SpinelStride’s “Rarified Airs”

29 Friday Sep 2017

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Take flight into an alternate Equestria in today’s story.

Rarified Airs
[Adventure] [Alternate Universe] • 44,226 words

When the Windigos attacked, the ponies had to find a way to put an end to the distrust and anger that fed the frozen fiends. The unicorns found a way. No more earth ponies, no more pegasi, no more problem.

A thousand years later, Princess Twilight Sparkle thinks that her ancestors may have made a mistake. Fortunately, she knows a way to test her hypothesis. She names that way ‘Rainbow Dash.’

FROM THE CURATORS: “This is a story I was hesitant to start based on just the description,” Chris said in his nomination, but from that humble beginning the superlatives flew thick and heavy.  “Rarified Airs is an achievement in worldbuilding and characterization in an AU the likes of which I have never seen before,” Soge said, while AugieDog was hooked from early on: “The opening is just about as fine an example of how to introduce a setting as I’ve seen in a ponyfic. We get exactly as much information as we need exactly when we need it, and there’s not an infodump in sight.”  Horizon was enthralled for different reasons: “It demonstrates so much emotional depth and tonal range that even as a worldbuilding fan I have to say that the amazing worldbuilding doesn’t feel like the biggest thing right, but just the cherry on top of the powerful coming-of-age tale.”

Over and over again, we cited one big factor in our discussion: “It’s a relentlessly interesting story, full of characters who blend the familiar and the unexpected in just the right combination,” as Chris said.  As if to prove that point, everyone name-dropped different supporting cast members when citing what made it exemplary. Present Perfect: “Figuring out things like who Rose Quartz actually is, or what might have happened differently outside the whole marvelous ‘unicorns genocide the other tribes’ premise is so much fun.”  Horizon: “The scene where Rainbow Dash throws up and converses with the anonymous guard is a microcosm of what makes the story so powerful.”  And Soge: “The author managed to portray Blueblood making lewd remarks towards Rainbow Dash as sympathethic!  That is nothing short of a miracle.”

The one major point of contention in our voting was the story’s final chapter.  “So much of it is just so familiar to the Equestria we know, and it’s a real letdown,” Present Perfect said — and while most of us voiced complaints about that and the story’s climactic twists, “everything else was fantastic up to that point,” as Soge put it.  “It is undeniable how powerful the other 90% of the fic was.”  And even that ending managed to garner some praise.  “It goes some surprising places at the end,” Chris said. “If not in the broad strokes, then in details like Blueblood’s character growth, or what happens to Diamond Tiara.”

Read on for our author interview, in which SpinelStride discusses solar repair, crystal descendants, and marshmallow fisticuffs.
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Fiddlebottoms’ “Discord’s Ant Farm”

22 Friday Sep 2017

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In today’s story, take a trip into the future with one of My Little Pony’s ant-agonists.

Discord’s Ant Farm
[Sad] • 2,619 words

That wacky Spirit of Chaos is at it again…

Except, there’s no ponies in the audience.

There’s nothing, really. Just an empty, post-apocalyptic expanse.

Nothing, and some ants.

FROM THE CURATORS: Over the past six years, many fanfics have been written whose premises have been invalidated by later seasons of the show.  However, some remain great despite that.  “This story shows just what sort of potential Discord had prior to his reformation,” Present Perfect said in his nomination, and this soared to a feature amid compliments like AugieDog’s: “Really, it all worked for me — the way Discord feels betrayed; his aimlessness; his lashing out; his hitting upon a new hobby at the end.”

It was that strong execution, combined with an exemplary examination of Discord’s character, that drew most of our commentary.  “Along with good imagery and that overwhelming sense of loss and loneliness, this tackles subjects like the importance of harmony to a spirit of chaos and why Discord doesn’t kill,” Present Perfect noted.  Horizon had similar praise: “The big thing right here is how effectively this paint’s Discord’s denial and frustration and desperation through his actions,” he said.  “It’s easy to forget that, despite his phenomenal power, Discord is fundamentally a reactive force … his portrayal of Celestia is really telling: his ideal fantasy world isn’t one in which everypony loves him and follows his lead, but one in which he gets to continue playing the foil. That, more than anything, drives home the horror of the isolation here.”

We also noted how the prose reinforced those deeper themes.  “The language the story uses had a Discordian feeling to it, too: heading toward overblown but undercutting itself constantly,” AugieDog said.  And the world around Discord, Horizon said, also contributed to the overall excellence.  “I appreciate that the apocalypse is well-sketched but never fully explained,” he said, “and the ant-iclimax — ha ha, see what I did there — is the cherry on top.”

