Chapter 4
"So Being What We Sow When We Sew"
Written by The Descendant
Chapter 4
It had been a horror show. As Fluttershy had spun around on the turntable she realized what had happened, and she saw what she had done to Rarity. As the crowd at the fashion show laughed and jeered she had watched the unhappy form of the unicorn make her way down the runway, and she knew her friend was crushed…that she was watching the dreams of her friend die.
The next few days had been miserable. As Fluttershy watched on Rarity slipped farther and farther into despondency. Soon she had locked herself inside her rooms inside her shop, her own little private sanctum, and there had given herself over to doubt and depression.
As she went about her routines at her cottage Fluttershy found herself thinking of Rarity, not knowing what to do. She would suddenly stop, Angel watching her, and stare at nothing as a gnawing guilt tore through her guts.
The seabirds consumed much of her time, and as spring began Fluttershy found herself straining to fulfill their needs as well as those of her friends that had now returned from far away lands and awakened from their winter burrows.
As the nights became warmer she risked letting the birds outside, into an enclosure she had made near her stream. It was a large coop, one where the birds could sit and squawk and beat their quickly re-feathering wings in the spring breezes.
One bird did not join them in their new home. The smallest one, its pinfeathers giving it an odd appearance as they emerged, followed Fluttershy along as she went about her tasks, often roosting beside Angel, or even perching atop the head of the rabbit.
The presence of the little seabird was a small, if welcome, comfort. As those days after the fashion show wore on she grew more and more concerned…and the feelings of guilt tore at her more and more. As she sat before her fireplace or on the new shoots of grass, Angel and the seabird in her lap or perhaps laying and perched around her, she wished she knew what to do.
It was with immense relief that Twilight called upon her. "She's not getting better…if anything, she's worse. We have to do something, anything," stated Twilight, "We just can't leave her in misery."
So it was that as they stood outside her door, listening to Rarity lament her misfortune through the timbers, that Fluttershy looked on as Twilight implored her to come out…
"You're not a laughingstock, Rarity," implored Twilight.
"She kinda is…" began Rainbow Dash, her brutal honesty adding a disproportionate weight of anxiety. Properly shushed by Twilight the other pegasus pony made her way back to where Fluttershy stood among the group. In her presence Fluttershy felt pained, as though Rainbow's constant certainty and strength fed upon her own weakness.
"Now what do we do?" asked Twilight, not even looking up from the door as Rarity's latest tirade ended.
"Panic?" Fluttershy answered, the word arriving on her tongue by instinct.
"That's your answer for everything!" lamented Rainbow Dash, looking to Fluttershy. Fluttershy's expression fell, and as Applejack begged the group to act her eyes stayed on Dash. The judgement of her fellow pegasi was harsh, but not unwarranted, and Fluttershy felt ashamed.
Pinkie Pie mentioned cats, and Fluttershy thought of Opal. What would be her fate? Has she been fed during Rarity's descent into depression? Everything was going wrong…it had gone wrong…and Fluttershy felt her own guilt rise up again.
Twilight was looking at another door, humming as she peered through a keyhole. Fluttershy knew that Twilight was thinking…pondering, and tilted her head to watch.
The door of the workspace came open with a bit of magic, and though she felt self-conscious about entering one of the sanctums of Rarity's world without her permission or presence she trusted that Twilight was working towards Rarity's betterment, and so she followed along after the group.
Before them stood Rarity's dress, her magnificent dress, the one which would have made her dreams come to pass. Instead, it stood here on the form, untouched, incomplete, gathering dust…
"We need to show her that she was right, that she had the ability, that she does…that we were wrong," said Twilight, her head dropping in unison with the group at their mutual guilt.
"Does, does anyone know anything about sewing?" said Twilight, levitating the plans towards herself, looking over the various components and patterns planned by the other unicorn, the one whose bawling could still be heard through the thick wall.
There was a moment of pause, and Fluttershy swallowed hard. "I…I…I know a…a bit."
Twilight passed the plans along to Fluttershy, the whole group watching her as her face became red. "This…is…this is called the over design, and this symbol here tells us…that, that it is a…chain stitch, and here's an overcast stitch…" she said, gaining confidence as she spoke.
