/fimfic/ Starter Kit v2.0

Gateway drug. This got me into MLP in the first place. It does action really well, has awesome art, and good characters. The blend of the two worlds spawned a whole new fandom.

It has flaws. Many. But, depending on how picky you are, it can still be a very enjoyable read. If you sit back and carefully pick apart the worldbuilding, yes, some aspects are stupid; and sure, at times characters act retarded. But most of the time, the story itself is still very fun and readable. I read it across 2021 and 2022, after ~8 years of reading horsewords, and I still enjoyed it - you just have to be willing to look past the occasional detail (and, specifically, the first couple of chapters, which are notoriously shitty in terms of characterising Littlepip).

The main Fallout crossover fic. Dark and bleak. Hasn't aged very well, has blatant cases of video game logic. However, it's still a fun read, and it will open up your world to the many sidefics that it spawned.

One of the classic Celestia oneshots. Its SoL and short. What more could a new reader possibly want?

Perhaps the archetypal SoL fic every other SoL fic is trying to replicate. One of the true fandom classics.

Simple, comfy, and universally loved SoL featuring Celestia. You've already read it, but if you somehow hadn't, it's a staple.

A war between the spirit and defeat. BGP places a magnifying glass over our beloved characters, revealing beauty and wear. It asks questions I didn't know were written in my heart. The longest single fic I've read to completion, never feeling like I wanted to skip ahead.

This recommendation comes with a caveat to would-be readers. The story is very long and the prose is known to be slow and purple. Some people enjoy it and some get immediately bored. If you've read the first chapter and it feels insufferable, then there's no reason to continue. On the other hand, if you've read the first chapter and you want to keep going, then a fantastic story awaits you. Its main flaw, again, is that it's just so long. But in my opinion, the final payoff is absolutely worth it.

I'm ashamed to admit I didn't give this story a chance earlier. It gets obnoxiously pretentious at times but fuck me if it's not shaping up to be one of the best fics I'll have read by the end of this year.

Absolutely incredible atmosphere and a very delightful prose (albeit too purple for some). If you like rich descriptions and overwhelmingly gloomy atmosphere, look no further. It's one of the rare pony classics that stood the test of time. Some of the ideas originally featured in this story became so popular that they got adopted by the rest of the fandom. And as far as I know, no other pony fanfiction was ever included in Boston University's recommended reading list.

Discord is trapped in stone. But worse than a long time alone is a long time with people that annoy you. I can find very few flaws in this fic, it's simple, well executed, and well worth reading.

Fuck, that almost made me tear up. Gotta +1 it. Despite the story's age, it surprisingly feels fresher than several newer stories I've read.

Short, bittersweet and well written. The author's take on Discord's character from pre-s3 era is really good.

It's a very good fic and was one of the first ones that I read. Time loop stories are my shit and I think anyone new to poni would like this to.

I love "Groundhog Day" style fanfiction. The gradual evolution of the MC and their ascent is handled well. It makes you look at the Mane Six from interesting angles.

Given it's (relative) short length and just how charming it is, [The Best Night Ever] is a fic I highly recommend. For those that don't know, it's essentially Groundhogs Day from the POV of Prince Blueblood during the Grand Galloping Gala at the end of season one.

The romance story that got me into romance. I put it off for years despite hearing great praise, because I just wasn't interested in reading a romance story. But when I did jump in, it pulled me in with both an excellent adventure - and a ship it actually made me care for. (For anyone screaming >homoships, it's not gay if it's a mare with a mare.) Monochromatic can REALLY write characters. An absolute page-turner.

Cool story, definitely a hard recommendation, but giving it a score is a challenge. On one hand, there are the interesting dilemmas and the exploration of CelestAI's logic and Equestria's rules, which are great. On the other, there are the weak characters, rushed setup, and prose quality that didn't leave much of an impression. I'd rate the concept and ideas a very strong 9, but the technical execution maybe a 7. I guess let's give it an 8. Very good fic.

