Idol Hooves holds a special place in Equestria. He's probably the only exiled changeling to serve in the Royal Guard, or at least, that's what he expects, as exiles don't really broadcast that fact. However, it's well known that Princess Celestia loves all of her little ponies, and her guards perhaps more so, and that makes it one of the best ways for a changeling to discreetly feed.

But how does a changeling even get there, let alone get exiled in the first place? For that matter, why would it ever go to Canterlot? Set a number of years before the series proper, before Luna’s redemption, Idol details how he was exiled, the ponies he’s met, and the series of misadventures that led him to joining the Royal Guard, and should continue a good ways into the series, as something of an alternate perspective.

Soon, he’ll have to deal with a boisterous new princess to serve and a royal wedding in the works bringing a third to power. Will his old instincts bring this new life crashing down around him? What precipitates Chrysalis’s ill-fated assault on Canterlot? Is it really so wrong for a changeling to enjoy good craftsmanship to an obsessive degree?

New cover art provided by the fantastic Carnifex

And a TVTropes page here.

And an Ask Blog of questionable canonity!
Out of Idol Curiosity

Fanart by Norad2! Major thanks! Short For a Royal Guard

Art by Egophiliac of Idol and his Daring Duckie Please don't tell him what that brush is meant for.

Rating updated to (T), it's a bit darker than (E)
Comedy Tag added as well
And changed the character tags a bit.

Twilight becomes alicorn of the stars. This is sort of a problem, because Luna kind of already was alicorn of the stars. Oops!

TV Tropes

For so long Luna wanted her ponies to appreciate her work, the labor she endures every night to ensure their protection. But her compliments have come hollow and the nights stale with no ponies to flourish under her moon. She turned to a mysterious stone to wake the masses to their senses, but instead, she was banished, by her elder sister no less. She was left alone for centuries to face a slow and unanticipated demise.

Only centuries later, night by night, did a mare wished upon her moon. Countless times she hoped for it to grant just a single wish. A wish she felt not strong enough attain on her own. In one fateful night, the mysterious stone reciprocates her desire.

Character List-Here

Next:
Progress: 36/51

Chapter 38: Teacher Conference

Credit to Magnaluna for cover art.

Editors:

• Book_Wyrm
  Ch (7, 8, 9, ...)
• Sweetolebob18
  (35, ...)

Link to certain artworks within this story can be found here

[img]http://i.imgur.com/6MrWqNZ.png[/img]Twilight takes on the most important task in her career as a princess of Equestria, when she opens up a magical portal to a distant world with extra-Equestrian intelligence. With her organizational skills and keen understanding of scientific principles, she leads diplomats and scientists in a well-planned expedition to a historic first contact.

The first exchange doesn't quite go without a hitch, however, as the portal opens near a pony ranch at Texas, Earth.

For the purposes of this fic, assume Equestria Girls didn't happen.

Former one-shot.

There are 100 billion stars in the Milky Way, and humanity is determined to explore every one. We send probes, probes with the blueprints to reproduce human explorers upon arrival. Uninhabited worlds the galaxy over can be colonized and populated, until after many years they too can join the vast throng of interstellar civilization. But if a probe is very, very lucky, it will land on a populated world instead. Equestria is one such world.

Even so, it's far from perfect for colonization, not with an environment lethal to human life. But each probe is resourceful and armed with the greatest machine intelligence mankind has devised. If placing a human mind into a newly manufactured human body won't work, it will just have to get a little more creative.

This book has a Hardcover! If you want to pick it up, you can grab it here: https://starscribe.net/

This story was written at the behest of Canary In The Coal Mine, who is sponsoring it on my Patreon. As usual, cover by Zutcha. Editing by Two Bit and Sparktail.

Fantastic prereading help from: Chyre, Danger Noodle, Doctor Disco, and Doggyshakespeare (who also did the Esperanto translation). Thank you all for helping to make this story more readable and more consistent for everyone.

20-year-old Ryan Burbank is living with his girlfriend in their woodland home when he is struck by a mysterious infection seemingly out of nowhere. To everyone's horror, his sickness spreads quickly throughout his body, shutting him down one piece at a time. The doctors are at a loss of what to do about this new form of bacteria. Ryan and his loved ones choose to keep fighting until either a cure can be discovered...or the pain becomes too much.
At the height of his suffering, he discovers a happy little show while watching television in his hospital room. The bright colors and happy attitudes of the cartoon equines provide him with a much-needed escape from the daily pain of being killed from the inside.
Eventually, the pain becomes too much and he decides it would be better to go out surrounded by his family, in the embrace of those who kept him company throughout his short life. Just as he starts to fade, his eyes wander to the screen of the hospital room television and the cartoon ponies who adorn it. Something strange begins to occur...almost like the screen is pulling him in. Tunnel vision, maybe?
No, that can't be it...why can he hear his name being called by a very familiar voice? And why is she...crying? Who is this crying, familiar voice and why does she seem to know him?

[img]https://orig10.deviantart.net/bf87/f/2014/010/3/0/recup_pinkie_sphear_1_2__by_xdrawdex-d71pigr.gif[/img]

SPOILERS IN THE COMMENTS

Rated "Teen" for language and the "Sex" tag is for all of the sexual humor and suggestive situations. If I decide to up the suggestive stuff in the future, I'll change the tags and rating to fit that change.

Cover by enamis.

This story is a sequel to That Changeling's a Pony!

Like most ponies, Maxilla the exiled changeling doesn’t believe that Daring Do is real. However, fate seems determined to prove her wrong in the most dramatic way possible.

After all, it isn’t every day that a changeling gets dragged along on an adventure and subsequently immortalised in Daring Do literature and merchandise.

The newest resident of the changeling hive feels out of place. He cannot remember the last time he had wings, holes in his arms, or talking bugs for friends. What is he? Why is he here? Will he find his way home? Will he survive in a world without coffee?

Featured on Equestria Daily

For those who have forgotten what has happened so far in the story since it was taken down, here's a chapter-by-chapter summary of all events and characters up to and including chapter 10.

There's a man who works at my job in the basement.

He says his name is Derek. Not many people like Derek. People say he's weird and tends to lie. Derek says he was tricked and isn't supposed to be here at all.

He also says he used to be the Chaos King back home.

And here I just wish he'd stop screwing around with the coffee in the breakroom.