'Where'd ya' learn all this terminology, Shy?" asked Applejack, squeezing next to the Pegasus and looking over the design, fixing Fluttershy with a smile.
"I…I had a good teacher…a very good teacher," said Fluttershy, blushing once more and finding a familiar knothole in the floor to stare at, "I've had to sew…a bit…over the winter…"
At once Fluttershy felt herself filled with magic, the warm fulfilling sensation of beneficial and benevolent magic at work, and her world was tinged with purple. She looked up to see Twilight looking to her, needles and thread gathering around them, "Show me."
As Fluttershy worked Twilight looked on, the dutiful student in her catching on, copying the skills with her magic, putting them into practice. Fluttershy remembered the words Rarity had spoken, tried to copy them, "Think, think of it…like it's a song, a harmony…copy the harmony…yes! Like that…very, very good Twilight!"
"What can I do? What can I do?" asked Rainbow Dash, prancing among the group.
Applejack raced from cabinet to cabinet and to the sewing baskets, Fluttershy guiding her through Rarity's possessions with flicks of her eyes as she held pins and needles in her lips, nodding when the correct object had been retrieved.
"Seriously! What should I do?" pleaded Rainbow Dash, pacing up and down the room, her hooves impatiently clicking on the wooden floor.
As Twilight and Fluttershy worked the dress Pinkie Pie, her amazing energy evident, held various elements in place. As the gemstones were set and the beadwork and embroidery came into play she balanced them for the sewing ponies, sometimes theatrically balancing on a single hoof.
"I wanna help, I wanna help, I wanna help!" demanded Rainbow Dash, her eyes closed in impatience, her forelegs beating the floor in time with her loud implores.
At that moment, Fluttershy felt the familiar form of Opalescence brush against her, and she looked down to the big white Persian cat. Twilight saw the cat too, and Fluttershy saw a plan quickly form in the eyes of the unicorn, and soon Twilight was whispering in her ear.
As the rest of the group carried the completed dress down the stairs Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Opal stood before the open window, looking at the tree outside.
"You'll do it…won't, won't you Opal, to help Rarity?"
Fluttershy looked down to the cat as it placed its paws on the windowsill, and looked down to the ground far below. Opal looked back to Fluttershy with a fearful look in her eyes.
Fluttershy shot her a quick stare, and the issue was decided. The cat meowed in compliance, and as Fluttershy nuzzled her she began to purr. With that Rainbow Dash gathered up the cat, extended her wings, and jumped out the window to the tree beyond.
With a deep breath, Fluttershy followed, leaping into the daylight.
Moments passed, and soon the situation revealed itself. Rarity came to the aid of her beloved cat, Rainbow Dash made the grand reveal, and soon the whole assemblage stood before the dress. Rarity, her eyes wide, stuttered a question…attempted to understand how her dress, forgotten as it had been, could possibly have assembled itself.
"We all finished your dress for you!" stated Pinkie, smiling.
"Thanks to Fluttershy's freaky knowledge o' sewin'," added Applejack.
Freaky. What a word. There was nothing freaky about it, Fluttershy thought to herself, just the patience of a friend, and the hope that her own abilities were enough to repay what had been lost, to give her friend and teacher back her dream.
"Do you like it?" asked Fluttershy, recovering from a blush, her voice a song of hope.
"Like it?" asked Rarity. As she walked forward she looked the dress over, her slippers and nightgown warming in the sun. As she did she felt her shock wearing off, and a different emotion replaced it.
"Like it?" she stated in a harsher tone, letting them guess her feelings. There was no doubt in her mind though about how she felt about it…the stitches, the pleats, and the embroidery. They were the product of a friend whom had learned earnestly and honestly, a student of her own design…and it had come across marvelously.
"Uh oh, she doesn't like it…" guessed Fluttershy, her heart sinking, her eyes watering…how, how…what had gone wrong?
"No…I don't like it," said the unicorn, her head held dismissively, as the group let out an exasperated sigh. Yet, at once she recovered, "I love it!"
In the momentary jubilation that followed Fluttershy caught Rarity's eye, and a week of pain and confusion between them fell away, evaporating like the forgotten snows.
