Review #25 / Hearth's Warming #5 - Hearth's Warming Dream, Three Nights, A Heart's Warming Carol, The Meaning of Hearth's Warming · 2:56am Dec 26th, 2016
Today is the last day of my Hearth's Warming specials. Anyway, here are the ones I'm doing today:
Hearth's Warming Dream by Noble Thought
Three Nights by Bradel
A Heart's Warming Carol by Butterscotch Cream
The Meaning of Hearth's Warming by Ezio Auditore
Hearth's warming Dream by Noble Thought
(Slice of Life)
Luna has been guiding foal and adult alike out of nightmare after nightmare for nearly a year following Discord's defeat in the long ago past. She has grown tired, and when she happens upon a real dream, she is reluctant to let go of its simple joy and face the nightmares again.
Review
Luna goes out to guard the ponies dreams, and she finds one that belongs to a filly. The filly reminds her that it is Hearth's Warming Eve, and begins to celebrate it with her. Luna does not understand. The filly then wakes up, and Luna goes off to be with Celestia and do some Hearth's Warming stuff.
This one is actually extremely well paced in all aspects. It has very few errors in it, which is always nice. It also seems very well planned out, even down to the little things. Unfortunately, FIMFiction STILL doesn't have a "Cute" tag, and I think this one could use it.
Score: 9/10 Recommendation: Highly Recommended.
Personal Thoughts: I do believe that this is one of the best Hearth's Warming stories I've read.
Three Nights by Bradel
(Drama)
Hearth's Warming Eve is supposed to be a happy event—Cadance knows this, but all she ever feels is lonely. Now, with Shining Armor gone and a freak snowstorm battering her kingdom, it's up to Cadance to salvage the holiday and teach her crystal ponies to care for one another. A story about finding your family, on the coldest night of the year.
Review
I don't even know what to do for an outline on this one... EDIT: See horizon's comment below.
It has fairly good pacing, though the third chapter can feel a little long with 12,000 words. It has very, very few errors within the text, which is oh-so-nice. It also seems planned out in great detail. And the tag fits well too.
Score: 9/10 Recommendation: Highly Recommended.
Personal Thoughts: Sorry for the lack of an outline for this, I just can't think of anything that would do it justice.
A Heart's Warming Carol by Butterscotch Cream
(Slice of Life)
Perignon owns a wine shop. It's simple, it's straightforward, it's what he's good at and it's all he needs. He doesn't need nonsense from Hearth's Warming in any form. In fact, anyone trying to deliver said nonsense quickly earns a shoulder colder than the blizzard sweeping through town. Everyone would be better off if they shut up and treated reality like it is: cold and heartless.
Review
A pony named Perignon yells at his assistant about Hearth's Warming, and gives him the day off. He then starts walking home in the middle of a blizzard with no coat. While walking, he meets a mysterious pony who explains why ponies celebrate the holiday, (I won't tell you anything due to spoiling the point of the story). Perignon wakes up in the hospital and does stuff to right his relationship with his business associate.
This one has amazingly great pacing for the plot and the length of the story. It has few errors within the text. And it seems very planned out too. The "Slice of Life" tag fits pretty well, but it could also use a "Drama" tag.
Score: 8.5/10 Recommendation: Recommended.
Personal Thoughts: This one is totally amazing at being against cynicism, but also at not shoving "holiday spirit stuff" down your throat.
The Meaning Of Hearth's Warming by Ezio Auditore
(Slice of Life)
In a time in Equestria where Hearth's Warming has simply become mere marketing, Rainbow Dash tries to find the true meaning of Hearth's Warming.
Review
Rainbow goes through the town and wonders what happened to the Hearth's Warming Spirit now that the holiday is commercialized. She meets a pony named Pax, and he explains that it is still there, just weak, and it only needs to be tapped upon. Rainbow accepts that answer.
This one has fairly good pacing, though the intro is a little bit longer than it should be. It has very few errors in the text, which is great. It also feels planned out enough to be good, but it does have what seems to be a bit of filler, which is just that, filler. But the tag works out to be the best out of the options.
Score: 8/10 Recommendation: Recommended.
Personal Thoughts: I do like this story quite a bit, and I believe you will too.
Hi! Just wanted to pop in for a moment and thank you for giving your thoughts on the story. Glad you enjoyed it!
As far as an outline on Three Nights, we get to see the discovery of Cadance as a filly, her first meeting with Twilight Sparkle, and her first Hearth's Warming in the Crystal Empire. It's basically three different stories about what the holiday means at different times in her life, and about different aspects of family and togetherness.
Glad you liked it, though. It's a good one.