Ponyfic Roundup 212: Letting your heart be your guide

Title explanation: Hasbro uploaded the G1 theme

Nothing to do with My Little Pony, but I was delighted recently to discover that you could finally get Beatles songs on YouTube from the official channel, ie one whose videos weren't going to be zapped by Apple. I've always been a big Beatles fan, though maybe not as hardcore as some (I just can't sit through Revolution 9), so this was big news for me.

Read it Later story count: 327 (+4)

Another five-fic week, which is pleasing given that our epochal heatwave is still going along. I know 30 °C isn't anything special for some of you, but weeks on end of it here most definitely is. Anyway, another interesting (to me; I can't speak for you!) collection of tales this time around. They are:

The Talk by The Descendant
Tough Little Pony by Isseus
Why We Dig by Starscribe
The Rainbow Factory? by Just Horsing Around
Somnambula's Legacy by Nyarlathi

★: 0 | ★★: 3 | ★★★: 1 | ★★★★: 1 | ★★★★★: 0

The Talk by The Descendant
Twilight, Spike, Owlowiscious and Caramel
Slice of Life; 9k words; Nov 2011; Everyone

Spike's fears for Twilight are revealed when he sees her with Caramel...will The Talk help or hurt?

Let's come straight out with it: this story is weird. Twilight misunderstands Spike's reaction and imagines she's going to have to tell the little dragon the facts of life, but we get some borderline-TMI looks at her thoughts: "that wonderful place where Spike's love for her was not designed and had no want or wish to go" isn't even the oddest. Spike's maturity level is all over the place: sometimes he's a young kid, sometimes he sounds close to adult. There's some interesting backstory world-building about Spike's background, and it is nice to see him having such a deep love and concern for Twi. Incidentally, there's a "Cadence" mentioned in passing, but of course that's coincidence as the fic was published long before we knew about the similarly-named alicorn. Oh, and "hoofycolt" (=handyman, Caramel's occupation here) strains even my high tolerance for ponyisms. Maybe worth reading for the sheer sweetness of Spike's concern, but don't expect a TD classic here. ★★

Tough Little Pony by Isseus
Rainbow Dash and Discord
Slice of Life; 12k words; Dec 2013; Everyone

Discord dares Rainbow Dash to go a day without her wings to show her what Scootaloo's life is like.

Written as a reaction to "Flight to the Finish", this is another perspective on Scootaloo's inability to fly. Rainbow's bargain with Discord (who, although more-or-less reformed, is still quite nasty at times) does of course not go entirely smoothly. Dash is therefore forced to confront some hard truths about how she thinks about Scoots. It's a story that made me consider how I think about Scoots, too. Not everyone will be keen on the headcanon regarding Earth Ponies, but it works in the context of this S4-era fic. The end A/N is very blunt and not something every reader will be 100% on board with; I'm not sure I am. But the fic gets a four anyway as: a) it pretty much demands you examine your feelings about the subject; and b) in the end, it's Scootalove, and Scootalove is awesome. ★★★★

Why We Dig by Starscribe
Diamond Dogs
Sad/Human; 9k words; Sep 2017; Everyone

Some ponies think Diamond Dogs hoard gemstones for the same reasons ponies do. Others think they eat them, like dragons. If ponies knew the truth, they might not be so eager to rob them of their subterranean treasure. If only they knew.

There are under 150 completed stories on the site with the [Diamond Dogs] tag, so this piqued my attention. It's actually (unmarked) sci-fi, too, and of a nicely old-fashioned type – it's the sort of fic I might have come across when I used to read 1960s SF anthologies years ago. It's also original, so I'm trying to avoid giving away too much. Note that the original story was composed of just the first chapter; the second explains a lot more, which (as the author acknowledges) won't be to everyone's taste. There's at least one plain silly moment, and the ending is a little underwhelming, but if you're a Diamond Dogs fan then by all means give this a shot. ★★★

The Rainbow Factory? by Just Horsing Around
Mane Six
Dark/Comedy; 3k words; Aug 2012; Teen

Twilight and friends discover the secret of the Rainbow Factory - and how it relates to one of them!

Just about everyone has either read Rainbow Factory (PR 72) or at least knows of it. That knowledge will do you very little good in this truly silly take on the idea, crossing it over with some concepts from Men in Black. The first part is pretty grim, with Rainbow Dash dying in awful circumstances. Then there's a ridiculous twist – which the long description gives away, so avoid that if you can! After that, comedy (sometimes quite black comedy) comes to the fore, tying into certain aspects of canon Rainbow's life. It doesn't gel all that well, and some of the gore, even if largely implied, is a little unpleasant. Still, if you're in the mood for ridiculousness this may appeal. A high two. ★★

Somnambula's Legacy by Nyarlathi
Other, Changelings and Breezies
Dark/Horror/Human; 2k words; Jul 2018; Teen (Gore/Violence/Death)

In times long ago, a human enchantress named Somnambula created a new species through dark magic to serve her after a crushing defeat.

Somnambula here is the G1 villain, not the G4 pegasus of the same name. This is a changeling origin story, and one that ties in to Chrysalis's FIENDship is Magic comic, though I don't think you need to have read that. A little G1 knowledge does help too, though again it's not vital. The story's best feature is its world-building, with the breezies given a crucial, if sad, role in the story. Despite those warning tags, the violence is not especially graphic for a T-rated fic, though there are certainly some nasty moments. Unfortunately, it's very wordy – there's no dialogue to break things up, while most of the paragraphs are well over 100 words long. That makes it a bit of a trudge, which is a real shame given its originality. ★★

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Next time on Ponyfic Roundup: stories reviewed will include Ebon Mane's classic short The Cough.