Hey, look! Another review! Looks like I actually do my job...go figure. Who knew? Anyway, I've got another one here that isn't necessarily military, but is at least military-ish.
Author: psychicscubadiver
"Twilight is an intelligent mare, and always has something to say. But when a group of bizarre creatures shows up at her library offering life long service and devotion, for once she's at a loss for words. Which is too bad, because she'd really love to ask: what's a human and why are they so weird?"The Brony International Guard
Yes, I'm aware there's a sequel. That will get its own review. Now go read this one after the break!
If you had the chance to go live in Equestria (as a human) and be an aide to your favorite pony, would you? Well, that's the basis of this story. Subtitled The B.I.G. comes to town, it's all about Equestria's first encounter with humans. Bronies, to be exact. Every last one of them.
From what I gather, there are a lot of "human in Equestria" fanfics out there, and only a few of them are good. This is one of the good ones, to be sure. Still, it somewhat hurts it when it comes to originality. I do find the premise rather amusing: the bronies have organized a "Guard" of sorts with military-like rules, regulations, etc. and have come to Equestria to serve under the pony of their choice. I think most of us military bronies will get a kick out of the semi-military aspects incorporated in this story! And I meant that in the best way possible, don't get me wrong!
While it covers pretty much every one of the Mane 6's reactions to the new creatures called "Humans," the story primarily follows Twilight Sparkle's somewhat over-the-top reaction to the whole situation. Let's be honest, I think we all saw this coming when she freaked out in Lesson Zero. That being said, I found her and the rest of the Mane 6 to be true to their characters from the show. Always a good thing in my book.
There is, however, a slight disclaimer. This story has a lot, and I do mean A LOT, of references to the show, fan content, and brony community. In other words, the more of a brony you are, the more you are likely love this story. Some of the main human characters are the staff from Equestria Daily, pony meme references abound, and so on. That's not to say you won't enjoy it if you aren't familiar with all things brony, but there will definitely be some jokes that you'll completely miss if you're new or unfamiliar with some of the fan-made content out there.
Now, there are some other characters referenced, such as Trixie, Derpy, Celestia, and Luna (LUUUNAAA!). They aren't really mentioned other than in passing, so we don't really get to see their reactions, but any information we are given is part canon and part fanon. I mean, really, what did you expect? The show doesn't give us too much to work with...that, and if there wasn't some fanon involved then the Trixie division would make NO SENSE. For those that don't know, the fanon portrays her as misunderstood and having something to prove. This is one of those inside Brony references I was talking about. Case in point.
All in all, it's a fun story that I definitely enjoyed reading. It takes a somewhat unique spin on the whole "humans in Equestria" concept and is certainly worth you're time. Now, you might be asking yourself "how does one end a story such as this?" Well, I'll say this much: they certainly didn't disappoint me! On to the ratings for those who like numbers. This time, relatability will be taken into consideration, from both a brony and military standpoint (2 for Military, 5 for Brony).
| Originality: | 3 out of 5 rounds. |
| Composition: | 5 out of 5 rounds. |
| Characters: | 5 out of 5 rounds. |
| Imagery: | 5 out of 5 rounds. |
| Plot: | 4 out of 5 rounds. |
| Relatability: | 3.5 out of 5 rounds. |
| Overall: | 4 out of 5 rounds. |
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SEMPER FILLY!
