Three hundred years ago, Equestria almost invaded the peaceful and idyllic nation of Cavallia, the homeland of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.

The invasion would have been accidental.

It was quite awkward.

There's a lot of things about Cadance and Shining Armor that never quite made sense: their sudden appearance before the Royal Wedding; their suspiciously convenient suitability as rulers of the Crystal Empire; their oddly abbreviated pregnancy; and even their quick change of heart after Spike asked them to forgive Thorax.

Twilight Sparkle knows exactly how deep that conspiracy goes — she was there in the beginning, when her hive's queen created Shining. And she wasn't happy about it.

Finalist in the "Things Left Unsaid" December 2015 Writeoff! Rewritten and greatly expanded to fill in more backstory and to account for Season 6 canon.

Rated 'Worth Reading' by Titanium Dragon! "If [you like] the idea of a story which hints at a greater conspiracy behind the scenes which explains some of the plot holes we see in the series, you’ll likely enjoy this."
Reviewed by Matthewl419!

Cover art by Lo-23, using Twilight from "Deception is Magic" by Heilos.

"Then Twilight looked up at me with this shattered look, and I realized....
Her foal is dead on account of I let him realize that we’re all just Winonas."

The first draft was a co-bronze-medalist in the the MLPChan /fic/ writeoff for December 2012.

The talented Ponychan /art/ denizen Spirit Shine provided us with a beautifully poignant portrait of Spike's First New Year's Alone as a picture prompt (also: was gracious enough to let me use the image as a cover). I ran with it and decided to have Applejack kill Spike.

It's not as bad as it sounds. Luna's there to keep him company.

Spike's eleven year nap is interrupted by a little filly in his treehouse...

Third place winner in The Writeoff Association's June event, "A Matter of Perspective"

Now with a Spanish Translation, by SPANIARD KIWI.

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!

Sometimes, dreams are all we have. Sometimes, that's enough.

Hidden deep within a maze, well away from prying eyes, there is a statue. The last great work of an artist long forgotten, her time-worn visage watches the raising and setting of the sun and the moon as though enraptured.
Who created such a marvel, this sculpture of copper and brass, of crystal and cog, and why, is unknown, lost to the mists of time... until now.

This is the tale of a painter and a clockmaker, and the love they shared.
This is the tale of a dreamer, who knew only her dream.

Now with reading by Illya Leonov: Listen to it here.

Ant Mill is a college student, stuck in a dead-end internship she took just to fulfill her requirements. All she does is doodle and wish she was somewhere else, but when she has a chance encounter with the Princess of Friendship herself, she gains a new perspective.

Written for the Title Drop writeoff event. Edited by the illustrious Cold in Gardez.

Now with a reading by Dr. Wolf!

The Highmarch of the griffin hegemony claims Equestrian soil. To prevent bloodshed, Luna sends herself to challenge its nobility in single combat in their arena. However, as Luna reflects, ponies are not made for fighting.

It is good, then, that Luna is as cold as starlight.

(Finalist in the Writeoff event #33, "Closing Time")

A tale from history. A pegasus, broken and injured. Alone in a cave.

A voice in the dark.

Rumors of a dark cult on the rise are circulating around Equestria. As Princess, Twilight Sparkle has no choice but to investigate this potentially dangerous development.

When she finds that the cult is worshiping her as a divine figure, things become more uncomfortable.

So Twilight falls back to her safe answer: consulting with Celestia for advice.

Unfortunately, Celestia's answers are not what Twilight expected.

Written for Fan of Most Everything's Imposing Sovereigns II contest with the combined prompt of Twilight Sparkle and The New.

Featured 10/24/19-10/30/19!

And with a reading by The Mystery Fluttershy Fan!

Featured in Equestria Daily's 44 Awesome Fanfics to Read for Twilight Day! on 8/6/2020!

Now with a Spanish translation by Spaniard Kiwi!

And reviewed by HapHazred! And also by Loganberry!

And by PresentPerfect with a rating of Recommended!

And with a Chinese translation by jazspid available here!