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This story is a sequel to The Friend I Couldn't Be
Having vanquished the demons of her past, Sunset Shimmer now finds herself haunted by the ghosts of her present.
(Reading the The Friend I Couldn't Be first is highly recommended.)
Pre-read by and cover art courtesy of the incredible (but not-so edible) MelloReflections.
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Brain too fried to process for a full comment. Even moreso after the weight here.
But take the upvote for now and I'll hope to circle back tomorrow. A fitting followup, for sure.
Love it, love it, love it! Your characterization of Aria is sooo perfect. I can totally see her saying f***it and shaving her head, and her as a gearhead. And just the wisdom you portray her imparting upon Sunset is something quite special. Really. It's so difficult to write an immortal POV for exactly that reason, but you've done it and done it wonderfully. Their interaction is really well done.
Also, it's Aria, and that's my baby, and feels.
Equestria Girls: The Phantom Pain?
I don't know how but I will find a way to upvote this more than once, your first story was nothing short of great and with this you really rip the heart out of the chest and play the strings in the greatest and most metal solo of all time
6463128
)
(Reply withheld until actual comment can be processed,
6463390
Thanks! Getting such high praise from you regarding Aria means a lot to me,
6463552
So long as it's not 'Equestria Girls: The Phantom Menace'... actually that might be kinda fun, and if I replaced Jar Jar with Flash no one would notice!
mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw2219-c36.gif
6463709
But I don't even own a guitar,
It woulda also been cool if Aria had left Sunset the car in a will or something
6464240
Shhhh...
cachebingo.titanbet.co.uk/sites/default/files/tumblr_static_tumblr_static_river_.jpg
What an emotionally weighted story. I could feel the tug of every emotional twist throughout; Sunset's nightmare was all too palpable, the moment when Sonata was revealed to have been just a hallucination, practically everything during their conversation... Combined with thoughtful dialogue and beautifully written characters, you have once again hit the ball out of the ballpark.
And I agree- if feels really good for Sunset to get closure. Poor girl... hopefully she can make it through the funerals.
Absolutely amazing
I have mixed feelings about this story.
On the one hand, I love it. It's sweet, it's good, you've got Sunset and Aria both going through grief and loss in their own ways, and you've done a great job of making me relate to Aria. Given she got the shortest end of the stick in terms of characterization between the three Sirens, that's no small feat.
On the other hand, it's annoying that everyone keeps on stealing my ideas. I considered having Aria be a gearhead in my future works! Granted, she wouldn't have a shaved head and be working in coveralls, but still.
Good story, though. Can't say I'm looking forward to the final goodbye.
I don't understand what Lupine Tree has to do with this story.
6464781 The story above where that was written in the full description. The prequel to this.
6464283
Thanks Cuttle; it always means a lot to hear you liked it,
And don't worry, Sunny's gonna be just fine,
6464674
Thanks!
6464717
Glad you enjoyed it! I'm pretty sure I'm not the first one to figure Aria as being mechanically inclined, but I can't for the life of me remember where I heard it... maybe it was from you after all?
6464781 6464848
O snap, you guys're right; that looks dumb,
Fixed!
6464929 Eh, doesn't matter. I'm just glad the idea's out there and getting use, especially considering it'll take so long for me to do it.
Dratted real life requirements.
Damn, wish I could come up with another poem for this.
F**k it, I'll try anyway.
The stains are Red,
Your heart is Blue,
The Bloods on your hands
But only you can forgive you.
Meh, not very happy with this one but hey-ho.
6466320
It's not so bad, and I appreciate the effort,
The seriousness of this fic and the one before it do not match up with the funny that is your profile pic, MrAskAPirate. Just something I noticed outright. I like it.
6467319
I only have so much 'serious' to go around; I have to save it up for when I really need it,
6467686
Makes sense to me.
All I can think of now is Rob Thomas' song "Little Wonders."
And that song makes me cry too.
I will admit it. After reading "The Friend I Couldn't Be," and then reading this, I cried a little bit inside. I've never dealt well with death, and the fact that I could empathize with Aria on how she felt - that was the exact way I acted after a few people who were close to me died.
I don't know why I'm going through this whole story again. It's been eight years, and it still hurts.
Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to let the tears flow that never stopped flowing.
If anyone wants poetry, I'll try my hand at it.
A Tribute To The Sirens.
There is silence
In the dark
Failing feelings
leave a mark
Nowhere tidings
fill the grave
No more memories
Just to save
It all starts with you
And ends with me
I'm not the monster I thought I would be
In the end with you
You carried me
I wish there was a future I could see
There is freedom
in the pain
Hearts of envy
have been slain
Last of all
That I know
Nothing left
I want to show.
6467770
That's beautiful, man. I'm truly honored that you wrote that and shared it with me (and all of us).
There's no shame in struggling with the passing of a loved one. Sometimes loss isn't about letting go of your burdens, but about learning how to be strong enough to carry them with you,
Jesus the feels. So is this *just* closure, or are we still yet to see the 3rd siren's interaction with Shimmer? Making sure before I get my hopes up or down.
