A delinquent young alicorn named Luna just transferred to the Royal Crystal Academy, and Drying Paint has fallen head-over-hooves in love. But she doesn't care about him — or seemingly anything, except for the dark, mysterious gathering place she disappears to on weekends.

Paint might just find a chance to win her heart there. But the shadows hold dangers he never would have expected, and everyone must walk into the darkness alone.

Highly Recommended by Present Perfect! "It's won one contest and taken second in another … because it's outlandish, ballsy, and utterly unique. Read it."

Winner of Cynewulf's Worldbuilding Contest! "Horizon manages to hit both the kind of reader who likes Infinite Jest and the kind who hasn't cracked a physical book since high school, and he does so simultaneously. This is one of his better stories."

Won second place in the 9/2017 "True Colors" Writeoff (as a first draft)! Then third place in the Lunbra group's "An Unexpected Meeting" contest! Also featured by Seattle's Angels!

Rated ★★★★ by Louder Yay! "Both really good and really interestingly different, and that's a combination I can get right behind. An easy recommendation."

Praise for the Writeoff version:
"Seriously though, Loveless is one of the coolest things I've yet seen in the fandom." —CoffeeMinion
"Dear god I love this so much. ... The story crashed into me with energy, style, and pizzazz." —MrExtra
"Literally the story of how gothic clubbing destroyed the Crystal Empire." —horizon

Cover art by Graypaint. My thanks to GaPJaxie and Haze for editing assistance!

For thousands of years, the moon has waged endless war on innocent beaches. Every day the tides wash away countless sand castles, crushing the dreams of foals all across Equestria. Somepony needs to stop the moon's heinous crimes—and, at last, it looks like somepony will.

After her sand palace is washed away by the ocean, Dinky Hooves takes it upon herself to do something that should have been done centuries ago: destroy the moon.

Now with a reading by Teksune Studios!

Originally written for the Writeoff Association's February Contest, "Look, I Can Explain..."
Thanks to Foehn, Quill Scratch, Murmurpunk, Horizon, and Oroboro for helping out in various ways.
Dinky vector by ZuTheSkunk. Silhouetted Luna vector by NightFlyer22. Moon photo by NASA.

A decade after uniting with the other tribes under the banner of Equestria, there are some fading traditions that the warrior pegasi cling to. One of those is an honor foal for the most commendable female officers; an opportunity to bear a foal of their line while remaining counted as on duty, with full support of the tribe in its care and upbringing.

When Major Pansy is granted an honor foal, she sees it as a chance to offer the strength of her line to the future of Equestria, despite having let her service to tribe and country prevent her from ever having found a suitable mate. But she knows just the pony she wants for its father: a strong pony, a brave and skilled soldier, a wise commander, and the dearest of friends. Considering it, she may want even more from him than a sire for her foal.

But Commander Hurricane has always protected his emotions with a stony mask and an armor constructed so that nopony can pierce it. Especially not the one pony he holds above all others in his esteem: the hopeless soldier who once stood before him for discharge with the true spirit of a pegasus shining through her.  

Set in the same continuity as Sun and Hearth and Respect and Respectability, but neither are required reading.

Thanks to GhostOfHeraclitus, bats, Themaskedferret, Axis of Rotation, and Merc the Jerk for prereading.