salut guys. So a couple months il y a I did an article on my link, as toi may recall. Well, since then there have been a couple big changes to my list, large enough that I felt it was worth re-doing. The format is gonna be pretty much the same as it was in the other one, and for some of the returning stories I'll pretty much just be copy/paste-ing my précédant thoughts. I would like to blame btflash for being the dork indirectly responsible for most of these changes. And here we go.
15. Night Guards par Raugos
Tags: Adventure
Chapters: 12, including the author's note and the bonus chapters
This is the story of Hammer and Anvil, the batpony guards seen in "Luna Eclipsed". Like there's so much I want to say about this story but I can't because I don't want to spoil some of this stuff because it really doesn't hit as hard if toi know what's coming. I would definitely suggest that everyone read through the whole thing, including the bonus chapters, because even though they aren't a necessity for the story, they do tie up some loose ends. Sorry for not saying more, but just know that that's only because I want toi all to read it.
Link: link
14. On a traverser, croix and Arrow par Conner Cogwork
Tags: Adventure, Comedy, Romance
Chapters: 12, including the lead-in to the unfinished sequel
toi guys have probably seen r63, ou genderbent, versions of characters from the show, right? Ever notice how they all seem to be the same interpretations despite being portrayed par different people? Ever wonder why? Well that's because they're all from this little beauty. The epitome of the "Twilight screws up a spell" genre, this story stands out as the only time it's okay for Rarity to fall in l’amour with herself. The characters may not be played exactly like they are in the show, but Conner makes it work with his humor and penchant for putting ponies in awkward predicaments. Oh, and it's an alternate realities fic that isn't TOTALLY convoluted. Just a bit convoluted. Easily one of the funniest fics I've read. Oh, and +50 points for the Ace Attorney references in there.
Link: link
13. The Sisters Doo par Ponky
Tags: Adventure, Comedy
Chapters: 22, including the epilogue
It's a simple concept. What if Daring Do and Ditzy Doo were sisters? But it's done so fantastically well. Daring is well done. arc en ciel is well done. And this is easily my seconde favori characterization of Derpy/Ditzy in any fic ever. Bonus points go to this story for calling that the Daring Do livres were real a an before "Daring Don't" aired. This story does a good job of montrer real character conflict, and of integrating several different mythologies, including the works of Lewis Carol. Seriously, I memorized Lewis Carol's "Jabberwocky" because of this fic. There are two side stories to this fic which begin and end over the course of the main story, but I didn't read those. One follows Dinky and the CMCs, the other follows Twilight and Pinkie, and in the end you'll find out that lire those was actually really important I guess? Whatever, I still l’amour this fic anyway. Don't worry, it's Wabe-tter than I'm making it sound. (God that pun was so bad and none of toi are even going to get it.) Oh and also Lyra from Background poney makes a cameo. ou wait... who was I talking about again?
Link: link
12. Anthropology par JasonTheHuman
Tags: Adventure, Comedy, Human, Slice of Life
Chapters: 31
One of the few fics I marathon-ed, spending extended periods of time just sitting and reading, although I still wasn't able to get through the whole thing in one day. But this is an iconic fic. In fact, many of toi have probably heard of it. ou at least the link it inspired. This is THE Lyra fic. The ONLY one. I'm pretty sure I'd remember if there were more. A blogpost on EqD from like years il y a once listed this fic as one of the haut, retour au début 5 most influential fics in the history of the fandom, and for good reason. This is the quintessential Lyra/humans fic. When I first read this I didn't know much about it, and there's something that happens pretty early on which guides the entire rest of the story that I was not expecting at all which completely threw me off. Bonus points for having several human characters I don't hate, minus bonus points though because none of those people are nearly freaked out enough par the things that happen over the course of the story. Still a great read and an important piece of fandom history. Oh also there's a non-canon side story which was created par JasonTheHuman for April 1st and initially uploaded in place of Chapter 18 in the story, and which still makes me giggle a little, titled link.
Link: link
11. Fallout Equestria: rose Eyes par Mimezinga
Tags: Gore, Adventure, Crossover, Dark
Chapters: 21
Alright here it is, the first newcomer to the list. rose Eyes is one of the many side stories inspired par Fallout: Equestria that have been written over the years. This one is even considered one of the major side stories, with Puppysmiles often being held up on the pedestal of great FoE Heroes alongside Littlepip herself. Which is rather interesting considering Puppysmiles isn't even really a hero. In fact, in gameplay terms, she wouldn't even be a player character. See, unlike the Heroes in most other FoE stories who have some great quest with sweeping consequences, chiot is just a Canterlot ghoul filly trying to find her mom 200 years after the war that nearly wiped out ponykind. Sure, she ends up helping ponies and making Friends along the way, but that's plus just a consequence of her trying to find her mom than a want to help. But that's kinda where the other big difference is between this fic and other FoE fics. chiot doesn't really understand that the ponies around her need her help. Being ghoulified as a young filly (and potentially brain damaged), Puppy's innocence is maintained even through the horrors of the wasteland. Sometimes this comes to bite her in the rump, but plus often than not the fact that she sees everypony as a pretty poney (except mean old Mr. Horse Tile of course) allows her to indirectly help others and bring the ponies of the Big 52 closer together. To quote Watcher, "This is a story that could seem unimportant, ou even silly, but it's about dreams, and memories. It's a story about two large, innocent rose eyes that couldn't see the horrors of our times and kept believing that somewhere, behind those ruined walls, inside the slave pens and even in the raiders' camps, everypony was still a pretty pony."
