Long have the ponies of Equestria reveled in the tales and legends of their diarchs... Two alicorn brothers, one the incarnate Prince of Day and the other of Night, who together work their ancient magic to protect and enrich the lives of ponies throughout the land.
In real life, they're a little different.
If you enjoy this story, please try its sister work, Nights Awake. (Coming soon!)

Ponies across Equestria know Prince Solaris to be kind, forgiving, and empathetic. Ponies within Canterlot know him to be aloof and possessed of an incomprehensible sense of humor. There are so many facades the Prince of Day must adopt, so many roles he must play to keep Equus spinning. Is a pony- even a God's- worth determined by those that know them? What if, underneath all his masks.... nopony really does?

It's a normal day in Ponyville. Elusive, Rainbow Blitz, and Bubble Berry are all hanging out and having a good time until Blitz offends Elusive's honor as a stallion. Now the three have a bet, the objective: Get a date with one of their close friends, Applejack Twilight Sparkle, and Fluttershy.

This story contains R63 on three of the mane six and a few other characters. This idea was spawned by the picture.

Warning may contain massive Dwaa's and a few clichés.

Just how different are mares and stallions in approaching friendship problems?

Twilight and Spike intend to find out, and it seems like the perfect excuse to jump into an alternate universe. Specifically, one where everypony was born the opposite gender.

Male ADHD!Twilight, Female Jerk!Spike, Everyone else is canonically the same personality-wise but I can't say the same for gender.
Warning: Sexual References, Off-Character Rule 63 on some characters, swearing, rather harsh backstory, constant reminders of how Dusk Shine is best pony, everypony hates main character, and more.

Dusk Shine is a genius with a horrible case of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, he cannot sit still for more than five minutes without becoming jittery and unfocused, unable to focus on one thing at a time, and uncontrollable impulsiveness. Despite this disorder, Dusk Shine has gone on to do many great feats and accomplishments.

Dusk Shine shows pride in his talent and accomplishments, maybe a little too much. Actually excessive to the point where many psychologists believe Dusk Shine has a God-like Complex. Actually, Dusk Shine just thinks he's better than everyone.

If only Dusk Shine wasn't such an annoying, selfish jerk to Celestia by mistake, he wouldn't be forced to watch over the preparations of the boring Summer Sun Celebration instead of preparing for the return of Nightmare Moon.

Dusk Shine's Superiority Complex is brought to you by inspiration from this chap.

It's the end of the school year and Butterscotch is having a small movie night for all of his friends. To bad Eris isn't a big fan of that.

***WARNING THIS STORY CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING!***

-Shipping
-R63
-Humanized cast
-Really bad descriptions in the description text boxes

***PLEASE TURN BACK NOW IF YOU DISLIKE ANY OF THE PREVIOUS***

Edited by WickedLSDragon
Cover art by inverseskies and used with artist permisson
Thank you so much for all of your help!
Image URL

Princess Luna still feels alone, nineteen years after her return to Equestria . But when she finds a friend in an online game, everything seems better. She can be herself without worrying about what others think, and she can finally talk to another pony, even if he never knows who she really is.

Celestia is worried about her sister, especially right now. Upcoming peace talks with a powerful new nation mean that all the Princesses need to be completely ready. With her Luna so absorbed in a fantasy world, she wonders how she'll make it through the harrowing weeks to come.

Button Mash feels like a failure. He's still living at home, he still can't find work that can use his degree from the university, and he still feels alone. His friends are getting married, starting families, and thriving in their careers. On the plus side, he plays games regularly, and his best friend is a mare, even if she doesn't know his name. He hopes that his upcoming vacation to Canterlot might help his mindset.

But, unbeknownst to all of them, a sinister web within a dark plot threatens to ensnare Equestria... And Luna may be the only one able to stop it.

She may face it alone, or maybe she'll have some help from her knight in faded armor...

Cover art credit to yamashta. Link here.

Preread by -TGM- and Goldenwing

Edited by m1ntf4n, PheonixStarr, Wing, and the_Doc, and Swan Song, and Orion Caelum.

Follows canon up to about season 4 or so. I'm not sure when everything went off the rails, but it was originally as true as possible when initially written.

Link to the Discord chat HERE!

Warning: The following story contains a rule 63 or gender-swap of Twilight and Celestia, which means this story will be a m/m romance. So if you don't like that sort of thing, you know where the exit button is.

Not long after moving into his new home, Prince Dusk Shine gets an unexpected visit from Prince Solaris who seemed to be a bit out of character. Not only that, but the hundreds of letters the Sun Prince accidentally sent, he had them burned immediately.

However, thanks to Dusk's number one dragoness, a few of these letters escaped the inferno.

So what was in these letters that mad Solaris wanted to burn them before Dusk reads them?

A huge thank you to his Highness, PrinceCelestia for the cover art. As well as Shadeol for volunteering to proofread this.

This story is a sequel to +1 Up

Ever since that day Button lost to Double Points in Street Fighter, the two became great friends. Friends who would meet everyday to duke it out in Street Fighter, to trade Pocket Monsters with their Joyboys and to compare high scores in Pac-Pony. As the two get older, going on High School years, they seem to get closer. Too close for Sweetie Belle's comfort. Now she tries to split the gaming duo so she can show her true feelings for Button without Double Points getting in the way.

But, that's easier said, than done.

~:This story also deserves a Sad tag, but I can't officially add it because Illuminati:~

Going to the local arcade isn't new for Button Mash. Whenever he got his allowance, he would spend nearly every bit he earned for a few minutes of game play. During one of his game play sessions, he's surprised to be payed a visit by a filly his age who she claims to be called Double Points. Him and her engage in Gaming Combat.

The Canterlot Caverns are a strange and enigmatic place, untouched and forgotten by pony-kind for centuries. So when a strange metal object is unearthed in their depths, it's up to Twilight Sparkle and Lyra Heartstrings to discover the many secrets it holds.

Together, the two of them will have to do their best to understand the remnants of an ancient civilization, and decipher what remains of Those Who Came Before.

The cover-image is a cleverly edited stock image, which was modified by the stupendous Corvo.
Proofreading was performed by the equally fantastical writers:
Timetraveling Pony (Who started as a proofreader when Cloud was writing this. Hats off to him for being dedicated and staying on as a proofreader for me.)
DustyPwny
Tidal
Superluminous
Night Spark
PhiliChez

And a special Thank You goes to The Sentient Cloud for allowing me the honor of continuing this great story after he retired from writing fimfictions.

As it turns out, this story is eerily similar to Lyra Heartstrings and the Hand of Man. Due to their similarity, I feel that it would be appropriate to give said story a mention.