Darkness holds dominion over the world. Cinders of Sun and Moon gathered from a long-forgotten catastrophe are all that remain to shelter the village from the consuming void. But their power wanes. Lanterns of Sun and Moon held close against his chest, a stallion takes up the mantle of light bearer and forges into the abyss to return light to a world that has all but forgotten it.

Beyond the safety of the village gates, he will meet a voice of shadows and starlight, and many are the revelations it has of the world he thought he knew so well.

7/10/19 update: This story has been completely remastered to meet my 2019 writing standards! Enjoy!
Love this story? It's available in hardback and paperback!

[Cover art by Ventious]

In a futuristic Equestria where cybernetic implants are as common as jewelry, Celestia sends her student Twilight Sparkle to locate her five missing research aides during an outbreak of strange pony behavior in Ponyville. As Twilight tracks down the missing aides, it soon becomes apparent that a larger threat is behind their vanishing, and it seems that Ponyville is just the beginning. Can she stop this ancient evil from plunging Equestria into chaos? A crossover with the Mega Man series.

Many thanks to ChromeMyriad for being an awesome reviewer and helping me improve the fic's quality.

[Complete! With TVTropes apparently!]
Also, apparently, an animated trailer.

In a world of brass and steam, Twilight Sparkle had thought she had made a life-changing discovery with the invention of the telescope. For better or worse, she was correct.

Now her discovery has not only changed her life, but the lives of those she seeks out in her desperate attempt to contact the only other creature as lonely as Twilight herself.

It all would have been much simpler, but it had to be the one Twilight could only call The Mare on the Moon.

Decidedly not within walking distance, then.

[Featured on EQD before story was meant to be submitted. 4/03/2015]

[Editing team: Southpaw, Wolfvenom, Maskedferret, SwanSong and BluePaladin42, without whom this story would be a fraction of its current state.]
[Special thanks to Novel-Idea for the updated cover]

Zecora is known to lead a peaceful existence, alone in the Everfree Forest, lending a helping hoof or advice when asked. But her story began in a very different way, long ago and far away, amidst silk, incense, blood and treachery.

Image source: Giulia Beck

Thanks to Meridian Prime and The Fool for prereading and editing.

Thanks to Quill Scratch for a last check.

Got featured on EQD!

A breakfast conversation between the princesses turns toward Celestia's long history of losing fights.

Blank Slate is the greatest thief of his generation. He has robbed countless nigh-impossible marks, and his talents as a master of disguise are beyond par - truly, nopony knows who he is.

And now he's preparing the greatest heist in mortal memory: the treasure vaults of the Princesses themselves.

But you have to get up pretty early in the morning to get one past the pony who defines when ‘early in the morning’ is…

Spoilers in the comments! Beware! Beware...

Audio Reading available - thank you ABagOVicodin
Czech Translation available - Thank you Keranis

Twilight Sparkle conducts an experiment and succeeds in obtaining an unusual flower with some intriguing properties.

What it could teach her, however, might prove to be more than she bargained for. She finds herself having to face surprising—and maybe frightening—new possibilities about the universe. How does it work? What is 'real', exactly? And why are these suddenly such uncomfortable and challenging questions for her?

Pre-reading and editing for this story was done by Grand Moff Pony, The Dobermans, SIGAWESOME, Reese, Georg, LCranston, and Equestria Daily pre-readers 63.546 and Slorg. Many thanks to all of them for helping this get where it is!

Now with an audio reading by TheDizzyDan!

It's been two and a half years since Twilight Sparkle returned from the other world, leaving Sunset Shimmer in the company of the alternate group of friends she made. However, not all has gone well for her one-time rival in the other world. On the night of the 30th moon, Sunset emerges from the mirror and uses an ancient relic to switch their bodies. Alone in the care of Sunset's overbearing ex-tutor, Twilight uncovers the forgotten past that drove her rival to such desperation, while back in Ponyville, Sunset struggles with Twilight's lifestyle clashing with her own dreams.

Proofreaders: RTStephens, Winter Solstice, The Albinocorn, Dartrunner and NightWolf289.
Cover art: FallingRain22

Featured by Twilight's Library September 2014.
Featured on Equestria Daily

Tirek's free subscription to Better Lairs and Landscaping magazine nearly led to the end of Equestria as we know it.

In the deserts of Saddle Arabia, an explorer finds more than he bargained for in an ancient tomb.