After a few days of business, Twilight goes to the Canterlot library to unwind and study, but as she prepares to leave, she finds herself locked inside of a reading room. At first she assumes it is the act of an aspiring prankster, but as stranger and stranger things happen, she begins to question the likelihood.

Twilight hasn't quite fully recovered from her little "Friendship Problem" breakdown. She's still haunted by lingering nightmares that seem to grow more disturbing as they progress. She thought she could ignore them, but what happens when the events in her dreams become a bit too real for comfort? And what happens when those dreams involve her best friends like she's never seen them before?

Story Picture and editing by: Brony_Fife

Twilight's ascension to the throne was supposed to be a joyous occasion, but as the months have passed and the shadows of the world grown a little darker, the lessons of her mentors and the weight of her responsibility has done nothing but made her more uncertain about her ability to rule.

Now, on the day of a grand gathering of nations, an attempt on the life of one princess and the abduction of the other brings with it an old foe and the weight of the world. With the fate of empires resting on her shoulders, Twilight must undertake a grand journey into the heart of madness and the untold history of Equestria to save her princesses and the world entire...

But save them from what?

Featured on Equestria Daily 10/12/13
I am humbled once again to be assisted by the brilliant RainbowDri in bring this story to fruition. I couldn't have asked for a more insightful assistant or all-around excellent guy.
Coverart supplied by the extremely talented dreampaw (Power leads to corruption). I can't thank her enough.

My unicorn parents called me a worthless mud pony. They pushed me every day to overcome my lowly status. When I woke up one morning with my cutie mark, I thought they would love me. I couldn’t have been farther from the truth.

It was not destiny or enjoyment that led me to discover the cello and composing. My parents made that decision, deciding before I was born I would continue their family legacy of famous musicians.

They did not realize what that decision would cost them.

Special Thanks and Links:

Cover Art: Dreampaw. The inspiration for the story.
Dramatic reading of Act I-III by Malao567. June 2013
Reading with music by ObabScribbler. June 2014
Song: Hooks and Strings by Reverb Brony. May 2014

Style inspired by H.P. Lovecraft
TypeWriterError: Editor & Rating Board
Gage of Grandiloquence: Editor
The11thWonder: Pre-reader
Nharctic: Pre-reader
Breath of Plagues: My Pinch Editor.
ArgonMatrix: Bad Grammar Exterminator
Daemon of Decay: Advice, also inspired me to write fan fiction. Blame him!

Sometimes, dreams are all we have. Sometimes, that's enough.

Hidden deep within a maze, well away from prying eyes, there is a statue. The last great work of an artist long forgotten, her time-worn visage watches the raising and setting of the sun and the moon as though enraptured.
Who created such a marvel, this sculpture of copper and brass, of crystal and cog, and why, is unknown, lost to the mists of time... until now.

This is the tale of a painter and a clockmaker, and the love they shared.
This is the tale of a dreamer, who knew only her dream.

Now with reading by Illya Leonov: Listen to it here.

The dreams started three months ago, maybe? He forgets. All he knows is that they continue. That they consume her every waking moment, that they erode her hold on life and on him. He fears the dreams Lyra has of the Nameless City, and he fears the light in her eye as she talks of it and it's shadowed inhabitants.

In a freak accident from the Cloudsdale weather control team, Twilight is struck down by an errant lightning bolt. But the veil of death is relatively thin...

Inspiration is Rarity's Element, and Sweetie Belle her greatest achievement. But the filly has questions, ones that Rarity might not be able to answer on her own. What makes a pony? How can somepony know if they really are alive? Are they alive if they laugh and cry? Are they alive if they think, if they make mistakes and have ideas?

If Sweetie Belle is nothing more than a collection of wires, is she truly alive?

Spanish Translation now available through this elegantly crafted link!

Finalist and judge's top choice in Equestria Daily's 2012 Nightmare Night contest.

Fluttershy has been plagued by nightmares, and Twilight wants to help her get rid of them. But when the bookish mare begins to pry into the depths of Fluttershy's unraveling psyche, she finds more questions than answers. What do her dreams mean? Why won't they stop haunting her? And why does the creature she keeps seeing inside them seem like more than just a simple night terror?

*If you'd like to purchase a physical copy of this story, click here*

One of Equestria's greatest traits is tolerance. Every pony, whether Unicorn, Pegasus, or Earth, is accepted for who they are, and have their own parts to play in keeping Equestria running.

But what if an Earth pony decided he didn't want to play his assigned part? What if he wanted to rise above everyone else and become an Alicorn? Such a thing is possible... but the path to fulfilling one's dreams is never simple. Risks must be taken. Sacrifices must be made. And the question is always asked: How far would you go to get what you wanted? And would you be willing to pay a terrible price to get it?