Read it Later story count: 92 (nc)
Words read this week: 19,001
I do intend to post things that aren't Ponyfic Roundup soon, honest! For now, though: I thought I'd try something a little bit different this week and concentrate on a single character rather than a genre. Shining Armor came out of the hat, so to speak, and so he's the one who gets the spotlight shone on him today. Will the stories be as shiny as Shiny? Let's see.
Ménage à - Quoi?! by Noir de Plume
The Phoenix Festival by Trick Question
This Love is Forever by RachWrites
'Til Touchdown Brings Me Down Again by Petrichord
The First Death of Twilight Sparkle by naturalbornderpy
★: 0 | ★★: 2 | ★★★: 2 | ★★★★: 1 | ★★★★★: 0
Note: I use a skewed rating system. A fic I enjoy an average amount scores two stars.
Ménage à - Quoi?! by Noir de Plume
Shining Armor, Cadance and Chrysalis
G4; Romance/Comedy; 1k words; Feb 2015; Teen
It's every stallion's dream... isn't it?
After a wild night, Shining Armor wakes up to discover Cadance sleeping next to him... and Chrysalis on his other side. Wait, what? Shiny has to try to work out what the hay brought him to this point, and his mental and verbal flailing is pretty amusing to read. I do have a slight concern along the lines of Zyrian's in the Fimf comments (spoilery) though the author's response points to a phrase in the fic that just about keeps it at bay. It does drop it from a low three down to a high two, though. ★★
The Phoenix Festival by Trick Question
Shining Armor, Cadance, Twilight, Celestia and Luna
G4; Dark/Drama/Mystery; 10k words; Sep 2018; Teen (Sex, Death)
Princess Cadance resurrects her husband without his memories. Shining Armor suspects something else is going on.
Shining Armor wakes up in the future. It turns out he's been resurrected – and not for the first time, either. But why can't he remember anything? And why won't Twilight speak to him at all? Cadance tries to help him come to terms with his new (or not...) experience. This isn't a flashy, loud story, and I think it's all the better for it. The twist, when it eventually comes, hits hard and you may – like me – have strong opinions about the morality of it all. Disturbing and clever. ★★★★
This Love is Forever by RachWrites
Shining Armor and Cadance
G4; Romance/Slice of Life; 2k words; Jul 2014; Everyone
Shining Armor has a burning question he wants to ask Cadence, his marefriend....whatever could it be?
Given they've been together for several years by the time the story is set, you can probably guess what the question is. This is a simple, sweet tale of young love, albeit not new love. You do get a sense of the two ponies' connection, but there's little to hold the interest beyond that. A few too many basic technical errors make reading a little choppy, and it's very much a straightforward "This is what happened" tale. ★★
'Til Touchdown Brings Me Down Again by Petrichord
Shining Armor and Cadance
G4; Romance/Sad; 4k words; Dec 2019; Mature (Sex)
Shining Armor should feel like he's in good company. Why does he feel worse than before?
The first M-rated fic I've read for quite some while, though combining the [Romance] and [Sex] tags is hardly startling for a fic featuring Cadance. In fact, the clop – which does justify that rating but isn't extreme – is confined to the final third, and the rest is more psychological exploration of why Shiny isn't happy despite being married to the mare he loves and wants more than anypony else in the world. A solid story that doesn't do anything that startling but which executes its manoeuvres more than creditably. ★★★
The First Death of Twilight Sparkle by naturalbornderpy
Shining Armor, Cadance, Twilight, Celestia and Luna
G4; Comedy/Random/Slice of Life; 3k words; Oct 2016; Teen
It's official. Twilight Sparkle is dead. Better luck next time, I guess.
Shining Armor is only a side character here, though he gets the last line. It turns out that alicorns have multiple lives, though in this story they're not infinite. Twi died through flying into a wall while reading – because of course she did – but her parents have organised a funeral even though she'll be alive and well again within the day. This is an unshamedly silly story, and it's all the better for it. There's even a character called Helen, though if that's a reference I don't get it. Ah well, the silliness amused me enough for a three. ★★★
I feel like doing another Spotlight edition for next week, so here goes. It's a little bit early (even for UK Mothering Sunday, which this year is 15th March) but the synopsis and character tags appeal, and I know the author can hit my tastes head-on at least sometimes, so:
Mothering, Someday by Impossible Numbers
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