Author Archives: Horizon

Thornwing’s “The Old Gray Mare”

27 Friday Mar 2015

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The shadow of royalty is long, and today’s story shines a light on one of the ponies who never expected to find herself there.

old-gray-mareThe Old Gray Mare
[Slice of Life] • 5,134 words

Ever since Twilight came to town, Mayor Mare’s position as leader of Ponyville has been slipping. With her destiny overshadowed by the new princess on the block, it’s time for the old gray mare to move on.

FROM THE CURATORS: “The Old Gray Mare is one of the best Mayor Mare fics I’ve ever read,” Present Perfect said, and broad agreement on that sentiment sent this story sailing through our selection process.

While the central characterization was certainly strong — “this story fleshes out a minor character in a believable and compelling way,” Chris said, and Present Perfect praised how it “balanced her emotional state between wistful longing and bitterness” — what made the story so exemplary was its look at the world around her.  “The slow build of seeing just what she’s meant for the town was really wonderful, especially given that she’s usually a bit of an empty suit where the show is concerned,” Bradel said.  Chris added, “The story shows some real thought about how Ponyville has developed, and what having a crew like the Mane Six around does to a community.”

It also wasn’t afraid to have its protagonist extrapolate those effects out to their logical conclusions, and act accordingly.  “While it did get a bit overly sentimental at times, I gotta hand it to this story for sticking to its guns,” JohnPerry said.  “I appreciate it when a story like this gives a character a weighty decision, and then has them carry it through.”  We all agreed on the impact that created.  “The mayor’s choices … made for much stronger writing, and a legitimate pay-off at the end,” Bradel said, and Present Perfect summed it up: “I found the ending intensely emotional without being manipulative.”

Read on for our author interview, in which Thornwing discusses posterity, joke prompts, and the definition of a town.
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ponichaeism’s “The Mare In The High Castle”

20 Friday Mar 2015

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Broadcasting on all frequencies, today’s story comes to you from an Equestria that’s turned dark in more ways than one.

mare-in-high-castleThe Mare In The High Castle
[Alternate Universe] [Dark] [Drama] [Mystery] [Sci-Fi] [Thriller] • 161,695 words

“Hello, hello, hello, this is Thorny Bends coming at you live on Radio Free Canterlot, and from where I’m sitting, folks, the Land of the Eternal Moon is looking lovely. Well, except for that nasty smog cloud rolling toward us from the coast, but hey, that’s the price of progress. Still, if you’re heading outside you might want to think about an Easy Breezy-brand respirator, guaranteed to make the air taste like new. Buy yours from all major retailers today!

“As I’m sure you all know, it’s been almost a thousand years since the founding of our great civilization. And as the big day approaches, I sure hope the High Castle set their clocks right. I’d hate to find out it was really last Thursday. Ha! But seriously, folks. I’ve been doing a fair bit of thinking about our fair Canterlot, and I’ve realized it isn’t just somewhere we all live. It’s what we build together into something greater as we all reach for the moon. A symbol for a way of life and a state of mind. So, in honor of the thousand years, I’m taking an eye in the sky peek into the lives of the ponies on the streets, and a few in the penthouses too. I don’t often do real news on this show, but these are some genuine equine interest stories, folks. In their own small, unique way, these ponies are as vital to the city as the princess of the night herself. So settle down, get comfortable, and don’t touch that dial.

“You won’t want to miss this, I guarantee.”

FROM THE CURATORS: This story’s path to its feature started with a suggestion on our recommendation thread, and despite its 160,000-word length, it caught our attention right away with its vivid portrayal of an eternal-night Equestria.  “This story is far from being merely a pony re-write of Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle,” JohnPerry said.  “The level of thought that went into developing this nightmarish — yet eerily familiar — alternate world and its cruel philosophies is astounding, and it manages to combine an epic scope with surprisingly intimate portrayals of its characters.”  Chris agreed: “This is a wonderful use of the AU tag. It takes a single conceit — that something went differently a thousand years ago — and projects how that one change would reverberate to the present, butterfly-in-China-style.”

