So Long, and thanks for all the Ponies. by: Sir Ginger

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Yes, if you recognize the title, you already have an idea what's coming. The destruction of Equestria. Yes that pesky little planet had to be demolished to make room for a hyperspace expressway. But one pony turns out to not quite be what she seems, so manages to hitch a ride on one of the Vogon Destructor Fleet ships just before they reduce the planet to atoms. Along with five other ponies and a baby dragon. Who then have all kinds of wacky adventures trying to make their way through the galaxy with nothing more then a hoof full of Antean Dollars, a towel, and a copy of that miraculous book, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Remember, DON'T PANIC!

For those that don't get it, this is the universe of Douglas Adams' five part Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy trilogy. But with PONIES!

Story: Okay, first off there is going to be some version of a certain phrase that is going to be repeated a lot in this review. "At least until near the end." "until the last few chapters" something along those lines. Because the story really does make a huge shift in... everything in the last few chapters. While the overall plot doesn't change, and it's not like we suddenly are in a whole new story, the tone, the focus, the quality, nearly everything changes... mostly for the better in my opinion.

So, story, for the most part... there's not really much to it. Just a small, wacky bit of hijinks, but for the most part the story isn't important or matter all that much. More being a way to get from one guide entry interlude to another in a way that makes some kind of sense. While there is an overall narrative, it's hardly focused on to much, and nothing all that big. For the most part rather humorous, and the kind of thing you don't really want to think about to hard. But look what it's based on, that's expected. Enjoyable, but hardly all that great. Serving it's purpose of entering, and leading to guide entries of varying quality.

At least until the ending. Where it shifts to actually focusing on what is going on. While still keeping up the humor and adding a bit of extra levity or digression from The Guide, but here it serves more as a compliment to the story, rather then the reverse. And at this point, the story is pretty well told, exciting, and makes use of the two 'verses quite well.

Characters: Not to much to say here. It's mostly just the Mane 6, Spike, and Zaphod. Well plus one more near the end but, spoilers. All of them are decent. Nothing seems greatly out of character for any of them. But at the same time, there's not really much to them beyond the basic framework. They aren't rendered down into caricatures of themselves. But at the same time don't really feel that 'alive' don't feel quite like their normal full rounded selves. Simplified version of who they are for the most part. But again, without going so far as to be jokes or Flanderized version of themselves. So a pretty much meh. Could be better, but could be a lot worse too. Until the end of cour..... wait no this is the one section that doesn't apply. Since the characters don't change at the point, they simply start to actually be the focus of the story.

Engagement: Yes a new category. how engaging I found the story, how much I wanted to keep reading after every chapter. For this one, it also gets a meh. For the most part, each chapter was a fun, entertaining read. but nothing gripping nothing that made me need to keep going. Just a story I could read a chapter or two when I had some spare time, and then go back to whatever else I was going without feeling like I was missing something. But it never felt like I had to convince myself to get back to the story either.

At least till the end, where the story actually started to be about the story. Then engagement shot way up and I started reading faster just to see where it was going.

Ponyness: As stated else where, what this means is better stated as "Faithfulness to the Source Material." Just condensed down. This being our first real crossover, it's the first review where that distinction matters. Since not only the "poniness" of the story matters, but also how well it handled the other half of the crossover. Fist the Pony half.

Pony: Another meh. there really was little that was "pony' about it. Yeah it had the mane 6, but they were watered down enough that any similar character could have done just as well. There are a few good lines the use them. But on the whole little about it really needed ponies to be involved. Until the ending anyway, but more on that later.

HHGttG: This, this part, with all the decents or meh's above regarding the story, this is the one place it really shines. The story does a fantastic job of feeling like a Douglas Adams work, without feeling like it's just copying him. Just rewriting his words. It's presenting it's own jokes and it's own humor in the same style. And while it's not quite the same level of quality as mister Adam's work. It is a very very faithful, and very well done representation of it.

And no that last one does not change near the end either. What does is the story merging the two better. Telling a story that really feels like it's ponies meet HHG, where the rest of it felt more like. HHG, but with PONIES!

Overall:Fair -> Good: Yes, a split rating. For being more about simply an excuse to give guide entries, little focus on story beyond wacky hijinks, characters that while not badly done, could have been used a lot better. And just an overall "Decent but could be better" feel, the majority of it only really rates a 'Fair' But the ending, the last 1/3 or so. The story puts those issues aside. Becomes about telling a story and using the Guide as humorous interludes to expand on it and get a few laughs. Rather then simply being about getting from one guide entry to the next. The two parts of the crossover merging better, both feeling well needed and represented. And becoming an engaging, entertaining, and hilarious story all around. It bumps up a few notches.

So, while this is unlikely to be a story everyone will like, or even most. If you like Hitchhikers Guide, this is definitely a story to check out. And if you find it mildly entertaining, just keep at it and see how much better it gets.

(As an aside, while I found most of the guide entries somewhere between meh, to slight smile and a small chuckle, I have to admit I cracked up big time at the entry for the Royal Sisters. Funniest part of the story for me.)

WARNING SPOILERS BELOW!

Okay, two things that I do want to talk about that are pretty major spoilers. So don't read on if you haven't read the story, or simply don't plan to.

First Discord. At first, I didn't care for how the story brought him into it. But the more it went on, and the longer I thought about it. The more sense it made, and the more I warmed up to this stories' version of him. And loved how they beat him.

Second the "Spare" Mane 6. The second set created when the Sisters reformed Equestria after the Vogon's left. I do not like how they were just, absorbed into the other Mane 6. Yeah the story did give a little bit of talk about this, but it felt like such a huge thing to just mostly ignore, the implications so large, and just be brushed away. It felt like the story trying to tie up loose ends to well. The ending was to pat, to contrived. Just, did not sit well how that happened. Like why they were needed in the first place at the finale. And then, yeah this is even more murky then the whole clone Pinkie debate, and the story just skips over it with a few lines of talk between Twi and Rarity that really doesn't answer anything.

Just, did not like that part of the ending.