Comment Day, and My Top Five-ish Fic Recs · 6:39am Sep 26th, 2014
First, I’m declairing this (whatever day you read this) to be FiMfiction Comment Day. Go to a story where you forgot to comment, or read a story by a good author on your Read Later list, and leave a nice comment. Or go to an old story you love, even if you commented before, and let the author know that the story stuck with you after all this time. Unless you feel like you need to write an essay or a sonnet (stop it, Ghost) it should only take a few minutes to let someone know they’re appreciated and brighten someone’s day.
Second, I’ve decided to tell you guys my current top five-ish fanfic recommendations. It’s a weird list. It seems that describing my taste as eclectic would be generous; utterly random might be a closer fit. I think between the fics they cover every genre tag except for [Anthro.] Also, any and all claims I make of quality here are totally subjective and probably wrong at the same time, which is a talent.
But, these are the fics I feel most deserve the bookplayer Seal of Approval. Except that I don’t really feel qualified to give a seal, so it’s more a Sparkly-Sticker-of-Applejack-Looking-At-A-Frog Of Approval:
The glitter means it’s legit.
The format of these is that my gushing is the first paragraphs, and a short blurb about the plot is under the spoiler tags (no endings are spoiled, but some early reveals or twists might be) incase you want a little more info on what kind of story to expect. Mature fics are linked to the author’s page, where the authors have the fics featured, to be in safely compliance with once and future FiMfiction rules.
Without further ado:
1) So Long, and Thanks for All The Ponies by Sir Ginger
This remains one of the best fanfics I’ve ever read. It is neither a true crossover, nor a retelling of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Rather, it starts as a retelling in a very good imitation of Adams’ voice, and then forges an entirely new path through a universe that meshes MLP perfectly with Adams’ vision, and is wrapped up with a brilliant ending that continues the perfect blend. It’s not up with current MLP canon, and it does have some weird formatting issues towards the beginning, but I promise it’s well worth looking past those. And you can read it if you’ve never read the original, but it will be even funnier if you’re familiar.
The plot features Pinkie Pie as an inexpertly disguised alien who was hitchhiking through the galaxy when she landed on Equestria and made her home there. Equestria is scheduled for demolition, and Pinkie gathers her friends and catches a ride on the ship sent to do the job. Fortunately for everypony except the mane six and Spike, Celestia immediately remakes the world at the moment of destruction, including copies of the ponies currently on a ship headed out into a universe full of the stuff of legends (assuming the author of said legends had access to lots of narcotics.)
2) Left Behind by Gold
Easily my top ship fic ever. This one actually isn’t heavy on the pony cuddles or ship building; instead it’s pretty much a Disney movie with Applejack as the main character and Rainbow Dash as the love interest. But all the things that make a Disney movie fun and sweet and awesome are there: an awesomly evil villain, a plucky underdogpony heroine, and touching triumphs. Once again, it is behind on canon. But whether you like AppleDash or not, if you can at least accept AppleDash, and you like AJ, you need to read this one.
The story here is that Applejack’s friends have all moved out into the world, leaving Applejack behind in Ponyville, feeling less than special. When Rainbow Dash’s attempts to fix that go awry, she ends up in the clutches of a magic draining black dragon, and it’s up to Applejack to try to save Rainbow Dash and Equestria from his hunger.
3) Fool’s Gold by Merc the Jerk, Peregrine Caged, and JaketheGinger
This is exactly the kind of story I want to read in humanized, and to me it justifies the existence of every humanized story on the site (if there was any question.) It’s a modern action heist starring recognizable but realistic versions of the characters we love, expertly incorporated into a complete and well thought out AU (expanded upon in the sequels Diamond in the Rough and Big Red.) There is AppleDash shipping in it, if that's a selling point or drawback to you. The story is marked mature, with reason, but if you can watch a PG-13 action movie there shouldn’t be anything here that would shock you.
It’s the story of the mane six going rogue in response to a corrupt government and a suspicious fire on Sweet Apple Acres. To save the farm and fund their crusade, they try to execute a bank heist, but things don’t go as planned.