We all agreed that the characterization which followed from that shift was exemplary, and Horizon cited one of High Castle’s central examples. “Twilight Sparkle spends the vast majority of the story as a reprehensible alcoholic racist haunted by nightmares,” he said, “and yet the entire setting and theme of the story are crafted so as to make it clear that she is that way because their world is fundamentally broken, and the Twilight we see is just a reflection of that.”  JohnPerry agreed, adding, “it’s incredible how ponichaeism managed to make the characters recognizable in spite of all the horrors of the world they are subjected to.”

The story doesn’t flinch from presenting those horrors as necessary to explore the dark corners of its premise, which earned high praise from Chris. “Can we take a moment to talk about Granny Smith?” he said.  “Because she’s where the author most impressed me on the pacing front. … She’s slotted in right where she needs to be to have maximum impact with minimum premise-questioning by the readers, and (up until the end) that’s how I felt about most of the big revelations.”

But The Mare In The High Castle isn’t just a parade of bleakness.  “It has a lot to say about the earth counterparts of the things it ponifies, but it has a lot to say about the ponies at the same time, and this is fundamentally and unquestionably MLP at heart,” Horizon said.  “For instance, this is the finest Flash Sentry story this fandom will ever produce.  He’s just as broken as the rest of this world, but he owns it, and he stands up and shows us that there can be beauty regardless.  I want to feature it for that alone.”

Read on for our author interview, in which ponichaeism discusses Gnostic sects, uncarved blocks, and the curious collision of Jeff “The Dude” Lebowski and Philip K. Dick.
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GhostOfHeraclitus’ “Twilight Sparkle Makes A Cup Of Tea”

13 Friday Mar 2015

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Today’s story brews up some potent emotions.

Twilight Sparkle Makes A Cup Of Tea
[Sad] [Slice of Life] • 1,671 words

cup-of-teaEarly one morning, Twilight Sparkle gets up to make some tea.

Sometimes, a cup of tea is just a cup of tea. This is not one of those times.

FROM THE CURATORS: “Yeah, it’s another one of those fics,” Present Perfect said when he nominated the story. “A ‘Pony Does X’ that has no need for a more thought-provoking title, and a story where tea is just the be-all and end-all of everything.”  Appearances, of course, can be deceiving — and beneath the surface clichés lies a story that’s “quietly poignant, and dense in a way that’s a joy to unfold,” as Horizon put it.

A large part of what makes it exemplary is the measured way the story dribbles out. “It traipses along spilling its secrets without putting them together for the reader, and it left me feeling like I’d been tapped by the unknowable finger of God,” Present Perfect said, and Horizon added: “This is one of the finest pieces of indirect storytelling you’ll ever read.  Ghost has written a story that’s a pony-shaped hole.”  Chris, meanwhile, complimented the story’s balance between brevity and depth: “I believe that there’s no best length for stories, but that every specific story has a best length, and Ghost of Heraclitus found it here.”

Cup of Tea‘s other core strength is an authentic look at a pony out of her depth.  “This felt more like a scientific experiment than a hallowed tradition, but that’s because Twilight is approaching her daily ritual as a scientific experiment, one in which science can provide no answer,” JohnPerry said. “She’s grasping at something — the nostalgia of her youth and the memories of her mentor — and she wants to recapture it. And being Twilight, she attempts to do so the only way she knows how.”

While Twilight might be blindly flailing for answers, the clues are all there for us. “There’s something to be said for the ending,” Present Perfect said.  “It peters out like the last few drops poured from a teapot, as if to say, ‘You’ve got all the pieces, you figure them out.'”

Read on for our author interview, in which GhostOfHeraclitus discusses Twilight as confessor, the cut of genoas, and reading irresponsibly.

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Aquaman’s “I Am Demon”

06 Friday Mar 2015

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I am a unique look at a historical hero and an alien intelligence.  I am a contest winner.  I am today’s featured story.

i-am-demonI Am Demon
[Dark] [Adventure] • 15,842 words

I am Cold, swirling snow that turns ponies against each other, searing ice that freezes them solid. I am Survivor, the one the Friendfyre spell didn’t catch, an exception that proves an impossible rule. I am Fear, Frustration, Anger, Hatred, every emotion my Creator has ever felt. I am her Future. I am her Past.