Read on for our author interview, in which Fiddlebottoms discusses graviton theft, future cancer, and angry scalp massages.
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FrontSevens’ “Fun in the Summit”

15 Friday Sep 2017

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Today’s story is a foray into diplomatic impunity.

Fun in the Summit
[Comedy] [Slice of Life] • 7,774 words

Trade negotiations. Board meetings. Formal garden parties. Not the definition of a fun weekend for Princess Celestia at all.

However, Celestia has a plan. Rarity’s going to join her this year, and by their gossiping powers combined, they may be able to turn this upcoming convention into something a little more unconventional.

FROM THE CURATORS: When we find a story that we appreciate for its depth, it’s a rare pleasure to find it also in top form from the start.  “This story had me hooked from the first line, displaying a detached, dry humor which I found instantly appealing,” Chris said to wide agreement such as Horizon’s: “Chris isn’t kidding about the excellence of the opening. It cracks not just three solid jokes but three different types of jokes in three sentences. The sequence about the meeting’s bureaucratic opening is somewhat low-hanging fruit, but the execution of it is a thing of beauty.”  And that beautiful hilarity extended to the details: “What kind of a name is ‘Snaptibia’?” Present Perfect asked.  “A great one, that’s what.”

But the deeper drama here drew as much praise as the comedy.  “Toward the end, FrontSevens turns to a bit of introspection on how immortality changes one’s priorities and sense of scale, and — importantly — does so without abandoning the tone of that which came before,” Chris said.  “The exaggerated characters which surround Celestia and Rarity complement that tone perfectly as well.”  He wasn’t the only one to comment on the smoothness with which the story made that transition.  “The comedy is never forced, with a breezy quality exemplified by how Celestia and Rarity blithely ignore everything and everyone around them, and it’s entirely hilarious,” Present Perfect said.  “Then, the final scene’s poignancy was unexpected, but not unwanted.”

We found both the comedy and drama bolstered by sharp character work.  “Rarity is just fabulous throughout the fic,” Soge said.  “The way she talked with Celestia worked really well, and every time they started gossiping I had a smile on my face.”  And it was tied together by the fic’s unusual princess interpretation: “I have to say that I quite like this characterization of Celestia,” AugieDog said.  “It’s a huge contrast to the way she’s usually presented — she has no goals at all, and in fact can’t see anything but silliness in what’s going on around her. That’s why the narrative voice is so arch and distancing: this is the unreliable third person narrative going on in Celestia’s head, the one that reduces all conflicts to checkers games and just about every other being in the world to buffoons and caricatures.  But she’s making an honest effort to reconnect to the world, and her plan kind of works.”

Read on for our author interview, in which FrontSevens discusses bonus edgelords, cross-stitch signals, and dingus hahas.
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cursedchords’ “The Legend of the Scorpion Queen”

08 Friday Sep 2017

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Today’s story about Equestrian harvest legends will grow on you.

The Legend of the Scorpion Queen
[Romance] [Sad] • 16,226 words

On the eve of the Day of Reaping, the start of the Equestrian Harvest, it is traditional that a legend be told over supper: the legend of how the traditions surrounding the Day of Reaping came to be. It is a story of love, ambition, and vengeance.

Long before Equestria, a grand Unicorn King maintains a splendid garden. On one of his travels he brings a scorpion back to live within it. That scorpion, resentful of being removed from her home, sets out to have her revenge.

FROM THE CURATORS: While MLP offers plenty of material from which fanfic authors can draw, sometimes it’s inspiring to see the ways in which authors use the show as a springboard to dig into more mythic roots.  “This is a great fairy tale, resting on classic tropes while weaving a completely original story,” Present Perfect said in his nomination — and while our response to the story’s MLP connection was measured, the comments on its quality weren’t.  “This is a touching story about love, trust, betrayal, and redemption, and while I don’t see something like this fitting all too well with show canon, I can see something like this as part of a ‘Pony 1001 nights’,” Soge said, while AugieDog name-dropped prior features: “It’ll make a good pair with The Lighthouse and the Sea as far as ‘pony fairy tales’ go.”

Sharp character work was cited as a factor in its strength.  “If anything makes this work, it’s the scorpion herself,” Present Perfect said.  “I fully expected her to eventually fall for the King, but the way her motivation changes is interesting and keeps the story moving along.”  But theme and tone also were singled out for praise.  “I really appreciated that the author didn’t feel the need to force a happy ending, instead opting for a more bittersweet but still uplifting finish,” Chris said.  “To me, that felt very appropriate both to the story (being about the nature of revenge, as it is) and to the in-universe conceit.”

