Ponyfic Roundup 144: Return to the Royal Canterlot Library

Season Seven will premiere in April. I'd guess at 15 April, since that's Easter Saturday, which is when both S5 and S6 premiered. Time to get those hiatus fanfics finished!

Read it Later story count: 484 (nc)

It shouldn't be any real surprise that I've decided to have another look at the RCL's collection, since it's served me quite well in the past. I've occasionally said that, in general, a fic needs to get four stars for me to recommend it here. I've also said that there are rare exceptions – and one of those exceptions is in this week's batch of stories. Here are the six stories I'm reviewing:

How Equestria Was Made by Feo Takahari
Lapidify: To See And Die by Impossible Numbers
That's All by Archmage Ludicrous
The Old Country by Astrarian
Appletheosis by DuncanR
Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger by A Hoof-ful of Dust

★: 0 | ★★: 0 | ★★★: 4 | ★★★★: 2 | ★★★★★: 0

How Equestria Was Made by Feo Takahari
Luna, OC and Other
Human/Sad/Tragedy; 15k words; Mar 2014; Teen (Gore)

Two sisters find an empty snow globe. At a touch, it fills with light and life--but darkness lurks within it as well . . .

This is a fascinating take on the "Equestria was really created by humans" myth, with two children (older, fairly normal Polly and younger, not-at-all normal Annie) at its heart. And no, it's not just the standard "Oh, they're Celestia and Luna" fic you see quite a bit. The world-building (though the term is actually slightly inadequate here) is remarkable, though it takes a little while for the story to get going. I'm not a huge fan of the way Annie's part in the story concludes; I can see what it's going for, but I didn't quite get hit by the right emotions. The last scene of all is lovely, though. Although its style is very different, I've seen this compared to In the Place the Wild Horses Sleep (PR 20). That may be my favourite ponyfic ever; I don't love this one in the same way, and I don't even like it quite as much as I'd hoped – hence the star rating – but the imagination behind it is so impressive that I recommend it anyway. ★★★

Lapidify: To See And Die by Impossible Numbers
OC
Drama/Horror; 12k words; Aug 2016; Everyone

A bureaucratic stallion visits a contact at her home, but ends up facing a rogue cockatrice in the house.

An E-rated [Horror] fic? That snagged my attention, though the story does push that rating. By the author of Practical Nightmares Only (PR 142), Lapidify doesn't disappoint. Told in first person by the stallion in question, its heart is a tense, claustrophobic horror/thriller in which he and another pony try to avoid the cockatrice inside the house – which, incidentally, is not in Equestria. What's particularly satisfying – and chilling – is the extension to canon lore, making the creature an even more disturbing monster than we saw in "Stare Master". There's also some interesting world-building around the edges; that skates on slightly thin ice once or twice, but it never falls through. And my goodness, is that an intentional NetHack reference? I do have one slightly more significant quibble, in that early on a major character is forgotten until narratively convenient, but that aside this is excellent reading – and the ending is memorable too. Recommended. ★★★★

That's All by Archmage Ludicrous
Applejack and Pinkie Pie
Slice of Life; 1k words; Dec 2012; Everyone

Some things aren't worth that much.

A story about Applejack, and particularly Applejack's hat, seen from Pinkie's perspective. The narrative style is very Pinkie, perhaps a little too much so – although it was probably less irritating in 2012. All this really does is turn around the classic scene of other ponies reacting to Pinkieness, but it does so in a pretty readable way. ★★★

The Old Country by Astrarian
Spike, Twilight, Yaks and OC
Adventure; 19k words; Jan 2016; Everyone

Spike's been here before. He's sure of it. Except... he hasn't. The northern border of Yakyakistan is so far from Ponyville it might as well be another world entirely. So why does it feel like he's already home?

Here's a Spike origin story you haven't seen before. The first half is all to do with the frozen north, and the author uses the yaks as something more than simple comic relief. (Dare I say it, in a much more satisfying way than "Party Pooped" itself did.) That opening section is perhaps a tiny bit overlong, but it's interesting enough that I didn't mind too much. The imagery is striking throughout, and the underground is far more than a bunch of nondescript passages: I'm not surprised to learn from Astrarian's RCL interview that she's a caver in real life. The main OC is fascinating, too, and different in many ways from what you might expect, though I didn't always feel entirely caught up in said character's story; I suspect there's some influence there from something I haven't read/seen/experienced. There's also the occasional odd piece of phrasing ("a cognizant snarling edge"). Nevertheless, it's all so downright interesting that it's a must for anyone who doesn't actually hate Spike fics. ★★★★

Appletheosis by DuncanR
Mane Six and OC
Comedy/Slice of Life; 18k words; Mar 2013; Teen

Just your average, garden-variety talking snake. In an apple tree. What could go wrong?

As this fic's long description says, this is a "story with religious themes", largely consisting of the Mane Six interacting with the serpent. It's not simply "ponies do the Fall", though, ranging much wider than the Book of Genesis. The chapters are variably effective: Pinkie's section is probably the best, with Twilight's a close second. The author's aim was to avoid "blatant preaching", though occasionally he comes close to that line. There are a couple of irritating technical errors, notably "it's" for "its" throughout, but nothing major. This is another story I don't like quite as much as many reviewers (is the fact that I'm a non-believer a factor in that? Perhaps), but it's a worthwhile and thought-provoking experience nevertheless. ★★★

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger by A Hoof-ful of Dust
OC
Sad; 1k words; May 2014; Everyone

The Equestria Games honor the best of the best. But for there to be winners, there must be losers.

This dialogue-free short piece considers the position of one of those losers. The writing style is (deliberately) one of longish, comma-filled sentences, which seemed an odd fit for the POV character. It's well enough written to be worth reading for that alone, and the premise is a good one, but the fic only moderately touched my heart. Advances in canon have also made the ending feel somewhat over-the-top. ★★★

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Next time on Ponyfic Roundup: shall we have another mixed bag? Yes, let's have another mixed bag!