A prank gone wrong leaves the Hearth's Warming Eve preparations in ruins. The students are forced to clean up the mess while Twilight Sparkle, with the help of Rainbow Dash and Spike, tries to figure out which of her students is behind it, but when bad feelings boil over into an argument, things take a turn for the worst when the Gallus reveals himself to be the culprit and does something that will leave everyone picking up the pieces of more than just the decorations.
CW: This story deals with suicide and depression.
Cover image is cropped from: June 8, 2018 » Feitan's Profile Pictures » Canterlot Avenue | The #1 Roleplay & Social Site!
Chapters (8)
This is what I like to read, Dark and Depressing. Merry Christmas to me! And to you.
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Thanks.
One would think that mostly any flying creature would find it easy to commit suicide. All they have to do is fly high enough, slam their wings shut, and let gravity do the rest.
This is gonna be one depressing and interesting hearth's warming fic
also this reminds me of one of the stories i wrote except its about what if Gallus never stop his friends fighting and actually broke apart. this one is actually better than mine
Dang. How will Twilight explain this to Celestia/Luna, and the other leaders. And oh boy, Neighsay will have a field day with this one!
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I'd like to see you continue that one if you don't mind.
"You don't know" my ass!!!!!! You know why!
Silverstream already explained it to you from Gallus own last speech.
You lying bitch!
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Sorry, I just rewrote all of that to correct it.
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Thanks.
well it looks like the like rating is apparently not going well.
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I don't know why. I do try to polish it as much as I can. I'm thinking of either getting a proofreader or asking the downvoters what they don't like about it.
Geez, the Cemetery is right near the ocean and at the bottom of that giant tree.
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That's the entrance of it. It's spread across part of the patch of land not covered by the trees.
I’m hitting a roadblock for Chapter 4, and I’d like the audience’s help.
Warning: for those who don’t want spoilers, don’t continue reading this comment.
I’m having writer’s block on what to do with the speeches for Gallus’ funeral. I’ve already completed the speeches for both Smolder and Ocellus, but I still need help with Sandbar, Yona, Silverstream, the teachers, and Grampa Gruff. If any of you have any suggestions, I’d love to hear them.
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I haven't read the story. And for the sake of my own mental health, I won't. I stumbled upon it through notifications and got curious enough to take a look at the comment section and I found this one. Thus, I cannot comment on how polished your story is, if it requires a proofreading or an editor or whatever. What I can tell you, however, and what I started writing this comment for, is this:
It's the subject matter.
Easy as that.
You tag it suicide, death, sad, tragedy, dark, and so on and so forth, and you will have to endure a hail of downvotes. From what I can tell, that is more or less 'normal'. For some, you kill off their favorite character (or at least one they liked and did not wish to come to harm), for others you portray your subject matter in the wrong light, others still simply don't like that anyone writes about this stuff at all. The reasons are as varied as the readers. But it all comes down to the subject matter being at least partially responsible. (If not for the majority.)
I hate to be a bearer of bad news. But I have a feeling that a certain anti-creature Pony Chancellor will eventually learn of what happened.
And will use this tragedy to his "advantage". Something to do with shutting down Twilight's school for the "good of everypony". You know the gits.
And will also blame Twilight's own poor judgement of what happened. And be a "good excuse" to lose her job as the principal.
Heck, maybe Cozy Glow herself will do something heinous as well.
I agree this is what Chancellor Neighsay needs now to close the school down for good, Great writing and I enjoy the story (as depressing as it is). I wish my stories came out this good. I look forward to whatever Celestia and Luna are going to do. I think Luna is going to have them meet Gallus in the dreamworld.
Well that's just convenient, and that's a new OP magic that Luna luckily has.
I'm glad that he is going to the teachers. I know Rainbow Dash took his death hard. Can't wait to read more.
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It's a copout asspull that pretty much ruins the story. First 4 chapters really got me and made me want to cry, this chapter just fills me with disgust and dread what the rest of the story is gonna be like
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Why do you feel that way? I don't see it as much of a big deal like you do.
Gallus: Hey guys!, sorry for ruining your family holydays, let me kill myself to remedy it and cause you a permanent trauma
that was the impression of this chapter for me, just like in the show, gallus doesn't think things through
Kind of a happy ending. I liked it and finally got around to reading it. I really enjoyed it and captured the spirit of the griffons perfectly.
