Read it Later story count: 372 (-6)
I don't think this week's title is Googleable, so I'll mention that "Go with the Wyvern" was the slogan used by the now-defunct Midland Red West bus company that operated in Worcestershire in the 1980s and '90s. (Yes, that was part of the inspiration for The Ballad of Wyverns' Rock.) Anyway, here's today's small collection of stories under review:
The Concerns of Butterflies by Jaisen
The Time Twilight Pranked Celestia by Skijarama
Wormy by Fluttrick
My Queen by Bootsy Slickmane
★: 0 | ★★: 1 | ★★★: 2 | ★★★★: 1 | ★★★★★: 0
The Concerns of Butterflies by Jaisen
Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie
Slice of Life; 2k words; Jan 2018; Everyone
It's Fluttershy's birthday; she wants to, and is, spending it alone for once - other than Angel Bunny, of course - but if one pony was to intrude upon her solitude, would it really be so bad?I'm always happy to see new ponyfic authors joining Fimfiction, and Jaisen (who joined in September 2017) makes an interesting debut which explores Fluttershy's personality in a thoughtful way. 'Shy does seem a little early-series in places, but the ending is pleasant, if not especially startling. The writing is generally significantly better than many debutants', although the author does go in for long, comma- and semicolon-filled sentences almost as though this were Victorian literature. These won't be to everyone's taste. There are also a few places where the author's personal views seem to have intruded, such as in a speech Pinkie makes late on that doesn't convince as her voice. These niggles place it on the two/three border, and I'm sure I'm biased in nudging it above the line, but it's still worth a look if you're a fan of quiet Flutterfic. ★★★
The Time Twilight Pranked Celestia by Skijarama
Twilight, Celestia and Cadance
Comedy/Slice of Life; 3k words; Dec 2017; Everyone
Twilight tries to prank Celestia. It doesn't go well.Young Twilight – this is set when she's fairly new to being Celestia's protégé – decides to hide a Caliponia Reaper pepper in the princess's cake. From there the story proceeds simply but entertainingly, with some insights into how Twilight has changed since those days, but the kicker comes with a reveal from Tia right at the end. I find it a little hard to like this as I really dislike this particular prank (it's clear in the story that the pepper's effects can be serious), but if you have less of a problem with it you might find this an amusing diversion. ★★
Wormy by Fluttrick
Pinkie Pie and Other
Random; 1k words; Aug 2013; Everyone
Pinkie Pie befriends a worm.This is very much a "Pinkie being Pinkie" story, but it generally convinces in that role: I absolutely can see her taking the time to make friends with a worm in the way she does. It has some punctuation errors and the ending is a little odd, but despite its brevity I found it more than a little touching. ★★★
My Queen by Bootsy Slickmane
OC and Chrysalis
Dark; 2k words; May 2015; Teen
She comes to me at night, sometimes. I've never known why or how, but in time, I stopped questioning her. We have a silent union, and I didn't press for more. On one such lonely night, however, I get a bit bolder.This would certainly be tagged [Horror] if released today, and it's definitely in the "chillingly atmospheric" category of horror stories. I'm not surprised that it was RCL-inducted as it's truly creepy in a way that few short horror fics manage. This is helped by the ambiguous, unreliable narration, which is spot on and (deliberately) makes the reader very uncomfortable at times. I was a bit up-and-down about whether explicitly tagging Chrysalis was a good idea, but presenting her as a succubus is fairly common in our fandom and so readers would probably have guessed quickly anyway. Didn't quite blow me away enough for a five – maybe if the changeling's identity had been an actual shock – but definitely gave me enough shivers for a four and a recommendation. ★★★★
Next time on Ponyfic Roundup: a roundup of ponyfic. No, really.
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