Stress levels were already high, with Twilight directing her first royal Hearth's Warming pageant and unexpected snowstorms escaping the Everfree. Then the changeling army arrived.

Now, with Queen Chrysalis holding Ponyville hostage and the clock ticking on suspiciously pointless negotiations, it's up to Rarity to match wits with the invaders and save the holiday. However, as she digs ever deeper into the queen's tangled plot, what she learns could force her to choose between her friendships and her conscience.

Off-season note: This is a Hearth's Warming story like Die Hard is a Christmas movie (but with espionage instead of explosions). Don't skip it just because the holiday's over.

Critical praise:

"A high-tension thriller where nothing is what it seems." — Titanium Dragon (rating: "Highly Recommended")

"An entertaining ride from start to finish … watching all the pieces fall into place is fantastic." — Present Perfect (rating: "Highly Recommended")

"Props to horizon for an intricate web of deception. Most writers have difficulty with crafting mysteries … this one, however, had me completely fooled from beginning to end." — PaulAsaran (rating: "Why Haven't You Read This Yet?")

"It’s a rare mystery and thriller that can keep things tense and make the mystery actually tough to guess as you go along, while still feeling like a natural conclusion. ... The end result of layers unveiled and red herrings contradicted makes it sing." — Ghost Mike (rating: "Really Good")

Second-place winner in the "Behind Closed Doors" December writeoff, now expanded and revised! Featured on EqD! Rated "Recommended" by MLPmatthewl419!

Big thanks to Titanium Dragon for post-Writeoff editing assistance.

Comments contain spoilers!

Earth and Equestria collided and only the elements of harmony could save the day.

That was a month ago; now over a hundred former humans have to make the best of their new lives as ponies. Alexis Kingston was a twenty two year old telemarketer, and rather surprised to find herself a pegasus and the head of the Humans in Equestria Club. She never wanted to be a hero, just keeping the new ponies sane would be challenge enough, but with the barrier holding reality together leaking yet more humans on a daily basis, ancient evils and modern technology probing for weaknesses and the end of two worlds looming, she may have to be.

With thanks to Luna-tic Scientist, Lord of Dorkness and Thornwing for help with pre-reading.

Proudly part of Twilight's Library and Tag-a-long's Book Club
[img]http://i.imgur.com/6MrWqNZ.png[/img][img]http://i.imgur.com/X4NpPxt.jpg[/img]

One thousand years ago, Celestia failed to reach out to her sister and save her from the darkness that consumed her. In her sorrow, she was forced to seal her within the Moon.

Five years ago, Sunset Shimmer, Celestia's personal student, also turned twords a darker path. Celestia once again sought to save somepony she cared about from falling onto a dark path. This time, she succeeded...

The first story of the Sunsetverse, join Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle, Celestia's personal students, as they are sent to Ponyville to oversee the Summer Sun Celebration. Oh, and make some friends. Sunset's not so sure how that counts as a job, but it would probably be a good thing for Twilight. Poor girl's obsessed with some Mare in the Moon legend she read. A few days out of the library and interacting with other ponies would only be a good thing for her, right? After all, there is no way Nightmare Moon is real.

*Edit*-10-6-2014 : *spittake* I'm a featured story? What? What? What? I don't even, how? ...I need to lay down for a bit. Um, thank you all my viewers who made this possible, and thanks to the staff for enjoying my work enough to feature it. I will strive to do even better in the future, and once again thank you for all of your support.

Twilight asks Discord for a game of chess. Discord agrees - in order to make a point.

And in order to ask Twilight to complete one simple task.

Spike is a dragon with mare troubles, and one of those mares just happens to be his mother. When he meets Lyra, who has troubles of her own, he hatches a plot that they think will be mutually beneficial.

Special thanks to Setokaiva for his proofing work.
Spanish translation by SPANIARD KIWI can be found here

A few days after the Nightmare Moon Incident, Spike awakens to find Twilight acting a little...odd. Or odder than usual anyway. All of a sudden she's being all motherly, sure of herself in ways she's never been before, and even more outgoing.

But…it’s kind of creepy how she just seems to know everypony’s name, or their habits, and even some stuff nopony else should know.

But she's still good old Twilight...right?

Featured 5/28/2014

This story is a sequel to Apex

Finding love is hard enough under normal circumstances, but it's even more complicated when you're the tail of a chimera. As much as Irene may want a fairy-tale romance, her fantasies have so far been stymied by her sisters' rather different opinions on the matter, not to mention the limited choice of species available to chimeras (well, to chimeras who want to have children, that is). However, when the orange pony with the delicious pies gets herself cornered during a delivery, she claims to be the personal friend of a dragon... and apparently, he's single!

Artwork by Page Turner.

The Power Ponies are coming again.

Another escape from custody, another scheme to take over Maretropolis, and another chance for the Power Ponies to defeat her. Such is the cycle that Mane-iac has endured for as long as she can remember.

And she's sick of it. She's sick of all of it. Now on the cusp of one more battle with her nemeses, she can only think of how much she has sacrificed for the city in her battles against the Power Ponies, and how much more she can take.

Find this story and more in a print copy! Just click these words here!

First place winner of the Everfree Northwest Fanfic Competition!

Thank you to Prak for editing help!

Featured on Equestria Daily 4/27/14

Crossing Guard works in Equestria's Immigration Department: among other things, he serves as the final check on whether a non-pony can take up residence in Canterlot. It's not a simple job, especially given the follow-ups when a new resident or citizen-in-waiting inevitably gets into trouble. But Gerald Gristle is an exceptionally calm applicant, Crossing's tired from a long day, and so he allows the griffon to begin the five-year process, with the announced food supply business set to open two weeks in.

Which is when Crossing finds out just what kind of food the griffon is supplying.

After all, carnivores and omnivores have to eat too...

(Part of the Triptych Continuum, which has its own TVTropes page and FIMFiction group -- but can be read as a stand-alone, and no knowledge of the other stories is required. New members and trope edits are welcome.)

Now with author Patreon and Ko-Fi pages.

As the centuries pass, cutie marks come and go. Some are common: the healing cross, the basic compass rose, the courier bag. Others are extinct: no more mercenary companies, no more mercenary marks. A few are incredibly scarce, coming along once a generation or less: the mark for luck falls into that category. A number only manifest when the call for them arrives: train tracks didn't appear until it was railroading time. But for the most part, ponies take their mark with its associated talent and magic as a blessing in their lives -- no matter what that mark turns out to be. And they accept it as they accept themselves.

Luna, in her first truly open palace session dealing with the public, is about to meet the exception: Joyous Release, a pony who wants nothing more than to be rid of her mark forever -- and every bit of the talent which comes with it.

But marks are permanent...

(This story takes place shortly after A Total Eclipse Of The Fun.)

Cover art by Harwick.

Part of the Triptych Continuum, which has its own TVTropes page and FIMFiction group. New members and trope edits welcome.

Now with author Patreon and Ko-Fi pages.