Turnabout Storm Side Stories and Sequels · 5:22pm Jan 16th, 2018
Greetings, Turnabout Storm readers from your former editor and new story author. For those who did not see my blog post from yesterday, Raven Regios has passed ownership of Turnabout Storm to me. Why? For the very best possible reason: she's eight months pregnant, expecting in February! 
I didn't have permission to divulge that information yesterday, but she gave it overnight, so there you have it. She's going to have a baby! 
And as she's starting a new family, that means she no longer has time to tend her stories or account. It was for that reason she was willing to surrender the story to me, and I am honored to have it. She only checks her account infrequently now, but please wish her congratulations via PM, or in the comments below!
To recap, as I now have the story, it is going to undergo some significant updates including a large-scale editing pass and some content changes to fix things that are bugging me. I've already completed one quick sweep through to correct the color bleed issues that were introduced by a site update some months ago, so those should now be fixed. There is even a chance for some new content to be released for the three-year anniversary of the story's completion. More on all that in my previous post, as this one was to announce Raven's pregnancy and to discuss the status of various side stories and the still-promised sequel.
For those who are unaware, there are currently not one but three side stories to Turnabout Storm, and I'd like to discuss each in turn.
The Lawyer and The Unicorn
This is the one I'm sure everyone is at least aware of even if they don't read it. The Lawyer and The Unicorn is an adult side story picks up from where Turnabout Storm left off, describing the deepening relationship of Twilight and Phoenix and its effects on characters like Maya or the Mane 6. An M-rated crossover romance that contains adult action and worldbuilding in equal measure, the culmination of this story is a twelve-chapter dreamscape trial for Twilight where she is the victim of an attempted possession by The Nightmare, the same entity that once took over Princess Luna and turned her into Nightmare Moon.
Titled The Heart's Turnabout (and clearly labeled as such in the chapter titles), a guilt-ridden Twilight stands accused of magically forcing Phoenix to love (and make love) to her, and the trial settles the question once and for all of whether what the pair feel for each other is real or magically induced. In it, Twilight is defended by an angelic Mia Fey, Trixie presides as judge, and The Nightmare herself is prosecutor in the guise of Nightmare Moon. The latter is suitably evil and amoral, devious and cunning; her wits are sharp and her insults pointed. She's basically the best and worst of Manfred von Karma and Trixie rolled up into one tidy package, and you will love to hate her.
The dreamscape trial is intense and the stakes are high, as once Twilight is convinced of her guilt, she will surrender herself to The Nightmare believing there is no other way to make her fake love for Phoenix real. If this happens, both Earth and Equestria will be in grave peril as the Nightmare will have Twilight Sparkle's power at her disposal combined with her own, and in possessing the Element of Magic, she ensures the elements can never be used against her again. The trial itself is more R-rated than M, though it does have a few M-rated moments for the very simple reason that nothing is beneath the Nightmare and she'll happily do whatever she has to in order to win.
I understand perfectly well that this story is not everyone's cup of tea, but it's well-written adult romance and the included trial is actually quite good. If there is enough interest in it, I may release a teen-rated version of the trial for general viewing, but that's up to all of you. If you want one, tell me in the comments.
In any event, the story itself is now two chapters away from completion, ending with some suitable M-rated fireworks. I've had readers say that they don't usually go for clop but have enjoyed this, so give it a try and don't be scared off by the downvotes, most of which were likely levied on the basis of the ship alone. You might be surprised at how well it works.
Need more incentive to read? Well, have you ever asked yourself the following questions?
- How does Celestia take vacations?
- How does Equestria maintain a bank and a presence on earth?
- Has Celestia ever intervened in human affairs?
- What kind of pony was Starswirl the Bearded?
Or how about what Twilight would think of:
- Los Angeles?
- Magically taking human form?
- Eating meat?
- Visiting an air museum?
- Seeing the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy?
Or perhaps the following might be of interest?
- A troubled Phoenix meeting Princess Luna in a dream.
- Twilight confronting Franziska von Karma over her whip use against Phoenix.
- Miles Edgeworth questioning Celestia about her activities on Earth over a chess match.
