After you've tried to celebrate it enough times, a holiday might start to feel like nothing more than a group of traditions which all chose the same day to kick you. The bulk of Equestria may see the palace's annual gift-receiving ceremony as their chance to show how much they love their Solar princess, but Celestia mostly perceives it as something she has to get through without dying or actively longing for death. She's usually 50% successful, and most ceremonies end with her convinced it was the wrong half.

But maybe this year will be different.

One of them has to be.

(Now with author Patreon and Ko-Fi pages.)

Cover art by BonesWolbach, used under open permission. Please contact him with any special background rendering requests.

Celestia preaches love and peace, forgiveness for all. Never to kill, only to imprison. However, some take up issue with this. A disillusioned squadron of Royal Guards dispensing their own brand of safety and security. Now, she finds her ways questioned and wondering... are they right? Is there no place for truth and justice anymore?

Maybe it is time for a change...

(Takes place Pre-Canon) Proofread by one Vis-a-Viscera

Featured on 8/7/20 and on 8/8/20 in both regular and mature featured boxes. Featured on 8/9/20 as well. Comments on this now disabled due to various flame wars.

Just because the two sisters have led Equestria through thousands of years of peace doesn't mean there aren't those who think they can do better.

With a powerful artifact on their side, a group of rebels has sealed Celestia in her palace and stripped her of the majority of her powers. As the last of her guards fall, she hears the pounding on the throne room doors and knows the end is coming soon...

**Featured on the front page on 8/12/15; both surprising and flattering seeing as how this is the first thing of substantial length I've posted here. Thanks all!

**Now with a dramatic reading!

Ponies have spread to the stars thanks to advances in technology. In the advanced and luxurious Solar Explorer, Celestia travels to the first extra-solar colony world set up by her little ponies. Unfortunately, events elsewhere in the galaxy, unknown to them, have set in motion a cycle that has been repeated for countless eons… the reaping of sentient races. A Reaper dreadnought confronts the Solar Explorer, intent upon indoctrinating the leadership of the ponies and bringing them to heel.

Said Reaper quickly learns exactly why Celestia has earned the title Unconquered.

A Mass Effect crossover oneshot.

Now with a reading done by Scarlett Blade! Check it out!

Princess Celestia attempts to hunt the most dangerous game: man. Her assistant wants more than anything for her to get back to work.

Artist is lovelyneckbeard

In the wake of Nightmare Moon's rebellion, Celestia is doing her best to keep the kingdom from falling apart. However those efforts are tested and strained as she has to deal with the solar court becoming a little too absurd even for her to stand.
co-authored with Charlie_K

1300 years. That is how long Princess Celestia has ruled her kingdom without a break. But it was not meant to stay that way because Luna and Twilight managed to find the millennia old record and revealed a horrible secret. Princess Celestia has nearly 100 years of unused vacation, and as a good student and sister they have no other choice than to force Celestia to take that time of. It wouldn’t have been so bad if a magic portal didn’t appear right when her holidays were about to start to whisk her away into a unknown world.

mlp/zero no tsukaima crossover

Big shout out to my great editor Poliamida for being awesome.

When Celestia told her that she was planning to retire, Twilight was understandably upset. But that was nothing compared to when she found out just what the process would involve. And the rather direct and frankly regicidal role she needed to take.

Cover image compiled from here and here.

Princess Celestia, tired of the constant pressure that ruling a nation puts on her, decides to take a day off and let Luna take her responsibilities for a day, something the younger alicorn is more than happy to do. She disguises herself as a pink maned pegasus pony named Sunny Skies and decides to go walking around Canterlot without any supervision. Unfortunately for her, not all parts of Canterlot are as safe as the palace, and she finds herself at the wrong end of a gang of muggers, who decide to kidnap her for a ransom when they see how much money she has on her.

Luna freaks out.

Celestia thinks it's hilarious.

Find this story and more in a print copy! Just click these words here!

Featured on Equestria Daily 8/15/13

Go here for the French translation!

[img]http://i.imgur.com/CUBPvKI.png[/img]

Edited wonderfully by sqarishoctagon and Cloud Hop

Updated cover art by Dominatore

Blank Slate is the greatest thief of his generation. He has robbed countless nigh-impossible marks, and his talents as a master of disguise are beyond par - truly, nopony knows who he is.

And now he's preparing the greatest heist in mortal memory: the treasure vaults of the Princesses themselves.

But you have to get up pretty early in the morning to get one past the pony who defines when ‘early in the morning’ is…

Spoilers in the comments! Beware! Beware...

Audio Reading available - thank you ABagOVicodin
Czech Translation available - Thank you Keranis