News Archive

  • 180 weeks
    MSPiper’s “Autumnfall Change” [Royal Canterlot Library]

    You might want to keep a whiteboard handy for today’s story.


    Autumnfall Change
    [Sci-Fi][Slice of Life][Human] • 8,419 words

    Magic and technology may have pierced the void and blazed a path between the realms, but that was the simple part. Adjusting to the changes that follow can be far more daunting.

    Yet despite the complexities involved even in basic communication, Serendipity has found friends to talk to among humankind who can cheer her up when she’s down. And occasionally inspire her to bursts of ingenuity unhindered by such trifles as foresight.

    Read More

    6 comments · 9,150 views
  • 194 weeks
    TCC56's "Glow In The Dark, Shine In The Sun" [Royal Canterlot Library]

    A villain might just have a bright future in today's story.


    Glow In The Dark, Shine In The Sun
    [Equestria Girls] [Drama] [Slice of Life] • 27,035 words

    Despite all attempts, Cozy Glow still hasn't been shown a path to friendship. No pony has been able to get through to her, and she's only gotten worse with each attempt.

    Reluctant to return the filly to stone again, Princess Twilight has one last option. One pony she hasn't tried. Or in this case? One person.

    Sunset Shimmer.

    Can Sunset do what no pony has been able to?

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    10 comments · 9,346 views
  • 196 weeks
    The Red Parade's "never forever" [Royal Canterlot Library]

    Today's story never says never.


    never forever
    [Sad] [Slice of Life] • 1,478 words

    Lightning Dust will never be a Wonderbolt. When she left the Academy, she swore she'd never look back. When the Washouts disbanded, she swore she'd forget about them.

    Yet after all these years, against all odds, she finds herself here. At a Wonderbolts show. Just on the wrong side of the glass.

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    20 comments · 8,140 views
  • 201 weeks
    Freglz's "Nothing Left to Lose" [Royal Canterlot Library]

    Don't lose out on today's story.


    Nothing Left to Lose
    [Drama] [Sad] • 6,367 words

    Some things can't be changed.

    Starlight believes otherwise.

    FROM THE CURATORS: One might be forgiven for thinking that after nine years of MLP (and fanfic), there's nothing left to explore on such well-trodden ground as changeling redemption — but there are still stories on the topic which are worthy of turning heads.  "Though the show seems to have moved past it as a possibility, the question of whether and how Queen Chrysalis could be reformed alongside the other changelings still lingers in the fandom's consciousness," Present Perfect said in his nomination. "In comes Freglz, with a solidly reasoned story that combines the finales of seasons 5 and 6 and isn't afraid to let the question hang."

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    26 comments · 7,558 views
  • 203 weeks
    Somber's "Broken Record" [Royal Canterlot Library]

    Today's story puts all the pieces together.

    (Ed. note: Some content warnings apply to this interview, regarding current world circumstances and mentions of suicidal ideation.)


    Broken Record
    [Drama] [Slice of Life] • 7,970 words

    There has never been an athlete like Rainbow Dash. The sprints. The marathons. The land speed record. She held them all.

    Until she didn't.

    Until she had only one left... and met the pony that might take it from her...

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    11 comments · 5,359 views
  • 205 weeks
    jakkid166's "Detective jakkid166 in everything" [Royal Canterlot Library]

    Missing out on today's story would be a crime.


    Detective jakkid166 in everything
    [Comedy] [Human] • 15,616 words

    "Every pony thing evre made would be better if it had me in it."
    - me

    I, Detective jakkid166, will be prepared to make every pony fanficion, video, and game better by me being in it. All you favorite pony content, except it has ME! And even I could be in some episodes of the show except cause the charaters are idiot I'm good at my job.

    The ultimate Detective jakkid166 adventures collection, as he goes into EVERYTHING to make it good.

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    171 comments · 9,625 views
  • 207 weeks
    Mannulus' "Sassy Saddles Meets Sasquatch" [Royal Canterlot Library]

    Today's story is a rare find.


