Recently Read Recommendations (Fall-iday Edition)

*for a relative amount of "recent"

(You can find my current recommendations here.)

I didn't do much reading last season--word count wise, at least--but I still found a number of stories that I can recommend wholeheartedly. Check them out below!

(Also I'm going to shamelessly, but with utmost respect, steal large parts of Titanium Dragon's formatting, because I think it looks superb.)

---

Fate of the U.N.S. Moon Dancer by Shrink Laureate

Drama, Sci-Fi

This story is a sequel to Log of the U.N.S. Twilight Sparkle

---

In her quest to reach Twilight Sparkle, Sunset Shimmer must accept that new frontiers aren't always safe.

First off, you absolutely need to read Log of the U.N.S. Twilight Sparkle before tackling this story (it's also an excellent story, and very short). Fate is a fantastic sci-fi story exploring some of the immortal Sunset Shimmer's attempts to reconnect with Equestria. Whether you are interested in space dramas like Gravity (2013), sci-fi with a heavier emphasis on science than fiction, or especially some lovely, gripping and rewarding moments with Sunset and her crew, there's plenty to look forward to when reading this story. While the amazing scene writing is the focus of my praise, I also want to highlight Shrink's excellent use of formatting--it's not out of this world like sweetie.log, but it is highly polished--which keeps the story feeling very snappy despite having a large number of scene changes and flashbacks. This, coupled with his ability to convey a lot of meaning and emotion in very few words, allows Fate to capture the simultaneous wonder and horror of space travel.

---

Better by Unbridled

Sex, Romance, Drama

The tiara upon Princess Cadence's head is heavier than it looks. Burdens and expectations rest inside each little gemstone, but she's carried them all her life with ease. Everypony agrees that she is the epitome of goodness: she's always helped those in need and never spoken ill of another pony. She's never even sworn.

So nopony would blame her for being a teensy bit naughty on her bachelorette party.

While the subject matter is rather risque, Better tackles Cadance's bachelorette party with style:

A mare is standing there, all long legs and long lashes, full lips and full hips.

Mere prose isn't supposed to flow that well. Or maybe it is and everyone is doing it wrong. In any case, Unbridled writes a really great drunk Cadence, who as a goody-two-shoes is chaste and bubbly, while her mannerisms are delightfully accordingly written. This is juxtaposed by the other major character of the story, who simply radiates sex in a way that is more seductive than most things you'll read in the featured box on any given day. Beyond that, however, is the looming, creeping dramatic irony that is executed to perfection. Pay close attention to the shift in atmosphere in this story - it's--(I need to look up a synonym for perfect).

---

Watch! Watch! by horizon

Adventure, Comedy

There's a crime wave gripping the sleepy town of Apple-Morepone, and nopony on the City Watch seems to care. Corporal "Rainbow" M. Dash naps through her patrols, her partner Dobby is an infamous kleptomaniac, Captain Rhymes is a drunkard, and the entire Watch is a group of burnt-out misfits.

They're about to meet a batpony (adopted) by the name of Carrot, visiting town to return an overdue library book.

And none of their lives will ever be the same.

horizon also tagged Watch! Watch! as a crossover, and I'm sure greater familiarity with Terry Pratchett would improve one's enjoyment of this story significantly, but thankfully it's awesome and hilarious regardless. My favorite type of comedy is along the lines of Cold in Gardez and Aragon's style of steadily increasing absurdity (not to say that they're the only ones who do it, just that they do it very memorably), which describes this story to a T, though we get a couple bonuses with some added adorableness, lovely Pratchett-esque footnotes, and the most insane and charming cast of Besides, you should already know that horizon's a genius writer with hardly a need for an endorsement. Just go read it and enjoy the story of how Equestria Ponyville was made.

---

Red by Grimm

Mature, Sex, Romance, Drama, Sad

Roseluck has two lives.

In one she is Roseluck. She sells flowers at her market stall, she smiles and waves at anyone she recognises, and by all accounts she's a normal, friendly pony. Being Roseluck is easy.

And in the other she is Red. She doesn't talk about that one. And the only ponies who get to see it have paid for her company that night.

(If you cannot see this story, you have your Mature filter on.)