The rest of the story is known, how in a few frantic minutes the judgmental Hoity Toity had returned, and as they ponies had exhibited the dresses Rarity had meant for them to wear, the ones that she had designed for them, he became enamored with Rarity's designs.
Fluttershy looked on as Rarity returned to the magnificent figure of poise and grace, of inner beauty reflected in outward understanding of design and purpose.
"If…if you need…any, any help…making the other…" she had begun once Toity had departed. But before she had a chance to finish she was caught up in Rarity's embrace, the others joining them.
As they put the dresses away Fluttershy felt Dash's eyes on her, and she grew self-conscious. When Dash spoke it wasn't the usual cynicism, but instead something different…
"Hey, Fluttershy," said Dash, staring around the room, "Good…good job today, with the sewing, and the cat…"
"Thank…thank you!" said Fluttershy, fighting her ever-present blushing, not used to compliments from the other pegasus in their small group.
"Yeah, sure…hey, I've got something coming up…something I could use your help with, a competition. Would you…mind?" said Dash, this time it being her turn to become uneasy, to stare at the floor.
"I'd love to," said Fluttershy, smiling. "Really?" answered Dash, bolting to attention, "Great! We'll start practice in a couple of weeks or so. Thanks!"
Fluttershy looked on as Dash pranced out the door, a smile on her face, then felt the wind as the powerful pony took to the air.
As she winged her way home Fluttershy bobbed on the breezes, let herself be carried along rather than flying…more soaring than gliding, like the raptors of the wild Everfree or her seabirds. She could not stop smiling, she smiled so much that it eventually felt a strain, and Angel looked on in wonder as his mistress landed with a giggle and trotted up to the cottage.
The next day, it was the turn of the seabirds to bring about more smiles. She spent the morning looking over the biggest of the seabirds, the large one she had decided was a male, examining his feathers. She picked up the smallest, also male, and inspected him too. These two birds, the most responsive to her, seemed to be…ready.
As a small assemblage of her animal friends looked on Angel dug out the posts around the coop. At once Fluttershy dropped the far wall, the one that looked out over the meadow to the pond beyond.
There was a great rush of wings, and just shy of half the birds erupted from the coop, some stumbling as they felt freedom for the first time in months.
They took to the air, formed a cloud in the sky that swooped back and forth and called to their kin.
Of the nine other birds, six went slower, looking around them, up to Fluttershy, then took to the air.
The biggest bird and another chirped at her, tilted their heads. She tilted hers back, smiling, and soon they too were off, the two together. As they did the flock, her flock, turned to the north and were soon retreating from view over the forest and hills, to the mountains beyond.
Fluttershy, though smiling, felt the tears running down her face. She had lost half of them, and the number she had saved were not even a twentieth of the number that had fallen from the sky. These few had survived to leave her that day.
Yet, she had dealt with the struggle, and taken the pain, fear, and loss…and had carried on. Something inside her felt pride, and she blushed to no one, feeling the same as she did after the dragon had been dealt with…and as Angel slid up beside her she sighed happily.
That is when she heard the chirp, and turned to see the little bird, the one that had been most accustomed to her, drop to the ground in a roosting position, its head wobbly and unsure.
"Oh no," she breathed, and her expression dropped. She knew what was coming.
That night the bird grew weaker, and soon she was trying to feed it just as she had when it first came to her. Yet, it slid farther away as the night passed. She found no black ribbons beneath the new feathers, and as she became quiet Angel joined her as she cradled the bird in the beautifully embroidered blanket, the sequins shimmering in the firelight.
As she sang a lullaby the three of them, the pony, the bunny, and the bird slipped off to sleep as Luna's power dragged the planet beneath the moon once more.
As Celestia took the helm of their world the pony and the rabbit awoke, and the small form of the little bird lay still and cold in her lap.
Fluttershy was no stranger to death, and she perhaps more than any of her friends saw it on more regular a basis. This was her domain, the gatekeeper, guardian of life and death for her bird and animal dependants. She could not know what killed the little bird, be it sickness or ennui, but as she sewed it within the blanket the sentimental part of her rose up, and soon she and Angel were walking a sad little path through the sunlit day to where a hill rose near her cottage.
