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Sweetie Belle2,660 stories ·1,637 members
While working in the dream realm, Luna meets with a terminally ill filly and carries out a task that never gets easier, though she has performed it countless times.
This story now has a YouTube reading by Mystery Pony Fiction with Lotus Moon as Luna! https://youtu.be/eLbNgGqroA8
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Well, that's a punch to the gut I wasn't expecting today.
i wasn't expecting it... still i liked the story.
It must be comforting for the ponies to know, that the night will ensure they get to where they need to at the end.
11483339
Exactly. I think as the ruler of the night and of the dream realm, Luna can sense when ponies, especially foals, are about to pass, as obviously she has to be really attuned to ponies’ brain activity. So, she would obviously know when the brain is shutting down and a pony is dying.
I'm not crying, you're crying! I can totally see Luna doing this and it was done great.
I noticed that Sweetie's dream had them get their cutie marks. So is this set before Season 5? Damn, we're back in the early days.
This was definitely a punch in gut. Especially when it brings to mind the loss of my sister when I was a child.
11483488
Thank you so much for the compliment! Yes, this takes place before season five.
I am not crying...
I am a strong man...
I don't cry to pastel ponies...
I swear...
I'm not crying!
You're crying!
It reminds me of a few people in this fandom in the past. Like Ninjadeadbeard, and Greyguardpony. I could have sworn that this kind of trope have been used before, yet it still feels like I am reading this kind of story for the first time.
At least she got her dreams fulfilled.
We need a lot more love like this in the world we live in...
I can just imagine Fluttershy, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo singing to Sweetie Belle a certain lullaby one last time.
Sleep now, quiet now.
It's time to lay your sleepy head.
Sleep now, quiet now.
It's time to go to bed...
11483646
Actually, I prefer the idea of Luna singing “Sleepsong” by Secret Garden. https://youtu.be/_yQpU_73Dv0
Who has ever played Spiritfarer? I cannot help but imagine Luna in that role...
Why does this story hit so hard?
11483657
Oh my stars! Just from glancing at the lyrics, I can see why!
I'm a bit torn on whether this is a sad story or not.
If "going home" is a euphemism for "ceasing to exist," then yes, it is sad. But this story seems to speak very literally of Sweetie Belle being escorted through gates and into the arms of her grandparents. Luna tells Rarity that she too, will return to them.
Are we to believe that she's lying to them? Are we to believe that these images are dream illusions to deceive and comfort them with lies? Or do we take them literally?
If Luna is a goddess, personally escorting her ponies to an eternal afterlife...escorting them home...how can that be anything but comforting?
I think it would have been more impactful with a random no-name filly, as once I read “Sweetie Belle” it jarred me out of it and felt a bit silly.
However, the idea (and execution of) Luna doing this kind of thing is very sweet, and does a good job of showing her own compassion and mental strength. That the pain of each loss isn’t lessened by time or count, but it’s worth helping anyway.
This felt pretty hamfisted, to be honest. The first sentence gives the whole thing away ("pediatric oncology"), and the rapid pacing afterward dilutes the impact. It could've been worse, but I found it way too easy to skim.
11483861
Fixed.
Having lost both my mother and father within a short time, this hits harder than I would have expected. To those that have heard the 'death rattle', you have my condolences, and I hope you never have to hear it again! For those of you who might read this who are medical professionals and caregivers who deal with end-of-life care, know that you are among the strongest people in the world!
This reminds me strongly of another fics here, one where a magical-cancelling flu strikes Equestria, and someone else must take up the bitter duty of granting a final dream to children taken before their time.
Yeah, I've lost a few friends to cancer (and other illnesses), and their parents always say that 'no parent should have to outlive their child.' That was actually also the case with my father (though that wasn't from cancer)— my grandmother said it, too.
When I had cancer myself—being the oldest one in the pediatric ward—I saw some young ones that were definitely on the verge of the death rattle. It's heartbreaking, especially when you see the parents. When you don't have the cases that look more promising, sometimes you can see in their expressions that they're just waiting for the rattle to come, and it's the kind of thing you have to just turn away from.
Anyway, good job with this; Luna serving as the Angel of Death as well as the Guardian of Dreams makes a lot of sense— I've used the idea myself. You've got a well-earned upvote from me.
