A thousand years ago in Equestria, Luna's frustration and desperation has been building for years and years as her social and political isolation grows, but just before Luna's jealousy and resentment can turn into murderous hatred against her sister, a new event triggars Luna's mental collapse and pushes her over the edge. When Luna by circumstance finds herself alone in Celestia's room she reads her sister's diary out of curiosity and discovers all of the disparaging criticism that Celestia has leveled at her over the years about how much of a nuisance Luna has been to her, but has been too polite to say directly to Luna's face.

Luna and Celestia had always supported and stuck with each other all their lives. Even when the common-ponies critisism and shunning of her was at its worst, the knowledge that her sister loved her kept Luna going. The realization that nopony, not even her own sister valued her or thought she was fit for the throne completely shattered whatever remained of her fragile psyche.

And so Luna just gave up...

She gave in...

If no one wanted her there...

Then she wouldn't stay there...

She would leave.

This story is a sequel to We don't go to Sub-Level Five

With the nightmares of the Silos behind them, Astral and Sassi begin to adapt to a world that lacks any understanding of the horrors now buried underneath glass and stone. The only creature in their life who can serve as a confidant is Arcane. However, the chaos-unicorn is busy learning to adapt to a world and society now alien to him. But they have each other, and their lives start to settle into a form of pleasant normality.

As life in Equestria and the Gryphon Empire continues on, Twilight and Tanzil are forced to confront troubles both within and outside their borders. Sometimes peace is but a thin, false veneer over chaos, and the two rulers quickly discover that their budding relationship may be the least of their troubles.

When a familiar horror emerges from the shadows, Astral, Sassi, and Arcane are forced to confront a terrorthat looms not only to engulf their new home, but all of Equestria and beyond. With their nightmares no longer confined to their minds, the three ponies desperately try to save who they can from the oncoming storm. When faced with some threats, all you can do is run and pray that it doesn't find you.

But for the two Thestrals, a unicorn, and their friends, they're sick of running. And they've got lots, and lots of ammunition.

Spoilers for We Don't Go to Sub-Level Five, Timeless, Sunspots, and Cure for a Toxin

This story is a sequel to Changing Expectations

When ages are segmented and divided in the annals of history, it is done so with great events as breakpoints. The Second Age of Heroes was unanimously declared to have started with the return of Princess Luna and the changeling Invasion of Canterlot.

For thousands of years, the changelings survived beneath The Great Tapestry, that which connects all living and nonliving things. Hundreds of generations worked endlessly to keep their existence a secret. With one command from Queen Chrysalis, the Masquerade was broken.

In a single night, the changelings waged war against Equestria and took the Kingdom by storm. Months later, the war between changelings and ponies has ended. A new tapestry, a new story, must be woven between the two species. Equestria and the Fifth Hive have gone through a dark chapter and have emerged stronger for it.

One war ends and another begins.

As The Sword of Damocles hangs above the heads of the formerly-human King Phasma and his Equestrian counterparts, the forces of light must work on an ever-shortening window before war once again brings Hell to Equus. Dark powers grow in the places that the light does not reach, and they bring one irrefutable truth.

Epitaph is coming.

Cover art by Nixworld.

Special thanks to my pre-readers!

This story is a sequel to A Pony Displaced: Another Path

Many years ago, Magic Barrier lost countless ponies that he held dear to Sombra's madness and his dark powers. Some years later, he lost the few ponies he still had to hold dear when Princess Luna fell to her inner darkness, Nightmare Moon and was banished for one-thousand years... taking him with her.

Now, a thousand years later, Nightmare Moon has been defeated and Barrier returned to Equestria a thousand years out of place. To top that off, Sombra was eventually defeated as well and with his defeat returned both the Crystal Empire and some of the most important ponies in Barrier's life. Ponies that Barrier had long since written off as lost.

Now, with their Captain guiding them, the recently returned group has to try and find their place in the madness that is modern Equestria, overcome what was lost, and hopefully find a new way that will help cement to them that they're not as displaced as they seem.

I imagine some of you have waited long and hard for this sequel to release. There are some of you who may have been there since the beginning of my stint as a fanfiction author, where I promised -and failed- to deliver a sequel to my first story, A Pony Displaced.

