RB_’s “The World Fades to White”

08 Friday Dec 2017

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Today’s story is quite a cool tale.

The World Fades to White
[Adventure] [Sad] • 3,388 words

Princess Flurry Heart and the descendant of Prince Rutherford brave the harsh conditions of the Frozen North, in search of an artifact they hope will save their home from a similar fate.

FROM THE CURATORS: One of the subtler skills in writing is how to wring meaning from the things you don’t say — a skill on prominent display in this short and focused fic.  “I love how sparse the writing feels, hinting at larger things without ever having to define them, managing to make its diffuse world feel rich and solid,” Soge said, and Present Perfect agreed: “This feels like such a tiny slice of a greater epic work. So much is packed into it, and yet so much is left unsaid.”

However, that was just one of a wider range of strengths we appreciated here. “Here’s a short piece that really shows how to use setting to reinforce tone,” Chris said in his nomination.  “The endless ice fields are a bleak and austere place to be. And likewise, though there’s a tragedy at the heart of this story, it’s not a big goobery ‘be sad’ one; it’s a cold tragedy of inevitability tempered by the distance of time.”  Despite that detachment, the story itself never felt distant.  “This story starts in medias res, and drives on as relentlessly as the blizzard surrounding the characters,” AugieDog said, “and yet, by the time we get to the end, there’s no question what happened and how things got to the state we find them in at the beginning. It’s a very nice piece of storytelling for that alone.”

AugieDog also praised the character work, and — when we weren’t derailing our discussion to talk like yaks at each other — the rest of us quickly agreed.  “The characters also deserve praise, feeling like unique creations, and yet rooted in a greater tradition that goes back to canon proper,” Soge said, and that was part of Present Perfect’s broader appreciation: “It succeeds in imagery — the sense of a vast, cold expanse of nothing, relentlessly driving our protagonists back from their goal. It succeeds in focus — zooming the ‘camera’ in and out and teasing us with what lies beyond the viewframe. And it succeeds in characterization — a simple glimpse at a future that doesn’t matter so much, because at its heart this is a story about family, friendship and loyalty, and it comes through perfectly.”

Read on for our author interview, in which RB_ discusses little monsters, melting pots, and winter shorts.
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SirTruffles’ “Three Left Turns”

01 Friday Dec 2017

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Today’s story turns out right.

Three Left Turns
[Dark] • 2,478 words

Equestria’s last night is nigh. Next evening it will be ash. Twilight slips off with but the past to bargain with. Can she buy a future?

FROM THE CURATORS: Our search for literary merit in fanfiction sometimes leads us to stories with unique styles — and this certainly delivers on that score.  “Here’s something I’d describe as literary impressionism,” Chris said in his nomination.  “It’s a story that focuses more on communicating mood and emotional sense than on offering up a concrete picture of ‘what actually happened,’ told in an unusual format which highlights the narrative’s ambiguities.”  Virtually our entire discussion was about unpacking that unique style.  “Nothing is ever stated plainly, but there are plenty of hints as to what’s going on,” Present Perfect noted, while AugieDog summed up our overall impression: “In the end, it’s the gorgeous imagery that carries the day.”

Just as impressionism can lead to beautiful paintings, we found that Three Left Turns used the strengths of its format to its benefit.  “The ambiguities let SirTruffles paint a picture for the reader without getting bogged down in details which might detract from the moods and moments he’s trying to highlight,” Chris said.  Present Perfect found the story accomplishing a rare goal: “It’s hard to wring true fantasy out of a setting that’s already fantastic, but this does it well by avoiding standard Equestrian staples in favor of the purely abstract.”  And Horizon appreciated its thematic cohesion: “Everything works in concert with that theme of sacrifice.  Even the absence of traditional dialogue just seems like it reinforces the idea of something once given up.”

