Twilight died today, and then she woke up.

Edited by Pegasusmesa

In an Equestria without the Princesses or the guidance of the Elements of Harmony, Twilight Sparkle is a researcher on the cusp of her greatest discovery and simultaneous fall from grace while finding love at the same time.

Initially written for the May/June Twiluna contest. Proofreading and idea-seeding credit goes to Pearple Prose Rated Teen for language and implied sex/violence.

This story is a sequel to Monsters

You might think that Equestrian nights are but serene exhibitions of Luna's work on the sky. You may believe that you can just lay out on the grass and admire the beautiful stars as a warm evening breeze caresses your mane. And you would be wrong.

Equestria is a magical place, and where there is magic, there is chaos. Dead rising from their graves, inanimate objects coming to life, strange apparitions making your foal cry in her room... sounds familiar? No? Then I'm doing my job right.

I'm Twilight Sparkle, and I work the Night Shift.

This follows canon up to the end of season 2.
Check out the Fanart Repository for lots of awesome Night Shift art!

Featured on Equestria Daily.
Winner of Stories Back from the Read 2013.
One hundred percent approved by Twilight's Library!
Special thanks to Nonagon and Wise Cracker.

The news had shocked the entire nation. Anger, violence, and even threats of war have erupted in the colony on the borders of the harsh Frozen North, all of it centered around the infamous city of Gueldergrad. If Equestria is to put an end to the chaos before it escalates, somepony must venture into the foreign lands and set things right.

A noble unicorn steps up to meet the challenge: Shining Armor. Newest prince of the Crystal Empire. Captain of the Royal Guard. The pride of the Equestrian armed forces.

But there is a lot hidden in the far-stretching lands of the Frozen North, and even more can it reveal among those who dare to enter. Things the valiant captain does not yet know about his own company, those who command him, or even himself...

(Collab effort between JLB and yours truly. Inspired by the video game "Spec Ops: The Line". Knowledge of the source material is not necessary to get the optimal reading experience.)

The wilderness is a chaotic mess, dangerous and hostile, that can only be tamed with music. A colt and his family need to travel, but not everpony will arrive at the end of the journey.

Story written for The More Most Dangerous Game contest.

Featured on Equestria Daily.

Cover image by Razya

King Sombra came from an old age, a time where darkness and evil were prevalent across the land. The Princesse's power and influence were weaker in those days, for the land of Equestria was divided amongst many kingdoms of lesser Princesses and Princes. But out of all their ruling neighbors, The Four Shepherds held the most power of all, even threatening Celestia and Luna's kingdom. However, all of that changed when they vanished for a thousand years, ushering in a new era of peace and prosperity. Until that is, when the Crystal Kingdom reappeared, along with one of the Shepherds. King Sombra, however, was thankfully vanquished swiftly, but the following peace of his defeat would not last as long as anypony might think. A new force sets its eyes on the recently coronated Princess Twilight Sparkle, one that seeks to restore a lost heritage and remind the land of who is the true owner of the night. For when one evil is smitten, another appears in its place. And King Sombra was only the first in line.

Set before Season 4

Note: Dark tag is meant for Light Dark

Special thanks to my editor Ladrian for his diligent and superb work. I wish I had him when I first started this story because maybe then the early chapters would have been much better.

Special thanks to Stanku for revisions and prereading this story. It would be at a much worse state had it not been for his detailed opinions to each and every chapter, and letting me know where I can improve.

10/2/2014 : Woah... it's on the featured list... *cue squealing and fist pumping* THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

Expedition No. 5
Begin report:

Ventured into Ponyville today. Not much left of town. Most locals remain docile, but ran into a few hostiles. Had to take necessary precautions to avoid contamination. Checked locations of interest as ordered. Found nothing new. There was no sign of the subject. Disturbing news to take back to Canterlot.

Followed trail to just outside of the old Apple’s farm. Found signs of a struggle and pieces of a destroyed MKII hazmat suit. Tracks lead to the Everfree Forest. Recommending a larger expedition force to search for the subject. Diary found near location of the struggle. Looks to be mostly undamaged. There are a lot of fresh hoofprints on the ground.

The following is the full extent of the written material found. Perhaps it can shed light on what transpired here, and what became of the subject.

End Report

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Hey folks, let me know what you think of this story. Comment, and let me know if you want me to continue it, because I have some ideas on how to do so.

Many ponies have spoken of ghosts wandering in the night and special locations claimed to be haunted. One particular house in Trottingham is said to be the most unsettling place to live as it tells the tale of a deadly entity that haunts the place and seeks to kill any pony unfortunate enough to reside within its walls. An old pony tale that you will soon learn might be more than just a legend.
- Written as an entry for EqD's Nightmare Night 2013 competition.

You wake up. You feel nothing but pain. You remember nothing. You can't even remember what kind of pony you are. How did you get here? What is going on? Who are you?

A second person fiction inspired by the Choose Your Own Adventure books.

Pre-read by Sethi

100% rejected by Twilight's Library!
(They don't like second person over there.)

Rating and tags may change as story progresses.

Immortality isn't all it's cracked up to be. Just ask someone who would know. Like... Apple Bloom, for instance.

Written for the February Writeoff - Closing Time