In an ancient ritual, Twilight must face Celestia in a fight to the death. If she wins, she becomes the new leader of Equestria. If she fails...
(First non-trollfic I've ever written. I have no idea if this is any good at all. Feedback is appreciated.)

A filly waits in a small white room. Waiting for her friends to visit. "Hi! I'm Silver Spoon and I'm the Perfect Patient! What medical symptoms would you like to treat today?"

Winner of the Magic Fades and Science Grows contest on Quills and Sofas.

TW for lots of gore and emotionally cruel treatment of a child. Read with care, and if emotional child abuse is something you've experienced perhaps steer clear of this one. I think my initial trigger warning wasn't extensive enough, so apologies if anyone was disturbed by the content. This is a grimdark look at sentience, souls, and the way people/ponies treat things they perceive to be inhuman.

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

Several years had passed after Tirek's defeat and everypony is preparing for this year's Summer Sun Celebration. But Twilight is not feeling well. Several nightmares are haunting her, she has got bad headaches and a really mad mood. Although Spike and the others tell her to go and fetch help, she refuses. But when some dark incidents and curses happen, Twilight realices too late, they had walked into a trap and it has snapped behind them. For the foe is inside of her and preparing her last and final strike. To turn the celebration into a true nightmare.

Princess Twilight Sparkle has been losing her mind. She lives plagued by nightmares and hallucinations.

Discovering she's not alone, Twilight realizes Equestria may be in great danger. She seeks counsel with Princess Luna to discover the truth about her nightmares. However, Luna warns Twilight the knowledge she seeks will come at great personal cost.

Twilight Sparkle would give up anything to save Equestria, but how much will she sacrifice just to learn the truth?

Special thanks to Bradel for his editing advice.

[ Tiny Short-Story inspired by ROBCakeran53's - Wasteland Future!]
The final moments are at hoof, and Princess Celestia ventures forth with the Elements of Harmony to stop a dire foe once and for all. However, knowing that the end draws near, the Princess of the Sun has one final question. Why?

The highest art in diplomacy is turning enemies into allies.

Each night I’m trapped in the dark, immobilized. I hear whispers as they operate on me: they say I shouldn’t be alive. Twilight refuses to tell me about the operation. Sometimes she can’t look me in the eye. What did they do to me?

Nothing used to scare me: I kicked a dragon in the nose, defeated gods of chaos and hatred, and control the weather. Now I feel broken. My memories have shattered, I feel wrong, and I’m afraid to tell anypony how scared I am.

I can’t even do the rainboom anymore. Who am I? I’m no longer the best flyer in Equestria, yet everypony assures me I am. Why won’t they tell me the truth?
↓↓ Credits

Special Thanks:
Dreampaw the artist. Best cover art.
Editors:
ArgonMatrix - Fixed 128 errors in chapter one alone.
Animus - who is awesome and for hire.
BronyWriter - The only author to punch Celestia in the face, and live.
Jaestring - Artist, Editor, and Female all in one.
Abcron - European editor, which means his time zone and my actual sleep schedule are aligned perfectly!
The Parasprite. Need I say more?
Selbi - If your editor isn't German, you aren't trying hard enough.
OctaviaHarmony - His avatar is as sexy as his editing.
RenegadeTimelord - Doctor who?
Akumokagetsu - Awesomesauce.
(Wow, a lot of editors came and went.)

Luna's homecoming tour has taken her to every major city in Equestria. Every city but one. Lunangrad, the frozen sentinel of Equestria's forbidding north, and Luna's ancient sacred center.

Twilight, along for the ride, finds herself drawn inwards towards some horrible secret as the world she knows trembles before some great revelation. The Pilgrimage has begun.

True magic has returned to the surface.

Twilight and the Elements of Harmony had awoken to a world completely unlike their own, where the abilities they saw as natural were lauded as rare and powerful. The last few months saw them deal with bounty hunters, the depths of the sea, and the deadly politics of this new world. And lose.

Twilight, in a desperate bid to save her friends, had harnessed a power unlike any other and conquered her enemies in one fell swoop... at great cost. Now she is separated from her friends and tasked with a mission to bring back the Equestria she once knew, all while tainted by strange magic she barely understands.

At least she isn't alone.

This story takes place after the events of Empty Horizons and is technically a sequel spin-off. - Nothing in this story is canon to the EH universe, it is my take on Twilight and the Other following the events of EH's finale.

Thank you Goldenwing for his amazing story which inspired me to write this in the first place, and all the people on the Empty Horizons Discord for the support and encouragement! Specifically Patchy and Gold for their editing work!

If you love the story, come join us on the Discord!