This story is a sequel to Cross the Rubicon: Choices
The Friendship Games were an unmitigated disaster, and Velvet almost lost all her children to the Demon King and the Fae. Now, in the aftermath, everything has changed, and she's trying to find her footing in this new status-quo, all while helping her youngest navigate the trials of adolescence and relationship drama.
And that's not even touching on the fact that magic is real, and the girl her family has practically adopted as one of their own is actually a magical talking unicorn runaway from another dimension.
All the parenting guides in the world had never prepared her for what her life has become in a matter of weeks.
The first story in Cross the Rubicon's "Summer Arc", Fairy Godmother picks up in the weeks following the end of Cross the Rubicon: Choices. See how things have been working out since Sunset came clean to her human family, and how everyone is coping...
(Cover art by the lovely and fun DapperLilArts, who writes some hilariously fun stories here, and also has some great art that always serves to make me grin! Check them out on their tumblr and FimFic, you will not be disappointed!)
choice words there xD
been hype for this!!! cant wait! :D
Yay! Very excited to see and can’t wait to read!
if we go back with my favorite story
How I love to read the acceptance and affection of a concerned mother
Welcome back! So excited for the return and this new story!
Hopefully, the Sparkles' garage is not accidentally set on fire before Everfree...
Hide the flammables, quick!
Since it's been over a week does that mean Twilight has met the girls? Or not quite yet?
*favourites. updoots*
ok, now that that is done:
YES FINALLY!
And it starts with TWO chapters allready?!
In the wise words of Akihiko Sanada:
I’ve been waiting for this!
I get the feeling that the people at the door are going to be the answer to my question from the previous chapter.
Very happy that this is up and running again!
those? those what?
@
Majadin
Oi! You there! Where is Spike?
Wasn't expecting more so soon, but I am so here for it.
IT BEGINS AGAIN
My favourite girls are back!
Let me hug them!
Also the tears are back
Also, I just love the premise for this story. I always find this the most interesting part of huge events like the climax of Choices. How are they dealing with going back to normal? How hurt are they? What do they tell everyone else? How much paperwork has to be done?
I love seeing you tackling this, and setting it from Velvet's point of view works perfectly.
♥️♥️♥️
I'd question whether Sunset forgot she has a such dedicated study space at school, but she probably figures Harmony kinda made that space plus she can be monitored there, while in addition of being worried of being a literal fire hazard, she might feel she might be imposing despite the fact that she already has her own bedroom at the Sparkles' home.
Interesting how Velvet is willing to admit she doesn't know the full situation of Celestia's guardianship of Sunset. Progress, I guess?
Tfw your daughter got briefly trapped in hell and her demon gf had to bust her out and yo'ure supposed to parent your way into helping your baby 😔
It's good to see this story continuing. Poor Sunset, hiding from newshounds. And poor Velvet and Night Light, thrown completely out of their depth.
I will say, though, that I found a number of issues in this chapter. Do you want them here, for through a PM?
Was overjoyed when I got a notif that there was a new story from y'all, we are SO back! Also big shout out to Dapper who killed it with the cover art, as always. The various book titles were sending me lmao.
Both chapters were excellent, Velvet has emerged as one of the true breakout stars of Rubicon for me so I'm super happy she's getting a whole spotlight story. Having the story from her pov also does a great job of emphasizing just how honestly fucking insane Sunset's life is. We've spent so much time seeing all these events through her eyes that things like magic and unicorns and fae all start to feel a bit common place.
But seeing it through the eyes of a normal woman reminds us that no, it really isn't, at least for us humans. And that makes it feel all the more wondrous (and terrifying) for us again. The scene where Velvet and Twilight help Sunset's a great example of that: Sunset has a rather casual attitude towards having a bag that can store an entire library's worth of books while Twilight and Velvet are in genuine awe cause like, why wouldn't they be?
You also really sell Sunset's exhaustion and paranoia here. Sunset Shimmer Needs A Hug (a LOT of hugs) is the general mission statement of this story but it REALLY comes through here. I was legit feeling the same motherly protective instincts towards Sunny as Velvet. It also fits in with the core theme of consequences: engaging in a massive, bloody battle with the fae and shadow monsters and their demon master that has you almost dying multiple times and concludes with you going to Literal Hell isn't the kind of thing you're going to be able to shrug off with some first aid and a few quips, even if you emerge victorious.
Lighter note I hope we get to see Sunset play Hotel California at some point lol (Also nice lil callback to Mirrors on the Ceiling).
Overall, a great start and I look forward to next week's installment, good to have ya back!
And I'm back with this amazing story!
