„In a secluded desert on the frontiers of Equestria, an eccentric genius works to bring the stars within reach of everypony. But can smiths and metalworkers who never made anything more difficult than ploughs or golden trinkets really make the dream a reality? Or has inspiration arrived a hundred years too early?“

Originally published on Equestria Daily (6-star), uploaded to FimFiction upon request.
Imported from GoogleDocs in order to preserve formatting (italics/etc.); this may have resulted in table-breaking and other various display bugs. Should you see such issues, please do not hesitate reporting them!

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.

Sunset always knew that she was destined for greatness, but she never dreamed of how great she could become. Not until she had seen it – the mirror had shown her as an alicorn. Ignoring Celestia’s warnings, Sunset goes looking for answers.

When she learns that the mirror is also a portal to another world, well, what else was she supposed to do? But it seems that she hadn’t considered every possibility. She hadn’t, for example, considered that she might get herself trapped on the other side. Nor did she think she’d find herself transformed into a child again.

(Also available in print (temporarily out of stock), as an audiobook, and in Russian!)

A story set in the Who We Become series (earliest story, so a great starting point )

Many muches of thanks go out to ArchAngelsWings, Dessert, Mind Jack, Pasu-Chan,
CharCharChan, w_brown7, and eton975 for proofreading.
Additionally, thanks to Pasu-Chan for providing the glorious cover art

This story is a sequel to Brushed Away

Despite being one of the few Gryphons living in the land of Equestria, Troius Clawston couldn't be happier with how his life has been. Along with having good friends and a stable job in Weather Patrol, Troy is happiest about his life for one reason: Canvas, the Earth Pony artist that he saved and befriended, who grew to become so much more.
However, before the two can begin their lives together, Troy has to overcome a new challenge in his life. Something he never thought he would have to face until now...

Telling his family.

Because of strong Gryphon values which look down on alternative relationships, how will Troy's family react when they discover he's not only with someone of a different species, but of the same gender? As traditions clash with taboos, how will the Gryphon handle telling his brothers and parents, while still staying with the stallion he cares about? Can he keep everyone together, or will family bonds break under pressure?

The cover art was made by High-Roller2108, and I want to thank Bad_Seed_72,Shadow Hawk, and Zyrian for proofreading this.

On a dark night filled with even darker magics, an insane cult attempts to give Nightmare Moon a body and life of her own, utterly separate from Princess Luna. But, when the spell is interrupted by Celestia, something unexpected is created.

Now, a little black alicorn filly named Nyx finds herself living under the care of Twilight Sparkle, only to be haunted by memories and emotions from her past. Is she Nightmare Moon reborn or is she simply a doppelganger with a soul and mind of her own? Can Twilight Sparkle protect Nyx from those who refuse to see past her dragon eyes and black coat?

Or, will Nyx be forced to inherit the sins that may not even be hers and become the greatest evil Equestria has ever known?

This story is a sequel to Without a Hive

It is a time of change for Equestria. A small but slowly growing number of changelings have made the kingdom their home, living openly with ponies. Many ponies welcome them in friendship. Others are concerned by the strange and unusual creatures that disrupt the traditional life of Equestria. Yet others worry that such open acceptance leaves Equestria vulnerable to less well-intentioned changelings. And some still fear the insectoid creatures, memories of invasions--and more personal attacks--still strong in their minds.

Sky, Nictis, and all the other changelings of Equestria would love nothing more than to live in peace, but such changes rarely come easily. But in proper changeling fashion, they are determined to endure, and this time they are not alone. Instead of the shelter of disguises and lies, they are strengthened by the friendship of the ponies that accept them, ready to stand tall in the face of an uncertain future.

For nobody, from the new Equestrian changelings to the Princesses themselves, knows how Queen Chrysalis is going to respond...

Book cover art by viwrastupr

This story is a sequel to Harmony's Wrath

Warning: This story is a sequel to Harmony's Wrath. This is an Alternate Universe, many elements of the setting have changed drastically, and won't make sense if you haven't read it. Even the cover picture. IT IS ALSO, LIKE THE FIRST ONE, REALLY OLD WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE

Six months on from its rude awakening, Equestria is still dealing with the fallout. Daily life has changed irrevocably, and it's only a matter of time before the dangers of the real world inevitably rear their ugly head. Twilight Sparkle and her friends are taking the lead in preparing ponykind for its trials, but some unusual reports from the outskirts of Trottingham lead them to believe that the world might be a lot wilder than they had anticipated.

Cover art by me and prequel by me.

Tag update: Reduced character tags to Mane 6, CMC, Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash. While the Mane 6 and CMC provide most of the ensemble cast, Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash are the primary viewpoint characters.

Additional Tags: Anthro, conspiracy, high fantasy, gryphons, war.

Note: This was originally written between Seasons 1 and 2, and may ignore conflicting lore established by Season 2 or later. THIS IS REALLY OLD WHY ARE YOU STILL READING THIS

Twilight Sparkle and her friends are snowed into the library one evening, and they happen upon that rarest of specimens - a book Twilight doesn't recognise. However, the ancient tale of adventure and intrigue they find inside ends up shattering their worldview and sending them on an adventure of their own.

This is basically what came to my mind when I heard that Lauren Faust's original concept for the show was of a more arc-based, magical girl style (this turned out not to be true, but my mind ran with it anyway), but this story ended up a long way from magical girls and well into high fantasy by the time I started writing. Also draws on select Homestuck and Dungeons & Dragons themes, and plays with a lot of things the canon leaves unexplained.

Tag update: Reduced character tags to Mane 6, CMC, Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash. While the Mane 6 and CMC provide most of the ensemble cast, Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash are the primary viewpoint characters.

Additional Tags: Anthro, conspiracy, high fantasy, gryphons, war.

Sequel now posted!

It has been more than one hundred years since Celestia banished Nightmare Moon. While Equestria has enjoyed a century of relative peace and prosperity, there are still lingering tensions between the three pony tribes.

Shadow Kicker, a proud warrior of Pegasopolis, must navigate the treacherous noble court of Canterlot and address the concerns and wounded pride of her own tribe in a desperate effort to prevent matters from coming to open warfare.