This story is a sequel to The Stars of Darkness
By all accounts, Wild Wings should be very happy with how things in his life have turned out. He and his friends Shooting Star and Morninglight have been freed from any influence of the Elements of Destruction, thanks mostly to the Elements of Harmony blasting them (almost) into oblivion. He's got his old job back as one of Luna's Generals, and even some new friends to be around- especially Rainbow Dash, against whom he races almost constantly. He survived something that should have claimed his life, and is ready to get this whole "second chance" thing well and truly started...
...but something's bothering him. Something that is nestled so deep in his heart that he can't shake it, something that is frustrating him to the point of everypony around him asking if they can help.
But can he find the courage to admit his fears... to tell them all that despite being given this second chance, he may have already destroyed what he wanted the most out of it? Or the courage to admit to himself that the beautiful mare he can't stop thinking about may want nothing to do with him... and that the family he so longs for may have already slipped through his hooves?
Luckily for Wild Wings, he has some very good friends- from an excitable filly to the Moon Princess herself- who are more than willing to help him in his time of need. But will they be enough to get him to confront the one pony in Equestria who he most desires to see again?
[Ponies on cover were drawn by this lovely and talented artist .]
"Of" is the most influential two letter word known to fimfic....stick it in your title and you're bound to garner hundreds of views.
Also, Cool story.
861080
I doubt this story will get too many views, being a sequel to a not-very-well-known fic. ^-^ BUT I'm very glad you enjoyed it! :3
I'll read it if my internet connection will last longer than ten minutes at a time...
Fav'd for being a sequel to SoD!
Edit:
Finally got to reading it!
I almost feel sorry for Wild; Luna's gonna break him...
I don't understand why he had to spend so long fretting about Thistledown...
Why didn't he go ask her? I mean, he had nothing to lose. Worst case, she says "no".
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Yeah, Wild should know better than to try and hide things from Princess Luna.
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I think it'd be hard NOT to be slightly traumatized in his case- after all, Wild being Wild, I think he always carried this kinda "I'm invincible" feeling around with him... and then along comes Big Macintosh basically "eeeenope"-ing him through a wall. X3
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He was worried about what would happen to her. He wasn't thinking about HIS feelings, he was thinking about how SHE would feel and react to him showing up out of the blue. And at this point, he's still not sure it's a good idea. S'why he's on his way to AJ! ^^
889287 Not what I meant...
I meant "Why didn't he go ask Thistledown earlier?"
891903
^^; Sorry. XD
He was waiting to see if the feelings he had were going to fade. From the interaction he had with Thistle during the rebuilding of Whinnyapolis he go the feeling that she didn't want to see him ever again. So, being respectful of what he thought she wanted, he decided to just live his life and see if it his heart would move on- but it didn't. As time rolled on his desire to talk to her grew, and so did the doubt that she would ever want to see him again. Wild is very confident, so being unsure of himself is not something he's used to, and he didn't really know how to handle it- hence his frustration at the beginning. His heart was going around in a vicious circle of what he wanted and what he thought Thistledown wanted, and he couldn't break himself out of it.
I hope that answers it a little better. XD
892369 But again; look at the worst case scenario: They part on unfavorable terms.
What I ask is "Why does he go by feelings and desires if he is a coward when it comes to them?"
I think that one question is the answer, though it be a tad cliche. No, don't answer it, I already know that will happen in at least one of the later chapters.
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Caution isn't the same thing as cowardice.
892780 Point taken. But to show that level of caution... would a "no" start a war?
That is, of course, assuming it is, in fact, caution, and not something entirely different. He had conflicting feelings at the time, so could it not have been through care or love, mayhap?
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A "no" wouldn't start a war, but dealing with emotions like the ones that Wild is currently having to deal with (i.e. longing, frustration, uncertainty and confusion) can sometimes make even the most devil-may-care pony (or person) take a bit more caution in whatever is causing those feelings. And I think the fact that he WAS conflicted when he started feeling what he did only makes him more cautious about it. Very uncharacteristic of Wild as a whole, but in the given circumstances, not unreasonable, I feel. >_>
But don't worry, he doesn't stay that way forever. XD
892892 Hmm, yes, that would make sense...
I do believe that answers the last of my questions.
Well, except one: "What happens next?" But I'm sure that answer will come in due time.
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Indeed! Very soon, Dusk. Probably within the next few days. ^_^
There are so many ways this meeting could go wrong...
i gotta say that i'm lovin this story so far
CUTE!!!!!
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Eeeeeeeeeeeyup.
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........
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I'm glad you like it! :3 I'll try to get more chapters up here soon.
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Thank you!!
You mean an author actually replied to me!
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Of course! I try to respond to all of the comments- if I don't, it's because I got distracted by something shiny!
...that happens more often than I'd like to-
OOH SUMFIN SHINEY!!! *runs!*
yes! it updated!
