What you sat on...

Celestias Paladin

Celestias Paladin #1 · Jan 7th, 2013 · 1 · ·

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Nicely done though I think I need to go rewatch that scene... luckily have have all of season 1 on DVD so...

Alright, you did a good job on this. Even the modern made string instruments still take a long to time to craft.

Twilitbook

Twilitbook #2 · Jan 7th, 2013 · 3 · ·

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*stands up and applauds* If one was looking for a comedy, a piece of sadness, or deep touching life, I'm afraid they won't ind it here.

If they're looking for a wholesome, informative piece with just the right amount of creative freedom to make it real and a story, then this is something that ANYONE who knows a thing about stringed-instrument would enjoy. Always a pleasure to come across pieces like these.

Bravo.

Edit: WOW. Really? 1 dislike already? Some people have been reading too much clop.

lupin the vapour

lupin the vapour #3 · Jan 7th, 2013 · · ·

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This should get featured callin it right now.

Owlor

Owlor #4 · Jan 7th, 2013 · · ·

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1921962
Well, to be clear, it's not something that happens "on camera", I wanted to explore the idea of Octavia writing a letter to someone who accidently destroyed her cello and I was thinking "Hmm, who could've plausibly done such a thing?"

1921989

If one was looking for a comedy, a piece of sadness, or deep touching life, I'm afraid they won't find it here.

Too bad, that was what I was going for... (comedy in that it's essentially a shaggy dog story, sadness in that it's exploring the rich history of something that got destroyed and life in that I wanted a sense that ponies troughout history have struggled with interpersonal problems and that history isn't just a bunch of famous names and dates) Well, Can't win 'em all, I guess.

this is something that ANYONE who knows a thing about stringed-instrument would enjoy.

Tough it has to be said that at some point, artistic licence comes into play. In the end, it's a story, not a factual account and I encoruage anyone who finds the topic interesting to look up the actual history and facts behind this, I guarantee that it's at least twice as interesting as this fic.

Celestias Paladin

Celestias Paladin #5 · Jan 7th, 2013 · · ·

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1922131
Was her double bass really destroyed or not?

Owlor

Owlor #6 · Jan 7th, 2013 · · ·

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1922156
No, not explicitly, like I said, it's more of a "what-if" scenario.

Twilitbook

Twilitbook #7 · Jan 7th, 2013 · · ·

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1922131

*blinks* Well, I didn't realize the Cello got destroyed. I thought Pinkie just sat on it. I mean... Pinkie Pie... 99% sure she could sit on a glass thread and not break cause screw physics, its Pinkie Pie. I thought it was Octavia writing the letter because Pinkie Pie showed such disrespect to an instrument with a rich and colorful history.

Not familiar with the shaggy god concept story, sorry. Its definitely a good SOL story, but not something that makes me go "Wow, that was super deep and profound." Its a wholesome story for sure.

Celestias Paladin

Celestias Paladin #8 · Jan 7th, 2013 · · ·

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1922176
Ah... I see. I'm kind with Dawnscroll about it, Pinkie did show disrespect to the bass and could have damaged it.

Owlor

Owlor #9 · Jan 7th, 2013 · · ·

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1922190

I thought it was Octavia writing the letter because Pinkie Pie showed such disrespect to an instrument with a rich and colorful history.

That interpetation works too, and I think I find that idea funnier.

Not familiar with the shaggy god concept story, sorry.

Shaggy dog-story... well' its a type of joke that goes on for very long building up to a punchline that either isn't there, is kinda lame or just unexpected. A real shaggy dog story is usually based on a pun, such as this example by Isaac Asimov:

As is well known, in this thirtieth century of ours, space travel is fearfully dull and time-consuming. In search of diversion, many crew Members defy the quarantine restrictions and pick up pets from the various habitable worlds they explore.
Jim Sloane had a rockette, which he called Teddy. It just sat there, looking like a rock, but sometimes it lifted a lower edge and sucked in powdered sugar. That was all it ate. No one ever saw it move, but every once in a while, it wasn’t quite where people thought it was. There was a theory that it moved when no one was looking.
Bob Laverty had a heli-worm he called Dolly. It was green and carried on photosynthesis. Sometimes it moved to get into better light and when it did so it coiled its wormlike body and inched along very slowly like a turning helix.
One day, Jim Sloane challenged Bob Laverty to a race. ” My Teddy,” he said, “can beat your Dolly.”
“Your Teddy,” scoffed Laverty, “doesn’t move.”
“Bet!” said Sloane.
The whole crew got into the act. Even the captain risked half a credit. Everyone bet on Dolly. At least she moved.
Jim Sloane covered it all. He had been saving his salary through three trips and he put every millicredit of it on Teddy.
The race started at one end of the grand salon. At the other end, a heap of sugar had been placed for Teddy and a spotlight for Dolly. Dolly formed a coil at once and began to spiral its way very slowly toward the light. The watching crew cheered it on.
Teddy just sat there without budging.
“Sugar, Teddy, Sugar,” said Sloane, pointing. Teddy did not move. It looked more like a rock than ever, but Sloane did not seem concerned.
Finally, when Dolly had spiraled halfway across the salon, Jim Sloane said casually to his rockette, “if you don’t get out there, Teddy, I’m going to get a hammer and chip you into pebbles.”
That was when people first discovered that rockettes could read minds. That was also when people first discovered that rockettes could teleport.
Sloane had no sooner made his threat when Teddy simply disappeared from his place and reappeared on top of the sugar.
Sloane won, of course, and he counted his winnings slowly and luxuriously.
Laverty said bitterly, “You knew the damn thing could teleport.”
“No, I didn’t,” said Sloane, “but I knew he would win. It was a sure thing.”
“How come?”
“It’s an old saying everyone knows. … Sloane’s Teddy wins the race.”

