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One of Equestria's greatest traits is tolerance.  Every pony, whether Unicorn, Pegasus, or Earth, is accepted for who they are, and have their own parts to play in keeping Equestria running.

But what if an Earth pony decided he didn't want to play his assigned part?  What if he wanted to rise above everyone else, and become an Alicorn?  Such a thing is possible...but the path to fulfilling one's dreams is never simple.  Risks must be taken.  Sacrifices must be made.  And the question is always asked: How far would you go to get what you wanted?  And would you be willing to pay a terrible price to get it?

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When Twilight Sparkle slipped beneath the covers last night, everything had been fine. She had friends whom she loved, a teacher she adored, and a bright future ahead of her. But when she woke up, her blankets and quilts had been replaced by hospital gowns and padded restraints.

Everything is wrong and nothing makes sense; even her friends have changed. The doctors, they keep telling her that she is sick, that none of it was real and that it was all in her head. They’re lying.

She remembers a life far beyond the hospital walls. She couldn't have made it all up on her own. They must be lying… right?

Equestria Daily

TVTropes

Asylum Fan Group

Asylum Cover by conicer

Twilight and Twilight Smiles by dreamingnoctis

Twilight Smiles by conicer

Reading by Gammarobot (SugarCubeRadio):  Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9

Fan Trailer by Kaidan:  Asylum FanFic Trailer Cuckoo's Nest

Sanctuary by Kaidan

Broadhoof Files: Dr. Humors by TypewriterError

Broadhoof Files: Corporal Phalanx Spear (Ret.) by Phalanx Spear

A special thanks to Breath of Plagues, Rex Ivan, Animus, PrinceDolph and Gage!

MyLittlePwny:  The imagery in this is excruciatingly perfect. I actually had to get up and stretch my legs when you were defining the restraints and small room.

The desert brony:  Your story is powerful enough to pull me away from the studying i'm supposed to be doing, I have no regrets.

Graviton:  This.  Is.  Awesome.  Take my favorite and like, and use them as motivation to do MOAR.

Radiant Dawn:  You know, I normally don't read this kind of story...but damn, you caught me with this one.  It's well written, and has caught me hook, line, and sinker.

Irongalley:  How to say this... This story is... Um... Awesome? I don't think it does it justice... Oh well, it is awesome will have to do for now.

TypewriterError:  LOVE LOVE LOVE This concept! Can't wait for the next chapter

Rennoc215:  I don't know what it is you've done to me, Demon, but Something in your writing evoked a strong response. Halfway through, and I was sweating like a horse. I was falling from one word to the next, no hope of ever standing again. My my, my dear author. There really is a time and place for everything.

the parasprite:  fuck i love these kinds of stories

117dragon:  I'm loving this, and I think you've done an excelent job of bluring the lines between whats reality and what's not. The massive amounts of theories in these comments prove this. Well done sir, I'm looking foward to more.

GaruuSpike:  Oh my god, those 7k words just FLEW by. ._. I was so absorbed by the level of detail and excellent showing. I'm on the edge of my seat right now.

OkemosBrony:  As a general rule of thumb, any story that makes you cry at any point, through comedy, sadness, joy, or anger, is definitely outstanding. This story has brought me to tears quite a few times.

Blue Print:  Utterly gripping, and also quite sensitive to the nature of the material. I would be incredibly impressed if you managed to follow this masterwork of a chapter in kind. Please continue.

SonicRainboomGirl:  As a post mental patient, I applaud this story.

Axan Zenith:  Oh my goodness. Simply wonderful. Please keep writing this.

BronyDJ:  Loving this so far. I like this kind of concept, one's life was only in their head. WRITE ON, DEAR AUTHOR, WRITE ON!

Skijarama:  I'm going to be honest, this story... scares me. It's disturbing me on so many levels, yet I just can not stop reading.

TheLocoPony:  ahaha, sneaky and brilliant, I like it, I like it a lot. hehehe

Mania Man:  We've got a mindfucker over here. Someone get me a toilet, I think I'm gonna shit bricks.

Iron Clad:  It's too good not to read, as much as it pains me.

Scootaloser:  I can't say for certain, but I got the nastiest feeling in my gut that this story is going to make me cry.