I did enjoy the story-within-the-story parts, as in the life of the uploaded. The interactions between Light Sparks and unicorn Fluttershy...sorry, Butterscotch were cute, I'm a bit pissed this didn't get more focus instead of the theoretical physics self-wankery which barely had anything to do with the story, even if Light Sparks liked doing that shit. And I said the story give me horror vibes, and I did feel the end was pretty horrror-ish [...]

An accident leaves Twilight temporarily blind, and Rainbow Dash takes it to herself to ease her time in the hospital by reading to her. The story captures Dash and Twilight beautifully despite giving them only a few lines. The book Dash reads is also quite cute and endearing. There really isn't much to say about this one. It's sweet, short, and to the point. Good for heart and belly fuzzies.

Prose is good and all but have you ever read a fic that features a fully complete 2500 words long poem? Really cute story and a near flawless execution - this is the peak of SoL oneshot genre. A definite must read for anyone.

I think its a really fun read and there are a lot of memorable moments that stuck with me, moments that make me go "Fuck yea!"

8/10. Oneshots come and go and are easily forgotten, but the completely unique POV and perspective employed in it is one that I still think about from time to time, even nearly a decade after reading it. If that's not the mark of a good oneshot, then what is?

A little manipulative for its attempts to tug at a pet owner's heartstrings, it still has a very unique premise and is honestly one of the only oneshots that I still think about from time to time. A great example for those new readers wanting a oneshot that isn't forgotten ten minutes after reading, like so many are.

Sun Princess is kind of like the Amadeus of its genre of fics. There are no other famous movies about Mozart because the one we have is good enough for those too. And Sun Princess is THE sad pet death fic. But what makes it so good isn't how sad it is or how much it makes you cry or that kind of crap, it's how earnest it is. It plays the concept straight, it's competently written, but it doesn't get 'cheap' with the sadness.

Eternal managed to get me misty-eyed where neither of the two classic shortfics succeeded. The key is that the emotional rollercoaster in chapters 8+epilogue isn't strictly 'sad'. It's a mix of many emotions, and they're conveyed really nicely. Once again, the fic's pretty writing shines a lot.

This final 3 chapter stretch sure was something though. I teared up a bunch during all the crying and apologizing to each other and the multiple fake and real endings we got. Even spike got some kino scenes in which is always a shock.

The sci-fi parts of the fic continue to be very, very, soft and fanciful. It goes with steampunk, but it was still pretty noticeable when that many impossible things were done for the cool factor. [...] MrNumbers writes some of the best Tuna there is.

It's very good and I would easily recommend it to anyone looking for steampunk ponies. For everyone else, it's still a good recommendation if (You)'re not too bothered by rewriting canon character in-place, and you don't mind prose that gets too indulgent for its own good. Also a lot of unnecessary humanisms and Bible references for some reason.

9/10. A comedy that plays with the underused Canterlot bureaucracy and is able to build up the SoL. Maybe not the most original blending, but one of the best executed.

Burecratic humor may not be everyone's cup of tea but it's at least something different for new readers who've grown bored of the same comedy oneshots with the same punchline endings.

Bureaucracy can be so absurd that there's a lot you can laugh about. Especially with a 1000 years old princess that likes to cause chaos. A solid comedy whose main fault is that there isn't more of it.

Goodness. This story just makes me scream with joy. A commonly understood thought is that a truly good story is the harmonious cooperation of great prose and great narrative and 'TwiGuard' entirely fits this definition, with only minor blemishes.

There’s a good chance this is the best AU fic on the site. The idea is simple – Twilight’s parents flipped a coin to determine if they should send Shining Armor to Celestia’s magic school or let him choose where he wants to go. In canon, he got to pick and became a Royal Guard. In this fic, he became Celestia’s student, and it was Twilight who joined the Guard in his stead. The fic follows Twilight during the early days of her Guard career and her first serious assignment – assisting Cadance on a diplomatic mission in Saddle Arabia.

