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Tartarus: the fabled prison said to hold all of the demons of Equus at bay.

Few truly know what lies behind the impenetrable doors Cerberus guards. Some say that it is a pit, infinite in it's depth and darkness, from which there is no return. Other claim it to be a hellish plain, filled with fire and pain and suffering, to punish the demons for their sins.

All of them are wrong.

Tartarus is small. An inescapable cell for a single prisoner. But the tales about it's purpose are not false.

For this captive human holds the key to unleashing upon Equestria forces which have not been seen for centuries, forces which predate Equestria by many an age.

And soon, he shall be free.

EDIT: Featured on 5/25/14! SUH-WEEEEET!

[img]http://i.imgur.com/6MrWqNZ.png[/img]

It's been a rough day for Twilight Sparkle. She was awoken in the middle of the night to save the town, had a chance to study an alien artifact ripped out from under her, and is now stuck with Applejack, Fluttershy, and her arch-nemesis Queen Chrysalis in some alien fighting tournament with a bunch of... things she doesn't even want to try and start describing without a cup of coffee and some asprin!

Indeed, Twilight and her friends have been summoned to join the latest Smash Brothers tournament! And as they explore the mysterious 'Smashworld' and meet new, colorful characters, they will be pitted head to head against new friends and enemies as well as each other! Can their friendships survive being forced to fight one another? Why are all the other 'smashers' so on edge? And what's with the bizarre being that purports to be the creator of this world, "the Master Hand?"

Only one thing is for sure. It's going to be a doozy.

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.

North of Canterlot, in the far marches of Equestria near the border with the Griffon tribes, there is a mountain that flies.

West of Canterlot, beyond the Galloping Mountains and a desert painted in the pastel hues of a faded rainbow, a tower sits at the edge of the world.

South of Canterlot, past the Everfree forest and the desolate badlands, a city of gardens waits to be born.

The Lost Cities Challenge! Awesome authors who have taken it upon themselves to explore other abandoned places:

- The Land of Glass and Stone, by RazgrizS57
- The City that Breathes, by Pearple Prose
- Aletheia, by Foehn
- Far Kobresia, by Baal Bunny
- Keskiyönnon, by Bradel
- Unknown Architecture, by Not_A_Hat
- The Gentle People, by Bad Horse
- The Seal of Wax and Glass, by DuncanR

Dramatic Reading by Illya Leonov: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4.

Royal Canterlot Library interview for Lost Cities.

When Ruby boards the first trans-oceanic flight in Equestrian history, the last place she expects to end up is stranded in the middle of Eternity's Crossing in the wake of a horrific zeppelin crash. After a mysterious tower leads her and a fellow survivor to discover a twisted and fragmented city twenty thousand feet below the surface of the ocean, though, a bit of fire and smoke is the last thing she needs to worry about. Between the horrendously disfigured residents and the paranoia of the madmare who once built and controlled it, daily survival in this corrupted utopia is anything but a guarantee. But with the help of some new friends and a few genetic enhancements, Ruby isn't going down without a fight, and in the process might just discover that the deadliest weapon in Harmony is herself.

An adaptation of BioShock for the world of MLP. Written to be comprehensible to anyone, regardless of whether they've played the original game.

It's been more than a thousand years since the Mane Six's adventures in Ponyville, and things look very different. Equestria is gone, devoured by chaos. Nightmare creatures roam the lands, changelings prey on the few remaining pony settlements, and all trace of the peace and harmony during Princess Celestia's reign has vanished.

Until, that is, a small group of ponies set out to map the Tangle, and find a slumbering dragon inside. Now Spike, a millenium out of his time and with only his memories to comfort him, is ponykind's only hope. Together, he and his new friends set out to find the one pony who can set things right: Twilight Sparkle.

Cover art by the inestimable TheAuthorGl1m0.

Featured by The Royal Guard on February 4th, 2014.

[img]http://tinyurl.com/kaxbtuk[/img]
AUTHOR'S NOTES

- Beware of spoilers in the comment section!
- Currently undergoing heavy revision for chapters nineteen and onward. The "lost" chapters - that is, the story as it was originally published - can be found here.

At what should have been a routine doctor's visit, Applejack learns that she can never bear foals of her own. After an emotional breakdown, her friends do their best to calm her.

However, as the discussion develops, nopony is prepared for Twilight's revelation: the grand event which brought them together has left a hidden scar within each of them.

Tempers flare, relationships are strained, and the strength of their friendship is tested as each must come to terms with her newfound sterility.

Now on Equestria Daily
and Twilight's Library

Thanks to these wonderful people for all their help

Cover artist
MuffinExplosion

Editors:
NotMurphy
Georg
Ping111
ocalhoun

Prereadering and suggestions from:
Eakin
Distaff Pope
John Perry
Cartsbeforehorses
JaketheArmyGuy

The Great Tragedy. The night an era ended. The night the skies stopped turning. The night the Canterlot palace, along with all of its occupants, was utterly obliterated.
Nopony knows how it was done or by whom. But they do know that one unicorn stood at the center of that calamitous explosion, and they know that Twilight Sparkle survived where two immortals had perished.
Twilight awakens in a world a shadow of its former self, abruptly thrust into the fallout of a disaster she remembers nothing of. Faced with a foe that is perhaps more familiar than she might realize, Twilight must find a way to restore her broken world and carry on the legacy of her beloved princesses.

Huge thanks to my proofreaders Some Person (chapter 1-12) and RazerWrites (chapter 12-14). The story would have been much worse off without them.

After tiring of Twilight's hostile attitude, Discord decides to "help" the Elements of Harmony by bringing in an alternate version of each of them. These duplicates from various worlds aren't told anything about each other, which is good. The last thing Equestria needs is these monsters working together.

***Not too dark!***

Elements of Disharmony
Pinkie Pie from Cupcakes by Sergeant Sprinkles

Rainbow Dash from Rainbow Factory by AuroraDawn

Rarity from The Secret Life of Rarity by BronyWriter

Fluttershy from Pattycakes by Pegacorn Ondacob

Twilight Sparkle from Death Note: Equestria by Nonagon

Applejack from Bad Apples by... Bisque? It's hard to find an evil Applejack story.

Nopony used to give a crap about Twist. Then one morning she wakes up shooting optic blast beams out of her eyes. Now everypony gives a crap about Twist.

Cover Art drawn by the talented Dunnstar aka Zemious