Very occasionally, I muster the fortitude (or lack the self-preservation instincts) to look towards the Featured Box for a story to read. There I found Red, which surprised me by having an extremely high upvote to downvote ratio for a popular mature story. First off, it's not a clop story. Red is a wonderful character study for a pony who divides herself into two separate identities and is forced to reconcile the two after a specific encounter. The motif of identity and masks and suits of armor to shield oneself is common enough in stories (see The Games We Play or even parts of Salvation), but Grimm is able to bring it to unique life with the juxtaposition between the cold, faceless and business-like treatment of Rose's first client with the tender and compassionate touch of her second. Lots of sex scenes can invoke passion and in some cases self-loathing, but how many are able to convey poignancy and tenderness? Furthermore, how many such stories also manage to be heartwarming at the same time? Not many, I think, but Red accomplishes all of this with a lot of poise.

Also as an aside, in the comments Grimm provides a summary for a crushing alternate ending that I wish existed because I am slightly masochistic (um, this type of story probably gives the wrong connotation for that word ). If you're a tragedy fan, that is also very much worth checking out.

---

The Third Wheel by GaPJaxie

Drama, Slice of Life, Alternate Universe

Twilight and Shining Armor have a little sister named Light Step. Everypony tells Light Step how lucky she is to be related to such great heroes.

Light Step wishes she could smother them both.

Sometimes after reading a really good story I'll need to stop to take a breather and just... stare at a wall or something. The Third Wheel is the most recent story to have left me feeling as such. In this story, we explore the life of Twilight's little sister Light Step (I guess it wouldn't be the first time Twilight suddenly had a sibling introduced with no forewarning ). She's... a bit of a bitch--actually, a lot of a bitch, yet what makes me so fond of this story is that somehow, despite Light Step's incessant terribleness, she somehow remains a sympathetic character who I want to see succeed. Maybe reading enough Luna stories has gotten me soft to the misfortunes of being an overshadowed sibling--though Jaxie puts a nice spin on it by having her siblings patronize and thus dehumanize her. Regardless, characterization is what makes this story shine. Everyone is witty and capable of switching from walking on eggshells to vicious shouts to tender words in a sudden yet natural manner. Moreover, it's all wrapped around is some beautiful and wretched drama, which I specifically love because it's so unpredictable: the story often leans towards a particular outcome, playing on your hopes and fears, then manages to do an elegant 180 so that the story continually surprises, but never becomes confusing. This story was really close to breaking into my Top 15.

I haven't had a chance to check out the sequel yet, but it has a sequel! Just one more reason to check out this fantastic story.

---

Bulletproof Heart by PaulAsaran

Violence, Adventure, Alternate Universe, Anthro

In a sunburned Equestria, Rarity leads the pleasant life of a clothier in the tiny town of Spurhoof. She’s got a successful business, a capable assistant, and the respect of the place she’s called home for six years. Maybe she never achieved her foalhood dreams of fabulosity, but at least she’s comfortable. What more can a mare ask for?

Then a band of outlaws decide to pay Spurhoof a visit, and their leader’s eye has settled upon Rarity. Soon she’ll have to fight not only for her life, but maybe her very soul. Will her diamond turn dull under the hot Equestrian sun, or will adversity make her shine all the brighter?

The Alternate Universe tag is possibly my favorite one on the site; I'm always awed by how people are able to completely rewrite the story of Equestria, its history and its citizens in wholly unique yet still so recognizable forms. Fallout: Equestria. The Purple Mare. The Mare Who Once Lived on the Moon. The Good, the Bad, and the Ponies. The Mare in the High Castle.--the list goes on and on, and I'm very happy to add The Bulletproof Heart to this list of fantastic reimaginings. Bulletproof Heart takes place in a world where the princesses have vanished and the sun has been pulled closer to Equestria, pushing the fertile regions further north and leaving the center a barren wasteland. Due to the loss of the princesses, the state collapsed into independent city-states ruling different parts of Equestria, and due to more recent events, the roads have become unsafe with bandits and criminal gangs freely roaming throughout the lawless landscape. It's an awesome setting for a Western, and PaulAsaran deserves a lot of credit for developing a suitable and dramatic history for this world and bringing it to life throughout the story. That's not to suggest that the setting is the only highlight, though; we're treated with a wide variety of characters who have roles of varying importance in Rarity's life, but all feel very unique and vibrant. Since many of the characters are from the show, it's a real treat to see how their personalities are integrated into completely different histories and lifestyles. And of course, all of these are wrapped up in a lovely bundle of tense action, gripping and emotional drama, and a very natural development/unveiling of the more mysterious and suspenseful elements. If you have any love at all for action-adventure, Bulletproof Heart will not disappoint.

---

Thanks for reading. I hope you end up checking out some of these stories.