Sometimes the words ring hollow.

Sometimes the ritual feels shallow.

Sometimes it's hard to tell if the gifts we are given are from the heart.

But sometimes, actions betray our feelings with a power that neither word nor ritual can capture.

A 90-minute Christmas vignette.

This story is a sequel to Movements of Fire and Shadow

"Return rainwater to a cloud and it will fall again soon enough." —Luna

After her redemption, Luna sought solitude from all ponies, including the twenty four elite guards assigned to serve her. But seven of those guards were not so easily dissuaded and sought the errant princess out, beseeching her to accept their pledges of unwavering fealty. They succeeded, and discovered her a scarred shadow of her former self, stripped of all thoughts and memories that might lead back to Nightmare Moon by the very magic that saved her.

Now, the princess stands strong in the company of trusted fellows that laugh, and grow, and bleed alongside her. They are all flawed, and they are all hopeful, but above all else, they are all equal. They are guards no longer. They are Paladins. One path. One destiny. One whole heap of trouble for Luna.

Equestria doesn't know what it's in for.

I, Paladin is a spin-off based on Luna's guards from Shades of Grey and Movements of Fire and Shadow. Knowledge of those works will be helpful, but is not necessary.

This story collection is a series of vignettes, although no particular plan or schedule is in place. They will appear whenever I happen to have ideas.

Oh, and [AU] because pre-Twilicorn, and Twilicorn will never happen because Twilicorn is dumb.

-Scott 'Inquisitor' Mence

Cadance, Discord, and Fluttershy walk into a blizzard, but it's no laughing matter: there's something out there, buried beneath centuries of ice. But it's going to take teamwork to find it, and it's neither the Princess of Love nor the Lord of Chaos that are holding all the cards.

What's more, somepony predicted everything that is about to happen, and it turns out that history has an unexpected cadence.

Audio reading by S. Ninja.

Base background image by Kitana-Coldfire.
Primary edit by Pascoite.
Additional editing and assistance from: Abcron, RainbowBob, wYvern, PresentPerfect, Nightwalker, Prak.
Inspired by To Make a Spark, by Chris.
Originally written for the May Write-Off prompt 'Beneath the Mask'.

It should have been a simple raid on the ponies’ livestock, but there was an ambush. There had to be some reason he had been spared, and whatever that reason was, he would probably need all his strength to face it.

"This is a really masterful piece, and what makes it stand out from the others in this contest is that nothing is explained. Far too often, writing an alien perspective involves a lot of “what is that? why are they doing that? I am doing this, and it is different from what they do”, but not here. Osvald, the griffon, just goes about his business as he normally would, and the ponies’ reactions are what tell us that it is unexpected. On top of that, this gives us a couple stories’ worth of redemption and a thrilling mystery, plus the perspective of a people with long memories in conflict with short ones. This is plain great."
—PresentPerfect, Equestria Daily pre-reader and Royal Canterlot Library curator.

Reading by AShadowOfCygnus.
Entry for Equestria Daily's Outside Insight Competition.
Cover image by Abcron
A massive thank you to wYvern for his editing help and all-round butt-kicking.
Additional thanks to Abcron for significant feedback as time ran out.

When darkness and despair comes to claim you, it doesn't matter what you fight for, so long as you fight for something that matters.

"War is hell, but this story is poetry. The unnamed protagonist in battle, an uncomfortably parallel to reality, masterfully paints a picture in such a short amount of time. It is, indeed, poetry."
—Flint Sparks, The Royal Guard

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A 90-minute midnight-vignette inspired by The Descendent.
Reading by Scribbler.

Words can bring joy. Words can bring pain. Words can bring knowledge.
In the hands of the right pony, they can bring all of these things at once.
In the lands outside the fledgeling Equestria, one such pony has tracked a newfound fable back to its source, and she has a few choice words of her own prepared, because words... words have power.

WARNING: Comments may contain spoilers.

Dramatic reading by AShadowOfCygnus.
Also read by DRWolf
Cover art by CyanAeolin.
Edited by Pascoite.
Additional help from Chris, AugieDog, and NorsePony.

After Fluttershy threw a tantrum in Ponyville's marketplace, Rarity invited her over for some good old girly gossip. The Fluttershy that turns up on her doorstep, however, is absolutely not the one she was expecting. Somefilly has a secret and Rarity isn't above using a few tricks to find out what it is.

"I swear, there is stuff going on in this story that is beyond my level of comprehension. Not to mention that calling the characterization merely show-accurate is doing it a disservice—it somehow seems to reach into a tier of super-canonical character clarity. So yes, you will enjoy this."
—R5h, The Royal Guard

Featured in the Royal Canterlot Library.

Cover art: Rarity's Exquisite Makeover Treatment by WillisNinety-Six

Much of Luna's life has returned to normal in the short years since she returned. It takes a pony very close to her to spot that something is haunting the princess again and that she's been sneaking off after nightfall for some time. When that pony has all the tact of a battleship, the only thing for certain is that things are about to get heated.

"We are teased by the reveal with an interesting premise that could easily expand much, much further... and it does not. The author has said their piece, revealing this small vignette. The audience is left satisfied, yet hungry for more. That’s basically kind of exactly what you are always aiming for, as an author."
—Pav Feira, Seattle's Angels

(For those that share my sci-fi tastes, yes, the title is a small tribute to Babylon 5)

Cover by RikiTheSuperZeldaFan.
Dramatic reading by Illya Leonov

Nopony knows the changes that time will bring, and neither Twilight nor Sweetie Belle could have guessed that their trials would have brought them so tightly together. Now, as Twilight draws closer to the end, Princess Celestia pays her a final, private visit, but the ramifications are huge and could change the course of Sweetie Belle's life without her ever knowing.

"While the story of Twilight's final hours is touching, the real power of this story is in its portrayal and exploration of Celestia. If a gripping new take on Equestria's princesses in an easily digestible one-shot sounds appealing to you, don't pass this up."
—Prak, The Royal Guard

Cover vector by Quanno3, based on the original art A Song For Rarity by Palestorm (DA account deactivated)

Luna's refusal to cross paths with her sister's mentorship told Twilight one thing: Luna was keeping a secret from her. After a long research project, she understood much of what this new magic did, but not how she could do it. Upon receiving Celestia's permission to train, Twilight discovers that the how is less important than the why.

Living the Nightmare is a short follow up to an unanswered question in Shades of Grey that sparked reader's interest. I was going to wait until the rewrite of the main story was finished, but things have gotten complicated, so here it is anyway.