For a thousand years, there was just Celestia. Then Cadance appeared, Luna returned -- and now Twilight has ascended. There are ponies who are very curious about just what happened, why -- and how. Especially the how. Twilight herself is on that list, a freshly-minted princess with far more questions than answers, about to face a brand new one: what truly makes an alicorn?

And what happens if it goes wrong?

(Part of the Triptych Continuum, which has its own TVTropes page and FIMFiction group. New members and trope edits welcome.)

Now with author Patreon and Ko-Fi pages.

Cover art by Harwick.

As the centuries pass, cutie marks come and go. Some are common: the healing cross, the basic compass rose, the courier bag. Others are extinct: no more mercenary companies, no more mercenary marks. A few are incredibly scarce, coming along once a generation or less: the mark for luck falls into that category. A number only manifest when the call for them arrives: train tracks didn't appear until it was railroading time. But for the most part, ponies take their mark with its associated talent and magic as a blessing in their lives -- no matter what that mark turns out to be. And they accept it as they accept themselves.

Luna, in her first truly open palace session dealing with the public, is about to meet the exception: Joyous Release, a pony who wants nothing more than to be rid of her mark forever -- and every bit of the talent which comes with it.

But marks are permanent...

(This story takes place shortly after A Total Eclipse Of The Fun.)

Cover art by Harwick.

Part of the Triptych Continuum, which has its own TVTropes page and FIMFiction group. New members and trope edits welcome.

Now with author Patreon and Ko-Fi pages.

Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle, one a student of Celestia, the other just getting started, are yanked from their homes by a mysterious magical mirror. Now trapped on Earth, their lives forever altered, they do their best to cope. To learn. To join Starfleet, and, someday, to return to the home they lost.

Returned from hiatus, albeit with a less regular posting schedule.
Preread and editing work performed by Blue Horizon, Vic Fontaine, and witegrlninja. Thank you all very much.

Featured as of April 5th, 2021! Thanks all.

Featured on Equestria Daily as of August 7th, 2021! Thank you again so much!

Season 2 Cast List.

This story is a sequel to The Gemmed Satyr

The third episode of the Gems Trilogy. Rated Teen for sexual implications, minor violence, and some dark themes.

It’s been three months since the events of The Sweetest Gem and The Gemmed Satyr, and everypony is in emotional turmoil.

Can Fluttershy stomach up the courage to take her relationship with Rarity to the next level? When Rainbow Dash finds out a dark secret about Applejack’s boyfriend Caramel, can she hold a promise not to tell her friend, or will her conscience make her do the right thing?

Does Sweetie Belle really have good reason to worry about her and Spike's future together? And just why has Pinkie Pie been so keen to hang out with Twilight lately, and what does she mean by the "prophecies" coming true'?

But their problems are only beginning. Trouble is brewing in Equestria. Strange things are happening all over the land: one of the royal sisters has mysteriously disappeared, a familiar evil is about to rise again, and the fate of all the hearts in Equestria will lie in these six ponies’ own troubled hearts as they search for a mystical place talked about only in myth.

Far, far away from the Equiss system, the queen of blades is readying the launch of her newest weapon. A ship designed to infest an entire planet in secret, readying it for the eventual zerg invasion and softening up even the hardest target, Korhal. Unfortunately for the queen of blades, the untested zerg biotechnology is more difficult to master then she thought and the infestation ship vanishes after launch.

Untold eons later Twilight Sparkle is preparing for her entrance exam for Celestia's school for gifted unicorns only to stop when she sees a star fall into her new treehouse. The young pony sets out in the middle of a storm, intent on seeing this fallen star for herself.

What she finds inside will change not only her destiny but the destiny of all on Equiss prime.

Make sure to check out the sister story to this one.
Trigger warning, parasites. Starcraft Crossover!
Updates twice a month!
The story so far!

Rainbow Dash can’t wait for her first date with Applejack; they always have an awesome time hanging out, and a relationship just means there are even more physical activities they can try together. So when the dumb zap apple harvest postpones their date, she decides it’s the zap apples that are going to have to change their plans. Equestria should know by now that wild, ancient magic is no match for Rainbow Dash, especially when she might get laid.

Everything is going according to plan, until she crashes. Or, rather, until she wakes up after crashing and fifteen years have gone by. Fifteen years during which she seems to have been a very busy pony.

Now Rainbow Dash has to adjust to a life she never thought she wanted, and figure out if she’ll ever get to live the life that brought her here.

Update: Proofreading and formatting by RBDash47

Written for the AppleDash Group Contest prompts "Family" and "An Important or Memorable Date."
Cover art by SketchyJackie

This story is a sequel to Returning Home

With the defeat of the Changeling Queen Chrysalis and the Swarm, Twilight departs for the long forgotten Harmony Empire however when they arrive not everything is as it seems. Darkness is rising and the wind whispers of a great evil that is soon to come, the clock ticks down to the final hour as old wounds cut deeper. Their only hope lies in a long buried secret that will change the course of the future and reveal the dark past of how Equestria came to be.

Featured 5/27/2020

This story is a sequel to Swooping Pegasus

Rainbow Dash has been back in Equestria for four years, but the planet has not been idle. The knowledge that they are not alone has catapulted Equestria forward. Reverse engineered technology has pushed the world into a new golden age. Leading the way in new Arc-tech developments is Twilight Sparkle, her discoveries and inventions seeing use across the length and breadth of Equestria. Her latest invention is set to be the most influential yet, the crowning glory in the Element of Magic’s scientific career. When something goes wrong however, and Applejack is forcibly teleported from the boundaries of the world, only one pony has any knowledge about where she might be. But even she can’t do it alone, not this time. Luckily, she won’t have to.
Enter the Swooping Pegasi, and watch their descent into the darkness.

Now with a sequel: The Descent into Madness

This story is a sequel to Swooping Pegasus. I would recommend reading that story first to understand some of the bits in this story, but it is not 100% necessary.

Featured a fair amount of times, which I am personally very proud of XD
Thanks so much.

Rated Teen for Violence and Grim dark references

Just a heads up, this story is going to be much darker and much more violent than the first one.

I wanted to add other character tags, but didn't have the space. Also includes Spitfire and Lightning Dust.

Also, a big thanks to my Creative Consultant, Brother Malachai . This guy helped me flush out a load of ideas, as well as giving me some awesome new ones, so big thanks to him.

Artwork has been done by the massively talented El Mutanto.

Enjoy