With some changes on Star Swirl's time spell, Twilight accidentaly gets trapped in the past. But after saving two fillies and enlisting them to be her students in magic, they go on adventures together to survive the ruthless world they live in. With new friendship and foes, they discover what it truly means to be family by choice.

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Now with the collaborative efforts of Angel Bunny, Fausticorn and soulwinds!
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Art by awsdemlp.deviantart.com
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People who I am in deep gratitude for offering help:
amacita
MidnightDancer
Skunktrain
Cerulean Starlight
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And FAN ART by 1110soulite!

Featured on Equestria Daily!

What Readers Are Saying...

"You make the waterworks happen," -Stardust_Scratch

"It has been like watching a gruesome car crash. You cannot look away from it, and it tears you apart, you are sure you are gonna have nightmares about it, but you just keep reading." -llDenkerll

"Have any of you ever accidentally’ed your way into a horror story, that was way darker than you thought it was going to be? ...I’m going to go scrub my brain down with a few hours of mindless pony fluff... I am enjoying the story I swear," -fargo11

"The ending of the last chapter left me with hope, with expectations, while the end of this chapter leaves me with sorrow, with emptiness, with hopelessness. I need more," -Anshlun

"I lack any words to describe how fucked this whole situation is. It hurts so much. Good job," -Hermaeus xerxes

"This story has some painful feels to it... I need time to think now," -Destiny Chaser

"Every time I read the witches' dialogue I feel genuinely scared... I don't have a clue of what's going to happen," -TheFaceofMercy

Starlight Glimmer had always been a difficult pony.

She's getting better, though! Really! Three years of living with the Princess of Friendship, one of the most beloved ponies in Equestria, is bound to rub off on a mare. Though Starlight continues to grapple with her insecurities and past mistakes, she never would have presumed she'd be free of the guilt - as it should be.

Yet over the years, she's come into her own as a devoted, passionate, and empathetic friend (despite a few bumps here and there).

But one day, like any other, a strange illness befalls Princess Twilight Sparkle. Starlight is driven to a foal's storybook for answers. Armed with her magic and faith, the ex-student follows a crumb trail leading to one reclusive group dwelling in the heart of an otherworldly bog. If there was any salvation for the pony who'd saved Starlight, it lay solely with them. Except when the time comes for payment to be collected, what's left behind is picked up by Twilight and her friends.

And Starlight doesn't want them to. For how can something so broken be put back together? She'd much rather save them all the trouble...

^{Canon divergence one year after 'The Movie,' post-season seven}

Rated-T for some disturbing imagery and heavy themes concerning depression

Artwork of the Witches by Hermaeus Xerxes: https://derpicdn.net/img/view/2019/9/22/2150483.png

Starlight's Theme: Above and Beyond by Paul Dinletir
Twilight's Theme: Homecoming by Jeff Marsh
The Broken Bond Theme: The Birth of a Soul by Fran Soto

Pre-reader/Editor: JD McGregor
Cover Artist: Calenita

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!"

Matthias Síðasta Von has always wished to visit the magical land of Equestria, see the wonderful colors, talk to the ponies that live there. Perhaps even, should he be so lucky, live there permanently. Help Fluttershy with the animals, listen to Twilight talk about her most recent lesson or experiment, lift baskets of apples with Applejack, tell Lyra about humans.

One day, a connection is made, an offer: step through the gate. It was warned that the cost might be hefty, that the journey might be hard, but anything was better than this drab, grey life. So he stepped through.

But, this is not the Equestria he knew. Buildings aged and decrepit, roads cracked and eroded, the Everfree slowly reclaiming the Apple's farm and the last barn finally given out under the strain with nopony to raise it anew. What happened? Where did they go?

The colors bleached, the ponies gone, the Harmony and love that once sustained the land dried up and blown away like so much dust.

Except...

In ancient times, long before the land came to be known as Equestria, there was a kingdom known as the Dale. The only land still ruled by an Earth pony family, its first daughter, Princess Essenta, wishes for more than the dull life she was born into.

Sent on a fool's errand by her father, the king, she strives to not only succeed in it, but turn the world upside down as she goes along. With a growing company of dynamic--and dangerous--mares, she is well on her way to success with this.

Check out the Appendix for Princess Essenta, updated as the story moves along. It shows the story's timeline and character designs. Contains spoilers.

A modern-day explorer gets his chance to visit Equestria, and writes down notes about the interesting ponies he meets and the stories that they tell.

His evil was legend. He was an entity of incalculable power and unparalled malice - his icy soul utterly consumed by his plans to destroy all of life, until he was stopped and defeated. But what if that wasn't the end? What if he was given a second chance, in another world? For he was not always like this. Nobody is born evil. But anyone can turn evil. Will he become a hero? Or is he doomed to repeat his mistakes and walk the same path as before, the Path of the Damned?

Edited by Zaleros, TimePrincess
Proof-read by: Bazing, Sage Probo, guardianxela
Former edit: Lazygamer313
Former last check-up (starting from chapter 139): Dubz
Chapters 132-133 proofread: Sixkiller5, DarkZonker, SmurfOnSteroids, Bast, Shadowfire, Wraithguard, Bazing, Sage Probo, guardianxela
Former proof-readers: Vrilix, Defias, Merchent343, TexPony
Fan Fiction Read on youtube by lunarassassin

Epub with styles (italics, bold): http://www.mediafire.com/file/l7flswrrl68do0y/rebirth-of-the-damned.epub, created by Halusm

AUTHOR'S NOTES:
1. This is my first fanfiction, so honest criticism is appreciated.
2. This is a crossover with Warcraft universe.
3. English is my second language, so you will have to forgive me for possible grammar mistakes.
4. Hope you like it.
5. There is a prequel called: Project Eclipse.