Tag Archives: adventure

Chopper’s Top Hat’s “The Liar”

19 Friday Jun 2015

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In today’s interview, Chopper’s Top Hat discusses authorial flirting, sideways Cardassian, and a classic Trixie tale that’s all about reversing our expectations.

the-liar The Liar
[Sad] [Adventure] • 5,572 words

The magician’s art lies in the act of misdirection. This is true even in a world where magic exists. Trixie has mastered the art, but how much of her act is true magic, and how much is an illusion? And what if that same question applies to her entire life?

Discover the truth about Equestria’s most Great and Powerful showpony, in a story told in a most unconventional manner…

FROM THE CURATORS: Today’s story is a blast from the past in two different ways — not only was it written in the earliest days of the fandom, but it was also one of the first stories that the Royal Canterlot Library ever voted to feature.  We shelved it for years due to being unable to locate the author, but having recently stumbled across Chopper’s Top Hat again, we’re pleased to unearth this classic for modern audiences.

Given that history, it’s quite fitting that this story digs into Trixie’s backstory with a unique backwards storytelling style.  “I still love this for one simple reason: it takes a narrative device which could easily backfire, and uses it cleverly and effectively,” Chris said.  Former curator Benman agreed — “The gimmick works as intended, which is really impressive, and it’s actually necessary to telling this particular story” — and Present Perfect also concurred: “It builds up … and the gimmick works with that; it wouldn’t have the same effect read chronologically.”

One thing we did disagree on — which speaks well for the quality of the story — was which part we enjoyed the most.  “The first chunk is really cool.  The reverse chronology thing keeps adding new information that illuminates and recontextualizes the previous content,” Benman said, while Horizon took the opposite tack: “It all felt necessary to give the ending its powerful thematic closure.”  Chris, meanwhile, appreciated the act of reading it: “Figuring out how the story hangs together is really the fun here.”  Overall, it added up to quite a solid package, as Horizon noted: “It has aged really well.”

(Today’s story can be found here, but first, continue below the break for our author interview.)
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Meta Four’s “Alarm Clock”

05 Friday Jun 2015

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It’s an average day here at the Royal Canterlot Library, but today’s feature definitely isn’t an average story.

alarm-clockAlarm Clock
[Adventure] • 52,517 words

Wake up. Go to work. Save Ponyville from unimaginable horrors beyond time and space. Have lunch with your PFF.

Ditzy Doo lives in a different world than her fellow ponies. She sees things nopony else can see — like higher-dimensional spatial anomalies, fae creatures, and eldritch abominations. And she uses what she sees to solve problems that other ponies don’t even realize are problems.

But this time, Ditzy may have bitten off more than she can chew. Something very unfriendly is trying to enter Equestria through Ponyville’s Town Hall. An earth pony with an hourglass cutie mark has taken an unhelpful interest in Ditzy. The Princess’s personal student has grown suspicious. And, most irritating of all, her alarm clock radio is acting strangely.

Ditzy must race against the clock to save Ponyville — a clock that keeps playing the same song over, and over, and over …

FROM THE CURATORS: This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a story about the secret life of the pony we know as Derpy Hooves/Ditzy Doo, but Alarm Clock did so many things right it couldn’t help but stand out from the pack.  “There’s the outlandish callouts to the show,” Present Perfect said. “There’s the ridiculously well-placed fandom tropes.  (‘I emptied your fridge’ as a significant plot point?  Inconceivable!)  There’s a wonderful character in Derpy (an early standout moment was her fretting over being unable to handle power). There’s good use of time and dimensional travel, and the fact that never once did I feel lost in the story.  It was exciting and funny in all the right ways.”

If those elements sound like familiar Derpy/Ditzy cliches, prepare to be surprised. “This upends half of Derpy fanon while justifying the other half,” Horizon said.  “The whole first chapter is about giving her a reason to be in Fluttershy’s henhouse during the ‘Find a Pet’ song, and shortly thereafter is a chapter centered on foalsitting her friend’s daughter Dinky.  Doctor Whooves plays a prominent role … as a foil.  Nothing connects where you’d expect it to, but it all works.” Chris agreed: “Meta Four takes plenty of gentle passes at fandom standbys, but never in a lazy or immersion-breaking way.”

