Ponyfic Roundup 247

Read it Later story count: 256 (+1)

I'm afraid the Martian rock octopus interview fell through, so you're stuck with me talking about ponyfic. If you can overcome this crushing disappointment, you'll be able to see what I think of four more stories today. If your eyes have drifted down to the score summary, you'll note that I have the first five-star rating in quite some time, too! The fics are:

The Destiny Trap by Andrew Rogue
The Mare in Black by Stereo_Sub
Ghosts by Ponydora Prancypants
A Horse of a Different Color by Empty Shell

★: 0 | ★★: 1 | ★★★: 1 | ★★★★: 1 | ★★★★★: 1
Note: I use a skewed rating system. A fic I find average scores two stars.

The Destiny Trap by Andrew Rogue
Trixie, Starlight Glimmer and OC
Adventure; 8k words; Jul 2017; Teen

Trixie has found a brand new magic trick she wants to show off to Starlight. A shame it doesn't go quite as expected.

When Trixie finds a strange magic shop in Manehattan that didn't seem to be there before, the consequences are drastic. Not only does the trick not work, but it somehow strips Starlight of her magic – and her cutie mark. The two friends take a dangerous journey to try to retrieve them. Somehow. This is an RCL story, and I'm not surprised. It's wonderful characterisation of S6-era Trixie and Starlight, which makes it tremendously satisfying. If anything, "Road to Friendship" makes this story even better in retrospect. The underlying tale isn't something especially innovative, but that doesn't matter as it's so pitch-perfect. The dangers are genuinely scary, but they're so especially in the context of FiM. This wouldn't need much changing at all to be a show episode, and I mean that as a high compliment. Strongly recommended, especially if you like StarTrix friendshipping but not just for those people. ★★★★★

The Mare in Black by Stereo_Sub
Lyra
Human/Alternate Universe; 6k words; Dec 2012; Teen

My name is Lyra Heartstrings, and you will not remember me."

Like the same author's excellent RUN (PR 110), this is a tale set in a slightly different Manehattan. This time, Lyra is a special agent – though note the publication date; this came long before the G. M. Berrow chapter book. Her job is to heal "anomalies", and this time she's got a real doozy. A human has materialised. Which, unfortunately, is where the fic starts to go downhill: it quickly becomes clear that this is a brony-in-Equestria story, and not an especially different one. (Though that was probably less of a criticism in 2012.) Worse, the ending is mostly extended moralising that comes across as the author wagging a finger at the fandom. It's a shame, as the setup is quite atmospheric and I enjoyed the notion of Octavia as Lyra's boss. ★★

Ghosts by Ponydora Prancypants
OC and Luna
Slice of Life; 4k words; Nov 2013; Everyone

On a night where spirits fill the skies, a fateful meeting brings two worlds together for the very first time.

This was written for an EqD batpony challenge, and (as the end A/N states) done very quickly and without editing. That being so, it's really rather impressive. The batponies, called "khirala" here, live in their own world beneath the surface of Equestria, emerging only to gather food (a particular type of fruit). One night, one of them encounters Princess Luna. There's some fine worldbuilding here, including an intriguing idea about Tartarus. Luna is perhaps a little strangely drawn in places, though her dreamwalking ability was a fairly new addition to canon in late 2013. It's a shame (given the author is long gone from Fimfiction) that there's a significant missing "not" in one sentence, but if you like your batponies you should give this a look. ★★★★

A Horse of a Different Color by Empty Shell
Twilight, Mane Six and Starlight Glimmer
Comedy; 3k words; Aug 2018; Everyone

It's an ordinary day in Ponyville, until Applejack says Twilight is purple. She should have known better.

The upshot of all this is that the ponies get increasingly wound up as they argue whether Twi is purple, lavender, lilac – or, if you're Pinkie Pie, pink. I found this one, the only story by this author, pretty amusing, which is always a good thing in a comedy. It's lightweight and silly, but the dialogue is fun and the story nicely captures one element of pointless fandom bickering. Although written in 2018 and featuring the cast as they are (almost) today, this feels like a throwback to earlier times. A good choice for your tea break. ★★★

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Next time on Ponyfic Roundup: Stories reviewed will include Impossible Numbers' Jailhouse Rock and Pascoite's Happy Birthday, Dear Twilight.