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!"

Lashona is one fine sassy woman living the dream. No debt, no kids, no husband, she's got it all. Due to forces beyond her control, she finds herself in Equestria.

And she isn't having any of it.

Nuh uh. No way, no how.

Hey look, YouTube readings! Start here!

What people are saying about it:
"Hey, RainbowBob made a new... Wait a minute..."
~Skeeter The Lurker
"Flint, this is absolutely f***ing brilliant."
~SpaceCommie
"Why would you even..?"
~Comrade Sparkle
"Flint, you can't release this...you'll destroy us all!"
~HAZESHIFT
"Totally just commented to see if I could get onto the list of things people are saying about it."
~Garbo802
"A group just for you!"
~wulf95
"Why the hell are there so many people in the description? THIS IS NEPOTISM!!"
~Vengeful Spirit
"this is gay"
~Regidar

Rarity is honored to have been sent a special VIP ticket for a prestigious pre-opening performance of "Out Of Her Shadow," the latest musical that her friend, Coco Pommel, has made the costumes for. Oddly enough, though, she seems to be the only one in attendance.

Thanks to Auramane for convincing me to write this!

Celestia and Luna were born as unassuming foals in troubled times. But already marked for greatness, the simple earth ponies stand to face a world set against them, full of danger, fear, and sadness. A world they will change forever.

A sweeping epic taking place before Equestria was made, where Celestia and Luna must rise from normal foals to become the Princesses we know them as, beset from all sides by monsters, other ponies, and even the forces that govern nature. Their tale is as tragic as it is triumphant.

Currently on hiatus. For more info, go here.

(Cover and internal art by Madmax)
(Editing credit predominantly Lightside Luc)

What if Twilight has been lying to her friends all along and her real mother is Princess Celestia herself?

I got the idea while writing Prism and Glimmer. This story is just to dive into what it would be like if Celestia was Twilight's biological mother. (Teen because pissed Celestia does not hold back on language. Romance tag for some Lunestia).

Original chapters can be found here.

Edited by: Knight of Cerebus

Currently being rewritten

Coverart by ZippySqrl

“Do you remember the day we first met?”

Celestia has been having recurring dreams; dreams that she wishes would go away. But they won't, they only increase in their frequency. One night, she gives in and visits that statue in the royal garden. The statue that haunts her sleep. The statue of her one true love, the statue that she made. That night, under the statue, she remembers the day they first met.

Cadance struggles with who she is, where she came from, and the unrelenting attack of the Nightmare.

Part of my Nightmare universe. Feel free to start here but click these links for the other Princesses' stories.
7,305,000 Suns; One For Each of My Sins and 3,835,125 Moons; My Descent

A thousand years is quite the generation gap, so Princess Luna decides she has to get with the times. However, this isn't quite as easy as she thinks it will be...

Twilight Sparkle. A name known to everypony in all of Equestria. She's saved Equestria multiple times now, and with her and her friends being the Elements of Harmony, as well as being Princess Celestia's "Most Faithful Student", she enjoys a great life.
But what was before that? Follow her on her journey through foalhood, and her times as Celestia's Student.

This is my first fic, so constructive criticism is appreciated very much.
A huge thank you to WhatTheMoo and Knight Of Cerebus for proofreading this fic.
And a huge thank you to TwinTailsInc for allowing me to use his artwork

Perhaps there is more to the relationship of an immortal pet and her immortal master than first meets the eye.