The Ponyville Rag

by Fernie Canto

Coda: For Now

It was cold. Winter had arrived, and Dainty moved his hooves to warm himself up.

“Nervous, sweetheart?” Steel Strings said.

“Well, a little,” Dainty said, looking to both sides of the train track.

The Ponyville Rag waited in Ponyville station, their instruments and luggage in carts. Honey Drop’s parents, as well as Steel’s parents and Hard Fiber’s mother were there to say their farewells. Honey Drop was also accompanied by the mare with the teal coat, who was now his marefriend.

“I so wish you could come with us!” Honey said to his parents. “Imagine us trotting around Manehattan, getting to know all those landmarks and those places? It would be so cool.”

“Yes, don’t worry, mom, I’ll take care,” Fiber said to his mother. “I think we’ll be together most of the time, anyway, so there’ll be no danger.”

River Mouth took a satisfied breath. In the end, it was quite a small miracle that they all managed to make this trip. Danty had to arrange it with his employer, and River had to talk with the professor in charge of the research project, which had been restarted a little more than a month before. Everything was working out.

“It’s crazy to think,” Dainty said, “we started so little time ago, and now… look at us.”

“Yeah, I know,” Steel said. “It’s amazing. And it’s gonna keep getting better, Dainty, trust me.”

“As long as you’re with me, I know it will, my love.”

They smiled at each other, and Dainty had the impression of hearing the train in the distance. The ponies on the platform started to get up. Honey Drop, Hard Fiber and Steel Strings hugged their parents and said their goodbyes.

Dainty’s heart pumped a little harder as the train screeched to a halt before them.

In memoriam Renato Rocha and Renato Russo

Force always

Author's Note:

All songs mentioned in this story are based on real songs by the Brazilian rock band Legião Urbana, to whom this story is dedicated. The songs from the setlist in chapter 8 refer to these songs:

• Is It - Será
• Almost by Mistake - Quase Sem Querer
• When the Sun Shines Through... - Quando o Sol Bater na Janela do Seu Quarto
• It's Too Early - Ainda É Cedo
• Before Six - Antes das Seis
• I Was a Teenage Werewolf - Eu Era um Lobisomem Juvenil
• Factory - Fábrica
• Seven Cities - Sete Cidades
• The Vampire Theater - O Teatro dos Vampiros
• I Know - Eu Sei
• Pony in the Lion's Den - Daniel na Cova dos Leões
• Let's Make a Movie - Vamos Fazer um Filme
• For a While Now - Há Tempos
• Chalk - Giz
• Wind on the Coast - Vento no Litoral
• The World's Been Acting... - O Mundo Anda Tão Complicado
• Twenty Nine - Vinte e Nove
• Theorem - Teorema
• Waiting for Me - Esperando por Mim
• Lost Time - Tempo Perdido
• For Now - Por Enquanto (encore)

The songs used as chapter titles are as follows:

• L'Avventura - ditto
• After the Beginning - Depois do Começo
• The Storm - A Tempestade
• A Perfect Day - Um Dia Perfeito
• Metal Against the Clouds - Metal Contra as Nuvens
• Sacred Heart - Sagrado Coração

Thanks to my friends from the SFFC for reading the story just after it was finished, and serving as beta readers and offering input. Special thanks to Meteorite Shower, for allowing me to use her character and being so supportive.

Finally, thank you for reading!

Comments

[Dashie04]

So, I guess it’s time to give my concluding thoughts.

I really enjoyed this story. It’s one of those stories I know came from a very personal place. The characters are great, and it was nice to see a band so obscure in primarily English-speaking countries (so obscure in fact, I had to rely on the Portuguese Wikipedia page and Google Translate to get a vague, but more complete idea of what Legião Urbana was like when they were around).

It’s very well-done as to actually get me interested and into a band I’d never heard of before. It’s disappointing that this story has so few views, I think you did a very good job.

[Fernie Canto]

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Well, thank you for making it all the way through the story, and for making those thoughtful comments. I enjoyed seeing your thoughts, and it's quite awesome that you went out to look for the band because of the story. I suppose I could try advertising the story in some other groups out there, but still, I understand that the appeal of the story is a bit too specific to attract wide attention. Getting genuine attention, like yours, is more important.

About the Dash thing, I just couldn't avoid including that bit, because it was just funny in my head, especially because Pinkie is super funny when she's deadpan. But this also serves another purpose, showing that Dash is the kind of pony who simply is not a fan of the band, and doesn't act like a jerk because of it. And I wanted her to have a humorous bit too, because she's amazing.

All in all, thank you!

[llulallullaby]

just wanted to let you know that ive been reading a lot of fanfic (which i dont normally do) cause im very sick and trying to take my mind off it. although there were times in this story that the pacing was slow and i got frustrated, i still found it incredibly interesting and had no issue finishing it. to me, a person who deeply loves music but has no musical training or education, it was fascinating to read about the minutiae and all the things related to music production and playing and coordinating and creating this wonderful thing we call music.

actually, because so few people seemed to have commented or read it, i was inspired to stop procrastinating making a fimfiction account so i can tell you this. as a writer and artist i know that even one person's validation can mean a lot and affect what you do next.

i don't know if it's my place to give critique, but i think you're a really promising writer, but it's your dialogue you need to work on most. this was a very emotional story and though the emotions were conveyed, when it came to dialogue it felt a little detached or disjoined sometimes. again, sorry if you were not looking for critique, i can't stress enough that this is still a positive comment.

also! i was pleasantly surprised to discover Dainty was LGBTQ (like me). i have a character too that i didn't even realize was LGBTQ+ til it made sense "in the story"

finally, thanks for introducing me to this band, i listened to a couple of tracks and i can see why you love them.

[Fernie Canto]

10928962
I apologise it took me so long to reply, as I got considerably sidetracked in the last month or so and didn't check out the site again. But I wish to thank you for the interest in the story, and reassure you that, yes, this is totally the place for critique! I can't tell exactly what you mean with the dialogue being disjointed, so I'm guessing it's just a matter of style? Either way, you're right in sharing your thoughts, and this is the right place to do it, so don't worry!

In fact, Dainty's status is something that wasn't planned, and I realised it during the writing process. I like those decisions that are spontaneous and just make sense when they hit us. When we have those moments of realisation, it's usually better to stick to them!

Anyway, thank you a lot!