Darrilon has proudly served Princess Celestia for many years, and risen to the rank of Captain of the elite squad known as the Solarian Patrol. But every day is a new challenge when your superior officer (and divine ruler) has no respect for protocol or procedure.

When Fluttershy went to bed, she was a normal mare. When she woke up, she could see numbers floating over everypony's heads. They were timers, each one counting down to some unknown event. Most ponies had timers that wouldn't end for years, some for many decades. But everypony had different numbers.

So why does Rainbow Dash's timer end in three hours?

Editing provided by TheMaskedFerret and SolidFire.
Cover art by HopefulSparks!
Spanish translation by SPANIARD KIWI!

My name is Canvas. I remember because I wrote it in the corner of the white box. It takes twelve steps to get from the cot to the wall. And the lights hurt my eyes.

(Note: The story isn't in color because I decided to try this without the gimmick! But I still recommend reading the GDocs version.)

Starlight is good with magic, but she’s no scholar—not like Sunburst. One of her best friends and arguably the smartest, cleverest, most prepared pony she knows. Who grew up with books in the same way she grew up with magic running in her veins.

The world is enjoying a new era of peace, but there’s still so much to do—new things to learn and try. Starlight thinks that there’s no harm in reading some of Sunburst’s books—to learn about the world in other ways instead of simply living in it.

Reading the books he recommends turns into an interest for poetry, for she can’t help but feel moved by the ancient Equestrian sonnets. Her unexpected interest in the genre makes her try her hoof in writing some. And no, they’re not very good, but they are sincere if nothing else.

And she would never, ever show Sunburst her poetry. Not when most of them are about him.

_{Now with a review from mushroompone from the Fillydelphia Oracle!}

It's a huge step they're taking, and it's going to be hard, and long, and exhausting. But it's going to be worth it in the end, to form a family with him, to be a mother—is like all the pieces of her life are finally falling into place and she's exactly where she needs to be.

Or, Sunburst and Starlight take the plunge and decide to start a family, through adoption.

Edit: added a bit more context into the story to make a certain aspect more obvious.

During a diplomatic visit from King Thorax, Princess Luna discovers that, inexplicably, his brother Pharynx hates her lavender. And for that matter, potted plants in general.

That won't do, of course – even if Pharynx is the new Changeling Prince – and so she'll need to teach him a lesson.

And one lesson won't be enough.

Featured from 18/05/2020 to 20/05/2020, peaking at #4 in the box.
Featured on Equestria Daily! Also featured in Equestria Daily's 38 Fanfics to Read for Luna Day 2020!
9/10, from My Little Reviews & Feedback.
8.8/10 and 8/10, from the Reviewer's Mansion.
Rated Really Good by Ghost Mike!

Edited and proofread by VoxAdam, pre-read by Valtyra. Thanks, you guys

Written for the May 2020 Original Pairing Contest.

Cover by hosikawa_choco.

Author's Commentary

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!

Beneath the clear blue waters of the Celestial Sea lies a great city known as The Reef. A metropolis without compare, The Reef is home to dozens of species, each one as colorful as the city's namesake. Together, the citizens of this underwater utopia create some of the greatest artistic accomplishments the world has ever seen, from incredible gravity-defying architecture to breathtaking stage performances. Seaponies, hippocampi, kelpies, and more live in harmony in The Reef, just like they have for centuries.

Toccata works the spotlight at The Reef's most famous musical theatre, Conch Hall. Ever since she moved to the city, she has dreamed of performing on stage, singing hit musical numbers before hundreds of sea creatures gathered in the auditorium. Music is her passion, her greatest pleasure, and her voice could put even the guild's top vocalist to shame.

Her only problem? Toccata is a siren, and The Reef has not allowed sirens to sing in public for centuries.

Edited by SolidFire

Verspertine has always longed to touch the stars--and luckily enough, she was born a thestral, so it's (maybe) theoretically possible.

She's been training her whole life to become a Wonderbolt and finally, thank Celestia, she's a cadet at the Academy.

First place in the of the Quills and Sofas Speedwriting 'Batpony/Thestral' contest. The prompt was "stereotypes". Cover art by the lovely Scarlett Sketches--thank you to the folks who found the artist for me.

UPDATE: Now with a voice reading done by StraightToThePointStudio! Thank you so much, I really appreciate the love. :)

Applejack doesn't "do" dating. Everypony knows that. But after her brother and Sugar Belle get together, she decides it's finally time to give this whole "relationship" business a shot.

Only problem is, she's gonna need a bigger mailbox...

Takes place prior to Season 8.