Frederic Horseshoepin was born to be a pianist.

Frederic Horseshoepin was the most gifted student his instructor had ever taught.

Frederic Horseshoepin was the top of his class in music school.

Frederic Horseshoepin has been chosen to play a concert at Cantergie Hall.

So why has Frederic Horseshoepin never been good enough?

This isn't where I belong. I left all this behind years ago, moved on with my life. But a mare from my past brought me back, and now she won't let me go. So I'm stuck here, trying to make the best of it with ponies that don't understand me, don't even like me. But when something moves in the darkness, and when things go wrong in the cold, dead night, they'll turn to me to try to set things right.

Why? Because once a police pony, always a police pony.
~~
This is a spin-off story to 'Why am I Pinkie Pie?!', and will contain spoilers for that story, but it's not necessary to read that story to understand this one.
Cover art by the talented Conicer
Need more Cinnamon Swirl? Merlos the Mad wrote a fanfic of this story!

There is now a side-story: A Hard Day's Nightmare Night

My life was simple. I used to be a cellist, of Canterlot's pride and nobility, and a very happy pony with where I was. I should say I landed myself here; it was nopony's fault I agreed with Vinyl on this ludicrous idea. I will, however, blame Vinyl for the guards outside. And for my doctor. And for Princess Luna.

That's all on her.

So, in the off chance that we don't get out of this room in (literally) one piece, my name is Octavia, beginning log: one.

[Log Note: Click on the "initializing" for the formatted GDocs version, which is highly suggested.]

Pinkie, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy discuss their feminine issues and try to find a way to escape Sugarcube Corner.

Written for Japanese Teeth's prompt in the tvtropes gift fic exchange.

The prompt: Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy find themselves stuck with Pinkie in Sugarcube Corner. Disaster ensues.

Zecora, the zebra shamaness has lived in the Everfree Forest for some time, but has never gone beyond except for the sake of finding roots and herbs for her potions that her woods cannot supply. But upon making friends with young Apple Bloom and later Twilight and her companions, she has taken it upon herself to travel beyond for a time. Stopping at Sweet Apple Acres for a minute to speak with Applejack, she catches the eye of Macintosh. The stallion falls for Zecora at first sight and then does something very poorly thought out to prove himself to her...

Twilight becomes alicorn of the stars. This is sort of a problem, because Luna kind of already was alicorn of the stars. Oops!

TV Tropes

After the 'Canterlot Wedding' incident the Changeling swarm was scattered across the land, enslaved by pony warlords and slavers beyond the borders of Equestria. Weak, desperate and with only a dozen changelings to her name, Queen Chrysalis resorts to summoning one of the most obscure creatures in mythology; a human.

Thanks to zinger906 for giving me the idea for this story.

The challenge? Daunting. The reward? Worthy. Failure? Not an option. For Big Macintosh has accepted the bet, and thus begins A Ballad of Eeyup and Nope - in which he isn't allowed to say either.

A relatively normal day is disrupted when Luna learns that Orcus, the Demon Prince of Undeath, has escaped from Tartarus and is making his bid for conquest, starting with Ponyville. More horrifying though... is that fact that only she seems to care. Time is of the essence, and no one, Celestia included, seems worried about the impending disaster. Will Luna be able to rally the army, shake the citizens of Canterlot from their strange apathy, and save the day?

No. No she will not.

Everypony in this town is crazy.

(Special thanks to my Prereaders, many of whom do not have accounts, for convincing me this fic didn't suck. Also, thanks to Danmakuman for the cover art!)

The following transcripts are of a journal found in Ponyville on April 16th of this year. The last recorded contact with the town had been 3 days prior, on the 13th, when a team under orders from Princess Celestia was sent to look into several missing pony reports in the area. When another group of investigators were sent on the 16th, the town was found deserted. The journal’s owner is believed to be the princess’s personal student, Twilight Sparkle. None of the town’s inhabitants have been located in the weeks since.

Readings:
Nimbus Productions
Scribbler Productions

I highly recommend both of them.

A print version of all the stories in this series can be found here.