Five years ago, Nightmare Moon returned to Equestria and took it by storm. She imprisoned her sister in the moon, and Equestria fell into an Age of Darkness. She ruled with an iron hoof; her word became law. The Mare in the Moon became a grim reminder of what happened to those who opposed the new tyrant, and nopony dared oppose.

Except for one aspiring unicorn.

Twilight Sparkle, a mare shackled by the failures of her past, prowls the ruins of the old capital Canterlot, praying for a spell that can right what has been so horribly wronged. Buried beneath the rubble of the Royal Library, she finds a tome that might be the answer to her prayers.

A "Warrior of Sunlight"; surely he will be able to overthrow the wicked tyrant and restore Celestia to her rightful throne. Twilight can almost see the sun returning over the horizon. She just didn't expect this warrior to be so... jolly.

Set in Starlight's "alternate future" where Nightmare Moon reigns.

Audio reading by Skijarama

Sunset moves into her new duplex, but her roommate seems like she's a bit on the 'strange side'. Or more accurately, the 'completely psychotic and probably into all the crimes, all of them', side.

Thanks to Nova Quill/Firimil for their edits and suggestions! Especially Nova who basically inspired this in the first place!

Chrysalis vector by xebck.
Sunset Vector by Aqua-pony.

Featured on Equestria Daily!

What Readers Are Saying...

"You make the waterworks happen," -Stardust_Scratch

"It has been like watching a gruesome car crash. You cannot look away from it, and it tears you apart, you are sure you are gonna have nightmares about it, but you just keep reading." -llDenkerll

"Have any of you ever accidentally’ed your way into a horror story, that was way darker than you thought it was going to be? ...I’m going to go scrub my brain down with a few hours of mindless pony fluff... I am enjoying the story I swear," -fargo11

"The ending of the last chapter left me with hope, with expectations, while the end of this chapter leaves me with sorrow, with emptiness, with hopelessness. I need more," -Anshlun

"I lack any words to describe how fucked this whole situation is. It hurts so much. Good job," -Hermaeus xerxes

"This story has some painful feels to it... I need time to think now," -Destiny Chaser

"Every time I read the witches' dialogue I feel genuinely scared... I don't have a clue of what's going to happen," -TheFaceofMercy

Starlight Glimmer had always been a difficult pony.

She's getting better, though! Really! Three years of living with the Princess of Friendship, one of the most beloved ponies in Equestria, is bound to rub off on a mare. Though Starlight continues to grapple with her insecurities and past mistakes, she never would have presumed she'd be free of the guilt - as it should be.

Yet over the years, she's come into her own as a devoted, passionate, and empathetic friend (despite a few bumps here and there).

But one day, like any other, a strange illness befalls Princess Twilight Sparkle. Starlight is driven to a foal's storybook for answers. Armed with her magic and faith, the ex-student follows a crumb trail leading to one reclusive group dwelling in the heart of an otherworldly bog. If there was any salvation for the pony who'd saved Starlight, it lay solely with them. Except when the time comes for payment to be collected, what's left behind is picked up by Twilight and her friends.

And Starlight doesn't want them to. For how can something so broken be put back together? She'd much rather save them all the trouble...

^{Canon divergence one year after 'The Movie,' post-season seven}

Rated-T for some disturbing imagery and heavy themes concerning depression

Artwork of the Witches by Hermaeus Xerxes: https://derpicdn.net/img/view/2019/9/22/2150483.png

Starlight's Theme: Above and Beyond by Paul Dinletir
Twilight's Theme: Homecoming by Jeff Marsh
The Broken Bond Theme: The Birth of a Soul by Fran Soto

Pre-reader/Editor: JD McGregor
Cover Artist: Calenita

Affection therapy: a new and innovative practice in Equestria wherein the patient/subject is calmed and relaxed through simple displays of platonic affection, such as ear scratches, nose boops, and belly rubs. It's surprisingly effective, and leaves the pony happy and content. The strangest thing, however, is that you, a simple human living in Ponyville, 'invented' this practice completely by accident.

*I wrote this a long time ago, before Every Little Thing She Does aired. The first chapter takes place between No Second Prances and that episode, and I decided to touch it up and release it now as an early Christmas gift to you guys, as a simple piece of cute, platonic fluff. More to come, too, when I find the time and inspiration.

