Today’s story is a gem worth adding to your collection.

Beneath Your Feet, What Treasures
[Romance] [Sad] [Slice of Life] • 1,444 words

Spike has a hoard nopony knows about, something he’s been using to do a dragonish thing in a ponyish way.

But now it’s the other way ’round.

FROM THE CURATORS: It’s always a good sign when the first story an author posts on FIMFiction is a hidden gem — and so much the better if it’s a story about hidden gems, and what they mean to the dragon collecting them. “I was thoroughly impressed that the author found the specific rocks to use in the story,” Present Perfect said.  However, while “rocks are awesome” (as Chris said), there’s more here than a geology lesson. “I have a soft spot for fics which center around extended metaphors,” Chris added.

So what is behind the gleaming facets of Treasures?  “Everything about this story screams ‘Sparity,’ but thankfully, it isn’t that ship,” Present Perfect said.  “It’s a unique look at Spike and his crush on Rarity that doesn’t delve into any of the usual stumbling points.”  JohnPerry saw it from a slightly different angle: “I thoroughly enjoyed this exploration of a child’s fascination with keeping secrets — and the characterization of Spike is excellent here — but to scratch beneath that surface and find a reflection of an outside event so subtly woven in was an immensely rewarding experience.”  Horizon took yet another view: “What distinguishes it here is the twist, and the way that Spike’s ultimate reaction paints him as so alien to the ponies, yet so understandable.  He’s trying to reconcile two worlds. That’s pretty deep for a story about rock collecting.”

That we could so easily come up with different interpretations speaks well of Treasure’s depth. “There’s plenty of understated meaning here,” Horizon said. “It’s clearly in the ‘Twilight Sparkle Makes A Cup Of Tea‘ school of indirect storytelling.”  And ultimately, that adds up to a fic in which there’s a lot to like — even if it takes some effort to tease all of its facets out.  “I confess that I had to reread this one a couple of times to grasp the deeper meaning here, but wow was it worthwhile,” JohnPerry said.

Read on for our author interview, in which TheJediMasterEd discusses Spike vs. Spock, zwilnick hunting, and the give and take of life.
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