Present Perfect vs. GOTTA GO FAST · 10:15pm Aug 11th, 2014
Twilight Snarkle wrote Order from Chaos on a dare: that it was impossible to make a good My Little Pony/Sonic the Hedgehog crossover fanfic. He proved it was ultimately possible, and it is thanks to him that we can say “No, there never has to be another Sonic crossover ever again.”
But beyond being just a good crossover, this is also an excellent example of both a journal story and HiE. Our narrator — and here I want to mention that, as someone who saw this story during its inception, I have had a rare experience that few nowadays will, of slowly figuring out what the “R.” stands for — slowly undergoes both emotional and physical transformations, turning into a pony across the length of the story in a way that is expected, given the larger canon of MLP fanfic, but not untoward. It’s the gradualness of the change that makes it work; we get to see “Worker” experiencing the rejuvenating effects of Equestria, which makes for a very pleasant transition into pony time. Really, seeing the world through his eyes is what makes this story such a great read. It avoids many of the HiE cliches and crafts a believable Equestria, not to mention a believable main character seeking retirement, tired of his constant battles with “the mutant”. Even the mental changes, at which I would typically balk, are so gradual and taken so well by the protagonist (though he does express horror at first, which helps soften the blow) that I can’t find fault with them.
Problems with the story are few. Some have taken umbrage to specific passages in the story not feeling entirely like a true diary, but given how greatly those are outnumbered, I am inclined to forgive. After all, Worker’s voice is perfectly consistent throughout, that of an older man with genius intelligence. Older readers may be irritated by the continual recounting of things we already know from the show, but again, getting Worker’s understanding of things like cutie marks helps flesh him out as a character.
But what makes this a good story, above and beyond its mere existence, is being the tale of a man seeking quiet redemption after a life spent in conflict. Not to jump the gun, that’s actually what makes the entire trilogy fantastic. Though he has some outside help, he becomes a valuable member of society, and comes to realize and accept his own worth in turn. There’s even a romance, one I would put at the top of this fandom’s attempts. It’s a very emotional character journey to watch unfold, and that is why this story gets such high marks.
5/5
You’ll never find a better Sonic crossover, and be hard-pressed to find so well-written a journaled transformation of character.
Of course, Order left the readers wanting a whole lot more. What would Worker’s place be in Pasofino? What about all those really interesting, living, breathing side characters who showed up in his journals? So it’s no surprise that Justice was not far behind. We flash forward five years in his life, finding him with a successful toymaking business and a marefriend. Yes, of all the ridiculous ideas, Robotnik settled down with a pony, and we get to see a lot of him from her perspective, broadening the story’s overall world.
This story is a very different animal from its predecessor, and not just because it’s in standard prose this time around. Our main conflict involves Worker’s origins being disclosed to the Princesses after his toys become a hit in Canterlot. Despite a very slice of life opening, the story builds toward a climactic court battle that’s set a standard for such things in my mind. (I believe I subconsciously channelled it in a story I have yet to publish.) Celestia and Luna are major characters, with their own POV sections, and their interpersonal conflict is a major component of the story, one so major it almost overshadows that of the main character. In fact, save for the opening chapters, and a resolution wherein he expounds on his history (thus proving the author’s knowledge of the expanded Sonic universe), Worker is barely an entity in his own fanfic.
And therein lies the problem with this story. The slice of life opening exists to give context to the characters’ actions in the finale, but it doesn’t do enough. The first two chapters are needlessly telly, rushing headlong through catching us up so that we can get to coloring in the lines drawn by Order. Worker and Skyshine’s relationship is given to us as a Thing, and as a consequence, the story just barely taps the emotional finish line, scrabbling desperately to build itself up at the same time it’s trying to provide the emotional payoff. The worst part is, chapter 4 shows us so much more of Worker’s place in Pasofino than chapters 1 and 2 do. We could have started with the wedding scene and gotten just as much info; instead, the author attempted to take the long way ‘round in building things up, but ultimately skimped on the follow-through.
