Feathers

Symbolism. That was a good word to describe the thing that held so much attention and harbored such feelings from me. An egg-head like Twilight might say that it was just some silly object, and maybe even less than that. She might just go about her day, ignoring the little thing and maybe even discarding it. Rarity on the other hoof would think it was just some uncouth piece of trash with little sentiment behind it, not even batting an eye at the silly little notion that it could be used as anything more than perhaps a fashion piece in a dress of hers.

Applejack would be confused, wondering what it was, or even why it was, that it was so special. She would ponder the day away while working on her field, just hoping that some form of the manual labor would give her a hint of the symbolism behind the object . Pinkie Pie would probably think it was just another type of party invitation, though I have a hunch there is more to her than she lets on. She always had something behind her gaze that lead on to believe the pony was more than meets the average eye. Fluttershy would think of it as some cute sign of affection, though she is really the only one of my friends who would really get it, you know?

To an Earth Pony, a piece of the land or something hoof crafted is not only a sign of physical growth and strength, but a feat of what they can accomplish. Their brute strength alone can show just who they are and what they represent just who they are as ponies and their forms themselves are what drive them to become better ponies, and sometimes that can help win the hearts of many around them.

And much like a unicorns horn is special to them, its their magic that is truly...Ugh...Magical... Something about when they can not only cast a spell, but craft one from the air around them and conjure spectacles other ponies can only dream of capturing in a single instant will drive mares, and some stallions, wild. They have that unique magic about them that is once more...Magical. In the blink of an eye they can disappear and reappear just as quickly. Items can vanish and even be changed with some magic behind its casting.

But to a pegasus... Its their wings that give them so much to live for. Their love of the sky, the gift of flight, are both something that only a third of the pony population can ever achieve, and thats even more special considering others can only dream of flight as pegasi can, and even then, it just doesnt match up. But what really means a lot to a pegasus is their feathers. More specifically, their first lost feather.

I...I could never figure out what it was that was so...Sentimental, so special about such a silly little feather. The shaft simply held the vanes together, the quill holding it to the body, it all meant nothing to me...and yet I was devastated when I lost it. I spent hours searching for it, only to come up short. I'd even asked all of our friends, and nopony had seen it.

I had considered giving up before I ran into Spike, a blue feather in his clawed hand. My sour mood quickly turned ecstatic as  I made that discovery, but when I asked for it back, he seemed confused. For some reason, he seemed to like the feather. It seemed to make him feel happy as he held it, and looking up to the sky, you could see in his eyes just what the feather meant to him.

It didnt matter what it meant to me anymore, or even what it meant to anypony else. He seemed to like it, and that was all that mattered to me. I decided to let him keep the feather, and he thanked me for it. Maybe one day soon I can tell him what it means to me, but until then...