Today’s story is about the transformative power of friendship, in the finest tradition of MLP:FiM … even though its protagonist is the villain of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.

Order From Chaos
[Crossover] • 10,416 words

A handful of pages recount a remarkable journey to Equestria by someone who sought only a little peace.

FROM THE CURATORS: It’s tricky to write a Crossover story that appeals to readers outside your secondary fanbase. A major factor behind Order from Chaos’ feature is that it’s powerful even without any Sonic knowledge. “I don’t know Sonic from a hole in the ground,” Benman said, “[and] this story hit me extremely hard. … There’s a naked sincerity to this that makes me think of season 1, or Buffy, or the first Harry Potter book.”

And while the story’s about a psychological journey, the physical journey’s also a treat to read. “This does a lot of things right that [Human in Equestria] stories don’t often do right: cautious exploration, language barriers, balancing magic and foreign technology, day 32’s shift in writing style,” Horizon said.

Read on for our author interview, in which Twilight Snarkle battles plot bunnies and discusses how to draw out emotional depth from quiet, analytical characters.
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