Losing your home isn't something that you get over in a day—Spike doesn't think so, at least. But Twilight insists that she's not overly distraught by the destruction of the Golden Oak Library, and she says that she's simply ready to move on. Spike, on the other hand, can't let go of his old home quite so easily. Is Spike just blowing this whole thing out of proportion, or is there something Twilight isn't telling him?
Now in audio form, courtesy of Pinkie Pie!
Cover image generously created by StainlessKey.
Chapters (1)
Interesting concept, and something that needed asking good job
Very well done, especially everypony's reactions. I especially liked Rainbow Dash's, which references both her growing love of books and her "hit the bad guys" solution to every problem.
Wonderfully well written.
Eheheee. not meeee~
anyway good story not much to say other than memories are great but still they shouldn't have blown up that tree.
I don't mind retreading the ground, and honestly being late gives some space from the daily tree stories. This one was nicely done, with good characterization... Thanks for finishing it!
Aaaaaw, this was great. Well done.
Edit: I'm an idiot, of course this is great, it's you Argon, I completely missed that.
I still haven't watched anything from Trade ya' onwards. Reading this I really should. *Gives fav and upvote.*
Very good story.
yay
You misspelled Owlowiscious numerous times throughout this fic.
You know, it's going to be completely hilarious if the tree is brought back with magic at the start of season five after all of this tree angst...
I'm guessing the same principle applies to princesses.
I'm honestly not sure what to say about this one. It's a nice Golden Oak Memorial story with some powerful themes of change and adaptability. In fact, this really echoed similar points that you made in The Firework Lotus and A Dracoonequus' Guide to Immortality. However, while it makes sense to combine those themes with the Golden Oak Memorial format, it doesn't really make the message any stronger. However, it doesn't make it weaker, either. It's just, different. And yet the same.
See what I mean when I say that I'm not sure what to say about this one?
Eh, I dunno. Maybe it's because I've seen you tackle these issues before (perhaps it's a motif of yours, and if so, it's a good motif to have); maybe it's because I've seen a lot of Golden Oak Memorial stories tackle the same concept (though your portrayal of Twilight does make this one stick out a lot); maybe it's because I'm personally waiting to see how the show writers handle this cataclysmic event. Whatever the case, it's a well-written story that's powerful and poignant, but even though I feel like I should love it, I can't help but feel ambivalent. It's not you; it's me. Make of that what you will.
It's just things. Things can be replaced. People/ponies cannot.
4616447
Glad you liked my take on it! I wanted to throw a bit of a spin on the library memorial-style stories, and I'm happy it worked for you.
4616518
I typically try to write every character as accurately as I can. I wasn't even really thinking of that when I wrote Rainbow's lines—I just wrote her as I saw her. Definitely glad it worked out that way, though!
4616532
Thank ya kindly!
4616683
Yeah, the tree being gone sucks no matter how you slice it. Gotta make the most of every situation, though.
4616731
I'm really glad to hear that! I suppose it pays off to be a slow writer from time to time.
4616902
Heh, thanks, Frazzled! Glad I can consistently deliver good stories for ya.
4617116
You definitely should! In fact, the last four episodes of the season really shine in my book. Regardless, thanks for reading and enjoying it!
4617992
Thank you!
4618003
Yippee.
4618037
Granted, the spelling I used isn't as common as "Owlowiscious," but it's still an accepted variant, and I prefer it. It's a pun on the name Aloysius, and I really like that.
4618195
Heh, no doubt about that. I think the show staff would be doing a great disservice to the show and themselves if they brought it back, though. It's a very powerful moment in the series, especially because of what it signifies.
4618198
Y'know, I was worried about that while writing this. It's definitely a theme I've tackled previously—or at least it's tangential to that theme—and I started to feel like I was just repeating the themes of The Firework Lotus in a marginally different context. I don't feel like I'm a one-trick pony as an author, but I very well might be.
I tried my best to incorporate some other themes into this, and I really hoped to make it stand out with my portrayal of Twilight since I haven't really seen it done before. Glad I succeeded in some capacity for ya there, Met!
Hopefully I can wow you with the next one, eh?
4618239
Well said.
4618342
But on the flip side, it would inspire a lot of fics where Twilight destroys the new library, making some sort of point that it should never have been rebuilt.
that was awesome, have a like and a favorite
Sentence variety. It's a thing. Might wanna rephrase one of those.
Some good Spilight heart-to-heart, catharsis, and cinematic imagery equals another good read, be it a Treebrary eulogy or not.
Rainbow:
I... umm, never liked it to begin with. I told you Twilight, I don't like reading...
Pinkie:
Let's have a Library Memorial Party!! Wooo!!!
Applejack:
Wait a minute, why caynt we just grow another tree?
Rarity:
Oh! All this icky soot is going to ruin my new outfit! Oh, and I'm sad about the tree.
Fluttershy:
Oh! I hope you didn't have any mice in the walls! Those poor little mice!
Twilight:
Thanks a lot guys, ya really made me feel heaps better...
*Alondro builds a shrine to the treebrary* We can only hope the next big bad blows up that gaudy castle.
4618342
Significance: The point at which the marketing department took full control of plot development.
I primarily lament that there's going to be an ugly crystal castle playset when we never got a treebrary one.
Next, Zecora's hut gets blown up and replaced with crystal rowhomes.
Yes, I'm weeping. So what?
4619455 I'm still waiting for a badass Tirek action figure
Man, between this, chugging out my two Spike ships, and Avox's SpikexRoseluck masterpiece, it's been a great week for Spike stories.
dl.dropbox.com/u/21167245/FiMFiction/Emoticons/misc_Colgate_beam.png
4619208 We know there was a beehive that probably didn't make it.
Thanks for the reminder... *sniffles*
#savetree
4620028 All I've got to say to dat is Ah Mou!
4618037 I got to be brutually honest. That owl's name is not easy to spell.
Damnit, I'm in the middle of a tree fic too. God damnit, they will never end.
