Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase our good deeds.
“Twilight, what happens when we die?”
Fluttershy winced as her friend dropped an entire stack of books onto the crystalline floor of the Friendship Castle’s hall. Had she asked it too abruptly? Maybe it was too soon in the afternoon to be asking such questions.
Twilight Sparkle took a moment to compose herself before speaking. She managed, if just barely.
“W-What!?”
Fluttershy shied away behind her mane.
“I just… I wanted to know what happens when we die?”
Twilight stared at her for a long moment before shaking herself.
“Are we talking about the moment of death here, Fluttershy? Or…?”
“Oh! Um, after?”
Fluttershy worried that was one another one of her silly questions. Twilight was always dumbfounded at them, and it felt bad.
Twilight frowned.
“Well, that’s… a complicated question that we don’t have a good answer to, Fluttershy. Is everything alright? Is one of your animals ill?” the alicorn asked. “You’re not sick, are you?”
Fluttershy shook her head slowly.
“Oh! No,” she assured. “None of my animals are sick, and I’m just fine. I just…”
She trailed off, searching for words that all too frequently ran away from her, searching for words that all too frequently wrestle away from her like her bunny, Angel. It was hard to describe the slight nagging sensation that had lightly tugged at her tail since she was a very small filly. Something in her life was unfinished. Of course, with her father busy at work, and her mother very anxious, she couldn’t bother her parents with such things. So she held onto that feeling of incompleteness. She held that itch like a friend’s most precious possession. But for the life of her, she couldn’t figure how to decipher it.
“You just…?” Twilight prompted, drawing Fluttershy out of her thoughts.
“I wasn’t sure if anypony knew the answer. Or if we just stop being? Do we become something else? Some other creature maybe?”
Twilight frowned, then opened her mouth to speak. She gave Fluttershy a thoughtful look, and let a minute of silence set between her and Fluttershy.
“Well, it depends on who you ask, I suppose,” Twilight said. “Everypony has approached that question in their own way. Unicorns spent years trying to find answers, only to come up with more questions. There may be something after death, but that’s something only the dead really can answer for you.” She sat down on her rump, tapping her chin with a hoof. “That said, I do know that the Ancient Pegasi used to say that our spirits joined those of our ancestors with the Celestial Matriarch. That belief is a relatively old one, though, and I’m not sure anypony thinks of it as anything more than a legend.”
“Oh,” Fluttershy said, her ears wilting. “I just wondered.”
Twilight looked at her friend for a long moment.
“May I ask what brought this on, Fluttershy? Because it seems like it was a lot more than just idle wondering. N-not that you can’t just idly wonder about that,” Twilight quickly added, waving her hoof in front of herself. “But it’s kind of a deep question that I don’t think you’ve ever come to me with before.”
Fluttershy poked her hoof at a fallen copy of Noble Truths as she gathered up her thoughts.
“Could we have been something other than ponies before we were born?” she asked, quickly hiding one eye behind her mane to escape Twilight's puzzlement.
Twilight was pensive, her face contorting when asked a challenging question. She would likely enjoy giving the answer to that one.
“Well, without giving you a whole lecture on the history of the philosophical studies of life and death, the short answer is… maybe?” the alicorn replied, a slight crack in her voice as she admitted uncertainty. “Again, like the study of what happens after death, what happens before life isn’t… exactly something I can experiment with in a lab. Believe me, ponies have been trying for ages. I may have mastered time travel, but… studying life and death and what happens before and after are… a little out of our reach. Creating new life is one of our biggest adventures. And… I’d argue that death is the start of a new journey.”
“That isn’t to say that ponies haven’t theorized about it,” she continued. “I remember reading a long time ago about a mare who was found with no memories of how she got to Canterlot, but that she was frequently quite sad. She later talked about how she had memories of living in another world, but that she was… stuck, somehow, between that world and here. Eventually, she felt that the other ‘her’ died, and she stopped having strange dreams and flashes of moments she hadn’t experienced. There’s been other cases that were documented like this throughout history. From my understanding, more often than not they involved ponies somehow knowing things they shouldn’t about ponies long dead. Or of beings of other worlds – worlds that sound a lot like the place where my Canterlot High friends live.”
Fluttershy nodded as she listened. Other beings… other worlds?
“Did these ponies say they felt like they hadn’t completed something they were supposed to?” she asked after a moment of mulling it over.
Twilight frowned.
“Oh… I’m not sure,” Twilight admitted, a blush colouring her cheeks. “I was more interested in the spells involved in researching life and death than the stories of ponies who claimed to have lived a life before. I could see if I could find you some books on the matter! I know that’s not the same as being able to talk you through it myself…”
Fluttershy trotted over and placed a hoof over Twilight’s.