A unique twist on the traditional HiE fic this one covers a suspenseful mystery as the main cast tries to uncover the secrets of the titular character. It also has stellar Rainbow Dash characterization and her performance is a big reason to check it out.

The changeling story, bar none and the one that defined the "changeling Bon Bon" subgenre. The only thing disappointing about its fae worldbuilding is the fact it never caught on in the fandom and was instead crowded out by hiveminds and egg fetishes. A must read for any new reader interesting in changelings.

I have a soft spot for stories about faerie, or stories that pull deeply from mythology. I love Pirene too (but I didn't recommend it because, honestly, a lot of it feels like it's not really about ponies; it's a great story but I wouldn't put it on the starter kit for pony fanfics). Mendacity, however, is definitely pony, while at the same time blending in a world of sprites and faeries - of celtic myths and folklore - into a fantastic narrative whose main crippling flaw is that it's far too short. It's left a craving that I've not been able to satisfy since, because nothing else in the same vein exists.

Good-to-excellent characterization. The most striking thing about this fic is the painting of a strange world outside the bounds of civilization. It's a joy to read out loud.

Ancient by fimfic standards, Off The Edge of The Map still is a great introduction to adventure fics today. While the writing style might feel a bit clunky at times, the fic offers stellar worldbulding and an interesting story. It's also very short for a complete adventure fic which makes recommending it that much easier. If you don't mind shipping canon characters the next books in the series are even better.

Consider this a nomination for Daetrin. Common wisdom is that his stories improve in chronological order; hence Off the Edge of the Map is his weakest. Common wisdom is also that ALL of Daetrin's stories are excellent and you should read all of them (in chronological order, again).

By far the best adventure fic I've read and yet it's only ~34k words long. The worldbuilding is great and both FS and RD are written incredibly well. Don't get discouraged by the romance tag if that's not your thing, it's so subtle you could easily miss it. The sequels are really good too however they're much heavier on the romance elements.

In the ruins of the treebrary, Twilight finds an urn with the ashes of the former librarian and sets out trying to solve the mystery of his final resting place. A fantastic oneshot and the best SoL fic I've read in years. Truly a highlight of the genre. The mystery aspect's a bit lacking, given there's no urgency or large stakes to what's going on, and is mainly there to serve as structure for the SoL element. The characterization of the M6 is excellent and is what really carries most of the fic as more and more information into Page Turner is revealed, until it culminates with some poignant Treebrary lore that serves as the climax of the story. If only all SoL fics could be like this one.

I like this a lot. Two things immediately caught my attention. Firstly, it's nice to read something actually well-written for once – not 'almost acceptable' or passable. It's CiG so you would expect that, but the fic didn't disappoint. Secondly, I really enjoyed how fic played with its tone. It starts with almost melancholy nostalgia, but as Twilight learns about Page Turner, she gets over the painful loss of Treebrary and the fic's atmosphere becomes much more positive (mimicking Page Turner's story). It's always solemn, but it exudes a kind of contented acceptance and familiarity. That was the point, and it's done really nicely.

Remember how the mane six ruined the most important formal event of the year, and then got off the hook just like that? Well, Octavia does. When the most important night of her life is ruined, she decides to vent her anger, learn to express herself through a new medium of art, and become a rebellious anti-authority icon of Equestria.

As far as alternate interpretations of background characters, this has to be one of my favourites. It's a really good character piece and an interesting look at what life in Canterlot could be regarding the arts and the class distinctions.

I had forgotten about Exit through Canterlot, but this is a real page-turner, before you know it 130k words is already over

People weren't lying, it's a really good fic. I don't remember the last time I've read a story with such a sublimely crafted atmosphere, pony or otherwise. The conflict feels believable, the OCs have sufficiently developed characters (a rare thing in a shortfic) and the final scenes are absolutely chilling. I'm by no means a horror expert but I liked that it didn't waste time on pointless descriptions like so many (bad) fics in the genre tend to do to artificially create a horror atmosphere. Biblical Monsters just throws you right into the action and provides details only when they're actually relevant. And yet the mood is probably this fic's biggest strength. It sucks you in and doesn't let go until the very end. Or probably a bit longer than that, the ending hits so hard that I had to take a quick walk outside to calm down.