It was those strengths which led Three Left Turns to a feature despite some curator dissent.  “The style and atmosphere is really well executed, but I feel that I’m missing something,” Soge said, while AugieDog found it a fascinating read regardless: “To journey every once in a while into some dimly-lit and incense-laden atmosphere where question aren’t asked let alone answered, that can be fun, too,” he said.  “Whatever doom there is here, it’s a very quiet and gentle doom. And really, isn’t that all we can ask for from our dooms?”

Read on for our author interview, in which SirTruffles discusses dangerous speeds, zig-zag lines, and willy-nilly portmanteaus.
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Holiday week

24 Friday Nov 2017

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We hope that our American and American-adjacent readers had an excellent Thanksgiving holiday filled with food, friendship and magic!

Every once in a while we at the RCL need a break to enjoy those things, too.  So we’re skipping a week and giving ourselves a chance to catch up on our pony reading.  We’ll be back with more features next Friday!

If you’d like some quality stories, we’ve got over four years of archives to mine for tales to read — and if you’re one of the dedicated readers who has seen them all, let us know some other of your favorites.

Petrichord’s “Paper Butterflies”

17 Friday Nov 2017

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Watch some delicate emotions fold together in today’s story.

Paper Butterflies
[Sad] [Slice of Life] • 3,756 words

Discord hasn’t been feeling himself lately. Rarity thinks that it might be a good idea to get his mind off of things by having him assist her with upcoming work for the Summer Sun Celebration. Being the good sport that he is, Big Mac helps Discord out.

As it turns out, the project is surprisingly fun.  It’s also more than a little painful.

FROM THE CURATORS: By definition, it can be difficult to tell when a story does subtle things well — which is why it’s such a delight to find a deeper payoff in an already rewarding tale.  “This is a quiet, sublime, almost surreal story about Discord folding paper butterflies with Big Macintosh,” Present Perfect said in his nomination. “The sense of wonder as he and Big Mac race to capture various ponies in origami form is palpable. Then the story puts the brakes on … it all comes down to the juxtaposition with the final scene.”  Paper Butterflies’ speedy path to approval saw plenty of similar praise: “The big thing right is the way it sneakily layers the tragedy onto a strong and gentle slice-of-life-ey story and then brings it all tumbling down at the end,” Horizon said.

Along the way, we found the story guided by a sure yet subtle hand.  “This story is a marvelous example of one of the things I mean when I say ‘show, don’t tell,'” AugieDog said. “From the beginning right through to the ending, we’re shown everything we need to know about the situation, but we’re never told what that situation is.”  Horizon agreed: “I love how this wrings a ton of emotion out of implication, like Discord’s comment to Big Mac about objectively wrong statements.  Also, Rarity’s and Mac’s characterization were on point, and the dialogue here is fantastic.”  For his part, Soge appreciated the way the main character filled the piece: “It oozes Discord’s characterization on every word, from how it ignores the things it really wants to talk about, to the pacing, to how it flits from theme to theme obeying a logic that is all is own,” he said.  “And the pacing acts like a living thing, reacting to the mental state of the characters.”

Our range of different reading experiences showed that, both with and without the piece’s core subtlety, it paid off.  “I twigged to what was going on pretty early, but that didn’t spoil the emotional impact for me in the slightest,” AugieDog said, while Soge got hit with a one-two punch: “It took me until I went back to read the description and tags to actually get it, and the way that re-contextualized everything was just magnificent,” he said.  “Even without this added detail it would be something I’d love to feature, but that turns the whole thing into something truly special.”  And for Present Perfect, not even a warning blunted the impact: “I reached the end and remembered the author predicted it was going to make me cry. Damned if he wasn’t right.”

Read on for our author interview, in which Petrichord discusses mud sticks, distaff bits, and corgi staring.
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MaxKodan’s “Dappled Shores”

10 Friday Nov 2017

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Today’s story warns about the hidden dangers of “shows, don’t tell”.

Dappled Shores
[Romance] [Comedy] [Drama] [Equestria Girls] [Slice of Life] • 4,640 words

Rarity and Sunset are having their third weekly Dappled Shores marathon.

And then Sunset ruins everything.