There's all that and much, much more. The point is that TLaTU isn't just a crazy clopfic, folks; there's a ton of worldbuilding and character development in here. You'll also get Vinyl Scratch in a major role and see cameos by everyone from Miles Edgeworth to Larry Butz, who goes way out of his league to hit on a (humanized) Celestia. That alone was worth the price of admission if you ask me! 
Before the Storm: The Rise of Firefly
My favorite story I've written on site to this point, and one that I've had a great deal of trouble getting readers for over the course of its thirty-month existence, The Rise of Firefly tells the backstory of Firefly, who you may recall appeared in part 65 of Turnabout Storm, channeled by Mia Fey as a means for Phoenix to get back at Rainbow Dash for that double-prank she and Pinkie Pie pulled with the whole 'Wob Niar' thing and the Poison Joke. She also appeared in The Lawyer and the Unicorn, channeled in Celestia's presence by Maya Fey for a second time, and Celestia was overjoyed to see her. This story sprung out of that scene, where Firefly goes on tell the tale of her time in boot camp and a defeat she suffered during it, deciding then she was too hard on Rainbow Dash. Originally, it was just supposed to be a quick four-chapter story that ended with her graduation from Royal Guard training, but I realized I had something special and forged ahead with it, turning it into a 200,000-word war epic I'm very proud of.
Firefly, you may recall from appearance in TAS, was the founder and first Captain of the Bolt Knights, the group that later become the Wonderbolts. It's an extremely well-written and VERY well-reviewed military thriller that describes how Firefly became the warrior and leader she was, told in her own words and set against a backdrop of a leadup to war with the then-Gryphon Empire.
I could go on, but if you don't believe me when I say it's good, I invite you to check out the reviews on it, all 4/5 stars or better:
- Rated MUST READ by Pleasant Commentators and Review Group
- Rated RECOMMEND by The Reviewer's Cafe
- Rated 4/5 stars by personal review of xTSGx
If you enjoy well-written and very well-thought military thrillers with plenty of action and interesting characters, this is the story for you.
Into the Storm: The Flight of Firefly
The sequel of Rise of Firefly and picking up immediately where it left off, this story crosses into the tale of the Great Pony/Gryphon War proper. It's only ten chapters done at this point, and is likely to be as long as the original Firefly story was before all is said and done, telling the story of the initial invasion as the Gryphon wave washes all the way up to the gates of Canterlot. Chock full of battle maps and badassery on both sides, this is intended to be the definitive Pony/Gryphon war epic story, and is off to a roaring start.
Future side stories and sequel
There are two more stories planned in the TLaTU arc, making a trilogy. The second story will cover the events of Trial and Tribulations, but include the presence of Twilight and other members of the Mane 6, who will visit Earth themselves one by one. Twilight will have a surprising and major role in certain events, especially Bridge to the Turnabout. That will continue to be M-rated, but the third story will not be, as it will return Phoenix to Equestria, invited as a guest of honor to attend the wedding of Shining Armor and Princess Cadance. Of course, a cetain Changeling Queen has designs on that wedding as well... 
The sequel, as it currently stands, will wait for all three TLaTU stories to complete, as Leo Archon wishes to have all this already written. It's his story, so his choice. I have plenty of writing to attend to, so I can't give an estimate
Other stories I've written
May as well introduce my other works as well. I don't think I have to tell anyone by now that I write clopfics. I enjoy them and am good at them; that's pretty much all there is to it.
Again, I know not everyone likes them, and that's fine, but as a rule, I try to make mine very well-written and story-driven; appeal to cloppers and non-cloppers alike. To that end, you are invited to check out Five Star Service, a series of magazine articles set in the Gentlemanverse, and my two Unleash the Magic stories, which are easily the most gratutious (and popular!) things I've written. I'm actually a published adult fiction writer; I've also written an anthropomorphic romance novel that you're invited to check out if you're into that sort of thing. A sequel to that novel is also on the way.
With the exception of the novel (see above link), All my stories are available through my stories list. If you like my work on Turnabout Storm, feel free to give them a look and see what other things I've done. Regardless, further updates on the progress of the Turnabout Storm changes will follow as the updates are done. Until then, take care!
im waiting on flight of firefly i like that one ready and waiting for the next chapter
I have a question. Do you have something on Milles Edgeworth based on the letters in Fivestar service.