12161723
That was the joke, yes. A very Dad-joke, if you will.
12161724
Hope you enjoy!
12161728
Time for more horsewords!
12161754
Yes, they amused me as well.
12161757
These are Velvet's children, tyvm. She will die on that hill.
12161774
Glad to be back, honestly!
12161778
We can hope. Thankfully, it IS a place with its own fire suppression system, just like most labs or commercial kitchens, and lots of it has been reinforced and fireproofed. Because...well. Twilight.
12161809
Dont get ahead of yourself, lol.
12161812
Yup. Prologue and Chapter 1, just to give everyone a good taste.
12161827
That seems to be the common consensus, haha. Sorry it took so long.
12161838
Perhaps, perhaps not. >:}
12161850
Looking at it, its a case of missing word--probably "those times" or "those moments". Thanks for spotting it, i'll fix that when I'm awake again.
12161853
Present. Being a dog.
12161855
I actually feel bad cuz it took me longer than anticipated.
12161899
I LIVE AGAIN. *Gargoyles theme*
12161911
Yeah, this story really is about establishing the "post Games Status-quo". Where are they now. How are they dealing? Whats the trauma and struggles going forward? Whats been resolved versus what is still on the back burner. What's the damned cover story? How is the news covering it?
12161972
:}
12162018
She did not forget, but remember that the magic room at the school is a joint space for her and the girls and anyone else researching magic. Its not specifically a private study space for Sunset. The closest that she has to that is her hidden room in the school library, but she took that for herself, no one offered it to her. In addition, the school magic room is monitored and overseen, with the stipulations over her head that she continue to act "above reproach" to maintain access to it. It bears a lot more in common with the study and lab spaces at CSGU than what Velvet is offering to her.
Velvet is....well. She has opinions, but she's aware she's lacking information. A lot of information.
12162343
The whole family is "going through it."
12162393
Anything for a sensational headline. Sensationalist media is basically 1 step up from tabloids in my book.
If its grammatical errors/typos, I dont mind if people inform me of the handful they see when they read a chapter by way of a comment. I try to get them myself--three read aloud passes and an automated spell check to get my wayward apostrophes back where they belong usually gets the bulk of them, but occassionally i overlook a typo. In this case, I also have switched to a new program for the editing process whose grammar/spelling tools are not as advanced as either my Scrivener (where I write), or Google docs, where I previously did editing. But it doesnt feed my shit to AI and my editor can collab with me on it, so i'm making do.
If its your personal thoughts on the story as a reader, that's also more than welcome, but keep in mind that we have established in the past that you and I have different writing styles and experiences, and you have only read the prologue and first chapter of a ~50K word story, and I've barely introduced any plot elements as of yet. It may be that any content thoughts about the events in the narrative may be answered in upcoming chapters. Or upcoming stories.
12162466
The cover was fun to talk out and design with Dapper. They do amazing work, and are fun to chat with.
Velvet is the unsung hero in Rubicon. Her, Cady, and Luna, honestly. It was fun to get a chance to show things from HER perspective for once, and it really does show how off the rails life is for Sunset and the other girls, when compared to what is normal. It serves to remind us that the world they live in is otherwise like OURS in most ways. Magic is not common, and despite the colorful skin tones and alternate naming conventions, its a very human, mundane world. It sets up the idea of "oh yeah, this is JARRING. Sunset is a magical being. She's from a world where magic is to her as flicking on a light switch is to you or I. She just doesnt think too much about it."
Sunset is pretty well done in, and she went through some nightmarish twists and turns and mental fuckery, and its left a mark on her. She's gonna have to have time to heal. To sort her feelings, her pain, her memories and dreams and nightmares. SO is Twilight. So are some of the other characters.
Sunset will probably perform it off camera sometime. She already technically did it once in Rubicon, in like the first Twilight Interlude. (Velvet's musical tastes are a nod to my mother, who has a huge collection of 45s and 38s from the 70s and 80s of a number of huge names. Like The Eagles.)
12162862
Welcome back, please enjoy your stay! :P
12162964
your mom sounds cool as fuck!
Equestria Girls and the story conceit drew me in. Then I saw there was a sequel. Figured, hey, I'll give this a read first, right? Can't be too much trouble.
>1 million words.
Oh dear lord. Guess I've got a project ahead of me. ;~;
PTSD comes in many forms.
Fluuuuuff!!!
Leaked inside source. Wallflower, I'm looking at you.
I adore Sunset’s unique curses. As always, I adore Night and Velvet and am just a teensy bit jealous of how they handle situations. I understand Twilight’s desperate desire to apologize to her girlfriend any way she can but I doubt any space would be safer for magic than the room at CHS.
