Everypony enjoys myths and ponytales, even if they know such things aren't real. Alicorns fighting against a spirit of chaos? An ancient princess trapped in a library under a tree, waiting to be found? Quite enchanting and fantastic tales yes, but nonetheless as fictional as Daring Do and other such stories. At least, that's what Rarity used to think.

She doesn't anymore.

Dedicated to Annuska for being as amazing a writer as she is a friend.

Now a physical book!!!
Patreon!
Based on an old oneshot.
Chapter Art by Arctic Waters // Graphic Design and Typography by Swan Song.

Today is Princess Twilight Sparkle’s 500th birthday, and her most faithful student, an earth pony with a familiar name, can’t wait to celebrate!

Notes:
- Cover art by ErinKarsath, used with permission. Check out her DeviantArt page.
- This is a story in the Birthdayverse, and you can find the sequel here.
- Many thanks to my faithful Pre-Reader and all around super-duper best pony, Blood Lord. Go read his story, too!
- This was written during the season 3 hiatus of MLP:FiM.

It's over. She's been with Celestia for years. She's absolved Luna of her crimes. She's been instrumental in defeating Sombra, and has revealed a Changeling invasion. She's even helped in reforming Discord. And now, her time is over. In the time that she's had, she's tried to do her best. She's tried so hard to live up to what other ponies expect of her.

And they were happy with how she was shaping up.

They wanted her to succeed.

Now all they want is to see her dead.

Story has been pre-read or otherwise edited by these fantastic ponies people:
Blood Lord
Ecstatic
seeker9709
PsyonicG

"The pieces are set, and the dice are in play. But does every pony have the heart for this day?"

Nearly two hundred years have passed since Rarity Belle merged with the Crystal Heart and took the throne of the Crystal Empire. Since then, through her care, determination, and vision, the Empire has flourished like never before. Now Empress Rarity stands as not a ruler of a providence, but the monarch of a rising superpower.

Today though, is the Empress' Birthday, and Lady Merry Sapphire, seneschal to the Empress, is determined to make this the best birthday Rarity has ever had. Little does she know that not everypony shares her enthusiasm for today...

Notes:
This is an official prequel to the Princess Twilight Sparkle's Birthday stories, created by Autumnschild. This story will develop and expand much of the world we made, but taking place 250 years before PTS500 and its sequel, PTS505. Due to its time gap and status as a prequel, you do not need to read the stories created by Autumnschild, and I have done my best to help that. However, knowing what happened in them will help you be a bit more aware of what is going on, and I encourage you to go read them for they are very enjoyable.

We now have our own group! Come check out the Birthdayverse!

Credit goes to Autumnschild for the proofreading for this story.
Razalon The Lizardman is credited for the grammatical overhaul.

Great thanks goes to these two, for this story would not be as good without them.

Non-canon prequel to The Enchanted Library

As a filly, Rarity's favorite bedtime story was about three princesses trapped throughout Equestria by a wicked spirit of chaos. How she dreamed of finding them all when she was older, especially the princess trapped in a library under a tree. She knew, however, that fairy tales weren't real.

Only when she grew up would she find out how very wrong she was.

Based on an AU a friend came up with in which Rarity stumbles across an enchanted library where Twilight is its spiritual guardian, and both form an unlikely friendship as she helps Twilight be restored to normal.

The Human race is dead and gone, but their Skeletons live on in Celestia's closet.

Greetings weary traveler/bored reader. Let me regale you with my tale. The tale of a mere mortal, with nothing particularly special to his name, brought to a magical land of dragons, minotaurs, griffins, and of course ponies. But he came as no mere human. He came as the epic warrior, the manliest of swordsmen, that most dashing of multiverse travelers, the mighty Gilgamesh! What adventures will this powerful and magnificent warrior find in his travels? HELL IF I KNOW! LET'S STRAP IN AND SEE WHERE THIS GOES!

Looking for cover art if anyone's interested.

Crossovers with:
The life and times of Xante, Baron of the Frozen Wastelands, First among Liches, Lord of the Dead, and Fabulous Rainbow Magic User

Golden Graces, Headless Headaches

I Will Hunt You Down

A Thousand Tortured Souls Scream My Name

Gravity of the Situation

Land of Friendship and Magic

And Then There Were 10… Er… 67

Son of Invention

Ten Against One

Time Ticks On

Let's Just Say That Umbra Really Needs to Put a Lock On His Diary

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May 25, 2014: I GOT FEATURED! HOLY CRAP THANK YOU SO MUCH!

This story is a sequel to Headless, not Heartless

Okay, taking it from the top.
Hi, I'm Auric Fulcrum, also known as Frank DeFontaine. For about 1,500 years, I wasn't alive. I instead inhabited my Dullahan costume as a spirit because of my sword, which also brought me to Equestria. Once I got here, after a few years of back and forth, Sunbutt imprisoned me because of a minor misunderstanding.
I heard that!
You were meant to!
Anyways, once I got out, I learned that the Wise One was coming to this reality, so I did what came natural to me.
I sought out the power of the Golden Sun and used it to defeat him so utterly I would never have to worry about him again.
Problem was, the energies that bound me together and the power of the Sun conflicted, so my armor fell apart. And without the armor, I was unbound, unfocused.
I came to a week later in the same basement I had been imprisoned, in my old body, but with a few...upgrades. Like Alchemy being a Thing I can Do.
Now that I'm alive again, my to-do list is radically different, but no less daunting.
For starters, how am I supposed to stop a mountain from sinking into the earth?!

The Dragonborn, a legendary warrior capable of absorbing a slain Dragon's soul, and knowledge, directly, forever killing it. The Last Dragonborn had defeated the first, stopped the plans of a Vampire cult, and built his own lakeside home, before finally slaying Alduin the World Eater and fulfilling his fate. Now, after all the challenges he has faced, the Dragonborn is sent to a realm where Friendship is Magic, and there is no mead. Finally, to cap things off, he kind of... well...
Became a Dragon.

Spartans never die, they're just missing in action. This has never been more true for Jorge-052 as, after activating the slipspace drive that was supposed to kill him, he is instead flung into a strange world where war is but a distant memory. Will the aging soldier be able to adapt to this new peaceful planet? Or will his only salvation be found in finding a way back to his own chaotic universe?

(It's my first time, so be gentle)
Now featuring a TVTropes page by Sabo88