That added up to an exemplary package of self-contained mythology. “There’s an effortlessness with which the narrative is presented, and the whole thing really does feel like an actual in-universe story that ponies would tell,” Present Perfect said.  Chris’ recommendation summarized the story’s strengths: “It’s probably not a good choice for readers looking for something with a strong Equestrian tone, but for fans of folktales, this is a must-read.”

Read on for our author interview, in which cursedchords discusses arranged sunsets, handy tissues, and prospective accountants.
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Pen Stroke’s “Morsel of Truth”

01 Friday Sep 2017

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Sink your teeth into today’s spooky story.

Morsel of Truth
[Slice of Life] • 4,349 words

There is a bit of truth to every legend, though the ravages of time can bury it deeply. Myths and lore become twisted, melded, and torn the longer they are around. One of Equestria’s oldest legends is that of Nightmare Moon. It is the core of Nightmare Night and the excuse for children to go out asking for candy with a single, common rhyme.

Nightmare Night, what a fright. Give me something sweet to bite.

FROM THE CURATORS: While the RCL has featured its share of darker, creepier fanfics, you always go back to the classics — like this story which treats its spooky themes with a gentle Equestrian touch.  “This is a short, standalone fic that I think is representative of Pen Stroke’s style,” Chris said in his nomination: “To take a premise that would probably be pretty dark or even gruesome in another author’s hands, and turn it into something with a more slice-of-life feel to it.” And it was that gentler approach which caught the attention of curators like AugieDog: “In a lot of ways, it reminds me of Unicorns are Magical, but I thought that story took things too far out of a Pony context, and this story plays it just right for me,” he said.  “Yes, it’s horrific (they’re gonna be eaten!) but it’s also very Pony (they’ve been turned into candy!).”

While it was that lighter touch which drew most of our commentary — “I thought the best part of this was the final scene, which has a ‘fae folk’ feeling to it, and resolves in the best fairy-tale traditions,” Horizon said — the story still earned praise for its horror elements.  “The tension ramps slowly,” Present Perfect said.  “The ending of the first scene is a little confusing, but once the same thing happens in scene two, you quickly realize this story ain’t fooling around. The tensions only get higher by the final scene, with the poem leaving us on a perfectly terrifying note. It’s a bit of a slow burn, but absolutely chilling and totally worth it.”

It also earned curator approval for tight writing that kept the focus strongly on its theme.  “I liked that it never felt the need to delve too deeply into the reasons or mechanics or anything of the sort behind its Nightmare Night legend,” Chris said. “Rather than bog down in explanations, it simply shows us what happens to the girls on a Nightmare Night when things get Traditional.”  It played with those traditions in the best sorts of ways, AugieDog added: “Having Pinkie unknowingly save the others because she understands and respects the unwritten rules of Nightmare Night is the frosting on the cake, as it were.”

Read on for our author interview, in which Pen Stroke discusses sugar hangovers, lightning rods, and attempted butt reality.
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Hap’s “The Donutier”

25 Friday Aug 2017

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Today’s story will éclair-ify what it means to truly have friends.

The Donutier
[Slice of Life] • 13,097 words

My name is Twilight Sprinkle, and my passion is donuts—from the delicate morsels I serve at elegant cocktail parties to the hearty pastries enjoyed by hard-working ponies who get up early. I don’t have friends, I don’t have books, and I sure as the sun don’t have any wings. I don’t care whether you’re here for revenge, for romance, or for a favor. My name is Twilight Sprinkle and I’m not who you think I am, so either buy a donut or get the hay out of my store!

FROM THE CURATORS: Collectively, we had the broadest range of reactions (and votes!) to The Donutier that we’ve ever had to a successfully featured fic — which included disagreeing on such basics as the story’s primary genre.  “Despite lacking a Comedy tag, this is a really funny story with an immense heart,” Present Perfect said in his nomination.  “I don’t see this as a Comedy,” Soge countered.  “It’s a solid, entertaining fic, a lighthearted slice-of-life-cum-adventure wrapped in a light and fluffy mistaken identity story.”

