The Mare in the High Castle

by ponichaeism

APPENDIX: "Something Unnatural", the complete lyrics

"SOMETHING UNNATURAL"

A power ballad in the style of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" by Sir Elton John and "Eternal Flame" by the Bangles.

---

[FAYTON]

It's something unnatural, and it makes me shake

Oh, I know it's wrong, and it makes me quake

On the day I first took wing, I was told it was my duty

To uphold the natural order, which has a kind of beauty

The stars in the firmament, and the moon up in heaven

The way things ought to be, in such pure perfection

Now I don't know where to go, all I see is blue yonder

Lost with no direction home, and so I'm left to ponder

As the sun burns my feathers, the thoughts twist my mind

It's all I can do to stay aloft, because I'm flying blind

Why do I feel like the evenstar has been struck blind

By the harsh, unwanted glare of sunlight?

How will the stars guide my voyage across the firmament

If the sun consumes and devours the night?

Tell me how to go on, when I feel in my heart of hearts

A sensation so heavy I can't take flight?

And how can I fight these feelings dwelling inside me

Feelings of such sweet, joyous delight?

It's something unnatural, and it makes me sway

Oh, I know it's wrong, but it won't let me get away

Flying high, I head for the stars, wanting to break free

But I'm trapped in the world, part of the cosmic orrery

Reaching the limits of my flight, I fall to the ground

The thoughts take control, and now I'm earthbound

I just want to fly away and leave these thoughts behind

Spread my wings and soar away from this life confined

By thoughts that disgust me, thoughts that make me ill

But they've taken hold so firm, of the reins of my will

Why do I feel like the evenstar has been struck blind

By the harsh, unwanted glare of sunlight?

How will the stars guide my voyage across the firmament

If the sun consumes and devours the night?

Tell me how to go on, when I feel in my heart of hearts

A sensation so heavy I can't take flight?

And how can I fight these feelings dwelling inside me

Feelings of such sweet, joyous delight?

It's something unnatural, and it makes me shout

Oh, I know it's wrong, but it won't let me out

Earthbound, I raise my eyes to look for the evenstar

It makes me sick to see that it's fixed above your door

Is it the trade winds or destiny, or is it just my heart

That binds me to the earth, so we will never be apart?

To break gravity's pull, two wings must work in tandem

Birds of a feather flock together, or misfortune strikes them

Going off in all directions, like gears that cannot turn

Nature made us separate for reasons we can't learn

So why must I burn myself, and others with this desire?

This blazing conflagration, a blemish like the fire

Of the sun, the destroyer, that hangs in the sky above

Why must I be the doomed one, doomed to feel this love?

Why do I feel like the evenstar has been struck blind

By the harsh, unwanted glare of sunlight?

How will the stars guide my voyage across the firmament

If the sun consumes and devours the night?

Tell me how to go on, when I feel in my heart of hearts

A sensation so heavy I can't take flight?

And how can I fight these feelings dwelling inside me

Feelings of such sweet, joyous delight?

It's something unnatural, and it makes me shiver

Oh, I know it's wrong....

Yes, yes, I know it's wrong!

Oooh, I know it's wrong....but I'm in love with River

She's something unnatural, and she makes me shiver

And I know it's wrong....but I'm in love with River!

Comments

[Midnight Maniac]

5062705 Hm...

In the front, her driver was listening raptly to the radio. "....look all around us," one of the characters said over the sound of a tropical jungle. "Nothing but ocean for thousands of miles in every direction. But us, our airship crashed here, on this floating island in the clouds, and we all emerged....without a scratch. We're here....in this place....for a reason. Now, why can't you believe that?!"

"Because feelings and intuition aren't proof, Keye. We crashed here because our airship went down, and now we're stuck with each other. End of story."

"One of these days, Flock, you'll feel differently. You'll open your eyes to the magic of this place, and when you do, you'll thank me."

"The only way that'll happen is if they stick us in the same insane asylum. First, of course, I'll have to get us rescued. But you, Keye? I couldn't rescue you from yourself if I tried." There was the sound of hooves stomping through the jungle, and the character's breathing became fainter.

"Funny," the other character said, "I was about to say the same thing to you."

There was a staccato blare of horns, and then an announcer declared, "WILD will return after these messages."

OMG. It makes so much more sense now...

[Midnight Maniac]

How could Bayard Avon, creator of The Princess's Pride, do this to her? How could the best show on the airwaves betray her so badly? Didn't she spend all that money – her money! - on the toys and the books and the bedcovers? Didn't she deserve better than this? The pain of betrayal burned.

mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/rsz/mlfw1705_small.jpg

[ponichaeism]

5064849

Why yes, it was written shortly after Princess Twilight and Equestria Girls happened!

However could you tell?

[Reese]

If we're talking about references in the story, well, I don't recall seeing another comment about this: did I correctly spot the Keeping Up Appearances reference, or is this such a crazy notion that you have no idea what I'm talking about?