The main conflict is predicated upon Celestia stolidly upholding the law. She’s entirely capable of not publically shaming her sister, of forgiving her transgressions, but decides not to. Worker’s monologue late in the story serves no purpose that isn’t narrative. (Worth mentioning is that both major monologues, the other being Luna’s defense, are almost entirely talking heads.) Not to mention he speaks in such broad terms for the most part that it’s hard to imagine it really having an effect on the listeners. The court case’s resolution is reported to us after the fact, subbing out the reader getting to see it in favor of the emotional conflict resolution that wasn’t properly built up in the first place.
Despite all these flaws, it’s hardly a poor story. If you’ve become invested in Worker’s tale after the first story, this will provide the more you are looking for. It explains what happened to him. It shows off the author’s knowledge of Sonic lore so the reader won’t think he’s pulling everything out of his butt. (It even features the hedgehog in question, and not only as a jokey one-off cameo.) I am honestly surprising myself by coming out of this piece with such a harsh take on it, but I can’t shake the idea that this is just nakedly the path between Order from Chaos and Hope, and little besides. At best, this story is sound and fury, signifying nothing. At worst, it makes no goddamn sense.
3/5
I’m being generous with the score, but this is still the Empire Strikes Back of Sonic/MLP crossovers.
I reviewed Hope last year, outside of the standard format I’ve been doing for these reviews. So you don’t have to click that link, I’ll repost the original review here.
Snarkle was dared that he couldn't make a Sonic crossover work. At the time, they were pretty damned common as far as blog submissions went, and they were all horrid. It just seems like
Fallousome IPs attract individuals who, let's say, have more enthusiasm than care when it comes to writing. But Snarky rose to the bait like a champ and produced Order from Chaos, and it was beautiful.It was also a Sonic crossover without Sonic, and this raised some questions. Does it count if there's no Sonic? No Mobius? No Chaos Emeralds or Tails or
Werehogschili dogs? Especially considering that Snarkle was using a future Robotnik as his main character, taking great liberties with both his characterization and backstory. (That it was set in a future Equestria was not as much a factor.) Some were not convinced. "You have to have Sonic," they said. "Sonic is hard mode."So Snarkle wrote another. He continued the story. There was still no Sonic (there was a hedgehog, however!), but that's because brave, clever Twilight Snarkle was setting up for his finale.
Oh.
My.
Golly.
What a finale it is, folks. Not only does the Blue Blur make a tour de force in Hope, he's naturally set up as the antagonist to our now-reformed egghead scientist. This delves way, way more into Mobian mythos and lore, and even goes there by the end, but it never ceases to be both amazing and heartfelt. I was shedding tears by the end. Add into that Snarkle's chance to write from his own life, making filly Snowdrop just adorable as all get-out, and this story is both irresistible and memorable. It is the kind of tale that does not require explosions or lengthy action scenes to be epic. It is truly a masterwork for the ages, and, in this reviewer's humble opinion, fully satisfies the original challenge.
Thank you, Twilight Snarkle, for being awesome.
Oh yeah, and for eating a comic book. :V
Given that Justice left me a little cold on the reread, how does Hope hold up?
Honestly, for everything Justice tried to do and bobbled, this effortlessly picks up the slack and then some. The action — and there’s a lot of it — moves along at a pleasant clip. The world gets room to breathe. Pasofino expands and expands after a ten-year timeskip, and all the side characters get their chances in the spotlight. Worker is back in the center of everything, still struggling with his past life in more ways than two when Sonic (yes, finally!) comes stumbling through a portal after him. His relationship with his wife, and his daughter, are solid and believable. And while I’m probably repeating myself, Sonic as antagonist is a really clever concept, setting him up as instantly sympathetic, and it gives Snarkle a use for all that universe knowledge he displayed in the previous story. He’s characterized as unable to overcome his trademark hot-headedness, despite being decades older than in the games/comics/show. Those years spent fighting and fighting have worn on him; he’s desperate and lost and, in a word, tragic.
Honestly, what makes this series work so well is how much it highlights how ill a fit the Sonic characters are in Equestria. Robotnik adjusts easily thanks to his benefactor; Sonic doesn’t get that chance and suffers for it. As for this story in particular, not only does it truly fulfill the original challenge, it confronts head-on the assertion that Worker is a different character from Robotnik, another “easy out” complaint levied against the original story.
