Penalt's Reading Corner - March 7 · 11:15am Mar 7th, 2022
I debated long and hard about which story to write about this weekend. It finally came down to a pair of my all time favorites and the deciding choice between them was that one of them features both my favorite pony, Princess Luna, and a bucket load of archaic language not only used, but used well.
I speak of Parlous by Carabas.
Parlous is a tale of Luna just after her return. Of a pony just finding her way back in a new and strange Equestria. Where ponies barely remember that Celestia even had a sister in the first place. Let alone one who nearly usurped the throne and brought Night Eternal. Into this setting of a princess only starting to rise back up from the nadir of her power, there comes word of a deadly foe rising back up from the deep cage a dark and powerful princess once threw him into. A foe determined to have their vengeance by feasting on the marrow of Equestria itself.
With Celestia away, Luna responds to the desperate calls for aid. "A princess must dare parlous things, or she is no princess at all."
I found the story to be a joyous celebration of the rich vocabulary of the English language, and as someone who was a once herald in the SCA (there is a reason my name is Penalt) I absolutely revelled in it. On top of that, the story is stuffed with terrific action, peril, desperation and bits of grim humour. All of this laced with deep introspectives into the character of the Princess of the Night.
Read Parlous, you won't regret it.
Already read that one, actually, but thanks for the reminder.
There is a good chance you've already read the story I'd point to in return as well, but just to make sure:
The Celestia Code, by iisaw
Twilight Sparkle does so look up at Celestia, her mentor and secondary mother figure. So when she uncovers some positively slanderous texts about the Princess of the Sun in the historical archive, she simply must disprove them.
Thanks for the tip: read and liked!
5642082
Thank you! Adding that to my list of things to read.
did you link twilight learned to get me to stop linking your own stories?
5642336
I linked it cause it's the one I'm working on atm. Back to back TL chapters.
in that case, dragonfire is my choice.