11484043
Oooh I’d love to read that one! Is Luna in it?
11484021
I’m so sorry for the loss of your friends. Yes, having worked in a nursing home for a while, I can tell you that once you’ve heard the death rattle, you will never be able to forget that sound, it stays with you forever. I remember coming into work one day and hearing that sound as I entered a lady’s room. It was so weird because it seemed so loud in that little room that my ears rang after I left. I can’t imagine the heartbreak of having to hear that sound coming from a child. I have so much respect for all healthcare professionals, but especially those who work in pediatric oncology and pediatric hospice/palliative care; those people are angels. Congratulations on beating cancer! You are a warrior.
11484021
I’m so sorry for the loss of your parents. Yes, having worked in a nursing home for a while, I can tell you that once you’ve heard the death rattle, you will never be able to forget that sound, it stays with you forever. I remember coming into work one day and hearing that sound as I entered a lady’s room. It was so weird because it seemed so loud in that little room that my ears rang after I left. I can’t imagine the heartbreak of having to hear that sound coming from a child.
11484043
Do you have the link to that story? I would love to read it!
11484080
I thought you'd ask, so I went looking for it - the hard way. I knew I'd bookmarked it, and it featured Humans in Equestria, so it had to be somewhere in that 800+ bookmarks I had on that topic. :)
It's part of the Xenophilia series by SpinelStride - Xenophilia: The Blank Plague. Be warned, it's heartbreaking.
https://www.fimfiction.net/story/121432/xenophilia-the-blank-plague
11484091
Wow, thank you! Also, am I going to hell for bursting out laughing at the part where Big Mac just suddenly went “Ayyup”?😂I feel terrible lmaoo
11484096
No. We have to laugh in the face of the darkness, or we'd go mad. I know that.
My mother went from pancreatic cancer, my father from bladder cancer, my SO from synovial cell sarcoma. I lost a best friend from a massive heart attack, and friends in combat from the first two Gulf Wars and Afghanistan.
If you can't find those painful smiles in the dark, you'll go mad. And those who love you wouldn't want that.
And however much it hurts, there is beauty in that final night.
11484114
Wow, I am so sorry for your losses. Thank you for your service.
Man, this really hit the feels.
11483953
I wasn't asking for it to be fixed, but okay...
An absolutely indescribably outstanding story! Im at a loss for words. Not many things make me cry easily but you have managed to through the poetic, magnificently heartbreaking yet staggeringly beautiful writing done here.
A true masterpiece!
11483657
I’m not crying, your crying
Vulkan I need the hug now
11484114
Thank you for your service
From an NJROTC senior cadet
O7
11484114
Agreed to that my friend.
Even those few smiles can help you get though a lifetime of darkness
11484385
Great story my friend
https://www.icegif.com/wp-content/uploads/clapping-icegif-10.gif
11484385
Holy cow that sounds like Luna.
Cool concept, very bittersweet and heartwarming. I think the pacing would have benefitted from it being a bit longer, since events go by so quickly, but it's well written. Is it implied that Sweetie Belle knew she was dying at the end of the dream? Might just be me but I couldn't tell.
11485253
Okay, so basically, no, Sweetie did not know she was dying until that little lapse in the dreamscape. When she asked Luna if she was about to go home, she was actually asking if she was dying.
I couldn't bring myself to read it. Seeing little Sweetie Belle pass away is just too much.
Have an upvote anyway.
11485373
Thank you! Also, oh my god, your username 💀😂
11483714
In the spirit of this story, I actually recorded myself singing this song. Definitely one of the most emotionally difficult recordings I’ve made. I hope this captures the essence of the story. https://www.smule.com/sing-recording/116154341_4558861165
No matter how young or old you are, you're still mortal. Though our time may be short on this Earth, the memories we make will last forever.
I have now recorded reading this for a Audiobook version to come soon.
Damn. This is one of the most bittersweet things I've ever read.
Death, especially the death of a small child, is always painful.
But the idea of there being an angel of death who can make going over to the other side less painful is just...
*sob
And the song just...fits so well.
This was a masterpiece, and I congratulate you for carefully handling the subject.
Featuring Lotus Moon as the voice of Luna.