It Is Recommendsday, My Dudes #125 · 7:02pm Aug 9th, 2023
Usually the connecting themes I pick for this blog are pretty straight forward - both having the same character; both being the same genre; so on. Occasionally a theme's a bit more obscure or unusual though, and this week is one of those: pegasi who have lost the ability to fly.
The veteran readers out there probably can guess my first pick with that theme: Feathers by Flutterpriest.
A disease is sweeping through Equestria like wildfire. It has no effect on unicorns or earth ponies, but causes a pegasus to lose their feathers. Without feathers, they can't fly. And they can't walk on clouds. For those that live in a city made of clouds, the implications are dire. Which is why Windy Whistles and Bow Hothoof are trapped on their couch, hoping for rescue.
Haunting is the first word I'd use to describe this story. It's lingered in my mind for a long time, because it's the kind of horror I like. (And while the tags are Dark/Drama, I personally class it as horror.) There's no bloody monster stalking or a vague thing beyond the veil that drives men mad. Just the simple, undeniable threat of looming danger. They're trapped on that couch - if they get off, they're almost certain to plunge to their deaths. But how long can they wait? Even beyond food and water, how long can you hold in that one spot?
Add to that the looming uncertainty of what's happening beyond their room. Rainbow Dash is their life. She lives near the ground so she could be fine. She could also have died days earlier. There's no way to know. Bow's urge to grab the scrapbook is just heartwrenching - subtle but strong.
Once we hit the last part, it gets rougher. The other mare's declaration of "I'd rather die than not know" is damn powerful, but it's dwarfed by the story's last line. That's how you end a story. Five words that tell an entirely different tale that runs parallel, driving home the scope of it all and how bleak the situation is. It's the capstone to a truly special story, and there's a damn good reason this one ended up in the RCL.
For the second story, I return to blog-favorite Mica and the wonderful And their splatter became the Alluring Light.
In the distant future of Generation 5, the pegasi can't fly anymore. But they want to. They instinctively, desperately want to. That's why Zephyr Heights is made up of sweeping balcony vistas, arching bridges, massively tall elevators... and it's also why there's a vast network of safety nets hidden off the side of every ledge in the city. Because deep down, pegasi must fly.
Just... god damn this story. For starters I love it because it's world building perfection. It takes something that's mostly just glossed over in G5's histories and dives deep into it. It has it make sense, adds stupendous depth, and opens up so many possibilities for stories that the show won't ever take. (Because yeah. Kiiiiinda dark.) Just the opening two paragraphs alone are the kind of gold any author would kill for, and the rest is just better and better.
But as important as the world building is, the story itself is chef's kiss perfection. It's a just-right mix of despair and hope (partially because we as readers know the magic's coming back soon) backed by a completely understandable situation. The magic may be gone, but the wings and the Urge don't go away. And Zipp... well, we saw the movie. She gets it. She lives it. She knows and feels it too, but she also sees the cost of it. Wonderfully poignant, and it hits hard. It's easily one of my top G5 stories, and I think for damn good reason.
New or catching up? Try Recommendsday: The Index for your story needs!
Was too tempted and read Feathers right away. You're absolutely right about that last line.
That second fic was so short, I decided to read it right now out of curiosity. I figured it would be at least good, given you're recommending it and Mica is a reliable author both of short high-concept fics and G5 pieces (including two of my top G5 fics, Mother-Daughter Date and Inheritance).
And, yep, you're right on the money again. The world-building, mixture of tones, pivoting from exposition to the one present-tense scene, it's pretty immaculately-constructed. Great blend of a prime world-building question expanded to its logical conclusion with a poignant musing on the desire and will of the soul, individual and collective of a culture, against an impossible end goal. And kept balanced, as you note, by the known conclusion.
As NavelColt himself commented on it, that many red tags would normally be a strong turn off, and while this raised my curiosity more than most, I still likely wouldn't have read it without your featuring it here. Which, of course, is the whole point of these blogs.
So thanks, buddy!
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Thanks for the signal boost! I'm glad you and 5741450 liked it, And their spatter is also one of my personal favorites.