After putting on the Element of Magic, Sunset Shimmer was shown just how much of a monster she really is. But that wasn't all the Elements did to her.

Sunset has now been forced to serve penance by answering any question truthfully and by doing anything asked of her, whether she wants to or not.

And she really doesn't want to.

Until all of the hatred in her heart is gone, Sunset is at the whim of her peers, unbeknownst to them of course. Can her new "friends" help her down the road to redemption?

If not, there's always that other Twilight Sparkle she keeps running into.

Current editor: Nomad_Sigma
Guest editors: Cerulean Voice, Flint Sparks, Starlight Nova, and Sholan
Extra thanks to Icarus_Gizmo, JustAnotherTimeLord, and HenryAnthonyCourtler

Cover art customized by Amber Spark!

Now with it's own TV Tropes page!
Posted on EQD June 25, 2014
Wanna read it in French?
Or, read the E-Pub version here or the online version here
Now available in print format!

A month or so after the Battle of the Bands, Principal Celestia calls Sunset Shimmer and friends to her office, for a long-overdue discussion.

Edited and smoothed over with help from the ever-patient Little Jackie Papercut.

Sunset has heard in the news that a series of robberies has been occurring in her neighbourhood recently, but never did she believe that she of all people would be a target.
Upon discovering the thieves invading her apartment however, Sunset finds herself thrust into a cavalcade of awkward situations over who she suspects the robbers to be, as she feels that she can neither ignore the situation, nor entrust it to the proper authorities.

Set after the events of Rainbow Rocks

After the Battle of the Bands, Sunset Shimmer struggles to find middle ground between the person she wants to be and the person others at school expect her to be. Thankfully, Twilight Sparkle is a good listener and has enough patience for the both of them. [Post Rainbow Rocks, one-shot] [Slight Sunset Shimmer x Twilight Sparkle]

7/7/2016: Now with cover art designed by the very generous Novel-Idea! Thank you so much!

Isolated from her friends and taken prisoner in the middle of a war, Twilight must deal with the very real dangers of being percieved as an enemy as well as the nightmares of her arrival on 'Earth'. Can she overcome her own fears and the fears of her captors? Will the wayward unicorn's assistance be a boon or a curse to the 'humans?' Most importantly, will she ever find her way home?

"In short, it's a story of friendship and plasma rifles, with the emphasis on the friendship. The characters are well written, the XCOM setting is fleshed out very well, and the story is compelling. If you love XCOM, you'll love the story, but even if you've never heard of it, it's more than worth giving the first 3 chapters a read.

There's excellent action later on, but the real strength lies in the collision between the friendly and naive world of Twilight Sparkle and the desperate world of humans fighting a losing war for survival and willing to do anything to turn the tide."

--Arzoo

(XCOM/FiM crossover)
(Cover art commissioned by a friend and created by the magnificent FoxInShadow!)
(Original cover art by the amazing Carnelian can be viewed here!)
(Gore tag for blood and some violence)
(Many thanks to the studius OminousTen, Arzoo, xXFluttershyForeverXx and finally Setokaiva for giving my rambles a once-over)
(Now with it's own TV Tropes page! Get to tropin' folks!)

The Element of Magic is lost, the portal to Equestria is closed, and Sunset Shimmer is staring down 30 more moons in the human world with despair. But from the ruins of her plans comes hope in the form of Star Swirl the Bearded, a ghostly guide left behind by the Elements of Harmony. Can Sunset Shimmer learn from her failures and earn the friendship of a few friends? Or will the demon one day come back? Who is Sunset Shimmer now?

Fills in the gap from Equestria Girls to Rainbow Rocks, diverging slightly from continuity to tell a more complete story, slowly building Sunset Shimmer back up as a character worthy of having the HuMane 6 as her friends.

Planned to continue on to fill the gaps to the Friendship Games, but that is still TBD.

*** SIGNIFICANT RE-WRITE: Yes, I completely removed the first Arc of the story and integrated parts of it into the second. This has, in my opinion, significantly improved the focus of the tale and creates a more complete story. I apologize for making such a drastic change, but as I continued to edit and re-edit it, I kept coming back to the idea that the first Arc simply wasn't contributing anything exciting to the story.

It has been weeks since the defeat of the Dazzlings, and Sunset Shimmer's friendships have only gotten stronger. Whilst finally relaxing in the times of peace, Sunset discovers an old enemy: Sonata Dusk. Strangely alone and apparently homeless, Sonata's luck seems to be at its all time low.
Seeing a little of herself in the former siren, Sunset embarks on a mission to help Sonata find friendship.

(For anyone who liked the old cover art, here's a side-by-side comparison of the old and new: http://daniel-gleebits.deviantart.com/art/Go-Compare-Twiddles-moustache-581352606 )

TV Tropes page: Feel free to add whatever tropes you find
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/TheEveningSonata

"My name is Lyra Heartstrings, and you will not remember me. You won't even remember this conversation. Just like with everypony else I've ever met, everything I do or say will be forgotten. Every letter I've written will appear blank; every piece of evidence I've left behind will end up missing. I'm stuck here in Ponyville because of the same curse that has made me so forgettable. Still, that doesn't stop me from doing the one thing that I love: making music. If my melodies find their way into your heart, then there is still hope for me. If I can't prove that I exist, I can at least prove that my love for each and every one of you exists. Please, listen to my story, my symphony, for it is me."

Cover pic by Spotlight: askspotlight.tumblr.com

Just a story about two background ponies eating cookies...or is it?

This differs from my usual fare. Basically, it's a short, comedic look at what happens when a couple of otherwise mute and indifferent background ponies decide to one day start pondering their own existence. It's more mature than my regular stuff...definitely for the older audience.

This story was originally a script for an on-stage dialogue between two actors with minimal props. (Namely, a table, two chairs, and a plate of cookies...with maybe one or two bits of costuming just to make the audience know from the start that they're representing background ponies.) But as this site doesn't accept scripts, I've translated it into prose.

The image of cookies used for the story is a public domain image.

“Of what does the existence of the stable dweller consist? Two words describe it entirely. Finiteness is one of those words. . . . The other is monotony.”

No two words better encapsulate the life of Littlepip, Stable 2’s Pip-Buck repair technician. She understands the arguments to the necessity of such an existence. But in the recesses of her deepest thoughts, she despises it, though she’d never admit it to herself, for she can neither tell herself why she despises it nor what she desires more. When a strange encounter in the basement of the stable churns up her subconsciousness and stimulates her contrary notions, she reaches out for support, not knowing for whom to look for support nor whom she must avoid. Her only outlet is the stable’s radio frequency. However, the radio is merely sound. So far under the earth, it would only take the slightest tremor of the stable to mute it forever.

A massive thank-you to Golden Tassel, my faithful editor. This romance would be missing many of its critical elements if it weren’t for him. He's shown an amazing tolerance for putting up with my nonsense and eccentricity—not my eccentricity but my romanticism. There is indeed a difference.

A thank-you to Malicious Muse, for his help with Chapter III.