EHolding Out For A Hero
MLP: FiM
Adventure
Sad
Wind Whistler knows all the rules, and she knows how to break 'em and she always knows the name of the game. But she doesn't know how to get out of a temple that falls apart every now and then. Don't be sad, 'cause three outta four ain't bad?
Second Person
Other
AlwaysDressesInStyle · 1.3k words · 114 views

Story Notes: Holding Out For A Hero · 4:42am March 1st

Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/160881

Something you won't see in many of my stories - a character death. Potentially, in this case, depending on which option you choose.

Death is cheap in fiction. Characters can be brought back in a number of different ways. It's one of the many reasons I'm loathe to kill off any character. The sole exception in my back catalog is Last Kiss, and that's only because the canonical couple (Pear Butter & Bright Mac) is already dead by the time the series begins.

Oh no, Optimus Prime is dead! Don't worry, he'll be back in ten episodes or less.

Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/1094841

Meat Loaf was a frequent topic of discussion between Admiral Biscuit and myself around the time this was written (reference: Paradise By The Dashboard Light). I just happen to have almost the entirety of Meat Loaf's catalog. So the MacGuffin for this fic is named after Jim Steinman, Meat Loaf's frequent collaborator.

What many don't realize is that Steinman was also the writer behind...

Air Supply's Making Love Out Of Nothing At All
Barry Manilow's Read 'Em And Weep
Bonnie Tyler's Total Eclipse Of The Heart & Holding Out For A Hero (the song that this story is named after)
Celine Dion's It's All Coming Back To Me Now

Among others.

Steinman and Meat Loaf are both missed. Their work shall live on, hopefully forever.

Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/1845171

Why kill a character? The Interactive Storytelling Adventure was all about choice. The readers were empowered to make decisions.

I wanted those decisions to matter. Wind Whistler's life hangs in the balance, but so does the greater good of Ponyland. Save one mare with no guarantee of being able to save the world... or save the world at the expense of one pony.

The choice is yours.

Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/1851639

But why Wind Whistler? Isn't she one of your favorite characters?

Well, yes, actually. She's in my top five for G1. As for why she's the star here...

Logically, the good of the herd outweighs the good of one mare. Don't be a sentimental fool. The smart thing is to leave me behind. I'll only slow you down and time is of the essence.

But sometimes a hero needs to be sentimental.

Wind Whistler's an off the charts Enneagram 5.

So am I. Which is one of the many reasons I like her. It also makes her exceedingly easy to write.

Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/1363480

In the episode Crunch the Rockdog, the other ponies (especially Truly) tease Wind Whistler for not having feelings. This culminates in Wind Whistler goading Crunch to petrify Truly.

Which he does. The cover art for this story is her reaction - a single shed tear.

The story references Porcina and the Raptorians. Porcina was a portly pig obsessed with beauty, and the Raptorians were her minions. Her schtick was turning everything into glass so she could admire her reflection. This 4-part episode ends episode 3 with almost all of the ponies turned to glass, including a very prominent Gingerbread (taking cookies out of the oven) and Whizzer (who has just taken off, likely in a futile attempt to escape). Episode 4 shows Wind Whistler as also having been turned to glass. I guess she really was holding out for a hero.

Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/2363235