It Is Recommendsday, My Dudes #53 · 6:21pm Mar 23rd, 2022
And we forge forward into the future!
To begin a new year's worth of recommends, I'm gonna pull out one of the more fun themes I've enjoyed - simulations.
Our first is a play on a classic Star Trek concept: The Kathiawari Mare, by AShadowOfCygnus.
Obviously, this is a play on the Trek concept of the Kobayashi Maru: using magical illusions, time dilatation and the like, prospective high ranking members of the Equestrian military or government are put through a variant of a historical no-win scenario. The test is to see just how they react to the unexpected, to failure, and to Murphy's Law kicking in at maximum power. The story is told in snippets, each bit detailing one candidate's approach and attempted solutions.
Part of the fun of this one is the wide variety of the test: some of the scenarios are a fairly straight adaption of the historical Kathiawari Mare incident that is outlined in the foreword, but a few are expanded to cover more the spirit and concept of the test rather than the straight textual interpretation. And within that, seeing each of the various characters react is fascinating: you get to build a lot about the character without actually interacting with the character. This as well applies to some of the examiners in question - I still smile at Lady Fuss Budget's valiant teacup.
In short, this is a great anthology that lets several noteworthy characters have a chance to show off and flex themselves in an entertaining way that doesn't break the need for alt-u territory. It's highly entertaining and pretty unique - certainly worth the time and it's stuck with me ever since I first read it.
Following that, we have another sim - though this one uses dream magic and is a bit more... personal. Here, we have Undome Tinwe's Zero Sun Game.
The premise is simple: Luna is considering inducting Rainbow Dash into the service of her own squadron of personal guards - the Shadowbolts - and is putting her through a simulated test. In it, the world mimics a horrifying alternate world where Nightmare Moon won and it tests Rainbow Dash's skill, loyalty, and bravery to the utmost. Rainbow Dash promptly fails every part of it in the most peculiar ways and beats the simulation in a way nobody ever has before. Now the examiner needs to figure out how the heck Rainbow Dash pulled that off.
While the pitch makes it sound like a daring adventure, honestly, it's just a straight comedy from start to finish. The entire thing is packed with Rainbow Dash being Rainbow Dash, much to everyone's frustration. She's got the situation well in hand at every turn, but in the most lackadaisical, half-assed way possible. (The examiner's frustrations over her 'test' with Fluttershy is a beautiful example of this.) Plus Dash is absolutely relentless in trying to get into Rarity's proverbial pants, which makes the entire thing even more of a farce.
But more than just a good bit of silliness, it also really shows the depths of understanding Dash has for her fellow Bearers - her statements to the examiner about Pinkie Pie for one - as so many parts of her plan rely on just who they are. And so much of the examination falls apart for the same reasons.
New or catching up? Try Recommendsday: The Index for your story needs!
Got to read the first one again. And I love rainbow beating the system dumbly stories. That's why there's like 3 on the site where she becomes the grim reaper.
This is quite possibly the highest praise I could ask for for this piece, as this is exactly what I was hoping to accomplish when I set out to write it.
Thank you for the thoughtful review, and I'm very glad you enjoyed the story!