FROM THE CURATORS: Don’t let that story description fool you — this third-place winner in the recent Changing Seasons contest is a light-hearted (and ultimately heartwarming) romp about the perils of spoilers.  “The story is consistently both witty and hilarious,” Horizon said in his nomination.  “Bon mots like ‘it was time to call in the least terrible people she knew’ litter the text, and the dialogue is consistently whipcrack smart.  The shipping scenes, too — with their wealth of loving detail, like the matcha tea and Rarity’s nose for laundry detergent — are a delight to read.”  AugieDog agreed, much more succinctly: “I’d call this romantic comedy done right.”

But we quickly found that there was plenty to like in the story whether readers appreciated shipping or not.  “The comedy is the big sell here,” Chris said.  “Once the story started diving into Sunset’s and Rarity’s overreactions, the hushed horror of their friends, and Rainbow having only one make-up plan, I was sold.”  Soge was impressed by the prose: “God damn, the writing is really strong here, full of clever turns of phrase, great pacing, and a keen sense of comedic timing.”  And the relationship itself even won over some doubters.  “Maybe it’s just that the prescription on my shipping goggles needs an adjustment, but I’m always a little leery of stories that start off with any of Our Heroines in a romantic relationship,” AugieDog said.  “By the end of this one, though, I was absolutely convinced that there was something very real between this Sunset and this Rarity.”

The icing on the sweet cake of the prose was the solid construction throughout.  “Most impressively, in less than 5,000 words it manages to give solid moments to each of the entire Humane Seven,” Horizon said, while AugieDog praised the structure: “I really enjoyed the way we only see the unfortunate aftermath of each plan and the way Rarity sort of floats over the whole middle section of the story like a will-o-the-wisp, drawing Sunset on to ever-increasing extremes.”  That reinforced the core strength of the story, Chris said: “The running gags and the winking mockery of the sillier parts of the show (and movies), all while letting the characters take the central conflict seriously at every turn, kept things funny without turning it all cynical.”

Read on for our author interview, in which MaxKodan discusses object transpositions, old film, and midnight definitions.
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WishyWish’s “Sugarcube in the Corner”

03 Friday Nov 2017

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An unlikely crossover source mashes up with pony in today’s story.

Sugarcube in the Corner
[Drama] [Sad] [Slice of Life] [Tragedy] • 8,069 words

Enter Painless — a young resident physician at Manehattan East Side Memorial Hospital who drew the short lot, and ended up working through Hearth’s Warming. With the city caught in the grips of a blizzard that weatherponies are still trying to get under control, the night is boring, the decorations contrived, and the coffee is as bitter as his sensibilities.

Tonight, Painless has a single, pointless task assigned to him — to keep the company of a lonesome, unconscious stallion who is essentially already dead. In so doing, a young doctor will learn that medicine is about more than scalpels and technique.

It’s also about mending broken hearts.

FROM THE CURATORS: One of the joys of fanfiction is running across the sorts of stories which the show itself won’t offer us — but which feel like they nevertheless fit right in with the show we love.  “How about a hospital drama with a high realism factor, lots of emotion, and a young doctor learning not to harden his heart to the world?” Present Perfect said in his nomination.  “Plus, it’s a M*A*S*H tribute. You don’t see a lot of those.” We quickly came to appreciate that blend.  “This feels well removed from the show, but not in a way that breaks immersion … learning a lesson in empathy like this is very much in MLP’s bailiwick,” Chris said.  And while it drew many elements straight from the M*A*S*H episode it used as inspiration, it was “an excellent adaptation, and a strong story in its own right,” Horizon said.

That was due at least in part to the way that it brought MLP canon into its tale.  “The turning point in this story comes when it’s revealed early on that the dying stallion is not just another OC like the main characters, but Mr. Cake,” Present Perfect said.  “It was quite the effective tactic, and it pays off well by the end.”  There was also plenty of payoff along the way, Chris said: “I feel like Corner is at its best in its smaller moments.  Painless’ coffee selection in the opening is a tiny but revealing moment, and there are a lot of those scattered about, buttressing a melancholy but touching story about doing what you can for living and dead alike.”

