It had been a long day at the boutique, and Rarity was looking forward to some well-deserved rest. Life, however, had other plans, and brought an unexpected customer with a formidable job at exactly the wrong time.
Refusing would have been the obvious choice, but Rarity sensed there was something more, and she was nothing if not a curious mare.
She wouldn't get her coveted rest, but a story about griffins told over tea seemed fair compensation for it.
Many, many thanks to Ceffyl Dwr for pre-reading and to The Masked Ferret for editing it.
This was an entry for the True Colors Write-Off round, so thanks to all the other authors and reviewers there for helping me polish this story.
Submitted to the Make Rarity Not Garbage Contest.
Chapters (1)
Touching and heartfelt, a great presentation of the fall and hopefully the rise of griffon culture through a deeply engaging lens. Thank you for this.
beautiful
8450505
Thank you for reading it. I'm glad you liked it.
8450613
Why, thank you.
I really like how the tenderness comes through in this story. You can really feel the connection between the generations of griffons and how the family ties bind them together.
Very nice indeed! Loved your Rarity -- polite, businesslike, curious and generous, as she should be -- and Gerard was a fine character on his own. And the glimpses of the griffon culture we see through him are very cool.
I'm glad you appreciated it, means I have done my job well enough
8451066
It's a theme that's dear to me, and this is the second story about it. I'm starting to think I should file them under "Old People remembering" along with Harissa. They share the same setting after all, even if the point of contact is pretty flimsy.
8452123
I have a specific weakness for Rarity, even if I don't write her often enough.
But griffons only care about bits! The show told me so!
8452209
True, but then where does Gabrielle come from?
Do your father proud Gabby.
8452733 She's just weird. Got into the catnip too often as a chick... or cub... whatever they call their chimeric spawn.
A really fantastic and self-contained story. It's wistful, but it doesn't have an annoying ambiguous ending, which many of these stories usually do, so thanks for that.
8452147 The nuances of personality and family bonds, as well as the finer details and consequences of societal growth and decay tend to be absent from a good many of the Pony fanfics which ostensibly revolve around those themes. Too often the stories treat such things with formless lumps of generalized, garishly-colored material copying the most basic and over-used amateur embroidery rather than weaving a proper tapestry of words with original design and flourishes from the creator's own mind.
I mean, how many fics start with some loser just plummeting into the Everfree for no particular reason?
By the way, this story has pleased me. You have been granted a Holy Like. *angelic chorus sings*
8452883
She'll do
8454704
I'm glad you liked it. And it's actually quite relaxing to work with straightforward stories (structure and narrative wise) every now and then.
8454177
That would actually explain the superpowers.
8455182
There can be a certain elegance in starting with an almost blank slate, when the unknown stumbles upon the young and fireworks follow.
But yeah, generally we all come from somewhere, and that leaves marks even if we aren't aware of it. It takes time to understand it, though. I mean, I started to grok it only when I entered my thirties.
Oh, that's where it came from
.
Next time add a card to the chorus, I was becoming worried I did some kind of good deed.
8455468 I was born knowing all things... the cosmos whispered its secrets to me.
It still does. I hear it right now, in fact!
What's that, Mystic Cosmic Mind Voice? The butcher knife? Yes... yes... I see. It must be done...
*begins chopping onions* It was right! This is much easier!
*sees people staring* What?
8455815
The voices seem to give some pretty solid advice.
I suggest you continue to listen to them. What could go wrong?
8456690 They agree with you too! Well, that's unanimous!
8472856
And thank you again for pre-reading.
Damn good read.
8994553
Thank you! I'm glad you liked it. And thank you for the following too
This was truly wonderful.
9335502
Thank you!
Great little story!
9796941
Thank you. It's very dear to me, to be honest.
9797892
The story or the comment?
9798644
The story, but your comment was delightful nonetheless