Things are changing in Equestria, the ponies have decided they no longer need Princess Celestia to guide them. Celestia willingly stood down however and vanished. Unknown to Equestria she remains in disguise watching and wondering if her ponies are really ready... Oh, she's also experiencing what its like to care for a foal for the first time as well. Which will fail first Celestia's sanity or Equestrian Democracy?
*Part of Mother's Universe*

Despite their supposed massive power, Alicorns have done a rather poor job of saving the day. Twilight discovers that there's an actual reason for that.

Featured on EqD 6/6/16!

Two passengers on a train ride toward an uncertain future. One is a pony. The other only pretends to be.

Sex is tame and non-explicit. Don't be afraid to read.

Written expressly for Equestria Daily's Outside Insight Summer Fanfiction Contest.

Now with a dramatic reading by Illya Leonov!

Russian translation courtesy of Arsus.
Chinese translation courtesy of viczhn.
French translation courtesy of BroNie.

Inspired by the artwork of RubleGun and Raddjuret. Musical accompaniment by Patrick Poe.

Featured at Equestria Daily and the Royal Canterlot Library.

Reader Testimonials

"Vinyl + Octavia is one of the fandom's most cliché and mismatched pairs, and yet this is a real romance with genuine depth and emotion." - horizon
"Holy shit this is impressive. Like... Holy shit, man." - Skeeter The Lurker
"You have crafted something wonderful here, a true gem. You should be proud." - Illya Leonov
"Note that I hate this ship when I say this is far and away the best ScratchTavia I've ever read." - PresentPerfect
"Fuuuuck it's so good!" - Luminary

This story is a sequel to Old Friends

Her oldest friend tries to save her, but they both discover it's too late.

Cover art by DaisyAzuras

She noticed the pony for the first time when she was young, not long after she'd received her cutie mark. He became her oldest friend.

Note: comments contain spoilers; please don't read them first!

Cover art by DaisyAzuras • Featured in the Royal Canterlot Library

Reading by Neighrator Pony • Spanish translation by Spaniard Kiwi

Starlight Glimmer assembles the townponies of... the town to finally pick a name for the village they all dwell in. However, finding a name that does not promote any form of inequality proves to be harder than she imagines.

Inspired by a brief chat with Tired Old Man

"Suppose I killed them all?"

When an evil villain offers drugs to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, they must resist the temptations of being really cool.

Some much-needed proofreading was provided by Elric of Melnipony

4/5/15: Popular Stories list. Thanks everyone for your love!

Sunset Shimmer is well respected, and has gained a lot of trust over the past year. So when Princess Twilight entrusted her with watching over her one and only niece, she was thrilled.

But one slip of the tongue around the toddler could break that trust.

Now with Reading by Mindlessgonzo

This story is a sequel to Sunspawned

"Hey, Glimglim--can I call you Glimglim? I've got a serious important question for you. Why aren't you snogging Sunburst yet?"