This story is a prequel to What does it mean to be?

Twilight Sparkle has a problem.
And she needs to fix it.

Celestia tries to stop Sunset from leaving.

Written for the A Thousand Words Contest II Contest in the Drama Category.

Preread by The Sleepless Beholder and TCC56.

To find out more about the evil pony they were warned about, Izzy and Sunny seek out the legendary Princess Twilight Sparkle herself for answers. More specifically, how to find the evil pony and win her over to the side of good with the power of friendship.

They quickly realise that, contrary to what Twilight wrote in her Friendship Journals and what was depicted in Sunny’s favourite cartoon growing up, ‘Guardians of Harmony: The Power of Friendship’, some of Twilight’s foes that eventually became friends didn’t do so of their own accord.

Unfortunately, Tirek has taken over Equestria, stolen all its magic, and is now running amok, destroying everything he sees.

Unfortunately for Tirek, the United States Air Force isn't too keen on having allied nations invaded by giant goat-demons. In go the A-10 Warthogs.

Rated T for some gore, cursing, and lots of BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT.
Recommended listening

Each night I’m trapped in the dark, immobilized. I hear whispers as they operate on me: they say I shouldn’t be alive. Twilight refuses to tell me about the operation. Sometimes she can’t look me in the eye. What did they do to me?

Nothing used to scare me: I kicked a dragon in the nose, defeated gods of chaos and hatred, and control the weather. Now I feel broken. My memories have shattered, I feel wrong, and I’m afraid to tell anypony how scared I am.

I can’t even do the rainboom anymore. Who am I? I’m no longer the best flyer in Equestria, yet everypony assures me I am. Why won’t they tell me the truth?
↓↓ Credits

Special Thanks:
Dreampaw the artist. Best cover art.
Editors:
ArgonMatrix - Fixed 128 errors in chapter one alone.
Animus - who is awesome and for hire.
BronyWriter - The only author to punch Celestia in the face, and live.
Jaestring - Artist, Editor, and Female all in one.
Abcron - European editor, which means his time zone and my actual sleep schedule are aligned perfectly!
The Parasprite. Need I say more?
Selbi - If your editor isn't German, you aren't trying hard enough.
OctaviaHarmony - His avatar is as sexy as his editing.
RenegadeTimelord - Doctor who?
Akumokagetsu - Awesomesauce.
(Wow, a lot of editors came and went.)

While working in the dream realm, Luna meets with a terminally ill filly and carries out a task that never gets easier, though she has performed it countless times.

This story now has a YouTube reading by Mystery Pony Fiction with Lotus Moon as Luna! https://youtu.be/eLbNgGqroA8

Everyone always tells Twilight that the ones who love us never truly leave us.

But that's a lie. It's always been a lie.

Things that live must also die. It's simply the cycle of life, and that cycle doesn't care about love or the pain it causes.

Until one day, that cycle is broken by a forgotten figure from her past: a little tortoise who's not so little anymore.

This story is, first and foremost, a gift for the incomparable Mushroom, who clearly must be some sort of undiscovered species of fungus dog since we definitely don't deserve her. I have it on good authority that this story gave her Many Feelings, and I hope it gives them to you, too. :)

This also won first place in the of the Quills and Sofas Speedwriting '2021 Gift Fic Exchange' contest portion, which is neat.

Cover art commissioned from the lovely Shaslan!

One week after the Fall Formal, Principal Celestia is surprised to learn that a near-catatonic Sunset Shimmer has been calling out for her in the girl's sleep. Sunset has been unresponsive even to professional medical authorities, so what could have prompted her to call out in her sleep for an educator who had only occasionally interacted with her?

Cover art by The Sleepless Beholder

Sequel: Left Behind: Sunny Disposition
Apparently it was scouted and is on EqD too

Nightmare Moon was meant to be released after a thousand years. A momentous occasion for her but terrifying for all the ponies on her day of freedom. She would get revenge on her sister and cover the world in darkness and shape everything to fit it.

That was the plan, at least. Instead, something went awry with the spell and she wasn't released when she was supposed to be. The mare-in-the-moon is brought into a world with stagnated technology, giant cities, and no sign of her sister or any of the other immortals. In fact, ponies don't seem terrified of her at all, and the stay within the core of her powers infused and changed the alicorn's body drastically.

The alicorn had no obstacles left! But...she was also a relic of the past. A past everyone seemed to have forgotten. A past she could no longer look upon.

Artwork by ElkaArt. Link in source.
Big thanks to Kryostase for helping spot errors I've missed.

It's a beautiful day in the city of Cantershot, and Princess Killestia isn't taking Twifight Sparkill's suspicions seriously. How is she supposed to defeat an Ancient Good if she has to travel to Ponykill to make more minions? All the ponies there are crazy! And who is this strange creature with mismatched limbs that keeps trying to interfere with Spike's day?

This is a crackfic. It is a crackfic I have taken way too seriously. Please don't read into the crackfic, it's entirely an excuse to come up with a bunch of super edgy pony name substitutions.

Edit: Now with an excellent reading by Skijarama!