Life is very long.

Princess Twilight Sparkle had reached the ultimate goal that had eluded alchemists and rulers for lifetimes. Her alicorn prowess granted her a heaping surplus of years to live, and she planned to make each one count to further raise Equestria to greater heights. Even as the landmarks of her previous life melted away to time, Twilight was stalwart in protecting her homeland from anything that dared to disrupt its harmony and friendship. 

Unfortunately, new crises appeared as rapidly as she resolved them. Many of them proved to be far too much for her to overcome, dragging Equestria to ruin. Through the wars and disasters, Twilight always managed to find a way to escape life's judgement. Now she roamed the corpse of her fallen kingdom wondering what actions she could have made at the correct moments that would have saved Equestria from such a horrific fate. 

This would not be the first time that she trotted upon the remains of her kingdom.

After a mirror portal field trip being conducted by Luna goes terribly wrong, Ocellus finds herself trapped in a strange palace far from home. That palace, once abandoned, is now infested with a hive of love-starved changelings intent on using her only way home as a means to invade her world.

Otherwise, Ocellus appears to be alone.

At first.

The story is inspired by, and a homage to, my favorite game of the last decade. However, this story is neither a crossover nor AU. This story is set after "The End of the End" (but before "The Last Problem"), and is purely a My Little Pony story. Warning: rudeness and intolerance are not allowed in the comments, but spoilers are. Exercise discretion. Remain polite and on-topic. And please enjoy the story!

You've held one in your hooves, and know that this feeling has come before. And in time, you will be by the balcony again, waiting for the recall. No matter how much you love them, something is always different, and you're left with the thought: Have you fought for nothing at all?