FimFiction Link - Short ID: 483506/the-same-scenario-repeated-three-times
Published: Nov '20
The Same Scenario Repeated Three Times is a 3,3k word horror story. In it, the same scenario is repeated three times.
Okay, just to get that out of the way, something about the title rubs me the wrong way. Shouldn't it be "The Same Scenario Three Times"? The "Three Times" already implies repetition. We know it's the same scenario, it wouldn't be the same if it wasn't repeated. It's a repetition of something that Twilight witnessed at some point, and now she experiences it over and over in a nightmare. That or "A Scenario Repeated Three Times", that way we also get rid of the redundancy. I don't know, I just couldn't stop thinking about that.
Anyway, the story's fun. Rarity had a horrible death due to random chance, and Twilight can't stop blaming herself. It kinda makes sense, considering if she did any one thing differently, Rarity would still be alive. Accept that second cup of tea, chat with Rarity a bit longer, don't get wrapped up in research in the first place, take a few extra seconds to say goodbye. Boom. Rarity no longer gets run over by a cart.
It does some clever stuff with Rarity's dialogue. Despite her saying the same lines, it takes on different meanings with each iteration of the scene, and the horror slowly builds up as the realisation seeps in. Quite nice.