    Sassy Saddles Meets Sasquatch
    [Comedy] [Random] • 5,886 words

    The legend is known throughout Equestria, but there are few who believe. Those who claim to have seen the beast are dismissed as crackpots and madponies. Those who bring evidence before the world are dismissed as histrionic deceivers. There are those who have seen, however -- those who know -- and they will forever cry out their warning from the back seats of filthy, old train cars, even to those who dismiss them, who revile them, who ignore their warnings unto their own mortal peril.

    "The sasquatch is real!" they will cry forevermore, even as nopony believes.

    But from this day forward, Sassy Saddles will believe.

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    16 comments · 6,209 views
  • 209 weeks
    SheetGhost’s “Moonlight Vigil” [Royal Canterlot Library]

    Take a closer look into tonight’s story.


    Moonlight Vigil
    [Tragedy] • 3,755 words

    Bitter from her defeat and exile, the Mare in the Moon watches Equestria move on without her.

    Read More

    1 comments · 4,852 views
  • 211 weeks
    Unwhole Hole's "The Murder of Elrod Jameson" [Royal Canterlot Library]

    Today's story is some killer noir.

    [Adult story embed hidden]

    The Murder of Elrod Jameson
    [Dark] [Mystery] [Sci-Fi] [Human] • 234,343 words

    [Note: This story contains scenes of blood and gore, sexuality, and a depiction of rape.]

    Elrod Jameson: a resident of SteelPoint Level Six, Bridgeport, Connecticut. A minor, pointless, and irrelevant man... who witnessed something he was not supposed to.

    Narrowly avoiding his own murder, he desperately searches for help. When no living being will help him, he turns to the next best thing: a pony.

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    14 comments · 5,342 views
  • 213 weeks
    Grimm's "Don't Open the Door" [Royal Canterlot Library]

    Today's story lingers like the curling mist in a dark forest.


    Don't Open the Door
    [Dark][Horror] • 13,654 words

    After an expedition into the Everfree Forest ends in disaster, Applejack and Rainbow Dash take refuge in an abandoned cabin until morning.

    This is probably a poor decision, but it's only one night, after all. How bad could it be?

    FROM THE CURATORS: "I don't care much for horror stories," AugieDog mused. "But this one does so much right, I found myself really impressed." Present Perfect thought it was "simply one of the best horror stories I've ever read," and Soge agreed "one-hundred percent" that "this is pitch-perfect horror from beginning to end."

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    8 comments · 4,658 views
Dec
8th
2017

Author Interview » SirTruffles' "Three Left Turns" [Royal Canterlot Library] · 12:47pm Dec 8th, 2017

Today's story turns out right.


Three Left Turns
[Dark] • 2,478 words

Equestria's last night is nigh. Next evening it will be ash. Twilight slips off with but the past to bargain with. Can she buy a future?

FROM THE CURATORS: Our search for literary merit in fanfiction sometimes leads us to stories with unique styles — and this certainly delivers on that score.  "Here's something I'd describe as literary impressionism," Chris said in his nomination.  "It's a story that focuses more on communicating mood and emotional sense than on offering up a concrete picture of 'what actually happened,' told in an unusual format which highlights the narrative's ambiguities."  Virtually our entire discussion was about unpacking that unique style.  "Nothing is ever stated plainly, but there are plenty of hints as to what's going on," Present Perfect noted, while AugieDog summed up our overall impression: "In the end, it's the gorgeous imagery that carries the day."

Just as impressionism can lead to beautiful paintings, we found that Three Left Turns used the strengths of its format to its benefit.  "The ambiguities let SirTruffles paint a picture for the reader without getting bogged down in details which might detract from the moods and moments he's trying to highlight," Chris said.  Present Perfect found the story accomplishing a rare goal: "It's hard to wring true fantasy out of a setting that's already fantastic, but this does it well by avoiding standard Equestrian staples in favor of the purely abstract."  And Horizon appreciated its thematic cohesion: "Everything works in concert with that theme of sacrifice.  Even the absence of traditional dialogue just seems like it reinforces the idea of something once given up."

