There are rules for surviving in the Crystal Empire. Shining Facet knows them well, and only hopes her daughter can learn quickly. After all, they say that things are different now—but sometimes it takes more than flugelhorns and crystal-berries to heal old wounds.

Placed 2nd at the Write-Off round The Morning After

Edited by Dubs Rewatcher

Ever since visiting the Pie farm, Big Macintosh has had rocks on his mind.

The latest episode just kind of demanded that I write this.

Thanks to Jordanis for the swift and grammatical editing!

"...The test ends when you open that door."

Princess Luna has begun searching for her own personal student, and her test has hit a small snag: Not a single unicorn, out of the dozens of applicants, has passed. In fact, every last candidate has failed the test in seconds.

But just what is the purpose of this test? And how can somepony pass it?

A young earth pony named Morning Glory is going to find out.

This story is a sequel to Twilight's Escort Service

Ratchette runs a one-pony fix-it shop for enchanted conveniences and devices, the only such facility in Ponyville. Some of her services are limited ones, and there are things she has to refer elsewhere -- but on the whole, she puts the majority of the repair traffic in order and in the two years since she first moved to the settled zone, Ponyville's become used to her. But strangers in town can still have a little trouble with her qualifications. Because her mark says she's perfectly suited for her occupation --

-- while her body claims exactly the opposite.

(Part of the Triptych Continuum, which has its own TVTropes page and FIMFiction group: new members and trope edits are welcome. While this story is technically a sequel, the earlier one just has the main character's first appearance, and this piece can be read as a stand-alone.)

Now with author Patreon and Ko-Fi pages.

Cover art by EquesTRON.

My name is Kadie, and when I was eight years old, my people, the griffins, went to war with the ponies of Equestria. My mother never wanted me to think about that, so she never talked about it. The Emperor told my father that he had to go off and fight the ponies, though, so I know that she thought about it a lot.

A few months after I turned ten, a messenger came into our town and told us that our emperor didn't want to fight anymore, so the ponies won, and we lost. Mother said that since we lived so close to our capital, we needed to go see the pony army meet our emperor.

I did not like that.

Edited wonderfully by Prak

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.