Story Reviews » SA Reviews #93 · 12:07am Nov 8th, 2016
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“Got any threes?”
“Go fish.”
Archonix sighed and drew a card.
Intern looked over his hand, scowling at what he held. He looked over to Ferret. “Got any fives?”
With a flick of her tail, Ferret plucked out a five of hearts and tossed it in front of Intern. He picked it up and added it to his hand.
Next, Plum said to Red Squirrel, “Got any fours?”
Red smirked, reached under the table and brought out cards much larger than the ones the others had in their hands. He lay them down for the others to see. “As a matter of fact, I do.”
ROUND 93
A long time ago, my family moved to Appleloosa, and we ain't had no luck since. We tried growing apples, but our orchards just never took right. Now, the bank's gonna repossess unless we can get some bits together real fast.
No, we ain't never been lucky, but in that ring, I don’t need luck. I’m one win away from saving our farm, and Granny says that tonight I’m fighting some fancy unicorn named Blueblood. I hear he's real fast, but there ain’t no way I’m losing with so much on the line.
This ain't gonna be pretty. In fact, I can just about guarantee it’ll be real, real ugly.
Blueblood and I come together in little ways. I back off for a bit, and so does he. He brings the thunder, so I provide a little lightning. Granny Smith always says a good match is really just a story. It’ll have some ebb and flow to it. Some ups and down and twists and turns to make it exciting.
I don’t usually go for alternate universe fics. Some days I’m actually quite a purist when it comes to ponyfic—I will call a story “good” when it entertains me, but I’ll still be held back from giving it the accolades it perhaps truly deserves because it doesn’t feel “pony” enough to really hit me where it hurts.
Big Mac knows exactly how to hit a pony where it hurts though, because this blow-by-blow playback of a single bone-crushing boxing match is too intense and enthralling to pass up. It’s a dark story because it takes some liberties with the show and weaves a world where Celestia never got her sister back and a lot of things are just going wrong and ponies are not cuddly and nice anymore. Because things are pear-shaped the Apple family just can’t catch a break, and Mac has to break a few jaws to scrape up money for their dying farm.
Like the quote above, this fic takes the retelling of a simple fight and draws it out. It stretches and pokes and prods and peels away layers that you just won’t find in a fight scene in another fic. These ponies aren’t just punching each other, they’re talking. Every hit they take and give is a clue into who they are and why they’re fighting. It’s a glorious piece of work that the author has done here, managing to make us care about a long, painful fight that in any other given fic would just be the words screaming “LOOK AT THE BONES!!!”
Alternate Universe time! Yep, that guilty pleasure of mine comes back and in high form. Just one little decision by the Apples to settle into Appleloosa rather than Ponyville changes things quite a bit.
And that change comes in the form of boxing of all things. Rather amusingly, it’s a sport adopted from Diamond Dogs. Well, I found it amusing at least. I had to find some type of humor out of this because this story starts out heavy and only gets heavier.
The fic is marked Dark, but I think a more appropriate tag would be “downbeat”. This Equestria has taken a toll out of its citizens and one of the few things that keeps the populace from too many gloomy thoughts is boxing. We get some tantalizing details about what life has been like brought about by the change above and it makes me hungry for more.
But those things are all side material to the real meat of the story. The match between Big Macintosh and Blueblood. Even in the first round we get a real sense of what we’re in for in terms of tone and action. This isn’t the glorified spectacle from the Rocky movies. These are two stallions that are here for reasons beyond glory and fame. Both need to win and win badly. The effect it’s had on Big Macintosh is particularly gut wrenching.
To say more would be to spoil the best parts. I know I’ve sounded a bit down reviewing this but the emotions from the characters involved make this well worth your time to read. I’ve got no complaints when a story can invoke a response from me that goes beyond telling a story.
Deep in the Whitetail Woods, an artificial set of stone doors has been re-discovered after a millennia. Eager to uncover its origins, Princess Twilight leads a group of archaeologists and reporters to the site.
Expecting nothing more than ancient relics, the party finds itself up against what the Vault truly hides.
In the dark, fear lives.
Oh, so just because it’s not Halloween anymore we can’t do scary stories? Well guess what kiddo, the spooks never end on this train ride! We’re called Seattle’s Spooks for a reason!
Though this fic isn’t particularly scary, per se, but it is dripping with atmosphere, creepy postscript implications, and a lot of throwdown action when the biggest spook of all comes out to petrify ponies perniciously. The gist is a creepy cave has been discovered in Whitetail Woods and Twilight Sparkle has decided it’s a perfectly fine idea to go wandering down into it with a bunch of archaeologists and journalists.
You can see where this is going, but the fact is this story pulls off the old ideas in some pretty good ways. The monster reveal really pulls you in for the second act, and while it’s dark, it’s not all-out crushingly grim. It has a burst of stab-you-with-adrenaline action, but it doesn’t go over the top. It knows how to make a scary story work, and that’s really what matters in the end.
Some doors are not meant to be open. Twilight finds this out the hard way.
This is a story about stepping up and doing the right thing, even if the characters involved are way out of their league. Two journalists who appear at a press conference that showcases the opening of a newly discovered cave do just that. When things go pear shaped, they take it upon themselves to get the job done.