It was those strengths which led Three Left Turns to a feature despite some curator dissent.  "The style and atmosphere is really well executed, but I feel that I'm missing something," Soge said, while AugieDog found it a fascinating read regardless: "To journey every once in a while into some dimly-lit and incense-laden atmosphere where question aren't asked let alone answered, that can be fun, too," he said.  "Whatever doom there is here, it's a very quiet and gentle doom. And really, isn't that all we can ask for from our dooms?"

Read on for our author interview, in which SirTruffles discusses dangerous speeds, zig-zag lines, and willy-nilly portmanteaus.


Give us the standard biography.

I have been a denizen of Ponyland since the middle of Season 1 — so far back that we were still enjoying our horsewords on Google Docs links through EqD, and FimFic was still a ways off. My favorite thing about the fandom was coming off a new episode and catching the EqD drawfriend. I suppose it has gotten mundane anymore, but there was something about the vivid art and the wide-open crazy worldbuilding while everything was fresh and new that made everything come to life.

These days I find myself busy enough with life that I have settled for popping into the FimFic forums and blogosphere every so often to make sure the rocking chair on the porch is still in good repair. I would tell the kids to get off the lawn, but if I am being honest I would still have to step off with them. I am still not sure how to feel about that.

How did you come up with your handle/penname?

Growing up, my friends and I had a certain fascination with keeping a straight back and a stiff upper lip — not all the time, but for special occasions it was an extra bit of fun. There is a certain power to be found in shouldering and striving to hold up an air of respectability that I wanted to incorporate into my online persona, hence the Sir. The Truffles bit is a bit hazy, but if I remember correctly, it came from a character I was sketching out in a draft that never got published.

Who's your favorite pony?

I much prefer Zecora.

What's your favorite episode?

Crusaders of the Lost Mark. I still tear up when the CMC all get their marks, their sisters run over, everyone is all “You did it!” everywhere, and then I want plushies of everypony so I can hug everything. Good show.

What do you get from the show?

I found myself captivated by how much fun Studio B was having with the first few seasons of the show. I suppose I was watching as much to see what the writers and animators were doing with their material as I was enjoying the actual narrative content.

What do you want from life?

Imagine you are bustling straight down the sidewalk towards your next errand. You are suddenly struck by the realization that if you willed it, you could walk in a zig-zag line instead. You do so and are rewarded with the warm giddy powerful rush of getting away with something. Then you blink and your mind slowly turns towards everything else you might be able to get away with if only you can muster up enough nerve. I want as much of that as often as possible.

Why do you write?

Sometimes a story sticks in my mind and bounces around until I finally get around to dragging myself to the computer and letting it spill out. Certain thoughts simply demand their proper shape and size.

What advice do you have for the authors out there?

At the risk of being a pretentious kook, “it’s magic so I don’t have to explain it” rings rather hollow when one realizes that magic has been explored and explained in excruciating detail by real persons who have actually tried their hand at it and been rewarded with spiritual experiences. Dion Fortune and W. E. Butler can be had for $10 in the Amazon used book section, and every good occult book has a bibliography of equally inexpensive texts, many of which are worth exploring.

Of course, you will not actually learn how to cast fireball (magic is not for that — just use your lighter and aerosol can like a normal person), but I find examining their underlying philosophy — and puzzling out what the real practitioners are actually trying to accomplish and how their magic meets their needs — gives badly needed grounding to the “anything goes so long as I make up some rules” special effects of today’s flashier fantasy. If your physics textbook is required reading to ground your sci-fi, a good occult introductory text is likewise required homework before writing fantasy.

