For years, Sweetie Belle has secretly been turning to video games for relief from her insecurities. Now a talented member of an elite team of gamers from around the world, she has come to rely on her new friends for companionship and support as she bears the rising pressures of her coming-of-age.

But when a sudden gaming cutie mark reveals her secret to everyone she knows, she's forced to contend with her uncertainties over what it means for her future, along with a fresh wave of bullying at school, jealousy from her childhood friends, and mounting expectations from her family.

As she takes her first unsteady steps into adulthood, she may learn she's not the only one hiding a secret, and that her journey to self-discovery isn't one she walks alone.

A story about how kids raised in the age of the Internet have come to rely on online communities to escape from society's expectations for them and achieve the best, most authentic versions of themselves.

I'm lost, but I don't know where I'm from.
I miss them, but I don't know who they are.
My name is Rainbow Dash, but I don't know who I am, or what happened to me.

And I don't know if I'll ever be the same again.

Editing provided by LoyalLiar, Ruirik, and Mooretis. Cover art also provided by Ruirik.
Russian translation provided by Athlete; you can find it here.

The war between Nightmare Moon and Princess Celestia has destroyed Equestria, leaving the few survivors to struggle to survive in a dying world of eternal twilight. Fluttershy, twisted by the war, now ekes out an existence in Everfree forest, but even that life is under threat. Twilight Sparkle is coming, leading the last army of Dawn, and she will let nothing stop her from retrieving the Elements of Harmony and saving the world; not even old friends.

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First Place in the Equestria Daily More Most Dangerous Game contest

With thanks to Luna-tic Scientist, Lord Of Dorkness, Nopony_Important and Monanniverse for their help in bringing this story to completion. Cover art is credit to 5kmoe.

[img]http://i.imgur.com/X4NpPxt.jpg[/img]

When Sunset Shimmer lost her position as Princess Celestia's personal protege, she set forth with a plan to become stronger than Celestia could ever imagine. This plan involved traveling through a mirror, that took her to a land far different than she could have ever expected. This is the story of the years she spent in this new world.

An Equestria Girls prequel fic, focusing on what happened when Sunset Shimmer came to the human world. Where she lived, how she handled it, how she adjusted, and how she became who she was by the time Equestria Girls came to be.