Link: link
10. It's a Dangerous Business, Going Out Your Door par Jetfire2012
Tags: Adventure, Alternate Universe
Chapters: 20
Dang, two new stories in a row? Crazy. Anyways, I just finished lire this fic. Like, around 2:00 am this morning. According to the fimfiction thread on /mlp/, this is the greatest adventure fic in the whole fandom. Now, I don't know about that, but it's still pretty dang awesome. Basically, Twilight screwed up a spell (not in the way most of these fics having her screw up a spell but still) and is going to die in ~2 weeks unless she gets this magic fleur called a Beneviolet. Only problem is, these fleurs can't be found in Equestria. They can't even be found in the neighboring country. Only place they can be found is in a mountain range located... ~2 weeks away par hoof. And so arc en ciel Dash, Applejack, and Rarity set out on a quest to recover this fleur and save Twilight. Along the way they learn plus about themselves and each other, and gain new powers and gifts from the creatures they meet along the way. I don't wanna spoil the end, ou even exactly what the new stuff they get is because it's real cool, but suffice to say that none of them return looking exactly how they did when the left. Also just gonna throw out that I'm kinda annoyed that the cover art has AJ in generic armor and not in the armor she gets in the story (oh woops there's a clue as to one of the gifts they receive oh well). Oh also there's two sequels that I don't think I will read but are supposed to expand on the ideas presented in this one, particularly on the abilities the Elements of Harmony are supposed to grant their bearers. So those are there if anyone wants that. Seriously though, great high-fantasy adventure story. Go read it.
Link: link
9. It Take a Village par determamfidd
Tags: Adventure, Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life
Chapters: 17, including the epilogue
It may shock all of toi that a SPIKE-centric fic is this high on my list. (It's lower on the liste now then it was in the last one but to be honest even #9 is pretty high for a Spike-fic for me). But it's a good one. Basically, Spike has grown up, and is now much bigger. Not only does this lead to problems with his living in Ponyville, but also with the fact that he's pretty close to the territory of that one dragon from "Owl's Well that Ends Well". But his Friends band together to protect him both from ponies who want him gone, and the angry dragon who wants him dead. It goes high on this liste for being the first fic that made me care about Spike, and for the epic dragon fight scene which made me actually think Spike was cool for once. The biggest problem with this story though is the epilogue. Over the course of the story, there is some light shipping. Just a little bit, and it's handled alright. Until the epilogue that is, which is seriously the worst handling of shipping I've seen in my entire life. Honestly, I feel this fic is better if toi don't read the epilogue. I mean toi can if toi read the fic and REALLY want to know how the relationships end, but it probably won't be worth it in my opinion. But don't make that keep toi from lire the fic. It's still great.
Link: link
8. My Little Alicorn par InsertAuthorHere
Tags: Gore, Comedy, Dark, Sad, Slice of Life
Chapters: 18, including the toned-down version of chapter 15
This fic begins as a funny, lighthearted fic where Luna plays a prank on Celestia and turns her into a filly. It continues this path until toi learn plus about the poney who created the spell Luna used and all of a sudden the story becomes DARK AS FUCK. Like seriously toi may have noticed in the chapter count I mentioned a toned-down version of chapter 15, that's because InsertAuthorHere had to publier two versions of that chapter because people were so upset par how gory and dark that chapter was that they refused to keep reading. This story also includes my seconde favori interpretation of Pinkie Sense, but I don't want to explain it because the reveal, although the reader can totally see it coming, is still pretty great. Bonus points for the fact that toi only have to read one version of chapter 15, and unless toi have serious problems with gore/dark material, toi should read the original because yeah it's dark but it's done so well. Also bonus points for having a villain who legitimately believes he's doing the right thing. I can't tell toi enough how much this story defied my expectations, so go read it. toi won't be disappointed. (Oh there's also a sequel toi shouldn't bother reading)
Link: link
7. Past Sins par Pen Stroke
Tags: Alternate Universe, Dark, Sad, Slice of Life
Chapters: 22, including the prelude
Here we have another one of the fics featured in that one EqD article about the most influential fics in the fandom. This fic gave us link, an OC I wouldn't be surprised if you'd heard of. She is essentially the product of a cult attempting to summon Nightmare Moon, and getting interrupted mid-way through. The pseudo-mother/daughter relationship Twilight and Nyx have is extremely well done, and it makes the later chapters of the story oh-so heart-wrenching (you may have noticed Twilight standing on the gallows in the cover art). The story does tend to get dark at times, but not as dark as My Little Alicorn ou my haut, retour au début 4 fics. This is another story I really don't want to spoil too much of though, so that's all the thoughts I have to give for now. Oh, wait, also before I forget I want to say I really like how Pen Stroke interprets "star beasts" in this story. My fanon about that is built on his vision.
