This story is a sequel to What I Am

With the invasion repelled, and both planets in the process of rebuilding, there has come a moment for our heroes to stop and take a breather, and reflect upon the events that have led them to this point, and to investigate the nearly forgotten fragments of the past. One such fragment holds secrets that are easily revealed, however, mysteries that have been hidden for centuries behind an ancient tongue, and are finally within the grasp of the Royal Sisters to uncover.

At the special request of the sisters, as well as the curiosity of their new human allies, the last record of the old pony that the sisters had once called teacher are finally translated, and his last words have finally been revealed for all to see.

Yet, their shared history is not a happy one, and even though his story ended on a fair note, a dark shadow loomed over his last remaining years. Starswirl saw many things that others could not, and though he did not live long enough to prevent the tragedies of the future, his warnings still echo from the dust.

These are his writings. The last testament of his life.

Exactly what it says on the tin, this is the account in the book that Celestia showed Alex in What I Am, and ties directly into that story. It is a bit of a spinoff, yes, but it will have importance to the story as a whole, and will be very short (only around 6-7 chapters at most), so it will not be that big of a detour.

This story is a sequel to What I Am

Much has changed since that fateful day when the remnants of the old Krin Empire attacked our two worlds.
They crashed so many ships onto Earth, destroyed our cities, killed millions, and collapsed several governments in an instant, all as a diversion from their true objective, which was the blatant mass abduction of the citizens of Equis. Lives lost, families broken, and cities burnt to the ground, all to fuel the Krin war machine and their mad quest for power and vengeance against the snakes that had wronged them.

However, that's not the end of the story, or our involvement in its unfolding. A darkness is growing in the depths of space, and even though the snakes have done their best to assure us that they will take care of it, there are so, so many on both of our planets that choose not to listen to them.

And how could I blame them? After all, every time I look in the mirror, I'm reminded of the horrors of the Krin Empire, and more importantly, the promise I made in that accursed tank that remains unfulfilled. They came for us, they struck first, and I'm not about to let that go unpunished.

Yeah, sure, it's hard for me to do it right now, since I'm just a diplomat to the people of Equis, and we don't exactly have a fleet outside of the few ships we commandeered from the krin, but trust me when I say that both of those are just temporary inconveniences.

After all, it's rather difficult to keep a monster like me behind a desk, especially not when there's a perfectly good war brewing throughout the galaxy, and that's not even counting the other humans and ponies that are all chomping at the bit, ready for some good, old-fashioned payback.

The only problem with that, though, is that, somehow, deep down, I feel like we've already lost. Call it a hunch, or a premonition, but something deep inside is telling me that we messed up when we let the general's ship get away. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but somehow, I don't think so.

After all, I know better than anyone what the krin are capable of. We might be coming for them, but that doesn't mean the reverse isn't also true. They're coming for us, too.

The only question is: Who's going to be ready first?

Given that we've only just obtained (stolen) ships capable of spaceflight, I don't think it's going to be us...

This is the beginning of the next set of books in this series that I'm tentatively calling the Soul of the Milky Way.
The title up for change, as well as suggestion. Not only that, but the title of this story, as well as the set it belongs to is also up for change and suggestion, so feel free to leave them in the comments. If you're just starting with this one, please don't. I mean, you can if you want, but there's a lot here that you won't get if you haven't read the trilogy that predates this new set of books. They are, in order:

What I've Become
What I've Done
What I Am

They're quite good, if the feedback I've gotten is anything to go by, so if you haven't read these by now, please go and do that now. Don't worry, this story will still be here when you get back...

Betazed, a lavish and beautiful world. Filled with singing waterfalls, lush fields, vibrant jungles, home to billions of people. All of that beauty, culture and history, and it could all come to an end.

Diplomacy is an endless game of chess. Faced with imminent destruction, the flagship of the federation has been summoned, but can this ship and its crew save the planet? Or will the home world of Deanna Troi be lost forever? With time running out, Picard may need to take chances, risks, and make a Knights Gambit.

Wow! Featured in four hours! Thank you soooo much!

