Review: Harmony Theory · 10:15pm Jun 6th, 2013
Sometimes I get to talking with friends about the tropes in fanfiction that really interest us. Some of us love intricate plotting, some restrained and showlike character interaction, and one or two have a weak spot for HiEs. One thing most of us agreed on, though, is that we like seeing the show's characters thrown into strange and distant lands. Maybe it's because many of the show's characters can work in a variety of different unexplored contexts. Maybe it's because Equestria is a place that's rather limited in the sort of plots it can support. Maybe we're just in the wrong fandom entirely. Regardless, there are few things in fanfiction that interest me more than a tale of a pony caught in a completely foreign land.
Of these, Harmony Theory is easily my favorite. It takes Rainbow Dash and places her into a strange future where the alicorns themselves have abdicated and the world is torn between day and night. Magic has been drained from the world, technology has risen in its place, and all knowledge of the Elements of Harmony has been systematically erased from history. I can't help but think that this sort of world was made for Dash. She's always seemed like the character most cut out for an "adventure" role, but whenever the show drifts into that territory she's either sidelined or forced to work with Fluttershy. Throwing her into a pulpy fantasy universe like this lets her show off and gives her the chance to be the sort of hero the show has always hinted she could someday be.
Sharaloth has something of an affection for the nuts and bolts behind universes, and accordingly Harmony Theory is the sort of story that prioritizes in-depth plot mechanics over stylistic unity. In many respects, HT's future Equestria feels like an amalgam of whatever interested him at the time-- elements of espionage, fantasy, and horror are jumbled together haphazardly, and every once in a while there will be digressions explaining oddities like how cutie marks are now glyphs written in a universal language. (The entire prologue is one such digression, and is one of the main reasons the story hasn't seen anywhere near the sort of popularity you might expect.) There's this odd feeling about much of the worldbuilding, too: Sharaloth has a bad habit of taking the sillier elements of the show's magic system and analyzing them in an exaggerated faux-scientific light that's a little hard to take seriously. It's not entirely a bad thing, but all of this makes it feel more like the setting of an elaborate roleplay campaign than an organic universe. Or, if you're feeling charitable, a dream. Not a dream sequence, like Composure or Eternal, but an actual dream, a tale of anachronistic adventure strung together with its own strange sense of narrative logic.
There are upshots to this approach, though. Despite its wackiness, underneath there's a solid story with ridiculously tight plot and pacing. The focus on gradually fleshing out mechanics pays dividends as the narrative progresses, resulting in twists that are well-paced, foreshadowed, and above all satisfying to read. You could even argue the odd setting works in its favor in this respect, making it all the more surprising when everything begins to come together. The foremost example of this so far has been Chapter 14, which weaved together three different reveals (Dash's origin, the beginnings of the main villain's plan, and one that would be spoilers even to refer to) with elaborate fight scenes and the conclusion to the story's first narrative arc. Even at twenty thousand words it comes across as positively lean. It's depressingly common for stories that hook you with an ontological mystery to weaken once they begin to explain themselves, but Harmony Theory manages that transition in a way that not only makes sense, but feels like a stepping stone to bigger and better things.
The other main draw of the fic are its characters, but not quite in the way you'd expect. None of them are standouts on paper (although travel-guide-turned-travel-buddy Trail Blaze's Pinkie-like mania comes close), but Sharaloth has an ear for dialogue as well as a keen sense of how to play different characters off each other that makes them work well regardless. Take the relationship between Rainbow Dash and griffin guard Astrid. Their conversations range from idle banter to exposition to serious discussions on the morality of killing, coming across as close friends at times and worlds apart at others. Sharaloth also builds in a clever contrast between them, highlighting the difference between Dash's loyalty to actions and Astrid's loyalty to people. Similarly, the token good changeling Calumn is paired up with the preternaturally-cheerful Blaze, leavening what could have been a played-out angst subplot and giving a buddy-comedy vibe to the whole affair. This dynamic also gradually turns him from a reserved brooder into a well-adjusted character who is outwardly and actively nice in a way that's quite refreshing to see in a changeling. Even the main villain, who at first glance seems like a generic cut-rate crime lord, turns out to be charismatic and bizarrely menacing.
There's a lot of surface eccentricity to overcome with this story. It's got a rather idiosyncratic view of the MLP universe coupled with a propensity to explain said view in minute detail, and early on it's not entirely sure what it wants to be. If you're a stickler for keeping to the show's tone (or even a consistent tone in general), this definitely isn't for you. But if you're the sort of reader who's tolerant of AUs and likes a good adventure fic, Harmony Theory has an interesting premise, original worldbuilding, and some great characterization to back it all up.
Oh yes, very good characters.
They're just so fun to read. It's impressive, given that they're all OCs except for Dash.
Also, Max Cash. That is all.
1128841 Gotta agree with you on this one. Cash is something else.
I'd consider most of what you seem to consider "flaws" to be "features", but I'm a massive Harmony Theory fanboy, so I'm a bit biased. Otherwise, well done. It needs more attention and I'm glad that you gave a proffesional review.
1128841 Dash, AJ, and possibly Rarity very soon.
1135844
To be honest, I didn't spend all that much time talking about the flaws. I touched on them, but two-thirds of this review, maybe more, is me talking about how awesome it is. I think that's a good proportion.
And, while this review is pretty good, I don't comment anywhere near enough for this to raise the profile of the story. And hell, it's been a regular in the update feature box for a while now, so I'm not sure what anyone could have done. Pilate's done a good job of raising this story's profile, and Shar just made a pretty popular comedy fic.