Equestria is a land of magic and harmony, a peaceful realm ruled by immortal and benevolent monarchs. At what cost is this possible?

Following the discovery of a strange and powerful device, Twilight Sparkle is whisked away to the edges of a land she thought she knew so well. Here, surrounded by ponies whose very existences have been kept secret, she must contend with vicious enemies, hostile allies, and the truth.

Chapters 1-16 edited by KiltedKey

Humans.

Truth or myth? Ancient lost civilization or just an old pony's tale?

No pony has ever seen one, and most haven't even heard of them. But Lyra knows that these wonderful creatures are more than just old legends, and she's going to find out... and possibly drive her roommate insane in the process.

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...

In the aftermath of her battle against Tirek, Twilight Sparkle is unwell. She wants more. She needs more. And she is afraid of what others might think of her.

But even in the midst of her growing despair that she has betrayed everything she stood for, she learns something about friendship and what it means to be an alicorn.

North of Canterlot, in the far marches of Equestria near the border with the Griffon tribes, there is a mountain that flies.

West of Canterlot, beyond the Galloping Mountains and a desert painted in the pastel hues of a faded rainbow, a tower sits at the edge of the world.

South of Canterlot, past the Everfree forest and the desolate badlands, a city of gardens waits to be born.

The Lost Cities Challenge! Awesome authors who have taken it upon themselves to explore other abandoned places:

- The Land of Glass and Stone, by RazgrizS57
- The City that Breathes, by Pearple Prose
- Aletheia, by Foehn
- Far Kobresia, by Baal Bunny
- Keskiyönnon, by Bradel
- Unknown Architecture, by Not_A_Hat
- The Gentle People, by Bad Horse
- The Seal of Wax and Glass, by DuncanR

Dramatic Reading by Illya Leonov: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4.

Royal Canterlot Library interview for Lost Cities.

Twilight Sparkle's tenure in Ponyville has been anything but calm. Since the Summer Sun celebration, she's dealt with a variety of foes, from Nightmare Moon to dragons, hydras, Discord, and King Sombra. But when Pinkie Pie asks for help with a small problem, Twilight finds herself pulling out all the stops to deal with the most dastardly (and curious) fiend yet encountered: Sugarcube Corner’s haunted mailbox. Rainbow Dash’s letter from the Wonderbolt Academy is on the line. Failure is not an option.

In the dark,six voices dwindle. They drift, forgetting life and love and hope, eaten away by time and void.

And then, suddenly, there was colour.

This story is a sequel to The Sisters Doo

Twilight Sparkle is a scientific pony. She understands things when they are explained.

Pinkie Pie is... uh... not a scientific pony. And she can't explain anything.

But there are secrets in the Wabe that Twilight needs to know, and only Pinkie has the answers.

A side-story to "The Sisters Doo".

The challenge? Daunting. The reward? Worthy. Failure? Not an option. For Big Macintosh has accepted the bet, and thus begins A Ballad of Eeyup and Nope - in which he isn't allowed to say either.

Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns is the center of magical research in Equestria. Since Apple Bloom developed a love of potion making and an interest in the theory behind magic, she recognizes what an honor it would be to study there. But that would also mean being the only non-unicorn student to ever attend, leaving her friends and family, and moving to a strange city... and that's if she can pass an entrance exam designed to select the most magically gifted unicorns.

Spike has never wanted more than to be Twilight's number one assistant. But when Twilight points out that there's a pony right in front of him who needs an experienced assistant even more than she does, it means considering a life where he's making the most of his talents... but one without Twilight by his side.

For both of them, facing hard decisions are just part of growing up.

Second place winner for the April Writeoff Association prompt "Great Expectations."