In the waning days of the Crystal Empire, three young students come together in an unlikely alliance: a King, a Princess... and a Queen... who has little reason to like either of the other two...

Given how readily King Sombra, Queen Chrysalis, and Radiant Hope teamed up as allies in the Siege of the Crystal Empire, what might have happened if they'd actually formed that alliance a long time ago?

Note: as usual, I treat the comic storylines as an excellent starting point and reference, but not as absolute canon.

Radiant Hope thought she could save Sombra from himself. Instead, she lost everything.

Alone and hurting, Hope finds her way to Seaddle and tries to settle down into a quiet and obscure life where she can be left to her sorrow. That is, until she crosses paths with Starlight Glimmer, who realizes that Hope could be the key to setting her own dubious plans into motion. They may not like each other, but before either of them knows it, a series of events launches them on a perilous journey along the western coast of Equestria and they must depend upon each other to survive.

Enter a devotee of Starlight's who takes this whole "Equality" thing a little too seriously, a quack doctor with an ego the size of Manehatten, a wandering lunatic that's convinced he's Starswirl the Bearded, and a secret agent intent on protecting the princesses at all costs, and things get complicated rather quickly. Everypony has their own agenda and nothing is what it appears to be. Through it all, Hope and Starlight will be forced to take a hard look at their lives and the choices they've made. But if they can manage to make peace with their respective pasts, our heroines might just have a shot at that rarest of things; redemption.

(For Radiant Hope, this story diverges at the conclusion the Siege of the Crystal Empire arc (Issue 37). It diverges between The Cutie Map and The Cutie Re-Mark for Starlight Glimmer.)

Nothing foils a good plan for revenge like having your plot explained to your target, and then being forced to spend time with said target without murdering them.

This is a lesson Chrysalis will learn during one of the strangest days of her life, courtesy of an insane (or possibly just inane) draconequus.

As for Starlight, well, it's not like she was doing anything. What's a guidance counselor in a school of friends even do? Honestly.

TL;DR Discord tries to forcibly ship Starlight Glimmer and Chrysalis.

Now has sequelitis! https://www.fimfiction.net/story/411966/discord-vs-harmony-the-greeting-card-industry-strikes-back

A lawyer doesn't always want to know what really happened. It's a tightrope walk. Whether or not the lawyer believes in his client's innocence is not the issue. It's his duty to defend his client - no more and no less.
— Ferdinand von Schirach

Proofreading done by Dancing Mop, Sevenofeleven, Setokaiva and N4.
Credit for many images goes to N4.

Now also featured on TvTropes.org!

Nearly one year has passed since Australian pilots discovered Equestria in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

Now the world watches in awe as, with the Princesses' blessings, one of the most ferocious and dangerous tyrants of the equine world - none other than Chrysalis, the Queen of all Changelings - is marched before one of the highest courts of law of the human world - the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the Netherlands.

But the Queen is wrathful and determined, still one of the planet's single most powerful creatures.
How can mere humans, who know next to nothing of her mystical home, achieve justice for the Equestrians?

Alexander Estermann is a conceited defence attorney who will have to wade through a quagmire of vengeance, racism, manipulation, lies, hearsay and self-deception to get to the core of the affair.
Seemingly the whole world is working against him - up and including the Queen herself.

Rated teen for liberal swearing and gore for minor gory descriptions and pictures.

Disclaimer: This is not a story that is meant to reflect reality. Several things about international law have been changed to accomodate the scenario and make it, well, readable. If that should offend you for any reason, I wish to apologise in advance.

Through a miraculous and cruel twist of fate, Sombra has survived death yet again. However, his many defeats have left him broken and near feral, and the Princesses see no option but to lock him away. Starlight Glimmer, seeing more than the rage and hate the others see, feels pity for the fallen king, and offers to take Sombra under her care to try and reform him.

She quickly finds out Sombra's more broken than anyone believes, and it's going to be a rocky road to redemption, but even the darkest shadows can take solace in the starlight.

Cover art drawn by my sister, linked in the art itself.