Failing once in her attempt to take Canterlot and failing again in her attempt to take down Twilight, one would think Chrysalis would have cut her losses and let things be, but the queen has once again appeared, this time in broad daylight with no disguise and no army. Her weapon of choice? Diplomacy.

Now Twilight is having to deal with the changeling queen, but surely putting up with her antics will be worth the knowledge she's willing to provide about her mysterious race and the potential undiscovered agents still within their midst...right?

Takes place before Magical Mystery Cure and diverges from there.

With thanks to MisterGunpowder for proofreading and editing.

Revision History:

05/09/2015: Chapter 1 updated with millions of little corrections.
05/20/2015: Chapter 2 revised and edited with another million small and large corrections.
06/12/2015: Chapter 3 given a thorough editing and revision.
06/23/2015: Chapter 4 taken to the gutter and edited twice to be sure.
07/14/2015: Chapter 5 thoroughly brutalized with the editing stick.
08/03/2016: Chapter 6 finally edited. Yes, I'm still alive, dammit.
09/29/2016: Chapter 7 fell out of the editing tree and hit every editing branch on the way down.
10/26/2016: Chapter 8 has emerged from the editing emergency room.
11/17/2016: Chapter 9 found and edited. No casualties reported.
11/30/2016: Chapter 10 treated for whiplash after lightning fast editing.
12/22/2016: Chapter 11 edited. Chrysalis shot first.
01/17/2017: Epilogue edited. Time to hit the cider.

The pony that came back after 1000 years of exile to the moon was not the pony that Celestia expected. Instead of the menacing figure of Nightmare Moon what she instead got was a madly cackling alicorn rolling in a grassy field occasionally taking a break to stroke the lush green plants as if they were the most fascinating thing in the world.

While this was certainly better than the alternative Celestia was a bit miffed that her sister had not even acknowledged her presence before going to play in the grass. How could grass be more interesting than her?

[description slightly updated 10/10/22]
What if Applebloom hadn't admitted to being Anon-a-Miss when she did? What if Sunset took the situation to extreme measures? And what if the Crusaders never stopped posting…?

This is the story of the aftermath of what might have happened, Sunset's recovery from the trauma of abandonment and resulting depression, and the road towards healing and forgiveness. This is also the story of why Anon-a-Miss continued to function long after the intended purpose was completed. There will be roadblocks, detours, and maybe even engine troubles, but through friendship, Sunset's wounds may yet be mended. However… as the one behind the wicked veil of anonymity continues to wreak havoc, who else will be hurt due to her desire for vengeance? Why does she seek it, and for what is it sought for? When the collateral damage inevitably collapses under its own weight, Sunset will not be the only one bearing scars.

[END OF PLOT SYNOPSIS & HOOK]

/x/x/x/

Third person. Present tense (flashbacks are in Past tense). Rated T rather than M as there is no explicit sex or graphic violence. Profanity tag may be pushing the rating a bit (frequency of F bombs was reduced in editing). Sex tag for discussion of sexual activity (both heterosexual and homosexual) and implied nudity. Suicide / Self Harm tag for failed suicide attempts, mentions of past attempts, discussion of cutting, and for descriptions of scars. Contains cannabis mention and implied use (not enough to justify tagging Narcotics but enough to mention). Also contains minor character death (of an OC, in a flashback, off-screen), medical trauma, mental illness, and some depictions of homophobia and the usage of slurs.

TL;DR reader discretion is HIGHLY advised. Feel free to contact me personally if you have any questions about exactly what method of suicide attempts are depicted in case certain types may cause you harm. I don’t want to trigger anyone if I can help to prevent it. (I am using ‘trigger’ here in its medical context.)

