Princess. Alicorn. The pillar of all ponykind, against which so many ponies often judged themselves. Celestia hates having to constantly be these things, and it's past time for a break. Luna will watch over Equestria while her sister is gone, but taking a break from your duties and taking a break from how the world sees you are two very different matters. Enter Prominence, a quiet pony who nopony really pays much mind to. Perhaps because she doesn't exist.

Aided by this disguise, Celestia will find her peace and relaxation in the home of one of the few ponies who know Prominence's true identity: Princess Twilight Sparkle. But when Twilight begins to see Celestia as a pony, and not a princess, can she deal with the feelings that arise? And are the feelings for Celestia, or for a pony she knows is not actually real?

EDIT: I've been featured, July 19th, 2014. I have no words to express how terrified and humbled and terrified and proud and happy and terrified this makes me.

"Twilight…please, help. They're coming for me."

Trixie collapses on Twilight Sparkle's doorstep with nothing but these words, a monster in pursuit, and a whole lot of questions that need answering.

But the nearer Twilight gets to the truth, the nearer she gets to a dark conspiracy...

Can the shadows be stopped?

Featured on Equestria Daily -- July 5, 2014

"I stood before the doors to Princess Celestia’s private chambers, just as I had so many times before, and waited. I’ve always been a nervous mare before our meetings, wondering if what I had done measured up to her expectations. But I had never before entered those rooms with the blood of another being on my hooves. I swallowed, dreading what I would discover behind those doors."

Twilight faces more than she bargained for when a resort island turns out very different from her expectations, and she must make a decision that will forever change how she sees herself.

After an accident, Twilight's life is turned upside down and changed forever.
With her friends standing by her, she must manage to overcome new obstacles, learn a new way of life, and discover just how long secrets last when hidden from those who know you best.

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Now in audiobook form!: Youtube

In the aftermath of her battle against Tirek, Twilight Sparkle is unwell. She wants more. She needs more. And she is afraid of what others might think of her.

But even in the midst of her growing despair that she has betrayed everything she stood for, she learns something about friendship and what it means to be an alicorn.

Isolated from her friends and taken prisoner in the middle of a war, Twilight must deal with the very real dangers of being percieved as an enemy as well as the nightmares of her arrival on 'Earth'. Can she overcome her own fears and the fears of her captors? Will the wayward unicorn's assistance be a boon or a curse to the 'humans?' Most importantly, will she ever find her way home?

"In short, it's a story of friendship and plasma rifles, with the emphasis on the friendship. The characters are well written, the XCOM setting is fleshed out very well, and the story is compelling. If you love XCOM, you'll love the story, but even if you've never heard of it, it's more than worth giving the first 3 chapters a read.

There's excellent action later on, but the real strength lies in the collision between the friendly and naive world of Twilight Sparkle and the desperate world of humans fighting a losing war for survival and willing to do anything to turn the tide."

--Arzoo

(XCOM/FiM crossover)
(Cover art commissioned by a friend and created by the magnificent FoxInShadow!)
(Original cover art by the amazing Carnelian can be viewed here!)
(Gore tag for blood and some violence)
(Many thanks to the studius OminousTen, Arzoo, xXFluttershyForeverXx and finally Setokaiva for giving my rambles a once-over)
(Now with it's own TV Tropes page! Get to tropin' folks!)

The past always comes back to haunt the present, there is no escaping the inevitable. For decades, Celestia has kept a secret from her student. A secret she made out of pain, and through pain will be revealed for all to see; for Twilight Sparkle is the secret daughter of the Sun.

Now, there will be consequences.

Consequences, they come in all shapes and sizes for every decision. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. These words are lessons that Princess Celestia should know, bits of wisdom she practices in her rule of Equestria. How is it then, that when faced with a decision, she chooses the one that would inevitably bring the most pain? How is it that she couldn’t bear being recognized as the mother of her child? And why? Twilight Sparkle is about to find out.

Disclaimer: (I do not own the picture; Title Picture owned and designed by KitsuneHino; Source: http://mel-rosey.deviantart.com/art/By-my-side-364777307) (I do not own any of the characters, places, events, etc. outlined in this fanfiction, MLP FiM does under Hasbro, give them the credit.)

In a desperate attempt to thwart the plans of a power-hungry sorceror, Twilight Sparkle ends up displaced in time.

She finds herself in a world untouched by catastrophe of any kind. Everything turned out well in her absence, and her friends, who have missed her dearly for the last decade, are overjoyed to have her back.

Now she has a decision to make. Go to fight the foe she left behind, restoring time as it should have been, or stay and leave him be. All is well that ends well, after all. Right?

Much gratitude goes out to Sagebrush, who helped me untangle some of my messes!

The wheel of time turns, as destiny and history clash together.

Fifty years into the future, Sunset Shimmer is Princess Twilight Sparkle's most faithful student. She is smart and eager, but doesn't always think things through. Her life had been perfect, right up to the End of the World.

With a ruined future, Sunset travels into the past to alter the course of history. With only her mentor's cryptic word to go on, Sunset and the Elements of Harmony must solve the riddle of the Dark Regalia and stop the mysterious Vesper Radiance from rising to power. But the further Sunset goes, the more she feels like she's been through it all before.

Is destiny set in stone, or can Sunset shape her own future? Only time will tell.

Featured on Equestria Daily 6/16/13
Gratefully edited by JustAnotherTimeLord, Icarus_Gizmo, Cerulean Voice and Bad_Seed_72

The Sunset of Tropes page!

This story is a sequel to Past Sins

Touch, Smell, Taste, Hearing, Sight

This is the order the five senses develop in for foals as they rest, cradled in the warm safety of a mother’s womb. But for one, her womb was a thorn bush in the dark of night. For one, the safety and warmth that should have carried her into the world was replaced with pain and cold.

These are Nyx's first hours.