This story is a sequel to Bulletproof Heart
Rarity Belle arrives at the small Eastline town of Little Longhorn. It was supposed to be a quick visit: deliver a package, maybe stay the night, move on.
Instead she finds souls in desperate need. The soul of a mare. The soul of an entire community. Little Longhorn is plagued by the ghosts of heroes, the cinders of battle, and the ever-looming threat of retribution. Perhaps a visit from the Bulletproof Heart is exactly what this town needs.
She can start with the local teacher.
A re-introduction of the Bulletproof Heart, set half a year after the conclusion of the original story. While this does hint at some past events, it is intended to serve as a potential entry point for new readers. May serve as the beginning of a new series of tales in the BPH universe.
My thanks to all the pre-readers: Babroniedad, SorenPixels, Merc the Jerk, Ghost Mike, Wanderer D, and Soge
Cover art commissioned from bakki. Text by me.
Before I even get into this, had I known you were writing this I totally would have volunteered to be a pre-reader.
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Ditto.
If the writing is even half as good as the original story, it will still likely land my favorites shelf.
What a pleasant surprise! So far, this seems to be fulfilling its intent as a reintroduction to the world of Bulletproof Heart while being an interesting story in its own right. As amazing as the original novel was, it's certainly been a while, and I've forgotten many of the details you included, like the magic system, which I'm now recalling small snippets of.
God, this version of Rarity is still the best. All the panache and flair of the original coupled with a hardened will and the talents of a badass, intimidating gunslinger.
Hot damn. My body has been waiting for more Bulletproof Heart.
It finally arrives and interesting making Sunaet and Spitfire related
Wow. This is the heavy drama I remember.
(Also, I think the formatting on the italics got a bit wonky in the middle there.)
Holy cow, I was filled with so much indignation reading this! I could really feel the frustration and the teeth-clenching rage leaping off the page!
You have a definite knack for conveying emotion and I definitely look forward to reading on.
Oh... OH! Oh yeah, this series. The original story itself was so long and so long ago I just assumed it was abandoned cause it promised more than it could deliver.
Aaaawww no more!?
Going back into Bulletproof's world was a real treat, thanks for letting me be of some use in bringing this amazing piece of work back to the world. Let's have her stop at the bar again sometime soon.
69 stories. Nice.
More soon please?
Still reading through this; excellent and spellbinding as expected. One confusing detail though; the description says this is set half a year after the events of the first book, and at the end of that Rarity and AJ seem to be on amicable terms, with Rarity’s feelings towards her having cooled to something of a friendly rivalry. So her mentions of AJ as a “frustrating pony” she didn’t want to think about seem a little harsh in that regard. Did I misread their relationship at the end of the first book? Or has AJ done something else in the meantime to get under Rarity’s skin?
I'm so glad to read more of it and so angry that it came out just as I was writing my own cowboy story damnit
Can't wait to read more of the Bulletproof Heart's story!
I loved this to pieces. Damn but I’ve missed this world. Badly hoping this isn’t the last we see of Sunset.
I wanted to say “hoping this isn't the last Sunset we see” but that’s both poorly phrased and unbearably corny.
Yes!
Thank you so much for this! BPH lives forever!
This was an awesome read and the cover art looks badass. Hopefully, we see more of the Bulletproof Heart.
Hot damn did this come out near perfectly! I am so glad to have helped bring this forward, even if I was slacking in later months. Either way, quality work as always! Love to see this AU going strong!
Wait, damn, it's over all ready??
I could have sworn I only read three chapters!
Either way, it was wonderful to dive back into the sun-baked, lawless Equestria you've built here.
I normally don't care in the slightest for cowboy and gunslinger stories in media, whether it be shows, books, movies, or videogames, but damn you weave the characters in Bulletproof Heart so complexly and interestingly that I can't help but love these versions of everypony.
You're truly a compelling author, and one of the best on the site when it comes to understanding and portraying realistic characters and how life changes them and makes them grow.
10/10, would wait for sequels again (and still will).
P.S. Reading the part where Rarity unflinchingly threatens Charming and the Gang was so cool and badass and brought such a huge smile to my face. Such smooth lines, I wish I could write that well.
