Story Reviews » SA: Round 182 · 7:42pm Jan 23rd, 2021
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“Okay, Winter, hit it!”
Winter pulled a lever that ignited a rocket placed underneath the communal Christmas Tree. The tree blasted through a cylindrical hole and out into the skies beyond. It only took seconds for the tree to become a tiny red dot against the blue sky.
Winter stepped away from the control panel and down to where Intern was standing behind a fifty-five millimeter thick glass wall. “We could have just picked up the base and tossed it in the garbage bin outside, you know.”
Intern scoffed. “Yeah, we could, or we can go over the top in a comedic and entertaining manner that leads into our reviews.”
“You’re getting all meta, now.”
“Exactly! On to the reviews!”
ROUND 182
Alpha, an ancient timberwolf, wants nothing more than to lie in the sun and wait for his mate to return with what may be their final litter of pups. But when his pack is attacked, he's forced to lead them in battle against their long time foe. A dragon.
I hardly know where to begin with this one. It is such an exciting tale of bravery, honor, and tenacity, all woven together within minor characters from the My Little Pony universe. I don't know about you, but I've never given the timberwolves much thought. In the show, they've always been portrayed as villains the few times they've been shown, and that's all I've ever thought of them. But now, but now I'll never look at them the same way again!
Here we have a tale of battle that is every bit as epic as the final scene from Avatar: an aging Alpha male timberwolf does everything he can to protect his pack from an enemy that has attacked them for no other reason than it can. There's magic involved, magic we've seen before in the show, which makes this fight all the more believable. The author spares no punches; we're taken through every strike, every wound...we can feel all the pain and desperation between two implacable foes who give each other no quarter nor beg for the same. And we are thrilled with each word!
So get your popcorn ready and settle down to a story that might take you ten minutes to read, but those will be some of the most intense ten minutes of your life.
I’ve seen this story kicking around for years now, popping up on must read lists and blog review posts and yet it STILL falls into our view range. Well, guess that means we get to talk about it too because it deserves it.
Told entirely from the perspective of a timberwolf, we experience how some of the creatures of the Everfree Forest live their lives. A bit of a rewrite and this story could be told as a nature documentary. A documentary with living wood, raging dragons, and giant bears. OH MY! It’s a fascinating look of how an entire ecosystem mostly separated from our cute little ponies would function. Even more interesting is the dynamics between the different creatures and how they coexist in this unforgiving world.
Speaking of ponies, there’s a blink and you’ll miss it line in which a certain trio of fillies appear. Other than that, it’s all Everfree, baby.
I got a lot out of this and it’s criminal that this story has been around this long and still doesn’t have the recognition it deserves. I have nothing but praise, so sniff it out!
STORY 2
Let Go, by GigaBowser
What happens when you die?
Alpine Wind is lost in the unforgiving frozen tundra, hours away from civilization. His body is freezing and his strength depleted. Survival at this point seems like a futile hope.
As the hour of death approaches, the last thing Alpine expects to find is a visitor...
I'm sitting in my bedroom in my pajamas. I have comfy slippers on my feet, and it's a balmy 70 degrees on this unusually warm January night.
Yet all I can feel is the bitter cold sneaking up on me, the tingling of my ears as they slowly freeze, the wind whipping around me and howling, the pain in my extremities as I read this tale. Here is an excellent story that conveys every aspect of its environment and keeps the reader feeling every pain, every emotion of its OC protagonist. I mention he's an original character, for it's no easy task to get the reader to care about someone they've just met, but in a few short paragraphs, one feels as if they've known Alpine all their lives. And hope against hope he'll be alright.
Pinkie has an unusual part to play in this tale, one I've never seen her do before, but her part is near-perfection. All I'll say further about her is she brings resolution.
I'm reminded of a story of a man who got locked in a freezer some years ago. He died, but the freezer wasn't working. It did get cold, but it wasn't cold enough to freeze. But he believed he was freezing, so his mind basically killed him. That's the sensation I get from reading this tale, and I daresay you will as well. So bundle up and settle in for this one.
Remember the cold is only in your mind.
I’m one of those guys where the cold doesn’t bother me too much. If it gets cold, I put on heavier clothes, simple as that. However, even I felt this deep in my bones, as I’ve been caught unprepared in frigid weather before and can relate to our poor lead in this one.
After a freak accident, Alpine Wind is stuck in the middle of an unrelenting and unforgiving tundra. The author goes to great pains to describe the struggle Alpine experiences with every step. The biting winds, the harsh chill, and the endless wasteland that he’s traversing. He doesn’t even know if he’s going the right way. But he presses on regardless because there’s nopony else but himself to save him.
Or is there?