Link: link
6. Keeping It Simple par Ivory Piano
Tags: Comedy, Slice of Life
Chapters: 20
The rest of this is copy/pasted from my last list, but I wanted to interject at the beginning to point out that since lire this I've visited the Chicago Metropolitan Art Museum and saw some pieces from Monet's Haystacks series and I was actually able to appreciate them plus because of the art commentary Big Mac provides on the poney equivalent of them in this story. Plot-wise, this is a fic about what would happen if Mac were too severely injured to work on Sweet pomme Acres for an extended period of time. Shipping ensues. Now here's the problem with discussing this fic. I refuse to tell toi who Big Mac is shipped with. Because that's half the fun of the story. Right up until the very end, toi don't know who Mac is going to end up with. It could conceivably be any of the various characters presented as potential l’amour interests. I will assuage your fears though par assuring toi he ends up with a mare. That's part of why I l’amour this fic so much though is that Ivory piano does a great job of making sure that any of the potential l’amour interests seem like viable choices to the reader at any donné time. I also l’amour the background he gives for Big Mac, and although part of me feels like some of the decisions Mac makes in the course of the story are very OoC, the other part of me acknowledges how spot-on Mac is played at other times. Also bonus points for Braeburn. (There's also an unfinished sequel but who cares?)
Link: link
5. The Steadfast Sky par TheGreyPotter
Tags: Adventure
Chapters: 79, including the post-Overcast scene and the Hearth's Warming special
My old #2 fic is now #5. Hold on tight boys. This fic seeks to explain the backstory for Equestria, the Elements of Harmony, Celestia, Luna, and Discord. Although completely rekt par the events of Season 4, the story is still fantastic. I really can't tell toi my favori parts because I refuse to spoil those for anyone, but just know that this story features young Celestia, Luna, and Discord going on an epic quest to save Equestria from an evil unicorn who seems very similar to Sombra despite being created almost a an before Sombra was revealed. The early chapters especially act as a sort of bildungsroman for the party, and later chapters have some of the coolest interpretations and explanations for things in the montrer I've ever seen. This is also the only time LunaCord is okay. Bonus points for Gen 1 Smooze. TheGreyPotter is also currently écriture a non-pony version of the story, which I have no interest in, but it's there if someone wanted that for some reason. I'd recommend this story to anyone who enjoys well-done world building.
Link: link
4. Fallout Equestria: Merchants of Hope par Gamma Deekay
Tags: Gore, Adventure, Alternate Universe, Comedy, Crossover, Dark
Chapters: 29, including the prologue, epilogue, and alternate endings
Oh boy here we go. Just as a hint of what is to come, I'll tell toi all right now that this is my favori non-major FoE side story. Set approximately 80 years before the original FoE, this fic follows Backlash, a merchant in the Equestrian Wasteland who just wants to make a living. Turns out (spoilers for something revealed in the prologue), Backlash is the descendant of a mirror pool Pinkie Pie clone, and as such is the new head of the Ministry of Morale now that Pinkie Pie is dead (spoilers for a fic older than some kindergartners). Then the idiot uses his authority as the head of the MoM to accidentally release a dangerous pre-war MoM prisoner. Way to go. A big reason why I like this story so much is that it's a FoE fic where the primary protagonist is the high speech/barter character. Like, having a character in the party with high speech/barter is pretty normal, but usually it's not the primary protagonist. It's great because that leads to a team whose de facto leader is actually a people person and not, say, a child, a drunk, a slave, ou a naive stable dweller. Probably the biggest problem is the constant self-loathing and blame that Backlash piles upon himself, a theme within many FoE fics which is, unfortunately for Gamma Deekay, done better elsewhere. Still a great story though and well worth a read if you're wanting maybe a lesser known FoE fic.
Link: link
3. Fallout: Equestria par Kkat
Tags: Gore, Adventure, Crossover, Dark
Chapters: 49, including the intro, prologue, epilogue, and afterword
My précédant #1 is now my #3. Dang. I'm not gonna try to reiterate that massive thing I had written for it last time, so I'd advise going back and lire everything I had to say about it last time and then come back(but maybe ignore what I a dit about a certain side story that I a dit I didn't like as much). Although I would no longer rate this fic as my #1 in terms of how much I enjoyed lire it, it's probably still the fic that means the most to me. It's definitely the one I've re-read the most. And I've currently got a print copy on order from the third print run being done par link And in all honesty, it's probably still the FoE fic I have the fewest complaints about. And maybe as time goes on it'll déplacer back into the #1 spot, but for now there are two fics I've read that have overtaken it.
