It took me a while but I finally finished it...Sorry for my inactivity my friends. I've been going through a rough patch these couple months and have been finding it hard to stay on track with my artwork.This piece right here is very special to me. It's dedicated to a dear friend who passed away not too long ago, Andrew Beran (or AffinityShy as most would have known him) and his family. I'm sorry it took me so long to complete it but I think I was having a hard time letting go of it. Even more so than I usually am with art. But now it's finally done and I can say my peace and say goodbye. I just need to put it out somewhere.If I had to choose one word to describe Andrew it would be: Unbroken. There wasn't a single thing that seemed to bring him down. His spirit and courage was unwavering. When he told me the news in spring it didn't even sound like finding out he had leukemia brought him down. He just kept going. He showed no signs of defeat and was just ready to fight it to the bitter end. He truly had a will of steel. And talk about selfless! He's the kind of guy to be mad at himself for not drawing you something while he's getting bone marrow transplants. He was just... that considerate of his friends.So Fluttershy is his favorite pony, if you didn't know, and I always intended to draw him something but never got around to it to my great regret. Instead of funneling all the sorrow I felt in the aftermath and painting something sad, I decided to channel everything that he was to me in life and painted something happy. It's how he'd have wanted to be remembered. I was hoping the sky was this kind of ambiguous sunset and sunrise thing to be symbolic of both ends and beginnings with Fluttershy looking up not down. She's moving forward and nothing will stop her. Everything is supposed to represent Andrews unyielding kindness, tenacity, and the beautiful spirit that he will always be.Pardon me as I use this space to speak my peace.Dear Curious Kitty Pone,I will miss you dearly. I wish I could've told you how much I appreciated knowing you. Everything about you just brightened my day and every conversation was an absolute joy. I wish you could've known how much you made me smile and laugh while I was in college. Most times with you it was when I really needed a pick-me-up. I'd just giggle to myself in class or through homework about our silly talks. And our puns! And you will always be the supreme master of the ponyplz faces hahaWith the whole visiting Texas before moving back home to Kauai, I just never got a chance to catch up after June. Last I spoke to you, you wished me joy to my attendance of Fiesta Equestria and told me your treatment went well and it was all good news. It made me so happy to hear that. Your positivity was infinite. Unfortunately, you passed before I got settled back in at home and I still can't believe you're gone. I went through a bad phase at first trying to reply to all the leftover comments you left just to be sure. Haha saying it like that makes me sound crazy. It's just really difficult for me to let go. It's just strange you know? The fact that most all our talks are just floating around on the internet forever. It's like you're still there.That passage from Little Talks by Of Monsters And Men really spoke to me in that aspect. But I regress...I just wanted to say you've inspired me in more ways than one. Your comments were always so concise yet gentle. You gave some of the most useful critiques. You had a keen eye for detail and a wonderful way with words. From the looks of things I wasn't the only one who benefited from your encouragement. I'm glad. You've certainly left an impression on me.You'veas it were haha. And certainly done us all so proud. Thank you for being one of the most wonderful people around and for allowing me to have been a part of your life!Seeya in another life, brother