Rainbow Dash had exactly what she wanted, and all it took was one freak accident to take it away. In an instant, her life was changed and she lost everything she had worked for.

Now a half year has passed. Life is simply something that she goes through now, instead of something that she eagerly looks forward to each day. And her friend, Applejack, has been bothering her about some sort of surprise for a while now.

Rainbow Dash hates surprises.

A ski trip promises to be a fun and exciting vacation for Sunset Shimmer and her friends. But when the girls are caught in a blizzard, the house they find to shelter them might not be as benevolent as it appears.

Spike has some conflicted feelings about the new addition to the family coming soon.

Twilight's power, along with that of Celestia, Luna, and Cadance, has been claimed by Tirek. Drunk on power, the demon-centaur is unleashing destruction upon Equestria, his reign of terror just beginning.

But there is hope. A crystalline chest, a gift from the Tree of Harmony, able to be opened by six keys. Keys which Twilight has now claimed the last of. All they can do is hope, hope that whatever is contained inside the chest is enough to stop Tirek.

And then something goes wrong ...

Note: This story is in no way connected with my other fanfics. It's very much a one-off in good fun.

Before King Sombra enslaved the ponies of the Crystal Empire; before Nightmare Moon attempted to block out the sun forever; there were only Luna and Sombra. In a time when Equestria’s peace after Discord’s defeat is shaken, and when alicorns once again come under attack, two unlikely ponies come together beneath the pale moonlight. In the darkness their love blossoms, but so does an ethereal evil that bides its time, waiting to strike before the dawn.

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Sequels:
Shadow of the Moon
In Your Dreams: Luna's Farewell

Cover art done by the amazing Nalesia on Deviantart. Please check out the artist's gallery. I couldn't be happier with this piece.

This is not the story of how the Dragon Empire fell. This is the story of why it happened.

Part of the Borderworld.

For thousands of years, the moon has waged endless war on innocent beaches. Every day the tides wash away countless sand castles, crushing the dreams of foals all across Equestria. Somepony needs to stop the moon's heinous crimes—and, at last, it looks like somepony will.

After her sand palace is washed away by the ocean, Dinky Hooves takes it upon herself to do something that should have been done centuries ago: destroy the moon.

Now with a reading by Teksune Studios!

Originally written for the Writeoff Association's February Contest, "Look, I Can Explain..."
Thanks to Foehn, Quill Scratch, Murmurpunk, Horizon, and Oroboro for helping out in various ways.
Dinky vector by ZuTheSkunk. Silhouetted Luna vector by NightFlyer22. Moon photo by NASA.

"Terror strikes Ponyville as an undead ruler roams the streets! Its shops and houses lay abandoned at her moaning hooves, and only one brave soul can save it! Will she have the heart though?"

"...Pinkie, shut up."

Written a couple weeks back, so none of my followers worry, please.

A rough comic rendition done by my patreon partner Knotted. Final will not be coming, as we have too much else to work on, so he provided the cover instead.

Fluttershy might be stronger than she looks.

At least, that's what Rainbow says. Applejack's skeptical, to say the least. Especially after she just lost an arm wrestling match. Besides, that sweet, gentle pony couldn't win a tug-of-war against butterflies, much less be stronger than her, right?

...Right?

Edited by Doccular42

Twilight is almost used to being an alicorn now. She's accepted that unexpected change, and is even happy about it, most of the time. Her magical abilities have grown by leaps and bounds, and she's starting to enjoy the freedom offered by flight. While she can't imagine ever being as good as Rainbow Dash, anypony with reasonable standards would by now consider her quite competent in the air.

But despite her growing enthusiasm and confidence, there's something that she has neglected to deal with. Something that's bothered her at times ever since the transformation, but kept getting shuffled down her list of priorities. Fortunately, she knows just the pony to talk to for help, and she won't let nervousness and self-reliant rationalization hold her back anymore. The latest of Pinkie Pie's parties provides a perfect pretext for a conversation she should've had months ago.

If you're confused by the date listed on the chapter, that's just when I originally uploaded it for pre-reader viewing. Life got in the way and I didn't get around to hitting Submit until Feb. 7, 2016.