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Story Promotions (Round XIII) · 6:47am Jul 26th, 2015
Evening, everybody! It's that time again, so have another round of great stories! 
Ready to read? Click the break!
Wanderlust by Woolly
Feeling rather stifled in Ponyville, Discord decides to go on an adventure. Chaos is restless. Chaos needs the open road.
Takes place a few months after the incident with Tirek.
First off, you'll have to check the author's userpage to find this story, as it is Rated Mature. However, before you go running off, know that there isn't anything too explicit, if that's your thing. (Personally, I think the author could have trimmed a sentence or two and stuck it at Teen, but eh, rules are rules!)
Now, I don't know about you guys, but I like Discord. I don't write about him as often as I should, but I like him. Discord's one of those characters who is strong enough from the canon to have a recognizable character in fanfiction, but unexplored enough that there's a lot you can do with him.
With that in mind, Woolly is on the rise to become my favorite Discord author on this site.
Wanderlust takes us through the mind of Discord as he wanders through Equestria (and beyond) to let loose with a bit of his chaos magic. Exotic locations, new peoples, and even fellow demigods are explored through Discord's eyes, making for interesting little adventures, along with the narration itself. Discord is as... well, Discord as ever, in a playful way, and that certainly earns the story its Comedy tag.
The story also delves into Discord's feelings of guilt post-Tirek, as well as his romantic past and present. While the coverart may give some of it away, this story is one of those that's definitely about the journey, not the destination. And that journey, while spur-of-the-moment and insignificant at first, proves to hold a greater impact that Discord first envisioned.
I also have to commend the author on both the OC characters (wonderfully done) and the side-stories—Kalopsia and Gallopagos—that tie in with the larger plot. Always nice to see both of these things handled well. And hey, she ain't bad at drawing, either. 
If you enjoy Discord, stories with unique worldbuilding, adventure stories, or just something a little different, check out Wanderlust.
Applejack tells Fluttershy about the great oak tree atop a hill on the farm. It was the first one she ever planted, y'see. That doesn't have anything to do with why Granny Smith is in the hospital, and why Applejack isn't there.
Nope. Not at all.
Everyone needs a good dose of feels now and then. I know I sure do. Under A Tree is more than feels, however. It's also a look into Applejack's past, her experiences of magic as an Earth pony, and how she honors both.
In terms of plot—no, not that kind—this is truly a Slice of Life fic. Fluttershy goes to Sweet Apple Acres to find Applejack, who is resting under a mighty oak tree. Then, the two talk—or, more accurately, Applejack talks and Fluttershy listens—about Granny Smith, Applejack's family, and how she grew her first tree.
Don't let this summary fool you. This is a story that demonstrates that Slice of Life can be excellent in its own right, and that overarching conflict is not always necessary for a great read.
Written from Fluttershy's first-person (pony?) perspective, Under A Tree does a great job of emphasizing the emotion and telling the story from the perspective of the listener. By using Shy's perspective, we see a side of her that is rarely explored in the show—her own inner turmoil and conflict while Applejack reveals herself in her own ways. Both voices are clear and vibrant. The story itself could be an episode of the show if Hasbro were willing to explore Applejack's past, rather than alluding it.
My only complaint is that the original draft of the story, which is far weaker, is included here. The first draft had some tense issues and lacked the flow of the rewrite. Nothing major, of course, as this can just be skipped over if one is so inclined.
If you like stories featuring Applejack and Fluttershy, stories about Applejack's backstory, or great character pieces, look no further than Under A Tree.
The World Famous Flim Flam Brothers Spectacular Travelling Menagerie
The World Famous Flim Flam Brothers, having been forced to put their cider-making days behind them, have "collected" all of the rare and exotic creatures they've encountered during their travels in order to create a circus of mythology the likes of which has never been seen before! Spike, being the final addition to the show, must use everything he's learned from Twilight Sparkle in order to take back his freedom, rescue his comrades in captivity, and return home.
Remember the Flim Flam Brothers? In spite of them being horrible to Best Family, I actually kind of liked them. They were fun, gimmicky, and devilishly evil in the way that only cartoon characters can be. Few stories capitalize on this, some choosing to redeem them instead. Personally, I think Flim and Flam are more fun when they aren't redeemed, and this story is an example of why.
