Rarity is suffering from creative burnout, and Rainbow Dash decides to help by dragging her to a concert of her favorite band, Villian Court, led by one Twilight Sparkle. Things quickly spiral out of control in ways Rainbow couldn't have anticipated (but doesn't mind).

Have some Anthro RariTwi AU, because Earthsong apparently decided that I was not busy enough with my existing fics and tossed what she called the "Reverse Rockstar AU" (basically a role-flip of her Rockstar AU, where Rarity is a rockstar and then meets Twilight) onto my Tumblr dashboard. And I took one look at the picture and started to write.
Since then, we exchanged WIPs and ideas, and by now, her AU (now called the "Rock'n'Royal AU") and this fic are very similar, but also slightly different as we both worked on angles in different ways. It's been a wild ride so far, and I loved every minute of it!

Cover art done by Earthsong, which is fitting since she's the one who handed me this plotbunny to begin with. Fic title inspired by the song "Rock the Casbah" by The Clash.

Over a thousand years ago, two royal siblings fought for the sky and were exiled, one by her sister's hoof, and one in penance for what she had done.

In the present Republic of Equestria, no one remembers them as anything more than legends and old pony tales. Save for one shy filly who fell from the sky one fine summer's day.

An Alternate Universe "What If" tale, reconstructing the beginning from a different angle.

After unusual circumstances leave them forever changed, the Cutie Mark Crusaders embark on one final adventure to regain what they've lost.

Gore tag is chiefly due to Zombie Apple Bloom being kind of icky and zombie-ish. Read at your own discretion.

Written (partly) for Equestria Daily's Friend Off Event. Based upon the artwork of Balooga.

Even if you are lost in the dark, all you need is a single light to find your way home.

Applejack lives under the sword of Damocles. Her family, her friendships, and her happy life in Ponyville would come crashing down if anypony ever asked her one simple question: "Are you an alicorn?"

This story is a sequel to Twilight Sparkle of the Royal Guard

Between castle gossip, professional rivalries, a blooming romance, and a mysterious malefactor still at large, Decurion Twilight Sparkle has a lot on her plate. Hopefully, she'll make a few new friends as she moves towards the destiny she's chosen for herself.

As per usual, big thanks to Magello for the rad cover art!

My name is Twilight Sparkle.
I am three hundred and seventy five years old.
Except for Spike, all my friends are dead...But not for long

Betrayed by Celestia, and isolated in her castle with only Spike for support, Twilight Sparkle enacts a powerful spell to reincarnate the element bearers through her own body.
Her friends will be reborn, and, with the trials of being a mother to her friends ahead of her, an unraveling secret from the past following her at every turn, and the possibility of a brand new life so close in reach, Twilight just might be reborn too.

Credit for both the inspiration for this story and cover picture go to
Crystal Leviathan

Celestia has a dangerous creature held in the deepest of Canterlot's high-security dungeons. It can create ponies (with full backgrounds and histories) with it's strange and often-times prophetic powers. The Princess does her best to keep it under wraps, but its only a matter of time before it's "creativity" will get out of control.

Diplomacy has failed. Six years have passed Equestria's crowning of the princess of friendship, ushering in a supposed unprecedented age of peace and harmony. The concept of warfare is, to most ponies, nothing more than an unfathomable legend. They have let their guard down.

An unknown enemy has seized the opportunity to attack Equestria with terrifying new weapons of war, bent on taking the fertile land and restoring an ancient order. The valiant efforts of the Royal Guard have given Princess Twilight and her arcane scientists time to research and develop a response to their attackers, and the time has come for that response to be implemented. Utilizing weapons and tactics borrowed from another world, five squads under the command of Princess Luna will infiltrate the forests of the Equestrian Northwest to destroy a revolutionary magical matrix that Twilight refers to as the "radio" - a tool that allows enemy ponies to communicate across vast distances instantly.

Nightmare Two is comprised of three foalhood friends who, rather than be separated from each other in the draft, volunteer to become one of the five Nightmare squads. With their bodies forever altered to suit the needs of their mission, the three young mares join legions of ponies armed with powerful weapons to partake in a horrifying new breed of warfare - Equestria's first in over one thousand years.

--

Heads up, folks. If you wouldn't mind leaving a comment alongside the thumbs-down, I'd appreciate it. This is my first foray into fan fiction and although it's a hobby I nonetheless wish to get better. :)

Got some FAQ's for you guys as well!

- Alternate universe in which the events of "Crusaders of the Lost Mark" did not occur. (As much as I loved it! :D)

- Numerical age tends to vary with headcanon, but the CMC here were just getting started with their adult lives when the draft went into effect.

- The war is pony v. pony, utilizing firearms and the Equestrian equivalent of a tank. The underlying headcanon is that ponies used firearms similar to muskets and tracked armored vehicles akin to our tanks in times of old, and what the enemy currently employs is essentially the natural progression of these technologies.

- There are no real-world weapons or equipment i.e. "Panzer IV," or "M16 assault rifle." Particularly acute details such as the caliber of weapons are also absent.

- Technology is based on that of WWI with some WWII elements. Firearms are primarily bolt-action.

- The "radio" spell matrix functions as what we know to be a radio, but is not identical.

- All four of a Night Mare's legs are permanently replaced by the augments.

- Night Mares are female. Stallions proved unable to properly animate the limbs.

--

Hold up, now - fanart? You guys rock. Like, for real. Thanks a lot!

1. A great YouTube video coming from The_Pegasus_Box. Thanks, bud!
Check it out!

2. Click here for the collection on DArt.

3. https://derpibooru.org/740375?scope=scpeac921b191f688d04521575f31608785cbc3bbaa1
[img]https://derpicdn.net/img/view/2014/10/10/740375__safe_anthro_apple+bloom_gun_artist-colon-pusspuss_night+mares.png[/img]

A thousand years ago, Princess Celestia banished her sister to the moon, that much we know. What wasn’t known, and what Celestia kept secret was that before her banishment, Luna had given birth to a foal. Now a thousand years later, as Nightmare returns to Equestria to bring about Eternal Night.

Twilight Sparkle, protege of Princess Celestia, struggles against the tyranny of this ancient foe. But how will she be able to save herself and her friends when the truth of this ancient legend crashes down upon her? Twilight will have to confront herself...and her heritage.

Polaris501

Inspired by the story image, RainbowDoubleDash's Lunaverse and Trinary's "Rainbooms and Royalty", I give you my take on the alternate universe concept. Namely, a universe where Spike is the pony and Twilight is his dragon assistant.

The thousandth Summer Sun Celebration is approaching. With it will come the return of Nightmare Moon. Celestia has no student to call upon to save Equestria, and is doing all she can to make the last day of peace meaningful for her people.

Meanwhile, Spike "Purple Prose" Flail is a reporter for the Canterlot Sun. He finds himself being shipped down to the boonies with his longtime friend and assistant, Twilight, to cover the biggest festival Equestria has seen in a millennium!

But even with a visit from the princess, there's no way someplace as boring as Ponyville could ever be newsworthy. Right?

A/N: Credit for cover image goes to dzetaWMDunion on Deviantart art.

Story would also include character tags for Thunderlane and Cheerilee if not for the character tag limit.

Now has a TVTropes page!