Title: The Stranger and Her Friend
Author: TheUrbanMoose
Category: My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
Rating: T
Genre: Adventure
Chapters: 33
Words: 289,938
Published: May 11, 2012
Updated: November 16, 2013
Status: "On Hiatus"
Pairings: None to speak of so far.
Summary: Princess Celestia is a living legend, but much of her life is shrouded in mystery. Records have long since been lost to the decay of time, and the tale of her triumph over Discord has become a fable. The Princess’s memory of the event has long since faded… or has it?

Her faithful student lending an eager ear, Celestia recounts the true story of a war-torn Equestria, the struggle against Discord, and the early years of her own life.

Before she was the Princess of the Sun, she was merely a stranger.
Link: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/20514/The-Stranger-and-Her-Friend

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The story covers a period that is sadly only alluded to in the show: when Discord was in his prime, before Princess Celestia and Luna banished him with the Elements of Harmony. That alone drew me to the story, since there isn't a whole lot of fanfic that covers that time period as far as I can tell.

Beyond that, Discord's characterization is very entertaining, made even better without the restrictions of a children's television show (the story's quite dark in comparison to the show, by the way). The author expands on the time period that the Hearth's Warming Eve episode presented to us, and adds more to the world beyond Equestria. Celestia's origins are intriguing, and some of the side characters introduced are showing promise too.

The only real downside I'm seeing right now are that it's not very far in yet, but the update schedule seems frequent enough. So far I give it a 4/5 with the possibility of elevation once it gets further along.


Checked by Minion, June 25, 2015