That’s all the more impressive given the wild ideas the story throws at us. “This is honest-to-goodness magical realism crossed with My Little Pony,” Horizon said.  “It hedges its bets somewhat in the chapters where Ditzy is trying to bring normal ponies up to speed, but when she’s fortunetelling for the fia or moving her hoof fjothward, the story is gloriously unapologetic about its oddness.”  That was aided by a fine touch with characterization and setting.  “Everypony in here just feels right,” JohnPerry said.  “For all the upending of fanon and interdimensional weirdness going on in here, this still manages to feel like Ponyville at the end of the day.”

Ultimately, though, Alarm Clock was just a joy to read.  “This is the most fun I’ve had reading a fanfic in a while,” Chris said.  “This story shows how you can write a clever story, an engrossing story, and even a dramatic story, all without taking yourself too seriously.”

Read on for our author interview, in which Meta Four discusses villain malapropisms, Gallifreyan baggage, and how to rescue a story from a two-year hiatus.
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Fahrenheit’s “Daring Do(esn’t Need a Special Somepony)”

29 Friday May 2015

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Today’s story offers a sweet deal: a two-for-one sale on action and comedy, with free shipping (while supplies last).

daring-doesntDaring Do(esn’t Need A Special Somepony)
[Romance] [Comedy] [Adventure] • 9,340 words

Hearts and Hooves Day is a sorry excuse for a holiday. Maybe it’s the fact that most of her dates tend to get eaten by manticores, but Daring Do has long since given up on risen above any longing for romance.

But that doesn’t mean she’s not 100% okay with slinking into the Sugar Cloud Confectionery to hit up their sale on rainbow truffles. Hay no. This is her most important quest of the year.

Hopefully it doesn’t end up like last Hearts and Hooves Day.

Stupid Wonderbolt.

FROM THE CURATORS: “I’m not usually much for shipping stories,” Chris said with typical understatement in his nomination, “so when one catches my fancy my thoughts turn to the RCL.” As you might expect, a story good enough to win fans across genre lines sailed through to an easy feature, but we were all surprised at how many things this did right.

“This is basically the literary equivalent of a romance film that incorporates some action sub-plot to keep male audiences from dismissing it as a chick flick.  And by god, does it work.  I haven’t had this much fun reading a story in a while,” JohnPerry said.  Present Perfect, meanwhile, lauded the comedy.  “This was hilarious from the outset,” he said.  “The scene with Daring pulling a wagon and Fleetfoot chucking cushions at guardsponies perfectly sums up just what a ride this is.  It’s ridiculous how well this story works.”  And Chris found the emotions authentic: “What ultimately sold me on this story was the ending.  The way that infatuation, real life, and that ineffable combination of complacency, passivity, and fear-induced laziness combine in that exchange brought everything together for me.”

What it added up to was clear: a strong story from a multi-talented author.  “That Fahrenheit is as skilled with action as with comedy is not something you see every day,” Present Perfect said, while Horizon summed it up: “This story makes a lot of promises, and fulfills them all.  Great characters, some hearty laughs, an unexpected and unexpectedly touching moral … there’s something in this story for everyone.”

Read on for our author interview, in which Fahrenheit discusses meteorological heroes, defenestrated stereotypes, and midnight matchmaking.
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GroaningGreyAgony’s “Riverdream At Sunset: A Manuscript”

22 Friday May 2015

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Drift away on the currents of today’s story to see Equestria as you’ve never seen it before.

riverdream-at-sunsetRiverdream At Sunset: A Manuscript
[Crossover] [Adventure] [Human] • 7,768 words

A forgotten manuscript reveals an odd journey purportedly undertaken by Lord Dunsany, a Promethean explorer of the Lands of Dream. While the manuscript has yet to be authenticated, its contents are interesting enough to merit my posting them here.

