Once upon a time, Spike went for a walk.

While on his walk, he was judged by an ancient alicorn, lodged with griffons, parlayed with air pirates, charmed a maiden of a mystical race, and dealt with the scourges of hate, fear, and racism while deliberately drawing the armies of myriad nations to the brink of global war.

Once upon a time, Spike went for a walk, and did all of this so that he could keep a promise to the one that meant the most to him... Twilight Sparkle.

In the first of three books, Pillars of the Sun (Chapters 1-15), Spike is devastated by Twilight's fate and grows more and more despondent as he attempts to understand what has happened to his dearest friend. A gentle nudge from a pony he trusts sends him looking for answers. When that nudge becomes a push he unravels ancient secrets... and risks losing himself before his attempt to rescue Twilight can even begin.

In the warmth of her cloud home, Rainbow Dash is about to turn in for the night when she hears Scootaloo crying outside in the middle of a vicious blizzard. Plucking the freezing filly from the snow, Rainbow hopes to provide some much-needed comfort for the otherwise tough young pegasus, but she uncovers a disturbing reality that she knows she cannot handle alone.

Knowing only one pony that could really help her out, Rainbow enlists Twilight’s help, determined to set things straight for Scootaloo. But what Rainbow doesn’t know is that in her efforts to provide a better life for the filly, her friendship with Twilight will develop into something more.

Edited by Alcatraz, Rated Ponystar, Rocinante, Ponysopher, Marshal Twilight, Knight of Cerebus, ShimmeringStallion, and Jake The Army Guy

Proofread by Neko Majin C

This story is a sequel to Vanilla Twilight

Rainbow Dash has a problem.

She might be in love with Twilight Sparkle and has yet to admit it to anypony, least of all Twilight herself. After the events of Vanilla Twilight, the two have grown much closer together, spending more time together and sharing their interests. Unfortunately for Dash, Twilight hasn't caught on to her feelings yet, and she could be content with just letting things progress as they are...

If only she hadn't sent that blasted letter admitting it.

Now, thanks to a pair of meddling princesses, Rainbow Dash finds herself on a globe-trotting journey with the subject of her affections. On the surface, it might just seem like a simple task for the Princess, but for Rainbow Dash, it might be the very thing that forces her to come clean with her feelings, or forever face her doubts. For her, in the world of life and love, sometimes it's best to take it one dream and disaster at a time.