Long ago, a batpony made a promise to stand by his princess faithfully. It was the only mission he failed to complete. He can never make that up to her, but maybe he can ensure that she has a friend awaiting her return.

Bronze medal winner in the Writeoff Association's "Cold Comfort" event.

Entry in the Bat ponies and Thestrals 2017 contest

Thanks to Present Perfect for prereading.

Zecora crafts a strange brew on a spooky evening. What is she making? And what’s happening in the sky...?

This story was written for the October 2017 Writeoffs, where it reached the finals and placed thirteenth, appropriately enough.

Ten years ago, the Griffon Empire opened a portal to a strange new world and tried to annex it. In the peace settlement that followed they lost control of the province containing the portal. Since then, the Griffonian Democratic Republic had been completely isolated, surrounded on all sides by a hostile empire. Now, for the first time, a visitor had been allowed.

Once, I thought I knew it all. All I had was overpriced cable TV, slacker friends, no girlfriend, and a shitty job doing customer support, but I thought I knew it all.

That all changed one day when I dressed up for a costume party as the semiotic psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan.

A Displaced Philosopher Story. Drawing of Lacan by Marcos Manzi.

A lawyer doesn't always want to know what really happened. It's a tightrope walk. Whether or not the lawyer believes in his client's innocence is not the issue. It's his duty to defend his client - no more and no less.
— Ferdinand von Schirach

Proofreading done by Dancing Mop, Sevenofeleven, Setokaiva and N4.
Credit for many images goes to N4.

Now also featured on TvTropes.org!

Nearly one year has passed since Australian pilots discovered Equestria in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

Now the world watches in awe as, with the Princesses' blessings, one of the most ferocious and dangerous tyrants of the equine world - none other than Chrysalis, the Queen of all Changelings - is marched before one of the highest courts of law of the human world - the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the Netherlands.

But the Queen is wrathful and determined, still one of the planet's single most powerful creatures.
How can mere humans, who know next to nothing of her mystical home, achieve justice for the Equestrians?

Alexander Estermann is a conceited defence attorney who will have to wade through a quagmire of vengeance, racism, manipulation, lies, hearsay and self-deception to get to the core of the affair.
Seemingly the whole world is working against him - up and including the Queen herself.

Rated teen for liberal swearing and gore for minor gory descriptions and pictures.

Disclaimer: This is not a story that is meant to reflect reality. Several things about international law have been changed to accomodate the scenario and make it, well, readable. If that should offend you for any reason, I wish to apologise in advance.

This story is a sequel to Earth & Sky

Set three years after the founding of Harmony Aeronautics and the Grand Pegathalon.

The best and brightest (or at least flashiest) minds in Equestria are at it again. An accidental combination of Harmony Aeronautics and Lulamoon Studios' latest magical technologies leads to Twilight finding a new way of looking at the world. What will be revealed by her new found perspective, and how will it shake things up in Los Pegasus?

The Elements of Harmony find themselves facing an old evil united with one from beyond their world entirely, bringing magic so alien that Equestrian magic cannot defend against it. Yet, long ago, when the Elements existed in a different form, they summoned aid from beyond the world to defeat a similar threat from beyond.

Out of desperation, today's Elements repeat that ancient summoning, and they get – a hillbilly with a silver-strung guitar?

MLP:FiM (c) Lauren Faust and Hasbro; John the Balladeer and Rowley Thorne (c) estate of Manly Wade Wellman

And due to the grace of several fans, primarily Jordan1179, this story now has its own Tropes page: Tv Tropes My Little Balladeer

This story is a sequel to The One Who Got Away

A frustrated young orphan colt with a talent for painting is determined to run away from his dead-end rural village for the distant cultural haven of Baltimare. All he needs to do is slip aboard a raft and drift down the river Fen until he reaches his destination. It’s a simple plan, and would have worked just fine except for one thing.

Seaponies.

Editors: Tek, Docontra, Themaskedferret,

Image credit: Pen Mightier(pencil) and Manifest Harmony (colors)

Now Featured on Equestria Daily
And a wonderful review by Paul Asaran
Available in paperback at Lulu.com at cost

This story is a sequel to Windfall

A brilliant mind discovers a problem in search of a solution, which leads to inspiration, which leads to invention, which leads to a technological/magical advance that will in time forever change Equestria.

Sequel to Windfall, set three years after the events in that story.

Rainbow Dash's latest flying routine was interrupted by a sudden mountain, and Twilight can hardly sleep at night. No pony should be this excited to play with necromancy.

Edited by Deceased and JustAnotherTimeLord.

Cover art courtesy of pony-berserker.

Dramatic reading by WritingStylus

Polish translation by atom2004
Spanish translation by Spaniard Kiwi
Russian translation by NovemberDragon