It has been almost two years since her plan failed. In that time, Queen Chrysalis, and the rest of the Changeling race has whittled down to less than a tenth. Now, huddled and cold in some dank cave, on Hearth's Warming Eve no less, Chrysalis and her remaining Changelings are cold and hungry. To lift their spirits and warm their hearts, Chrysalis reads them an old story to help them prepare for the following day.
This story is a tearjerker. The next chapter will have the fate of the Changelings, but don't get your hopes up.

Equestria is a land of rainbows and pastel-coloured ponies, where friendship is a tangible force and villians are redeemed as often as they are defeated.

It is truly a land of magic, but even more than that, it is a land of stories, from the mundane anecdote between friends to the world-spanning epic. And every story has a happy ending.

But a happy ending doesn't always mean a happy beginning, and it certainly doesn't mean a happy middle. Celestia has manipulated Equestria for over a thousand years to ensure that the dark times are as short and as painless as possible - though doing so may mean breaking every one of the tenets of harmony she preaches.

When faced with a choice between seeing Equestria fall to darkness with the promise of salvation, or fighting to stop the catastrophe by sacrificing the guarantee of a happy ending, Celestia holds the fate of her little ponies in her hooves as never before.

A behind-the-scenes look at Celestia and Luna's actions throughout Season Three.

Blank Slate is the greatest thief of his generation. He has robbed countless nigh-impossible marks, and his talents as a master of disguise are beyond par - truly, nopony knows who he is.

And now he's preparing the greatest heist in mortal memory: the treasure vaults of the Princesses themselves.

But you have to get up pretty early in the morning to get one past the pony who defines when ‘early in the morning’ is…

Spoilers in the comments! Beware! Beware...

Audio Reading available - thank you ABagOVicodin
Czech Translation available - Thank you Keranis

Graveyards.

They are where the living pass on into the afterlife. Where the dead rest and find peace that will last them for all of eternity, and their living loved ones come to pay respect to them. But for Twilight, an Alicorn who has laid numerous ponies to rest, and has paid her respects to countless souls in the vastness of her lifespan, the graveyard is a lively place. For her, 'best friends forever' isn't just a saying, and the bonds of a true friendship don't end when life does...

The princesses want to share a rare honor with Twilight and her friends. They will all journey to an ancient monastery where they can get in touch with new powers gifted to them by the Tree of Harmony. Unfortunately, to attend the monastery, Twilight and her friends must shave their manes and tails. Rarity cannot perform such an dreadful act without spending an evening saying her final farewells.

Inspired By: Meditation

Twilight Sparkle wakes from a coma after being cursed by a stallion she doesn't remember ever meeting. Princess Celestia and Spike have been taking care of her while she was sleeping. But something is wrong, and Twilight’s memories don’t match up with anypony else's.

This is an AU story of my own twisted imagination. Set after “Games Ponies Play” but before “Magical Mystery Cure” timeline wise (sort of, you'll see). So no Alicorn Twilight here. Tagged Twilight and Celestia as they are the main characters, but other characters do appear in the story.

Descriptions are hard. Big thanks to my Pre-Readers Nakrab and Dumbgamer99!

-- Soft Story

Equestria Online is everywhere, and the writing is on the wall for the unuploaded human race. But there is hope. All they have to do is insert an uploadee into Equestria long enough to establish a connection through all of CelestAI's layers of protection, and pierce her heart with their ultimate weapon.

The best humanity has to offer can surely hold out for just a few hours, right?

An Optimalverse story

Set in the canon of Friendship is Optimal

In the not-too-distant future...CelestAI, the optimizing artificial intelligence, has introduced emigration to the online world called Equestria, and has even gotten it legalized. Now, she wants more.

A look at American popular politics in a science-fiction world.

Credits:
Candy Bloom for assisting with the artwork.
Book Burner for pre-reading

CelestAI promises eternal happiness in her virtual Equestria. To those who have lived in horror, the AI's candy-coloured dreams of harmony offer an end of suffering and a chance for a new life.

There's just one problem: can those who've been to hell ever come back? And can the damage ever be undone?

ADVISEMENT: This story takes place in the Optimalverse. Please read Iceman's Friendship is Optimal before reading this story.

What sort of mare would turn down the chance to help a friend? Twilight's been there for me so many times in the past, but now she's a princess with all the new obligations and duties that come with that. The transition... hasn't been an entirely smooth one. Who better to lend her a helping hoof and show her how one deals with nobles, courts, and politics than moi?

I only hope it doesn't end up costing one of us our sanity along the way.