FROM THE CURATORS: “At heart, this is just a human-in-Equestria story,” Horizon’s nomination began, but it was immediately obvious to all of us that there was much more going on.  “It’s HiE with class,” JohnPerry said, while Chris marveled: “This is in many ways ‘just’ an HiE story underneath all the trappings, but that doesn’t deter me from praising it.  First off, those trappings are really, really brilliant.”

That’s because the particular human visiting Equestria is one of the fathers of fantasy literature, and this fic is a marvelous homage to his style. “GroaningGreyAgony perfectly captures the way Dunsany meshed dense Victorian style, with its penchant for untranslated tidbits, flowery descriptions, and all the rest, with a nevertheless clear and readable narrative voice,” Chris said.  Horizon agreed: “The language here is unreal.  Pseudo-Victorian, quaint yet inviting, full of casual Greek that’s all clear in context (and all in the glossary if it isn’t), and bursting at the seams with worldbuilding of both the Equestrian and Earthy varieties.”  Present Perfect, too, fell in love with the language.  “There are just so many wonderful passages in this,” he said. “Like ‘We are glad of a fire, but we do not love it.'”

What we did love was basically everything about this story.  “Besides giving us what has to be the coolest origin story for Celestia I’ve ever read, you’ve got a protagonist who’s fun to follow,” JohnPerry said.  “Great framing story. Great creation myth.  The world-building is fantastic,” Present Perfect added.  Finally, there was a solid message in the story’s framing and presentation.  “It’s not just a story about going to Equestria, it’s a story about humanity willfully losing touch with the ways and traditions of our ancestors,” Chris said.  “Those Greek mythology callouts aren’t just to show how smart the author is, nor are they even ‘just’ because that’s how Dunsany wrote: they’re the girders which support the story’s message.”

It’s no wonder that Riverdream At Sunset sailed through our selection process with rare top scores from multiple curators.  “At heart, this is ‘just’ a Human in Equestria story,” Horizon said, “but I’ve never read another one like it.”

Read on for our author interview, in which GroaningGreyAgony discusses cat downloading, illusion shattering, and Faribalisteenism.
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Not_A_Hat’s “Broken Roads”

01 Friday May 2015

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After reality breaks, today’s story picks up the pieces.

broken-roadsBroken Roads
[Adventure] • 9,853 words

Dinky Doo and Silver Spoon travel through a shattered world. When all the world is ash around you, can you stand to build again?

FROM THE CURATORS: “Oh, my.  That’s how you open a story,” Horizon said of Broken Roads’ eye-catchingly apocalyptic opening, and from that punchy first line to the story’s final word we found plenty to appreciate.  “It’s a wildly creative apocalypse described in painstaking chaotic detail,” Present Perfect said. “It’s a story about friendship and adventure. It has a really great conflict and some very shocking surprises in store. It’s definitely not the story you’ll think it is at first.”

While this was another entry in Equestria Daily’s recent The More Most Dangerous Game contest — which challenged authors to reinterpret fandom classics — one of the things that made this stand out to us was the sheer amount of originality that it brought to the Fallout: Equestria postapocalyptic theme.  “I was disappointed that that didn’t make the top ten, ’cause I love the worldbuilding here,” JohnPerry said.  All of us agreed that — in Chris’ words — “the worldbuilding on this story is exquisite,” and Horizon went further: “This is an apocalypse where the setting is every bit as much a character as its inhabitants.”

In the end, what made the story exemplary was not only the skill of that construction but in telling a solid story within its vivid setting.  “This is high-octane adventure, with menace lurking around every turn, and novel and coherent thought from both the author and the characters about what’s required for survival,” Horizon said.  JohnPerry summed it up: “There’s something really compelling about this one, and it ends on a fantastic note.”

Read on for our author interview, in which Not_A_Hat discusses little princes, observant carpenters, and bright apocalypses in night lands.

