226,833 words. That’s how long this story was. Wow.

When I first started this project way back in January, I knew I wanted it to be even bigger and better than Of Skies Long Forgotten. Yet even I didn’t think that the story would become this large, this intricate, this... passionate would be an apt word to describe it. For seven, almost eight months, this story has been my passion. I’ve poured countless hours into making it work, trying to write the best I’ve ever written, trying to show myself how far I’ve come from OSLF. I would fall asleep thinking about what I needed to do next and wake up itching to put my thoughts down to paper.

And boy, am I glad it’s over.

That may sound cynical, but I mean that in the most loving and heartfelt way to Snow and Shadows as I possibly can. I poured my life into this story, the characters, the settings, and the story itself. S&S is a part of me just as much as I’m sure it’s a part of many of you. I’ve worked for eight months to make this story perfect, and you know what? It has its flaws, but this is the most proud I’ve ever been of anything I’ve made, ever. And while I’m sad it’s over, I’m also happy to move on. S&S has done her work for you all, just as I’ve done mine. It’s time for us to both rest now. I gave this story the most beautiful and fitting conclusion I feel like I could possibly give to it, and looking back now, I wouldn’t change a thing. Who cares if it’s not posted in the feature box or has several thousand favorites and likes? I wrote something special to me, truly, truly special. The joy I’ve gotten from writing this story, and the joy it brings you all to see it updated, is what really touches my heart. And now it’s over.

Believe me when I say I was riding with you guys the whole way through. Authors can seem evil or cruel when they kill off characters, but I was right there suffering alongside you as well when I killed Swift Spear. I will have you know that several times during the last handful of chapters I was nearly in tears myself while writing. I secretly wished to myself that I wouldn’t have to kill Swift, and I managed to persuade myself out of killing Pan Sea or Twister or Typhoon or Cyclone. Yes, those characters were seriously in danger of dying when I got to their points of no return. For Twister, this is the second time she’s been laid down on the guillotine only for the machinery to choke up before taking her head. I’m dead serious about that one. She was supposed to die back in OSLF but didn’t.

Perhaps because I love my characters so much is why I’m able to build such powerful scenes whenever something bad happens to them. There is no character that I outright hate writing for; I used to think Chancellor Puddinghead fit that role, but about halfway through the story, two chapters before Onyx Ridge, I changed my mind. I recognized him for the lovable oaf that he actually is. His dialogue became witty and entertaining, and I really developed the chemistry between him and Smart Cookie through Onyx Ridge and beyond.

I apologize if this seems like I’m rambling. It’s late at night, I just finished Chapter 19, and it’s hard to think straight with the depression still rolling inside my skull after closing out the story for good.

Anyways, I suppose I should say a few things to the people who helped build this story with their support and advice. First and foremost, this wouldn’t be possible without the support of my brother, TheBigStallowski, even if I did want to punch him in the face several times whenever he asked me “when’s the next chapter coming out?” If you ever want to know why a character suddenly dies, blame him. I can’t be held responsible for what I do when I’m agitated.

Next I would like to thank LoyalLiar, whose support for Snow and Shadows from beginning to end has been integral in keeping the project afloat. Being able to bounce ideas off of someone who actually has an investment in the story beyond just liking the material is immensely helpful. He’s helped me out of a few writing jams before, and given me several ideas for how the story should progress whenever I start to wander and lose sight of what I want to do with some characters (Twilight and Rainbow Dash especially). Also, another plug, but check out the Price of Loyalty and his stories, and join the group. I can’t say this enough, but I’m writing the history of his stories just as he’s providing the source material for what’s going on in “present day” Equestria that I referenced for Twilight and Rainbow Dash during their scenes. Even if we don’t make each other’s stories required reading to know what’s going on, we’re in a partnership, and we damn well will be for a long time to come. So if you haven’t read his stuff, do so when you’re done. You’ll be able to pick out nice little references we make between our respective works.

After Loyal, I would like to thank Ruirik for being so kind enough to draw pictures of my characters, both from OSLF and S&S (coming soon to a blog post near you). He, like Loyal, has also helped me with generating scene progression and content for some of the chapters in the story. The characters Pathfinder and Iron Rain are his, and I helped introduce them for a project he’s working on and will release when he FINALLY FINISHES FIRE AND RAIN.

Ahem. Sorry about that. There was no need to shout. Anyway, I won’t spoil the title of his story that he’s working on, but look forward to seeing a totally new side of everything I’ve written so far, from the Red Cloud War in OSLF to the Eternal Blizzard in S&S and beyond. I know I am.

Lastly, I would like to thank all of you, the people who have favorited, liked, and/or commented on the story. You don’t understand how much it means to me to see how you’re enjoying the story, and to discuss with some of you what you think is going on or simply your thoughts about what I’ve written. Truth be told, I wouldn’t be writing if you guys didn’t show your support. You might think that you’re going to make a dumb comment or something and it’s going to offend me, but unless you’re being blatantly rude to me personally or trashing on my work with no justifiable explanation, I enjoy reading what you type out from across the nation, hell, even the globe itself. Let it be known that I read every one of your comments, and take each and every one of them to heart. Seeing what you guys think of my story keeps me writing on and on and on. I can’t thank you all enough for that motivation.

Now that the thank-yous are aside, I believe it’s time to talk a little bit about what’s happening next. First off, I’m going to be releasing another story before I get to the finale of the Commander Hurricane trilogy. It has nothing to do with Commander Hurricane, and as such, it deserves to be covered in a blog post instead of a story it’s unrelated to. However, I will drop a name here: A Rainbow of a Different Color.

While I’m working on that story, I will be simultaneously writing the third installment of the trilogy. You didn’t think this story would end with the show, did you? There’s still much more to be covered in the first years of the new and vulnerable nation of Equestria that rounds out Commander Hurricane’s story. There are still conflicts to be fought and loved ones to be lost, and I will be working as hard as I can to make it a fitting conclusion to the trilogy. It will be titled The Summer Lands, and if any of you have read LoyalLiar’s works and know what the Summer Lands are, then you know already how this story is likely to end. After all, none of my stories ever have a truly happy ending, and you should never expect them to. That just isn’t how I write.

But I’ll be damned if I don’t make it a good one.

That’s it. Once again, I cannot thank you all enough for all your support and everything you’ve done to help me write such a wonderful story for you all to enjoy. I look forward to seeing you all again on my later works.

Ante Legionem nihil erat, et nihil erit post Legionem

-The 24th Pegasus

“...But what about Twilight and Rainbow Dash?”

Okay, you caught me. Yes, there’s still a little bit left to do in Snow and Shadows. But that won’t be posted until the first chapter of The Summer Lands is ready. So you have that to look forward to, and it’ll serve as a notification to those of you who aren’t following me when the next story is out. So, see you then!

P.S. It’s also my 19th birthday in exactly three days (August 22nd). I’ll be damned if I don’t get any cake or birthday wishes from you all.