A young colt tries to write a note to the filly who holds his heart, but he finds that his mind holds him back.

There's something strange and unnatural living in Bon-Bon's house.

Something other than Lyra.

Rarity receives a formal invite to a grand masquerade down at Palgiot Palace, famed for its brilliant architecture and the occupants's eccentric family history. Taking the train to Pendant Lakes, a friendly yet unsettling town, she quickly stumbles upon the numerous guests around her, all invited by the head of the family, Winter Palgiot.

But beneath the splendor and the smiles, a tangled web of conspiracy begins to unfold, as one of the guests was found dead, strangled by the sheets of his bed. As Rarity slowly digs into the case, she quickly uncovers the dark secrets of the Palgiot family and their rise to power in Pendant Lakes that might not only endanger the lives of everyone at Palgiot Palace, but to her friends in Ponyville as well...

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This is my first fanfic. Please give tips on improving!! Critiques are welcome as well!!! :D
Rated Teen for Gore. Especially the first chapter (which has a little too much... I apologize for that)

Image by the talented =Nightwalk3r on dA. All rights of it to the artist himself.

Author's note: I'm starting to rewrite most of the chapters, especially the beginning ones, to make sure not everything is jumbled up. Thx for 5000 views of all the chapters combined!

Equestria is a land full of mysteries that can not be rationally explained. Each one falling somewhere between the balance of good and evil.

For young Spike, a close brush with one such mystery opened his eyes to that which many ponies never see. Now with the aid of Zecora, he'll delve into this side of Equestria in order to save his friends.

His journey starts one day, when he spots a certain unicorn standing in the middle of the road.

This story is a sequel to Post Nuptials

In the aftermath of the wedding, Spike is bitter and avoiding everyone. Twilight's determined to find out what's bothering her charge, but she walks a very fine line when dealing with an emotionally distraught child.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash suspects something's wrong with Scootaloo, so she starts spending more time with her in hopes of picking the secret from her brain. As she begins to truly mentor the young filly for the first time ever, she begins to see the advantages to having a little sister.

And while all this is going on, Pinkie is struggling with some old family issues that have been brought to the surface, meaning she might have to confront her past at last.

Art by Conicer

This story is a sequel to Upheaval: Breaking Point

Following the events of Breaking Point, Twilight Sparkle and her friends discover that Equestria's demise may not come from an enemy invasion, but from within. The Barrier Lands and the Heartland begin the slow and uneasy process of reuniting into a single Equestria, but this long-delayed joining is already in danger at its conception.

With Celestia's power in her grasp and her agents by her side, the wheels of Black Rose's plans for Equestria's future continue to turn. However, her brazen gamble has done more than just bring down a centuries-old barrier. Ancient powers begin to stir: the remnants of a dark period in Equestria's history, the immortal inhabitants of Celestia's homeworld, and a rising tide of darkness coming ever closer.

The Nightmare. They thought they'd destroyed her with their little 'ray of harmony'.
They were delusional if they believed that.
She'd never be truly defeated - only delayed until she found her next victim. Luna had been weak, despite her title of princess. But now she'd found someone much better for the job.

Twilight Sparkle.

The Piano Man has spent the last month in captivity, forced to play the piano as part of The Great and Powerful Trixie's traveling show. Now he's free, and recovering under the care of the Equestrian monarchy while Trixie awaits trial for her crimes.
All is not well, however. The Piano Man has a long road of recovery ahead, and all the time he must compete with overbearing carers, his own mental trauma, and even discrimination from members of Equestria's unicorn supremacist subculture.

This story is the kinda (can't stress that part enough) better-written sequel to 'The Piano Man'. Because the first story involved some rather dark scenes, I have included a helpful catch-up in the first chapter - so if you have no interest in reading a dark story, then you can ignore the first piece and skip straight ahead to this one.
'The Piano Man: Act II' is most certainly not a dark story, and neither is it sad. The sad tag is in place for scenes in which I reference the previous installment, and nothing else.

The absolutely amazing cover image was created by the even more amazing WIL_I_ZIN, (deviantART) who is just... just awesome, for helping out.

When your life is as dull a gray as the world that surrounds you, the mundanities can make it all seem meaningless. Sometimes all we need is a little color -- or six -- to reintroduce us to what truly makes life worth living.

*6-16-2017 Edit, added Rainbow Dash tag because it triggered knighty.*

It's been five years since Spike last saw Twilight Sparkle, or any of his old friends for that matter. He's since joined the Royal Guard, and was placed into the Investigation Bureau, and moved on from his childhood. Or so he thought. He picks up a lead one day to a string of recent murders linked to a new and upcoming gang, comprised of people he long thought gone. Spike finds an unexpected ally, one that he used to be quite close to. With their help, perhaps they can stop this gang once and for all.

120% Co-written with We'll_Never_Know. I take only half the credit for the story, as for we both worked together, and put in an equal amount of effort to write this.

Image made by Junker-kun.