I’ve read quite a lot of sadfics, and most are in-your-face-i-dare-you-not-to-cry wordfests, albeit typically they have to be good to achieve that. But then, it’s still a matter of exploitation in the majority of cases. Here we have a story that does not opt for that, you barely even know it’s a fic about death, and who has died, until the end. And when you find out? Mind should equal blown. Anyway, so this is a story about death. Grieving, coping, moving on (both for the ones left behind, and for the one taking the next step), and lastly tradition. It's a story about Fleetfoot dealing with her fears, Soarin helping her through that, Rainbow Dash grieving a loss, and Twilight helping her through that. It's a story about connecting, letting go, and being thankful for what you had.

Primary players are Fleetfoot and Soarin', and they steal the show. Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle are actually secondary cast, but they round it out very well and serve to create the feels the story might otherwise have lacked.

I liked this read, but not a first. I actually had to read to the end, realize the twist, and deal with the chills that resulted in order to fully enjoy this story. Marvelous, really. I think a good execution should go like that, but it could do more to pull a reader in toward the beginning. It has much to offer, and any reader ought to feel very satisfied by what they consume here, but the story does itself a disservice by not pulling right away. As it stands though, it’s still a quality piece of writing from a quality author.

Mane 6

Rainbow Dash

- Brief, but good. Rainbow's experiencing grief, and this is illustrated well. This author does have a good grasp of "show don't tell." Rainbow Dash is typically portrayed as being brash, arrogant, cocksure beyond reasonable, and unfathomably loyal. Here she is shown in a different, but completely believable, light. Again, she’s grieving, and this story marks that well. It also demonstrates some level of growth in our speedster as she actually acts humble in a refreshing change of pace.

Twilight Sparkle

- Good. Her role is more caretaker than anything else, but it is demonstrated with remarkable skill. Trying to be a good friend, trying to help a friend through a difficult process, trying to respect tradition, all of these things fit well with Twilight Sparkle and here she demonstrates all of it. She also demonstrates her typical awkwardness, without it being overdone or feeling forced.

Other

Fleetfoot

- Satisfactory with confusing element. I didn't get the speech problem that Fleetfoot was experiencing, the sibilance was confusing for me and it didn't really seem to add anything to the story overall. But overall, Fleetfoot’s words, thoughts, and actions all demonstrated a mare afraid and in need of support, and there she finds it. In the form of Soarin. It’s a good, and relatable, discussion and any reader who has experienced loss will take this one way, and then they’ll understand the real meaning of it. It’s beautiful how it transitions, but don’t take my word for it, experience it for yourself.

Soarin

- Satisfactory. He is portrayed with the sense of being a mentor, which he is, and having had a full life experience and being much wiser for it. You easily get the sense that Fleetfoot looks up to him, and that he, in turn, looks up to Spitfire, but nowhere does it feel forced or contrived. It feels natural in its execution, which is awesome.

There isn’t a lot of room for such a thing in a story only 2074 words long, but this story accomplishes it with style. It’s all the in reveal, the dialogue. The way the characters interact with each other, and what they express as they do.

Rainbow Dash has grown into a new role in her beloved Wonderbolts, Twilight Sparkle is participating in a pegasus rite of burial, supporting Rainbow Dash through a difficult time. Fleetfoot has been mostly a background character with little depth added during the show, whereas here she shines on her own and with Soarin’s support. You now have a character that has known others, felt their loss, and has grown from her own experiences. I know that, for me, there is also a deep desire to learn more about these characters and what shaped them to be who they are now.

There are many who might call the topic of death, in particular with MLP, something exploitative. So what? In this case, I don’t find it so, because the story isn’t asking you to weep, it’s asking you to smile with tears. It's bittersweet, and marvelous. It doesn’t even ask you to understand what you’re experiencing, but just to experience it. The author doesn’t hold your hand/hoof, but helps you to experience something deep and meaningful with none of the clutter of overwordiness or minutiae such as hyper focused body language to dilute it.

Painting a picture of tradition and rites like this isn’t easy, it becomes an act of worldbuilding in itself, and the author accomplishes this handily (hoofily?)! 2074 words is not much room to build an entire world, to provide an experience that shows the reader just what is valued in that world, but this author manages it beautifully. You have here a story which provides a glimpse into a deep world with sorrow and joy, celebration and mourning, and it makes you want to see more of this world, of these characters as they stand, and see what else they deal with or have dealt with.

A story like this makes me want more of the same, to see more interactions and situations, to experience more of the characters reception of their own world. And none of it steps outside the bounds of anything rational or logical. Then again, we’re talking about a world of magical talking technicolor mini-horses, but that’s semantics at its finest. What we’re really talking about is relatable and loved characters experiencing pain, and sorrow, and finding ways of coping with that become tradition and ritual.

So I was told to pick a story from the Main List to go for a test review. I picked “fallin’” by TheRedFox. Safe to say, here and now, I’m going to start following TheRedFox and recommending anyone else do the same. Why is that? The hallmarks of a truly good story rest here, in my opinion. Sure, there are a few errors… 5 by my count, but nothing which derailed the story at all. Except for my having been on the lookout for them, I might’ve missed them at all. For the author, I’ll gladly point each one out. However, none of that should discourage anyone else from giving this a try.

But I do have to warn any reader that the emotional heaviness comes unexpectedly. The twist is well placed, well executed, and I do not exaggerate in saying that it sent chills through me, up and down my spine, and had me doubling back to be sure of what I was reading.

So this is a story about moving on, from two sides of that most final of conditions: death. It is a story which invokes the real sense both of loss and of letting go in several senses of the term. While I read this, I was also attentive to how characters were portrayed. I was satisfied by each portrayal, while Fleetfoot and Soarin are not my expertise, I very much related to each of them and enjoyed their interactions.

What the author accomplishes in this short story, well, the problem with writing a review about something like this, particularly as short as it is, is avoiding spoilers. So read, please, as it doesn’t take long and is well worth doing. But keep in mind the solemnity of the occasion, the emotions of the characters involved versus their typical personalities, and you’ll understand how deeply this actually reaches.

Story Idea: 9.5 (Feels like an original concept, instead of something tried and true or overdone.)

Writing Style: 8.0 (It takes a moment to properly start pulling, but it gets there and keeps its grip.)

Entertainment Factor: 9.5 (I can hardly fault a story for focusing on something sad like this, but I could fault it for exploiting such a thing. This is not one such story.)

Inner Logic: 10.0 (It all makes sense in the end, just have to give it a chance to make it there.)

Final: 9.25

So I still want to give this story no less than a 9 rating. I’d go further than that, but some spelling and factual errors are present, and the use of an editor or a third or fourth sweep proofreading would be good to flesh those things out. For content? The actual story? That’s a no-brainer in my opinion. It’s a quality read, brief but profound that does not disappoint. It is also fairly original in its execution, which just makes the experience that much more appealing. So I encourage everyone to give this story, and its author, a shot!