Well this is a story I noticed on EQD. When I read the description, I knew I had to read it. We're all military men here on the staff and we get what it means to say your goodbyes. Let's see how much it relates to us.
Author: Golden Vision
After dreaming for all his life of becoming a Royal Guard, Shining Armor has finally received the letter of acceptance that will mark his way into the ranks. On his last day at home, as he readies himself to say farewell to the only life he's ever known, Shining will realize why he's taken this path for himself, and who he's walking it for.What We Leave Behind
Will it meet my expectations? Find out after the break!
How many of us have been there? We've signed our lives away and are packing up to head off to basic training; telling ourselves we're ready to begin a new life, leave the nest, and say farewell to friends and family...at least, for a little while. That's the first time we say our goodbyes, and for those of us in jobs with high deployment rates, it certainly won't be the last. But it's made a little easier knowing that you're hardship is to help protect the ones you love and make the world a little better. It's that sense of purpose that drives you and helps you go forward.
This is the beginning. The moment where Shining's life changes forever. I definitely have to say, there were a lot of parallels I drew between his experience and mine. The initial joy and excitement, the reminiscing with friends, the awkward farewells and good wishes from everyone who knew me. And just like when I was getting ready to go off to the military, it seemed like it was harder on my family than it was for me...at least initially. As time slowly runs out, the reality begins to sink in and there doesn't seem to be enough time. Shining's mom actually reminds me a lot of how my mom reacted: very sad and emotional, but proud and supportive. This story, at least for me, was impressively close to being dead on.
While emotionally bittersweet, the author certainly did a great job of throwing in humor. The scene where Shining is saying his goodbyes to his friend Cloud Runner gave me a few chuckles and so did the cafe scene with Cadence being told one of Shining and Cloud's infamous exploits. There little things here and there to make you smile and chuckle, but the bittersweet undertone is always present, just as it should be for this type of story.
Now, the characters are also what make this story. Starting with Shining, he's definitely acts like you would expect from the show. Sure, the author throws some things in that are his own artistic license, but they make sense and do a lot towards giving him more depth. The same can be said for Cadence. I particularly liked this one part where Shining is trying to minimize what he is doing, saying he's not really doing anything special, but Cadence won't hear it and reminds him how admirable it is that he is joining the Royal Guards. I think this is how most of us act when we talk about being in the military. We need people like Cadence in our lives to give us that joy and motivation. While we aren't given too much about the minor characters, such as Cloud Runner and Chocolate, we are given enough. They have depth to their characters, emotional responses to the events around them, and histories with Shining Armor that allow them to actually contribute to the development of the story. Finally, there is Twiliy. The author makes her the most adorable filly...who acts rather silly...and the scenes with her make my heart melt into puddles of "D'AW!"
There were some minor gripes about composition. There was a word missing at one part and one or two sections were worded a bit awkwardly, but nothing significant enough to really take away from the story being told. It flows logically and smoothly as we follow Shining on his last day, and allows for a nice, leisurely read that I think most people will enjoy. While the end was kind of corny, it's what we would come to expect from the Shining Armor that this story and the show have given us. It was emotionally heart warming and gave me all sorts of warm fuzzies.
While not filled with adventure, action, and danger, this was definitely a story worth reading. TL;DR? Ratings below:
| 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: | 5 out of 5 rounds. |
| Relatability: | 4 out of 5 rounds. |
| Overall: | 4.5 out of 5 rounds. |
That does it for me. As usual, I'm punching out! *ejection seat sounds*
SEMPER FILLY!
