Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria...

One week ago, Twilight Sparkle was crowned the fourth Princess of Equestria. Tonight, Ponyville hosts the 1003rd Summer Sun Celebration, and Princess Celestia and Princess Luna want a vacation. With two fine young princesses like Cadance and Twilight to take over for them, nothing could possibly go wrong.

(Title image hacked together from vectors by sakatagintoki117 and Chrome-MMVII.)

NEW PRINCESS ATTACKS GRIFFONSTAN IMPORTS

The Equestria Daily can exclusively report that newly crowned Princess Twilight Sparkle became embroiled in an argument with the Griffonstani trade minister about the inferior quality of griffon quills, alleging that "they just don't hold ink as well as pegasus quills". Import markets tumbled overnight, threatening the solvency of numerous Equestrian quill merchants. Princess Sparkle could not be reached for comment.

(When you're done, bookplayer has a fun "Let's Read" commentary version!)
(Also, GhostOfHeraclitus wrote a prequel from the perspective of Dr. Spinning Top!)
(Also also, now available in Spanish thanks to Spaniard-Kiwi!)

Princess Celestia, tired of the constant pressure that ruling a nation puts on her, decides to take a day off and let Luna take her responsibilities for a day, something the younger alicorn is more than happy to do. She disguises herself as a pink maned pegasus pony named Sunny Skies and decides to go walking around Canterlot without any supervision. Unfortunately for her, not all parts of Canterlot are as safe as the palace, and she finds herself at the wrong end of a gang of muggers, who decide to kidnap her for a ransom when they see how much money she has on her.

Luna freaks out.

Celestia thinks it's hilarious.

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

Featured on Equestria Daily 8/15/13

Go here for the French translation!

[img]http://i.imgur.com/CUBPvKI.png[/img]

Edited wonderfully by sqarishoctagon and Cloud Hop

Updated cover art by Dominatore

Twilight Sparkle has lived a full life but now she's a 115-year-old pony lying on her deathbed and waiting to pass on. As her time draws near, she receives a visit from a mysterious mare who has come to seek out the answer to a simple curiosity.

“And the stars will aid her escape.” Twilight is born with her cutie mark. Celestia is fully aware of the Nightmare Moon prophecy, and knows what must be done. AU oneshot.

Instead of banishing Nightmare Moon, Celestia successfully separates Luna and the nightmare, and both then seal it in the moon, but the stain of both acts are too much for the Princesses and both perish, but not before giving the prophecy of their return. 1000 years later is a changed Equestria, a splintered government, no advanced school of magic, difficult weather patterns, and a looming threat from the Moon. Can the reborn Princesses be found in time? Is friendship still the best hope for a happy tomorrow? The more things change...

It started out as an ordinary day for Fluttershy – waking up in her house in Cloudsdale and going to work managing the weather for Ponyville alongside her best friend Cloud Kicker. However, she finds herself troubled by feelings she can't explain, feelings that something serious is wrong. When she starts having visions of a strange life with strange ponies, she's determined to find them and find out what's going on. But how can such a timid pony convince others of what she isn't sure of herself?