The Library of the Crystal Empire vanished for 1,000 years with the city itself, taking (and ironically preserving) ancient tomes of magic long thought lost to Equestria. Now, in order to protect their own world from Equestrian magic, Sunset Shimmer and the human Twilight Sparkle will plumb the library's depths, accompanied by Starlight Glimmer, Sunburst, and the Great and Powerful Trixie, in order to find the answers they seek.

But soon they are swept up in an experiment conducted by none other than Starswirl the Bearded, who seeks to aid a friend of Equestria, the infamous Tempest Shadow (Fizzlepop Berrytwist) in restoring her broken horn.

One magical ritual, a dose of dimensional-duplicate-insecurities, and a mountain of existential crises later, and... well. Let's just say that Starlight might finally have some company in the "I destroyed Equestria" club.

Part of the Anarchyverse

It's over. She's been with Celestia for years. She's absolved Luna of her crimes. She's been instrumental in defeating Sombra, and has revealed a Changeling invasion. She's even helped in reforming Discord. And now, her time is over. In the time that she's had, she's tried to do her best. She's tried so hard to live up to what other ponies expect of her.

And they were happy with how she was shaping up.

They wanted her to succeed.

Now all they want is to see her dead.

Story has been pre-read or otherwise edited by these fantastic ponies people:
Blood Lord
Ecstatic
seeker9709
PsyonicG

We must have shared a womb.

Sometimes twins eat each other in the womb.

Gold medalist in the 1000 words contest (group / info). Category: grim

Warning: the following fic contains cannibalism. It is technically a spoiler, so proceed through all with caution.

"I'm not sure you wanna take that job, Spike. The score-keepin' can get a mite intense."
"Yeah. Starlight used to do it, but now... Well, I can't even say the word "trivia" around her."
-Applejack and Sunburst, A Trivial Pursuit

Starlight tells the harrowing story of her experience score keeping at Trivia Trot.

This story is a sequel to Austraeoh

A lone stallion arrives from a faraway land, looking for a place called "Ponyville."

Early one morning, Twilight Sparkle gets up to make some tea.

Sometimes, a cup of tea is just a cup of tea. This is not one of those times.

Princess Celestia tires of constantly being surrounded by decorum, deference, and formality, and decides to take a day off from being Princess. But visiting Ponyville incognito is harder than she expects. Will she be able to fit in and make friends without blowing her cover?

In the aftermath of her battle against Tirek, Twilight Sparkle is unwell. She wants more. She needs more. And she is afraid of what others might think of her.

But even in the midst of her growing despair that she has betrayed everything she stood for, she learns something about friendship and what it means to be an alicorn.

Following her tragic death by yet another villain of the week, Twilight Sparkle finds herself facing something all alicorns eventually uncover.

The continue screen.

Vinyl remembers the doll. It's unmistakably hers, right down to the peanut butter stain on the left foot. Except it's in Octavia's closet, and Octavia insists it's always been hers. Why do they have the same doll – and the same memory?

Thanks to Solstice Shimmer, BaeroRemedy, Oliver, Mitch H, Cursed Quill and Admiral Biscuit for editing, feedback, writing assistance, fact checking and extraordinary patience.

“These otherworldly phenomenons are surprisingly interesting.”

— MrWolfeyes2

“This has been one hell of a ride. I would go so far as to call this a minor masterpiece. It is quite unlike anything I have read up to this point (and I have read, approximately, a metric shit ton,) and it has left a real impression on me. So many try for the psychological mystery and fail horribly, but this was incredible. The reinterpretation of classic characters, concepts, and scenes from the show were amazing. With so many, I expected a few to fall flat, but you nailed every one.”

— FallenFromGlory

“So intriguing...
I can't stop reading it!”

— artofwar77

“I like that this story is bringing up topics now that are incredibly complicated from both a moral and existential standpoint. [...]
Ok, ok, tldr; I like this a lot, because it’s making me and others think about the possibilities.”

— Moosetasm