Believe it or not, I am currently suffering a severe case of writer's block. In the interest of freeing up my thought processes enough to get myself writing again, I thought I might write out a few of the ideas that have been bouncing around in my head for quite some time. You have been warned.

Idea #1:

Tags: [Comedy][Human]

Working Title: Target Demographic

Cover Image: WWII-Style "We Want You" poster replacing Uncle Sam with wet-mane Celestia (or similarly seductive image)

Premise (Short Version): BiE/TCB Parody/Trollfic

Premise (Long Version):

It started as a question. What if Equestria was turning humans into ponies not to save humanity from itself, but to save the ponies from dying out due to lack of mating pairs?

Equestria's heavily skewed gender ratio is close to a tipping point that threatens to cause severe depopulation problems within just a few generations. There simply aren't enough foals (especially colts) being born to sustain the equine population. The Princesses have tried everything they could short of forced breeding programs: legalized polygamy, extra benefits for families with more than two foals, and so on. Turning other species with higher male-female ratios (like the buffalo or the diamond dogs) into ponies won't work because everything born on their world has a natural resistance to magic. Not even the combined power of the Princesses and the Elements of Harmony could change a single non-pony into a pony.

Luckily, all is not lost. Princess Luna remembers that during her imprisonment on the Moon, Nightmare Moon took up a hobby of gazing into other universes (how else was she going to pass the time?) and stumbled upon a world devoid of magic populated by billions of ape-like creatures with a gender split of nearly 1:1. Turning a hundred of these creatures into ponies at a time would be more than achievable. However, they want to do this as ethically as possible. Merging the two worlds is out of the question due to the possibly devastating effects this could have on both worlds. On top of that, those that get turned should in no way be forced or coerced into becoming ponies. Abandoning one's home, friends, and family is no simple request. There are cultural issues as well. Prospective recruits need to be receptive to life in a more feminine society than what they're used to.

A plan is hatched. Princess Luna will locate and enter the dreams of someone who can tell stories of Equestria to a large audience and distinguish potential candidates for conversion. These potential recruits will be brought in groups of about 200 to a space-time bubble in Equestria where they will learn about life as a stallion. At the end of a week (inside the bubble) they will be given the option to convert or return to the time and place they were on Earth (asleep in their beds). To those who choose to go back to Earth (and they don't have to wait the whole week to do so), the experience will have been nothing more than a strange dream.

So many opportunities for lampshading and parodying the sh out of typical BiE and TCB tropes before the MC averts the primary one by choosing to stay human.

Current Progress: ~500 words worth of Prologue/Chapter 1 material.

Additional Thoughts: Yeah, that's what I thought too Such a horrible idea should never be allowed to see the light of day. That's why I came up with a possible sequel hook if the unthinkable happens: The ponies liked the MC so much, that they arrange for his untimely death in order to bring him to Equestria anyway. PARODY EVERYTHING

Idea #2:

Tags: [Tragedy][Human]([Dark]?)

Working Title: Quarantine (???)

Cover Image: ????

Premise (Short Version): Standard HiE focusing on first contact and emotional response to being stranded in an alien world

Premise (Long Version):

Our dear protagonist, a college student in his mid-20's, is summoned into Equestria by a group of ponies who intend to use him for nefarious purposes. Timely intervention by the Royal Guard spares him from a terrible fate, but is too late to reverse the damage that has already been done. As a result, it is now impossible to send him home.

Before letting the unfortunate human out into the wild, however, doctors recommend keeping him in quarantine in order to gather necessary medical data and ensure that there won't be a danger to the alien or the natives. During his time in quarantine, he learns of the impossibility of returning home. He doesn't take this news very well, and with nothing to do to and no one to talk to to pass the time, he can only dwell on that fact, driving him further into despair. Eventually, the Princesses are able to intervene. Up until then, he had been too sensitive to magic to remain conscious in their presence and have a proper audience. They promise to help him adjust to life in a new world.

Meanwhile, the ponies who summoned him in the first place have been captured and are now facing justice for their crimes. The human reflects on the fact that whatever happens to them, he will still be stuck in Equestria, never to see his family or friends again.

Current Progress: ~300 words of Prologue/Chapter 1 material

Additional Thoughts: Sequel hook: Since the majority of the story takes place within the confines of his quarantine, there isn't much time for him to truly come to terms with his situation. Lyra Heartstrings, a Professor who studies cultural differences between species, is persuaded out of her sabbatical to learn about this human and the world he comes from. She and Twilight Sparkle take him to Ponyville, where he will learn to integrate into Equestrian society.

Idea #3:

Tags: [Dark]

Working Title: Growing Pains

Cover Image: ????

Premise: Under the influence of the Elements of Harmony, the Mane 6 become alicorns, but it isn't exactly a quick and painless process. (Ignores S3 finale!!!)

Note: This is just a throwaway world-building idea I had. I may be able to work it into this story, but I'm not going to force the issue. You're more than welcome to steal this idea. Just let me know if you want to use it.

The Elements of Harmony. No one knows how they came to be, but originally there were only two: Justice and Benevolence. The original bearers ascended to their Royal Thrones because of the influence of the Elements. Celestia's misuse of the Elements during the Nightmare Moon incident caused them to fracture and go dormant. Before they turned into stone, the nature of five of the new elements was revealed. The Element of Benevolence split into Kindness, Generosity, and Laughter. The Element of Justice split into Honesty, Loyalty, and one other that could not be discerned at the time.

Idea #4:

Tags: [Sad][Dark] (Likely to be a one-shot)

Working Title: Memories of a Sapient Rock

Cover Image: Picture of Tom from an episode screengrab

Premise:

It's quite lonely being an intelligent rock, being able to feel the warmth, pressures, and vibrations of the world around you but unable to respond to them. One such rock finds himself in an entirely new world, separate from the one he was born in. It feels as if the ground beneath it is moving towards something, something unpleasant. The vibrations it feels are getting stronger, and they don't seem friendly. Unbidden, memories come forth in the rock's mind. It remembers with fondness the affections of the one who gave it a name, and by extension its life (because of Discord's magic). The rock reflects upon its life until it meets the spinning jaws of a rock crusher on Earth.

Additional Thoughts: This was the original idea that inspired the 'Crime and Punishment' chapter of my first published story, Diary of a Royal Guard.

There. Even if it didn't accomplish anything toward unblocking my writing progress, it felt good to get all that out somewhere. I probably won't get around to writing all of these, but opinions are more than welcome.