Ponyfic Roundup 484

Read it Later story count: 95 (nc)

Words read this week: 30,367

By some miracle, both Saturday and Monday of the Easter long weekend were nice days, with pleasant mildness and even a decent amount of sunshine. Actually better than the forecast, which doesn't seem to happen too often lately! Anyway, back to a world where ponies themselves can (sometimes) control the weather. After the excitement of The Silver Standard and its five shiny stars, it's back to much shorter stories in this week's Ponyfic Roundup. Here's the run-down:

Applejack's Hobby by TheLegendaryBillCipher
Covering for a Magician by Chromentazol (review requested by author)
Twilight is Annoyed by Protopony350
Maniacal by ColdGoldLazarus
Piano Lessons by gapty

★: 0 | ★★: 1 | ★★★: 3 | ★★★★: 1 | ★★★★★: 0
Note: I use a skewed rating system. A fic I enjoy an average amount scores two stars.

Applejack's Hobby by TheLegendaryBillCipher
Applejack, Apple Bloom and OC
G4; Slice of Life; 4k words; Jan 2023; Everyone

Everypony has a hobby, and Applejack is no exception.

Applejack takes up model railways and learns about the hobby as she goes. That's basically the fic, so this is definitely one for slice of life fans. I get the feeling that the author knows their stuff where model railways are concerned,¹ and that helps. I do find AJ a little unimaginative at times: would she really not immediately grasp what a layout was? On the other hoof, the details of what she's doing kept me reading and it's a pleasant read all round. Probably two/three boundary, pushed just above the line for me because, well, I like trains! ★★★
¹ I'd guess "Lion Yell" is a nod to an our-world brand, but I don't know which one.
Sidenote: Those who read Ghost Mike's review of this fic knew a year ago that iisaw was working on what's now The Cadenza Prophecies!

Review requested by author
Covering for a Magician by Chromentazol
Starlight and Trixie
G4; Comedy/Drama/Mystery; 13k words; Oct 2023; Teen (Death)

During a stormy night, Starlight notices Trixie carrying a bloody, pony-shaped bag...

By the author of the enjoyable Sabot Élegant's Not So Savory Adventure (PR 461), this is a comedy of errors in which Starlight and Trixie repeatedly fail to sort out... well, what it says in the shortdesc up there. There's fun here from Glimmy's increasing unhingedness and Trixie's self-absorption, which at least give a reason why there isn't the single-line explanation from Trixie that could have avoided all the mess. Pinkie and, later on, Twilight play nice supporting roles. The story's a bit too long for what it is and the narration head-hops occasionally, though it's at least clear when that happens. There's a persistent problem with tense mismatches (eg "She was already anxious enough as it is") and the odd irritating typo ("Maude") but nothing show-stopping. I suspect the final scene will be highly divisive: I'm not a big fan as it's a little too out-of-nowhere for me. A high two, though some tightening and editing could get it over the line to a three. ★★

Twilight is Annoyed by Protopony350
Twilight, Celestia and Luna
G4; Dark/Tragedy; 2k words; Sep 2015; Teen

Twilight Sparkle experiences her entire history in a series of visions, and she finds that really annoying.

This is in fact a post-apocalyptic story. Far in the future, Twilight lives alone, after an unspecified disaster. As you read, you gradually realise just how damaged she now is as her mind cannot (can no longer?) cope with what has happened. We're never told directly what that is, but there are dots you can join and I think they do create a picture of what happened – and how that ties into show canon. It's not a happy picture, but then that [Tragedy] tag is there for a reason. If you want a big-name endorsement, Cold in Gardez appreciated this. If you want a small-name endorsement, so did I. ★★★★

Maniacal by ColdGoldLazarus
Mane-iac and OC
G4; Dark; 2k words; Dec 2013; Teen

Nopony was there to help her. She’d taken the shift alone, despite all the rumors. She’d dismissed them as pure nonsense – and now she was to pay for it with her life...

An origin story for the Mane-iac? Definitely not something I've seen too often – or at all, in fact! The author provides quite a solid and believable background for the "Power Ponies" villain, and refreshingly there's also another side to her transformation – which is pretty unnerving, by the way – she's not just become a villain for the sake of being evil. Someone in the Fimfiction comments says it reminds them of a graphic novel story, and I get that. A top-end three and well worth a look if you like tales of Maretropolis. ★★★

Piano Lessons by gapty
Octavia, Trixie and Sunflower Spectacle
G4 EqG; Drama/Slice of Life; 9k words; May 2023; Everyone

Octavia notices her classmate, Trixie, practising a classical piano piece, and jumps into helping her master it. But why is Trixie so resistant?

Sunflower Spectacle (or "Specatcle" as Fimfiction puts it...) is Trixie's mum. This was written for a rare pairings contest, hence the unusual combination, but I think it's quite interestingly done. gapty brings out not only the chalk-and-cheese differences between these girls but also their similarities. Doing that requires good character writing, and fortunately we get that. At one point my notes say, "Oh Octavia, take a look at yourself!" after her reaction to something Trixie does. Flawed but believable characters are MLP to the core, so that's satisfying. The ending is perhaps a little weak, but the story itself still does enough for a highish three even from this reviewer, someone who isn't usually that hot on EqG fics. ★★★

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And that's your lot for this week! Next time, I'll be covering these five ponyfics:

Labors at Sunrise by NaiadSagaIotaOar
A Tryst at Midnight by Cosmonaut
How the Foundation Ruined Nightmare Night by Drefsab
flith2 by Fluttergail
White Out by the dobermans