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One of Equestria's greatest traits is tolerance. Every pony, whether Unicorn, Pegasus, or Earth, is accepted for who they are, and have their own parts to play in keeping Equestria running.

But what if an Earth pony decided he didn't want to play his assigned part? What if he wanted to rise above everyone else and become an Alicorn? Such a thing is possible... but the path to fulfilling one's dreams is never simple. Risks must be taken. Sacrifices must be made. And the question is always asked: How far would you go to get what you wanted? And would you be willing to pay a terrible price to get it?

[Complete! With TVTropes apparently!]
Also, apparently, an animated trailer.

In a world of brass and steam, Twilight Sparkle had thought she had made a life-changing discovery with the invention of the telescope. For better or worse, she was correct.

Now her discovery has not only changed her life, but the lives of those she seeks out in her desperate attempt to contact the only other creature as lonely as Twilight herself.

It all would have been much simpler, but it had to be the one Twilight could only call The Mare on the Moon.

Decidedly not within walking distance, then.

[Featured on EQD before story was meant to be submitted. 4/03/2015]

[Editing team: Southpaw, Wolfvenom, Maskedferret, SwanSong and BluePaladin42, without whom this story would be a fraction of its current state.]
[Special thanks to Novel-Idea for the updated cover]

This story is a sequel to Forever Mare

This story is a sequel to Nopony's Daughter

Discord has been sealed in stone. King Sombra took the Crystal Empire with him. The fledgling nation of Equestria has dealt with great monsters. Yet, something is rotten in the Everfree Forest. The fear of one more mythic woe is at hoof.

Princess Luna is worried that it might be her next.

And she's now at the point where she will do anything to escape that, even when nopony else believes in her.

Proofread and edited by VoxAdam. The content tag is for self-harm references only, not suicide. Contribute to the TVTropes page!

Welcome, my little pony, to the happy home I've carved out far beneath the earth. Please forgive the mess, guests don't drop by very often and I've been here in the dark alone for so many, many, many years.

Dedicated to centipedes because they are super cute.

Every dress Luna owns is a gift she had no say in. Every dress Luna owns was given to her by Celestia. Every time Celestia gives one is a way she tries to understand her sister, and why moments of tension that arise when their expressions clash.

Originally published as "Untitled #3" in 'Missing Pages & Scrawled Footnotes' on Feb 24th, 2019 and under the current title on AO3. This story has been revised and expanded. Posting permission granted by Majin Syeekoh. Recommend by TCC56. Contribute to the TVTropes page!

Time after time, through chaos and through wars, Princess Celestia prevailed.

Of all the terrible forces she could have fallen to, Flim Flam Industry was the last one anypony had expected.

With thanks to gardrek for editing (3-6) and PinkieDP, Ice Star, and Odd_Sarge for prereading help.

Uplifting an entire species from a biological existence to a fully digital one is never straightforward, even for a incomprehensible superintelligence like CelestAI. Humans come in many variations, with a wide spectrum of desires, values, and needs. A statistically significant majority respond to standard methods. But there are always outliers that require a personal touch.

An anthology of optimalverse flash fiction. Reading the original or my own first take on the universe is suggested before reading this one.

This story was created to hold the oneshot commissions I received as part of printing my hardcover Optimalverse anthology. But I've always wanted a place to hold short stories in this world, since I've had plenty of little ideas that wouldn't make it as novellas or novels of their own.

Now that I have this thing, I'll probably add new chapters here and there. Even so, it has no regular update schedule, and will grow whenever I have something fun to toss in here.

Edited by Two Bit and Sparktail. Cover by Zutcha

Ever since the Summer Sun Celebration, Twilight has been settling in to life in a small town away from Canterlot. And while she loves her new friends, she can't help but admit that it's a much bigger change than she'd initially thought.

But things like homesickness, getting lost, and dealing with the way everyone seems to stare at you and whisper are all just part of moving somewhere new.

Twilight just needs to adjust.

A suburban horror

Amazing artwork done by Lilfunkman

My name is Twilight Sparkle, and 350 years ago, Sweetie Belle and I vanished without a trace.
Now here we are, in the future.
Equestria has become a utopia, with everypony living in peace and harmony.
Everything is perfect. All a pony could ever want, and more.
My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I want to go home.

Editing provided by Stereo_Sub and JustAnotherTimeLord.

Cover art courtesy of Geomancing.

Reading by lieilengi

Spanish translation by Spaniard Kiwi