4) Whom The Princesses Would Destroy... by GhostOfHeraclitus
If you’ve ever wondered why there are so few good OCs in pony fanfic, the answer is that GhostOfHereclitus is hoarding them all in his civil service fics. A full cast of well rounded, perfectly pony creations of his own mind makes every paragraph of this fic an exploration of a new aspect of Equestrian society, full of hilarious discoveries. It’s also an absolutely pitch perfect tribute to Terry Pratchett’s writing style (complete with footnotes.) This story has been wildly praised by people smarter, more popular, and probably prettier than me, but it deserves every. single. word of it.
The plot? Twilight Sparkle is coming for a surprise visit to Celestia.
That’s it.
Except that for Dotted Line, our hero of bureaucracy, it becomes a nightmare tangle of public relations, diplomacy, poorly thought out magic, and cruel and unusual tea deprivation.
5) Yours Truly by Thanquol
A classic of pony shipping. Of the fics here, this one probably suffers the most from canon changes, but that does nothing to reduce the feels that pour out of this story. This fic does some amazing things, packing a ton of story and subplots into a relatively low word count without ever feeling rushed, capturing the growth of a relationship where the ponies involved are miles apart, and earning some melodramatic emotion like few stories on this site ever have. This is another one that’s been pushed by others, but deserves my pony-sticker of approval.
The story is that Twilight has left Ponyville for a teaching position, and is keeping in touch with Applejack via a series of letters. Over the course of the story, they realize that the letters allow them to become closer than they’d ever been before.
Alternate pick: 5) The Trixieverse (Starts with Trixie's Magic Bit) by Applejinx
This story is rated mature, and if there was a tag that meant “all of the pony sex” this series would deserve it. And the characterization of canon characters isn’t for everyone. And it can take a few chapters to get into for some people. And some of the story arcs are a little bit batshit insane. And if that sounds like a lot of caveats for a fic I’m recommending, it should stand as a testament to how addictive and well written this amazing, creative, and thorough exploration of sexuality, gender, love, and interpersonal dynamics among the mane six and ponies around them is. I especially have to commend Applejinx on breaking up his magnum opus into several expertly plotted novels, a trick that very few pony authors can really pull off and one that pays off in character arcs that usually end up satisfying and world building details that works seamlessly into the stories.
Of course, I can only recommend it to people who don’t mind reading lots and lots and lots of pony sex of every conceivable kind. (And you can’t even skip it. To Applejinx’s credit, every scene is important to the story, even the sex. Especially the sex.)
The series revolves around a magic bit that bestows male genitalia while it’s in use, found in the wreckage of Trixie’s wagon. When Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Twilight and Fluttershy see that the bit can allow them to indulge in activities and relationships they’d only fantasized about before, things get messy. When Trixie shows back up… things get more than messy, and they pretty much stay that way for a couple of hundred thousand more words.
Finally, it should be noted that this list is corrupt. I’m friends with GhostOfHeraclitus, Peregrine Caged, and JaketheGinger, and of course Merc the Jerk sold his sexy ass for his spot donates to my blog. Demand integrity in pony fic journalism! #fimficgate 
This should be interesting; of these, I have only read one, ghost's, and I did quite enjoy it.
Guess I'll take a look at the others as well
Im reportng yuo
yo cant link to hoers pron
Did someone say Pratchett? I'm there.
... Has Dotted Line shown up as a guest in someone else's fic? I swear the name and character seem familiar, but I've never read a GoH story before.
Oh my god I love heist plots though
Ugh, thank you for the list.
I'm sorry, but I'm having trouble figuring out who mentioned here I'm supposed to be calling a whore and threatening to rape. It can't be you, because Quinn was the benefactor of the 'journalistic corruption,' not the journalist.
...Is it Merc? It's Merc, isn't it?
Merc, you whore!
#fimficgate
Is there anyone who isn't friends with Ghost of Heraclitus? He's awesome.
Everyone needs to gang up on him and chain him to his computer and make him write more stuff.
All my this. Anyone who hasn't read this needs to. This story was so ridiculously entertaining.
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I have no idea, but I wouldn't be surprised. It's a very popular fic, and Ghost is an awesome and generous guy.
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That said, I'll need to sell myself to at least four other authors on the site before I can work at 5 guys and fries like Zoe Quinn.
