Wednesday 20 July 2016

Ponyfic Roundup 116: Pony Stories Again?

It seems to be summer. Won't last, of course. This week on PR, I have five fics to review, so I'm up slightly from last time in terms of number of fics read – if not in total word count. It's been quite some while since I read a five-star story, so will there be one this time? Okay, that attempt to build tension was pretty pathetic given the existence of the star summary below. The answer's no. But hey. Off we go.

Cutie Mark Graduaters by ponylaw
To Try For the Sun by Rune Soldier Dan
Pinkie Busters by Mocha Star
Hell Hath No Fury by Aquaman
Everypony Needs an Angel by Jingle

★: 0 | ★★: 4 | ★★★: 0 | ★★★★: 1 | ★★★★★: 0

Cutie Mark Graduaters by ponylaw
CMC and Twilight
Alternate Universe/Slice of Life; 2k words; Oct 2015; Everyone
The CMC graduated school and became adults without cutie marks...now what?
Perhaps an odd story to publish a week after "Crusaders of the Lost Mark" appeared, but still. This is a potentially interesting concept that sadly doesn't get a terribly interesting treatment. We just follow the Crusaders through the end of their school days and not a great deal actually happens. Nice closing A/N, though, and I'm always amused by the weirdly American idea of a commencement starting. :P ★★

To Try For the Sun by Rune Soldier Dan
Celestia and Luna
Drama/Slice of Life; 5k words; Nov 2015; Teen
Facing starvation in an endless winter, the young filly Celestia attempts to raise the sun... and finds a wonder that her cynical mind had never conceived.
The best part of this story actually comes before the sun-raising attempt. There's some truly fabulous world-building here, and the world that Tia and Luna inhabit convinces as both grim and dark without being grimdark. It's not always easy reading, but it's immensely rewarding. The first two-thirds of the fic demanded my attention throughout. The final third of the story is very slightly disappointing in comparison, perhaps thanks to feeling a little less alien, though it's still good in its own right. The final twist is satisfying, though. Although not perfect, its magnificent scene-setting makes it a strong recommendation. ★★★★

Pinkie Busters by Mocha Star
Pinkie Pie
Comedy/Random; 1k words; Jul 2016; Everyone
Pinkie is on a mission to stop a ghost!
This story includes an image that although not strictly relevant to the story, is a real shame to lose – so bear that in mind if reading on a simple e-reader. The fic itself makes very little sense, and has a preoccupation with artichokes, but despite that I warmed to the author's brand of Madcap!Pinkie anyway. Not enough to gain the story a recommendation, but enough that I didn't feel reading it was a waste of time. ★★

Hell Hath No Fury by Aquaman
Fluttershy and Twilight
Comedy/Dark/Random; 1k words; Oct 2011; Teen
The quiet ones are always the ones closest to the edge.
Actually written the night of the Season One finale (which is relevant), this is a curiosity: Aquaman's oldest story on Fimfiction. He cautions that it's not to be taken seriously, and I suppose it's mildly amusing if you read it in that spirit. Unsurprisingly, it's nowhere near the quality of the author's more recent output, with plentiful LUS and several other early-fandom problems. Not amusing enough to gain more than a high two, but perhaps worth reading for historical reasons. ★★

Everypony Needs an Angel by Jingle
Fluttershy and Angel
Sad/Slice of Life; 2k words; Aug 2014; Everyone
Ever since she found him, Fluttershy has been taking care of Angel. Occasionally, the roles reverse and Angel Bunny needs to look after Fluttershy.
This is a first-person fic narrated by Angel, and I'm always happy to see Angel fics that aren't written just to hurl abuse at him. There are rather too many bits of heartstring-tugging – seriously, everyone in the story seems to have a tragic life and/or past – and there's nothing terribly wonderful here. Nevertheless, if you like pro-Angel fics then this is a reasonable addition to their limited numbers. Doesn't quite justify a three, but it's at the top of the twos. ★★

Next time on Ponyfic Roundup: Logan reads a story featuring Fluttershy. No, really.

2 comments:

  1. Hell Hath No Fury is hilarious, though. Or maybe I'm just remembering when it came out and was basically the first of its kind to tell a joke of that sort.

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    1. Yeah, I suspect that it's a "you had to be there" story, and I wasn't in the fandom until late S2.

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