This isn't where I belong. I left all this behind years ago, moved on with my life. But a mare from my past brought me back, and now she won't let me go. So I'm stuck here, trying to make the best of it with ponies that don't understand me, don't even like me. But when something moves in the darkness, and when things go wrong in the cold, dead night, they'll turn to me to try to set things right.

Why? Because once a police pony, always a police pony.
~~
This is a spin-off story to 'Why am I Pinkie Pie?!', and will contain spoilers for that story, but it's not necessary to read that story to understand this one.
Cover art by the talented Conicer
Need more Cinnamon Swirl? Merlos the Mad wrote a fanfic of this story!

There is now a side-story: A Hard Day's Nightmare Night

This story is a sequel to The Dusk Guard Saga: Rise

"Viking ZX has pride in the fact that he can throw his readers into a ride." —PCaRG
"... an exhilarating romp that leaves you guessing half the time and keeps you thrilled throughout." —PaulAsaran
"... you’ll enjoy this one." —City of Doors

Blade Sunchaser is a griffon on the run.

Seven days ago she was the bodyguard of two of the wealthiest railroad magnates in Equestria. One day after that she was in a jail cell.

She didn’t stay there for long. She’s got a job to do, a job with a payoff bigger than any she’s ever earned before. All she needs to do is track down two stolen bits of crystal and bring them back to her employer. Stolen bits last seen being taken north, past Equestria’s furthest borders, into the lawless wasteland known as the Ocean of Endless Ice. A haven of ice dredgers, criminals, and pirates ripe with violence, danger, and dark secrets. But for this kind of payoff, the danger is nothing. She’ll face anything, go anywhere, and do whatever it takes to see her mission through.

Even start a war ...

Book II of The Dusk Guard Saga
Epic Fantasy
Equestrian Map of the Ocean of Endless Ice
Official Series Timeline at [url=https://www.fimfiction.net/group/204855/the-dusk-guard-saga/thread/127607/the-dusk-guard-saga-timeline]TDG Group Forums
Can be found on TV Tropes at The Dusk Guard Saga’s page (Page outdated)
Cover art by Midnight Sonare
Alpha and Beta read by Siers, Raptra, and Jorlem.
If you encounter what you think are typos in the story, PM them rather than clogging the comments feed with them.

Author’s note: From time to time you may encounter a hotlink in the text. These hotlinks are background themes and can be clicked or passed over at your own choice. It is recommended that for maximum enjoyment beforehand, make sure that your volume settings on YouTube are at a comfortable level and make use of Ctrl+Shft+Clicking or the middle mouse button to open the song in a new tab, where it will play automatically without your involvement.

Or just don’t click on them until later. They are an entirely optional experience, and can be passed over without incident.

This story is a sequel to Emoticon

Not too long ago, Sergeant Major Dawn Triage, medic of the Dusk Guard, broke a rule. It was easy. Simple, even. No one said anything. No one even noticed. And it wasn't a major rule. She simply ... neglected ... to ask for permission from a patient of hers before running a test. It was only to indulge a faint curiosity, an interest that she was fairly certain would never achieve any actionable result. "What harm could it do," she'd asked herself, "if nothing ever came of it?"

Perhaps she should have asked herself what would have happened if something had.

Sixth and final of the Side Stories to The Dusk Guard: Rise. Familiarity with Rise is not required per se, but recommended.
Side Stories so far:
Carry On
The Definition of Strength
Old Habits
Emoticon
Remembrance
Trust

The Saga has a TV Tropes page! Please help keep it up to date!
Special Thanks to Jorlem, Sinister Voice, and AlouetteSK for their help pre-reading and editing.

This story is a sequel to Emoticon

After weeks of being on duty, First Lieutenant Hunter of the Dusk Guard is finally getting his day off—on a specific date of his own choosing. Most would use their day off for fun and games, seeing family, or just enjoying some well-deserved R&R. But not Hunter. He's going to visit someone special. Someone he sees once a year.

And this time, he's making the trip alone.

Fifth of the Side Stories to The Dusk Guard: Rise. Familiarity with Rise is not required per se, but recommended.
Side Stories so far:
Carry On
The Definition of Strength
Old Habits
Emoticon
Remembrance
Trust

The Saga has a TV Tropes page! Please help keep it up to date!
Special Thanks to Jorlem, Sinister Voice, and AlouetteSK for their help pre-reading and editing.

This story is a sequel to The Definition of Strength

It's Nova's first official day off, and he's decided to spend it in one place he knows he can relax: the Canterlot Bazaar, where anything and everything is for sale from all across the globe. But when he runs into a pony he didn't expect to see again, can he face who he once was? Or are old habits best left forgotten?

Third of the Side Stories to The Dusk Guard: Rise. Familiarity with Rise is not required per se, but recommended.
Side Stories so far:
Carry On
The Definition of Strength
Old Habits
Emoticon
Remembrance
Trust

The Saga has a TV Tropes page!
"This is 100% Approved by Twilight's Library!"
Added to Twilight's Library 4/9/2014
Special Thanks to Sonorus, Jorlem, Sinister Voice, and Bronze Aegis for their help pre-reading, editing and getting a summary together.
Art by NabderbD

This story is a sequel to Carry On

When a monk has learned all he can learn, he is sent forth on a pilgrimage. A search for knowledge, guided only by a single question, never to return home unless they find an answer. Sabra has been searching for three years, and at long last, he may have found his answer.

