No one said being a princess was easy.
No one said being a princess was fun.
But somepony has to do it.

Cadance has been doing her best to bring the Crystal Empire back up to speed with the rest of the world, but running the entire government was never meant to be a one pony job. So when Sunburst uncovers ancient records that that the Crystal Heart is but one piece of a set of artifacts, she jumps at the chance for adventure and a well deserved break. But when faced with countless challenges, new creatures, and exotic locations, will she ever get any time to actually rest?

Part of the Season 10 Bingo Writing Contest.

Twilight Sparkle has cast loose the magic of Equestria and has been corrupted into a being that craves knowledge, no matter the cost. So, it’s up to Sunset Shimmer to save the day, right?

Yeah, about that…

Thanks to Tired Old Man, Nova Quill/Firimil, and
Steel Resolvefor their edits and suggestions!

Wonderful cover art by shonuff44!

Some people say that Celestia and Luna are useless. That they lounge in the castle while delegating all their responsibilities to hard working, underappreciated, exceptionally well-read students. That even when faced directly with threats to kingdom and country, they fold like cheap origami and wait to be rescued.

These people are correct. But there's a very good reason for it!

[Rated Teen due to a dark scene early on to set some backstory, and occasional comedic death]

When drastic measures have to be taken to save Equestria from a resurging villain, Twilight and her friends sacrifice themselves for the needs of the many.

Luckily, when you're friends with a powerful unicorn neurotically obsessed with checklists, scheduling, and planning ahead, death is but a minor inconvenience.

Now they just need something to do until Twilight can sort out a few minor issues.

Princess Celestia has an assignment for Daring Do, and shares a dark secret. Thorax and his hive are not the first Changelings to reform. But every hive that has done so in the past has been cursed, a dark power blighting their eggs and leading to extinction within a generation.

It must not happen again.

Daring Do's mission? To delve into the lost history of the Changelings and find out who, or what, refuses to allow them peace. Before it's too late.

Ever since the return of Nightmare Moon, Princess Celestia has noticed that her student and her friends have been getting into a lot of trouble, so, naturally, she worries that they may end up getting hurt while they're unable to protect themselves. Thus, she assigns a very special guard to keep watch over them, without them knowing, of course.

Ever since he'd met the Princess, he'd been serving her faithfully, how could he not? But when she tells him to head down to Ponyville to keep her student and her friends safe, he can't help but wonder if this is the best use of his time.

Unfortunately for Emerald Skies, a job is a job, and he'd be loathe to ignore an order from his Princess.

Ragar the Ageless has seen many things in his non-life. He has seen fields of cotton candy, the wails of the soon-to-be-dead chanting in chorus. Once he even saw a unicorn. Well, there are a lot of those in Equestria, so maybe that one was less noteworthy. But still, he's seen a lot. Now he wants others to see him in all his glorious evil. The only issue is he's not so good at it.

** EDIT **

Well crap, featured with every chapter. I feel all special and stuff. So let me give you all some love. You're all wonderful people, trees or whatever internet capable folks have been reading.

Dang, look at all those likes. I'm feeling the love. Thank all of you for enjoying my wonderful trip through insane necromancy.

Many Thanks to Locke_Jaw for his wonderful artwork that is my new cover.

Twilight knew that there would be times she would find herself in over her head. When Princess Celestia decides that her proximity to a Village Hidden in the Everfree makes her a perfect candidate for participating in the village's introductory tour and citizenship ceremony, the young alicorn finds out just how little she really knows about her own world.

Quick note: I've been having difficulties with my formatting since the update so if it's messed up or anything like that let me know. I'll try to fix it ASAP

A thousand years ago, Princess Celestia banished her sister to the moon, that much we know. What wasn’t known, and what Celestia kept secret was that before her banishment, Luna had given birth to a foal. Now a thousand years later, as Nightmare returns to Equestria to bring about Eternal Night.

Twilight Sparkle, protege of Princess Celestia, struggles against the tyranny of this ancient foe. But how will she be able to save herself and her friends when the truth of this ancient legend crashes down upon her? Twilight will have to confront herself...and her heritage.

Polaris501