>>5580 The two that immediately spring to mind for me are The Exchange and Obsession, though they are fairly well known.

This is probably the best HiE out there https://www.fimfiction.net/story/73404/through-the-well-of-pirene probably because it's got plenty going for itself other than just humans in Equestria. The prose is amazing, I recommend reading it, especially if you're interested in mythology.

>>5580 I recently found a comfy SoL thing set during Season 1-2. >https://www.fimfiction.net/story/488530/cooking-is-magic The only downside is that it's incomplete and the author doesn't give a fuck about writing more.

My favorite fanfic is a Witch in Broad Daylight. https://www.fimfiction.net/story/480844/a-witch-in-broad-daylight Let us discuss this.

>>13817 I haven't personally read it, but I've seen what other anons in /fimfic/ have had to say about it. General consensus of it that I saw was negative. IIRC the main complaints were the characterization of Twilight and the overall plot of the story growing weaker the longer it goes on. Though it has a lot of thumbs up, so I guess there's something about it that many people enjoy. What do you personally enjoy about it? Also, don't feed the troll. Let's be civil here.

>>5580 I have more than a few I have gathered over the years, especially from the earlier days of this fandom seeing as I got on the trainer early. As it so happens, my tastes in fanfiction also reflect this due to the more open nature of the source material back then, allowing for a greater diversity of interpretation of both characters and lore that the later seasons simply do not facilitate in the fandom's zeitgeist. Not to say that there isn't anything wrong with what is out there nowadays, but the environment isn't what it used to be when facilitating certain creative endeavors in branching out into the greater wilderness. I.E: What used to be unknown lands filled with discoveries to be made and other wonderful things that could just be, has been paved over by the later seasons into something more... Generic. Banal. It does allow for people to be on the same page, but you lose out on the variety and spice of life as the mystery was vanquished by a more solidified world. I could rant about this all day long, and have done so at least once on this very board in one of my posts. But that's neither here nor there, so instead I shall bequeath a few from my collection. https://www.fimfiction.net/story/315907/the-violin-makers-daughter https://www.fimfiction.net/story/265869/the-cellists-gambit (Featuring Octavia & Fleur De Lis. Always been a sucker for Octavia ever since I found her, and I do like the chemistry and interpretations of both their characters here. I only wish there was more to be had, but what is there stands on their own as completed works.) [They Are Not Who They Appear to Be, or What do You Mean They Are Not an Alicorn/Changeling?] https://www.fimfiction.net/story/221114/cold-hearted (Alicorn. Singular. Not plural.) https://www.fimfiction.net/story/164355/temporal-visitor (A younger version of Celestia is brought to the future after her student performs a time travel spell.) https://www.fimfiction.net/story/238566/there-is-no-luna (What it says on the tin.) https://www.fimfiction.net/story/286938/the-end-of-the-day https://www.fimfiction.net/story/72594/the-alicorn-delusion (Ditto.) https://www.fimfiction.net/story/98432/the-royal-family (Role swap with Princess Celestia and Applejack.) https://www.fimfiction.net/story/169217/exchange (Fandom classic, featuring a bit of interesting backstory for the Sun Princess.) https://www.fimfiction.net/story/62301/true-love-never-changes (Featuring Shining Armor and "Cadence".) https://www.fimfiction.net/story/26961/mirrors-image - https://www.fimfiction.net/story/49906/the-assumption-of-applejack-or-appletheosis (The World calls upon a new princess to take up the mantle of the Earth. And a simple farmer must answer it.) https://www.fimfiction.net/story/78117/the-irony-of-applejack (Have you ever read some works that have left you wanting for more? Are they in a particularly niche subject that gets little attention, and even less so after the advent of a certain season? Do they have certain concepts that would have worked great on their own, but have been tainted by canon from later seasons?