The second half of the story is where the heart lives and to go on further is major spoiler territory. I can say that I’m satisfied with the conclusion. Give this a shot when you’ve got a cup of cocoa nearby to keep the cold at bay.
A Kirin remembers the Joy, Happiness, and Love that the Stream of Silence has robbed from them. They cannot even bring themselves to touch or hug the one they hold dearest in their heart. How has this cooling of their emotions truly affected them?
Wow. I am constantly amazed at how authors can take aspects of a sometimes shallow, oftentimes whimsical children's show and characters and imbue them with such depth and feeling.
Here we have a lone kirin, far lonelier than she should be surrounded by others, crying out in the only way left to her. The Silence imposed upon them all goes far beyond merely being unable to speak, it stifles their emotions, making it impossible to express them. We the readers can feel her sanity slipping away from her, as would happen to any who are cursed with such a fate.
If you've seen the episode, you know how this ends, but that is only a small ray of comfort in a bleak tale of loss.
I wish her the best.
You know, sometimes My Little Pony can introduce a concept that’s truly frightening. Sure, it dresses itself up in cutsie colors and funny characters, but when you stop to think about the situation being presented, you consider the horror that’s happening in the minds of these characters. Starlight’s village with its heavy hooved method of beating down all individuality and now the kirin village with no talking and most emotions stripped away.
We get just the briefest of glimpses of this living Hell through a kirin couple. Unable to talk, the wife writes down her experiences so far in a journal, highlighting how she remembers the feelings of the past. She remembers having feelings and the joys of love, but even writing it down doesn’t help her get past the block of actually experiencing them again.
Think about that. Knowing you once felt these things before but unable to relate, or even care that these feelings are gone. You know you’re trapped within yourself but can’t muster up the energy to do anything about it. Just going about your day like a Vulcan with even less emotion.
Thankfully, we know how it ends for the kirin but give this a pass to see what it was like in the years leading up to when Applejack and Fluttershy stopped by.
STORY 4
The Resident, by NeirdaE
I'd heard about the strange aliens called "ponies." I never expected to meet one here.
For the last tale, we have a heartwarming, simple story of care. The entire tale is told in first-person, from the POV of the worker assigned to look after an...unusual resident. It takes place on Earth, in a home for elderly patients, in a time when ponies have created a portal to visit the planet. In doing so, the story brings up more questions than it answers, such as exactly why this particular pony is in this facility, instead of on Equestria, where are her family and/or friends, and it even brings up the question of language. This is an aspect of HiE, or in this case Pony On Earth stories, I find particularly interesting, as it makes little sense that ponies would speak the native tongue on a completely different planet with an alien species.
This is another of those tales where one is made to care about an original character in a very short time, the mark of a well-versed writer. Though she's called Beauty in the tale, it's noted that's not her real name, but "the closest translation." This simple phrase adds a level of depth to the story, one I find quite welcome.
As I mentioned before, the story does indeed bring up more questions than it answers, but that's the fun you'll have figuring it out.
I’ve seen plenty of stories of first contact between humans and ponies. However, it’s stories like these, through the lens of a rather average guy, that highlight just how bizarre it can be to meet a creature that talks like you but isn’t anything like you.
Shawn works at a nursing home, and wouldn’t you know it, but the new resident is an earth pony named Beauty Brass. This is the perfect setup for a series of wacky comedies but that’s not how this goes down. Shawn is a professional through and through, making me wonder if the author has any experience in this line of work. It’s rather refreshing to read a story where everyone’s taking this step by step and acting mature.
I will say that it was humorous to read how Shawn reacted to Beauty Brass’ “prescription”, though.
I would love to see more out of this concept. Just a chillax set of stories about two very different beings having to cope with the new situation they’re in. Maybe even learn a little about how this situation came about in the first place, through the eyes of some very ordinary citizens.
“Since we blew our load on the introduction, what now for the finale?” Winter asked as he closed up his work area for the day.
Intern pointed dramatically at a blackboard at the far end of the room. “Behold all the ideas I’ve come up with for this year! There are so many that it’ll be simple to just pick one out no matter the circumstances we find ourselves in.”
Winter looked between the blackboard and Intern, waiting. “And… do you have one for right now?”
Intern, still pointing dramatically, said, “I haven’t thought that far ahead.”
Feel free to visit our group for more information and events, and to offer some recommendations for future rounds. See you all next time!
Wait, why did I get a notification in my feed for this
5440934 It's a social post, you can turn the notification off if you wish through your notification settings. Otherwise, unless you are following me, you won't get any blogs from my part.
5440948
I'm cool with it. I was about to suggest my own story for reviewing when I saw the "No Self-Promotion" rule.
Thanks for the review!
Thanks a lot you guys! I always hope more people would read that particular story of mine as it's one I'm very proud of, and I'm so happy you both liked it!