I thought it was just a particularly hot summer. When my friends and the rest of the town started acting weird, I thought it was just the heat. After all, we've had heatwaves before, and those always drive ponies a little crazy. That's what I told myself, anyway.

And then I did some digging and realized I was right... and also very, very wrong.

This story is a sequel to Life is Magic

In what feels like an instant, we lost everything.

We were happy, unsuspecting, peace-loving creatures caught up in something beyond our control or understanding. There was no way we could've prepared ourselves for what was to come, let alone do anything to stop it. What was supposed to be the celebration of the Sun we all love and revere, became a horrific whirlwind of violence and fear and insanity. And that was when our world changed—when we changed.

In the aftermath of the Collapse, nothing remains but monsters, madness, and the scattered remains of a peaceful age now lost to us—or so we thought. But in reality, there is still hope for something better. In the all-consuming darkness of this new era, the embers of Harmony still exist. The light is small, but it burns with a resilience that will not allow it to be snuffed out so easily.

All that's needed is a spark—something to stoke the embers into a roaring flame that will bring us out of the darkness and back into the light of Harmony once again. In the aftermath of the Collapse we are lost, we are suffering, we are cursed but not all of us are without hope.

I have been branded a criminal for a crime I have no recollection of committing. The transgression of which I'm accused is evidently heinous enough that my friends, my family, and the rest of Equestria have turned against me. I want to say that I didn't do it, that it wasn't my fault, but I can't. The only thing I can say in my defense is that if the deed was truly done by my hoof, then it was done due to circumstances beyond my control.

I say this because I can't remember. I say this because I'm not allowed to remember. I say this because my mind is no longer my own. It belongs to the voice, you see. It crawled into my head one day—poured cruel and malicious words into my brain. I tried to fight it but it grew and grew and grew until was powerful enough to seep into my memories, my limbs, my magic. Now it won't let me go. It's taken my mind and body away from me. It does terrible things and hides the truth from me.

I am not mad, but under these circumstances what else can I do but plead insanity?

The events described take place before Season 1.

Within our little corner of the multiverse are several agencies all funded by the Crown along with other 'backers' whose names you won't find in any public files—organizations that exist to handle certain tasks at the behest of Her Royal Highness. Many of these agencies work behind the scenes, out of the public eye. They strive to keep not just our country, but the world itself safe from the more dire threats that plague it.

There is an infinite number of universes that exist, some of which have been explored and countless others that we know are out there but have yet to see with our own eyes. There are those that are trained to take such risks. venturing into the unknown and unknowable for the sake of our continued prosperity. And then there those that deal with the nastier things that slip through from time to time. There are ponies and other creatures that specialize in dealing with those things—more often than not eldritch abominations so obscenely hideous and mindbendingly horrifying that the mere sight of one can drive you insane or kill you outright from the fear alone.

While there is some general overlap, I am not officially part of either of those groups. My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I am a newly minted agent of P.O.U.T. or the Procurement of Outlandish and Unearthly Treasures. My role is just what it says on the tin. I find and seize mysterious and often deadly artifacts that have been classified as 'not of this world', preferably before they end up in the hooves, claws, or paws of innocent and hapless civilians who have no idea what they're dealing with.

Time may heal all wounds, but the scars and trauma left behind could change those affected in both expected and unexpected ways, and not always for the better. For some, time is enough, but for others, something more is needed. A distraction. Something to cling to when you feel there's nothing left. For the Princess of Equestria, that something was a mystery better left unsolved.

Fantastic cover art once again done by Mix-up!

I'd do just about anything to help my faithful assistant and dearest friend with his problems, but this time I may be out of my depth. Something's wrong with Spike... very wrong, and I'm not sure I can fix it on my own. I don't know what's going on, but I'm worried about him. Some of the things he's been saying lately... they scare me.

I'm afraid for him... and I think I might be afraid of him.

A strange book written in a script not linked to any known language is given to Moon Dancer by a mysterious stallion with dark spectacles and a charming smile. Wary of what lay within yet curious nonetheless, Moon Dancer enlists the aid of her old friend Twilight Sparkle in deciphering the script and unlocking the truth behind the book's origins.

What follows is a detailed account of the endeavor and its tragic and terrifying conclusion, penned by the broken mare who survived to tell the tale.

Twilight had never questioned the nature of the Tree of Harmony. To her at least, it stood as a sentinel, a silent guardian watching over Equestria and keeping disharmony at bay.

She soon starts to have questions and misgivings when she inadvertently witnesses the horrifying fate of hers and the rest of her friend's twisted doppelgängers. Did something happen to the Tree of Harmony, or was it always this way?

Twilight aims to resolve this mystery once and for all. Little does she realize that this mystery goes far deeper—the truth far more terrifying than she can imagine.

Will she be able to solve this nightmarish mystery with her sanity intact, or will she surrender and be lost to madness?

After some deliberation I chose to put a Crossover tag as the whole story uses many assets from several stories in the Cthulhu Mythos (most of them written by authors other than Lovecraft).

Fantastic cover art done by Mix-up!

Co-authored by Phoenix Nebula.

Hosted by me

Twilight has never handled stress very well.

Over the years, she's found ways to cope, and her anxiety attacks and breakdowns haven't been nearly as bad as they used to be, but they still exist.

It takes a lot more for her to reach her breaking point, but when you throw, old enemies, political strife, and blood thirsty invaders from another dimension into the mix all in the same week, that's when enough is enough.

A new and unexpected threat arises, and it's enough to push Twilight Sparkle over the edge. The new Princess calls out for an end to the madness, and Magic returns her call by bringing the arcane might of the mage to bear.

The mysterious forces that have invaded Equestria will soon realize that Tartarus hath no fury like the Element of Magic.

WARNING: This story contains gratuitous amounts of OP Twilight doing OP magical things. If that isn't your cup of tea, leave now. You've been warned.

This story is a sequel to A Process of Elimination

Twilight Sparkle had a secret.

It was a secret that plagued her for years. It was a secret that isolated her. It was a secret that brought her pain, misery, and joy all at once.

It was a secret that gained her the best and only real friend she had ever known.

It was a secret that caused her downfall.