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How to Be Second-Rate (Glimmer, et. al)
Meeting somepony more talented than you can lead to many unpleasant feelings. Perhaps they’re an excellent flier, or possess a green hoof (whereas you struggle to locate the business end of a watering can). Even worse is when you share special talents, and have to deal with ego-crushing feelings of inferiority.
Often, individuals will choose to outright avoid these Ponies of Outrageous Talent (herein referred to as "POT"). Regardless of whether you’re an earthpony, pegasus, or unicorn, befriending a POT can be a real challenge.
The authors of this publication understand the struggle of living in the shadow of animmortal alicorn Princess-goddess incredibly gifted individual. Below you will find tips on how to find, interact, and live with ponies who are simply better at your talent. It is our hope that this guide can assist you on your quest to be second-rate. Because if you choose to befriend ponies more talented than you, that’s what you’ll be.
Perhaps you are a filly when you first encounter your POT. It’s your first day at Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, and there are plenty of talented ponies in your classroom.
When class begins, however, it is quickly apparent that some ponies are academic superstars. You may be drawn to how your prodigy eagerly and correctly answers every question--even the hard ones. The teacher looks impressed.
You might begin to raise your hoof, to volunteer answers yourself. This will likely result in her participating even more, until the teacher leaves you both in a corner with a worksheet, to let everypony else catch up.
She will finish the worksheet first. She will finish everything first. Your friendship may feel like a competition, but it isn’t.
If she is first, it is because she is leading the way to greatness. Follow her.
Perhaps you don’t encounter this individual until later in life, after you’ve established a place and a name for yourself. You might have spent your entire life believing you are a powerful unicorn, and intended to spend your life basking in the utopia you've created with your own magical cleverness.
Then one day, she saunters in. Bold, talented, convinced of her own moral superiority--she wastes no time in turning your friends against you. She upends everything you hold dear, and suddenly nothing you know is right. Your view of the world, your view of yourself--somehow, she’s morally superior as well as more magical.
She will teach you, of course. You can dig your hooves and plug your ears--because you don’t want to be right, you want to be you--but she will still teach you.
It will hurt. You will be ashamed at how much you do not know, how much there is to learn. You are not as talented as you thought, and she will show you that you aren’t as indomitable, either.
Listen anyway. You might just teach her something in return.
High-caliber individuals (such as yourself) must occasionally prove their exceptionalism. This can be accomplished through two easy steps:
1) Find the most powerful unicorn in town
2) Best them in single combat*
If you find yourself unable to best your POT horn-to-horn, don’t allow their seeming superiority to dampen your Great and Powerful self-confidence. Even if they do drive you out of town, ruin your business, and slander your mighty name--you can’t allow any scrap of doubt to tarnish your belief in your superiority.
Certainly, the little goody-goody Princess might seem to be more powerful. And she might have an entire castle, and a student, and the undying love of a whole nation. And maybe she is smarter, and pretty, and has lots and lots of friends while you had to shoot yourself out of a cannon to make just one…
So what if you have no chance of beating her? So what if it’s an uphill battle?Cheat Challenge her anyways! If the mighty must fall, let them fall at the hooves of legends! You’ll probably fail, but greatness does not come from playing by the rules it safe.
After all, is it better to lose to the best, or triumph over the rest?
*Results may vary
Often, individuals will choose to outright avoid these Ponies of Outrageous Talent (herein referred to as "POT"). Regardless of whether you’re an earthpony, pegasus, or unicorn, befriending a POT can be a real challenge.
The authors of this publication understand the struggle of living in the shadow of an
You Will Never Be First
M.Dancer
M.Dancer
Perhaps you are a filly when you first encounter your POT. It’s your first day at Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, and there are plenty of talented ponies in your classroom.
When class begins, however, it is quickly apparent that some ponies are academic superstars. You may be drawn to how your prodigy eagerly and correctly answers every question--even the hard ones. The teacher looks impressed.
You might begin to raise your hoof, to volunteer answers yourself. This will likely result in her participating even more, until the teacher leaves you both in a corner with a worksheet, to let everypony else catch up.
She will finish the worksheet first. She will finish everything first. Your friendship may feel like a competition, but it isn’t.
If she is first, it is because she is leading the way to greatness. Follow her.
