FimFiction Link - Short ID: 542532/tenebra--la-notte
Published: Sep '23
With any serious critical scrutiny, this story has a lot of issues. Many of the sentences tell of an author who had not written much before, the characters are at times melodramatic (literally, one of them breaks out in song because she is so sad), and in general the plot just ambles through the nights of a few ponies in a very mellow way without much (we haven't seen before) happening.
And yet perhaps it's that rough, unrefined quality about it made me feel and appreciate this story. It's not really a literary gem and I'm trusting the author will improve much through their career, but the way the characters we visit cope with their hardships evokes a sense of both melancholy and hope that I found fairly easy to sympathise with as someone who's also struggling with writing and even reading recently.
The ending ties things together nicely, but frankly it almost feels not necessary. While I understand and appreciate wanting to end on a hopeful moment, I think where the story truly shined were the random moments of nightlife conveyed without any context necessary.
All in all, if you're susceptible to brooding, (despite their short length) slow-paced stories, and are willing to lower your expectations a little, I can recommend this fic. Maybe it would make you feel too.