As day ends and night begins, there is a brief window of time in which the two royal sisters meet on equal terms, neither one firmly in complete control.

In these times of quiet reflection with one another, their minds and their hearts can truly meet most closely. This is when they see each other the most clearly, here in the trading and in the game they play.

Note: The game in this story can actually be replayed if you're interested! Get the text of the .pgn (portable game notation) file at http://pastebin.com/NY258GJx, copy it to your clipboard, and paste into the PGN text box at http://chesstempo.com/pgn-viewer.html for a JavaScript based replay right in your web browser, or save it as your own .pgn text file and replay with the game viewer software of your choice (you can find one by Googling for "pgn viewer" - not to be confused with "png viewer", though, which is completely different).

It's not terribly important, however. Alternately, you can ignore the game replay and just read the story without it, which most people probably will. Other options for replay are in the notes at the bottom of the story.

Once upon a time a selfish princess who raised the Sun and took an entire world put it inside a dream so she could test a prince she favored. But the princess was afraid she might break her prince, so she tested her dream machine on a vagabond, leaving the vagabond with a happy life inside the dream as repayment for his cruel mistreatment. In the end she she broke her prince all the same, and the world itself inside her dream machine died beneath a melting Silver Sky.

The prince did not loose faith in the selfish princess and would have forgiven any mistreatment, but the cost of breaking an entire world is dear. The world of the selfish princess was itself placed inside a dream by a selfish princess who raised the Moon so that she could fix a pony who was never really broken. And when he awakened the world of the selfish princess of the sun faded away like the silver stars with dawn’s first light.

This is the story of the vagabond.

It wouldn't hurt to read David Silver's Silververse Stories if you haven't already. This is a shared universe story, and the stories do occasionally cross-reference, though it's not strictly necessary to read both, It might clear up occasional confusion.

This story is a sequel to Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here

What do you get when you place a pompous, prissy and petulant prince with an absolutely insane former extraterrestrial individual with a bad case of Chaos?

Love, adventures, spying, strong desires to strangle the other, romance, lots and lots of foals, grimdark, pudding, cults, injustice, justice, strong friendship, weak sanity, history, stories, a rocket jumpsuit, three opportunities to take over the world and a cockatrice. On Sunday.

Things… You get things.

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And when you're especially lucky, you get a great cover art from an artist like Mix-up (also seen on fimfic here)

This story is a sequel to The Best Man

Evan Sedmak would never leave his little brother hanging.And when a family emergency means he needs someone to watch his kids, he’s ready to go.After all, it’s what a big brother does.

Of course, there’s the little issue that his brother lives in Equestria, magical land of ponies.He may have helped care for his little brother in his childhood, but can he be ready to care for an earth pony colt and an infant unicorn filly?

(This story uses characters from earlier stories, but can be read independently.)

This story is a sequel to Painted Horses

For six years, I’ve endured the world’s longest commute, secretly working in Equestria. And no one is the wiser.

Wait. Why is there an IRS agent at my door?

(While this story uses characters from previous stories, it can be read as a standalone story.)

This story is a sequel to The Taxman Cometh

Evan Sedmak was honored to be named the best man for his little brother's wedding. But his brother didn't mention that the wedding was taking place in Equestria, or that he would actually be the best stallion.

(This story uses characters from previous stories, but can be read on its own.)

Alright, this sounds utterly stupid, I know, but... I've made a deal with Discord. WAIT! DON'T LEAVE YET! I... I didn't want to... much. Alright, I was just too scared to tell him "no". He wants to play a game... help?

...

The rules?

Oh, from now on, every time I fall asleep in the human world, I get transported to Equestria, into a new body. I can stay as long as I don't give up, even until I die apparently! If I do, I get sent back to our world. Discord, being so bored in his statue, will influence my fate while I'm in Equestria. The game will only last ten rounds, at most.

...I'm doomed.

Jonathan Lockhart feels closer to his fellow fans than his friends and family. He knows magic isn't real, and there's no way he can journey into that fictional world, though that doesn't stop him from wishing. But then, much to his surprise, he falls through a portal. The outcome is not at all what he imagined.

With the help of some new friends, John has to figure out what happened, why it happened, and most importantly, how he can get home.

Set during Season Two.

This story is a sequel to Crossing Over

Falling through a portal to a land of talking ponies is not generally a good idea. It was a lesson Jonathan Lockhart learned the hard way four years ago. So why isn’t he running away from this strange glowing sphere in his friend’s apartment?

An old friend is in trouble. She has to be in trouble, if she crossed over again. Were it not for the friendships he forged on that occasion four years ago, he may never have gotten out alive. By following through, he could repay that debt.

A new friend is in trouble, too. It is his apartment where the portal appeared, and he is nowhere to be found. Jonathan’s unique experience made him realize that traveling to one’s favorite universe is never a good thing.

His new friend is in the most trouble of all. He wants to be there. And that means he might not want to be found. And if all this is part of another plot, they don’t have the luxury of waiting.

It’s enough to make a man look forward to going back to the office on Monday.

Set during Season Three.

This story is a sequel to Following Through

All I want is a quiet Christmas with my family, followed by a beach vacation with my friends. But even in this quiet Florida town, I can’t escape a place called Equestria, a fantastic world I visited against my will twice before. There’s something strange happening here, a malicious magic in this world which is supposed to be free of magic, and we’re the only humans that can do anything about it.

At least we won’t be forced to go back to Equestria this time. The problem is on Earth, so the ponies are coming here. Now, how are we going to get these ponies used to their new human bodies in time to stop this crisis?

[Although this story uses the characters from previous works, it can be read independently.]

Updates Tuesday and Friday.