Let today’s story transport you into the realm of fable to spin an origin for one of the show’s most enduring villains.

Old Pony Tales for Hearth and Home
[Dark] [Adventure] • 3,054 words

The back of this slim volume reads as follows:

On winter’s nights, when cold winds blow outside and ponies everywhere huddle around the fireplace, friends and family often pass the time by telling stories to one another. Many of these fanciful tales have been told and re-told for generations, and the most enduring ones have become immortalized in folklore as pony tales.

My brother and I have travelled the land, gathering many of these stories, and now present this collection for your entertainment. We hope you find them as interesting as we did.

~Scarlet Quill, of the Quill Siblings

Most of the pages are blank, but as you watch, neatly-penned words begin to fill the first few pages all on their own. Already, one story has completed itself. It appears to tell the tale of the First Changeling…

FROM THE CURATORS: While the presentation here is a bit unusual — “the summary makes it clear that this was intended to be a collection of tales rather than just one,” JohnPerry noted — the fable it presents is a complete standalone story that’s as solid as any we’ve spotlighted.  “I quite enjoyed this,” JohnPerry said, echoing our consensus, while AugieDog added “I really wish the author had done more of these — maybe our feature will inspire them?”

The big thing prompting that praise was the author’s grasp of the chosen form.  “Charcoal Quill shows a strong handle on not only the common elements of a folktale, but also on what purpose those elements serve, and why they’ve become common elements,” Chris said.  “Add to that a perfectly Equestrian concept, and you end up with something that feels like a genuine bit of pony lore.”  Present Perfect agreed: “It’s a good in-universe sort of tale, and while you can see where it’s going if you know what it’s about, all the elements work.”  AugieDog, for his part, praised those elements: “I love the little details — reminding her each time that she has to remove her gifts so Chaos won’t see them — and the message that, even with the best of intentions, it only takes one step over the line to doom a person completely is very true to the genre.”

The story is chock full of those lovable little details, but there was one on which every curator commented.  “Reading the dragon’s section was the moment I decided that this was going to be an RCL rec,” Chris said.  JohnPerry was also impressed — “it simultaneously fits within the context of the story while parodying it somewhat” — and Horizon agreed: “It’s one of the welcome moments of levity in a story that effectively goes to some dark places.  Any story that can both subvert its own storytelling and play that storytelling straight to powerful effect gets a thumbs up from me.”

Read on for our author interview, in which Charcoal Quill discusses generous dragons, griffon godmothers, and flail-wielding pony names.
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