Equestria is a nation on the edge of disaster after the devastation caused by the Lunar Rebellion. Beset on all sides by nefarious enemies, vicious foreign invaders, insane Lunar cultists, malicious fey, and diabolical conspirators all threaten Equestria’s borders and stability. Midnight Sparkle, daughter of Archmagus Sunbeam Sparkle and herself a newly minted Magus of Equestria, soon finds herself embroiled in the chaos surrounding her homeland. But what hope does a single unicorn have against so many overwhelming threats?
A chronological sequel to The Lunar Rebellion.
Chapters (15)
It begins!
Midnight's been an interesting, if somewhat macabre, player in The Lunar Rebellion. Seeing things from her perspective a decade down the line promises to be very intriguing.
And creepy. Also, a challenge for everyone reading: try not to read things in Raven's voice, from the Teen Titans.
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you monster. now my reading experience is forever altered. I pray that it wont be altered further.
I'll just read now
And so it begins.
Really like Midnight's character.
Looking forward to more from this.
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Somehow, I really didn't read it in Raven's voice. Probably because I write that kind of archetype.
Nice to see this finally get off the ground. Looking forward to the rest of the ride.
Good to see she has her priorities in order
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And curse you, Comma. Now I can't help it
This has quality to it.
Wheee!! It's finally here! Woohoo!
Damn, you gotta love Midnight. And Gale too. They make a great team. But Midnight's interaction with Stalwart should be interesting...
Probably because she's so weird.
Oh yeah, I remember when I preread this a few days ago. Great stuff.
That seems like it was years ago, though.
Time goes too slow when you're studying for finals.
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I haven't even started reading, and I already failed. Thanks to you, i read the story description in her voice...
Edit: Actually, now that I'm really getting into her character, she sounds pretty much identical to a much less frantic Twilight...though I suppose the differences between a level-headed Twilight and a non-teenaged Raven are arguable.
Post read edit: in the decade that's passed, Sunbeam it's starting to read like Mother Gothel from Tangled, as opposed to a spiteful and haughty Twilight...I'll admit, the family name does lend itself to being Tara Strong in various formats, but I supposed that's all at least somewhat intentional...
In any case, I'm quite excited to see where this goes, and more Winningverse is always enough to make my day.
hmm, ponibus, you have never led us astray before, but i don't want to risk spoilers, so ill read later
also i cant hear her in raven's voice even if i tried
Liking this.
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Ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff...damnit.
Huh. A sequel to a prequel to a story starring a background pony. I think we've hit optimal depth.
In any case, this looks very promising. Looking forward to more. And I can't help but wonder, who's writing the footnotes?
Awesome start. Gale and Midnight are a lot of fun together, and it's interesting to see what's going on immediately post-rebellion. It's really interesting to see that Sunbeam and Shadow end up political allies in Canterlot considering their relationship in the main story, though I suppose it was mildly guessable given where we know the Kickers end up.
Hooray! More Middy! I love her odd, deadpan expressions, even when expressed in her own mind. She is so adorably awkward.
Huh, so Sunbeam survives the Rebellion and is not in jail. Unfortunate.
Oooh! Apple vs. Carrot clans? Sounds cool! Can't wait to see more!
guess my thoughts that Sunbeam and/or Midnight were players on the Lunar side of the rebellion have been Jossed (Warning: TV tropes link. Your time may mysteriously disappear)
In my "Read Later" tab, 'cause I'd prefer to read this after the rebellion is over.
Because chronology.
2682095 Ahhgh! Where did my time go!? There is no great justice!!
You've got to remember, our Equestrian Gang of Three - Chengar, Ponibus and Comma - more than likely have an agreement not to kill off each other's characters, or will spare one slated to die as another has an excellent idea to spring on us poor, unsuspecting readers.
Or, just because they're mean. In short, who knows?
2690080 Oh, I have no doubt that there's some coordination among the 3 and that Ponibus was given some general ideas on how the Rebellion turned out. Just looks like it turns out a bit differently that I thought :)
2691086 Same here. I had the wild thought that Midnight was the one who started the trouble, but it's looking more and more like all but the Kickers turned on Celestia. Probably because they thought she was going soft, and was giving the Unicorns more attention than they deserved.
Not good. Not good at all.
Now, shall we begin?
2680593 I read this in Azula's voice.
So Middy was insane and brilliant, like Walter Bishop.
