After a long time--she would be more precise but Twilight has lost track of time--she emerges from the dark of the library. Her candles are burnt down to nubs. There is no food left in her pantry and furthermore, no coffee. So she goes to seek both.

And finds the town changed. Or is it Twilight who has changed?

An unknown curse has stricken Twilight, and nothing can get her to rise from her bed. As her friends wonder what to do, Princess Luna offers one possible solution: to send another into her mind. Down the rabbit hole into the mindscape they go, to learn more about their friend than many would have guessed.

Special thanks to SoothingCoffee, Jake The Army Guy, and PegasusMesa

This is the story of the end. This is the story of the death of Equestria. It is the story of the reign of her royal majesty, Princess Twilight Sparkle of the Fading Sun.

The alicorn sisters are dead and Equestria has turned to Twilight Sparkle to guide it. However, just maintaining a dim sun a fraction as bright as her mentor's keeps the new princess near her limits.

Years have passed and Twilight Sparkle is sure of only one thing. Equestria is dying.

NOTE: Written before "It's about Time" in season 2. Everything after "Read it and Weep" was ignored throughout this story.

Pony Joe awakens before the dawn each morning, readies himself for his day, and then walks through Canterlot's cold and silent streets to his doughnut shop.

Life has become pretty mundane for Joe, but as he serves his customers and chats with his regulars he realizes that he has come to rely on that repetition...he relies on it to keep from remembering.

As a casual utterance by a new customer sends Joe into a spiral of haunting memories we learn about his life...and what he must give up if he wishes to move beyond his past.

Lightning Dust wakes up late, to another grey, gloomy day. She's cold and tired, and she's never felt so terrible in her life. But really, all she needs is to get back into a routine, or to see her friends, or to sleep a little bit longer... then she'll be fine.

Really.

Inspiration.

"Jesus, man."
—TheAspiringWriter93

"I'm sad now. Like.. you don't even know."
—thedarkprep

Dramatic reading by Limey Reads

Twilight is sick.

Heavily inspired by

"We have to be brave now, Scootaloo," Dash said. "Just close your eyes, and it'll be all over by the time you open them again."

An alarm sounds. There's a planet nearby. I wonder if anyone can hear me.

Tirek. Discord. The Changelings.

The ponies have faced all these threats, and triumphed, but things could have been handled better. Princess Celestia knows this better than most. She knows that to face threats even greater than Tirek, greater than Discord, the ponies need allies. They need friends to turn to when the chips are down and the mad gods and cruel tyrants are on the horizon

She and Princess Twilight Sparkle travel to the Griffon Kingdom to meet the Griffon King. They seek to negotiate a formal treaty, something more than a rudimentary "You stay in your yard, we'll stay in ours." If the Changelings invade, or Tirek is once more a threat, it will not only be the ponies standing against them, but the griffons as well. It's only logical, after all. The griffons and the ponies share a border. They share ideas. They share refugees and concepts and cultures. And there haven’t been any major hostilities since the Pony-Griffon War. That was almost a thousand years ago.

It is logical to enter an alliance, but politics aren’t always about logic. Sometimes they are about past crimes, mistakes, and tragedies. Sometimes, past grudges simply can't be let go.

(Rated Dark and Teen for some disturbing content, though nothing too heavy or overt)

Coverart from Pie on furAffinity

Spike's been feeling down on himself lately. Perhaps a flower might help?

Dramatic Reading by Neighrator Pony.