Ponyfic Roundup 366

Read it Later story count: 96 (-3) 

So here I am at PR 366. Why is that number significant? It isn't, really, but it does mean that if I'd posted a PR every day since the start, I could now have filled up an entire leap year. That's quite a lot of ponyfic. The fact that I'm still not bored with reading the stuff just goes to show how interesting people's ideas about this remarkable cartoon can be. As we will see today...

Forever Young by Trick Question
The Shadow of a Doubt by Ardensfax
Twilight Sparkle Puts It in The Wall by JimmySlimmy

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

Forever Young by Trick Question (review no. 1500!)
Rumble, Cheerilee, Thunder, Twilight and Other
Dark/Drama/Slice of Life/Alternate Universe; 14k words; Nov 2019; Teen (Sex, Fetish)

Rumble has a chance at eternal life, but it comes with a price: eternal youth.

I have to caution that Trick Question's fic is highly controversial, for reasons this review will try to make clear. In the AU she builds here, a small number of foals are blessed (if that's the word) by Celestia with an "infinity band" which stops them ageing. They have a short time with a kind of provisional version before they decide whether to make the condition permanent. Rumble is one such foal, and we follow him through his decision-making process, including talking to his brother Thunderlane, to the immortal Twilight, and to other ponies who did (and in one significant case, did not) decide to go ahead after the provisional period was up. The moral quandaries here are quite interestingly explored, some of which we've seen with alicorn stories (outliving friends) and some of which we haven't (being a schoolkid for hundreds of years). However, the story's most controversial aspects involve relationships. First, such a foal will "marry" an adult, who may well be their own parent. Second, once the foal reaches 40, they can have sex. Since said foal will not have aged, some readers find this unacceptably close to foalcon and so find the fic repellent. As I think most here know, I detest foalcon and won't read it under any circumstances – but, as you see, I finished this. These aspects of the story did disturb me significantly, and I don't think I'll be alone in that – but I think it does fall on the right side of my red line: nothing at all explicit is shown or described, and the author is describing the AU's situation, not celebrating it. I also got the feeling at times that Trick Question was making a fairly deep and complex point that I wasn't really clever enough to fully grasp. Given all that, I can't truly say I enjoyed this story. That's the reason for the two-star rating, not that I think it's of poor quality. In its way, it's fascinating. But I would recommend thinking hard before you decide to dive into this one. ★★

The Shadow of a Doubt by Ardensfax
Twilight and Rarity
Romance/Slice of Life; 20k words; Sep 2013; Teen

Nights in Canterlot are for sharing secrets. Ten years have passed, and the six friends have begun to walk their own paths. A burdened princess meets a friendly face among the crowds.

Less controversial, but this fic still divided opinion: Present Perfect rated it HR, Soge scored it 1/10. Some years after leaving the Library (this was written in the S3/S4 hiatus) Princess Twilight has forged a successful academic career in Canterlot. She misses her Ponyville days, so she's happy when Rarity shows up. The unicorn ends up taking the alicorn for a night on the town. In truth, the bare bones of what follows are fairly predictable, but if you don't mind that there's a lot to like here. It's very atmospheric, helped by the author's generally sure touch on the language (though LUS creeps in here and there). The world-building is also very nice, and the two main characters do convince. Whether the catalyst for the whole thing does is probably also going to divide readers: I'm kind of in the yes camp, but not totally so. As such, this makes it into the fours for me, not least because it's just so enjoyable to immerse yourself in Ardenfax's Canterlot. ★★★★

Twilight Sparkle Puts It in The Wall by JimmySlimmy
Twilight and Rainbow Dash
Comedy; 3k words; Mar 2021; Teen (Death)

"...for even the Alicorn, as powerful as they are, must fear that which cannot be tamed; Chaos, Entropy, and basic vehicle dynamics" -- "The Alicorn: A Study"

Rainbow Dash is attempting to instruct Twilight in the intricacies of tri-oval pegasus racing. The alicorn is less than impressed, convinced that she can go faster by using her own scientific methods. Much of what follows is a fairly thinly ponified version of the technical aspects of tri-oval racing on our world, though there's a major change of tone about three-quarters of the way through. Oh, and a punchline to end on. Fairly thinly ponified motorsport is something I'm familar with, so I was hoping to find this great fun. Unfortunately I think it plays up the technical aspects a bit too much, even allowing for my general enjoyment of Dash showing her thinking ability when it's a subject she really knows and loves. Plus as a Briton, tri-oval racing is completely alien to me. As such, this doesn't quite spark. You might like it a bit more if you're more knowledgeable about the inspiration. ★★

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Next time, stories featured should include J Carp's Limestone Pie comedy The Profanity Garden.