When tragedy strikes Twilight she turns to the only place she can.

Requested by the winner of my first Fic Giveaway : milk rain

Twilight did her duty. She saved everypony she could, except herself. Now trapped by an evil cult, in more pain than she has even been in before, and dying on a sacrificial altar, she calls for help. The Nightmare answers.

Will Twilight become the next evil to threaten the world or will the Nightmare simply be glad to have some freedom? One thing is for certain, Twilight's life will never be the same again.

The Editors
Cander (CH 1-Current)
Yutah123 (CH 8-9)

Now with an excellent reading by StraightToThePointStudio (Currently only up to CH 30)

And we even have art!
[Warning Spoilers] Twilight's Nightmare Art

Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends have faced endless troubles while ruling Equestria. There's never been a challenge they could not conquer.

But the end of the world has come, and nopony can stop it.

Contains narrative that jumps ahead into the future, several original characters, a despondent princess, probably some crying, and the magic of friendship.

A huge thank you goes out to Semillon, who beta read this story and provided some invaluable critiques.

After not seeing Twilight Sparkle for years, Princess Celestia is surprised when Twilight shows up at the castle, needing a foalsitter for the daughter Celestia never knew she had. Princess Celestia agrees to foalsit for the young filly on short notice with deeper motives than a simple foalsitting job. The little filly is far from normal and the more Celestia learns about her and Twilight, the more she wishes she hadn't.

Celestia is determined to find out the truth about this young filly. But will she like what she finds?

Sex tag for the mention of sex but there is no sex.
Source for picture.

Twilight is almost used to being an alicorn now. She's accepted that unexpected change, and is even happy about it, most of the time. Her magical abilities have grown by leaps and bounds, and she's starting to enjoy the freedom offered by flight. While she can't imagine ever being as good as Rainbow Dash, anypony with reasonable standards would by now consider her quite competent in the air.

But despite her growing enthusiasm and confidence, there's something that she has neglected to deal with. Something that's bothered her at times ever since the transformation, but kept getting shuffled down her list of priorities. Fortunately, she knows just the pony to talk to for help, and she won't let nervousness and self-reliant rationalization hold her back anymore. The latest of Pinkie Pie's parties provides a perfect pretext for a conversation she should've had months ago.

If you're confused by the date listed on the chapter, that's just when I originally uploaded it for pre-reader viewing. Life got in the way and I didn't get around to hitting Submit until Feb. 7, 2016.

Twilight Sparkle is a gifted student when it comes to math and science, but even the smartest unicorns can struggle to control their magical abilities. And when precision fails her in her latest assignment for art class, Princess Celestia is more than happy to offer her help in overcoming the challenge.

To some extent, at least.

Cover art: Celestia Napping by Skecchiart.

Thanks to Noble Thought for pre-reading.

Just one mistake. Twilight had underestimated Nightmare Moon. When she reaches the map and tries to preform the spell again, a powerfull blast seperates her and Spike from the scroll, which lands somewhere in the bushes. Twilight and Spike get captured in seperate places. Now the Alicorn has to find a way to get out of the dungeons, let alone save Spike. Twilight knows, she needs more information on this world. And what role do Mademoiselle Rarity and Captain Rainbow Dash play? Can they help her? Can Twilight befriend these harsh two to get a way to freedom? And will Nightmare notice?

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!"