No one alive today can say where she came from; simply that she has always been there.

And yet, few ponies have had a greater impact on Princess Celestia's life than Raven, her most faithful aide.

Inspired by and based off of a headcanon put forth by Heir-of-Rick, though perhaps a bit less insidious than what he had in mind. He very kindly provided an alternate version of his image for me to use as my cover image! Text added by me.

All comments and criticism very welcome!

Featured in the Royal Canterlot Library! Go there to read the interview for some behind-the-scenes info on this story!

Translations: Chinese, Spanish!

In the midst of Ponyville being plunged into chaos, Twilight and her friends finally manage to use the Elements of Harmony for the first time, and in doing so successfully stop Discord from wreaking further havoc on the land they hold dear. Problem is, the way the elements do this isn't quite what they had in mind. At all.

This story is a sequel to Tales from Everfree City

The Equestrian experiment is failing.

Fewer than forty years after Commander Hurricane, Princess Platinum, and Chancellor Puddinghead united the three pony tribes into one nation, that nation stands on the brink of ruin. The Triumvirate that once led Equestria forward lies broken in the aftermath of war and civil strife, leaving only the unicorn queen, Platinum III, to rule from Everfree alone. The Cirran Legion, once the backbone of Equestria's military, has been dissolved, and with it, any semblance of control over the countryside has withered away.

To the south, along the fringes of equine civilization and settled lands, an old soldier flies alone. Once, she protected these ponies; once, she led them, standing shoulder to shoulder with the unicorn queen and the earth pony chancellor. But now she is just another sword in the wilderness, a leaf adrift on the winds of fate, as the twilight of her years fades away.

Because the Equestrian experiment is failing. And Commander Typhoon, daughter of the legendary Hurricane, is dead.

Art by egil. Editing by LoyalLiar
Part of the Price of Loyalty universe. Prior reading of A Beginner's Guide to Heroism and Tales from Everfree City is strongly recommended, but not required.

This story is a sequel to Where Loyalties Lie: Honor Guard

After risking her own life in a daring adventure across the world to save Princess Luna, Rainbow Dash wants nothing more than for her life to return to normal. In her mind, what happened is in the past, and she wants nothing more to do with it. But a past abandoned is doomed to be repeated, and with an ancient threat rising beneath the snows, Rainbow may be the only mare who can truly save Equestria.

A Price of Loyalty story.
No longer canon to the 'PoL' universe; see author's note on chapter 1.

This story is a sequel to Blueblood: Hero of Equestria

Prince Blueblood has escaped the misery of the Changeling War when he is sent to Canterlot to recuperate. He knows this cannot last, for it won't be long before he is called upon once again to risk life and limb for Princess and Country. As Equestrian forces march into the Changeling heartlands, Blueblood must rely on his instincts of self-preservation, deception, and sheer blind luck to survive.

Proofread and edited by Setokaiva

Cover art by jamescorck

This story is a sequel to Before the Storm: The Rise of Firefly

Three hundred years after Luna's banishment, an uneasy peace has collapsed and war erupts between the United Tribes of Equestria and the growing Gryphon Empire, who seek to supplant Princess Celestia as ruler of the heavens and claim the rich lands of the pony nation for their own. With the border defenses shattered, Canterlot endangered and the armed forces unable to stem the onslaught, who can stop the relentless Gryphon war machine as it overruns province after province, scoring victory after victory as it closes in on the Equestrian capital city?

In this time of peril, when the entire pony nation teeters on the brink of defeat, a champion will rise to lead the resistance to the gryphon invasion, becoming not just the commander of an elite force, but a symbol of Equestrian valor and fighting spirit. A born warrior and leader, the name of Firefly will be one day revered as not just the founder of the Wonderbolts, but as Equestria's greatest hero...

Taking place seven hundred years before present and canon to both the Gentlemanverse and Turnabout Storm novelization, this is the story of Rainbow Dash's ancestor, the founding of the Wonderbolts, and their role in the bloodiest conflict of Equestrian history. It is a multistory Magnum Opus consisting of several discrete stories, as described below:

Book 1: The War Begins

The Gryphon Empire invasion of Equestria launches at dawn with an all-out assault on the Equestrian Army and Aerial Corps border bases, accompanied by deep-strike raids against Cloudsdale and the Royal Guard training base of Fort Spur.

Will Princess Celestia unleash her enormous power to end the war quickly? Can Outpost Epsilon withstand the onslaught long enough for the much-maligned Royal Navy to reach them? And can the civilian populace of Cloudsdale resist a massive and determined air attack by the Imperial elite against its all-important weather factories and storm cloud production facilities?

Book 2: Rally and Recover

With the border defenses crushed and the remains of Outpost Epsilon evacuated, both sides lick their wounds, hastily reorganizing and preparing for the next Imperial offensive aimed deeper into Equestria.

Can missing Cloudsdale be located near the borders of Thestralslovakia? Will the once-disloyal and still-distrusted bat-ponies that live there side with Equestria or the Empire? What is the Imperial invasion plan? What role will the Changelings play in the conflict? And what will happen when a sixteen-year old gryphon cub faces off with the gryphon-hating pony named Thunderbolt; one of the most lethal and bloodthirsty beings to ever live...?

Book 3: Second Offensive

While the fate of Cloudsdale is negotiated and Firefly's forces prepare for additional action, the second Imperial offensive begins with an assault against the badly outnumbered Equestrian Army at Maresk two hundred miles inside Equestria, attempting to pocket and destroy the thousands of sorely-needed soldiers based there.

Can an out-of-favor earth pony Colonel rally his regiment to save the city and an entire Army Corps? Or will the city's soldiers and civilians alike face the fate of the border bases, becoming yet another crushing defeat in the Imperial drive on Canterlot?

• Writers: Denim_Blue and Firesight with occassional writing assists from Leo Archon and AJ_Aficionado
• Prereaders: AJ_Aficionado, SilentWoodFire, TheGoldCrow, Denim_Blue
• Guest Writers: AJ_Aficionado, Denim_Blue

Maps of Equestria and Equis: https://www.fimfiction.net/chapter/1105220

Set in the alternate Sombra timeline during The Cutie Re-Mark.
Sombra found the young unicorn shortly after his banishment ended. He saw in her a shred of potential. He could have dominated her will...but perhaps she'll be more useful like this.
And besides, it had been quite a long time since he'd taken an apprentice.

An entry in Imposing Sovereigns IV, using the prompt King Sombra/Strength. Good luck to the other contestants!
Notably, do keep in mind that this fic does contain dark content and may not be suitable to everyone. Content warning includes:
--Some bloodshed, but nothing too graphic
--onscreen character death
--light profanities

Following a review of her Royal Guards, Celestia decides that some changes are in order.

Afterall, the castle could always use more cleaning staff...

Inspired by the series of images by Skitterpone.

Due to a mix-up in the pantry, the jasmine tea that Princess Celestia orders for consumption with her breakfast turns out to be made out of coca leaf, instead.

A period of overwhelming bureaucratic efficiency, aggressive platonic affection, and mild insanity follows.

EDIT: Featured (briefly) 6/13/17! Thank you all!
EDIT: Featured at #1 6/14/17! WOW! Awesome, thank you all!

"Equestria's Guard: the Bravest and the Best. Do you have what it takes?"

So the advertisements say. When Rainbow Dash saves the life of Princess Luna, however, she quickly comes to learn that there's a lot more to the guard than what everypony knows. As she faces down threats to her friends, her Princesses, and her country, Rainbow will have to decide exactly who she is loyal to.

A Price of Loyalty story.