Link: link
2. Fallout: Equestria - Murky Number Seven par FuzzyVeeVee
Tags: Gore, Adventure, Crossover, Dark, Sad
Chapters: 33, including the Hearthswarming short and epilogue
Yeah, if toi couldn't see where this was going before, it's probably obvious now. Anyways, I just have one thing to say. I hate Fuzzy so much. Like he's a great writer and I applaud his work but seriously screw him for what he did to Murky. Like there were times lire this where I just had to walk away from my computer for a little while because I couldn't keep lire all these horrible things Murky was being put through. AT ONE POINT toi MADE HIM EAT DIRT TO LIVE toi JERK. AND THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A FUNNY SCENE. But that's also kinda why MN7 took my #2 spot. Because Fuzzy made me care so much about these characters so quickly. I mean sure, it's a bit easier to make a character suddenly sympathetic when they're a slave, but toi just made Murk so likable I couldn't help but want him and his Friends to achieve the freedom they desired. As for the story, I l’amour it for a number of reasons aside from just the characters being great. For one, it doesn't try to do the whole other time, other place thing a lot of side stories do. It's set in the cœur, coeur of Fillydelphia, a major location from the original FoE, and is almost entirely situated within the timescale of the original story, beginning the jour before Littlepip's escape from Fillydelphia and ending (epilogue notwithstanding) shortly before Homage leaves for her journey in the epilogue of the original. It also doesn't try to make the stakes too high. Sure, if Chainlink Shackles wins then Fillydelphia will have an even worse leader than Red Eye ou Stern, but it's not like some FoE fics where the actions of Littlepip's party in the original will be made entirely irrelevant if the party of the fic doesn't succeed. *coughcough*#1*coughcough* Now I will point out that there's a bit of débats among fans over whether MN7 should be considered one of the major FoE side stories ou not, but I'm gonna say that I'm on the side that it should be. I feel that Murky Number Seven deserves his spot alongside Puppysmiles, Littlepip, Hired Gun, and Blackjack. And on that note...
Link: link
1. Fallout: Equestria - Project Horizons par Somber
Tags: Sex, Gore, Adventure, Crossover, Dark, Romance, Tragedy
Chapters: 80, including the epilogue and two-part chapters
Alright, anybody who's seen my current icon, which I've been using for a while (save for a brief change as a joke), should've seen this coming (for future reference for people lire this in the future if there are any, my current icone is Blackjack). So now for the reason most of the changes in my liste are bt's fault. After lire my last list, bt and I talked about how I a dit I wasn't really a big fan of Project Horizons, and he called me out on saying that despite having only read a small part of it. So I decided to give it another go, decided to persevere through the aspects of it I didn't like, until I found something in it that I loved and it pushed its way here, and convinced me to give plus FoE side stories a try. My biggest complaint about the story is that Somber tries way too hard to out-do the original. Oh, your story has the fate of the Equestrian Wasteland hanging in the balance? Well mine has the fate of the entire planet hanging in the balance, and if Blackjack fails then all Littlepip's work was pointless. Oh, you've got a character who can only be killed par disintegration ou decapitation? Well mine has one that can't even be killed par that. Your character killed one of the biggest threats to the Wasteland? Nope, my character actually did it, AND saved your character in the process. Oh, you've got a web of political intrigue? Well here's my own new character that was actually orchestrating all of it. You're hero gets a kid killed near the end of the story that almost makes her give up? My main character gets a kid killed in the third chapter, and it only gets worse after that. And I could go on and on and on with examples like that. So triq, toi might ask, if toi have such a huge problem with the story, how could it possibly be your #1? Well, that's a good question. toi see, for all the flaws in the story, there's one thing Somber does very well. Connecting the pre-war and post-war settings. One of my favori aspects of the original FoE was the mysteries, the characters finding clues to slowly piece together what had happened that led up to what was going on. And PH does way plus of that than the original did, and there's even an argument to be made that he might have done it better. Everything with the Marauders and the Projects and the OIA was so great. bt can attest that I spent quite a lot of time trying to work the mysteries out on my own, solving them before the characters did. And that's probably the biggest reason this story has taken my number one spot. Because trying to solve the mysteries Somber had placed in the story was maybe the most fun I've had lire a fic ever. And now, I'll stop, so toi can go read it yourself. Sure, the size is daunting, being almost 3x the size of the original, but it's so worth it.
Link: link
So yeah, that's the new list. Maybe if I feel like my liste has had any major changes again in the future I'll do another of these. Anyways, that's that. Bye.
