Recommended Story Reviews #13 – Storm, Late Night at the Hooves Household, Just Being Pinkie Pie, Heart is Where the Home is, A Million Things to Do · 7:17pm Nov 8th, 2016
Today is Election Day in the United States, the crescendo of over a year and a half of people campaigning to be leader of the free world. Be sure to vote, if you haven’t already (I did in mid-October, because here in Oregon, we vote by mail – no waiting around in line, and plenty of time to research the topics while you’re voting).
Here’s a bit of advice: don’t stress out over it. If you want, you can go out and call up your local headquarters and volunteer to help. Or just ask your friends if they’ve voted yet (you know, if they’re voting for the right person 
).
But the news will try to be endlessly dramatic this evening. The election will be called around the time West Coast polls close, at 11 pm Eastern Time/8pm Pacific Time, so if you want to know, and don’t want to spend all evening biting your nails, tune in then.
In the meantime, why not blow off some steam by reading some good pony stories?
Today’s stories:
Storm by kits
Late Night at the Hooves Household by Obascribbler
Just Being Pinkie Pie by HoofBitingActionOverload
Heart is Where the Home is by Skywriter
A Million Things to Do by Absolute Anonymous
Storm
by kits
Sad, Slice of Life
5,559 wordsA storm of epic proportions sweeps over Equestria, leaving the ponies of Ponyville to try to piece their lives back together.
Why I recommend it: A tightly written story about the mane 6 responding to a natural disaster.
Review
One of the oldest stories on the site (it’s story number is 150), this story is an oldie but a goodie. It is the story of Ponyville being struck by and dealing with the aftermath of a very, very bad storm.
The story alternates between past and present, giving us a look at the aftermath of the storm while mixing it in with the events of the previous day. While this gives away that the Mane 6 ultimately all come through it okay, the story isn’t really about that so much as the heroic determination showed by the Mane 6 in the face of adversity, and how all of them seek to contribute in their own way – Rainbow Dash and Twilight by facing down the storm with wing and magic, Applejack scrambling around town to collect ponies, Rarity organizing the other unicorns to back up Twilight when the exhausted unicorn collapses (as well as sewing blankets in the aftermath), Fluttershy trying to help her animal friends in the aftermath, and Pinkie Pie working to keep their spirits up.
The whole story is told in little flashes of action, and it is very effective. The scenes are all short and punchy, and this really helps make the story feel consistently engaging – it alternates the stress of the storm with the emotion of the aftermath, keeping it from going too far one way or the other, and cutting out what would be less interesting transitions with other scenes. It also keeps the story nice and compact – at 5,500 words, this story has as much content as many stories that are twice as long.
The story is also structured well; there are a lot of threads which all get woven together, as each pony contributes in their own way, and we see Pinkie Pie both at the beginning and at the end showing her own contribution, which may seem minor, but also is very important as she works to replenish her allies heroic resolve and make them realize just how important they are and how much they did, lending an upcast feeling to it all even as Pinkie has to deal with her own losses.
The characters’ heroism is on full display here, as is their feeling of inadequacy – even with all they did to save the ponies in town, the town was still badly damaged, with many ponies left homeless and a handful very badly injured or worse. But the story really ultimately feels pretty good – even though the events are terrible, we see characters striving throughout and ultimately being rewarded for their efforts, and even if they could not fully defeat the story, they could do their part in making things less bad, a victory in itself. This makes it an enjoyable disasterpiece, as rather than being depressing, it is ultimately uplifting as we see them throwing everything at the storm and ultimately succeeding in protecting that which is most important.
This is an oldie but a goodie, and is well worth your time.
Recommendation: Highly Recommended.
Late Night at the Hooves Household
by ObabScribbler
Sad, Slice of Life
2,447 wordsAfter Derpy is late home several nights in a row, Dinky makes a sad discovery about why her mother works so hard. Being the clumsiest pony in town can be a costly problem, but Dinky wants to help fix things for her Mommy.
Why I recommend it: It is a lovely, sad look at a poor family.
