FimFiction Link - Short ID: 540147/p-value
Published: Aug '23
With a title like "p-value" and its lone chapter named "α = 0.05", I couldn't resist. This is an EqG story about a romantically entangled Sunset Shimmer and Wallflower Blush being forced to separate. The reasons are only hinted at, but it's something to do with the presence of Equestrian magic in the EqG world being dangerous. The story portrays their last night together before Sunset Shimmer returns to Equestria.
I appreciated the fact that Bike italicized the "p" in "p-value" whenever it shows up. Also, the definition of a p-value she gives is very nearly correct. (She defines it as, "The probability that the observed result would happen in a world where the null hypothesis were true," when it's "the probability that the observed result or a more extreme result would happen in a world where the null hypothesis were true.") But despite the title and the "Sci-Fi" tag, the story is pure emotional drama. (To counterbalance my appreciation of the italicized "p", however, and apropos of a recent discussion here, Bike used an en dash to truncate the line, "and then–" when she should have used an em dash.)
The drama is okay, but nothing remarkable. A few hundred words in, the plot becomes apparent, and from then on, the story is entirely predictable. Even the conclusion is predictable. The writing is adequate, but unremarkable (except for the fact that Bike correctly uses "lain"). If you like Sunflower romance and are in the mood for something brief and tinged with sadness, it's a good quick diversion. Otherwise, there's not much here. 6/10.