The Best of the Best, and A Challenge · 6:20am May 26th, 2020
Howdy, folks! First and foremost, as always, Adorable Applejack:
Best mom don't fucking @ me
Now then...
I should probably explain why I've been so quiet lately. Well, a lot of shit has happened in my life. School is totally online, which is great because I can do the work at my own pace which relieves stress, but it sucks because I can do the work at my own pace which means I wait until the absolute last possible second to do anything. Which oddly kinda works because I have learned that I usually do my best work in a crunch, which I'm not sure if I should be proud of or not. Also, I quit smoking, and I have been depressed as shit for the past two weeks, because I didn't want to quit smoking, but I need to quit. I legit enjoy smoking, but it's been a cumulative 18 years, and I figure if I stop now, maybe I can just sneak past cancer. Also, I've had a persistent dry cough for nearly two and a half months, and two days after I quit, it stopped. Way I see it, that cough was God saying, "Hey, knock that shit off."
Anywho, let's get down to brass tacks here. If you remember way back when, I did a blog talking about my favorite things the fandom ever produced. And despite the fact that 95% of the comments were either about how I was wrong about brony analyzers or how bronies are toxic shit-lords, I really enjoyed it! SO, I figured I wanted to do it again. This time, however, I'm focusing solely on fan fiction. I decided to do little mini reviews of all the stories I have listed as my favorite on my user page. These are legit my favorite stories in the fandom, and I want to give them some love. But more than that, I want to at least attempt to inspire others.
So, consider this the initial push of the "Best of the Best" Challenge. Instead of dumping a bucket of ice water on your head or licking toilet seats like a dumbass, all you have to do is post a blog where you give short little reviews of the stories you have posted on your user page, or your favorite stories on the site. The intent is to spread a little positivity in this uncertain era, and to maybe give people incentive to read some amazing stories.
Right off the bat, I'm gonna cheat. In my previous "Favorite Things" blog, I already did reviews of my top three, Earth & Sky, Our Gifts, and It Takes A Village. If you want to know my thoughts on those stories, check the old blog, yo. So, let's kick things off with a story that birthed a movement!
Innavedr by Imploding Colon
A broken party of friends struggles to reunite.Rainbow Dash continues to fly east.
The famed Austreoh series needs little introduction at this point. Imploding Colon—who is totally and completely not a certain Lemur-tastic groovy guy—wrote this series of daily pulp action/adventure fics for almost exactly six years. The entire series was based on the most absolutely basic idea ever: Rainbow Dash flies east. Starting from that humble yet enigmatic prompt, IC has woven an incredibly epic tale of loss, redemption, friendship, love, revenge, and hope. More than any other series I know of, this one has truly run the gamut of emotions and tone, but it all comes together beautifully.
There are nine stories in the series so far, though it will eventually end with twelve, but Innavedr is my favorite. Mainly because I feel it's the most action oriented. The entire book, 200 chapters and 313,000 words, takes place over about four days. This leads to a tighter, more focused narrative IMHO. Also, this is the part in the series where the "Noble Jury" truly begins to take shape. We see Dash's rival Roarke start to become more open to Dash, which would eventually lead to romance. We're also introduced to Imre. And my love of the story has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that it features a Crystal Pony redneck named Tweak who wielded a mana-powered shotgun. Nope. No-siree Bob! Nothing at all...
Honestly, enough has been said about this series that any further praise I heap would be retreading old ground. By this point, you know what it's all about, and whether you want to read it or not. That said, I highly endorse it. It may take a bit to get going—the first story didn't really grab me until chapter 15 or so—but I swear to you it's worth it. Now yes, the series has been on hiatus for nearly two years, but you have plenty of backlog to work through. Also, IC has told me that he does plan on returning to the series, but he has no idea when that might be. But for an epic tale like this? It's worth the wait.
The Griffon War: A Soldier's Memoir by Dusk QuillWhen Private Fleethoof recognized his dream and joined the Royal Guard, he never thought he would ever experience the might of Equestria's military firsthand. But when Equestria's safety is threatened by an old enemy, he'll find out just what sacrifices war and survival demand, what it truly means to serve for Princess and country, and just how important some friendships can be. See the war through the eye-witness account of a soldier on the front lines, all taken from one enduring journal.
Way back in the day, like six years ago, I did a full-length review of this fic for the old website I used to contribute to, FOB Equestria. Sadly, the site went offline once everyone involved lost interest and left, as happens with so many passion projects in the fandom. IN fact, I think we were also brainstorming a full-length episode about pony soldiers. Hey, this was back in the era of Snowdrop, Dusk's Dawn, and Double Rainboom. Everyone and their fucking mother had plans for an original episode... until they realized how fucking hard it was.