Axan Zenith - Dr. Dreamer

Dratini4 - Way Finder

psychicscubadiver - Bright Mind

Velkaden - Dream Chaser

Reese - Silver Glow

Luna discovers something hidden from Celestia for twenty years, now, with emotions running high, she enlists the help of the Mane 6... but what seemed to be a single mystery, soon reveals a darker and much more complicated plot that will soon decide the fate of Equestria.

Check out the Empty Room TV Tropes Page (Warning: Spoilers!)

Long ago, in the magical land of Equestria, there lived a powerful King and his dark Queen. Immortal and ignorant, their end came at the hooves of their daughters, Celestia and Luna, who sought to build a better future for ponykind.

Now ponykind’s old gods have returned.

Twilight Sparkle is trapped inside her own mind, slave to a cruel and impulsive consciousness built from everything she is not. Powerless and voiceless, she must find a way to stop the being that calls itself Nihilus from destroying everything she holds dear.

Luna is tasked with assembling the remaining Elements of Harmony in hopes of freeing their leader. For if ponykind is to have any hope, it is in Twilight Sparkle. And if Twilight Sparkle is to have any hope, it is in her five friends.

Facing her father in mortal combat, Celestia must do everything she can to ensure that ponykind has the tools to survive before she falls. With inevitable defeat bearing down upon her, she makes the first move in the oldest and deadliest game known to creation.

Related Fan Content

Six Star Equestria Daily Feature

Sometimes, bad things happen to good ponies. A year following a tragic incident, Twilight Sparkle returns to Ponyville to visit what she has been missing - her town, her memories, and most importantly, her friends. But will everything be as she remembers it?

This story has a sequel titled "In History, Maybe".

"My name is Lyra Heartstrings, and you will not remember me.  You won't even remember this conversation.  Just like with everypony else I've ever met, everything I do or say will be forgotten.  Every letter I've written will appear blank; every piece of evidence I've left behind will end up missing.  I'm stuck here in Ponyville because of the same curse that has made me so forgettable.  Still, that doesn't stop me from doing the one thing that I love: making music.  If my melodies find their way into your heart, then there is still hope for me.  If I can't prove that I exist, I can at least prove that my love for each and every one of you exists.  Please, listen to my story, my symphony, for it is me."

Cover pic by Spotlight: askspotlight.tumblr.com

A horrible Cataclysm has turned all of Equestria into a Wasteland of barren ash and twilight desolation. The Sun and the Moon have been destroyed. Everypony has died--including Princesses Luna and Celestia. But one pony miraculously survives; she is a lone wanderer, the last of her kind, surrounded by menacing creatures that hate her. She navigates the Wastes in an airship and scavenges off the blighted landscape to keep herself alive.

Then one day she meets an old companion who grants her a gift, the chance to go back in time to the warm and sunny days of Ponyville, where her dead friends live in happiness. How far will the last pony venture into this joyous age of Equestria, even if she fully knows that there is no way to change the horrible fate of everypony she loves?

2013 Edition:  Smaller Chapters, Better Grammar, and a Few New Scenes

(A shout-out to Vimbert, pre-reader and gentlecolt)

(Cover image by Valhalla-Studios)

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Nightmare Moon has won, and the world has been shrouded in eternal night. But hope still lives. The land of Equestria is currently divided between the armies of the usurper and those of the Dawn Militia. However, the greatest danger to the rebellion may not be the dreaded Mare of the Moon, but her lieutenant, Eclipse–formerly known as Twilight Sparkle.

I can't remember how long I've been alive. I can't remember my birthday. I don't even know my own name. I'd like to think I had a family... but I'm not sure. All these things are meant to be important to me, things I was never supposed to forget, and yet, I have. I have taken shelter in an old castle, in a forgotten city. I do not know why I'm writing this. I suppose just to keep myself sane, but perhaps keeping a record of my activities will help me piece together what happened to the world.

A/N: This is Celestia's immortality, taken to its logical (in my mind) conclusion.

Special thanks to my editors FanNotANerd and Rainbowloyalty

Immortality doesn't just mean losing every pony close to you. It also means watching the world crumble to dust.

Featured on Equestria Daily June 16th, 2012.