Ponyfic Roundup 495

Read it Later story count: 95 (+2)

Words read this week: 26,730

Here we go! A day late, but today marks the final standard edition of Ponyfic Roundup for quite a few weeks. This kind of lucky dip will return with PR 501, but we'll be into August before that happens. As such, if you enjoy the mix o' fics type of Roundup, then you'd better make the most of today's! I'm sure you'll find something interesting in this little lot:

Why-Hole by Decaf
My Path by Silver Moon
The Piper at the Gated Lawn by AugieDog
Derpy Tries out for the Wonderbolts by I Vicious I
Time by Fallowsthorn

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

Why-Hole by Decaf
Pinkie Pie
G4; Comedy/Sad; 11k words; Oct 2020; Teen

Pinkie Pie is trapped in her own soul.

Back when [Comedy] and [Sad] couldn't be used together, I wonder which tag this fic would have got? Mind you, I'm kinda of the opinion that [Drama] is what it really is. Pinkie's soul is apparently not very nice, wanting to keep her there and (psychologically) torture her forever. How does she manage this? By being really, really Pinkie, which is what makes this story so satisfying. Not the Pinkie of hyper-sugar-bounce, but the deeper, wiser Pinkie beneath. I love what the "why-hole" of the title is revealed to be, something that makes perfect sense. It's quite slowly paced, though this ratchets up gently in a satisfying way. A few meta-ish bits that are likely to be YMMV (I liked most but found the odd bit irritating), but though Why-Hole is sometimes a slightly effortful read – Decaf doesn't seem to do quick'n'easy – it does offer a great deal to chew on. ★★★★

My Path by Silver Moon
Fluttershy
G4; Sad/Slice of Life; 2k words; Aug 2013; Everyone

My name is Fluttershy. Like most ponies, I am afraid of the Everfree Forest. Unlike most ponies, there is one path I’m not afraid of. I’m not scared of it because I walk it every week to visit my Mother.

That shortdesc shows the problem with this otherwise atmospheric tale: it's way too easy to guess what's going on. Well, not unless you've read very few ponyfics it is, certainly, and perhaps not even then. At least, for the central mystery; the question of why this is happening deep in the Everfree Forest is one that did exercise my mind rather more. I do like Fluttershy's relationship with the Forest, something I've always thought interesting (she lives right next to it, despite being so shy) but there's not quite enough substance here for more than a high two. ★★

The Piper at the Gated Lawn by AugieDog
Snips and Snails
G4; Comedy/Slice of Life; 6k words; Nov 2023; Everyone

Snails has a secret: a secret power only he can wield, a secret batch of knowledge only he can grasp, a whole secret world over which he rules as an absolute monarch. Secret except, y'know, it's right there on his flanks...

This fic got an hon mensh in the Imposing Sovereigns IV contest, but it's quite different in scale and scope to most such stories. Why? Because here, Snails is king of the... you got it. In a way, though, that's not the main interest here. What I enjoyed most was the writing and world-building: the story is narrated by Snips, which works superbly. We discover that Snails' unexpected buckball talents had a huge impact on his life, and we see a (canon) name from the past make a surprising return for the pay-off. There are also things that aren't fully explained, but the author chooses those carefully and there's no sense of ends left untied by accident. Amusing to an extent, but largely a really fine character portrait of these two. ★★★★
NB: Beyond the title pun, there is no particular The Wind in the Willows reference here.

Derpy Tries out for the Wonderbolts by I Vicious I
Derpy
G4; Drama/Random/Sad; 2k words; Dec 2023; Everyone

Derpy Hooves, a Pegasus Known for her distinctive crossed eyes and endearing clumsiness, is among the best flyers in Equestria. Following in her father's footsteps, she dreamt of becoming a Wonderbolt.

Remember the heart-wrenching background scene in "Parental Glideance" with Derpy's racing and her eyes gradually failing? That came to mind as I read this. Derpy narrates, in a voice which isn't much like her canon speaking voice but I can accept that for these purposes. It's a simple story, providing an explanation for exactly what Derpy's eye condition is and offering a look at some of her family background. It doesn't quite spark into life, perhaps because it's a bit on the telly side, but points for that medical explanation. A high two. ★★

Time by Fallowsthorn
Sunset Shimmer
G4 EqG; Drama/Slice of Life; 7k words; Feb 2019; Teen

After her failed takeover, Sunset Shimmer and the Elements of Harmony have a conversation.

You could see this RCL-inducted story as a highly superior fixfic, but that undervalues it. The author thinks of it as a missing scene (after the first Equestria Girls movie) and that works better for me as it fits in perfectly with canon. On which note: you really don't need to enjoy EqG to enjoy this, as it's a far cry from a stereotypical human high school fic. Here, the Elements of Harmony themselves appear to Sunset in a guise you'll probably guess, but the way they interact is not nearly as predictable and is by turns confrontational and reassuring. There's more than one wham moment in what they say – for example, just how significant Sunset's banishment was – but the excellent character writing is what makes this such a satisfying read. Both Sunset's and, perhaps just as much so, the Elements'. We even get what may well be the best justification I have ever seen for Luna's weird behaviour over the obvious fake cut-outs in the film. I had no idea what a double-tap was (maybe it's more familiar to Americans) and there is one clunky ponification of an our-world name, but those are so heavily outweighed by the good that I think Time deserves the highest rating. ★★★★★

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Not a bad week, really. For PR 496, I will be starting off with the previously trailed Spotlight of a longer fic. Not just any longfic, though. This is in fact the story I have had on my Read it Later list for longer than any other – and given both that and its RCL status, now seems an excellent time to do something about that! It is:

Equestria from Dust by Soundslikeponies