15. Night Guards par Raugos
Tags: Adventure
Chapters: 12, including the author's note and the bonus chapters
This is the story of Hammer and Anvil, the batpony guards seen in "Luna Eclipsed". Like there's so much I want to say about this story but I can't because I don't want to spoil some of this stuff because it really doesn't hit as hard if toi know what's coming. I would definitely suggest that everyone read through the whole thing, including the bonus chapters, because even though they aren't a necessity for the story, they do tie up some loose ends. Sorry for not saying more, but just know that that's only because I want toi all to read it.
Link: link
14. On a traverser, croix and Arrow par Conner Cogwork
Tags: Adventure, Comedy, Romance
Chapters: 12, including the lead-in to the unfinished sequel
toi guys have probably seen r63, ou genderbent, versions of characters from the show, right? Ever notice how they all seem to be the same interpretations despite being portrayed par different people? Ever wonder why? Well that's because they're all from this little beauty. The epitome of the "Twilight screws up a spell" genre, this story stands out as the only time it's okay for Rarity to fall in l’amour with herself. The characters may not be played exactly like they are in the show, but Conner makes it work with his humor and penchant for putting ponies in awkward predicaments. Oh, and it's an alternate realities fic that isn't TOTALLY convoluted. Just a bit convoluted. Easily one of the funniest fics I've read. Oh, and +50 points for the Ace Attorney references in there.
Link: link
13. The Sisters Doo par Ponky
Tags: Adventure, Comedy
Chapters: 22, including the epilogue
It's a simple concept. What if Daring Do and Ditzy Doo were sisters? But it's done so fantastically well. Daring is well done. arc en ciel is well done. And this is easily my seconde favori characterization of Derpy/Ditzy in any fic ever. Bonus points go to this story for calling that the Daring Do livres were real a an before "Daring Don't" aired. This story does a good job of montrer real character conflict, and of integrating several different mythologies, including the works of Lewis Carol. Seriously, I memorized Lewis Carol's "Jabberwocky" because of this fic. There are two side stories to this fic which begin and end over the course of the main story, but I didn't read those. One follows Dinky and the CMCs, the other follows Twilight and Pinkie, and in the end you'll find out that lire those was actually really important I guess? Whatever, I still l’amour this fic anyway. Don't worry, it's Wabe-tter than I'm making it sound. (God that pun was so bad and none of toi are even going to get it.) Oh and also Lyra from Background poney makes a cameo. ou wait... who was I talking about again?
Link: link
12. Anthropology par JasonTheHuman
Tags: Adventure, Comedy, Human, Slice of Life
Chapters: 31
One of the few fics I marathon-ed, spending extended periods of time just sitting and reading, although I still wasn't able to get through the whole thing in one day. But this is an iconic fic. In fact, many of toi have probably heard of it. ou at least the link it inspired. This is THE Lyra fic. The ONLY one. I'm pretty sure I'd remember if there were more. A blogpost on EqD from like years il y a once listed this fic as one of the haut, retour au début 5 most influential fics in the history of the fandom, and for good reason. This is the quintessential Lyra/humans fic. When I first read this I didn't know much about it, and there's something that happens pretty early on which guides the entire rest of the story that I was not expecting at all which completely threw me off. Bonus points for having several human characters I don't hate, minus bonus points though because none of those people are nearly freaked out enough par the things that happen over the course of the story. Still a great read and an important piece of fandom history. Oh also there's a non-canon side story which was created par JasonTheHuman for April 1st and initially uploaded in place of Chapter 18 in the story, and which still makes me giggle a little, titled link.
Link: link
11. Fallout Equestria: rose Eyes par Mimezinga
Tags: Gore, Adventure, Crossover, Dark
Chapters: 21
Alright here it is, the first newcomer to the list. rose Eyes is one of the many side stories inspired par Fallout: Equestria that have been written over the years. This one is even considered one of the major side stories, with Puppysmiles often being held up on the pedestal of great FoE Heroes alongside Littlepip herself. Which is rather interesting considering Puppysmiles isn't even really a hero. In fact, in gameplay terms, she wouldn't even be a player character. See, unlike the Heroes in most other FoE stories who have some great quest with sweeping consequences, chiot is just a Canterlot ghoul filly trying to find her mom 200 years after the war that nearly wiped out ponykind. Sure, she ends up helping ponies and making Friends along the way, but that's plus just a consequence of her trying to find her mom than a want to help. But that's kinda where the other big difference is between this fic and other FoE fics. chiot doesn't really understand that the ponies around her need her help. Being ghoulified as a young filly (and potentially brain damaged), Puppy's innocence is maintained even through the horrors of the wasteland. Sometimes this comes to bite her in the rump, but plus often than not the fact that she sees everypony as a pretty poney (except mean old Mr. Horse Tile of course) allows her to indirectly help others and bring the ponies of the Big 52 closer together. To quote Watcher, "This is a story that could seem unimportant, ou even silly, but it's about dreams, and memories. It's a story about two large, innocent rose eyes that couldn't see the horrors of our times and kept believing that somewhere, behind those ruined walls, inside the slave pens and even in the raiders' camps, everypony was still a pretty pony."
