EFNW Fanfic Spotlight #10

Welcome all, once again, to the EFNW Fanfic Spotlight! In this week's three short stories: We get a glimpse into the relationship between two Old Friends, Celestia reminds her student that true friends are Never So Far Away, and Twilight writes about why she writes.

Old Friends

by RBDash47
Words: 2,368 Complete: Yes

Not much can be said about this piece without giving too much away. Suffice to say it is a great little glimpse into one of the more unique friendships in Equestria. Slightly melancholy, very short, and full of little details that make you feel like there's an entire story hidden between every line. The friendship in question is one I'd never imagined before, but now having read it, I can't imagine things any other way.

Never So Far Away

by PoweredByTea
Words: 3,513 Complete: Yes

This story is one of my favorite examples of "slice of life." It is short and simple, yet provides just enough character growth and one of those brilliant little life lessons to really make it shine. The tale, told from Twilight's perspective, does a great job of showing the teacher/student relationship she has with Celestia, and the trepidation she continually has in trying to live up to the impossible standards she imagines the princess expects. Once Twilight catches the princess with her hair down, and the two spend a short while relaxing simply as friends, she of course learns an important lesson.

The lesson, like the story, is simple, but I think even more valuable because of it. What really sells me on this story however, is how naturally things play out. The author does an amazing job portraying Twilight as a pony who knows logically that her fears are unfounded, yet still struggles with them anyway.

This is a Story You Will Never Read

by Cynewulf
Words: 3,865 Complete: Yes

This one is a bit of meta-fiction, and is basically Twilight's stream of thoughts as she sits in a coffee shop, writing. Most of her ponderings are about writing itself: the process, the reasons she does it, and how it relates to life around her. Most notably, she talks about "The Novel," that one all writers have that is never finished, that they've been working on forever, that won't see the light of day... but that we all keep coming back to anyway.

Mixed in with the thoughts on writing are other little snippets about her life, and those of the ponies around her. These are just little things here and there, but from the deeply intimate point of view, they show as much about Twilight as they do about the ponies she's discussing.

In the end, this story feels like a relaxing chat with a good friend in a coffee shop, about those silly little oh-so-important things that drive us all.

And that will do it for this week. Last week's edition can be found here. Don't forget, Everfree is only three weeks away. Hope I'll see you all there.

Until next week, have fun!
--Xepher