator from the anime Sgt. Frog (or Keroro Gunso as its called in Japan). The way the narrators conflict with the "alive" characters is really good!
4172081
Gotta agree, especially when they all did a bow at the New Years and he was just a figure clad in black clothes and a cloth covering his face, also joining the bow.
4172046
Actually, it was an April Fool's joke. So it probably won't get a sequel and any super deep stuff going on. But still, people can dream.
(Inside:
)
4172170 wow.....it was a good one. Had me sitting there and questioning my moral values. props
4172222
And it took an April Fools fic for us to look at our moral values
4169812 Pfft, whatever do you mean, darling?
4172393 ..... Did I just get trolled?
4172609 More like April Fools.
Noooooo! Narrator, Why did you have to be... be... be so unreliable!
I have just witnessed the romance equivalent of Stanley Parable....
*Slow Clap*
*Golfer's clap*
*Lighting the New Year's fireworks early*
Oh god this was beautiful, rarely have I seen stories where the character's are aware of the narrators, let alone fall in love with one
You sir deserve five mustaches out of five
At first I was like "tragedy? meh, no way this story can deliver" but then I read it and I was like
Insert your favourite slow clap gif.