Okay, round two of posting our featured stories in the forums.

Three from the Forest
By: Zodiacspear

Story Description:
Wanderer, a colt living in a small town of Equestria, has dreams of being a grand adventurer like his heroine Daring Do. It was not until he met two other foals who had moved to Greensborough from the big city, did he find the companions that he had sought after. Together, they would trample through the town and forest in the pursuit of their purpose in life. This is their story, the story of the three ponies who would become the precursors of the rise of Order.

Initial thoughts:

I didn't have the highest hopes before reading this. "Oh no, another adventure story with OCs." This will no doubt fall to all the major pit falls of all the adventure fics I've read, including my own: Big ambiguous plot, or nonexistent plot. Poorly written OCs that either have no personality, or too much personality, or they are inconsistent in how they act. Terrible grammar, confusing the reader on what's actually going on, if anything at all. And finally the story is rushed, jumping from one event to another too quickly.

So yeah, I didn't go into this fic with the highest regards.

First Impression:

I'm happy to say I couldn't have been anymore wrong about what I expected. The grammar was excellent, and the pacing is—in my opinion—perfect. It takes time to develop the settings and the characters. After the first chapter, I was hooked, submerged in the story, which is exactly what one would want in an adventure story: to really feel how massive the setting is. Another thing I liked is that it didn't jam exposition down the reader's throat in the first chapter.

This story perfectly accomplishes something a lot of others struggle with. Characters. This story doesn't introduce one original character, nor two, but an entire new main cast, per se. And the characters are interesting, charming, and identifiable. They each have distinct personalities and other character traits. This is where I feel the stories greatest strength is. Just think of it as a reimagining of MLP in a new setting with totally new characters. And you know what? It works, it really works!

Overall Opinion:

This is one of the most underrated and underappreciated fics on this site. This is your whimsical classic kid (foal) adventure story, and it's everything I want in an adventure (or any) fic. This is an adventure I can truly get lost in—in a good way.

I guess the only downside to this story is it's more original fiction than fanfiction. Heck, change the fact that they are ponies and it is. And for some, that's a major downside, since it doesn't feature any of their favorite characters or places.

I think this story needs more attention from viewers, as it is well written and fun. It has earned a spot on my personal favorites.

-Twi-Fi