Even if they are shaking with fear.
A lot of atmosphere in this piece, with descriptions of mysterious cave drawings, magical runes, and the unknown that lurks in the darkness. Much is left up to the imagination of the reader, a technique that works here since we only see what our main character sees. Which isn’t a lot. Fans of spooky places and dire circumstances will appreciate the effort put into the descriptions, even when we don’t get to see much.
Also, the ending scene with Luna is creepy and foreboding. If you get a kick out of jumping at shadows, this is your story.
The clock strikes midnight in Ponyville, and the residents of Ponyville are thrown from their beds… by their beds. The growling Living Beds chase the ponies as they flee in terror.
We’ve pulled ourselves through the sweat and blood of a boxing match and the dark crevasse of a terrifying cave. So now let’s get some levity in here with a story about beds that come to life and chase ponies around!
I mean, is there really anything else that can be said? It’s a good-hearted, entertaining story that relies on the sheer absurdity of the situation and also gags revolving around exaggerated characters to make you smile, such Twilight getting truly frustrated because this problem impacts her ability to read comfortably more than anything else.
So hop on and give it a read! Or off, if you don’t want the bed to eat you.
Yet another horror story?! Well, sort of. Kinda. Not really.
This is much sillier and absurd than the one before. Beds come to life and chase after the ponies that dare to lay on them. The ponies then must find a way to stop them.
And that’s pretty much it, really. If light and fluffy comedy is more your thing, this will be the fic to check out. We’ve got all the bases covered today!
Dale’s family has farmed their little valley since the founding of Equestria, but with his wife long passed and his foals grown and gone to the big city, he’s left to work the farm alone. Will he be the last of his long line to uphold that ancient tradition, or will an unexpected—and involuntary—visitor bring a renewed hope for the future?
The plow stood at the center of the barn—little bigger than a glorified shed—resting on blocks above the straw-strewn floorboards; thick, sturdy leather-and-sailcloth traces stretched from the three-point hitch to hooks on the back wall, as did the steerboard that allowed the puller to navigate as well as haul. Light from Celestia’s sun filtered between the planks of the walls and fell through the open doorway, dusty and fragrant thanks to the blossoming flora and rich soil, to illuminate the cool dim interior. Dale stepped absently around the mechanism, inspecting it closely after its first uses of the ongoing planting season, occasionally applying lubricating oil from the scissor-pump oiler clamped in his teeth, jaws squeezing the pump-grip.
I once said that recent episodes of MLP treat changelings like they were straight from a fanfic. Well, I should amend that: I think they treat changelings as if they were from a bad fanfic. This is not a bad fanfic, nor is it a bad story about changelings. In fact, it’s one of the best and I have good memories of it.
You see, this came out in 2012, and the original version can be read here if you want the formatting it was originally in. It’s worth it.
But I fell in love with this story back then and I’m glad I’m reminded of it now, since it showed me what potential these bug-eyed freaks could have. It’s not a traditional romance, but it kind of is, in that a hard-bitten old farmer comes across a “damsel” in distress, and the two must find a way to save each other from the crippling separation and loneliness they’ve been enduring. Cliche to the max, but the writing drips with character and is written just as you’d expect an earth pony lost in the new world to think, and the changeling itself is given enough vulnerability and agency that it isn’t just a random catalyst for Dale’s change. It’s a great little story and also a look into the early fandom, so if you read nothing else at all today, read this story.
This is an interesting fic. Despite being written before the season two finale, this story has a lot of parallels with how changelings are depicted now after season six. Lucky coincidence or prophet from the future? You decide!
With that out of the way, The Farmer in the Dell takes a look at how changelings might be integrated into pony life given the chance. And Dale, our lead, may just give it that chance.
Again, not too much to say about this one since it’s best to experience it yourself. It’s a thoughtful way to end this week’s round!
Plum blinked, at a loss for words.
“So, I think this means that I’ve won,” Red said, buffing a paw against his furry chest.
Plum did a shake of the head, finally finding his voice. “How do you figure?”
“Reviews always win.”
Feel free to visit our group for more information and events, and to offer some recommendations for future rounds. See you all next time!
I second the inclusion of this story. I'd argue that it's one of my favorites on the site if I must be honest, and it's definitely worth checking out if you haven't done so yet, especially if you're a fan of the genre.
I thought I noticed a pattern here. Every story featured the last two rounds was pulled from recommendations in the fic rec thread. This time around, the recs were courtesy of PresentPerfect and Catalysts Cradle.
I sense my recommendations have not been in vain! :D
The Millennial Vault was absolutely wonderful. Thanks for the recommendation.
You gotta know when to hold em; when to fold em. Also, when to sit on em, because the regular seats are all filled.
I found "The New Crop" to be very reminiscent of London's A Piece of Steak, but quite a different outcome.
Whoa. Did not expect a feature for my story when I got up this morning. Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.
I've always told people that what I'd really like to tag the story as is "Bleak", but that's not an available option.
The New Crop is a fantastic story, and I strongly recommend it. The only reason it's not one of my all-time favourites is that I really, really dislike boxing, and boxing is absolutely central to the fic. But it's definitely excellent.