A different take on alicorn ascension. Sixteen years after arriving in Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle is excited to have invented a brand-new kind of spell, but it will come with consequences she cannot possibly anticipate. Meanwhile, threats in shadows around the world conspire to overthrow the Solar Throne. With her world turned upside down, she will have to come to terms with the role that fate has dealt her while straining to keep Celestia in power.

Now with a TVTropes page! Please show it some love! Also check out the official side stories, Designing Intrigue, and Love and Barriers! (With even more in my stories page!)

(Please Note: This story was started before any season three information was available. All episodes in season three and later are non-canon for this story, which also means there's no Crystal Empire in this one. In addition, the promotional map released close to the beginning of season three was also not available and is not compatible with this story. While the OC tag is active because there are OCs in the story, they're really just supporting characters. The focus is on Twilight.)

Also be sure to check out the Rites of Ascension Expanded Universe Group! We're working to develop the resources needed for other authors to try their hand at writing stories set in the Rites Universe!

The Book Two cover art was created by the amazing Silfoe! The original cover art can still be found at Violet Squiggle's deviantArt page.

Author's Notes, including proofreader's credits, can be found here!

"This is 100% Approved by Twilight's Library!"

Princess Pipp is in the middle of her first ever hot tub stream when the unthinkable happens... Ponybook goes down, and takes the internet with it! Will she survive without the ability to go viral? Or will this spell doom for all of Zephyr Heights?

All aboard the bandwagon. Choo Choo!
Audio reading by StraightToThePointStudio here

Sunny Starscout struggles to live in a world without Harmony. A world where the magic of friendship can't save you anymore.

This story is in Sunny Starscout's first-person POV.

Entered into the MLP Renaissance Contest. If the judges feel this story is not in the spirit of the contest, I can voluntarily withdraw my entry.

This is a work of fiction that contains fairly dark themes. Use your discretion, and make the decision that's best for you. Just so we're clear, Sunny Starscout does NOT die in this story.

Featured 7/14/21 and 7/15/21

All the castle staff of Canterlot know that when seven-year-old Twilight Sparkle has a problem, the correct answer is always "Let Celestia handle it." But this time? Celestia's student has come up with a theory that she wasn't quite expecting.

Yeah, this needs fixing.

Just a short little something that hit me out of the blue and demanded to be written. Not my usual cup of tea; criticism welcome.

This is absolutely adorable, and exactly what you should read if you're looking for something sweet and cute that won't test your brain or stomach, but will test your smile muscles.

—Louder Yay

Check Ichabod Creep's Audio Reading!

Special thanks to Super Trampoline for pre-reading!

Cover art used with permission from mysticalpha.

In the midst of a battle to protect Equestria, Twilight Sparkle falls. For a moment—just a moment—she wonders if she should bother getting back up this time.

A treatise on 2020, written and published 12 days late. Blame it on the Gregorians.

On a dark night filled with even darker magics, an insane cult attempts to give Nightmare Moon a body and life of her own, utterly separate from Princess Luna. But, when the spell is interrupted by Celestia, something unexpected is created.

Now, a little black alicorn filly named Nyx finds herself living under the care of Twilight Sparkle, only to be haunted by memories and emotions from her past. Is she Nightmare Moon reborn or is she simply a doppelganger with a soul and mind of her own? Can Twilight Sparkle protect Nyx from those who refuse to see past her dragon eyes and black coat?

Or, will Nyx be forced to inherit the sins that may not even be hers and become the greatest evil Equestria has ever known?

Everypony enjoys myths and ponytales, even if they know such things aren't real. Alicorns fighting against a spirit of chaos? An ancient princess trapped in a library under a tree, waiting to be found? Quite enchanting and fantastic tales yes, but nonetheless as fictional as Daring Do and other such stories. At least, that's what Rarity used to think.

She doesn't anymore.

Dedicated to Annuska for being as amazing a writer as she is a friend.

Now a physical book!!!
Patreon!
Based on an old oneshot.
Chapter Art by Arctic Waters // Graphic Design and Typography by Swan Song.

Sunny believed the tales. Really believed, in a way that most ponies didn't anymore. About the Elements of Harmony, and about Twilight Sparkle. Back when Equestria had princesses, and was whole, when every creature knew the real power of Friendship. She believed⁠—and she knew that, one day, if she believed hard enough, it could be again.

Elsewhere, distant, Twilight Sparkle watches her would-be student, and frets.

A Russian translation by NovemberDragon is available here. | Русский перевод от NovemberDragon доступен здесь.

A Chinese translation by forgivenlove is available here here. | 这里有forgivenlove的中文翻译。

A reading by ObabScribbler is available here.

Part 1 of Equestrian Scions, which continues with The Dreamer and Me.

A late addition to the "But what happened to Equestria?" story pile.

[04/29/21 - 05/02/21] Featured. That's a first for me. Thank you all so much.

Discord knew this was coming. He knew. So did Princess Twilight. They knew. They saw it coming a mile away. Yet, they let this happen anyway. Why couldn't they just let things stay the same? Who's the bigger fool here?

As of Nov/12/19 this story has made it to the featured page! That has never happened to me before! Hell yeah! Proof Welp, as of Nov/16/19 the story isn’t on the featured page anymore. Oh well, nothing lasts forever.

Author's Note: Okay! So this is a pretty simple story I pumped out because I was in a depression-fueled journey through immortality and its repercussions after seeing the finale of the show and realizing we've been right about it all since bucking SEASON 3! But whatever, it's fine, we're all fine. Just so you know I did NOT have any proof readers or editors so if you want to point stuff out that I got wrong, I'll happily fix it. COMMENTS ARE MUCH APRECIATED! Please leave one if you can think of something to say or if you just have something relevant to share. Also, maybe let me down gently if I suffered from "talking heads" too much in this. Improvement is a slow process and I'm rusty as all hell. Okay? Okay.

Princess Twilight Sparkle has overseen peace and prosperity throughout Equestria for as long as ponies can remember. During a quiet evening, Twilight tells the tale of her many adventures to her latest student and how she remembers her friends long passed.

But she can't tarry too long, for she has a long-overdue meeting to attend.

*Takes place a couple of centuries after the end FIM*

Edited by the absolutely fantastic Helping Hoof who helped tremendously in getting this story together.

Art is owned and created by kurogewapony All credit for it is belongs to them.