This story is a sequel to Stardust

Twilight has finally returned home from the harrowing challenge that Discord set upon her, and the residents of Ponyville and the Elements especially look forward to having their dear friend returned to them.

Twilight, however, has changed. Still suffering from her injuries, almost incapable of using magic and haunted by the memories of her time on Earth, she becomes increasingly withdrawn from those who were closest to her. Will her frustration at her current state and her friends inability to understand her experiences cost her what she valued most before Discord's bet?

(Sequel to Stardust, familiarity with this is recommended!)
(Proofread by Arzoo!)
(Coverart commission drawn by the amazing KairaAnix!)
(Crossover with XCOM: Enemy Within, though the crossover and human elements are minimal)
(Featured 4/28/2014, thanks folks!)

Twilight Sparkle's Harmony Project is the culmination of her life's work. The only thing left is for everyone to be gathered, so that all of Equestria can join together in Harmony.

But now that success is staring her in the face, Twilight begins to have doubts. Fortunately, she has a friend like Discord, who is only too happy to lend a paw to a friend in need...

Editing work courtesy of NorsePony.

Twilight's fears over becoming a princess convince her to attempt a spell to glimpse the future. Unfortunately, she ends up doing a bit more than glimpsing; the spell turned out to be permanent, meaning she never returned back to her own time, and therefore didn't exist for ten full years.

Her absence caused a fall-apart of the elements of harmony, and Twilight is horrified to see how they've changed without her. She doesn't know how to teleport back, so she instead tries desperately to figure out what happened and piece everyone's lives back together.

"Would you tell anypony if you knew the world was going to end, Twilight Sparkle?"

Twilight Sparkle is hearing voices. That's bad! Luckily her doctor has just the right medicine for her to try.

A psychiatry horror story.

Preread by Love And What Came After!

AU in where Twilight is a dragon but still is Princess Celestia's student. Twilight has a more logical head on her shoulders and takes her job as a caretaker to Spike more seriously than canon.

motherly!Twilight, manipulative!Celestia

Idea sparked from Winter Quill's stories Growing Up With Scales and Sparkles and Scales

Cover art courtesy of Majestickfire9

Not Beta'ed, all mistakes my own. Don't like? Don't read. Cross-posted on ff.net under PlutoMilo

Now being rewritten: https://www.fimfiction.net/story/533926/the-element-of-magic

You've heard the story before, right? The guy who wakes up as Twilight Sparkle one day in Ponyville and has to adapt. Well what about if his younger sister accompanied him as Spike, and he knows next-to-nothing about the show whilst she's a crazy fan?

All this, and they find themselves at the very START in S1 ep1, the very first scene. Sometimes knowing EXACTLY what's going to happen doesn't make things any easier... particularly when your entire reference for knowledge is a smart alec kid who you're not sure even wants to get home....

In other words... HELP!!

Picture credit JennieOo and mickeymonster

Featured from 3/9/23 to 6/9/23. Yup.

After a long time--she would be more precise but Twilight has lost track of time--she emerges from the dark of the library. Her candles are burnt down to nubs. There is no food left in her pantry and furthermore, no coffee. So she goes to seek both.

And finds the town changed. Or is it Twilight who has changed?

I've been wearing a mask. For how long i'm not certain. Someday that mask will come off. Either i'll remove it willingly or it'll fall off at the worst moment. Until then i'll just write the letters which i'll never send.

Warning: Suicidal and depressive thoughts

Now with audio reading Dear Princess Celestia

Lovingly edited by one of my best friends Jumbled

Teleportation. It is the best possible way to travel... As long as you don't think about it too much. As long as you don't ask where Twilight goes in that split second when she's neither here nor there.

The sound I listened to as I wrote it, available to you in order to give you the option of having the same atmosphere.

No relation to the other story with the same name, just a coincidence of both picking the same excellent title. I was unaware that the other one existed.
Dramatic Reading by Charles Spratt | Second Reading by TheDizzyDan | Third Reading by Crafty Arts | Fourth Reading by Stormy787
Russian Translation 1 (by Aloz) | Russian Translation 2 (by Doof Ex Machina)