Greetings, all! I apologize for the delay on this post, but you know how it goes. I've had a lot of things to do, like watch Breaking Bad and play Minecraft. All terribly important, I assure you. Regardless, let's proceed with the batty details.
There were 44 entries this time around, and now it's time for the community decide which ones are the best! You'll find a voting form at the bottom of this post, which you can use to vote for your top three batpony fics. Choose wisely!
Now without further ado, find the stories below the break sorted by genre with links and descriptions!
[Comedy]
A New Life of Darkness
Description: 'Lock'n'Bolt' wants to make a name for him self and he's going the right way about it. With the Element of Honesty in his saddle bags the earth pony stallion seeks to become lost in the winding streets of Canterlot and to revel in his victory.
But such infimy comes at cost along with the thrill, little dose he know that the law is closer upon him than he first believed. Lock Pick may have evaded the watchful eyes of the Day Guard, but in the shadows of the lower city he soon discovers that the darkness dosen't just conceal him.
Case and Gaze
Description: One is a pegasus, coolheaded and (mostly) logical. The other is a bat pony with a tendency to misinterpret things. She must cope with the new envirovenment, as well as sceptical colleagues, who don't believe that bat pony culture could be so much different. It couldn't be...right?
Legends Of The Everfree
Description: Legend tells of Bat Ponies that existed over two hundred years ago, which are now declared extinct. But yet the legend's cry has been heard again, and the rumors have began to swirl around the subject once more. The way of life for this hybrid race is unusual, though expected considering the predicament they were and are continuing to be in. The race is now on its last breaths, as one small colony is still thought to have continued to survive. Why did the Bat Pony race diminish over two hundred years ago? What could have caused such an unfortunate event? You will embark on a journey with two close-bonded explorers. Geronimo and Dr. Terra have looked into the phenomenon for over a decade from speculation and rumors all across Equestria of their rumored return.
[Adventure]
The Silver River Enchantment
Description: Ebony Iris young daughter of Lord Nightflame head of Luna’s night guard well on a camping expedition with her friends, is granted magical powers after discovering the fabled elixir harvested from the legendary Silver River in the sky. But supernatural beings called the Bodiless seek the elixir now fused with her body. Ebony must fight for her life, taking them on one by one. But will she and her friends all survive the night?
Moonlight Becomes You
Description: The moon did not rise one night, and there are strange things going on in Canterlot. Discord, Chrysalis, and even Trixie shows up in this story. Pay attention for other cameos! This story was written as a result of a challenge. She told me to write a MLP story without a storyboard, in one take. No going back to edit what was written later on, and to wing the story as I go. I think it turned out rather well. Equestria Daily's request for a bat-pony story shaped this story as well.
Nightfall - Luna's Reunion
Description: They have waited a thousand years in darkness to meet their creator, but tonight, their wait will be over.
And their lives will never be the same again.
Common Misconceptions of the Equine Bat
Description: Follow Kicker, a journalist for The Fillydelphia Times, as he writes down the events which lead him to question why so little is known about the race of Bat Ponies.
(Takes place before Nightmare Moon is released from the moon)
Capes and Crusaders
Description: Cold Star is a Crusader: a Bat-Pony sworn to defend the Sacred Night. Adopting the guise of the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well to hide her forbidden ancestry, she came to Manehattan with a single purpose - to bring justice to those who would do evil under the cover of darkness. The last thing she expected to discover was a group of cape-wearing young ponies also claiming to be Crusaders.
The Secret Darkness
Description: Night Wanderer was a freelancer explorer, who went to Canterlot so she could visit her brother. Whou would have guessed that he was in jail, and to get him out, she would have to face one of the most dangerous living beings in Equestria?
Through The Equestrian Gate
Description: Death is not the end, but a journey through the Equestrian Gate.
However, the destination is not as it seems. Without any guiding powers of harmony, the land has fallen into chaos. An eternal struggle between the Birdlike creatures called Angels and bestial monsters called demons has ground everything into dust. But the Equestrian gate stands, guiding the recently deceased ponies into the middle of it.
Spirit Aura is a Mediator for the Guild of the Lost, a group of ponies dedicated to guiding the Deceased to their new lives. By the rights of an ancient pact, the guild holds the land that separates the two warring species. They remain a neutral faction and allow all into their cities with a promise of reprieve from the everlasting combat. But one night, Spirit uncovers the plan for a demonic invasion that could tip the balance of the war.
Will she endanger the sanctity of the ancient pact, risk her life and that of a dear friend in order to do what she thinks is right? Can she face the consequences of such actions?
Secluded
Description: A young bat pony, named Innit, lives in a town built within a cave. The entrance to this cave is blocked by a massive wall, the town lives in self seclusion from the rest of the world. But one small cave is not enough for Innit, she wants to see the world.
Batpony Quarantine
Description: A batpony in quarantine is beginning to transform. Already removed from his family, he now faces the fear of losing his younger brother as well, but with the help of fellow batponies, who have already gone through the transformation, he finds the courage to face his new life head on. On the way, he reminisces of how the current state of their lives came to be and wonders what the future holds. The answers he gets are as wonderful as they are frightening.
