Ponyfic Roundup 394

Read it Later story count: 91 (+2)

I've just realised that I completely forgot to inflict a post about my latest little story upon you all. That can come tomorrow, though as it was written for a contest that's still under way I'm not intending to ramble on too much about it just yet. As far as PR goes, though, it's time to take a look at four more fics. Here they are:

What About Twilight? by alarajrogers
Consider the Coconut by PropMaster
Garden of Memories by oop
The Sanctuary in the Orchard by seaponytearsandprovalone

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

What About Twilight? by alarajrogersTwilight and Discord
Slice of Life; 15k words; Nov–Dec 2015; Everyone

Endcap to "What About Discord?" Twilight confronts Discord as to his true motives for getting her friends to exclude her.

I really dislike "What About Discord?" as most of you know, so a story that promises to give me a better reason for the draconequus's behaviour caught my eye. It improves on the show version a lot, but most things would. This story goes further and is actually very interesting. You will have to like talk-fics, as What About Twilight? is pretty much entirely one long conversation between the two characters, but if you do you can revel in some really nicely written Discord. That's a big deal, as badly-written Discords are two a penny. It's worth bearing in mind that this fic was written just after S5, so any canon stuff after that is irrelevant. Similarly, Twilight still has a touch of the "how do I princess?" about her, which I liked. It should be noted that alarajrogers places this fic within a (canon-compatible) continuity of her own, so there is the occasional reference to other stories I know nothing about. Mildly irritating, but no more and only very occasionally. There's also a passing reference to something Discord once did that is rather uncomfortable, though not necessarily out of character for his past self. If you're hoping for a "this is why Discord/Twilight was totally wrong about everything" fix-fic, this is not it. But it does give an intriguing insight into both of their mindsets, and it provides friendshipping with those two in a way you very rarely see and makes it work. Not everyone will appreciate this, but I found it such a vast improvement on the show episode that I was very grateful for its existence. ★★★★

Consider the Coconut by PropMaster
Trixie and Starlight Glimmer
Romance/Adventure; 5k words; May 2017; Teen

After a mishap with yet another teleportation spell, Trixie and Starlight Glimmer find themselves on an island in the middle of the ocean with no magical energy left. Starlight is sure this is Trixie's fault. Trixie is sure Star needs to chill out.

Considering that this fic was apparently commissioned by shortskirtsandexplosions, it's remarkably straightforward – but that's not a criticism. It's a nice, cute, almost fluffy piece of friendshipping that in many ways feels like it could come from the show itself. Yes, there is a romantic tinge to the story as well, but though obvious it's round the edges rather than front and centre. Trixie has overestimated her teleportation abilities (S7 flashbacks, anyone?) and is trying, in her own way, to make up for it by helping Glimmy get the two of them home. There aren't any world-shaking events or terrifying villains in here, but that's the point. It's very much slice-of-life with two characters who are fun to put together. I sometimes call stories "tea-break fics", and this is a rather superior example of the breed. As such, quite a high three-star rating. ★★★

Garden of Memories by oop
Carrot Top, Vinyl Scratch and Octavia
Slice of Life; 2k words; Sep 2013; Teen

A visit from some old friends sends Golden Harvest on a long trip down memory lane.

Gold (as she's called a few times in-fic) comes from a long line of apple farmers, unsurprising when Ponyville is prime apple land, but she is struggling to make a living in vegetables. Quite an interesting setup, and there's a pleasant old-fandom feel to this fic too, with many fan-favourite secondary characters coming up to a various degree (Colgate, Derpy, and so on). Mind you, it's hard in 2022 to buy the notion of a same-sex relationship causing a scandal in Ponyville, especially as it's Lyra and Bon Bon. There are also some very strange typos, such as "subsidence" for "subsistence" and "kept in touché" for "kept in touch". Not a lot really happens here, though it's apparently a kind of epilogue for oop's never-finished Allons-Y. An undemanding read for undemanding readers. ★★

The Sanctuary in the Orchard by seaponytearsandprovalone
Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie
Comedy/Random/Slice of Life; 1k words; Dec 2013; Everyone

Not everything went as planned when Twilight undid her spell on Fluttershy.

Points for your username, author! Anyway, this fic is set in the aftermath of "Bats!" and was published just a few days after the episode went out. If you remember, right at the end of the ep we saw that Fluttershy still retained a little fang. Nothing came of that in canon, but here 'Shy still has a tendency to attack juice boxes and dangle from branches sometimes. But why is Pinkie Pie there too tonight? It turns out there's a story behind that. A fun little bit of silliness that ends with a suitably Pinkie twist. It's not especially polished and the very end is a bit on the meh side, but it's still fairly cute. ★★

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For next week, I'm intending on giving you all the first Spotlight edition in quite some time! I'll be looking at FanOfMostEverything's Equestria Girls spin-off Oversaturation, a fic I've been meaning to read for – again – quite some time.