It may just not be the answer he expects.

Second of the Side Stories to The Dusk Guard: Rise. Familiarity with Rise is not required per se, but recommended.
Side Stories so far:
Carry On
The Definition of Strength
Old Habits
Emoticon
Remembrance
Trust

The Saga has a TV Tropes page!
"This is 100% Approved by Twilight's Library!"
Added to Twilight's Library 1/21/2014
Featured on Canterlot's Finest
Special Thanks to Sonorus, Jorlem, Sinister Voice, Templar22, Bronze Aegis and JinShu for their help pre-reading, editing and getting a summary together.
Art by dpjohnson22

It's been three days since the Equestrian Railway Service incident, and things are finally calming down in the wake of the Dusk Guard's first mission. Three days since the team's first mission came to a successful conclusion. Three days since their first trial by fire. Three days since Sky Bolt, the team's engineer, had everything she'd created put to the test. And it all worked. Nothing went wrong.

So why can't she sleep?

First of the Side Stories to The Dusk Guard: Rise. Familiarity with Rise is not required, but recommended.
Side Stories so far:
Carry On
The Definition of Strength
Old Habits
Emoticon
Remembrance
Trust

The Saga has a TV Tropes page!
"This is 100% Approved by Twilight's Library!"
Added to Twilight's Library 12/5/2013
Featured on Canterlot's Finest
Special Thanks to Sonorus, Jorlem, Sinister Voice, Templar22 and Bronze Aegis for their help pre-reading and editing.

"... at the forefront of our fandom’s writing scene ... Masterpiece." —PCaRG
"... really enjoyable ..." —City of Doors
"...worthy of high praise." —PaulAsaran
"Lots of wonderful world-building, great action, well-developed characters and an engaging story." —Hoopy McGee

Steel Song is a lot of things. Earth pony. Uncle. Professional bodyguard.

Retired.

So when he receives a mysterious package from Princess Luna a few weeks after the changeling invasion, he's understandably apprehensive. More-so when he presents himself before the Royal Diarchs to find that not only do they desire him to come out of retirement, but to take command of a most unusual position...

A position that may have more significance than any of them suspect. Because strange thefts are occurring on the Equestrian Railway, thefts that nopony can explain. Thefts that may have far more sinister intentions than their seemingly innocent nature may convey.

Intentions sinister enough to shift the balance of power in Equestria forever.

Book I of The Dusk Guard Saga.
Epic Fantasy
Has a collection of Side Stories as well, the first of which is here.
Now with a TV Tropes page!
"This is 100% Approved by Twilight's Library!"
Added to Twilight's Library 11/26/2013
Added to Canterlot's Finest 12/01/2013

This story is a sequel to Memory Pending

The story of Moon Mender continues after his dream of an ending ceases. He continues his struggle to belong in a world so far divorced from the only other experience he can remember, but as an outsider of truly alien mindset, will he ever be able to find a place in Equestria? More importantly, will the life he left behind give up on its death grip so easily? The most important thing to remember is that things are rarely as they seem and sometimes, some things are better off forgotten.

This story is a direct sequel to Memory Pending. Without having read that, this story might be a little strange to most, which is frightening considering how strange it is already. It can be read as a standalone story of course, but you won't get the most out of it.

Further, I’m fully aware that not everypony enjoys more mature themes, so any scenes containing things of an M rated nature shall only be released in a separate story when the time comes. This story deals with more mature themes on a whole, as a warning. This version will do its best to censor the really sensual or graphic content out, of course.

Last but not least, this story has reached this final format through combined efforts of not just myself, but many a helpful pony along the way! Here’s an abbreviated list of those involved and the rolls they played:
Kiroberos – Author (Obviously)
Julia – Editor (Corrections, Grammar, and Flow)
Azu – Beta Reader (Corrections, Flow) (Until Chapter 35)
ExplosiveBrohoof – Beta Reader (Grammar) (Until Chapter 22)
Muffinking – Beta Reader (Corrections, Grammar) (Until Chapter 22)
All of my readers for being amazing, supportive, and best of all, enjoying the world we read and write about.

During a traumatic event, an outsider finds himself flung violently into Equestria. His physical form is warped into that of the inhabitants but will his mentality follow? And even more importantly, will anypony truly accept him for who he is? Take a journey alongside this inexperienced youth as he finds himself in a strange new world with very different customs and tries his hardest to find a place for himself where he didn't before. A pity he can't even remember his name...

Okay, the basics. It's first person almost entirely. Very, very long chapters. I try to wrap them up around twelve to thirteen pages but a few slipped over that, especially towards the end. I'll release them slightly stagnated, as I'll be making final revisions as I go. Character tags are NOT final. I'll add more main characters as they show up in each chapter. Expect an update one or two times a week, probably. I adore reviews and structured, constructive criticism. Even if you just want to say you like it, that's fine too. :) I write stories to entertain peoples, so any evidence I get that it's working will encourage me. I hope you enjoy the story!