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.

Every day Celestia shares light and love with all the ponies of Equestria. In turn, they share their love with her. Still, the princess senses there is something missing. Something her heart longs for.

Something her responsibilities have denied her for all these years.

As luck would have it, she’s given a gift that will let her experience her deepest hearts desires and take her to a place she may never want to leave.

Ever.

Inspired by the Alan Moore story, For the Man Who Has Everything.

Cloud Kicker might just have the wildest life of any pony in Equestria. That may just be why Princess Luna wants Twilight Sparkle to study the insanity that is Cloud Kicker's life for a sociology report. Unfortunately for Twilight Sparkle, she is going to have to survive the circle of jealous friends, paramours, enemies, crazy co-workers and disappointed family members that surround this crazy pony. Will Twilight Sparkle be able to complete this assignment before it spins out of control, or will she be reduced to a neurotic mess?

A Winningverse Story.

Princess Celestia, who is feeling a little lonely, asks Princess Cadance for a little help in finding a special somepony.

Along the way, Princess Celestia rediscovers herself.

An entry in the Weedverse.

For years, Twilight Sparkle and Queen Chrysalis have been at each other's throats. Both have experienced victory over the other, and both have experienced defeat. Out of all the creatures in Equestria, none despise each other the way the pony Princess and changeling Queen do. They seemed destined to remain locked in battle forever, or at least until one is finally dead at the hooves of the other. The cruel insults, the vicious loathing, and the powerful spells that have passed back and forth between them at each meeting have become the stuff of legend.

Imagine Twilight's surprise when she finds out changelings consider this dating.

And now they're married.

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Sequel: Pony Courtship Rituals

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Some beautiful fanart of the end of chapter three was done by Dmann892; you can see it here.

More awesome fanart, this time from chapter one.

Now with a TvTropes page (obligatory TvTropes warning goes here).

If you want a Russian translation, you can find it here.

There is now a reading of the story on Youtube, which starts here.

Celestia decides to see just how right she was in her choice regarding Twilight's ascension. But upon stepping off the Cutie Map, the world is shattered and she aims to find out why.

If you're interested in more, Apathy is the sequel.

No one alive today can say where she came from; simply that she has always been there.

And yet, few ponies have had a greater impact on Princess Celestia's life than Raven, her most faithful aide.

Inspired by and based off of a headcanon put forth by Heir-of-Rick, though perhaps a bit less insidious than what he had in mind. He very kindly provided an alternate version of his image for me to use as my cover image! Text added by me.

All comments and criticism very welcome!

Featured in the Royal Canterlot Library! Go there to read the interview for some behind-the-scenes info on this story!

Translations: Chinese, Spanish!

October 3rd, YOH 1501: In the aftermath of Twilight Sparkle's mental breakdown (shown in S2E03 "Lesson Zero"), a shaken Princess Celestia reflects on how close she came to losing her Most Faithful Student, and wonders where she herself went wrong.

A flip of a coin. A twist of fate.

Twilight Sparkle, younger sister of Princess Celestia's personal student, Shining Armor, grew up listening to her brother's bygone dreams of joining the elite of the elite: The Royal Guard.

Now, fresh out of the Academy, this young mare is ready to prove herself equal to the deeds of the great soldiers she read about as a filly. Too bad the princess she ends up protecting isn't Celestia.

This story is a sequel to Twilight Sparkle of the Royal Guard

Between castle gossip, professional rivalries, a blooming romance, and a mysterious malefactor still at large, Decurion Twilight Sparkle has a lot on her plate. Hopefully, she'll make a few new friends as she moves towards the destiny she's chosen for herself.

As per usual, big thanks to Magello for the rad cover art!