Both those big and small factors were repeatedly cited in our discussion.  “This does some impressive character work at its epistolary core, but what makes it exemplary for me is the emotion past the final turn,” Horizon said.  “The meditation on death that this draws from its crossover source is profound in a way that really touches on the moral core of MLP — about caring, and about what caring means.”  But ultimately, it was the successful meshing of two very different styles behind this story’s strength.  “It’s a powerful juxtaposition, throwing ponies into an unfixable situation,” AugieDog said.  “There’s always a chance in the Pony universe, always a possible solution that will right the balance and mend the broken heart.  This story doesn’t have that … but it treads very close to the line.”

Read on for our author interview, in which WishyWish discusses Alphasmarts, Flutterhugging, and rock candy cherries.
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AShadowOfCygnus’ “Cold Light”

27 Friday Oct 2017

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Today’s story might offer up some cold comfort.

Cold Light
[Dark] [Human] [Sad] • 3,209 words
[Note: This story contains sexual themes.]

Even in our darkest moments, the stars shine coldly down — distant and remote, but bright in the blackness. Refuse them, shut them out, and they remain. Let them in, and they may convince you of the warmth in their embrace.

This is not a story about stars.

This is a story about people and ponies, and what they visit on each other in moments of darkness.

FROM THE CURATORS: While most of our features are exemplary because of the ways that they reflect the show we all enjoy, sometimes we run across a story that draws its power from its willingness to use pony as a lens onto far darker problems.  “This is not an easy story to read,” Present Perfect said in his nomination.  “It deals with a difficult topic, but unfolds it in a way that is insidious, pervasive, and excruciatingly gentle, up until it kicks you in the teeth.”  We quickly reached broad agreement on its quality.  “It manages to establish a nice balance between sadness and melodrama, talks about trauma without glorifying it, and despite the bleakness of the situation, it ends on a good and positive note,” Soge said.

For AugieDog, it was that emotional balancing act which tipped the scales toward a feature.  “It’s the protagonist’s initial anger toward the unicorn that really makes the story,” he said.  “She wants to be tough, capable, realistic, not needing any unicorns … but finds a different kind of toughness: the toughness that doesn’t turn away a unicorn’s help.”  Both main characters’ portrayals were hard-hitting, Chris said: “The unicorn’s matter-of-fact declaration about giving and taking is something wonderful, a credo delivered with such certainty when most it’s needed. … This is a harsh piece of writing, as anything that tackles this subject would have to be, but the way it doesn’t flinch away from the toll taken on the girl feels necessary rather than exploitative.”  And Soge noted the power of the raw premise: “There are a lot of metaphorical implications of meeting a unicorn after that particular situation, and I’m glad to see the ways the fic explored that.”

Beyond its quality, much of our discussion centered on the fact that “this is almost non-pony fiction,” as Present Perfect put it.  “Outside of a reference to two royal pony sisters, it looks like urban fantasy.”  And ultimately, for a majority of us, quality won out.  “I don’t know that this is a great fanfic per se, but it’s a great story, and the fact that it’s presented as fanfic doesn’t harm that story,” Chris said.  “In the end, I’m going to have to come back to Benman’s ‘Aren’t we here to spotlight the coolest shit our community has done?’ standard; this could be published in any fantasy magazine right now, with zero changes to the text.”

Read on for our author interview, in which AShadowOfCygnus discusses Boswell watersheds, anachronism stewpots, and poking holes in the world.
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The Albinocorn’s “Firebird Dahlia”

20 Friday Oct 2017

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An explosive sibling rivalry is at the center of today’s story.

Firebird Dahlia
[Drama] [Slice of Life] • 48,819 words

Life is looking up for Sunset Shimmer.

With her grandstanding at the Battle of the Bands, Canterlot High has taken a new approach to her. Amends have been made, friendships have been restored, and Sunset is on the fast track to becoming a better person.

