February 9
I got off to a late start again. Not only was I up later than I ought to have been playing Durak, but I had to put new batteries in my flashing light so that I could go flying. The batteries are kind of like power crystals, but they look the same when they're charged or depleted, so you can't tell by looking how much power they have left. I could take a spare set in my flight vest, just in case.
But it was worth the wait. There was a low cloudbank over Kalamazoo, and I flew right up to the base of it and zipped around in the little tendrils of cloud that were dangling down from the main body. I even made a game out of seeing how close I could get to them without touching them, sort of like when Hiccup was flying on Toothless. Unlike the rocks in the movies, my passage broke up the clouds.
I thought about trying to make a one-mare cloud drill to see if I could suck some of it down in my wake, but besides the difficulty of doing it solo, I wasn't sure how the clouds would behave, and I'd probably get in trouble if I accidentally caused a tornado, even if it was very small and short-lived.
Regardless, I hadn't really stretched my wings in a couple of days, so it was really good exercise, and it was fun just to play in the sky, too.
On my way back to campus, I zipped over Aric's house, and just for fun, I left a trail of hoofprints on his porch roof. I know I'm not supposed to land on houses, but I was sure Aric wouldn't mind—he'd probably think it was funny. Hopefully Sara would see them out her window and tell him about them.
While I was flying back to campus, I thought that if I wanted to make sure he saw hoofprints, I ought to make them on the garage roof, too, so I went back and landed right on the peak and then made a bunch of hoofprints on the side of the roof that faced his house, and when I got to the bottom of the roof I glided off and then flew up and back to campus.
The problem with getting up late is if I'm too late, the shower is already taken by the late risers, and this time was no exception: I stuck my nose in the bathroom, and there was someone already in the shower.
So I went back to my room and took off my flight clothes, then went back to the bathroom, but it was still occupied, so I sat down on the little bench to wait my turn.
It felt like longer than it probably was before the shower turned off, and I waited what I thought was a decent interval, and still the girl inside didn't come out, so I knocked politely on the door. Sometimes girls like to groom themselves in the shower, especially if they don't think anybody's waiting for a turn.
And I was in luck! Brianna opened the shower door a crack and looked around before she looked down and saw me.
I told her I was sorry for bothering her but I had gotten a late start and needed to take a shower before class if she was done. She said that she still had to shave her legs, but she could stand off to the side and do that if I didn't mind. I said that was okay, it wouldn't bother me at all, so she put on her underwear and opened the door to let me in (I could have flown over, but that was rude).
I couldn't understand why it was fashionable for human girls to shave their legs, but then fashion has never been about practicality. Most gala dresses can't be flown in, and ponies that trim their winter coats have to wear something to keep warm.
Thanks to Brianna's kindness, I made it to poetry class in time and not smelling like sweat. Conrad doesn't tell us what poet we're going to be studying beforehoof, so I never know what to expect. I think he just decides on his way to class what he's in the mood for.
That's very wise of him. A few students grumble about it, but most of them like it, too.
He came into class with his usual warm, welcoming smile, and told us that we were going to read Robert Frost poems today.
We read a poem called The Road Not Taken, and Conrad asked the class what they thought. While a few students gave their thoughts, my mind was going in a different direction than them—taking a different road, maybe. I was thinking of what Peggy had said about me and Aric and how hard it might be . . . how hard it might go for him.
What if it wasn't a happy poem, like most of the class thought? Maybe the road not taken wasn't a pleasant road? Maybe that was why nobody took it.
Frost didn't say whether it was good or bad, just that it made all the difference.
I considered keeping quiet, but I couldn't, so I raised my hoof, and after he had called on other students, he called on me, and I told him what I thought.
Then another girl in class spoke up and said that what if we imagined this poem were written by a prisoner on the way to the gallows? (I didn't know what those were, so I had to look it up later.)
I still had that thought on my mind after class was over, and I was kinda moody at dinner. It wouldn't be nice of me to cause Aric suffering just because of who I was, and the kindest thing I could do would be to put some distance between us before things got tough. But I didn't want to—what did that make me?
Christine picked up on my mood right away, and she looked me right in the eye and asked 'why the long face?' Then Sean almost choked on his dinner, and Christine started laughing so hard she almost fell out of her chair. I just watched the two of them in total bewilderment: humans are really weird sometimes.