[ponichaeism]

5066065

It was indeed correct.

[Reese]

5068629
...Was correct or was crazy? :)

[ponichaeism]

5075397

On second thought, Flash isn't really as orange as I remembered him being while I was writing this. Plus, vermilion is one of those really inconsistent colors which can go from bright orange to nearly blood red. "Saffron" would probably be a better choice. Think I'll go change it.

Referring to the works of Lily Gild, the harbingers of the present world… bit of social commentary in that one word, I think.

To be honest, I mostly picked it because it rhymed with "message". But yeah, in the musical it specifically refers to Luna's world coming into being. But the audience all considers that a good thing, so it means more like, "The bell tolls for thee, Solara." Of course, there is some irony in there for the reader as well.

[ponichaeism]

5076335

And also, you ever think "hey, I'm a pretty good writer" to yourself? Then you read something just miles ahead of where you're at.

I feel that way sometimes. Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum, Watchmen, the Lost episode Deus ex Machina, all three of those blew me away recently. Curiously, all three are also heavily postmodern....

[Reese]

5076128
"But yeah, in the musical it specifically refers to Luna's world coming into being. But the audience all considers that a good thing, so it means more like, "The bell tolls for thee, Solara.""
The audience, yes… but I rather suspect that the playwright knew exactly what meaning they were putting into that word. While still making sure that, if asked, they can plausibly claim they didn't know the meaning, of course. "I remembered it having about the right meaning and needed a rhyme for 'message'" isn't too bad an excuse.

[ponichaeism]

5077961

Huh. If anything, I thought I made it very obvious who she was in her first chapter. It was never supposed to be a surprise or anything.

[ponichaeism]

5077296

I wouldn't even give Cynic DeKey that much credit, and I created him. But he never appears in the story, so I think it can remain suitably nihilistic.

[Reese]

5079130
Ah, okay.

[ponichaeism]

5093411

Ponies don't have cutie marks anymore? I must have missed that if it was revealed before.

It was in chapter two, when Fluttershy is listening to Thorny Bends. So, a fair bit ago.

The Elements want their prophet, it seems.

Well, that, or Twilight had a psychotic break. Of course, the same can be said of many prophets as well....

[ponichaeism]

5093622

Dude, I already explained this on my user page:

"I don't write about crossovers, ships, or Princess Luna. I'm probably doomed to languish in obscurity."

And even in Luna's case, I managed to write a 160,000 word story about her in which she doesn't appear once.

[ponichaeism]

5094027

You mean the parade? Because that was at night.

[ponichaeism]

5094413

Of course, this chaos was sparked off by one of the Mane 6 in the first place, all because Dash....

Well, let's just say she's not in a good place right now. Anything more than that will just have to wait for the next (and final) chapter.

[PiMan]

5079119
And now even more embarrassed. I suppose part of the reason I didn't spot it is because every other pony has kept their canon name so far as I can tell.

[ponichaeism]

5094501

No....not every pony. *cough*Hammer*cough*

And then there's Dash, who thinks of herself mostly as "the Colonel", because she thinks her rank makes her more badass.

Basically, if there's artifice or identity issues involved, the odds of a character having a different name skyrocket.

[Reese]

5094505
Oh, right; good point.

[Reese]

5093538
Odd; this didn't show up in the notification system.

"It was in chapter two, when Fluttershy is listening to Thorny Bends. So, a fair bit ago."
Ah, I forgot, then; sorry.

"Well, that, or Twilight had a psychotic break. Of course, the same can be said of many prophets as well..."
Possible, I suppose, but the subject matter seems a bit odd for that. :)

[ponichaeism]

5094664

It seems a bit odd from our privileged position, as viewers who know there's a whole other (mutually fictional) universe out there. To everypony in alt-Canterlot besides Twilight, it would sound absolutely insane.

[Reese]

5094704
Oh, well, of course. :)

[Reese]

5096618
The author already replied, but thank you.

[iisaw]

You finished, yay! Downloading to my kindle and bumping it up on my to-read list!

[ponichaeism]

5098756

Well, I still have to write, like....all of it. So it'll be a while yet.

Plus, there's another story I want to write first, which will probably be novella-length (30,000-ish words). It's not strictly related to the sequel, but I will be introducing some stuff in the "canon" universe that comes back in the sequel.

[ponichaeism]

5098381

I'm kind of surprised that, after that speech, Spitfire still seems to expect to be alive long enough to cancel her utilities, much less retire.

The more prominent a pony is in the establishment, the more social insurance they have against being arrested and executed. The point is to keep the underclasses docile and in line. The Old Girls' Club should never be expected to be hampered by the rules.

[ponichaeism]

5099467

First video has the wrong URL.

And that second video is so very, very Japanese.

[Reese]

5099064
True, but what she said, straight to the faces of the country's top security ponies, while she was under investigation, could very easily be viewed as declaring herself to be on the side of those wanting to tear the country down. While I agree that arresting and executing her would be a horrible scandal, an unfortunate accident need not be so confining.

