Diplomacy has failed. Six years have passed Equestria's crowning of the princess of friendship, ushering in a supposed unprecedented age of peace and harmony. The concept of warfare is, to most ponies, nothing more than an unfathomable legend. They have let their guard down.

An unknown enemy has seized the opportunity to attack Equestria with terrifying new weapons of war, bent on taking the fertile land and restoring an ancient order. The valiant efforts of the Royal Guard have given Princess Twilight and her arcane scientists time to research and develop a response to their attackers, and the time has come for that response to be implemented. Utilizing weapons and tactics borrowed from another world, five squads under the command of Princess Luna will infiltrate the forests of the Equestrian Northwest to destroy a revolutionary magical matrix that Twilight refers to as the "radio" - a tool that allows enemy ponies to communicate across vast distances instantly.

Nightmare Two is comprised of three foalhood friends who, rather than be separated from each other in the draft, volunteer to become one of the five Nightmare squads. With their bodies forever altered to suit the needs of their mission, the three young mares join legions of ponies armed with powerful weapons to partake in a horrifying new breed of warfare - Equestria's first in over one thousand years.

--

Heads up, folks. If you wouldn't mind leaving a comment alongside the thumbs-down, I'd appreciate it. This is my first foray into fan fiction and although it's a hobby I nonetheless wish to get better. :)

Got some FAQ's for you guys as well!

- Alternate universe in which the events of "Crusaders of the Lost Mark" did not occur. (As much as I loved it! :D)

- Numerical age tends to vary with headcanon, but the CMC here were just getting started with their adult lives when the draft went into effect.

- The war is pony v. pony, utilizing firearms and the Equestrian equivalent of a tank. The underlying headcanon is that ponies used firearms similar to muskets and tracked armored vehicles akin to our tanks in times of old, and what the enemy currently employs is essentially the natural progression of these technologies.

- There are no real-world weapons or equipment i.e. "Panzer IV," or "M16 assault rifle." Particularly acute details such as the caliber of weapons are also absent.

- Technology is based on that of WWI with some WWII elements. Firearms are primarily bolt-action.

- The "radio" spell matrix functions as what we know to be a radio, but is not identical.

- All four of a Night Mare's legs are permanently replaced by the augments.

- Night Mares are female. Stallions proved unable to properly animate the limbs.

--

Hold up, now - fanart? You guys rock. Like, for real. Thanks a lot!

1. A great YouTube video coming from The_Pegasus_Box. Thanks, bud!
Check it out!

2. Click here for the collection on DArt.

3. https://derpibooru.org/740375?scope=scpeac921b191f688d04521575f31608785cbc3bbaa1
[img]https://derpicdn.net/img/view/2014/10/10/740375__safe_anthro_apple+bloom_gun_artist-colon-pusspuss_night+mares.png[/img]

It started when they first met. A growing flame that began to burn in their hearts. It was unknown to them what this flame was, but it grew stronger as they got older and their feelings moved on from friendship to something else. Some fires grow slowly, but when given time they burn more passionate and brighter then any volcano.

***
Edited by CommanderX5 and roker12

Just a small series of chapters (no less then a thousand words) of a new ship I like a lot.

Now with a TV Tropes Page

Based on Robert Louis Stevenson's The Black Arrow.

During the War of the Sun and Moon in medieval Equestria, young Spike, a knight in training, doesn't know who he can trust when a band of outlaws accuse his guardian, Lord Tirek, of being responsible for his father's death. His suspicions grow when he meets a young colt who claims to have been kidnapped by Tirek. Soon Spike will have to choose between his duty to his guardian and his duty to his heart.

Cover by Steadfast Hoof

Where was Spike in all the times Twilight and the others were off having adventures? This will tell it all. This story consists of a bunch of one shots of what Spike was up to in the episodes where he was absent.

Cadance starts a paid dating service, doubling as a firm for both marriage and divorce law, and hires a 'reformed' Chrysalis as an intern.

Nopony's relationship is safe, least of all her own.

This story is a sequel to This Nose Knows

It is recommended you read No Nose Knows and This Nose Knows first, so you know what's going on.

Baked Bean - the slightly broken husband to Princess Celestia - finds he must answer the call to assist Sunset Shimmer and the Rainbooms when an ancient foe resurfaces at Canterlot High.

