Once upon a time, Spike went for a walk.

While on his walk, he was judged by an ancient alicorn, lodged with griffons, parlayed with air pirates, charmed a maiden of a mystical race, and dealt with the scourges of hate, fear, and racism while deliberately drawing the armies of myriad nations to the brink of global war.

Once upon a time, Spike went for a walk, and did all of this so that he could keep a promise to the one that meant the most to him... Twilight Sparkle.

In the first of three books, Pillars of the Sun (Chapters 1-15), Spike is devastated by Twilight's fate and grows more and more despondent as he attempts to understand what has happened to his dearest friend. A gentle nudge from a pony he trusts sends him looking for answers. When that nudge becomes a push he unravels ancient secrets... and risks losing himself before his attempt to rescue Twilight can even begin.

Spike doesn't know how long he's been running - he just knows he can't stop. He doesn't know why the ponies keep hunting him - he just knows they won't stop. From the sky, from the earth, from the water and all the between places, the ponies emerge with their tricks and their ambushes and their unrelenting hunger. He's just the appetizer in a banquet that never ends.

Thanks to a certain crazy person who would like to remain anonymous, this story now has a cover that actually looks good! You can find the commissioned artist, SapphireGamgee, over at Deviantart. Just, uh, be careful when you're browsing the 'More from Deviantart' section. Things get really weird, really fast. I blame myself for this.

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!

The royal court of Canterlot welcomes its newest member with open forelegs: the human philosopher Voltaire, from Earth.

On Earth, Voltaire is known as the greatest enemy of tyranny in the history of literature, and a legend in his own mind.

On Equestria, the court betting pool is giving him a week before the Princess banishes him to the Moon.

Note: This story doesn't have sequels per se, but there are a couple of short follow-ups set in the present day ("Parade Coverage" and "Secret Histories"), and a prequel of sorts in "At the Inn of the Prancing Pony".

TV Tropes page.

It is the responsibility of a king to care for his people and maintain order in his kingdom. That shouldn't be much trouble for a ruler as powerful as Discord, right? With his faithful and insecure advisor at his side, the draconequus sets out to explore his new world and personally see to it that peace reigns in Equestria.

However, the ponies want nothing to do with their frightening new ruler, and the unamused Spirits of Equestria aim to drag the Spirit of Chaos away before he can cause any more harm. Can Discord be the ruler Equestria needs? Or is he truly doomed to become the monster he is seen to be?

With the Spirit of Chaos locked in stone by the powers of Harmony, a new order must be created. The spirits of Love and Harmony are given physical form, taking the names Cadence and Philomena, so that they may walk among the ponies and ensure peace reigns.

Too bad they're both terrible at this.

Sequel to Head Full of Cotton Candy

Co-authored by TheGreyPotter