But even now, there are still apologies that have to be said.

For her Spring Break, Sunset returns to Equestria to make up with her estranged family: the parents that raised and provided for her, and the sister she left behind. But a lot has changed since then, and some wounds won’t heal by just saying ‘I’m sorry.’

Fixing friendships is one thing. Sunset will be put through her hardest test yet when she tries to bring her family back together.

FROM THE CURATORS: Our immediate reaction to this story was exemplified by AugieDog’s joy of discovery.  “After seven years of reading ponyfic, I love it that I can still come across ideas that clang so happily against the bell in my brain,” he said.  “I mean, of course Sunset and Spitfire are sisters!  It’s perfect.”  But it takes more than a great premise to make a story exemplary, and Firebird Dahlia was happy to deliver more.  “I adore stories that delve into the whys and hows of Sunset’s downfall, and this is absolutely one of the best,” Present Perfect said in his nomination.  “Her rivalry with Spitfire, her inferiority complex in the shadow of her all-pegasus family, her goals as Celestia’s student: it all coalesces to turn a pony who was shy, nerdy and picked on into a megalomaniac trying to conquer Equestria.”

Our discussion repeatedly turned to the fine touch with which this fic handled its cast.  “It’s a triumph of characterization,” Soge said.  “Sunset’s characterization is marvelous, and the way it justifies her actions and personality was extremely well realized. All other characters are also stand-outs, from Spitfire to their parents, to all the mane cast that get involved in the proceedings.”  AugieDog agreed: “I’ve got an older sister and two younger brothers, and the family dynamic displayed here feels absolutely true and honest to me.”  And Horizon was impressed with their depth: “It’s exemplary work to have a redemption story handle such complex characters so sensitively, and the result is heartwarming.”

As we discussed various aspects of the story, it was hard to find an element that didn’t get singled out for accolades.  “We get a really well-paced story full of eye-popping moments, interesting revelations, and drama that always feels earned,” Soge said.  “The redemption arc works really well, and it left me wanting to see more in this continuity.”  Present Perfect praised the prose: “The writing was quite good, maybe a little flowery in places, but structured for deep crafting, whether of setting, backstory, or character.”  And even the things it didn’t say were well-chosen, Horizon said: “I am also a huge fan of how this acknowledges critical questions about what happens past the ending of the piece, and yet leaves them in the future.  That serves the theme of redemption as an ongoing struggle well.”

Read on for our author interview, in which The Albinocorn discusses worm cans, slow burns, and cross-country dreadlocks.
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forbloodysummer’s “Why Are You Here, Your Majesty?”

13 Friday Oct 2017

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Today’s story is here for a very good reason.

Why Are You Here, Your Majesty?
[Drama] • 8,405 words

Immortals are few and far between in Equestria, and they are all known to each other. Two of them are about to get to know each other a little better. Because one has just turned up uninvited in another’s private chambers. Maybe it’s time they had a chat?

FROM THE CURATORS: One of pony authors’ favorite pastimes is explaining the world behind the show, so it should be no surprise that we sometimes feature stories centering around headcanon exploration.  When we do, though, we look for something that makes it stand out from the pack.  “This fic is a changeling lore dump at its heart … but the selling point that vaults this above ‘another changeling fic’ is the way the story gets into Celestia’s head as she speaks with Chrysalis,” Chris said in his nomination, and that was one of the factors other curators also cited.  “‘If you forget the crime but remember the sentence, then you come to see yourself as the villain for passing it,'” Present Perfect quoted. “That line’s from Chapter 1. It’s fantastic, and a perfect example of what Chris is talking about.”  Which is not to downplay the also-strong headcanon: “There are some really interesting ideas on display here, particularly its explanation for why changelings act the way they do, and Celestia’s offer for Chrysalis,” Soge said.