Cover art by ElementOfFaith

Two powerful beings on opposite ends of the spectrum. One ruled her land with kindness and order. The other saught to rule the world with his cahos and wickedness. Natural enemies. From birth they were doomed to fight. To seek the others destruction. But were they always like this? No. They once enjoyed much simpler times. Times when war and hate were nothing but a bad dream. When youth and arrogance worked hoof in hoof. When young love, seemed as though it would last an eternity. These are the times the two have forgotten. Until now.

A series of one-shots set in an alternate world where the Mane 6 are the Power Ponies. Follow the adventures of six superheroes and their dragon sidekick as they defend Maretropolis from dastardly evil-doers, including the Mane-iac, the Equalizer, the Phoenix, and the God of Chaos himself.

Cover art by fluttercord45

Origins: The head of a multibillion-bit company, an orphaned farm girl in the big city, an underappreciated archaeologist's assistant, an up-and-coming fashion designer searching for inspiration, a veterinarian taking anger management therapy, and a bored girl from a rock farm. A notorious act of evil will bring these unlikely allies together.

The Mane-Raising Joke: Dee Tangler takes her role as the owner of a multi-million-bit haircare product company way too far, resulting in a tragic accident at her shampoo factory that will change her life, as well as the Power Ponies', forever.

The Shadow King: A scientist strives to help a pony he loves with his research in shadow magic. Meanwhile, Fili-Second and Zapp question their worth as heroes.

The Sirens' Song: When three beautiful, singing mares become an overnight sensation, the Power Ponies team is divided, and it's up to those unimpressed with the singers' talent to save Maretropolis from their evil scheme.

Heart of Stone: Saddle Rager is experiencing strange dreams involving the statue of Discord at the Maretropolis Museum. Meanwhile, Zapp has noticed the statue has been cracking, and it gets worse and worse every single day...

Don't Cry After Sunset: Some pony from Twilight's past re-emerges, at the same time mysterious robberies are occurring by a master thief who leaves no evidence behind.

Longhorn's Journey Into Night: At long last, Mistress Mare-velous gets a lead in finding her parents' murderer and insists on pursuing him alone, but Humdrum won't allow it.

The Pharaoh's Curse: A new mummy arrives at the Maretropolis Museum of a said to be cursed pharaoh.

Should I Stay Or Should I Go?: Parallel chapter to "The Pharaoh's Curse," in which we see what Twilight and Applejack are up to while on vacation.

Princess Celestia has trained her three apprentices, Sunset, Trixie and Twilight, to become the newest generation of the Knights of the Realm, protectors of Equestria. Their abilities and morals are unquestionable, and they're also perfectly willing to become the heroes Equestria needs. However, something had to give, and in the process of turning them into the future Legendary Heroes, those three ended up becoming particularly eccentric in their methods and quirks. This is the start of a very silly era of heroes.

October 2019 Edit: The story's rating has been changed from E to T.

Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle have a few drinks together... Okay, maybe more than a few. This is followed by a desire to do some science. This simultaneously goes much better and much worse than the girls would have expected.

Thanks to Novel Idea for the story prompt inspired by this great comic by Crydius.

After Spike's growth spurt, Celestia decided that its time for the young dragon to be taught what it means to be a dragon. So she contacts the distant universe of Avalar and asked Spyro to teach the young drake, which of course Spyro accepts. Now Spyro must deal with training a dragon who doesn't act like a dragon, keeping the populace of Ponyville under control, and fighting off the remains of the Dark Master's forces who have somehow followed him. Luckily he's got Cynder and Sparx alongside to help...right?

EDIT: Very late in saying this bu thank you everyone for getting this story to be featured. Means a lot to me.

Basically this is a T-rated crossover that takes place after the events of Dawn of the Dragon. I should mention that this story will contain spoilers for anyone who hasn't played that game. Of course, I don't own anything except for this story.

After a terrible storm sweeps through the Everfree, Fluttershy finds the weakened but still powerful King Sombra on her doorstep. Unable to resist his dark magic, she finds herself trapped by a spell that forces her to aid him, protect him, and heal him until he is strong once more, all while keeping his revival a secret from her friends. Unwilling to risk bringing her friends into the situation and endanger them, Fluttershy decides on a riskier tactic

If she could reform Discord, why not the Tyrant of the Crystal Empire. After all, with his spell keeping her from betraying his presence, it might be her only hope. Can she kill the Dark King with Kindness? Or will the ancient sorcerer once more stretch his shadow across Equestria?

Author: "I reserve the right to potentially bump up the rating depending on where this goes."

Edit: Wow, Featured Box twice? I guess people really like Sombrashy. 7/15/2016
Edit: Featured again! 9/3/2016

Coverart by the magnificent Evehly