Inferno
By: DemonBrightSpirit

This is a story that throws you into the action and doesn't relent. Derpy crashes into Dash's house saying Ponyville is on fire, and Dash dives into action to help coordinate the ponies to combat the fire. But... this is not just some small fire; Ponyville is completely ablaze.

What makes this story so good is how real it is. I could feel each characters' despair and how hopeless they felt seeping through the monitor. Their fears were real, and how they each handled it was spot-on and in character. The pacing is unrelenting, but where many stories are paced too quickly and leaves its readers behind, this story grabs your hand and takes you along the emotional roller-coaster. And during the aftermath when you think things are going to level out, Twilight uncovers something sinister at work.

To write a story with this pacing and plot is no easy feat, not to mention the complex emotions at work, and this story nails it perfectly. Inferno flawlessly illustrates the emotional struggle of each character (the main six and the CMC), and how they cope with such a crisis. Unfortunately I can't say too much more here without being specific and giving things away.

This story is unforgiving, unrelenting, gritty, and charged with powerful emotions that had me glued to the monitor in a cold sweat desperately wanting to find out what happened next.

A must read!