Ponyfic Roundup 356

Read it Later story count: 118 (-5) 

I've cut a few really long stories out of my RiL list that, realistically, I don't think I'm ever going to have time to read. The 400,000-word Lyrafic Equestrian Fanfiction, for example. I haven't forgotten the list of longer fics I posted quite some time back, and I think I know which one I'd like to go for next time I do have time. (No, not saying yet!) But 400k words is just too much for me. Anyway, here are today's three considerably shorter stories:

The Flower Mare by Flammenwerfer
The Endless Song by psychicscubadiver
Spike Talks To Applejack's Hooves by CAPTAIN YOSHI HD

★: 0 | ★★: 2 | ★★★: 0 | ★★★★: 1 | ★★★★★: 0
Note: I use a skewed rating system. A fic I find average scores two stars.

The Flower Mare by Flammenwerfer
OC and CMCs [each CMC is also tagged individually for some reason]
Dark/Sad/Slice of Life; 11k words; Apr 2017; Teen

One day, the Crusaders happen upon Ponyville’s newest, specialty flower vendor: a young mare from Alemaneia named Schneeblume. They think she’s hiding something. Turns out she is, though not in a way they expected at all.

In this fic, a major war has just ended on another continent, and this is clearly significant to the story in some way. As such, there's a case for silently attaching an [Alternate Universe] tag as you read. Still, this does seem to be a more domestically focused fic... until the Crusaders' insatiable curiosity leads them not only to befriend Schnee but to try to find out her secret. The fic turns out to be something considerably more heavyweight, and indeed I think I should note that PTSD is a factor. There's plenty to chew over here, and I'm glad such a fic exists. However, the language style is really odd, and I just couldn't get on with it at all. A sample: "A few moments later, however, her smile replaced that pensive visage and her entire form brightened in kind." It's like that a lot, and while this wordiness does seem to be a deliberate choice rather than poor writing, I found it significantly distracted from the actual story being told. As such, I couldn't really enjoy this story much. I feel a bit rotten giving it a (top-end) two, but there it is. If you can cope with the style, it's an easy three, probably quite a high one. Just not for me. ★★

The Endless Song by psychicscubadiver
Celestia and Other
Alternate Universe; 2k words; Jun 2013; Everyone

I passed eons in silence. Then came the song.

What's so brilliant about this is that the "I" in the description above is not Celestia. This story is narrated by the Sun. You read that right. I've never seen anything like this attempted before, and it works far better than it has any right to. Would you believe that a big ball of fire could have real character development? Read this, and believe it. You'll get to experience a sweeping vista of Equestrian history from a completely unique perspective, including of course that key moment we've all known so well since the S1 premiere opening. All this in 2,360 words. I am very impressed. Definitely recommended. NB: there's a sequel, and I will be reading that too at some point. ★★★★

Spike Talks To Applejack's Hooves by CAPTAIN YOSHI HD
Applejack and Spike
Romance/Slice of Life; 1k words; Jun 2017; Everyone

Applejack introduces her hooves with names to Spike.

You'll remember that AJ named her back hooves in "Mare Do Well", and this extremely silly story takes that idea and makes it even sillier. Spike talks to the hooves, "listening" to what they say and AJ's interpretations. The [Romance] tag is a stretch, and maybe that accounts for its poor thumbscore (+12/-15). Replace it with [Random]. Still, I had fun. I mean, it's not great literature, but as a bit of absurdity to use up five minutes I've read much worse. Besides, how many other fics are there that give Applejack's hooves the character spots they deserve? ★★

---

Next time around, stories reviewed should include a Flutterfic [and about time, too! —Ed.], namely MythrilMoth's Fluttershy's Extremely Odd Jobs.