Sunset Shimmer hangs out around the Wondercolt statue with her dear friends, Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash. They await the arrival of one Starswirl the Bearded to aide them in recovering and safeguarding magical mysteries he once left behind in their world.

Some mysteries of which he's only just now discovering for himself, however.

Part of the Anarchyverse. A sequel to All These Midnight Days, but you can read this without it.

It is the early days of the settling of Equestria, and the Pillars are off giving chase to one of the monsters attacking pony settlements.

The chase, however, leads them into a temple, one which houses an ancient spirit of change and evolution. They soon learn they are not the only Pillars around, either, as a whole new set has joined them.

The spirit offers them a simple challenge: be entertaining and succeed in its challenges.

A simple affair for the Pillars, especially if there's two sets.

It's not like they have any major differences between them, right?

Written for 'A Most Delightful Ponidox' Contest.

Twilight Sparkle's new friends took some time to adjust to the human rather than the pony, but they can tell her current behavior is unusual, even for her. The question is what's wrong. The answer...

Well, that'll be a bit harder to figure out with her avoiding the subject. But there are some forces no one can ignore.

Cover image by Raccoon-san, used with permission. EqG skin edit by DrakeyC.

"I stood before the doors to Princess Celestia’s private chambers, just as I had so many times before, and waited. I’ve always been a nervous mare before our meetings, wondering if what I had done measured up to her expectations. But I had never before entered those rooms with the blood of another being on my hooves. I swallowed, dreading what I would discover behind those doors."

Twilight faces more than she bargained for when a resort island turns out very different from her expectations, and she must make a decision that will forever change how she sees herself.

Twilight Velvet has never really understood her daughter-in-law. Princess of Love? That seems a little shallow, even to a secret romance novelist. So when they end up sharing a train to the Crystal Empire for Hearth's Warming, things are a little bit awkward. When the journey is faced with disasters natural and supernatural, their fragile relationship will be tested to its breaking point.

Edited by Scoots, Olden Brony, and Zontargs

Cover art by author.

Spike has always lived among ponies, who don't know much about dragons. There was lots of guesswork involved in raising him. He had to be his own baseline for expectations. Then he met other dragons, and found out how different his upbringing made him. But he was so busy with social differences, no one noticed another key difference...

I have lived my entire life among the ice at the top of the world with my pod. I knew little of the world outside of the ways of We of the Sea, and as a filly, that suited me just fine. But one day, the steel whales came, and on their backs, they carried creatures not unlike myself, yet wholly different. For while I swam in the sea, they walked on the land and flew through the air. Yet they reminded me of my kind, so curious, so tragic, and so infinitely precious. Where they did not understand, they sought to learn with a foolish stubbornness. Where they wandered far from home, they extended their hooves in friendship.

Where they waged their wars, they fought with a violent savagery that was frightening to me.

As I held a dear friend close, the breath fleeing from his body, I only wanted to know one thing.

Why?

Cover art and inspiration by JhonnyRebel. Pre-reading provided by djthomp.

Featured on Equestria Daily!
And an awesome reading by Illya Leonov!
Another awesome reading by Scribbler!

Russian translation of this story can be found here, courtesy of NovemberDragon!

Beyond the Equestrian borders lies a frontier filled with magic and mystery, history and treasure, but also incredible danger. A young Pegasus named Dusty dreams of making his name and fortune by scouring these lost lands for ancient artifacts. But Ivory, his childhood friend and stalwart companion is always at his side—even if her magic isn't exactly what one would expect from a unicorn.

When their escapades run them afoul of the royal fleet, Princess Celestia sends one of her old guards with them for a mission that, unbeknownst to them, may change the world forever. Some remnants may be better left in the past, and others are timeless gifts, waiting to be rediscovered... but one thing is for certain: the friendships that these ponies make will last forever. If fortune is on their side, it will be enough to save them.

In the distant past, the various tribes had their purpose. We know this, we even have pageants about it. But how much of it is true?

Come with me and let's have a little peek at that world so long ago, before the time of Equestria.