Reviewing the Lunaverse: Part 6 · 12:33am Dec 22nd, 2012
Wow, it's been a while since we did one of these. Well, enough stories have finished to justify one, so let's begin.
Also, I'm no longer keeping track of Webisode numberings, especially since they can jump in at just about any point. Also, I renumbered “Foalish Misadventures” to reflect its changed place in the timeline. Just thought I'd let you know for when we get to “At the Grand Galloping Gala,” also known as “The Day RainbowDoubleDash Shoves Me Down a Flight of Stairs.”
(I'm just kidding, BTW.)
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Webisode: Keep On Trying
Written By: ColdGoldLazarus
SYNOPSIS:
After the incident at the end of “Griffin Over the Line,” Trixie goes out to help Raindrops deal with her frustration over losing her cool. And that's really it.
REVIEW:
This is a very short entry, clocking in at a single chapter, but also provides a bit more closure to the events of the preceding story. It also takes time to build up a relationship between Raindrops and Trixie, exploring what makes them tick and bringing them closer together as friends. But...that's really all the story is. It's hard to even really talk about it, since the whole thing is just a little character study of the two (albeit early on in the series).
Sorry, CGL, but...I just can't of anything else to write here.
OVERAL RATING: Good
I can't really give this a poor rating because it does what it sets out to do: provide a sense of genuine closure to a story that desperately needed it. And on that front, it's a nice little read. Other than that, though, it's just a nice little bit of character development, something that Trixie has too much of and Raindrops too little.
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Webisode: Foaling Around
Written By: Grass&Clouds2
SYNOPSIS:
Cheerilee is taking the foals on a class field trip to Canterlot Castle, guided by a very unwilling Blueblood. Of course, his apathy and a brief distraction allows for the foals to run freely throughout the castle, causing mayhem wherever they go. Can Cheerilee find her foals, deal with the nobles, and survive the numerous imagine spots, or is she doomed to be launched into the sun?
REVIEW:
“Foaling Around” feels like it's what “Foalish Misadventures” was supposed to be, only without any sort of need to set up the next entry. (We'll get to that once AtGGG finishes.) It's just a collection of wacky misadventures with our cast of foals, all of whom manage to get into some incredibly strange and secure areas of the castle with ridiculous ease. Seriously, this must be the most easily-penetrated castle in history.
The foals themselves are actually given some fairly healthy amounts of development, despite the story's short length. In particular, Scootaloo has a rather touching moment talking with the guards about her mother, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle somehow manage to get into Luna's chambers and nearly suffocate on her dresses, and Dinky, Snails and Twist contend with Greengrass and his plans to conquer Equestria with mud! Also, this is pretty much the only story so far where I could stand Greengrass, if only because G&C2 isn't trying to convince me the smug little rat is a legitimate villain in a universe run by an immortal princess who routinely cleanses the government of ponies like him. Cheerilee also gets some decent characterization here, although Applejack and Heavy Roller remain kind of flat throughout.
The other thing to mention are the imagine spots, which happen quite frequently in the latter two chapters. They all add an extra dose of insanity to the already crazy events, and do a great job showing how the different characters feel about the ponies around them and what they'll do for causing this madness.
OVERALL RATING: Excellent
I really, really love this story. It's just a lot of fun with good development and characterization thrown into the mix. It also gets bonus points for letting me tolerate Greengrass' presence in a story – but I still don't want him back. But that is a story for another day. In the meantime, read this one.
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Webisode: An Awkward Day
Written By: RainbowDoubleDash
SYNOPSIS:
Seven hundred years after “An Early Reunion,” Cadance is in the middle of addressing her latest lover when she learns that Equestria's army is amassing on the border. Is this a sign of an early invasion, or is more tomfoolery afoot?
REVIEW:
This is a small spinoff of “An Early Reunion,” the story that introduced us to RDD's oh-so-lovely origin for Cadance, gave us proof that Celestia was just a nutcase in both universes that got unlucky in this one, and ended with Luna continuing to be the worst parent ever. There is one wrinkle to this one, however: this came from a joke. Back in “At the Grand Galloping Gala,” the narrator took an aside to talk about a fake coupe attempt launched because Luna didn't have stairs to her chambers. This is the story of what happened, as told from Cadance's point of view. As you can imagine, it ends in a lot of ridiculousness, misunderstood intentions, and general madness.
Of course, that's not what anyone talks about. The real big part of the story is Cadance explaining the whole “mortal-immortal” thing to her latest love. This scene goes on for quite a while, and honestly feels like it should have been saved for perhaps Shining Armor down the line, but I can't fault what works. It does a great job setting up the lover's plight, as well as confirming that even though she's had multiple loves, Cadance still has a piece of them in her heart, even after their names and faces have all but faded from memory. It's a beautiful scene that's cut short by the tidal wave of comedy, though, which makes it stick out even more.
I will say, though, that the way the joke was told in AtGGG was funnier. Even worse, we never get to see Luna unleash her full retribution on the pony responsible, despite the original telling revealing the hilarious lengths she took to make sure he suffered dearly for nearly plunging Equestria into war over a remodeling issue.
OVERALL RATING: Good
This story is just a lot of nice, silly fun. If you liked “An Early Reunion” (like I did), and can get past Cadance being an immortal Alicorn (I can't, but I can enjoy the rest of the story), then plunge right in there and have fun.
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Yes, I'm calling it here for the moment. We have another story just about finished, and two more fanfics (yes, fanfics of fanfics of fanfics) to look at after, so we'll handle those in the next block. Until then, have a lovely day.
I rather liked the second two, especially the scene with Cadance and her lover, and will have to give Keep On Trying a read at some point.
"Good?"...considering I wrote it in a day and a half on a whim, I think I can more than live with that.
I did warn everyone that it would be awkward, though.