I couldn't tell them, because Peggy said I shouldn't, so I didn't really know what to do. I sort of suffered through dinner, trying to put on a brave face, but I wound up not really having much of an appetite at all and didn't finish my food, and then I felt guilty about that, especially when no one else wanted it and I had to send it back to the kitchen.
When I got back to our room, Peggy wasn't there, so I decided I was going to go flying again. Flying helps clear my head. I didn't feel like getting clearance, so I would just stay down low. I still took my blinking light, though, just to be safe.
I followed the railroad tracks away from the center of town.
I wasn't really thinking about where I might go, and before too long I wasn't really thinking at all, just flying. I let my bad thoughts drizzle away like rain out of a cloud, falling to the ground where they wouldn't bother me any more.
I really only came back to myself when I got to the 131 Highway. There was a big bridge that the tracks went under, and I couldn't decide whether I ought to fly over the bridge and the highway, or if I should fly under the bridge, so I hovered off to the side and considered it.
Tunnels can be dangerous—some ponies have tried to fly through them and gotten killed by trains. They look big, but they aren't much bigger than the train, and there isn't any room to fly around. This bridge looked plenty tall enough, but what if I was wrong? What if I'd only seen short trains before, and there were taller trains that needed all that height?
Well, it was a silly worry, really: trains aren't very sneaky, and the bridge wasn't that wide, plus of course it was open on both sides, so I could just fly to the side and there wouldn't be a problem. It wouldn't be crowded like a train tunnel.
The important thing was that it kind of knocked me out of my funk. I got to really considering what Peggy had said—that I didn't understand what problems Aric might face.
But he did! He wasn't me, and he wasn't ignorant when it came to Earth. So as long as I took it slow and easy and made sure to let him set the boundaries, there wouldn't be any issues.
That made me a lot happier, so I zipped back to campus. I had just picked up some altitude to fly over Hoben, when it occurred to me that maybe I could spend the night with Aric again, if he didn't mind (and I didn't think he would).
When I got there, though, Winston wasn't in the driveway. I sat on the roof for a little bit, but he didn't come back, so I finally flew back to my dorm.
Peggy wanted to know where I'd been, and she said that Christine had called her and said that I looked pretty down at dinner. I said that we'd read a sad poem in poetry class and it had affected me more than I thought it would. I don't think she believed me.
I recently saw an interpretation of the Road Less Travelled that paints it as a poem about post hoc justification. The narrator states equivocally that there isn't much difference between the two ways initially; it's only after the decision is made that it becomes the road less travelled. His mind gives the choice moral dimension afterwards to explain the choice to himself, but that is in retrospect. We make our choices and then dress them in clothes they never wore in life.
IIRC the poem was written about one of the authors friends or acquaintences who was a terrible prevaricator. So the Road Less Travelled is one they're forced down because of wasting time. Mind you, I got that from a Cracked article so YMMV
Christine has been waiting, probably for weeks, for Silver Glow to show any sign of unhappiness so she can use that line. Worth it!
7096553
You can say that again. The ponies actually have living memories of beings that resemble the god of the old testament in many ways, and most of them turned out to be horribly unpleasant. Theists might have to work hard with some ponies to establish that no, really, god isn't supposed to be the villain of the piece.
Theist: But doesn't the idea of meeting an all powerful being have some appeal?
Pony: Not really. We remember what Discord was like. (And Nightmare Moon. And Sombra. And Tirek.) We don't understand why you'd want to seek such a creature out, nor spend any more time in its company than you absolutely had to.
Theist: But god just wants your love!
Pony: Um, yeah. We've meet critters like that too...
Ah, "The Road Less Traveled": perhaps one of the most misunderstood pieces of literature ever written. Still, the act of thinking about it does have its own value, so there's that.
Also, I'm genuinely amazed that it took this long for a "Why the long face?" joke to occur.
7097451 Actually, one of the most commonly used metaphors for God is "Father". Ponies should be able to understand that.
7097556 I've always read that familial, intimate address towards the god head was Jesus' rhetorical innovation in the context of Judaism. Old Testament usage was either Lord or direct address.
A couple years ago I read something that argued that the Jewish approach to god was legalistic, contractual. The Law. Christianity is about relationship, replacing earthly family with heavenly family, the Church as universal family. Thus, the address of the congregation as "brothers and sisters".
