The Cutie Mark Crusaders' plans for an afternoon of crusading are interrupted by a school assignment to write a report on nature. They've heard other ponies talk about "the birds and the bees" and decide to ask their sisters and the rest of the Mane Six for their help on the subject.

Needless to say, the answers they get should make for a very interesting report!

(Cover art composite created from vector images by Alphanz and Sulyo)

Presented as a multiple short chapter story.

The history of Equestria spans dozens of centuries, and many terrible foes have risen up from the past to threaten the future once more, only to be defeated.

When a vicious and powerful enemy older than any Twilight, her friends, or even the Princesses have faced before returns, they will have to reach out to an ally just as ancient for help... but is she still the heroine she once was?

This story takes place after the end of Season 3.

Honourable Mention: Best Fimfiction, Pony Awards 2013

Full-Cast, Illustrated Audio Drama version by Scribbler Productions can be found here!

Hardcopy editions from Ponyfeather Publishing can be found here!

Celestia had a problem. Somepony wrote a novel about Nightmare Moon's rebellion. This made Luna quite unhappy, and unfortunately for her sister, Luna has not yet gotten the hang of modern traditions like freedom of speech, the abolition of the death penalty, and not bothering Princess Celestia when she's trying to sleep.

Fortunately, Celestia also had a faithful student, one who is now a Princess with an ill-defined portfolio and perfectly capable of dispensing justice by the laws of both today and one thousand years ago.

Now Twilight Sparkle has a problem.

(Title image hacked together from vectors by Martinnus1, Hawk9mm, and Paulie15.)

It is Twilight Sparkle's first night as a princess of Equestria, and she cannot sleep. As the excitement she felt during coronation fades away, it gives way to a deeper anxiety. The young alicorn lies awake, her thoughts dwelling on her new destiny, her responsibilities, her fears, and her own mortality.

Or, as the case may be, her lack of it.

As morning draws nearer, Twilight leaves her bed haunted by a question, and so she decides to seek out the one pony who can answer it.

Now has a dramatic reading on Youtube! Major props to Goombasa.

Twilight Sparkle calls upon a genie. The process is mired in rules, but she won't let that stop her. With the genie's power, she could change the world. She has until moon-rise to make her wish.

Rules provide structure and order. Rules offer reliability and build society. Rules are boundaries that we live within, but rules can be broken. Sometimes, we have to break the rules to do what is right.

But some rules can't be broken.

Sometimes, rules are shackles.

Featured on Equestria Daily.

Dramatic Reading

On the eve of another world ending crisis Princess Celestia has complete control of the situation. Every detail has been accounted for, every eventuality anticipated. The Elements of Harmony gathered and ready to save the day and even an important side project set up. Yet after planning so carefully there are still a few things that even Celestia couldn't anticipate or prepare herself for.

Celestia X Big Macintosh

Note: Story contains crack shipping, blatant stealing borrowing of Norse mythology due to author appeal, shameless use of Shakespeare quotes for chapter titles and the constant harassment of Princess Luna.

Celestia decides that Big Mac's barn is an excellent place to sneak off to, to take naps on her days off.
Big Mac decides that Celestia is a welcome guest.
Neither Princess nor farmer ever speak to one another, but the silence sings between them.
(Cover art by GrapeParfait!)

After a busy day celebrating princess Mi Amore Cadenza's birthday, Shining Armor and his wife take time to wind down, relax, and talk. The topic of their conversation soon moves in an unexpected direction, and the couple finds that their marriage still has surprises in store for them both.

Cover image by naroclie. Used with permission.

As the centuries pass, cutie marks come and go. Some are common: the healing cross, the basic compass rose, the courier bag. Others are extinct: no more mercenary companies, no more mercenary marks. A few are incredibly scarce, coming along once a generation or less: the mark for luck falls into that category. A number only manifest when the call for them arrives: train tracks didn't appear until it was railroading time. But for the most part, ponies take their mark with its associated talent and magic as a blessing in their lives -- no matter what that mark turns out to be. And they accept it as they accept themselves.

Luna, in her first truly open palace session dealing with the public, is about to meet the exception: Joyous Release, a pony who wants nothing more than to be rid of her mark forever -- and every bit of the talent which comes with it.

But marks are permanent...

(This story takes place shortly after A Total Eclipse Of The Fun.)

Cover art by Harwick.

Part of the Triptych Continuum, which has its own TVTropes page and FIMFiction group. New members and trope edits welcome.

Now with author Patreon and Ko-Fi pages.

There are stories which define us. Stories that inspire us. And there are stories that damn us.

These are the Old Stories, tales from before the dawn of Equestria.

Spanish translation

The original EqD link is here: http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/08/story-old-stories.html