Ten years ago, Twilight made the ultimate sacrifice in order to defeat Tirek. Equestria has been in a state of civil war ever since.

Canterlot has at last fallen, and the six heroes of the rebellion now go to face the ultimate challenge: defeating the godlike Twilight Sparkle. What they expect to be a brutal, hard won quest for glory and Equestria's salvation turns into something entirely different... and now they face a choice.

This story is a reaction piece against the Tyrant Sparkle trope.

Special thanks to Absolution for pre-reading and Danger Beans for proofreading.

Cover art credit: BluestreakFUS

Now with a Chinese Translation courtesy of Hellagur.

It's been a hundred years since the Immolation Incident, and once again, Princess Twilight Sparkle goes to visit Pariah Celestia, the former leader of Equestria.

Tears fall, flames burn, and words are exchanged.

But it's all just another day.

A day that Celestia fought to make last forever.

*rated for tears and shouts, one-shot*
*it's a shame there's not a 'feels' tag, does the 'slice of life' tag cover 'feels'? If so, then I'll add it*

For as long as ponies can remember, it has always been winter. With limited resources and worsening weather, war is escalating, driving them closer to extinction with each passing day. Hidden away in the middle of all this is a single purple unicorn who braves the frozen wasteland, looking for a way to stop the weather and return the mythical sun to the sky. However, in a world without harmony, the task is far greater than she could ever know.

Edited by DoomManta

For almost a thousand years, the immortal Nightmare Moon has reigned over Equestria as Empress. To the average pony, Nightmare Moon is an overarching enigma whose rule is absolute and whose wrath is terrible. But to Twilight Sparkle, who as an orphan has never known her parents, the Empress is something else entirely. When the young unicorn is brought under the royal wing as an apprentice, she learns a great deal more about the supposed tyrant than she ever knew. But as Twilight is introduced to life with her new mentor, she is thrust into a world of political intrigue, conspiracies and secrets. Secrets that were never meant to be revealed. As allies and enemies plot against the very peace of the nation, will Twilight fall prey to the perils of her new position? Or will she prosper and find in Nightmare Moon the mother she never had?

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My eternal gratitude to my editor, LordOfTheWrongs, without whom Night's Favoured Child would not be the story it is today.

Now with added TVtropes!

The past always comes back to haunt the present, there is no escaping the inevitable. For decades, Celestia has kept a secret from her student. A secret she made out of pain, and through pain will be revealed for all to see; for Twilight Sparkle is the secret daughter of the Sun.

Now, there will be consequences.

Consequences, they come in all shapes and sizes for every decision. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. These words are lessons that Princess Celestia should know, bits of wisdom she practices in her rule of Equestria. How is it then, that when faced with a decision, she chooses the one that would inevitably bring the most pain? How is it that she couldn’t bear being recognized as the mother of her child? And why? Twilight Sparkle is about to find out.

Disclaimer: (I do not own the picture; Title Picture owned and designed by KitsuneHino; Source: http://mel-rosey.deviantart.com/art/By-my-side-364777307) (I do not own any of the characters, places, events, etc. outlined in this fanfiction, MLP FiM does under Hasbro, give them the credit.)

After the most important night of her career is ruined and its saboteurs not even so much as punished, Octavia's life changes. She begins to pursue a path that has never been seen before in Canterlot, where concertos and rhapsodies give way to controversy and rebellion.

A path where symphonies are composed with cans of spray paint.

Cover art used with permission by LuGiAdriel14

Twilight Sparkle has too much magic, and it will take her decades to learn to control it. Her spectacular loss of control during her entrance exam only proves that fact. She is a danger to herself and others.

After Sunset Shimmer’s disappearance, Princess Celestia needs a new student to bear The Element of Magic to defeat Nightmare Moon. With all of Equestria at stake, Twilight Sparkle…is not the pony she needs.

Princess Celestia seals Twilight Sparkle’s magic with the distant promise of one day teaching her.

But there are two diarchs of Equestria. Amidst a lucid dream, an offer is made.

“Hello, Twilight. Would you like to be my student?”

Cover art provided by Lafiir.

This story is a sequel to Into The Depths

The horrors of the catacombs have turned to distant memories for Celestia, Twilight, and Luna. Discord’s change of heart and Twilight’s coronation have helped to ease and erase the mental scars from that harrowing night. The three princesses can even smile and laugh as Nightmare Night moves into full swing.

Yet, it should never be forgotten that those who have been touched by Tirek are forever within his grasp.

A thousand years ago, Princess Celestia banished her sister to the moon, that much we know. What wasn’t known, and what Celestia kept secret was that before her banishment, Luna had given birth to a foal. Now a thousand years later, as Nightmare returns to Equestria to bring about Eternal Night.

Twilight Sparkle, protege of Princess Celestia, struggles against the tyranny of this ancient foe. But how will she be able to save herself and her friends when the truth of this ancient legend crashes down upon her? Twilight will have to confront herself...and her heritage.

Polaris501

All magic vanished from the world when Discord fell. Along with it, the might of the unicorns and alicorn princesses dwindled. Even the Elements Of Harmony lost their potence and were lost in the sea of time.

Left without the guidance of the alicorns and the magic of harmony, the ponies soon raised Equestria to a country ruled by science and industry. But still, some remain who dream of magic.

As the mysterious beast Magia threatens the world, a sickly filly named Twilight Sparkle and five friends take it upon themselves to delve into the caverns beneath Canterlot to find the burial ground of magic, the Lunarium.

This is an ongoing Rewrite. The story in and of itself was finished in April 2013 but needed some massive editing. This new version features all new scenes, better descriptions, less mistakes, 3D-Effects, and a gratis code for the DLC-Character "Emo Pie", which on any other occasion would've been a pre-order bonus only.

Or something.

Current Coverart by: kmrshy, go check 'em out.

Also thanks to everybody who helps/ed editing this story, no matter if you did only help me with one chapter or all. Thank you for turning this rewrite from another mess into a brilliant story!