“Oh, no, it’s okay, Twilight. The fact that you’re willing to just try to answer my question is more than enough. And… I’m sorry my question made you drop all your books.”
Twilight looked around her and shook her head, her horn igniting with her magic.
“I may not like dropping books, but… I always enjoy your questions, Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy had a hard time believing her, but smiled gracefully nonetheless.
Twilight started toward the Friendship Castle’s library. She’d nearly reached the crystal door before pausing. After a quick hesitation, she turned to look back at Fluttershy.
“Fluttershy. Do you feel like you were somepony before you were… well, you know, you?” she asked.
Fluttershy looked down. She’d already bothered Twilight enough for the day. Feeling like she was holding onto someone else’s dreams was an odd sensation but she was used to it.
“Oh, I… um. Don’t worry about it, Twilight. I was just thinking too much again.”
Twilight’s eyes narrowed.
“I doubt that’s the case, Fluttershy. If you need to talk, though, you know where to find me.”
“I know, Twilight. Thank you.”
Her dreams were the strangest. Some nights were filled with snippets and images of her day, of the animals she cared for, of her friends, or the mundane talk with Rarity when they visited the spa. They were happy, if anxious little dreams.
But other nights, she was plagued with a nightmare. A singular one that had been with her since she was very small. All around her, the forest was burning. She raced along, trying to escape the flames. She was trying to reach someone. Someone very important to her. Someone she couldn’t live without. There would be a loud crack as a tree started to fall, and she was never fast enough to get out of the way.
Those dreams always jolted her awake and she often found her pillow wet with tears. She once had that dream during a childhood sleepover at Rainbow Dash’s home. Rainbow had tried to comfort her after she’d pulled her out of the awful dream, right before the tree fell. Rainbow Dash had assumed Fluttershy was homesick, even though her home was just down the block.
Her recent bout with the dream came after a particularly restless experience a week before talking to Twilight. Fluttershy started questioning what she had written off as nothing more than a recurring fear. She could only connect it to her recent visit to the Ponyville Hospital, the day before the deep nightmare struck again. Rainbow Dash was there after she’d sprained her wing at Wonderbolts practice, again. That had been a little over a week ago, and Rainbow was quickly recovering. Yet the dreams persisted.
Why? Was there something about seeing her friend hurt that triggered the nightmare? Or had she missed something when she spent time at the hospital that would have brought some memories back?
After the eighth night in a row struggling with the terrible dream, Fluttershy decided she needed to find answers. Pulling together what tattered remnants of courage she possessed, she pulled on her saddlebags, left out a bowl of salad for Angel, and left to go find Rainbow.
“Rainbow?” Fluttershy called as her friend raced past, knocking a stray cloud from the relatively cloudless sky.
“Huh?” the blue pegasus called out, before performing a tight immelmann turn and zooming down toward Fluttershy. She skidded on all fours to a rather impressive stop. “Heya, Fluttershy! What’s up? Come to watch me bust clouds?”
Fluttershy shook her head.
“Oh, no. I was coming to check up on you. I know your wing is still recovering,” she half lied. Fluttershy had been worried about Rainbow’s health, but figured that her fit friend would probably bounce back sooner rather than later. “Are you feeling better?”
Rainbow shrugged noncommittally.
“Eh, working on it. I can tell my feathers are a mess from having to lay down for three days straight, and it’s still a bit more difficult to perform a barrel roll to the right than the left. But all and all I’m about back up to fighting fit!” she said with a cocky grin. “Spitfire still wants me to take it easy for a few days before coming back to practice. So I’ve been picking up extra shifts with the weather patrol, and teaching a few flight classes at Twilight’s school.”
Rainbow tilted her head to the side.
“Why do you ask? I mean, not that I mind you checking up on me and all, but usually you’re not super worried about how my wing is!”
Fluttershy flinched. Drat. Rainbow was always really good at reading her. Usually the blue mare just let things go.
“Oh… um…” Fluttershy bit her lip. “Do you remember anything odd happening when I visited you in the hospital a few days ago?”
“Uh…” Rainbow looked left then up, only to return her gaze to Fluttershy. “Nope. Nothin’. I mean, you were there when Nurse Redheart came in to check on me, but… that’s pretty normal for somepony being in the hospital. To have a nurse check on you and all.”
Fluttershy nodded. She couldn’t argue with Rainbow’s logic, and Nurse Redheart had been kind enough to remind Fluttershy of when visiting hours ended.
“What’s up, Flutters?” Rainbow asked, tilting her head to the side. “You got something on your mind?”