Judging from this, I have a feeling Twilight and Sunset Shimmer may be distant relatives in this 'verse. Cousins at the closest.
At long last, the feud between AJ and Topsy's ancestors.
Finally had a chance to read this. Midnight still remains my favorite for Lunar Rebellion era. I also suspect this isn't the last time we'll see Gale... that pony is definitely up to something.
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I will say Ponibius consulted me extensively on this fic.
2680669 Nonsense. We're merely in the third level as it's being annotated by the said background character. We need to go deeper.
'Allo! Finally got around to reading Lunar Rebellion over the last 2 days, and now I find this! Excellently done, and I like that I'm able to read into the "present" and get hints of what's going to happen in LR without totally spoiling it for myself.
Anyways, I've got some stuff that could use fixing.
^I'm guessing there was an auto-find and correct for the word "mom" with "mother" that lead to this interesting word?
^Perhaps "a war that had already been decided."
^Had to look this up myself, but family names don't need the apostrophes, just "Apples and Carrots" should work. If you were talking possessive, you could say "The Apples' Farm". Source
^Single quote after the "said" break
^Maybe "to listen to what ponies say" (no apostrophe)
Loving it, Ponibius.
For those curious to why type of music I listen to while writing this story...
I don't know what cracks me up more--the fact that Sunbeam has literal skeletons in her closet, or that Midnight tried to enchant autonomous brooms. So. Much. Win.
Stalwart: You should have selected thinner volumes.
Gale: Or else an eReader.
Midnight: Shall I procure an iPad, then?
Gale: Neigh, child. Apple didst support the Lunars; we do not buy their products.
Well, got a very promising opening here. Looking forward to the next installment.
Ah, the beginnings of an adventure. The naive, young city girl is hopelessly lost in how to operate in the countryside and has to be led around by the nose by her older, more experienced companions. Classic.
Gale is ALMOST as smooth as Cloud it seems.
Almost.
It's his very first scene, and I like this Stalwart Kicker guy already. The quartermaster scene was pretty great too.
Lost, eh? Kind of sounds like pony civilization is straight up failing if they are losing entire towns commonly enough that there's an established term for it.
Interesting, so the rebellion is more complicated than just the pegasi vs. everyone else. I suppose that makes sense given the anger we saw in Manehatten during the other story.
3124013 Really? I kind of hate him. He's a total dick.
Enjoying this so far. Can't wait for more!
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You win the internet!
Another splendid chapter!
Poor Midnight. Nopony's giving her any breaks. Not her witch of a mother nor Gale and Stalwart. While some of their advice, like a new tougher bag, seemed legit, the rest seemed really unneccessary and reflected their own Clan's views. Teaching her how to fight? Uh, that seems like a bad idea. The only thing worse than someone who doesn't know how to fight, is someone half-trained who THINKS they know how. Really, if she's in a spot where Gale or Stalwart can't help and she can't use her magic ... she's gonna have to use her wits or that'd be that.
Everypony thinks MIddy is weird, but when everypony from her mom to her own friend Gale is trying to use and manipulate her, what can you expect her to be? I really hope she breaks out and starts being able to lay down the law to them.
A great story, can't wait for more!
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Thanks for catching all of those, fixed.
Good reference
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It took a few generations for the skill to be properly refined
I get the sneaking feeling there's going to be an attack during the night. Am I right?
Smith: She is an awfully small pony.
Midnight: Art thou branding me a half-pint, beansprout midget?!
I love this story! Can't wait to see Midnight when she has adjusted to the adventurer life-style.
This is an amazingly written story with so much potential. Any plans to keep updating?
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I have every intention of continuing to write this story. In fact, I'm working on the very next chapter of this story right now.
It seems that Our Hero is something of a lightweight... Poor, poor Middy. That must make for some boring weekends.
Another solid chapter!
Uh... thought I'd point out that your author's note says "Study".
The sentiment is nonetheless appreciated though
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That's what happens when you get lazy with your copy and pasting after a long day. Derp.
And Sir Murphy did decree, upon hearing that final utterance:
"Let it rain"
Am I alone in wanting things to not remain platonic between Gale and Midnight?
^A little garbled there at the start of the sentence. Loving all of it.
Midnight does such an amusingly strange perspective on the world that just makes her incredibly fun to read.
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No. no you aren't.