Rarity has risen to the highest stretches of the fashion business and high society, but she's found that not all is as it seems. In the corners of cocktail parties all over Equestria, dark conversations are found. Eventually, Rarity can take no more of this, and begins reporting back to Celestia in secret while delving deep into a world she had no idea was so intertwined with her life's goal.

How much of herself is she willing to give up to protect the throne and, more importantly, Twilight Sparkle? The life of a spy is a dangerous one indeed.

A canon story in the Rites of Ascension Expanded Universe! Artwork by Violet Squiggles. Author's Notes, including proofing credits, can be found here.

Shining Armor and Princess Cadence's marriage has become legend. However, the two were not always a couple. Learn how the famous lovers first met and the stunning lengths that the Princess of Love herself had to go to in order to get her destined beau's attention after years spent drifting apart while Shining served in the military.

Featured by The Royal Guard on 03/20/14! Twilight's Library Approved 03/24/14! EqD Featured 06/10/2014!

This story is written such that one does not need to have read Rites of Ascension beforehand to understand and enjoy it. However, one should know a few quick, easy things going in. First, Season Three and later do not exist in the Rites timeline, and second, Cadence is a winged unicorn rather than alicorn. Also, I'm aware the comics tackled this topic, but this is in my own AU, and I first wrote this more than a year ago. Consider this an alternate take on the idea. Other than that, you should be able to dive in with no problems.

That having being said, as this is a canon story in the Rites of Ascension Expanded Universe, reading the main story will make this one even more enjoyable.

The amazing artwork was done by my wife, the fantastically talented Violet Squiggles, whom I dedicate this work to. I love you, my darling, with all my heart. You are my everything.

A collection of small, self-contained, often single-chapter mini-stories set in the Rites of Ascension universe. See little glimpses into the lives and times of the characters in this compendium of random scenes. Some I wrote for fun, others may be scenes deleted from the main story for editing purposes.

With the exception of chapter three, you do need to have read Rites of Ascension to understand what's going on here. If you skip that part, you'll be severely lost.

Updates will be sporadic. Technically, these are non-canon, as they're not as heavily considered or edited as the canon stories. Most, if not all, of these are going to be Slice of Life, but exceptions may appear from time to time. Cover art by Violet Squiggles, my beloved wife.

A collection of silly, bite-sized skits where the characters crush the fourth wall into dust to talk about the world of Rites of Ascension, all while poking fun at each other. Learn about the ascension process, cored weaponry, and more!

This is a NON-CANON Rites EU "story." (The characters break the fourth wall completely, so of course it has to be non-canon.) Art by my lovely and amazingly talented wife, Violet Squiggles! You do have to have read Rites of Ascension to really understand this one. You're going to be seriously lost if you start here. That being said, you do not need to read this story to understand what's going on in Rites. This is to add to something already whole (and maybe get a few laughs), not make up for shortcomings elsewhere. Also, I thought it would be fun.

Also, as this is non-canon to Rites, I can go back and change things if I like. Generally, this will only happen if something hasn't been explained in the canon stories yet and has to change for them. Hopefully I won't ever actually have go do that, but if I do, I'll point it out in the chapter.

A different take on alicorn ascension. Sixteen years after arriving in Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle is excited to have invented a brand-new kind of spell, but it will come with consequences she cannot possibly anticipate. Meanwhile, threats in shadows around the world conspire to overthrow the Solar Throne. With her world turned upside down, she will have to come to terms with the role that fate has dealt her while straining to keep Celestia in power.

Now with a TVTropes page! Please show it some love! Also check out the official side stories, Designing Intrigue, and Love and Barriers! (With even more in my stories page!)

(Please Note: This story was started before any season three information was available. All episodes in season three and later are non-canon for this story, which also means there's no Crystal Empire in this one. In addition, the promotional map released close to the beginning of season three was also not available and is not compatible with this story. While the OC tag is active because there are OCs in the story, they're really just supporting characters. The focus is on Twilight.)

Also be sure to check out the Rites of Ascension Expanded Universe Group! We're working to develop the resources needed for other authors to try their hand at writing stories set in the Rites Universe!

The Book Two cover art was created by the amazing Silfoe! The original cover art can still be found at Violet Squiggle's deviantArt page.

Author's Notes, including proofreader's credits, can be found here!

"This is 100% Approved by Twilight's Library!"