Once upon a time, the School of Friendship was praised and accredited, after its lessons drove a little filly mad. Imprisoned in Tartarus with only an ancient monstrous centaur to keep her company, Cozy Glow was in the perfect place for Grogar to whisk away so that he could force her to do his bidding.

Twilight Sparkle's friends, bastions of Equestria's highest virtues, left Cozy Glow forgotten and alone, locked in that rusty cage deep underground. Nopony ever attempted to visit her, check up on her, care for her, reform her, or try to find out what was wrong with her.

This is not that story.

This story is a sequel to Returning Home

("sequel" but can be read on its own, without first reading Returning Home)

It’s a dream come true, when I find my way to Equestria, and turn into a little pony, a mare! This can’t be an accident. I must be in a story! The problem is, I know how these stories end. I’m supposed to learn the lesson that my old life was worthwhile after all, and return home. But Equestria is a wonderful, beautiful land, and the longer I live here, the more I fall in love with it. There’s nothing for me to return to, besides loneliness, sorrow, and eventually death, so can’t I just... stay here?

I just want to be the little pony!

A lot of ponies wouldn't realize just how terrible Starlight's crimes were, Starlight included. Defeated, chastened, remorseful, guilty, now all that remains is for her sentence to be laid. She needs her record set straight, sentenced to a punishment just as severe as all the terrible things she's done. It's up to Twilight Sparkle and her friends to impart on Starlight Glimmer just how serious her actions were, and what consequences she will have to face for her many crimes against Equestria.

One wintry evening, a frozen, half starved and exhausted mare wanders into Ponyville from out of the wilderness. It seems straightforward on how to deal with her, a traveller from a world of humans across the forbidden Void, on an adventure in Equestria. Welcoming her, the Element Bearers try to befriend this mare, aid in her quest, and help her find her way home again.

Things don’t quite work out as planned.

The changelings have been defeated, and the day is saved. Forced to limp home with her damaged brood, Chrysalis reflects on the events that transpired, and what consequences it may have for the future of her kind.

Rainbow Dash hasn't been having a good time since Discord was defeated. Her supervisor suddenly thinks she can't handle a simple weather schedule. Her relay team all suddenly have a grudge against her. Something isn't right, and it's not limited to her. Applejack's family is watching over her like a jailhouse warden. Twilight is avoiding them all, visiting with strange ponies, and losing sleep on something she won't talk about. Pinkie Pie, and Rarity are both having problems they can't explain. And for Fluttershy, it's the worst of all.

Without Twilight’s guidance, 5 ponies have to figure out what happened to the town, and why their lives are so messed up despite Discord being long gone. Somehow they have to get Twilight to open up to them again, and accept help from her friends. But nothing they do seems to work right. They’re at a loss of what to make of any of this, until Rainbow Dash stumbles upon a truly chilling revalation, that throws into question everything the 5 of them have ever known.

When trouble calls, Dash wants an obvious goal, a big bad monster to defeat, but now the only thing she can see in front of her are all her friends.

After a long and productive career, Apple Bloom reflects on what it really means to have a super special talent like her own. Not all of it is sunshine and rainbows though. In fact, come to think on it, none of it is sunshine and rainbows. Whoops.

Fluttershy has a very difficult question to ask Twilight Sparkle. A simple question, it seems, but first, she has to...
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When the Sonic Rainboom inspired Twilight Sparkle to pass her entrance exam, Princess Celestia knew that this was the one, the final element of Harmony, the filly prophecied to save her, and her sister, and the world from certain doom.

Princess Celestia made a terrible mistake.

She never even knew about the most magical unicorn in all of Equestria, because that filly was far away from Equestria, in a place where few ponies dared to tread. For Twilight Sparkle, the Sonic Rainboom was the greatest moment of her life, but for this filly, who was to become the world's only hope, it was the worst.

Apple Bloom was growing to hate school. Far from her fond memories of class with miss Cheerilee, high school was proving to be the most wearyingly senseless way to educate a youngster that she could possibly conceive of. But when peculiar dreams and even more peculiar phenomenon put Apple Bloom as far away from high school as she can be, it looks like the end of her life, not the beginning. With no hope for her future, she can only rely on the support of friends and loved ones to keep her spirits up. Then, things start to go ...awry...