[Dark]
Bad Moon Rising
Description: There's a reason why batponies aren't widely known in Equestria...
Description: The war raged long before I was born. Our kind were banished, and would have been wiped out if not for our Moon Goddess, Luna. She hid my ancestors away and concealed us in a cave beneath her castle. It is here that we live now, with only her gift, the Giving Tree, to sustain us. But our numbers are steadily dwindling. Our foals are starving, our elders are dying. Even the strongest of us are waning fast. I fear our existence may soon fade. If we don't get help soon. But ponies are fearful creatures. They fear the unknown. Our kind is unknown to them. As they are unknown to us. We may not be able to get the assistance we so desperately need...
Description: It takes determination, heart and dedication in order to ascend to Nighthawk Captain. Despite my love for my country, I see it crumbling before my very eyes, and the Princess simply can't make the decisions she needs to. I will not see my nation die. I'll do whatever it takes to ensure the survival of our race, of our nation.
Description: Waking up on a rooftop on Nightmare Night alone wouldn't have been so jarring for Eyewitness if it weren't for the dead body. Struggling with the harsh wake up call, and the arrival of the mysterious 'guardspony' Chocolate Malt, she must help him solve the murder while keeping her own secrets intact.
Bats in the Old Apple Barn
Description: Apple Bloom is home alone on Nightmare Night and invites her two best friends over. They each tell a scary story about bat ponies, but one of these stories may just turn out to be a little too scary, and a little too real.
Pokéthulhu
Description: A crossover with Pokéthulhu. My bat pony OC gets lost in the æther and wanders into the world of Pokéthulhu. Not much of a change from cannon. Takes place in season two, so we get to see the destruction of New Sunnich from the perspective of a new character.
(If you're wondering, no, Pokéthulhu is not a real show, it's a tabletop RPG, and you shouldn't have to know anything about it to get this story.)
Shadowtrotter: Arbitrary Batastrophic Constellations
Description: Voleur Crux, alias Shadows, is just a typical hacker bat pony out for a night of fun and profit on the big city of New Seaddle. With her friends the earth pony Tranquil Spirit and the pegasus Candy Cotton they seek to squeak out some bits from the shadows.
The Monster of Cane's Hill
Description: "No one's insane as Victor R. Cane."
Or so say the ponies of The Grassy Hollow. But Victor knows they're wrong. He's not insane. He's a visionary. They're all just too simple-minded to understand what his brilliant mind alone can comprehend. No one will listen to him though. He's an insane freak! Well, if he can't convince them of his amazing ideas, he'll just create someone who can.
And it'll be someone whose legacy will never die.
Legend of the Thestrals
Description: Ever wonder why there are so few Thestrals around? Ever wonder why so many ponies grew to fear them? Or at the very least, wonder what happened after Luna rebelled against Celestia? Find out about the past through Legend. And through the memories of those who lived it.
In the Space of a Year
Description: Something is not right in the batpony town of Hollow Shades. A year will change more than you think.
[Normal/Slice of Life]
Establishing Luna's Royal Guard
Description: Batponies are a mysterious race, spoken of in hushed tones and in dark corners. Most ponies don't even believe they exist, and the batponies wouldn't have it any other way. However, when one is caught in the dead of night, she'll lay the foundation for her kind's place in Equestria with a few words.
And a simple gesture of trust.
Night guards origins
Description: The Captain of the Royal Night Guards writes a report as a cathartic exercise, intent to shed light into the origins of bat ponies and night guards alike and wishing for what happened to never be forgotten.
Choosing of the Guard
Description: Twilight is asked to choose which branch of the Equestrian forces she would like her guards to come from. In response, she invites one representative from each of the three branches to stay in Ponyville so she and the Elements can choose her and Ponyville's protectors with the proper amount of knowledge. Nocturnal is picked by Luna as the representative for her forces. He does his best to meet Luna's expectations, educate ponies about what it means to be a bat pony, and stay out of trouble during his brief stay.
Ghosts
Description: The khirala have avoided the surface for a thousand generations, and they know nothing of the horrors faced by those who must try to survive the war. In fact, they do not even know that word, and they believe they are the only ponies in the world. On a night when the sky teems with ghosts, a young pony from the gateway to eternity will meet an eternal pony, and their lives will change forever.
[Shipping]
Nightshift
Description: Working nightshift for the Royal Guards is a pretty sweet gig. Deuce Pain has an easy job, a great boss, a good salary with better than average benefits, and lots of free time on his hooves.
But thanks to an outbreak of the feather flu his whole life has been turned upside down. He's gone from working nights to working days guarding Prince Blueblood.
Now he'll have to deal with assassins, angry bouncers, jilted lovers, Blueblood's stupidity, and his own sleep deprivation. Can he stay awake long enough to stay alive?
The Sun Shines Brightest at Night
Description: Nightmare Moon's defeat meant more to Equestria than just the return of the sun and their Princess. Witness the conclusion of a story one thousand years in the making, through the eyes of a Hoofington nurse.
