Fanfic / The Audience

A My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fanfic by Ralph Hayes, Jr. (writing as RealityCheck).

Equestria has a magic portal mirror housed in Canterlot that allows them access to many worlds, our own being one of them. But then, for once, something, or rather someone, comes through the portal.

This is a Brony in Equestria fanfic, the protagonist seemingly modeled after the author himself: Arthur Arcturus, an overweight, unhealthy yet very shrewd, cunning and knowledgeable fellow, makes the best of being sucked into an alternate universe by a malfunctioning magic mirror into the world of one of his favorite TV shows.

The fic, while mainly a lighthearted comedy, also focuses on the implications of what a knowledgeable brony in Equestria would be like as well as the cause and effects of the similarities in pony-human societies.

You can read it here.

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This fic provides examples of:

• 10-Minute Retirement: Chapter 28 has Arthur temporarily leaving his advisory role to the Princesses after he and Celestia come to blows about how her "My Beloved Smother" attitude is harming Twilight and Equestria as a whole. He and Celestia manage to reconcile after both of them had a chance to cool themselves off.
• Abusive Parents: Averted. Arthur heavily defends his parents. They were good people who taught him what he shouldn't do. Problem is, they didn't teach him what he SHOULD do.
• Accusation Fic: Chapter 10 sees the return of Trixie. While RC subscribes to the 'AJ, Rarity and Rainbow Dash are at fault' camp, Arthur also points out that Trixie's cutie mark symbolizing performing magic tricks and stage magic in a world full of Functional Magic is the real cause behind Trixie being who she is.
• Action Survivor: Arthur, four-hundred pound everyman brony with a heart condition. Changes Equestria just by being there to help the people. Lays the smackdown on TWO draconequi.
• Adam Westing: What Art suggests to Trixie to get her to fall back in love with performing again: play her Large Ham, showboating self to the hilt, play it all for laughs, and laugh along with the audience. He even uses William Shatner as an example.
• Added Alliterative Appeal: Chapter 22 gives us this cloudy gem:
  ...I felt the mane six to be more than a match for the modular Mayhem.
• A Taste of Power: During Anarchy's invasion attempt where he kidnaps the Princesses and most of the Bearers, the Elements of Harmony transfer to Rarity, the last free one, and transform her into an alicorn. After everyone is rescued and Anarchy beaten, she transforms back. For about half an hour; then she ascends, this time permanently.
• Author Filibuster: As usual, RC makes his political and cultural opinions known.
• Awesomeness by Analysis: Twilight, as usual. Arthur as well, able to keep a clear head and help solve problems by drawing parallels between the pony world and ours.
• Badass Bookworm: Twilight, being the element of magic especially after ascension into alicornhood. Arthur as well.
• Because You Were Nice to Me: Fluttershy, All-Loving Hero that she is, comforts the draconequus Clutter even in his final moments and despite the fact he came to invade. Clutter is so moved that he uses all his remaining power to ascend Fluttershy into an alicorn.
• Berserk Button: Hurting children is one for Arthur, causing him to let loose some dirt on his mouth when it happens. Discord found out that talking about Arthur's past is another. In fact, it's discussed by Arthur WHILE it's being pressed.
  "Lesson one, you pretentious jigsaw puzzle; you want to go around pushing other people's buttons, you'd better remember that some of those buttons go BOOM."
• The Bet: Arthur, Celestia, and Luna bet plugged copper bits on whether certain things will happen with political issues. It all started when Arthur and Celestia were debating while they were eating, with Celestia disagreeing so much that she wouldn't even bet said bits. Luna, hungry and annoyed...
  In vexation Luna had pulled out a copper bit, magically drilled a hole through it, and slapped it down between us. "There!" she'd said. "Wager made! And I shall spot thee the plugged copper bit as well! Now stop arguing and pass the boysenberry sauce!"
  • Arthur won the first bet, by the way. This started the little game, and the record is now five wins for Arthur, three for Celestia, and two for Luna.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Arthur. Nice, friendly, loves kids. But he has issues. Do not discuss them, unless you want to find a four-hundred-pound raging fat man bearing down on you while screaming bloody murder.
• Big Brother Is Watching You: To cover for Arthur being knowledgeable about pony society, instead of saying "Somebody made a TV show of us!", Arthur and the rest of the bronies are declared watchers of the ponyverse from another world.
