This story is a sequel to If You Came to Conquer

Princess Nightmare Moon had tried to keep it secret. She had suppressed her power, feigned ignorance, played the outdated fool at every opportunity. She should have known that something like this would happen. A threat that would reveal her, whether she played dumb or not.

If she had to reveal herself, then at least she could protect Equestria in the process. She nocked the arrow. The bow felt so flimsy, but she could not risk him absorbing a spell. She laced magic across the arrow and the string and the air, enough to make it fly faster and aim smoother. She sighted him easily; Tirek was a large target. Now he only had to turn around. An arrow to the spine would kill him simply and instantly, no matter how much magic he had absorbed.

Once he was dead, the hard part would come: explaining herself to Celestia.

Prereading thanks; Meta Four, Blank!, Yami Vizzini, and especially Craine

Russian translation by Doof
Chinese Translation by Dreams Set Free

Comments contain spoilers.

Nightmare Moon won. She defeated Celestia, broke the Elements, banished the sun. This all happened a very long time ago. So long ago, that she has had plenty of time to change her mind.

Of course, fixing our mistakes is never so simple, and never without consequences. Even with particularly potent help.

"If you came to conquer, you'll be king for a day. / But you too will deteriorate and quickly fade away."
— "No Control" by Bad Religion

A big thanks to Craine, Sorren, and Idylia for prereading and editing. If you enjoyed the story, don't forget to check out their pages.

Equestria Daily
Royal Canterlot Library (FIMfic version)
Russian translation by Doof
Chinese translation by Dreams Set Free

Kitsune Heart has done a dramatic reading of this story! Find it over here.
ObabScribbler has done a dramatic reading of this story! It includes a full cast of voice actors. Find it over here.

Comments contain spoilers.

For almost a thousand years, the immortal Nightmare Moon has reigned over Equestria as Empress. To the average pony, Nightmare Moon is an overarching enigma whose rule is absolute and whose wrath is terrible. But to Twilight Sparkle, who as an orphan has never known her parents, the Empress is something else entirely. When the young unicorn is brought under the royal wing as an apprentice, she learns a great deal more about the supposed tyrant than she ever knew. But as Twilight is introduced to life with her new mentor, she is thrust into a world of political intrigue, conspiracies and secrets. Secrets that were never meant to be revealed. As allies and enemies plot against the very peace of the nation, will Twilight fall prey to the perils of her new position? Or will she prosper and find in Nightmare Moon the mother she never had?

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My eternal gratitude to my editor, LordOfTheWrongs, without whom Night's Favoured Child would not be the story it is today.

Now with added TVtropes!

Twilight was supposed to gather the Elements of Harmony the way Princess Celestia planned it: meet the embodiments of the Elements while running errands in Ponyville, team up with them, discover the meaning of friendship, and then defeat Nightmare Moon. It was all so simple.

Too bad she really underestimated Twilight's ability to screw things up.

Additional Character Tags: Octavia, Nightmare Moon, Princess Celestia, Shining Armor, Princess Cadance

Edited by WorkbenchManiac: chapter 7-25, 27 onwards
Edited by docontra: chapter 26 onwards

It has been one of the closest guarded secrets of Canterlot's royalty. Deep in a specially constructed dungeon, surrounded by warding spells and powerful magic barriers, exists an enigma. Within a cage that could only be described as something out of a nightmare, it waits and watches all of Equestria. A creature that cannot age, is immune to disease, does not thirst nor hunger, and resists all injury. But, it also holds secrets and knowledge that could safeguard the kingdom. Its powers are frightening, but it is civil enough for debate when patience permits.

Princess Celestia has sought counsel with the creature before, enduring it making deal after deal for its services. The Princess walks a fine line when dealing with it, knowing full well anything could give it an advantage despite its imprisonment. She has had to go back on her word in these dealings, and from this a deep animosity between them has been born. It is a necessary evil as she is convinced this is a being capable of untold evil far and above anything Equestria has ever dreamed of. So long as it remains within the confines of its cell, her kingdom is made safe. So much magic has been woven to ensure that, there is little chance of escape.

So long as the magic holds, there is no danger. So long as the cage remains strong, the nameless creature stays enthralled in his cavernous dwelling. If that were to change--if the magic failed--not even the wisest could say. But one thing is assured, it does not bode well for Equestria.

King Sombra’s dark influence was obliterated by the Crystal Heart, and the villain is well and truly dead. But when he attempts to steal the afterlife of an innocent victim, a human spirit is left hurtling towards Equestria, where this unfortunate soul is revived into the only vessel available: the reconstituted body of King Sombra himself.

Thus, a cheerfully oblivious alien is crammed into the form of the most evil and malicious being Equestria has ever known. Not that Shining Armor and Cadence know this, of course. As far as they are concerned, the King is back and he’s lost his fricking mind.

Click here for the TV Tropes page!

Vinyl Scratch is well known as DJ PON-3 across Equestria. Other than their music career, however, not much is known of the pony’s personal life as they struggle with their relationship, identity, past, music and coping with the effects of their actions on others.

Written by: Lady Froey
Edited by: Madeline L-Equine, Bad_Seed_72 and Proper Noun
Cover art by: Stella Lux (LumenGlace)

Takes place after: Major and Minor

This story is a sequel to An Affliction of the Heart: Volume Four

With her newfound responsibilities as Queen, Kuno has seen fit to lead the changelings towards a life of coexistance with ponies.

But there are those who would wish to see such an endeavour fail, and they're not above taking action to make it fail.

Cover art commissioned by Iakovl, drawn by Derpah.

This story is a sequel to What I've Become

It is highly recommended that you read What I've Become before you read this story, since this is the second story in The Humanity Within Trilogy, and you will be lost if you just plunge into this without any preparation.

Also, this story already has a sequel: What I Am!

Things have been turning up roses for me lately. I'm no longer fighting to survive, I have people that I can turn to, and I have my face back, all because of the kindness shown to me by strangers.
But will they continue to help me once they find out what dark secrets haunt my past? Will they shun me for the evil deeds that my abductors forced me to do while I was in their service? Will they continue to protect me from the monsters that destroyed my life, once they realize what kind of monster I really am?
How does one forgive a murderer?
WOOT! Feature the day it came out! (how did that happen?) 12/1/2014
Edited by Malefactory. He is fantastic at this kind of thing!
Proofread by Cantankerous. He's freaking amazing.
Also proofread by PhiliChez.
Cover Image done by the very talented PaintSplotch! You can find his FimFic account here.
And here is his DeviantArt Account!

This is the first book of The Humanity Within Trilogy. Its sequel is What I've Done.

I wasn't always like this, a monster, running through the woods on an alien planet. I was once a man. I had dreams, a girlfriend, and a great job.
Then They came. In the middle of the night, They scooped me from my home, and... changed me.

Now I'm a beast, a demon the like of which the world I've become stranded on has never seen before, scraping by on the fringes of society, hiding from the natives, and doing my best to avoid notice.

After all, who could ever be friends with a monster?

Cover Image done by the very talented PaintSplotch! You can find his FimFic account here.
And here is his DeviantArt Account!
Now 100% approved by Twilight's Library!
Mad props to my prereaders:
ThatPonyWithASword.
Admiral Applejack.
JXWheeler