After being free of the Darkness, Stygian has practically thrived since his return from Limbo. He’s become a successful writer, and the Pillars have helped him no longer feel like he’s insignificant compared to them. But even so, he struggles to find his place in the group and still wonders whether he’s actually worth something.

In the midst of it all, Stygian finds himself falling in love with Mage Meadowbrook, the Pillar of Healing. A development that does not go unnoticed by Starlight Glimmer and Pinkie Pie, who offer to help him.

Meanwhile, despite her health clinic becoming even more successful in the modern age, Meadowbrook has felt constantly concerned over Stygian’s well-being. With her guilt over when she first turned her back on him with the others secretly still ongoing, Meadowbrook wonders whether there’s anything she can do to truly ensure that Stygian is alright.

The only question is…why? Why, more than any of the Pillars, has Meadowbrook become so focused on Stygian?

(No actual suicide but talk of it.)

Sometimes the best stories come from the most unlikeliest of encounters.

In 'Rich in Flowers, Unlucky in Love', one of the flower girls struggles with her growing feelings for a customer, suffering as she watches him stumble into romantic disaster after disaster.

In 'Perspective', Pony Joe shares with one of his customers a tried-and-tested method for resolving a Code Sparkle(otherwise known as a pre-test meltdown).

In 'Late to Class', Lemon Hearts is quite excited to be filling in for an injured professor... until an unexpected student appears in her roster.

And in 'Historical Inaccuracy' Sunny and Zipp go on a scavenger hunt through history to answer a pressing question: is it even possible for one of Sunny's ancient heroes to have had an extramarital affair?

These four stories were written as part of the Quills and Sofas 'May Pairings' contest, where prompts were given matching ponies that didn't have much of a chance to interact onscreen. It was quite fun and challenging. Pre-reading help provided by the Quills and Sofas participants, as well as horsetorian and Celestilune.

(Tags are for brief mentions of alcohol consumption and discussion of an extramarital affair)

Hating one pony, truly hating one pony, he learned, required hating everypony else.

Stygian tried to early on and failed miserably.

While helping Stygian novelize his tales, Rockhoof considers the past and learns a few new things in the process.

Originally written for the Quills and Sofas "G is for Gay" Pride contest.

Displaced from time and no longer the villainous Pony of Shadows, many in Modern Equestria know Stygian as a thrice renowned author. This, however, is a partial truth.

After a chance encounter with Stygian at a local antique shop, Sunburst comes to learn that his publications aren’t all that he expected. Feeling Stygian has not been truly represented by his books, Sunburst offers to aid in translating his revised autobiography — a task that just might liberate Stygian from an oppressive past and show him a kind future is possible.

However, the rewards of acceptance can only come at the risk of being known.

A story about stories, self-authorship, and the endurance of love.

This story is a sequel to Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Battered and bruised, Stygian is not long for this world, but a chance encounter with the Moon will save him and provide a solution to his monstrous mentor.

Part of the Corrupt Pillars Anthology

Content Warnings for the following: Body Horror, Blood, Claymation, Mutliation

Edited by: EileenSaysHi
Preread by: The Sleepless Beholder, and Dewdrops on the Grass

Long ago, in ages gone by, I was once the daughter of Equestria’s most potent magic wielder, the mighty Star Swirl.

But an ancient evil known as Stygian returned to the world, tearing my family and land from me.

For years, I trained my mind, body, and faith in Celestia’s holy magic, and when I was of age, I became the wielder of my father’s sword.

I alone stood against the darkness, fighting to free the world from his cold, shadowy grasp. Alas, before I could lay the death blow, he cast me through a mystic portal to the future, where his rule is absolute.

To save our world’s future, I must find a way into the past to finish what I started long ago and undo this nightmare.

((A Samurai Jack/MLP fusion with hopefully some unique flavors))

Writer's block: what a foul enemy. But is it worse than Star Swirl the Bearded himself? Stygian is struggling with life in the era of Twilight and co., and he's not helping himself any.

After the element bearers managed to free the Pillars from limbo, all they had to do now was find Stygian, and all would be right. The problem is that they do not know where their former friend was hiding or if he was alive. Starswirl hadn’t seen his former friend since he banished the other Pillars, so with nothing to go on, the element bearers and the Pillars ventured into the far reaches of Equestria, hoping to help their friend.

Based on the idea ALoneWolf had in his take on my own story of Dictators Of Ponyville.—Side Chapter: Dreams

The cover art is from Shido-Tara on Deviantart.

This story is a sequel to Chiaroscuro

Cozy Glow can't remember the last time she'd felt the need—or had the ability—to blink. But with Stygian, a pony she vaguely recalls, standing in front of her and saying that she's Equestria's only hope? That definitely deserves a blink or two...

An entry in the 2023 May Pairings Contest, this story received one of the five "Judge's Prizes" in the final results.