Hoover Dam, son.  This is depressing.

So glad this story is on here.  It's probably the best oneshot I've read yet in this fandom.

Keep being awesome, Patchy.

This is awesome. Found it through a bottom-strip link across a different story and clicked on it for some reason. Out of all the others there I chose this one. And I am actually GRATEFUL that I chose this one. This is AWESOME. A bit sad, but AWESOME.

>>1592315923

So it's awesomely sad? Sadly awesome?

I have to say, I'm liking FIMFictipn's sidebar a lot myself, it makes it nice and easy to find more stories you'd like, rather than just guessing by genre and description. Anyway, I'm glad you stumbled upon my story! Thanks.

I guess that happens if Humans conquered Equestria.

This is the first fanfiction I've added to my favorites,and for good reason. This is one of the greatest fanfiction I have ever read. BRILLIANT concept, the writing is perfect for this type of story, and so beautifully, wonderfully understated. Not much is actually happening, Rainbow Dash walks through town and runs into some old friends and reminisces a bunch. It is a very simple story, but masterfully crafted in a manner that really tugs at your heartstrings. It's sad, but it doesn't shove it in your face. It's a quiet little story of hope, even when life is dreary and rough, with some imagination, you can create a world that no one can ever take away from you.

A masterpiece of tears and inspiration. I don't want to favorite it because it is so sad but at the same time it speaks to the nobility of spirit and I know I must. HikariAkai >>3481434814 summed it up perfectly in his last sentence. It intertwines beautifully. I cannot encourage you enough to write more. If my heart can take the strain.  

>>2025520255 Which is why humans must never learn of Equestria. I fear no matter how good the intentions this would invariably be the result.

-Nikola of Tesla

Head of Applied Magic, Canterlot Institute of Technology

Wow that story wasn't as sad as I thought it would be.......but still.....

I loved this story.  I didn't find it very sad, more wistful, but that doesn't take away from the quality of it at all.  Then, for some reason, it did strike me as sad when I was thinking back on it a couple of days later.  Such is my brain.  Either way, it was beautiful.

Perhaps this is the sad story that precedes the story of the downfall of mankind and the rise of ponykind?

based on the song?

this was beautiful. have some stars

Wait, is this a "humans have taken over Equestria" story, or a "normal earth horse dreaming of something better" one?

This is the most beautiful, brilliant, haunting fic I've read. And I've read quite a few fics, including most of the famous ones.

this is way to good, just reading it makes me dream of a better world.

I will remember this story for the rest of my life, thank you.

didn't cry, but it left me depressed.....now i feel bad for horses

>>173986173986

it's probably up to interpretation, but i think it's the second one

This is just amazing. This is easily one of the best stories this fandom has ever produced. I am so glad I found it again.

Simply... thank you.

moar please?

this is so beautiful... how old are you?

this is really good. like, seriously.

This is amazing!

Hello, Rio.  This is Mario.  I met you in two San Antonio brony meetups.  Your interview just came up here at FimFiction, and I just remembered you told me about this story.  I will download it to my smartphone and give it a read.

Seriously one of the saddest things I've ever read.

So, does this story take place during the Reconstruction era or perhaps during the American civil war?

>>502284502284

Somewhere around there, yeah. I never really hammered down any specifics (since a pony wouldn't really know anyway), just that it took place somewhere between 1800-1910, and probably in America.

>>504263504263

Well thanks for the reply. I enjoyed your story. It gave me a strong message about how some animals are treated in this world. I'm actually surprised that your story is not well known, it has potential to be.

In my opinion though, Rainbow Dash and the others should have been regular mares and should have not looked like their MLP counterparts. This way, a sense of realism can be expressed and therefore a sense of doubt for the world that Rainbow Dash lives in. However, it's your story so i will no further chide you.

Overall interesting story to read, thank you for posting this.

>>504500504500

It's not majorly famous, but it's fairly well known in some circles. I think maybe some people were scared off by reactions of how hard their hearts were broken, and as I can tell sadfics in general aren't all that popular overall. (Except maybe My Little Dashie, which sort of fascinates me when I compare/contrast it to my own story, and the reactions to both of them, but that's an entirely different story)

As for the second thing, I think maybe you might have misread? Dash and her friends in the "real world" (I hate using the term "real world", but it's the best term I have at the moment) all ARE regular mares, save for having technicolor dream sequences (and manes that are abnormally sticky and thick). Only their MLP counterparts look like their MLP counterparts. However, for the most part there's not many physical descriptions of the ponies, save Rarity and Applejack whose colors could be plausible anyway, though Applejack's  more of a palomino than straight up orange, but close enough. Otherwise, colors aren't mentioned and Dash herself is ambiguous. Since we're here talking colors anyway: Dash is blue roan, Twilight's black, and  Pinkie Pie's unnamed equivalent is a reddish chestnut.

And Fluttershy is... Miss Not Appearing In This Fic because I couldn't find a place to work her in

And thank you too. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Also, your username makes me laugh.

