Twilight and her friends are approached by Princess Luna who presents them with a set of questions that trigger a long and perilous journey.

Did you ever stop to wonder what became of Trixie, Gilda and Blueblood after your encounters? What did these episodes truly mean to you? What role will they yet play in the lives of the Elements of Harmony?

Last, are these questions as relevant as the journey towards the answers? Who will benefit from seeking these answers - you, them, or I?

For almost a thousand years, the immortal Nightmare Moon has reigned over Equestria as Empress. To the average pony, Nightmare Moon is an overarching enigma whose rule is absolute and whose wrath is terrible. But to Twilight Sparkle, who as an orphan has never known her parents, the Empress is something else entirely. When the young unicorn is brought under the royal wing as an apprentice, she learns a great deal more about the supposed tyrant than she ever knew. But as Twilight is introduced to life with her new mentor, she is thrust into a world of political intrigue, conspiracies and secrets. Secrets that were never meant to be revealed. As allies and enemies plot against the very peace of the nation, will Twilight fall prey to the perils of her new position? Or will she prosper and find in Nightmare Moon the mother she never had?

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My eternal gratitude to my editor, LordOfTheWrongs, without whom Night's Favoured Child would not be the story it is today.

Now with added TVtropes!

What if Nanoha never became the White Devil?

Twilight Sparkle, as everypony knows, is a magical pony by nature and profession. However, even she is confused when she encounters a mysterious ferret and an equally mysterious jewel. Forced into conflict by a monster attack, Twilight releases the power of the jewel, summoning the device known as Raising Heart.
Tasked with the retreival of a set of mysterious artifacts known as the Jewel Seeds, Twilight and her friends face an entirely new set of challenges. Unbeknownst to them, however, forces outside of Equestria are moving to claim the very same artifacts they now hunt.

A crossover with Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, with an equine twist!
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A sequel has begun. Go Here For Magical Pony Lyrical Twilight A's

Magical Pony Lyrical Twilight by PurpleProse is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Princess Celestia tires of constantly being surrounded by decorum, deference, and formality, and decides to take a day off from being Princess. But visiting Ponyville incognito is harder than she expects. Will she be able to fit in and make friends without blowing her cover?