Long ago, the founders of Equestria built a magical portal on sacred ground, hiding their greatest secret on the other side. Generations of leaders stepped through the portal so that they might emerge as the equal of their forebears.

Celestia and Luna were the last to enter. For a thousand years, the portal lay forgotten, its purpose lost.

Luna thinks it is time that Twilight learn what it means to rule.

There is now a Spanish translation of this story, courtesy of Spaniard Kiwi

Golden Delicious has always known his friend Starburst as a mare who enjoys pushing herself beyond her limits. For years, she's worked herself to exhaustion on her visits to Sweet Apple Acres, and for years, he's tolerated it with a smile. What used to be incidents that scared him half to death are now a part of his routine: he and Starburst will work, Starburst will faint from exhaustion, he'll carry her back to the farmhouse, he'll tell her the dangers of overexerting herself, and she'll kindly dismiss his advice and just do it all over again. It's a tiring and endless circle, but he's more than happy to go through it again and again, always being there to take care of her when she's "burnt out."

He's just not sure why.
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Featured 7-11-14! Thanks, guys!
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Pre-read by (who else?) Kilala
MLP: FiM © Hasbro/Lauren Faust
Cover Art and the characters Golden Delicious and Starburst © kilala97 of DeviantArt

A new pony has arrived in Ponyville on the day of Summer Sun Celebration. Who is he? He's nice but when the residents of the town learn more about him, even more unanswered questions seem to pop up.
Can anypony figure out this mystery?
Probably when they actually ask the right question.
Are they going to?
No
Will he interfere with events?
We'll see.

This is just an idea I had and wrote by hand (later edited onto a computer) in a matter of a few hours. I have no delusions that this is a perfect story. Just some fun I had when writing out ideas. For the most part it will focus on different ponies crossing paths with him as the series goes on and not directly follow him. This IS technically a Human in Equestria story but by no means is he ordinary, both in body and mind as you will notice in the first chapter. He WILL be unrealistic, so please no comments about him not reacting to the situation like a normal person.
As for the back story of the character, I had originally included it but at second glance, I felt it would be better for both people inside and outside of the story to figure it out.
The amazing artwork was done by Mix-up. You can check out his other artworks on his Deviant Art page.

Against your better judgement, you ended up having three little girls that you have to take care of all by yourself now.

As much trouble as they can be sometimes, you still wouldn't trade them for the world.

Idol Hooves holds a special place in Equestria. He's probably the only exiled changeling to serve in the Royal Guard, or at least, that's what he expects, as exiles don't really broadcast that fact. However, it's well known that Princess Celestia loves all of her little ponies, and her guards perhaps more so, and that makes it one of the best ways for a changeling to discreetly feed.

But how does a changeling even get there, let alone get exiled in the first place? For that matter, why would it ever go to Canterlot? Set a number of years before the series proper, before Luna’s redemption, Idol details how he was exiled, the ponies he’s met, and the series of misadventures that led him to joining the Royal Guard, and should continue a good ways into the series, as something of an alternate perspective.

Soon, he’ll have to deal with a boisterous new princess to serve and a royal wedding in the works bringing a third to power. Will his old instincts bring this new life crashing down around him? What precipitates Chrysalis’s ill-fated assault on Canterlot? Is it really so wrong for a changeling to enjoy good craftsmanship to an obsessive degree?

New cover art provided by the fantastic Carnifex

And a TVTropes page here.

And an Ask Blog of questionable canonity!
Out of Idol Curiosity

Fanart by Norad2! Major thanks! Short For a Royal Guard

Art by Egophiliac of Idol and his Daring Duckie Please don't tell him what that brush is meant for.

Rating updated to (T), it's a bit darker than (E)
Comedy Tag added as well
And changed the character tags a bit.

Fluttershy found a strange creature in the Everfree Forest. It was big... green... and meows?

Just a little crossover idea I had that I had to write up as a small one-shot.

A long, long time ago, there was a knight who set out on a noble quest to save a fair maiden and, if possible, slay the dragon keeping her captive.

Only... things don't always go as planned.

Many thanks to the incredibly talented hattonslayden for letting me use this picture for the cover art. Check out his work some time!

Update: featured? Oh my... I feel all tingly inside...

One day, Twilight Sparkle discovers something amazing about her friend Sunset Shimmer.

She's a magical talking pony!

This requires investigation! Science! Possibly a full-body physical!

Or maybe Twilight will just ask her what's up with that.

Rated Teen for frank discussions about... y'know.

Sunset Shimmer loans Pinkie Pie a thumb drive.

Except that it's the wrong thumb drive. And that it contains exactly what you'd expect to find in the wrong thumb drive to loan away.

Rated Teen and Sex for discussions of pornography and self-love.

This story is a sequel to Sunset Shimmer Lends Pinkie Pie the Wrong Thumb Drive

Sunset Shimmer visits the Castle of Friendship, and inadvertently discovers something that Twilight would normally keep hidden under her bed... except that since this is a pony princess we're talking about, it's obviously nothing remotely resembling normal.

Rated Teen and Sex for discussions of pornography and self-love.