Overall: 10/10 This was a humbling read. The author has displayed how you can use just ten thousand words to shock your readers and depict a tragedy that feels realistic and human, without feeling cynical. Highly recommended.

Background Pony often gets praised for its delightfully hopeless atmosphere. It's not necessarily wrong but Biblical Monsters manages to do outdo BP without resorting to purple prose or scenes that go nowhere. It's exquistely gloomy, characters are well-developed and their actions (as well as the final conflict) naturally follow from everything happening in the story. All of that in just 10k words.

I think this fic is good. Full stop. Yes, it's flawed, but most fics have some more or less serious flaws. Ultimately, it comes down to personal opinion, but—at least for me—the things that DB does (very) well outweigh its flaws. I am willing to go as far as to call it one of my favorite fics, even if it's among the most noticeably flawed stories in that group.

Depression shopping list .Statistics is a short story in list form, listing amounts line by line. In this form it narrates the grief that Celestia went through after banishing Luna to the moon. Poignant and heartbreaking, the format of the story adds to the unthinkable amount of time and sorrow she went through. The story is a great telling of something that wasn't really touched on that much in the show, and is a wonderful quick read.

'Statistics' might be the most original take on the story of the two Royal Sisters that I've seen in any pony media. The author created a fic that's truly original and with incredible emotional impact. It's only a 1000 words long and its style may not be for everyone but I'd still encourage everyone to at least give it a shot.

Fuck it. I'm shilling my own fic. I'm still amazed at how simple numbers can create so much emotion.

"Twilight Sparkle Makes a Cup of Tea" is roughly seventeen hundred words of excellent writing describing Twilight making some tea in the morning. Saying too much about the story would do it a disservice so I'll just say that despite its length, this story is incredibly effective at showing and evoking that certain kind of melancholy. Right now it's possibly one of my favorite short stories on the site. I'd recommend it to anyone who, at least sometimes, is feeling nostalgic. 10/10

See, I really like this fic as well. The way Twilight's process is described is almost meditative. The memories are a bit vague, but that just helps to make it feel like nostalgia. And the ending while not exactly unexpected does crown the story well. I think things happen a bit too fast in the story, but not to an extent I'd seriously consider harming the experience.

Short and sweet, this touching story narrates the intricate process of making tea in Twilight's POV while she remembers her time with Celestia. It focuses on the relationship between young Twilight and Celestia, as well as the ancient lifespan of the princess. The story switches back and forth between the narration of a step in the tea making process and Twilights memories of Celestia making tea and going over memories, giving an interesting juxtaposition between the past and present.

Empty Horizon and it's sequel are both very good. I don't know if there are any other comparable adventure fics that have been written in the past few years. Goldenwing is also based and I like his liking of airships.

Amazing setting, great and loveable characters who you can't help but care about. A plot full of intertwined intrigues and mysteries. Supplements that further broaden the scope of the world... and a few dumb choices that forbid me from giving it a perfect score. 'Empty Horizons' is a quintessential read to anyone who likes long adventure stories that don't consider its readers dumb and for those who like to be invested in a science-fantasy world that feels logical.

A solid character driven epic the covers the mane six as they get displaced out of time in a water world equestria with feudalism and limited magic. While the worldbuilding leaves something to be desired as well as how the fic intends to resolve its main conflict without invalidating all its events its still a great option

One day, Twilight hears a cry of help in the forest, when she goes to invesitgate, she founds a battered Trixie being attacked by Timberwolves. What follows is the birth of a strong friendship, and perhaps something more. But, why has Trixie returned to Ponyville? Well, she wants Twilight to be her partner in the Manehattan Magic Display, Equestria's most prestigious show magic expo. Overall, this is a great fic. The relationship between Trixie and Twilight feels natural, and the Display is a really interesting event with fun and creative events. If you like Twixie and Grand Tournaments, this is for you.

