Story Reviews » SA: Round 162 · 4:09am Nov 13th, 2019
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Matthew slung his arm over the top of the office divider. “Hey, Drake. I heard you wanted to talk to someone?”
Drake turned around from his deck, looking at a piece of paper in his hands. “I was just looking at my schedule here. According to this, I’m on the crew for reviews this week?”
Matthew nodded. “That’s right.”
“But, I was on the review crew last time, too. And I just started here.” Drake scratched his head. “How come I’ve been assigned a double on my first month?”
“Well, all the review spots are assigned on a volunteer basis.”
Drake shifted his eyes from side to side. “I didn’t volunteer for this week.”
“No, but everyone else didn’t not not volunteer before you, so, yeah.” Matthew shrugged. “It happens.”
Drake slumped in his chair. “So I’m doing a double shift on my first month here.”
“Yeah, and if you could have those reviews done and on my desk by Monday, that’d be greaaaat.” Matthew grinned and patted him on the shoulder.
ROUND 162
Queen Chrysalis is trying to take over Equestria!
Meanwhile, Berry Punch sleeps in. She's a member of an elite guard, and she sleeps in?! Pinkie doesn't mind, but Bon Bon does. Being an Elite means watching out for Changelings. Is Berry good at what she does?
This is a slice of life piece about life in the refugee camp see in the Chrysalis future of “The Cutie Re-Mark”, following Berry Punch as she goes about her day and her duties to the camp. We get a wide variety of characters here, see how life has changed for them, and their efforts to try and bring a sense of normalcy and hope to an abnormal, hopeless situation.
Throughout the story, the simple fact that it’s the changeling future lends a sense of tension to everything, like any character may turn out to be a spy. And that kind of paranoia is just the kind of thing the changelings are great for in how a writer can use them. By the story’s end, things seem both a bit brighter and a bit darker than before. Such is life hiding for your life from the hive.
Slice of life stories in the Cutie Re-Mark verses don’t happen often, and for a reason, but this one worked out just fine.
Berry Punch starts the day like any other, sleep in late, get yelled at, wait for her night patrol to start. But today something different happened, today they find something. I really love how this story captures the feel of a resistance camp led by Equestrians. Despite all the adults being forced to become soldiers, there is still such an emphasis on family and caring for each other, especially the young foals. Because, let’s be honest, that’s pretty much the reason the Equestrians are even resisting in the first place.
Twilight is a young crystal pony who has a serious problem. Unlike the other ponies whose coats are brilliant and translucent, Twilight is bland and dull.
The upcoming Crystal Heart ceremony is her last chance to shine. She'd better not fail, because if she does...
Well, let's just say that there's a reason why ponies like her disappear.
An early line gave away what I felt would be the “twist” of the story, and almost made me stop reading, fearful that I had stumbled into some Rainbow Factory-esque AU about the Crystal Ponies. Thankfully I was proven wrong. I’m usually not one for dark content as a personal taste, but I recognize when it is done well, and it is done very well here. Though, that detail I speak of may turn some off - the only reason this fic doesn’t need a “Gore” tag is because the biological nature of Crystal Ponies dulls the horror a bit, but is still terrifying and grotesque to think about.
For those that can handle such things, this story is a discussion of morality, despair, hope, hate, and innocence, crafting an alternate world for the Crystal Ponies where Cadance is forced to struggle with such concepts, and the reader sees the results through the eyes of Twilight and her brother. The action scenes are well done and suitably full of dread and tension, and the dialogue is a bit wordy but works to convey the themes and characters. The ending is a bit abrupt, yet hopeful and happy in what it leaves us with.
Oh boy does this deserve that dark tag.
This story essentially imagines what it would be like if Cadance had to retake the Crystal Empire herself, with Crystal Twilight thrown in. And so begins a story of morality, hope, prejudice, love, fear, and betrayal. You see, Twilight isn’t like the other crystal ponies. Her coat isn’t shiny and see-through like all the others. You know who’s coat her’s is like? Sombra’s. And Cadance won’t let that stand.
