Cerulean's Voice On The Matter #16 · 3:41pm Jun 5th, 2015
A couple of shorter stories today! One’s an old classic and the other has been collecting cobwebs on my shelf for too long. Both are sublime, and worthy of your time (oh look, I’m a poet, and I didn’t even know it).
Let’s get into it!
Story: Moonspire Run
Author: titanrising
Synopsis:
Rainbow Dash's courage and ego are put to the test when Spitfire challenges her to a race through obstacles only expert pegasi dare to face.
Length: 14,492 words over 5 chapters, averaging 2,898 words per chapter
Status: Complete
Review: Holy balls, this was incredible. Written during the last episodes of season two, this tale of determination and overcoming one’s own insecurities was a joyous romp from start to finish. The action never let up, and Rainbow Dash was 100% in character (as much as it could be in early 2012). Honestly though, the story’s portrayal of Spitfire as the competitive yet caring hero mentor truly sold it to me. This could have very easily been an episode of the show, and a highly rated one at that. In fact, some have even said to me in the past that this is the story that Wonderbolt Academy should have been, and even though I thought that episode was great, I can definitely share the sentiment there. Descriptive language was vivid, the editing top-notch barring some mistakes that I could count on one hand. This is a hidden gem, has aged remarkably well, and should be read by everyone. My one regret is that the author will likely never return to fimfic to see any of his comments, having been absent for over two years. Sometimes life is like that, I guess; you write a one-hit-wonder and then disappear.
Story: Mother of the Moon
Author: Noble Thought
Synopsis:
Luna is a happy filly, and wants her sister to be happy too. She doesn't know why Celestia cries at night, so she's going to raise the sun and let her big sister sleep in.
Celestia watches her waiting to raise the sun from inside her chambers, torn between a love that she wants to acknowledge and the machinations of politics that have kept her from doing so.
What would a good sister do?
What would a good mother do?
Length: 15,021 words over 3 chapters, averaging 5,007 words per chapter
Status: Complete
Review: Not an original idea by any stretch of the imagination, Noble Thought’s take on the “Celestia is actually Luna’s mother and not her sister” idea is initially told from Luna’s PoV. A very young Luna at that, and it really shines through in the narrative. This reads very much like a tale aimed at children, a bedtime story if you will. It’s cute and fluffy, but one can’t help feeling that there’s a lot of serious stuff going on underneath, just out of sight. And then you reach the second chapter, where a whole lot of serious talking actually does happen. Much history, many backstory, wow, such headcanon. It helps add to the story’s atmosphere for sure, but some may consider the plot coming to a standstill in such a way slightly dull. The fluff is still there, but that’s all it really feels like. There’s no denying the warmth that spreads from within as you read though, if you care for such things. All in all, this is an inoffensive story that holds a lot of appeal for any fans of Celestia and / or Luna. My only real complaint is that the supposedly planned prequel and sequel have yet to come out; with the way the story ends, it needs them. Badly.
Words read so far this June: 107,639 (still lagging behind, but I’ll catch up. I will!)
I think I've always confused Moonspire Run with The Moonstone Cup. :B