• Black Hole Sue: Discussed in-universe: Arthur has noticed that ever since his arrival in Equestria, circumstances have consistently fallen out in just such a way as to bring him influence and prestige. Over and over again he just happens to be in the right place at the right time to save the world, or happen to know just the right bit of trivia or philosophical argument. He finds this incredibly creepy, especially since he has no clue what is causing it or whether it will persist.
• Born Lucky: Played with. Arthur comments that ever since he arrived in Equestria, things have gone far too well for him, especially in comparison to his previous life.
• Brain Bleach: Chapter 30 lampshades this with a disc labeled as this. It contains pictures of cute fluffy bunnies.
• Calling the Old Man Out: Art is enraged when he is informed of Celestia's actions towards Twilight when dealing with King Sombra, and calls her out for deliberately setting Twilight up to fail. When Celestia's answer fails to satisfy him, Arthur leaves in rage.
• Cerebus Syndrome: Mostly lighthearted. Chapter 19, here comes a new draconequus... And then we learn a bastard tournament with TWELVE of them is coming. Still manages to be light and soft though.
• Cluster F-Bomb: Discord makes the bad mistake of pushing Arthur's Berserk Button. With Arthur in a dream, the now no longer weak old man unleashes all of his rage without any limits, all the while screaming profanities unhindered.
• Clingy Jealous Girl: Violette towards Arthur, after their first date is interrupted... Badly. Arthur's head justifies it for him:
  Another girl just flashed her ta-tas towards her man on her first date with the guy. She would have been offended if she was going out with a teddy bear!
• Covered in Gunge: Rarity in Chapter 23. We are left wondering if she will ever be the same.
• Cry for the Devil: In-Universe, in chapter 39. Fluttershy cries over the draconequus Clutter as he starves to death from lack of Potential.
• Deconstruction Fic: The original point of the fic: Showing exactly how many points of the show, the fandom and many other things would really work. The plot came later.
• Department of Redundancy Department: Taken to a literal extreme. Celestia has established a government department with the sole purpose of keeping bureaucrats occupied and away from anything important...
  "You mean these poor bastards spend most of their working lives filling out each other's forms? Dear Lord, you've invented tax collector's Hell."
• Die Laughing: Art defies this for Discord hard. Discord was prepared to disappear into the aether satisfied that his death will open the way for Equestria to become the battleground for twelve worse Draconequii to battle over, which could all have been avoided if the ponies hadn't rebelled against him, but Art counters him by saying Chaos is neither inherently good nor evil, and declares him, as a being with free will, completely responsible for the bad choices that led to his demise. As a result, Discord disappears with rage on his face.
• Drunk on Milk: After a thousand years of sensory deprivation on the moon, Luna is getting drunk on life, with any kind of pleasant sight, sound, taste, smell or touch triggering an intoxication-like effect. Celestia's initially worried about her, wondering if her behavior is the result of a curse or brain tumor, until Arthur figures out the real cause and reassures her.
• Eldritch Abomination: The Draconequi are indeed beings in between universes, with a twelve-draco themed chaos tournament held whenever they find a universe to settle down. This happened when Discord first came in, and now we know that the next tournament is coming.
• Even More Omnipotent: Despite all of them being Chaos entities, not all the draconequui players in the chaos tournament for Equestria are of equal strength. The tournament's original plan was designed to give each of them an equal shot, with each invader restricted to altering one law of physics for their invasion attempt, and the weaker draconequui given a power boost to allow them to do so. Once Art deduced the pattern, though, that plan went out the window.
• Footnote Fever: Just like his other pony fics, you better make sure to remember each and every number... Or use Control+F.
• Friend to All Children: Arthur has a special affinity for the foals of Equestria, and in turn they are very taken by him. He even manages to calm down a screaming fracture patient RIGHT AFTER SUFFERING A HEART ATTACK.
• Genius Ditz: Snails is a mathematical savant who can count in base four and figure phi to the fifteenth decimal. Still able to get his head caught in an exhibit at the museum.
• Godzilla Threshold: In chapter 41, Art mentions this trope by name in reference to the Mane Six and the use of the Elements. He must then give a brief, summarized description to Fluttershy.
