Ponyfic Roundup 219: Ludlow Sausage

Title explanation: much-missed discontinued flavour of Tyrrells Crisps

I discovered quite by chance today that Vimbert the Unimpressive has changed his username to "An Unimpressive". I've no idea why and it isn't any of my business anyway, but it did throw me briefly when I noticed the name while skimming the BMRL and wondered why someone I'd never heard of had been reviewed so often! Note that I don't usually go back and edit my reviews to use new usernames, as it's just too fiddly. I will do so if it's specifically requested by the author, however.

Read it Later story count: 306 (-9)

On a vaguely related note, you may occasionally notice that although I usually stick with canon names in my headers (so it's Minuette, not Colgate) I don't always follow either that or Fimfiction style. There's an example today: I'm sticking with "Vinyl Scratch" even though Fimfiction goes with Hasbro and uses "DJ P0N-3". Why? Because I think the official version looks dreadful. What more do you need?

Destination Unknown by Pale Horse
Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo by A Hoof-ful of Dust
Twilight Sparkle Was Shot by Coyote de la Mancha

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

Destination Unknown by Pale Horse
Vinyl Scratch, Octavia and Changelings
Romance/Alternate Universe; 4k words; Aug 2014; Teen (Sex)

Two passengers on a train ride toward an uncertain future. One is a pony. The other only pretends to be.

Pale Horse is another author who has sadly long since ceased to publish ponyfic (last story Feb 2015), but here we have their RCL entry. This was written for the EqD "Outside Insight" contest, and looking back I was astounded to find that it didn't even make the final. I really don't get that. This is a very satisfyingly different take on this pairing, with Vinyl a changeling (this is obvious very early on) considering her unlikely romance with a real mare and what brought her to that point. My biggest sticking point is the fact that "Vinyl" first appears in Canterlot as a blank flank, and the explanation for this imperfection in her disguise seems rather weak. There are also a couple of references to old-fandom tropes, such as an irritating and unnecessary reference to humans, but for the most part the narration flows very smoothly. The [Sex] is not explicit, but the tag does allow one wonderful line about Vinyl's new experiences in bed with Octavia. Elsewhere, we even get a clever explanation for Vinyl's constant listening to loud music. If you're jaded with by-the-numbers ScratchTavia, this should refresh you. ★★★★

Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo by A Hoof-ful of Dust
Big Mac, Lyra and Bon Bon
Comedy; 2k words; Mar 2014; Teen (Sex)

Lyra shares far, far too much information with Big Macintosh about her love life.

That title should give you a pretty good idea of what kind of story this is. If you like sexual innuendo that doesn't tip over into ugly crudity, you'll probably be in heaven. I don't, as a rule, but even I was somewhat won over by this fic's Lyra – even if she does behave a little more like not-yet-canon Minuette in some ways. Big Mac, naturally, plays straight horse. The A/N itself calls this "puerile nonsense", but it's funny puerile nonsense, which is a much rarer thing than it ought to be. The last line is a little weak, but what comes before is mostly amusing. Add a star if you really like innuendo-fic. ★★★

Twilight Sparkle Was Shot by Coyote de la Mancha
Mane Seven (EqG)
Equestria Girls/Adventure/Human/Alternate Universe; 9k words; Jul‒Aug 2018; Teen (Violence/Profanity)

The Mane Seven have united their powers before, and over time their friendship has become stronger than ever. But only now, as graduation looms, do they unite for revenge.

Now there's an arresting title! This story considers what happened to the other Sunset, the one we never see in canon. An RCL inductee mere weeks after it was published, which surprised me, but the story itself is gripping. It's in the middle of an AU continuity, but as far as I could tell the only thing you just have to take as established is SunLight as a couple. The content tags are both needed, and a few scenes are quite tough to read, though note that there's no [Gore] tag. Characterisation is very good throughout, something vital if the harsher parts of the revenge mission are to convince. Fluttershy's contribution is relatively small but crucial, and her portrayal is notably impressive. There are a few proofreading misses ("Pinky"?) but the strength of the story and of Sunset's character means they're minor complaints. This might even be a five-star fic for devoted EqG fans already familiar with this continuity. It's not quite at that level for me, but I don't think it's one I'll forget in a hurry. ★★★★

---

Next time on Ponyfic Roundup: stories reviewed should include Flutterpriest's Permission to Land.