Cerulean's Voice On The Matter #13 · 5:07pm Mar 22nd, 2015

Putting my last, er, rather scathing review behind me (and the consequences of such an analysis… whoops…), I’m here to check out some one-shots again. I’m knocking over my final two outstanding faved-story chapter updates as well.

Twilight’s hilarious existential crisis, Apple Bloom failing, a meeting of Student and Teacher, and other pieces of joy can be found below. As it turns out, a couple of these are entrants in contests past, be they hosted by fimfic groups or external sites. Must be a fairly good batch then, right?

Previously-reviewed stories with new chapters read: Cartography of War

Story: An Affliction of the Heart: Volume Five

Author: Anonymous Pegasus

Synopsis:

With her newfound responsibilities as Queen, Kuno has seen fit to lead the changelings towards a life of coexistance with ponies.
But there are those who would wish to see such an endeavour fail, and they're not above taking action to make it fail.

Length: 9,178 words over 3 chapters, averaging 3,059 words per chapter

Status: Incomplete

Review: As with the previously reviewed Chitin’s Story, this is a side-along sequel to Affliction’s fourth volume. It’s darker than the others, opening with a grisly first chapter. Same thing as its twin-fic though: you’ll only want to check this one out if you’ve been keeping up with the Afflictionverse. Odds are you’re already reading this if you want to be.

Story: Accidents Happen

Author: Syeekoh

Synopsis:

Rainbow Dash walks in on Twilight pondering her existence.
Like, really pondering her existence.

Length: 1,109 words (one-shot)

Status: Complete

Review: It’s a Syeekoh fic. Do I really need to say any more? … Okay, fine. Twilight wonders why exactly she is who she is, until she turns into something that she isn’t. Neither does she nor Rainbow Dash notice, not even as Twilight turns back again. Discord is brilliant here, playing the fool with one of his old time-travel buddies, and it gets you thinking: does changing anything about the past really affect causality, realistically speaking?
A short and humourous piece that will take all of two minutes to read (if that), this is both exactly what it says on the tin, and more than meets the eye.

Story: Safe

Author: Sharp Spark

Synopsis:

Apple Bloom has a very important classroom duty, at least according to Miss Cheerilee.

Length: 1,006 words (one-shot)

Status: Complete

Review: Safe was one of my personal top picks in the /fic/ Writeoff’s January event, “All In”. This was the first one I entered, and it produced some pretty great results. While my favourite story of that event was bookplayer’s In the Service of the Princess of Friendship, this took out a very close second for me. It was quick, dark, foreboding, and left me reeling. Apple Bloom, tasked with making sure everypony in Cheerilee’s classroom gets into a bunker safely, doesn’t recall one particular foal following her classmates into the bunker. Being who it is, and not believing the sirens mean anything other than a drill, Apple Bloom shrugs her shoulders and claims that everypony is safe. But, when you read it, and it hits you at about the 800 word mark… Damn. Despite being expanded by about 260-odd words so as to reach the minimum word length for fimfiction.net, those extra words take nothing away from this powerful, “oh shit” kind of story. It’s over before you can blink, but it won’t be forgotten in a hurry. Definitely check Safe out if you’re craving a quick dark fix, especially if you’re the sort of person who liked Ave Sonata by Syeekoh, or Reminiscent by Cold in Gardez.

Story: More Than You Know

Author: Obselescence

Synopsis:

Princess Celestia has been keeping a dark secret from her subjects for a very long time.
It's not an easy truth to tell, but if anyone can accept her after learning it, it will surely be her most faithful student.

Length: 8,869 words (one-shot)

Status: Complete

Review: This is my first fic by the Almighty Beard, as I just never get around to checking anything of his out. But, given how much the guy reads, and the varying quality that passes by his fingertips, one could hope he’s pretty decent at producing a worthwhile read?
Definitely. If the writing quality here is anything to go by, I can probably expect to be reading even more. The present-tense format made for a nice break from normal reading; I do so adore the style, but rarely is it done well. A stroll through the Canterlot Gardens quickly becomes something more as we follow Twilight and Celestia. The former is such an adorable little thing; she’s so excited to spend time with her teacher and mentor. It’s almost like she thinks the sun shines out of Celestia’s… um, moving on, Celestia teaches Twilight something, uh, questionable about a certain power that she possesses and regularly uses—if only in small doses. I found it just to be a great thought-provoker. Both Celestia and Twilight are wonderfully written, as is the general setting and atmosphere. Seeing inside younger Twilight’s head from her perspective was just too cute as well. I shall be reading more of Obs’ stuff at a later date.
(Be warned: story contains dark undertones, which you will either consider minor or very major, based on the comments). I found it perfectly okay, although more than a few people in the comments cried foul over Celestia’s power.

Just a few more one-shots left on my list, and then it's all about the adventures. I'm getting close to having no more fics on my RL!
Have a great Sunday, everyone. And don't forget about the upcoming Week of Derpy!

Adren