Ponyfic Roundup 448: Treefics 3

Read it Later story count: 97 (nc)

Words read this week: 8,922

Here we go with the final part of my look at the Arboreal Yearnings Contest stories. Seven fics to deal with today, yet an even lower overall word count than the last two weeks. Something interesting about this contest, actually: of all the 17 fics I've reviewed, none were over 6,500 words and no fewer than 13 (plus mine) were under 2,000. There was no formal maximum length for entries, but really short fics were in the large majority. Here's today's list:

Does It Make a Sound? by EileenSaysHi
"To be a tree" (from A Poetry Anthology) by Shaslan
Post-Con by Bicyclette
I Don't Want to Be a Tree Anymore by Kris Overstreet
Heartwood by EroPony1000
Pining by pubbyrot
Harmon-Tree by TCC56

★: 0 | ★★: 2 | ★★★: 3 | ★★★★: 2 | ★★★★★: 0
Note: I use a skewed rating system. A fic I enjoy an average amount scores two stars.

Does It Make a Sound? by EileenSaysHi
Timberwolves
G4; Comedy/Horror/Human; 1k words; Apr 2023; Teen (Violence, Death, Profanity)

The humans that keep being displaced into Equestria don't know the rules of the Everfree very well. The local timberwolves are all too happy to educate them.

The contest had a special "Dishonourable Creatures" subcategory for timberwolf fics. This was the only entry, so I guess it won by default! Fortunately it's fun, as long as you don't take it too seriously – the author tells you not to, in any case. It's largely a takeoff of some of the more absurd Human-in-Equestria clichés. Sure, that's been done many times before, but EileenSaysHi handles it smoothly and competently, and I think as a bit of short, silly fun, this does a pretty solid job. ★★★

"To be a tree" (from A Poetry Anthology) by Shaslan
N/A (chapters don't have their own tags)
G4; N/A (see above); 1k words; Mar 2023; Everyone

A selection of mlp poems, each inspired by a different episode [shortdesc of the whole anthology]

The only contest entry in verse, and the only minific too. (I don't usually review minifics, but I could hardly leave this one out.) Fluttershy is narrating, which isn't going to come as a huge surprise in this context, and it's interesting to see her talk about being a tree in first person. The snag here is that, while the rhyming is pretty good all the way through, the couplets quite often really don't scan well at all. A shame, as that hurts a good idea a bit. ★★

Post-Con by Bicyclette
Fluttershy and Wallflower
G4 EqG; Romance/Drama/Slice of Life; 2k words; Apr 2023; Teen (Sex)

Wallflower is not a florie; she just REALLY likes plants.

The only Equestria Girls fic in the contest, and a rather imaginative idea too: Fluttershy is taking her girlfriend Wallflower to a "florie convention", which we gather is a plant version of a furry con. Guess what kind of plantsuit 'Shy is wearing? I suspect this works slightly better for those with at least a passing acquaintance with the furry fandom (I used to be in it myself, albeit not that actively) but it's an imaginative, fun and well written story. A top-end three. ★★★

I Don't Want to Be a Tree Anymore by Kris Overstreet
Fluttershy
G4 AU; Horror; 1k words; Apr 2023; Everyone

Fluttershy learns some fantasies should never become reality.

The fourth prize winner turned out to be one of my favourite treefics. The author claims not to be good at writing horror, and to be subverting the spirit of the contest rules, but I'd dispute both. This is absolutely a treefic, and it's a good one, too. Discord has given Fluttershy her wish by transforming her into a tree for a day... but the Everfree trees are less than happy and 'Shy feels increasingly under threat from their behaviour. Correctly, too... this is unsettling and alien, just as I like the Everfree Forest to be. Read the Author's Note to the end, too. Recommended. ★★★★

Heartwood by EroPony1000
OC
G4 AU; Romance/Mystery/Random/Anthro; 1k words; Mar 2023; Teen

A forester makes a startling discovery when cutting into a tree.

Of this author's 42 published fics, a substantial majority are exactly 1,000 words long – and this one, which was the bronze medallist, fits into that category. Very unusual for me to read an [Anthro] fic, but in this case it works well enough. There's a definite fable/fairytale feel to this, and the ending fits with that too – though the trope involved there isn't universally appreciated nowadays. I can't help wishing it had been a couple of hundred words longer, though. A high two for me, but probably a three for anthro fans. ★★

Pining by pubbyrot
Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Apple Bloom and Big Mac
G4; Romance/Comedy/Slice of Life; 2k words; Mar 2023; Everyone

Watching Applejack tend to the orchard, Rainbow Dash thinks stupid, sappy thoughts such as: maybe it wouldn't be so bad to become a tree.

It's really pleasing to see newer authors placing well in contests like this – runner-up pubbyrot's account dates only from November 2021. On this evidence, they deserve more than their current 16 followers. It's a funny, silly, cute story in which Rainbow is jealous... of the apple trees that Applejack pays such attention to. An unexpected but strangely fitting revelation from AJ, too. This fic made me chuckle and is a comfortable three-starrer. ★★★

Harmon-Tree by TCC56
Fluttershy and Other
G4; Drama; 1k words; Feb 2023; Teen (Death)

Fluttershy would like to be a tree. A tree answers.

And here's the fic that won the contest! It would probably be striking if I said I hated it and couldn't imagine what the judges were thinking of... but it would also be a lie. A satisfyingly imaginative idea, in which the Tree of Harmony talks to a much older Fluttershy. Bittersweet and haunting, and as FanOfMostEverything suggests (spoilers!) with potentially large consequences, too. I did initially wish there were a bit more of it, but on reflection I think it works better to leave the reader wondering at the end. As well written as you'd expect from this author, and I think a worthy contest winner. ★★★★

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Next time, it'll be back to Wednesday and also back to normal reviewing! Well, kind of: the word count will still be a great deal lower than usual (though at least back into five figures) but I hope to return to where I was in May before too long. Here's what I'll be covering next time around – I hope this preview whets a few appetites!

I wander by Silent Whisper
Kaleidoscope by TheDriderPony
Cursed Be He That Moves My Bones by Lucky Dreams
Apples in the Mirror by Rune Soldier Dan
ALREADY?? by Level Dasher