Granted, if you are actually going to do live experiments, do make sure to start with a carefully crafted introductory course such as Learning Ritual Magic by Earl King Jr et. al., or the Druid Magic Handbook by John Michael Greer et. al., amongst others. Even from the strict materialist view, occult practice uses heavy visualization to build up certain neural pathways with certain symbolism for certain goals.

Now nine times out of ten, the novice is not going to have the skill set to get into trouble, but in the worst case my reading suggests the wrong person jumping into the wrong portmanteau of experiments all willy-nilly can cross mental wires that were not meant to be crossed, resulting in anything from a few days of mental discomfort to totally unbalancing your endocrine system. Start gradually at the beginning. Build balanced habits of practice. Avoid the risk. (And as a bonus get all the fundamentals in one place in plain English.)

What inspired “Three Left Turns”?

I found myself wanting to write like Hayao Miyazaki animates. Something fantastical but comfortable enough to feel wondrously mundane and more real than reality. After I defined that intention, the rest of the imagery just spilled out.

What challenges did you face telling a story in this sort of impressionistic style?

Mostly the marketing. I hit the keyboard in a state of flow, so the story spilled out on its own. My process is write the first draft, skim it once for typos, and kick it out the door before I can get stage fright and sit on it forever, so there was not much space to hand-wring over the content.

My problem is that I find there are two types of stories: stories you chew and stories you smoke (or blaze if you prefer). This is definitely the latter: it is more something to be experienced, swum around in, and related to in the reader’s own way, so describing it as anything feels like a disservice. You can see this in my comment to Bad Horse where the only justice I could do to the story was describe the events.

Of course, readers need a little more than “I made horsewords. I think they are cool. See what you think,” so I ended up stuck trying to take this word-feeling-shape and cram it into some kind of box that people would understand. Not to say the story is something unfathomable, of course. Imagine you just had the best/worst/otherwise most potent day of your life and you are still trying to let it sort itself out in your head when a newscaster walks up, sticks a mic in your face, and demands to know what genre your life is. It is like that.

In the comments, you remark that a part of you in hindsight would’ve preferred Twilight to be searching for four spells rather than three.  Why is that?

I am afraid I no longer remember. It has been a long time since I wrote the story.

Also in the comments, you mention changing the story’s tags from “Slice of Life” to “Dark.”  How did your own vision of the story change after you’d written it?

It was not my vision of the story changing so much as my gradually coming around to the fact that “A story focusing on daily, normal experiences” is not something that applies to a story about a magical pony princess stepping into a magical between-worlds marketplace to trade chunks of her life and memories for a solution to the apocalypse.

In hindsight, I think I picked SoL at first because I had to pick something and just after writing it I still had the mellow neutral afterglow of wanting to blankly turn it over and take it all in rather than categorize it. After that feeling had time to process, I realized that however I felt about it, the tag was simply not correct. That was not to say I knew what the real tag was supposed to be, of course, so there was more hand-wringing and such. Eventually I seem to recall deciding that, despite the upbeat note at the end, there was a darker atmosphere hanging over everything, so in absence of a better alternative I went with that.

Then I got several instant downvotes for my trouble as I was reshuffling it in group folders. Moral of the story: get your tags right the first time or else.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Neutrons are neutral. You will find reversing the polarity of their flow to be an exercise in futility.

Also, YouTube is infinitely better at 1.25 speed, or 1.5 if you are feeling dangerous.

You can read Three Left Turns at FIMFiction.net. Read more interviews right here at the Royal Canterlot Library, or suggest stories for us to feature at our Fimfiction group.

Comments ( 4 )

Y'know, I really appreciate how you ask them to give advice for new writers.

Thanks for that, and thanks for, as always, giving me a new story to read.

I'll admit, I'm shallow. Normally, a story that concentrates on the imagery instead of the actual events baffles me, but this one really did hold my attention and enticed me. Nice work.

One day... I'll be interviewed. I won't stop until I am. It's one of my dreams.

Seriously, stop raiding my lists

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