Anywho, I bring this all up because the review was lost with the site, since I did everything in the browser. Silly me. Still, I would be remiss if I didn't try to remember some of it, because straight up, this story is amazing. The story follows the green Private Fleethoof, fresh out of Basic Training. He joined the Guard for the same reason a lot of young men do, the promise of adventure, excitement, danger, and respect. And he ends up getting just that, as the Griffon Kingdom declares war on Equestria, and Fleethoof is shipped right to the front lines. As we follow him, he meets up with other young soldiers—including a fresh-faced young officer, a large white unicorn with an electric blue mane, who just wants to do the right thing—and goes through the motions of war. Eventually, he ends up playing a pretty big part in the war's final days along with his squad mates Valiant and Sharp Shot.
What I love about this story—aside from the excellent writing, tense action, and emotional and surprisingly accurate portrayal of war—is the the whole thing is told via flash back... but not Fleet's. The prologue shows Celestia opening a journal and beginning to read, and we occasionally check back in with her. What's cool is that these teases are written so that Fleethoof may or may not be dead, and we don't find out he lived until the end. This isn't a spoiler, as it's the first part in a series of excellent action stories. Another cool thing is that this war takes place during Nightmare Moon's return, but it honestly doesn't factor in much. There's a bit about Fleet and his squad wondering why the moon has been up for hours longer than it should have, and when Celestia arrives to try and negotiate with the Griffons, Luna is there, all tiny and adorable like she was in the series premiere.
As I said, this story is the first in a series of six stories following Fleethoof and the newly formed Team Skyfall, a sort of Delta/SEAL team that answers directly to Princess Luna. These books actually run a gamut of styles. First you have Skyfall and Treason, which are both straight-up Clancy-style action thrillers. Then there's Everfree, which is more of a horror story than anything else. And then there's Overture, which has a procedural crime/spy thriller vibe to it... and also stars a certain tall, pale, dragon-eyed special agent, but that's neither here nor there. 
I have said before, on my user page as a matter of fact, that Dusk Quill is the single most criminally underrated author on this site. He's the Tom Clancy of poners, and really knows how to craft a tale. Now yeah, I may be a bit biased because he's a good friend, but we became friends after I read his work, so nyeh. Also, yeah, Dusk has been gone for a while, and the most recent story in the series, Retribution, has been on hiatus much longer than even the Austreoh series. However, like Imploding Colon, Dusk has told me that he does want to come back to the series, because he loves the story and the characters. But even is he never sets foot on this site again, these stories are very much worth your time. Seriously, check this story out, and I promise you will devour the rest in short order.
Project: Sunflower by Hoopy McGeeIt is the year 2038, and the Earth is slowly being consumed by a space-borne monstrosity dubbed the Black Tide, which is using nanotechnology to remake the planet into something hideously alien.
Erin Olsen works for Project Harmonics, humanity's last-ditch effort to find a new world before the Tide can wipe them out. But when that world is found, and it turns out to be occupied, Erin will need to find the courage to face the unknown in order to save the inhabitants of both worlds.
We all know that Hoopy is a very talented writer. His story The Keepers of Discord is the 11th most liked story on FIMFiction, only surpassed by the likes of Background Pony, Anthropology, and The Pony Trinity, as I call them. However, before he wrote Keepers, he wrote one of the first big human-in-Equestria stories.
Sunflower follows Erin Olsen as she is turned into a pony so she can do recon on this alien world. A simple mission, really: get in, observe, take some samples, get out, and don't get too close to the ponies. Unfortunately, she spectacularly fails that last point the instant she runs into Applejack. The story does a great job of keeping things strictly to Erin/Sunflower's perspective. We see this weird world of pastel through her eyes, and you can almost feel the culture shock. However, we occasionally cut to Twilight's perspective because, being the mega-nerd she was in the first two seasons, almost immediately realizes something is off about Sunflower/Erin.
What this story does best is what the show is all about: friendship. We really see and feel Erin/Sunflower as she begins to legitimately care about these alien creatures who have shown her largely nothing but joyful hospitality. And all the while, she knows in the back of her mind that if these happy, peaceful aliens refuse to help... humanity will take the world by force. It's a really interesting dichotomy, and you can really feel for Erin/Sunflower's anxiety and shame at lying to her new friends. The story eventually blossoms into a bit of political intrigue, as human and pony ambassador's try and negotiate a deal to let humanity come through the portal, as well as a good old-fashioned Equestrian BBEG... kinda. Nothing in this story is clear cut, and that is it's biggest strength. I can't recommend it enough.
