While a number of fanfics focus on Prince Blueblood doing the right thing for the wrong reasons, today’s story takes the unique step of following that process through a battle with depression.

Glory
[Sad] • 8,782 words

No one’s important. No one’s special. Except for the princesses.

Blueblood’s always known this. He’s always accepted this. He’ll never be special. He’ll never do anything important.

But now he has to. There’s too much at stake.

He knows he’ll fail, but he has to try. Because…

FROM THE CURATORS: Blueblood as indifferent nihilist: certainly a unique take on his character, and one that won us over despite our initial doubts.  “It doesn’t quite match what’s in the show,” JohnPerry said, “but it’s intriguing enough for me to give it a pass on that angle.  The tone of this piece and the themes of depression are deeply compelling and maturely handled.”  In our discussions, Chris summed up why: “Glory offered a very interesting take on the kinds of circles depression can lead one into; the idea that ‘if I invent something, it doesn’t matter because someone else would have done it later anyway’ seems a classic example of something that might be obviously fallacious, but can sound true in your more vulnerable moments.”

The story offered rewards beyond the depth of that theme — such depths that we all found different things to appreciate.  “It’s got a really original villain, something that’s hard to come by,” PresentPerfect said.  “Add to that a light but succulent dose of worldbuilding and a strong meshing of internal drama and setting, and there’s a whole lot to like here,” Chris said.  And JohnPerry added: “I appreciate the fact that the author gives a choice between two superbly written endings.”

Read on for our author interview, in which Rune Soldier Dan discusses pragmatic ponies, robots vs. monkeys, and in vino veritas.

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