One of the best romance fics, though there's a clear difference between the first and second halves it's still a pretty good story (and Celestia actually gives good advice when she shows up)

Finally, [Eyes on You] is a slow burn romance with Twilight and Trixie where Trixie had gone back to Ponyville to get Twilight to be her partner in a huge magical competition in Manehatten. It's likely the best romance fic I've read.

Also very very very good. It and it's sequel were both very immersive and it did a modern setting well. I'm convinced that changelings are a diamond dog experiment. It's a very good sci-fi story.

Duh. DOWAS is a sci-fi powerhouse that plays its immensely inventive premise with absolute narrative conviction. It's genuinely one of the most compelling pieces of fiction I've ever read, but its the ending, such a profound form of gut-quaking epic tragedy, that really pushes the pair of stories into that masterclass. It's a brick, but it's a fine brick.

Possibly one of the best "hard" sci-fi stories around. (I say "hard" in quotes because I'm not a sci-fi connoisseur; it sure seems hard to me, though.) It's got excellent AU worldbuilding, really great action, compelling characters, everything you could want. I read it years ago so I'm struggling to really come up with specifics other than "everything I remember about it is good", but it's good. This is one recommendation but it includes Final Solution, which is the direct sequel that picks up the action right away. Read both.

Eerie and atmospheric glimpses of an Equestria lost to history. It really drives home how much room for invention the setting has.

This isn't a story; it's a collection of historical pieces about headcanon places around Equestria, but it's written so exceptionally well I had a hard time believing that someone was willing to put in so much effort into pony. If you want to see a masterclass example of scene setting and descriptive writing, this is it.

There's not a narrative, just atmospheric descriptions that give you tantalizing glimpses into history.

The Glass Blower is a classic tale of distant admiration and unrequited love. The author doesn't just tell the story of this glass smiths attempts at courtship, he makes you part of it. A non-corporeal onlooker screaming at the injustice of it all.

I've seen this one mentioned time and time again, so I finally caved and read it. It's a beautiful little fable and a nice tragedy, despite featuring none of the stereotypical things associated with the genre. Another easy +1.

This fic is a masterpiece, and my description wouldn't stand up to what's inside.

One of the better sad oneshots out there. The story features a fantastic characterization of Fluttershy that suits her perfectly. This is how you expand on canon personalities without going OOC.

Its just an excellent estee fic. Does the monumental task of making you absolutely loath a character and then turning it around and having you feel sorry for them.

I can confirm Gladiator is pretty good. It's not nearly as edgy as the description and first couple chapters make it sound. Nothing deep or surprising here, just a nice HiE adventure fic. There isn't even a romance subplot, which I honestly appreciated.

[Five Hundred Little Murders] is a short and bittersweet story that manages to make its protagonist insufferable, and then turn around and make you care about her.

I am an unmitigated Triptych apologist, and I don't care. Much can be said about ol estavo adolphus, but it is my opinion that his magnum opus is an extremely solid piece of fiction. It has problems, of course: it's huge, for one, although I think that it does generally manage to stay at a decent clip - it's overstuffed, although not impossibly so, and much of the luxuriant prose is directed well at establishing the oppressive setting. But if you can get around that, you'll find an extremely compelling piece of truly transformative fiction that really grapples with some core concepts of the show in a thoughtful way that always seems to make you want just a little more. It's not for everyone, but I think it is for a lot of people, and it's definitely worth a shot.

I thought it was good, if a bit full of purple prose at times. It explored racial stuff in an interesting way. I don't think Estee topped it with any of his other fics. I'm still seething over the fact the he stopped writing the sequel to focus on his slow paced monster girl centaur anime story.

