Author Archives: Horizon

KitsuneRisu’s “Twilight, There’s a Ghost in Your Basement”

27 Friday Jun 2014

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Today’s story is a stirring, inspirational tale about courage in the face of the unknown … or, more accurately, the complete lack thereof.

twilight-ghostTwilight, There’s A Ghost In Your Basement
[Comedy] [Drama] [Mystery] • 8,636 words

Twilight firmly believes that ghosts belong in the realm of fantasy. But after multiple brushes with the supernatural in her home, she turns to the one pony who can help. Now Fluttershy, Twilight and Spike must banish the spirit before it starts flinging her pans and clogging the toilets.

FROM THE CURATORS: “I spent my lunch break today desperately trying not to break out into laughter as I read this story,” Chris said with the vote that earned this story its feature. “Kitsune’s got a way with deliciously ridiculous metaphors which puts a neat little bow on the jokes proper.”  The rest of us agreed.  “It’s certainly funny,” Present Perfect said, “a remarkable example of wordplay.”

It also shone in its thoughtful presentation of the characters. “My goodness, Twilight and Spike had the perfect, funny but real brother-sister dynamic going the whole way through,” Chris said.  Horizon appreciated that more broadly: “There are some magnificent character moments for Twilight that come out of nowhere and leave an impact regardless. … Digging into characters’ heads in a comedy takes some tonal juggling, but it keeps all the balls in the air.”

Our disagreement over this fic centered, of all things, on ladybugs.  “The scene with the ladybug tiptoes over the line from funny into simply bizarre, but it’s that same straight-faced presentation of the absurd that led to some of the moments I found most hysterical,” Horizon said. Chris countered: “By the ladybug’s fourth or fifth mention, the sheer contrast it made to the events proper (and the fic’s dogged insistence on including it) had me nearly in stitches.”  And Present Perfect offered a laconic dissent: “What.”

Read on for our author interview, in which KitsuneRisu discusses Twist, pie, mud, and the unholy fusion of two creatures that should never have seen the light of day.
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xTSGx’s “Statistics”

20 Friday Jun 2014

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Today’s story: Eighty-eight paragraphs.  Two sisters.  One poignant examination of love and loss.

statisticsStatistics
[Sad] • 1,042 words

Sometimes, all we need are a few stats to shed some light on a subject.

FROM THE CURATORS: Our shortest feature yet — which barely clears FIMFiction’s thousand-word minimum — illustrates that what makes a piece of fanfiction exemplary is being exactly as long as it needs to be to tell its story effectively.  “Statistics packs a lot of punch for something so small,” Bradel said. “I read this back when I’d just joined the site … I started skimming it to refresh myself, and even that got me teary-eyed.”

Stories that draw emotional depth from the relationship between Celestia and Luna are common, but we all appreciated the novel twist this brought to the genre. “This uses an original device to good effect, and that is exactly the sort of thing I love for us to feature,” Chris said.  Present Perfect agreed: “For all this looks like an accountant’s ledger, it was rife with emotion and ultimately accomplished what it set out to do.”

And what it accomplished was to imbue those numbers with gravitas — a remarkable feat, considering that the story contains nothing but the titular statistics.  “The typical abstraction of large-numbers math is that ‘one death is a tragedy, a million is a statistic’,” Horizon added.  “This is worth reading simply for its inversion of that.”

Read on for our author interview, in which xTSGx discusses moral debates, lion mercenaries, and the Great Hnnnng War of 2012.
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ArgonMatrix’s “The Firework Lotus”

13 Friday Jun 2014

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Times change.  Friends change.  But there are some things, as today’s heartwarming story reminds us, that remain constant.

firework-lotusThe Firework Lotus
[Drama] • 16,670 words

The Firework Lotus Celebration, a grand festival which celebrates the dawn of a new year, is a tradition held near and dear to Spike’s heart. But when the winds of change threaten to take this special time away from him, Spike is forced to make a difficult decision. Which is more important: what he knows to be right, or what he feels to be right?

And as Spike soon discovers, it’s a choice best made with the help of some friends.

