It Is Recommendsday, My Dudes #99 · 11:45pm Feb 8th, 2023

It's been cold as all hell this week. I'm used to a cold winter, but seeing single digits at noon (before wind chill) is enough to make me take shelter in three layers with a protective ward of hot chocolate.

So while it's warming up again, this is a great excuse to focus on some Crystal Empire stories!

Let's lead with the shorter of today's pair: The Destiny Trap by AndrewRogue.

While in Trottingham, Trixie stumbles onto a mysterious curiosities shop that wasn't there before. Inside, she encounters Blackstone, a crystal pony with a treasure trove of occult and obscure magic items. Having not learned her lesson, Trixie purchases a fantastical new deck of cards with mysterious powers. And upon traveling home, she shows it off to her bestie Starlight Glimmer. Something goes wrong - or perhaps tragically right - with the trick and Starlight finds her cutie mark and magic stolen. And, of course, the shop isn't there anymore when Trixie returns. Because it wouldn't be much of an adventure if the mysterious shop had a simple returns policy.

So this author's one that goes under most radars: while they've got a ton of good stuff, they've only got six stories after nine years on the site and nothing since 2018. This one's probably their best. It's got a solid set-up - I mean, Trixie doing unwise Trixie things is always great - but it's the climax scene that really makes it stand out to me.

Blackstone makes complete sense, both as an antagonist and within the bounds of the universe. She's one of those villains who would have absolutely shown up in the show - well, actually she's got more of an 'arc in the comics' feel because she's a bit more world-exploring. Never the less, she's a wonderful threat and just the right amount of sympathetic. And that in turn is why she works so well set against Starlight and Trixie: they're able to respond to that sympathy while still having it tempered by their own experiences and mistakes. (Starlight's last speech to Blackstone is the second-best part of the fic, beaten only by Trixie's climactic challenge because goddamn heroic Trixie is awesome.)

It's that last scene that really elevates this story, and it's just chef's kiss perfect.

TThe Destiny Trap

Trixie has found a brand new magic trick she wants to show off to Starlight. A shame it doesn't go quite as expected.

AndrewRogue · 7.7k words · 236 5 · 3.7k views

The other half of today's card brings along a far more well-known author with Cold in Gardez and Twilight Sparkle at the Gate of Heavenly Peace.

It's been one year since Sombra was defeated, and to celebrate the occasion Princess Twilight Sparkle is coming to the city for a celebration. Four ponies - Compass Call, Fever Dream, Lazulite, and Peridot - gather together in preparation. Their goal? The assassination of Twilight Sparkle - for the glory of their Lord Sombra. But when on the eve of their plan going into action, their safehouse is raided by the guard and it becomes obvious that one of them must have betrayed the rest.

This one's another just excellent piece - as to be expected from Cold. While Twilight's named in the story, it's entirely focused on the four and their drama. The rush of trying to complete the mission as it all collapses around them. The tension of both them and the reader trying to figure out who the traitor is and why. The bits of history and interpersonal drama - like Compass and Fever's bloody love affair - that add personal touches to who the characters are. It's top notch, and it's always struck me as a bit weird that this one actually ranks as forty-first of Cold's stories. It's far stronger than that, but has somehow gained relatively little notice. (This is, of course, relative. Cold in Gardez having ten stories at 1000+ likes kinda sets a high bar.)

It's a particular tribute to the mystery of this one that I wasn't able to figure out who the traitor was before the reveal, and yet it still made sense when it was. Too often a mystery is either far too obvious or the end result is too left-field to be believable.

TTwilight Sparkle at the Gate of Heavenly Peace

On the one-year anniversary of King Sombra's destruction, Twilight Sparkle prepares to visit the Crystal Empire again. Thousands will greet her. Four want to kill her.