wayward_pony
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I can see why this story was an important one to create. It is giving a far firmer background to Buttercup and how her mind plays on getting back her lost foal.
The use of Buttercup's words were so strategic. She was saying so many things she'd have told her own foal as she would have grown up. However, Buttercup's 'replacement therapy' is not the healthy kind and Iron Hoof is certainly not one to question his employer's motives.
Having read previous moments with Buttercup and Iron Hoof really make this a perfect story to fill in the holes that could not be filled when Buttercup got her hooves on Rainbow Dash and scootaloo. The perfect time for a prequel!
One part here, to me, comes off to show how Iron Hoof 'does' have feelings for Buttercup. I also 'think' I'm remembering that Honey was the name of her lost foal.
It really is something to think of in coping with a traumatic loss. Unfortunately, as she has lots of bits, she can more than afford the necessary security and privacy to do what she does. Having Iron Hoof is only a plus as they platonically go well together. This despite how, most certainly, Iron Hoof wants more.
Learning the 'pattern' of Buttercup's actions when it comes to rainbow-maned, cyan-colored mares definitely shows there have been countless attempts to get back that which will never realistically be able to be returned. Though Buttercup wants that substitute.
Another matter for consideration is how Buttercup's wealth makes her one to let your guard down for. Ponies from poorer backgrounds getting the attention of some pony affluent could be a big door of opportunity.
Sadly, for Diamond, the only door she's heading for is the basement...
It is interesting to see the relationship of Iron Hoof and Buttercup. Iron Hoof, to a degree, takes some degree of pleasure from doing what he does to those Buttercup asks him to. He respects Buttercup's wishes but still gets away with some pretty cruel things.
One may wonder if it is his frustration of not having yet become the one Buttercup values most? Perhaps he is holding out in hopes that, one day, she'll give up on this pursuit and devote her time to him? If he didn't have some sort of desire for her, Iron Hoof could have easily done away with Buttercup.
The interesting thing, if I feel this right, is that Buttercup is the dominant personality while Iron Hoof is the submissive. However, as it has been noted, it is the submissive who does tend to hold all the power.
One can only wonder how Buttercup's manipulative powers came into play when going about her business efforts? Given how she is subtly breaking Diamond, I could only imagine how she was able to ascend in her industry while stockpiling the funds and items necessary for her 'replacement child'.
It's weird but the saying, "Money can't buy you happiness" has two different meanings here. This is because, for Buttercup, her money is allowing her to 'recreate' her lost foal. However, on the other side of this coin, this poor mare will never truly be her lost daughter.
Perhaps this is why Iron Hoof ends up having 'accidents' that send these ponies into the pastures beyond. He's so determined to keep the one caught byButtercup in the state she'd be able to care for her from being born until fully 'mentally' maturing. Though the 'tools' he uses to keep those his employer wishes to retain are not friendly and, well, if their mind's can't be kept in mush-state when off the table than all the hard work goes away.
I could only guess how Buttercup takes her losing a 'child'. Her PTSD must roar and she may even be a match against Iron Hoof if she let all that pain come out. However this is an unlikely situation as Iron Hoof knows what he is doing and, like any strategist, is merely biding time. Time that, he knows, will see his efforts to fruition.
What is astounding is how such drugs do exist. I know the anesthesia I got for most of my surgeries sent me into quite a place. I also can say that, before I got well into therapy, having some extra opiates around always made the world feel 'happier'.
It saddens me how easy I was to take to prescription pain killers. I had them largely in my 20s when I had my rash of kidney stones. Though I also got them prescribed later for post-surgery until those I had in 2016. By this time, hospitals found a non-addictive way to manage pain and, honestly, I'm thankful for that.
One thing I will not forget is how, when I first started on anti-anxiety meds, I found they had little effect and my suicidal ideums were almost non-avoidable. So, (un)fortunately, I still had some leftover Perkiset. Taking it made my mood improve dramatically... for a short time.
*Sighs* So, from personal experience, I do know how certain medications, drugs, etc. can be used to do what is being done to Diamond. I'm just glad I'm miles away from anything like that.
Though, as one who has gone in the door before, there is the thought of the serene rest only provided when taken in for surgery. It's fun to fight it and the way you just lull away before having zero cares in the world is truly something. Wrong but far better than feeling what it is liked to have your eyes pulled out from their sockets to be nipped at by surgical tools. :(
As this serves as a prequel, I knew the fate of poor Diamond. I think, in the entire series, they had only one successfully created reincarnation of Honey and that was with Scootaloo. However this was originally meant as a revenge plot against her real target, Rainbow Dash. It is interesting to note how, in the end, Buttercup did get what she really wanted, as did Iron Hoof, but only as a result of RD not being able to see the false-foal as Scootaloo made up to look like Honey. There was that one moment where Dash found that stray hair. The hair that showed the coat of the 'foal' was dyed cyan. However it went unthought of and Scootaloo was left being Honey forever.
