Orphaned from birth, with only the memories of a soft touch and gentle voice to remember her by, Twilight yearns for her mother. What pony wouldn't want to know why they were abandoned, why they were left to be found by the Princess of the Sun herself.

That was nearly two decades ago though. Twilight was older now, and hopefully wiser. She is happy with her two best friends, Cadance and Shining Armor. They are like family to her, the brother and sister she never could have. Though dreams still haunt the young mare, dreams of lullabies and tender kisses, she has moved on.

The personal servant to the Princess of Helios, the land of the Sun, Twilight enjoyed both rank, and knowledge. But it also means that when Princess Luna comes to visit her old friend, Twilight is given the task of tending her. The Princess has come in search of marriage, at the behest of her ruling Council. They demand an heir to ward off the potentially catastrophic attacks of the neighboring dragons.

Soon, Twilight will be tested and tried. She will be given the a choice between the life she has known, and the duty she is sworn to. But never, not once, will she forget.

For who can stop loving their mother.

For almost a thousand years, the immortal Nightmare Moon has reigned over Equestria as Empress. To the average pony, Nightmare Moon is an overarching enigma whose rule is absolute and whose wrath is terrible. But to Twilight Sparkle, who as an orphan has never known her parents, the Empress is something else entirely. When the young unicorn is brought under the royal wing as an apprentice, she learns a great deal more about the supposed tyrant than she ever knew. But as Twilight is introduced to life with her new mentor, she is thrust into a world of political intrigue, conspiracies and secrets. Secrets that were never meant to be revealed. As allies and enemies plot against the very peace of the nation, will Twilight fall prey to the perils of her new position? Or will she prosper and find in Nightmare Moon the mother she never had?

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My eternal gratitude to my editor, LordOfTheWrongs, without whom Night's Favoured Child would not be the story it is today.

Now with added TVtropes!

Cheese Sandwich and Pinkie Pie are hired to throw an anniversary party in Paris for the Mayor and her husband. Unfortunately, a band of thieves also has their sights set on the party, with every intention of crashing it.

After Twilight Sparkle quickly leaves for Canterlot one morning to see her family, the rest of the mane 6 get concerned and follow her, only to discover that the purple unicorn has a very big secret she is hiding.

Special thanks to Mudslinger077 for supplying the cover image

Twilight has always felt just a little uneasy about how others treat her, but after a tragedy befalls the Sparkle household, she reveals her greatest truth at the funeral.

Can her friends, family, and teacher comfort her this time?

No. 

...but when emotions are high and mistrust and confusion are rampant, is everything what it first appears?

Twilight Sparkle and her friends attend a celebration hosted by Princess Celestia. During the celebration, a dragon attacks and tragedy strikes. Feeling responsible for the attack, Twilight goes into exile.

As Twilight goes self-exile, Discord, the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony, and the Changeling Queen Chrysalis have formed an alliance to end and bring an everlasting chaos in the lands of Equestria. During the process, Discord has made a deal that would divide Twilight from her friends forever.

Now, it is up to the rest of the Mane 6, including Spike, to find Twilight and rekindle their fractured friendship, if they wish to restore the Elements of Harmony once again and save the land they love.

(Cover art I've made myself.)

This story is a sequel to The Princess that Equestria Never Had

Although this fic is listed as a sequel, you won't be missing anything if you read this fic without reading Never Had.

After traveling through time to stop Starlight Glimmer from changing the course of history, Princesses Celestia and Luna give Twilight Sparkle the opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to study under Star Swirl the Bearded himself! Nothing can go wrong with such a powerful time travel spell in such capable hooves. Twilight knew there was something familiar about Clover the Clever when she read the Journal of the Two Sisters, but she never knew exactly how familiar.

Based off a theory developed by DRWolf001 and written with his permission, with additional hypotheses developed by The Brony Notion.

Featured on Aug 14, 2016
Featured on Nov 9, 2016
Featured on Aug 20, 2018

7/4/20 UPDATE: After attending a panel from my friend Vivid Syntax I've decided to mark this story as "complete" and start a new story for the rest of Twilight's time as Clover the Clever. More details in a blogpost.

A few months after the events of Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000, Applejack decides to officially integrate the others into her family with an Apple tradition: a long night of cider drinking.

The next morning Applejack wakes up...in Twilight's bed...with a gold band on her hoof...and a legally binding document on the bedside table...

Cover art by ThePristineEye

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Check out the live reading!

And check out About Last Night: A Deleted Scene, by EquesTRON.

sequel to How Starlight Glimmer Actually Reformed

Starlight Glimmer is now Twilight's daughter!
But how does this effect the elements of harmony and Equestria?
First thing's first, Twilight will have to tell her parents about their sudden granddaughter. Then they're going to have to talk to both princesses about the new legal princess who happens to be an ex-villain. Hopefully her brother and sister in law will understand. Then there's Twilight's friends, the town Starlight controlled, and many problems only the elements of harmony can handle.

Sometimes she wishes she could go back to the days where she raised a young filly, Starlight...

Twilight Sparkle. A name known to everypony in all of Equestria. She's saved Equestria multiple times now, and with her and her friends being the Elements of Harmony, as well as being Princess Celestia's "Most Faithful Student", she enjoys a great life.
But what was before that? Follow her on her journey through foalhood, and her times as Celestia's Student.

This is my first fic, so constructive criticism is appreciated very much.
A huge thank you to WhatTheMoo and Knight Of Cerebus for proofreading this fic.
And a huge thank you to TwinTailsInc for allowing me to use his artwork