Ponyfic Roundup 271

Read it Later story count: 232 (-3)

The end of Friendship is Magic certainly doesn't seem to have stopped people contributing ponyfic. In fact, Fimfiction's stats page shows that October was the first month since December 2017 when the total number of new story approvals broke the 1,000 barrier. Nearly three-quarters were E- or T-rated, too. It may not last – but it's still nice to see. Anyway, three fics today:

Special Relativity by Melon Hunter
Whoya gonna call? by Lexicon Spark
Let Her In by TooShyShy

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

Special Relativity by Melon Hunter
Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Lyra
Comedy/Slice of Life; 7k words; Jan 2014; Everyone

Pinkie gets a bit too carried away with finding long-lost members of the Apple family.

Inspired by the events of "Pinkie Apple Pie", this is a nice light comedy in which Pinkie wants to make everypony happy by finding them a place in the Apple Family. Don't expect anything too deep and meaningful here, although the moral is a satisfying one. There are enough jokes that it's not a huge problem that they don't all quite hit home, and the fact that one tiny bit of background is now non-canon doesn't matter either. Pinkie is a slight pain occasionally, but then this is inspired by S4, a season in which she was written a bit unsatisfyingly at times. Lyra's supporting role surprised me in how well it worked, though a running gag involving her family was a bit overworked. ★★★

Whoya gonna call? by Lexicon Spark
Berry Punch and Minuette
Comedy/Random; 1k words; Jul 2019; Everyone

Minuette goes to a bar to deal with her nightmares. It doesn't end quite the way she thought it would.

Partly that's because the pony she finds at the bar is well-known alcoholic mare, Berry Punch. This fic, told in the present tense, bounces along amiably enough. There are a few oddities (one involving Minuette's flanks, no less – none of that; this is an E-rated fic!) and a tiresome though thankfully very brief Lyra-and-hands reference. I couldn't work out why Minuette had gone to this place to sort things out... until the ending. You'll groan when you realise what's happened. Really. :D Not really much else to this one, so as a story it's a highish two. ★★

Let Her In by TooShyShy
Apple Bloom
Dark/Horror; 3k words; Feb 2017; Teen

It's cold outside and all Fluttershy wants is for Apple Bloom to let her in.

This is TooShyShy's Royal Canterlot Library entry, and it's pretty good stuff. Apple Bloom is visited, night after night, by "Fluttershy" outside her window, wanting to be let in because "It's cold out here." The tension ramps up as the nights go on and the visitations continue, and the sense of creeping dread is all too real. I really was scared for Apple Bloom – and remember, this entity is appearing as Fluttershy. I do think the horror is slightly deflated by one scene later in the story, but it comes roaring back right at the end. I can see why this made the RCL. ★★★★

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Next time on Ponyfic Roundup: stories reviewed should include Stuck by Callisto. (Fair warning: this is an M-rated fic, the first I'll have reviewed in quite some time.)