“Not exactly…”
Rainbow didn’t look convinced.
“C’mon, Fluttershy, it’s me, remember? We’ve been friends since we were both fillies. Is something bothering you? Twilight told me yesterday that you’d asked her kind of a weird question.”
Fluttershy groaned, covering her face with a wing. She knew that she’d asked a silly question! Of course Twilight would tell Rainbow about it! Oh, they probably thought it was so funny!
“Hey! Whoa! It’s not like that!” Rainbow said, fluttering on her wings and waving her hooves in front of her. “I think you made Twilight really excited by asking her something she couldn’t answer right away. It was all she talked about when she was showing me where to find a book on wing recovery exercises. But seriously though, what’s bothering you? Is someone in your family dying?”
Fluttershy sighed.
“No, Rainbow Dash. I just had a silly question is all. And now I’m bothering you with silly questions. I’m sorry, I need to get home to tend to the animals.”
She quickly turned and fled back to the edge of town and her home, leaving her flying friend thoroughly nonplussed.
Safely back home, Fluttershy tried to put her mind off of the nightmares and the silly questions by feeding her animal friends. She smiled as the bunny family came into her yard, looking for their meal. The black bunny and his brown counterpart finally had kits, and the babies were just getting large enough to try eating on their own.
The bunnies were wild and mostly got their food from eating clover that grew all around Ponyville. They still stopped by on occasion for a bit of alfalfa and oats. Bunny couples were especially likely to bring their kits. Fluttershy smiled every time as she watched the little baby bunnies greedily consume the sweet-tasting alfalfa she’d dried herself.
Angel hopped over to the black bunny buck, and the two began wiggling their ears as they communicated in their own bunny way. The brown momma bunny watched over her babies.
Fluttershy watched the rabbits for a long time. They often came and went the fastest of all of her animal friends. She counted herself as lucky if she got to meet the same bunnies year after year; she still loved watching them. Bunnies were very quiet creatures, only really making noises when they were upset or scared. Or when they were in love. Otherwise, they let each other know that they cared about one another with ear wiggles, body movements, and cute licks to the nose.
Fluttershy found the quiet simplicity of bunny relationships to be quite soothing. Being able to express oneself without talking made for a good life in her book.
“Fluttershy, darling?” Rarity’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
Fluttershy let out a sigh as her rabbit friends scurried off at Rarity's approach to her house. She put on her best smile. She wouldn’t want to hurt Rarity, just because the mare accidentally interrupted some much needed private time.
“Oh, hello, Rarity!” she called back softly.
Rarity trotted up to the small wooden bridge that extended over the creek near Fluttershy’s home. She paused as she watched the bunny family head back into the Everfree Forest.
“Oh dear, did I frighten them off?” Rarity asked, daintily biting her lip.
Fluttershy was convinced everything Rarity did was done with ladylike poise. Even when the white unicorn was telling someone off, she still managed to do it in such a way that the subject of her ire at least enjoyed the trip.
“Oh, no. Dinnertime was over for them, and they needed to get their kits home for an afternoon nap,” Fluttershy lied. “I… didn’t forget a spa date, did I?”
Rarity shook her head, tossing her beautiful violet mane about in the process.
“Oh no, nothing of the sort. I just wanted to check in on you is all. You see, I found Rainbow Dash looking somewhat dumbfounded earlier, and I couldn’t help but ask why she was gaping in the middle of the street. After a brief conversation...” Fluttershy somehow doubted that the conversation was at all brief. “I thought it best to come check on you. So tell me dear, is something troubling you?”
Fluttershy looked at the ground. It didn’t feel right to bother her friends with something she’d held on to for her whole life.
“No, not really, Rarity. I just have been having some strange dreams is all. Nothing to worry about.”
Rarity tilted her head and pursed her lips.
“Are you sure about that, darling? Because the way I hear it, you were asking Twilight about what comes after death. Are you certain you’re alright?”
She wasn’t certain she was alright, but Fluttershy nodded.
“Oh, yes. I just had a silly question is all.”
Rarity’s left eyebrow raised a few milimetres.
“And Rainbow has nothing to worry about you just suddenly up and leaving? Especially after you’ve been asking, oh, how did you put it? Silly questions.”
“Yep!”
Rarity didn’t appear to be convinced, her brows furrowing.
“Sweetheart, if there is something bothering you, please let us know. Twilight and Rainbow already said you weren’t at risk of losing anypony, and I know how gentle you are with your animal friends. You and I have talked at length at about how birth and death are a natural part of their lives!”
