Ponyfic Roundup 88: Where We're Going, We Don't Need Words

All being well, I'll be on holiday when this post goes up, so don't be too annoyed if I seem to ignore your comments – it's just that it's a pain using this site on a phone. I'll try to remember to respond to any that need responding to when I get back in the New Year. There are five fics in my sights this time around, and they are:

I Think I Died Today by eLLen
Six To Eight Weeks Dungeon by ocalhoun
Blank Book by Regidar
Harissa by Orbiting Kettle
The Sidewalks of Noo Yoke by scoots2

I Think I Died Today by eLLen
Rarity and Sweetie Belle
Slice of Life; 1k words; Jun 2015; Everyone

A girl made a mistake. Now she talks to her sister about it.

This is utterly straightforward slice of life – don't expect any great drama because of the title – that's little more than a vignette. There's nothing offensive about it, and both ponies' characters are reasonably well drawn, but there's not a huge amount of substance here. ★★

Six To Eight Weeks Dungeon by ocalhoun
Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and OC
Comedy/Random/Slice of Life; 2k words; Dec 2015; Everyone

Twilight's royal title is put to the best possible use.

A government official appears in Ponyville to start eviction proceedings against Fluttershy because she has too many animals in her house. Alerted by Rainbow, Twilight makes uncharacteristic (but enjoyable) use of her royal status to head her off. This is silly fun for silly fun's sake, but what's wrong with that once in a while? A strong three. ★★★

Blank Book by Regidar
Twilight
Sad; 2k words; May 2014; Everyone

Twilight reads a book with no words, no page numbers, and no title.

This is a really nice short fic which I don't want to say too much about for fear of giving it away. Twilight feels very Twilight, which is the biggest plus, and there was a real emotional kick when I realised what the blank book symbolised and how the story was going to end. Recommended. ★★★★

Harissa by Orbiting Kettle
Zecora
Adventure; 6k words; Aug 2015; Teen

Zecora may lead a peaceful life now, but her story began once upon a time, in a far away land, amidst blood and treachery.

As the short description suggests, this is a "Zecora backstory" fic. There aren't too many good Zecora stories around, but I'm pleased to say this is one of them. I particularly like the attention paid to rhyming here – a character not rhyming causes quite some reaction – although not all the dialogue flows quite perfectly. We get numerous glimpses into Zecora's home society, and more than a hint of personal tragedy, too. Misses out on a really high score because it doesn't quite drive its hooks into me as much as I'd hoped, but it's in the upper echelons of the three-star band. Actually, probably worth another star if you're thirsting for some decent zebrafic. ★★★

The Sidewalks of Noo Yoke by scoots2
Babs Seed and OCs
Slice of Life; 3k words; Dec 2012; Everyone

Cherry Blossom is new to Manehatten, homesick for Dodge Junction, and now she's lost on the way to her first day at school. Luckily for her, there's a tough talking little filly who's willing to take her in hoof.

No prizes for guessing the identity of said filly. This is a pretty by-the-numbers tale of a country girl being taken under the wing of a streetwise city kid. Nothing desperately wrong with it beyond that, though I do find Babs' written-out dialect irritating: the line "da love an' da tolerance" is used, even. It's just not very memorable. ★★

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Next time on Ponyfic Roundup, stories reviewed will include Horse Voice's Biblical Monsters and FanOfMostEverything's Wizards, Fools, and Foals.