This story is a sequel to Seashell
I never thought I would see the Seawall again. Fate, though, seems to enjoy odd twists. Thirteen years ago, it was roses. Now it's feathers. Somehow they've both brought me back to this place, back to the edge of the world to where I really belong most of all.
My name is Sunburst, and as a guard of Princess Twilight, her student Azure Sky is both one of the ponies I protect and my friend. I watched her grow up. I, and everypony else, thought we knew exactly where she was headed in life. It seemed so obvious - how could the personal student of a princess have anything but the brightest of futures? We were all so sure.
What did we really know?
A happy life, a good life, can't be built on a lie. The heart of a unicorn and the heart of a pegasus are different things in some ways, but in the ones that really matter, they're the same. Nopony can endure the misery of an existence devoid of real meaning in their hearts, going through empty motions they feel nothing for, dead on the inside. I think all ponies, deep down inside where it counts, are the same in this way. That's what Azure and I needed to learn, here on the edge of the world, so that I could help her share the things she so desperately needed to find a way to give voice to.
Approved by Twilight's Library on December 11, 2014!
I found Seashell to be a hauntingly beautiful and surrealist epistolary tale and I'm definitely going to be following this fic with interest.
Hmm...might I ask for Rainbow Dash's age during this story?
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Hmm... Let's see if I can do the math on that question!
This is a sequel to Seashell, which begins in 1328 YS, which in the introductory note says that season 1 of MLP:FiM began 1310, so that's 18 years. Ghost Lights mostly times itself off of the last tour Sunburst did on the Seawall, which began in 1329 YS. That's 19 years from season 1, and Ghost Lights takes place 13 years after that, so that would be 32 years passed total.
So Rainbow Dash's age is whatever it was in season 1, plus 32 years. I think that would put it at around 50 if you assume she was 18 years old during season 1. Different people will have different opinions on her season 1 age, so maybe she's a little younger or a little older depending on who you ask and how you want to interpret it, but somewhere around that general area at least.
5132976 Ah. Because it seems to me that Ghost Lights was written in past tense, and that made me think Rainbow Dash-at least this Rainbow Dash-is now dead. Or an alicorn. I hope for the second.
Really enjoying this.
Just one minor thing:
I may be wrong here, but 'whetstone' seems like it might fit better.
5187875 Thanks for the suggestion. Yes, it does sound better. I think I'll go ahead and use that, in fact!
Likes it. Tracking it.
5362232 Thanks!
Just as good as Seashell if not better. Nicely done. Me thinks I see a Twilight's Library feature in the stories future
i.imgur.com/j8cG26r.png
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Thank you for the ribbon and your kind words. It would be my great honor for this story to be featured in the group sometime in the future if you decide to do so.
quoted for truth.
/great chapter!
5379238 Thank you. One of my favorite chapters of the story so far myself.
Wonderful chapter. Your story is such a nice change of pace from what people usually post here, and you always bring back memories of Maine and the cape for me. Looking forward to reading more of this!
5386132 Thanks! The area this is taking place in is mostly inspired by the Pacific Northwest and some of the Channel Islands of California (specifically San Clemente Island), but I can also see it recalling some east coast areas too. Glad you're enjoying it.
Another excellent addition! :)
5432066 Thanks! We're really getting into the best parts of the story, in my opinion. Glad to have you reading. :)
Yay, update! :)
I'm so glad that book Azure is reading is nothing to worry about
This deserves more reads.
5516431 Oh, I wish it was getting more. I am glad it seems to have at least a few devoted fans who keep reading the chapters as they publish, though.
Run-on.
There's a couple of errors like this one, but I'm on mobile, so I can not find them all.
5518492 Sheesh. No matter how many times you proofread...
Well, those are corrected now. Thanks!
I really loved the imagery in this chapter, most especially the dream/waking up scene.
What a poetic chapter. The troubled thoughts of Sunburst's final scene, filtered through nighttime colors, were particularly beautiful.
Now I'm a little worried about what's been going through Azure's head this whole time. I wonder if she has as full an understanding of what's driving her as Sunburst does.
The imagery here was beautiful! Very well done!! :)
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Thank you all very much. This was one of the most challenging chapters to write and polish up so far, but also one of the most important. I'm pleased with how it turned out and glad you liked it.
That was a pretty funny mishap.
I realized at the part where they were saying their goodbyes that these four seem like a little family. Twilight and Dash as the mothers, Azure as the pre-teen, and our lovely Guard mare as the almost grown-up big sister.
How come Azure just didn't levitate herself over everything?
I think this is probably my favorite chapter so far.
Oh, this sounds fun.
Flying does seem like a wonderful thing to be able to do. I can sympathize with Azure in that matter.
Somewhere at the top there's a "took me by surprise" where the "y" in "by" is replaced by an "e". (Sorry that's so vague.
)
I'm almost sad that I've caught up. Now I want to read the next chapters.
5576574 Thanks for letting me know. It's fixed now.
Haha! I called the family thing!
So that's what the dream was about.
Hmm, I sense some foreshadowing here... *du du dunnn*
Always happy to see a new chapter of this!
Pegakin.
That certainly was a dick move on Sunburst's Da's part. Knock up a mare, then divorce her a yew years later because she can't fly?!
You know, Azure is going about her transmogrification spell all the wrong way. Rather than enlist in the Home Guard in order to draw a posting at the Seawall arse end of Equestria to practice black-market magicks in secret isolation, she should have presented this suite of spells to Princess Twilight a a way to help blended race families like Starbursts'. She would have gotten the blessing from the Princess of Friendship and Harmony herself and received a generous research grant to boot!
Speaking of Seawall... if Starburst want to return to the sea stack towers, why does she not wait for a suitably overcast day and simply trot across the clouds (pegasus-Azure can tag along too)?
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Same here.
Azure might as well used the Royal Canterlot Voice and created a magic neon billboard that proclaims to the whole western coast that she has issues.
5658085 As I'd intended it, their divorce wasn't just as simple as "because she couldn't fly", or any other one thing I could chalk to up to being the 'fault' of either of them. It was a complicated issue of a lot of personality and culture differences and a relationship they plunged into really quickly without examining those things first (because she got knocked up, yes, but I don't think either of them regrets it because the result was a daughter they both love). I think I wasn't as clear as I could have been in writing about that and maybe I could have worked at it slightly more to refine the picture, but Sunburst's story was already getting pretty long so I didn't want to go off on a total tangent and get too lost in it.
And yeah, that Azure has some things to work out has been presaged before, but now it's getting louder. We'll be seeing what becomes of that.
"Big Sister" Sunburst is adorable, I must say.
Let's do this.
I'm getting a really ominous feeling about Azure's future.
I sincerely hope Sunburst will finally make a move on that florist when she gets back.
Ahhah! I knew it!
I didn't really, but I had a hunch!
Finally caught up! Woo!
Oh dear...
Sunburst has never dealt with curious, young foals has she? This does not bode well.
If she is worried about Azure's flight endurance, they could wait for a sufficiently foggy/overcast day and simply use their pegasi magic to walk out to the watchtowers...
Ayy! Rarity!
Edit: coincidentally, Freebird started playing as I finished reading the chapter.