That was true enough. Rarity had come over on several occasions after Fluttershy had bravely helped somepony or another with the death of their pet. Those were never easy moments. Fluttershy had come to appreciate Rarity’s presence in those difficult times, if only because it allowed her to have the space to sob on her friend’s shoulder. She wept for the pet, and for the owner they had to leave behind.
“So if you’ve not lost anypony or any creature for that matter… what’s bothering you? Oh, I know you prefer to keep your secrets to not bother anypony, but I’m worried about you. This feels like it’s something heavier than what you’re normally equipped to bear,” Rarity said, ducking her head down to try to look beneath Fluttershy’s bangs and into her eyes.
“I’m having nightmares,” Fluttershy admitted, not quite ready to meet Rarity’s gaze.
“Nightmares?”
“I… yes.”
“Could you be more specific? I know that bad dreams can be quite distressing, and goodness knows we all have been through enough to give us all nightmares for a lifetime.”
Fluttershy shook her head.
“It’s… not like that,” she admitted. “I’ve had these nightmares for some time. Since I was little. And… they’re always the same. And when I wake up, I feel like I’ve lost someone important, and like my life has… something I was supposed to complete.”
“And you’ve been having these your whole life?”
Fluttershy nodded.
“Have you ever told anypony about them?”
“Just Rainbow. She woke me up because I was crying into my pillow at a sleepover when we were small. She thought I was homesick. I told her about the dream, but… you know Rainbow. She’s…”
“Not the most helpful listener?”
“Oh! No, not that. She’s a very good listener. Just… I don’t think this is something that she can fix. That anypony can fix, really.”
Rarity took a step forward and put her hoof under Fluttershy’s chin, gently lifting it.
“Fluttershy, you do know we’re all friends with Princess Luna, right? Isn’t she somepony that might be able to help with these dreams?”
“I didn’t want to bother her. She’s got so many ponies who she watches over! This is something I’ve had for a long time, Rarity. It’s… really not a big deal. Something just brought them back up. I think it started when Rainbow was in the hospital with her wing.”
“Do you think her being hurt is what made the dream come back?” Rarity asked, a frown lightly brushing her soft features.
Fluttershy again shook her head.
“No… I don’t… think it’s that. Rainbow didn’t get burned.”
“Burned?”
Fluttershy could have kicked herself.
“Oh, ponyfeathers,” she cursed. Or tried to, anyway. “It’s… really nothing, Rarity.”
“Darling, I highly doubt it is nothing if it’s bothered you this long. How about this: we call the girls together, you tell us the dream, and see if we can’t figure out just what’s going on, hmm?”
Fluttershy felt her stomach tighten in knots. That… sounded like a lot to put on her friends!
“I don’t know, Rarity…”
“Honestly, Fluttershy. It’s nothing. We want to help. And… well, truth be told, Twilight’s already called the girls together.”
Fluttershy felt her face warm at the thought of all the lengths that her friends were going to for her.
“Come now! Let’s go meet Twilight at the castle. Pinkie Pie is bringing cupcakes!”
Fluttershy tried her best to smile.
The cupcakes were rather tasty, Fluttershy had to admit to herself. Twilight had gathered all of their friends to listen to the content of Fluttershy’s dream. After retelling the horrible dream, her friends made various expressions that all pointed to their general confusion.
“And… you’ve felt like this for some time?” Applejack asked.
Fluttershy nodded.
“But this is the only dream you remember this vividly, and that you’ve had recurring over your life?” Twilight queried, jotting down notes on a scroll.
Again, Fluttershy nodded.
“Oh!” Pinkie’s heard popped up enthusiastically. “Maybe it’s because something happened to you at some point in your past and there was a great and terrible fire but, oh my gosh, you actually survived, but you think that you’re living in a waking nightmare?!”
For once in the evening, Fluttershy shook her head.
“Really girls, it’s… I don’t think this is a mystery that needs to be solved tonight. It’s just an upsetting dream. But like I said, I’ve had it for years. Just like the feelings like I’m missing someone important. And that something in someone’s life was left undone, but now I’m holding onto it for them.” She shrugged. “I really didn’t think it would be this big a deal.”
Applejack huffed.
“Well, I don’t know about the rest of y’all, but hearing you’ve had nightmares for eight days is kinda worrying to me. ‘Sides, have you noticed that you don’t say ‘somepony’ when talking about that feeling you have?” she asked. All eyes in the room shifted onto the orange earth pony. “What? I just noticed she said someone instead of somepony. Thought it was kinda odd.”
Rainbow Dash frowned.
“Actually, yeah. You’ve been saying that for years, Fluttershy. Huh, I guess I just sorta mentally fixed it to ‘somepony’ in my head,” she admitted. “That’s kinda weird.”
“Is it?” Fluttershy asked.
