Play this song first!

Twilight Sparkle has always been looking forward to her 21st birthday. It's the day that she's finally recognized as an adult mare, but also the day she's finally able to learn magic on the highest level. What should have been a great day though, turns out to be the most horrific day in her life. She finds a prophesy talking about the next great evil in Equestria, and it's HER! Now she's falling, slowly becoming the very evil she swore to fight against, and not even her closest friends can pick her up in time. In the end, she may even...

Apple Bloom is tired of being the last in her class to not have her Cutie Mark, but her friends Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo aren't going in the right direction to get their Cutie Marks, and she knows it. In order to get her Cutie Mark the right way, Apple Bloom begins to have thoughts of separating from her friends, and getting her Cutie Mark on her own. But her search for her Cutie Mark opens up to a major mystery in Equestria, and Apple Bloom will discover much more than just her special talent...

friends become enemies...

destinies are revealed...

light fades into the darkness...

and through it all, a hero is born...

This is the first main story in the series.

New cover art by my friend The Spectralist.

Link to the TV Tropes page!

[Please read the author's notes after the expansion before reading. Thank you]

Welcome to the new Equestria, Twilight Sparkle. See your friends at each other's throats? You have to choose between them now, to stop the heartache of war with decisive victory. For the nation lies bleeding, its harmony shattered into a million pieces. Black and white and right and wrong have blurred together.

You must choose wisely, or all shall die.

~Image by JohnJoseco~ If anyone can find a fitting, unique image for this story, please do not hesitate to link in the comments.

[Author's Note]

The following stories should be read in order to get a good grasp on references to previous works.

- Sunset (Mandatory)*
- My Little Muffin (Optional)
- Clash of the Heavenly Titans (Optional)*
- Blood is Thicker / The Reluctant Reunion of the Redoubtable Rabble-Rouser (Strongly Recommended)

All can be found on my Deviant Art account: http://ciroton.deviantart.com/
Those with * can be found here on FIMFiction.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash have always been great friends, looking out for each other and sticking together like two good Pegasus pals would. But all it took was one faithful night, one confession of love, to send their long-term friendship towards a new and deeper level. Now having to deal with whether they should be together, whether they even love each other, and how their friends and others may react, they must face the challenges this possibly new-found love could bring. But the question is, will they survive, and will close friendship or romance prevail over all else in the end?

Link to clipart: http://13era.deviantart.com/art/Flutterdash-heart-260824340?q=boost%3Apopular%20Flutterdash&qo=13
Thanks to my awesome hipster Pre-reader Jiropracter

In a poorly informed bout of revenge, Trixie has returned to Ponyville to make Big Macintosh and Rarity fall in love, because she's convinced this will prove she is the Best Showpony in all Equestria.
But Rarity's going to the spa with Fluttershy, Big Mac has chores to do, and Twilight hasn't the faintest as to why her best friend and best friend's brother are having an episode of freaky Friday...

This story will not be completed by its original author, though if one is interested, they can adopt the story and finish it as they see fit. Unpublicized story resources exist.