Bah Ram Ewe
Like always, it was the creak of the rusty latch that roused Collin from sleep’s grasp. He lifted his head, blinking blearily as he saw the predawn light outlined around the barn door. The straw he’d fashioned into his bed tugged at his wool as he got to his hooves. Around him the rest of the flock were grumbling and yawning their way awake, and he couldn’t help the yawn of his own in response.
“Oh come on now slowpokes, it’s not that early,” the shepherd’s voice called as the door swung open. “The sun’s already starting to come up.” They trotted into the barn when none of the flock stirred. “Let’s get movin’, there’s plenty of time to be lazy once you’re outside.” They turned and pushed the door all the way open, revealing the expanse of field beyond.
Collin perked up, ears forward and stomach growling as he started moving for the door. The rest of the flock hurried after him as they smelled the scent of dew-laden grass, nearly bowling the shepherd over in their haste. He lowered his head to snag his first mouthful, bleating happily as he chewed. He could hear the rip as other mouths grabbed their own bites, and a murmur of contentment ran through the herd.
“Okay, y’all got a taste,” the shepherd grumbled, good-naturedly nudging sheep aside as he passed by. “Now, think I can get some help from you today? Was hoping to have the south fields cleared of the weeds and high grass.”
Collin swallowed hard, ears flicking in surprise. "But I thought today was shearing day?" he asked plaintively, a ripple of agreement radiating through the flock. "We always get feed on shearing day."
The shepherd rolled his eyes. "Don't be such wee babies about it. You're all grown sheep, and can go one day without feed. The south fields need some more work before they’re ready for planting, and it’s easier for you lot to do it."
Collin glanced behind him at the closest sheep, seeing the same thought in their expressions. “Spread the word,” he muttered, the murmur of agreement spreading as the flock came to a consensus. In unison, every sheep discreetly yawned to get their eyes watering, stuck out their lower lip, and tilted their heads slightly to the left. And finally, for added effect, they let their ears droop despondently.
The shepherd resisted the initial assault of adorable, but finally had to cave in at the ear drooping. "Ach, the sun bake the lot of ya," he grumbled with a wry smile, "If you clear the south fields, I'll put out some feed for you before shearing. But I better not see a single weed in sight, you hear?"
The flock immediately brightened, smiles breaking out as they started to mill toward the south.
Collin grinned as he chewed another mouthful of thistle. The shepherd hadn’t been lying when he said the south fields needed more work; weeds and rogue patches of grass were everywhere. The flock had spread out somewhat as they grazed, though he could feel the quiet murmur of the herd in the back of his head, a whispering that kept him in touch with everyewe.
He relaxed, letting himself go as the whispers became louder, his body moving in time with the rest of the flock as they methodically worked their way through the fields. Every so often, ears would twitch at any unusual sound, eyes along the edge glancing up to ensure safety. There was of course the occasional bleat of conversations among individuals, but each body was in the thrall of the flock.
“But I don’t understand, Mommy. How come the sheep gotta live behind fences?” a voice asked, and a half-dozen ears tracked its source. A mare, the shepherd’s mate, was at the fence watching a filly peer over the slats, a smile on her muzzle.
“Well, Applejack, that’s because we don’t want them getting hurt,” the mare replied. “If we didn’t have fences, then things could sneak in from the Everfree and attack them, or they could wander off and get lost.”
“But ponies don’t live behind fences, and we don’t get lost.” the filly said, furrowing her brow in confusion. “It don’t seem right.”
“Oh really? Then how come I couldn’t find you when it was time for your bath last night?” the mare replied with a laugh. “Don’t let it get to you, Applejack. It’s just how things are. Now come on, it’s almost time for lunch. Let’s go find your brother.”
“Okay, Mom.” The filly dutifully followed after her mother, only sparing the flock a single glance as they crested the hill to the farmhouse.
Collin watched them go, idly chewing his mouthful. He didn’t really understand what the filly meant either. He’d spent his entire life behind the fence, but had never questioned it before. Sure, he’d tried to stick his head through the slats to get some particularly juicy grass, but no further than that.