This is good sequel, let's see what happens when Wings comes back and finds her home being empty.
I was wondering if there would be sequel for DarkStar and Princess Luna, their love story from previous fic touched me so.
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Thank you, Bookworm. I love Thistle... she really is a very complex character, and I can't help but love her to pieces.
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I'm not sure if you saw my response on "Stars", but I'll tell you here! ^_^
Yes, there will be sequels for Dark Star- 3 that are solely him, and then 1 that brings all of the Generals back together. In all, I'm looking at 9 sequels to "Stars", each one a different slice of a larger adventure, and a larger, overarching plot.
Specifically- yes, there will be development to the Dark/Luna romance, all culminating in the final story of the "Stars" arc that finally wraps it all up.
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Indeed, vren... indeed.
1340594 Color me interested, watching you!
1340603 BTWs do you have time to review my story? ( i replied commented you on my user page, but you didn't get back)
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Ah, yes- I should, but it might be a week before I can get to it. Lots going on for me this week- going to Canterlot Gardens this weekend, and trying to move my ex-girlfriend out on top of it. >_> But next week, after everything calms down, I'll give it a read, okay?
1341458 Take your time... Wait... You... are going... to CANTERLOT GARDENS????
At least you had a girlfriend i'm still single.
Queries: Why is there a twenty-five minute gap between Honeysuckle's GTA (general time of arrival) and Thistledown's adamant worrying? Why didn't Thistle ask about Honeysuckle (neighbors, etc)? Why is Thistle a tro- wait, tha's already answered. Why can't Thistledown face her demons? (lastly) Why does Thistle seem increasingly bipolar (Every fiber of her being screamed YES!! to “Get packed! We’re leaving!”)
Answer what you will; be it not by my will but yours, as they are just observations from within the sole context of this chapter. Vagueness is appreciable.
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Damn, totally forgot that there would be a sequel to Stars of Darkness. Now that I found my way here, let's get reading!
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Yay! I'm glad you found it! :3 And I really, really hope you like it. :D
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Don't worry, I've read the first five chapters this morning and I love how this is all going. I haven't been disappointed yet, so that means you're doing a pretty great job with your story. Keep going dude, awaiting chapter six with haste.
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I just have to ask you one question, Dusk.... You've never been in love have you? Ever?
"The worst she can say is 'no'." .... Gods man, that's THE. WORST. POSSIBLE. THING. It's like taking everything that is good in the world and throwing it into the deepest pits of Tartarus. and then burying it. Your life is effectively OVER until you can get over someone not loving you back the way you thought they did- they way they might have if Wild hadn't BETRAYED HER IN THE MOST INTIMATE WAY. He was one of the four ponies who DESTROYED HER HOME, WANTED TO PLUNGE THE WORLD INTO ETERNAL DARKNESS, AND SHE FELL IN LOVE WITH HIM. So, in short, he had his heart to lose. That is not nothing.
As for why he didn't go to her earlier, She wanted nothing to do with him. When he was helping rebuild Whinnyapolis, she avoids him like the plague. He isn't going to TRY and cause her more pain than he already has if he can help it. And him going to see her is going to bring up a LOT of bad memories, a LOT of pain, and not just for her. It's going to screw him up, too, and he's afraid of that. And not because he's a "coward", it's because if he gets emotionally screwed up, he isn't going to be able to serve his Princess as well, possibly to the point of he's NOT going to be able to serve her AT ALL.
And if Wild it's a coward, it's only because he is, for once, unsure how to proceed. He COULD go talk to Thistle and get her totally pissed at him for even SHOWING UP, or he could stay away, imagine she's happy, and try to move on. Since the latter isn't happening, he's wondering if he should risk the former.
NOW to your questions about Thistle- first thing I have to say is GIRLS ARE BIPOLAR. ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY ARE CONFLICTED ABOUT LOVE AS THISTLE IS. Look, remember the betrayal I mentioned earlier? THAT, my friend, is at the crux of her "bipolarity". She fell in love with the pony she THOUGHT was the real Wild Wings (which it technically is, but more on that later) only to find out that the "real" Wild was actually the Villain of the Piece, and so she suddenly wondered how much of that attraction was manipulation on his part. She wondered if she could even trust herself with her feelings towards Wild.
YES you could argue that since he helped her rebuild her house and all of Winnyapolis that he'd "showed her he changed" but that betrayal was still there. THAT didn't just suddenly disappear because he was now a "good" pony, and since it was UTTER betrayal of her trust, it's not something that just comes back immediately.