>>13856 Well, look no further than some choice picks I have here, with certain characters having an alternative origin such as The Irony of Applejack and the aforementioned pony being a changeling queen, or the "true" origins of the Celestial Princesses. You usually don't see these types of works anymore, at least none that I am aware of since I stopped browsing for new stories on Fimfiction back around 2017 to the present after the content became saturated with the current thing for that time. Which is a shame, but not surprising seeing to the fact that paths once unpaved have now been paved over with concrete. In my times in this fandom ever since Season 3, I have come to dread whenever a new season was up and coming due to the Twilicorn effect, in which the newest canon will inevitably influence the output of fanfiction and fanlore to be had, something even to such a drastic extent that the author will go out of their way to "fix" stuff that ought to not be fixed in the spirit of staying "true to canon", whatever the hell that means. I've had this unpleasant experience going all the way back to Luna Eclipsed, but I have found that the fiction the fandom created became more derivative and changed in certain way as the season filled in the holes that many people could not ignore when creating their own works. The sequel to The Irony of Applejack is particularly irksome, seeing as a now Princess Twilight takes away from the spotlight that is Applejack being royalty, something that was a little more special back then when said story was completed. while I have not read the sequel in any way, and thus cannot pass judgment of it in an objective manner, the princess Twilight there was enough to turn me off from the sequel in its entirety. There isn't anything wrong with featuring Princess Twilight persay, but it took something away from what the prior story's Applejack special. Whereas if Twilight was still a unicorn, her presence would still be important but not overstated, but as a princess and alicorn to boot, that changes things the dynamic of the story in a way that would not have been otherwise if she were still the humble librarian. [And that is a rant in of itself, with the changing character of Ponyville and the like, but I digress.] Alas, this is a feeling that has been felt more and more up until it could no longer be tolerated come 2017, and thus my end with the browsing of most any more fiction from the fandom, but again, I digress. These selected stories have interesting alterations that probably would not have been formed in the present environment, at least as they stand now. In a certain sense, they're a time capsule to a different fandom, a different mindset, a showcase of why mystery and intrigue for a source's material lore is important for the nurturing a fandom's creative output. Given the chance, at least some elements in these stories may have proven less divisive for the fandom in the long run if they were to have been implement, if but Hasbro had but the ambition to make the show more than a mere vehicle to sell toys to children and manchildren alike. A man can dream, but alas, it was not to be.)

>>13857 [World Building Galore, Not Canon Friendly: Some stories above may qualify for this, but will not be shown to avoid repeats.] https://www.fimfiction.net/story/499685/preunification-anon [What it says on the tin, with an anon escorting a filly Celestia along with a unicorn escort. Incomplete, and likely never will be due to the lack of updates, but what's there is good enough to have a fun time.] https://www.fimfiction.net/story/479815/everyday-life-with-guardsmares [A technologically savvy anon with a band of guardsmares. What more could you want?] https://www.fimfiction.net/story/499520/buggycyoa [You already know this one. But it bears repeating I like the divergence in world building from canon here. I'd like to see more of the gryphons and changelings of this place if the author ever returns. Also, Twilight is till a unicorn, a plus for me personally.] [Gilda centric, pre-S2 in terms of lore. Griffonstone this is not. Gilda almost makes a terrible mistake that costed her life and that of her friend. What happens next is after the prologue.] https://www.fimfiction.net/story/65059/heart-of-gold-feathers-of-steel https://www.fimfiction.net/story/76123/summer-days https://www.fimfiction.net/story/96920/evening-flames https://www.fimfiction.net/story/167879/august-fifteenth [Adventure/Romance] https://www.fimfiction.net/story/3479/the-games-we-play [Rainbow/?] Someone has donned the Mare Do Well costume again, but who?] https://www.fimfiction.net/story/7256/hypothermia-of-the-heart [Rainbow Pie/PinkieDash shipping, AU featuring the Mane 6 during Hearth's Warming Eve] That's about all I have time to post for the time. I'll save the rest later when the occasion permits it.

>>13858 Thank you for elaborate writeup, anon!

>>13856 I should read The Exchange again. I love that fic. Should also check out some of these others of course.

>>13866 If all goes well, I shall have an additional selection of works posted come next week. Hopefully they'll be works you have not read before, and come to enjoy as I have. >>13860 It comes natural, as per my passion for the subject. Regardless, I hope you enjoy the works I have brought up to this thread.

>>13856 >>13857 >>13858 I appreciate these posts. It's obvious that you're passionate about the world of Equestria, so it's interesting to read your thoughts on how the progression of the show impacted the fandom, and the resulting works that it produced. >paths once unpaved how now been paved over with concrete That's a very eloquent way to express both a feeling and observation that I've held for a long time. You're bang on about how with every new episode that came out, it's as if the majority of creatives felt they were under compulsion to start shoehorning in every new bit of canon or world detail, regardless of if it was good or not. This was prevalent even during S1 and S2, though the negative side of this behavior didn't really start to manifest itself until S3 began. I'm glad that you enjoy BuggyCYOA enough to include it in your list here; I must have gotten something right with that one. Notaulix is a good bug Out of curiosity, did you ever read the start of MoonyCYOA? Ironically I was super hyped about running that story, because in my mind I had built up some absolute kino worldbuilding, even better than BuggyCYOA, just waiting to be discovered. But all I got from /moon/ was crickets. Anyway, I wish I had something more to contribute to this thread, but I've been living by a personal rule for many years now to never read any pony fanfiction. So... I got nothing lol. Are you the anon who was doing the Roseluck and Gilda story in the griff thread?

