We're all afraid of something. Some ponies fear death. Some ponies fear tightly enclosed rooms. However, many ponies will agree that children will usually fear the same things at some point in their lives. They're afraid of simplistic things, of course, like strangers and the dark. Snails, unlike other foals, isn't scared of the dark. He's scared of what hides inside it.

Lightning Dust has seen better days. She’s on the verge of becoming a full-blown alcoholic, and her career is in shambles. She’s gotten so desperate that she even found a support group to help her work through her problems, but the first meeting turns out to be nothing like what she expected. This isn’t the gathering of former antagonists that she was looking for. In fact, some of these creatures shouldn’t even exist!

"They take da' pain out, make it somethin' good, somethin' good. Wear yer' blues well, colt, you gonna earn every drop of em'. Yer' gonna be tangled up in blues," the old stallion told Blues, presenting him with the saxophone.

Blues himself tells us of his life after that day and as he explores what it means to be "painted blue"; to hope, to fear, to love, to lose. He tells us as he learns what really makes a stallion a stallion, what it's like to leave something you love behind, and what risks one must face in life or risk becoming nothing at all.

All of this, Blues tells us, takes place against the background of critical moments in his life and as he travels the scope of Equestria from Manehattan to Ponyville and Appleoosa. All the while the songs he learns from his pain mingle with the one his mentor, Moody Blues, revealed within him...something unbelievable the old pony did to bring it forth.

"There was a snake among th' hired hooves. I shoulda known it, Apple Bloom. I'm so sorry. I shoulda seen it in his Lunadamned eyes--but I didn't! When I left you, I followed him. I was gonna make him pay. I was gonna fix it. I was gonna make it better. I had a gun and I was faster than 'em... How do I explain it? I'm so sorry, Apple Bloom. But it's a hard thing to make a choice, it's such a final kinna thing, y'know? I didn't know what to do. The pistol was hot and heavy in my grip an' I..."

Only a few months after the beginnings of their unusual relationship in The Social Experiment, Twilight and Caramel seek to find out where the stable ground is in their relationship; how to account for responsibility, honesty, loyalty, respect, and devotion; and what it truly means to love another.

- - - - -

Hey, everyone. OtterMatt here. Just for the record, I’m not coming back to FimFic. Not ever. I’m sorry to say it, but my life has moved on, as it were, and writing just isn’t a part of it anymore. That being said, I love these stories of mine very much. There’s a lot of myself that I put into them, and at least a couple people have told me that these stories meant a lot to them as well. So, for those people, and for anyone else who enjoys my work in the future, I’m charging my friend Spabble here with curating my completed stories. Thank you all for the love, the faves, and the support as I grew and learned. Keep doing what you love, and the best of luck to you all.

“Do you remember the day we first met?”

Celestia has been having recurring dreams; dreams that she wishes would go away. But they won't, they only increase in their frequency. One night, she gives in and visits that statue in the royal garden. The statue that haunts her sleep. The statue of her one true love, the statue that she made. That night, under the statue, she remembers the day they first met.

On a dark night filled with even darker magics, an insane cult attempts to give Nightmare Moon a body and life of her own, utterly separate from Princess Luna. But, when the spell is interrupted by Celestia, something unexpected is created.

Now, a little black alicorn filly named Nyx finds herself living under the care of Twilight Sparkle, only to be haunted by memories and emotions from her past. Is she Nightmare Moon reborn or is she simply a doppelganger with a soul and mind of her own? Can Twilight Sparkle protect Nyx from those who refuse to see past her dragon eyes and black coat?

Or, will Nyx be forced to inherit the sins that may not even be hers and become the greatest evil Equestria has ever known?

When a smuggler ready to die, is the given the choice of becoming a member of the Lunar Guard, he has no idea what he has gotten himself into. Will war come to the peaceful Equestria? Will Gallant Quill reunite with his family? Above all, why did he try to end his life?

A big thanks to Vidi Kitty for proof-reading and editing this!

Love doesn't always last forever. And sometimes it can crumble so spectacularly that you never want to see or speak to the other person again.

Celestia was perfectly content with that. But when Twilight Sparkle suddenly appears at the palace in Canterlot, after a century of silence, she has no choice but to talk to her.

Politely, of course. Always politely.

*Credit and many thanks go to littlerobotbird for the concept and editing of the cover art. As near as I can tell, the original picture is Jykinturah's work, but the source post seems to be gone.*

No pony deserves this news, not from a regular check-up. Certainly not Miss Cheerilee. But when she's told she has a week to live... what will she do? How will she tell her family, her students?