Our story begins with Spike waking up to find himself kidnapped by Flim and Flam. While this is pretty dark, their reason—to put Spike in a circus along with other "exotic creatures"—and the story's handling of the situation shows the Comedy tag is well-deserved from the beginning. To show you what I mean, here's one of my favorite exchanges from the first chapter:
"What's going on?!" Spike scanned the area around him, seeing no familiar landmarks. "How did I get here?!"
"We brought you here, of course!" Flim replied, raising and lowering his eyebrows rapidly.
"I don't remember anything..." Spike said as his eyes ran the length of the bars.
"Well of course you don't," Flam said, "because we subdued you with the most powerful, desensitizing, mesmerizing, immobilizing, hypnotizing, sensationalizing means of capture that you could imagine!"
"We hid behind some bushes and threw a rock at you!" Flim said.
Yup, Flim and Flam are back with their salesman wit, their love of rhyming, and, of course, their crafty little inventions. As for everyone else, Spike shows why he deserves better characterization than the show gives him, while the other "exotic creatures" in Flim and Flam's traveling circus are excellently characterized in their own right.
Along with the comedy, the story has a healthy dose of adventure that keeps you hooked between the laughs. This is one of those stories that feels like it could be an episode—take note, Hasbro!—if Flim and Flam ever make an appearance again.
If you enjoy stories about Flim and Flam, stories with Spike being awesome, comedies, or adventures with a show feel, take a glance at Menagerie!
No matter what you see or through whose gaze you look, there will always be more than meets the eye.
A quick note about this story: this is a fic that deals with some heavy issues. I normally don't preface stories with much other than warnings about Mature content, since I'm of the mind that anything less can usually be handled by most readers. I often promote stories that deal with heavy issues in a sense already—alcoholism, death, insanity, etc. come to mind. However, I feel the content in this story might be a bit too close to home for some, so I'm just gonna put this out there:
What Meets The Eye deals with domestic violence from the viewpoint of the victim. If this is something you prefer not to read about, skip on to the nice picture at the end of the blog.
With that out of the way, I'll talk about the story a bit.
What Meets The Eye tells the story of Finial, an engineer living with the love of his life, Sledgehammer. On the surface, the two appear to be a loving couple, but Sledgehammer has a dark side—one that Finial tries his best to hide and forget about, doing what he can to keep his lover's temper from flaring and them both happy and safe as can be.
The story does a good job of detailing the effects of Sledge's abuse in a way that is sadly familiar (not to me, but in the context of what I know) and hauntingly chilling. The isolation, fear, and guilt Fin experiences tugs at the heartstrings without being oversold.
Both characters are written well—even Sledge, who, like all abusers, is not made of fire and brimstone, but flesh and blood. As easy as it is to stick each stallion in a box, they are both complex characters, and the empathy is not entirely one-sided by the end.
Enter Klutzy Hooves, a neighbor who takes an interest in Fin. The two strike up a tense, if refreshing, friendship, developing rather quickly in the small freedom Fin is allowed. It's this friendship that provides a small ray of hope to shine in Fin's life... if he will let it.
I won't say much more, but if you can handle the subject matter, read this. Read it, but have someone to hug or a box of tissues—no, not for that!—nearby. It's an incredible read, but you'll feel along with the characters.
If you enjoy stories that tackle difficult subjects in masterful ways, an emotional read, or a unique story, say no more than What Meets The Eye.
Well, that's it for tonight, guys! Tomorrow, I'll be posting another story and my monthly AMA blog, so come ready to read, ask questions, or both! Have a great night! 
All the d'awws, all the love. 
FIRST I LOVE YOU BAD SEED!
Damn it! It may sound as a strange complaint, but Babs, you deliver so many good stories in such a shot period, that I don't get enough time to properly read them!
Slow down at least for a bit.... 
Oh my god, someone else found What Meets the Eye! :D I've always loved that fic!
Wow, thank you so much for reviewing Wanderlust. I feel honoured.
Also the other fics look interesting too. I'm off to read What Meets the Eye now.
So many gems I want to read... so little time.
I'm always ready to ask questions. The quest for knowledge is limitless!