In the magical land of Equestria the borders are kept by the watchful eyes of the fourth tribe. Evergreen Hold, one village among many, guards the endless forests along Equestria's southwest border. But lately something new has crept into the forest, it seems there is a change in the air...

Many thanks to Destiny Chaser and Comma Typer for their encouragement, and to ClockworkMage for his gracious help in editing this. Any errors that remain exist by my own efforts.

Cover art generously provided by Comma Typer.

A translation into Spanish Generously provided by SPANIARD KIWI.
Halvard y la reina amable

This story is a sequel to Brighter Horizons

Adopted from infancy, there are few things Flash Skies wouldn't sacrifice for Equestria and the ponies who love and raised him. But when a pony is brutally murdered and all evidence points to Equestria's adopted son, unshakeable loyalties are questioned, friendships are strained, and a mysterious enemy more deadly than anything Flash has ever faced will manifest their dark designs against Equestria itself. Can friendship truly prevail where there is uncertainty of who is truly a friend?

Friends are close, but enemies draw closer in this thrilling sequel to Brighter Horizons!

Edited by Venerable Ro.

(Cover Art: Shimmering Sunset by Kirk Crane)

This story is a sequel to Brighter Horizons

Adopted from infancy, Flash Skies has sworn to serve and protect the ponies who took him in, by becoming a member of Equestria's Royal Guard. But when allegations of a tribe of marauding, massively mandibled mares mauling a pony comes to Celestia's attention, Equestria's adopted son is sent to investigate. Will he discover the truth behind the tales? Or will he end up on the menu?

Inspired by the Legend of the Mares of Diomedes, the carnivorous horses captured by Hercules. Adventure and amusement await! (Wow, featured on 9/8/22, thanks FimFic!)

(A spin-off of Brighter Horizons, join Flash and friends on a new adventure!)

Edited by Venerable Ro

Cover art 'Dark Forest' by CA34CB

Adopted from infancy, Equestria is the only world Flash Skies has ever known and loved. A beautiful world filled with adventure, love, and awesome friends, life is good. But when you're the only member of your species in an alien world, eventually you want to find out where you came from and if there are others like you. With the help of his friends, he finds his way back to Earth, but will he like what he finds? He may discover more than he bargained for, and an enemy that's been waiting for him to come home.

"Alright what even is this? Why hasn't this been featured, and why are there so few upvotes? I almost passed it by and I expected to drop it immediately due to low quality. But, nope it’s the best human raised by equestrians I’ve read this far." -A Predatorial Horse

"This was a fantastic read that I just happened to come across randomly.
This is a unique approach that is a breath of fresh air. In a sea of mostly silly stories, you're creating something that seems more real than most. Thank you for your work on this take, and I will be looking forward to seeing this story through!" -Chillean

"GREAT STORY!
It's rare for me to come across a good human in Equestria story that feels organic and not forced.
Too bad it's over. Now I've gotta wait years for the sequel to be done before I can read it." -Mocha Star

"Upside to reading at work: quality entertainment while waiting for the day to end.
Downside to reading at work: when said quality entertainment legitimately makes me cry in empathy." -Striving for Harmony

A non-spoiler review to whet your appetite!

Okay, I don't know if anyone can hear this, or read this, or whatever, but I'm trying my best to use Pinkie Pie's legendary fourth-wall-breaking powers to try and get a message out.

If you can hear this, I need help. I'm in Equestria, and man, this is strange. But I'm also stuck in Pinkie Pie's body, for some reason.

Yes, it's just as weird as it sounds. And now, I need your help... because all the ponies in this town think I'm crazy!

In the shadows of a forgotten realm, one mare trudges onward with music, and a cute little house cat, as her sole companions. Lyra Heartstrings has fought against a dark curse for more than a year, and it's now beginning to take a toll on her mind. Will she be able to keep everything together in light of her choice? Or will the spanning abyss inevitably claim her as one of its own?

In an effort to keep her mind occupied, Twilight Sparkle decides to delve once again into the grand mysteries of Pinkie Pie. This time, Twilight's focus is on her claims of growing up on a rock farm: like so many things related to Pinkie Pie, the idea that somepony could grow rocks as an agricultural product makes absolutely no sense. However, the investigation eventually leads Twilight to a rather... surprising discovery.

This is the first story in The Petriculture Cycle.

Artwork by Page Turner. Now with a TV Tropes page.

This story did not explode! What a relief and/or letdown.

Part of OPERATION CRACKFIC STORM 2024 ( group | stories ).

Thanks to Silk Rose for coming up with the idea, writing chapters 22 and 9, and developing the code; thanks also to Meadowsys for general code help.

Thanks to IrradiatedPirateBooty ( tumblr ) for the awesome character art.

And thanks to everyone in the comments who stuck around for the final countdown!

I have no idea what happened. One second, I'm sitting at my desk, working. The next second, I'm Sombra. Or rather, I'm in his body. And nobody seems to believe me about it...

Now with (amazing!) cover art by Mix Up. You can find their work here.

Trixie's line of work is dangerous. But she's a careful showpony, and that's why she's only died a few dozen times in her career.

She thinks this is normal.