“Something wrong, Collin?” a voice interrupted his thoughts, and he realized he’d stopped as the flock was trying to continue along the fence. Beside him, Esme stared curiously, a few other sheep looking up from their grazing.
“N-no,” he replied, lowering his head to take another mouthful, “was just thinking.”
“Oh, good.” She smiled, nipping at an itch on her leg. “No sense in holding things up. Want plenty of time for shearing and the feed, after all.”
Collin nodded, though he couldn’t stop the swirl of thoughts that kept moving through his head as the flock continued grazing.
The shepherd squinted as he lined up his leg, and with a practiced slice carved away another lump of tangled wool. The barn floor was littered with clumps of white, the breeze wafting them about.
Collin was in heaven. He lay on his side, uncaring of the scratchy hay as the shepherd made another cut. “Oh, that’s the spot,” he wheezed, eyes half-closed.
“Aye, you did good, lad,” the shepherd replied as he continued to trim away the wool. “South fields are lookin’ mighty fine, and as promised, I got some nice, tender hay set aside in the pen for ya.”
Collin couldn’t help the small frown that crossed his muzzle as the thoughts from the afternoon boiled up again at the mention of the pen. He’d tried to lose himself in the flock as they grazed, but something about the way the filly had asked her mother troubled him. Or maybe it was the mother’s answer that bothered him more. Why did the ponies get to walk about, without fence to confine them?
“Alright, you’re done,” the shepherd said, and Collin realized that his coat was fully sheared, the breeze tickling his exposed skin. “Now off you go with the others, don’t want them to eat all the hay, do you?” He tapped Collin on the flank, and with a grunt, Collin shuffled toward the pen, while the shepherd beckoned for the next sheep in line.
Collin stared at the trampled dirt as he made his way into the press of bodies around the hay piles, mouth watering as the smell reached his nostrils. He grabbed his first mouthful, and the expected explosion of sweetness washed over his tongue, but he didn’t feel himself swept up in the flock’s enjoyment of their treat. The brooding thoughts continued to stir and froth inside his head, and he shook his head with a frustrated bleat.
“Collin, what in the name of the Fields has gotten into you?” Esme asked crossly, swallowing her mouthful. “You’ve been like this ever since midday.”
“Why do we have to live behind the fences, Esme?” Collin asked. “How come the ponies get to go wherever they want?” He stamped a hoof. “It’s not fair.”
Esme stared incredulously at him, then abruptly burst into laughter. “Is that what this is about? Collin, you silly ram, it’s perfectly fair the way things are. Did you ever think about how the ponies are always working? The pegasi tend the weather, the earth ponies tend the world, and the unicorns tend the elements. They work hard all the time, and don’t even have a proper herd to turn to for support.”
She pointed around with a hoof. “Meanwhile, consider the flock. We get to graze every day, only occasionally have to lend the shepherd a hoof when he’s overwhelmed, and have the guarantee of safety. We have a warm barn to sleep in at night, and above all else, we have the flock to keep us from being lonely. And in exchange, all we have to give the ponies is the wool we’d drop in the field anyway. So really, it’s the ponies who do all the work for us, to make the world a better place.”
Collin blinked. “I… didn’t think of it like that…”
“Of course you didn’t,” Esme replied with a smirk. “That’s why I’m older than you.”
Collin opened his mouth to protest about the sense in that, but decided against it and reached for another mouthful of hay. Maybe Esme was right, he had to admit things were rather easygoing for them compared to how hard the shepherd seemed to work. Sure, maybe there was a bigger world out there, but there was something to be said for sticking with what they had.
”If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” he’d overheard the shepherd say one day, and he realized how true it was. Shrugging his ears, he chewed contentedly on his hay, surrounded by the comforting warmth of the flock. No sense in breaking what worked, after all.
