Ponyfic Roundup 376

Read it Later story count: 95 (-1) 

Not a lot to say today, and for once I'm not going to ramble on pointlessly for a couple of hundred words just to fill up the space. I'll do that in the reviews instead... I should probably give the list of this week's fics and move on.

What Meets the Eye by Butterscotch Cream
Hyperportentia by MyHobby
Bon-Bon's Average Day by articunos bitch
Select Difficulty by naturalbornderpy

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

What Meets the Eye by Butterscotch Cream
OCs and Other
Romance/Dark/Slice of Life/Alternative Universe; 17k words; Nov 2012; Teen

A stallion finds there is often more than what meets the eye.

First up, a rather interesting fic from the old days. Our protagonist, Finial, is a stallion in a relationship with a larger, rough and tumble stallion named Sledgehammer. Since we find out quickly enough, it's not much of a spoiler to say it's an abusive relationship, and I think the author did quite well in judging that for a [Teen] rating and in not making it so over-the-top as to come across as unlikely. This also helps in that it stops Sledgehammer from just being an outright cartoon villain. Anyway, as time goes on, Finial is befriended by a rather slow (but not stupid) delivery stallion wearing an eye patch. His name's Klutzy Hooves, or Klutz for short. Yes, this is a Rule 63 Derpy, something which I found strange for a while. That's a place where the age of this fic shows through, but the story manages to overcome that and make Klutz a sympathetic character in his own right. It's all pretty readable, actually, though it has the usual shipfic issue of it being very predictable how certain aspects will end up. I quite like the writing style as well, though it maybe crosses over into "overwritten" occasionally and for some reason both bold and italic is used for emphasis. I reckon this might shade a four-star rating even now for readers who like non-explicit but non-fluffy M/M romance. Since that doesn't appeal to me quite as much, it's a top-end three from me. Not bad given the old-fandom setup, though! ★★★

Hyperportentia by MyHobby
OCs
Slice of Life; 6k words; Sep 2014; Teen

Seeing the future is a nice Destiny and all, but what happens when you're swamped with every hairy little detail?

The question of what Destiny actually involves in a world with cutie marks has been explored quite a bit over the years. This RCL-inducted story is a really readable example, and a story that could really only be set in Equestria. Acacia Tree, the protagonist, has been lumbered (as she sees it) with the gift of being a seer. Naturally, she works in a Manehattan restaurant, writing fortunes for fortune cookies. She also has to deal with her workmate Ritz, and this is good because I really like the dialogue here. It's reminiscent of the kind of thing you might get in one of the better mid-20th-century films set in New York City. Fast-paced, sparkling, amusing (despite the lack of a [Comedy] tag this fic is quite funny) and very appropriate to the Manehattan setting. Really, the only complaint I have is that the moral is just slightly sappy, even for 2014. But as long as you don't mind the fact that the show moved away from this approach to Destiny after mid-series, the ride to get to that moral is so enjoyable that this is a pretty easy recommendation. ★★★★

Bon-Bon's Average Day by articunos bitch
Bon-Bon and Lyra
Random/Slice of Life; 3k words; July 2013; Teen

An average day in the life of every-one's favorite failed candy maker.

Although it's not a stunningly original concept, I'm still amused by the idea that many ordinary ponies in Ponyville – such as Bon-Bon, who narrates – have a fairly boring, grindy existence. Bon-Bon can also get pretty irritated with the easy life that she feels the Bearers (aka "the Mary Sue Gang") can have compared with everypony else. On top of that, Lyra is just silly, and in any case she's a little too obsessed with cryptozoology. That last point may pull you up short, so: yes, there is a definite old-fandom flavour about this fic. Sometimes it's nostalgically amusing, at other times less so. Suffice it to say I did not appreciate the out-of-nowhere namecheck for Princess Molestia. (To be fair, the author does say this fic was inspired by a conversation on /mlp/, but even so.) It's an easy, quick read and it has its moments, but I can't help being mildly frustrated as I suspect a really funny take on this concept might have emerged with a little more space and some judicious editing. A medium two as it stands. ★★

Select Difficulty by naturalbornderpy
Twilight, Celestia, Luna, Cadance and Chrysalis
Comedy/Random; 4k words; May 2020; Teen

After learning about a secret "Continue Screen" that exists beyond death, Twilight Sparkle is even more surprised to find she can change her world's difficulty. Hard Mode is hard for a reason, Twilight.

This is a sequel to Continue? (PR 252), which I'd strongly recommend reading first as the setup isn't explained again here. This fic expands on the idea that Twilight can "replay" parts of her adventures after she dies – only this time, she'll be facing the likes of Discord and Nightmare Moon with a good deal more to think about. It's nice to see some funny in-jokes about gaming that aren't inaccessible to casual players. (One example is a reference to the limited dialogue options generally afforded non-player characters.) This is a breeze of a read, and I smiled or laughed more times than I usually do in a fic of this length. The "stealth profundity" I mentioned in my review of Continue? isn't really a thing this time; it's just plain fun. In the earlier fic, there was a bonus chapter I didn't think was quite as good. This doesn't have that and I think the lack of dilution makes it stronger. Recommended, assuming you've read fic one. ★★★★

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Next time, I hope that the stories I review will include James Washburn's comedy adventure Telling Tales.