Ponyfic Roundup 555

Read it Later story count: 90 (nc)

Words read this week: 13,945

I apologise for the slightly late appearance of this blog, and for the general lack of updates recently. I'd been unexpectedly diverted by something I'd previously known nothing about because I wasn't in that fandom. Suffice to say here that the story of actress Sandra Peabody's experience on one film shocked me, and not in a good way. Anyway, I will be back with "Sounds of 2016" next week, and if everything goes right, hopefully a "Best Gift Ever" rewatch too. Off we go:

The Worst Form of Government by Aquaman
Another Night Alone by TwistedSkittles
Why? by The 24th Pegasus
The Smartphone by SilverStar7
How Many Princesses Does It Take by Georg

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

The Worst Form of Government by Aquaman
Twilight, Mayor Mare and Mane Six
G4; Comedy/Slice of Life; 3k words; Sep 2025; Everyone

Six days ago, Twilight became a Princess. Six days from now, Ponyville will vote on whether Twilight should also become their Mayor. These two events are, unfortunately and Constitutionally, related to each other. (2024 Iron Author entry)

I always have some slight trepidation when reading political stories by Americans, but this one is pretty accessible. Mayor Mare informs Twilight that constitutionally, she (Twilight) has now replaced her. They decide to have an election. The trouble is, not everypony is on Twilight's side – not even her closest friends. This is a very amusing and nicely characterised piece, which only had a few things I couldn't work out as a Brit ("a conquered-Reichdoe-sized red flag"?) and bounced along very well. Top-end three. ★★★

Another Night Alone by TwistedSkittles
OC
G4; Random/Sad/Slice of Life; 1k words; Sep 2023; Everyone

Just another night of Skittle Twist, the pony who wanders all alone at night. No pony seems to realize she's out here, and that's fine with her. But...why exactly is she out in the middle of the night? It's not the first time she' [sic]

I picked this one randomly, and I'll admit my heart sank at the obvious self-insert name. But in fact this story does have a little more life to it than that, and Skittle's wandering and pondering have their moments. A bizarre intrusion of Galileo's name (yes, the our-world one) at one point, and there's not much actual motivation for her here, but otherwise it's a gentle and occasionally atmospheric wander through the night. ★★

WhLy? by The 24th Pegasus
OC
G4; Sad/Slice of Life; 4k words; Feb 2017; Teen

As an orca pony swims one night among the fiery monuments of a global conflict, she finds a sailor freezing to death in the arctic cold. She has only one question for him.

Wars are fairly common in some types of ponyfic – but how many times have you come across an orca pony? In my case, none, which was one reason I chose to read this fic. It's a lyrical, dialogue-free piece in which said orca pony narrates. She finds herself amidst a war waged by creatures she doesn't quite understand, but she stays and learns. That [Sad] genre tag shouldn't be taken lightly, and neither of the worlds we see (the narrator's and the warfighters') is one we much recognise from canon. But it's different and beautiful and tragic, and that combination makes it memorable. ★★★★

The Smartphone by SilverStar7
Twilight, Sunset Shimmer and Mane Six
G4; Comedy/Slice of Life; 2k words; Feb 2016; Everyone

Twilight steals a smartphone from the human world.

You can probably guess where this is going, and you're likely to be right! Sunset is not impressed, and I like the interplay between her and Twilight here. Twi herself is a bit on the over-the-top side, but not so much that it destroys the story. The Mane Six are a little dense, and there's a slight roughness to the writing which takes the edge of a potentially hilarious fic at times. Top-end two, but could easily be a three with a bit of TLC. ★★

How Many Princesses Does It Take by Georg
Twilight, Celestia and Luna
G4; Comedy; 3k words; Sep 2016–Apr 2020; Everyone

The sun has just gone out. This could be the end of Equestria. Or just a bulb.

Almost at once this story gives us a character named Blighter the Lamp Lighter, which hints at the kind of humour it contains. There's a Royal Metaphorical Storeroom, too. If you don't like that tongue-in-cheek style, you'd best move on. But if you do, this is pretty chuckle-inducing. You see, what Celestia actually needs to fix the sun is a petawatt light bulb – but it's hard to find them in amongst all Luna's star bulbs. The fic is silly, it's bitty (because new chapters tended to come with specific milestones of upthumbs) and it has a stupid ending. But it's a funny stupid ending. Turn your brain down and enjoy. ★★★

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Next week's five little pieces of Pony (not little pieces of pony; that would be icky) will be:

Princess Celestia is in your bed. [sic] by ocalhoun
Trixie's night by Neutron Alchemist
A Letter to the Griffin Emperor on the Matter of War by Wages of Sin
Requiem by The Sumareian
Melt by ambion