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.

Unrelated to Prior Works - New Story, New Setting

“Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.” ― Arthur C. Clarke

If you send a message to the stars, you just might get a reply. If one person can hear you speak, so can others. Some who hear your cry will extend a hand in friendship. Some will hear and think only of what they can gain by force.

Rainbow and Pandora learned this when Pan’s nightly chats his interstellar pen pal lead a fleet of interstellar pirates and slavers to Equestria. Where they found Rainbow’s friends.

Neither of them are happy about it. Both will try set things right, or die trying. Even if that means being lost forever in the void between stars.

Featured on: Wednesday, September 12, 2018 at 6:46 am UTC

This story is a sequel to PaP: Bedtime Stories

Earth has faced terrible things since the Event transformed all living humans into ponies and scattered them across time. Equestria's own demons nearly wiped out civilization more than once, and devastating internal war nearly finished the job.

But now the worst threats are gone, the weapons ponies created to survive them are more dangerous than ever. The superintelligence Athena now rules the world, absolute authority over all civilization. With her power and intellect, she drives the survivors towards greatness, regardless of the body count along the way.

But there are ponies who resist, who yearn for something better. Jackie is not one of those ponies. But maybe they can get her help. It isn't like they have anywhere else to turn.

A ponies after people story. Requires knowledge from 'The Last War' to the end of Bedtime Stories to really make sense, but not necessarily full coverage beyond that.

This story is a patreon commission for the wonderful Lightfox Lowell, who provided the general premise. Editing by Two Bit and Sparktail, cover by Zutcha. Thanks to my wonderful support team for making this insanity possible.

Updates every Tuesday.

There comes a turning point in every civilization where the future is dictated by the smallest decision.  Be it the will of a king or the cascade of changes by a commoner, it rarely matters the source, only the outcome.  So it was that, shortly after banishing Nightmare Moon, Celestia envisioned a world that could have accepted, loved, and embraced her now lost sister; an Equestria that had to cast off the simplicity of agrarianism and stanch traditionalism.

Instead of relying on the old ways as a bedrock for the six tenets of harmony, Celestia pursued this vision by lauding the advancement of magic and technology.  Over the centuries, cities of marble and stone were replaced by steel and glass. Family farms commercialized, business and trade expanded the world over, and the streets brimmed with cars.  The nobility long since traded away the power backed by titles for influence via companies. Megacorporations now dominate the skylines of every Equestrian city, yet Celestia still holds fast to the reins of true power.  Her word is law.

Even centuries after Nightmare Moon’s banishment, harmony is still in the bedrock of Equestrian society, yet one must dig to find it under so much soil and refuse.   There have always been those that chafe against the law and give lip service to harmony. Be they the rich and powerful figureheads of industry, or the scum of the underworld, there are always things these ponies in power need done discreetly, or at least deniably.  Sensitive matters such as these are often handed over to a class of professional criminals as diverse in their skills as they are in their ideologies. The Shadowrunners.

Note: As with my Beyond Equestria story, I am taking a lot of elements from the Shadowrunner series, but it will be written so that anyone unfamiliar with Shadowrunner can understand what's going on and enjoy the fic.

This story is a sequel to Ynanhluutr

Rainbow Dash endures many trials to reach the edge of the world.