Review
Derpy often has to work late, but her daughter, Dinky, refuses to go to bed before her mom gets home, instead staying up late to wait for her.
Tonight, Derpy came home particularly late, to the point where Dinky already had fallen asleep by the time she got home, only to wake up to her mother clumsily making noise.
As Derpy fixes the two of them dinner, Dinky goes to check her mom’s mailbag, just in case Derpy forgot to deliver something again. She does find a letter… but it is addressed to her mother, and is a rather large bill. So Dinky decides to help her mom so that Derpy doesn’t have to come home so late all the time.
This is one of those bittersweet stories about children trying to take on additional responsibility because their parents are struggling. It is a sweet little story, but also sad, because Dinky is a good kid who is in a bad situation and has to have a peanut butter sandwich for dinner. The characters here are highly sympathetic, and we get a rather tragic look at Derpy’s life through the eyes of her loving daughter.
I have to admit to having a soft spot for these stories, but when written properly, they really do give you the warm fuzzies mixed with a tinge of sadness. It is a rather strange feeling, but this story executes well on it.
If I had a complaint, it would be that this story is a bit generic; it is fairly play-by-the-numbers for a story like this, and it has a couple typos here and there. But for all that, it is enjoyable.
Recommendation: Recommended.
Just Being Pinkie Pie
by HoofBitingActionOverload
Romance, Slice of Life
3,428 wordsAt the start of every storm, Pinkie Pie forsakes the safety and comfort of her home to gallop out into the rain and the lightning, and sit on the tallest hill in Ponyville. Everyone writes her behavior off as her "just being Pinkie Pie". That's true, though. She is being Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie would do anything to show a friend that she cares, and she knows one friend who is closer to the storms than anyone else. She knows that by showing her love for the storms when no one else will, she's showing her love for the pony who makes those storms.
Why I recommend it: A distinctive look at Pinkie Pie thinking about Rainbow Dash.
Review
Rainbow Dash brings a storm to Ponyville. And while every other pony rushes inside to avoid being rained on, Pinkie Pie stays out in the storm, going to the tallest hill in Ponyville to get a better view. Because the storm is as good as any show that Rainbow Dash puts on, and Pinkie Pie loves everything Rainbow Dash does.
This is a sweet story, but it also has an interesting and very Pinkie Pie premise – the storm is as much a part of Rainbow Dash as the shows she does, but no one appreciates the storms, no matter how important or cool they are. So Pinkie Pie does enough appreciating for everyone, even though that’s kind of crazy.
This story gives us a glimpse inside Pinkie Pie’s felt mind, and it is a very nice and cozy place. Her thoughts about the world, about storms, and about her friends are all very sweet, and we see how much she loves Rainbow Dash, and how she shows that love. So while there’s a kiss at the end, we see her expressing her love throughout the piece via her actions during the storm, and her thoughts about what the storm represents.
Recommendation: Recommended.
Heart is Where the Home is
by Skywriter
Slice of Life
1,068 wordsIt's hard saying goodbye to your home of many years.
Why I added it: It is the best #savetree story ever.
Review
After the end of season 4 and the destruction of Twilight’s library by Tirek, everyone and their dog wrote a retrospective about the tree.
Two gems really stood out – All the Mortal Remains, which isn’t really a #savetree story so much as it is just a story which made use of the destruction of the library as a major plot point, and this story, which is…
This is a short, sweet, succinct, and somewhat bitter look at what it means to lose one’s home and all of your earthly belongings, and it has the perfect ending for a story like this that will surely bring a smile to your face.
Recommendation: Highly Recommended. Just don’t read the comments before you read the story.
A Million Things to Do
by Absolute Anonymous
Comedy, Slice of Life
6,046 wordsPinkie Pie comes to Rainbow Dash with shocking news; the world is going to end, and they have a million things to do before it does. Although Rainbow Dash agrees to play along, she obviously doesn't take her seriously... but as the day goes by, the true meaning of Pinkie's warning becomes clear.
Why I added it: This was one of the first stories I read by Absolute Anonymous.
Review
I read this story a long time ago, and wondered how well it would hold up on a re-read. The answer: much better than I expected.