Twilight finally spoke up.
“Well… you were asking me earlier about what happens when you die, Fluttershy. I’d say the past day or so has been at least some level of peculiar. That said… I’ve searched into those stories I told you about. The ones about the ponies who claimed to remember things from before they were born?”
Fluttershy nodded.
“I remember.”
“Well, one of the common threads that they all spoke of was the feeling that something was left undone. Like they were supposed to do something, but… never did,” Twilight explained. “I’m… not sure why that’s the case, but of the books I read on the subject, every single pony said something along those lines.”
“And you said that you started feeling this way when you went to visit Dashie in the hospital, right?” Pinkie asked, bouncing in her seat. “Maybe it wasn’t something there that made you feel all weird and made the bad dreams come back, but someone?”
She stopped bouncing when everypony in the room stopped to stare at her.
“What? If all the ponies said they felt like something was missing in their lives, maybe then there’s also another pony with similar feelings that also remembers things? Like, maybe, this is like cupcakes! And the feelings you have are better with somepony else?”
“But the only pony I saw at the hospital was Rainbow Dash! And we’ve been friends for years, and she’s never felt anything weird about me,” Fluttershy protested.
Rainbow Dash coughed, “Well, funny feelings about fillies aside, no, I haven’t. But… I think you’re forgetting that I wasn’t the only one you saw at the hospital.”
“You weren’t?”
Rainbow shook her head.
“You also talked with Nurse Redheart.”
“But only for a few minutes!”
“No, no, Rainbow could be onto something,” Twilight said, sounding excited. “Maybe it was something in what the nurse said that has been triggering these nightmares for you. Do you think she’d remember your conversation?”
Fluttershy sank lower into her chair.
“I mean, it feels kind of weird to bother her.”
Suddenly, Fluttershy wished she could disappear as her friends all smiled at her. She almost would have them glare instead, as opposed to the understanding expressions they all wore.
“Darling, if it will help you, why not do it?” Rarity asked.
“I like to think confronting things head on is probably the best way to go about this sort o’thing,” Applejack added.
“And we can be with you, every step of the way, Fluttershy. No matter what happens,” Twilight said, trotting around the table to stand next to Fluttershy’s chair. “This… may not give you any answers at all, but at least it’s worth a try?”
Her friends all gathered around her, and Fluttershy took in a deep breath, drawing on their strength and love.
“Okay. I can do this. We’ll just go have a short conversation with her.”
“I can’t do this!” Fluttershy cried several minutes later as she and her friends stood in front of the Ponyville Hospital. “Let’s just forget about it and go home!”
“Oh no, sister, let’s get this sorted,” Applejack said, pressing Fluttershy’s rump with her head, physically pushing the lanky pegasus toward the door. The big, intimidating, possibly doom-holding door.
Fluttershy covered her eyes with her hooves as her friends helped her into the hospital’s lobby.
“Oh! Good evening, girls,” Nurse Redheart called out. “Is… everything alright?”
Fluttershy slowly uncovered one eye as the redheaded earth pony trotted over to her friends from the nurse’s station.
“Oh, no need to worry, Nurse Redheart. Fluttershy just has a few questions for you,” Twilight said, before lightly resting a wing across Fluttershy’s withers.
“Is she not feeling well?” Redheart asked, moving in front of Fluttershy.
She pressed the back of her foreleg against Fluttershy’s forehead. Fluttershy was fairly certain that she probably felt quite hot. None of it was related to anything Redheart could fix, though. Her heart pounded in her chest at the earthpony’s touch, and something inside her quietly rang like a bell in a still night.
Redheart jerked her foreleg away from Fluttershy’s head, and blinked a few times.
“I… I’m sorry. I was just overcome with the strangest sensation,” she said, looking the yellow pegasus over. “But… last week was the first time we’ve really spoken to one another, right?”
Fluttershy nodded, her mouth feeling extremely dry. She didn’t trust her tongue to handle the words she had at the moment, and lightly scuffed her forehoof on the cool tile floor.
Redheart herself looked shaken.
“Girls, um, unless there is something going on, I am… rather busy,” she said.
Twilight looked at Fluttershy, to the nurse, then back to Fluttershy again.
“Oh, we’re sorry, Nurse Redheart. Um, thank you for–”
“Do you remember the fire?” Fluttershy blurted out, regretting that she’d interrupted her friend.
She hadn’t meant to shout, but the words suddenly came tumbling out, sprinting over her dry tongue like a bunny running from a hawk. Her face burned at her sudden outburst, and it felt like somepony had lit the tips of her ears on fire.
Redheart’s mouth opened slightly, her eyes widening.