Especially if I never frickin' release mine. GRAH I NEED A DEADLINE/HELP!
4619694 The action figure where Tirek can transform into Frieza's third form?
And Ridley Scott sues somebody?
fc07.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/175/c/7/frieza__s_3rd_form_by_unowenwashere-d54mxt9.jpg
... Is it a bad thing that the first thing I thought of when I read the title was Frozen?
"Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know..."
4618595
Ponyville is hundreds of years old, according to Twilight. Her kids are going to be long dead before a tree like that one grows up.
derpicdn.net/img/view/2014/6/9/648790__safe_twilight+sparkle_princess+twilight_screencap_spoiler-colon-s04e26_twilight%27s+kingdom_spoiler-colon-s04e25_owlowiscious_explosion_whatever.png
4619704 And Mr Page just put up another Spike/Twilight (family) story! No doubt it'll be as good as The Seventh Star.
Somehow, I can definitely see this being cannon.
Nice to see one focusing on Spike at least, most of the tree stories are all on Twilight with Spike basically not effected. At least the ones I've read.
4622206 cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/500x/50338101.jpg
Now that I look at it this seems somewhat overly harsh... it's the only image I could find though.
4622553 Ah, it appears I still have some more things to learn in this wilderness known as the internet
I really liked that story. Thnx.
4621506 Except that Granny Smith was alive back then and she's still around.
And then, inside the goofy-looking castle.
"This place is... what's the word I'm looking for?" pondered Dash, tapping her chin with a hoof.
"Flamboyant?" offered Twilight.
"Fru-fru?" asked Applejack.
"Uhm... nice?" whimpered Fluttershy.
"Gaudy and gauche?" sneered Rarity.
"Lame!" declared Dash. "That was it! Totally lame!"
Spike began sobbing again and Twilight slammed her head into one of the thrones repeatedly.
In all seriousness, this is the BIGGEST thing I'm worried about going into Season 5. Given the fits and false starts to Twilight's concerns about being an alicorn Princess suddenly in Season 4, I'm concerned that what should be a MAJOR emotional impact upon Twilight and Spike will end up being glossed over in the rush to show off more shinies.
Just another example of how truly unique and iconic the Treebrary was. So many people were inspired by it. Just a few months into the series back in 2010, one could find thousands and thousands of pictures drawn by artists of it, even of every room.
There is a very notable paucity of Ponyville Castle-inspired artwork by comparison in a similar time frame. And I believe it's because the castle is anything but inspiring.
The same goes with Tirek. In both writing and art, his presence in the show has not led to anything like the instantanous explosion of NMM, Discord, and Chrysalis-inspired works. Even Sombra, as limited as his appearance and characterization were, led to far more fan works in short order. I think the funniest thing is that there may be more artwork of the Twilicane than of Tirek.
If this castle is supposed to be for ponies of all types, why is it such a harsh, cold-looking place inside and so garishly childish outside?
And now we have ANOTHER crystal castle (got one in the Crystal Empire already, ya know?), only one that doesn't even look as thoughtfully designed as the Crystal Empire's castle. The Ponyville castle throne room in this one looks pretty cold, stark and sterile considering the ponies who are supposed to be sitting there.
I can guarantee the Elves and the Dwarves would do a far better job on it. They did quite well with Minas Tirith's repairs, after all! It needs the Elves' skill with fashioning great cities of living trees and the Dwarves' mastery with 'living' stone to truly give it some grandeur and majesty. The Tree of Harmony really should have asked for Rarity's advice before spawning this monstrity.
4622691
Canterlot, the enormous and ornate city that it is, was a collection of tents in her flashback. And it doesn't change what Twilight said about how they wrap-up winter in Ponyville, and how they've been doing it like this in Ponyville for hundreds of years. For all we know Granny's probably 200-300 years old.
Well, so far this is my favorite "Farewell to Golden Oaks Library" story I've read yet. I could totally understand Spike's sadness over losing the treehouse that was his and Twi's home since they've arrived in Ponyville. The Mane 6's personalities were spot on, as was Discord's (I wished the story used more of him though).
They do have good memories of Golden Oaks, and Twi and Spike did find that picture of them in front of the library. And I am glad that Twilight admitted to Spike that she misses the library too, but she wants to be strong for the other ponies. That is just like Twilight.
I agree with the comments that replacing Twi's library with a crystal castle was a move on the part of Hasbro (the Hub's parent company, along with Discovery Communications), in order to sell stuff in the future. That's capitalism for you. But let's just wait until Season 5 starts and see how this new development goes. I know a lot of fans wondered what would happen with Twilight when she became a princess in the Season 3 ending "Magical Mystery Cure", but when Season 4 started we saw that (despite her wings and title) she was still the same adorkable egghead we know and love. Keep calm and brony on.
4623657 I saw some fan-made models, but never an official one.
I've searched several terms, but can't find an image of an official "Twilight Sparkle library", or "Golden Oaks playset", or several other combination of terms I tried.
But I found plenty of Crystal Palace playset images.
I think the Treebrary was simply too complex to make into a cheap enough toy, so they made a boring-looking castle which could be stamped out in a Chinese factory.
Loved this story! Understandable conflict, good characterization all around, and I am just a sucker for anything that involves Twilight and Spike being cute together.
The way I see it, if Twilight's wings didn't change the show, changing her home isn't going to either. I have no problem with them making this decision, although I do think the castle looks pretty stupid (It'll grow on us, I'm sure.)