This is the fic Estee is known for. Triptych has very deep lore and is set in its own triptych-verse, which has more realistic/dark interpretation of Equestria (where, notably, earth ponies are not actually useless). This is a fic where you will find full-fledged, lifelike characters with actual beliefs and motives. The villains are not just cartoon villains, they have *purpose* and *reasons* for doing what they do, twisted as they may be.

What I believe makes this story so brilliant is how smoothly it segues from silliness to sadness. Not that it lacks clear 'stingers', there are clearly moments where the tenseness built up during the chapter snaps. However, there is a very carefully crafted subtle flow from Lemon's seeming youthful silliness, to her becoming eccentric, to clearly damaged, to actively haunted, until it all culminates in a gutpunch of a payoff.

While the core idea isn't particularly original, I think it's the first time I've seen it done so well in a ponyfic. I'm sure there are several other examples, but I can't think of any, and trying to wrap it in less than 20k words was a very bold choice regardless. For that matter, the author did a good job with such a really low word count, distilling it for maximum emotional impact.

That was absolutely not what I was expecting. Going into it I thought it was going to be something about how as long as you're not hurting anyone then it's fine. After the prologue I felt lost and unsure of what this story was going to be. It's not hard to figure out that she's repressing trauma, but I don't think that's a bad thing. The story isn't supposed to be some grand unravelling mystery. Realizing precisely what her trauma is and seeing what she went through and is going through was still interesting.

Witch in broad daylight is definitely a fic that is not easy to jump into if you are skeptical. The fic has some rough spots particularly with its surface level setting being horror, and the inclusion of politics. While that might cause some knee jerk reactions, especially these days, it doesn't drag things down. A witch in broad daylights plot is interesting but almost incidental to its greatest strength: charm. I want to love and help and hear more from every pony we meet in the story, even the jerkasses and threatening villains have a level of nuance and fun to them that is spectacular, and as the story progresses, you can't help feeling like you're reading something with a very japanese manga or jrpg story structure with good writing. AWIBD manages to capture the core appeal of the show and place it in a high stakes modern pulp adventure without much compramise at all, and despite all appearances is one of the most comfey stories I've read and reread all year.

It's a fun comedy featuring reasonable characters in a thoroughly unreasonable world, where, for example, a "psycho zombie" is a real thing that ponies have developed specific strategies for dealing with.

A very nice AU fic focused on Rainbow and Twilight. Not much romance. If there is I think its intended to be ambiguous. Very few fics can run with an evil Twilight concept and still make it seem like Twilight. This fic nails Twilight's sociopathy while giving her a path to redemption through Rainbow Dash.

A Blueblood-centric warfic with great humor, one of the few fics that plays Twilight/Blueblood romance well without it coming across as a crackship, and the slightly darker tone and stellar worldbuilding makes it real easy to get and then stay invested in it

A dark comedy that takes off at the canterlot wedding putting Blueblood in the unique situation where the safest way to be a coward is to do the dirty business of being a reluctant imposter syndrome hero. It also manages to keep some of the tone of the show while remaining dark but not grinders.

This is not an exceptional fic. It is, however, an exceptionally well made *good* fic and for that it deserves a recommendation to everyone new to oneshots or fics in general.

Twilight dies in a train crash and meets the Reaper, who offers her life back in exchange for winning at a game of chess. This is an inventive fic that is well written and expands on the lore of the show. Twilight speaks to the Reaper over the game, and gleans knowledge about some inner workings of the world. The ending is touching and satisfying, and the prose is fun. Absolutely worth a read.

[A Nice Game of Chess] surprised me with how all-around good it was. It's not revolutionary in any way (the opposite, in fact) but it's fairly interesting and nicely written with an above-average worldbuilding for a shortfic. There's nothing I can seriously criticize about it.

It already deserves a recommendation for its excellent worldbuilding and great characterizations alone but, even more importantly, it's just an incredibly pleasant story to read. And yet you shouldn't let the tags fool you - this depiction of ancient Equestria can easily rival some of the best fantasy longfics out there. It strikes a perfect balance of cleverly expanding upon existing underutilized lore and adding its own where necessary. The pacing is good too, notably featuring a rare case of appropriately used timeskips.