At Home on the Range by Chief MaximusRainbow Dash finally did it! A sonic rainboom on command! Except she also managed to break every window in Applejack's farmhouse in the process. Now she has to pay for each one, and with her wages from managing the weather not nearly enough to cover the damage, she has to work on Applejack's farm for two whole weeks! Talk about cruel and unusual punishment. Still, maybe it wouldn't be all bad. At least she would get to hang out with her friend AJ right? Wrong.
Well, here it is, folks. Many people have asked exactly why I am a proud helmsman on the S.S. MacDash. I've spoken at length about why I feel they would be good for each other, and I do believe that. However, what made me first even consider the One True Pairing as a pairing at all was this fantastic story by cool dude turned Army helicopter pilot Bronius/Chief Maximus.
Much like the synopsis implies, Dash does her first ever on-command sonic rainboom (thie was pre-Canterlot Wedding) and due to the damage done, she has to work it off. However, instead of making Daash work for weeks, AJ has a compromise: go on this cattle drive across the prairie, and we'll be square. Dash immediately agrees... only to find out that AJ isn't going on the drive. Big Macintosh is.
What I love about this story is that it's a relatively basic love story with a pretty engaging action plot wrapped around it. Yeah, it may be a little "Hollywood RomCom," in that Mac and Dash go from neutral, to hating each other, to romantic throughout the story, but it never feels rushed. We see both of them wrestle with the fact that they're developing feelings for a pony who is basically the polar opposite of who they always imagined falling in love with. "Love doesn't always make sense," as Cadance would say. Also, it doesn't end with them being totally butt-crazy in lurve. Instead, they are laying in a train car bed, they kiss, and we get a sense that they've both said, "Okay, let's... let's see where this goes." It really is a sweet story, it's well-written, engaging, and I highly recommend it.
Also, y'all 'member the time when I had you send letters with adorable ponies to Bronius while he was in Basic? Good times.
Better Living Through Science and Ponies by Pen StrokeGLaDOS is free of Chell, free to continue testing, when she discovers a portal gun Wheatley tried to repair with duct tape. When the portal gun catastrophically fails, the enrichment center, GLaDOS, and Chell are literally dropped in the middle of Equestria. The mute test subject soon finds the world of ponies far more welcoming than the human world. But GLaDOS sees possibilities. Let the testing begin... for science.
Look, I jovially talk shit about Pen Stroke, mainly because I really really didn't like Past Sins, but the fact is that he is a really talented author. And while most people only know him from his force of brony nature, he actually wrote several stories before he took a nose-dive into the Mary Sue pool. The Alan Wake crossover Creeping Darkness was pretty good, but in my humble and 100% objectively correct opinion, this comedy is his best work.
There's not much to say about it, honestly. Like the synopsis says, Chell and the facility are teleported to Equestria. She interacts a bit with the citizens of Ponyville, along with some humorous scenes where she has to deal with the fact that she no longer has hands for sign language, until the Mane Six get kidnapped by the testing-obsessed GLaDOS. What follows is... pretty much the plot of Portal 2. Chell and the ponies have to solve puzzles, all while GLaDOS is trying to get under their skin, to varying degrees of success. We eventually learn that Caroline, the altruistic woman that GLaDOS's brain was based on, is still alive, and needs our heroes to reinstall her into the mainframe.
Honestly? It's just... a really fun story. I haven't read it in years, but even with that long gap, I still remember this one fondly. The Derpy/Dinky angle is cute, everypony is in character, and it makes really good use of the mythos of both MLP and Portal. I can't really say more about it. It's just a really solid, highly enjoyable story. Also, the optional alternate chapter with Celestia and GLaDOS? That alone is worth the price of admission.
The Many Deaths of Rainbow Dash by Relaxing DragonAfter an unexpected magical incident, Rainbow Dash finds herself stuck with a very unusual condition. While Twilight frets over a cure, Dash decides to take advantage of the situation. Because really, how long could it take before things get out of control?
Not long at all, as it turns out.
Relaxing Dragon was an... odd author. He only wrote two stories: this one, and a story that incorporated all three movies in John Carpenter's "Apocalypse Trilogy" of The Thing, Prince of Darkness, and In the Mouth of Madness. After that... he left. Oh sure, he's been on the site recently. Well, if you consider December of 2019 as "recent." but he hasn't written anything since December of 2013. Honestly, though, after two stories this good? You don't really need to write any more to secure your place on the site.