This story is far more serious than it appears at first glance. It has a silly premise, and features Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie’s idea seems like fairly typical Pinkie silliness – do a bunch of random things, like bake the largest cupcake, throw a huge party, go flying, and the like before the world ends, because after it ends, nothing else will be able to happen. And of course, the world isn’t really coming to an end, something that made Pinkie Pie’s other friends brush her off. But Rainbow Dash can tell that Pinkie is genuinely upset about something, and so decides to hang out with her.
And it is a good thing, too, because underneath that top layer is some real emotion. The story isn’t about the world ending, but about a world ending – Pinkie Pie and her friends are growing up, and that frightens Pinkie Pie. And perhaps justifiably so; I know a lot of people worry about the idea of changing as people, of throwing away childish things, of finding who they are right now to no longer be important as they grow into new and different people, with new and different and boring hobbies and friendships.
The seemingly frivolous Pinkie activities take on a new cast, and the heartfelt conversation at the end, while perhaps a bit anvilicious, really ends up making this piece work as a whole. Pinkie Pie being random can be kind of cute, but it isn’t a story, but the added significance underneath it – along with Rainbow Dash’s reluctance to go along at first, followed by acceptance of enjoying a day with her friend – lends it an emotional cast. And by having us ride along with Rainbow, and see her dismissiveness gradually change over the course of the day, we end up caring when Pinkie Pie breaks down at the end, as well as feeling an emotional link to the ultimate outcome.
Recommendation: Highly Recommended.
Summary
Storm by kits
Highly Recommended
Late Night at the Hooves Household by Obascribbler
Recommended
Just Being Pinkie Pie by HoofBitingActionOverload
Recommended
Heart is Where the Home is by Skywriter
Highly Recommended
A Million Things to Do by Absolute Anonymous
Highly Recommended
And there we go! It has been a while since I posted one of these Recommended story review sets, mostly because I keep putting off re-reading Eternal out of guilt of not reading some other longer stories that I have yet to read.
Still, I hope you enjoy these. There is an inner core of warmth to all of these stories, even if they are often tinged with a bit of sadness, and I think that they’re a good read on a day like today.
Number of stories still listed as Read It Sooner: 158
Number of stories still listed as Read It Later: 552
Number of stories listed as Read It Eventually: 2046
PS. Please don't talk about politics in the comments of this post. If you must talk about politics, please go to my last post from yesterday evening.
Or you can just go to r/politics on Reddit.
Every time:
I see the word "Reddit," my brain's first glance turns it into the word "Rabbit." So now I want to talk about rabbit politics, except, well, I don't know anything about rabbit politics! It's all very confusing...
Mike
4290607
Rabbit politics are the worst. Just ask Kevin and Kell.
4290607 Here, have a story about Angel being very adept at playing rabbit politics.
Ultimate what? Inquiring minds want to know!
>tfw Eternal
4290670
Ultimately a copy-paste error.
You saw nothing.
Have you gone and looked at stories 1-149 on this site? I did that once. There's some gaps, and a Seth-story was "posted" on Jan 1, 1970 for shits'n'giggles. Anyway, the story originally went up over on DA.
I MUST plug this amazing reading that Obab Scribbler did of storm
How do you find the "story number"?
Also, I'm curious as to what the story with the story number of "1" is, if it's still around. I'm sure various stories have been removed and the numbers are left vacate once that happens.
I've yet to read Eternal for a first time. I keep bumping it up to the top of my "read later" list but I just keep adding more on top of it and it's such an investment for me to start reading anything over about three-four thousand words... .
I really just need to sit down and make headway on reading pony fic.
4297881
All stories on FIMFiction are numbered by when they were originally created. Story number 1 was a test story and doesn't exist:
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/1
I forget what the lowest-numbered story is on the side, but a bunch of the really low numbers don't exist.
I know that feeling.
4298032
I was looking all over in the various story stats and did not think to look in the url. I feel silly now.
It was easy enough to find the lowest, just start at 1 and work up. It turns out the answer is 8.