>>504797504797

Honestly, with all due respect, I like this story better than My Little Dashie, in terms of plot twist. Kind of makes me think that we are all living in a dream.

Im so glad this is here! I originaly found this story thanks to RD presents and I am so glad I read it. Why dosnt this have many likes? I thought this was pretty famous on Eqd and I would say it is MLD tier writing. I love thought provokers. Anyway, great job!

This is the only story that actually fucked me up, and I hate you for it. I read, write, and review the shit out of grimdark. Pony war? No worries. Well-executed tragedy? Moar. Intense pathos and conceptions of betrayal? Fuck yeah.

Your story? Your story wounded me sir! So yes, very, very well done. Keep it up, you excellent bastard.

>>512461512461

This is something I agree with. It just has that kind of passive, kind of apathy-inducing level of sadness to it.

It was pretty alright for the first while explaining Dash's real life, but when it got to her old friends, that was just some hardcore sadness. I like how you tell things as they are in this fic too. No melodrama or exaggerating to make the situation feel sad, it just is sad, which I believe was well displayed at the ending.

I'd prefer the formatting to be done differently, and found a sentence reading, "For a moment her legs were began to violently shake", but I'm ages late to reading this story. No point in nitpicking over these details.

Great stuff though, really. It isn't often that literature in this fandom gives off the vibes that this fic does.

So sad...

I love this story. To me, it wasn't the same as My Little Dashie on the "Manly-tears" shedding scale, but it was still a powerful story. I was left after the end just staring at the screen thinking "Wow." Congratulations on a fantastic job. I'm surprised I never heard of this before.

I can't stop crying, its so sad and now my face is all wet.

awwe sadly awesome

Ok, this story, is amazing. i came here because of the "Rainbow Dash Presents" videos, because i wanted to see how well the actual story read... now i'm crying and... ...

also, whoever gave the thumbs down.... your a heartless SOB

That was terribly depressing. Well done.

DAMN IT!

Now I'm gonna cry!

Why do I have to like all the sad fics?

I think I have been emotionally compromised.

I now relieve myself of duty to go and cry over this fic for a couple hours.

Sad ponies.

This was very depressing man

Sincerely the now very depressed timelord

That's beautiful.  Kind of makes me think of Black Beauty.

No pun intended.

Rainbow Dash Presents.....

That is magnificent. I love the shift in perspective from dream to reality and the utter contrast between the two. Solid four stars.

So many feels... So... many... feels....

This is truly a masterpiece, a work of genius rarely seen throughout literary history (as far as the brony fandom goes, at least). I was hooked from the first word to the last, which doesn't often happen for me. I read this on GoogleDocs, ran over here and found it. Insta-like, insta-fave. (P.S. Why isn't there a link to here on the EqD page?)

Now, that said, there were some (very minor) errors in the GoogleDocs version. I didn't read this version yet because I don't have the time right now, but would you be okay with me going through and finding them again? The errors I found on GoogleDocs were minor, but noticeable, and I just wanted to make sure it's alright with you that I go and point them out to you. I'm gonna read this again anyway, probably tonight, I'm just asking your permission to nitpick a couple of spelling things that may not actually be in this version. Regardless of your answer, thanks for reading all this stuff. I thoroughly enjoyed this, and I look forward to reading more from you in the future!

>>971800971800

Thank you very much for the kind words

And yes, you may! The sad thing is, I'm usually fine at checking for grammar in other people's work, but I'm awful at my own, and always prone to typos, despite how much many times I check. Sneaky, sneaky errors.

The link's not on EQD because this story actually existed before FIM existed! I just never got around to updating it yet, heh.

>>972685972685

Yeah, it's always tough to catch your own mistakes. I'll look over that... soon. I'll send a PM rather than put that in the comments.

So fucking depressing, man. Damn. Absolutely beautifully written. I think the only thing I loved more than the story was the way you wrote it. Entrancing, truly and completely, by every definition of the word. Great job, my friend. Great job. I'll have to read more of what you've written.

poor Applejack and Rarity why must people bad things happen to the two best ponies this reminds me a bit of Black Beauty except the whole rainbow pony thing Rainbow Dash may be my least favorite at the moment anyway. i feel so bad for her imagine living in such a bleak world and then dreaming of paradise

OK, they say that a picture is worth a thousand words. So instead of writing a 2000 words essay on what I think of this fic, have those:

Image: http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/22320830.jpg

Image: http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn105/walkseva/ManlyTearsHaveBeenShed.jpg

I first read this a year ago... it's still just as beautiful... and just as sad. QQ

Oh simple thing, where have you gone?

incredible. Wow, just......wow. This is deep and intense on a level that I find amazing. It really makes one think..... Well done, mate.

Wow...I don't know what to say. This is a really beautiful story and it's sad but it's really a different kind of sad than we see so much in fan tics nowadays. This is really deep, I feel like too many of us (bronys especially) count on dreams to live our lives. I'm not even going to attempt to critique that, I was really too into the story to be thinking about craft.

