@Dark: I'm just going to throw my story out there because Shameless Self Promotion.

You should definitely read A Delicate Balance if you have any love of shipping stories. It's among the very best you'll find.

@Orion: Ah, forget it. It's just a silly joke. You may want to look at the source link.

"That is clip clopping... on cobblestone."

So... she's trying to make smooth stone?

edited 18th Feb '13 6:21:21 PM by OrionAurora

Shipping and Handling is a good one too.

Close enough.

@CDRW: Yay, recommendations!

Dare I ask if there is a fic with me in it, regardless if I'm the mane character or not.

Sadly, I don't have vision anywhere close enough to play video games anymore so it doesn't look likely. But if it can stand alone without needing to know about the Fallout setting, then I might give it a shot.

I'll read anything, as long as it isn't very Grim Dark. I used to dislike it, but I've started gaining a fondness for shipping so it doesn't bother me as long as it doesn't end in tragedy. I have no problems with NSFW material, as long as it isn't shoehorned into the fic with no build up.

I can read very long fics no problem, I've already finished the first book of My Little Pony Chronicles which is over 180000 words.

Yeah, so I'll try just about anything if the writing and characters and or plot are engaging enough.

Fallout Equestria can be read without knowledge of the games and enjoyed. I just think it helps to have played them so you get some of the comparisons that are made. I found it interesting how they ponified certain elements of the Fallout universe.

FOE is kinda Grimdark... so if you don't like that it probably isn't for you. Its just a good long read.

edited 18th Feb '13 6:37:19 PM by Turtlebutter

I don't recomend reading Fallout Equestria without playing games first and/or with dislike of grimdark.

Also story takes inspiration from Babylon 5 so early chapters can feel episodic and boring until it will turn into epic myth arc.

yeah, that was my favorite part too.

@dark: Let me give you some best of fics for certain categories.

If you don't mind some human in equestria, Project: Sunflower and Arrow 18 are absolutely amazing.

If crossovers are your thing, The Equestrian Equation and my #1 personal favorite, Elementals of Harmony are very good.

edited 18th Feb '13 6:44:51 PM by Blissey1

You should read Veil of Thoughts. It's weird, but freaking awesome.

Edit: Also seconding Project: Sunflower and Arrow 18.

edited 18th Feb '13 6:45:59 PM by CDRW

My favorite is FOE version of Super Mutants.

edited 18th Feb '13 6:46:08 PM by DeathCloud

From what I hear about Fallout: Equestria, it's rather different from the games. Or maybe it's just that the darkness in Fallout looks that much darker when it's clumsily shoehorned into the FiM setting.

On viel of thoughts, it was really wierd, but good. though the ending took a quick turn into WTF!? And was a big issue, it just, yeah the ending was just... yeah not bad just, well, okay not good. Pretty clear the author intended for something else to happen, that what we saw would only be the first half of the story, but changed his mind and pulled some stuff out of his butt to finish it quicker.

And, incoming FOE speil, be ready.

Clumsily? Clumsily? Seriously?

edited 18th Feb '13 6:49:54 PM by Seraphem

Um, if I could get the genre during the rec, that'd be great. I've never really read too many human fics, so I don't really have an opinion of them. I usually avoid them because they seem way too easy to turn into a clopfic or just... There's always been a bit of a dissonance to them.

That being said, I'll read recs of any genre if their sufficiently good.

edited 18th Feb '13 6:55:09 PM by darkabomination

@Seraph Yes. Clumsily. I agree. People can have opinions, you know.

I generally stay way from Fallout Equestria fics in general. The only one that really worked for me was Pink Eyes, mainly because of the more sugary direction it took (Like, you know, the actual Series).

That's why I recomend FOE only to people who like games. I can understand why people can see dark elements from Fallout in MLPFIM as clumsy. (I see some elements in that way too).

Fallout Equestria

Yes it IS Dark, it can get very VERY Dark, but never, at ANY point does it come even close to being Grimdark. no matter how dark it gets, how much bad happenes, it never loses itself TO darkness. The story, overall is about HOPE. That even in the drakest, grimmest, most hopeless seeming times, all it takes is one small spark of hope, to ignite a fire and burn back the darkness. To help rebuild what was lost, to give the ponies hope that they CAN make the Wasteland into the paradise it once was. Simply by never giving up, never giving into the darkness, never accepting it as "the way things are"

No, instead saying "this is NOT right" "This is NOT how things should be" and doing everything they can to fix it, to drive back the gloom, darkness and suffering. FOE is the very antithesis of Grimdark. And, yes it is a very YMMV story, but, IMO, it diserves a chance and is MORE then diserving of all the praise it's gotten and it's popularity. The Fallout parts are explained well, you DON'T need to know about them, though it does shed some more light on what's going on, as well as building up a bit more suspense when you hear about places like maripony, or The Enclave.

Yes, as you can tell, I cannot recommend trying it enough. Yes it is Dark, but never grimdark. With but one or two possible exceptions, the darkness is never gratuitous. It is there to serve the story, and works. And as to Gore, really ther is very little. AFTER chapter 3. Seriously chapter three is the worst, but, for a reason. it's the big shock to the reader and to Li'lpip. Showing just HOW BAD the Wastes are. but, after that, it never goes that detailed or that bad again. it's there to let kkat AVOID going that gory or that dark. Showing one really bad scene early, so the rest of the story, they can simply hint, allude, or very simplistically describe things, and let the reader fill in the details without having to give them

So yes, keeping in mind chapter 3....or was it 4? one of those two. Is the absolute worst it will get, and the rest is much easier. Give it a try.

@Seraphem: Dude, don't go doing this again. We've been over this a billion times. Just because you feel that it integrated the elements well doesn't mean that other people will feel the same way. You don't need to write a treatise on how good it is every time somebody says they didn't like it. It might technically be grimdark, but it's a hell of a lot darker than the show, so for all practical purposes it isn't an inaccurate description.

All I'm going to say about FOE is that I'm aggressively apathetic towards it. I read a chunk of it and didn't feel the need to keep going. Just not my thing.

Anyway, I guess I should specify that my story A Delicate Balance is shipping (Twijack), and does not end in tragedy. Mainly because it's in progress, but I'm planning for a happy ending.

edited 18th Feb '13 7:03:34 PM by JapaneseTeeth

The backstory of FE is pretty fugging Grimdark (Occasionally Grimderpy* at times).

• No pun intended

I assure you, both the Hi E fics I linked are of the highest quality. I dare say, they are in fact the two best Hi E fics there are.

If I wasn't fan of first Fallouts I wouldn't read this fic. To many element would be turn me away from it before I could reach point of story what could hold me by itself.

(Kinda reverse with one side fic for FOE where I reached point late in story I couldn't stand it anymore and now I regret reading it).

I agree on that. Way Celestia turned out and how Zebra acted are mane reason why I hate backstory.

edited 18th Feb '13 7:07:52 PM by DeathCloud