Link: link
10. It's a Dangerous Business, Going Out Your Door par Jetfire2012
Tags: Adventure, Alternate Universe
Chapters: 20
Dang, two new stories in a row? Crazy. Anyways, I just finished lire this fic. Like, around 2:00 am this morning. According to the fimfiction thread on /mlp/, this is the greatest adventure fic in the whole fandom. Now, I don't know about that, but it's still pretty dang awesome. Basically, Twilight screwed up a spell (not in the way most of these fics having her screw up a spell but still) and is going to die in ~2 weeks unless she gets this magic fleur called a Beneviolet. Only problem is, these fleurs can't be found in Equestria. They can't even be found in the neighboring country. Only place they can be found is in a mountain range located... ~2 weeks away par hoof. And so arc en ciel Dash, Applejack, and Rarity set out on a quest to recover this fleur and save Twilight. Along the way they learn plus about themselves and each other, and gain new powers and gifts from the creatures they meet along the way. I don't wanna spoil the end, ou even exactly what the new stuff they get is because it's real cool, but suffice to say that none of them return looking exactly how they did when the left. Also just gonna throw out that I'm kinda annoyed that the cover art has AJ in generic armor and not in the armor she gets in the story (oh woops there's a clue as to one of the gifts they receive oh well). Oh also there's two sequels that I don't think I will read but are supposed to expand on the ideas presented in this one, particularly on the abilities the Elements of Harmony are supposed to grant their bearers. So those are there if anyone wants that. Seriously though, great high-fantasy adventure story. Go read it.
Link: link
9. It Take a Village par determamfidd
Tags: Adventure, Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life
Chapters: 17, including the epilogue
It may shock all of toi that a SPIKE-centric fic is this high on my list. (It's lower on the liste now then it was in the last one but to be honest even #9 is pretty high for a Spike-fic for me). But it's a good one. Basically, Spike has grown up, and is now much bigger. Not only does this lead to problems with his living in Ponyville, but also with the fact that he's pretty close to the territory of that one dragon from "Owl's Well that Ends Well". But his Friends band together to protect him both from ponies who want him gone, and the angry dragon who wants him dead. It goes high on this liste for being the first fic that made me care about Spike, and for the epic dragon fight scene which made me actually think Spike was cool for once. The biggest problem with this story though is the epilogue. Over the course of the story, there is some light shipping. Just a little bit, and it's handled alright. Until the epilogue that is, which is seriously the worst handling of shipping I've seen in my entire life. Honestly, I feel this fic is better if toi don't read the epilogue. I mean toi can if toi read the fic and REALLY want to know how the relationships end, but it probably won't be worth it in my opinion. But don't make that keep toi from lire the fic. It's still great.
Link: link
8. My Little Alicorn par InsertAuthorHere
Tags: Gore, Comedy, Dark, Sad, Slice of Life
Chapters: 18, including the toned-down version of chapter 15
This fic begins as a funny, lighthearted fic where Luna plays a prank on Celestia and turns her into a filly. It continues this path until toi learn plus about the poney who created the spell Luna used and all of a sudden the story becomes DARK AS FUCK. Like seriously toi may have noticed in the chapter count I mentioned a toned-down version of chapter 15, that's because InsertAuthorHere had to publier two versions of that chapter because people were so upset par how gory and dark that chapter was that they refused to keep reading. This story also includes my seconde favori interpretation of Pinkie Sense, but I don't want to explain it because the reveal, although the reader can totally see it coming, is still pretty great. Bonus points for the fact that toi only have to read one version of chapter 15, and unless toi have serious problems with gore/dark material, toi should read the original because yeah it's dark but it's done so well. Also bonus points for having a villain who legitimately believes he's doing the right thing. I can't tell toi enough how much this story defied my expectations, so go read it. toi won't be disappointed. (Oh there's also a sequel toi shouldn't bother reading)
Link: link
7. Past Sins par Pen Stroke
Tags: Alternate Universe, Dark, Sad, Slice of Life
Chapters: 22, including the prelude
Here we have another one of the fics featured in that one EqD article about the most influential fics in the fandom. This fic gave us link, an OC I wouldn't be surprised if you'd heard of. She is essentially the product of a cult attempting to summon Nightmare Moon, and getting interrupted mid-way through. The pseudo-mother/daughter relationship Twilight and Nyx have is extremely well done, and it makes the later chapters of the story oh-so heart-wrenching (you may have noticed Twilight standing on the gallows in the cover art). The story does tend to get dark at times, but not as dark as My Little Alicorn ou my haut, retour au début 4 fics. This is another story I really don't want to spoil too much of though, so that's all the thoughts I have to give for now. Oh, wait, also before I forget I want to say I really like how Pen Stroke interprets "star beasts" in this story. My fanon about that is built on his vision.
