R4 (Reactions, Reviews, Reference, Redirection) #0006

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Here are five slightly edited old reviews:
100% Move = 50% Fire by Estee
Spike’s Centennial by Cinnamon Fritter
How To Remove A Unicorn Tooth by Skywriter
A War of Words - The Opening of the Guard by Georg
A Candle To The Sun by Moabite

100% Move = 50% Fire by Estee
(story link) (my original review)

This is a more serious one. Pretty much a Twilight character study, though the rest of the mane six are involved. All the characters were done quite well in regards to their personalities of the show. Pretty good writing, but I must admit that it hit me a little harder than the quality of the writing can explain. Part of Twilight Sparkle’s comments at the end during the big catharsis at the end hit a little close to home for me. I’d recommend reading it, but in short the whole idea of just faking emotions is something I struggle with on occasion, just waiting to mess up and hurt someone. So points for a story that manages a personal connection.

No interesting worldbuilding stuff in this story sadly. Much of it takes place in Twilight Sparkle’s old home in (or near) the Canterlot school for unicorn wizards, or whatever the name is. That stuff could have been interesting but the author pretty much just used standard magic-as-technology boilerplate scenery trappings. Security illusions and such. Not bad, just forgettable and nothing to really fire the imagination. This version of Twilight and the world fits into my headcannon just fine, but doesn’t add anything new to my things to think about pile.

Spike’s Centennial by Cinnamon Fritter
(story link) (my original review)

This is a sad one. This time a character study for Spike. I might need to try and find more Spike stories. Him being a dragon means that he won’t even be an adult before the other ponies pass away, well, except maybe for Twilight Sparkle now that she is a alicorn. Before that he would outlive all of his friends except Celestia and Luna. Which makes him a interesting character to fast-forward and see what he is like in the future. Did it briefly in Eternal, and now we have a whole story about him looking back from his 100th birthday.

First off, one interesting bit of worldbuilding in the story. Cadance shows up and Spike mentions that she aged normally for a good while before becoming a immortal like Celestia and Luna. Her explanation is that she is love and there is so much to love in the world so she can’t leave it. Indicating that it was the love she found with Shining Armor that raised her up to the full semi-divine immortal state. Which would be sad since that means that she was destined to outlive the pony who taught her true love.

The idea that there was an event that caused Cadance to ascend to semi-divine immortal alicorn status raises the question about Celestia and Luna. Cadance is love, so that’s a fairly easy event to think about. What would the sun and the moon do for the same defining event? I’ve got more thoughts in my upcoming re-write of my personal headcannon which I’ll get around to any day now. This story and the next one caused a fairly major shift, but that’s for later.

Both that, which is all in my head, and the story itself, deals with one of the themes I’ve been liking in a lot of my favorite fan fictions so far. The relationships between mortals and immortals. This story taking a look at the idea that love exists beyond death in memories and written words.

I do wish this story had been structured a little bit differently. I would have liked the series of letters to be oldest to newest, not newest to oldest. Not a huge thing, I still enjoyed the story.

How To Remove A Unicorn Tooth by Skywriter
(story link) (my original review)

Was hoping this would be a lighter story to pick me up after the last one. No such luck. It has a few silly bits, mostly involving young filly Twilight Sparkle, but the general tone of the story is fairly, not dark exactly, but certainly more on the serious side.

Interesting worldbuilding in this story. Different from my own personal headcannon about MLP, but really good stuff. Cool ideas about alicorns and how Cadance and Celestia might have gotten along (or not) before Luna returned or Twilight became Celestia’s student. This story actually shifted my personal headcannon and lead to me being pretty okay with both Cadance and alicorn Twilight Sparkle being in the show. Not to mention I now need to re-write a good chunk of my MLP headcannon page on the blog. Which I’ll get around to doing eventually. Probably when I’ve gotten caught up with the short story posts.

I see almost none of the humor or lightness from the show in this story. It is mostly a matter of emphasis, but almost all of it is borderline dark except for the chunk in the middle that is the scene of foalsitting young Twilight Sparkle. Which brings up a interesting point that you could make about a lot of these stories. The idea that the humor, lightness, bright emotions are centered on Twilight Sparkle. That when she’s not around things get more serious and dark. So the show is fairly light because it’s mostly following her and her influence around, but past the edges of that focus is where the other stuff happens.

I liked this one. It’s supposed to be the first story of a whole series and I’m impatiently waiting for more, but the author is pretty busy and seems to be working on another set of stories first.

A War of Words – The Opening of the Guard by Georg
(story link) (my original review)

Telling stories via the form of letters seems to be semi common in the MLP fandom. Given the high profile of letter writing in the show, it shouldn’t come as a surprise I guess. This story is a comedy, which was nice after the last two. It also involves something of a prank war between the royal sisters. Another concept that gets a lot of fiction devoted to it.

Nothing of much substance in here other than the really funny jokes. Only thing close to a worldbuilding bit is the idea that before Luna’s exile her royal guard had equal numbers stallions and mares, but after a thousand years of Celestia being the only ruler the royal guard had shifted to being all stallions. In a more serious story this could be a interesting thing to explore.

A Candle To The Sun by Moabite
(story link) (my original review)

A short little piece focusing on Twilight’s feelings for Celestia. Twilight is just the right amount of nervous for what is going on, Spike is very well characterized. Good story, but not a whole lot to say about it that isn’t spoilers. Very short.

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