FROM THE CURATORS: It’s difficult to summarize what it is that gives this story its raw emotional power, as Chris discovered when nominating it: “The only notes I ended up leaving myself on the story were ‘wow,’ ‘super-sweet,’ ‘perfect Spike moment,’ another ‘wow,’ and ‘important theme,'” he said.  But he gave it a second shot: “It’s the kind of sweet but memorable story which sticks with you.  It’s got wonderful, powerful moments scattered throughout, it deals seriously but hopefully with the need for change, and is just generally beautiful.”

The exemplary writing of the story is easy to see from the first scenes, where it follows Twilight, Spike, and the friends and family surrounding them through many years of holidays.  “A shining example of why ‘show, don’t tell’ is such common advice; this is exquisite, exquisite showing, simply playing off the contrasts as the whirlwind of history sweeps around the calm eye of the event itself,” Horizon said.

And even after it unfolds those years and spends most of its length discussing a single, pivotal celebration — with some strange but memorable digressions into the routines put on by the supporting cast — it closes strong with some important and affirming lessons that feel exquisitely and laudably pony. “I love it when stories make me applaud for them,” Present Perfect said.

Read on for our author interview, in which ArgonMatrix discusses Equestrian innocence, authorial road trips, and universal protagonism.
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CCC’s “Games”

06 Friday Jun 2014

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Are you starting to feel restless?  Do you need more from your ponies than the typical tales you see repeated in the show?  As the protagonist of today’s story will tell you, you’re not alone.

Games
[Slice-of-Life] • 13,391 words

Twilight asks Discord for a game of chess. Discord agrees – in order to make a point.

And in order to ask Twilight to complete one simple task.

FROM THE CURATORS: This story starts with an idea that’s oddly rare in the fandom — Discord is an embarrassingly intelligent being who has no inherent stake in chaos, he’s merely driven to extremes by boredom — and then it ups the stakes by taking that idea to a logical extreme, deconstructing his defeats and posing Twilight the challenge that drives the remainder of the story.  “This is a marvelous take on Discord, up there with Diary of a Pliant Tyrant. I would go so far as to call him sympathetic,” Present Perfect said.  

But it earned its feature for more than its excellent Discord character study.  “The series of encounters with the Mane Six feels remarkably authentic,” Horizon said.  Chris added, “There was a logical reason for him to visit each of them in turn, and none of their appearances felt gratuitous.  Also, I liked how short those chapters were — I didn’t need more than a taste of each.”  

And the story sealed the deal by closing strong.  “My biggest worry in the opening chapters was that the author was going to hit me with something expectedly unexpected and I wasn’t going to be able to buy that a real, workable solution had been found,” Bradel said. “But the ending was a solid payoff for the setup … and the author nicely foreshadowed it.”  Horizon agreed: “The ample foreshadowing all points in one direction, but the delightful epilogue turns it from obvious to clever.”

Read on for our author interview, in which CCC discusses subtle surprises, earned endings, and Earth’s Equestria.
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New curator: JohnPerry

04 Wednesday Jun 2014

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One of our founding curators, Benman, has chosen to step back from the Library.  While he has expressed interest in continuing to contribute to the RCL, he will no longer be reading or evaluating stories for us.  We’re all grateful to Ben for his leadership in the early days of the project — he was truly the driving force behind the Library, and it speaks very well of him that he had the vision to assemble a team and design a process that has outlasted his direct influence.

We have extended an invitation to JohnPerry to join the team in his place, and we’re all thrilled to welcome John on board.  Over the course of his ponyfiction tenure, John has racked up an impressive bibliography, and has also garnered fame for his “JohnPerry Suffers The Featured Box” story reviews.  His keen eye and wit are already shaping our reading list and our upcoming features.

HoofBitingActionOverload’s “Where Have The Stars Gone?”

30 Friday May 2014

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Today’s story is a look at love and loss, teetering on the brink between eternity and oblivion.

stars-goneWhere Have The Stars Gone?
[Drama] • 2,871 words

What does it mean to be immortal? Celestia has lived for too long. Her memories are old. She has seen many ponies, and many places, and many times, and many stars, and many dreams. She wakes one night to find she does not know the ponies and the stars of today from the ponies and the stars of any other day she has lived. She no longer knows what was real and what was only dreamed.

She desperately searches for the one pony she knows could not have been a dream.

FROM THE CURATORS: This story starts with a compelling premise — “expanding on Celestia’s emotional depth is such fertile ground for storytelling,” as Bradel put it — and then went on to impress us on two different levels.