The TL:DR of the story is that Twilight miscasts a spell—which was one of, like, four or five approved plot lines in the early days of the fandom—that makes Rainbow Dash immortal, but not in a good way. She can still die, though if she does, she will simply pop back into existence right next to her corpse. Also, the side effect of this is that because she can't actually die and pass on, she is officially on "Death's radar." This basically means that Dashie becomes an ancillary character in a Final Destination movie, which means the entire fucking universe is conspiring to kill her. And it does. Repeatedly.
Some of y'all may not have even seen this on my page, as it is the only story there with a "Mature" tag, and for good reason. There are graphic descriptions of blood and gore, as Dashie begins to die in more random and ridiculous ways, but it all serves the absurd dark humor of the story. On my page, I describe it as, "a sitcom written by Jeffrey Dahmer," and that is very apt. Literally. You know the old sitcom trope of, "Oh, no! I accidentally scheduled dinner with two women at the same time?" Well, imagine that, but with dead bodies. As in, Dash is at Sweet Apple Acres, if I recall properly, and she is trying to have lunch with Applejack... but she keeps dying in over the top, ridiculous ways. This forces her to try and hide the growing pile of corpses and gore, all while trying to remain cool and collected. It's fucking hilarious.
The story only gets more insane when Twilight, Pinkie, and AJ become cursed as well, though I can't recall how. I'm pretty sure I remember AJ becoming like the two women at the end of Death Becomes Her, where her limbs and head keep falling off. Either way, this story is laugh out loud funny. I know bunch of y'all have Mature stories blocked because you don't like naughty stuff, but trust me. If you can handle gore, you will love this story.
Baked Bean is but one of the thousands of tourists in Canterlot, and he's looking for some inspiration to help launch his writing career. To this end, he pays a visit to the Royal Gardens, but while there he quickly and quite accidentally invokes a long-forgotten law that will completely upend his life and thrust him into the spotlight...
As Celestia's husband.
And all this because of noses.
You know, I just now realized that aside from this and one other story, every fic on my user page is from back in the fandom's day. I remember seeing this update in the box, but I never clicked on it, for the same reason many of you are probably rolling your eyes. "Another OCxCanon romance story? Oh goody." I promise y'all, this is one of the good ones.
Frustrated "chef" Baked Bean goes to the Canterlot royal gardens to find inspiration for his writing. While there, he quite accidentally boops noses with Princess Celestia... which invokes an ancient law written by her and Luna that requires that she and Bean get married in three days or she loses her power and throne. As you might imagine, this... distresses Bean a bit.
What's great here is that Bean is very much not written to be a desirable partner for Celestia. He's... just some guy who did a dumb. For the first chunk of the story, he wants nothing more than to find a way out of this and go home, especially after Luna attacks him, thinking he's a changeling or other foe. And it appears that Celestia just wants to get this over with to not cause undue stress on Bean... until he begins flirting with some other mare...
In my humble opinion, the best thing this story has going for it—even more so than the romance, which is still really, really good, by the by—is the lore. We learn a lot about the life of the Sisters before Nightmare Moon. We learn that the whole "booping=marriage" law came from extremely early in the Sister's reign, when they were still teenagers, and Celestia panicked when a snobby, oafish stallion proposed to her for political reasons, so she came up with some bullshit about boops. It makes total sense that a teenager would spew some dumb shit like that in the heat of the moment. More importantly, we learn about Luna's former husband Star Struck, a roguish, ruggedly handsome stallion with a Scottish accent who didn't take Luna's shit, but was also the firm rock she needed. It just adds so much to the backstory of the Sisters.
But the best thing it does, and what I truly adore when stories do it right, is show us Celestia and Luna as ponies. Not "Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, but Celly and Lulu: two ponies who, despite bearing the weight of eternity, are just as insecure, unsure, and in need of companionship as every other pony out there. The little moments when the Sisters are in private, and let their shields down and just talk are truly precious. And Bean himself is one of the best OC's I've read in a while. He's quirky without being annoying, unsure and timid while still knowing when to stand up for himself, and when his parents meet Celestia for the first time... well, I won't spoil anything. Suffice to say it gets way more complicated than you might think.
