So, I have not read chapters 20.5 or 21 of Fallout Equestria yet. I think I'll skip 20.5, because I'm actually starting to like the story and (shock of shocks) I don't want to sabotage it by subjecting myself to Littlepip's sexual insecurities and double-ended dildos. So I'll skip the porn I'm pretty much guaranteed to hate and move on to chapter 21 sometime later. Maybe later today, provided I don't decide to play Sleeping Dogs instead.
And I haven't been up to Romance Reports. The next chapter is like ten or twelve thousand words and I know it's gonna have a fucking awful Twilight/Rainbow Dash sex scene. So fuck that.
Also, I've been refreshing myself on the Rose Potter series. Blimey, what an exercise in terrible Harry Potter fanfiction. Basically, allow me to describe the protagonist as such: Recall everything bad I've ever said about Littlepip. Now imagine that I'm completely right. That's a good idea of Rose Potter.
For now, I'm going to proceed with The Unexpected Love Life of Dusk Shine. Which has new cover art and its own Tropes page.
So, the first chapter was basically a reiteration of the show's pilot, except with Twilight as a guy and the other five main characters all having the hots for him. Included are lots of jokes stemming from brony memes and call-forwards. The next three chapters are a reiteration of the third episode, about the Gala tickets.
It starts off pretty much the same way as the episode, with Dusk and Applejack coming in from the orchard with the basketfuls of apples. Applejack talks about the bet she made with Big Macintosh. However, slight difference in this scene: We get a flashback to said bet, including the conditions in the case that Applejack loses. If she loses, she has to lie to Granny Smith for a day. Specifically, she has to tell Granny Smith that she got knocked up by the new librarian.
Then Spike burps up the letter and tickets. Next difference, it's established that Dusk and Spike are aware of how crummy the Gala via the letter. And Celestia has designate the tickets for "Dusk Shine, plus date."
You all know the basic plot. All of his friends want the ticket. So we get the usual shtick with each of them having a fantasy sequence talking about why they want to go to the Gala. Applejack's is closest to the original, yadda yadda selling apple treats and getting money for the farm. Though she throws in that she'd gladly contribute to educational stuff like the school or the library.
Rainbow Dash comes in and she wants the ticket, too. She has her fantasy where she wants the ticket so she can join the Wonderbolts. Except her fantasy also involves her banging with Dusk.
So obviously, Dusk walks off cause he can't decide. THEN we get a divergence when he gets hit in the head on his walk and wakes up strapped to a wall, where he meets... Pinkamena!
Yes, the fic is going with that. Honestly not very surprising. Blah blah blah Pinkie has two personalities and Pinkamena came out because Pinkie was really depressed about Dusk calling her a friend and the shipfic not going her way. Pinkamena decides she's gonna torture him, and Dusk manages to avoid it by asking Pinkie if she wants to go to the Gala with him, which snaps her right back to happy Pinkie Pie.
Pinkie Pie then proceeds to yammer on and on and on about how happy she is that Dusk is taking her to the Gala. Like how she's gonna tell all her friends, and then lists them off... and it includes Littlepip.
I can't get away from the damn thing, can I?
Also, Pinkie Pie's fantasy is different. She has fourth wall powers, so she knows how lousy it is, so she basically imagines the two of them rolling in a bass cannon and blasting the quartet off the stage. Shame. I like the quartet.
Anyway, they go to a restaurant, where they run into Rarity, who acts like she already assumes Dusk is going to take her to the Gala. Rarity's Gala fantasy is largely unchanged, except it has Dusk instead of Blueblood.
Rarity and Pinkie Pie then proceed to have a spat, which Dusk manages to duck away from, temporarily reneging on his asking Pinkie Pie to be his date.
I should also mention that we're going to be seeing more of the Pinkie/Pinkamena thing, by the way.
So Dusk decides to head for Fluttershy's cottage, discussing his problem with Spike. Spike suggests he take Rainbow Dash, as that's the option that directly results in him getting laid. Anyway, he goes to Fluttershy and asks HER to be his date. Fluttershy is a bit flip-floppy on it. She has her fantasy, all the critters, and then Dusk is a... woodsman or something, I dunno, and then she runs upstairs and locks herself in her room because it was getting a little too risqué. Also mention of Fifty Shades Shy. Oh boy, a reference to that thing.
Anyway, Dusk goes through and we get the whole "friends trying to bribe me for the ticket" thing. Then when he gets to Rarity's place, she lets him take a shower after being all dirty from the rain. Then while he's in the shower she joins him and tries to seduce him. Dusk clenches his eyes shut so that he doesn't see her totally hawt wet mane, and then teleports both of them back to the library, where Fluttershy is. Blah blah hijinks with her being all coy and the awkwardness of Dusk's position, then the other girls come and argument. Dusk is about to send the tickets back to Celestia, when Fluttershy suggests he just ask for five more tickets. Pinkie and Pinkamena have an outburst how how stupid that sounds, and the chapter ends on:
They did.
And that's pretty much it. The next arc seems to be covering Applebuck Season AND Griffon the Brush-Off at the same time. So far it's two chapters in, so I'll probably cover it if/when it finishes. So far it's got Applejack being out of character and more meta stuff from Pinkie Pie.
