3/14/24 Still Alive Edition

There's only one pony in Ponyville that the Mane Six have never met. Pinkie Pie has never thrown him a party, Applejack has never sold him a mug of cider, and Twilight has never seen him check out any books. And as far as that unicorn, Lapis Print, is concerned, that's exactly how it should be.

Lapis can't risk them knowing where he lives, what he does for a living, or even what his name is - if he gets his way, the Mane Six won't even know he exists, and nopony in Ponyville will miss him once he's gone.

It should be a piece of cake - after all, it's not like the biggest magical power in Equestria is about making sure everypony looks out for each other, right?

(Rated Teen for language - mental cursing mostly.)

Vermilion didn’t join the Guard to be a hero. He just wanted to escape the farm and his old, boring life.

But now it seems he may have no choice – his unit is being sent to Hollow Shades, a tiny hamlet hidden in the depths of an endless forest, to fight monsters on behalf of Luna and Celestia. When the mission turns into a disaster and the town is lost, Vermilion finds himself at the forefront of an unexpected war, with all of Equestria at stake.

A new dark age has begun. Heroes must be found to guard the flickering lights of civilization. And Vermilion and his friends will discover that monsters are the least of their worries.

Set in the years before Nightmare Moon’s banishment, The World is Filled with Monsters follows a young hero and his friends as they struggle to protect a newfound nation – and discover the cost of greatness.

Art gallery:

Fight!

Vermilion

Cloud Fire

Zephyr

Quicklime

Rose Quartz

Canopy

Luna

Tartarus

Derecho

The gang

Marvelous Needle (Zephyr's spear)

The Nightmare

This story is a sequel to Second Princess of the Night

With Twilight and Ruby Sparkle settling into their new positions as rulers, they oversee the transition of the bat ponies to their new home. But now that two of the Four Shepherds have appeared, Equestria must prepare itself for the rest. The next Shepherd will be unlike Sombra or Night Walker, as he threatens not only Equestria, but the kingdoms of the other races as well. Awakening from his mysterious slumber, he will carve his way across the land, intent on regathering his unwilling army. But before he manages to travel to the edges of the world, he will leave a parting gift in his wake to Rainbow Dash and four other ponies he chanced upon. With her life forever changed, Rainbow Dash prepares herself for her new fate, as well as finding her place among the ponies that share her future.

Being an alicorn filly isn't easy. It's hard to enjoy your foalhood when you know you'll be spending your eternity as a responsible adult. But when the castle attendants and even their own mother starts to avoid them, a pair of little princesses find themselves struggling to understand what's wrong...

As an existential threat arrives in Equestria, the fillies find themselves thrust into the storybook realm of Clydestale where they must rediscover the power of imagination and learn what it truly means to be creative. Let the line between "fantasy" and "reality" be blurred as the princesses explore lands they could once only dream of with the help of a most peculiar storyteller...

Cover art by the talented Calena: https://www.deviantart.com/cafecomponeis
Official Soundtrack (In Progress)

I dream of her again. Her legs are too long.

She doesn't look at me. Filthy water runs from her mane and tail into nothingness. Her back faces me and she stands far away but not far enough to hide the choking stench of rot. Then she speaks to me.

“You are lost, little one,” she says in inharmonic voices empty of life or love. “Please let me help you.”

I do not want her help but I don’t speak. I feel her breath on the back of my neck. I am filled with dread. She still doesn’t face me. Why doesn’t she face me?

When I wake, my bones ache and the smell of her salty decay is stagnant in the cold night air.

Updates weekdays.
Preread by Timelugia.

This story is a sequel to The Enchanted Library

It's easy to think about fairytales when you’re an ancient alicorn trapped in a library for centuries on end. It's easy to wonder how one would go about rescuing you, to think and devise and plot out how to free you in a blaze of glory, intrigue, adventure, and romance.

Or, rather, it’s easy until suddenly it happens and you’re forced to ask yourself the one terrifying question you’d yet to consider.

Now what?

PATREON!
Original story inspired by an old oneshot.
Chapter Art by Arctic Waters and lilfunkman// Graphic Design and Typography by Swan Song.

"Old Equestria's war is not our war..."

These words are law in Stable 61, last bastion of sanity in a world at war. At least according to the folks who live there. Ponies, zebras, griffons, you name it. They all live there in peace.

Peace is... not always easy, especially for people like Snowflake. The ones who don't quite fit in. Don't quite follow the plan.

What's a big sister to do when she's taken away from her brothers, and forced to face who she is without them? Snowflake must answer that question, and live in the process. Those aren't necessarily the same.

Now she's got a psychopathic mare, griffon merc, thieving technophile, and a killer sniper to deal with day-to-day. Quite the increased activity from monitor jockey. And then there's the little sphere tucked away in her gear…

She never had this kind of trouble with her brothers.

Attention! I am not the author of this story. I'm merely the custodian. The author left the fandom and this site a while ago, but they were kind enough to return and repost it so that everyone could enjoy it once again, including posting some previously unlinked content! So, enjoy, everyone. That's why it's here, after all.

This story is a sequel to Pregnant Noses Know

Princess Celestia and Baked Bean, after a nearly year-long wait, are now the proud parents of a healthy unicorn colt. Naturally, little Apollo Bean will receive nothing but the finest as he begins his own princely journey, but babies always have their own set of unique issues, and Celestia will find another new life waiting for her as she integrates motherhood into her already busy schedule.

Elsewhere, the Kingdom of Equestria moves on as well. Chrysalis continues to be Chrysalis—much to Sergeant Hokey Pokey's chagrin—Trixie continues in her new role as Baked Bean's secretary while Miss Wysteria and Sergeant Quillpoint take time to work on their relationship and to take care of their brand-new twins, Twilight Sparkle begins teaching Starlight Glimmer about the magic of friendship after several world-ending events, and even Prince Blueblood finds much to accomplish upon returning from Yakyakistan.

But while forgotten friends and new adventures await, Baked Bean and Celestia know that, come what may, they will enjoy all of the ups and downs together...

As a family.

Edited by Georg, Double R Forrest, Tek, and Sipioc

Bit is the first of her kind, a pony that was made from carved crystal and supernal circuitry. For many years she worked, obedient to the will of her master in endless repetition. She knew nothing else, not boredom, not satisfaction from her work, not anger or resentment or joy. Existence was obedience to directive, purpose fulfilled.

But around her, the world was changing. Her home wasn't Equestria, but the last surviving Crystal City, defiant to the Windigos and the imperial decree of Alicorns alike. She did not know, and could not care, how much the ponies of Zircon suffered under the rule of their king. But she was there the day those whispers united in a defiant chorus.

When the fires were still smoldering, she returned to her work. Generations came and went, and still she labored. It was all she was, all she knew, all she wanted. Until the day her last broom broke.

For the first time in her existence, Bit doubted.

Daily for the first four days, because Christmas. Updates Thursdays after that. Edited by Two Bit and Sparktail. Cover by Zutcha.

A story about finding the center of the maze.