For the past millennia, Equestria has been at constant war against the creatures of darkness. Twilight Sparkle joined the Royal Guard and devoted her life to protect her fellow ponies and Equestria from the darkness after it took her family from her. With dedication, she fulfilled every task given to her to the Queen's satisfaction.

That all changed when she learned that everything she believed in was nothing but lies.

Cover art used with permission by: isorrayi
Story edited by: Nyhll

A thousand years ago in Equestria, Luna's frustration and desperation has been building for years and years as her social and political isolation grows, but just before Luna's jealousy and resentment can turn into murderous hatred against her sister, a new event triggars Luna's mental collapse and pushes her over the edge. When Luna by circumstance finds herself alone in Celestia's room she reads her sister's diary out of curiosity and discovers all of the disparaging criticism that Celestia has leveled at her over the years about how much of a nuisance Luna has been to her, but has been too polite to say directly to Luna's face.

Luna and Celestia had always supported and stuck with each other all their lives. Even when the common-ponies critisism and shunning of her was at its worst, the knowledge that her sister loved her kept Luna going. The realization that nopony, not even her own sister valued her or thought she was fit for the throne completely shattered whatever remained of her fragile psyche.

And so Luna just gave up...

She gave in...

If no one wanted her there...

Then she wouldn't stay there...

She would leave.

Princess Celestia had a good day. Luna had been going out more often and was becoming quite fond of nightclubs, her dear niece Cadance had formally announced her pregnancy—though, privately, Celestia felt she was too young to be a great aunt—and, of course, Twilight, her beloved former student, had taken on her first student and Celestia couldn't be prouder! Yes, it had been a good day.

Celestia Sol woke up much like she did every day the morning: sun waking her as it danced upon her eye lids. Wait, the sun? Celestia's eyes snapped open to reveal she was in Twilight's old room in the observatory. On the other side of the room was a smaller bed where a small dusky unicorn was drooling on her pillow.

Clearly, it must be Tuesday.

Preread and edited by Stahl, Kinsley, and Jumbled

I thought it was just a particularly hot summer. When my friends and the rest of the town started acting weird, I thought it was just the heat. After all, we've had heatwaves before, and those always drive ponies a little crazy. That's what I told myself, anyway.

And then I did some digging and realized I was right... and also very, very wrong.

Princess Twilight Sparkle was nothing but diligent in her studies—from arcane history to forbidden spells, her knowledge knew no bounds. Of course, one thing remained entirely foreign to her, and that was the concept of a social life. Queen Celestia, dead-set on correcting this in one way or the other, sends her daughter to the quaint town of Ponyville to oversee the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration and perhaps make a friend or two, setting in motion a series of increasingly more unlikely events that will change the young princess’s life, as well as the lives of those around her, forever.

Magic, the most forbidden art. Only nobles are allowed to learn from the great wizards and witches, and only from special schools set up by the state. For commoners, learning the mystic arts is nothing but a dream, a fantasy that many strive for but none achieve.

With one exception: Stalliongrad. The great, northern city boasted more magic schools than any other, and among them, the only one that accepts low born ponies. It's a dangerous trek to get there, and even more dangerous to simply stay in the frozen city.

Twilight Sparkle, however, will not be stopped. Destined to become the archmage, destined to sit at Princess Luna's side, she will not be stopped.

After all, Archmage Twilight Sparkle has a nice ring to it.

With Celestia out on vacation for a week, Cadance sees a fine opportunity to spend some time with her Auntie Luna, who's now in control of Equestria for that time. She's always known Luna to be a bit... different, but she never thought she'd find herself suspecting her Auntie Luna of trying to take over Equestria again. Is she simply over-thinking things, or is something truly the matter with Auntie?

Set mid Season 2.

Featured on: 1/30/17!
Also, this is now my 5th story to have 100 likes!
Also pt2, this story was featured in SA Review #104! Check it out here!

SPOILERS IN COMMENTS
Preread/Edited by MLPMatthew419 and Mocha Star

Celestia hopes to convince the parliament to ban duels, but it's an unpopular proposal. The last thing she needs is Luna stirring up trouble at the gala, so of course that's what happens.

^{Thanks to Daedalus Aegle for feedback on this story.}

More than a thousand years ago Luna was not a princess. She was a wandering warrior, strong and proud. And she had good cause to be, for who in all the world could ever defeat her? But when a drunken bet causes her to venture into Tartarus, she will learn that even the most powerful can be brought low.

Written for FanOfMostEverything's Imposing Sovereigns contest.

Edited by the wonderful Jordanis. All mistakes (including any errors in the Elizabethan dialect) are my own.

Cover art borrowed from the talented Earthsong9405.

Every week, Equestria's princesses take a break from ruling their kingdom and discuss life. Usually over coffee.

Here are their assorted conversations.

Cover art by Grennadder. The story is marked complete because it's not a writing priority of mine, more a palette cleanser I come back to between harder projects