This story is a sequel to Five Score – A Prench Tale Vol.1
Change is a simple fact of life, affecting us all in big and small ways, may we want it or not. Few know this better than the hundreds of people who, on their twenty-fifth birthday, found themselves with brand-new cutie marks on their thighs, and soon ended up in equine bodies to match. Between this and being forced into a clandestine existence, making do with what little they have left and with no place in this world but the one they'll be able to carve for themselves, it sure ain't easy being an Equestrian on Earth.
Now six months in, despite authorities trying to keep the pony problem a secret and preserve a crumbling status quo, the ripples of change cannot be contained for much longer, slowly building towards an explosive revolution. Ponies have had to learn to live with change, to find ways to adapt to their whole world being upended... But how will humans react, when it's their own reality that's threatened, and it's their turn to make a choice over what kind of future they want, for themselves, for their country, and for a planet on which they're not alone anymore..?
This is the second volume of a sidefic set in the 'Five Score, Divided by Four' universe created by TwistedSpectrum. I'd recommend reading Volume 1 first to fully appreciate the current story, but this short recap will bring you up to speed on the essentials if you'd rather dive right in. If the Five Score setting piques your interest, consider giving the original fic a read, as well as the various subsequent sidefics by other authors, and if you have any questions, feel free to drop a comment, or to check the Five Score FAQ!
The art here is fantastic, like always! The shadows and muted color palette really gives a sense of realness to the whole thing. And yet that last picture with Laurence and Dusky is so dreamlike and soft!
I like how you did the catch up here. It was a good idea and I think it really worked up super well. Kept me engaged. Short too!
And A Prench Tale officially continues!
As a Five Score story, TF is important. And while we don't get a TF in the first chapter here but we get Laurence's self-examination and body horror (which is what I come to TF for), someone mid-transition, and some surprising characters! The chapter's huge if it were just a first chapter, but it's not, it's chapter 29, and there's not a drop of fat here despite it. It's all of our favorite OCs again! And life has moved on! This isn't just them again at the end of the last part. Right in on some action!
I loved the opening here. Dramatic imagery and a French icon! This is unintentionally going to become quite the time capsule, what with the damage. To be honest, I love how annoying the hostage was. Maybe just his way of coping with the surrealness of it all. You painted a wonderful opening situation and showed everyone just how much of a badass Laurence is! <3
An infernal staircase going up in a cathedral. How ironic, Laurence!
Poor Amber, reading MLP fanfiction. In English even! I'm sure clip-clop isn't the only concept ruined! Who would research fanfics anyways? Silly pony...
Praise Sunbutt
That said, I love that we're getting a fandom expert in the group! Sweetchard is more of the show expert then, I suppose.
I can't imagine visiting the Catacombs. Those things scare me to and I don't have any bad history underground.
You're painting a great scenario here with their small talk and really building the cause for Volume 2. There's so much to experience! So much promised! I know you'll deliver! : ) Also I liked the shout out to what's going on in America at the time. Oh, Dust.
To be fair with pony's naming. A lot of languages have names that are more on-the-nose. Pony's just have a sense of humor!
"Pegtorals" is "canon"! Not going to lie, that's a pretty hot concept. Sweetchard is right.
That conversation in the car got so surprisingly crass! Genuinely funny and a bit groan worthy. I love it.
Rebellion! Revolution!! Err. Maybe not.
The end of Sweetchard's night where we're just alone with his thoughts. It really hits hard. We've all had those nights. It's sad. (And we have someone sneaking around! Hmm~ Who could it be?)
Some familiar faces here! From the previous Volume an from the show! Some are exciting to see! Others... others are clearly trouble. Oh gawd. We have to wonder where this goes.
This chapter is ending with some familiarity. It reminds me of Coursac but obviously it's a worse case. It's sad that our Prench friends had such freedom and were doing good in the meantime and as soon as we're back here it's turned into sort of a prison (break?) movie!
I hope they manage to escape but I can't help but wonder what trouble might be brewing here that will lead into future problems in this part and later parts.~ Actually, that makes me curious. Last Volume the parts had a clear theme about them. I wonder what the theme in this chapter is? I'm speculating issues with trust. Maybe in other ponies, in other species, and with humans and human authority.
I'm looking forward to more! I know you're doing more art now (and I love to see it!) so I wonder what kind of schedule you're shooting for, if it all. Either way, this was a great treat! I'm glad others are able to read it now. : )
I feel you, Dusky. Me too. Me too. Difference I wouldn't dare try that and she'd rightfully kick my flank.
Thank you for more of your fun comments!
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Yes, having the 'Previously On' narrated this way was definitely the right call, thanks again for the feedback.
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Absolutely. And it's true that past the initial setup, direct TF situations are getting a bit sparse. It's the story's inciting incident, and thus there's less narrative reasons to openly depict that aspect of the plot so far into it, outside of introducing new characters (it could be argue this is one of the limitations of the general Five Score setting: there's no direct way baked into its rules for a character to experience a second or third round of transformation, though as you know there's workarounds).
But like you alluded to, TF isn't just a brief moment of physical discomfort (though the main event itself is still fascinating in its own right); it impacts everything and its ramifications are far-reaching. The overarching goal of the story is to explore these consequences on all levels of our characters' lives, and from this point of view I'd still consider this tale to be a Tf-centric one on a fundamental level – and this even if actual physical transformations become few and far between. Hopefully I can still provide enough relevant material to satisfy a reader's TF appetite if they do have one.
It likely will, which is something I embraced by not only depicting the building in its state of ruin, but specifically how far along the repair work was at the exact time the story's set. Having a story set in the recent past might not sound as exciting as one set in the near future (like the original did), but I feel it's an opportunity to avoid the "where are all the flying cars" issue that can affect suspension of disbelief when time inevitably catches up, and it provides quite a bit more research material to build alternate history around.
Right? While my characters began with minimal knowledge of FiM, they had ample opportunity to grow more familiar with it by now. And it gives me a good excuse to talk about the show and its impact on how the fandom developed in the Five Score setting, beyond how it allows for show characters to be recognized as such and influences expectations. After all, we saw how some of the cursed ponies, still in their human shape, became fans of the show, and it's my hypothesis that this wasn't simple chance, that there probably was a higher likelihood for cursed ponies to subconsciously gravitate towards something that felt familiar and missing. Thus, could these ponies have influenced how the fandom took shape, which ideas gained prevalence over others, which 'headcanons' they would've come up with could now ring eerily close to the truth? I think it can be a fun way to justify some well-established fanon aspects as being a real thing, among other things.
Oh, and bias, of course. What better than biased, incomplete information inherited through barely-remembered dreams then filtered through a fandom's fickleness to generate some fun dramatic irony, huh?
It was even a bit too raunchy for my taste to be honest, but it was a fun way to show that, while Chard means well, he doesn't always have the best ideas on how to go about it, falling back on just trying to get a laugh or a smile and think of something else.
Trust is definitely a major theme of this Part, especially for one character in particular, and it contributes to delineating the larger thematic through-line – which should grow clearer with the next few chapters.
Considering how long chapters have grown (they may be low-fat, they're still overly nutrient-rich), a weekly release like for most of Volume 1 just isn't realistic unless I can dedicate my full time to writing. So for now, I'm shooting for a monthly release schedule. And hopefully, I manage to pick up speed and claim back some of that efficiency from the good ol' days!
oh god. no fucking way