I am saddened to say that I have failed you once again with this sequel... but someone has risen to pick up after me, for the sake of those waiting for this sequel, and my own.

Those of you who follow my blog already know this, but Alticron, my co-writer/editor/proofreader/idea wall/friend is going to try and see the story to completion, after I suffered another writing burnout due in part to personal problems.

As I stated in my blog, I have the utmost faith in him and his abilities to see this story through to the end, and hope you will all enjoy his writing as much as I do.

As always, I cannot state how thankful I -and Alticron- are to Chaos Phantasm, DE_K,ChasingResonance and CanadianPony for being the editors, proofreaders, and idea-walls who made this story what it is.

If you wish to see the Dramatis Personae, click here.

Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape.

After one-thousand years of being bound in the celestial body, Nightmare Moon is free! Right alongside the poor sap that got bound with her.

Thrust into an unfamiliar world, with scars and memories that are now drastically out of place, this is the story of the former guard captain, Magic Barrier.

Do the words above sound familiar? If they do, then you've probably read my other story, A Pony Displaced. This tale isn't a sequel. It isn't a rewrite, though you might consider it a re-imagining of sorts. It is a tale of progression, one that I hope will show my development as a writer in both skill and quality. But more importantly, it is a story that offers exploration into one simple question. What if Magic Barrier had trotted down another path?

As always, thanks go out to everyone who helped me get to this point. In particular, thank you to Alticron, for editing, proofreading, co-writing, being my idea-wall, and arguably the single biggest reason this story saw the light the day, and thank you to Word Worthy, formerly Izanagi, who also edited, proofread, and threw ideas around with us. It wouldn't be possible without these two. In addition to those two I'd like to thank the newest member of the group Omnicron25 for his efforts in proofing/editing as well. Damn glad to have you on board mate.

Additional thanks to Wing for keeping me company late nights and for being a wordsmith when I needed one.

A nation fractured and surrounded by enemies, a physically weak ruler who struggled daily to maintain an empire that weakened with each passing year. Together with nobles increasingly ambitious and emboldened as the emperor's authority dwindled.

All this added up to a powder fuse for a nation that would explode into conflict with the ambition of the various duchies and counties that already wielded considerable power.

And in the middle of all this chaos, he is born.

An old spirit in a young body. The first and only heir of the Von Greifenstein dynasty and the last hope of a declining Griffonian Empire.

Grover the Sixth, Emperor of the Griffons.

This story is based on the mod for Hoi4 Equestria at war. It's really worth checking out. All types of constructive criticism are accepted and very well welcome! I don't own any of the images! They all belong to the Equestria at war Dev team and their Artists!

"Sub-Level Five doesn't exist." That's the official statement of the Stairway company.

Washing out from the Night Guard program is usually a death sentence to any similar career. When Astral Sentinel was asked if he was interested in a security job, the Thestral obviously jumped at the chance.

There was just one oddity about the job. Well, there were quite a few, but mainly just one.
He just never, ever could acknowledge the existence of Sub-Level Five.

When a complete lock-down traps the Thestral inside the odd facility, he has to break that one rule. As the security systems begin to eradicate all life inside the building, Astral has to venture down to the elevators that officially don't exist, to a floor nopony alive will speak of.

He soon finds out that some things are best left buried beneath rock and stone.

*Warning. Hitchhikers may be escaped convicts.

"This story is simultaneously horrifying and adorable." -Witchery

Takes place far after Season 9. Although, it could take place at any time...(or in the Radverse, as some people call it.) This thing took on a mind of its own.

Seriously.

Read on if you want to join Astral for the ride.
I hope you brought your crowbar.

In later chapters, loose spoilers for Timeless, Sunspots, and Cure for a Toxin
Warnings for creepy atmosphere, gore, violence, and brief mentions of sexual content/assault (nothing explicit, only implied.)

Despite this being a horror story with unpleasant elements, it's not grimdark or a depressing tale. Lots more ups and downs, but overall it's a positive read of good vs evil, love and fluff; those are the types stories I write, after all. I just want to let everyone know what they're getting into, and don't want any readers blindsided due to some of the content.
(Not a romance involving a 'herd')