Talk to someone on the telephone enough and you get an idea of what they look like.

And then you meet them for the first time, and they're not at all what you expected.

Shawn Spencer, psychic detective, is a thick-tufted boy genius who ice skates through life on polished blades of snarky eloquence. He has tested himself against some of the greatest criminal minds of his time and emerged victorious... though often through unbelievable luck and not a small amount of bumbling.

Now, he faces a challenge unlike any before. One that will test his mind, his sanity, and his adaptability as he is thrust into the midst of an unfamiliar world and the ponies who populate it.

The Mane 6 face their own challenge, as an old enemy, tempered in the crimes of a much harsher world than theirs, returns to Equestria. It is a challenge they are ill-prepared for and one that only their strange, new, alien friend can help them overcome.

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.

No important political meetings to attend? Check! No letters to answer? Check! A magical and child-safe gift for Flurry Heart that she's sure to love? Check!

Her schedule was clear. Shining and Cadence were off on vacation. She'd prepared all her materials. Twilight Sparkle was more than ready to spend a fun-filled weekend babysitting her favorite niece.

But she wasn't prepared for King Sombra's return. Nopony could prepare to be trapped with him inside a storybook of fairy tales.

And nopony's ever ready for an unhappy ending...

Proofread by: Alicornpriest

Winner of November 2017 NaPoWriMo: Goal of 50k smashed!

Now Featured on Equestria Daily - First hit the Featured Box on April 28th!

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?

Until yesterday, my life was no different than anybody's. Go to work, pay the bills, sleep. Today, I woke up to a world without humans. The streets are empty, the power grid is running down, and not another soul is in sight. That might not be the worst thing, if I wasn't also a pony.

Where is everyone? Why is this happening to me?

Will l stay sane long enough to starve?

This story now has a hardcover! If you'd like one of your own, you can grab it here: https://starscribe.net/

Now with a TVTropes page! Для тех, кто предпочитает русский язык, перевод можно найти по ссылке.

Note To E-Reader users: This story contains illustrations in each chapter, which will be lost in the standard fimfiction chapter export. The generous Phoen1x took the time to produce an epub version with all the illustrations intact, which you can download here.

A huge thanks to Zutcha for all his hard work on the art of this story. Also a huge thanks to my editors Two Bit and Sparktail, for tolerating my half-written crap.

Audiobook/Readalong: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIljqBNLhtg. Very professional and well made. Voices for each character, sound effects, and background music. Highly Recommended.

After being touched by the great story My Little Dashie written by ROBCakeran53, I wanted to give the story an ending, something that would bring closure to all. Rainbow has finally returned back to the lands of Equestria, but things did not go as well as the ponies were hoping. Meanwhile, Dad is having a brash confrontation with magic and other-worldly situations.

UPDATE: EpicBG has decided to continue on with my continuation (lol), but in his story, my Epilogue never happened, so go into his story knowing that. His is about the adventures of Dad and Dashie in Equestria, go check it out, its quite good. Here is the Link!

Rainbow Dash's morning was pretty much ruined.
She tripped getting out of bed and landed flat on her face, giving herself an aching muzzle.
She forgot to buy her favorite brand of hay flakes at the store yesterday and had to eat plain toast for breakfast.
She found out she had to pull double-duty today and tomorrow on the weather patrol.
Oh, and she found a nearly-dead foal, broken and bleeding at the edge of Ponyville.

The rest of her day became a whirlpool of stress and worry but the colt woke up, thank Celestia.
Something's not right, though. Nopony can find his parents, he's not in the registers, and there's an unsettling look in his eye...

-
YouTube reading by Fire Hearth

Chinese Translation by forgivenlove

Russian Translation by Likantrop

TV Tropes page, if you're interested in that sort of thing.

Humans.

Truth or myth? Ancient lost civilization or just an old pony's tale?

No pony has ever seen one, and most haven't even heard of them. But Lyra knows that these wonderful creatures are more than just old legends, and she's going to find out... and possibly drive her roommate insane in the process.

There's something strange and unnatural living in Bon-Bon's house.

Something other than Lyra.