Great Stories Done Better #2: The Music of Ponyville · 3:57pm May 25th, 2023
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!
If you haven't read the original story and do not want to be spoiled, visit the link here and read it. The Music of Ponyville
Alternatively, you can listen to the reading of the story here. Dramatic Reading
If you do not want to be spoiled, turn back now. This is your final warning.
By continuing, you are affirming that you either have read the story, or you don't mind being spoiled.
Plot
The Music of Ponyville is the beginning of the Cadanceverse, an Alternate Universe where 1000 years ago, both Celestia and Luna went mad, becoming Burning Sun and Nightmare Moon respectively. Cadance, a magical construct created to take on the responsibilities of moving celestial bodies when Celestia or Luna couldn't, outsmarted her creators and banished them to the sun and moon, respectively. She then takes on the role of the ruling Princess of Equestria for 1000 years.
Octavia Philharmonica, the personal student of Princess Cadance, is a music student who, like Twilight, was a loner. As a test to prove that she can work with others, Princess Cadance sends Octavia to Ponyville with one of her "friends", Pageturner, to assist with logistics for the Vernal Equinox Festival. She oversteps her authority however and doesn't understand that her way isn't the only way, or even the best way.
When Burning Sun and Nightmare Moon return, Octavia, who had already ruined the celebration, had also ruined her friendship with Pageturner. Pageturner leaves Octavia behind, telling her that she now has what she's always wanted, to be alone. Now at her lowest, Octavia is shown friendship by Lyra Heartstrings. Along with Vinyl Scratch, Fluttershy, Medley, and Bluenote Blues, Octavia and Lyra head into the Everfree Forest in search of the Elements of Harmony to stop the Tyrant Queens.
After going through trials of their own, they make their way to the Castle of the Two Sisters and find the Elements of Harmony. Once they realize who is coupled with which Element, they use the power of the Elements of Harmony, this AU making them music based, and stop Burning Sun and Nightmare Moon and return them to Celestia and Luna respectively. Cadance comes and says that because Octavia has proven that she can work with other ponies, she can have her own room in the music school where she won't be bothered. But of course, Octavia chooses to stay with her new friends.
Despite now having new friends and a happy life, it was at the cost of her old friendships. Pageturner specifically refuses to accept Octavia as a friend again. So it's a bittersweet ending in that way.
And a few loose ends...
Bluenote Blues = Laughter
Octavia Philharmonica = Honesty
Medley = Kindness
Fluttershy = Generosity
Lyra Heartstrings = Loyalty
Vinyl Scratch = Magic
Review
This is a fun AU with a uniqueness that no other AU brings to the table. First of all, other than any other AU, which follows the Element Bearer of Magic, the Cadanceverse follows the Element Bearer of Honesty. And in my opinion, this AU has the main character have the hardest fall of any other main character of any other AU. And this is due in part to having the most stuck-up main character of any other AU. In the Lunaverse, at least Trixie ruining the celebration was intentional on her part.
Octavia was honestly trying to make the Vernal Equinox better. But she made it worse because of her inability to see things from the point of view of others. Her trying to make things better was actually her trying to make things more to her personal preferences. And her fall was the result of her self-centeredness. She ruined the celebration, she lost all the friends she had, and she was left all alone at the one time she didn't want to be alone. Even her trying to save Cadance had an underlying self-centered reason for it. She was lucky to have met Lyra and Vinyl. They may not have been the only new ponies she met, but without them, the other three would've likely just left her behind as well. That's just how far Octavia has fallen.
The different AUs can't be described in different ways. One way can be describing what kind of media it would be described as. Another is describing how the ruling Princess on that AU rules (which is broader than the others). I personally can think of different AUs as described by the color pallet I view them as having (this applies to any fanfic). To describe the Cadanceverse using these three factors, the Cadanceverse would be a musical. Cadance's ruling style is like a Pre-K teacher (as opposed to Luna being a high school teacher and Celestia being a college professor). And the color pallet of the Cadanceverse is with pastel colors (as opposed to the Maneverse, which would have bright, more saturated colors).
It's also fun just how such a tiny little tweak turns Fluttershy from the Element of Kindness to the Element of Generosity. But a tiny little tweak is all it needs, considering the relation between the two Elements.
I give The Music of Ponyville and the Cadanceverse as a whole a 4/5. If you're a fan of Alternate Universe fics, I'd recommend giving the Cadanceverse a read. And the creator of the Cadanceverse, GrassAndClouds2, is a writer for the Lunaverse. So if you're a fan of the Lunaverse, take that into consideration.
How to make it better
The Cadanceverse isn't at the top of my list of favorite AUs. And with how few AUs of this style there are, that says a lot. The only one lower that I can think of off the top of my head would be the Flipverse. And that's only because of the lack of entries and writers in the Flipvserse. But that is in no way me saying that I don't like it.
After saying that, there's only one thing that I can think of that I would change to make it better. And that's Pageturner. Specifically, the moment when Pageturner abandons Octavia happens a bit too abruptly for my taste. One moment, she was happily doing her best to be Octavia's friend, the next moment, she abandons Octavia, no longer willing to try to be friends after 2 years of trying. I think it should've been more evident that Pageturner was reaching her limits with Octavia.
Unless we were supposed to be seeing things from Octavia's point of view and her obliviousness reflecting on how we saw it, there was no indication that that's supposed to be the case either since we easily see how Octavia is in the wrong. So either Pageturner abandoning Octavia wasn't done well, or seeing things from Octavia's point of view wasn't done well.
This is just my opinion, after all.
So what do you think? have you read the story? Do you agree with my assessment that Pageturner's breaking point should've been better foreshadowed? Is there anything else that you would add or change to make the story better?
Please comment and tell my your thoughts.
