A flip of a coin. A twist of fate.

Twilight Sparkle, younger sister of Princess Celestia's personal student, Shining Armor, grew up listening to her brother's bygone dreams of joining the elite of the elite: The Royal Guard.

Now, fresh out of the Academy, this young mare is ready to prove herself equal to the deeds of the great soldiers she read about as a filly. Too bad the princess she ends up protecting isn't Celestia.

When the leaves of the world burst into deep reds, oranges, and yellows, earth pony towns all over Equestria chase the cold winds away with Fall Weather Friends Day festivals. From budding relationships to old flames, relations of all kinds gather from across Equestria to enjoy the season, including a peculiar pair of bitter and sweet stallions.

The dichotomous couple intends to make the most of their visit to the friendship capital of the world, Ponyville, by seeing the sights, savoring the fun and festivities, and ignoring the terrified screams of the locals, all the while deepening their love for one another. As long as they have each other, nothing will be able to stand against their star-crossed love, both figuratively and literally.

Tied for second place in Bicyclette's M/M Shipping Contest III hosted by the M/M Shipping Contests! group
Edited by: TheAncientPolitzanian
Preread by: Jymbroni, Alchemik, Falkenlied, and Arkadios
Cover Art: Pop-Rocking OCs by pop @rockin_candies on Twitter
Inspired by Crooked Beetles' Good OC x Bad OC Thread on Twitter

Featured from 11/16/23 to 11/20/23. Thanks so much!

Twilight did her duty. She saved everypony she could, except herself. Now trapped by an evil cult, in more pain than she has even been in before, and dying on a sacrificial altar, she calls for help. The Nightmare answers.

Will Twilight become the next evil to threaten the world or will the Nightmare simply be glad to have some freedom? One thing is for certain, Twilight's life will never be the same again.

The Editors
Cander (CH 1-Current)
Yutah123 (CH 8-9)

Now with an excellent reading by StraightToThePointStudio (Currently only up to CH 30)

And we even have art!
[Warning Spoilers] Twilight's Nightmare Art

In the wake of Chrysalis' failed invasion, a different hive breaks tradition and steps into the light to open relations with Equestria. The ever eager scholar, Twilight Sparkle, uses this truce as the perfect opportunity to learn more about this enigmatic race. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, she will learn all there is to know about what it means to be a changeling.

But will Twilight lose herself in the hive, or will she regain what she has lost? Only time will tell.

Featured on 9/24/13

My first featured story! You guys are awesome.

Story readings and cover art by Luminescent Skies: Click here for some audio novel treatment

My Editor in Chief: Cloud Hop

Twilight Sparkle has ruled Equestria for over a thousand years. From her throne atop the floating city of Concord, she enforces ruthless harmony over the handful of surviving settlements. But Twilight is afraid: Equestria's survival always hangs by a thread, as enemies more ancient than the Alicorns threaten to return and devour what she has built.

Twilight selects her star pupil, a young unicorn named Star Orchid, to travel down from the perfect city of Concord into the dangerous ruins beneath, so that she might locate these forces, and help Twilight to destroy them. Only when every threat to Equestria is finally dismantled will she be able to rest. Until then, there is much left to purify.

Edited by Two Bit and Sparktail. Cover by Zutcha

Updates Wednesdays.

This story was commissioned by TyrannisUmbra, with additional funds donated by my enabler, Two Bit. If you'd like one of your own, drop me a PM!

This story takes place in the same universe as Why We Dig. I'm not going to call it a sequel, since none of its characters will be aware of anything in that story, so you won't have to be either.

When Princess Celestia was imprisoned upon Nightmare Moon's return, Equestria was left leaderless and afraid in the dark, resulting in widespread panic and looting across the nation. Although Celestia was quickly able to restore peace after her return, the situation troubled her greatly. In order to prevent something like this from happening again, she signed Directive 51 into law, establishing the Shadowbolt Harmony Division, an elite group of soldiers that operate independently in the most hostile of circumstances in order to eliminate threats and maintain order.

Years later, a mysterious illness of unknown origin ravaged the city of Manehattan, and the EUP guard were unable to control the mass of rioters. The city fell into chaos, and when the Princesses arrived to restore order, they became infected themselves. The Division was activated in response, sending in agents to reinforce the EUP soldiers in retaking the fallen city.

Originally designated as a second-wave reinforcement, Agent Rainy arrives in Manehattan to find that the first wave has disappeared, with rioters roaming free in the streets. Alone and against the odds, she must find a way to retake the city and find a cure... but rioters aren't the only enemies out to stop her.

60 years to build the Mothership.
5 000 000 tons of resources invested into its construction.
One female scientist integrated permanently into its computer.
531 ships destroyed during the journey.
124 246 people perished during the journey.
300 464 275 people gone as a result of the genocide for breaking a 4 000-year treaty by redeveloping the hyperspace drive.
One galactic empire shattered.
We are home.
But we are not the only ones who wish to thrive here.

There are spoilers in the comments section. You have been warned.
---

The cover image by Conrie.

If you haven't played the games, and/or have simply little to no knowledge of the Homeworld universe, I'd like you to point out anything that doesn't seem to make sense, or that appears to require inside knowledge to understand, in the comments. I will either alter the story to explain it, or simply explain it myself in response.

The timeline of the story is set prior to the finale of Season 4, nothing further from that in the canon has been implemented (no twilacorn, the Elements of Harmony are still intact, the Griffins aren't poor, and the Dragons aren't ruled by a tyrant).

Edited by AlicornPriest up to chapter 10, I believe.

Preread by Chicago Ted and Majora

Special thanks to:

Icebeerg and Wobble, for looking through the story.

Zaid ValRoa for editing and advice on the revamped short description and looking through the story.

Section for getting me into social sci-fi in the first place with the excellent Foundation stories by Isaac Asimov.