Oh, and I don't know why, but FIMFiction once again failed to notify me of your reply; I'm glad that I happened to see it anyway.

[ponichaeism]

5099592

If she had stuck around to make trouble, they would definitely kill her, but they all know she's getting the hell out of there, so there's no point.

[Reese]

5099622
Ah, yes, that makes sense; thanks.

[Balancer]

Just so you know I've pitched this story to the Seattle's Angels group, hopefully they'll put the spotlight on this masterpeice

[ponichaeism]

5099898

Better than the original Man in the High Castle.

There are some accolades that I just can't in good conscience accept. That's one of them.

Now, if you were to say it's better than Dr. Futurity, that I could go with!

5099934

I think we got, like, a Gift of the Magi situation here, because I just submitted it to the Royal Guard.

[ponichaeism]

5103381

No, no, it's quite real. Or, it will be as soon as I write it. As I mentioned probably 150 comments ago, I had a whole bunch of ideas I had to cut out, otherwise the story would've been 500,000 words. So now they're going into the sequel.

This first story was thoroughly early Dick. A slightly futuristic anti-fascist tale about government bureaucrats and ordinary office schlubs, with only has a little of the stuff he's famous for.

The next one is going to be full-on mid-period Dick. I'm talking about absolutely bonkers, mind blowing, batcrap insanity here. The kind of story where a character can turn a corner and find an "Out of order" sign hanging on the very fabric of reality itself, then drop a tab of acid and spend the next six hours talking to a giant alien insect face in the sky that might just be the One True God. We're heading into Ubik territory here. Make sure you use only as directed.

[Midnight Maniac]

5100541 Well, RG require you to be the author of the story, while SA actually forbids submitting your own stories. So everything is right.

[Midnight Maniac]

Totally loved this story.
But there still one confusing moment - Hammer/SA supposed to be cunning intel officer, isn't he? Shouldn't he be able to predict, that bombing would only strengthen... (um, apparently English have no umbrella term like silovoki, so I stick with it) siloviki position in government and society, while it isn't as useful for spreading revolutionary agenda among earth ponies as other methods may be.

Oh, and I'm also such a slowpony, I only now noticed that Angel side-story-arc was likely a small node to "Do androids..."

[ponichaeism]

5106681

My understanding, though, is that SA will not accept it if it gets exposure elsewhere. So I'm just imagining what happens if they get accepted in very close proximity.

As to your second comment, look at how Dash's character arc turned out. Is he really planning bombing campaigns because he thinks it'll work, or is he subconsciously (or even consciously) just out for petty revenge? I deliberately didn't want to make it so clear-cut. It's kind of like how Tywin Lannister is shrewd and cunning....except when it comes to his equally shrewd and cunning son, whom he despises because of his own personal issues.

And even then, the bombings work great at inflaming racial tension. If you were to ask Hammer, he'd say the Winter Rising failed because the earth ponies weren't oppressed enough, and they really need to feel the heat before they rise up and achieve victory. This is postmodernism - the clash of incompatible worldviews.

And, though I don't want to spoil the next story, I will say he has more up his sleeve.

And finally, yes, the Angel thing was a reference.

[Midnight Maniac]

5103493
Heh, that would be more challenging, isn't it? World-building that questions world consistency and integrity is a tricky thing, 'cause consistency is so embracing for our mind, silently suspending our disbelieve...

On semi-offtopic note, have you read Paul James McAuley's "The Two Dicks"? I stumbled across it accidentally last month, while listening through Model dlya Sborki* archive
*Iconic Russian radio show dedicated to reading sci-fi or just fiction stories (1996-2007)

[ponichaeism]

5107263

"consistency is so embracing for our mind, silently suspending our disbelieve"

I believe Twilight said as much, during her dream sequence in the Chariot.

As for "The Two Dicks", I have not read it. I'm still working my way through all of the books by Dick himself. Well, actually, I'm in the middle of an ASOIAF reread right now, but soon I'll be getting back into reading through all of Dick's books.

Is it any good?

[Midnight Maniac]

5107464 It's an intresting short read, if you know a general outline of Dick's biography, at least.

[Midnight Maniac]

5107013 Only appearances in feature at main page means an "auto-no". EQD feature slightly lowers you chances of appearance. but not critically... And for the rest - they care even less.

Considering Hammer, I feel like needing a re-read, and I want to do it in one piece. twilightblush: So I hope we will be able to have a discussion latter.

[ponichaeism]

5115467

Discuss away!

[ponichaeism]

5132600

It's horrible, but you've somehow sold me on it

Another satisfied customer.

[ponichaeism]

5135657

Yes, that was a very bleak and nihilistic ending, wasn't it?

Nihilism! F*** me. I mean, say what you like about the tenets of National Socialism, at least it's an ethos....

[ponichaeism]

5163649

To which I'm going to answer....

Yes....

....that is a spoiler!

[Tetrominon]

5103493
Shut up and take my Runciter quarters!
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