• Good Angel, Bad Angel: A very unique example. Arthur, being the logical man he is, manifests his moral metaphors as an in-between of an angel and demon. Of course, it's as much of a philosophical debater as he is.
  "Arthur: And then it spoke up. You know who it is; that little imp, forever sitting on one's shoulder who somehow manages to carry both a harp and a pitchfork with equal aplomb, and you desperately want to believe in the halo over his head even though you can clearly see the wee little red horns poking out of the top of his head."
• Good with Numbers: Snails of all people: turns out his cutie mark came about when he was thinking about numbers, specifically the Fibonacci sequence and how it relates to spirals in nature, such as the spirals in snail shells. However, given that the colt gets his head stuck in a museum exhibit moment later, he's more of a Ditzy Genius.
• Gratuitous French: Chapter 18 gives us Violette. An earth pony chambermaid from Prance.
• Handicapped Badass: Arthur suffers from a heart condition and is rather overweight. Simply due to his knowledge of the myriad artifacts from his world, he's managed to advance Equestria in technology and thinking far more than it would have without him. And then he beats a Draconequus by stabbing its eye with his cane, and manages to unleash a very frightening beatdown on Discord.
• Herr Doktor: Professor Cosmic Constant speaks with a Germane accent.
• I Choose to Stay: Arthur decides that he has no choice (and to be frank, doesn't need one) but to stay in Equestria because of the potential damage he might cause to both himself and his family if he returns home after being given the chance in an early chapter. Not that anypony has a problem with that.
• Interspecies Romance: Deconstructed just like so many other things, and yet here it's also reconstructed. Biological and psychological inhibitions really prevent Arthur from being really attracted to Violette, and really, human-on-pony is weird. It's not just a "minor thing". But companionship, somebody to listen to? Who cares about species when the loneliness hurts? Rather ironically, Ship Tease pops up showing that he really might be attracted to her.
• Labcoat of Science and Medicine: Just before the second draconequus attack, a press conference happens, featuring Professor Cosmic Constant. The professor is described as wearing a white labcoat, and his looks seem to channel Albert Einstein.
• Lame Pun Reaction: In the footnotes of Chapter 22 the author commiserates about Mayor Mare using a treehouse library and branches pun in multiple speeches.
  • Chapter 26 shows Art making the comment that .. dying would be the last thing he did... Everypony groaned.
• Manchild: Arthur calls himself this when he feels like he's done something childish. He had good parents who told him what NOT to do, but didn't teach him what actually TO do, thereby leaving him helpless throughout his life. Arthur even becomes a Psychopathic Manchild when his Berserk Button is pressed.
• Manipulative Bastard: Anarchy the draconequus, whose invasion attempt consists of manipulating Rarity into giving her life for her friends and Equestria, and thus perverting her element of Generosity into Self-Destruction. Lucky Art is around to poke some holes in his logic.
• Massive Numbered Siblings: Sid the dragon: Apparently after fourteen clutches, his mother had run out of ideas for names.
• My Beloved Smother: Chapter 28 sees Art accusing Celestia of being this. We also learn that he feels this way very strongly about his own parents.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: The draconequus Eris tells Art that originally each invading draconequus was restricted to altering one law of physics and either buffed or nerfed to a level playing field, but because Art deduced the pattern and announced it to the ponies, that order is now broken and the stronger draconequui can go as hard as they want (if for only one thing).
• Oh, Crap, There Are Fanfics of Us!: The reaction of the initial group of ponies who find out about the show in chapter one... And then chapter 30, discussing clopfics, comes to light. May all those who read look at Author Filibuster.
• Porn Stash: As discussed immediately above in Oh, Crap, There Are Fanfics of Us!, one of these is found on a 1 Terabyte HDD found in a trash can and it is Filled to the buffer limit with Rule 34.
  • Serious Business: Arthur is genuinely afraid for a while that Equestria might declare war on Earth for allowing such filth to be printed about their rulers and national heroes.
• Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: In Chapter 23, Mayhem has just hit Rarity with some rotten footstuffs. Rarity goes incandescent with rage.
  Rarity: Oh, you. Are. DEAD.
• Refuge in Audacity: According to Equestrian laws, Arthur is a Draconequus with a Hydra milking farm in Foggy Bottom Bog. Becomes true.
