Although some of my Ponyfic Roundups (Ponyfic Roundsup? Ponyfics Roundup? Poniesfic Roundup?) are going to follow a particular theme from now on, by no means all of them will – and today's post is one of the exceptions. This is a good, old-fashioned miscellany of fics I thought looked interesting at the time. I'm pleased to say that several of them still look interesting after I've read the things! Also, the star rating system seems to be working well, so it's most definitely here to stay. Right...
Pick of the fics
Into the Everfree by Obselescence
Fluttershy and Angel
Sad; 5K words; Aug 2012; Everyone
Fluttershy pursues Angel into the Everfree Forest, where the bunny has gone after a fight with the pegasus. I'm always pleased to see fics that treat Everfree seriously. The style is interesting: it's very plain and straightforward, reminiscent in places of the better class of children's story. I think it works here, demonstrating that atmosphere doesn't require flowery language. Not sure I entirely like all the little flashbacks, but otherwise this is very good. ★★★★
Other stories
A Foggy Memory by Treble Tech
Twilight and OCs
Adventure; 8K words; Feb 2014; Everyone
Most of Ponyville's inhabitants have fallen into a bizarre trance; Twilight heads off to Canterlot to consult Celestia, but she encounters another entity first. An interesting, atmospheric mystery that just about succeeds in skating over the thin ice of logic in terms of what's happening. Unfortunately, the ending is a bit on the unsatisfying side; it could have been a four-star fic with a better one. ★★★
Generosity: The Mugger by ThatGirl2147
Rarity and Others
Sad; 1K words; May 2012; Everyone
Rarity, walking through one of Ponyville's dark back alleys (?) is accosted by a mugger. She attempts to use her charm to tease out his story. This fic, though not terrible, never really managed to convince me, in terms of either Rarity or her assailant. It's also not particularly well written ("'Two weeks ago,' informed he") and the ending is both hurried and clichéd. ★★
My Little Assistant by Larathin
Twilight and Spike
Slice of Life; 2K words; Jun 2012; Everyone
Spike becomes increasingly irritated with the way Twilight is (to him) interfering in his life. One of its key plot points has been overtaken by canon since it was written, but if you can deal with that then this is a pretty solid tale. There's a lovely last line... which unfortunately is followed by an unnecessary extra scene. It also has what I find a very intrusive reference to another fantasy universe. Even so, worth a look. ★★★
nimbus' story [sic] by kingcranberry
Rainbow Dash and Other
Comedy/Random; 1K words; Jun 2014; Everyone
The cloud on which Rainbow Dash is sleeping develops sentience and decides it doesn't like being used as a pillow. When I saw that synopsis, I knew I had to read this. Sadly, it's not very good. Even for a fic in this category, it's all over the place. Lots of little errors (getting a Mane pony's name wrong is the offence), some events that make very little sense even by Random standards and a bizarre ending that doesn't resolve much at all. ★
Princess Rainbow Dash by Blueshift
Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Rarity and Celestia
Comedy; 2K words; Jun 2014; Everyone
Rainbow Dash awakes to discover that she is an alicorn! How will she deal with her new-found status – and what will Twilight's reaction be? Pretty much exactly what you'd expect from a short Blueshift comedy: a healthy dose of "Buh?" is to be expected. Not perhaps one of his best doses of silliness, and not a terribly original premise, but still a good deal of fun if you need a quick pick-me-up. ★★★
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