October 26th, 2023 update: This story's going back in the oven. There's some changes I want to make. Details here.

Sunset Shimmer lived a perfect life: an aspiring career as Princess Celestia’s star pupil, a budding romance, and the perfect best friend to discover the wonders of the world that made life worth living.  But under the guise of a new friend Sunset met in her dreams, Nightmare Moon sought to upend everything in the name of vengeance, and the powers that be demanded their pound of flesh.

Years later, long after the dust had settled, Sunset found her home beyond the portal. Life was good, if a little strange.  But when Princess Luna comes seeking to quell the nightmares of a past that still haunt her, those nightmares rapidly spiral out of control, and Sunset is faced with the impossible decision of allying herself with the very individual who had destroyed her life.

With little choice, they strike a tentative partnership, and as past and present converge to threaten all that Sunset holds dear, she is left standing at the precarious ledge of a question that may very well have no answer:

Is there a limit to forgiveness?

[Non-con] tag for story elements, not on-page events.
Edited by RBDash47.
Cover art by Ventious.
Chapter header art by Smeows_isgood.

Something strange is happening in Twilight's palace. The magic mirror has started acting strangely during a period of intense solar flares, leaving her worried about what complications might occur. The next thing she knows, through a sequence of events she didn't have the chance to analyze, the mirror inexplicably transports her, her friends, and Spike, to a mysterious, and dangerous world completely unfamiliar to her, where the only way to seemingly get back home is to go with a band of strange beings, on a quest to destroy a powerful ring in a far off land...

MLP:FIM is the property of Lauren Faust
Lord of the Rings is property of J.R.R. Tolkien

Proofread by Charlie_K

This story is a sequel to Friendship is Grievous

The brutal Clone Wars have at last come to an end. The Separatists are no more, and from the ashes of the Galactic Republic, the Galactic Empire has emerged. Now, the ponies of Equestria must choose their path through a dark and terrible time.

TV Tropes page.

Cover art by Mix-up over at his his deviantart.

This story is a sequel to Freeport Venture: Blood and Iron

War rages throughout Equestria. The return of the Crystal Empire has seen years of strife and millions dead as Princess Celestia’s forces strain against Sombra's seemingly endless hordes.

However, the entry of Freeport’s forces turn the tide in Equestria’s favor. Archon Sunset Shimmer and her army smash into the fray, breaking the long, brutal siege of Manehattan and shifting the balance in Equestria’s favor. With Sombra's army falling back to his home territories, there's finally reason to hope again.

If only they knew something far, far worse than Sombra loomed on the horizon.

It’s not every day you discover that your friend is in an adventure novel, but that’s exactly the situation Sunset Shimmer and Kukri Doo find themselves in when Puzzle Piece, Freeport’s foremost problem solver, makes an appearance in the latest Daring Do book. They only naturally ask Puzzle about it, and uncover a truth far stranger than fiction: a tale of adventure, intrigue, tyrant lizards, the mysterious dromaed people, and the fabled City of Giants.

A Freeport Venture prequel.

Necromancy gets a bad rep.

Oh, sure, some ponies like the whole cliche of the evil zombie master, pulling his puppet strings to make corpses dance and kill for their amusement. And yeah, you kinda do have to work with dead bodies a lot, and most ponies find that a bit creepy. Oh, and you learn a lot of spells to kill things and gain power from it.

But, come on, that doesn't mean all necromancers are bad... right?

Feature on Equestria Daily

The holidays are fast approaching for the city of Canterlot. Snow is on the ground, carols fill the air, and the students of Canterlot High await release for winter vacation. However, its never peaceful in Canterlot for long. Right when things are looking calm, secrets start spilling around the school. With more being revealed each day, all eyes turn to Sunset Shimmer, the former bully of CHS. With the school turning against her and no clues to follow, can she possibly figure out the culprit and clear her name?

