just an update for all those who follow my work here. ponies at arms is getting closer and closer to it's grand finale and i have been pouring much of my energy into seeing it through to the end. it's going down some darker paths but we all know that things are darkest before the dawn.

it's also turning out to be a bit of a beast in terms of size. i have 3/4 of part five done and already it's as big as any other chapter i have put together. there will be a finale in part six then i think a chapter devoted to the aftermath of the whole incident should tie it up nicely. all in all it's shaping up to be the biggest thing i've ever written.

on another note i finished making two custom ponies of Shrike and Trusty, hopefully it can help to visualize what i wanted them to look like.

http://gearhearthound.deviantart.com/art/Custom-Pony-Shrike-280223277?q=gallery%3Agearhearthound&qo=3

http://gearhearthound.deviantart.com/art/Custom-Pony-Trusty-Spirit-280223746?q=gallery%3Agearhearthound&qo=2

http://gearhearthound.deviantart.com/art/Custom-Ponies-Shrike-and-Trusty-280224053?q=gallery%3Agearhearthound&qo=1

Ok... so it's been a while. Quite a bit longer than I intended to have between updates. The holidays and a change in my medication (marvelous) has made it rather difficult to keep my attention on anything for any great length of time.

Part two of Ponies at Arms is nearly through the editing gauntlet and part three is finished and awaiting its turn through my ever faithful editor (Autumn Whirlwind/Sunshine Bliss) I was intending from the beginning to make it a three part affair but so many good ideas have been coming to me that i just feel the need to extend the action. There will be a part four, (which is actually planned out and half written) and a part five where the story will reach a stunning conclusion.

On a related note i have actually gone and finished modifying a pony who looks spot on for what i envision Shrike to be. I have the tools and the materials to do one for Trusty and a couple others for my personal enjoyment (I'm rather intent on modifying myself a Ditzy Doo) and should these side projects pan out the way I plan, I will be linking a few images from my DA for fun.

For any of you fillies and colts interested in what i'm writing, let me give you a little update. Ponies at Arms part two has been completed to my liking though it still needs to get a good once over by my editor (Autumn Whirlwind/Sunshine Bliss). It goes down a lot darker roads than the opener story with more action, in fact i think that most of the writing is an action sequence. Part three is getting bigger and bigger the more i hammer out for it. it's over 12,000 words and i still haven't gotten a chance to write out some scenes i want to include or to even touch the climax of the story. All in all i'm very pleased with the way it's been turning out.

On a different note i'm still sort of recovering my desire to re-edit the first chapter. My editor has asked if she could just edit it as bluntly as she could and i have given her the green light once i have a go over it myself. My confidence was staggered quite a bit by events which aren't quite so recent anymore but none the less i haven't gotten full swing into writing anything until yesterday actually.

in a different, different note i am in the process of working on some artwork of the cast of characters from my stories and maybe even reworking a G4 pony to represent my main character. i have bought an array of paints and some sculpty for the mane and tail (i doubt i could style real hair to make her look any good) as well as a suplicant pony to become one of my guards (i'm so sorry Blossomsforth... but you have a silly name)

i have far too many ideas pouring out of my head but i have decided that i should at least share the ones that aren't totally awful or otherwise crap. first we have Primum Non Nocere (which was originally titled 'blessing and curse') which centers around the unicorn Emerald Heart as he struggles with his gifts and the limitations that have been placed on them. I'm certain that I've gotten most of the medical terminology wrong but i have at least tried to make it exciting and make the characters believable. there is an end planned and in my head, it's just a matter of putting the words to paper and getting it all sorted. i'm planning it to be roughly four chapters, give or take, topping out at about 14,000 words.

second on my list of things which will be ready to go soon is a three part piece called 'Ponies at Arms' which follows the exploits of a sergeant in charge of the town guard of Trottingham and her band of fellow officers of the law as they are swept up in a plot that threatens all of Equestria. the first part is nearly done, just being edited as i type this actually, and should be up and ready to go in a day or two. each part will be hitting between 13,000 and 15,000 words (making it just about the longest thing i've written) and should be a nice blend of action and drama. there is romance planned for this story though none of it involves the mane cast (unless they are shipped together) i don't tend to go in for the OC pony + mane cast pony sort of thing.