During a diplomatic visit from King Thorax, Princess Luna discovers that, inexplicably, his brother Pharynx hates her lavender. And for that matter, potted plants in general.

That won't do, of course – even if Pharynx is the new Changeling Prince – and so she'll need to teach him a lesson.

And one lesson won't be enough.

Featured from 18/05/2020 to 20/05/2020, peaking at #4 in the box.
Featured on Equestria Daily! Also featured in Equestria Daily's 38 Fanfics to Read for Luna Day 2020!
9/10, from My Little Reviews & Feedback.
8.8/10 and 8/10, from the Reviewer's Mansion.
Rated Really Good by Ghost Mike!

Edited and proofread by VoxAdam, pre-read by Valtyra. Thanks, you guys

Written for the May 2020 Original Pairing Contest.

Cover by hosikawa_choco.

Author's Commentary

Every Friday, from five in the afternoon to eleven at night, Pinkie Pie does volunteer work. She doesn't have to do it, the world won't stop if she doesn't, but she chooses to do it anyway. Even if it's doing seemingly insignificant little things.

It is a matter of life and death, after all. Literally.

Eighty years after the events of The Dread Chitin, Equestria is a radically different place. The arcane science of the late Duran Thirk and the information found on the Star League library core have combined to catapult the nation's science ahead by hundreds of years.

Now, facing the possible aggression of a completely unknown alien power, Twilight Sparkle and her friends have to gather together once more, leading a crew of the best ponies they could assemble in a voyage outside their own star system. They seek to learn about their potential foe, to explore the galaxy around them, and possibly find allies and friends to stand alongside them. Who knows what they will actually find?

Princess Twilight Sparkle has overseen peace and prosperity throughout Equestria for as long as ponies can remember. During a quiet evening, Twilight tells the tale of her many adventures to her latest student and how she remembers her friends long passed.

But she can't tarry too long, for she has a long-overdue meeting to attend.

*Takes place a couple of centuries after the end FIM*

Edited by the absolutely fantastic Helping Hoof who helped tremendously in getting this story together.

Art is owned and created by kurogewapony All credit for it is belongs to them.

The invasion is going well- not perfectly, as humanity isn't willing to go into slavery without a fight- but the odds remain firmly in the invaders' favor.

After all, to any star-spanning race, humans are just natives. No space fleets, no lasers, no antigravity, nothing. They might as well fight with bows and arrows.

And then the aliens find out that humanity does have one ally- the ponies.

The silly, fluffy, obsessed-with-friendship, and above all pacifist ponies.

The aliens are laughing.

The aliens haven't faced the ponies in combat yet.

A random snippet unrelated to anything else, written to get it out of my head so I could move on to other stuff.

Part of the Remember Fort Libris print anthology, thanks to our Kickstarter supporters!

Twilight is taking tea, just like she used to with the princess. She's the princess' faithful student actually. Did you know that?

Winner of the 4^th Panic Fiction contest for the Quills and Sofas Speedwriting Group. Originally conceived and written in half an hour. This version here has undergone some very slight refinement.
The prompt was 'What's That Smell?'.

War changes ponies. It can make civilians into soldiers, and soldiers into heroes. But becoming a hero requires a sacrifice, not only of blood, sweat, and tears, but of the soul. For when the dark days come, it's the heroes who bring the sun, and when it returns, they're forever lost in the light.

Being a hero doesn't just mean being brave. It means giving up your life to the cause—regardless of whether or not you die.

First attempt at telling a story through poetry. Might try more things like this if the ideas hit me.
Winner of The Rarity award for EFNW's Scribblefest 2016
Cover art by Sheandog

Rarity and Twilight are dating. Rainbow Dash just asked them both out as a joke.

She didn't expect them both to say yes.

A Christmas present for the incomparable Monochromatic
Editing by Undome Tinwe and Pearple Prose

Twilight Sparkle discovers that the alternate timelines created by Starlight Glimmer in her misguided attempt at revenge did not, in fact, disappear when the original timeline was restored. Instead, they persisted as separate, parallel universes.

Never one to leave a job unfinished, she decides to employ the magic of friendship to restore those universes to a more harmonious state.

She begins with Nightmare Moon.

This story is the first in a series. The other stories can be found below.

1. For Want of a Horseshoe <-- you are here
2. A Big Brother's Duty
3. Healing

Cover art provided by the excellent Sini.

At 3:15 AM, Adams woke me with a loud knock on my front door.
"Put your boots on," he said when I answered. "There's a biblical monster in my house."

* * *

A Visual Companion, by the author
Interview with the author, from the Royal Canterlot Library.
Audiobook by Robin Jacks and Wubcake.
Audiobook by Scribbler.
In-depth analysis by the Heroic Tales cast.
Literary Analysis by ScarletWeather.
Special thanks to GaryOak.
Reviews:
City of Doors
One Man's Pony Ramblings
PresentPerfect
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