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Glad you liked it.
Last 2 chapters feel like a cop out. Luna can conveniently manage the dreams of the dead (why the hell would the dead ever sleep?) and everybeing gets convenient closure and resolution at the end, no need for much mourning and grieving.
Managed to read to this point
And.. such emotions.
This is a great fic eager to read more. The message it has is powerful and explains that there is help out there for those who have depression. Again a great fic, I like it
This is wholesome. But, I'm actually surprised that Chancellor you-know-who didn't show up to undermine Twilight of having a "poor student" getting killed?
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Looks like even Neighsay has standards and knows there is a time and place for his crap(which isn't now)
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Legally, Gallus isn't dead until he has been declared as such by a coroner, hence why Twilight is being careful with her words.
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Oh, don’t worry. You’ll be seeing him soon enough.
I know Chancellor Neighsay has to have heard of this by now. I know he's going to have something to say. I'm liking the story keep up the good work. I have to admit while I never liked Discord I must admit what he did here was touching.
Just finished reading this story and It was really good. (Though I wonder if the story complete because what the heck is left to say) Anyway I really enjoyed it. I really felt bad for Gallus and really wish he'd had opened up to those who truly did care about him.
All in all, amazing work.
...................................Buuuuuuuuuuuuuut
I still have some thoughts. Like a lot of them and as much as I want to speak them out now. I don't have the time and would have to do it tomorrow.
This is going be a long one that for sure, but I will say this.
I have one question to ask Gallus.
Are you happy?
Like from the bottom of your heart are you truly happy?
Enough said. Until next time
NOTE: This comment shouldn't be taken too literally as to compare it to real world, scenarios. I'm not trying to show any form of offense to people who have gone through the same situation as Gallus.
This comment is purely for the fantasy of this fan fiction and is not trying to offend the situation in any way.
I can't tell you how many times, I wanted to slap Gallus across the face for constantly attacking himself like this. I understand he was severely traumatizes after witnessing his family die, I get that it was extremely painful, but what sickens me is that he never once tried, and I mean honestly tried to see that he haves a new loving caring family right there in front of his eyes and as Tempest Shadow would say, OPEN UP YOUR EYES!!!!
I mean seriously Gallus, I get that you have been through a lot, but I can never think of a good actual reason why you could never see just how much your friends and Grandpa Gruff cared about you. You were so focus on your misery; you completely ignored all the good things you manage to gain in your life.
Your situation reminds me of Luffy from One Piece, who had to watch his brother Ace die right in front of him.
Luffy to felt great pain after losing a family member, luckily, he had a friend there to help him realize that he didn't lose everything, he still had people he cared about as they cared about him.
You and Luffy have a lot in common given your situation. The only big difference is that Jimbei was there to see Ace die, thus he knew how he could help Luffy. You on the other hand didn't have someone like that, you would have to tell someone about your problems, but you kept coming up with excuses why you shouldn't, and I for the life of me didn't know why until I finish this story.
Only after hearing you told your friends and teachers your whole story, once I finally got all the pieces in place, I finally figured out your true problem. You have a very serious case of,
SURVIVORS GUILT
What Is Survivor’s Guilt?
Survivors guilt is a particular kind of guilt that develops in people who have survived a life-threatening situation. Some survivors feel guilty that they survived when others died. Others believe they could have done more to save the lives of others. And then there are those who feel guilty that another person died saving them.
While survivor's guilt was originally used to describe feelings that survivors of the Holocaust experienced, it has also been applied to a number of life-threatening situations, including car accidents, wars, and natural disasters.
Survivor's guilt is also common in those who have survived medical traumas. For instance, those who lived through the AIDS epidemic have described feelings of guilt related to their own survival while others, including friends or family, died.1 Some cancer survivors also experience this guilt if they survive a diagnosis but others don't.2
Is Survivor’s Guilt a Disorder?
In the current version of the diagnostic manual, the DSM-5, survivor's guilt is a symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It may be viewed as one of the cognitive and mood-related symptoms of PTSD, which include having distorted feelings of guilt and negative thoughts about oneself.
It is important to note, however, that people can experience survivor’s guilt without having PTSD. They can also have PTSD without feeling survivor’s guilt.
