"Do not speak to us of flame or wrath! Lest we show thee what the words truly mean!"

Twilight, Starlight, and Trixie go back in time to answer two questions: why did Celestia become Daybreaker, and how did Equestria survive?

Note: This story assumes the events of Friendmaker, but can also be read on its own.

In the beginning, there was Harmony. Then Discord stole Fire from the Alicorns.

An entry into the "Dear Love: A Beautiful Discord" - Summer 2k18 Competition.

Edited by Mitch H and Orbiting Kettle.

(2018-11-30) Featured on Equestria Daily!

(2018-12-14) Featured in the Royal Canterlot Library!

(2019-01-15) Featured by Seattle's Angels!

Star Shine is quite a rare colt. In fact, some ponies believe him to be cursed, based on an old mares' tale. Detective Gumshoe doesn't believe a word of it, and if it's the last thing he does, he'll serve the city and the Princesses he loves by finding out what's really been terrorizing the neighborhood.

Tied for 7th place in the /fic/ write off "Cutting Ties."

Featured on Equestria Daily!

Many thanks to Uma for critique and character analysis.

When I moved to Ponyville, I was lost. Then I met her, and I began to realise that there was more to my cutie mark than I could have possibly imagined.

Edited by:
Gara The Author, Nova Quill, RoMS
Thank you three for being my intrepid pre-readers and editors!

Until yesterday, my life was no different than anybody's. Go to work, pay the bills, sleep. Today, I woke up to a world without humans. The streets are empty, the power grid is running down, and not another soul is in sight. That might not be the worst thing, if I wasn't also a pony.

Where is everyone? Why is this happening to me?

Will l stay sane long enough to starve?

This story now has a hardcover! If you'd like one of your own, you can grab it here: https://starscribe.net/

Now with a TVTropes page! Для тех, кто предпочитает русский язык, перевод можно найти по ссылке.

Note To E-Reader users: This story contains illustrations in each chapter, which will be lost in the standard fimfiction chapter export. The generous Phoen1x took the time to produce an epub version with all the illustrations intact, which you can download here.

A huge thanks to Zutcha for all his hard work on the art of this story. Also a huge thanks to my editors Two Bit and Sparktail, for tolerating my half-written crap.

In the dead of night, a thief breaks into the royal palace in Canterlot to steal Celestia's crown. She successfully sneaks through the palace and enters the room where this prize possession is kept, with not a soul the wiser.

Well, save for a certain Princess.

Featured on Equestria Daily!
Featured at the Royal Canterlot Library!

Traveling to Applewood through the San Palomino desert, Trixie is sweaty and tired. The town she usually stopped at on her way through was missing, and she feared it had been abandoned. When she finally sees a town, it's not the one she remembered, being almost a fortress of sorts.
The town is seemingly abandoned, save for strange mirrors in every home. When she finds out what they're for, she also discovers the town isn't as abandoned as she first thought.

All Star Tracker wanted was a couple of books signed from the world's most amazing pony. Of course, when you're perpetually nervous and your idol might be talking to you face-to-face, "no problem" might be a very big problem after all.

Thanks to Door Belle and FlashGen for their help.

When Twilight Sparkle's life grew more full of accolades, it grew more full of demands. First, she became Twilight Sparkle, the element of Magic; then she became Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship. Then the savior of two universes, then the rejuvenator of the Tree of Harmony, then owner of the Castle of Friendship. The Redeemer of Starlight Glimmer, the aunt of the world's most powerful alicorn, the headmistress of the School of Friendship. So it went.

And at the end of it all, she realized that Twilight Sparkle didn't really exist anymore - all that was left of her was a series of titles, awards and obligations, and the pony that held it all together was little more than a puppet to the demands of the world around her.

And when she understood that Twilight Sparkle was as good as gone, a second option opened itself up to her: if she could unfetter herself from the glory she had worked all her life to obtain, would Twilight Sparkle exist again - not as a name attached to a role, but a pony with her own hopes, dreams and desires?

And if she did, what would come next?

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A brief story about time, reality, pseudophilosophy, self-actualization and surprisingly tasty desserts.

Cover art by KzKsM.

Part of the Re- 'Verse.

Thanks to Wanderer D, Flashgen and Door Belle for their help proofreading, editing and offering advice.

And, more than anything else, my immense thanks to GaPJaxie for inspiring, reviewing and talking to me about this story. Without him, it literally would not exist.

Three months have come and gone since her freedom from the Nightmare, and in that time, she has done much learning. Learning of the new world around her, and what wonders a far more modern Equestria brings. With all light comes darkness; she of all knows this well. The texts she spends time flipping through often do tell of dark, unpleasant things, but all have seemed to be in the past.

Venturing into the world around her, spending nights high in the skies over cities and walking down long town roads, she is quick to discover the present holds its own secrets. In the shadows of accomplishment hides a beast which she is determined to slay.

Great thanks to those who have helped make this story possible:
Matthewl419
Empty Shelf
Ice Star
kalash93