"My dear Twilight Sparkle,

Thank you for your recent letters. And I must apologize to you first and foremost that I have not responded back in kind to each and every one. I imagine has this concerned you, but please don't worry. Things have been very unsettled here in the castle as of late. Princess Luna has been researching Equestrian history, and I find myself in a strange kind of mood..."

Starlight Glimmer was once the head of a cult. She used her magic to control minds, enslave ponies, and nearly destroyed all of Equestria. Such acts are unforgivable, but somehow she was forgiven by Princess Twilight, and has become her student. It is certainly more than she deserves.

While Starlight admires the grace with which Twilight forgave her, and frankly, the grace that the Princess displays in all areas of life, she has to wonder: What's her secret?

This story was featured on Equestria Daily in a round-up for Starlight Glimmer Day 2021.

Ember is not a diplomat by choice. It sort of just comes along with being dragonlord, because who else are you going to send, Garble?

Ember doesn't do diplomacy, though. She does anger. And fire. Sometimes a bit of shouting. That doesn't go over well with ponies, though.

Luckily, Thorax is on hand to help out.

In, and out. Get the ponies to agree what she wants, and leave. That's all this has to be. So why is there so much paperwork?!

And why does she feel so angry?!

Takes place before the Series Finale, and after Triple Threat. Rated teen for gratuitous anger, mostly, and threat.

Editing help provided by Boltstrike58.

Written for the Imposing Sovereign's II contest.

"Cogito ergo sum" - I think therefore I am (Descartes)

Some things are simple and obvious when you are a rational and smart pony like Twilight Sparkle. But when you try to make a crazy mare like Pinkie Pie obey the rules of logic, you should expect at least some challenge.

But that's not a story about logic. It was supposed to be, but it isn't. Or at least not anymore. I think it's just a story about two friends spending some time together...

It's been a hundred years since Twilight was crowned. Most of her original friends are gone. Now, only Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy remain, each with a spark of something special keeping them past their time.

But unlike Twilight, neither of them has a claim to true immortality.

Winner of the 15th Quills and Sofas Speedwriting contest. The prompt was "A Worthy End." The contest was a two-parter, and each chapter was written in an hour, and then expanded slightly afterwards.

This story is a sequel to Friendship is Optimal

Ryan wants to remain human, even after emigrating to Equestria. CelestAI can do this, for a price.

FiO canon-compatible! Reading FiO first is strongly recommended if you want to know what's going on. A prize for Syke after he won the last Quills and Sofas Speedwriting Contest!

Dragon Lord Ember took her throne when she won the Bloodstone Scepter, and its ancient magic which controls dragon minds.

In a world linked to Equestria, a very different Ember chafes under her father's leadership, hungry to take ownership of the instinct-controlling power of the Bloodstone Crown.

Their two worlds are about to meet. And one dragon must take a desperate stand between Equestria and the deadly, unforgiving call of the wild.

* * *

Winner of the Imposing Sovereigns II contest!
"Equal parts character piece and action movie, and it is amazing. I can’t recommend it enough." –FanOfMostEverything
"For anyone who thinks that ‘mere’ fanfiction cannot be art, I can safely add this to the list of counterarguments." –cleverpun
"This is a good story, an important story, because it is so very relevant. Behind the fire, scales and teeth, is a very simple but incredibly real story about finding one’s true place in the world." –Venerable Ro

Highly Recommended by Present Perfect! "Treat yourself to the most unique story on Fimfiction ... a pulse-pounding thriller that explores Dragon Lord Ember in ways no one else has."
Featured by Seattle's Angels! "[Horizon] goes the extra mile ... if you’re looking for a great character-driven story about characters confronting their EqG counterparts, but especially if you are a fan of Ember or just dragons in general, then go check this out."
Recommended by brokenimage321! "Drop what you're doing and go read [it] ... A moving story about inadequacy and adaptation. And it has some of the best combat scenes I've ever read, in any genre, period."
Recommended by HapHazred! "Distinctively written ... Exciting, interesting, and gets more intense and cerebral as time goes on."
Reviewed by cleverpun! "[W]ell worth your time."

A huge thank you to Skywriter for prereading assistance!

Rarity discovers the meaning of happiness.

Stream-of-consciousness written in about an hour. Unedited.

A contest reward, written on the prompt: "Just write something comfy for yourself." I don't think the winner quite understood what he was getting into.

Fluttershy asks Twilight what happens after death. Or if there is anything that occurs before life. The answer, it turns out, is complicated.

Inspired by a rather silly miscommunication between Krickis and I one morning.

Principal Celestia always has wings in her dreams.

They got her into trouble, once. She let herself believe that they meant she was an angel. Then she grew up, and learned some hard lessons about what being an angel really required.

Now six magical girls have just fought a demon in front of her school. And her phantom wings are itching.

Her life is turning upside down ... and she hasn't even heard about Equestria yet.

Rated Highly Recommended (Top 15 Stories Sitewide) by Present Perfect! "It's f**king flawless, you guys. … The first [6]00-word chapter by itself is a masterpiece."

"Literally the single best EqG story on the site." —Professor Plum
"[One] of the best stories on the site, period." —Pearple Prose
"One of my all-time favorite pieces of fanfiction." –brokenimage321
"My favorite EQG fic of absolute all." -Skywriter

Rated Why Haven't You Read This Yet? by PaulAsaran! "I might have been skeptical going in, but horizon knocked it out of the park."

Rated 5/5 by csquared08! "The opening chapter here was truly something else. ... Then I hit the end of chapter 3. holy crap."

Rated ★★★★ by Louder Yay! "A lesser writer might have made a horrible, cliché-ridden mess of this story, but fortunately horizon is not a lesser writer. For a start, it's by some distance the best portrayal of the human world's Celestia I've read."

Third place in the "Under the Sun" June 2017 Writeoff!  (That first draft has been revised and expanded for FIMFiction.) Praise for the Writeoff version:

"Holy cow ... That's how you write an EqG fanfic! You captured the heart and SOUL of this/your version of Principal Celestia, wrapped it up in bi-universal consistency, and sold me on an idea of redemption I didn't even know I needed." —Xepher

"This is gorgeous. A thorough, exhaustive, incredibly moving portrait of a character who I don't think I've ever seen get quite this much development or attention." —Posh

"This is actually, after all these years, an original take on a story on Luna's banishment. If that's not something to be celebrated I don't know what is." —Quill Scratch, Radio Writeoff

MORE REVIEWER PRAISE: Rated "Definitely Read" by Super Trampoline! Reviewed by City of Doors! Reviewed by Titanium Dragon! Featured on Equestria Daily!

Rated T for brief cursing and alcohol use. Cover art by Seniloko, used under Creative Commons license.

Translations:

中文 - 行政天使