Why You Should Read "Not The Hero" (if you haven't already...) - - - Middle Shelf #5

To be really honest with you, I had a hard time not putting this one on the top shelf. But a while ago I decided to be more strict on what goes where, and even though it comes close, Not The Hero isn't quite on par with, say, Background Pony or The Immortal Game. Sorry, alarajrogers. It's probably mostly because it's not finished yet, to be honest. Once it's finished its whole story arc, I think I might be able to bump it up.

Not The Hero

by alarajrogers

This one's maybe not as well known as most others on my shelves, but trust me, it's worth your while even though it's nowhere near finished yet. I know how big a turnoff that is for most people, but do it anyway. Do it.

To put my reasons for recommending this story in as simple terms as possible, this is the greatest character study of Discord you will ever find, and also one of the most interesting premises in MLP fanfiction as well.

The premise is this: a human brony in Equestria is the villain, but he thinks he's the hero. This takes place around Canterlot Wedding, so Discord has been defeated and is currently a statue. If I remember right, this was the big time in the fandom for HiE adventures, so this is perfect.

The thing about this one is that the Anon in this story is unconsciously re-writing reality to fit his expectations. It's his perfect HiE adventure, whether it's supposed to be or not. And Discord is the only one who notices. Which is inconvenient, because Anon has cast Discord as his arch-nemesis.

Seriously, how many fics have you read where a human comes to Equestria, becomes the Seventh Element of Harmony, and has to defeat a grittier, darker Discord all on his own? It was once its own subgenre, though now I think people have finally gotten over it. Either that or I just don't find those fics anymore.

So this is partially a satire and a parody, but it stands on its own so well you'll almost never think of it as such. Think about this premise for a moment, and add to the mix the idea that Anon is a clopper. Thought about it? Alarajrogers thought about it more. Not that it's explicit or anything. Everything NSFW is only implied, and the fic is rated T. But still! When you really pay attention to what this fic is suggesting, it's downright terrifying! Some of the scariest fiction I've ever read that isn't actually horror or thriller. It's scenario horror, like 1984.

So yeah. This is worth reading. Plus, this author has Discord down pat. Like more than I thought was possible. I now feel like I understand him better in the show since I read this. Remember my episode analysis from last week? Totally thanks to this fic.

A big part of it is that alarajrogers (how do you pronounce that?) is an old-school Star Trek TNG fanfic author, specializing in PiQrd shipping. Discord isn't much of a jump from Q. Plus, this fic shares a backstory for Discord with her other Discord series, which is also pretty good but not as good as this.

Once you read Not The Hero, you'll never look at Discord the same way again, no matter where you find him. Art, fanfiction, the show, all of it. You'll be enlightened. You'll know why he does why he does. You'll identify with him. Heck, you'll understand how he does what he does.

I liked this fic so much that I started recording my own reading of it and my own fanart as well (WIP). Still nowhere near done yet with either (the art file actually crashes my browser tab when I try to edit it... thanks, muro), though we'll see how things go. I don't do a bad Discord impression, if I do say so myself.

But man, I have to figure how to voice Discord feeling emotions he'd never have in the show. And yet it's always in character, because he would never be in a situation like this in the show. But if he was, and if the writers cared enough to make him right, this is how they would do it.

I'm done. Go read it next.