Ten years ago, Twilight made the ultimate sacrifice in order to defeat Tirek. Equestria has been in a state of civil war ever since.

Canterlot has at last fallen, and the six heroes of the rebellion now go to face the ultimate challenge: defeating the godlike Twilight Sparkle. What they expect to be a brutal, hard won quest for glory and Equestria's salvation turns into something entirely different... and now they face a choice.

This story is a reaction piece against the Tyrant Sparkle trope.

Special thanks to Absolution for pre-reading and Danger Beans for proofreading.

Cover art credit: BluestreakFUS

Now with a Chinese Translation courtesy of Hellagur.

When news of pony disappearances reaches Canterlot, Princess Celestia implores the girls to travel to the neighboring country of Saddellia, a kingdom of earth ponies ruled by a brutish king. Eagerly accepting this mission, they make the journey and, along the way, meet and save the crown prince of Saddellia, Prince Linden.

Things become difficult when the young heir becomes smitten with Rainbow Dash and royal trickery traps the two in a marriage betrothal. As the pegasus struggles with her growing feelings for Linden, she and her friends quickly learn that there are dark secrets being kept in Saddellia and they all must tread carefully if they are ever to go home again.

Blank Slate is the greatest thief of his generation. He has robbed countless nigh-impossible marks, and his talents as a master of disguise are beyond par - truly, nopony knows who he is.

And now he's preparing the greatest heist in mortal memory: the treasure vaults of the Princesses themselves.

But you have to get up pretty early in the morning to get one past the pony who defines when ‘early in the morning’ is…

Spoilers in the comments! Beware! Beware...

Audio Reading available - thank you ABagOVicodin
Czech Translation available - Thank you Keranis

Twilight's friends mean more to her than anything, and after gaining her new role as the Princess of Friendship, she's ready to tackle whatever lies ahead with them.

However, when Princess Celestia informs Twilight about a major, overlooked detail in Starswirl the Bearded's formerly unfinished spell, she is suddenly forced to do the absolute hardest thing she has ever done in her life...