Gallus doesn't want to go home for summer. With a little gentle persuasion, he gets his friends on board to keep him out of Griffonstone, though none of them are quite sure how to do it; that is, until Silverstream hatches a scheme.

All he has to do is join the Hippogriff Navy. It's not the relaxing summer away from school that he hoped for, but hey, it promises to be interesting! Who knows what three months as a sailor could bring?

Adventure? Certainly.

Self-discovery? For sure.

A sea battle with a band of renegade pirates? Anything's possible.

Romance?

Pssh. Yeah, right.

Edited by a crew of scallywags who mean the world to me. In no particular order: MissyTheAngle, Freglz, Muggonny, Semillon, FamousLastWords

Special thanks to Pascoite for his assistance.

Cover art commissioned from the incomparable Marenlicious!

Curious about how the next chapter is coming along? Check my user page for regularly updated progress reports!

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.

When their mother brings home an abandoned purple hatchling, and introduces him as Spike, the newest member of their family, both Garble and Smolder are more than thrilled. Garble even vows to be the best big brother he can be for Spike, no matter what he does or fails to do.

Does he really need to act like a pony?

An alternate universe where Spike is raised by Garble's family.

Featured on 2/26/2020! Thank you everyone!

Edited by VoxAdam

Cover art drawn by Doodle-Mark

Old cover art Cover Art drawn by boskocomicartist for SpikeSmolder fan, used with the commissioner's permission.

This story is a sequel to Journey to the First Flame

Fluttershy and Smolder's journey hasn't been off to an easy start, especially after they fell off the beaten path. Now, the professor and her pupil find themselves stuck in the middle of a civil war between two Diamond Dog clans whose shared history might not be what it seems. But even if they manage to escape the escalating conflict with their lives, they will surely have to confront many more dangers if they wish to see Smolder through her Dragon Lord-ordained task: rekindling the fires of the legendary First Flame.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This story is a continuation of Darth Link 22's fanfic Journey to the First Flame that I was helping with. Sadly, DarthLink22 passed away before he could complete his story and I am here to post his remaining chapters that he finished but never published and finish the story's remaining parts myself. This is in his honor.

Thanks to TheAncientPolitzanian for editing.