What is a pony? If asked that question the average citizen of Equestria would probably respond with a confused look and a mention of the three pony tribes. A particularly astute pony might reply with four tribes, remembering to include the Thestrals. A pony of a scholarly disposition may also add a list of characteristics as well - manes, cutie marks, some form of innate magic, hooves, vegetarian diet, etc. This is the answer that would have been received for thousands of years, from before the unification of the three tribes until very recently. Until the failed Changeling invasion. With the reveal of something so foreign, yet at the same time so familiar, what it means to be a pony is no longer quite so clear and obvious. And while professors and philosophers argue, another question is forgotten in the uproar: What if the Changelings weren't the only ones who were hiding?

* Always looking for proofreaders if anyone's interested!
Current Proofreader(s): Icarus_Con_Queso

All feedback/corrections welcome!

The crisis is over, the threat resolved, the day is saved. Or rather, there was never a crisis to begin with. Twilight Sparkle has saved the world, there is nothing left to do but tell the others what just happened. She has quite the tale, of memories only she has, of months that never happened, of the despair that nearly ended Equestria, and the hope that saved it.

In Equestria, Destiny is a very real thing. Every pony has one, emblazoned with a magic mark for all to see. It is a simple given fact that every pony finds their place in time, their own special destiny. Or is that law so immutable after all? Is being special always a good thing? In a society where destiny is real, what happens to the individual without one?

At the heart of Twilight’s story is a single pony with a unique mark. The choices he made to try and fit in have left him alone and miserable, and willing to go to insane lengths to find his place. When a chance meeting with Twilight Sparkle gives him a chance he never thought he would have, his decisions come to have consequences far beyond what he could have imagined.

Maybe, just maybe, in the story of our lives we are not always the hero. Sometimes, we are the villain.

Author note: I initially wrote this in third person point-of-view and then later adjusted it to be first person, but even after numerous readings I'm still finding spots where I missed a fix. If anyone spots any more, message me with the chapter and line, and I'll fix it.

One day, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom receive a message and a package from a pony they don’t recognize. Inside is a vest, an ugly, highly reflective, bright orange safety vest. Alongside is an apology for an event they don’t remember, and the words “Hope gives you wings.” Confused, they take the vest and the letter to Twilight, who tells Scootaloo to put the vest on in order to finally receive the real gift…

Art by Grim_Grin