Oh but there was one thing: at the end you mention spending the day with "applejack and pinkie pie and rarity and fluttershy and everybody else..." I just feel like twilights name should be there, too.

Amazing job,

Keep writing.

just... wow. no words.

Image: http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8yyfe84rB1qlh1s6o1_250.gif

Beautiful. Stunning. Amazing...

None of those words can do this fic justice.

I've heard of this fic.

I saw the Rainbow Dash Presents for it.

Might read it.

Might not.

I enjoy this story a lot, but it always depresses me

Oh, this is lovely and heart-breaking. I love your writing style and how it's employed here, so deceptively understated, where a line such as "There is no grey here." means so much in context. It works so much better than overwrought pathos would have. Dash's matter of fact telling of the story doesn't quite hit like a punch to the gut but feels more like a slow grinding down of hope and happiness--which, given the story being told, strikes me as quite appropriate.

Thank you for writing and for sharing this.

Your panel today at Canterlot Garden reminded me of this story so I had to come back and read it again. Still amazing!

I heard about this story, and when I read it I cried . The title also brought back memories from my childhood (the actualy song that is the title) and it is now my favorite song ever. Thank you for a perfect story.

I got a little choked up there

This was one of the first stories I read back in my early brony days on Pony Fiction Archive. It didn't make me cry like My Little Dashie did, but I like the simplicity and poetic sadness of it all.

And also, how in the world do you have under 4000 story views?

Just found this in Poultron's whining request for good fiction.

Oh, I remember when I read this on EqD. Normally I get sad only once over a story, if I read it again, the feels don't get me anymore.

Except for this one.

It's not a extremely sad, gut wrenching, tear jerking scenario, but it always gets under my skin.

It's incredibly well-written, but damn, this is sad.

so yea.

I got accepted to EqD finally, despite all the BS behind their pre-reader system.

I gotta give props where they are due. My idea for my story came from here, and its only proper that I give credit.

Take a look at my story: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/2834/A-Clever-Pony

Your story still leaves me in tears, and makes me hate my own humanity all the more. Not that I need much these days...

I honestly don't see why this is sad. I mean ya sure the bit about Applejack and Rarity being so overworked was and Dash's knee was definitely but I enjoy the idea that horses and other animals have wonderful dreams like these

I just want to say thank you. Thank you for this story. This was the first MLP fanfic I ever read. I cried when I first read it. Because of this story, I discovered how amazing of a fandom we are. This changed who I am. Without this story, I wouldn't be a brony. Without this I wouldn't have decided to write my own work. Without this story I wouldn't have some of the amazing friends I do. It's been about a year now since I found it, and I read it again. I still cried. It is amazing. It is beautiful, and I can't describe how much it means to me that you wrote this. So thank you for making this, and making me who I am today.

So...existential. the thought that the fictional world of the ponies we wish we could escape to is in itself nothing more than a dream world to the ponies themselves...

got nothin else to say

This story is definitely one of my favorite stories.

The way Dash escapes into her own world, to take away the misery of the real one...

Is this inspired by Keane's song, 'Somewhere only we know'? I can see the lyrics of that song within this story. That's the main reason I love it!

Read this

Went on youtube

Looked up rainbow dash presents

saw somewhere only we know

Was like,"oh shit, its a rd presents too..."

Watched it

laughed my ass off

tis best story

Alright, I love this because it accomplishes what it hopes to accomplish.

I could only comment on one thing though and that is your method of presenting the transitions from the MLP:FiM universe to the real-world universe of Dash. You were breakng up a sentence into several lines. Though this is a handy way to make the transition it's too easy and it feels desperate. It would've been better if you have kept the transition in your straight prose. However, this is a very very minor drawback compared to the overall fic.

i just want you to know this is my favorite FiM fic of all time

I cried... which isn't really saying much, but I loved it! It's left me feeling depressed

Damn, that really, really sucks. Not the story, but.. the story...

You know what I mean.

It's depressing.

I don't know how you did it but you made a story that hit me with feels before I even got a paragraph in. Only one other fiction (the color of dreams) has managed to do that and somehow I made it without crying. Absolutely amazing. I wish I could give this more praise but I'm only a small time ficer. Just realize you touched a soul.

Awesome story, loved it!

You know, I'm glad I looked up this story after Rainbow Dash Presents:!

"Rainbow Dash! Are you still coming Bon-Bon's anniversary party this week? Do you feel any better this morning? You sure look better!"

*insert "to"

It's well written, and I wish I hadn't spoiled the impact by hearing all about it before ever reading it.  However, even cushioned by a thousand spoilers, I still feel sad for Dash.  It's certainly a gloomy world she lives in, but at least she still has her beautiful dreams.  

Oh Pinkie, breaking the fourth wall as always...    Speaking of breaking, serious warning bells should be ringing in everyone's head after anyone inquires about the state of a horse's leg.

I could not help but read this whole thing in the "A Rainbow Dash Presents" voice. Ah well.