Castling is a special move in chess involving one of the player’s rooks and the player’s king. The move consists of moving the king two squares towards a rook on the player's first rank, then moving the rook to the square over which the king crossed. After this move, the king and the rook end up just next to one another.

And thanks to a friend’s kindness, a certain calculating, chess master filly would have a chance to end up closer to her princess than she ever thought. But can a filly like her truly leave her past behind to find another way? Can you learn to trust another when manipulation is your destiny?
Can a chess player like Cozy Glow learn to be a pawn?

It shouldn't have been a big deal. Celestia was kidnapped or knocked out or just generally made to seem powerless by whatever idiot with ill intent decided to show up on a nearly weekly basis. As the mighty and immortal Sun Princess, she could escape at any time, but she was happy to play these little games. The daring rescues and bloodless battles gave her ponies such a sense of confidence and purpose!
But this one didn't go as planned. One small, stupid mistake got her thrown to the twisted reaches of the world-prison, Tartarus. Now alone, unarmed, and barely more than mortal, Celestia wakes in a living landscape where everything has every reason to hate her.
And, far worse, she has accidentally picked up a passenger.

Sidenote: This a repost (I tried to go through official channels, I promise!) of a story I wrote long, long ago on an account I foolishly deleted. Back in those days, Tartarus hadn't shown up in an actual episode yet. It's not exactly an alternate universe situation, but it has nothing to do with the canon portrayal of the place.

Super amazing cover art by Cold In Gardez.

Equestria's history is full of wonders, both magical and mechanical. But only twice has it succeeded in implementing AI.

The latest iteration is an apple farmer whose resurrection is celebrated by everypony except herself. Because really, once every part has been replaced, what is left that can measure a mare?

An entry for the 2023 Sci-Fi Contest, where it nabbed a respectable fourth place. Yay, existential robot ponies!

Being somepony's friend can require accepting the... quirkier parts of their personality: something Rarity is all too aware of, especially when it comes to the work involved in accepting hers. So discovering that Fluttershy possesses -- shall we say, a 'special interest' -- simply means that the designer needs to accompany her to the convention. Just to make sure the pegasus isn't going to get hurt.

But a mare of dignity and taste does not casually wander into a 'special interest' gathering and emerge unaffected. And as it happens, neither does Rarity.

Rated C for Conifer Crackfic.

(Now with author Patreon and Ko-Fi pages.)

She’s here. The demigod. I can taste her. The air is thick with the scent of marigolds. The scent of death. “Where are you, Princess?” I call, and the point of my rapier scrapes along the ground. “I’ve been looking for you.”

My entry for the third Cozy Glow contest, with the prompt 'Flurry Heart and Cozy Glow develop a strong friendship that turns into something more'. A twisted romance between a goddess and the killer who loves her.
TW: Blood, violence.

Thanks to Snow for vibe checks, the title, and proof reading.

Rainbow Dash didn’t know she’d be on the precipice of the biggest change in her life when she nonchalantly agreed to help Pinkie Pie. Throw a party, make a lot of foals happy, go home. That was the plan.

So…why does she keep going back? Why does home…feel so empty?

Unable to shake the one foal that refuses to leave her head, Rainbow Dash is ready to jump into the greatest change—and greatest challenge—of her life.

And that, my friends, is only the beginning.

Chinese translation by luhcow:
无光，无声 Unseen, Unheard - FimTale
https://fimtale.com/t/34089

Equestria has been saved, and the space pirate menace is no more. Now all that is left for Samus is to wait for the federation diplomats, and enjoy her impromptu vacation. Provided no one touches her helmet.

This story is a sequel to Unchanging Love

The explosion of love from the defeat at Canterlot hit harder and reached farther than any changeling expected. Firefly felt the effects as much as any, but she also gained something wonderful and priceless from it. Though this gift brought her a kind of joy she had never expected, she fears one question more than anything.

What trials will she and Fine Roast face when the invasion's inevitable fallout reaches them?

Big thanks to Cursori, SigmasonicX, Dogman15 (Chapters 2-5), and Ghost Mike for editing.

Amazing cover art by Pridark.

Friendly heads up. Beware the comments, they may contain spoilers!

Life's tough when you're the most-wanted mare in the galaxy...

Half the world wants you dead. The other half is afraid of your help.

Flurry Heart has turned her back on her family, friends and society, but when a desperate call for help arrives, she is reminded that some things still matter. Now, she must battle her demons from the past to save those she loves - but they have demons of their own they must deal with as well.

Co-writer: Recon777

Many heartfelt thanks go out to my editors:

Developmental Editing: Recon777, BernardDK, Pawz
Line Editing: Recon777
Copy Editing: TranquilClaws
Proofreading: Oberth Effect

Without their encouragement and support, this fic wouldn't have been possible.

Check out BernardDK's other awesome art here!

Prereaders: Word Worthy, Flutterfinar. Orionwolf, Plonkett

A special nod to Pen Stoke for inspiring the character of Nyx.

Now with a review! https://issuu.com/equestriatimes/docs/040/s/10947601

This story is a sequel to The Philosophical Substitute: Discord

Warning: The following you're about to read contains philosophy in plain English. If you do not like this, you know where the exit button is.

Also, please remember that this is an anthology, in which each chapter is their own independent story.

After the events of "The Philosophical Substitute," Discord is now taking on as a full-on teacher in Twilight's School of Friendship. Even though his past students (the Young Six) have technically graduated his class, they still come to him time to time to ask him some of life's toughest questions. Eventually, even their teachers come to him for guidance.

What follows is an anthology series of what each character learns from the Ex-Lord of Chaos.

A special thanks to Azaclop for proofreading.

Lesson Plan (in no particular order):

Sandbar - On Fate and Free Will (Dealing with cutie marks? Do ponies have a choice in what they can or can’t be?) ✅

Smolder - On Life and Death (possibly afterlife? Cost of longevity?) ✅

Silverstream - Should Power Belong to the Few or Many? ✅

Yona - What’s the point of Spirituality? ✅

Gallus - On Envy and Jealousy. ✅

Ocellus - On Identity and the Self. ✅

Twilight - On Balance of Governing. ✅

Applejack - Why do nice people lie? Why does dishonesty exist?✅

Rainbow - On Bad Faith (Sartre) ✅

Rarity - What Luxury Couldn’t Buy (Epicurus? Diogenes?) ✅

Fluttershy - Why Others are Mean? ✅

Pinkie Pie - On Cheerful Sadness. ✅

Starlight - If worse comes to worse. ✅

? - Know thy Self. A Philosophical Mediation.✅