The timing of my checking fimfiction for notifications was funny.

I find it interesting how I'm starting to see the way you act with people more and more in your stories. I'm not sure if this has more to do with my getting to know you better, or my having just studied a whole bunch of literature recently.

Of course, maybe it's because this particular story is so obvious about it. Yeah, that's probably it.

Ponky has your address though?! ^.^

The Featured box shall tremble.

Edit: and it did.

Bring on this most beautiful tale..

Dammit, SS&E, I still haven't read half of what you've put up since Background Pony because I'm trying to work through my Read Later backlog and keep up with my follows! Stop adding moooooooooooooooooooore.

Just kidding, looks like fine stuff, I'll get to it when I can.

:happy marsupial:

Lyra? I don't remember a Lyra Heartstrings...

Bon-Bon is best SS&E stand-in.  Your stories always bring such wonderful emotions to mind...

Aufwiedersehen Ponky, you man with a mission you!

This was the best written sendoff I have ever read.  It was touching and I can't even properly describe how wonderful it was to see her/your/our spirits lifted up by Lyra.

PS. What Quylaa said- "Does the cold hoof..." should start with "could."

Hm. Lyra/Bon. Alright.

I think I may have felt something.

Oh, two years. Suddenly it all makes sense.

Goodbye, Ponky! I'm sure you're going to go through all the comments on here anyways.

Oh gosh, that's such a wonderful metaphor.

I'll be sad when Ponky leaves, even if I hardly know him.

Two things, it's a GRIMDARK UNIVERSE, and two, have you actually considered writing? You'd be phenomenal

For the first time in a long time, I don't know what to say.

I'm shivering.  I'm crying a little bit.  I had to stand up somewhere in the middle and walk around the house just to keep breathing.

I do know, Skirts.  I do know.  And back at ya.

Thank you so much.

Reading this fic and watching Lyra, it makes me remember, this is the kind of person I want to be. Not necessarily annoying but sincere, all the same.

T'is good. I expected no less.

>>18177811817781 Wait where is he going?

I walked into this tunnel seeing the end clear as day, and with every step I smiled the whole way through.

Bah. Metaphors. Mine's one sentence and your's is a beautiful, heartwarming story. Godspeed Ponky, you will not go forgotten. Have fun in Italy, eats lots of food, and tell me if you see a guy wearing red overalls and sporting a bushy mustache. We'll be sure to keep your seat warm.

This was, quite absolutely, the greatest thing I've ever read, and if anything tops it, I'm sure it will come from your hand.

What a selfish joy of mine to peek into your mind.  Haven't I told you a hundred times how kind you are?  Here's proof.

Again, and not for the last time, thank you, ya big lemur.  I'm glad we still have some significant amount of time before the real arrivederci rings.

I can honestly say I have never been happier than I am right now.  And if I thought I was crying at the end of the last chapter... well, let's just say I wish I was the only one home right now.  Tears really are wonderful things... I didn't realize that until now.

And guess who I'll think of, from now on, every time I cry?  ;}

I hate to distract from this beautiful metaphor, but...

Does the cold hoof of death that holds so much absolution in my perspective be simply playing a practical joke on me?

...doesn't really make sense.

Wow, when I saw this story, I wasn't expecting to get slapped in the face with hardcore Nihilistic philosophy. That was really deep. As usual.

Just what kind of life is Bon Bon living? It's almost like she is preparing for death. I like Lyra's life, it screams "Carpe Diem!"

I think we are all called to live life to the fullest. Death will take our future, this is guarenteed. But the past is set in stone. Death may take away the adventure I was to have next week, but the adventure I had last week is forever mine.

>>18178741817874

But Ponky, where are you going? And does this mean I won't get to see your shining face every time SS&E posts a new story?

EDIT: By the way, I am literally throwing small objects around the room in a fit of I don't even as I realize who Bon-Bon and Lyra represent, along with the fact that I can't even.

What the hell,  man?

I- just. Wow. What a goodbye.

What a dark outlook on life.

I suppose I'm a fatalist in a certain sense, but definitely not a materialist like Bon Bon here. I can't imagine what gives her motivation to live let alone run a business.

Any finite soul that lives and has the intelligence to perceive itself in an infinite world has no choice but to be depressed, I believe.

Interesting, I believe the exact opposite. I can't help but be amazed at the size, diversity, order, and beauty of the universe.

Great story

Leave it to SSAE to take a goodbye and make it 6,000 words of deep thoughts and beauty.

Well done, my friend.

This is actually a very good story. It's interesting to see a completely different world-view from a pony than we usually do, and is done very well. And on top of that all, you manage to make it somewhat touching at the end (at least in my opinion). Excellent work, definitely glad I took the time to read this one!

"And you are...?"

    "Lyra." She smiled and said, "Lyra Heartstrings."

*gasp*

SS&E, dude...DON'T DO THAT TO ME.  I had a freaking flashback when I read that.  I had to stand up and splash water on my face before I could finish the story.  I just finished BP like last week.  I swear to god if you had colored the text I would be 1/2 way through an alcoholic drink by now.

