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!

This story is a sequel to Flying Sky-High

So much has happened in the past year. Friends have been made, battles have been fought, and love has bloomed. Now at long last, Rainbow Dash has the chance of a lifetime: a chance to become a Wonderbolt and instantly be part of an elite squad. However, one of the key judges for the tryout is none other than her love: Soarin. He is bound by his profession to be fair and honest in his selection. Will their relationship give Dash an edge in the tryouts? Or will it strike her down before she even gets there?

Also what of the dark magic within Soarin? He's kept quiet about it for a while, but not all is as well as he lets on.

And what of the Shadowbolts? They scattered after the battle with Nightshade. Surely they didn't just disappear.

A story of remaining strong in the face of harsh challenges. Life and love can be tough, but strong hearts always find a way to prevail.

Originally Edited by: Kestrel (and on occasion: Lucky424)

New editors: Delphina34 and Zoljen

This Fic's length is a bit intimidating, but it is broken into four parts, each of which could be considered their own stories with clear beginnings and conclusions. I decided to keep it all together because it was how my outline was structured (aka i completely underestimated the length).

This is not a Gurren Lagann Crossover. The title was a coincidence. (But said coincidence has led to many references and characters that parody the anime)

Featuring multiple chapter illustrations by: Scootafail/Chiwee, PenumbraGlow0290 Deviantart: darkmoonrising, Colorstrike, and foxenawolf

I also like including pieces of fan art drawn by my readers if they drew certain scenes. So far i have included some fan art by: GlitterDash (Dev art: chessaw), Hopscotch, MyLittleXyo, Ice Blade, mlplover789 (aka NightyScribbles), EchoSong, sweet Isolation, Pie Is Epic, melovedogs123, CowgirlVK, CrystalMelody_kc, Noble Savage (Deviant art: thatdamntenpin), Those Kids In The Corner/Catalyst, natis120, eveyannie, PhonicBoom, bambiki, Randompig212, Schemmer, SOARINDASH1, Neonspirit, NorthernLights8, kikirdcz, Fuzzette, SilverWolfFTW, Cantil, Coco Candy, -_Rainbow_Dash-_, Lazzari, Valentine_X, Nightalein and Lucky Autumn