Of course she can. You know this story. At least, I assume you do. You're probably here because you want to see an alternate take on the event after all. A timeline can be altered drastically with nothing more than a single decision, just one choice, at the right place and time. So the proper question is: Can Sunset make it to her happy ending...and will the choice even be hers to start with?

TvTropes Page: Here

Co-writer: SunnyDays

So I'd like to give two quick shout-outs.
First one goes to Dainn for his wonderful tale, 'Anon-a-Miss'. It was the base inspiration for this little drabble of mine.
Second one to cerealkiller78 for her branching story, 'Silent Night', for more or less creating a sub-genre of a sub-genre and for the Dark tag on this story.

Featured: 3/21/17, 3/26/17, 4/23/17, 5/13/17, 6/2/17, 7/11/17, 8/6/17, 9/16/17, 12/2/17, 12/20/17, 2/25/18, 6/3/18

The vampires of the Red Court are vile and cunning creatures, they attempt to conquer or destroy everything around them. Now a small group of the vampires have stumbled across a new world to take for their own, but they did not come alone. Wizard Harry Dresden and Knight of the Cross Michael Carpenter chased after the creatures and now find themselves trapped in the same world the vampires are slowly taking. They must lend their experience to the local inhabitants if they are to fight off the growing horde, and the new Red King.

I will explain the Dresden history as it becomes relevant to the story. So it is not necessary to have read the Dresden books to understand what's going on.

Edited by: NaughtSought

Takes place before the season three finale of MLP, and sometime after the events of the White Night novel. So no Princess Twilight or Winter Knight Harry, sorry. At the time of writing, I haven't read Cold Days or any novel onward, so please no spoilers in the comments.

I do not own any of the Dresden/MLP characters.

Hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle. My brothers are Shining Armor, captain of the Royal Guard, and a dragon named Spike that I hatched when I was little. I have five friends that help me wield the Elements of Harmony, artifacts that protect Equestria from evil. I have a few other friends that are less important, but still great ponies nonetheless.

One catch, though. I am also a changeling Queen, and the friends and family I just mentioned are all my subjects, and children as well. They don't even know it, but everything's working out alright, so no reason to tell them! After all, it's not like a giant wave of love energy could suddenly reveal all the changelings in Canterlot, right? Right?

Part 1, Revelation: Twilight Sparkle meets an old enemy that reveals a secret she's kept since she was named.

Part 2, Recollection: The Elements of Harmony try to get to the truth of the matter, changeling Queens begin their game of chess, Queen Citlali takes her Hive and runs from Canterlot.

Part 3, Reformation: Queen Citlali begins to grow her hive, Whitetail Hive takes some time to get used to the news, Princess Cadance dreams of a dark creature.

May 11-15, 2017: Featured for the maximum time... whoa.

Ponies are enslaved. Humans are in control.

Nolan Anderson didn't want to be whisked away to a land full of discrimination and judgement. Yet he was there anyway. He just wanted to get by another day in his own world, no matter the hardships. Being a part of S.W.A.T. meant being the best he could be with what he could do. Little did he know he would apply his skills in a magical world, where the ponies think he's an evil human, and where the humans think he's a pony sympathizer. As crazy as everything is, Nolan wants to get back home, a feat that seems impossible, even in a world full of magic. However, the difficulty won't be getting back to where he belongs, but finding allies in a place where trust is rarely given, and earning it still.

"A hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles."
- Christopher Reeve

Rated Teen for language, blood, and sexual themes.
The story takes place between season 3 and 4 of MLP; Lots of non-canon material.

Primary Editor: the amazing Legion222.
Secondary Editor: the cool JoshuaGrahamPony.
Proofreader: the neat Rokkurin.

Applejack vector by Fureox.

I have never been a part of S.W.A.T., nor have I done extensive research on it. I have only taken a quick look at some procedures, weaponry, and armor for the purposes of this story. If you find something that doesn't seem right, please let me know. Also note I have taken a few liberties with how S.W.A.T. works that I will not change.