It Is Recommendsday, My Dudes #3 · 6:10pm Apr 7th, 2021

A rather strong contrast in the two selections today.

First up is a rather sweet, fluffy story - Sweet Carrots by Epic Yarn.

Despite being a very long established set of characters in canon, the Cakes largely have their stories fall into one of two categories: acting as supporting characters to Pinkie Pie or porn. Their lives aren't an area that's been strongly explored - and this story does.

It's a look back to how the two met: appropriately, a baking competition. It's not a complex story, but it's light and cheerful and touching. It's just a read that makes me smile as the pair compete against each other while learning more about who they are. Plus, I mean, it's well written but I figure y'all know I'm not going to be recommending something that's not.

TSweet Carrots

Chiffon Swirl just wants to win the Ponyville Baking Contest. Carrot Cake just wants a certain blue somepony to notice him. Both think this was a bad idea.

Epic Yarn · 12k words · 93 1 · 1.2k views

The other story on the block is a far cry from that: The Book of Might Have Beens by the ever excellent Cold in Gardez.

This is easily one of the most emotionally difficult stories I've ever read.

Conceptually, it's fairly simple. Twilight has a magical artifact: a book that, when you write something in it, answers you on what path your life could have taken. Twilight wants to destroy it, but Starlight asks to have it for just one night. This is a horrible mistake.

As I said last week, I'm not really one for horror. This is horror. Not a slasher movie villain or a blood-filled gorefest - but it's still horror. That 'Slice of Life' tag is a total liar.

It's horror because Starlight - a character already dealing with a rocky and problematic past - is faced with not just the choices she's made but the choices she could have made. A darker take on this tale would easily have driven her mad. Gardez keeps it lighter than that, but it's still a psychologically tough read for what it does to her.

And I love it.

TThe Book of Might Have Beens

The book was Twilight Sparkle's greatest creation – ask it any question about how your life might have been and see the answer. It is a work of genius. It is a tempting, insightful, wonderful marvel of magic. It is a terrible mistake.

Cold in Gardez · 8.4k words · 953 11 · 9.9k views

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