ANYWAY...still a great story.  And it's so true.  If you don't shed tears sometimes, you won't smile sometimes either.

What an amazing send off

Good luck in Italy, Ponky.

I don't know what's going on, but my feels are everywhere and I can't hold them.

"Lyra." She smiled and said, "Lyra Heartstrings."

background pony reference?

I enjoy your happier works like this. Your style matches with pleasantly uplifting sadness very well.

I have felt a feel tonight. BonBon reminds me of who I used to be a little too much... Eerie. Wonderful work, author.

That's a magnificent send off.

I'm sorry Ponky has to go. It's sad to miss a friend. Perhaps one of the saddest of things.

I don't know what to say. This is wonderful.

Best of luck on your mission, Ponky.

That was a very interesting take on Bon Bon, I have to say. Loved every part of it.

Wow, I just... I don't even know how to respond. That was both heartwarming and yet sad at the same time. Just, wow. I don't know if I should feel sad or smile a bit at the... Attempted relationship.

I... Yeah. Good job. I'm going to try and sort these thoughts out now.

Wow

good on you man, nice story, now i'm tired, at least i'll fall asleep with this in my head.

I wish I could somehow express how deeply this story has moved me, has helped me cope with the changes in life and friends coming and going from my life. I wish I could somehow send these tears and through them express my gratitude to you, for being willing to share these things with us lucky lucky marsupials.

Dear god, Short Skirts, you make me want to be a better person. I would never do this for anybody.

A very impressive metaphor, I am amazed. You have practically everything down to perfection.

Especially the way everypony loves Bon Bon's sweet shop. Because we do, its one of the best sweet shops I've ever been to. I just tried its newest product, tasted so good, I got all kinds of feels.

Wow. That was a really interesting decision... I've never seen the two of them portrayed like this before, and I have to say it's done really well.

Cynical Bon Bon is awesome; being quite cynical myself, I found myself agreeing with a few things she said.

Awesome!

>>18181131818113

WHAT! This entire thing was a ... metaphor of SS&E and Ponky...

*dissolves into senseless gibbering.

>>18204111820411

If you compare the possibility that Lyra = Ponky and Bon-Bon = SS&E and sweets might just be "large bodies of text"...

P.S. Okay, these new buttons are seriously cool.

It was beautiful

I identify way too perfectly with this bon bon

Aww, it's over

Jeez, poor Bon-bon

We all need someone like Lyra in our lives to brighten the darkness, I believe.

Bon Bon is such a relateable character it's unnerving. I think it's because the writing gives off the feeling that it doesn't try is what makes it so compelling. What goes unsaid is so powerful here. Is this a glimpse into who are like as well skirts? These two characters are both so good in they are portrayed. Of the hundreds of stories I've read here, this is def top 5 material in my book.

Not often can I say this but, I literally have no idea what to feel from this story and am sad to see it complete right now because I feel like it will stay with me since it didn't have the emotional closure I half-expected from it.

It was truly amazing to read and dwell on.

Freakin' jeez... that's really quite a sendoff, and this story has way more significance in my mind than many other HNG-inducing stories. The feels I got from this were INTENSE, the reason being that it's a metaphor of a true story that will affect a lot of us on and off this site

I felt like since this is a metaphor of Ponky, SS&E, and each of their respective stories, it gives way more feels than a story that wouldn't be based on anything in real life... God, this story hurt a little bit to read...

Ponky, we will all miss you dearly. Hopefully the hardcore fans will stick around for sure, and you can count me in that group. If you ever find out where and how you can write to and from us, let us know, so we can flood you with fan mail!

I understand Bon Bon's thoughts; it's a world full of mechanical processes that it is so easy to simplify to meaningless interaction.  It's just as easy to do this for people; we're all a collection of distilled genetic material and amino acids.  But every time this comes to mind I can't help but look at the beauty of nature and the individual, and because the materials they're made of are so common, it makes each of them even more beautiful than before.

In a sense, I find it almost terribly depressing that I'm pretty sure I recognized every publicly available reference/metaphor you included in this fic, despite the fact that I don't even follow Ponky. Even the Neighzstche thing—I simply happened across that song a while back without even realizing it was by Ponky until I read the video description. Clearly I need to spend less time on the internet.

As for the fic itself? As always: awesome. A very sweet goodbye, too.

Feels? What are these "feels" you speak of? I certainly felt no-

Yes you did.

Well, maybe a little.

C'mon. Let it out.

FEELS WERE HAD. ARE YOU SATISFIED?

Maybe.

You are impossible.

I know.

Bon Bon you are so deep right now I can't even see you.