6468816
I have a potential idea for a final closing story, but it's super-vague at this point and it doesn't directly involve Sonata. I honestly don't know if I'll actually find the time/motivation to write it or not, so I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you,
Wow, this was definitely emotional. I'm glad that Sunset received some closure... from Aria no less.
I was saddened that Sonata was already gone during this. Any chance there will be a story that will feature our favorite blue siren before this takes place?
In any case, great follow up story!
6468903
*exhales* Thanks for the heads up
It's cool if you do or don't, just curious
6468931
Glad you liked it! As I told lazyreader a couple comments ago, if the third story does happen it wouldn't directly involve Sonata. If you're looking for more tacosiren, I do have another story that centers around her, but it isn't a part of the same series as this one.
I've also got a series of blogs with little snippets I've taken to calling 'Siren Shorts'; Sonata sometimes plays a role in those, and they can be found here, here, and here.
6468714 It's surprising when stuff like this brings that to the forefront.
I do appreciate Aria's characterization here. Despite the (justified in a lot of ways) demeanor she puts forth toward Sunset, there is a trace of that other element underneath. That she's willing to honor Adagio's wish says a lot. The meta about forgiveness here wasn't lost on me either. And the show-y handling of the followup on Sonata was well done, too.
I did get a bit of a chapter 1 from my last fic vibe at the opening of this though, whether intended or not. (And a good thing, that is. ;)
6469042
Oh, it's not that. When I saw that this was a sequel to The Friend I Couldn't Be, and saw the picture, I automatically assumed that this was going to be about the two having some one on one time during Aria's final days, and I immediately assumed that you'd have a follow up to this one with Sunset having one on one time with Sonata.
Then... I actually read the story. I figured out that this series is more or less about Sunset, coping with her grief and her guilt as the sirens pass on.
Of the three, Sonata is my favorite siren. So, as I said, I was saddened when she had already died. I was just curious to know if you planned on writing a story that was a sequel to TFICB, but a prequel to this, where Sunset had some one on one interaction with Sonata during her last days.
If not, it's no big deal. Aria herself said that Sonata was happy in her final days, so I'm content with that. Whatever the third story of this series is about -- if there is one -- I'm sure I will enjoy it.
As for the other story, I've already got that as one of my favorites, and am eagerly awaiting the next chapter!
6473064
Thanks man, I'm glad you enjoyed it,
I did have Once Monsters in mind when I was writing out Sunset's dream; I had started scripting this a long time ago and when I read your story I knew I'd have to make this scene different enough to not feel like a total rip. Honestly though, who doesn't want to use the 'nightmare flashback' thing for a character that has such a great setup for it?
6473341
) already featured Sonata I figured I'd pass over her for this one.
Ah, I get what you mean. I wanted to write at least one story with each of the Sirens as the focus, and since that other story (we're not going to say it's name at all, are we?
I'm gonna have to get back to 'that other story' pretty soon or people will think it's dead or something,
Both of these were really good.
i.imgur.com/bRtclzz.gif
6477738
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed them,
And HOLY CRAP that .gif is awesome,
I hate sad stories. I really do. But this and "The Friend I Couldn't Be" are two of the most beautiful fanfics I think I've ever read.
Danggit, man. Like Aria in the story, I take a lot of pride in my self-control. But you make it really, really, REALLY hard to not--to not... *sniff* CRYYYYYYYYYYY!
Two thumbs up. Would read again if my heart could take it!
6501439
Thanks my friend, I'm glad you enjoyed it even though the genre isn't your usual cup of tea,
A little late to this party, but this truly is a beautiful sequel.
6573430
Always better late than never! Thanks for reading!
i.imgur.com/od0xMCF.png
I avoided this one for a while because I'm not so keen on Gearhead Aria as I've seen her portrayed elsewhere. Works here, though. It's unintrusive to the plot and it fits her. I wasn't sure you'd be able to pull off making Aria communicative enough to get anything emotionally important out of her while maintaining the character we're used to, but you did, and got the balance just right.
I think you were right to handle Sonata the way you did, too. She slips too easily into woobie territory, so I think dealing with her time directly would be very difficult to avoid making overly saccharine or coming across as deliberately tear-jerking.
I don't get emotional. When I was ten, you could sit in front of a tv and show me Bambi and I would walk away without a single tear shed. But this... this... I can't put the emotional well into words.
I don't have anything to say, except that Sunset deserves a bitchin' musclecar after all this.
Crono's Comment ANOTHER THING I HAVE TO FIX???????? I JUST GOT BACK FROM BRINGING BACK ADAGIO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!🖕<sigh> Oh well, back to the Epoch.
9163057
Who are you saving this time, the kid that Aria knifed?
9164078
Crono's Response We were going to, but Marle had a better idea.
Marle's Comment: We were going to take Aria to all those paimnful moments and undo them with her.
Lucca's Comment Hopefully that will teach her friendship and if it does, Melchior will fix her gem.
Huh, I never knew this story existed, and it was published so long ago.
Anywho, I think I actually enjoyed it more than the first one. Good stuff.
It would take someone as old as Aria to know the truth: Your sins never go away until you forgive yourself.
Man you really captured Aria's...mixed feelings.
Sure she may not forgive Sunset, but she at least helps her find peace of mind.