Fic recs, October 15th! · 11:34pm Oct 15th, 2020

Usually, when I have a bunch of prequels to read for something, I'll space them out, but I figured, eh, with the way I'm putting out blogs right now, it might take a whole month to get through these reviews. So here's a few prequels for an upcoming edition (points if you guess what it is!), plus something I wanted to get read soonish.

H: 0 R: 3 C: 2 V: 0 N: 0

Walk in the Darkness by Rose Quill
Genre: AU/Shipteasing
After the latest attempt on her life, Princess Rarity learns something about her bodyguard.
Reading this felt like returning to a familiar 'verse. I have to assume the artist has inspired more than one "bodyguard Twilight" AU fic, because I know I've read others. :) I would complain more about the lightness of this piece, save that there are two which come after it, so I know there's more to be had. It's a good introduction to the setting and characters, at least.
Recommended If You Like AUs

Succor by Rose Quill
Read by Fimfiction
Sequel to Walk in the Darkness
Genre: AU/Shipping/Action
Princess Rarity wants to learn how to fight.
If the previous story felt thin, this one's far meatier. We've got Rarity wanting to be not just a title, falling hard for her bodyguard, wanting to fight and having the question of why come front and center. We're not in full relationship mode yet, but the flirtation is still high and Rarity, at least, clearly has a thing for Twilight. I really want to know more about this AU, about this stoic bodyguard who still is quite brilliant and loves reading books, but hey, at least we have more characters now!
Recommended for Shippers

Ruminations by Fillyfoolish
Genre: Ponies Shipping Ponies
Love is on the train.
This is a real unique piece that I ultimately liked. We've got a strong voice in our narrator, Rarity, who is completely unreliable as she ships ponies alongside her on the metro while trying to avoid thinking about something else. Pretty easy to see through her, which is good. Just an interesting slice of a very sad Rarity who's moved away to Manehattan.
Recommended

The Sisterverse Social by brokenimage321
Read by Fimfiction
Genre: AU
The Sisterhooves Social always attracts a large crowd. This year's includes a few special sisters.
The neat thing about this story is that I thought it was going to be a retelling of the Longest Night, and it absolutely isn't. Something bad does happen, but it's not the return of Nightmare Moon. Granted, that makes the promise of "special sisters" ring somewhat hollow; they're only special because they're analogues to the characters we know. Speaking of, it's the small touches here that help them stand apart from the canon characters. Applejack, Rainbow Dash and to a lesser extent Twilight are all the ponies we know. Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy have all been given new names, and Flyby (Fluttershy) in particular is a good bit more assertive and outgoing than she was at the start of the show. A lot of thought has gone into how growing up in these households would have changed those three characters, is my point. That said, they're all pretty awful to each other? The Sisterhooves Social apparently brings out the worst in them, but like… The story begins with Applejack going over her low opinions of Pink Pearl Apple. Pinks sabotages Apple Bloom just before the race starts. Rainbow and Flyby have a tiff over a colt and Rainbow in particular is pretty shitty, but that's totally in character for her. Radiance (Rarity) is a spoiled brat, and Twilight's not a whole lot better. The thing is, a lot of this can be forgiven because they're all kids. Twilight's in eighth grade, so what, 12? 13? Rainbow and Flyby, twins, are under 15 years old. Radiance probably isn't much older; she's just one of those teenagers. AJ and Pinks we never get a number on, but I figure AJ's probably the oldest overall? Plus, all the drama exists in service of giving them all something to make up for and bond over later. I'm not really even sure what specifically I liked about this, save that it was just fun watching these characters be slightly different and go through a familiar scenario that turns out considerably different because of it. This was a good AU, and a good setting to mess around with.
Recommended

To Protect and Serve: A Sisterverse Tale by brokenimage321
Sequel to Sisterverse Social
Genre: AU/Drama
Radiance always wanted to be a police officer, but she's quickly learning that ideals aren't what get you through the force.
Despite what the title might have you believe, this story actually stands alone pretty well. All you need to know is that Radiance is a Rarity who grew up in the Sparkle household (and Moonlight Serenade is Sweetie Belle, doing the same). I say this because I helped proofread it without having read the previous story, and had no issues approaching it with only that information. :) I think this is important, because this is a story about police brutality that approaches the subject with far more nuance and a lighter touch than the last one I read. Seriously, if you've ever looked at the phrase "All Cops Are Bastards" and turned away with a sneer, this story will walk you through why that saying exists without trying to hold your hand. Also, it's got a ton of good character- and world-building work. I was glad to have helped with it!
Recommended