The only criticism I could lay at this story isn't really a criticism. It's more something I wish the story had done, namely have more interaction between Bean and Shining Armor. I mean, these two are just normal, hapless dudes who happened to luck into falling in love with and marrying two immortal goddesses. I would have loved more of Shining in the story... though I would love more Shining in every story, so... yeah. The sequel is great, as well... though being painfully honest, you can skip the Equestria Girls one. The most current story is updating as we speak, so please, check out the original and I promise you will get hooked. Just don't boop noses with anyone...
After being stood up by Princess Celestia at one of Canterlot's most prestigious restaurants, the mane six plus Spike are stuck with the bill. How are they going to repay their massive tab?
This is another old one, and probably the most obscure story on my page. I think that might be why I love it so much. It's not a story with a huge fan base, it's not written by a prolific author ( he hasn't even logged in since 2014), and it's not some epic adventure or deep dive into the human/equine condition. It's just... a fun story.
The Mane Six and Spike eat at a very fancy restaurant, expecting Celestia to attend... and pay. But, she doesn't, so they are stuck with a huge bill, because they splurged thinking, again, the royal coffers would take care of it. So, to pay it off, they have to work in the kitchen and on the service floor for the rest of the night. It's honestly a pretty typical sitcom plot, but it's executed so well that I couldn't stop reading. This is one of the very few stories that have legitimately made me laugh out loud, and not a quiet chuckle, but a full on belly laugh.
As they struggle with menial labor—especially Rarity, who gets assigned to clean dirty dishes, which goes about as well as you expect—they naturally have to deal with some external issues. Namely a drunk, retired Royal Guard, a horny and disgusting rich boy, a cantankerous food critic who makes Anton Ego look downright pleasant, and a simmering feud between the restaurant owner and his son. It just reads and feels like a sitcom, but in a good way. You giggle, you feel for them, and it's just a hell of a good time.
If I had to criticize anything, it would be how the author teases a possible romance between Applejack and the son, but it never happens. Still, I recently re-read this one, and I enjoyed it as much as the first time. Very much worth your time.
The Elements of Maternity by GeorgTrue friends do everything together, but the night after Princess Twilight’s coronation, the bearers of the Elements of Harmony decided one of those things would be to go out clubbing.
It was a particularly bad idea.
Eleven months later, they find themselves doing yet another thing together which even the best of friends should avoid doing together.
Delivering foals.
Just go read the blog I did. Easy!
Twilight isn't having a very good day. An experimental spell blew up in her face, an army of changelings is attacking Canterlot, and she just died. Yet somehow, it looks like it's going to keep going downhill from here.
Given the chance to correct what's gone wrong, Twilight swears she's going to fix all this even if it kills her. Which it will. Frequently.
"Well, that didn't work."
I never thought that three simple words could convey so much meaning, emotion, tragedy, and triumph.* That phrase is so iconic with this series that I had actually forgotten that it wasn't the actual first line of the story. The plot, as usual, is simple: Twilight miscast a spell—again, we weren't the most creative bunch in 2013—that locks her into a time loop. Oh, and the changelings are attacking... and the Elements of Harmony are going to explode in about two hours and destroy all of reality.
Go.
If you never really paid attention to Seasons 1 & 2, you might not remember the joys of "Twilight Snarkle." Yes, there was a time when our beloved Princess of Friendship was a sassy, introverted nerd who didn't take shit. And this story showcases the best of that version of the character. She begins by doing everything she can to stop the loop and save the world. However, after a few hundred failures... she kinda runs out of fucks to give. She goes out and steals a fancy dress... and a baseball bat she uses to clobber changelings. She works up the courage to come out to her parents... and then engages in some depraved, perverted act involving a weather vane. Actually, that became a "thing" in the fandom for a brief period of time, appearing in stories all over the site. I think someone might have told me once that the whole thing actually came from the Winningverse, but fuck that. I reject your reality, and substitute my own.
But while this story is all about the comedy and crazy action, it has a a borderline tragic feel underlining it. Yeah, there are plenty of scenes of her trying to figure out the problem, and of her doing fucked up shit because she can. but there are also a few scenes where she just lays there and cries for dozens, if not hundreds of loops because she just can't handle it. It's really fucked up if you think about it too much. Eventually, however, she gathers herself and finds a way to avoid destruction, defeat the changelings, and break the loop. Yes, this is 100% what happens. don't read the alternate ending fuck that shit
The two stories that followed, A Stitch in Time and You Can Fight Fate are pretty good, but they never reach the heights of the original. Although, the final chapter of the last story is one of the most gosh-damn heartbreaking, bittersweet things I have ever fucking read. Like, for realsies, when I first met Eakin at Bronycon after that last chapter had come out, I literally jumped out of my chair, jabbed a finger at him, and yelled, "You son of a bitch! You made me cry!"