Our most vigorous debate centered around the characters (especially the justifiability of Twilight Sprinkle’s actions), but the ultimate consensus was that they were a showcase for strong writing. “In its modest length this manages to introduce us to the life of two very distinct ponies, who go through a full character arc — and, in Twilight Sprinkle’s case, the Hero’s Journey — while simultaneously exploring really well the themes of friendship, destiny, and finding one’s place in the world,” Soge said.  Present Perfect appreciated both of the protagonists: “While snarky, Twilight Sprinkle never becomes tiresome, unless you just really hate donut puns,” he said.  “And ‘Ravenwing Bloodmane’ is a perfect foil for her. The real story is about them becoming friends, and it flows very naturally.”  Horizon praised their interplay: “PP noted that there’s a Trixie and Starlight dynamic here … it’s to this story’s credit that it can capture that dynamic without recapitulating the canon relationship, and then give a subtle nod to it with Starlight’s cameo.”

As our debate went on, Death Of The Author ultimately got invoked: “I enjoyed the heck outta this … though I hafta admit, I’m unsure if the author meant to portray Twilight Sprinkle as an unreliable narrator or if it’s something my brain decided for reasons of its own,” AugieDog said.  Regardless of the debate, it provoked near-unanimous enjoyment, and Horizon took a stab at summing up why we all read it so differently.  “The Donutier isn’t afraid to advance its storytelling through implication,” he said, “and while that leads to a lower-key storytelling style with a surprising economy of words — it packs eight chapters and an epilogue into its 13K — there’s still enough happening on-screen to keep it consistently compelling.”

Read on for our author interview, in which Hap discusses homemade mayonnaise, stripper boxing, and idyllic adventure apocalypses.
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JapaneseTeeth’s “Octaves”

18 Friday Aug 2017

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Take note of how today’s story tips the scales of storytelling quality.

Octaves
[Slice of Life] • 15,097 words

“I’m going to be famous!”, “I’m going to be the next big thing!”, “I’m going to be a superstar!” Octavia couldn’t even count how many times she’d heard her roommate claim that she was headed for fame and fortune.

But the worst part is, Vinyl might not be wrong. At least, not entirely.

FROM THE CURATORS: Octavia and Vinyl Scratch are MLP fandom’s most classic odd couple, and their relationship is well-trodden ground — which makes it all the more impressive when a story about them makes us sit up and take notice.  “This is Scratchtavia that barely even feels like friendshipping and yet paints a robust picture of their uniquely dysfunctional friendship,” Horizon said in his nomination, and this quickly accumulated accolades such as Present Perfect’s: “It’s the best of JapaneseTeeth’s work, a solid piece of character work with a harsh and poignant look at the world of professional music-making.”  Even Scratchtavia curmudgeon Chris found himself offering a recommendation: “If you asked me to rank all the fics of this one’s ilk, it would come out at the top.  It has a conceptually strong character base … some solid writing and good jokes.  I got a kick out of the endless P.S.es.”

But the story’s most arresting feature was its construction.  “The piece makes some interesting structural choices driven by the album it’s paying homage to,” Horizon explained.  “The bridge chapters are brief, atmospheric and poignant, and despite feeling almost dischordant to the progression of the plot they add depth and tone.”  Present Perfect agreed: “It’s a successful example of albumfic, and the ‘sharp’ chapters are nice, calming experimental bits in the midst of all the friendship and drama.”  That gave it a laid-back style which sat well with us: “I like how the story’s so aggressively ‘slice of life,'” AugieDog said.

The icing on the musical cake here was the superlative character work.  “The author also pulls a lot of character out of small details, which is a nice complement to the overall small-stakes feel of Octavia’s involvement,” Horizon said, and Chris had similar praise: “Vinyl’s cockiness comes across as actual self-confidence coupled with lack of self-awareness, rather than the generic jerkishness which is so common to her portrayals.”  That the story could create such sympathetic portrayals out of such emotional distance was one of its major strengths, AugieDog said: “Vinyl’s usually half-asleep when she’s giving Octavia the run-down on her latest travails. Octavia’s air of essential indifference is so well-presented, the one moment where she pushes it aside to give Vinyl a pep talk almost feels out of character. But both characters are shown to be deeper than they act, and that’s a really nice touch.”

Read on for our author interview, in which JapaneseTeeth discusses white whales, dream theaters, and winged anxiety magnets.
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Bronycon 2017!

11 Friday Aug 2017

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Once again, to make sure every story we feature gets its time in the sun, we’re taking this week off. With so many members of the fandom — not to mention more than a few of our curators — at Bronycon for the weekend, we felt whatever story we posted might be overlooked. Rest assured, we’ll be back next week with a brand new feature. Have a fun, safe con weekend, everyone!

very trustworthy rodent’s “The Wealth of the World”

04 Friday Aug 2017

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Today’s story has a richness you won’t want to put down.

