Ponyfic Roundup 72: Where Your Fears and Horrors Come True

I've managed to get through eight fics this week, which is nice as it's got my Read it Later list down to under 430 for the first time in quite a while. Sorry, City of Doors guy! Among today's tales are one of the fandom's most (in)famous old fics and the sequel to a longer story I really liked a few months ago. As usual, I've tried to ensure that a reasonable variety of stories is covered. The fics under review this time are:

Just Like Old Times by DustyPwny
How can I trust you anymore? by callypony
Never a Wonderbolt by SkyeSilverwing
Friends With Discounts by Hyzaku

Rainbow Factory by AuroraDawn
Understanding Eternity by Angel
Neither Brass nor Bold by JohnPerry
The Luna Cypher by iisaw

Just Like Old Times by DustyPwny
Rainbow Dash and Gilda
Slice of Life; 1k words; Mar 2014; Everyone

One piece of fabric will decide the fate of a clinging friendship.

Gilda turns up unexpectedly at Rainbow Dash's Cloud House. Obviously overtaken by canon now, but even aside from that there's not a great deal to this story. Apparently written in under an hour, and you can rather tell: it's distinctly unpolished. Probably worth a look for Gilda fans as it's so short, but the rest of us can take it or leave it. ★★

How can I trust you anymore? by callypony
Lyra and Bon Bon
Slice of Life; 2k words; Aug 2015; Everyone

Lyra is not happy about Bonbon’s secret job. Not at all. But isn’t there more beyond her anger than meets the eye?

A follow-up to the LyraBon scenes in "Slice of Life", but one which takes a slightly different angle to most. The phrasing seems a little weird throughout, though I'm not sure I could put my finger on exactly why. Whatever, I found it a bit distracting. A twist at the end, though that's not quite enough to lift it out of (high) two-star territory. Might be worth a three if you're a huge LyraBon fan, though. ★★

Never a Wonderbolt by SkyeSilverwing
Rainbow Dash and Spitfire
Slice of Life; 2k words; Dec 2014; Everyone

In a meeting with Spitfire, the truth of why Rainbow Dash has not been made a Wonderbolt is finally revealed.

The most unbelievable thing about this fic is that Rainbow has apparently only just turned 16. I don't buy that for a moment. I like most of the rest of it, though, especially the explanation for Rainbow's failure to make the grade. It might not hold together under detailed scrutiny, but for a short fic like this I think it works. Note that there's a little bit of E-rated Rainbow/Spitfire shipping. 16 is legal where I am, but it still works better if you ignore the author and give Dash her apparent canon age of 21 or so. ★★★

Friends With Discounts by Hyzaku
Twilight
Comedy; 3k words; Oct 2013; Teen

Ponyville's premier pranksters pull Ponyville's princess into their latest prank, but after the town's rumor mill completely misconstrues the situation, Twilight finds herself in rather hot water. Still, maybe getting that license isn& [yeah, it ends with an ampersand...]

As with the same author's That Awkward Moment When... (PR 14), this has a massively positive balance (+1178/-30) – and as with that story, I don't like it nearly that much. The background – that prostitution is legal in Equestria – I can take in context, and the comedy is quite amusing for most of the fic. I just feel uncomfortable about the penultimate scene, especially some (admittedly limited and T-rated) coercion and violence played for laughs which really put me off. ★

Rainbow Factory by AuroraDawn
Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo and OCs
Tragedy/Sad/Dark/Alternate Universe; 8k words; Dec 2011–Aug 2012; Mature (Gore)

Nopony truly knows how Rainbows are made in Equestria...

I have read this before, but it was ages ago and before I started writing these reviews. Much to my surprise, this story isn't a total mess. Actually, some of it is fairly good, allowing for some sloppy writing like referring to a male pony as a filly. There's even the odd bit of non-grimdark worldbuilding. On the downside, Rainbow's characterisation is kind of stupid, plus there's a pointless author self-insert and a clear plothole regarding Fluttershy (actually semi-lampshaded). Not much actual gore until the last quarter, which is a relief, but that Mature tag is warranted. You can see the skeleton of a really good horror fic here, though this isn't accomplished enough to be it. Only a two, but a clear two, which is more than I'd expected. Also, G3 canon. ★★

Understanding Eternity by Angel
Celestia and Luna
Tragedy; 4k words; Feb–Mar 2012; Everyone

The year's 7510, and Celestia and Luna are still here.

It's the far future, and the alicorn princesses are remembering and missing Twilight especially. So... yup, they decide to bring her back to life. Unfortunately, just about everything that happens from that point on is entirely unbelievable and the ending is truly ridiculous. ★

Neither Brass nor Bold by JohnPerry
OC
Dark/Slice of Life; 1k words; Apr 2015; Everyone

Shall I speak of our town unnamed?

This starts off with a pretty bad poem. Keep reading; it's supposed to be that way. A short but interesting look at how an inhabitant/inmate of Starlight Glimmer's "Our Town" might still doubt himself even after having his cutie mark removed. The ending suggests that there may still be some hope for him, too. Didn't quite make a four as there's not enough to it, but a high three. ★★★

The Luna Cypher by iisaw
Twilight, Luna and Nightmare Moon
Romance/Dark/Adventure; 106k words; Apr–Oct 2014; Teen

Sequel to The Celestia Code. When the monsters created by the dark crystal engine escape their prison, it's up to Princess Twilight to deal with them. She gets help and advice from Princess Luna, but things don't go as planned.

I really liked The Celestia Code (PR 59), but its sequel – though undeniably a good read – didn't quite win my heart. I'm not a great fan of TwiLuna shipping and there's a lot of that here, though there's more going on than the early chapters might suggest. The adventure is great, though, and those sections are by far my favourites – though be warned: that Dark tag is certainly appropriate. It's not just Nightmare Moon, either... Very mixed feelings about Celestia's portrayal. Luna's Royal Canterlot Grammar is mostly excellent, with an interesting twist. A flurry of amusing references. All the TwiLuna inevitably hits this fic's rating slightly, but still recommended: a top-end three, which you can upgrade to a four if you do like that pairing. ★★★