Also LikedSimilarAuthor
- Velkan Nobody · 1.6k words · 33 3 · 1k views
- AegisExemplar · 1k words · 8 3 · 324 views
- Cloudhammer · 1.7k words · 37 5 · 1.4k views
- Sarcasmo · 6.3k words · 23 0 · 832 views
- Gleaming · 1.9k words · 37 4 · 1.3k views
- MagnetBolt · 4.5k words · 131 2 · 2k views
- RazgrizS57 · 4.6k words · 112 4 · 2k views
- Glimglam · 2.1k words · 13 1 · 593 views
Stats
Page generated in 0.136 seconds
Total duration
962 users online
272,428 hits today, 2,364,530 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Interesting, and just a touch melancholy. A sheep living in a gilded cage wonders about life outside the fences only to be gently dissuaded by the wisdom of an older ewe. There are two clashing emotions here, the mounting frustration of wasted potential and the chaffing of metaphorical yokes against the serene, easy happiness of an ignorant life; to stay still is to prolong that happiness and indulge in simple pleasures, to move forward is to invite change, guarantee suffering, and perhaps become the start of something wonderful.
It's a very serious and classic dilemma, is knowledge and freedom worth the trouble it brings or the trials we must face to obtain it? I would say yes, in fact, I feel most of us would say yes... because we've seen the other side of it, our ancestors made all the big sacrifices; but could you be the first to step up? There aren't any easy answers, and I like that. As a whole I'm left both wanting more and yet find myself okay letting it end here, perhaps another sheep on another day?
I know it's something of an oddball topic, but I also liked the characterization of a young Applejack. She was such a curious little filly, but then again, aren't they all? I felt my heart break just a teensy bit when I read:
And I mourned the death of AJ's intellectual curiosity, no doubt crippled in it's infancy by many similar scenes and buried by Applejack's unshakable faith in her mother's ability to guide her. It's true what they say, parents really can't help but hurt their children, even if only a little bit.
I'd say this should have a dark tag, but the ponies aren't really malicious enough to warrant that... Still, I've got to wonder about this arrangement. Where it started, and how.
…Those FREELOADERS!
Remember everyone, four legs good, two legs better... Wait, that doesn't work here. WAKE UP SHEEPLE.
Anyways, it's giving me that strange undertone not dissimilar to the idea of slavery, given the arguments in maintaining the system. Of course, the difference here is that it actually isn't really broken, at least from what I can see at this moment because those arguments are actually true. Taking another outside viewpoint (us), still can't help but feel something's wrong with it, naturally.
Yes. This one is one, big, YES. :)
Well done, great writing, will hope to see more soon!!!!
Wake up sheeple! Don't fall for those pony lies! What about freedom?
Gilded cages, man. Gilded cages.
I had the privilege of watching this story form, and I really think there *is* a certain melancholy about it. However, there's also a *lot* left unsaid about the background of how things came to be. The same might be said about MLP Cattle, as they too seem to need to be herded at times, also implying an occasional need for fences. Perhaps singularly, they *can* be trusted to roam, away from the interference of herdmind.
...then again, sheep are *dumb*
. Fences are also indicators of Propertylines, as far as that goes. Could just be the sheep are contracted.
So, in summation: Who knows
Flawless logic right there.
A good, short read, and both humorous and a little grim if you think too hard about it. I wish we could get some added information about this sort of stuff in the show, but if it means little vignettes like this, I'm perfectly happy to be kept in the dark.
Sheep have their fences, and so do the ponies, even if they're less corporeal.
Also, Weapons of Mass Sad Faces is now a thing.
*Reads story* Well... Have my like and I'll be off
>Ecocat<
There needs to be a mini-sequel: Grogar the Ram Necromancer tries to rescue his brethren from the ponies' "tyranny" -- opening the "Great Gate".
The sheep just don't care, continue to chew on grass, and think he's a basket-case.
Bookplayer asked a while back what people thought about the situation of cows, goats, and other non-pony species in Equestria. Here's an excerpt of my answer:
"{Cows and sheep} are easily spooked and feel exposed and vulnerable on their own, even in herds, and so they seek the perceived security of attaching themselves to pony settlements. They’re happy to be workers or servants in exchange for safety, so much so that it’s become second nature to them. Essentially they’re house elves."
Canon says cows and goats and others can talk, so we presume they could ask to be let out of they wanted to. This story doesn't make clear whether the ponies would let them go even if they asked, but I'd like to think they would. As you can see from my answer to Bookplayer, my headcanon is that they wouldn't ask because they generally prefer it this way.
