Fanfic Spotlight #27 (Guest review by totallynotabrony) · 10:34am Mar 8th, 2015
Welcome back for another week of stories. If you just woke up in the U.S. and forgot to change your clocks, then know that the U.S. government just stole an hour of your life with outdated farming regulation. But Daylight Savings Time means we're one week closer to summer, and to Everfree! But while the nights are still a bit long, let's start with a ghost story to make you Skittish, then, thanks to our guest reviewer totallynotabrony, visit an insane mare who thinks she's a dog and wants Walkies, and lastly, try to save history in My Little Chrono Triggers.
Skittish
by JMac
Words: 3,804 Complete: Yes
Recommended by Ckat_Myla (suggested by Pump It Up)
In the mood for a little early/late Nightmare Night spookyness? Something with a nice little bit of mystery, a great bit of atmosphere, and not so much with the blood and gore? Well then Skittish is the fic for you.
Cheerilee and Big Mac are taking the class on a fun filled day to learn about fear, and the last stop on their trip is the Chalk Family Cemetery (which is lauded as the most haunted place in Equestria). The entire family met with tragic ends, as it seems a few unlucky visitors to the graveyard.
A mysterious mare who introduces herself as Dusty takes the children through the graves, telling them the history of the Chalk family and a few of the spooky happenings that have occurred there.
While the overall mystery and reveal at the end was a bit predictable to this reviewer, that should not be used as a measure of the mystery. As mentioned, JMac is able to present the reader with an atmosphere that helps aid the tale's plot along with Dusty's in-story storytelling. It conjures up memories of ghost walks, where your guide helps you through the dark and you just listen to the stories they tell, allowing your own imagination to scare you.
It's worth a read at any time of the year, especially if you just can't wait for October for a mild case of the jibblies.
Walkies
by Fernin
Words: 15,453 Complete: Yes
Recommended by totallynotabrony
Background ponies – those whose names we rarely hear, they who toil behind the scenes, the working class heroes – occasionally get their due in stories like Walkies.
A stallion named Vigilance is the night security guard for Ponyville General Hospital. It’s not exactly what he hoped for when he was young. Just like anyone, he dreams of a better job, in his case joining the Royal Guard. However, he soon finds himself missing his mundane duties when a new and frustrating assignment comes along: taking care of Screw Loose, a mare who thinks she's a dog. She’s just been prescribed a new treatment that involves going outside the hospital for walks.
The narrative is intricate and well crafted. This is definitely a story you can read more than once – and find something new each time. I get the sense the author very much enjoyed writing it. I certainly enjoyed reading it.
My Little Chrono Triggers Are Magic
by Pav Fiera
Words: 151,784 Complete: No
Recommended by Silver Flare
Some stories are deeply brooding and philosophical, causing widespread cases of acute introspection and the emotional equivalent of blunt-force trauma. *coughBackgroundPonycough* Ahem. Others, however, are just plain fun to read. Rollicking adventures you can mow through like candy, savoring every bite. This story is solidly the latter, and it’s savory enough that I’d like to recommend it, despite the incomplete tag.
Fans of old Super Nintendo RPGs are going to feel right at home here, and that’s no surprise. What is quite surprising is just how enjoyable this story is otherwise. Even if you’ve never heard of Chrono Trigger before (And shame on you guys! You know who you are.), you’ll find that Pav Fiera delivers the next best thing. Dash plays the role of Chrono, a youth in the wrong place at the wrong time, drawn into a larger conspiracy through the gates of time. After Twilight’s invention malfunctions at the Millennial Fair, Dash is flung backwards about four hundred years, where Pinkie’s ancestor has gone missing. It’s a race to restore time, and a race to save Pinkie’s life, and that’s just the first few chapters.
Crossovers can be easy to write. There’s not one, but two different worlds to draw from, two rosters of pre-established characters to draw from, lots of stuff that, as a writer, you don’t have to invent from scratch. For that same reason, crossovers are tough to write well. Seamlessly blending rules from two different universes, ensuring your dialogue stays in character, having something interesting to say, Pav Fiera has it all. My Little Chrono writes the Chrono Trigger story so well that I’ve rediscovered my love for it through his words. Even better, the cast was so carefully chosen and carefully written that I couldn’t stop reading once I started.
If you’ve been thirsting for adventure, your quest ends here.
That's it for this week. Thanks again to those of you who suggested stories for us to consider, (and Pump It Up, who suggested Skittish.) If you have more suggestions, or any other comments, let us know below!
Until next week, have fun!
--Xepher, Ckat Myla, totallynotabrony, and Silver Flare
I had no idea Walkies was so good. Thank you for pointing me that way.