Symptoms
The extent and severity of survivor’s guilt varies between people. Symptoms of survivor’s guilt can be both psychological and physical and often mimic those of PTSD.
The most common psychological symptoms include:
Common physical symptoms can include:
Survivor's guilt can have a serious impact on a person’s life and functioning, suggesting that further research is needed to explore effective ways to help people deal with feelings of guilt.
Regret, Rumination, and Hindsight Bias
Following a trauma, people may also experience feelings of regret. They may ruminate over the events that took place and think about things they could have or should have done that (they think) would have altered the outcome. This rehashing of the events can further exacerbate feelings of guilt, particularly if people feel that their own actions (or inactions) may have worsened the consequences.
In many cases, this rumination is influenced by what is known as the hindsight bias. People look back and overestimate their ability to have known the outcome of an event. Because they feel like they should have predicted what happened, people may become convinced that they should also have been able to change the outcome.
There are times when guilt may have a legitimate cause (such as causing an accident that led to another person’s death or injury), but in a lot of these instances, there is little or nothing that a person could do to prevent or change the outcome.
You have demonstrated the main symptoms of survivors guilt throughout this whole story. It's the main reason behind your misery.
Sure, the griffons that didn't help you, played a part in your anxiety, but it wasn't the whole. You had two major issues at play, survivors guilt and the fact that you miss your family.
Both of these issues combined only made things worse for you. And to me it only looks like that no matter what, you truly wanted to die, so you can be with your family again and forever extinguish your guilt, but after finally doing so and getting what you wanted. Deep down you regret it.
Cause now that you're dead and your friends now know the truth that you've been hiding from them, and you have no more excuses to hide behind, your eyes finally opened to what you have been blind to all this time.
Your Second Family
vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/p__/images/9/9f/Young_six.png/revision/latest?cb=20180804232751&path-prefix=protagonist
You never once consider them as such, so focus on what you lost, you literally blind yourself to what you gain. If you did, you would have told the demons in your head to FUCK OFF
and go talk to those you KNOW that cares about you.
If chasing you down in the middle of a freezing blizzard, trying to stop you from killing yourself, even after they literally agreed to stay with you at the school, and Silverstream's confession didn't show you how much they cared, it only shows me just how little you actually cared, to even try and put your faith and trust in them, all you had to do was try.
But instead, you kept making up excuses, you let your guilt get the better of you, and you kept ignoring those who loved you.
Which is why I ask you again, Gallus.
Are you truly happy with the way things turned out?
Because I believe you're going through a different form of guilt this time. Now that you know the full weight of your mistake.
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Enough said. 1jckuhn should see this, and address this onto Gallus that he made a huge mistake.
I frickin knew it! What did I tell ya! I knew Neighsay will eventually do something nefarious, and get in trouble with everybody/everypony despising him more. I'm surprised he didn't lose his job yet?
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You'll find out why I decided to go the route I did with Neighsay in the final chapter. I'm not going to spoil anything, though.
Is this the end of your story?
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One more chapter to go, my friend.
Let’s hope Neighsay and the EEA gets what’s coming to them.
This opinion may be a little bit controversial but I did not like this episode at all. I hated Twilight and Rainbow Dash in that episode because they knew it was Gallus in the first place but they pressured him into confessing, they made the other students stay behind to clean up his mess and they caused the young 6 into getting into a giant fight. I know that their hearts were in the right places, but I absolutely hated those 2 in this episode and it kind of ruined them for me. Even thinking about the episode makes me angry, it's that bad. But even though I hated the episode, I loved this Fanfic. Twilight and Rainbow Dash got what was coming to them with the guilt and I say they got what they deserved. Thanks for making this.
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Glad you liked it.
Even though Gallus acted selfishly, as far as I'm concerned, he can be understood. But his death could have been better prescribed, otherwise it looks like a very impulsive act
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Could you give a little feedback on how to improve it? Thanks!
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Well, suicide could not be shown so immediately, it was possible to show his throwing and pain without pushing through a couple of tantrums, it was possible to show his condition on behalf of gallus and that everything was very bad for him, it was impossible to show his death from the very first chapter
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And if it seems to you that I'm writing, I'm somehow not competent, then know that I use a translator