“The burning tree,” the nurse said softly, then shook herself. “Wait, what burning tree? I’ve never been in a fire. I’ve only rarely treated fire victims! Why do I remember a burning tree?”
Fluttershy felt her heart flutter a moment.
“Maybe it came to you in a… dream?” she asked gently.
Redheart frowned.
“A dream?” her ears wiggled in thought. “I… yes. That’s so bizarre. I have this hazy memory of a recurring nightmare about a fire, and a falling burning tree. I just thought it was stress, with how often I have it.”
“Do… you remember feeling like you were looking for someone?” Fluttershy asked shyly. “Someone important?”
“She said someone again. That is so weird,” Rainbow muttered.
“I-Yes…” Redheart admitted, sitting down. “That was always part of the dream. Someone was missing. Someone I cared about.”
“I’ve had that dream my whole life. It always ends with…”
“With a falling tree,” Redheart finished Fluttershy’s sentence. “But that makes no sense!”
She frowned, then her features softened as she looked at Fluttershy.
“Yet when I look at you, I feel… something. Like we know each other. What in Equestria is going on?” she asked, looking at Fluttershy, then each of her friends in turn.
“That’s… a really good question with a complicated answer,” Twilight admitted, looking back and forth between the two mares. “When do you get off shift, Nurse Redheart? We’ve got a theory, if you’re willing to hear it.”
Redheart had taken the theory rather well, all things considered. While that wasn’t exactly the easiest thing to hear, both she and Fluttershy agreed that something felt… very familiar about the other. They had been making time for one another over the past eight months, and Fluttershy was starting to feel comfortable with the nurse.
The nurse was kind, and hardworking, though Fluttershy sometimes listed that as part of the earthpony’s flaws as well as virtues. But Redheart had been teaching Fluttershy to step out of her comfort zone. Even if it meant working up the courage to try something new.
Fluttershy, in turn, had tried to teach Redheart how to slow down. Just a little bit. She never wanted to change the nurse’s passion for helping others, but she often worried that the mare left little time for herself. So she made it a point to try to convince Redheart to meet up for tea every weekend. Soon tea had become tea and supper. Then tea and supper and breakfast.
Fluttershy really didn’t mind though.
“I think we were bunnies,” she said one rare weekday afternoon that Redheart had taken off.
They sat together in Ponyville’s park. Redheart was lying down on a soft flannel blanket while Fluttershy rested her chin on the white mare’s back.
“Bunnies?” Redheart asked, turning her head to meet Fluttershy’s eyes. “What makes you say that?”
“You and I are always quiet together. And I remember running really fast,” Fluttershy explained. “And I think you were a boy then. I fancied you a lot.”
“Oh? I was a boy, huh? Is this just coming to you now?” Redheart teased, rolling away briefly so she could face Fluttershy.
Fluttershy blushed as Redheart shuffled closer to her.
“I just… I feel like you were important to me. The most important thing in the world. And… if we were bunnies, we must have been a mated pair,” she mumbled, ducking behind her bangs.
Redheart brushed Fluttershy’s bangs back behind her ear.
“I didn’t say that was a bad thing, dear,” she replied. “If anything, I find it endearing that you’re still thinking about this. I, for one, am just grateful that I’ve got you in my life. But you’ve always been really good with animals. So… who knows, maybe you’re right and we were bunnies!”
Fluttershy darted forward to place a surprise kiss on Redheart’s cheek.
“Well, I have always liked bunnies…” she admitted.
“Oh?” Redheart asked, pressing her forehead against Fluttershy’s shoulder.
Fluttershy blushed at the contact. This wasn’t the most intimate she and Redheart had gotten over the intervening months, but being comfortable with touch was still relatively new to her.
“Bunnies are rather quiet creatures. And I’m rather quiet! Plus, when you get down to it…”
Redheart listened intently as Fluttershy excitedly spoke about her small furry friends. Fate always felt like it worked in strange ways. Farbeit from her to question that the thing that brought the two of them together was something soft and cuddly like a bunny.
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Congrats! You get a like.
Adorable story, and I’m delighted to have played a part in its inspiration
wow great little story, its a funny thing how inspiration can turn out right ^^
This barely went in any direction that I had anticipated! I really like how you carefully coaxed it out, quicker sometimes than others. Definitely up there in the cute factor as well!
I haven't even started to read it, but that's an extremely high like-to-view ratio (27-114) so I have very high expectations.
Buddha would like to know your location.
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I'm not sure if you caught the references to buddhism that I tossed into here, or just enjoyed it because of the reincarnation theme. But I (think) that means you liked it, so thank you! ^-^
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I can think of meeting worse folks on the other side
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I liked it, emotionally and electronically with a thumbs up. Just memeing.
