Where We Came From · 1:18am Dec 27th, 2022
The full title of this story, including its only chapter is: "This place of ours, where we were happy."
WandererD wrote it for me for this years Jinglemas contest, and he excelled himself. It manages to title drop every single one of my stories, and it's full of glorious little in-jokes about our time together. It would have been delightful just for that, an upbeat, silly homage to our many years of friendship.
But I'm not recommending this story because of in-jokes that most readers won't get. I'm recommending it because, when you strip all that lovely wrapping paper away, this story has a lot of heart. It made me tear up, and I suspect it will mean a lot to many of you as well.
"This…" She opened her arms to encompass Ponyville with her motion "...this will always be here. It will be part of us, it will be what brought us together, helps us stay together even if we're apart, and it will bring us together again if we ever need each other. Because thanks to these crazy ponies, we became something better than we were before."
This is a story about fandom.
Be honest; these aren't our glory years. The stories on FiMFiction are as good as they ever were, and the art is as beautiful as its always been, but the community fades. Every once in awhile a new brony wanders into the fandom and gets to experience it all for the first time, and it's wonderous, but there aren't as many new faces as there used to be. Old friends sometimes don't log onto FiMFic for days at a time.
This place is like a little town that's still quaint and beautiful, that's as lovely as it ever was, but where all the young people have left to go to the city. It's a place that people talk about with fond memory, but no longer where they live.
This Place of Ours takes that metaphor and runs with it. Smolder and Gallus are talking about their lives, and what happens next. Gallus is leaving Ponyville, and he worries that that means leaving his friends.
Smolder sets him straight, and when she does, it's like she's talking directly to me, telling me that I won't leave my fandom friends behind. I suspect I will be friends with WandererD (and many others) for the rest of my life, and while one day we will log onto FiMFic for the last time, the memories and bonds will remain.
Ponyville was our place, where we were happy.
There's nothing else I can say about this story that isn't a spoiler, but it's good and you should read it.
Thanks, Wanderer. Merry Christmas.
I figured this time I'd write a story that meant something and would showcase a little of how lucky I am to be here and know you and many others. And it's through this place, our Ponyville that it happened... I guess that's one of the reasons it's always a pleasure to come back to my herd here.
To be fair, I do see some young people (and new people of various ages) arriving from time to time. Well over half of the steel mills seem to have closed down, though.
5705304
media.tenor.com/qpAPWxKkg4YAAAAC/titanic-its-been-a-privelage.gif
I'm very behind on FIMFiction at the moment (Which I guess is actually on-theme, perhaps. I mean, back in the day, I didn't get behind like this here.), but this story had already gone on one of my higher-priority lists. :)
...Though now I'm considering bumping it up even further. Hm. It does look pretty short...
...Well, I've some other things I should take care of first, but perhaps later today I'll bump this all the way to the very top of the queue. :)
And it was, indeed, nice. :)
5706632
I'm very glad you think so!
And if you haven't seen it yet, I wrote a Christmas story too!
5706773
:)
Aye, I did see it, and it's on a list.
...Hm. Though. It does look like it's currently the only story from you I have pending, unlike some other authors. Hm. Longer than the one from WandererD, but... ehhh. Alright, I'll bump it up too. :)
5705304
Tagging you so it hits you both, but woof this definitely resonates a lot, especially choices over the last ~2 years that more or less directly align with the Gallus thing.
And jeez that country town metaphor is hitting vividly.
5708373
Hell yeah it does. This guy has depth.
Depth that makes me very sad sometimes but you know that's life.
5708415
Mono no Aware is a fuckin' bitch, yep