What the hell, this isn't terrible. I am not sure if it's a great recommendation since you have to know a bunch of things about speedrunning if you don't want to miss half the jokes it has, but it's surprisingly good at what it does. The crackfic premise is not only fun, but it's also explored about as well as a dumb oneshot could do it. Despite usually being the no-fun-allowed poster, I liked several of the references [...] I can't even be mad at most of the really dumb stuff like gamer Luna.

This fic was a LOT better than I expected. The prose was legible, the grammar was occasionally painful (wrong "its", idiot), and the plot made sense. Hell, it was even pretty fun to read. Certainly never had to actively force myself to continue. However, this fic has exactly zero substance. It is the most fast-food fic I have ever read. It is the epitome of "I recognised the thing so I clapped."

An interesting tale of conflict between cultures that takes the reader to the very borders of Equestria. Well written characters and background info. The constrast between this world and MLP shows how pain can change a pony.

Cut some of the adventure, add back a lot of the war, and pile on the suck; Good Trooper Gilda is a masterpiece in battlefield literature. Always miserable, often funny, and surprisingly poignant, Good Trooper Gilda is a fine example of how to do an alternate universe right - show the reader the tantalizing details, let them fill in the rest. Excellent.

9/10 'Good Trooper Gilda' is truly a treat, featuring an adventurous story, charming prose, lovable and hateable characters, all packaged in a smart, not overly long, and mostly self-contained bundle. I can only recommend it.

Wow. God damn. Wow. Circles was fucking *good*. Not just good. It was fucking amazing. The prose was great, and while certain sentences would seem horribly awkward on paper, in the moment they really fit because they flowed like Luna's thoughts would. There was this insane run-on sentence in one of the chapters, but it WORKED. It straight up worked.

Circles is, in several ways, a fantastic horrorfic. One especially great aspect of this story is how close it is to the show's setting. It feels like something that could happen in the show's Equestria. Not an AU and there's no gore or unnecessary edge, yet it's still a very well-executed horror story. That's a rare thing indeed, and the fic is worth reading just for that alone.

I fucking love this fic. I could make the whole post out of that line, and I'm not sure that'd get across how much I love it. This fic made me cry the first time I got to the ending, this Monday night because I could not put it down, and it made me cry again when I skimmed it tonight to refresh my memory. The drama and tension of Sassaflash giving in and going through with the plan anyway is wonderfully done, and so is her confrontation with Ponyville.

Though it was in the title all along, the fall of Dark Lord Sassaflash is pretty crushing, and her recovery is so soulful. I liked it a lot more than Mendacity's changeling drama, and that one was already quite good.

Easy pick. Age of Wings and Steel is unquestionably the best adventure-war fic on the site. Great worldbuilding, good characterization, and surprisingly mature all the way through, it (and its sequel) are proof that grim stories don't have to be grimdark.

8/10. Part warfic, part "hero on an epic adventure," its Holy Roman Empire take on Equestria is unique, its characters and plot engaging, and its climax is the gold standard that has yet to be beaten by another warfic.

One of the best warfics in the genre for its classic griffon invasion plot and fantastic climax, its only letdown is a not as interesting "epic adventure" the warfic has to share billing with. Still, both are great examples of their genres and the climex seamlessly blends the two together. A great fic to use to introduce new readers to both genres.

What the characters don't necessarily have, the world-building and exploration more than makes up for. Excellent adventure by a very clever author.

This fic is the very definition of a well executed Adventure story. The worldbuilding is top notch, the cultures it explores are all interesting, and while the plot is a little contrived at times, it stays engaging and exciting the whole way through. Its main flaws are with some of the characterization, some people find the romance parts pretty hit or miss. But as a Journey into a distant land, it's one of the best fics out there.

