Being an author of several [Sad] stories, I’m always on the lookout for excellent [Sad] fics that I could possibly glean some writing wisdom from. Maybe, says I to myself, just maybe, if I read enough good [Sad] stories, I’ll come to understand just what makes them good, and be able to replicate that glorious goodness. We’re probably still a ways away from that, but I feel the need to share with you a story which is off the charts on the good meter.

First by Winston is an absolutely excellent story, the kind that I would spend hours dissecting, if I could. It’s an ambitious Sad story that commits to its goals, works hard to attain them. What are those goals? Well, it seeks to offer a look at what the Mane 6 would be like after they’ve matured a few years. It seeks to explore the dynamic of Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle in a new light. That light being the afterglow of a horrible fire that threatened to consume Rainbow Dash. But most importantly, it seeks to offer a unique perspective on death from an unexpected source, in a believable way.

Does it succeed? On all accounts, I’m glad to say. Undeniably so.

Winston’s versions of Dash and Twilight (the only characters directly involved in the story) may seem slightly out of character at first (see, for example, this line: "'Yeah, Twilight. I'm afraid so.' Rainbow Dash replied gently."). But as the story progresses, we come to realise that his alterations are easily justifiable. Dash is a changed pony, she’s been through a lot. And given the circumstances that Winston creates, I find myself nodding my head to every scrap of dialogue. This is exactly what Dash would say, if all that really happened to her.

About the Twilight/Dash dynamic, while it isn’t explored in too much depth (it gets pushed slightly to the side in favour of several large anecdotes from Dash), it certainly rings true. The strong friendship is still there, we can really feel the care that the two have for each other. Twilight is ever-concerned for Dash, and apologetic for not being a superpony for Dash. We all know Twilight wants to be nothing less than a superpony for her friends. Anyhow, if you’re a fan of friendshipping rather than shipping, I’m sure you’ll enjoy Winston’s depictions.

I’ll leave off on the bit about death - you really do need to read it for yourself to understand just how well Winston creates a passively thoughtful Dashie. Her dialogue, for example, is filled with casual remarks about the nature of life - it’s really quite brilliant, and pleasantly amusing.

Now, stories that consist of a single conversation require a measure of skill to pull off. The author needs to imply a whole lot, rather than tell the user directly. First is a story that does that wonderfully - 10,000 words, and nothing feels out of place. The parts of Dash’s new backstory that are explained to us directly have a perfectly linear excuse - Twilight is hearing it for the first time too. Years of Dash’s life are relayed to us, and nothing feels forced. Is that not impressive?

Lastly, it’s important to note that though this story is very emotional, it really isn’t all that “sad”! The ending especially, is one of the most heart-warming that I’ve read in quite a while. I can offer a 98.75% guarantee that you will enjoy it. Well-written, thoughtful, and just... Yeah, go read it now.

Just look at that bar! It deserves better than that.

These reviews may or may not become a regular thing, I'll mostly make them whenever I find a story that I think folks really ought to read.

Thanks for reading! -R&R