The worlds are changed.

Where Equestria was set to follow a familiar path of harmony and friendship, the path is waylaid by the appearance of a creature out of myth, bearing grave tidings.

On Earth at the dawn of the third millennium, a war that should have never been rages between humanity and the ones who would seek to perfect it.

For down the road less travelled, Equestria is Empire, a dark mirror of what it once was and should be.

Lyra Heartstrings, musician and dreamer, previously content to spend her life in the shadow of Princesses or their faithful students, must now decide the role she’ll play in this new reality. But within the threads that connect us all, just as even Princess Celestia can have the humblest desires, the smallest person may change the future.

Authored by Team Spectrum, currently consisting of Sledge115, VoxAdam, and RoyalPsycho.

Cover by skysayl.

Our TV Tropes Page.

Our Group
Equestria Timeline
Dramatis Personae/Character Sheet
Story Outline

Side Stories

Equestria
The First Second of Eternity, by Sledge115.
A Sun in Winter, by Sledge115 and VoxAdam.
In Night's Garden, by Sledge115.
Celestia Regina, by Sledge115.
The Rose of Florentina, by Sledge115.
Wallflower of Canterlot, by Sledge115.
Sogno di Volare, by Sledge115.
Velvet Quill & Sunny Skies, by Sledge115
Joy to the Worlds, by VoxAdam, TB3 and Sledge115.

Earth
Story of the Asian Front, by Kizuna Tallis.
Snowbound, by DoctorFluffy.
The Slow Mutants, by DoctorFluffy.
The Light Despondent, Remixed, by DoctorFluffy.
Dissonance, by RanOutOfIdeas.
Starvation, by DoctorFluffy.

Lawful Crane and his girlfriend Pearl Lane happen to be in town during Anon-a-Miss' reign of terror in Canterlot High. Crane, being a skilled detective, is easily able to determine that Sunset Shimmer is being framed. Having devoted his life to protecting the innocent and punishing the guilty, he decides to expose the true Anon-a-Miss as an invisible avenger known as The Shadow. Through the use of a mysterious hypnotic power he learned in the far East, he is able to cloud other people's minds so they cannot see him, rendering him invisible.

Soon, Anon-a-Miss will learn that the weed of crime bears a bitter fruit. . .
Crime does not pay. . .
The Shadow knows!

This is a crossover with The Shadow Radio Show (1937-1954), a weekly radio program that dramatized stories from the pages of Street & Smith's Detective Story Magazine.

During Anon A Miss, Sunset doesn't think she has anyone on her side anymore. But at the Sweet Shoppe, she gets help from the Cakes. Especially when her 'friends' decide to confront her.

Managed to get featured after only 2 hours!

There are two big philosophy’s on killing others if you’re a smart wastelander. Shoot, and aim to hit, or throw explosives and prey. Hard Brass has never been a real smart wastelander.

Disturbing lack of ponies taking use of their Creator-given limbs, Brass plans to fix that. If you can’t kill something else with your own four good legs, then you are unprepared.

Reload, fire, reaload, fire, throw. You’ll eventually run out. You run out, you don’t get to run away.

Then, when a pony charges at you, ready to take off your head with pure strength, what are you to do?

Run, fast as your legs can take you. But if you are some morally corrupt bandit, you will never run fast enough. You will be caught by the Sentinel.

An ancient and mythical prison, where the worst entities to ever threaten Equestria have been sealed away for millennia. No record remains of what happened there on that fateful day the balefire bombs dropped. This is the story of the Tartarus Facility and one of its Wardens who there, two hundred years ago...

Written as part of a writing prompt in the Fallout Equestria group.

This story is a sequel to Who Did It?

One dreadful night, a murder happens at the School of Friendship. But when the school was forced to close, some students were left behind, trapped by an unknown force.

The gist was simple: One of the students left behind, must be the killer.

The next morning, everycreature found themselves with new powers, and a suspicious note. It didn’t take long for the group of ten, including the Young Six, the crusaders and their filly friend, Cozy Glow, to realise what was going on.

They were trapped- In a real-life game of risk and bloodshed: Mafia.

And no student, though being such close friends, dared to trust each other.

Inspired by the popular party game Mafia, and the idea hit me when I was playing it at a party. Enjoy! I’ll explain how it works it the story.

In a sunburned Equestria, Rarity leads the pleasant life of a clothier in the tiny town of Spurhoof. She’s got a successful business, a capable assistant, and the respect of the place she’s called home for six years. Maybe she never achieved her foalhood dreams of fabulosity, but at least she’s comfortable. What more can a mare ask for?

Then a band of outlaws decide to pay Spurhoof a visit, and their leader’s eye has settled upon Rarity. Soon she’ll have to fight not only for her life, but maybe her very soul. Will her diamond turn dull under the hot Equestrian sun, or will adversity make her shine all the brighter?

Print copies now available for purchase on Lulu!.

Now featured on Equestria Daily.

Inspired by Fallout: Equestria and the song Bulletproof Heart by My Chemical Romance.

Other stories inspired by music:
Escape
Ordinary World
Bed of Roses
Drops of Jupiter
How to Save a Life
Forgive Me, Friend
Time for Tea

A big thanks to my brainstorming fellow and ever-awesome friend SorenPixels, who has helped me ponder the plans for this story since its inception.

Additional kudos to Danger Beans and Cerulean Voice for their help with the first few chapters.

Big thanks to the fantastic author Viking ZX for taking time out of his busy schedule to be my Alpha pre-reader.

Last but certainly not least, my gratitude to my gang of Beta pre-readers: Babroniedad, Lord-Commander, Merc the Jerk, Snowybee, Soge, and Wanderer D!

I was not prepared for the absolutely stunning world building or the incredibly well done characters. [...] This is a work of absolute art. — Equstarte Marine Sebaste

Reading and re-reading (and re-reading) this story was an amazing experience. It will always be one of my favorites! — Wanderer D

I dare say this is a masterpiece of the fandom. — FanOfMostEverything

It's a gorgeous, vivid-drawn setting you've crafted for this, and it hits its gritty Western beats and epic scope with aplomb. Rarity's character journey in this is a stellar one, and her gradual sink into (and recovery at the brink of) [...] darkness was wonderfully and believably told. — Carabas

Cover art commissioned from the fantastic bakki, with title work generously donated by Novel-Idea.

A botanist from Tall Tail witnesses the bombardment of megaspells on the final day of the Great War. Facing a newly destroyed Equestria and the poisoning of the pink cloud, he fights his way back to Tall Tail from Canterlot in hope to find a piece of the life he had before.

After living for years in Stable 21 with all the weapons he could want, Blackace gets his chance to go out into the wasteland and change it for the better. If only the caps weren't so good, so instead of trying to better the wasteland Ace decides to become just another bounty hunter , hit pony, and mercenary.

This story is a sequel to Fallout Equestria: Survivor's Guilt

There is a legend in Equestria and beyond, about a great treasure hoard left behind by the last of the Dragon Lords Ember. Many have searched for it, but none have found it, either coming back with horrifying tales, or not coming back at all.

8 years after the war with the Enclave, 4 friends come across a map leading them to the first clue to the Great Hoard. Fueled by curiosity and the story of the Hoard's wealth, they set out to try and find it.

But will they succeed? Or will they meet the same fate as so many that came before them?

Cover made by Hagallaz.

Set in the universe of Fallout: Equestria by KKat.

Co-written with Megaskullmon.