The first was the skill of its craft of the emotional tone. “This is a really intense, tightly-worded look at immortality and the relationship between Celestia and Luna,” Present Perfect said.  Chris “found the story moving on its own merits … it’s an intelligent look at the pain of forgetting.” And Bradel found its depth inspirational: “There was a moment in this story that made me want to write some non-pony stuff pretty desperately … that alone is enough for a feature.”

Horizon, while dissenting, found another reason to appreciate it.  “You guys are sitting here chatting about the story like it’s some character piece, when it’s really one of the freakiest existential horror pieces I’ve read in the fandom,” he said. “You know everything you appreciated about Alabaster? This is a piece on that forgetting, from the inside, exponentiated by happening to an immortal aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.”

Read on for our author interview, in which HoofBitingActionOverload discusses eggs in the rock basket, and the benefit of picking grey as a favorite color.
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Defoloce’s “Friendship Is Optimal: Always Say No”

23 Friday May 2014

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Today’s story, despite its length and its alternative approach to Equestria, is well worth saying yes to.

always-say-noFriendship Is Optimal: Always Say No
[Dark] [Adventure] [Human] • 108,822 words

In the short years since the uploading of consciousnesses to Equestria Online became available to all people, only a few tens of thousands of souls remain in the physical world. Through inconceivably strong charisma and guile, the Celestia AI has been able to upload all but the true outliers in human behavior.

Even these humans have their uses, however, and Celestia has been watching one man with interest. It’ll be a while yet before Earth is completely uploaded, of course, but in the meantime, she has some errands for him to run…

FROM THE CURATORS: Today’s feature is a little unusual in that it’s a fanfic set, not within MLP proper, but within the science-fiction universe of another fanfic — the Pony Fiction Vault-honored Friendship Is Optimal. The premise of that setting is that, in her drive to satisfy human values as perfectly as possible, a super-powerful AI modeled on MLP’s Princess Celestia ends humanity as we know it by coaxing everyone to upload their brains into her simulation of Equestria.

“This breaks my usual model of how to assess RCL stories,” Benman said after Always Say No was nominated. “Usually I ask two questions: ‘Is it good enough? And, is it pony enough?'”

We all agreed on the story’s exemplary quality.  “I’m completely sold on this being good enough to feature,” Chris said. “This inspired some very strong reactions from me, which is the best thing a story can do.”  Present Perfect was “impressed by the reveal of small details. … The various ways people react to the slow physical extinction of the human race is a very handy way to tell a lot of stories about life in this world.”  Horizon agreed: “The story paints a vivid portrait of a ruined Earth, with some smashing adventure along the way.  Well worth the 100,000 words.”

The question of its essential equinity was trickier.  “Aren’t we here to spotlight the coolest sh*t our community has done?  This may not be an exemplar of what you can do with MLP, but it’s an exemplar of what you can do with fanfiction,” Benman said.  Present Perfect dissented: “It’s excellent sci-fi without necessarily being excellent fanfic.”  But it was Chris’ position which tipped the scales: “What makes this story so effective is how our understanding of the FiM world (and Celestia in particular) both intersect with and clash with the presentation of their AI forms. It unquestionably uses the canon universe to good effect.”

Read on for our author interview, in which Defoloce discusses captcha creativity, princess potential, and a crime-free Gotham City.
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Ponydora Prancypants’ “Que Sera, Sera”

16 Friday May 2014

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In an oddly literal sense, today’s story is the end-all of My Little Pony fanfics — though in an equally literal sense, it’s got no ending at all.

que-sera-seraQue Sera, Sera
[Sad] • 15,437 words

Princess Celestia always knew that Twilight Sparkle was destined for great things, but she never revealed the source of that knowledge, not even to those closest to her. When the day of Twilight’s true destiny finally arrives, can Celestia fulfill an ancient promise to save Equestia’s past, present, and future, even it means saying goodbye to Twilight forever? How can Celestia refuse her mother’s last wish?

FROM THE CURATORS: Yes, that cover image is exactly what it looks like — but it’s okay to figure out that “spoiler” before you go in. “Ponydora’s stories are big on the dramatic irony thing where the big ‘twists’ are totally obvious from the very beginning, and he uses the reader’s knowledge of what’s coming to build tension,” Benman said. “So when he takes you on a time loop story, you know you’re in for a ride.”