I am Demon, and Clover the Clever is my Master.

FROM THE CURATORS: Aquaman’s ponyfic credentials are impeccable — every time we turn around, he’s placing highly in yet another competition — but even so, I Am Demon stood out, both to Equestria Daily’s contest judges and to ourselves. “It just did what it set out to do so powerfully,” Horizon said. “Round about chapter 3, it sank in its narrative teeth and did not let go … and its worldbuilding makes it feel like a definitive windigo story.”  JohnPerry “really loved I Am Demon for its unique perspective,” and Present Perfect concurred: “The best part of this is the alien perspective, seeing Demon define words, slowly figuring out the world around him … it’s altogether a really excellent story.”

The first thing you’ll notice about the story is its use of colored text (read more about that in today’s interview), and we agreed on its effectiveness.  “The color gimmick really adds to the story,” JohnPerry said. “I don’t tend to think of writing as a visual medium, but this story makes me question that assumption.” And while I Am Demon isn’t unique in that presentation, that didn’t detract from our assessment. “[The Pony Fiction Vault-featured] “White Box” did it first,” Horizon said, “but this is the story that made it work, using the gimmick in a way that both fit intuitively within MLP canon and dug deeply into the emotional resonances of the other characters’ tales.”

Read on for our author interview, in which Aquaman discusses chlorine sweat, unwritten sequels, and why not to ask for advice.
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Loganberry’s “It Doesn’t Matter Now”

27 Friday Feb 2015

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As today’s story reminds us, there are some things in life that are constants — like death, taxes, and Pinkie Pie showing up at the end of the universe.

doesnt-matter-nowIt Doesn’t Matter Now
[Random] [Slice of Life] • 1,334 words

The Spirit Pony is responsible for the End of All That Ever Was. It has always been so. This particular End looks like being a straightforward one – until a certain pink pony intervenes to prevent it happening. Pinkie has a very, very good reason for stopping the Spirit, too…

FROM THE CURATORS: This fun little eschatological romp (and how often do you get to use those words together?) is what it says on the tin: Pinkie Pie at the End of All That Ever Was, stopping the universe from ending because she’s got some unfinished business.  “It’s a fresh subversion of a theme that has been done to death with the show’s immortal princesses,” Horizon said, but we found depth beyond that. “It’s more a look into the power of Pinkie, something that goes beyond crass fourth-wall breakage while still giving her a magic of her own,” Present Perfect said.

One of its core strengths was that clever examination of a pony who is among the most difficult to write.  “I was impressed by the way Pinkie’s character is used in this story,” Present Perfect said.  “It benefits from letting her act in that situation as she does in all situations: like Pinkie.”  Chris was impressed, too: “It definitely speaks to the kind of dramatic whimsy Pinkie’s capable of.  She’s more than just a goof, after all — she takes her goofiness seriously.”

Add to that the strong writing which carried this to a UK of Equestria contest win, and this short little tale sailed through to an easy feature. “It plays with contrast and tone in clever ways,” Horizon said. “It’s got a cute and simple premise which might not carry a longer story, but it packs up enough gravitas to give the ending a satisfying impact.”

Read on for our author interview, in which Loganberry discusses wanderlust, tea, and Egg-Kings.

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Cupcakes’ “Shutdown”

20 Friday Feb 2015

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Today’s story is a classic from early 2012, making it one of the fandom’s longest goodbyes.

shutdownShutdown
[Sad] • 2,783 words

“Would you tell anypony if you knew the world was going to end, Twilight Sparkle?”

FROM THE CURATORS: Shutdown is one of the earliest fanfics about Equestria as a virtual world, but it has withstood the test of time.  “It’s an intriguing premise,” JohnPerry said, and Horizon looked at the bigger picture: “It uses worldbuilding and fragments of dialogue very effectively to feel like a tiny piece of a much larger story.”  Chris agreed. “Shutdown succeeds in hinting at the broader setting of the piece without resorting to mood-breaking infodumps,” he said, “and that sense of reserve is welcome in a story like this.”