(Slow and steady wins the race, geddit?)

As a side note, there IS such a thing as a Shaggy God story, it's a nickname to a type of science fiction story where the twist is that the story is a sci-fi retelling of a biblical account, most often Genesis.

Its definitely a good SOL story, but not something that makes me go "Wow, that was super deep and profound." Its a wholesome story for sure.

Well, it was never intended to be, I just wanted to make a nice slice of life story, and if that's what I managed to do, I'm pretty satisfied.

SuperPinkBrony12

SuperPinkBrony12 #10 · Jan 8th, 2013 · · ·

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Oh Pinkie Pie I'll bet you wish you hadn't done that now.

Syvvak

Syvvak #11 · Jan 8th, 2013 · · ·

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Good story. Had some mistakes but very good. I believe this seems more of the letter she would write if it was disrespected, not destroyed. Also, was the pony she was bidding against Vinyls mon?

Owlor

Owlor #12 · Jan 8th, 2013 · · ·

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1925645

I believe this seems more of the letter she would write if it was disrespected, not destroyed.

Yeah, I've been changing my mind on the interpetation of my own story, which just goes to show that I just write the stuff, I don't necesseriy know what it means either...

Also, was the pony she was bidding against Vinyls mon?

Eeeyup, Amberol was a brand of phonograph cylinders from the Edison company. I just liked the sound of the word and it made sense as a precursor to Vinyl.

Syvvak

Syvvak #13 · Jan 8th, 2013 · · ·

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1925686

That is now my new head canon for OC Vinyl mom. Cool thought btw.

theYasha

theYasha #14 · Jan 9th, 2013 · · ·

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Pinkie's only possible reactions:

1 Oh no i cant believe I sat on such an important thing *shame*

2 What? So? The point? That was stupid. This is boring. Oh! I know! I'll go pranking with Dashie!

Alex Warlorn

Alex Warlorn #15 · Jan 10th, 2013 · · ·

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perfected trough generations.
perfected through generations.

known only trough their family name,
known only through their family name,

Very very very very very very very VERY NICE work. Here's hoping Pinkie actually READS the letter all the way through.

Alex Warlorn

Alex Warlorn #16 · Jan 13th, 2013 · · ·

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I get the feeling these two mares know each other SOMEHOW.

reader238

reader238 #17 · Jan 13th, 2013 · · 1 ·

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I liked octavia's letter to pinkie pie; she gave her a sense of exactly how much care and hard work went into making such a fine instrument. Even going as far as comparing it to that of a bakers job, and then goes on to tell pinkie how much the instrument means to her personally and all the hardships she faced with that cello, then she wraps up with subtling telling pinkie how annoyed she was when when pinkie disrespected instrument and long time friend by sitting on her.

Lucefudu

Lucefudu #18 · Nov 21st, 2013 · · ·

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1922190 Are you kidding me? Pinkie Pie sat on it. The pony whose diet consist of basically 99% carbohydrates! These go straight to her flanks, y'know?!
Only Rarity's butt could top that.

Ah... Rarity's butt...

Uncover the secret message by trying to read what I wrote here >I'm just fucking with Owlor. But now that you've found the secret message, please send your answer to Old Pink, care of the Funny Farm, Chalfont. Oh, hang on! Carolyne's on the phone.

The Iguana Man

The Iguana Man #19 · Feb 1st, 2014 · · ·

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Enjoyed it, but I agree that it works a lot better if Pinkie didn't destroy it, just disrespected it, for three reasons:

1. I don't think Pinkie, as impulsive and thoughtless as she is, would ever do something like that, even by accident.
2. It speaks about Octavia's character that she'd have this sort of reaction to someone disrespecting an instrument, and
3. If Pinkie did destroy an instrument of such rich history, both grand and personal, even with someone as reserved as Octavia on the receiving end... yeah, she's not getting out of that one with all of her limbs.

Hmm, psycho Octavia, now there's a thought...

Owlor

Owlor #20 · Feb 26th, 2014 · · ·

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Hmm, psycho Octavia, now there's a thought..

Well... if you find my furaffinity page, I might've drawn something like that already....

Themaskedferret

Themaskedferret #21 · Apr 6th, 2014 · · ·

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Beautiful. I'm only sorry it took me so long to read it.

Heart of Blades

Heart of Blades #22 · Sep 1st, 2014 · · ·

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Read this what feels like ages ago and forgot to comment and fav. Shame on me! Anyway, amazing one-shot, the whole premise is certainly something I see Octy doing.

RK_Striker_JK_5

RK_Striker_JK_5 #23 · Aug 21st, 2015 · 1 · 1 ·

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Bravo. Just... bravo. You have no idea how much I'd give to have Pinkie read this letter.

Comment posted by veryjittery deleted May 7th, 2016

thelonesomeone

thelonesomeone #28 · Jun 6th, 2016 · · ·

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she doesn't read it she would be too focused on the pretty paper to bother reading the letter. so its a waste of effort but hey whatever makes you feel better about yourself.

Alex Warlorn