CURRENTLY PUBLISHING PHYSICAL COPIES, UNTIL THE 25th OF SEPTEMBER: http://igg.me/at/InnerGloryFinalFund

After doing some research into the history of Alicorns, Twilight finds a dead end. When she chooses to pursue it against Celestia's wishes, she finds herself entangled in a messy history that some want forgotten. An Alicorn's position comes with sacrifice. And when given power, one will always be in want of more...

A complicated explanation for the history and intricacies of the My Little Pony universe. If you're reading this, be ready for the long haul.

A rewrite, or rather, the heavily revised and actually worth reading version of The Struggle for Power, my earlier work. Think of that as an alpha build, and this as the "released-to-the-public" program.
http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/05/story-struggle-for-power.html

Princess Luna has been through a tough life. A thousand years ago she could not control her jealousy, envy and rage and became the infamous Nightmare Moon. Then, she spent a thousand years on the moon, only to return, still as Nightmare Moon.

However, despite everything she has been through, her return to Equestria was warmly celebrated. Princess Luna is a pony that everypony loves, and she is completely forgiven for everything that's happened.

So, when Princess Luna is suddenly and unexpectedly killed, the entire nation of Equestria is thrown into grief and despair. Ponies everywhere find themselves unable to deal with the tragedy.

But the worst hit is Princess Celestia herself...

How do you cope when all your friends are dying of old age around you, but you seem not to be growing older at all? Twilight Sparkle tackles this problem for herself the only way she's ever known how: research, and then contacting Princess Celestia for advice. The explanation she gets is nothing like what she could have expected, and it will change Twilight's life forever.

"There's no such thing as a purely happy memory of a lost pony; it will always be laced with a longing that shall never be fulfilled."

Princess Celestia is never seen without a kind, warm smile on her face. Yet, she's over a thousand years old...just over two thousand, to be exact. As an eternal, all powerful ruler, Celestia shows Twilight a secret room and prepares her to deal with inevitable loss. Afterall, as a powerful unicorn, Twilight will also outlive many ponies. She also shares many scenes from her life, to show her faithful pupil exactly what it's like to be her. But why, exactly?

(If you enjoy, please thumbs up and give some brief comments! I'm always looking to improve my writing :) Thanks!)

Twilight Sparkle just can't find enough time in the day. She has to study friendship for the Princess, hang out with her five friends, and juggle her own hobbies and interests besides. But when a novel solution presents itself in the form of an experimental new spell, will it solve her time crunch, or will she be distracted even further?

"The Holy Tome", "The Lost Relic", "Journal of the Heretics"; all are names for the Holy Covenant of the Triumvirate, a history of the tribes which documents the rise of the three powers that ruled the sky: the majestic Sun, the mysterious Moon, and the Twilight which balanced and separated the two in the harmony of their celestial dance. Over 700 years ago the Cult of Nightmare, seeking to overthrow the Sun, systematically destroyed all copies of this tome as they deemed the existence of The Triumvirate, a heresy against their one true ruler, The Nightmare. One copy survived the Purge and ended up in the possession of the Sun. Contemplate these words, passed down across generations, passed down to you.

This is the story of the end. This is the story of the death of Equestria. It is the story of the reign of her royal majesty, Princess Twilight Sparkle of the Fading Sun.

The alicorn sisters are dead and Equestria has turned to Twilight Sparkle to guide it. However, just maintaining a dim sun a fraction as bright as her mentor's keeps the new princess near her limits.

Years have passed and Twilight Sparkle is sure of only one thing. Equestria is dying.

NOTE: Written before "It's about Time" in season 2. Everything after "Read it and Weep" was ignored throughout this story.

Many years after sending her beloved protege to Ponyville, unease sits heavily on Princess Celestia's heart as her relationship with Twilight Sparkle seems to have cooled despite all they've accomplished together. On the advice of her sister, Celestia sets out to investigate and resolve the lost connection with her most faithful student. What does it mean to be a Faithful Student...or a Princess of the Sun?

Earned a six-star rating on Equestria Daily and featured on its very own TVTropes page!.