Link: link
6. Keeping It Simple par Ivory Piano
Tags: Comedy, Slice of Life
Chapters: 20
The rest of this is copy/pasted from my last list, but I wanted to interject at the beginning to point out that since lire this I've visited the Chicago Metropolitan Art Museum and saw some pieces from Monet's Haystacks series and I was actually able to appreciate them plus because of the art commentary Big Mac provides on the poney equivalent of them in this story. Plot-wise, this is a fic about what would happen if Mac were too severely injured to work on Sweet pomme Acres for an extended period of time. Shipping ensues. Now here's the problem with discussing this fic. I refuse to tell toi who Big Mac is shipped with. Because that's half the fun of the story. Right up until the very end, toi don't know who Mac is going to end up with. It could conceivably be any of the various characters presented as potential l’amour interests. I will assuage your fears though par assuring toi he ends up with a mare. That's part of why I l’amour this fic so much though is that Ivory piano does a great job of making sure that any of the potential l’amour interests seem like viable choices to the reader at any donné time. I also l’amour the background he gives for Big Mac, and although part of me feels like some of the decisions Mac makes in the course of the story are very OoC, the other part of me acknowledges how spot-on Mac is played at other times. Also bonus points for Braeburn. (There's also an unfinished sequel but who cares?)
Link: link
5. The Steadfast Sky par TheGreyPotter
Tags: Adventure
Chapters: 79, including the post-Overcast scene and the Hearth's Warming special
My old #2 fic is now #5. Hold on tight boys. This fic seeks to explain the backstory for Equestria, the Elements of Harmony, Celestia, Luna, and Discord. Although completely rekt par the events of Season 4, the story is still fantastic. I really can't tell toi my favori parts because I refuse to spoil those for anyone, but just know that this story features young Celestia, Luna, and Discord going on an epic quest to save Equestria from an evil unicorn who seems very similar to Sombra despite being created almost a an before Sombra was revealed. The early chapters especially act as a sort of bildungsroman for the party, and later chapters have some of the coolest interpretations and explanations for things in the montrer I've ever seen. This is also the only time LunaCord is okay. Bonus points for Gen 1 Smooze. TheGreyPotter is also currently écriture a non-pony version of the story, which I have no interest in, but it's there if someone wanted that for some reason. I'd recommend this story to anyone who enjoys well-done world building.
Link: link
4. Fallout Equestria: Merchants of Hope par Gamma Deekay
Tags: Gore, Adventure, Alternate Universe, Comedy, Crossover, Dark
Chapters: 29, including the prologue, epilogue, and alternate endings
Oh boy here we go. Just as a hint of what is to come, I'll tell toi all right now that this is my favori non-major FoE side story. Set approximately 80 years before the original FoE, this fic follows Backlash, a merchant in the Equestrian Wasteland who just wants to make a living. Turns out (spoilers for something revealed in the prologue), Backlash is the descendant of a mirror pool Pinkie Pie clone, and as such is the new head of the Ministry of Morale now that Pinkie Pie is dead (spoilers for a fic older than some kindergartners). Then the idiot uses his authority as the head of the MoM to accidentally release a dangerous pre-war MoM prisoner. Way to go. A big reason why I like this story so much is that it's a FoE fic where the primary protagonist is the high speech/barter character. Like, having a character in the party with high speech/barter is pretty normal, but usually it's not the primary protagonist. It's great because that leads to a team whose de facto leader is actually a people person and not, say, a child, a drunk, a slave, ou a naive stable dweller. Probably the biggest problem is the constant self-loathing and blame that Backlash piles upon himself, a theme within many FoE fics which is, unfortunately for Gamma Deekay, done better elsewhere. Still a great story though and well worth a read if you're wanting maybe a lesser known FoE fic.
Link: link
3. Fallout: Equestria par Kkat
Tags: Gore, Adventure, Crossover, Dark
Chapters: 49, including the intro, prologue, epilogue, and afterword
My précédant #1 is now my #3. Dang. I'm not gonna try to reiterate that massive thing I had written for it last time, so I'd advise going back and lire everything I had to say about it last time and then come back(but maybe ignore what I a dit about a certain side story that I a dit I didn't like as much). Although I would no longer rate this fic as my #1 in terms of how much I enjoyed lire it, it's probably still the fic that means the most to me. It's definitely the one I've re-read the most. And I've currently got a print copy on order from the third print run being done par link And in all honesty, it's probably still the FoE fic I have the fewest complaints about. And maybe as time goes on it'll déplacer back into the #1 spot, but for now there are two fics I've read that have overtaken it.
