Cover Art "S p e l l" by Miltvain (AKA Hioshiru) of deviantART, used with permission.

Sequel to "The Sun Eater"

What if Twilight Sparkle went through that mirror to save the Element of Magic, and didn't come back with it? What would that do to her? What would it do to her friends? Would things ever be the same if the Elements of Harmony were suddenly bereft of their keystone? What if Twilight was so ashamed of this one, tragic failure that she simply left, seemingly for good?

It's been eight years since all that happened. The mane six have gotten older, colder, and more distant. Not even the stalwart Celestia is quite who she used to be, owing to her disappointment, not so much in her student, but in her own failure in that critical moment. This is tragedy.

Allow, however, for a few more "What ifs."

What if, by a bit of random chance, Twilight Sparkle happened to be found? What if, by sheer coincidence, something terrible was, at that same time, setting itself against the world -- a thing against which the world had no chance without the magic of the Elements? What if, just once, an irreversible failure was somehow reversed?

Well, that might be a story worth telling; a study in failure, misery, and despair. It would also be a story about second chances and the fact that sometimes the impossible really does just happen. It would also, appropriately, be a story about friendship.

This is the second in a series, the first being "The Sun Eater," as stated above, but it's not necessary to have read that one to enjoy this one. Both are set in an alternate continuity where ponies are just a little bit more like people. In fact, it would be fair to say they're exactly like people, if people had hooves, some of us could fly, and some of us could do magic.

They smoke, they drink, and they cuss. They have dysfunctional relationships. They fall into despair. Sometimes, they even fail -- completely -- when it really counts, and it costs them more than they can pay.

That's when we get to find out who they really are.

Everything dies, baby; that's a fact.
Maybe everything that dies someday comes back.

Content Warning:

The mature rating is applied to this text for a reason. Foul language and substance abuse abound, and there is disturbing imagery and some fairly intense violence, which means blood and some gore. Don't read this if any of that bothers you.