That sense of reserve extended to the piece’s emotional impact. “It would have been easy to make this scenario overwrought, and I’m glad it doesn’t do that,” JohnPerry said.  We found that quiet-yet-effective presentation to be one of the story’s strongest features. “Instead of trying to drown us in the emotions of the characters, it’s characterized by the lack of resolution that accompanies real tragedy, and draws its feelings from that sense of powerlessness in the grander sweep of things,” Horizon said.

Beyond that, Shutdown follows the finest traditions of speculative fiction: “It raises a lot of questions that stick in your craw,” Horizon said, and Present Perfect added: “This explores well a number of diverse topics — the nature of reality, fandoms, online communities and their eventual cessation, how we relate to fictional characters, the powerlessness of fans to protect their favorite properties from the creators’ whims, copyright law, letting go… Geez, it doesn’t stop giving you things to think about.”

Read on for our author interview, in which Cupcakes discusses rebootenings, Dunesteefs, and Twilightosity.
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A Hoof-ful of Dust’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger”

14 Saturday Feb 2015

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Though today’s story isn’t about a winner, you’ll find the story itself certainly is one.

harder-betterHarder, Better, Faster, Stronger
[Sad] • 1,055 words

The Equestria Games honor the best of the best. But for there to be winners, there must be losers.

FROM THE CURATORS: This is, as Present Perfect put it, “a well-built behind-the-scenes look at a scene from the show through the eyes of a griffon. … It feels like an exercise in imagery, but has a surprising amount going on.”

We’ve previously featured several stories at FIMFiction’s 1,000-word minimum threshold, and at that length, using every word effectively is crucial — a lesson Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger takes to heart. “It’s always impressive to me when an author can paint a picture of a character, a species, or a culture that quickly, and that’s where this story shines,” Chris said.  JohnPerry agreed: “It’s strikingly evocative for something so short.”

What’s even more striking — and a major factor in its feature — is its use of indirect storytelling for its emotional impact. “It sets something up and tears it down, letting the story be told in the background,” Present Perfect said, and Horizon concurred: “Half the story is a description of the gryphon’s hotel room, but not a word is wasted.”  JohnPerry also praised the story’s depth. “I appreciate how the narrow focus on the narrator character leaves a lot to interpretation,” he said. “There’s layers upon layers to explore in this one, and in barely over a thousand words that’s quite the accomplishment.”

Read on for our author interview, in which A Hoof-ful of Dust discusses the wizardry of words, the golden age of television, and random acts of Derpy.
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Chuckfinley’s “A Persimmon Spring”

07 Saturday Feb 2015

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“The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” the ancient proverb says.  In today’s story, that relationship goes a little deeper.

persimmon-springA Persimmon Spring
[Sad] [Dark] [Alternate Universe] • 2,935 words

I, Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings, was a paragon of my kind. I was the greatest military ruler my people have ever known. I was mere months from conquering the most prosperous nation in the world.

Then a strange dragon rose from the stone, and everything changed.

I do not think of conquest any more. Now, I think of persimmons.

FROM THE CURATORS: Exemplary Alternate Universe stories require walking a fine line — balancing events that contradict the show with the familiar characters and themes that readers love about it — and A Persimmon Spring rises to meet that challenge.  “It’s a great idea — a memoir, with elements of romance, about a very nuanced and powerful Chrysalis dealing with Discord’s reappearance in the midst of her attempted takeover of Canterlot,” Present Perfect explained.  Horizon marveled at its thematic balancing act: “It feels very much like a pony story despite the essential grimness of the setting.”

We unanimously agreed on the story’s emotional power.  “I love how the author uses the ‘little’ things, like Hythacine and the titular persimmon,” Chris said.  JohnPerry opined that “[the Chrysalis/Shining relationship] is one of those all-too-rare instances of romance written with a distinctly mature tone,” and Bradel agreed: “I’m in love with the way Chuckfinley threads the Chrysalis/Cadance juxtaposition throughout.”  Present Perfect’s admiration was more wide-ranging: “I loved the narrative voice. It’s a good example of world-building with limited resources.”

