Sweetie was just a normal little filly, waiting for hearth's warming eve to arrive. That time of year when all little fillies are suppose to be happy and all hearts burn the brightest.

But when the latest Cmc stunt goes a little to far, Sweetie makes a horrifying discovery that turns her world upside down - and turn her friends against her.
Unable to bear the haunting looks of others, she runs away from home.

Thus - with the world seemingly stacked against her - she sets of on a journey to try and discover the truth behind her existence, and the secrets of her origin. And above all else if there is a place where she belongs.

Or will this be a heart's warming eve she'll be forced to spend alone?

(Warning: A Grimdark tale with scenes some readers might find both disturbing and heartbreaking)

Cover art by the amazing EstrosianHeaven.

When Princess Celestia comes down with a mysterious illness despite her immortality, her loved ones flock to her side, including Sunset Shimmer. With only so much time left, Sunset takes it upon herself and Twilight to get to the bottom of it. The two of them work together non-stop to find a cure, which would be fine, if Sunset had gotten around to telling any of them she's dating the other world's Twilight.

Edited by the kind and insightful Space Jazz. Cover art designed by the incredibly talented Kiki-Kit and modified by the masterful Amber Spark! Spoilers in the comments.

This story is a sequel to Changeling Courtship Rituals

Queen Chrysalis attacked Canterlot, brainwashed Twilight Sparkle's brother, kidnapped her former foalsitter, defeated her mentor in combat, and conquered her kingdom. She kidnapped the sisters of Twilight's friends, turned them against one another, and tried to drain all of Twilight's magic. Queen Chrysalis has, at every opportunity, done her very best to utterly destroy Twilight Sparkle's life.

For some reason, this has not caused the pony to fall in love with her.

However, due to Twilight's misunderstanding of changeling customs, it does mean they are now married. Twilight eventually managed to tell the Queen the truth, but she forgot that whether it's a kingdom or a heart, changelings conquer.

And since the changeling way of conquest didn't work, Chrysalis is determined to try the pony way. The only problem is, of course, she has no idea what that is. But she knows someone who does: Princess Cadance.

Now, with the absolutely sincere help of her mortal enemy, the pony she once locked in the caves beneath Canterlot while trying to steal her husband on their very wedding day, Queen Chrysalis is going to woo the sister-in-law of that very pony.

Surely this is the most perfect plan ever devised.

***

Proofread by ShutterflyYay.

Takes place roughly after season five (so Starlight Glimmer is running around occasionally)

For years, Twilight Sparkle and Queen Chrysalis have been at each other's throats. Both have experienced victory over the other, and both have experienced defeat. Out of all the creatures in Equestria, none despise each other the way the pony Princess and changeling Queen do. They seemed destined to remain locked in battle forever, or at least until one is finally dead at the hooves of the other. The cruel insults, the vicious loathing, and the powerful spells that have passed back and forth between them at each meeting have become the stuff of legend.

Imagine Twilight's surprise when she finds out changelings consider this dating.

And now they're married.

***

Sequel: Pony Courtship Rituals

***

Some beautiful fanart of the end of chapter three was done by Dmann892; you can see it here.

More awesome fanart, this time from chapter one.

Now with a TvTropes page (obligatory TvTropes warning goes here).

If you want a Russian translation, you can find it here.

There is now a reading of the story on Youtube, which starts here.

Chrysalis is sick of Twilight always getting in the way of her plans. So sick of it, in fact, that she's willing to do anything in her power to stop Twilight from stopping her. She'll even go so far as to fall in love with her greatest foe.

Sunset Shimmer has lived in the human world for over ten years now. Some of the best and worst days of her life have happened there. When she finds herself no longer having a place in the world she's grown accustomed to she travels back to her homeland of Equestria to figure out who she is and where she belongs. What she finds is a land and people irreversibly changed by time.

Twilight Sparkle now rules over this new Equestria. It is a time of peace and prosperity for the entire world, so why does the Princess seem so sad?
Figuring out her own problems, an entirely different home than the one she grew up in, and her increasingly complicated relationship with Princess Twilight could be the most difficult thing Sunset Shimmer has ever done.
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Story takes place post FIM and EG

Sweetie Belle's life always contained a fair amount of frustration. From a lack of magical ability to her flank's stubborn refusal to develop a cutie mark, Sweetie has many a reason to envy her classmates. But her friends share many of those problems, making them somewhat bearable.

But at a certain fateful wedding, the changelings seem less interested in putting her in a pod, and more interested in attacking her outright. More evidence starts to appear, and she starts to realize something about herself that she would much rather forget.

While this story contains several adventure-like stories, especially in the beginning, it will mostly focus on slice-of-life material.

Twilight Sparkle just can't find enough time in the day. She has to study friendship for the Princess, hang out with her five friends, and juggle her own hobbies and interests besides. But when a novel solution presents itself in the form of an experimental new spell, will it solve her time crunch, or will she be distracted even further?

Their universe has come to an end, two goddesses sacrifice what is left to make sure it doesn't happen again. But fate lets them start over somewhere else...

Twilight Sparkle was dying because of the magic flare she emitted during her entrance exam to Princess Celestia's school, when she was about to destroy herself along with everypony on the school grounds a deity offered the little filly a deal that would change not just her life but the world itself.

NEW cover art by Lmkyouki

Also thanks to G33kySt3v3 for helping with the editing.

And thanks for those 8K+ views and the 400+ likes

Twilight's team art by Lmkyouki

wow Featured 10-21-2018 ~ TY

Twilight gets a visit from her future self (again). She's expecting some kind of emergency, and it is. Just not the kind she was anticipating...

Inspired by 1trickpone's comic (which is also the cover image). Written in about an hour.

EDIT: Featured?! Wow! Thank you so much everyone!