Here, atop the hill with a view of the forest, stream, and pond beyond was a little cemetery. Plain, unobtrusive, and small, it was however well kept, and simple stones marked with little names kept their secrets. Here is where animals that Fluttershy had most loved were laid out…beyond the reach of scavengers from the Everfree.
Angel dug out a spot, shaking out his paws to remove the dirt as he leapt from the grave. He laid himself out in the sun nearby, next to the grave of his predecessor. Looking to the stone he thought about how this was where he would someday rest, and he smirked as Fluttershy lowered the blanket into the earth.
He watched as she slowly and certainly filled it in. He watched as she placed the stone, etched with carefully chosen words, upon the freshly moved earth.
With a stretch he jumped up, a chill running across his back as he crossed his own eventual grave, and wrapped himself around her leg. As Angel looked to the words she read them, and he could almost feel the tiny weight of the bird…as though it rested upon his head once more.
"A bird of the sea. Beloved," she said, with a pause. The two stood there for a long moment, then turned to leave.
"It's…it's good to have ones…ones we love…friends, I think," said Fluttershy as Angel hopped down the path beside her, "It…it makes…the 'ouch'…less 'ouchy'."
That year wore one, into the summer, and to her great joy Fluttershy found Rarity more and more her friend, and soon each week they set aside time to simply be with each other. Most often this involved the spa, and Fluttershy was happy that her friend confided in her in that place. But, also, time was spent in other ways, ways Fluttershy better liked, in the woods or in the hills…and Fluttershy shared what she could of her world with the unicorn.
Just as Rarity had for her…
It was on a clear autumn day, when they sat together beside her pond admiring the golden leaves, laying on the blanket Rarity had given up, that Fluttershy handed Rarity something. Something that was embroidered and cleverly stitched…
"It's lovely," began the unicorn, "Not entirely sure…what it is though. Oh! It's the…thing!"
Fluttershy began to explain that it was a little coat, namely one that had saved the life of the small bird, if for a time, and that by extension had saved all of her birds. Rarity, she concluded, had taught her this, and as such was just as responsible as she for the preservation of the birds.
"And if you'd like it, I'd like to give it to you."
Rarity was amazed. She tried to think of something to say, about how proud she was of Fluttershy…how pleased it was to be part of saving a life. But at that moment all she could do was stare with a smile and feel the tears start.
And, in that moment, something disturbed the surface of the pond.
Fluttershy looked up, and there was a seabird…a tern, like the ones she had saved.
Soon there was another, and another, and soon a whole flock descended upon the pond. As the two looked on in amazement a few made their way up the beach, through the grass and to where they lay.
One stood before Fluttershy, tilted its head, and chirped. She replied, and knew it to be the biggest one…the one that been the last to leave her months before.
So the cycle continued, the migrations went on, and each time the flock grew larger.
North in spring, south in fall, an ancient cycle preserved. Though death would eventually claim the birds she knew their instinct to live, to find this sheltered place beyond the mountains, this place of safety with the winged pony and her kind…that would continue on through generations of birds uncounted.
Though Rarity and Fluttershy would have their difficulties, as all friends do, they too would continue on. They would always find their way here to the pond, upon the old blanket, among the lives that they touched and the scion of such.
As their lives went on, no matter how they changed, they would be there in the times of pain and fear, doubt and anger, happiness and joy, love and loss, for one another…to be there to help the other say "Ouch", if need be, and then carry on.
So it continued, the cycle of life, preserved in one sharp instant by the bond between a demure pegasus and a compulsive unicorn. And so life itself, being what they sowed when they had sewed, had found a way.
Such are the types of things that are possible when friendship is magic, and while Procer Celestia Invictus and Procer Luna Revenio continue to guide their charges across the Equestrian sky.
End.
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Holy crap! This is finally on Fim Fiction!
What a beautiful, beautiful story. Without straying from canon, it reveals new depths to the characters. I have always thought myself that Fluttershy, in her way, has to be stronger than the other ponies because she is a caregiver, and even in the magical land of Equestria that means dealing with pain, sickness, and loss . . . You have done an amazing job of exploring that side of her.
