Ponyfic Roundup 88: Where We're Going, We Don't Need Words

All being well, I'll be on holiday when this post goes up, so don't be too annoyed if I seem to ignore your comments – it's just that it's a pain using this site on a phone. I'll try to remember to respond to any that need responding to when I get back in the New Year. There are five fics in my sights this time around, and they are:

I Think I Died Today by eLLen
Six To Eight Weeks Dungeon by ocalhoun
Blank Book by Regidar
Harissa by Orbiting Kettle
The Sidewalks of Noo Yoke by scoots2

Fanfic reading: To Be the Candle

( Text link )

I think it's probably about time I did another reading of one of my stories. For a change, I haven't chosen to do a fic that's been particularly successful. In fact, To Be the Candle has by some distance the lowest view count of all 20 of my published stories – a mere 140 when I last looked. This is a [Dark] story, told from the point of view of OC Silver Buck. The reading lasts a little over ten minutes.

Ponyfic Roundup 87: Kindness Shared Will Unite Us Through Each Day

Not a lot to say about the stories I'm reviewing here this time around, other than that the fics I've read include a couple based on the alternative timelines we saw in the S5 finale, and that they vary considerably in age, subject matter and style. I hope you enjoy these reviews, and I wish a very happy and merry Hearth's Warming to you all. :) This week's batch runs to five stories, and they are as follows:

Rainbow Dash: Equestrian Hero by Hopeful_Ink_Hoof
I Was Nothing by ROBCakeran53
You Lose Some, You Winsome by Arwhale
Fluttershy's Tail Extension by The Usurper
A Draconequus' Guide to Immortality by ArgonMatrix

Comic mini-review: MLP Holiday Special 2015

Nice to see Spike get a cover spot for a change

Come on, IDW, can't you call this a Hearth's Warming Special? That minor gripe out of the way, what we have here is not the all-Katie Cook comic that previews suggested, but something more akin to an anthology. The linking factor is that they're all Christmassy tales told by a snowbound Twilight and Spike. Cook does draw part of the comic, but other tales are illustrated by Andy Price, Agnes Garbowska and Brenda Hickey. The best is probably the story featuring Rainbow Dash as a reindeer – she really does look adorable like that. Definitely a comic of warm fuzziness rather than epic adventure, but none the worse for it. Nice going, guys. ★★★★

New story by me: Shining Armor's Amour's Armour

Cover art: Last Stand [Speedart] by Mithrandir730. CC by-nc-sa 3.0

I was hoping to get one more story out before the end of the year, and I've just about managed it. This is in fact my 20th Fimfiction publication, though that number is somewhat misleading as two of my "stories" are actually anthologies. This one was suggested by a silly exchange in a thread on someone's blog (which I now can't find), and for some ridiculous reason I actually went ahead and wrote it.

Shining Armor's Amour's Armour by Loganberry
Cadance, Shining Armor, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Pipsqueak
Comedy/Random/Slice of Life; 2k words; Dec 2015; Teen

The Crystal Empire's Royal Couple are popular, successful and happy in their marriage. As if that wasn't irritating enough, they're also very good with words. The problem is, one of the words they'll need today is "Armageddon". Well, more or less.

This is where I'd usually ramble on a bit about what the story was about. There isn't a great deal of point this time, as it's not really about anything. At least, not unless you consider an excuse for some really terrible puns to qualify in itself. The [Teen] rating is conservative, by the way, and is only there at all because of some rather tame nudge-wink dialogue between Cady and Shiny.

Ponyfic Roundup 86: Today I Planned a Roundup and It's Just For You

This is the penultimate PR before Christmas, but don't expect anything too seasonal next week. I did briefly entertain the idea of making it a Hearth's Warming Special edition, but my various health woes stymied me a bit. This week, I bring you six tales, several of them by writers with considerable reputations in the fandom. I'll tell you now that one of them gets a five – though to find out which that is, you'll need to read on.

NIGEB by Aquaman
Excessive Worry by Piquo Pie
Big Mac Reads Something Purple by Bad Horse
The Savage Way by Horse Voice
Sweetie Belle's White Knight by danceswithknives
Scamming and Selling by Gleaming

Comic mini-review: Friends Forever #23: Fluttershy and Applejack

Amy Mebberson's cover is suitably cute, too

We're back to Friends Forever territory now, with this issue teaming up two of the Mane Six. There's not a huge amount to say about this one, but that's not necessarily a criticism. It's what you'd hope for from a Friends Forever comic, with some cute artwork by Tony Fleecs, some heart-warming friendship moments with AJ and 'Shy and a mildly silly storyline that doesn't tax your brain too much. There's the odd small reference and cameo, but nothing all that startling. The pigasus herself is really rather adorable, too. A nice, relaxing read. ★★★