I'm starting to think that Peggy just isn't a very good friend for Silver Glow. I don't mean she's malicious, per ce, but I think Silver is too trusting a soul to have a friend who tries to pull other people's happiness down, even if she isn't trying to do so on purpose.
7097641 He is referred to as Father in the Old Testament, though very rarely. I heard this was to avoid the implication that God was like a fertility god, as was the case in many of the surrounding religions.
In any case, it just goes to show that in order communicate some foreign ideas, you need to work a bit at finding metaphors that people can understand.
7097556
A father who's never around, never sends money, does nothing for his children, and claims credit for everything? Well yes, I agree. They might understand that kind of 'father' metaphor very well.
For religious people who have been raised since birth to respect this kind of thing, and interpret itinerary only one way, it can be very hard to understand how someone who wasn't raised in that environment can not take it seriously. But those of us who weren't (which almost certainly includes Silver) find it equally hard to understand how anyone can ignore the alternative interpretations. Especially after anyone points them out.
7097680 Very true. If Christianity were to take root among ponies, it should look and sound different than it does with humans. If you walk into a pony church and it looks just like a church you'd find somewhere on Earth, that's a sure sign that they're doing a rote copy-and-paste and the message hasn't soaked in.
Isn't Christine and Silver close enough to talk about that sort of issue without fear? Christine is at least really caring about Silver if she took the time to ask Peggy about it.
Physical activities in general have that effect if you can enjoy them. It is very good for the brain.
I personally favour bicycle, but if I was Silver, I bet flying would do plenty well.
Fun fact: You can test for the remaining charge on a battery if you drop it onto a hard, flat surface from a few feet or so. A low-charge or dead battery bounces a decent amount; a fully charged battery doesn't bounce at all.
7097719 I agree; many Christians don't make much of an effort to understand where non-christians are coming from. But that goes both ways. Non-christians don't always appreciate the impact of the idea that the universe's creator, as full of wisdom and love as the ocean is of water, wants to be friends and more with every one of us.
And it would be an exaggeration to say that God does nothing. It's true that God doesn't seem interested in proving himself to humanity at large at this point in history, but he's out there if you look hard enough. I've seen enough strings of outrageous coincidences manipulating events in God's favor to strain my belief in an uncaring universe. Nothing earthshaking, nothing I would send to the New York Times, but enough to satisfy me.
7097947 Your argument makes perfect sense and I occasionally envy those of faith when they find it easier to make sense of the world.
On the other hand, from my atheist standpoint it is simply a textbook case of confirmation bias.
Problem is that you can't argue about it since there is no common ground to meet on. Well, for me at least.
I'm pretty sure that there are a number of ponies that will see Celestia's (and to a lesser degree, Luna's) doing in many everyday phenomena, because they appear all-powerful, at least as demigods. It doesn't matter if they actually are or not. They move the heavens, so why not everything else in one way or the other? Others will scoff at the idea but still exclaim 'Oh Celestia!', just as I say 'oh god!'.
I don't think it would be fun to have an ex-girlfriend who can fly. No escape!
7098047 Yeah, us religious types have to watch ourselves for confirmation bias extra carefully, because once you accept the idea that there are invisible powers at work it's really easy to start jumping at shadows and attribute everything you don't understand to either God or the Devil. The line between "statistical anomaly" and "something is going on here" is one that every person must draw for themselves.
7097661
I don't think that's Peggy's intention. She's just very worried about the (real!) problems we'd struggle with if aliens suddenly appeared. But she's just a college student, and she may not know the best way to broach those concerns with a pony. And I wouldn't sell Silver short; she's pretty perceptive, even if she doesn't really understand all the nuances of human culture yet.
Actually, reading this chapter, I started to feel a little nervous about the other side of that relationship. Aric might not completely understand what a publicly controversial move dating a pony would be. What if he gets cold feet once he starts to think about it? I suspect part of Silver's eagerness to hook up with him is a herd instinct. She trusts him, and he's the only person being openly affectionate with her. And with chapters like this one, I wonder if she's getting a little depressed and homesick since she has such a small circle of trusted friends.
