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!"

For Rarity, the words left unsaid are often most meaningful. A life of standards and a sense of class has led her to assume that breaking these standards are wrong, and that reining in one's true emotions is a path to success.

However, something has been keeping her up at night and threatening to break the mold she has lived by throughout her life. Which will crack first, her presumed lifestyle or herself?

Twilight Sparkle presents a collection of interviews, letters, essays, poetry and prose compiled over several years of her relationship with the human Bellerophon and his "herd", covering subjects as broad as Equestrian social taboos, comparisons of earth and Equestrian mythology, romance and the occasional recipe. Compiled by Twilight Sparkle, with foreword by Her Royal Highness, Princess Celestia.

(This is a bit of an experiment based on the worldbuilding concepts presented in AnonAuthor's Xenophilia [[NSFW] - caveat lector!], which intrigued me enough to want to take a closer look. It's likely you'll be very confused by this unless you read at least some of Xenophilia. Updates will appear as and when an idea pops into my head for a thing to add. And fair warning, some of this might come across very dry and dusty. Thank you academia! And thank you AnonAuthor for letting me have a go, and both AnonAuthor and AnonponyDASHIE for all the collab work they're doing. I'll make up for the dust by tossing in the odd piece of art now and then.)

The Shaper is a smith of unparalleled skill, her creations the most sought after in the fallen world. When a pony named Lyra comes to her with a unique commission she has to put all her skill to the test to craft a weapon of great power. For Lyra's goal is not an easy one, and it is not just any weapon that can kill a Dragon.

A story inspired by this and this image, as well as this challenge by CDRW (whose fic A Still More Glorious Dawn Awaits is quite good).

There are two types of ponies in the world; those that read love stories...and those that write their own.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack have been friends for years. But after a seemingly harmless game in the orchard awakens Rainbow Dash's deeper feelings for her friend Applejack, she is determined to ensure that her friend has a special somepony for Hearts and Hooves Day. But what will Dash do when that pony isn't her? Can she stand on the sidelines and watch her friend find happiness without her? Can Dash find the answers she needs in the latest tale of Daring Do?

Cover image credit goes to RainbowDerp98

And be sure to check out the sequel, Where Would Rainbow Dash?

Twilight Sparkle has, she is convinced, fallen under the effects of some bizarre hex. Why else would she be so captivated by a certain chartreuse lyre-player? Why else would her cheeks burn up every time she talks to Lyra Heartstrings? It must be some sort of magic. Right?

... Right?

Rarity has fallen hard for the lavender mare from Canterlot, but there is just one problem, that certain mare from Canterlot is completely oblivious to it all. Thus, Rarity does everything in her power to escape the dreaded friend zone, from skywriting to asking Twilight's parents for help. But will it be enough? Probably not. After all, Twilight is rather naive, but a mare's gotta try.

The pic that inspired this story, and the cover pic credit goes to ~SigneTheSlaske of Deviantart.com, check them out for more great artwork.

A terrible new day rises when a tragedy, foreseen only by Celestia but preventable by none, occurs right in the middle of Canterlot, turning Twilight Sparkle's world upside-down. Now, all of Equestria is looking to her to hold the broken nation together, all while she tries to pick up the pieces of her shattered life.

Coverart used with permission from: metalpandora

Old coverart may be found here.

A/N: Yes, the title was based of the Dragonforce song of the same name, you may stop postulating about it now.

When Rainbow Dash's newest trick backfires spectacularly, she and Fluttershy find themselves stranded in the middle of nowhere. Together, they'll have to survive and find their way back to Equestria and Ponyville...no matter how far the journey.

Now with a Spanish translation by SPANIARD KIWI: https://www.deviantart.com/spaniard-kiwi/art/Apoteosis-1-3-857109863

(Originally submitted to Equestria Daily)
Art by katwalk.

Pinkie Pie's crush on Rainbow Dash is possibly the worst-kept secret in all Equestria. Rainbow doesn't really pay it much attention, though, until Fluttershy asks her to make an important promise. It sounds easy enough to keep ... but a promise, like love, is often harder and more complicated than it first appears.

Warnings for: Adult pony alcohol consumption, romance, and possibly implied consensual adult sexual situations. Involving ponies. As one does.

New cover image added 12/19. Picture is courtesy of my Beloved Spouse.