23340
I know, right?!
I only just learned about the existence of this place, so I'm slowly adding all of my stories. Hope you'll come along on the ride!
23374
Thank you so much!
That seems to be the reoccurring theme with replies to this story, people really see to like the "quiet strength" that shines through. I'm very glad that you seem to feel I captured that.
A very good story. I was particularly struck by the small details, such as Angel's predecessor's grave.
593639
I tend to insert a lot of little details and mini-scenes. I'm glad that it worked well for you!
The rest of the story is known, how in a few frantic minutes the judgmental Hoity Toity had returned, and as they ponies had exhibited the dresses Rarity had meant for them to wear, the ones that she had designed for them, he became enamored with Rarity's designs.
They should probably be the.
"I'd love to," said Fluttershy, smiling. "Really?" answered Dash, bolting to attention, "Great! We'll start practice in a couple of weeks or so. Thanks!"
Change of speaker, probably would want to start a new paragraph when Dash starts to speak.
Now for the story itself. I thought you did a lovely job incorporating the show with this story. The transitions were smooth and just flowed with ease. A few general questions that I have, 1. How did you come up with the title of this story? Did you have the title before you wrote the story, or was it an afterthought? 2. Did you have prior knowledge of sewing or did you have to learn the terms as you were writing?
Emotional wise, I was pretty calm throughout the entirety of the story until the death of the little seabird. Then it was like something drove a knife into my chest and just making my heart ache. Even more so once the larger seabird returned with the rest of the flock. My God TD, you are just too darn good at playing with my emotions. I think I am going to read Dear Idiot next since I am fairly certain that the chances of me getting bittersweet emotions would be slim.
I felt that your portrayal of Fluttershy, and subsequently Rarity, were spot on. I could see the character development in Fluttershy as she got more and more confident with her abilities.
Well done TD! I definitely enjoyed this story.
870027
It's the magic of the dragon, or what he ate that made him sick and needing to nap, that is affecting the birds and not the pegasus magic. I hope that makes sense.
I'm very glad that the characterizations came across!
Why aren't there any happy Rarity or Fluttershy emoticons?
870383
Thanks for the grammar catches, Redz.
You are entirely correct, a new line of dialogue for a new speaker should have it's own paragraph.
Smoke inhalation that contains magic, yes... that is what is wrong indeed.
I'm glad that you liked the pacing, and Rarity's comment.
871581
Yes, this all happens back before Rarity and Fluttershy became such good friends as we saw them in the first season. I don't quite see them as being close until they meet under the auspices of the Elements.
This is the first story, but certainly not the last, where I used the perytons!
871801
Thank you for the further grammar fixes, Redz. I'll get to them as soon as I can.
My idea for the title was concurrent for the pre-writing of the story. The working title was just "Sew". I thought it might be cute to use a title with all the homophones of "sew" in them, and when I wrote that line in the story I knew I had found it!
I have beed described as a very emotional writer, and I'm glad that shone through, and the characterizations as well. Wherever you read my stuff. Redz, you know I appreciate it.
874276 I agree, there needs to be a happy emoticon for Rarity and Fluttershy...as well as Applejack, and Rainbow Dash.
Hmm. I haven't decided on whether I like writing comments on your stories here verses writing comments on DA. I think at the moment, I am leaning towards DA just because of nostalgia. I think it will just come down to how many comments you have on a given site. For instance, you don't have any comments in the first chapter of That's How the Accursed Cookies Crumble here on Fimfic so I'll probably show that story some love here. Of course it truly depends upon whether or not Fimfic is being stupid with 502/504 errors.
874499
I hate these freakin' errors!
Oh, I realize I forgot to answer one of your questions... I don't sew (I barely do laundry!) but I had to "train myself" on the correct terms to get them right for this story. Like a method actor, I had to immerse myself... I'm a method writer!
A beautiful story!
Oh, and... 877033
I totally agree about the emotions. I especially think there should be a blushing/embarrassed ANYONE. You have no idea how often I'd use that.
