“For want of a nail, the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe, a messenger lost. For want of a messenger, the message was lost. For want of a message, the battle was lost. For want of a battle, the kingdom was lost.”

“All for want of a horseshoe’s nail."

Like many other timelines, the Sonic Rainboom fails to occur. But, Harmony is tenacious. Even without what seems to be a key event, it will have it's bearers. Just perhaps taking a long, winding shortcut around to reach them.

An alternate timeline story inspired by A Minor Variation by notMurphy where the Mane 6 have their elements shuffled. Different events lead to different ponies, so OC tag is here because of how wildly different these Mane 6 ended up.

Cover made by Me.

We walk down our long roads of life, but what of the roads not taken? Twilight and Applejack are carried along a different path, where their fates were bound in new ways. Fresh sorrows and avoided crisis gives friendship's flower a new shape.

This story will make an alternative universe, but will start grounded in the world we know. Have you read my other works? I love canon. I will respect canon, but we are also changing a core fact, and its effects will ripple outward. Our beloved ponies will be changed, as they must. The stream of fate carries them on tides we never witnessed before.

Twilight, Applejack, I hope you're both ready. Come, the water's fine, and I invite you to swim with me. Let us see what would happen if Applejack's mother survived where fate had once demanded her end.

Done for a patron, will update 1/month with 4k chapters.

Cover art by Jowybean!

You've heard the story before, right? The guy who wakes up as Twilight Sparkle one day in Ponyville and has to adapt. Well what about if his younger sister accompanied him as Spike, and he knows next-to-nothing about the show whilst she's a crazy fan?

All this, and they find themselves at the very START in S1 ep1, the very first scene. Sometimes knowing EXACTLY what's going to happen doesn't make things any easier... particularly when your entire reference for knowledge is a smart alec kid who you're not sure even wants to get home....

In other words... HELP!!

Picture credit JennieOo and mickeymonster

Featured from 3/9/23 to 6/9/23. Yup.

This is Equestria. But something went differently this time. The Everfree is even more out of control, and has become a breeding ground and nesting place for thousands of dangerous creatures. With so many new threats constantly changing, evolving in the darkness, no one knows what the next monster could be capable of. In such a world, the Unknown means Danger.

Meet Pinkie Pie. She's an earth pony who likes parties and making everyone smile. She's very, very good at it.

That's a bad thing.

You see, some of the things she does are... strange. Unnatural. Sure, parties may be her special talent, but that doesn't explain where she got a cannon that can decorate a room. And it doesn't stop at parties. There's something unnatural about that mare. No one can explain it.

Pinkie Pie is an Unknown.

Unknowns are dangerous.

Princess Celestia has taken the poor pony under her wing, and raised her away from unfriendly eyes, allowing her to live what approaches a normal life. Soon, Pinkie will be reintroduced to the world at large, starting with a little town called Ponyville, on the day of the one-thousandth Summer Sun Celebration.

Let's see how that goes.

After Rarity's inner magical potential is unlocked by the Sonic Rainboom, she becomes Celestia's student instead of Twilight. How does this effect the future?

Character swap alternate universe retelling of MLP: Friendship is Magic