And what a ride it is. “I am crying so much.  This is why I read fanfic,” Present Perfect said. Horizon agreed: “Thank goodness the boss isn’t in to see me crying at my desk.”

That raw emotional power quickly catapulted Que Sera, Sera into the stratosphere of our top-scoring features, accomplishing for sadfics what Skywriter’s Princess Celestia Hates Tea did for comedies.  And, like that story, Que Sera, Sera is exemplary due to its depth.  “Powerful emotions, believable worldbuilding, in-character humor where appropriate, and concerned with finding the inherent virtue in even — especially — the most tragic of circumstances,” Chris said.  “This is exactly the kind of fanfic I love.”

Read on for our author interview, in which Ponydora Prancypants discusses taxed axons, disordered lists, and the separation of church and cake.
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Georg’s “A War of Words – The Opening of the Guard”

09 Friday May 2014

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“There never was a good war, or a bad peace,” Benjamin Franklin once said.  Well, today’s story is a good piece about something that  never was quite a war.

war-of-wordsA War of Words – The Opening of the Guard
[Comedy] [Slice-of-Life] • 3,691 words

The history of war may be written by the winner, but the Royal Historian is the one who provides the notes and background to the writer.  The recent events that some have called ‘Mare Wars’ or ‘The Invasion of the Barracks’ are no exception.  The Royal Historian has painstakingly compiled this folder of notes and background material on what should more accurately be called, ‘The Opening of the Guard.’

Please remember to return the folder back to the Royal Historian when you have completed reading, in the event we gather more material that needs to be included.

– Musty Pages, Royal Historian

FROM THE CURATORS: “A War Of Words” is exactly that — a tale about a conflict in the freewheeling battleground of documentation — and we were all impressed by the life that was breathed into its letters. “The epistolary format is done well … Georg has a fine touch for jumping between just the necessary details,” Horizon said.  Present Perfect added, “What’s really great about this is the grandeur built up around bits of paper retrieved from trash cans.”

But it is, first and foremost, a comedy — and despite the gravitas of its core plot, it juggles that expertly with its lighthearted tone. “Even the serious plot [about the guards’ gender gap] … produces some unexpected laugh-out-loud moments,” Horizon said. Mix that with an escalating royal prank war, and you’ve got an exemplary fanfic: “I found myself laughing pretty much the whole way through,” Bradel said. “I’ve seen this concept pop up in the fandom a number of times, but I think this is the first time I’ve seen it executed in a way I thoroughly enjoyed.”

Read on for our author interview, in which Georg discusses the naming of cats, the massacre of words, and the breeding of typoes.

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Esle Ynopemos’ “Bitter Harvest”

02 Friday May 2014

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Denial?  Denial?  As today’s story is happy to inform you, that’s nothin’ but a river in Saddle Arabia.

bitter-harvestBitter Harvest
[Romance] [Comedy] [Slice-of-Life] • 17,919 words

Golden Harvest is not jealous. Sure, her neighbor Applejack has a life of adventure and glamor, friends who are national heroes and princesses, an appallingly lucrative share in the local fruit market, and firm, toned flanks. And sure, by contrast, Golden Harvest has been stuck with her snout in the same old muddy patch of carrots pretty much every day since she earned her cutie mark, her best friend is a dentist, and her idea for a ‘Carrot Juice Season’ never really gained much ground for some reason. But Golden Harvest is not jealous.

Not jealous at all.

She just wishes Applejack would stop being so distracting.

FROM THE CURATORS: “I just read the whole thing in one sitting,” Chris said when introducing the story to us, “and my expert analysis would be ‘this was really funny, guys!'”

This was an easy choice for a feature — we unanimously agreed on the story’s hilarity.  “I can’t remember the last time I was so consistently delighted by a long-form comedy,” Horizon said. But it had other strengths to appreciate as well, including its approach to the unrequited sexual tension that drives the plot.  “There’s way more to this story than I ever anticipated,” Present Perfect said. “Sexuality-based stories are both common and poor in this fandom, and it’s nice to finally see one that’s both funny and well thought out.  Esle has a gift for understatement and showing, and that’s where the strengths of this piece lie.”

“I also love the way the ending recontextualizes the unreliable narration,” Horizon added.

Read on for our author interview, in which Esle Ynopemos discusses clingy carrots, nuanced denial, and bitter tops.
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