But the entire package was tied together by the character at its center.  “What really caught my attention was the portrayal of Chrysalis,” Present Perfect said. “This goes through a number of motions similar to other changeling headcanon fics, but the look into her character here is wholly unique. Equal parts ‘misunderstood mother’ and ‘true tyrant’, but without any of her usual villainous bluster, Chrysalis is strangely vulnerable despite being able to keep her dignity.”  AugieDog agreed: “Chrysalis is presented as being at heart just as uncertain as Celestia, as playing a part just as thoroughly as Celestia. It’s an interesting take on both characters, and I quite enjoyed it.”

And although some of us disliked the prose, even that had its defenders.  “I found the prose to be quite effective for conveying the author’s take on Celestia,” AugieDog said.  “She’s constantly second-guessing herself, constantly trying to convince herself that she’s doing the right thing, and we’re immersed so deeply in her viewpoint that the repetition in the writing just reinforced her uncertainty in my mind.”  That structure also strengthened the piece’s themes, Chris said: “The weighty yet natural-sounding dialogue would be effective on its own, but seeing the princess’ thought processes play out, and how the little conversational gambits unfold, gives this a little more oomph.”

Read on for our author interview, in which forbloodysummer discusses rainbow vocabulary, bedroom teleportations, and secret metal obsessions.

(NOTE: The interview contains significant spoilers for the plot and ending of the featured story; the author suggests reading the story first.)
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Rocket Lawn Chair’s “Star-Crossed”

06 Friday Oct 2017

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Today’s story is a tale of love written in the sky.

Star-Crossed
[Romance] [Slice of Life] • 2,968 words

A thousand years ago he was turning Equestria into a hotbed of mayhem.
Five years ago he was growing moss and lichen on his shoulders.
Today he’s asking Celestia out on a date.

Celestia didn’t know such a creature as Discord would be able to change so radically without it being part of some elaborate prank. But what’s more unsettling, she didn’t know she’d be able to change just as drastically. As she finds new feelings for the Master of Chaos, she begins to have doubts toward the integrity of her desires, and suspicions of her sister’s possible involvement.

FROM THE CURATORS: For a story about Celestia struggling with the ambiguity of her romantic feelings, this had some delicious ambiguity of its own.  “The best thing about this story is that Dislestia shippers can read it as a straight romance,” Chris said in his nomination, “and people like me can read it as a psychological horror story, and it still works.”  And while we disagreed on the specifics of the piece’s depth — “The subtext, especially of that final scene, steers away from the psychological horror interpretations … which is not to say that Luna’s free of mischief, and that extra layer adds a delicious complexity to the piece,” Horizon said — we agreed on its richness.  “The storytelling here is so wonderfully measured, like the ticking of a grandfather clock,” AugieDog said.  “It’s still sneaky, though, jumping back and forth in time, and more than a little cryptic with its sparse dialogue and frequent silences. So it’s got a nice mix of qualities associated with Celestia, Discord, and Luna.”

Indeed, the story’s portrayal of those three drove much of our praise.  “The characters are presented in interesting ways, and it’s a good bit deeper than your average shipfic,” Present Perfect said.  Horizon agreed: “The big thing right is the character work here,” he said, “often subdued and subtle but sometimes with the prose just blossoming like a flower. Like: ‘I think that love, in its own way, is a kind of chaos. Thwarting logic, driving us to do the impossible. Sounds like the kind of thing that would come naturally to him.'”

We found the rest of the prose equally quotable.  “The author gets a lot of mileage out of the smallest actions,” Chris said, citing the story’s final sentence (to which Horizon responded, “That last line is goddamn perfect”). Chris’ praise went further: “The whole fic is like that, piling import upon trifling actions, and seeding passing fancies and casual memories with a deeper significance.”  That layered with its thematic richness, AugieDog said: “The story here does have a somewhat haunted air to it, with all its talk of night and the sea and autumn.”  As Horizon put it, that added up to an exemplary package: “All in all, this is solid and poignant and endlessly surprising.”

Read on for our author interview, in which Rocket Lawn Chair discusses thigh proportions, bending backward, and the seventeenth try.
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