I just saw that I forgot to give attribution to those who helped with this story, starting with Kitsy-Chan for helping the basic storyline and helping to make it into a 3 dimensional story, kalash for editing, and can't forget Hart's Fire, mocha, and so many others for input on this story as I started and continued it!

Art by Andrew Gavrilov

During an attack on Ponyville in the middle of the Summer Sun Festival, Princess Twilight Sparkle evacuates the town by teleporting the entire population to safety in Manehattan. It turns out that her idea of safety needs some work. As well as her aim. And spelling.

Meanwhile, on a hot summer day outside of Manhattan, Kansas, Jonagold Bruener had a fairly successful life with few complications. Until while out mowing hay, he had a very strange visitor fall from the sky. And then another. And another. And another....

Editors: Tek, TheMaskedFerret, Peter, BluePaladin42, Edward Becerra

Picture credit: Manhattan Water Tower

Twilight is looking to hire guards for her castle. Derpy is looking for a new job. Lightning Dust is trying to find a way forward after her falling out with the Wonderbolts, and Flare Warden is just trying to get a position far far away from her brother.

Immense thanks to Fylifa for countless hours of editing and proofreading.
Cover art by Anchorxx

Everypony is telling us, “It’s so amazing you two got Princess Luna to be the Mare of Honor at your wedding! And Princess Celestia as a guest!”

Everypony is meaning, “How in Tartarus did you, two middle-class mathematicians of no apparent social connections, achieve the social coup of the decade, upstaging all of the Canterlot aristocracy and peerage?”

The short answer is, “We made friends with somepony lonely and hurting who needed a friend.”

The long answer? Well, Princess Luna has given me permission to tell you the story. The entire story. Even the dark bits, from her foalhood. Which, I warn you before you begin, are dark. But I promise the ending is happy—after all, look at our wedding pictures! Have you ever seen a picture of Luna with such a big smile on her face?

Sequel to A day in Canterlot Juvenile Court, but can be read independently.

Story inspired by a comment by Veylon at the prequel. Thanks!

Jedi Padawan Lyra Heartstrings has been with the Jedi Order for a long time. Away from Equestria. Away from home. She cannot go back. Not because the Order is preventing her, but because her home is an undiscovered planet. There are no records of its existence, and the Republic and the Order are clueless of its whereabouts. She’s alone.

But after years of solidarity, the Force gives her a golden opportunity. One that would unravel the mystery missing homeland. She’ll have to traverse through a war-torn galaxy to reach her goal, but anything is worth the risk when her deepest desire is at stake. A chance to find Equestria. Her home.

Pardon me, sir or madam, but do you have a moment or two to discuss the benefits of sharing love with your neighborhood representative of the Changeling Empire?

I blame Vdrake77 and his server for enabling this.

Now with a reading by Illya Leonov! Thanks both to him for the full reading and supplying Silver Spinner's voice, and to Goombasa for serving as a wonderful Diplurida!

It's the oldest chocolate shop in Equestria, the very first -- and on this night, it's also out of business. The final treats have been sold, the vultures have already begun to circle the equipment, and the proprietor polishes the remains out of pure habit while wondering what to do with her life. But that question will have to wait, as she has one more customer to take care of.

The very first.

(A stand-alone, no-prior-reading necessary part of the Triptych Continuum, which has its own TVTropes page and FIMFiction group. New members and trope edits welcome.)

Now with author Patreon and Ko-Fi pages.
Cover art by Pikamander2.

My name is Lottie.

When my Grandpa died, I never expected any more really drastic changes in my life. Maybe I would've been more prepared.

Clues and whispers aren't going to be enough on their own. Sometimes you just have to get your hands dirty, set things in motion yourself, no matter how weird they get.

And boy, do things get weird.

And on a completely unrelated note, word on the street in Ponyville is that there's something in the woods.

Takes place between seasons 3 and 4. I starting writing this a long time ago.

fanart by Apex-Jerico (spoilers for Ch. 3)

Featured: 01/01/19 (thanks)

Spoilers in the comments, you've been warned