Gilda only wanted the humble things in life. Cheap rent, copious bits, the respect of her peers, the occasional juicy field-mouse.

Being captured by the Equestrians and dragooned into the Territorials wasn't quite what she'd dreamed of, but at least the rent was free.

And the rats were nice and plump.

I like to think of the Company as an island of order and sanity in a sea of chaos, selfishness and irrationality. My fellow soldiers tell me I'm a damn foal, and an idealist, and I white-wash the mercenaries of the Black Company in ways that doesn't serve either the Company or them. But I've been given the role of Annalist, in the absence of anyone better-suited and properly lettered, so until they take the Annals away from me, I'm going to write them as I see fit. The Company has been my home since it forcefully recruited me from my unending apprenticeship, and I've seen more interesting medicine in the years since then than a hundred apothecaries, a dozen chirurgeons, or three other doctors with, pfft, "degrees". Most of it screaming for its mama and bleeding out on my surgery table.

They call me Sawbones, and this is the story of the last of the Black Companies.

This story is a sequel to The Runaway Bodyguard

(See chapter list. New content having to do with notice below.)

There is a REMASTERED version. Please read that instead of this (the original published) version if you just finished the prequel.

Starlight Glimmer's past and future collide in Canterlot a few years before the 1000th Summer Sun Celebration. Still bruised by the loss of Sunburst, runaway Starlight Glimmer tries to forget her recent past at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns but the crimes of that past and Celestia's original protégé, Sunset Shimmer, make that difficult. What happens will change Equestria forever.

Prequel published 3/19/21. Sunset Shimmer Goes to Hell is a sequel (mostly) to this novel from Sunset Shimmer's point of view. The Forgiving Lesson is a sequel to The Crystalling and this novel.

Image (c)2016 by Riakoh-Illust, commissioned for this story. (Click source to see final artwork.)

¡Muchas gracias! to DoContra for his heroic work as a pre-reader.

Twilight Sparkle recovered her crown, made new friends, and redeemed someone with the power of friendship. As far as she knows, all is absolutely right with the world.

Sunset Shimmer can't believe she fell for it.

Also? Blame Wheatley

Something's been bothering Sunset Shimmer for a while now.

How can there be a human version of Princess Celestia who's in her early forties, when Princess Celestia herself is thousands of years old?

The Rainbooms catch wind of Celestia and Luna's upcoming family reunion, and decide to crash it.

What they find there is...disturbing.

I came to them with a good heart.

And they broken it by what I look like and called me a monster.

so I'll give them one and make them regret that day.

Noticing her Princess' plight, the kitchen mare helpfully offers some of Luna's "special brew" to jumpstart Celestia's day. Chaos ensues when an overly percolated princess can't handle her caffeine!

(Rated "Teen" for the single use of one naughty word.)

Daybreak's story is told here in Sometimes It Takes a Double Shot!

(Many thanks to CaptainBron3y for this live reading!)

Don't miss the unofficial sequel "A Princess Needs her Coffee", a lovely story by my wonderful friend Broman.

Shining Armor is a tooth. Really. Princess Luna says so.

With a reading that had once been done by Scarlett Blade, only now missing (darn).

And a review by Present Perfect.