If you only read two...

This could be the only time I will ever post anything here.
Plain and simple, I have this account to save the stories I'm reading.
I can't string together more than five words with the intent of story craft without forgetting what first four were.
That being said. I just finished reading fallout equestria:project horizons.
To say I needed a moment would be a gross underestimation.
Me. A 25 year old man. A man who works demolition. A man who you wouldn't call soft or weak or anything of the sort.
A man who curled up in bed with a plushie and had a nice long cry.
The emotions I picked up over the course of 1.6 MILLION WORDS, finally caught up with me by the last page.
I'll be honest, it took me about three months on and off. Reading a chapter here a dozen pages there. 1.6 million words isn't a realistic thing to tackle in even ten sittings.
But by the time I got to the end, and I curled up in my bed. I found myself getting that rush of excitement when the action starts boiling, that wave of regret from not being able to help someone you feel so close to, the laughter that comes from the antics of the comic relief...
The hollow sting, that you feel when someone passes.

When I read the first line of fallout equestria, I was following my love of ponies, and my love of the war that never changes. What I got was a fantastic blend of the two. As I read along following littlepip through her journey, I found myself on an epic adventure through a ponified version of the wasteland I hold so dear. I found myself recognizing places and events that I could spot instantly, and also others that gave me pause and made me think I didn't know as much as I thought I did.
Littlepips adventure gave me a grand story of wasteland excitement.

But FoE project horizons?
I BECAME BLACKJACK.
In the beginning of the story I got that same wasteland thrill littlepip gave me.
By the first quarter of the story I felt a connection with the character.
Halfway through?
I felt love.
I felt heartbreak.
Joy.
Sadness.
Relief.
Anger.
I felt it all. Suddenly I found myself becoming a red and black maned white unicorn with a diminutive horn struggling to get through to the next day.
I was blackjack.
And by the end of MY adventure.
I laughed. I cried. But ultimately I was happy with doing both.

If you've read the story before you might know some of the emotions I'm going through. Then again you might wonder what exactly I'm rambling on about, it's just a story.
Whatever your opinion of it, I can say that it at least touched me.

If you haven't read it...
I'll be honest, it's a time sink. And really, you need to go through the original FoE first.
But if you do decide to do it, prepare for a roller coaster.

TLDR

War.
War never changes. Whether fighting super mutants, or radioactive alicorns. Whether fighting through Boston, or finding yourself in the middle of hoofington. Whether it's a grim look at a possible future, or one where everything went wrong for our pony friends.
The wasteland awaits.
Will you keep it waiting?

Fallout Equestria
https://www.fimfiction.net/story/119190/fallout-equestria

Fallout Equestria: Project Horizons
https://www.fimfiction.net/story/208056/fallout-equestria---project-horizons