After being introduced to Dark Magic, Twilight has used it to her advantage multiple times(using it for Zecora's potion, finding the Crystal heart). Twilight starts to experiment with it, causing her to grow obsessed. She's noticed that its beginning to change her. She must stop herself from succumbing to the darkness before her friends loose her forever.

It all started with a simple question: What if? What if Luna had ponies who noticed the beautiful nights she created. Would she have turned into Nightmare Moon? Would she and Celestia rule together for a thousand years? Would Twilight meet the rest of the bearers of the elements and become friends with them? Now, with the help of a new magic spell that she created, Twilight is going to find out!

Welcome to the Lunar Republic!

Featured 4/9/15

Upon her first use of darkness its taste lingered within her mind, creating an ever growing thirst and revealing her true desires. With her recent elevation to an alicorn and princess she begins to find her desire for power insatiable. Small seemingly inconsequential steps grow into giant leaps, pushing her senses of morality and reason.

Besides, doesn't the ends justify the means? For a queen can accomplish so much more than a princess....

********
Special thanks to Omny87 on DA for the inspiration.
FEATURED: 7/1/2014 THANK YOU ALL!

What should one do when they find their current knowledge lacking? After the changeling attack, Twilight has to answer that question and for her the solution is simple enough. But her chosen path may yet turn out to be her downfall. Will the cost of knowledge be too high? Or will she be victorious in her journey into the paths of darker magic? One way or another Twilight will find it out as she learns under her new teacher. There is however one thing everypony close to Twilight should remember, that history likes to repeat itself...

**********

A/N: Tags will probably be added as the story progresses. Updates may be irregular. Flames will be ignored, constructive criticism is welcomed. Now the image: background by me (and it shows), NMM recolor by DoctorXFizzle.

Celestia is dying. Or at least it seems so. Afflicted with a curse that is destroying her very nature, she sets a plan in action.
The Bearers of the Elements of Harmony will take the throne in her wake... Not that they know that yet...

(Takes place as an Alternate Season 3)

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!"

Twilight Sparkle, Celestia and Luna are transported into a strange alternate Equestria, the Land of Always Summer, where the day lasts forever and a terrible queen rules with an iron hoof.

Feel free to check out or add to the story's TV Tropes page.

As the personal protegee of Princess Twilight Sparkle, Luna's life is more than crazy enough for a unicorn of her age. Balancing her studies and putting up with her hard-partying pegasus sister is enough to keep Luna up most nights with little or no social life to speak of. But as the only one who believes the legends that Tirek the Terrible is returning and the only one who actually cares enough to stop him, it doesn't look like Luna is going to be getting any sleep anytime soon.

Which is just as well, because she keeps having the strangest dreams about a life she half-remembers; a life of long nights spent as Princess of the Moon and a terrible catastrophe that befell her kingdom. But those are just dreams...right?

With the fate of Equestria resting on her shoulders, Luna must unite a group of unlikely allies to stop Tirek, save the world, and solve the riddle of her nightmares before they come to life.

After being defeated by Nightmare Moon, Twilight is transformed into a puppet of darkness called Lunar Eclipse. But when she starts to have flashbacks of a certain baby dragon, she realizes that there may still be hope for Equestria.

Will Lunar Eclipse be able to see the error of her ways in time?
Will Twilight survive?
Will Equestria be saved?

Read on to find out!

Credit goes to Giuliabeck for the photo which gave me inspiration for this story.

Link to picture

The sequel to this story 'For Want of Eternal Nightmare' is out and can be accessed quickly via the link. Its a lot longer compared to this and has higher quality writing. It's worth the read, trust me.

During the daily ritual to lower the sun to raise the moon, Princesses Celestia and Luna have their abilities locked. At the same time, a new, yet familiar, alicorn crashes into the throne room of the castle.

This is the second Friendship is Magic fic I've written, though I've tried some new things this time around. In my head, it does come after my first fic and my as-of-now unwritten second fic, though I think it can be stand-alone just fine. It doesn't really refer to the events of "The Party's Loyalty," and while it does make one offhand comment in regards to the second one I originally planned, I think it can be safely read without knowing much.

Cover image is from http://ztoonlinkz.deviantart.com/art/Comic-A-Look-To-The-Future-289305977