A story about stories. I can probably best summarise To Perytonia as a comfy adventure. The story essentially focuses on the characters of Fluttershy, Dash and Rarity as they journey through an extremely foreign and alien land, tring to get to know the unfamiliar culture and understand it through the lens of their Equestrian upbringing.

9/10. Tired of Apple Bloom being chased by monsters or eldrich abominations killing everyone? Why not come to pre-S1 Ponyville and read with increasing dread as the tension builds and atmospheric horror mounts while Rarity moves into her house.

Scared ponies gather at (unicorn) Twilight's Treebrary at night. A lot of cuddling ensues. And that's it, really - an immensely comfy fic with great pacing to boot. Read it if you enjoy those kinds of themes in early FiM, especially if you like Look Before You Sleep.

Overall: 10/10 Do not expect to see here any epic fights, the depths of philosophy or even a narrative here, that's more complicated than "the M6 gets scared and have a sleepover." However, if you just want a story that will make you feel nice after a long and hard day, I could hardly name a better one than this. Wholeheartedly recommended.

8/10 I'm willing to give this story a high score due to its clever time-travel shenanigans. 'World of Colgates' is a comfy and entertaining action-comedy that I can easily recommend for readers who want to smile, as long as they're okay with forgiving a few niggles in the logic.

A very good, extremely tight-written comedy. Not only is it an extremely enjoyable story to read through, it's a wonderful example of using setups and callbacks to great effect. It's all around the kind of thing that's well written enough it almost makes you envious, and it's one of the stories I come back to to remind myself of what the site is capable of producing.

Though it's less surprising foreshadowing and more an absurdly tight writing package. It's a whole Chekhov's armory of details that all end up as pieces of the same puzzle.

I love this story way, way too much. Too much to be impartial about it. Objectivity flew out the window around the time they were circling the never ending river. This story not only recaptured the feeling of wonder, excitement, and dread that it instilled in me the first time I read it, but it made me feel giddy every time I noticed something was being foreshadowed. It only made the reveals pack that much more of a punch. And once more, I loved the ending. That was such a strong last sentence that, even if I would've liked the last few scenes to be a bit more fleshed out, in general I found Nothing to complain about.

Daring Do bumbling off into the great unknown to check out a mysterious, unmapped area is basically the perfect adventure story setup. It requires near zero exposition, makes sense for the character, allows for life-threatening danger without compromising the show's assumptions about the world, and allows for a multitude of potential outcomes for the character depending on how successful she is on her quest. So, at the very least for the choice of topic, props must be given to the author, especially since he even went one step further and decided to put a spin on the adventure and turn it into a horror fic.

Though 'The Weather Worker's Song' already gave back my hope for this series, I am even more pleased to say that not only does this story hold up, but in a way it redeems the original as well. It isn't without a few issues, but as a whole package I really enjoyed this fic.

So as I was saying, good thing the sister fic exists, because damn is it good, and damn does it retroactively fix a lot of the issues of the original. Throughout the entire first half or so, I was hoping so damn hard that somehow, things would turn out differently. I knew they wouldn't, but I was still hoping. I knew how things would turn out, and it was still tense. That's good writing. The second half, too, was delicious. RD's breakdown was so fucking well executed that I can't really put it into words. I absolutely loved the part where her colleagues go "yeah, don't worry about it, we all have our days." It felt so far removed from the horror of the situation, and really shows how those ponies are coping with the horrible things they do.

I fucking love this fic. I said before that my opinion of it was going to depend on the ending, and god the author sticks the landing and then some. It's almost enough to make me forget and forgive all the flaws the rest of the story had. Almost.

I really like the fic. I loved it a lot before watching eva, and I still like it a lot now*. Despite the similarities, this is NOT horse evangelion. Instead of doing eva's subversion, the story decides to do its own thing and plays its anime-ness completely straight in the last third. Does this make more generic and less significant than the actual eva? Maybe; it's just a different story. But I can say that it's a very fun read; that was everything the fic aspired to be, and it succeeded.