This story’s strength is in the tension and drama of the scenes. The ups and downs of hope and despair as the character dynamics shift. The close-calls that Twilight has, the loss and pain she endures. And at the very end? Just a hint of light after a very dark tunnel.
When Trixie's brand new wagon breaks down in the middle of Hoofington, she finds herself unable to repair her broken wheel herself. So she decides to call upon Equestrian Roadside Assistance for help.
It will be a decision she is doomed to regret as she is forced to confront automatic voice directories, unhelpful operators, intolerable hold times, lovecraftian madness, gastrointestinal distress, and moronic protocol.
Trixie will never leave Hoofington with her sanity intact.
“Trixie doesn’t trust wheels” is such a ridiculous non-sequitur, how could it not inspire fanfics trying to explain that logic? This result of such effort is as absurd and funny as the line itself. This is a fic where Trixie is made to ensure the abuse of a universe that hates her and wants her to suffer, and it is hilarious. Character voicing is top-notch, making already amusing material even funnier when it’s filtered through Trixie’s unique brand of ham. The slow degradation of her sanity in escalation of events is a joy to witness and there are many, many memorable one-liners to make you laugh out loud, punctuated by a very appropriate final word from our favorite showmare to cap it off.
Wheels. The worst invention ever. I get that they’re terrible and all, but why does Trixie hate them so much? That’s what this story seeks to answer.
If you’re a fan of Trixie and comedy, I’d highly recommend this for you. Essentially, the universe is seeking to abuse Trixie in any way possible. The escalation of events and Trixie’s reaction to them is top notch, and the ending does not disappoint.
After the return of Princess Luna, Equestria entered a period of unparalleled innovation. Space flight and faster-than-light travel became not only reachable goals, but reality. And so equine civilization expanded throughout the cosmos. But in their search for other intelligent life, they discovered a race that could not be befriended, appeased or reasoned with. The race they encountered existed only to feed.
Now, in a war where defeat means extinction, any victory counts.
Here we get a brief glimpse at a futuristic Equestria at war with an alien Changeling horde. An intense battle scene with Twilight plays out before us, accompanied by an emotional moment in the middle. The fact this is a one-shot AU ups the stakes, you don’t know for sure Twilight will get out of this alive and any moment may be her last. The battle is described in great detail and is very tense and engaging, and while a few details can get lost in unfamiliar and unexplained technobabble, it’s sort of part of the genre and so it works for this sort of story. I kept reading right to end, eager to see how the battle would play out, and was very satisfied when I reached it.
There are two things I absolutely love. Changelings and space warfare. This has both, and does both amazingly.
So we start off with a simple AU, Luna comes back, Equestria advances a few thousand year’s worth in just a few decades and launches into a space age, only to discover they aren’t alone. And the others aren’t peaceful. What follows is a wonderful, tense description of battle and an amazing example of Twilight’s character. Even despite the circumstances, she still cares about the lives of everypony more than victory. And that’s what this story is really about. Victory in the lives of those who live.
“Nice work on those reviews, man!” Matthew gave a triumphant shake of his first over the cubicle wall. “I knew you could come through for us.”
Drake nodded and wiped his brow. “What does this job pay, again?”
“Exposure.”
“...Exposure?”
“Yeah. You get all your deepest, darkest secrets exposed for everyone to see.”
Drake thought for a moment and shrugged. “Well, it was either this or scraping out the gutters on Sweet Apple Acres.”
“Riiight, thanks for reminding me, Applejack needs a favor and everyone else I’ve asked hasn’t not not volunteered for it…”
Feel free to visit our group for more information and events, and to offer some recommendations for future rounds. See you all next time!
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I feel so... rejected when there are no comments for days like this. It’s weird.
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Views are about the same. Perhaps you sold it so well, everyone rushed to read 'em!
Just Hate me.