Just a quick note here before I begin. I've moved all my promotions to 
Story Promotions (Round IX) · 4:31am Mar 30th, 2015
It's that time again! Have another round of story promotions! 
Silver Lining works as a Hunter, a freelance investigator and hired guard in Canterlot. Life has never been simple, but when what should have been a routine job throws him together with a newborn vampire, things quickly become much more complicated.
Overall, I'm not fond of vampire mythology and lore. I not only avoid the Twilight series like the scourge upon humanity that it is, but I'm also not fond of Anne Rice or other more reputable authors of the fanged creatures. It's just not my thing, y'know?
With that being said, I'm so glad I gave this story a try.
Told between alternating first-person POVs, Bloodsong focuses primarily on Silver Linings—a skilled, yet cynical pegasus working for the shadowy Hunters organization—and an unfortunate victim of aforementioned newborn vampire. The story so far primarily focuses on developing the OCs and other main characters (whom will be quite familiar to many readers by name, but not by this iteration), as well as fleshing out the supernatural underworkings of the AU. As far as prose is concerned, the author has struck a delicate balance between flowery and precise, making for an engaging read.
While the story is tagged Romance, this development is currently at a very slow burn. However, I don't feel that this is a flaw. Many Romance stories jump to the "good part" fairly early on, so it's nice to see one that takes two characters from strangers, to acquaintances, then friends, and then to the good part. We haven't seen that "good part" in the story yet, but judging by the buildup going on, it'll definitely be worth the wait when it comes! 
If you like supernatural AUs, intriguing OCs, vampires, or some unique romance, check this one out.
Being the night security guard for Ponyville General Hospital is a boring and thankless job-- especially for Vigilance, who has his heart set on becoming a member of the Equestrian Royal Guard. Unfortunately both his current job and his future career are now in jeopardy thanks in part to a ridiculous incident in which Rainbow Dash broke in at night to steal a book, of all things. A book!
Now to save his job a reluctant Vigilance is saddled (pun unintended) with a new and frustrating duty: assisting in the treatment of his least favorite patient, an unidentified mare who thinks she's a dog.
Can Vigilance swallow his pride for long enough to get "Screw Loose" the exercise therapy she needs, or will her canine antics drive him barking mad?
Stories about obscure background ponies have often turned out to be buried treasures, at least in my mind. While I found this one via EverFree Northwest's "Fanfic Spotlight" segment, Walkies turned out to be one of those buried treasures.
I will say that I was partially interested in this story since I also work in security, though not in a hospital. However, unlike Vigilance, I do not aspire to a greater position in a similar field of work. Nevertheless, I found the character of Vigilance to be quite relatable. Who doesn't feel stuck at times and aspires to something greater?
Along with the story's relatability, the comedy sealed the deal for me. "Screw Loose" acts in canine character throughout the story, even when it causes trouble for herself and the outside world. The contrast between Vigilance's acceptance of the mare's strange behavior (in his own way) and Doctor Stable's assistance that she most definitely is not a dog being taken out for walks is absolutely hilarious. 
As expected, Vigilance and Screw Loose get into some awkward mishaps throughout the story. However, there is some redemption for both of them, which I won't elaborate on here. I will say, though, that that redemption took this story from earning only a spot on my Comedy bookshelf to earning one on my Top Favorites as well.
If you like Vigilance, Screw Loose, comedies, or stories about bettering oneself, give this story a read.
Our greatest difficulty lies not in forgiving someone, but in forgiving ourselves before it is too late...
I'm just going to warn you guys here. This story will make you cry. I recommend bringing some tissues (no, not for that!) before reading.
The Friend I Couldn't Be is told from Sunset Shimmer's point of view after she and the Rainbooms defeated the Dazzlings. The story begins shortly after Sunset finds a note in her mailbox from Adagio, wherein Adagio asks Sunset to meet her at a local coffee shop. Sunset heads to the shop to meet Adagio, and everything unravels from there.
If that is an extremely vague and unconvincing summary, that's because I honestly don't want to give away the story here. It is absolutely brilliant. Heartbreaking, tragic, and existential, yes, but brilliant. Why Adagio comes to Sunset is compelling (and may even be true in a darker version of the canon) and handled with respect, as is the aftermath of that meeting. The themes of forgiveness, both of forgiving others and forgiving oneself, is explored masterfully. Many stories either cheapen forgiveness or make it inaccessible. This is one of the few that handle the issue with balance, care, and wisdom.
If you enjoy stories about the Dazzlings and/or Sunset Shimmer, stories about forgiveness, or need a good cry, look no further.
Equestria's oldest griffin settlement makes its home in the mountain ridge known simply as Sharfkral-Grat. Things turn complicated for a pair of friends when one of them realizes he sees his best friend as "more than just friends". Despite this love, there are hardships—fear, honor, and law—that keep him from confessing his feelings.
This is an M/M story that also contains some Teen-rated sexual content. Feel free to skip on to the last entry if one or both of those aren't your thing.
This is the first story I've read from Nicknack. While this story reflects some of what he has written in his other stories (including Heart of Gold, Feathers of Steel which is still on my RL), this story can be read on its own.
