This story is a sequel to Before the Storm: The Rise of Firefly

Three hundred years after Luna's banishment, an uneasy peace has collapsed and war erupts between the United Tribes of Equestria and the growing Gryphon Empire, who seek to supplant Princess Celestia as ruler of the heavens and claim the rich lands of the pony nation for their own. With the border defenses shattered, Canterlot endangered and the armed forces unable to stem the onslaught, who can stop the relentless Gryphon war machine as it overruns province after province, scoring victory after victory as it closes in on the Equestrian capital city?

In this time of peril, when the entire pony nation teeters on the brink of defeat, a champion will rise to lead the resistance to the gryphon invasion, becoming not just the commander of an elite force, but a symbol of Equestrian valor and fighting spirit. A born warrior and leader, the name of Firefly will be one day revered as not just the founder of the Wonderbolts, but as Equestria's greatest hero...

Taking place seven hundred years before present and canon to both the Gentlemanverse and Turnabout Storm novelization, this is the story of Rainbow Dash's ancestor, the founding of the Wonderbolts, and their role in the bloodiest conflict of Equestrian history. It is a multistory Magnum Opus consisting of several discrete stories, as described below:

Book 1: The War Begins

The Gryphon Empire invasion of Equestria launches at dawn with an all-out assault on the Equestrian Army and Aerial Corps border bases, accompanied by deep-strike raids against Cloudsdale and the Royal Guard training base of Fort Spur.

Will Princess Celestia unleash her enormous power to end the war quickly? Can Outpost Epsilon withstand the onslaught long enough for the much-maligned Royal Navy to reach them? And can the civilian populace of Cloudsdale resist a massive and determined air attack by the Imperial elite against its all-important weather factories and storm cloud production facilities?

Book 2: Rally and Recover

With the border defenses crushed and the remains of Outpost Epsilon evacuated, both sides lick their wounds, hastily reorganizing and preparing for the next Imperial offensive aimed deeper into Equestria.

Can missing Cloudsdale be located near the borders of Thestralslovakia? Will the once-disloyal and still-distrusted bat-ponies that live there side with Equestria or the Empire? What is the Imperial invasion plan? What role will the Changelings play in the conflict? And what will happen when a sixteen-year old gryphon cub faces off with the gryphon-hating pony named Thunderbolt; one of the most lethal and bloodthirsty beings to ever live...?

Book 3: Second Offensive

While the fate of Cloudsdale is negotiated and Firefly's forces prepare for additional action, the second Imperial offensive begins with an assault against the badly outnumbered Equestrian Army at Maresk two hundred miles inside Equestria, attempting to pocket and destroy the thousands of sorely-needed soldiers based there.

Can an out-of-favor earth pony Colonel rally his regiment to save the city and an entire Army Corps? Or will the city's soldiers and civilians alike face the fate of the border bases, becoming yet another crushing defeat in the Imperial drive on Canterlot?

• Writers: Denim_Blue and Firesight with occassional writing assists from Leo Archon and AJ_Aficionado
• Prereaders: AJ_Aficionado, SilentWoodFire, TheGoldCrow, Denim_Blue
• Guest Writers: AJ_Aficionado, Denim_Blue

Maps of Equestria and Equis: https://www.fimfiction.net/chapter/1105220

This is the original version of the first story I've ever written, over the course of three months as a brand new writer in late 2014.

I'm including these chapters here as a record of how the story looked when it began. This was the prototype for what would, over many years, become Black Feather. The story has gone through multiple complete rewrites, but this was the initial version. Enjoy reading my clumsy first steps into the world of writing!

Note: I will make the chapters visible again after Black Feather is published to avoid spoilers.

Commissioned cover art by SilFoe
Special thanks to onlyanorthernsong for encouraging me to write this and helping to envision Pen Stroke's Nyx as an adult.
Extra thanks to Pen Stroke for permission to write the adult version of his character Nyx.

After the Battle of Los Angeles in our world a portal appears and six marines as well as some of their comrades appear in a whole new world where their same enemy is invading it.

Rated Teen for Cursing and some gore.

Need editor.

Special thanks to ConfusedTexanDreamer for giving me some ideas on how to make the story better.

Edit: Some chapters will be posted daily, others will be posted when I finish editing them. Vielen Dank.

War. Noun. (1) : a state of armed conflict between different nations or states or different groups within a nation or state.

"Soldiers are always preparing to fight the previous war" is a saying that is common amongst those of military profession. Equestria has not seen a war on her own soil in several hundred years. As such, would she be prepared for when such a thing happens? Of course not.