• Relocating the Explosion: Done by Rainbow Dash with an atomic bomb left behind by Sore Loser Mayhem. It succeeds, and earns her ascension into an alicorn in the process.
• Self-Insert: Subverted. Arthur was merely just something of a shell for the author to put himself in at first, but then we gain some more insight into his past and why he acts the way he does.
• Shout-Out: There are plenty of them. As with any fiction written by someone who is a fan of anything, the more time you spend reading this story, the more shouts you find.
  • Chapter 5 sees the CMC trio emulating Solid Snake. Complete with overturned box.
  • Chapter 11 finds Arthur discovering a McDonalds restaurant complete with a cow running a grill.
    Arthur: "Celestia you sick sick SICK..."
  • Chapter 18 references Atlantis: The Lost Empire:
    Cresting Wave nodded. "Just as the whole world started to tip sideways." She gave Celestia a sidelong glance. "Just be thankful it wasn't Air Strike's version of Chocolate Rain instead...."
    "What—" Celestia started.
    I held up a hand. "You don't wanna know," I said. "Trust me on this one, Princess. I wanted to know. He told me, and now I'm telling you, you don't wanna know."
    Celestia held up a hoof. "...I don't want to know."
    "Good to know."
  • A tremendous one to Ghostbusters (1984). The scene where Arthur and crew meet Mayhem is an almost word for word copy of the scene where the Ghostbusters crew meet with the avatar of Gozer on top of the temple skyscraper.
  • Chapter 29 gives us, "Danger, Will Robinson, alien being is sending mixed signals."
• Shut Up, Hannibal!: Arthur pulls this on several villains, but most notably Discord, calling him out on how he's used Chaos as a flimsy excuse for being a jerkass, and Anarchy, exposing and destroying his attempt to con Rarity into sacrificing her magic and very life and thus corrupt the Element of Generosity.
• Shut Up, Kirk!: The start of Chapter 27 describes the Changeling wedding invasion, and despite Arthur spelling out how Chrysalis's invasion plan is doomed to failure from the start and how there's a better way, Chrysalis just knocks him out.
• Sorting Algorithm of Evil: Averted. Ataxia, the first draconequus invader, was stated to be stronger than Discord, but he was under the restrictions of "one alteration of the laws of physics" stated for their chaos tournament, and was only beaten because he was taken by surprise. Mayhem, the next invader, was under the same restrictions, but after those rules were removed, the subsequent draconequui invaders aren't as strong. Eris said that without that balancing, she wouldn't have a chance, and a later draconequus, Clutter, was downright puny.
• Squee: In Chapter 36, Rarity ascends.
  Art: I think the mane six can be forgiven for shrieking like schoolfillies.
• Standard '50s Father: Art ascribes many of this trope's attributes to his father in Chapter 23.
• Tall Poppy Syndrome: Art references this trope by name in Chapter 10 when discussing Applejack, Rainbow, and Rarity's treatment of Trixie in "Boast Busters" while convincing them to reconcile with her.
• Tempting Fate: Lampshaded by Pinkie Pie at the end of Chapter 23.
  Guardspony: "Well, your ladyship, I hope the rest of your group are doing a little better than this..."
  There was an explosion somewhere in the city. Ponies screamed in alarm.
  Pinkie Pie shook her head. "You shoulda known better than to say that," she scolded the guard.
• Undead Tax Exemption: Subverted. Chapter 17 is all about Arthur going through the paperwork to create an official identity for himself, since his advisory position to the Princesses makes him "a bit high profile for Royal Records to overlook, no matter how high their in box is filled". And it's even more difficult since they've fallen into the obsessive belief that if they don't already have a listing for a category, it doesn't exist. In the end, Arthur has to pull a lot of fake answers out of their existing categories for the sake of streamlining the process, including claiming to be a member of a subspecies of draconequus, just to get them to accept him.
• Unlucky Everydude: Arthur's life BEFORE he came to Equestria. That's why he's suspicious of his good luck in Equestria.
• Who Wants to Live Forever?: Chapter 28 shows us Celestia agonizing over the short lives of her mortal subjects.
• Wild Mass Guessing: Arthur does this with Celestia as he tells her about brony fandom theories about Equestria. His own is that it's an advanced theme park simulation abandoned by its old owners and inhabited by its caretakers (the ponies). Celestia responds that considering the mysterious nature of Equestria, the fandom's thousand little thoughts might actually be right, one way or another.

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