Ponyfic Roundup 283

Read it Later story count: 226 (nc)

The weather outside is frightful, but ponyfic can be delightful, so let's go! No change in my RiL list count for a change, since I've read three stories this week and added the same number to the pile. (As I've said before, the numbers don't always match as not everything on the list makes it to review time.) Here's the treble for today:

The Last Ride by Muramasa
How Not to Woo a Fluttershy by dragonjek
The Starving Heart by Vasar Huineo

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

The Last Ride by Muramasa
Rainbow Dash and Wonderbolts
Sad/Slice of Life; 8k words; Sep 2019; Everyone

Years ago, Rainbow Dash achieved her lifelong dream of becoming a Wonderbolt. She'd gone through the academy, been a staple of the main lineup and earned the rank of Captain, and at 43 years of age, it's time for Rainbow to leave that dream behind.

We follow Rainbow through from a little before her final public performance. You shouldn't expect too much eye-opening surprise here – for example, it's obvious from well before the show finale what Dash's last trick will be. What I like is the way it closely sticks to Rainbow's POV throughout. I've generally enjoyed reading about a more introspective side to Dash, and we get that in spades here. There are some nice little bits of world-building, though not all are entirely explained (Twilight as "Equestria's last princess" stood out), and the ending, which involves a pony who isn't involved in the main part of the story, is sweet. If you enjoy Rainbow's 'Bolt career, or just the contrast between her showy exterior and her actual feelings, this could well be for you. A high three. (One BritNote: I had not the slightest clue what "I'm calling an audible" meant. We just don't use it at all over here.) ★★★

How Not to Woo a Fluttershy by dragonjek
Fluttershy, OC, Angel, Rarity and Scootaloo
Romance/Comedy/Random/Slice of Life, 5k words; Mar 2015; Everyone

Poor Fluttershy has an unwanted red-and-black admirer.

Who is an alicorn, to boot. This, the author's first published fic, doesn't seem to have been a "Most Dangerous Game" entry, though it's reminiscent of that contest. A red and black alicorn foal turns up at Fluttershy's cottage door, clearly with a huge crush on her. His attentions become intense (and a little bit creepy) and eventually a bigger pony has to come and sort things out. As well as the characters tagged, we also get some Princess of the Night, and it's nice that her dialogue generally passes the Luna Test. The ending is a bit strange, and there's no real explanation for the OC's strange name (Petrol Pansy), while said colt's real background seems to come from nowhere. Still, if you're in the mood for Flutters having to deal with an obsessed colt, this has its moments. Didn't really make me laugh much, though, so a high two. ★★

The Starving Heart by Vasar Huineo
Changelings
Romance/Drama/Sad, 2k words; Sep 2019; Teen (Sex)

A stallion cheats on his wife. He does not wish to, but he must.

We find out quite early on that the stallion in question (our POV character) is a changeling named Chitin, so that's not a huge spoiler. This is set some time ago, before the S2 finale. Love is naturally a big part of the plot, but we also encounter one or two characters whose names will be familiar... what I found really interesting, though, was the way in which, despite his changeling identity, the focus of Chitin's story largely remains on his fractured equine personal life. This was the debut by someone who's either a fine new writer or the alt of someone well known – I know not which, but either way Vasar Huineo is a name to watch. ★★★★

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Next time on Ponyfic Roundup: stories reviewed should include Sir Hat's Byte sized.