Ray Bradbury was a giant among science fiction writers, most remembered for his Mars stories. From Bradbury Landing where the Curiosity rover explored, to the many movies and TV shows that follow his writing, he left his footprints across many worlds. June 5 will be the 9th anniversary of his death, and I thought I’d write a small tribute to his influence on my pony hobby, as well as a farewell to the recent seasons of the show.
This is a tribute to his Martian Chronicles, where Humankind discovers a strange alien race who vanishes unexpectedly. Where have they gone? Ask the children and you will find they never left.
Golden Oak Library Picture credit to Gates McCloud on Deviant Art
Chapters (1)
First comment for the author: Ray Bradbury's Martian Chronicles was published a decade before I was born, and I had the good fortune to read some of his works in school, which hooked me on Science Fiction. It's an honor to walk in his giant footsteps.
I remember one of these stories. But in that one, the Martians had vanished long, long, before mankind came to Mars. By the end of the story, the first colonists had become the new Martians though. In a weird sorta way.
I can't remember the story's name. But it was one of Ray Bradbury's stories we read in Junior High.
The Last Spell.
or
Discords Dispair.
SNAP.
Mission accomplished. It's what we might have seen if Ray Bradbury would have written a ponyfic. I think, wherever he is on that other side, he'd smile appreciatively at the homage you've given him.
Very well done, Thank you.
(BTW, I've noticed something. Good English teachers are like crack dealers for books... Mine hooked me with The Illustrated Man ...)
I definitely caught a vintage sci-fi vibe from the story. The jaded and compromising adults with curious children. I’ll hazard to guess the The Veldt was a direct inspiration for this story.
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"Dark they were, and golden eyed"
Poorly managed by both sides I'd say, "we don't trust you so we're leaving" would have made these newcomers a lot less paranoid, ironically enough.
Something about this statement feels really disingenuous, if Twilight wants to keep her books she only has to say so.
Overall, good story, I enjoyed the mystery of it.
Heartbreaking. Although it reminds me as much of GRRM's "And Seven Times Never Kill Man", especially in the adults' initial attitudes towards the remnants.
and thats how gen 5 started
For like two seconds I thought this might be set in the Maretian universe.
My dissapoint is bigly and my day is double plus ungood.
Bradbury, eh. I always get him confused with Vonnegut.
Any ponies in Disneyland coming soon?
An excellent tribute to one of my favorite authors.
A beautiful blend of mystery, tragedy, and regret. Thank you for a lovely tribute to one of the greats of the genre.
"When we realized that this was a Ray Bradbury story and we were in the role of the Martians, we got the heck out of
DodgeAppleloosa"Apple Star gazed out into the concrete jungle, jagged fingers of alien stone and steel reaching for the overcast sky. The ruined buildings were alien in both construction and shape; the materials were made in ways lost as soon as the humans left, and the shapes were all wrong; too large, too tall, no connection to nature. She'd been told by her elders that the buildings had looked majestic and stately when the ponies had returned, but that had been in her grand-grandmama's time. Now they were just ruins, time and Equestria not liking the intruders, all shattered and listless, green overgrowth eating away day after day, year after year.
Apple often wondered where the humans had gone and why; she was glad that ponies had then been able to come back, but she wanted to see these beings that had changed the very course of her world.
"Hey Apple, wotcha wondering about?"
Apple startled and turned towards the voice, ready to run. It was only when her friend Mossy floated down with her small wings working overtime to keep her balanced that she relaxed.
"Just, ya know, thinking about the humans, where they went and why"
Mossy landed and and looked around, looking confused.
"My mum says good riddance that they're gone, cos it meant we could come back".
Apple sighed, "Yeah, I guess so".
Mossy perked up, "Wanna go see if park has anything good to eat this time?"
Apple thought about it a little, then her tummy rumbled and she smiled, "Yup, race you there!"
"Greetings, we ponies tried to craft our society to be really similar to human society. And then we blew ourselves up after bioweaponing ourselves to death. You suck. Bye."
10848219 TWILIGHT WILL NEVER SHARE HER PRECIOUS BOOKS WITH DIRTY NAKED APES WHO WILL STAIN THE PAGES WITH THEIR GROSS OILY MONKEY FINGERS!!!
The Princess of Books smites all who defile her Preciouses!
Lovely job, Georg. I grew up reading Bradbury's work, and you've done an excellent job of emulating his style, preserving the subtleties of his prose and his valuation of the unclouded perspective of children. Very sweet story, pal.
<Sniff>
Memories.
I also grew up with Bradbury and others of the time. Science Fiction was very different then.
A hauntingly beautiful tale.
Thank you so much. I read the Martian Chronicles, at 12 years old, about 51 years ago. I must still read your story but I realize that I must reread the original book to put it in the correct context that was misinterpreted as a 12 year old. I spent most of the original reading, agonizing over the name Nathaniel York where I saw it as "Nath A Niel" instead of the "Nathanial is leaving on a train" pronunciation. I was distracted.
I gotta say, I never heard of Ray Bradbury before up until this fic, so thank you for spreading word of his work! And from what ya wrote through this whole fic, it's one heck of a good read with how the science fiction was conveyed and the emotions that came with it! I hope ya didn't mind, but I just had to make a reading of this science-y fic of yours!
Audio Linkyloop!: https://youtu.be/-Mg84K7l-dY
(I don't mean to offend anyone with this comment in any way!)
10851299 So you're recording it in two days? (YouTube constantly baffles me)
This gives children of the night vibes. Instead of luna taken a group of less fortunate foals the ponies took the humans that could live safely with them.
I had heard of Ray Bradbury of course, and seen many of his works brought up in school, and even some of the titles on their own are iconic, like "something wicked this way comes" we even watched a short movie of "all summer in a day" in middle school. but I never quite connected the dots until I actually looked up who Ray Bradbury was while reading this, I had been trying to find a different story entirely that this reminded me of, it took me a while to find it and it turns out that's because it's by a completely different author. When I started reading this story it reminded me a bit of "the green book" by Jill Paton Walsh, which actually has absolutely nothing to do with the more well known Jim Crow Era green book thank God.
It's a neat little novela written from the perspective of a young girl on a emergency colonization mission, one that almost completely falls through after they discover that none of their crops will grow on the planet, except for a small portion of the wheat crop which grows resembling much of the rest of the flora on the planet, looking a bit like stained glass, things start getting desperate, and the watchful eye of the native creatures certainly doesn't help. I won't say anymore in case you want to read it yourself, it's a pretty interesting story, even if slightly mundane compared to so many other mystical and grandiose sci-fi stories that came before or since