Description: On a dismal and stormy night, one pegasus is snuggled up in front of her fire fireplace, only to be interrupted by a knock at her door. The knocker happens to be a lost mare who needs a shelter. But when Fluttershy takes her in, she will realise there is more to a passer by than there first seems...
Absolutely Batty
Description: A little piece of fluff about how two friends started dating, thanks to an ill-timed slip of the tongue.
Sketchy Trust
Description: In a small, but well-off home in inner canterlot city, there lived an average family with average qualities. The father held occupation as a lawyer while the mother was a well qualified nurse. There was no uncertainty or excitement, nothing to break the tide of routine. Everything flowed in an endless spiral, with not even an illusion to something more. Despite this, there was no ignorance of outside forces, oh no, the two just chose to ignore it. Not out of pettiness, but out of uselessness. If forced, they would of course prove to be exceptional, but why when they have heroes for that? These average ponies had an average unicorn child, who was just as average as they were, but as he would soon find out, perhaps being odd was more than he could ever dream.
Perhaps.
Nightmare Life
Description: Night Riser was destined to be the change in pony history: the first Pegasus to be created by other hooves. But complications come into his creation and instead of connecting with the biology of a bird, he was made into a pony-bat hybrid. For years he is kept locked up in the lab he was created in, forever serving his master Dr. Zoid, who constantly reminds Night Riser he is ugly, a mistake, and not fit to venture out into the world of other ponies. But every year, Night Riser gazes out his window at Ponyville celebrating Nightmare Night, and soon makes a wish that someday he will join the world as somepony who is loved.
A Lost Diamond in the Rough
Description: Rarity discovers that her supply of gems is awfully low, and it probably didn't help that she used a lot of them just the other day in designing a new dress. She needs more gems if she's ever going to finish the new clothing line she already designed. Yet, most caves in Ponyville she's already been to. Determined to find more gems than before, she will go to a cave far from Ponyville. She did mention it to her other friends, but it seemed they were too busy to pay attention. Hmph. She invites Spike along like last time so that the two of them can gather enough gems for her new clothing line. Even though she wanted to gather more gems than that...
Rarity and Spike travels to the cave, but will discover more than just gems. Within the cave, unknown to Rarity before she traveled there, many bat ponies migrated there. It was that time of year, yet one bat pony is left behind. She will need their help if she is going to return to her colony, or ever face them, again. Not only that, she will need their friendship if she is ever going to do either. Will Rarity and Spike be able to help her? Why was the bat pony left behind? And, why didn't Rarity's friends tag along for the ride? -- Stay tuned in to find out!
[Random]
And Let Me Sing Among The Stars
Description: During one of the first Nightmare Nights, only a few decades after the Banishment, the last living Batpony in Canterlot gets ready to another night of songs and earning a few bits; but this is a night of portents, and who knows what the stars have in store for him?
Maybe there's still one small light burning, even for an old and tired minstrel... and the encounter with a very particular earth pony might prove to be just a hint of something greater... far greater... that awaits him.
Super Trampoline the Bat Pony's Day As Presented Through Various Writing Paradigms
Description: Sonnets, Interview Transcripts, Newspaper Articles, and other forms of written word chronicle a day in the life of a quirky bat pony.
Interview with a Batpony
Description: Twilight Sparkle will not pass up on an incredible opportunity. A batpony came to stay in Ponyville and is willing to share information. This would allow to finally fill all the gaps in Equestrian knowledge about their species. The questions are prepared, the tape is set. Let's start the interview!
[Sad]
Life of a Bat Pony
Description: "This was obviously not a normal colt."
Sunshine Smiles is no ordinary pony. His life has been nothing but turmoil for him and those around him. He is left to find his own way, but will he ever find his break, or will he be dragged under?
Stand Ready
Description: Sergeant Brick Wall devoted his whole life to training Princess Luna's honor guard, even though the Princess wasn't there. It takes loyalty to wait a lifetime for somepony who may never come.
Saros: The First Dream
Description: Princess Luna's apprentice is suffering from nightly terrors. So, to put the young mare's mind at ease, Luna tells her a tale about Saros, a pony she once knew and loved. Saros was a living miracle, a gift bequeathed from the very fabric of night who taught Luna the power of dreaming. But Saros was much more than that; she was Luna's first and only friend.
Misc
Daughter of the Night, Sister of the Sun
Description: A vampyr quits her job. What follows...is not pleasant in the slightest.
Metamorphosis [Locked!]
Description: We can't access this one. The author needs to unlock the google doc!
Merry Moon Memorial
Part 2
Description: An origin for a festival celebrated by the bat ponies, detailed through Celestia and Luna's eyes over the course of Luna's banishment. A detailing of the festival itself through Luna's eyes.
Memories Across a Moonlit Month
Description: Over the course of a month, a musical bat pony is offered a chance to play at social functions in Canterlot. Given that the bat pony tribe is only just now being reintroduced into Equestrian society, she's not exactly prepared for what that month will bring.
When you're ready to vote, use the following form:
It'll be open for a week. Good luck to all the contestants, and enjoy the stories!
