To Twilight Sparkle and Princess Celestia, it is a simple surprise visit to Canterlot. To the ponies of the Equestrian Civil Service, it is twenty-four hours of chaos, politics, weaponized dessert, politics, underhooved manipulation of media, politics, and things batrachian and tentacular. Who said bureaucracy isn't exciting?

NEW PRINCESS ATTACKS GRIFFONSTAN IMPORTS

The Equestria Daily can exclusively report that newly crowned Princess Twilight Sparkle became embroiled in an argument with the Griffonstani trade minister about the inferior quality of griffon quills, alleging that "they just don't hold ink as well as pegasus quills". Import markets tumbled overnight, threatening the solvency of numerous Equestrian quill merchants. Princess Sparkle could not be reached for comment.

(When you're done, bookplayer has a fun "Let's Read" commentary version!)
(Also, GhostOfHeraclitus wrote a prequel from the perspective of Dr. Spinning Top!)
(Also also, now available in Spanish thanks to Spaniard-Kiwi!)

The business of government never stops, and paperwork never rests, even on Hearthwarming. But this particular Hearthwarming, Cabinet Secretary and tea enthusiast Dotted Line plans to do his level best to see it, at least, take a break. His ponies need to go home to their families, and he, well, he has plans this Hearthwarming.

Humanised Pathfinder RPG Crossover. Knowledge of Pathfinder not needed.

Canterlot, the glimmering jewel of the civilised world, throne city of the demi-goddess Celestia. No bastion of civilisation can match it and few try. Power is traded, bartered, stolen and forged in a thousand forms in the mad hive of life. Some are born to the power of a name, of a title. Some take power, ripping it from the world around them. Some are even gifted with power, for no better reason than that someone is willing to give it.

Some precious few, however, have power in their blood.

Twilight Sparkle, sorcerer and wizard both, seeks answers to her questions. Mysteries grow in the darkness beneath Canterlot, putting innocents at risk and threatening her home and her loved ones.

Rainbow Dash, thief and daredevil, dreams of the sky. Bound to the earth, she leaps between buildings and bounds across rooftops, forever searching for that elusive, fleeting sensation that plagues her as she stands on nothing and is held aloft no more than that.

Applejack, hunter and warrior, has fought. She has struggled, cutting down the aberrations of the Everfree with blade and arrow alike in a war her family has waged for generations. Fleeing from a failure, she seeks solace in the soft, civilised world. But not everything in Canterlot is as soft as she expected, and the cost of her failure may yet haunt her.

United by power, by ancient ties, the fate of not just a single city but an entire world rests upon their shoulders, and they don't even know it.
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Written in tribute/inspriation acquired from Nealend86's homebrew Pathfinder Sorcerer Pony Bloodlines.

Edited by the wonderful Nealend86 and excellent Web of Hope.

The cover art is a creation of Robd2003 over on deviantart, who kindly gave me permission to use it for my story. Go check out his stuff, it's amazing.

On secret assignment from Princess Celestia herself, Twilight investigates a powerful magical artifact for clues to the mystery of Luna's transformation in the evil Nightmare Moon. Incautious use of the artifact sends Twilight hurtling back in time. Can Twilight discover what caused Luna's transformation? And will she ever make it home again?

Kickass cover art used with permission from Bitz.
http://allthebitz.tumblr.com/

Sometimes, a mare has to do what a mare has to do. And sometimes... Pinkie Pie!

In direct response to Princess Celestia Hates tea by Skywriter who had the idea that inspired this.

Also made into a comic by a certain talent who is not me:
https://www.deviantart.com/art/Auntie-Pinkie-Knows-All-page-1-513121008

Over a thousand years ago, two royal siblings fought for the sky and were exiled, one by her sister's hoof, and one in penance for what she had done.

In the present Republic of Equestria, no one remembers them as anything more than legends and old pony tales. Save for one shy filly who fell from the sky one fine summer's day.

An Alternate Universe "What If" tale, reconstructing the beginning from a different angle.