Always feels from Lyra and Bon Bon fics

damn, you gave bon-bon BP lyra's solemn depression and turned lyra into  non annoying pinky, had the lyra, lyra heartstrings part been green, i would build an emotional fortress out of all the bricks i would have subsequently crapped at least this time she gets remembered and by bon bon no less, well done SS&E, well done

So I realized something today. This story, many of your stories in fact, are not necessarily pony. What I mean by this is that if I went though and changed "everypony" to everbody, "hoof" to hand, etc, the stories would not loose neither their meaning nor their greatness. You write fanfiction, and yet you don't even need to. So thanks I guess.

You know, it's sort of strange.  

I too believe there is no afterlife, that love is chemical, and that life has no purpose.  But I find that to be a beautiful thing, for it is we who give the world and its workings purpose.  Laughter and joy and happiness and song and love are all inherently useless, until we fill them with intent.  

We truly are all alone--and yet, to be a sentient being is to reach out to others and embrace them, to be as close as the loneliness of "self" permits.

This was a fascinating story though, and I loved how you portrayed the two of them.  Absolutely marvelous.

And then, just as mysteriously as she appeared, she was gone.

I have no clue who Ponky is, and I didn't know that this was a metaphor, but I thought this story was interesting. I like how the events are presented out of order in between interior monologues; that technique is very avant-garde.

>>18218291821829

My only question to you is, what do you do when you're always the Lyra to a BonBon, and you have nobody around to be your Lyra? Maybe I need to finish the other half of the story to find out...

Aww... All that build-up with the first chapter, and slammed with a harsh dose of reality. Those were some rough feels. It couldn't have been more well done.

>>18282871828287  Heh, that you do...and seeing that you finished it by your comments, now you know what I mean

DEM FEELS.

Image: http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT1h7rVC7yojKx80szzoAMBy_ARiszErJl7BrRBLVbC7mj-P5JRBwJv2ek1Qw

Image: http://dashie.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw8751-Feels_Train.JPG

Image: http://denver.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw8664-135331466117945.png

It's so... perfect.

Why can't I hold all these feels?

Wow, that was adorable...

FEEEEEEEEEEEELS.

This was deep man, it resulted in many feels.

You sir, are an absolutely fantastic writer.

WARNING incoming feels.

This brief story sucked me and caused me to a bit of introspection, to a degree and depth that I was not expecting. I found Bon Bon to be an interesting and complex character in she short time and limited detail we are given to attempt to know something about her in and by. Thank you for sharing this.

Now I wonder why I put this off, these feels are just so... feels-y.

Wow, Bon Bon? Who would have guessed it? An interesting take on pony personality.

that was so sweet...it's nice to see bonbon having feelings

Spoiler alert: This story is meta as fuck. I shouldn't have put off reading it for so long.

So many things make so much more sense now.

I saw this partway through the chapter, even without reading the second one.  I feel a need to record it, but even with you more-or-less saying it outright, I can't post it publicly.  It'd be... I dunno, sacrilegious or something.  So you and the relevant individuals will be getting PMs instead.

Stay smexy, Skirts.

I read this story and it made me sad and smile.

Then I read all the footnoting and subsequently was introduced to Ponky and spent a bit of time poking around pages learning who he is and what this story represents.

Now I'm crying my goddamn eyes out.

I feel completely and totally inadequate right now. This was amazing.

This was the greatest goodbye I have ever seen. Just... Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

Two years later:

Image: http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2013/023/1/0/bad_hair_day__bonnie__by_slackerburst-d5sidyn.png

Wow. Just wow. Should have read this earlier.

And you demolished everything in my heart, and replaced it with a simple divide between hope and loss.

I can only hope that I'll get someone as talented with the written word to write me a goodbye if I ever leave.

You're an amazing man, Skirts. Ponky even more so, which I never thought was possible until I read this.

It fleshed out your relationship so perfectly... two great men, with an infinite amount of bystanders to witness your grand friendship.

And although your eyes will not fall upon these words anytime soon, >>18178741817874, or even at all, most likely...

I mean ever single damn word.

God dammit.

Why...

Why hadn't I read this earlier?

Skirts, this was the perfect metaphor. So perfect, in fact, I didn't see Lyra and Bon Bon, I saw you and Ponky.

You illustrated your cold, blunt demeanor and Ponky's happy, contrasting soul in such amazing parallels that I couldn't help but smile and tear at the same time.

Ponky deserved this goodbye, by all means(and beyond mortal means) and you deserved to write him this.

I could only feel a turmoil of gut wrenching sorrow and blazing happiness in reading this, swirling and biting at each other like two rabid dogs who happen to be best friends.

Tear down the wall, Skirts.

Tear down the wall.

This was one of the most touching fanfics I have yet to read; I almost cried during those last sentences.

I never cry.

A big round of applause for you, Skirts. Beautifully executed.

Just re-read this today...been feeling kinda existential and nihilistic lately.

Thank you for making me feel, skirts. Thank you.

It's pretty damn fascinating to witness such a bond. I'm admittedly envious. Ultimately it's saddening that a connection only sparks when it's taken away. Makes me wonder. If I'm yet to lose anything, what I have I really gained?