Ponyfic Roundup 180: On the Oche

Read it Later story count: 390 (-5)

I'll be glad when (if?) I return to the point when I'm able to return to reading five or more stories just about every week. I'm not there yet, as another three-fic week demonstrates. Here's the little collection I've been able to consider:

Loss by Kaylee
Head-first to Equestria! by Simon_oSullivan
It's Just a Game by HashMark111

★: 0 | ★★: 2 | ★★★: 1 | ★★★★: 0 | ★★★★★: 0

Loss by Kaylee
Derpy, Dinky and Fluttershy
Dark/Alternative Universe/Sad/Tragedy; 1k words; Aug 2016; Mature

Derpy's pregnancy doesn't turn out like she had planned

In this universe, Derpy miscarries Dinky after a flying accident (with Rainbow Dash, though that aspect is treated rather perfunctorily). That's pretty much the entire story, and given that we're not spared many details it's a grim read. Now, sure, a plot like that ought to be a grim read, so points to the author there. But my goodness, it's depressing, and the ending just makes it worse. Arguable whether it needs that M rating, but I don't think it's unreasonable. Very hard to rate – I could not say I in any way enjoyed this, but it does what it does quite well. As such, ★★★.

Head-first to Equestria! by Simon_oSullivan
OC and Soarin
Romance/Human/Tragedy; 1k words; Mar 2013; Teen

A pegasister sees her wish to go to Equestria come true.

For most of this story, I was confidently preparing to give it a one-star rating. After all, it includes phrases like "Heather pressed her bosom against the poster's crotch" (it's a poster of Soarin, natch). It's almost the archetypal BiE (well, PiE here) story. However, right at the end, it redeems itself with a conclusion that you may find amusing if you're a horrible person. I admit that it made me laugh, though maybe I just needed something really stupid after Loss. The author says "I consider this a joke that became a bit longer than the punchline could handle", and that seems about right. ★★

It's Just a Game by HashMark111
OC, Discord and Other
Adventure/Alternate Universe/Random; 5k words; Nov 2015; Teen

In a world where Chaos rules over Harmony, one little Zebra is brought into a most dangerous game for the amusement of a certain draconequus. Will she succeed or be the latest to fall?

The only published work of an author who's had a Fimf account since 2012, this is (according to their end A/N) a prosified version of a roleplay submission. This probably helps to explain why it feels like it goes on rather too long – possibly the original was spread over a period of time to break it up a bit. The game feels like it might be something that an unreformed Discord would do, though its rules are vague – it's not clear whether losing is actually fatal. The writing is okay, and points for making a zebra the protagonist, though there's little reason for her not to have been a pony and there's a bit too much repetition of phrases like "the tiny mare". ★★

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Next time on Ponyfic Roundup: I finally work up the nerve to tackle Bad Horse's intimidatingly-titled Ἐλπίς.