Outcasts. That's all some ponies will ever be. Whether you're a traitor to your country, orphaned and raised by a dragon, abandoned by your parents, or objectified by your status rather than your personality, sometimes society just doesn't want you in it. And sometimes society is being killed off by the thousands, so you have to save their lives anyway. Such is the life for the heroes of this story.
Rainbow Dash is one such hero. She along with her friends, her teacher, and a mysterious mercenary, must go on a quest to ensure that the one person who can rid the world of evil (the chosen one, Pinkie Pie) can do so. The Shadowbolts ravage cities and kidnap people, forcing them to work in the Rainbow Factories, and are relentless. Bloodthirsty. Brutally efficient. And they publicly execute all who dare oppose them. Luckily with the knowledge of the young scholar Twilight Sparkle, the strength of the enigmatic crystal knight Spitfire, the raw magical abilities of the child prodigy Starlight Glimmer, and the assistance of the divine alicorns, this small ragtag group just may have a chance to bring harmony back to the world... if the Shadowbolts, monsters, or a particularly shy (and surprisingly polite) assassin and her pet rabbit don't kill them first.
/x/x/x/
A remake of the story Tales of Sym-pony-a on my old account, A Cubed. This story too is based on events in the anime, manga, and video game Tales of Symphonia, but is standalone and requires no prior knowledge outside of MLP to understand, with some significant deviations from the plot. All pony characters are anthropomorphic with hands and hooves for the sake of holding swords and making it easier for me to write. The first part in a trilogy. Rated T for violence, mild naughty words, and some mild sexually suggestive content.