Can't wait to see how you continue this series if you do. When I saw this on the New Stories tab I was surprised too see it be a completed story, but I can tell you now, it was worth the wait.
The.
Behind this mask it's more than flesh and Bone it's an idea and that Mr creedy is Bulletproof
Alright, let's see where this goes.
i have been chomping at the bit for a long time for another bullet proof heart story! this made my week
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Sorry for the delay, folks! I give you all the unrestricted Q&A blog! If you have any questions regarding the world of Sunburnt Equestria, I will be happy to answer them there. The new Q&A blog is intended for wider purposes and may get very spoilery, so I'll also be answering some questions in the stories' comment sections for people who don't want them.
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When it comes down to it, Rarity has no idea how to deal with AJ, especially considering that AJ was still harboring an interest in her by the end of the first book. In the plans for the second book, they'd show a certain familiarity with one another, something you might call friendship, but there'd also be an underlying tension that constantly hangs over their heads. Rarity faces a lot of personal issues involving Applejack, some positive and some negative, and Book II was at least partially going to depict her facing and getting over some of them, if not all.
After their initial introduction, there was no way the inevitable relationship between the two was going to come smoothly.
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I was waiting for a reply and FimFic didn’t even bother notifying me so I had to check myself, boo hiss.
I guess Rarity & AJ currently exist in that nebulous relationship space where Rarity’s feelings for vacillate between teasing and aggravation on a dime. I’m certainly eager to see how it all plays out in the long run.
Question, though: When you say this –
– am I reading too much into the past tense here? A continuation is still happening, yes? Don’t tell me you’re writing out appul pone
(j/k)
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I'd be happy to relate my plans for the relationship in greater detail, but not here. That's spoiler territory and thus belongs in the Q&A blog. Drop me a line there if you're interested.
Well I read the story and I have to say: I apparently do not remember the prequel well at all and that paints this story in a very confusing light. I don’t even want to comment on this story further cause I feel like every response to anything I say would be “I explained that in the prequel.”
And the truth is revealed. The feared Bad Apples are nothing more than cowards and bullies. Surprising nobody.
You know, when people bring up red hot rage, it's usually not so literal.
My eyeholes cannot ingest this fast enough
ignoring that I'm two days late on this because I'm continually distracted.The comparison to a cat is making me only now realize that Ophelia is in some ways a stand-in for Opalescence.
I was planning on keeping an eye out for conspicuous mentions of Rainbow Dash having an earring while going through my reread of BPH but I guess I don't have to do that anymore.
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Funny you should mention that. Said earring was originally supposed to appear in this story, but it got neglected. Then I realized it could serve as an excuse for potentially bringing Sunset back, so I left it out.
And yes, this does mean that Sunset has it.
Outstanding work, and a brilliant presentation of Sunset in this setting. Thank you for it. Here’s to whatever other parts of Rarity’s travels that see the light of day.
Well now, this Rare is cut a bit different than our usual fashionista. Color me intrigued.
Sunset's snapping was just so wonderfully cathartic.
There's that Sunny fire that we all know and love.
Let the fire of the sun blaze and burn away the darkness.
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Well, anger is a lot like love, steel, or tamales; some like it red hot.
No, that was terrible, cut that in post
This story, once again, shares a lot of elements commonly found in spaghetti westerns, and since those happen to be my favorite westerns, it works out exceptionally well here. The initial ambush at Sunset's in the dead of night reminded me a bit of the scene in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly where Blondie is cleaning his pistol at the hotel, his senses, intuition, and "drifter's luck" allowing him to get the drop on his would-be assailants. When the scene goes through my head, it has dark lighting and even plays on inexpensive, grainy film.
The Bulletproof Heart continues to be one of my favorite literary protagonists; cool under pressure, an unflinching badass, but also unafraid to own up to her shortcomings and show others the soft parts of her (what few there still are). I want to see more of Rarity, and more of Sunburned Equestria, but at the same time, I don't. I love the stories, but at the same time, I want to preserve the fantasy of what stories there could be.
I think that counts as a success for the author.
Why do I have a feeling a new Legend has just been born?