7097373 I was actually about to come offer that.
I was glad to see Silver trying to Aric instead of martyr complex-ing her way out of potential relationship. Before you assume you're going to be a burden... Maybe we should ask what they think.
wild guessing: Peggy and Aric were a couple the befor Silver came to earth ...
its nice how this builds up ^^
7096035
the thing i wanted to read most ... how do ponys deal with what we were and are
7096553 I don't really remember the story of how it really went down. I actually remember that quote from the movie "Yours Mine and Ours" with Henry Fonda as Frank Beardsley and Lucille Ball as Helen North. Frank said that quote to Helen in the movie during the scene when they were walking down the aisle to get married. Frank was a Navy warrant officer so he had a very military way of doing things. While the two were walking towards the front he softly tells her "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead". The "torpedoes" were both their children giving them various looks ranging from curious disapproval to slight disgust.
It is understandable that Silver decides to take it slow. With the title of the chapter, I thought she was going to out right say her final farewell to him regarding their relationship and stay away from him with the intention of protecting him from what the naysayers may project. I am pretty sure her current decision is a wise one.
7098167
<nods> This so very much. I've been a furry for almost twenty years (and I've seen things you wouldn't believe) and after all that time it was a strange and bizarre to see a huge number of previously 'normal' people dragged into
furry-litebronydom and suddenly struggle with issues that furry has considered long since settled.A lot of them, um, really didn't seem to cope very well at first. Possibly a good model for how the general public would handle (or fail to handle) similar situations.
7097535
I was thinking the exact same thing.
7097737 DGD Davidson did a great fic a few years back about a pony Catholic Church, written from the perspective of a human missionary, and how the church has to adapt to Equestria. A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Pageant
7097947
Well, actually, in the nicest possible way... Books like 'How Cults Work' and 'Why People Fall For Pyramid Schemes' do exist, and do accurately predict, describe, and explain many of the behaviors and attitudes found in organised religion. (Which I appreciate is separate from whether god actually exists, but still.) We can also understand and appreciate the alure of the idea, it's just that a lot of atheists see it more as 'a lure', which we see as synonymous with 'big pit full of spikes'.
On the other hand... Show me a box that contains something that we cannot detect directly or by inference, and that we cannot interact with in any way, or use for any practical purpose - and I will show you a box with the least interesting thing in the universe. If you want to and can find meaning guidance and beauty in religion, then I'm happy for you and wish you the best of luck. But people also find meaning, guidance and beauty in My Little Pony - and if one of those people told you that Derpy Hooves is real and she's out there if you look hard enough, you might look at them funny.
hehehehehe
Aric is a college age male. I don't want to say we're all stupid, but I can easily see how letting Aric set the boundaries will blow up in everyone's face. When you're in college your view/experience of the world can be (and typically is) very narrow. He may understand what problems he may face / earth better, but I doubt he knows enough to safety navigate the midfield this relationship would be. I cannot imagine that anyone could know enough. Silver is just so naively optimistic, as most ponies seem to be. It is like watching a puppy eagerly run up to greet his first skunk/hedgehog. It is adorable at first, but gets really ugly really fast.
I hope everything works out and comes up rainbows, I'm just not expecting it.
7097373
Hmm, that's interesting. Taken literally, the road less taken is obvious (I've been on those roads, sometimes by choice). But of course poetry isn't always meant to have you take the literal meaning of it.
I always like the interpretation that the road less taken was a bad choice. Maybe it was a fun choice; maybe Frost came up with the poem as he was sitting at a roulette table in Vegas surrounded by strippers and slowly dying from too much partying, or maybe he looked at all his friends who had successful careers as accountants and here he was slaving over a book of poems.
Maybe that's the post hoc justification on my part. But dammmit, I'm having fun. And that makes all the difference.
7097432
You know it. If I ever found myself in Equestria, I'd be waiting for the right moment to spring that line on an unsuspecting pony.
7097451
That's the big challenge. They might not even have faith as we know it. Imagine little Twilight is curious about where ponies go when they die. So she goes to Celestia and asks, and Celestia says "the Elysium Fields," and that's pretty much the end of the conversation. There aren't really any corresponding human figures . . . although, there's every reason to think the ponies might believe there are, and try and wrangle an audience with the Pope or something like that.
7097535
Now that I'm on the other side of the pen, so to speak, I can attest to people taking meanings out of things that I had never intended.
