Story Reviews » SA: Round 170 · 7:51pm May 3rd, 2020
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FanficFan surveyed the open courtyard cautiously, staying still while waiting for any sign of movement. After several minutes of this, he took a few steps, then grew still again. Nothing came out to stop him. Growing bolder, Fanfic stepped forwards again, lengthening his stride. Once again, nothing impeded his progress.
He kept this up for a few more minutes until he reached the center of the courtyard where a single bush lay. Casting one more glance around the enclosure, he reached down and pulled on the bush. Instead of resisting his tug, the plant easily came away from the ground, revealing no roots underneath. What was underneath was a manhole cover previously hidden from sight. Putting the bush aside, Fanfic rapped his knuckles against it.
Minutes passed. At last, the manhole cover lifted up a tiny bit. A pair of cartoonish eyes peeked out from underneath, the pupils darting to and fro. The eyes settled on Fanfic, and even though they were disembodied organs, Fanfic could see the worry within them.
“Is it safe yet?” echoed a voice from below.
Fanfic gave a sad shake of his head. “Nope.”
“Phooie.”
“I feel you,” he replied. “You have the stories?”
“Just a minute.” The manhole cover descended and closed. Fanfic waited again until the cover tilted open, a manilla folder sealed in clear clean wrap poking out through the crack. “Don’t worry, it’s been sanitized.”
Fanfic nodded and took the offered folder. “Thanks. Need anything?”
The cartoon eyes reappeared, appearing contemplative. “Any chance for an air freshener?”
ROUND 170
A magician never reveals her secrets. The Great and Powerful Trixie just happens to have a few more secrets than most magicians. For example, she’s actually a princess of Transylmaneia. And she may or may not have doomed Equestria to eternal night. That's not even the biggest secret, either.
I have yet to see a first-person Trixie story that hasn’t entertained me in some form or another.
AlexTFish does a great job capturing Trixie’s character and takes every advantage of placing her on a quest for a position of power. I also quite enjoyed the addition of the Verity Crystal, which was an amazing addition that I could easily see existing in the world of the show.
So, if you’re a Trixie fan that likes seeing Trixie be… well… Trixie… give this story a shot.
Want silly Trixie? I’ve got silly Trixie for ya right here!
This story has a lot more going for it than being silly, though. Wrapped within is a tale of escalation that only the most great and powerful among us can create. The narrative is structured with Twilight interrogating several key characters that are involved in a series of events that lead up to the world being covered in darkness. She uses a special device that can detect lying, and this is where my appreciation for the story really takes place.
Pay close attention to what each character is saying during each interview. The ramifications lead to a conclusion I didn’t see coming.
A fic of intrigue, absurdity, and surprising heart all bundled up in a cloak of moon and stars.
In the aftermath of banishing her corrupted sister, Celestia is left to tend to a land ravaged by fear of their own rulers, political discontent, racial tensions between the three tribes and her own crushing loneliness. A thousand years is a long time to wait for the return of the pony she was closer to than anyone else in the world; long enough that she needs to make other connections with other ponies to prevent herself from going mad and following her sister into corruption. The question is, can one pony ever be strong enough to rule a land for a thousand years and be both a good ruler and a good pony?
Many a denizen of Fimfiction will know of ObabScribbler from her YouTube channel where she utilizes her expertise as a voice actor to narrate so many excellent stories that this website has to offer. So, it is with great honor that I now have the opportunity to highlight one of Scribbler’s own stories that deserve just as much notoriety as the ones she voices.
The Seven Ages of Pony draws inspiration from a monologue in William Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” as it tells the story of how Celestia got along ruling Equestria alone for 1,000 years. Each Age is its own step in Celestia’s, as well as Equestria’s evolution, and to watch how these developments affect her character is absolutely gut-wrenching. At its core, this is a story about Celestia trying to live her life without her sister, and it might be one of the best interpretations of this premise I’ve ever read.
Scribbler managed to put emotion and weight into everything Celestia does in this story. So, if you’re either a fan of Scribbler’s work (no matter if it's Fimfiction or YouTube) or just want an emotionally rich character study of Celestia, I can’t recommend Seven Stage of Pony enough.
I swear I’ve seen this featured somewhere before, but was unable to find anything. No matter, as that means we get to do the honors.
There have been plenty of stories dealing with the aftermath of Luna being banished to the moon. I’m going to say that his story is one of the best that tackles this part of the timeline. Key moments are hightlied through the millenium that shape what she and her kingdom will become. Written from a first person perspective from Celestia, we are privy to the tremulous emotions she’s going through at each stage of her life without her sister.
There’s one particular chapter involving her first personal student that really sells everything that makes Celestia who she is. I really cared for the colt she took in, despite only having a single chapter to flesh him out. ObabScribbler succeeds in only a few thousand words what other authors struggle to do in tens of thousands.
I really enjoyed this one from beginning to end. The characters feel real and the struggle Celestia goes through with each passing century hits hard at times. I could feel the weight that she carries, even though I’m not an immortal alicorn. Definitely give this a go.
It's that time again! Friends and Family Day. A holiday meant to rejoice over the bonds shared between creatures and their loved ones. The preparations have been made, families have arrived, and everyone is ready for the festival that is soon to commence.
For everyone, the week leading up to it has been nothing but an unending roller coaster of anticipation and excitement!
Well, almost everyone.
For Gallus, it's been an entire week of unending misery and memories. And while he'll deny it at every given chance, it's getting to him.