You Will Never Be Right
S.Glimmer
S.Glimmer
Perhaps you don’t encounter this individual until later in life, after you’ve established a place and a name for yourself. You might have spent your entire life believing you are a powerful unicorn, and intended to spend your life basking in the utopia you've created with your own magical cleverness.
Then one day, she saunters in. Bold, talented, convinced of her own moral superiority--she wastes no time in turning your friends against you. She upends everything you hold dear, and suddenly nothing you know is right. Your view of the world, your view of yourself--somehow, she’s morally superior as well as more magical.
She will teach you, of course. You can dig your hooves and plug your ears--because you don’t want to be right, you want to be you--but she will still teach you.
It will hurt. You will be ashamed at how much you do not know, how much there is to learn. You are not as talented as you thought, and she will show you that you aren’t as indomitable, either.
Listen anyway. You might just teach her something in return.
You Will Never Win
T. Lulamoon
T. Lulamoon
High-caliber individuals (such as yourself) must occasionally prove their exceptionalism. This can be accomplished through two easy steps:
1) Find the most powerful unicorn in town
2) Best them in single combat*
If you find yourself unable to best your POT horn-to-horn, don’t allow their seeming superiority to dampen your Great and Powerful self-confidence. Even if they do drive you out of town, ruin your business, and slander your mighty name--you can’t allow any scrap of doubt to tarnish your belief in your superiority.
Certainly, the little goody-goody Princess might seem to be more powerful. And she might have an entire castle, and a student, and the undying love of a whole nation. And maybe she is smarter, and pretty, and has lots and lots of friends while you had to shoot yourself out of a cannon to make just one…
So what if you have no chance of beating her? So what if it’s an uphill battle?
After all, is it better to lose to the best, or triumph over the rest?
The GREAT and POWERFUL 🌙☄✨ TRIXIE ✨☄🌙 says: Why not both?
Learn how to unlock your full potential in Ancient Amulets: Asserting Your Dominance in an Age of Alicorns. Available now at your nearest bookstore!
*Results may vary
isn't Starlight Glimmer implied to be more talented and clever than Twilight Sparkle? that's how I interpret her episodes. well whatever, it's not important, I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.
this one is.... unique. I'm not sure if I'm positive or negative towards it, because I can't figure out how I should be reading this.
does it start off as sincere self-help and then switch into an over-the-top parody for the 3rd part? though actually that was my second reading. my first instinct was this was all done in a veiled snarkiness like The Onion, all the authors being satirical and bitter, and then Trixie forgets to be subtle and makes it an exaggerated farce.
since all 3 pieces are thinly veiled about Twilight, I was hoping there'd be something with that to wrap up all three together at the end (like maybe Twilight offering her own opinion piece, as one example). I see some potential for development here, but again I'm not clear on what the intention was. perhaps the whole point was simply to use Trixie as the punchline, so then my expectations were unfounded. (but there's always room to develop Trixie anyway!)
this one is.... unique. I'm not sure if I'm positive or negative towards it, because I can't figure out how I should be reading this.
does it start off as sincere self-help and then switch into an over-the-top parody for the 3rd part? though actually that was my second reading. my first instinct was this was all done in a veiled snarkiness like The Onion, all the authors being satirical and bitter, and then Trixie forgets to be subtle and makes it an exaggerated farce.
since all 3 pieces are thinly veiled about Twilight, I was hoping there'd be something with that to wrap up all three together at the end (like maybe Twilight offering her own opinion piece, as one example). I see some potential for development here, but again I'm not clear on what the intention was. perhaps the whole point was simply to use Trixie as the punchline, so then my expectations were unfounded. (but there's always room to develop Trixie anyway!)
I think Starlight is more talented (or, older and more studied) than Twilight, so I wouldn't say "more magical" is an accurate view from her perspective. It's just the friendship she lacks.
I'm a little lost on what I'm reading. Is it a scholarly paper all three mares got together to write? It seems almost like it would be more straightforward as a support-group meeting, or even contributions to a book, because I'm not seeing how Moondancer meets the others, or how their collaboration worked.
I'm a little lost on what I'm reading. Is it a scholarly paper all three mares got together to write? It seems almost like it would be more straightforward as a support-group meeting, or even contributions to a book, because I'm not seeing how Moondancer meets the others, or how their collaboration worked.
