It's Halloween, and everybody is excited for another year of nabbing endless candies at absolutely no charge. My childhood friend, Jalyssa, has me try on a costume of Rainbow Dash. The only problem is...you can't take it off, once you put it on.

A thousand years after the Princesses disappeared from Equestria, Twilight Sparkle meets a lost Cloudsdale scout named Rainbow Dash. Together they look for a way to end the thousand-year night and dispel the darkness that has spread across Equestria.

Edited by Pascoite
Contains fairly mild grim-dark. Inspiration taken from the Dark Souls games, but it's not strictly a crossover.
Chapters titled "Arc #: Chapter Name" are part of the main story. Chapters titled "Character: Chapter Name" are one-shots about other characters, set in the same world, and aren't necessary in order to follow the main story.

Smaug is the mightiest of all beasts in Middle Earth. No creature can match his prowess. As the last of his kind, he has no obligations to anyone being other than himself. The only thing he cares about is his hoard.

But this new creature, this alicorn, may just change that.

Princess Luna still feels alone, nineteen years after her return to Equestria . But when she finds a friend in an online game, everything seems better. She can be herself without worrying about what others think, and she can finally talk to another pony, even if he never knows who she really is.

Celestia is worried about her sister, especially right now. Upcoming peace talks with a powerful new nation mean that all the Princesses need to be completely ready. With her Luna so absorbed in a fantasy world, she wonders how she'll make it through the harrowing weeks to come.

Button Mash feels like a failure. He's still living at home, he still can't find work that can use his degree from the university, and he still feels alone. His friends are getting married, starting families, and thriving in their careers. On the plus side, he plays games regularly, and his best friend is a mare, even if she doesn't know his name. He hopes that his upcoming vacation to Canterlot might help his mindset.

But, unbeknownst to all of them, a sinister web within a dark plot threatens to ensnare Equestria... And Luna may be the only one able to stop it.

She may face it alone, or maybe she'll have some help from her knight in faded armor...

Cover art credit to yamashta. Link here.

Preread by -TGM- and Goldenwing

Edited by m1ntf4n, PheonixStarr, Wing, and the_Doc, and Swan Song, and Orion Caelum.

Follows canon up to about season 4 or so. I'm not sure when everything went off the rails, but it was originally as true as possible when initially written.

Link to the Discord chat HERE!

My roommate's name is Octavia, or "Tavi" for short. She likes vintage red wine, soft pillows, and long walks on the beach. But, more than anything, she loves music. She loves it with a passion that radiates with every burning color of the spectrum.

Each day I spend with her... or without her, I learn a little bit more about life, about the sick beat to which we all dance, whether we know it or not. I hope you don't mind if I say a few things about her. Just a few things. One can learn a lot from Tavi.

After all, she saved my life.

Cover Art by Eztp

Playlist - Because Even Original Things Aren't Original

Twilight Sparkle has been serving her country as the Princess of Friendship for over two years, and she thinks that it's finally time for her to take the next step in her royal career: she wants a fancy enchanted mane, just like Celestia and Luna. Luckily for her, the process behind it is pretty simple—all she has to do is go petition the legendary Author of All Beings. You know, the one that lives near the supermarket. Surely she'll be willing to grant Twilight her new magical princess mane!

Unfortunately for her, there's one catch: the Author of All Beings is a complete troll.

Thanks to ZuTheSkunk for the Faust vector. Thanks to Thornwing, Quill Scratch, Frog Myre, Manaphy, Oroboro, and Foehn for prereading.

When Celestia went on sabbatical into the west, she promised Twilight it would be only a couple of months. A year and a half later, the sun resists control, the country is in ruins, and her teacher is lost in the wilds. Twilight has become the apostate, her faith in her teacher and her teachings waning. In the wake of tragedy, her resentment blossoms into fury and she vows that something must be done. Shadows gather around Canterlot, and old things that should not have been awakened are on the move. The Student goes west, her hope restored by friendship and righteous fury.

The night, at long last, is passing.