Rainbow Dash flies east.

Rainbow Dash turns thirty, and it's just like any week, month, year, or decade of her life.

No important political meetings to attend? Check! No letters to answer? Check! A magical and child-safe gift for Flurry Heart that she's sure to love? Check!

Her schedule was clear. Shining and Cadence were off on vacation. She'd prepared all her materials. Twilight Sparkle was more than ready to spend a fun-filled weekend babysitting her favorite niece.

But she wasn't prepared for King Sombra's return. Nopony could prepare to be trapped with him inside a storybook of fairy tales.

And nopony's ever ready for an unhappy ending...

Proofread by: Alicornpriest

Winner of November 2017 NaPoWriMo: Goal of 50k smashed!

Now Featured on Equestria Daily - First hit the Featured Box on April 28th!

1000 years ago, the Crystal Empire disappeared, leaving one pony lost, homeless, and full of self-blame.

Dedicating herself to discovering what happened and setting things right, Radiant Hope departed for the Frozen North, looking to find and understand Sombra's people. What she finds instead is the frontier town of Whinnysburg, where a deadly plague is swiftly winnowing the population. It seems like it will be an easy task for such a powerful healer to halt the plague and save the town.

But when the plague proves immune to even Radiant Hope's powerful healing magic, she vows to use any means necessary in order to defeat it. In the ensuing struggle, she will encounter an evil unlike anything she has ever known. To overcome it, Hope may have to tread on darker paths herself, paths that may just lead to her alliance with the Umbrum and the near-demise of the Crystal Empire 1000 years in the future.