945647
I'm sorry that I missed your comment on the story for so long! I apologize! Thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment, it means a bunch to me!
Awesome ending to an awesome story.
1468405>>1468442>>1468460>>1468475
It makes me very glad that you enjoyed this story, the second that I released in the fandom. It was meant as a character study, and I'm glad that you enjoyed it as such.
1471225
Of Fluttershy mainly, but also Rarity and maybe Angel a bit, right?
1473131
Indeed!
This is an incredibly nice story, elegant in its construction and cleverly woven into canon. The ending was quite moving in its simplicity; I wouldn't have thought Fluttershy burying a bird could make for such a stirring scene, but you pulled it off wonderfully. The whole thing is just marvelous.
Totally faved.
1535380
I'm very glad that you enjoyed it! I'm especially glad that you identified all of the subtle touched that I had hoped that I'd put into this. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment!
This story...
dl.dropbox.com/u/5331373/memes/It%27s%20Beautiful.jpg
Never before have I read such an amazing back-story for a simple fact that have only been mentioned briefly in the show. What you did here is truly an outstanding work!
Also, because I'm in the process of dwelling deeper into your head-canon (yes, it means that I'm currently in the middle of reading your other stories
), I have to commend you (once again) on the consistency of it. Even in this story, the vision of your Equestria is clearly defined. The more I read of your stories, the more I see that your Equestria is like a safe harbor in the middle of a stormy sea. Like a snow globe tossed among the pile of rubbish, Equestria is an isolated land, protected by barriers (both natural, like mountains, and magical cast by Sister Sovereigns) from the dangers lurking outside (magica vasto, the Witches and what not). I can't wait to see more if it! 
Also, Fluttershy is best pony.
1592078
It's one of the hallmarks of my works, both in this fandom and others that I've written for, that I'm able to expand upon the trivial. I'm glad that it worked so well for you in this instance!
That is very much the vision I have of Equestria... the snow globe analogy was perfect. Well said!
Yes, Fluttershy is best pony... when it's not Spike. Or Twilight. Or Luna. Or Celestia.
Your voices are amazing. I hear them in my head, and they're so right, the way you write them. They have different pacings in their speech and you convey this wonderfully. The details you add to your vision of Equestria, as well, are impressive in their nature and their gentleness- they aren't at all awkwards like some are, and they feel so organic to the way you write and to the world itself that they seem as though they could be canon- which is really how any fanfiction writer endeavors to write their additions, I should think.
Beautiful. In its sadness and its happiness, beautiful.
Write on!
1774900
Well thank you very much! What a great comment to receive! Yes, I try hard to make sure that the elements I add feel organic and right. Thanks for noticing!
Welp, I'm not at all surprised. SoL involved quite a few sads yet again. Well done.
Also, your characterizations are spot on. Fluttershy really seemed like Fluttershy. Rarity was truly Rarity. This story deserves a lot more recognition. The fact that an act as simple as burying a bird ending up being so meaningful speaks to the power of the narrative. The reader felt the pains of caring for the birds just as Fluttershy did. You are clearly very adept at reaching out and making it very easy for the reader to just be swept away into the heads of the character.
Well done, overall
1896304
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1896415
Thanks for the fixes, as per usual!
You've got me curious, CS. You've been aware of me for about eight months now, and this is my second oldest story. How would you say that my writing has grown or changed in that time?
1900896
Well, for one, you've maintained a clear style throughout. Each story you write is distinctly you. And I like that. Consistency is a good thing. That said, this definitely feels like an early work of yours. The overall emotions are the same. Lots of feels. Lots of powerful emotions. However, lots of the subtle emotions that you do so well nowadays aren't as prevalent. What I mean is that the small scenes in this didn't seem to mean as much as similar scenes mean now. They seemed closer to filler than they are now (which, is to say, a little below average filler compared to nearly no filler). But this a good thing. You had the big picture down pat, and the small things done well. It's easier to work on the small things once the big picture is down. And it's clear you've done that.
This was the first story I read before joining Fimfiction. But ever since then I couldn't for the life of me remember the name of this story or it's author to favorite it.
Now after an entire year (Where most of it I genuinely forgot about this, sorry) of searching, I can finally say
This story is awesome!
