I had a pretty good life. They called me Spit Shine, I worked in the palace, cleaning this, doing that. Hell, I even got to talk to the Princess, and learned all sorts of interesting stuff. It was stimulating, prestigious, and hey, call me weird, but I liked the work.

Shame I was also secretly a changeling infiltrator with a name too annoying to pronounce in polite society trying to observe and potentially subvert your nation state.

I mean, these things happen.

Of course, you'd be surprised what you can learn about a pony when you have a different perspective.

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Original Concept by SoloBrony

Grammar-Less-Suckification by CarcinoGeneticist

Vector by Ackdari

Brand new Spanish Translation by Spaniard Kiwi!

Luna has been considering the matter for a while, and she can't put her hoof on why. Confused and growing increasingly irritated, she goes to her sister in search of enlightenment.

Set between the season six finale and A Royal Problem.

Ponyville declares to Celestia that they are now their own sovereign nation. It goes about as well as you'd expect.

Written for Aragon, comedy master, for his birthday.

Edited by Majin Syeekoh

The history of war may be written by the winner, but the Royal Historian is the one who provides the notes and background to the writer. The recent events that some have called ‘Mare Wars’ or ‘The Invasion of the Barracks’ are no exception. The Royal Historian has painstakingly compiled this folder of notes and background material on what should more accurately be called, ‘The Opening of the Guard.’

Please remember to return the folder back to the Royal Historian when you have completed reading, in the event we gather more material that needs to be included.

Musty Pages, Royal Historian

Source for inside photo
Featured on Equestria Daily and the Royal Canterlot Library
With sequel, The Night Guard - Night Mares
And an interview by Benman

Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns is famous across Equestria as a center of academic excellence. Only the best and brightest unicorns are offered places, selected by their academic merit, magical ability and passion for study. To make the admissions process as fair and reliable as possible, all candidates are given three exams by different teams of examiners, who then meet in private to decide which students are most deserving of a place.

Winner of the December 2014 Writeoff competition: Behind Closed Doors.

Featured on Equestria Daily.
Featured on FiMFiction.
Featured in Twilight's Library.
Audio Book Version by Obabscribbler.
Audio Book Version by Snogwritts
Review by PaulAsaran
Review by Ghost Mike

Hearth's Warming Eve.

For the ponies of Equestria, it is a time of giving and great joy, but for little Rose Aphid it could be the last day of her life. For you see, Rose is an outcast female changeling, and it has been a long time since she has felt love or kindness.

With time running out, her journey takes her to the most unlikely of places in search of love.

The first story in the Life of a Rose.

Mighty lords chart the course of their people, for better or worse, through good times and bad. Their decisions have ramifications that echo across continents and generations. It is in the light of those decisions that the stories of heroes are ultimately defined, whatever side of the lord's reign they may fall upon.
Books are written about those decisions and their consequences critiqued long after most of those lords are gone to dust. A few even consider the personal cost of those heavy choices.

Rose Meadow was the sort who would be all but forgotten by the relentless march of history, save perhaps as set decoration. She was a guard, a professional whose main job was to stand outside an office door and make sure documents weren't stolen and the occupant wasn't unduly interrupted. That said occupant happened to be a head of state didn't matter much, except perhaps so far as to give her a vague sense of pride in her work.
Yet for all their unimportance on the grand stage of history, a guard overhears much, especially when the office door isn't closed properly...

This is a short story set in the world of the acclaimed Hearts of Iron 4 mod, Equestria at War. It is the first entry in the Quenta Roccolië and has been reviewed by Clarke Otterton.
Rated teen for discussion of war and death.
Written for the Fourth Annual Equestria at War Writing Contest with the prompt "A normal being's point of view and life amidst global events."
Thanks to Clear Skies-Roan for betaing.

Cover image is a crop of 'Palace Hallway' by plainoasis

Ten years ago, I, Princess Twilight Sparkle, created a new holiday for all of Equestria. On this day, we stop and remember our past so we can share it with those who will come after us. Today is Remembrance Day.

And it's going to be a good day.
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Winner of the TwiDash Group Challenge #4 contest
Edited by Loyal and Silver Flare
Also available in Chinese on FimTale!

Rated T for some implied romance

Now, the idea of seeing someone argue who was the "best Princess" in Equestria was hardly a new thing. In fact, such talks had appeared in articles across Equestria for some years now. And every Princess knew what it meant when another one turned up. They'd read it, they'd have a debate amongst themselves over what was said, they'd maybe argue, and then they'd laugh over it afterwards. But today, they come across one such article that causes no argument. In fact, it genuinely surprises them.

For most of her life, Luster Dawn had ignored friendship. After all, it was nothing but a waste of time, right? You'd make friends, spend a lot of time together and eventually it would all fall apart again. It was for the best to stay alone.

That was before Princess Twilight herself showed her real friendship. She and her friends were the living examples of true, everlasting friendship. And sure enough, as they brought Luster to Ponyville, she quickly met new creatures and made friends.

That was all months ago though. By now, she had quit the School of Magic, with the blessing of the Princess, so she could move to Ponyville and attend the School of Friendship instead. After all, the most powerful magic there is was friendship, right? But most importantly, of course, moving to Ponyville meant staying together with her new group of friends, and even attending classes together!

However... there was a catch. Princess Twilight didn't just let her quit the School of Magic and move away, she demanded something in return. She demanded of Luster to come visit her four times a year in Canterlot and tell her of all her new discoveries in the field of friendship.

This was the first time she had to go and report on her experiences, and she wasn't quite sure how it would go.