I really do like the concept of this, and think it's an original take on the prompt, but it needs to more clearly define what it is trying to say. There are times where the tone feels sharp and subtle, and other times where it seemed too genuine to be taken at anything other than face value. I think it would help if the individual authorial voices were more distinct; apart from Trixie's section the rest kind of flowed as one.
Having three sections referring to Twilight, and following with a section Twilight has written on her friendship with Celestia, might also have given this a punchier, expectation-defying ending. But I can fully appreciate that the word count would be against you there.
Not bad though, this. I enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing your work.
Having three sections referring to Twilight, and following with a section Twilight has written on her friendship with Celestia, might also have given this a punchier, expectation-defying ending. But I can fully appreciate that the word count would be against you there.
Not bad though, this. I enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing your work.
>>Ceffyl_Dwr
That idea about Twilight writing a section for Celestia is kinda brilliant? I'd love to see that. Would give the piece a lot more depth.
That idea about Twilight writing a section for Celestia is kinda brilliant? I'd love to see that. Would give the piece a lot more depth.
This had a nice air of bittersweet grace to it, of ponies learning how to grow as people without necessarily being the best. Then you got to Trixie’s section and completely upended the mood, making it seem like Trixie has learned precisely diddly and squat. It also flies in the face of the pantribal aspirations of the introduction. If nothing else, I expected the editor to throw this draft back in her face. I suppose you were trying for comedy, but it isn’t funny, especially not the implications of that last endorsement.
Still, revise Trixie’s entry and there is definite potential here, with plenty of room for expansion. Twilight and/or Luna on Celestia. Scootaloo on Rainbow Dash. Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich on each other.
Still, revise Trixie’s entry and there is definite potential here, with plenty of room for expansion. Twilight and/or Luna on Celestia. Scootaloo on Rainbow Dash. Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich on each other.
This definitely speaks to me on a personal level. I could write an additional chapter about the WriteOff.
I related so much to this story that it landed well at the top of my slate. I couldn't do less after the honour you did writing a fic just for me. If you need me to write a final chapter, or a preface, I'll be happy to oblige.
I related so much to this story that it landed well at the top of my slate. I couldn't do less after the honour you did writing a fic just for me. If you need me to write a final chapter, or a preface, I'll be happy to oblige.
Post by
Monokeras
, deleted
The closest I can come:
To making this work--and I very much want it to work--is that it's a pamphlet put together by Trixie to advertise the book she plugs at the end, and that she solicited the submissions from Moon Dancer and Starlight under false pretenses. That's the only way I can think of for this to be a single piece from beginning to end.
If that's the case, then I'll suggest expending it for FimFiction publication by giving us another scene where Starlight angrily confronts Trixie about it. And if that isn't the case, then I'd like to know what the heck's going on here, author! :)
Mike
To making this work--and I very much want it to work--is that it's a pamphlet put together by Trixie to advertise the book she plugs at the end, and that she solicited the submissions from Moon Dancer and Starlight under false pretenses. That's the only way I can think of for this to be a single piece from beginning to end.
If that's the case, then I'll suggest expending it for FimFiction publication by giving us another scene where Starlight angrily confronts Trixie about it. And if that isn't the case, then I'd like to know what the heck's going on here, author! :)
Mike
E - How To Be Second-Rate — A+ — Actually, I would refer to Ponies of Outrageous Talents as POOTs, but I’m silly. Amazing job of capturing personalities in little vignettes. Top tier. All we’re missing is Princess Luna, wangsting about how after a thousand years of absence, all her sister wants to talk about is this amazing unicorn student of hers...
>>georg
And Twilight doing the same about Celestia.
And Rainbow Dash doing a piece titled 'You Will Never Be Me' about how, well - it's Rainbow Dash. You can figure it out from there.
And Twilight doing the same about Celestia.
And Rainbow Dash doing a piece titled 'You Will Never Be Me' about how, well - it's Rainbow Dash. You can figure it out from there.
Moondancer’s was the best of these; they felt like they sort of steadily slid downhill, though, as the ponies were less and less penitent and humbled by their experiences. While I get why they were ordered in the order they were in, I'm not sure that they really came together as a piece, as the advice was mutually contradictory and I'm not quite sure what the false document is supposed to be if they're contradicting each other so sharply.