Words read this week: 296,450
Okay, okay, I didn't read all those words this week. But I did read them all for this review! It is ten years to the very day since my first Ponyfic Roundup, and The Silver Standard is also my 2,000th PR fic. I didn't plan that the two should coincide, at least not until very recently, but I'm not complaining! Today's fic is the fourth longest I've ever featured on these virtual pages,¹ and as such it took me quite some while to read. Was it worth it? Yes it was. Read on...
¹ After Fallout: Equestria (PR 5), The Life and Times of a Winning Pony (PR 68) and The Immortal Game (PR 154).
The Silver Standard by PatchworkPoltergeist
Silver Spoon, Diamond Tiara, CMCs and Other
G4; Drama/Slice of Life; 296k words; Apr 2015–Apr 2018; Everyone
Once upon a time, Silver Spoon's life made sense. Now she lives in Ponyville.
For many, perhaps most, MLP fans Silver Spoon isn't a character they spend a lot of time thinking about, except in a vague "Diamond Tiara's sidekick" kind of way. The Silver Standard may well change your mind. A tale running from before S1 of Friendship is Magic until after the events of "Crusaders of the Lost Mark", the fic gives us a far wider and deeper insight into what it's like to be Silver Spoon. The story's length allows substantial sidelights such as a grippingly vicious battle of wills and words at Silver's old school or the gently running mystery of what "battletag" actually is, while other foals such as Dinky "The Dink" Hooves (interestingly portrayed as almost playground royalty) and Berry Pinch are given plenty of development too. Canon events happen all the time – Twilight's ascension, Tirek's attack, the bugbear, etc – but only rarely is Silver front and centre and the story is written to reflect this. Written very well, at that, with consistently excellent character work. A really satisfying read that easily justified the time I spent reading it. Top marks! ★★★★★
As usual with Spotlight reviews, if you continue reading then expect spoilers!