This story is a sequel to When the Man Comes Around

The eighth story in The Journey of Graves

The Grand Galloping Gala, so far gone yet still shining bright in memory as if it were just yesterday. That night marked the turning point for Graves, the night he found something beyond the sight of his rifle, beyond the endless call to arms. It's a new beginning, a new life to spend with the friends he cares for and the one he loves. For once, the grey eyed marshal finds that he too, has a chance to live happily ever after.

The Great Tragedy. The night an era ended. The night the skies stopped turning. The night the Canterlot palace, along with all of its occupants, was utterly obliterated.
Nopony knows how it was done or by whom. But they do know that one unicorn stood at the center of that calamitous explosion, and they know that Twilight Sparkle survived where two immortals had perished.
Twilight awakens in a world a shadow of its former self, abruptly thrust into the fallout of a disaster she remembers nothing of. Faced with a foe that is perhaps more familiar than she might realize, Twilight must find a way to restore her broken world and carry on the legacy of her beloved princesses.

Huge thanks to my proofreaders Some Person (chapter 1-12) and RazerWrites (chapter 12-14). The story would have been much worse off without them.

Have you ever wondered what Spike actually thought?

Rarity's rejection was merely the start down a slippery slope as a landslide of self-doubt drives Spike to find solace in the only pony who seems to understand. Of course, Pinkie Pie has some problems of her own in the form of an unpleasant alter-ego...

Credit for the cover image goes to http://kp-shadowsquirrel.deviantart.com/

Silence. The golden rule is silence. Silence, and obediance.

For years, you have trained as a royal guard. Now, thanks to the fortuitous return of Shining Armour, your old-time friend and Captain, you are promoted to guarding Celestia personally. What follows, though, is the discovery of a personal side to the Sun Princess that you could never have imagined, not even in your most vivid dreams.

Twilight Sparkle finds a book in the library.

Twilight Sparkle reads aforementioned book.

Twilight Sparkle's life is thrown upside down, her view of her teacher shattered, and her friends pitted against each other.

Everything will return to normal.

One of these statements is false.

Princess Celestia is a living legend, but much of her life is shrouded in mystery. Records have long since been lost to the decay of time, and the tale of her triumph over Discord has become a fable. The Princess's memory of the event has long since faded... or has it?

Her faithful student lending an eager ear, Celestia recounts the true story of a war-torn Equestria, the struggle against Discord, and the early years of her own life.

Before she was the Princess of the Sun, she was merely a stranger.

(Featured on Equestria Daily!)

[2nd Person Perspective]

Working as a waiter at Canterlot's various social gatherings is a nice job. Especially since you began chatting with the cello player of the usual quartet, Octavia. You've gotten to know a lot about her, but one night there seems to be something on her mind. You offer her a drink to ease her nerves and you bring your glasses together in cheers.

Next thing you know, you wake up in a strange hotel room in a town you've never been to next to a certain gray mare.

Art by John Joseco

I'm a spiteful old man. I've spent my entire life trying to fulfill my wish. The same thing every one of us wants.

The year is 2070. I'm the last brony alive, 82 years old. But I did it. I created the portal. And I'm jumping through. No regrets.

I've actually finished writing this story! Can you believe it? It's also available in book form, Click Here to go to lulu.com

Spike has been rejected by Rarity after helping her for a very important client and a fashion show. He disappears shortly afterwards, leaving Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, and the rest of the gang saddened by his absence.

It has been three years since that incident, and the girls have gotten past the sadness, but still get together to remember the purple dragon every year. On this day, a new pony comes to Ponyville, and although he knows nothing of what his life was like, helps the group have more fun and fills part of the hole left in their hearts from Spike.

Idea for the fashion show goes to LordPlagus777's story Heart of Scales.