It Is Recommendsday, My Dudes #94 · 7:13pm Jan 4th, 2023
Last week I mentioned how one of the featured stories was a top tier pick of for Sunset/Celestia reconciliation scenes. And that gives me the perfect lead-in for another one from that list. I love it when the picks are easy! And while the second story lacks the same Sunset connection, it still shares a common thread with the first.
The story in question is As the Sun Sets, Twilight Covers. by Pickleless.
The story begins with Celestia's last words to Sunset Shimmer, scribbled in the journal they share: I'm sorry. And that is it - until a young Twilight Sparkle discovers the journal and starts absently writing in it. And she's shocked when somepony starts writing her back with angry words and warnings to go away. But Twilight persists and eventually befriends her distant pen-pal Sunset... of course, the reader knows that Twilight hasn't written since the first section. The rest has been Celestia, masquerading as her student in an attempt to get Sunset to talk to her.
To start, this story's one of the best uses of colored text on the site. Text color's one of the tools that's both overused and underused at the same time: a lot of veteran authors disdain it as gimmicky, lazy, or something that causes reading difficulty. At the same time, those who do use it tend to prove the detractors right, because when it comes into play it's frequently disruptive and messy. This story, thankfully, is not one of those. It helps to keep who's speaking straight without distracting from the core interaction. (Plus it obviously works for a journal conversation.)
The real prize, though, is how the two interplay. Seeing Celestia bare her soul to Sunset through the disguise is wonderful as she delves into her insecurities and self-recriminations through what she believes to be a safe disguise. And the verbal dance is great: Celestia venting to Sunset while still trying to help her former student, even as Sunset rages and then starts to puzzle out just what the heck is going on with 'Twilight'.
But it's the end - the reconciliation - that drives the whole thing home. Sunset showing she still cares, Celestia trying to make peace, neither of them being able to break the charade even though they each know the other has to have figured it out. It's wonderfully poignant and so very them.
Today's other comes from the always excellent Shrink Laureate, an author who's work never disappoints. The story? Princess Celestia's Private Library.
Tercet is a fairly ordinary pony: a book publisher in Canterlot. When he is summoned by the Princess in the middle of the night, he finds himself shockingly being given a job. Over the centuries, Princess Celestia has accumulated a vast library of books, poems, songs, paintings, and other art from various students, nobles, admirers, and adventurers. They're all priceless to the Princess, and most have never been seen by the public. Tercet is given two years to transcribe, print, and preserve every word, note, and image in the library - under complete and utter secrecy. Some because the contents are wildly pornographic, but just as many because they contain state secrets (such as knowledge of Princess Luna) or would undermine a thousand years of holding up Princess Celestia as, well. The Sun.
This story is one I read early in my time on this site, and it profoundly influenced my own personal take on Celestia. Her position to be seen as The Sun, her love for her little ponies, the muddy pit of her anger with herself for her past sins, the willingness to do whatever it takes to preserve Equestria - this character study is everything I see in Celestia pulled into a single story.
No part encapsulates that more than when Celestia names Luna and Tercet pieces it all together. That whole section just sings in ways I have trouble putting words to. The rest is good, certainly - I mean, you can't read the 'exceedingly uncommon smut' exchange and not laugh - but that section's just so Celestia to me.
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You know, despite it being a journal entry story, when I was reading your description of As the Sun Sets, Twilight Covers., I found myself wondering how long it would be, and balked at the 3.5K length. Normally I’d take that to mean it barely does anything worthwhile with the concept, but off your praise, it’s clear to me it’s both economical and great at letting the journal transitions and what’s unsaid at the margins fill in the blanks. How else to explain you extrapolating what you did from it? Most tantalising. Another one of interest for me!
As for Private Library, doesn’t look quite as appealing (the inclusion of pornography as an aspect is… yeah), but given the endorsements has such big names in the description, I guess I’m gonna have to read it, aren’t I?
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For what it's worth, there's nothing actually pornographic in the story. It's just used as a reason for why some of the items can't be released publicly. ("One of my old admirers painted this masterpiece portrait of me. Unfortunately, it's their artistic license of what my butt looks like so I obviously do not want it on public display." That sort of thing.)
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Seconding what TCC aid, there is zero smut. It is referenced but never explicitly laid out. This is a beautiful touching story and I can't agree enough that it's worth reading.
Both of those look interesting! FWIW as well as what you said, I think part of the aversion to coloured text is historical, in that many of us who've been here a long time started out reading on Kindle-style monochrome e-readers. Back in 2012, when I joined Fimfiction, a substantial proportion of people still didn't own a smartphone, especially in the older age groups. (In the UK, ownership in the 45-54 age group was well under 50%.) And of course on a mono e-reader, coloured text is no use at all.