1. In the author's own words, this story is the "Bastard Stepfather of the Chessverse". This story and its sequel, are pure awesomesauce. Rust has a way of weaving a masterpiece of words with a skill unheard of since the bards of yesteryear.------------------ 2. Whether you love the protagonist or hate him, this story is a delightful glimpse into the other side of sanity. Plus the main character is such a jerk, that you just can't help but cheer for him sometimes.------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. The fall and redemption of an Arc Angel, a literal gift of the martyr. This fic shows the true face of chivalry and justice. And in latter chapters does a fair job of making the reader contemplate what they can really accomplish when faced with their mortality.---- 4. One of the only fics on this site that I've found that stars an ordinary human, who instead of just randomly going into Ponyville and instantly becoming best friends or bed buddies with the Mane 6.... actually decides to have a plot, and scientifically try to come to an understanding of his surroundings. It has an air of... exploration and survival about it that not many fics can match. -------------- 5. Review Pending.

1. The way Cuatro is portrayed is both believable and sad, this fic shows that everyone is deserving of a second chance. And everyone can find happiness in their life.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. This fic is an extremely well done example of jaded socialite meets innocent student. The pure charisma that Octavia oozes in this fic is just profound. In a sad way, it's quite touching to see Octavia trying to befriend someone who see's her as not a quick means to pleasure, but a genuine person, or pony in this case, in her own right.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. I have to put out a warning about this fic, do not attempt to read unless you have an entire day to devote to it. I made the mistake of starting at 11 at night, next I thing I knew it was 0430 in the morning, this story is amazing, I literally couldn't put it down. With its well rounded and in-depth characters, not to mention the psychological aspect which details the ever evolving personalities of the characters.....well lets just say that I'm impressed.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Quite the tale here, it's practically overflowing with drama throughout its run, not to mention action and mystery. You'll be banging your head in frustration towards the middle/end as you try and figure out how the manipulations are being done. As for the Romance? It goes the track of friendship forged in adversity before climaxing in one of the sweetest and...natural... relationships I've seen in a while. There is no over the top displays of affection, nor cheesy "fanservice" bits. The author keeps the relationship aspect as down to earth as possible given the main character's situation. And I guarantee that by the end of it you'll be as affronted by bigotry as you possibly can.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. Ok, Sunset Shimmer has been rocketing forward in my Best Pony list with her performance in "Rainbow Rocks" and all the fics being churned out about her. And this one is quite the beauty, starts out with her having a more realistic outlook on being defeated right before conquering the world: bitter and a bit ashamed that she turned into a demon. And goes on to show how her opinion of her situation subtly changes as time goes on, her realization of just what she put others through was poignant to say the least. But above all else, her slowly building relationship with Twilight is just marvelous. How she gauges her morality by how Twilight reacts is so endearing.

1. Awkward innocence in all its glory. It's here and not in the romance box, because while it's extremely cute, the writing style is a bit simplistic at first. Still an excellent read, and the idea of Ponies going to a human college is just awesome.-------------------------------------- 2. A more scientific story, it's very... methodological. The author does a marvelous, and quite realistic, take on what a first contact scenario would actually entail... lots of awkward situations that no one knows how to deal with.----------------------------------------------------- 3. Some grammar mistakes due to the author not being a native English speaker, yet the story itself just draws you in. The centerpiece of this story, that no matter how far you fall you can still be redeemed, weaves a tale that has a surprising depth.---------- 4. This fic is simply a beauty, a marvel in both world building and character development. Heck the sheer number of likes and favs should be enough to cement it as a staple of our community like few other than maybe 'My little Dashie'. And that's saying something for a fic with gratuitous clop scenes, which seem to ACTUALLY fit in with the story.--- (If you can't see it, click your mature filter. - Xenophilia) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. Review Pending