Meadow Song · 10:09pm May 12th, 2014
Before I started writing Without a Hive, I spent a lot of time in planning, thinking out what I would do. One of the first elements that came to mind was how Nictis's time as Meadow Song (Whose name I hadn't even come up with yet) would eventually end, and how. The scene in the alley, when the truth finally comes out, was the first scene I had fully worked out, and it made me think on the aftermath. Nictis would be hiding among ponies, the life he'd built up over so long having been destroyed. I also figured that news of ponies discovered to be changelings would be a major topic in the days after Chrysalis's failed invasion. That spawned the idea of a picture of Meadow being shown in the paper, showing the form taken by one of the imposters.
But what picture? Obviously, it would be one that Spark (Also not named, at that point) had kept. In fact, it felt even more obvious that it would be something he had valued, perhaps even treasured. Originally, something that expressed happiness, and later showing just how much they had both lost. It had to be important.
I immediately thought back to Fragments, to a familiar scenic outlook beside a friendly café, and imagined Meadow Song there, forelegs resting on the edge, looking beautiful and content as she gazed out into the late-evening sky.
It was one of the first fully-formed visuals I had of the story, and after all that happened, it's still one of the first ones to come to mind when I think of Without a Hive. Maybe the first. That photograph of Meadow shows a lot of the arc of the story. First, it shows her increasingly content being among ponies, even while she remains oblivious of her growing feelings for one of them, and it shows Spark's admiration of her. Later, it comes to represent the happiness they have together. And finally, it comes as a reminder of what they had both lost.
Jykinturah picked a perfect moment to portray. I love that scene, where Spark snaps this picture. It's ultimately a small, single moment in the whole story, but it's one that I always felt was like a simple distillment of the overall story. It's a visual that I've had in my head for a long time, and it made me so happy to see this picture.
I was actually pointed to it a little while back, but I was hesitant to link it at first. I couldn't think of a good way to portray how much I liked it. I hope I've done that now. 
As an aside, I never did specify the color of her mane in the story. I'd always vaguely pictured it as something brown. Earthy. But you know, I really like this color, too.
On the note of things I should have linked to a while ago, Jordan179 started up TVTropes entries for both Fragments and Without a Hive. Give them a read, if you don't mind losing much of your day trapped in the maze that is TVTropes!
Huh. I had gone this whole time thinking that Meadow Song had a black, or at least very dark, coat... Where the hell was I when Nictis came up with his disguise?
That's really cute. Shame it was used in the future to find Meadow Song rather then trap her. Shame
I'll do A New Way on TVTropes too, if you like. I've been waiting for the story to be completed before I did this, though.
That's a seriously-beautiful picture of Meadow Song, and well-demonstrates her contentment at that moment. It's sadly ironic that it later gets used to hunt Nictis.
I think Nictis should consider being Meadow Song again. It's not really a disguise any more, but both Nictis and Spark apparently like the idea, so why not? (Well, I can see some good reasons why not, most notably that Spark might be weirded out by seeing Nictis as Meadow Song again. But I think there are more good reasons than bad ones).
The combination of my fanon and yours is, incidentally, more than a little bit cruel to Rainbow Dash.
My Fluttershy is half-Changeling (has the empathy, emotion-eating and mind control powers), something that she tried to tell Rainbow Dash (but finds herself disbelieved) in Fluttershy Is Free. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy also have a huge unconsummated mutual crush (Dashie's too oblivious to, and Fluttershy too scared of, her own sexuality because of what happened to her when she was younger).
Comes A Canterlot Wedding, and Fluttershy's paternal heritage is revealed to the entire world, unavoidably because Rainbow Dash would have in any case put two and two together and realized that Fluttershy wasn't deluded when she talked about having discovered she'd been sired by the "buzzies." It's totally unfair, but Rainbow Dash takes this as a personal betrayal because Fluttershy failed to keep trying to convince her of what she'd discovered when she was a teenager.
So Rainbow Dash is on the rebound -- at which point, if we combine fanons, who does she run into. Right. Sky. She probably thinks she's cursed when she finds out what Sky really is ...
Which is unwarranted cruelty to poor Dashie. If the same thing happens in both continuities, that is..
What's even crueller is that I think there's a good chance you're going to go for the tragic resolution to the whole Rainbow Dash / Sky subplot. One of the several possible tragic resolutions, anyway.
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I was kind of figuring waiting for it to finish would probably be better. Either way, I'm still honored that someone would put in the time to do something like that!
And man... apparently, we're both a bit cruel to poor Dashie, aren't we?
Lovely. That picture is now the screensaver of my e-reader.
i.imgur.com/dTX07it.jpg
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Incidentally, I don't mean by this that I want to see Sky die. I would be happy to see him live, and for his love for Rainbow Dash to be fully returned. I just fear the Cartwright Curse might come into play. But then, of course, it doesn't have to -- historically, on My Little Pony, they've treated such love interests kindly (Bulk and Discord both still hang out with Fluttershy from time to time (*), while Cheese Sandwich is merely Walking the Earth and may return without notice to reunite with Pinkie Pie at any moment).
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(*) She may be "shy," but she gets two canonical Love Interests, and that's not even counting whatever that weird continuing byplay between her and Rainbow Dash is supposed to mean.
You bastard. You linked me to TVTropes.
There's 3 hours of my life I'll never get back
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I keep telling people I'm evil, and they never believe me.
The picture is sadly no longer on the artist's DeviantArt page. Would you happen to have another copy of it? I just found this blog during a reread and this was... as you said, one of the most beautiful moments in the story. I'd love to be able to see it.
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It seems not even Internet Archive has a copy.