Spangle here! I'm taking over as the head pre-reader/reviewer. I'll try to focus on fics with some sort of military theme, but that doesn't mean those are the only types of fics I will be reviewing. Anyway, my first review is on an older fanfic: The Pony in my Pocket
Author: BaroqueNexus
"War is war. There is no in-between. In the midst of chaos and death, sometimes incredible stories surface in the military community. And sometimes, the story becomes the reality.The Pony in my Pocket
Corporal Ben Wolfe of the 13th Army Expeditionary Unit shouldn't be alive, but he is. He's alive because of his daughter. He's alive because of Rainbow Dash. He's alive because of the pony in his pocket."
Check the review after the break! And no, I don't spoil anything. That's just not my style.
"Some of you young men think that war is all glamour and glory, but let me tell you, boys, it is all Hell!"
-General William Tecumseh Sherman
You want to know what I think of when I think about The Pony in my Pocket? That quote. If you want a story to that gives you the "warm fuzzies" then I recommend you look elsewhere. In fact, as I know many of you reading this are military, if you suffer from PTSD or something similar then you might want to avoid this story.
Am I being a little overly dramatic? Maybe. What I do know is that this story describes some of the most terrible parts of war in great detail. Well enough, anyway, that it is not outside the realm of possibility that it could make you relive some of you're own personal horrors. I have given you fair warning.
All that aside, I liked this story. Now, I can't say that I "enjoyed" reading it. My emotions while reading this story were often far from joy. It's the same whenever I watch a movie like Saving Private Ryan or We Were Soldiers. These are great stories, but they aren't meant to make you feel joy. No, they are meant to make you FEEL. This story is no exception.
The story focuses on Corporal Ben Wolfe. It takes place in the real world. This is not Equestria. There are no Princesses or Elements of Harmony to save the day. People die. This is a story about a man on the battlefield who wants nothing more than to just go home and be with his daughter. He is not a Brony. He doesn't believe in the magic of friendship. He will not "love and tolerate the s#!t out of you." The ONLY reason he has that pony is because his daughter gave it to him, and he keeps it because it reminds him of her.
Now, at one point, the Corporal has something I can only think to call a "religious" experience. From what I could gather, it doesn't really promote any single religion, but it definitely threw me for a loop. Besides that, I found this story well written and very relatable. It is, more or less, true to the military I have come to know in my 4 years of service. Sure, I'm an Air Force guy and this story takes place in the Army; i.e. there are bound to be differences, but nothing significant.
In short? Yeah, I definitely recommend this story. Manly tears may be shed. Now, I've never been very good at "point" rating systems, so let me give this a try.
| Originality: | 4 out of 5 rounds. |
| Composition: | 4 out of 5 rounds. |
| Characters: | 5 out of 5 rounds. |
| Imagery: | 5 out of 5 rounds. |
| Plot: | 4 out of 5 rounds. |
| Relatability: | 5 out of 5 rounds. |
| Overall: | 4.5 out of 5 rounds. |
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SEMPER FILLY!
