Fic recs, March 5th! · 8:07pm Mar 5th, 2018

New month, new Flash Fiction Online! This month, we've got ghosts and guns, the trials of butchering dragons, playing "Duck, Duck, Alien", and asking a favor from the faerie queen... and actually getting what you need! This issue was on point!

Uh, damn, guess I don't have anything else to talk about. :B Expect an edition tomorrow!

H: 0 R: 2 C: 3 V: 1 N: 0

The Lighter Side of… Human in Equestria by pjabrony
Reading by Scribbler, et. al.
Genre: HiE Parody
The fervent wish of two bronies is answered by Princess Celestia.
What does it say that I really wanted to slap the two human characters in the first scene of this story? I guess New Sincerity is dead, or at least something one cannot maintain for more than a few years without lapsing into cynicism once more. :/ I kinda miss that. Anyway, this is a hilarious skewering of the HiE genre that does not overstay its welcome. If you're self-aware enough to enjoy the piss being taken out of fanfics this way, you will enjoy this.
Recommended

Strange Tastes by Akumokagetsu
Reading by Winged T. Spears
Reading by Ender
Genre: Sexual Comedy
Twilight tries to get to the bottom of why everything tastes so bad.
This isn't actually a story, all things considered, though I think the joke is meant to be Twilight mistaking the horrible flavor in her mouth for something it isn't. Those averse to Spike being anywhere near anything even vaguely sexual should steer clear, but I thought it was at least a little funny regardless.
Recommended for Laughs

Clouded Minds by Loganberry
Reading by the Author
Genre: Drama
Despite what she accomplished, Rainbow never forgave herself for what she did.
This is an intense character drama. It's got a lot of things I like — Rainbow Dash wracked with self-doubt, Fluttershy and Dash's long-standing friendship — cranked up to 11. For all that this isn't something the characters are likely to worry about in canon, that character writing makes it stand out.
Recommended

Of Dreams by Lynked
Reading by Winged T. Spears
Mature: Sex
Genre: Cloppy Shipping
Nightmare Moon has apologized repeatedly. It's time to show Princess Luna how much she cares.
This is a really neat idea for a shipfic, clop or not, and I never thought I'd read a story that tried to make the reader feel sympathetic toward Nightmare Moon, of all ponies. Sometimes, you have to go backward to find something new. Anyway, this is perfectly acceptable, even cute. It's mostly the clop scene, so let that guide your choice.
Recommended If You Like Clop

Love Will Tear Us Apart by Slate Sadpony
Reading by Scribbler, et. al.
Genre: Drama
Princess Cadence agreed to care for the half-breed Prince Hornet, but he's still a reminder of his father's infidelity.
Shining's accidental infidelity with Chrysalis is maybe my least favorite thing in pony fics. I don't think I've ever read a story about it before; there's a first time for everything. (Okay, and I can think of at least two common tropes I hate more; it's still in the top ten, easy.) My big problem with this fic, oddly enough, is the way Cadence is written. I mean, far be it from me to come to her defense, but I can't see her acting so unreasonably as she does in this fic. Yes, this situation is going to cause a lot of stress and hurt feelings, but you'd think she would be able to deal with it a little better than she does. Of course, this is all done in the service of the main plot point, which is a neat reveal, but at the same time, just when I was building up some good graces, enjoying the Shining and Cadence interaction that I tend to in stories starring them, she goes calling Hornet a bastard and I just couldn't take it. It also doesn't help that the ending is trying to be heartwarming, but is honestly anything but. There's no happy ending here. All that said, this is not a story I would have chosen to read of my own volition. It's probably a good example of this trope, and anything else I could have read wouldn't have been nearly as well written. Still, I take issue with it.
Vaguely Recommended

What's in the Box? by Daemon of Decay
Reading by Winged T. Spears
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Philosophical Comedy
Luna ponders.
A large part of me is very disappointed the answer wasn't "a head". I mean, if that's a dealbreaker for you, just don't even bother. But if not, this is a thousand-word, over-the-top meditation on the nature of mysteries, curiosity and boxes, with a big whammy punchline that I saw coming but nevertheless chuckled at. A good sendup of overly philosophical pieces.
Recommended for Laughs