This story is a sequel to Salmon Run
When the sky turns from clear to ash
And the sun fades to a distant memory
Will the birds appear in the morning?
A sequel to the story Salmon Run by my outstanding friend Mushroom. It is advised to read that story before this one, although they can realistically be read in any order. But you should still read it (it's very good).
Written in about an hour with permission from the original author as part of the Quills and Sofas Nostalgia Contest speedwrite.
Chapters (4)
This is such a beautifully written piece. I personally have struggled long and hard to give more to Salmon Run, but it eluded me at every attempt. This, though - well, damn, it seems so obvious!! It's creative and simple and works so perfectly as a counterpoint to my weird little story. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since you shared it with me. I'm so happy to see it posted <3
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awwww thank youuuuuuu Salmon Run is one of my favorite things ever it's so good! I'm glad you liked it!
This is a fantastic follow up to Salmon Run! I love that it strikes a new tone from the original, encompassing a quiet air of tragedy by asking: what if there was someone who was unable to join the migration because they physically couldn’t? Despite the unusual nature of the circumstances, it still can be understood as this profound unifying experience for all the pegasi involved. For Lightning Dust to be the one left absent from that is especially heartbreaking considering she’s already been exiled many times over from central aspects of pegasus culture.
Also I am eating up the ambiguity laced into how the story concludes. There’s so much thematically that Lightning being gone by the morning could entail, either psychologically or literally — her phantom limb sensation having transmuted into something physical, allowing her to join the thrall of the migration by any means necessary. Or, she merely got up and started walking. Regardless, it’s a devastating end knowing how much Fiddle understood, innately, the inevitability of her leaving.
I’m also wildly curious if there’s more behind the circumstances surrounding how Lightning lost her wing since it feels like something that weighs on her beyond the scope of this story. But even so, from what is expressed in this context, the tension between her feelings of loss and acceptance are tremendous.
Knowing that you’re effectively the CEO of FiddleDust, this story has made me want to get into more of your works with those two! The glimpse of their dynamic here was so sweet, and I am a big fan of unique pairings!