So, in summery, Thistle was legitimately in love with Wild, he screwed up horribly, she couldn't trust him (or her feelings for him) anymore, Wild knew this, left her alone with the hopes that his feelings for her would fade, they didn't, Wild didn't know how to deal with it so he held it in in a last ditch attempt to forget Thistle. Until Luna smacks him out of it and he makes a move. THEN Thistle has to deal with both "New" Wild and "Old" Wild, decide which is the "real" Wild and then decide if that Wild is the one she fell in love with... Or even if she was in love at all. The only pony she thinks, she knows, she can talk to about her feelings is AJ, so she runs there hoping to find clarity and answers she can't seem to come up with on her own- similarly to Wild when he spills to Luna and then to AJ.
Ugh... sorry this is SUCH a long post, I really didn't mean to get so long-winded, but... it was getting painful watching you flounder so much with the deeply emotional side of this story... I had to intervene. (Sorry to you too, D4ft... but you kinda SUCKED at explaining this >_> And I mean that in the nicest, most understanding way...)
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Thanks... I think? >_>
I'll be honest... yeah, I was kinda having a hard time with the whole "explaining" thing... I guess that's further proof that I'm not writing this so much as just chronicling it as the characters tell me what to write. I couldn't even explain the feelings of my own damned character... wtf. XD
I'm glad you got it at least. X333
IMo wild wings blew it... you do not just go up to a mare/ girl and tell her that she is the one with the problem.... Then again it isn't part of his personality to do the roundabout way....
anyhow... Love the update
. you seriously are good at making ppl feel 
Dammit Thistle
go back and grab wild wings before he's gone for good.
1529994 This.
ANOTHER CHAPTER NAO.
the chapter was too short, cuz I want more NOW!!!
*Ahem* Great chapter again pal. Totally still loving this. Keep it up.
How to pick up a marefriend in easy steps:
1) Be part of a conspiracy.
2) Hang out with a mare's filly.
3) Be KO'd by mare's friend's brother. (or was that Shooter?)
4) Revolt against conspiracy leader.
5) Fail.
6) Revolt... again.
7) Succeed and begin "normal" life.
8) Constantly dream about that one mare you lived with during conspiracy time period.
9) Go to see said mare.
10) "Acquire" mare's filly for the day.
11) Make mare move out of her own house temporarily.
12) Track down mare and blame everything on her.
13) Get hit in the face and skulk off.
14-?) ???
?+1) Marriage or breakup.
It just seems like such a great plan when written out!
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Swing and a Miss. Swing and SO MUCH MISS........... and I'm not going to try to explain this to you again. You're a robot without a concept of emotion because you are missing the point.
Romance is NOT about always doing, saying, acting the "right" way. It's about running around in circles until eventually you fall into step with each other or you don't and you move on. It's about doing the wrong thing, screwing up, and generally making an ass of yourself at times.
And Love isn't about "writing down plans and following through". ESPECIALLY NOT IN WILD'S CASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In SoD, Wild was not LOOKING for a marefriend, or any kind of friend! He was on a mission to corrupt AppleJack and help bring Eternal Darkness to Equestria in line with Nightmare Moon's wishes from 1,000 years ago. The presence of Thistle and Honey were merely circumstantial and threw a wrench in the works of Wild's original goals..... You know what, screw this. I explained it before, if you didn't read it, you won't read it if I write it again here........
My advice? If you dislike the story THIS MUCH, if you are missing the point THIS MUCH, wait for the next story (CoDS: Blade of Redemption)
1539442 Your first 31 words are correct (I got the point); I meant the list as a joke, but I fail at joking. Badly.
I do not dislike this story, and I do understand where your point is coming from. I was ambiguous in most of my posts on both this ( 9/45 now 10/46) and Stars of Darkness (~10/105). If I disliked this, would I not have a lower occurrence of posts (unless \me is a troll, which is not true here)? And yes, I did read your above statement as well; I just didn't have the time to reply when I read it.
1454043 And before I forget, no. Infatuation does not love make, for love is itself meant to be mutual and endearing, not a tool through which another can use you. Besides, I'm 16, and self-declared bachelor-for-life to boot; would I have a girlfriend in that case? To answer this plea: "...it was getting painful watching you flounder so much with the deeply emotional side of this story...", I cannot feel most emotions through myself, those only through others. If that doesn't allay you, then nothing I know will. Empathy circumvents apathy, after all.
D'awwww-Hnnngg-d'awww-HNG!
Beautifully done.
Still don't understand why your stories don't have at least 100 up votes.
Can't wait for the next installment.
1548233 I know, I couldn't agree more!
I'm especially waiting for installment of this story about Princess Luna and her lost love: Dark Star. I can't wait but I can be patient :P
Awesome as ever bro! They were meant all along to be together.
And FIRST post on a chapter, that's a premiere for me
Right in the feels. Need more stories with those characters, there is still a whole lot of potential with them. I really hope to hear more from you in the near future, D4ftP0ny.
With finals behind me, I decided to start chipping away at my "read later" list. This was the first story to come up. I'm glad it was. What a great way to get back into reading.
That was beautiful.