Great chapter that expanded the world especially learning about near extinction level events. Yikes.
~Ding dong~
"I wonder who that is..."
*Door explodes off hinges*
"WE DEMAND HUGS AND FRIENDSHIP!!!"
(I know it's probably not them, or at least all of them, since the doorbell wasn't to "Shave and a Haircut" like in the blog previews, but it was a fun mental image I had nonetheless
.)
Very much looking forward to this next step in the adventure! Welcome back
Ah, peak fanfiction has returned... wonderful.
Now, Sunset faces something much more vicious and evil than demons... news reporters.
Oh yeah, that'll be interesting.
Solution simple; Make fireproof lab. Maybe have fire extinguishers on backup (plural) Good ending!
oh no
aaarrrr mising matey!
some kind of word missing.
Honor is not needed on the chessboard, only the desire to win at all costs
oh boy! oh boy,,,,
12163014
She's pretty awesome.
12163233
Not sorry.
Though, I always encourage people not to think of the word count. It looks more intimidating than it actually is. Take it one chapter at a time and just enjoy the story at your own pace.
That all said, welcome to the madness, and I hope you enjoy your time reading the works! :}
12163289
It does indeed.
12163344
Crafting Sunset's curses is so much fun to do. They have to sound silly, but with an undercurrent of vehement crudeness, because it has to be actual swearing to somepony.
And yes, i've touched on it before, that modern Equestria is a "post-post-Apocalypse."
12163526
It was no tthem...this time. Soon (TM).
12163751
Mmm. Newshounds. Bleh. Sadly, its a rather sensational story. The benefit is that the cover story is pretty sensational on its own.
12164277
*cackles*
12165725
Mmm. Fire proof, but is it Sunset proof? Or Twilight proof? Probably not.
12166639
Oh Yes.
12166640
Thanks for catching those. I even read it out loud, but still somehow missed them.
12166652
I just liked the idea of them getting super competitive at something as dorky as chess.
12166673
Easy there.
12166692
no problem!
The next arch is approaching, I can't wait
I can definitely see you used and drew upon your family experience in the education sector to hammer out parts of this. It reads intelligently and competently. I can't imagine any of my vice principals being able to hold this kind of conversation with my mother. She would have (sometimes did) eat their lunch. Obviously Luna is not your average public school faculty.
I remember being that student and at home "that kid". The one that was too smart for his own good, but rarely ever got in trouble because I had it planned out or could bald face lie to someone's face to reach the end goal if need be. Also, my sister just had that bad of a poker face that they thought it was her even when it wasn't. A dangerous superpower indeed.
I know the girls are still having problems but I love the times they are able to distract themselves and get along. Also, all is fair in Love and War so next time Twilight needs deploy her own assets to win the game. Distraction!
Why do I have a feeling somepony's parents bought their child into CSGU, somehow bypassing the entrance exam or making it easier, forgoing the G is CSGU?
I guess Velvet doesn't know about Lyra attending CHS (yet)?
My thoughts exactly. I mean, I know Velvet explained it but still..
I like and think Velvet's advice is sound. I think a PTA meeting is in order anyway, what with the influx of new students and families coming into CHS, plus discussion of the aftermath of the Games while tiptoeing around the magic part.
12166692
Oh I agree, it's hilarious
im so excited for the camp everfree arc! i love the closure that this fic provides for the aftermath of rubicon’s traumatic events on not only our girls bur also shining armor cadence and luna. its so different and interesting to see it from the pov of a mother of girls after fighting inter-dimensional beings of dark magic and surviving from a trip literally down to hell. and fuck mr pythagora i never liked pythagoras anyway!! i have a feeling sunny n sparky will be getting off track a lot during their history lessons LMAO
Damn, you'd think I would have remembered to tag the follow button on the new story, but nooooo. So I had to hunt down the update, lol.
How long has it been at this point since the fight? I'm a bit confused on that. Happy to know Twily's grades are going to be intact though.
Twi already has a few friends at CH when you add in Indigo and Lyra. Besides, once Pinkie sets her in her sights it's game over.
Wait a minute. Did you post this yesterday? Like Thursday? I thought it was a Friday post schedule. Now I gotta pay attention sooner!!!!
12166788
*ominous sounds*
12166806
Yeah, mum was a consultant for some of this, lol. Both as a parent and as an educator.
12166821
It seems like the G might have stood for "gold" in the case of some attendees, yes.
Velvet does not know about Lyra being at CHS. She didnt know too much about Twilight's friends, other than Moondancer, who came over and spent the night a few times in middle school.