Beautiful!
2169899
I am truly sorry that I hadn't noticed your comment before! I try to respond to all the comments on my stories, and I must have missed this one. I am very glad that you enjoyed the work, and I'm glad that you took the time to hunt it down! Thanks for reading and commenting!
2496311
Thanks so much!
This is the kind of story I will share with my daughter, well when she learns to read the English language
2687211
I'm very glad that you would do so!
The story opens directly after the events of Dragonshy, as the smoke that the pegasi are clearing is the dragon smoke, hence Fluttershy's self-congratulatory smile at the beginning. I hope that clears it up.
Wow. That was beautiful. Absolutely heartwrenchingly beautiful.
As some would say, "Pow, right in the feels."
2888234
I'm very glad that you enjoyed it! This was an early work or mine, and I'm glad that it still has some power in it.
I like your idea to interweave litte details from the show into your story to convey the development of their relationship.
I think that Rarity's quote suits the first two chapters: "You'll say 'ouch'…and then carry on."
A beautiful little story.
3199951
I personally love that little aside, and I'm glad that you feel that I integrated the show well. This was one of my very first works, and I'm glad that people like yourself are still enjoying it.
I am quite confident that this is the first Fluttershy-centered fic I have ever read, and needless to say it was fantastic. While I can’t say I relate to her, I can say I understand how hard it must have been for her to lose so many birds. Particularly with the last bird, to work so hard to save them, only to lose them when everything seems to have improved must have been incredibly difficult.
I very much enjoyed the way you tied this story in with other episodes, as it definitely added to the believability ( an odd thing to say about a story about pastel colored ponies that do magic and fly) of this story in particular. Furthermore, the scene where the birds return to roost and you discuss the repeating cycle caused me to reflect on my own mortality, that life will go on even though none of us will. As always, even though you focused on characters from the actual show you did a spectacular job of keeping them in character, which absolutely adds to the piece and reflects your own skill as a writer.
The only question I am left with in this story is a minor one: You say that when ‘Angel felt a chill down his spine as he crossed his eventual grave.’ Was this merely him realizing that he too would be buried there one day, or is this a piece of folklore?
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It is both metaphorical and folkloric. It is an ancient superstition that you feel a chill go up your spine whenever someone or yourself steps over the spot where you will be aid to rest, and for Angel, who could see the clear progression of headstones of his predecessors, it is both.
Huh, that emoticon doesn't seem appropriate...
...
A simple pleasure to read interlaced with moments of actual episodes which was nice and not over the top. I liked how you managed to maintain both Rarity and fluttershy "in" character through out. *thumbs up* TD.
-Frost
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Oh, yes, characterization is really, really important to me. I'm glad that you enjoyed their portrayal.
I just realized why i put off reading some of your stories. Its because they take a toll on me. They are all deep and filled with emotional ups and downs. I have to gird my loins so to speak to start a new story of yours because at the endi will be drained in a happily satisfied way.
Hopefully im getting across the point that i love your stories, but have to pace myself.
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Not only do my stories entertain, the burn off calories and age my readers about a month per chapter.
You made me shed a few tears you bastard!
Great story, really enjoyed it! Must read all of your stuff!
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I look forward to your thoughts on my other works.
I'm beginning to notice a pattern. With each of your stories that I have read so far, the description suggests something far more mundane than what is actually there. To say that my surprise each time is pleasant would be an understatement.
On a side note, Rarity using Fluttershy's own limbs as a teaching tool via magic is a simple yet very interesting idea.
Like, fav and added to my recommendation group.
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The teaching bit comes from "hand over hand" writing that I use with the littlest kids that I teach. As an educator, I was especially happy with the teaching aspect of this work, and I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for adding this to your group!
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I hadn't even really thought about the "sad" tag... do you think I should add it?
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I'm very glad that this piece appealed to you, and that it gave you a look at one of the characters in a new light. Thanks for giving this a read and for the comment!
I love all the season one continuity. There's such a nice clear timeline.
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Thank you; I'm glad that the continuity added to the work for you. I hope that you enjoyed the piece overall.
Beautiful.