Fanfic Spotlight #26 · 5:48am Mar 2nd, 2015

March? March already? But how?! Everfree is now less than a season away, and the excitement builds! First off, I want to say thanks to Piquo Pie for filling in for me (Xepher) last week while I was busy. This week though, three new stories!

We start with the tale of a thief in future Equestria, who foolishly tries to swindle a purple dragon of his change. Then we move on to Celestia's "simple" letter to Twilight late one night. We close with a tale of Celestia's absolute (and literal) perfection... which is kind of a downer.

The Iridescent Iron Rat

by Horizon
Words: 9,423 Complete: Yes
Recommended by Xepher

First off, let me assure you this is not nepotism. While Horizon is a former staffer for EFNW, and a friend, I decided I'd be featuring this story when I first read it anonymously during the most recent Writeoff Association contest. It's not my fault if Everfree tends to attract some of the best writers in the fandom to its staff. :-P

So, this story is set in a far future, where Twilight and the "First Five" are known only to history, and the new, modern, Harmonized Equestria leaves no room for the typical thief. Jimmy is no typical thief though. He lives for the art of the con, not the profit, but makes a critical mistake when he tries to swindle a gigantic purple dragon out of just the smallest bit of pocket change.

What follows is an action-packed chase of an intro, showing a future Equestria in vivid detail and like no other. Using all the most advanced tricks of the trade—and blind, stupid luck—Jimmy tries to salvage his ultimate heist, only to find an opportunity more valuable than he'd ever imagined.

As Twilight Sparkle would probably say, "Any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology." To me, this story proves that by the truckload. The details are amazing, and the pacing is excellent. It's a 10,000 word, cleverly written romp through the heart that very trope, and yet still feels distinctly "pony" throughout.

Insomnia

by Pale Horse
Words: 3,088 Complete: Yes
Recommended by Asylum1388

Taking place shortly after the start of season four, this story starts off simply enough: Celestia can’t sleep. With little else to do, she decides to write to Twilight. What starts off as passing along some hard-learned advice quickly slips into reminiscing about her youth. She begins to tell Twilight of her relationship with Luna, how close they had been, and most of all, how much it hurt to banish her. From there, Celestia begins pouring her heart out into the page; her regrets, her hopes, and just how much Twilight means to her.

Honestly, I can’t do this story justice in a review. At a little over three thousand words, I can say without reservation that you should just go read it yourself. It’s beautifully written and quite possibly the most touching I’ve come across in the fandom.

Infallible

by Pegasus Rescue Brigade
Words: 3,107 Complete: Yes
Recommended by Dusk Watch

Perfection. Pure and total perfection. In everything.

That's the whole point here. Celestia is literally perfect. Absolutely incapable of screwing up, even on purpose. If you ever stopped to consider what that would be like, you'd probably think it's great. Then you start to realize that having to work for things makes you feel like you've actually done something. Without it, life gets pretty dull.

This story is an interesting examination of what that kind of thing might do to the unchallenged ruler of all ponykind. Ignoring the few technical errors (Oh! The irony!) to be found in punctuation, Infallible is a lighthearted romp through a day in the life of the Princess of the Sun. Even in her attempts to mess up, she somehow leaves the world exactly as it should be. While it might drive her crazy, it left me doubled over in stitches.

Think you could handle that kind of pressure without losing your marbles? Then I invite you to take a ride through wonderland and find out.

And that wraps us up for this first of March. We'll be back next week, with more stories. In the meantime, be sure to check out our writing contest! In the spirit of friendship, it's open to everyone, whether you plan to attend EFNW or not. But if the sprit of friendly competition isn't enough enticement, we're also offering actual, physical prizes! See this blog post for more details.

--Xepher, Asylum1388, and Dusk Watch

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