Iron Hoof does have quite a soft side when not so desperately trying to please his employer. He even tried to keep Diamond from passing away. Unfortunately the trauma of losing her own foal kept Buttercup from seeing how it was her decisions that caused her to lose that which she had so wished to never lose again.
The worst part, and this is from personal experience, the more you 'lose' something the more you fight to get it back. This, in some cases, can be good. However a grieving mother determined to get back a life that was sadly taken away can only result in an endless cycle of pain and sorrow until, as mentioned above, Dash blunders and Scootaloo is made to be the final iteration of Honey's revival.
***
I wonder if a 'Time Spell' would be of any help to Buttercup? Starlight Glimmer is a master of 'Time Magic' and could quite easily help hone in on the moment Buttercup's foal sadly passed and the mother's quest to regain a child went into full force.
Perhaps there is a story in Starlight being begged to by Rainbow to help her find Scootaloo? In doing so, Starlight and Trixie would find their way into Buttercup's home and learning of the true reason Buttercup is as she is. Though I'd imagine a roused 'Honey' would bring attention that may cause Trixie to be captured.
Starlight knows the dangers of time magic but also knows that a full-on rescue mission does not bode well given what they are up against. There's also no 'rainbow laser' strong enough to fix a broken heart like Buttercup's.
So a tough call would be made on how to properly proceed. How far back to go? Go back to before so many mares lost their lives? Perhaps find some way to keep Buttercup's foal from passing away? Or just far enough to retrieve scootaloo when the opportunity was missed by Dash?
All outcomes could negatively impact the timeline. So it does allow the imagination to go wild thinking of everything Starlight may try to fix the problem through magic as Twilight would not be too keen on doing.
***
This was a good glimpse back into the tormented mind of Buttercup. Perhaps, one day, we may get a short tale of how she was up until the loss of her real Honey?
10020313
Wow, Yosh... for starters, thank you so much for the interest and kind words
You've done a substantial amount of reflecting on the previous stories and certain themes in the writing, and to that I've got to say... so awesome. I'm truly floored by this response and that you've been enjoying the stories so much
There's so much to respond to -- one thing that sticks out to me the experiences you mentioned with drugs, particularly things like sedation, and yeah... while I've not had true sedation from a doctor I've had similar experiences and studied texts as well as the reactions of others, such as my old cat as she came to from anesthesia, and there might be a bit of that in here. Drugs have the potential to be pretty scary things, as they can alter our perception and our natural reactions to stimuli.
Second thing is, yeah... some of those ideas you mentioned about relationships and dynamics are fairly spot-on when it comes to what was driving some of the ideas with the relationship between Ironhoof and Buttercup. A few places they took a different direction, though that's part of the wonder of putting something out there -- hearing and seeing how others view the work. I really appreciate you taking the time to share these thoughts.
Third, I really like your story idea. I can't say my take on that idea would be exactly the same, but I hope you don't mind me saying you've possibly given me some ideas for down the road.
Thanks again
10020468
This had been an interesting story and I did really like that this apparent prequel to the other story, explained the more of dynamic between buttercup and Iron hoof before the events of the main story. I really did like all three stories and how you managed to refine the concept behind those two monstrous characters. I would have liked to have explore the ADBL aspect of the prisoner but that would have been indulging too much into the fetish and compromise the deeper themes of the story.
10020313
You have made many interesting points on Buttercup's character and while I just see her a grieving mother that has become wholly incapable of any empathy because she places her grief of the lose of her filly above everyone's, even their lives, that is has become a form of narcissism, which sound symptomatic of a perpetually depress mare, as Iron Hoof mentions at the end of Tobogganer.
I have lived with a depress family member for years, and that created a toxic relationship that did a number in my state of mind, because, in an act of passive aggression, she would act on her first impulse to shout my self confidence just so that she could feel better about herself in a moment of petty satisfaction, or always trying to use any leverage to assert dominance over me by giving poison gifts that were used to leverage my feeling with her as well as using them as a form of apology without without actually admiring it, like a form of currency with me as to excuse her behavior to me with herself. I managed to escape from that toxic environment but it took me years to recover from the depression and get my life sorted again.
I know this analysis reveals more about myself then Buttercup, but felt that I need to explain that her untreated mental issues were obviously inexcusable and her relative luxury allowed her to indulge in her psychos depression where it ruled over her state of mind and just simply can't be reasoned or trusted, sense in her mind she got the bits and bits are law in her world
10020589
Thank you very much for your kinds words and thoughts on Making Honey.
I try (emphasis on try) to design my stories in a way that I'm hopefully not telling the audience how to feel about things, or if they come to any conclusions it's open enough for them to be able to take their own ideas and run with them. My hope is to make it more about the experience and the way the characters interact, since MLP seems to be largely built off character-driven interaction and allegories the audience might be able to draw parallels with in their own lives (or even down the road).
With that said, if anybody does enjoy my work and walks away with anything I hope it has a bit of themselves in it. Thanks again.
Peace