But could you point out which parts to look for Buddhist philosophy? I didn't really catch any overt references to Buddhism other than the reincarnation thing. But I'm definitely not an expert. I just know it started as an offshoot of Hinduism, focusing on bettering yourself and forsaking worldly pleasures throughout subsequent human reincarnations, until you eventually achieve enlightenment in Nirvana (unless Nirvana IS the state of enlightenment itself), as well as an Eightfold Path that you follow.
As a matter of fact, it felt more like Hinduism to me because it went from one species to another, but most people, including me, don't know specifically which one of the hundreds of Hindu gods is in charge of reincarnation, so I thought it would make a better joke to say Buddha.
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The funny thing is, Siddharta Gautama was probably an atheist and didn´t believe or at least care much about the afterlife.
A very good and cute slice of life story imo. Like!
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Sounds about right. I just remember the first part of his story.
He was a rich nobleman that had access to every pleasure money could buy, but he wasn't happy, so he said to himself, "I have everything money can buy, but I'm miserable. Maybe if I forsake my great wealth I'll find happiness." So he does that, he becomes poor, and even gives up food to the point that he's a stick figure, and he realizes, "FUCK! I'm still not happy!"
Then eventually that leads to a new religion. I forget how it gets there, but it does. Just a man and his pursuit of happiness.
For something inspired by a silly misunderstanding, this was pretty deep and emotional. o.o
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Sure! There's a repeating pattern of references to 4 and 8 throughout the story, which references the 8 fold path to enlightenment, as well as the 4 Noble Truths (which in its self was referenced in the title of the book Fluttershy pokes at), and the 4 marks of Buddha's teachings. I'm not Buddhist, but I find the philosophy behind it very pretty, and it highly influenced the style of therapy I use with clients at work. Honestly, most of the references were just... kinda side stuff that I was pretty sure people wouldn't notice, but was kinda fun to toss in there to see if anyone did. XD
Oh, my! One of the best things I've read in some time, Pony or otherwise.
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So you're a therapist and you use the same principles Buddhists use to let go of the world to help people let go of trauma? Is that what you're saying?
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Not so much trauma, but definitely in some cases the thoughts and feelings that come up that are bothering them. Acceptance and commitment Therapy (ACT) doesn't so much focus on the elimination of difficult feelings as much as it does trying to be present in the moment. That can be really helpful for someone who does have a lot of trauma, as trauma has a way of developmentally locking us in a moment in the past, as opposed to the present. I view it as less letting go of those feelings, because while that can help it's not realistic for everyone, but more of learning to acknowledge the source of those feelings, and to try to move onward in spite of it all.
ACT really focuses on moving toward things that are valued by the client. What things have stopped as a result of the trauma/onset of depression/onset of anxiety. How can we look at those behaviours, open up to the experience of feeling them (no matter how unpleasant), sit with those feelings, and work toward fully accepting those feelings as part of life, as well as moving toward avoiding overreacting and avoiding situations that evoke those feelings. There's a concept in ACT of allowing things to flow over you. You acknowledge the feelings as they are, accept that they are unpleasant, but also remind yourself that such things are temporary. That in our fear of pain, often we end up holding on to the things that hurt us the most, and sometimes it's best to work toward remembering what we truly want in life, and let the things that block us from getting there go.
I find it to be a fascinating mix of Cognitive Behavioural therapy, the Zen aspects of Buddhism, and humanistic therapies like Roger's Person Centred Therapy. But... honestly though I think it also is only as effective as the therapist and the client's willingness to engage in it. And it doesn't work for everyone, which is why I tend to keep a whole mess of ideas to try to best allow people the space to heal. Cause really, of all the therapeutic modalities out there, the one that time and again shows to be the most effective is being an empathetic, non-judgemental listener. And that I can do for days.
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That's really cool.
The reveal at the hospital felt electrifying. Not sure if it was due to the buildup, or the execution. But great tension at the moment of Redheart providing the other half of the puzzle. And definitely heartwarming overall.
Congratulations on hitting the top of the feature box with this. :)
Nurse/Shy is my new OTP! What a fantastic story!
The first thought that came to mind when reading the title was “we were bunnies once ... and young.”
I enjoyed this story. It is interesting that funny thing though is that I have had the song "love is a battlefield" stuck I my head ever since I read the title.
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OMG I was thinking the same thing.
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Corejo asked if that was a reference to We Were Soldiers, and uh, I did not intend it this way but there we go. Actually this entire fic has been a lot of confusing messes that somehow made a story that people enjoy! XD
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I saw your picture for your avatar and now I want to see if there's a story centered around that pictures idea. Princess Bride is one of my favorite love stories.