*please keep all comments about me never having had someone tell me "I love you" to yourself
Pinkie Pie is being tormented by horrific nightmares. Unable to deal with it by herself anymore she seeks out Twilight's help, but will it have been the best decision when she finds herself alone in an abandoned, fog filled Ponyville?
Well, here it is, folks. The one that started it all. If it wasn't for this story, I never would have gotten involved in the fan fiction community, met some of the best friends I've ever had, or tried my own hand at writing.*
I remember way back in the day, like during the hiatus between Seasons 1 and 2, when the whole concept of a "Brony" wasn't even a thing. After seeing pony memes on cheezburger.com, I relented and looked up the show on YouTube (back when YT wasn't a corporate shilling wasteland of censorship). I found the episode Swarm of the Century, watched it, and kinda dug it. Not great, but I enjoyed it. So I watched another. Two became three, three became four, and four became holy shit I have PT in 30 minutes what the hell happened? So, after being hooked, I found Equestria Daily, and began perusing that for info and pics. However, I always skipped past fan fiction posts, for the reason most people probably do: I thought fan fiction was nothing but self-insert, romance nonsense with no literary value. something something it is
This continued... until I saw Silent Ponyville. I remember thinking to myself, "Wait. Pinkie Pie... goes to Silent Hill? This can only end in awesomeness." And I'll be damned if it didn't. The story was simple, but well told: after weeks of increasingly horrific nightmares, Pinkie goes to Twilight for help. Twilight casts a spell—ARE WE SENSING A THEME HERE?!—which sends Pinkie into her own mind, and the insanity begins. What I love about this story is that it doesn't directly follow the Silent Hill plot line. Instead, it uses the general theme and tone of the series to inform the story. We see Pinkie interacting with increasingly horrific images and monster, until we finally learn the truth, the memory from her childhood that she had repressed that she had to confront. What I love most about the ending is that it ends with Pinkie "giggling at the ghosties." It kept her in character in the face of all this horrible shit, which is an accomplishment.
The themes and imagery of the story were beyond fucked up, and I loved them. Of course, this being the first piece of fan fiction I ever read, it wasn't until after I read this that I learned about the whole Cupcakes thing. If I had known that going in, the story might not have had the visceral punch it did, but it still would have been a quality, engaging story. I'm not a big fan of the sequel, but being honest, that's because the story really hinges on the FlutterDash ship, which I don't like. Beyond that, however, it;s still a good story. The third one is really good as well... though one of my favorite characters dies... but then, they do treat the death as a huge plot point, so I guess it's okay. Either way, this is one of the first dark stories in the fandom that had merit and value beyond the shock and gore, so if you haven't read it, do so now.
*please keep all comments about how that would have been a good thing to yourself
Macintosh Apple: The Ghost Rider by Captain UnstoppableMacintosh Apple has sold his soul to the Devil, and in doing so has become the Ghost Rider. A Spirit of Vengeance so old and ancient that not even the Princesses know of its true power. By day he is a normal pony, but at night when evil is at it's strongest, he becomes the Rider, seeking out the dark souls of the world to feed upon.
When a demon soul, one tainted by oceans of blood, is sensed by the Rider there is no force able to stop him from consuming it. The only problem is it's in Ponyville, and Mac has not been home in five years... because everypony knows that Big Mac is Dead.
I know, I know. Y'all are about to beat your keyboards like a deployed soldier in a 120 degree port-a-shitter, talking about how this is nepotism or favoritism or something. And you know what? Maybe. Cap U is my best friend in the fandom, one of my best friends in life period, so I admit that his biggest story appearing on my all-time favorite list is a bit... sketch. But trust me, this story, rough though it may be, is really something special.
The story starts out pretty heavy. A gang of Diamond Dogs are assaulting some mare when the Ghost Rider appears and rips their shit in half. One of the things I love about this story is the pacing. The first few chapters just lay out how Mac is living on the run, how he is coping with not only being separated from the family that meant literally everything to him, but also this maniacal demon in his head, screaming for the blood of the wicked. Eventually however, we learn that Mac/Rider's next big target is in the one place he hoped to never go: Ponyville.