>>13909 I'm no 4chan oldfag, but I did jump on early enough to have memories of when S1 Luna was a thing. Yup, that' me. My RoseGilda story has been on the backburner in favor of focusing on my PMD stuff, another attempt in that fandom to deviate from what Pokemon has become in modern times. Seeing as I have recently finished uploading a chapter last month, I might deign to refocus my efforts for the RoseGilda story. Though to be honest, I have been at a loss at how to proceed with the world building. Got a few strong ideas I want to implement, but no real end goal in sight other than throwing shit at the wall to see what sticks. I'll have to take another looksie to see how things go and figure out what I want to do. Definitely want to do something regarding role reversal, play with Dash's loyalty to Gilda, and perhaps toy with Roseluck being further ostracized from both her old community, her sisters, and perhaps even contempt for what she once was as a coward, but that's for another post... Unless of course, you want to discuss this further. I can't say I have. I have been vaguely aware of it, but haven't bothered to track it down for various reasons that can be boiled down to distraction and laziness. Perhaps I should though, just to see what the hubba is about. BuggyCYOA is a nice and refreshing stalwart in staying faithful to the old ways of things in comparison to what has happened to the changelings nowadays. Actually, that goes for the entirety of Equestria and everyone within it when considering what's up on the main page of Fimfiction at present. It's difficult to filter stories on that site for the things I want with regards to it leaving out some of the stuff I don't like from canon, which for obvious reasons have been incorporated into the most works that are either updated or uploaded to it for the past few years. Yours is one of those last few lifelines that could sit comfortably with the 2012 era of pony fiction, when it was more than tolerable and some of the new lore could be enjoyed without it overstaying its welcome. Unicorn Twilight sitting as a good support character without taking up the limelight as royalty? Check. Ponyville without that god awful castle? Check. Gryphons that aren't boiled down to whatever the hell Gryphonstone did to them and with every damn one of them starting with a G just because the show said so? Check. Also divergent world building like that of the old stuff, with some partial inspiration to my own works going forward as far as the gryphs are concerned. As far as BuggyCYOA is concerned, you struck out on a nice vein of gold, whereas with MoonyCYOA, I cannot say. It's been quiet these days, and much of the more passionate audience has long since left for greener pastures. The ride may never end, but that won't stop people jumping off anyway with the state of the fandom. One thing I have long since realized is that for most people, if the main source material isn't doing anything, they won't stick around for long, save for the more dedicated folks like you and I. The community is too fragmented to wholly rely on stuff like your CYOAs, other fanfiction, and the like to keep a common whole in cohesion. And seeing as the show has made many divisive changes, often what may be attract for one group is not so for another. That, and the environment isn't exactly conducive for productive discussion or the like. The fandom's been worn to the bone, and for most people what was worth extracting has since passed a tipping point. Still, there are those who still remain in the shadows waiting for good stuff like what you produce. Might want to check in again on Moon or elsewhere to see what's up and why the reception has been quiet. You never know if the anons there just simply weren't there that day to comment.

>>13912 As far as reading fanfiction is concerned, unless you have a desire to avoid being influenced by other folks and their work, now is a good time as any to start reading the stuff from the way back when times. Seeing as some of the works I wanted to recommend have since disappeared from my favorites, though not from Fimfetch, I would implore you to take a looksie and see what's up with these stories. They are by far from the only ones I have on offer, and even if you don't take any "fanon" from them as it were, they are still joy to read. You know what they say about good fiction, it helps foster ones own taste in the good stuff. https://www.fimfiction.net/story/499685/preunification-anon Also, was completely wrong about this being dead. Was thinking of something else. Anyway, ti close this off, I'll shoot off a few more recommendations that can be "read on their own" as it were. They are fairly self contained for the most part, and can be finished in an evening. Hope you lads enjoy them. https://www.fimfiction.net/story/30204/what-if-rarity-from-the-three-sisters-met-with-chrysalis (What it says on the tin.) https://www.fimfiction.net/story/24388/a-change-of-face (One of the pioneers for pony being a changeling all a long. Classic LyraBon, it's a good read.) https://www.fimfiction.net/story/24827/transdimensional-zoology (The animals are the ponies here, and the ponies are the animals. A fun little story.) https://www.fimfiction.net/story/28980/equestria-global-offensive (A dated classic, but in the good way, especially if you played Global Offensive back in the day.) https://www.fimfiction.net/story/7150/we-are-our-habits (One of the decent 2nd on the site. I have more from where that came from, but I'll save those for later. Just enjoy "your" time with Nurse Redheart.) https://www.fimfiction.net/story/41600/a-mote-of-dust (Classic changeling fic from back in the day. The MC in some ways reminds me of Notty.) And that's a wrap for now. Hope this set of fics proves to be a good read, and a good reminder of what once was. Enjoy. Bonus! A set of pictures to get the mind a running.