If it makes me look smart, I'll just claim that's what I meant all along
7097661
Peggy's trying her best to protect Silver Glow in the only way she knows. Her heart's in the right place, even if it doesn't always seem like it.
7097719
It's hinted in the text that Silver Glow doesn't know her biological father.
7097737
They'd be very big on the love one another message. it would probably be the only church where hugs were mandatory.
But yeah; one only needs to look around to see how different sects of Christianity worship here on Earth. Even little stuff: Baptists say the Lord's Prayer differently than Methodists.
7097739
Yes, but one of the things that Silver (erroneously) took from Peggy's message was that she wasn't supposed to tell anyone.
7097876
How does this work? I tried it with a pair of batteries, and it seemed to be the case, although both were different brands, so that might have made a difference. I wanna know the science behind it!
7098095
Unless you tend to stay indoors, or underground (Kalamazoo has some very nice storm drain tunnels).
7098167
Yup, that's the case.
Of course he hasn't. What kind of guy thinks that far ahead?
7098555
No, but that's a fair guess!
So you're looking for her reaction when she takes a history class.
7098853
I was tempted to title the chapter "the ship founders," just to tweak Cynewulf's nose.
Silver's not willing to tear down everything she's been building because of a fear of naysayers, but she's perceptive enough to move cautiously and pay attention to the situation as it moves forward.
7099098
I might have to pick your brain some, going forward.
7098095
lordyuanshu.com/images/FF3/Partysplits/noescape.jpg?672cfe
Bit slow, but does that mean 365 or 366 chapters?
7113264
Probably not that many; I'll consolidate some chapters for spring break, summer break, etc. But almost certainly over 300.
Robert Frost!
I'm finding myself delighted by the selection of poetry this story is addressing so far. In writing a story of my own (which I really need to get back to), I put in a lot of time studying and reading poetry, and all of the poems specifcally named here have been ones that I had chosen as having special significance for my own (aside from Why did you go?, but it WAS one I'd considered). It's making me want ot get back into writing again.
There should be some journals from other people around Silver Cloud giving input to these scenes from their perspective.
And from this, I can just imagine Rainbow Dash's journal if she were an exchange student:
7278458
And now, nineteen weeks and many chapters later you know I'll never let an opportunity like that slip by.
7336720
Bit late on the reply, but have you?
7643653
That would be interesting. Some people have been asking for side stories, and maybe once this is done I'll do some.
Dear Princess Celestia:
The FAA is not awesome.
Sincerely,
Rainbow Dash
7645280
"But I thought that stood for Federal Awesomeness Administration!"
7114126
Not that many, heh... ;)
7645284
8007538
Well, what I thought back in February and what actually wound up happening turned out to be two different things.
I should have known better; my other long-runner started out as a 4k one-shot, and now has over 600k in two main stories, and multiple side stories.
Depend mostly on whether it'd do any damage before the end of its short life.
Dammit, Christine
Then again, it's a well-known fact that once too much blood goes away from a guy's brain to perform other functions a bit lower...
Yeeeah... nice try
Lazy pony is lazy.
.... just a little.
Another interesting factor Earth has to get used to, just how much destruction a pissed off, or incautious pony could really do. Single being able to create at least small tornadoes? At least she's smart enough to avoid doing it. But still, yet another note of things humans now have to deal with.
Well. she's already mentioned this, but it does make sense given what this is, just, her thoughts at the moment, and this has been weeks in 'verse since she brought it up. Another bit that I like, it makes this feel more like a journal, more 'real' that she does little things like that.
Not in the least... and now I'm just wondering how the Mane 6 would be dealing with some of this stuff, and just how long it would take for Rarity to revolutionize the human fashion world.
Like I said, not big into poetry, but damn if I can't appreciate how poetic Silver can get at times, and in just the right ways.
And then we have this insight... just.. just damn...
yeah we've all heard the poem before but, this, looking at it like this... holy damn is that just... wow.. that is one hell of an amazing, different, and yet makes perfect sense way of looking at it Silver Glow, and love how it all plays into how she's feeling right now that leads her to it. Just, ohhhh this was good.
Yes, yes they.... errr we, yeah WE are.