It would be fantastic to see Twilight and the Mane 6 in court cases. Phoenix Wright is already a pretty damn epic series of games. We just need ponies to make it, not 20% cooler but just a smidgen more awesome. Even if I am drifting slightly from the fandom, this is one of the series on a list to keep me here and awaiting things. I wish you were doing more in the series, but a trilogy is still awesome! I can wait however long it takes. I have plenty to keep me occupied, meanwhile!
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The next Into the Storm chapter is underway, but at only 1500 words is still a long way from completion. It may be the end of the month at this rate before it's ready, sorry, with everything else going on right now.
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I'm not sure what you mean by 'something on Miles Edgeworth'. Yes, that was him writing The Attorney at the very end of Five Star Service, but if you're asking if I have any writing specifically about him in that verse... no, I don't right now. He does appear in TLaTU a couple times towards the end, and figures prominently in two chapters.
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Thank you!
I will do my best to deliver. Sorry to hear you're drifting away, but the new Phoenixverse (as we're calling it) will continue to expand and hopefully pull you back in now and again. Thanks for reading!
i can wait
Hah! Joke's on you. I've already read most of these! And am planning on reading the second Unleash the Magic at some point. No sure about Firefly since I'm a bit hesitant about OC centric stories, but, from what I've seen, you're certainly more qualified to try and pull one off than I ever could be. Might give them a shot some day.
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*Nerdy Glasses wearing Twilight emoticon here please* 
TECHNICALLY, I just stopped watching the show. Personal, yet a bit silly, issues prevent me from fully investing myself in the show, but I still very much read fanfiction (if a bit too invested in video games at the current moment. My nook, while working, is having issues with charging and stopped doing so) and still technically consider myself a brony. Severe procrastination, video games, and again, personal issues prevent me from writing anything in the fandom. Though, this is not just the pony fandom, but others as well that I would like to and write for so it's not strictly a pony problem. The whole reason I am drifting as it were is that I spend my potential writing time playing video games. So, I am not drifting in the "Stop liking Ponies" front
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I'll look forward to you checking out the second UtM!
It's not going anywhere and will probably be next Halloween before it's finished anyway. And as for Firefly, I'd love to see you look at that. If you're worried about it being OC-centric, I'd remind you that so was Five Star Service, and you saw what I did with that!
Seriously, I think you'll like it. We got to build Firefly's character from pretty much the ground up, and there is ton of varied combat action and interesting characters in there even aside from her. You'll meet all the founding members of the Bolt Knights (Wonderbolts), and they've all got very interesting backstories and are each badasses in their own right. Nor is the story limited to the ponies; you'll get the gryphon side of things as well, and even get to see Celly go into Daybreaker mode briefly... and make the gryphons just about piss themselves when she does.
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As they should. Celestia is nice, she's VERY nice, and that means that when she STOPS being nice, it gets equally ugly. And seeing this stark white being with a mane and tail of flames glaring buster swords at you and you remember "oh shit, he could probably call down a solar flare on us and isn't doing so because she doesn't want her reign to be built of blood and ashes", if you're NOT terrified, you're either damn strong, or a bigger idiot than Snips in Trixie's debut. Seriously, even if she COULD have beaten the Ursa Minor with ease, that doesn't mean bringing one into town was a good idea. In fact, I would call that a violation of common sense, a very grave one. Where was I gong with this?
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All true. Well, if it's possible for one to be both incredibly brilliant and an utter idiot all at the same time, the gryphon commander, Salvio Gaius, suits the bill. You'll see when you hopefully read it.
Where are you going with this? I think to simply say it's best not to poke a sleeping bear.
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Especially if Said bear is an Ursa Minor. Because that alone is dangerous. But if you wake up and irritate the mountain sized MOTHER, well, it may be the time to get religious because nothing short of divine intervention or stupidly good luck is going to save you.
Interesting accomplishment, considering she's deceased. Yo dawg, I heard you like spirits, so I put a spirit in your spirit.
Congrats to Raven!
I've started Firefly, need to get back to that. Angry Celestia is awesome.
I wholeheartedly agree that that is the very best possible reason.
To Raven: Congratulations! I hope your family does well.
To Firesight: Have you heard of the "Elements of Justice", the TAS sequel being planned on YouTube? Will that factor into your plans for a sequel?