Canterlot lies steeped in chaos, a virulent and deadly plague still boiling away after a decade of suffering. The city, and the ponies in it, still feel the effects, still feel the bite of the times. The lower city, cursed as it is, is mostly partitioned off, leaving each and every pony left stranded and without help. Ponies struggle day by day just to stay alive.

Even as the ponies suffer, politicians toil away, plotting and scheming, machinations rumbling just below the surface. The city is fevered, sick and bloated, ready to pop at any moment. A single pony may be enough to make it all erupt.

And make it erupt Twilight Sparkle shall.

One small step, one lucky break is all she needs to turn the city on its head and take her rightful place by the Queen's side. But even she may not be prepared for the shark tank that is Luna's court.

Today is Princess Twilight Sparkle’s 500th birthday, and her most faithful student, an earth pony with a familiar name, can’t wait to celebrate!

Notes:
- Cover art by ErinKarsath, used with permission. Check out her DeviantArt page.
- This is a story in the Birthdayverse, and you can find the sequel here.
- Many thanks to my faithful Pre-Reader and all around super-duper best pony, Blood Lord. Go read his story, too!
- This was written during the season 3 hiatus of MLP:FiM.

Twilight Sparkle is whisked away to the utopian city of Canterlot, where she has been invited to participate in the legendary Aura Bloom magic competition. While there, she runs into an old nemesis.

Before going to Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle connects more dots than usual, which gives her more reason to face Nightmare Moon alone.

(Pamphile (PAM-feh-lee) means "friend of all" in Greek.)

AkumaKami64 continues this story in Pamphile: Alicorn of Harmony.

It's been several days since Rainbow Dash and her new friends used the Elements of Harmony to banish Nightmare Moon and return Princess Luna to Equestria. Sure, there were festivals and celebrations aplenty after that, but they've all died down and ponies have gone back to their lives and their jobs. Rainbow, in particular, is working a late night shift with the weather patrol in an effort to arrange early-morning showers.

She's more than a little surprised when she sees Twilight Sparkle headed out into the woods north of town with a telescope on her back and flies down to find out why.

Twilight explains that she's there to admire the job being done by another pony, one who hasn't had the chance to perform it in a very, very long time.

Now recognized as a companion piece to I'd Love to See the Moon Rise by thunder-dasher. (Edit 1:40pm EST 12/01/15)

Thanx to An-Twan Star for prereading.

Woohoo! Popular Stories list 12/01/15 (approx 12:40pm EST)!
Aw, yeah!! Feature Box (non-mature) 13/01/15 (approx 9:20am EST)!!!

The opening titles of MLP have always felt like they were from a different version of the show. This is that version...

Fed up with being useless at magic, a blank-flanked Twilight Sparkle does the only thing she feels she can do... she runs away. Fortunately, she has a good friend along for the ride...

Now has a sequel: Nightwaker, which presents the return of Nightmare Moon in this timeline.

Featured 10/16-10/19/2018 -- thanks, everypony, for your kind support and feedback on this version of the pilot story!

This story is a sequel to Shelter of the Storm

Starlight Glimmer decides to accompany Sunburst when he goes to start classes at Celestia's School. It's the worst possible day in her entire life... that is, until a chance encounter with a certain plume-maned unicorn...

For more of this AU, see: Never Any Doubt

And also check out the series, beginning with Not Exactly Friends.

This story is a sequel to Not Exactly Friends

On a dark night, in a gathering storm, Tempest waits to walk Twilight back to her room... and is almost certain that something is out there, watching her...

For more of this AU, see: Without Your Cutie Mark

And also check out the series, beginning with Not Exactly Friends.

On one lonely and dull night, Princess Luna finds comfort in the last pony she'd expect to see her.

Her night gets completely turned around.

Story inspired by cover art, which is by MagnaLuna. Check her out, she has a lot of good art.

Made popular 1-28-18 Thanks!

The Alicorn we all know and love; Twilight Sparkle is the result of a wish made a thousand years ago. Her birth was really what brought about Nightmare Moon. How will Twilight react when she finds out who her real mother is.

Prologue heavily inspired by the song Hijo de la Luna.

Featured:
8/19/2014