More Stories You Haven't Read (But Should Have)

Back by popular demand, it's little-known short stories!  A number of people have asked me to do this again, and I would have made another post sooner if it hadn't been for one tiny detail: putting this together is a lot of work.  There are only so many diamonds in the rough, after all, and I just don't have the time to go digging for them.  If this post goes over well, maybe someday I'll manage to find some more stories and make a third entry in the series--just don't expect it to be anytime soon.

As before, I've assembled three very different short stories.  While I don't necessarily claim that any of them are the best works ever to grace a digital page, I think all of them deserve more attention than they've received to date.  Check them out below the break.

     1. Magical Happy Sunshine Princess Ponies And The Enchanted Garden of Whimsical Rainbow Frolics, by Kiyyik

How overlooked is it?: You may remember that, way back in April '11, Equestria Daily held an April Fool's Day art/story contest; this was one of the entries.  In its bracket of five stories, it tied for last, and has probably never been linked to since.

Why it deserves better:  I know that as soon as I say "G1 ponies" most of you will recoil in disgust, but hear me out.  MHSPPATEGoWRF (for short) hits the sweet spot between silly and disturbing perfectly.  The first time I read it, I was genuinely creeped out by Pinkie's party (and lest you think, "Oh, April Fools stories, then they must all have happy endings," I'll point out that one of the stories submitted was about Celestia committing genocide against the buffalo so that the Appleoosans could steal their land.  So, yeah).  But the real payoff of this story comes in the last few paragraphs, which manage to completely subvert what we think we know about one of the main characters, and yet still feel perfectly natural.

Recommendation: If you're looking for something funny yet creepy, but still in keeping with the tone of the show (if not with the tenor of the actual episodes), then this is a good one.



    2. Memoirs of an Oak, by Vornado

How overlooked is it?: This story was posted on both Pony Fiction Archive and FF.net, where it's garnered all of three comments... combined.

Why it deserves better: Fluttershy wants to be a tree.  We've all heard a dozen jokes about that single line from Over a Barrel, and they're well and truly stale by now.  But this story does something different; it takes the idea of becoming a tree seriously, and ends up being both disturbing and thought-provoking.  The detail with which the idea of actually being a tree is explored makes the care and consideration which the author put into this work obvious, but it's never overwhelming.

Recommendation: In some ways, this story is well and truly depressing, yet in others, it's happy and hopeful.  I'd have a hard time categorizing it, but I think it's worth reading by anyone who likes their one-off jokes thoroughly picked apart, deconstructed, re-constructed, and finally realized to their logical extremes.



    3. My Little Mythology, by Skratch Okami

How overlooked is it?:  Despite being a multi-chapter work posted on Equestria Daily (during the summer, no less, so this was at a time of heavy traffic), this story only has 21 ratings.  I think that's the lowest number I've ever seen on a multi-part work (please don't go find some lower-rated story that proves me wrong, I'm sure it exists and I apologize in advance for my ignorance).

Why it deserves better: There are two kinds of people in the world: those who enjoyed Tolkien's The Silmarillion, and those who can't understand why the first kind of people enjoy The Silmarillion.  This is a story for the first kind of people.

Written in a style that can best be described as "biblical," My Little Mythology gives the early history of Equestria a thoroughly archetypal yet extremely satisfying spin.  Heavy on names and places, this story isn't for everyone, but it's sure to delight the sort of people who will enjoy it.

Recommendation: Well, are you a Silmarillion fan or not?  If you aren't sure, open up the first chapter and read a few paragraphs.  I think you'll be able to tell pretty quickly if this is a story for you or not.