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Potentially. I never got around to the planning of it, but I did have an idea for a story detailing Sunset becoming a famous defender of Little Longhorn, culminating in a proper battle against the Gang without the Bulletproof Heart's aid. That will probably never see the light of day now, but I will note that if I had gone through with it she likely would have gotten the title of "Phoenix".
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Other option is too look at the underlying basis of Sunsets Life. She is the heir to heroes herself. A pack of them. Ponys that came together to fight the good fight. Some were family. Some were friends. The old legends are buried in that graveyard. This story? It could be the origin story of new legends coming together down the road to finish what the old legends started. Putting down the Bad Apple Gang for good.
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That much was always in the cards. A shame we'll almost certainly never see it.
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We can if you write it!
Seeing Sunset, of all ponies, being this timid is weird. I understand why she's being written that way, but it' still ... weird.
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It's supposed to be. Even Rarity picked up on it, and she didn't even know Sunset in this AU up until this point.
Goddamn this was so good.
It goes without saying I would’ve eaten up anything new when it comes to BPH but this was such a fantastic return to form. It’s relatively short but it manages to fit so much into such a small space. Even after two reads it hits hard when it needs to, the thrill and the intrigue are woven deeply into these words. While you’ve had plenty of top notch fight scenes throughout this series, it feels fitting that this time the biggest fight Rarity has to worry about is gotten over with early on, and then the rest of the story is about the real battle of Sunset Shimmer’s inner turmoil, a battle fought almost entirely with words and raw emotions.
I had been curious what might be going on with Sunset Shimmer after her presence was teased in the Isekai crossover. I hadn’t been anticipating a non-pegasus to be the cousin of Stormy Flare that had been alluded to previously but it’s a really interesting twist on the character. We’re used to seeing Sunset as a driven and ambitious person, and this is what happens when that profound inner strength of hers is utterly crushed. The depiction of a person broken through years of abuse is heartbreaking and astonishingly realistic, and of course neatly parallels Stormy Flare’s own descent into despair and hatred.
The best aspect of the story is the way in which it sets up Sunset as a foil for Rarity herself, now having to start her own new path in life as someone who needs to be strong to survive. They’re both unicorns who had aspirations to strive for great heights in the world, and they both met with tragedy that prevented them from achieving those heights. The primary difference is that Sunset didn’t get the opportunity to rise back up from the ashes, she has only continued to be beaten down year after year, which presents a shocking glimpse of what might have happened if Rarity hadn’t fended off Braeburn and fought back against the Bad Apples. Where Rarity struggled to cling to herself while she was forced to live on the lam, Sunset has already fallen and now she has to pick up the ashes of who she once was. I do think there is one missed opportunity in not drawing a direct parallel between the villagers’ attempts to make things up to Sunset and Applejack trying to do the same for Rarity; Rarity is familiar with having to deal with someone who wronged her, she knows that it’s not pleasant but also that nothing will be accomplished from not giving someone the opportunity to repent for their past actions. But really it is just an absolutely amazing arc from beginning to end, I loved everything about Sunset in this story. Honestly, I almost have to be mad about it—I’ve been chomping at the bit for more Rarity content, and now I have to hope for more Sunset too!
Also that final line…oof, right in the feels.
I’m looking forward to whatever may pan out for the rewrite of the story, but I’m certainly not going to complain about seeing any further adventures of Rarity in this setting. The series was always intended to be episodic to an extent, it works well for short installments like this.
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I'm glad you caught the Rarity-Sunset parallel, which was a major element I was pushing for with this one. The entire idea behind Sunset was "this is what Rarity could have been". In a way, this is Rarity helping herself. I never wanted to state it outright for what I feel are obvious reasons, so it's good to know it's apparent.
I have another little adventure for Rarity in mind. I've been working on it off and on. It won't have the same weight as this one, not by a long shot, but I thought it would be fun to finally introduce a favorite character into the series, so... It was originally the second chapter of the sequel, but I took a look and realized that it doesn't work very well as a standalone story, so I'm rewriting it from scratch with an entirely new scenario. Can't say it'll be released any time soon, unfortunately.