Link: link
2. Fallout: Equestria - Murky Number Seven par FuzzyVeeVee
Tags: Gore, Adventure, Crossover, Dark, Sad
Chapters: 33, including the Hearthswarming short and epilogue
Yeah, if toi couldn't see where this was going before, it's probably obvious now. Anyways, I just have one thing to say. I hate Fuzzy so much. Like he's a great writer and I applaud his work but seriously screw him for what he did to Murky. Like there were times lire this where I just had to walk away from my computer for a little while because I couldn't keep lire all these horrible things Murky was being put through. AT ONE POINT toi MADE HIM EAT DIRT TO LIVE toi JERK. AND THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A FUNNY SCENE. But that's also kinda why MN7 took my #2 spot. Because Fuzzy made me care so much about these characters so quickly. I mean sure, it's a bit easier to make a character suddenly sympathetic when they're a slave, but toi just made Murk so likable I couldn't help but want him and his Friends to achieve the freedom they desired. As for the story, I l’amour it for a number of reasons aside from just the characters being great. For one, it doesn't try to do the whole other time, other place thing a lot of side stories do. It's set in the cœur, coeur of Fillydelphia, a major location from the original FoE, and is almost entirely situated within the timescale of the original story, beginning the jour before Littlepip's escape from Fillydelphia and ending (epilogue notwithstanding) shortly before Homage leaves for her journey in the epilogue of the original. It also doesn't try to make the stakes too high. Sure, if Chainlink Shackles wins then Fillydelphia will have an even worse leader than Red Eye ou Stern, but it's not like some FoE fics where the actions of Littlepip's party in the original will be made entirely irrelevant if the party of the fic doesn't succeed. *coughcough*#1*coughcough* Now I will point out that there's a bit of débats among fans over whether MN7 should be considered one of the major FoE side stories ou not, but I'm gonna say that I'm on the side that it should be. I feel that Murky Number Seven deserves his spot alongside Puppysmiles, Littlepip, Hired Gun, and Blackjack. And on that note...
Link: link
1. Fallout: Equestria - Project Horizons par Somber
Tags: Sex, Gore, Adventure, Crossover, Dark, Romance, Tragedy
Chapters: 80, including the epilogue and two-part chapters
Alright, anybody who's seen my current icon, which I've been using for a while (save for a brief change as a joke), should've seen this coming (for future reference for people lire this in the future if there are any, my current icone is Blackjack). So now for the reason most of the changes in my liste are bt's fault. After lire my last list, bt and I talked about how I a dit I wasn't really a big fan of Project Horizons, and he called me out on saying that despite having only read a small part of it. So I decided to give it another go, decided to persevere through the aspects of it I didn't like, until I found something in it that I loved and it pushed its way here, and convinced me to give plus FoE side stories a try. My biggest complaint about the story is that Somber tries way too hard to out-do the original. Oh, your story has the fate of the Equestrian Wasteland hanging in the balance? Well mine has the fate of the entire planet hanging in the balance, and if Blackjack fails then all Littlepip's work was pointless. Oh, you've got a character who can only be killed par disintegration ou decapitation? Well mine has one that can't even be killed par that. Your character killed one of the biggest threats to the Wasteland? Nope, my character actually did it, AND saved your character in the process. Oh, you've got a web of political intrigue? Well here's my own new character that was actually orchestrating all of it. You're hero gets a kid killed near the end of the story that almost makes her give up? My main character gets a kid killed in the third chapter, and it only gets worse after that. And I could go on and on and on with examples like that. So triq, toi might ask, if toi have such a huge problem with the story, how could it possibly be your #1? Well, that's a good question. toi see, for all the flaws in the story, there's one thing Somber does very well. Connecting the pre-war and post-war settings. One of my favori aspects of the original FoE was the mysteries, the characters finding clues to slowly piece together what had happened that led up to what was going on. And PH does way plus of that than the original did, and there's even an argument to be made that he might have done it better. Everything with the Marauders and the Projects and the OIA was so great. bt can attest that I spent quite a lot of time trying to work the mysteries out on my own, solving them before the characters did. And that's probably the biggest reason this story has taken my number one spot. Because trying to solve the mysteries Somber had placed in the story was maybe the most fun I've had lire a fic ever. And now, I'll stop, so toi can go read it yourself. Sure, the size is daunting, being almost 3x the size of the original, but it's so worth it.
Link: link
So yeah, that's the new list. Maybe if I feel like my liste has had any major changes again in the future I'll do another of these. Anyways, that's that. Bye.
"When a crown is stolen from the Crystal Empire, Twilight Sparkle pursues the thief into an alternate world where she transforms into a teenage girl who must survive her biggest challenge yet… high school. With help from her new Friends who remind her of Ponyville’s Applejack, Rarity, arc en ciel Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy, she embarks upon a quest to find the crown and change the destiny of these two parallel worlds."
plus Details: link
plus Details: link
This macro toi see here is most likely one of, if not THE first image macro(s) in the brony fandom. It spawned a catch phrase that many bronies stand ou live by. l’amour and Tolerance is something that many believe holds our fandom together, and I'm pretty sure most believe the montrer we l’amour so much upholds that belief.
My belief, however, is that the term "Love and Tolerance" is getting a bit... overused.
Here's my first point of reasoning: I don't remember a single instance where the montrer mentions "Tolerance," ou tells us to practice it. Love, yes, but not tolerance.
Think about it. Every...