Look, Sunset is naturally competitive, and Twilight is used to being able to bulldoze over everyone in intellectual games. An actual competitor in something she's good at would feel good.
There needs to be some meetings for the adults, definitely. But thats something that the adults will handle.
12167181
*grins* We're looking forward to the Everfree bit too!
This is definitely meant to provide answers and a little bit of closure we couldnt give at the end of Choices, because it felt like it was making the ending drag on. Hopefully everyone will enjoy it!
12167655
The prologue picks up about 10 days after the Friendship Games, which is...I want to say 1 or 2 weeks after "The Fight."
Updates are as always going to be sometime between Midday Thursday and Midday Friday Eastern Standard Time.
YES ive been
patientlywaiting for this !!!!sure, nothing is gonna go wrong at everfree right... right?
12162964
Apologies for not getting back earlier. I have been both preoccupied and distracted.
What program are you using? Personally, I find that Scrivener's text to speech feature is a good way to help root out hidden typos. And as someone who uses Scrivener and Google Docs for their writing…I'm going to regret this, but what do you mean by "fed to AI"? Hmm, or maybe I don't want to know. Google Docs is my go to for editing and I really don't want to change that.
Anyway, I do remember that we have differences in style. Perhaps "issues" was the wrong word. I meant more like typos.
Here you have crossed dialogue, Velvet and Sunset's in the same paragraph. You need to fix that.
Here you have an extra quotation mark.
That should be "wouldn't."
I think there should be an "of" in there, as in "half of the wing."
That should be "were." Also, Twilight tried to disassemble a car before she hit the double digits? Wow. Not complaining. just...wow.
Does that need to be put in capitals? And I say that with a touch of confusion on my own, because even I get mixed up sometimes. It's all the fan terminology and referencing of tropes, I think.
12168676
Welcome to the new story!
12168698
*laughs maniacally*
12169465
Life happens, I get it. Adulting can suck.
I write it in Scrivener. The only TTS function I have is myself, reading it out loud, often to my mother since I use her to help make sure I'm not losing even the most clueless reader. The big editing I do in another program now--ellipsus, which is an in the works thing like docs, specifically for writers and editors. The biggest problem is that it is still in its infancy and beta stages, so its not perfect, which means I'm having to do a lot more of it manually. We changed because Google is one of the companies that are going in on training AI, and I have an outright objection to the obnoxious garbage they are sullying the term "artificial intelligence" with these days (as none of it is actual AI, tyvm, because it is NOT capable of actual independent thought and learning, just a much more complex version of the old "GIGO" principle.)
That's not doubled dialogue. That's all Velvet talking. Twilight expresses Sunset's abilities on the guitar, Velvet is asking sunset "Really?" and when Sunset nods at her, albeit a tad embarrassed, Velvet continues her thoughts.
Won't is correct here--Sunset is not speaking in past tense. She is speaking in present at that moment. As far as she knows, and is expressing, at that moment in time, Princess Cadenza will balk at the concept of being in the same room as Sunset. Thus, "won't."
This one I might have to go back and look at the context for. Cant remember off the top if this is Sunset's method of speaking or an actual error. Gotta have the rest of the paragraph for context. I'll peek at it when I've had something with caffeine in it.
It...really shouldnt. Was is correct here. Read the sentence out loud with your correction, and it sounds completely off. Grammatically, "Were" is the appropriate verb for "we", yes, but in this case, the verb is not paired with "We" it is paired with "It". "We" is paired with the verb "felt" instead. One of those weird English is a disaster language things, as far as I know.
Sunset is using it as "Official Scientific Terminology" and whether it grammatically should be capitalized or not, the way she is saying it is as though it were a proper noun. Kind of like the difference between "supernova" and "a Type 1-A Supernova." in my case, its a partially stylistic choice, because I'm establishing that the words together are a single important concept, not just individual words mashed together.
Gotta love the disaster that is English, right? Such a mess. Thanks for catching the extra quotations though--I think that was from where I'd rewritten the sentence a couple of times. :} Hope youre enjoying the story all the same!
Does this mean Spike can't talk? O.o
probably because i am just a german and english is not my native language but . .
the fingers did what? x.x
o i o ii walla walla bing bong
probably the language barrier again, but is closely the correct word there? should that not be carefully?
ok here i am way more confident in stating that that sentence is just gramatically not right.
12172729
Think of it as finger-combing with the intent to work out tangles. To card, from which carding or carded comes, is used usually to refer to a particular step in the long series of steps that are how they process sheep's wool to make yarn.