What Readers Are Saying...
"You make the waterworks happen," -Stardust_Scratch
"It has been like watching a gruesome car crash. You cannot look away from it, and it tears you apart, you are sure you are gonna have nightmares about it, but you just keep reading." -llDenkerll
"Have any of you ever accidentally’ed your way into a horror story, that was way darker than you thought it was going to be? ...I’m going to go scrub my brain down with a few hours of mindless pony fluff... I am enjoying the story I swear," -fargo11
"The ending of the last chapter left me with hope, with expectations, while the end of this chapter leaves me with sorrow, with emptiness, with hopelessness. I need more," -Anshlun
"I lack any words to describe how fucked this whole situation is. It hurts so much. Good job," -Hermaeus xerxes
"This story has some painful feels to it... I need time to think now," -Destiny Chaser
"Every time I read the witches' dialogue I feel genuinely scared... I don't have a clue of what's going to happen," -TheFaceofMercy
Starlight Glimmer had always been a difficult pony.
She's getting better, though! Really! Three years of living with the Princess of Friendship, one of the most beloved ponies in Equestria, is bound to rub off on a mare. Though Starlight continues to grapple with her insecurities and past mistakes, she never would have presumed she'd be free of the guilt - as it should be.
Yet over the years, she's come into her own as a devoted, passionate, and empathetic friend (despite a few bumps here and there).
But one day, like any other, a strange illness befalls Princess Twilight Sparkle. Starlight is driven to a foal's storybook for answers. Armed with her magic and faith, the ex-student follows a crumb trail leading to one reclusive group dwelling in the heart of an otherworldly bog. If there was any salvation for the pony who'd saved Starlight, it lay solely with them. Except when the time comes for payment to be collected, what's left behind is picked up by Twilight and her friends.
And Starlight doesn't want them to. For how can something so broken be put back together? She'd much rather save them all the trouble...
Canon divergence one year after 'The Movie,' post-season seven
Rated-T for some disturbing imagery and heavy themes concerning depression
Artwork of the Witches by Hermaeus Xerxes: https://derpicdn.net/img/view/2019/9/22/2150483.png
Starlight's Theme: Above and Beyond by Paul Dinletir
Twilight's Theme: Homecoming by Jeff Marsh
The Broken Bond Theme: The Birth of a Soul by Fran Soto
Pre-reader/Editor: JD McGregor
Cover Artist: Calenita
55 Chapters:
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(Loyalty) The Broken Student - I.I - Just Another Sunday [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Dec 16th, 2018
2,664
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I.II - Starlight's Rumination Trap [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Oct 17th, 2018
2,768
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I.III - The Last Celebration [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Dec 16th, 2018
2,261
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I.IV - The Ladies of Flutter Valley [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Oct 28th, 2019
7,959
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I.V - A Debt Repaid (Which is Used to Pay Another) [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Nov 11th, 2018
3,896
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(Generosity) The Broken Body - II.I - The Waking Nightmare [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Dec 16th, 2018
4,044
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II.II - The Teacher and the Student [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Dec 16th, 2018
8,731
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II.III - The First Day of the Rest of Your Life [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Mar 28th, 2019
10,384
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II.IV - The First Night [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Nov 26th, 2018
5,054
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(Honesty) The Broken Life - III.I - The Coming Storm [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Nov 27th, 2018
3,971
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III.II - Fractured [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Nov 27th, 2018
7,943
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III.III - Sorry [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Nov 28th, 2018
5,091
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III.IV - I'm Yelling Because I Love You [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Mar 29th, 2019
16,098
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III.V - The Eye of the Storm [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Mar 29th, 2019
13,959
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III.Vl - Fear Itself [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Mar 29th, 2019
8,503
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(Laughter) The Broken Heart - IV.I - The Calm [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Sep 16th, 2018
8,159
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IV.II - That Sinking Feeling [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Dec 13th, 2018
2,712
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IV.III - Friends in the End [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Sep 28th, 2018
2,188
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IV.IV - Stability [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Oct 13th, 2018
6,947
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IV.V - The Rock-Solid Friendship [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Oct 18th, 2018
3,532
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IV.VI - Between Day and Night [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Oct 30th, 2018
5,294
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IV.VII - The Wolves [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Nov 13th, 2018
5,383
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IV.VIII - The Sheep [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Feb 21st, 2019
6,991
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IV.IX - The Ex-Commander and Ex-Dictator: Rising Action [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Nov 19th, 2018
4,350
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Interlude: Trixie and Rainbow Dash Butt Heads [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Jan 19th, 2019
1,988
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IV.X - Losing Nerves [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Jan 20th, 2019
8,320
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IV.XI - Half-Baked Sympathies [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Feb 7th, 2019
15,360
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IV.XII - Before the Storm [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Feb 17th, 2019
8,418
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IV.XIII - Gored at the Gourd (1 of 3) [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Mar 25th, 2019
13,124
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IV.XIII - Gored at the Gourd (2 of 3) [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Apr 1st, 2019
16,473
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IV.XIII - Gored at the Gourd (3 of 3) [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Apr 1st, 2019
19,869
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(Kindness) The Broken Teacher - V.I - The Shattering of Everypony [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Apr 14th, 2019
2,837
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V.II - The Ace of Hearts [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Apr 11th, 2019
9,754
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V.III - Good Pep Talk [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Apr 17th, 2019
7,131
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V.IV - Gone to Waste [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Apr 29th, 2019
3,258
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V.V - A Change in Perspective [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
May 1st, 2019
4,615
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V.VI - Don't Fix What Isn't Broken [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Jul 6th, 2019
7,987
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V.VII - "Dear Princess Celestia, I'm Fine" [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Jul 7th, 2019
3,124
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V.VIII - Trapped in the Dragon Pit [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Jul 25th, 2019
7,960
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V.IX - It's that Simple [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Jul 29th, 2019
6,696
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V.X - As Simple as That [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Jul 29th, 2019
3,148
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V.XI - Don't Look Back [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Jul 30th, 2019
3,363
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(Magic) The Broken Bond - VI.I - We Can Still Fix This [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Aug 1st, 2019
4,774
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VI.II - The First Lesson [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Aug 5th, 2019
4,380
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VI.III - This "Feeling" Magic [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Aug 9th, 2019
7,097
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Interlude: "I have nothing to be afraid of anymore." [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Aug 11th, 2019
1,939
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VI.IV - Shoulda Seen This Coming [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Aug 15th, 2019
4,369
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VI.V - A Little Bit of Empathy [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Aug 22nd, 2019
4,650
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VI.VI - The Long Road Ahead (to recovery of course) [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Aug 28th, 2019
3,638
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VI.VII - Hydia, Reeka, Draggle [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Sep 4th, 2019
3,777
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VI.VIII - The Sunstone [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Sep 12th, 2019
4,902
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VI.IX - Hilda, Rhonda, Doris [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Oct 7th, 2019
18,974
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VI.X - A Destiny Millennia in the Making [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Nov 4th, 2019
10,928
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(Empathy) The Broken, the Mended - VII.I.I - The Second Day of the Rest of Your Life [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Feb 7th, 2020
4,210
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VII.I.II - Destiny is But a Fancy Way of Perceiving the Ongoing Tragedy that is Human Error [Fimfiction.net] [Cache]
Aug 16th, 2020
7,207