A wild ride for sure but I loved this

I finished reading this late last night. I really should have put it down, because I had to be up early this morning, but I didn't. Now I'm tired, but I find I don't much care!

I checked your author bio this morning. That explained your excellent writing skills! I'm always happy to read something by an author that knows what they're doing. They rarely disappoint. This story certainly didn't.

I think what I loved most about this story was how you portrayed Haruhi. It's not easy to strike the right balance of vulnerability with her, yet maintain her independent nature. A lot of authors try, but come up short in some way. I did not have that sense with this story at all. Bravo!

I am definitely going to add "The Dark Horse" to my favorite stories. Consider it a compliment. As a member on this site since 2002, I have only collected 23 stories on that list (plus 7 favorite authors whose stories I did not include because I favorited the author instead). Yours shall be number 24.

Again, thank-you for sharing your story! ~Sapphire

I came across this story today and thought I'd give it a try. The premise isn't something I would gravitate toward, but I clicked anyway. Your excellent grasp of all the components of writing kept me reading. The hosts are in character. I laughed out loud when I read the following line:

“Lest,” Haruhi thought with a roll of her eyes. If Kioshi wasn’t in Drama Club, she would sign him up herself.

Now that I've finished chapter one, I'm intrigued. I keep reading and see how it goes. Thanks for sharing your story!

Sapphire

I'm lost for words, what a beautiful breathtaking story. You've perfected the love story between Haruhi and Takashi. Bravo! Bravo!

I absolutely love that you included Mori's secret! Wonderful chapter, I can't wait to read on. You've described the characters so well it's almost like you're secretly Hatori! bravo! As I read I feel like I'm watching the anime, only a secret episode.

Thank you for sharing! Cute story

I feel the ending was perfectly timed. Haruhi is dense but is willing to stick by her decisions, once she finally admits to one. I liked that Mori made her realize how he felt about her, rather than declaring himself, that felt very “Mori” to me. I was happy too that she could accept that she does enjoy being part of the club, her eyes were opened in not just her romantic relationship but her fun side too. Great story and I am looking forward to reading more of your stories!

Wonderful, amazing story! Such an original premise that lets the both the fun and the protective sides of the hosts really shine. My favorite line so far, out of all your fantastic writing, is “three words buried underneath five.”. Sigh!

I am soooo glad you finished this! I really enjoyed it! I especially loved how you portrayed Mori, Kaoru, and Hikaru!

I laughed so hard I peed myself. I've only made it through chapter 1 and chapter 2 but this is so much like the anime it's perfect.

God that was good! Please write another!

Thank you so much for the advice! I'll try it in future chapters and books as well! Again, you were a HUGE help!

This is the first time I've ever read an OHSHC fic starring my favorite pairing that actually got Mori right I loved your story. It was well thought out, long enough to be satisfying, characters were deep and true to themselves as portrayed in the anime, has a good plot and scarier than the anime as it should be for this kind of story, and as I said before I've never seen anyone write Mori and Haruhi so well. I'm impressed you were able to pick it up so beautifully after an 8-year hiatus. Thank you for this story. I'll be enjoying it again.

I'm sorry I haven't written yet but the story was so engrossing! I loved it so much, there aren't very many Moruhi stories out there and even fewer truly good ones! Thank you so much for finishing this arc! The horror twist is one that actually works really well with this show, surprisingly. Brava!

Uwwwah! I couldn't stop reading! Now it's 3:00 am... who cares? This is amazing!