In the aftermath of the Fall Formal, Sunset Shimmer has fallen. Her power in Canterlot High is gone, and she's been exposed for the monster that she is. With nowhere else to go and nothing she can do, she retreats to where she's hidden herself since arriving in the human world, a realm that links Canterlot High and Equestria. But she isn't the only one to know about this realm, on either side, and perhaps with a little help from her new friends and her old mentor, she can find it in her to rise again.

Cover Art by Alyssa Hartwick.

Under the guiding hoof of their newly-crowned monarch, King Sombra, prosperity and love flourish in the lands of the Crystal Empire. With peace spanning half a century, most ponies have forgotten the true terror sleeping behind the forbidden boundaries of the northern wastelands.

However, rumblings of a powerful threat from the borderlands have alerted key ponies in the Empire. The tepid peace between the two nations begins to waver as the embittered changelings prepare for war.

With the kindling in place and the flint struck, the mettle of kings and countryponies are taken to their limits, testing just how far each one is willing to go for their homeland.

Foreword: Due to some confusion noted by several people, I will clarify here that this story takes place in the original time of the Crystal Empire (after Discord's original reign but before Nightmare Moon's first iteration.)

Thanks go out to my wonderful editor, nucnik

Preread by Brony Hectic

Additional help from Regocomics

Cover art commission done by the amazing Ryuku the Creative (aka Mytatsur). Be sure to check out his works!

Please leave a rating and a comment! I love to hear from all of you readers out there! If you do dislike it, please give me a reason why. I can use your feedback to improve myself!

Maud Pie has an unstoppable passion for rocks and minerals of every sort, but no one else seems to share that same passion. Not even Boulder is as enthusiastic about them as she is.

Follow Maud Pie and her close companion Boulder as they make their first stop on their rock expedition: Appleloosa. The town is in the middle of a gold rush, but everything may not be as it seems. What mysteries will Maud and Boulder uncover?

Probably none!

It's a very boring story, so be happy that it is COMPLETED.