Category Archives: Features

Twilight Snarkle’s “Order From Chaos”

01 Friday Nov 2013

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Today’s story is about the transformative power of friendship, in the finest tradition of MLP:FiM … even though its protagonist is the villain of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.

order_from_chaosOrder From Chaos
[Crossover] • 10,416 words

A handful of pages recount a remarkable journey to Equestria by someone who sought only a little peace.

FROM THE CURATORS: It’s tricky to write a Crossover story that appeals to readers outside your secondary fanbase. A major factor behind Order from Chaos’ feature is that it’s powerful even without any Sonic knowledge. “I don’t know Sonic from a hole in the ground,” Benman said, “[and] this story hit me extremely hard. … There’s a naked sincerity to this that makes me think of season 1, or Buffy, or the first Harry Potter book.”

And while the story’s about a psychological journey, the physical journey’s also a treat to read. “This does a lot of things right that [Human in Equestria] stories don’t often do right: cautious exploration, language barriers, balancing magic and foreign technology, day 32’s shift in writing style,” Horizon said.

Read on for our author interview, in which Twilight Snarkle battles plot bunnies and discusses how to draw out emotional depth from quiet, analytical characters.
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Bob From Bottles’ “An Imaginative Performance”

25 Friday Oct 2013

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This Friday brings us a story which is both light and lighthearted, but don’t mistake its whimsy for ephemerality — there’s more here than meets the eye.

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An Imaginative Performance
[Comedy] • 24,578 words

It’s once again time for Ponyville’s annual school performance. This year, it’s a musical retelling of a story about what it means to be a hero. With curtains only minutes away from rising, each student is finding their own way to deal with the pressures of being on stage. Some have no fear at all, while others are just hoping to get the night over with. A few even distract themselves by pretending the audience is doing something silly. Then, there’s Apple Bloom, who imagines everything happening on stage is real, regardless if it makes sense or not. 

FROM THE CURATORS:  All of us noted how funny the story was; no surprise, considering it’s a comedy.  “It’s solid humor,” observed Vimbert; “this one has great comic balance… it might be his most consistent [story],” added Chris.

But what really set this apart for us was the way that it meshed that comedy with an unerring sense of its characters.  As Horizon put it: “This is exactly the sort of misadventure the CMCs would get into, in exactly the way they would do it, and the humor is in service of a moral ripped straight from the show.”

Continue down to see our interview, where Bob delves into his somnambulent inspiration, his use of lyrics, and the origin of his name.
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Cloud Wander’s “It Is My Fate To Enter Every Door”

18 Friday Oct 2013

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This week’s story delves deep into the hidden mythology of Equestria to give us a touching, personal introduction to the monsters beneath its surface.

it_is_my_fateIt Is My Fate To Enter Every Door
[Sad] [Slice of Life] • 3,399 words

Blythe Hyacinth Pie, Blinks to her family, makes her annual pilgrimage to Tartarus to see her grandparents and hopes for their redemption.

FROM THE CURATORS: One thing that impressed us all is the economy of the storytelling throughout.  (It’s hard to believe the story clocks in at just over 3,000 words!) “One of the things I love about Cloud Wander as an author is how much characterization he can pack into the smallest spaces,” Chris said, “and Clyde Pie is an exemplar in this area; despite his presence being pretty much limited to the first few hundred words, I got a better impression of what he’s like from this story than from some that have spent a dozen times the verbiage on him.”

And it’s the interconnection of those ponies with the mythology that surrounds them that makes it such a treat. “This is a textbook example of how to do worldbuilding right,” Benman said. “Our glimpses of Tartarus tell us as much about the characters whose eyes we see through as they tell us about the underworld itself.”

Read on for our interview, where Cloud Wander — in his inimitable style — describes his own formative experience with a literary dive into monster-filled depths, and envisions Twilight Sparkle’s struggles with whipped cream.
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Skywriter’s “Princess Celestia Hates Tea”

11 Friday Oct 2013

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We’re pleased to inaugurate the Royal Canterlot Library’s weekly story features with a look at one of the fandom’s iconic, most-beloved comedies.

princess_celestia_hates_teaPrincess Celestia Hates Tea
[Comedy] • 8,536 words

Seriously, a lot.

FROM THE CURATORS:  Normally, during our selection process, we take sides and discuss a story’s merits and flaws — but this one won a rare unanimous approval.  So what makes this story of a revealed secret and an escalating misunderstanding so exemplary?  First of all, it’s simply hilarious. “My poor boyfriend (who was just trying to get to sleep) was kept awake for some minutes thanks to my gales of laughter from this story,” Vimbert said. “This is fantastic in every way.”

Part of that comes from its unexpected depth. “It draws its humor,” Horizon said, “from … letting everyone’s plausible behaviors draw them into the most ludicrous possible situation.  Then, just when you think you’re done, it punches you in the gut with an insight about one of the show’s deepest characters.”

Read on below the break for our interview with Skywriter — where he offers a theory about his story’s unexpected popularity, and shares his personal feelings about tea.

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