It was a surprise that Dash offered a kiss as a prize at the charity auction. It was a surprise that the colts were as "enthusiastic" as they were. It was a surprise that Dash didn't leap on the colts and beat them for their comments.

But, the biggest surprise of all was which one of her friends bid on her kiss... and why.

When Equestria accidentally opened a portal to another world, they discovered a new species: humans. Their arrival changed the world. For the Equestrian Ponies, it heralded a great cultural and technological jump needed from their stagnating way of life. For the Gryphons, however, they represented something baser: an opportunity to increase food stock and finally have a 'friendlier' predator species to ally themselves with.

For Gilda, one of the the humans was Ancestor-sent, a soul she would protect for bringing much joy to her life. And when a chain of events force her to accompany her human to Equestria, she recalls the circumstances of their meeting, the trials they pass through, the friendship forged through fire, and love born out of understanding under the harsh skies of the Kingdom.

This is her story.

"You are mine!"

~ Grizelda Behertz

Story set in The Gentlemanverse.

The Equestrian Critics Society gave this story the initial score of 8.5/10. (Full Review)

A one-shot story of the history of the Gryphon Kingdom can be found here.

OtterMatt's WRITE Review. Score:

Added to Canterlot's Finest

Everypony knows that Pinkie loves to befriend all the ponies in Ponyville. She just loves to make them smile, and be friendly as could be. What happens, though, when a new pegasus comes to town and Pinkie's best efforts go awry due to a simple misunderstanding? Can she recover this potential friendship? What lengths will she go to in order to make up for her mistakes and try to make the new mare smile?

"They take da' pain out, make it somethin' good, somethin' good. Wear yer' blues well, colt, you gonna earn every drop of em'. Yer' gonna be tangled up in blues," the old stallion told Blues, presenting him with the saxophone.

Blues himself tells us of his life after that day and as he explores what it means to be "painted blue"; to hope, to fear, to love, to lose. He tells us as he learns what really makes a stallion a stallion, what it's like to leave something you love behind, and what risks one must face in life or risk becoming nothing at all.

All of this, Blues tells us, takes place against the background of critical moments in his life and as he travels the scope of Equestria from Manehattan to Ponyville and Appleoosa. All the while the songs he learns from his pain mingle with the one his mentor, Moody Blues, revealed within him...something unbelievable the old pony did to bring it forth.

Octavia has hit rock bottom. After the Gala and being forced to play that song, she was cast out by high society. Now she must gather the shreds of her pride, only to have to swallow them to work under the only pony that seems willing to hire her. Now it's time for her to make a name for herself all over again, and she's determined to make it no matter what, even if she has to start over from Scratch.

Cup Cake knows what the pegasus mare is doing. She can see the way the filly is swaying her flawless body around Sugar Cube Corner. She can hear the flirty tones in the perfect voice as the mare sings her siren song to Carrot...

Drakkar, a pony from the Frozen North, is sent to Equestria to update the maps they have in Scandineighvia. Once he arrives to Ponyville, though, he finds out that there's a descendant of one of his townfolks living there.

Or: How to Fry Your Career in Eight Easy Steps
(Featured on Equestria Daily 1/8/13)

I'm Amber Spice, and I was Royal Chef to his royal highness Lanthanum, King of Unicornia. Was.

Now I've somehow gotten myself banished from the land, perhaps forever. Now how did I manage that, you may ask? Let's look back and see. I can't exactly sleep, so this isn't a bad way to spend my last night here.

Turns out a little bit of soul-crushing boredom, a tenacious and chaotically creative mind, and a tangent to launch off of form a dangerous recipe together.

And the result tastes like heresy.

Praise for Tastes Like Heresy:

"...very well-written. It's clever, silly, and perhaps even a bit anarchic." — Ottermatt of WRITE
"It is all very well thought out, yet feels organic instead of rigidly planned..." — Soge
"This is how original characters should be done." — Shahrazad of The Equestrian Critics Society
"Shut up and take my bits!" — SIGAWESOME

Now has its own Tropes Page.

Every story has a beginning, middle, and end. But mine, the story of my life, is far from interesting. My hobbies, my work, my cutie mark, all are dull. Flowers and poems ruled my life, until I fell in love.

My name is Roseluck, and this is the only story I have worth telling.

After the most important night of her career is ruined and its saboteurs not even so much as punished, Octavia's life changes. She begins to pursue a path that has never been seen before in Canterlot, where concertos and rhapsodies give way to controversy and rebellion.

A path where symphonies are composed with cans of spray paint.

Cover art used with permission by LuGiAdriel14