So... there's a little plot hole here that's common among pony fanfics involving nightmares, and that is the existence of Princess Luna. Why isn't she helping out here? It is quite literally her job to take care of nightmare-related issues like this.
Don't think I was ever a bunny.
Well, that's not a pair I've seen before.
Fascinating bit of reincarnation romance. The someone/somepony distinction was very cleverly done; I filled in the expected pronouns myself until Applejack pointed it out. The metaphysics and mystery were both engaging, and the story as a whole was a delight. Thank you for it.
This may be one of the best portrayals of reincarnation I've ever read, partially because you don't bother trying to make it something profound or even that meaningful, just them realizing that they carried something over from the lives of creatures that have died. Most people don't understand that reincarnation, in most mythoses, isn't so much about the person becoming another person, but parts of them, like their desires and their spirit and the good within them being passed onto another.
I kind of wonder if there's more that happens after this, but all in all, I think he is given a pretty complete portrayal of the concept, and it's worth thinking about.
I love this line. It says so much, so quietly.
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I tried really hard to make a lot of things just sort of... quiet I suppose in this.
Glad I finally got around to this. It was an interesting read, and just the right length. The ideas examined here are ones that can easily turn into a long and complicated story, but you explored them just enough for them to be a good framing device for character interactions. I might have wanted to see more of Redhearts reaction, but Fluttershys initial reveal was actually great.
The story itself evolves from intriguing to sweet. I find that after reading the story, the imagery of how Fluttershy and Readheart's previous incarnations died gives me an eerie feeling just when thinking about the title itself.
That may be due to the specifics of their previous deaths being unknown, but as animals in the wilderness, such a fate even in Equestria I guess oughtn't sound that unlikely.
Definitely makes me want to get around to reading that 'In Quiet Moments' (what a coincidence that it's by Krickis!)
I did feel that the relationship development between Fluttershy and Redheart was rather fast, but that was probably because I didn't see it coming, and my feelings may also be tied to having no exposure to Nurse Redheart in fanon. 'In Quiet Moments' may take care of that. Verreaux's comment certainly was helpful in seeing the narrative efficiency of the relationship's description.
... What does WWB stand for?
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Krickis' story series is titled "Who We Become", and apparently she's been working on it for a while. It was just a really funny happenstance that I was this weird combination of sleep deprived and punch drunk, and... apparently that = creativity? I got nothin'.
Here's a link to the first story in the series, called the Looking Glass.
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I highly recommend "In Quiet Moments". There's a reason why I suggested it for Seattle's Angels a while back.
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Ohhhhh, right. Actually, I should've guessed that, Looking Glass is actually one of my favorite fics. As in it's literally in my Favorites. I need to get around to reading the rest of 'em.
That was cute. Have a fave.
Well, this is interesting. I feel some of the subtext went over my head, but this was an intriguing story with a sweet conclusion.
Cute, short and delightful. I may have been there for the inception, but seeing it played out is a wonderful treat. I honestly was expecting Twilight for some reason, but that doesn’t make any sense with the unfinished business part.
Interesting on a psychological (not to mention metaphysical) level, the story actually takes its time to get to the answers. And it feels natural, every character down to Flutter’s internal narrative.
Great story Heart!
Would It Matter If We Were Bunnies?That went nowhere I expected it to. :D
Is Pinkie _also_ saying "someone" intentional? If so, I don't see it going anywhere.
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Uh... that was... uh... totally Pinkie logic and not me confusing myself by having to switch back and forth between someone and somepony.
>.> <.< >.<*
Hrm
Just read the story again, I think it needs a romance tag.
An unorthodox pairing and an unorthodox conceit, but I liked this!
In just two sentences you managed to get into Fluttershy's head and communicate it to the reader better than I've anyone see do it at any length. And you keep it up from there. Bravo.
However, I am slightly... okay, not slightly, significantly miffed that instead of a reveal the story goes "and then, suddenly, shipping". Based on the RCL interview the explanation seems to be reincarnation, but it does not mesh particularly well with the presented evidence. Or maybe my idea of reincarnation is wrong - but that's exactly why the story needs an actual reveal!
I suppose this is excusable since this is a 2-hour writing exercise, and it can be argued that what actually happened is not the focus of the story, but I'm still miffed.
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In retrospect, I should have probably fleshed that section out. One thing that I did remember from the few things I read were that sometimes feelings can follow through with reincarnation, and so I was kind of... banking on that a little bit as a wave of the hand. I... will own, however, that it was probably not the best writing choice on my part, and I'm sorry that was a little... upsetting.