It Is Recommendsday, My Dudes #116 · 7:14pm Jun 7th, 2023
A new set of G5 episodes is out, and given what happened in them? This seems to lead easily into a particular trio of troublemakers and their unending obsession.
And so we lead with Bring Me the Heads of the Cutie Mark Crusaders! by CCC.
The battle is over. Tirek has won. The Bearers are chained to his throne; the three Princesses are in Tartarus. The legion of drained castle staff and guards serve him as slaves. But hope is not lost: there's a rebellion. Attacks on his minions are escalating across Equestria and those who still have hope are rallying to the rebel banner. Every attack is marked with a simple statement: "For the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" And Tirek is wondering just who the heck the Crusaders are. Meanwhile, three little fillies in a clubhouse do what they do best: cause chaos.
So to lead: while it is not tagged as such, this is absolutely a comedy and you should take it in that stride. Adventure-comedy, sure, but a comedy none the less. And it hits that stride well: Tirek is a proper Saturday morning cartoon villain (with all the foolishness that implies), the Crusaders are... the Crusaders, and Discord does a great job at being both a foolish idiot and a cunning mastermind all at the same time.
Speaking of - this story does a great Discord. He's a hard character to get a handle on, and this story is cheating a little since he's without his magic (and thus restricted to the bounds of reality) but he still is done excellently here in showing he's not just fourth wall breaks and visual gags.
As a whole, the story's fun as hell. Tirek's cartoon villainy is on point with just the right mix of menace and incompetence, paired with the Crusaders actually having a really sensible and workable way that they became mysterious leaders of a national-scale rebellion while still staying true to themselves and not acting out of character for being, like, eight. There's some good fun secondary/cameo roles, and several smart twists that help the plot along. In all, it's a great mix of humor and adventure that doesn't overstay its welcome and hits the notes it aims for square on.
On our B side today, we've got a trio set from Impossible Numbers. The Sister Sidestep series: Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo.
Trio Crusader fics are pretty common. Where this series makes it interesting is that each CMC is matched with a different sister figure: Sweetie with Rainbow Dash; Apple Bloom with Rarity; and Scootaloo with Applejack. It isn't just a quick 'mash them together', either - the stories take the time to show a connection between each filly and mare. Both ways, too, which is mightily important.
And while I can't quite summarize three different stories with precision, they all follow roughly the same curve: there's initial discomfort because each member of each pair is used to dealing with a different one. (Applejack reflexively almost scolds Scootaloo by Apple Bloom's name, in fact.) But after they overcome that, they settle in and find that connection. Appreciate the newness and the differences, and find where they each have common ground and where their patterns meet. Like Scootaloo meshing with the Apple family or Rarity getting a cutie mark schooling from Apple Bloom.
The dialogue flows wonderfully and naturally, making it all go down real smooth. And the character work is on point, which is a must for a piece like this. (These? Stupid words.) There's just something mellow and enjoyable about the Sister Sidestep stories - no high stakes, no crisis. Just characters finding unique ways they connect and exploring those. It's chill and refreshing, in addition to being well written.
New or catching up? Try Recommendsday: The Index for your story needs!
Having only watched the opening double-length special of Chapter 4 thus far, I really hope that opening line in reference to G5 is just an offhand comment about the "Misty wanting a cutie mark" plotline we don't need to know anything about these episodes to know where it's going and how it will end, and not about an actual plot twist further in…
Impossible Numbers' fics are not always the easiest reads, which I feel is the major contribution to rather low follower and viewership statistics from someone who joined in 2011 and has (mostly) published regularly since. Well, that and a tendency to hop around characters for explorations topics for a fic, often minor less-popular one-off figures. But it's a pity, because the end results of the fics is usually really good. This trilogy is a solid exemplar of that, really getting at what a swap of personalities in mentor figures for a day would do for all three Crusaders. I think the middle entry, the Scootaloo one, is comfortably the best (not surprising, as she usually got the best writing and characterisation in the show, or the most consistently good, anyway); the Sweetie Belle is a rock-solid of lighter opener, and the last Apple Bloom one is losing stream a bit. But really, they're all great. Easy to see why they were featured box hits!
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It is the very mildest of spoilers, because 'something happens with a cutie mark during the series' is rather obvious if you've been paying any attention at all.