Where Black Seas Lap the Shores of Dead Stars

by The Hat Man

Epilogue: Watching and Waiting

Star Seedling sat on a green, grassy hill in a place once called Equestria, on a planet he never thought he'd see. He leaned up against a tree - a real tree - and stared up at the night sky through the branches.

A red apple snapped from the branch and landed with a thump next to him.

He picked it up and polished it on his coat. He smiled warmly, eyes misting over for a moment as an ancient memory, still so fresh to him, bubbled up in his mind.

He thought of his friend, the pony who'd brought him this moment and every moment hereafter, and bowed his head in thanks, wishing her a good rest.

He looked back up at the gleaming ocean of stars in a brand-new sky, and he took a bite.

Author's Note:

This story is dedicated to my father, who first filled me with a love for Science Fiction, took me star gazing as a boy, and set me to dreaming about robots, aliens, and starships for the rest of my days.

Love ya, Dad!

EDIT: For the curious, I usually have a list of References in my story. Since this one has a lot I've listed them in a separate blog post which you can find HERE! Enjoy!

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Why isn’t there a dark tag?

[The Hat Man]

11904080
Good question! I'm not a huge fan of the Dark tag in general just because I think it's a poor descriptor. But when I think of "Dark," I think of something bleak and pessimistic in ways this story isn't.

Because, ultimately, it's about Rosie doing whatever she can, sacrificing everything for the one friend she ever had so he has a chance to be happy. I think that's enough to negate a "Dark" tag.

Still, I did add a few more tags to clarify the type of story, so I hope that will suffice.

Thanks for commenting!

[Herald of Opera]

11904219
Sounds like Tragedy to me.

[The Hat Man]

11904418
...Oh yeah... You know, I write them so rarely that I forgot we had a "Tragedy" tag. And considering all the references to classical Greek tragedy, that's little embarrassing.

Good note, thanks! Genre has been updated.

Edit: Actually... on second thought, I'm pulling back on "Tragedy." Rosie's misfortune is tragic, as is her having to suffer the guilt of a real Trolly Problem type of decision... but ultimately she goes the distance and succeeds, and I think, if she saw the end result, she'd be overjoyed. So, yeah, sticking with just "Drama."

[Alden MacManx]

I. Am. Impressed.

Wonderful tale. I can but admire.

And so I shall.

[The Hat Man]

11904831
Thank you, that's very kind of you to say!

(Also, nice to have a comment that's not about the fking tags, too. )

[TCC56]

Damn that was beautiful.

[The Hat Man]

11905300
No, but perhaps - in another world - her descendant.

Thanks for all these comments, by the way. It's nice to check on my story and see so many waiting to be read.

[Spade_McTrowel]

Where did the name Jason come from?
Was that a placeholder that got left, or was it intentional.
It doesn't seen a very pony name, and while the subject isn't a pony, the name seems out of left field a bit.

Also while I see the sci-fi trappings, I'm not sure of the Sci-Fi question - unless it's supposed to be the trolley problem.

Other than those nitpicks, it was decent story,
Good Luck in the contest!

[The Hat Man]

11906764
Good questions!

The planet "Medea" is named after the title character in the Greek tragedy by Euripides. She was married to Jason, the leader of the Argonauts (hence the name of the space station in orbit).

The "trolley problem" I mentioned is that Rosie is in the same situation: she could do nothing and everyone would die, or try to save at least some of them by sacrificing others, but be personally responsible for killing them. It might seem logical from a robot's perspective, but as a sapient creature, it's a huge emotional burden to live with.

Thanks for reading and for the well-wishes!

[Pen and Paper]

God damn, what a beautiful story about the lengths we go through to provide a better future for the ones we love. Rosie gradually separating herself, sacrificing each bit at a time just to try to give Seed a better life...

God damn, dude. I hope you're proud of this.