The construction of the alternate-universe elements provoked some curator dissent, but Horizon’s position was typical of our majority. “The AU didn’t bother me at all,” he said, “but I’m coming from a sci-fi background, where you learn to go in willing to spot the story its core premise and then see what cool things it does with it.  This easily passes the cool threshold.”  Even those who disagreed never had any doubt about the quality of the writing. “The presentation of the AU leaves one feeling like there’s a lot being left out,” JohnPerry said, “but judging it strictly on its own, this fic is brilliant.”

Read on for our author interview, in which Chuckfinley discusses Bruce Campbell’s names, George Orwell’s porn advice, and Genghis Khan’s life lessons.
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Prak’s “The Life And Death Of April Fool”

30 Friday Jan 2015

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Today’s story offers a whimsical Equestrian take on an equally whimsical holiday.

life-and-deathThe Life And Death Of April Fool
[Comedy] [Slice of Life] • 2,132 words

Under a rock in the Everfree Forest, there lived a pony.

Once a year, she came out to play.

FROM THE CURATORS: While this fic’s title might make it sound like the sort of clickbait that floods in when a holiday rolls around, what’s inside is worth reading at any time of year.  “This one is goofy and whimsical, without ever getting random/stupid or dragging,” Chris said.  “The fun here is in the lighthearted, Equestria-esque surreality that pervades it.”

We all agreed it was exemplary light reading which offered several experiences without breaking its tone.  “The way the narrative switches back and forth between fairy tale, normal comedy fic, and almost nursery rhyme is kind of astounding,” Present Perfect said, and Bradel added: “it never feels off to me, which is almost a wonder.”  Even our doubters found things to be impressed by.  “I’m pretty clearly not the target audience here,” Horizon said, “but the mythology is great, and the ending redeems a lot.”

While it’s difficult to point to a single standout moment, the story earned its feature on the strength of its overall execution — and in how effortlessly pony it felt. “There’s some really clever jokes in here, and the tone is very fitting to the show,” JohnPerry said. “Something about this one just sucks you in by the power of its charm.”

Read on for our author interview, in which Prak discusses extra-dimensional yodeling, reader lobotomies, and the black humor this story almost had.
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Pineta’s “Breaking News and Weather”

23 Friday Jan 2015

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NEWSPAPER PASTICHE EARNS RCL FEATURE
“Superb!” “Tops!” Say Critics

breaking-newsBreaking News And Weather
[Comedy] [Slice of Life] • 4,134 words

Rainbow Dash’s first sonic rainboom makes headlines across Equestria. Every reporter is out to cover the story from their own angle. Sometimes they get it partly right.

She’s going down in history. Maybe.

FROM THE CURATORS: We’ve featured epistolatory stories before, but this is something a little different. “It’s literally a series of newspaper front pages from shortly after Rainbow Dash did her first sonic rainboom,” Chris said, “showing a few different perspectives on what happened, and what followed.  The manner of presentation and the quality of execution are something we should showcase.”  We all agreed on that first impression.  “It’s certainly tops as presentations go,” Present Perfect said, and JohnPerry chimed in: “The presentation is superb.”

But despite the visual-arts triumph of its construction, we’re a fanfiction review group, and what earned Breaking News And Weather its feature was the sharp construction of its prose.  “It’s full of subtle and not-so-subtle wit — like the one student in the school paper who disagreed about the rainbow — and a steady eye toward worldbuilding and internal consistency,” Horizon said.  “It says a lot with details, like the less-than-scrupulous fact-checking with ‘Mr Rainbow Dash.’  Even without the newspaper formatting, it holds together as well as anything else we’ve spotlighted.”  JohnPerry also appreciated its depth: “I admired that you get a wider sense of this world beyond the main story.  The Cloudsdale strike made for a surprisingly compelling sub-plot.”

Add to that a clever critique of the news industry’s foibles, and you have a winner.  “The meta references to real-world papers are excellent, and the little details carefully woven in really made this one shine,” JohnPerry said, and Horizon agreed: “There’s a lot of marvelous content in the meta. … As a former newspaper editor, I might be biased, but this is one of my favorite stories on the site.”

Read on for our author interview, in which Pineta discusses blackboard shots, double-edged swords, and getting out of the house.
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