Battling the griffons and the minotaurs has been a challenge due to lack of experience. Fortunately, her armies adapted and started to hold her own. That was, until Tirek returned and aided in the fight to defeat Equestria. To keep his friends safe, Discord successfully defeated Tirek and sealed him away. The cost of fighting Tirek? Dying. Knowing that he would die, Discord summoned several creatures to protect his friends. These creatures, never seen before in Equestria, are very familiar with the concept of war.

This world has experienced their second industrial revolution and Equestria is at war, a World War, the first this world has seen. Equestria and her citizens have a lot to learn if they want to see the end of this conflict with their culture and way of life preserved.

Author's Note: I have deployed so updates won't exactly be plentiful. I'll definitely try to put them out but I'm pretty busy.

Author's Note V2: Deployment is done.

Author's Note V3: Gearing up for the next deployment, busy again.

Author's Note V4: Not deploying with unit, got run over by a car while walking

Betrayed... Abandoned... Exiled. Once Twilight was the princess of friendship and a beloved figure of Equestria. But one day, the galactic republic arrives and Twilight is determined to create a friendship between Equestria and the republic but an assassination attempt to Celestia leads to her exile and sends her and her trusted allies Tempest Shadow and Flash Sentry to the clone army. As time went on as Twilght, Flash and Tempest gave the clone army victories in multiple battles, fate leads the three heroes and the republic back to Equestria where the brave heroes are in a race to search for a long hidden treasure before the Empire can find it.

This story is inspired by Star wars republic commando Equestria Commando but is different in every way. Also, I want to thank you guys for all the support during my families problems with my sisters ex husband. Anyway, enjoy the story and more chapters will be up soon.

Rainbow Dash is gone.
Two Years ago she performed a trick to eclipse all others, and vanished without a trace. Everypony has started to get over it, although for five ponies the loss is to great even now. In respect the Wonderbolts do a performance for her at the site of her death. However, a certain Cyan mare is hard to kill, and is loyal to the ends of the universe, she can say that with certainty now, she’s been, and now she’s back. But what is she wearing, and where did she go for two years? Buckle up, for in Equestria there may be peace, but in the 41st Millennium, there is only war.

Now with a sequel: The Descent into Madness

Featured: 06/05/2014. Thanks so much to you guys.

Rated Teen for Violence and Grim dark references

This story is similar in ideas to Into the Black: A mares tale, Diamond of the Capital Wasteland and Halo: On the wings of Angels

New cover art done by Reapers Inc

WARNING: Comments contain spoilers. Proceed into that section at your own risk.

Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria...

One week ago, Twilight Sparkle was crowned the fourth Princess of Equestria. Tonight, Ponyville hosts the 1003rd Summer Sun Celebration, and Princess Celestia and Princess Luna want a vacation. With two fine young princesses like Cadance and Twilight to take over for them, nothing could possibly go wrong.

(Title image hacked together from vectors by sakatagintoki117 and Chrome-MMVII.)

A Warhammer 40k Crossover. Not a brutalization fic. A Brony's First Warhammer fic. Gore will be as light as possible.

In the nightmare future of the 41st millennium, there is only war. There is no hope in a galaxy filled with terror and fear. When three fillies from the magical, peaceful land of Equestria are suddenly thrust into this living nightmare, they must adapt in order to survive. They will sacrifice everything they know and love in order to keep themselves alive.

War will change them.

And the Marks of War will stay with them forever.

"It is not the Horror of War that troubles me but the Unseen Horrors of Peace."—Imperial Thought of the Day

The Crystal Empire was once an open and welcoming place for all ponies to come and go as they please. But from the number of serious threats to the life of Princess Cadence, it has had to expand its defenses, becoming a sprawling urban jungle separated by massive walls.

This fortification could not have come a moment too soon. With the appearance of a strange unicorn, commanding an army of armored ghosts referred to as "Phantom Stallions", it is up to Cadence and Shining Armour to rally the greatest heroes the empire has ever seen to prevent it from falling into the hands of evil.

The Siege of the Crystal Empire has begun.

Twilight has been banished and hated but she didn't do what they say Celestia believes her but this was the best out come for her. Twilight spent days wondering trying to find a place to rest when she find other's like her. Now things are starting to look up but when Twilight discovers a darkness that plains to attack Equestria will she let the land that turned it's back on her burn or will she try to help.
(this is some time after season 4)