Look, I will begrudgingly admit that Cap isn't the best technical writer, though given the fact that he's dyslexic, I feel we should cut him some slack. But while his mechanics may not always be spot on, what he excels at is feeling, emotion, and action, three things this story has in spades. You can really feel the pain Mac experiences as he returns to Sweet Apple Acres after five years to find his sister married, and with a kind... who is named after him. Another thing this story does exceptionally well is the pace at which it doles out information. For the first bunch of chapters, we don't know exactly what led to Mac becoming the Rider, but we're given hints.
Of course, the appearance of this mysterious, secretive stallion sparks the ire and interest of one particular mare: Rainbow Dash. Look, this is a Cap U story. You knew it was going to include MacDash. Blame me, as a matter of fact. He literally learned it from me. But what I love about this aspect of the story is that again, it's not a case of "They always loved each other, they just never had the courage to say anything!" Instead, we learn that Mac had always just seen Dash as a pretty face, though maybe with a bit more underneath. But for Dash, she never gave him a second thought until his funeral. There, she comes to the realization, "You know? I kinda wish I had gotten to know you better." It feels more natural and organic that some stories.
It also helps that, because I helped edit it, the story has my fingerprints all over it, from my heavy suggestions about Spike being gay—hey, I was on a RumbleSpike kick at the time, sue me—to the literal inclusion of Agent Bentgrass. But even those seemingly random elements inform and enhance the story. Cap is a much better author than some give him credit for. If you can look past his sometimes awkward writing style, you'll see he has a really keen insight for stories that grab you. Also, the epilogue of this story should be out Tuesday. Only took us three fucking years...
Well, that's it! "Brief" reviews of my favorite stories in the fandom! Wow, this blog was way longer than I intended. To be clear, my little challenge isn't for you to write huge, lengthy blogs about each story on your page. It can be just a few sentences. The intent is for us all to show some love to the stories that inspired us or brought us joy. Especially in this modern age of uncertainty and fear, we could all use a little positivity. So, if you find yourself with some free time, go ahead and do a blog like this. Celebrate the best works this fandom has produced, and spread the love a little!
Never forget that I fucking love you all. Til next time stay safe, stay free, and stay metal! Jake The Army Guy out!
Well I have 6 new stories to read. Thank you for this
Oh, this should be fun. I'll just run down the top five on my user page.
- MLP: FiM
- Romance
- Adventure
Bon Bon, Lyra, and the Unseelie CourtOne of my favorite approaches to stories in this fandom is take a silly question and treat it seriously. In this case, for those of you who weren't here in the early days, Bonbon had several speaking parts as a background pony in early episodes. Every time she did, she seemed to have a different voice actress. This story supposes that that was the case because Bonbon was a changeling. But not just any changeling. This story goes in hard on the fae folklore. You've got kelpies, knockers, iron burning on contact, all of it. And all the while, Bonbon's behind the scenes of the wedding, ensuring the good guys can make it to the final confrontation in one of my favorite tropes, a Greatest Story Never Told.
Plus, the aforementioned kelpie is amazing, preempting Season 6+ Trixie as "the horrible person who you've befriended despite both of you," with more of a tendency to try to eat anything within reach. Seriously, this one covers everything from romance to comedy to some fantastic action scenes. Especially when we get to see what Lyra's been working on in her spare time.
- MLP: FiM
- Adventure
Twilight Sparkle, lost among the cosmos, would very much like to go home.I'm a huge sucker for alternate universes and novel perspectives. This one has both and much more besides, a gorgeously told narrative of a strange woman in a strange land, framed in a tavern that any D&D party would be proud to call a regular stop. The sheer amount of atmosphere, scenery porn, and emotional weight are wonders to behold.
- MLP: FiM
- Drama
- Slice of Life
Once upon a time, Silver Spoon's life made sense. Now she lives in Ponyville.You know what else I love? Focus on secondary characters. This opens with Silver Spoon moving from Manehattan to Ponyville shortly before Nightmare Moon's return, and from there tracks her life as she adjusts to her new environment, discovers her talent, and deals with the walking drama factory that is Diamond Tiara. And here's the thing, it takes both fillies and fleshes them out as far more than the paper-thin bullies they were back when they were relevant. Patchwork does have to dance around canon revelations at times, but they do so in wonderfully inventive ways that only enrich the story. Plus, they really do capture the sense of childhood, especially the intensity of everything: A summer without Diamond is torture. A school election carries the weight of a national one. Tea is serious business. This one really is great.