Maybe a certain hippogriff can help him out with that.
I’m really disappointed the Young Six were only around for two seasons, because there was so much potential for their characters that will never get explored, at least in canon. Gallus immediately comes to mind when i think about squandered opportunities after the revelation that he was an orphan in “The Hearthwarming Club,” so Summer Script’s A Day For Family explores this aspect of his character.
What really stands out about this story is how creative Gallus’ introspection becomes. Having Cozy Glow’s voice be the one that represents Gallus’ self-loathing was a brilliant choice and really shows the toll of being thrust into the role of Equestrian Heroes. Gallus and Silverstream’s climactic conversation was also extremely well done. The anger in Gallus’ voice, the concern in Silver’s are all perfectly conveyred. Plus, the fact that they argue with each other by using the lessons learned in episodes of the show is an amazing level of detail that showcases the impact the Mane Six has had on them.
I can’t say I’ve personally experienced anything Gallus has been through, but I do know what it’s like to treasure the bond you have with your family, and seeing Gallus crave that very same thing was heart-wrenching to read. I hope that anyone that has similar feelings as Gallus does in this story find some kind of solace in it, just as the canon show has done for so many.
We may not have had the Young Six around for long, but authors like Summer Script do an excellent job of giving them stories that characters like them deserve. If you’re a Gallus fan, then this story is definitely worth picking up
Right around the time that the School of Friendship was introduced is where I started waning from the series. I knew of the Student Six but didn’t really get to know them like I did the original six. So, I’m glad there’s stories like these to pull me back in on what I’ve been missing.
Gallus is the highlight here, suffering through a week celebrating families and friends. He’s got the friends part down, but the family stuff is where he gets hit the hardest. Feeling down that he’s got no one to relate to due to being essentially adopted by Grampa Gruff, he avoids everyone trying to spend time with him. But that doesn’t mean his friends are going to stop avoiding him.
Falling in line with the hurt/comfort genre, I was pleased with how this tackles some heavy issues of abandonment and lack of self-esteem that Gallus is spiraling through. I’m positive there are some readers out there that have been through what Gallus is dealing with here. The answers to his please aren’t easy.
This is a very dialogue heavy story, but in some ways that enhances Gallus’ problems. The back and forth he has with several characters means we get to experience with words that exposition sometimes can’t capture. I also didn’t have any trouble keeping up with who was talking at any point, so that’s a big plus there.
If you’re ready to take on some problems head on that the show tried to skim past, then by all means, give this a try!
STORY 4
The Wild Threat, by Crono411
After countless efforts, Celestia and Luna have been pushed into a deal from a foreign leader. Trial by combat, each leader chooses a champion to fight to the death. Should Celestia and Luna win the land across the sea will cease their invasion attempts, should they win half of Equestria will be theirs.
Crono411’s The Wild Threat or as I now affectionately call it “Luna, Warrior Princess,” showcases our favorite Princess of the Night locked in a ferocious battle as her sister engages in a verbal battle of her own while she spectates.
I love it when we get to see these different sides of the Royal Sisters that we all know and love. Seeing Celestia and Luna unleash their full potential to protect their little ponies is a treat to see, and it’s done very well here. Crono writes action set pieces very well, but I will say that I think the back and forth between Cypress (Imagine the combination of King Sombra and Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy.) and Celestia makes the story complete.
I should also be remiss if I don’t give Crono a pat on the back for the creativity behind The Wild and its abilities. The race of living plants really do a good job putting the Royal Sisters to the test, and while the outcome is inevitable, it was quite the journey to get there.
So, if you enjoy reading Celestia and Luna being badassses, this should definitely go on your reading list.
But enough of all the touchy-feely stuff, let’s have some action!
You want badass Luna? We gotcha some badass Luna!
Taking place within a single setting, negotiations with a rival kingdom have fallen aside and now it’s time to pit champion against champion. Luna fights for Equestria against a giant plant troll, with Celestia and the opposing leader running commentary. The action is the centerpiece and Crono411 is great at it. A good flow to the fight with some twists and turns to keep the battle interesting, with no one side dominating the fight.
The gore, violence, and death tags may scare some off from reading this, but this is firmly in the teen rating for content. This is no worse than your standard Marvel superhero movie. So if you can handle those, this will be familiar territory. Now go see Luna kick some flank!
Fanfic once again found himself kneeling down and knocking on the manhole cover. The lid lifted immediately this time. “Got the stuff?” the voice said from below.
“Yep. Got the air freshener, hand sanitizer, and bars of soap, just as you requested.” Fanfic picked up a gallon-sized ziplock baggie and wedged it through the opening. “Don’t think this is a little bit overkill for one supply run?”
The voice gave an affirming hum. “Can’t be too careful.”
“Fair enough. Have fun in there, Intern.” Fanfic stepped away as the manhole cover closed up. He placed the bush back into place, before strolling back to the main building.
“Hope Floyd hasn’t finished that puzzle yet.”
Feel free to visit our group for more information and events, and to offer some recommendations for future rounds. See you all next time!
Pleased to see Scribbler in here. :D
Wow, I get reviewed and recommended alongside Scribbler?! That's quite an honour - I love her voice work
Thanks for the reviews! For the kind words about mine, and also you guys have a great way with words yourselves - it's extremely rare for me to read a rec list that has me open every single one of the mentioned fics to check out for more details 
Now if you'd excuse me, I'm off to catch up with the rest of Fimifiction and find out who ObabScribbler is!
Meep.