Overwhelmed by her new duties as a princess, a newly-crowned Twilight Sparkle seeks solace within the quiet confines of Canterlot Castle's royal archives, where she discovers a book she'd never seen before. Within its pages was a story about both Princess Celestia and Starswirl the Bearded, as well as a mare that Twilight had never heard of.

Details of their lives, their history, and their relationships puzzle, intrigue, and even worry Twilight. The more she read, the more curious she became and the more questions that arose. But there was only one question to which she truly sought the answer:

Who was Sunset Shimmer?

Starswirl the Bearded has been alone for so many years, for millennia. He has no idea how he came to be, but all he knows is the loneliness of being the only one of his kind. That is, till he stumbled upon a jar, a jar that can capture the essence of anything.
However, there are consequences to bringing about new life, consequences that require heroes. And heroes need Harmony.

Now what do you do?

When you've been gone for more than a thousand years, you have a lot to catch up on. You may even owe a ton of apologies. Heroes old and new must deal with the consequences of their choices, each in their own ways.

And before they settle down in the new realm, the Pillars will become acquainted with the Spirit of Chaos himself.

Some people say that Celestia and Luna are useless. That they lounge in the castle while delegating all their responsibilities to hard working, underappreciated, exceptionally well-read students. That even when faced directly with threats to kingdom and country, they fold like cheap origami and wait to be rescued.

These people are correct. But there's a very good reason for it!

[Rated Teen due to a dark scene early on to set some backstory, and occasional comedic death]

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!"

It is finally time for Luna to set everything straight between her sisters. All of them.

An entry in A Thousand Words Contest II and winner of a judge's prize in the Experimental category.

Being an alicorn filly isn't easy. It's hard to enjoy your foalhood when you know you'll be spending your eternity as a responsible adult. But when the castle attendants and even their own mother starts to avoid them, a pair of little princesses find themselves struggling to understand what's wrong...

As an existential threat arrives in Equestria, the fillies find themselves thrust into the storybook realm of Clydestale where they must rediscover the power of imagination and learn what it truly means to be creative. Let the line between "fantasy" and "reality" be blurred as the princesses explore lands they could once only dream of with the help of a most peculiar storyteller...

Cover art by the talented Calena: https://www.deviantart.com/cafecomponeis
Official Soundtrack (In Progress)

Pinkie Pie, reality's "Blind Spot." Capable of impossible things, things that nopony would understand. That is, if they ever tried. Everypony gave up on figuring her out a long time ago, including Equestria's most notorious scholar, Twilight Sparkle.

Enter Discord. He senses something that should be impossible, even for him, and traces it back to Pinkie Pie. Then he does what he should have done back when he was first freed from stone.

A.N. Cover art by the talented Hei201 Featured on March 29th, 2015.

Principal Cinch managed to leave Canterlot High with her dignity largely intact. Of course, that leaves the question of where she went afterwards. While the two schools celebrated the continuing existence of the universe, Cinch went off to sulk.

It just so happens that one member of the Canterlot faculty knows precisely how she sulks. And in his experience, he plays an essential part in the process. He may have shirked that duty for quite some time now, but tonight, he'll take up the mantle once again, whether Cinch likes it or not.

An entry in the F*CK THIS PROMPT! 9. Prompt: A major villain is a completely sympathetic character.

A year has passed since the events of "Magic Duel" and Trixie's career isn't going very well. She decides to swallow her pride and return to the place where she was first humiliated: Ponyville. Rarity, known for her generosity, decides to let her stay in her boutique. They don't get along at first, but after some time, Trixie starts to feel something she never has before.

This fic isn't part of the Magic of Love Trilogy.

Inspired by YourBronyGod's fic, The Great And The Generous.

Sequel is up!

Original pic belongs to SuperFluttershy100