- MLP: FiM
- Adventure
[Now EQD Featured!] A young girl must travel to Equestria to rescue her kid sister from the clutches of a terrible magician.Oh, this one. This is an epic, plain and simple. Greco-Norse-flavored Labyrinth in Equestria, with added dashes of tarot imagery and coming-of-age metaphors. If ever there were a quality HiE story, this is it. It's the first physical ponyfic I ever purchased, and I made a point of making sure I could get Ether Echoes to sign it. Seriously, words aren't enough for this one. It has to be experienced.
- MLP: FiM
- Adventure
- Sci-Fi
Ditzy Doo sees things nopony else can see: higher-dimensional spatial anomalies, fae creatures, and eldritch abominations. She solves problems that other ponies don’t even know exist. But now, she may have bitten off more than she can chew.We all know my favorite pony. I love making her competent and dimensionally transcendent, but back in 2012, the only way I could do it was by bringing in card games. Imagine my shock when I found someone who was doing everything I was, only better and without needing to do a crossover. This is still my favorite story on the site, and it's in no small part due to envy. Seriously, this is a good Derp.
Oh, wait, you meant for us to write blogs of our own?
... Meh, I'm leaving this up regardless.
Yes, I do.
Man I really wish we could bookmark blogs to read later because I’m getting ready for work but enjoy reading what people are passionate about.
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Oh, that pic!
You know what, I'll run down my top five as well...
- MLP: FiM
- Romance
- Dark
- Adventure
Far from Canterlot and forced to work in gem mines for cruel Diamond Dogs, a young unicorn named Bone Marrow's pursuit of his cutiemark reveals a unique talent: raising the dead.Because Necromancer stories never die. Jokes aside, this is seriously good stuff, with a downright adorable protagonist. He's not some edgelord or anything like that. He's just a pony trapped in a situation he'd really rather not be in.
- MLP: FiM
- Comedy
- Random
- Slice of Life
A filly Rainbow Dash follows Spitfire around. Why does she keep saying, "Mommy!"?Because this is so sickeningly cute, and that's all I need to say.
- MLP: FiM
- Comedy
- Slice of Life
Applejack is chosen as The Nightmare's new host. It really isn't that big of a deal. Until it is.This is one of those stories that will keep you laughing. Just when you think it's run out of ways to split your sides, hello again. AJ's 'meh' demeanor to this whole situation is just the icing on the cake/
[Adult story embed hidden]
Yeah yeah, I know, it's the original Fallout Equestria. But there's a reason why it was so popular back in the day, and you know what? In some regards it still holds up. KKat is like Harper Lee, doesn't write much but when they do...
- MLP: FiM
- Dark
- Adventure
Fallout Equestria side story - A young filly begins her adventure looking for her mother.You know what, screw Blackjack and Morning Glory. Puppysmiles and Henri Firebright are the best spinoff protags. Bar none. This story makes you laugh, it makes you cry, and dear god you just want to come back to it and live through that whirlwind of emotions all over again.
Good on you for kicking butts out of your life.
More excellent stories added to my RIL list. Now over 250 titles long.
Sigh.
And you reminded of a few great stories I want to read again.
Double sigh.
Oh, and about the Chronicles of East Horse...
You know... I usually don't do this, largely because my opinions, as established, are wrong and I'm liking something for all the wrong reasons then because lesbians or insert pet political stance here, but what the hell.
The first would be Lunar Rebellion by Chengar Quordath. Clunky and not a bit lacking in understanding of its own lore at times, namely in regards to chivalry and morality, it still has cranky dark mom horse, so, yay. Also Shadow Kicker was apparently the last decent pony ever, so there's that going for her.
The second would be pretty much everything by Meep The Changeling. A few grammar issues aside, Meeps works are amongst the best on site. Meep is great and if you don't think so you must be stupid.
The Third would be Fallout Equestria, largely because it shows what passion can do: create a whole sub genre of ponyfag obsessed with the notion of Calamity being wonderspergs option to keep in the back pocket, if you catch my drift
Can't wait till IC or GRRM continues their series so i can justify re reading it all lol.
The Griffon War really doesn't have as much right to be as good as it is. Every story exceeded my expectations and I swear that one sequel is waaay better than the two clancy books i tried to read.
Ghost Rider mac is dope. Glad I can finish it now.
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You know, I have always meant to ask, what happen when that happened?
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It was assumed I was being pranked by my friends, which was technically true.My DS had seen way more messed up stuff come through a mail call than letters with ponies on the outside. And inside.
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That is slightly disappointing. I was hoping you got the nickname Pvt. Pony or something
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It was only a few letters. had it been one per mail call, then maybe it would have stuck