And thanks, Book. Givin' me all those warm feelins.
Funny enough, Sir Ginger's work was one of the first stories I'd ever followed thanks to Equestria Daily - admittedly, without our beloved EqD overlords, I'd have no idea what to make of FiMFiction and its offerings.
I remain humbly overwhelmed by the sheer size of our pony creativity, and quietly languish in its brilliance. To a point where I'm paralysed by the suffocating genius; once a contributor, I'm now left dumbfounded for the amount of welcome professional developments created by polished newcomers. Absolutely rendered speechless.
... having said that, I remain steadfastly attuned to the current pony.
I really need to thank the creator of Eternal - who must remain nameless - for making me love pony fiction. Then Kitsunerisu, and bookplayer, and Church... I'm so old by pony years.
I love FiMFiction.
Ghost's work is pretty much right at number one for me. The Trixieverse is a favorite too, despite dealing with things I would normally run the HELL away from as fast as possible. It was a real treat when I actually got to meet Applejinx.
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I'm not! Can't say I've ever even spoken to him!
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http://www.fimfiction.net/story/170589/the-mare-behind-the-mare this had a brief mention of his name in it. It's worth a look, too, was quite a fun read.
Anyone who isn't friends with Jake the Ginger should be hanged, really...
Awww. Gosh. Thanks.
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Yup. Skywriter used him in A Princess by Any Other Name.
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Awww. Thank you. And like Pinkie Pie, I shan't rest until everyone on FimFiction is my friend.
I am, however, terrible about remembering birthdays. Bit of a problem, that.
As for being chained to my computer, I assure you, I am. It's just that I am chained on behalf of other, less happy pursuits than pony words.
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We can fix that, you know. Hug?
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I was ready to pitch a fit if Yours Truly wasn't on this here list. And to a (slightly) lesser extent, Whom The Princesses Would Destroy...
But they are there.
Good show.
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*Tentatively raises hand*
Name's never come up
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Well it has now.
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Yaknow, I started reading Thanks for All the Ponies due to pre-reading it for EQD, and I've never finished it. :B Maybe I should.
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Oh, what's this? *Picks off paper*
'Follow GhostOfHeraclitus today!'? Well, whoever it is, it appears to be worth some investigatin'.
I approve of this post.
Always appreciate your kind words, lass, even if I never feel I deserve them.
Glad to see I can at least share Yours Truly in the highest of standards. That story almost stopped me from writing fan fiction, heh.
Wow...
Thanks.
And I really mean it... thanks!
I didn't know "Yours Truly", never heard of it until today.
Now its easily one of my top 5 too, and I don't even really like AppleSparkle...
It actually made me way more sad and depressed than it should have, but I'm still glad I
didn't miss it.
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Of course, that was it! Thanks.
Good heavens
Thank you. I can only reiterate that if you're not down with naughty ponies, tread no further into Trixieverse
it was never meant for just any general audience. But I am delighted nearly beyond description to find my work's sleazed its way into such a high-class list 
And 'more than eight hundred thousand words' is technically four couples. Trixieverse is… not good at 'couples', clearly
And you most certainly are friends with me!
I demand to be counted among the merry pony nepotism! 
Now that I'm feeling more like myself, I can say... I don't like "Yours, Truly." I dislike it enough that it irritates me to keep seeing it so highly praised. You wanna talk about "Show, don't tell"? "Yours, Truly" is a whole new category of telling instead of showing that we haven't discussed yet. It tells us that the Mane 6 fell in love with each other by showing us the results. It's nothing but the payback to a much larger story that was never told. Showing them acting like they are in love is telling us that they fell in love, sometime in the past, for unknown reasons. And the story just isn't a story without that part. Shippers who just want these ponies to be in love might find it satisfying, but... not me. It's not a story. It's just another "These ponies are in love, now kiss", though very well-written.
I enjoyed reading the story, but it was a lo-calorie, artificially-sweetened story that didn't fill me up.
I think Thanqol's "The Old Stories" is one of the greats, so of course it also irritates me that "Yours, Truly" has gotten so many more views.
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That's fixable, you know. Both of them. We have the technology.