• Member Since 10th Jul, 2012
  • offline last seen Jun 28th, 2019

QS


"If I had a wild old mare, slowly take me where she does/ I would reach the end of there, to look up where I was"

T
Source

Confined to a hospice bed, Fluttershy has very little to do except remember. Prompted by a poster from more than fifty years ago, she begins reminiscing about Rarity, and the circumstances that led to her romantic feelings for the unicorn being never reciprocated the way she would have wanted them to be. Her remembrances slowly lead her to confrontation with a question that has lingered in her head since Rarity died--what becomes of a pony after death?

Inspired by the song “She Was the World to Me”, by Daniel Romano. Chapter titles are from the lyrics.

Editing and pre-publication assistance by Merrick, Midnight Blaze, ZaRaapini, and Norm De Plume.

Cover art by Magello.

Chapters (6)
Comments ( 18 )

Ah, unrequited love. Bittersweet. I wonder if Rarity will even realize Fluttershy's feelings...

QS

7102346

Thank you for reading, faving, and the watch.

QS

7100410

Thank you for giving this thing a chance. I hope I won't let you down.

OMG your amazing... for this chapter as well and the 1st chapter as well 9/10

7102382 Of course. I'm just interested to see if Shy goes her entire life without saying anything to Rarity. Unrequited doesn't have to mean unconfessed. But, even if Shy never tells her, it will be interesting, I'm sure.

That... was good. Not satisfying, but good.

QS

7102772

I probably should have posted the whole story in one go after all the editing was done. In retrospect this story probably isn't meant to be absorbed piecemeal. My mistake.

7102876 Bah, piecemeal is fine. Each and every chapter should have a strong end, and this one was strong. The comment was meant less as a complaint against your story and more as a general complaint of a rabid Flarity shipper who just wants Shy and Fashion pone to snuggle for the rest of their lives.

Could see this coming like an oncoming train. Still hurt.

9/10 it's good well done.... I want more more.... o_o

QS

7113152

I hope I didn't completely telegraph the ending.

This is a really amazing story.

Wow.

Just... everything was done right. It really was. Thank you for this tale and I hope you write more in the future.

QS

7873407

Thank you for your support.

My job's keeping me real busy these days, but writing is still something I keep on my mind. There are always stories worth telling.

As for this particular story, in hindsight it's not as solid as it could have been. I hit the crucial scenes and the right emotional notes, but it could have been better assembled. Perhaps at some point I'll rewrite this and make it into a full-length work.

7920648 You're welcome! However, I would actually advise against rewriting it - just my two bits - but this is already an outstanding tale. I was surprised you managed to put so much in so few words. If you do feel a rewrite would be better... go for it!

QS

7921415
I believe I'll follow your advice.

I've had some time organizing my thoughts. The viewpoint that this story requires a rewrite is based on a very sound argument--as a love story, this story is quite shoddy. Most critically, there's no build-up whatsoever to Fluttershy falling for Rarity. Fans of the pairing will roll with it just fine, but for the neutral reader, there needs to be something to convince them. (This, more than any other reason, is likely why EqD rejected this story.)

I would like to argue, however, that at its core, this is not a love story. This is a story about dealing with death. Love is merely a crucial, though ultimately tangential, part of it.

When I set out to write this story, my main aim was to see if I could write about death in a dignified and respectful manner, exploring the emotions going through the minds of the dying and the grieving, without making it overwrought. In this regard I'd like to think I have succeeded.

With this objective accomplished, there's no reason (as of this moment) to rewrite this story.

Much thanks to you for your support. I hope I will be seeing you around.

And how does Discord feel about this?

QS

8933498
About Fluttershy dying or about her loving Rarity?

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