Mini-Reviews Round 174

I saw a piece of pony merch at school this week which I hadn't previously been aware of: one of my girls came in wearing a fake ponytail, neon pink, with Pinkie Pie's image helpfully emblazoned on the top.  It doesn't exactly look natural, but I thought it was pretty cute.  Speaking of cute things, let's do a cute-themed round of mini-reviews!  Get them below the break, as always.





Sounds of Lunacy, by the Engineer Pony

Zero-ish spoiler summary:  Celestia explains to Luna why Equestria seems to face terrible perils once or twice a year--with a notable thousand-year period of peace that just happened to coincide with Nightmare Moon's banishment...

A few thoughts:  This is a very typical setup for a fic of its type: introduce a ridiculous premise, expound on how it actually makes perfect sense if you really think about it, then conclude with a reveal, reversal, or twist.  Those beats are executed with precisely typical aplomb, resulting in a story that's almost exactly as funny as you think the premise itself is.

Recommendation:  This is one of those "thousand-odd words jokefic with one idea" fics, and should be approached as such.  If you're looking for something short and silly, and find the description promising, this will probably deliver what you're looking for.  Outside of that audience, I think most people will find it varying degrees of unobjectionable, but not particularly worth seeking out.



You Can't Have Everything Your Way, by Xepher

Zero-ish spoiler summary:  When Cadence baby-sits Twilight, she finds that her favorite foal has "fixed" poker, and wants to play a game.  But it quickly becomes clear that something much bigger than a game of chance is on Twilight's mind.

A few thoughts:  This story really captures to aggressive earnestness of a child who's worked something out which makes no sense outside of her own mind.  Twilight feels well-portrayed as a bossy child with a strong bias toward the concrete, and Cadence's bemused tolerance (and, indeed, love) plays well against it.  The moral is a timeless one, ultimately presented in a very straightforward way, but for a story of this sort, I don't consider that a bad thing.

Recommendation:  Give this a try if you're looking for something sweet but not cloying, or if you'd like an entertaining but not (horribly) unrealistic portrayal of the difference between a smart child and a small adult.



Chompers, by SpaceCommie

Zero-ish spoiler summary:  Applejack goes to the dentist, against her wishes.

A few thoughts:  This is another shortfic that's mostly just playing with its premise, but don't let that fool you; I highlighted half a dozen quotable lines while reading it.  No, I'm not going to quote any of them; it's a short enough story, read it yourself if you're so darn curious.  Anyway, it's a quick, simple story, but it packs in the dental humor tightly enough to never feel stretched or bloated--something many similiar-in-concept fics struggle with.

Recommendation:  If you're looking for a quick take on a premise with a high humor quotient (both character-based and generic-dental), give this a try.