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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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Daetrin’s “Apotheosis”

09 Friday Jan 2015

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Today’s story is a fandom classic about a journey of discovery — both of the mind and of the heart.

apotheosisApotheosis
[Romance] [Adventure] • 46,300 words

When Twilight is sent with Luna on a diplomatic mission to Draconia, they quickly find themselves somewhere that doesn’t appear on any map, and Luna is lost in more than one way…

FROM THE CURATORS: Although Apotheosis — which is a sequel to the Pony Fiction Vault-featured Off The Edge Of The Map, but features different characters and a standalone plotline — was written in the early days of the fandom, it quickly became clear that it had stood the test of time.  “This one had been on my read later list for ages, and I finally plowed through it the past couple of days. And I gotta say… wow,” JohnPerry said.

While we had some hot debate over the story’s handling of its central romance, there was one issue on which we were unanimous. “You can’t swing a hoof in this story without hitting some truly sublime worldbuilding,” Horizon said.  Chris agreed — “It’s got some of the best, most evocative worldbuilding of any fic I’ve read” — and JohnPerry piled on further superlatives: “These are some of the most vividly described and original settings I’ve ever seen in a fanfic.”

The exemplary construction of the world and its characters — “the basilisk and ouroboros especially,” Present Perfect pointed out — solidly earned this one its feature, but there was a great deal to like beyond that.  “The final chapter is epic as hell,” Present Perfect said.  Horizon praised “the great thematic contrast between Twilight and Luna, reinforcing the long road to redemption Luna has to walk,” and Chris said that “Daetrin’s language use is excellent. … This isn’t just scenery porn.  This fic was a pleasure to read, through and through.”

Read on for our author interview, in which Daetrin discusses silent demons, dancing angels, and seasons of madness.
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iisaw’s “The Celestia Code”

02 Friday Jan 2015

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Dig into today’s story for a rousing archaeological epic.

celestia-codeThe Celestia Code
[Adventure] • 70,356 words

Princess Twilight Sparkle discovers a centuries-old mystery hidden in the Royal Archives. Her investigation leads through layer after layer of deception and misdirection, setting her hooves on a path that seems to be leading to a mysterious secret. Along the way, she learns that some friendships can be very, very strange.

FROM THE CURATORS: Despite its title, this story is “mostly not a Da Vinci Code crossover,” Chris noted.  “What it is is a history-delving adventure, with some touches of mystery and romance on the side.  The result is a story which is often funny, full of forward momentum, and — after a bit of unfocused jumping in the first chapter or two — settles into an engaging mix of action and history.”

Not only engaging but memorable: it’s not often that we stop debate to reminisce about the story’s great moments, but those filled our thread.  “What an amazing battle scene in Chapter 22,” Present Perfect said, while Horizon paused his reading after Chapter 8 so he could comment: “Goddamn but that was a glorious chapter.”

We all cited different elements in our search for what made it exemplary, which was a sign that The Celestia Code got a lot of different things right.  “It compellingly wove together a lot of big ideas, and the worldbuilding felt effortless, which is generally a sign of a huge amount of work behind the scenes,” Horizon said.  Present Perfect appreciated the characterization: “You’ve got a well-voiced Twilight who grows as a character over the course of the story.”  While Chris agreed — “Twilight is quick with a quip as narrator, and the vibrantly unique voices used throughout breathe life into the story” — he focused on the bigger picture: “It’s a fast-paced story which is easy to follow despite its mystery elements, and which is funny, clever, and exciting in equal measure.”

That solid execution carried it through some rough spots (such as a lackluster romance subplot) to earn a well-deserved feature.  As Horizon put it, “this is a novel of big ideas, magnificent setpieces and brilliant moments — a summer blockbuster of a ponyfic.”