It has been pointed out to me that there are some inconsistencies concerning the timeline and canon. I will mention that here to spare you further confusion. This takes place in a light AU I call my EEGC (Extended Equestria Girls Chronology) which consists of multiple fics set in the same universe and timeline. In it I have changed, among other things: Twilight gave Sunset the journal in the events of the first film, the Anon-a-Miss incident occurs within weeks of the first film and long before the second, the OTHER Twilight & Sunset are ‘altered’ and ‘taken care of’ respectively, and the Human World and Limbo are now the same location. These changes were made because the EqG canon is literally impossible otherwise, given the events of the show (and has only grown MORE impossible in time).

Thank you all for getting me featured repeatedly!
Thank you for the likes, comments, and favorites!
Thank you especially for the constructive criticism!

Twilight Sparkle has always loved Celestia—as a friend, and a mentor, and something else as well. And she finally, finally found the courage to admit those feelings.

Celestia turned her down as gently as she could. That's what she thought, anyway.

But the night is still young—and it's a night for being wrong.

[Rated T for suggestive sexual content. This story takes place between the Season 2 and 3 finales. Additionally, I wasn't able to find the artist who did the cover art, if anyone knows please drop me a line so I can credit them.]

Everything seemed to be going better for Sunset Shimmer since getting blasted by the rainbow of light. She was learning about friendship and how to be a friend. Then Anon-A-Miss struck.

Thinking she had gone back to her old ways, Sunset's new friends walked away from her, leaving her alone.

Now Sunset cannot find neither the strength nor the will to get out of bed.

This is a first foray into attempting to tell a story from a first person perspective from Sunset's point of view.

This story is inspired in part by my own past struggles with depression.

The suicide/self harm tag is for thoughts of self harm, and Sunset's inability to eat or do anything other than lie in bed as she sinks deeper and deeper into depression.

Featured 01-13-2023!

Twilight thought she was coming into her own as Princess of Equestria.

With each passing day, she grew more confident in herself, her choices, and her ability to rule. She even began holding her own court these days, and enjoyed hearing out problems and working on solutions for her subjects.

Yes, she really felt like she was getting a handle on it all, and could deal with just about anything her subjects and the position of princess could throw at her.

Then a little green filly waltzed in and threw her one heck of a curve ball.

"I believe Cozy Glow should be freed."

Excuse me, what?

Twilight had no idea what she was in for, and all the aspirin in Equestria wouldn't be enough to sooth the headaches to come.

Was there something in the Equestrian water supply that was turning cute fillies into devious little monsters, or is she just that unlucky? Well, at least this one didn't seem bent on world domination. At least, Twilight hopes she isn't. This green nightmare might be even harder to stop than Cozy Glow if she ever put her mind to it.

This is not a "Cozy did nothing wrong and the main cast is evil," fic. Just a little filly who may or may not be more than they seem offering a different perspective on the whole situation involving an evil little villainess and what is the best thing to do with her.

A broken amulet drives the once Great and Powerful mare into a life on the lam. With no friends, no shelter (not even her beloved wagon!), Trixie finds herself doing whatever she can to stay one step ahead of the law, but trying to remain incognito proves difficult for the former showmare.

Written for a writing challenge, but never submitted. Rather than languish unread and gather dust, it was thought better to publish here for public consumption.

When the weight of time - both past and future - comes to bear, Twilight writes one, final letter. Seeking closure, she may just find something more.

Pre-Read and edited by Rimmer.
Cover art edited by ModMCdl. Because for some reason they both still put up with me.

Losing her friends was the start of a self-destructive spiral for Sunset Shimmer. Convinced that she will never escape the echoes of her past, she tries to take her own life.

The attempt leaves her severely injured and she falls unconscious. In her dreams, she is visited by Princess Luna. They have much to discuss, whether Sunset likes it or not.

TV Tropes page
Drawing of Sunset used in cover art is by Xaztein

As the world ends, a group of teenagers covered in blood enter Sugarcube Corner.

What follows is technically a love story.

Edited by Pearple Prose and Themaskedferret. Preread by Undome Tinwe, MaxKodan, and Majin Syeekoh.

An entry for Oroboro's Changing Seasons contest.