Once there, however, he finds another Bean who needs help courting a Principal who is very similar to his own Princess ...

Edited by Spartanpony007, Sipioc, Georg, and Zen and Ponies.

Cover art provided by Sipioc.

Featured on Equestria Daily!

What Readers Are Saying...

"You make the waterworks happen," -Stardust_Scratch

"It has been like watching a gruesome car crash. You cannot look away from it, and it tears you apart, you are sure you are gonna have nightmares about it, but you just keep reading." -llDenkerll

"Have any of you ever accidentally’ed your way into a horror story, that was way darker than you thought it was going to be? ...I’m going to go scrub my brain down with a few hours of mindless pony fluff... I am enjoying the story I swear," -fargo11

"The ending of the last chapter left me with hope, with expectations, while the end of this chapter leaves me with sorrow, with emptiness, with hopelessness. I need more," -Anshlun

"I lack any words to describe how fucked this whole situation is. It hurts so much. Good job," -Hermaeus xerxes

"This story has some painful feels to it... I need time to think now," -Destiny Chaser

"Every time I read the witches' dialogue I feel genuinely scared... I don't have a clue of what's going to happen," -TheFaceofMercy

Starlight Glimmer had always been a difficult pony.

She's getting better, though! Really! Three years of living with the Princess of Friendship, one of the most beloved ponies in Equestria, is bound to rub off on a mare. Though Starlight continues to grapple with her insecurities and past mistakes, she never would have presumed she'd be free of the guilt - as it should be.

Yet over the years, she's come into her own as a devoted, passionate, and empathetic friend (despite a few bumps here and there).

But one day, like any other, a strange illness befalls Princess Twilight Sparkle. Starlight is driven to a foal's storybook for answers. Armed with her magic and faith, the ex-student follows a crumb trail leading to one reclusive group dwelling in the heart of an otherworldly bog. If there was any salvation for the pony who'd saved Starlight, it lay solely with them. Except when the time comes for payment to be collected, what's left behind is picked up by Twilight and her friends.

And Starlight doesn't want them to. For how can something so broken be put back together? She'd much rather save them all the trouble...

^{Canon divergence one year after 'The Movie,' post-season seven}

Rated-T for some disturbing imagery and heavy themes concerning depression

Artwork of the Witches by Hermaeus Xerxes: https://derpicdn.net/img/view/2019/9/22/2150483.png

Starlight's Theme: Above and Beyond by Paul Dinletir
Twilight's Theme: Homecoming by Jeff Marsh
The Broken Bond Theme: The Birth of a Soul by Fran Soto

Pre-reader/Editor: JD McGregor
Cover Artist: Calenita

After an injury at work sends you to the hospital, your loving mare Rainbow Dash decides to pay you a visit.

Please Note That This Story Is Cute For The Sake Of Cute.
TheFimFicCritic

Featured 2/11/2015
Featured 7/25/2015
Featured 2/28/2016
Featured 11/25/2016
Featured 1/6/2018

Spike shows up on Fluttershy's doorstep at the crack of dawn, professing heartbreak and asking for a shoulder to cry on. Fluttershy does as every pony should: she makes him a pot of tea, and sends him off to bed.

This is the story of where that takes them.

This turned out to have three endings. In order they are Bad, True, Happy, and have been placed in the story where they would have occurred had I written them 'in flow' if you will. They are not tied to each other and you only need to read the one you want to get an end to the journey. Thank you to everyone who supported this to the end. It was a lovely trip

Cover art gratefully borrowed from Airy, over on Tumblr. Give a peek for more cuties

Featured briefly on 12/22/16! Thanks all, for the wonderful Christmas gift!
Featured briefly every time I actually update! You guys have no idea how happy that makes me, thank you so much!

Spike led Thorax into the throne room of the Crystal Castle confident he could convince the others that the changeling could be trusted. That he meant no harm, and instead wanted to be an ally and live peacefully with them. That he could make them see Thorax for what he really was. That they could befriend the changeling and accept him as one of their own.

They didn't.

And consequences followed.

SPOILERS IN COMMENTS!
First featured on 11/12/2016. -- Now with a TV Tropes page. -- Review by Arcanum Phantasy -- Review by PaulAsaran