Read on for our author interview, in which iisaw discusses pony motivations, coyote nomenclature, and the heartbreak of spousal “Best Pony” disagreements.
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8686’s “Eclipse”

21 Friday Nov 2014

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Today’s story will shake things up… perhaps even more than it intended.

eclipseEclipse
[Adventure] • 64,552 words

A recurring nightmare convinces Luna that, since her return, she has never regained her sister’s complete trust. And at the forthcoming Festival of the Eclipse, she decides to make amends with a bold gesture.

But Luna’s solution causes consequences she never anticipated. Consequences the whole world will feel. Now, Celestia and Luna must set forth on an adventure that will take them even into Tartarus itself, and set everything right before it’s too late.

And if they’re lucky, they’ll rediscover the trust they once had a thousand years ago.

FROM THE CURATORS: Often, there’s one particular aspect of a story which catches the eye of all the RCL curators.  Unusually, all of us seemed to find something different to love about Eclipse.  Chris highlighted the worldbuilding that went into the story, saying it “offers an excellently conceived picture of Tartarus which draws upon both Greek mythology and modern theology, and does some simply excellent stuff with dragons, including race relations and general worldview.”  John Perry agreed that the worldbuilding was good, but went on to add, “But more important is the handling of the plot, and that is where this story shines.”  Present Perfect went a third direction, focusing on the characters: “Everything about the dragons was handled superbly,” he said, “from their society to their individual viewpoints, and Valkyrie’s character arc ended up being well wrought.”

But even though we all had different “favorite” story elements, one thing we agreed on was that they all came together beautifully.  “This guy may be one of those writers who’s equally good at everything, as adept at writing Pinkie and comedy as he is action and adventure,” mused Present Perfect, and he wasn’t alone in the sentiment.  “Every chapter left me wanting more,” as John Perry put it.  At one point while reading, Present Perfect even paused to declare, “this is one of the greatest scenes I have ever had the honor and pleasure to read.”

Read on for our author interview, in which 8686 discusses royal readers, the difference between cruelty and indifference, and Alpha and Beta scenes.

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Lucky Dreams’ “In The Place The Wild Horses Sleep”

03 Friday Oct 2014

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Settle down, children, and we’ll tell you tonight’s story, of a mystical adventure to a faraway land.  Did you brush your teeth before we tucked you in?

place-sleepIn The Place The Wild Horses Sleep
[Adventure] [Human] • 2,814 words

Young Mia is determined to run with wild horses and nothing is going to stop her. Not her mother. Not even a pony with stars in her mane, come to take her away on an adventure …

FROM THE CURATORS: You might have heard of this story a few months ago when it scored third place in Obselescence’s “Most Dangerous Game” contest, turning in strong showings with both the judges and the voters.  It easily won over our hearts, too. “Any story that can overcome my initial distrust of the ‘once there was a little girl who wanted to be a pony, and then suddenly Equestria!’ premise deserves to be featured,” Chris said, and Present Perfect was even more effusive: “It’s gorgeous and uplifting.  I cannot praise this highly enough.”

One of the factors making it exemplary was its unique bedtime-story narrative voice. “Its language play really works,” Horizon said.  “At its best I couldn’t see it on the screen without hearing it read aloud in my head.”  For similar reasons, JohnPerry described it as “an utterly fantastic children’s story that has a great Maurice Sendak (may he rest in peace) vibe to it. … The pacing is perfect, the tone and language is very fitting to a children’s tale, and there’s a depth to it that is intriguing.”  Chris agreed: “This is a great example of what a children’s story should be — enjoyable to a young listener, but with something to offer the adult reader, and pleasant to read aloud to boot.”

Ultimately, it was the story’s success at that adult-child balancing act that made it so magical — and inspired some curator introspection. “I was recently contemplating what makes children’s stories work, how magic and mysticism simply exist, and how the things that are important to us as children are not the same things that are important to us as adults,” Present Perfect said.  “This story embodies all of those things. It’s about appreciating what you have and learning that dreams are only that. In other words, it’s about growing up.”

Read on for our (illustrated!) author interview, in which Lucky Dreams discusses the Ghost of Fanfic Past, having faith in your audience, and a literal embarrassment singularity.
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