“For want of a nail, the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe, a messenger lost. For want of a messenger, the message was lost. For want of a message, the battle was lost. For want of a battle, the kingdom was lost.”

“All for want of a horseshoe’s nail."

Like many other timelines, the Sonic Rainboom fails to occur. But, Harmony is tenacious. Even without what seems to be a key event, it will have it's bearers. Just perhaps taking a long, winding shortcut around to reach them.

An alternate timeline story inspired by A Minor Variation by notMurphy where the Mane 6 have their elements shuffled. Different events lead to different ponies, so OC tag is here because of how wildly different these Mane 6 ended up.

Cover made by Me.

Hello. I used to be the frontman of a small emerging band called ‘Northern Chalet.’ I also used to be a number cruncher in this generic tech firm. Nowadays, however, I’m busying myself with figuring out why in the blazing layers of hell I’ve been transposed into the body of a small equine creature. Because these things happen, apparently.

I thought to be alone suffering from this predicament, but I soon found out that five other blokes – humans just like yours truly – had also been pooled into this insane experiment. And so, I found myself buddied with a timid 9 year old with trust issues, an electrical engineer careerist erring on workaholism, a family man from the outback who does nothing but yap about his eighteen-wheeler, an alcoholic with a severe case of pyrophobia, and a French chain-smoking teen living in poverty. Not that I have issues of my own, nope. I’m a perfectly balanced individual, see.

Crazy that in a world populated with ponies, the people I have the most trouble coping with are none other than my fellow misguided humans. Frustrating little things, the lot of them. Because boy, do we not get along. And yet, the ponies we’re possessing, well, they used to be the bestest of friends. So how come they made it work but we can’t?

Ah, the last year of high school, when students start pondering their futures and similar existential crises. 17-year-old Applejack has... other problems. She's a long way from home, for one, and she knows home is the only place she's going back to after high school in the big city. Applejack is okay with this, but when she sees Rainbow Dash, soaring ever high, achieving her dreams, that doesn't stop her from wondering what it's like to fly.

Oh, and she's also in love with Rainbow, who's leaving the country in less than a year. That too.

~~~
Now with a new cover drawn by me!
Rated Teen for mild profanity, instances of underage drinking, and a couple suggestive jokes/moments.

Sunset's in trouble and we need Princess Twilight's help.  We've been calling her with Sunset's magic journal since yesterday but there's been no reply.

Looks like we're going to have to go through the portal and find her ourselves.

After all, it's a magical land of cute, colorful ponies.  This should be easy.

Right?

Sex tag exists for jokes relating to nudity and innuendo.

Chapters 1 - 5 pre-read by Spirit Shift and Rocinante
Chapters 6-41 (and most epilogues) pre-read by FanOfMostEverything

Complete list of cameos:

Act 1: Twilight "SciTwi" Sparkle and Spike the dog.

Act 2: Cranky Doodle Donkey, Cheerilee, Thunderlane, Applebloom, Big Mac, Grand Pear, Sweetie Bell, Angel, Bon Bon, Lyra, Octavia, Vinyl, Trixie, Flower Trio (Rose, Daisy, Lily Valley), Discord, Treehugger, Wallflower (Sort of), Scootaloo, Gummy, Mr. & Mrs. Cake, Mr. Davinport, Bulk Biceps, Amathyst Star, Cloudchaser, and Dinky Doo.

Act 3: Fancy Pants, Iron Will?, Moondancer, Zephyr Breeze, Sassy Saddles, Shining Armor, Tank, Doughnut Joe, Muila Mild, Snips & Snails, and Maud.

Finale: FSpoiler, ASpoiler, and SSpoiler.

Epilogues: Big spoilers here: Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadance, Starlight Glimmer, Sunburst, Philomena, And a spoilery name drop.

Spitfire has a secret she's told to nopony she knows, terrified of the prospect what they'll do when they figure it out. So what will she do when the rookie accidentally finds out?

Sex: Suggestive implication only.

Cover image by: Valiantstar00

In Sweet Apple Acres, Apple Bloom finds a book that claims it will help guide her to form a perfect AppleDash pairing. Along with her fellow crusaders, Apple Bloom tries to follow the steps the book gives as best she can, but soon finds it much harder than she thought.

Rainbow Dash attends this year's Sisterhooves Social with Scootaloo, and an impromptu bet with Applejack brings about an odd turn of events. During the aftermath, Rainbow learns something new about her best friend, and about herself.

What can distract Twilight Sparkle from her studies?
How did Rarity's kitchen get destroyed?
What did Rainbow Dash say after crashing into Fluttershy's cottage?
How are the preparations for the Apple Family Reunion going on?
What's a Chimicherrychanga?

Read and find out about all that, and probably more!

That's a collection of Slice-of-Life oneshots featuring cooking of various Equestrian dishes as a main plot point.
An experimental fic of sorts.
It uses actual, existing cooking recipes, so everything written cooked here can be reproduced IRL exactly as represented in the story, using regular kitchen equipment and mentioned ingredients.

I want to thank Tael_Spinner and Zaid ValRoa for their help and many useful suggestions!
Also thanks Secret Moon for proofreading Chapter 2

22 years after a devastating civil war following the disappearance of the Celestial Diarchy, the world has changed. The empire of New Harmony fans out across most of the known globe, subsuming everything in its path that dares resist its rule.

Rainbow "Danger" Dash is an ex-military pegasus hiding from the empire she tried to bring down in the slums of New Canterlot, making her living as a mundane mechanic.

Duchess Rarity Belle is a silver-tongued diplomat living in Old Canterlot. She advises the current acting regent, Lady Steward Twilight Sparkle, while waiting for balance to return to New Harmony. Behind her perfect facade, though, something else hides.

AJ is an earth pony farmer who, tired of the increasingly ridiculous tax on selling fresh fruit, has come to the capitol to appeal to the Lady Steward, so that she can feed her ever-growing family.

The three meet, quite by chance, and begin, driven from their homes, on a mission to change the world, and to alter the course of history. Not all harmony is created equal, and peace is only found at the end of a long, bloody road.

There can be no higher honor for a soldier in Equestria's service than to become one of the six Holy Knights, and it's Applejack's dream to achieve that honor. Just as her brother has, and her father before her did, and his father before him, and so on, since the very day the Knights were founded.

And on her very first day at the military academy, she gets into a fist fight with the class troublemaker, and it's all downhill from there.