Time to do a review!  It’s been a while, and it’s nice to see you all again.  Without further ado, let's go!.

The story that I’ll be reviewing is:

TTry

• MLP: FiM
• Sad

"Is there a good way to deliver bad news? If there is, I haven't found it."

• Death
• White Lightning

Nailah · 2.6k words  ·  92  6 · 1k views

Nailah is a very talented author, who also happens to run their very own review group.  The Reviewers Mansion.  This allows her some solid resources to make sure the story is a smooth read, and the intended message gets across well.  Very knowledgeable, and very kind.

Review

The story is about a messenger who has to pass along hard news during a war that is taking place against King Sombra.  In this story you see a variety of reactions to being informed of a family member's passing.  

As someone who has personally seen how this takes place, the process came across as a mass notice messenger.  Or in other words, there isn’t much time to offer comfort to the pony who received the message.  It came across as a tell and go type thing, which I’ve only really seen in history in intense wars where life loss was massive.

What I witnessed were representatives from the marine corps coming to a friend's house.  I was there hanging out with my friend when they knocked on the door.  They gave the news, and stayed for a few minutes to answer questions, provide resources for the loss, and pursue survivor benefits. 

My personal experiences aside, the message still gets through.  If you want to know that message, please read the story.

 
The story read very well, and was overall a pleasant read.  There were no noticeable errors in grammar and verbiage.  It all read very well.

The writing was very smooth and simple, focusing on the primary characters' thoughts and feelings.  There was no alternation of Point of View, which made the single chapter uncomplicated and simple to read.  Point of View was entirely in the first person.

Due to the heavy nature of the story, there were a lot of repetitive statements about how hard being the messenger was.  However, upon reading the last line, the need for the repetitive undertone was solidified with a new thought.  A thought that was alluded to throughout the story, but not said until the very end.  And that’s where the story hits home.

The mood is gloomy and sad, rightly so due to the topic.

The story takes place in a time where a war with King Sombra is in full swing.  This then leads to the fact that this war is no different than any war in our world.  There are, in fact, casualties.  The setting is in Ponyville, and the whole story takes place in Ponyville.

Conflicts are primarily that with figuring out how to deal with certain reactions, and moving on from one survivor, to the next.  There’s also an internal conflict as to why the protagonist is doing this job.  This resolves in the final scene.

There’s really only one focus character in this story.  Other characters have their own distinct behaviors, but the focus of the story is how those behaviors affect the protagonist.  In fact, the only name mentioned in the story is that of the protagonist.  So while there are multiple characters presented, only one is given a name.  White Lightning.  

She comes across as a determined mare, and despite the task being hard, she finds it her duty to carry it out.  All of this stems from a greater pain, and an appreciation for the role she takes on. 

For me this story reminded me of the time where I had to witness my friend be notified of their dad’s loss.  I remembered thinking about how hard it is to have to go to someone's house to share news of a loved one’s death.  It brought in strong emotions as well. Something to know about me is that I have a hard time expressing emotion. Wasn't always that way. It's not just expressing either, it's feeling. I just have a harder time finding an emotional connection to something. My point? If you can make me feel even a little bit, that's some major points.

Final Tally is as follows:

Grammar: 3/3
Style: 4/5
Narrative: 4/5 
Characterization: 5/5
Impact: 6/7

Total: 22/25