Also, Snowdrop is just fuckin’ precious, I’m not even kidding.
If there’s a weak point in this story, it would be one or two of the first few scenes from the Princesses’ point of view — Celestia is still intractable as in Justice — but that doesn’t last. Also, they get to go all Divine Goddess near the end, and that’s always appreciated. Basically, everything that Justice gets wrong, Hope gets so very right. It’s honestly the best story in the trilogy, even above the original, and despite its length (nearly three times that of Order), it breezes by with panache. If there’s a reason to read this entire trilogy, Hope is it. I never gave it a true score in the original review, so:
5/5
You'll still never find a better Sonic crossover.
Of course, that’s not the end of Pasofino. The story continues in Fine Steps, but word on that will have to wait until another day.
Are there even any other sonic crossover still being written on this site?
I really, really liked these. My roommate looked at me like I'd grown an extra head when I said I was reading Sonic/Pony crossovers, but who's laughing now!? Ahahahahahaahahahahah!
...
Yeah probably still him.
While I love this series, the biggest problem with it is that... it's not really a Sonic crossover. At all. I'm a Sonic fan; I grew up with the series and I know it inside and out. What's shown in this series of fics is more like a facade—an image of the series that looks alright to people who don't know Sonic that well, but one that falls apart if you do.
And what's also interestingly clear is that Twilight Snarkle does know the series quite well, but can't really stay true to it while still writing a good story. The Sonic universe portrayed in the Snarkle's stories is some Frankensteinian combination of—of all things—the three major comic universes. Mostly Archie, a fair bit of Sonic the Comic, and finally a few dashes of Sonic X (comic series, not the anime) to bring it all together. Snarkle kind of picked and choosed the ideal elements from a bunch of Sonic universes and ignored everything that didn't fit. The result is something that looks a lot like Sonic but... really isn't, if you know the series well.
I honestly think the Sonic and MLP verses are fundamentally incompatible with each other, which is odd because of how similar they are on the surface level. I'm a fan of both, and I'd love to see them come together, but I can't think of a way to make it work.
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If ours is a loving god, then no.
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It's best if we don't try.
Honestly, all I know about Sonic beyond a couple video games (nothing more recent than Adventure) is a handful of comics and the Saturday morning show, which was awesome. This story always jibed with that view, for me.
This prompted me to reread the entire trilogy. The first and third are still great, but yeah, the second falls flat.
It just feels like it only served to bridge the other two stories a bit, and that very little actually happened. Like the whole thing could have been done in about 5k instead of 21k.
One of the greats, definitely. Pretty sure I first read the first of these (er, listened to it, that is) on my drive down to Nightmare Nights Dallas last year, but I should have gotten around to them far sooner.
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Funny thing? I had no plans to write Hope until I was nearing the end of Justice and all these plot bunnies kept badgering me, not to mention no actual appearance of a hedgehog. Insert further ground-dwelling mammal references here.
(Part of the reason for Fine Steps is so all my bunnies can have their day in the sun, frolicking on peaceful green fields and eating clover and timothy hay.)
I'm glad to see the opinion on Justice. It's the weakest of the three stories, although it was going to go a little darker.
Originally I was going to go another direction with Nightmare and Celestia, and wrote the story in that way, hinting at a voice that only meant what was best for her, and most importantly, her ponies... The original arc for the sequel to Justice was "Luna & Worker vs Nightmare Celestia". I've left some hints to NM's attempts to weasel its way into Celestia's thoughts in there, because as far as I'm concerned, it would have eventually succeeded, if not for the trial.
After writing the first few drafts, Nightmare wouldn't shut up, and kept second-guessing me on its arc. I realized that Nightmare had taken an interest in Worker, precisely because it knew what he was capable of. I'm glad it did.
And then Snowdrop found her way into my skull and was cute and adorable and I wanted to drown her she was so sweet so I wrote her too just to make her happy.
(Yes, I often speak of my characters as actual people. Shut up. It helps me discern their motives.)
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...Plot bunny? :B