For every villain was somepony's hero ...

My entrance in the Dialogue Only Contest.

Technically a prequel to my other fic, The Twilight Prince: Redux, and uses common worldbuilding, but should be readable as a stand alone one-shot.

Rainbow finds a trophy for a pony declared, "an honorary Wonderbolt". Curiosity getting the better of her, she asks about the pony.
She was greatly surprised to hear that, of all ponies, Derpy had gotten the honor, and respect, of the organization Rainbow idolized.

Written for The Wonderbolts Site Contest. I spent more time writing for the Sci-fi contest, with the goal of writing a one-shot for this one afterwards. In honor of it being a Speedwriting contest, I wrote it down over the course of two days and in under three hours total writing time. I hope you enjoy, and good luck to other contestants!

Indigo Zap had long hoped to join the ranks of the Inquisitors, and on a long train ride to Canterlot, that day has finally come. A little paperwork and a couple of tests, she is ready to start her work, bringing peace, prosperity, and, most importantly, justice to the world of Equestria.

A story written for the Science Fiction Contest III. It is a prequel to Cyberpony: Y2K, but they are both standalones. It takes place before Y2K, but neither is required to read the other.

And now, for some content warnings:
--Profanities: A few profanities are located in the story.
--Light violence. There are guns, and they are used.
--Character death. Death is referenced, and occurs, in the story.
--Reference to brothels.
--Androids are kept as slaves and not legally classified as real ponies.

After a millennium of imprisonment, Princess Luna has returned, yet not in her entirety. A significant shard of her essence remains lost, shrouded in darkness. The darkness that gains the power to corrupt, to twist the very fabric of reality.

Princess Luna finds herself in an unfamiliar world, her own mind struggling to adapt to the changes around her. Who can she trust and what unseen powers have waited for her to return?

Let the unfolding tale reveal the answers she seeks!

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Hi thanks for checking out my story! This story will focus on different characters along the way, but the main focus will be Luna and her struggles. 🌛 Please let me know if you have any advises/comments on my writing or story plot thx!

When Ditzy Hooves meets a terrified young mare in the heart of Ponyville, she cannot begin to comprehend the nightmare that is about to unfold. Soon, the demonic Nightmare Moon will overshadow the land in an eternal night, and a broken knight must lead five mares up from the bottom of society to overcome the greatest threat her world has seen in a thousand years. Each of them carries terrible failures and a lifetime of regret, but it is only by overcoming the weight of the past that the sun can shine in the future.

This is the story of the Twilit Night, and the children who would dare to bring an end to it.

The pony that came back after 1000 years of exile to the moon was not the pony that Celestia expected. Instead of the menacing figure of Nightmare Moon what she instead got was a madly cackling alicorn rolling in a grassy field occasionally taking a break to stroke the lush green plants as if they were the most fascinating thing in the world.

While this was certainly better than the alternative Celestia was a bit miffed that her sister had not even acknowledged her presence before going to play in the grass. How could grass be more interesting than her?

Staring at the sun makes you go blind.

Two thousand years after Nightmare Moon's banishment, Equestria thrives. Celestia rules with her six princesses, six powerful Alicorns, given charge over different parts of rulership, using their powers and wisdom to make sure Equestria prospers.

Or, that is the official story, anyway.

In truth, after installing countless unstable cybernetics, Celestia has gone mad, and the Alicorns aren't much better. Ponies regularly disappear when they start to question things publicly. Wars are waged, species are slaughtered, and androids are kept as slaves, bought and sold as property.

Vinyl Scratch was a musician, owned by Fancy Pants. Her life had been well, really, but before she knows it, she finds herself thrust into the midst of conspiracies and rebels. Discord, an organization bent on overthrowing Celestia and bringing equality to androids, takes her in and keeps her safe. Vinyl wants to fight for what's right, but deep down, she wonders what is truly the right thing to do.

A bit of a twist on a stereotypical cyberpunk setting. While we have the evil government and the rebels, it does focus on more messages of harmony and friendship than you'd normally see. While 'the tree of liberty must be watered with blood of tyrants', it is necessary to 'love your neighbor as yourself', too.

Updates will be rare, but as I am working on this whenever I have time, it will not be set to 'hiatus'.

Okay, now for content warning:

--Foul language: As it should, it depends on the character speaking. Curses are usually going to be few and far between, but a few characters swear like sailors (or cyberpunk gangsters, as it were.)

--Violence and death: People have guns, and people get shot. I will not write graphic descriptions of violence, but it will be on screen.

--References to rape and brothels: Androids, as slaves, are used as prostitutes against their will in some places. I will not go deep into that, but it does happen in this setting.

--References and use of drugs: Without knowing too much about different kinds of real world drugs, I simply made up one I called 'Salt licks'. It is highly addictive and physically damaging.

Celestia counts down the centuries until her sister's return.

Thanks so much to Soaring for pre-reading this!

Cover art found here by Rodrigues404!

The original speedwrite (in author's notes) was written for the Quills and Sofa's "Time Pressure" Speedwrite Contest, on August 29, 2023. I've polished this a bit more for publish!