And another great little bit, ponies seem to be right on the cusp of tech and industrial development that leads to having more food then you really need, being able to just casually dispose of so much. At the point I doubt there are many shortages, but it's a close enough thing, no pony wants to risk it. Their society is just starting to reach the point where they don't have to worry so much, but it'll take time for those habits to break.
It is weird how that happens, something just, so random can give you just the right mental kickstart to make you get over something or find the answer.
And I love this answer, no annoying "Break their heart and make myself miserable 'for his own good'" bullshit, no coddling, treating him like he needs to be protected, demeaning him like that. Taking the mature path, realizing, this is his decision, he knows what he is doing, so.... just let him decide. And love she is realizing this, that this is not her fault at all, or her responsibility, and just willing to do whatever he feels comfortable with. Also, further reinforces how I've been seeing this, it's not some deep, abiding romance where she feels drawn to him, she just kind of likes him, and is willing to get physical, but isn't seeing it as some grand romance or great love, just something more casual and fun.
And do love how they all look out for her like this. FRIENDSHIP POWERS! ACTIVATE!
7105283 ,
The alkaline in the battery starts out as a gel, so when it's dropped, the chock wave is absorbed and dispersed, resulting in less of a bounce, but as it's used the gel dries out, thus reducing the cushioning effect.
8037926
Yes, although for all Silver Glow knows, there are meteorologists who would see it on their radar and yell at her.
Somebody had to do it.
That's very true. And she should know that, because I'm sure stallions are no different.
Silver's too easy to read. Well, ponies in general. For one, the ears almost always give them away. . . .
8048872
The funny thing is, usually Silver Glow gets pretty upset with herself when she's lazy.
She alone probably couldn't create one (not one that's destructive, anyways), unless there were a storm that already was right on the edge of forming a tornado on its own. But a team of pegasi probably could, at least with a little bit of work. So yeah, something that a bunch of ponies could do if they were pissed off at humans, and if they created it, they could probably aim it at something in particular.
There are a few things that she says more than once Just when she thinks about them, or is annoyed by them, or whatever.
I don't know if Rarity would revolutionize it (although her clothes for humans would probably sell like hotcakes, no matter how she priced them). One thing she might have a little bit of trouble with is the whole 'covering' part--I could see that being a mistake she would make.
I think that that's one of the beautiful things about poems--they're just a moment of feeling, and the reader kind of has to figure out what it means. It's like a picture, instead of a movie, I guess.
It really depends on where you are. Silver's from a small village (she hasn't said that yet), and so they're a lot closer to the edge when it comes to food. And of course, her elders remember when the food supply was even less certain, and they probably remember tough winters where they were rationing food to get them through.
Isn't it? Sometimes you're just in a lousy mood and then all of a sudden something so completely random just knocks you out of it.
Of course, he might not know what he's doing . . . but then, it's his decision, for better or worse.
Silver Glow has the best friends, and that's a fact.
Huh. That makes a lot of sense.
Now, where else but FimFiction could you go, have a story about a pony in college, and learn about why good batteries bounce and bad ones don't? This is why I love the site so much!
8050000
It's weird how you're replying to these in reverse order
btw, you just posted story comment #8050000 on the site! Hurray!
8050009
It's because I've got multiple windows open with multiple tabs open, due to the fact that I lose notifications after two days. So yeah, replies aren't in any particular order.
I wonder what the comment number at the beginning of the story was?
<does some looking>
6973536.
So that means that the users have generated about a billion comments in the last year . . . . dang!
Ever stop by woods on a snowy evening?
The road I took was neither solid nor sure
But the road I chose was the one I'd endure
I often stopped for peace of mind
To catch a passing glimpse of what I'd left behind
I had stopped to pick up the well worn rake
When I quickly discovered my mistake
I was gone for too long
And had left old snow forgotten
Yet I had not been one acquainted with the night
I have no cry to answer, yet I have not taken flight
Though the world may be caught in fire and snow
I've still got plenty of miles to go
We've still got plenty of miles to go
8073036
That's a really beautiful poem.
Actually, yes--walking through the woods in late winter, when most of the snow has melted but there are still pockets of it in shadowed places. Now it's all gone; Winter gave us one last April snowstorm but now we're onto Spring. My daffodils are coming up, and some of the trees are budding. It's always interesting to me how it seems within a couple of days the trees all go from looking bare to being green and leafy.