While Schweigen Ist Folter appears to be a typical coming-out story on the surface, there's much more to it than that. Its depictions of the Griffon Kingdom, including the festivals, customs, and bylaws of a dying nation and race, are both engaging and haunting. The primitive lifestyle and uphill battle for mere survival is reminiscent of Thomas Hobbes' assertion that "life is nasty, brutish, and short". It's not a pretty picture, but it's a picture I was unable to look away from, nonetheless.
Caught in the midst of this are two friends, Stephen and Gerard ("Jerry"), who hold an important role as young Griffon males in their tribe. A sense of obligation has been hoisted on them even before they were born, for a reason that is no less tragic than it is obvious. Both struggle with these obligations in contrast to their own innate desires and yearnings.
It is this struggle, both between each other and amongst themselves, that made these OCs so compelling. Beyond the prose, the character development here is pulled off in an impressively concise way. At only 14K words, I emerged from this story feeling I knew Stephen and Jerry like old friends. That is certainly no easy feat, especially when society itself is developed enough to feel like a third character standing beside them!
Between the development of the story's universe, the characters, and the flowing prose, this story earned its place in my Top Favorites. My only complaint was that it needed to be longer, or a multichapter story!
If you enjoy stories about Griffons, coming-of-age stories, coming-out stories, or M/M stories, give this one a glance.
All his life, Angel Bunny has been plagued by a single question. At long last, he has an answer, and he longs to reveal it. Doing so may be the single most important thing he's ever done, but Angel doesn't know how to deliver the message. After all, rabbits have no need of writing.
Angel needs to learn. Knowing this task is far too important to let his pride get the better of him, Angel does something he never thought he'd do: ask for help. There's only one pony for the job.
I saved the best for last this time around.
I was skeptical of this story at first, given its seemingly odd choice of storytelling and format. The story is told entirely through dialogue, though it is dialogue through narrative (hence, no quotation marks). Instead of dialogue tags, different-colored fonts are used to distinguish the characters. If you are colorblind or colordeficent, you might have some difficulty distinguishing the "speakers" at first... at first.
One of the best aspects of this story is how each character's voice is captured and written. Angel, Twilight, Spike, and a few others are portrayed to a T. So, even if you can't see the colors, you should be able to recognize the characters fairly quickly.
Without spoiling too much, I will say that this story appears to be quite simple on the surface. With a focus on Angel—a rabbit is such a simple creature, isn't it?—I was expecting something light-hearted. Maybe even something a little silly (Sombra cuddling Angel, anyone?).
I didn't get that.
What I received in its place was a deeply emotional tale, told piece-by-piece through the perspective of someone who desperately wants to say something but is unable to say it. As Angel's writing evolves, so does the clarity of his intentions. And when we finally reach the crux of his motivation, it's beyond words. Heartwarming would be an understatement.
If you're looking for some (rare) character exploration of Angel, a story of someone learning how to write, an emotional story, or just a great Slice of Life, you've found it.
Well, that's all I have for tonight, guys. Take care, and have a great Sunday night! 
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>skims blog
>Oh hey, that Gryphon image looks familiar
>checks story comments
>I'm first comment
Yep, sounds about right
You didn't.
2923485
I did.
Derpy is so damn cute.
As much as it pains me to add more stories on my massive and ever-growing Read Later bookshelf, I'm going to look at "The Friend I Couldn't Be" and "Of Angels".
At least those two aren't that big...
Going to second that The Friend I Couldn't Be rec. Read that when it first dropped, and... dayumn.
Yeah.
Best for last? Pardon me while I
. And this the day after EqD takes it in.
I'm starting to love that story.
>tfw Schweigen Ist Folter :D
Nice to see that story getting some traction these days!
But I didn't! You lied!
I'm still crying,
Thanks Bad!
(and 2923541 ! 
)
Hey, that thing I kinda helped with :D Nice to see Angels getting more fans!
Will have to check out that griffon story later :V
Hey, thanks for the plug! I really appreciate it.
How does one apply for story promotions?
2925577 2924225
You're both welcome! Y'all deserve it.
2925961
You can't. I just promote whatever stories I've ejjoyed that I feel are underappreciated.
2924039
It's on EqD now? Congrats! You deserve it!
2925968
Many thanks! After the fight I had with the mods just to get it accepted on FIMFiction, I'm rather surprised it made it to EqD so smoothly.
2925973
You're welcome. I'm glad EqD didn't give you so much trouble. I don't know what's the issue with colored text to begin with.
2925975
The issue, as far as I can tell, is that 90% of people who use it do so very poorly. For many, it's the mark of an amateur. But, as many of us are aware, even thing normally considered 'bad' can be used in a way that is undeniably 'right.'
2925966 Ah.
2925978
Very true. Glad the mods let you release it with the text after some discussion. It definitely adds that extra umph to the story. :)
2925986 Wait. You work in security? So... you, like... wear a uniform and hit all the intruders who try to infiltrate your facility with a baton?
2941894
More than that! I'm the eye in the sky!
2942225 Cool! Now I'm feeling myself safer as I know, that you're observing us.
I finally got around to reading those two. Good stuff. Friend I Couldn't Be didn't make me cry, but I felt my eyes twinge a little bit.