Ponyfic Roundup 574

Read it Later story count: 89 (nc)

Words read this week: 14,693

Time for another Ponyfic Roundup, which brings us to the magical land of Equestria, a place which increasingly looks like a nicer option, given... let's just say, given everything. So yes, a better spot for one to live in. Except for the monsters, I suppose. And the corrupting. And the thousand-year exiles. And the cult leaders. And... oh, you get the idea. Anyway, here are today's five stories:

The Lizard of Ot by Baal Bunny
The One Who Wasn't Meant to Die by Sir Hat
Catching Fluttershy by Jubilancy
What Could've Been by Boltstrike58
Shadow Pasts and Shining Futures by TheAspiringWriter93

★: 0 | ★★: 3 | ★★★: 1 | ★★★★: 1 | ★★★★★: 0
Note: I use a skewed rating system. A fic I enjoy an average amount scores two stars.

The Lizard of Ot by Baal Bunny
Spike and Dr Caballeron
G4; Adventure/Slice of Life; 4k words; May 2020; Everyone

Spike and Dr. Cabelleron head into the Badlands searching for a legend.

Originally written for the Writeoff in which an accidental joke prompt of "Ot" was kept for the contest, this more polished version doesn't have a [Comedy] tag but it's certainly entertaining. This is the reformed version of Caballeron, and he has one or two unexpected talents, even if he is concerned about his facial appearance. Spike is written, as generally works best for him, as the more grounded partner in non-crime. He's Friendship Ambassador now, after all. Twilight is apparently gullible, but is she? As for the titular lizard? You'll see. Loads of fun in a small package, like Spike himself. Shades into the fours and is recommended. ★★★★

The One Who Wasn't Meant to Die by Sir Hat
Sombra and OC
G4; Romance/Sad/Tragedy; 1k words; Aug 2014; Teen

Sombra desperatly [sic] clings to an enchanted suit of armor that contains the souls of his lover.

Told in first person by Pyrite, the grievously wounded lover in question, this is a vignette from before Sombra became the pony we know from canon. Reading his FIENDship is Magic comic may help with the background, but there's still a mystery here about exactly what's going on. Well, unless I'm too dense to see it, which is very possible. It is, however, a side of Sombra we don't see – unsurprisingly in canon given the open M/M, but rarely in ponyfic either. So short, however, that it doesn't really close the deal for the weight of this relationship. ★★

Catching Fluttershy by Jubilancy
Fluttershy, Applejack and Twilight
G4; Comedy; 1k words; Mar 2013; Everyone

Fluttershy was discorded, and now she needs to be caught.

Set during the de-Discording sequence in "The Return of Harmony, part 2", this is simply an expansion of what we see in the show. The friendship between Twilight and Applejack is pleasantly depicted, but the progression of events is very predictable – more so than the constraints of canon require. Discorded Fluttershy's cruelty is a little uncertainly depicted, too. ★★

What Could've Been by Boltstrike58
Derpy and Rainbow Dash
G4; Drama/Sad/Slice of Life; 2k words; Jan 2025; Everyone

Derpy recalls the life she might've led if things had been different.

This fic is inspired by that heartbreaking montage from "Where the Apple Lies" which includes the flashback to filly Derpy gradually losing her speed as her eyes become more skewed. Here we get an explanation for what she was doing with bandages over her eyes in that sequence, and it's pretty heartbreaking. The explanation seems reasonable, and I really like (in an "oof" sort of way) Derpy's supportive but helpless-feeling parents as her fillyhood dream slips away from her. ★★★

Shadow Pasts and Shining Futures by TheAspiringWriter93
OC and Other
G4; Slice of Life; 5k words; date; rating

Musical Elegy is enjoying a nice evening at home when tragedy strikes.

I took a bit of a flyer on this one. Musical is an older stallion with two adopted grandfoals, but then he finds a small filly left on his doorstep, seriously injured and not breathing. He manages to keep her alive and get her to hospital, but the nurse advises him not to ask her what happened. When we're given the foal's name, it's rather distracting, but I'm not sure whether it was a deliberate choice. Musical Elegy's response to officialdom is odd, as well. The lack of polish here actually contributes a bit to the discomfort that I think was intended, but it also feels rather unfinished ★★

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A mixed week, but that's not unusual. As I usually do, I'll be having a week off for Easter, and as I also usually do I'll be taking advantage of the two-week gap to read and then review a longer story. So, next time (8th April) you can expect a Spotlight Edition. This time, it's one I've had on my RiL list for about two years. Here is what the fic will be:

Reticence by Fire Gazer the Alchemist