Orphaned as a filly, a young pegasus named Kaviyayu is raised by an adoptive Earth pony family in a secluded, peaceful village. When a strange unicorn drops by the village, Kaviyayu and the other foals are captivated by her tales of the world, as well as her various spells and illusions for their amusement. But there's something about the way she doesn't speak of her own family... how she never removes her traveller's cloak... how she seems to take a very strong interest in Kaviyayu...

Who is this mysterious mare, what does she seek, and just what is so special about that pendant she wears?

This is the tale of how a seemingly ordinary filly rose to become both a princess and a beacon of love to ponies all over Equestria. Based on the back-story of Princess Cadance, as given by G. M. Berrow's pony novella, Twilight Sparkle and the Crystal Heart Spell. Also loosely inspired by symphonic metal band Nightwish's sixth studio album, Dark Passion Play.

Cover art by the lovely Ayemel.

Now with its own musical accompaniment courtesy of The L-Train!

Pre-reading by Noble Thought, Prak, The Albinocorn, ThatOneWriter, JustAnotherTimeLord, vren55, Majin Syeekoh, Foals Errand, Comet Burst, and Chris. Edited by ChromeMyriad, Titanium Dragon, Noble Thought, Prak, NightWolf289, PresentPerfect, and Chris.

Now featured by:
Fimfiction.net (Feature Box, 01/01/15)
Equestria Daily (01/19/15)
The Royal Canterlot Library (Off-site) (07/13/18) (Onsite) (07/20/18)

Approved by Tag-a-long's Book Club!
Approved by Nonpareil Fiction!
Highly Recommended by PresentPerfect!
Recommended by the Pleasant Commentator and Review Group!

Twilight Sparkle was using radio signals to view the stars of the night sky when she picked up a signal of some sort.

After a few days of working she managed to get a clear signal.

What she heard on that first day caused her to invite her friends to listen to the strange signal the next day.

Over the next few days Twilight and her friends listen to the final words of a group of aliens as they try to survive on a planet that has died by their own hands.

Now with a READING

Note: I was inspired to write this after reading several other stories about the Mane 6 listening to radio signals from space. This will be a short story.

When the Bearers race forth from Ponyville on an official mission, somepony has to take over on their day jobs. For Fluttershy, that's usually Snowflake.

But he's not available right now, so today, it's going to be a Sherman tank.

Don't worry. I'm sure nopony will ever notice the difference.

(Inspired by this story. Rated MC for MetaCrack.)

Now with author Patreon and Ko-Fi pages.

And here's a reading!

Warning: The following story is currently unedited.

For the first time in eighty years since the death of Mrs. Harriet, the abandoned mansion is being explored by a small crew of filmmakers, set to make a documentary of their exhibition. The huge mansion, sat alone miles from the nearest town in the middle of winter, has been the muse of many haunted house stories in Equestria, but never once has anyone been granted permission to go inside... until now.

Director Oatberg, historian and writer Lost Scroll and narrator Iris Lens are set to explore the mansion, but get lost within the maze of hallways, rooms, and forgotten sections. Hearing and experience things that they can’t explain, they begin to wonder if there was some truth in the legend of this haunting place.

This story is a gift to my good friend and fellow writer: Milo_Chalks and his coltfriend.

Inspired by the history and historical setting of the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California.

(A PoE story.) Additional Tags: (Slice Of Life)
All Twilight wanted was to give Spike a special gift for his birthday. Yes, it was a book, but it was a very special book. An Enchanted Book like that Power Ponies comic they had recently experienced.
Things went wrong when Spike startled Twilight as she was working the spell for his (secret) gift. Needless to say, startling Twilight while she's in the middle of a spell can be a bad idea - as certain frogs can tell you.
Twilight has every reason to believe that she is now trapped in a closed reality bubble fabricated out of her own magic, with no way out. She's lost in some made-up universe reflecting some random story line.
Mike, of course, has a different opinion about the matter.

WARNING: Both Twilight and Mike love talking technical and explaining things to each other.

Twilight's World now has an audio reading by No One and Nobody. Listen HERE.

This most excellent cover art was provided by Void Heart

This story is a sequel to Freeport Venture: Old Wounds

When one of her apprentice's friend-of-a-friends goes missing, Archmagus Sunset Shimmer doesn't hesitate to get involved. However, what initially appears to be a simple case of a missing child will wind up leading her to a criminal conspiracy and political intrigue at the highest levels of Freeport.

After four harrowing years of civil war brought about by Nightmare Moon's return, Canterlot has finally fallen. Princess Celestia has been banished to the moon, and now a new alicorn rules over Equestria. For the supporters of Nightmare Moon, the new eternal night is a time for celebration. For the ponies who fought for Celestia, it means something else entirely. For when the war is lost and the victor demands fealty, the vanquished are given only two choices: bow low and kiss the ground beneath her hooves, or die.

Not everpony who bows does so out of love for the conqueror, of course. Some do it to bide their time. Some do it out of a sense of opportunity. Most bow merely to survive. All of them are liars. But how long can a pony tell the same lie before it becomes the truth?

And what happens to that pony when their lies are lies no more?

Edited by SolidFire. Inspired by the Nightmare Moon timeline in the season 5 finale, a particular scene from a particular show, and an entertaining game of Equestria at War.

The shocking death of Princess Celestia came and all of Equestria mourned. None could explain, either scientific, medical, or magical, could explain the utter failure of her body and her demise. After her passing, Twilight Sparkle finds herself plagued with answers of how and why this happened. In order to find out what happened, and prevent such a thing from happening again, Twilight use the same potion Zecora gave her during the vine incident to step into the past and find the answers she seeks.

Yet the answers are nothing she ever expected, and what she learns will shatter everything she has known about Princess Celetia and her thousand year rule since her sister's banishment.

Co-Written with Black Hailstorm

Edited by Roker12

Twilight Sparkle has ruled Equestria for over a thousand years. From her throne atop the floating city of Concord, she enforces ruthless harmony over the handful of surviving settlements. But Twilight is afraid: Equestria's survival always hangs by a thread, as enemies more ancient than the Alicorns threaten to return and devour what she has built.

Twilight selects her star pupil, a young unicorn named Star Orchid, to travel down from the perfect city of Concord into the dangerous ruins beneath, so that she might locate these forces, and help Twilight to destroy them. Only when every threat to Equestria is finally dismantled will she be able to rest. Until then, there is much left to purify.

Edited by Two Bit and Sparktail. Cover by Zutcha

Updates Wednesdays.

This story was commissioned by TyrannisUmbra, with additional funds donated by my enabler, Two Bit. If you'd like one of your own, drop me a PM!

This story takes place in the same universe as Why We Dig. I'm not going to call it a sequel, since none of its characters will be aware of anything in that story, so you won't have to be either.

Flurry Heart's Crystaling didn't quite go as planned. After vanishing in a powerful magical surge, she became the most high-profile missing pony case in Equestrian history. Twilight leads the search to find her, before it's too late.

Unbeknownst to her, Flurry has already been found, by an unfortunate human who happened to be hiking near the place she appeared. Flurry Heart's magic is irresistibly powerful, and soon changes all around her to suit her whims. Soon Flurry's rescuer is fighting to reverse the magic, before the authorities notice and separate him from the only possible source of help.

Cover by Zutcha, editing by the Eevees in the hood Two Bit and Sparktail.

Updates most Tuesdays.

Note: This story was written as a commission for the generous patron of the arts Crescent Pulsar. If you'd like one of your own, feel free to PM me.