The Wealth of the World
[Dark] • 7,849 words

In the 19th century of Princess Celestia’s rule, Equestria experienced an acceleration of its progress and prosperity as the first westward expansion began. Yet there were some ponies who took this call to progress as a warrant for ever more radical reform. In 1858, 148 ponies left Equestria to realize that radical dream. This is their story.

FROM THE CURATORS: “We’re all into style imitations of classic authors, right?” Present Perfect said in his nomination.  “This is a Hawthornian piece about ponies setting off to found a new land out from under the confines of Celestia’s supposed tyranny. And when I say ‘tyranny’, I mean things like ‘having money’. They of course end up succumbing to the greatest of evils … the identity of which is really clever, informed as it is by the imitation and turning it on its head.”  This quickly sailed to a feature amid compliments like Horizon’s: “I’m awfully impressed. … Every revolution contains the seeds of its own destruction, I’ve heard from somewhere, and this is a tight and compelling example of that.”

While we agreed it was an exemplary story, our most spirited debate was whether this worked equally well as MLP fanfiction.  “For all that it’s a wonderful story, the Equestrian setting is an undeniable drag on it,” Chris said, and Soge agreed: “There is a certain homogeneous hierarchy here that isn’t applicable to the show’s universe.”  Horizon disagreed: “It feels like commentary on Equestrian society.  It lampshades the way that it’s leaving canon Equestria behind, in a way that is both literal and symbolic — by physically sailing away and establishing a society based upon rejecting Equestrian ideals.”  He added that the show has explored similar topics — “in many ways this is Our Town from a different angle” — causing Present Perfect to note, “What this story is missing is a tie-in to Starlight’s village.”

But regardless of the merits of its pony approach, its style easily won us over.  “The author captures the Dark Romantic style of Nathaniel Hawthorne, while transporting the themes of Earth’s Holocaust into a complete narrative about the roots of fanaticism and moral failure,” Chris said.  “That’s wonderful.”  Present Perfect echoed him: “The writing is just wonderful, maybe a little heavy on dialogue for journalfic, but very much portraying a pony of letters.”  It added up to a story both moving and literary, Soge said: “Despite never having read Hawthorne, or much of the American literary canon for that matter, I really like the style, as well as how the emotions of the protagonist flow from the writing.”

Read on for our author interview, in which very trustworthy rodent discusses downed waterships, fleeing clouds, and monolithic metanarratives.
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The Cyan Recluse’s “The Lighthouse and the Sea”

28 Friday Jul 2017

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As a fairy-tale romance, today’s story shines.

The Lighthouse and the Sea
[Romance] [Slice of Life] • 1,042 words

A short tail of love and lighthouses, seas and sea ponies.

FROM THE CURATORS: Here at the RCL, we’ve featured everything from short-short stories to door-stopping novels — and it’s always a pleasure to find a story that can tell a big tale in a small space.  “This is evocative in its succinctness, and uses the reader’s familiarity with fairy-tale conventions to its advantage,” Chris said in his nomination of this Writeoff Association medalist, and that sentiment quickly gathered broad consensus.  “It is almost a doodle of a story, utilizing the least amount of detail possible to deliver its premise,” Soge said, and Present Perfect agreed: “We get the bare minimum of words to convey the story, and it never feels like we’re missing out or being shortchanged.”

It was that economy of words — and the emotional depth that went along with it — which drew the most praise from us.  “This is a story that shows how to create emotion out of setting and arc,” Chris said. “Rather than trying to smash a bunch of character development into too little space, the author keeps the narrative carefully reserved, leaving the reader to infer the hows and whys from a brief highlighting of thoughts and events.”  That was helped by a fine attention to detail, AugieDog said: “The details that the author chooses to include are more guideposts than plot points … I’d almost call it a prose poem that way.  Or a lighthouse beam, sweeping over the narrative, picking out certain moments to call to our attention.”

And we found emotional resonance within those moments, from start to finish.  “The author’s note laments the ambiguity of the ending, but I thought that was one of its strengths,” Horizon said.  “That it’s so gracefully balanced between such different interpretations gives it, if you’ll pardon the pun, a lot of depth.”  That effective use of its wordcount added up to an exemplary story, Present Perfect said: “In that tight space, we get that sense of loneliness, so that the romance can be a catharsis.  Easy to see why it’s a medal winner!”

Read on for our author interview, in which The Cyan Recluse discusses scientist weaknesses, sturgeon addenda, and silent pigeon-holing.
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