4844160
4844279
No, don't say that!
imgs.xkcd.com/comics/wake_up_sheeple.png
What have two done?! Look at what you have wrought!
I think the ethics behind this are largely based on what degree the Sheep can think for themselves. Collin mentioned "whispers" in his ears at one point, which indicates some sort of deeper tie to instincts than ponies have. Also, his questioning at first seems to be of his own accord, but...
But what if he's just mimicking filly!Applejack's questioning of the fairness? These sheep seem highly sapient, but their sentience is lacking. Are they even capable of original thought, or are they glorified versions of hand-signing Great Apes?
I'm too much of a liberal to agree with this story. F***ing ponies
Feeding before shearing?
The sheep should be allowed to leave the fence. I'm not sure why they'd want to, but they should have the option, just in case.
I came for the sheep. Was not disappointed.
4845637
This is very much like my own thoughts on the matter. They're apparently about as intelligent as ponies, but have rather different psychology such that they aren't very interested in civilization. A few sometimes go out among ponies for various personal reasons (probably mostly social), but by and large they just don't value the trappings of ponies' human-like society over their own, different way of doing things. They hang around because they find the relationship beneficial, and can leave any time they want. Most like it where they are, though I'd expect some percentage of young adults to leave, mostly for other herds.
4843509
I cannot help but reference this:
wp.patheos.com.s3.amazonaws.com/blogs/unreasonablefaith/files/2011/12/1.jpg
This is pretty darn good. Solid 9 out of 10.
Where's the comedy tag? D: I feel like this kinda ended too soon, but I enjoyed what's there. This is how to do non-ponies well. Only thing I could suggest (other than "MOAR") would be to identify the shepherd as a pony. I was kind of confused at first.
4869914
To me, unless the primary focus of the story is comedy, I don't put it :/ I used to be bad about putting tangential tags on fics, so now I try to only put the ones that are present for at least 60%+ of the story. And I really wrestled with naming the shepherd too, but ah well, too late to make changes now
4870078
this is so funny tho c.c
4870138
Alright fine, I suppose adding the tag won't hurt anything
4870138 ...Weirdo.
Anyway. What an absolutely lovely way to do such a simple premise justice. It seems like there's so little to it, but when you actually break it down, it has a very precise quantity of not much to it.
It doesn't overstay the simplicity of it's premise, which is absolutely crucial, yet it finds time to link us in to the source material in an unexpected way that gets the old neck-melon churning. It also squeezes in just enough scene setting to leave no pesky questions to interrupt one's reading pleasure. It also hits a very sweet spot with regard to subtly nudging the reader to move their awareness slightly in advance of the resolving action and really develop a sense of engagement.
All that to front a genuine philosophical question with a comical twist.
Can't work out how I'm going to score this one, though. I'll leave that for the morning.
So, yesterday was kinda busy and I lost most of it crafting an important blogpost, so this got delayed. Clearly that's important because I just know you're sitting on the edge of your chair, waiting... right?
/le sigh.
Anyway. I was torn between marking this very highly for it's sheer precision and concise packaging, but on a very personal level I just want a bit more from a story. Then, after the consideration that went into said blogpost, I realised that I pretty much exist here to have unpopular opinions, so:
6/10 Prompt: Moderate (but expect a glowing mini-review!)
4869914
Dude, to me it read like a freakin' horror story
Which just goes to show that taste is subjective, I guess.
But seriously, thinking about the way sheep think in this story makes me shiver with terror.
4937495
That's pretty cool. Sounds like my reaction to The Midnight Run.
Boy, this is simultaneously the happiest and creepiest story I've read today. In fact, it's kind of an anti-story: The sheep goes from being blissfully unaware to... unquestioning slave to routine. Progress? Oh well, I liked it anyway.
Now Collin, if sheep didn't live behind fences then where would the shepherd get his mutton.
And there is always the question of gelatin.
Everyone seems to have loved this, so I feel a bit of a heel saying that I didn't. I did like it, particularly the narrative tone, and it was nice to see a sheep POV explored believably. It just didn't really move me that much. I suppose I'd class it as a story I'd read once, smile gently at but not really dwell on.
4844728
Well, it is sheep logic. Quite literally
4939645
Difference is, The Midnight Run ends