Idol Hooves holds a special place in Equestria. He's probably the only exiled changeling to serve in the Royal Guard, or at least, that's what he expects, as exiles don't really broadcast that fact. However, it's well known that Princess Celestia loves all of her little ponies, and her guards perhaps more so, and that makes it one of the best ways for a changeling to discreetly feed.

But how does a changeling even get there, let alone get exiled in the first place? For that matter, why would it ever go to Canterlot? Set a number of years before the series proper, before Luna’s redemption, Idol details how he was exiled, the ponies he’s met, and the series of misadventures that led him to joining the Royal Guard, and should continue a good ways into the series, as something of an alternate perspective.

Soon, he’ll have to deal with a boisterous new princess to serve and a royal wedding in the works bringing a third to power. Will his old instincts bring this new life crashing down around him? What precipitates Chrysalis’s ill-fated assault on Canterlot? Is it really so wrong for a changeling to enjoy good craftsmanship to an obsessive degree?

New cover art provided by the fantastic Carnifex

And a TVTropes page here.

And an Ask Blog of questionable canonity!
Out of Idol Curiosity

Fanart by Norad2! Major thanks! Short For a Royal Guard

Art by Egophiliac of Idol and his Daring Duckie Please don't tell him what that brush is meant for.

Rating updated to (T), it's a bit darker than (E)
Comedy Tag added as well
And changed the character tags a bit.

This story is a sequel to How many friends have you made today?!

Things are a lot better for Anon since the events of Ponyville. His store is doing great and he enjoys the company of all his friends. As the days go on, he finds that the problems of the past are quick to haunt him as he is forced to face the one thing that hurt him the most.

Anon likes his life to be simple. He wakes up, goes to work and sometimes gets himself a good book to read while he is home. It's a routine that he likes to follow, it makes him feel like he has a bit of normality with his life in Equestria. The fact that having Celestia come crashing into his home as part of his routine should prove that his life is anything but normal.

(Thanks to PeerImagination for editing!)

Celestia and Luna have been sisters for more than a millennium. If only that made things easier!

Will poor housekeeping lead to the destruction of Equestria?

Will Spike ever find true love while wearing cupcake shaped hats?

Will Twilight Sparkle ever learn to play the banjo?

(No banjos were harmed in the making of this fiction. If you want to find out the answers to those last two questions, you'll probably have to go read something else.)

Cover art commissioned from Akasashi (http://akashasi.deviantart.com)

Spanish translation by SPANIARD-KIWI

Princess Celestia is, compared to the average pony, unimaginably old. With this age comes an extreme amount of experience, wisdom, and a healthy tolerance to pain. That, coupled with a protective instincts of a mother for her nation means that when Chrysalis managed to burn her, a very hard and uncompromising side of Celestia was revealed.

Of course, that doesn’t mean Celestia is ruthless. She only goes as far as she needs to.

Violence Tag: Violence spoken of after the fact.
Dark Tag: Themes of war, attacks on civilians, and slavery.

Princess Luna is certain, in her final moments on the moon as the last of her strength dies, that she deserves it.

A thousand years later, Princess Celestia prepares for her sister’s return.

Cover art by BlitsAzalisDash.

Inspired by Parting Words, by RHJunior

Princess Celestia is the paragon of Harmony. She is kind to her subjects and generous to those in need. She is loyal to her ideals and never compromised. She has a good, if mostly unknown, sense of humor. Above all else, she is always honest. Right?

Twilight Sparkle trusts Princess Celestia implicitly and in all things. The Princess has never steered her wrong, not once. When Twilight thought that her concerns for Nightmare Moon were being ignored, Celestia had her back, even if she was withholding information.

Wait a minute.

Shortly before Celestia leaves for Canterlot with the redeemed Luna, Twilight has a conversation with her mentor that will change her perspective on the Princess forever. She will receive something new, beautiful, and damning all the same.

Cynicism.

Six Little Words or: The Question That Twilight Didn’t Ask in Canon.

Violence Tag: Implied torture.

Comments are back open. Please try to keep it cordial.

Earth and Equestria have opened diplomatic relations with each other, and Twilight couldn't be more excited. But somepony seems lost over something they saw in the human world: Pinkie Pie. What could Pinkie have seen that could drive her to lock herself in her room for days?

(Pre-season 9)

If a better world was in reach for you, if you could reach someplace that was better if it meant leaving behind everything you've ever known, would you take that chance?

A new pony arrives in Ponyville, someone kind of odd, but nice enough. At the same time, Twilight's discovered a disturbance in the fabric of reality. But these two events couldn't possibly be connected...right?

Cover art created by NixWorld

HOLY SMOKES, I GOT FEATURED! (4/30/20) Thanks, everybody!
(And again on 5/4/20!)
(Again on 5/14/20)

Magic is bleeding out of Equestria and into another realm, a realm where magic does not exist. Twilight must stop the flow of magic before disaster strikes. Can the natives of this realm be of help? How do sapient beings function without magic anyway? What's this about a cartoon?

Takes place shortly after season four.