The Book of Friendship
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Twilight Sparkle sent many letters to Princess Celestia detailing what she learned about the magic of friendship. These letters, along with many other writings, were collected into a book. The "Book of Friendship," as it was called, contained many teachings of love and tolerance, sharing and caring. |
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The Book of Friendship is a My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fanfic written by Billycolt. It is ostensibly a crossover with The Book of Mormon, sharing the musical's basic plot: Brother White and Brother Scroll, two members of The Fraternity of the Joyous Friends of Princess Celestia (the organization which created the eponymous book) are sent to Earthquake Island to spread the teachings of their order. The locals, however, have problems that can't quite be solved with hugging and party games.
The similarities to the original musical there. The rest of the fic is comprised of White and Scroll's attempts to bring the locals around to their way of thinking, a tall order when contending with raids from the Pegasi and Unicorns, and the local General Ripper, General Quake. The missionaries do manage to gather some friends, but will it be enough to change the warzone that is Earthquake Island?
Despite the darker premise, The Book of Friendship is often hilarious and genuinely heartwarming, though make no mistake: it is dark, and often gut-wrenchingly so. It currently boasts 21 chapters with no end in sight, and can be read here.
- Adorkable: Both Brother White and Brother Scroll, Though Brother Scroll takes the cake: Whatever about him isn't absurdly nerdy is absurdly adorable.
- Black Comedy: Extremely so.
- Bloody Hilarious: At the end of the first chapter a pegasus scout is shot in front of White, splattering him with blood. He does not take it well.
- In Name Only: Were it not for the vague mention of Twilight and it being about ponies, the fic would share nothing with it's source material. None of the characters from the show ever appear, save for a brief appearance by Celestia in the first chapter.
- Mood Whiplash: At the ending of the first chapter, no less. After a peaceful, if somewhat awkward, first meeting, Scroll and White land on the island and are immediately witness to a pegasus scout being shot dead by the locals.
- The fic as a whole makes excellent use of it, often creating extreme whiplash between or within chapters for effect.
- Woobie: Clip, full stop. The poor kid is tossed off the pegasuses' cloud fortress by his own mother, nearly drowns, then washes up on Earthquake island. How do the islanders respond? By cutting of his wings and cutie mark and forcing him to collect garbage, of course!