Twilight's ascension to the throne was supposed to be a joyous occasion, but as the months have passed and the shadows of the world grown a little darker, the lessons of her mentors and the weight of her responsibility has done nothing but made her more uncertain about her ability to rule.

Now, on the day of a grand gathering of nations, an attempt on the life of one princess and the abduction of the other brings with it an old foe and the weight of the world. With the fate of empires resting on her shoulders, Twilight must undertake a grand journey into the heart of madness and the untold history of Equestria to save her princesses and the world entire...

But save them from what?

Featured on Equestria Daily 10/12/13
I am humbled once again to be assisted by the brilliant RainbowDri in bring this story to fruition. I couldn't have asked for a more insightful assistant or all-around excellent guy.
Coverart supplied by the extremely talented dreampaw (Power leads to corruption). I can't thank her enough.

Ditzy Doo is the daughter of a prominent family in Canterlot. So why has she shown up at Rainbow Dash's doorstep, years after they last saw each other? Rainbow is willing to go to out of her way to help an old friend, but she may get more than she bargained for: being away from home isn't the only thing Ditzy has to adjust to...

A prequel to the events of both continuities in The Winningverse.

Co-authored by Chengar Qordath.

It has been more than one hundred years since Celestia banished Nightmare Moon. While Equestria has enjoyed a century of relative peace and prosperity, there are still lingering tensions between the three pony tribes.

Shadow Kicker, a proud warrior of Pegasopolis, must navigate the treacherous noble court of Canterlot and address the concerns and wounded pride of her own tribe in a desperate effort to prevent matters from coming to open warfare.

The star system Omega Centauri was just another oddity on a map to scientists in the not too distant future. However when they found the star was orbiting an earth-sized, earth-like planet instead of a black hole as its motion had suggested, a mission was scrambled to investigate this most unusual of celestial behaviors.

Hamstrung by politics, and nearly crippled before it began, the 'Lone Ranger' mission was reduced to just one crew member and left to his own devices.

These are the logs of Arrow 18 and its lone commander. This information is classified TOP SECRET by the Global Space Agency.

Do NOT tell the princess.

In the grim darkness of the far future, there are only ponies! Equestria is assailed by countless foes from without, but only the shadowy Friendquisition can protect it from the enemies within. Can one Inquisipony and his team uncover a plot that threatens to destroy everything they hold dear? Or will sinister forces prevail in an MLP future that has become like the Warhammer 40k universe, the original grimdark franchise?

As seen at Equestria Daily. Note that the most recent version of the story, including edits and new chapters, will be available there first, and changes will eventually trickle over here. Please feel encouraged to leave comments here, there or at this thread on Ponychan. I would very much like to hear from you.

The Princess Protects

Vector by Prince Bluelolz on Ponychan

Apple Bloom is left to handle the majority of the work on Sweet Apple Acres since Applejack and Big Macintosh have to leave to help out on another family farm for a couple of weeks. Granny Smith is helping out wherever she can, but the majority of the labor rests in Apple Bloom's hooves. While she's not the inexperienced filly she was years ago, does the young mare have what it takes to run the Apple family farm in Ponyville while her two older siblings are away, or will the monstrous load of work be too much for her?

NOTE: This work began before season 3 commenced. Certain elements of it, therefore, will clash with some of the developments of season 3 and onward (including things like Princess Twilight, the fate of Apple Bloom's parents, cutie marks, etc). With that in mind, enjoy!

Equestria is barely three years old, and already danger threatens the fragile peace forged between the pony tribes. Monsters stream out of the Forest Ever Free on a daily basis, and now a prophetic dream foretells of even greater chaos that will befall the land.

It's up to Star Swirl the Bearded and his team of manly, heroic, eminently bearded (and strangely familiar!) stallions to brave the dark and murky Forest Ever Free in search of their one hope for salvation. Along the way, they'll learn more about the history of the land they've claimed as their own, not to mention each other. But as their unintended friendships grow, the forest will try its best to drive them apart.

Can they withstand the epic trials before them? Can they save Equestria? Will Star Swirl be known forevermore as the creator of Equestria's first beard-restoring spell? Journey a thousand years into the past and discover Equestria's epicest, beardiest history lesson ever!

Story tagged Dark for increasingly epic violence. Cover art by M. D. Quill! Accepted by The Royal Guard!

Twilight Sparkle has hit a wall in her studies. So when she is tasked by Princess Celestia with joining an expedition on a faraway island, she can't help but see it as a form of punishment. Nevertheless, she packs her bags and heads to Baltimare, one of Equestria's many port cities. It should have been simple: find a ship offering passage and pay them to take her to Haven. She soon learns, though, that ponies are afraid of the unknown waters past Eternity's Crossing. Despite her best efforts, she is unable to find a ship willing to take her there. That is, until she meets Captain Rainbow Dash.

Brash and enigmatic, Rainbow Dash, along with her crew, are the only ones willing to ferry Twilight on the waters of the Forgotten Sea. She expects six months of quiet travel that will allow her to continue her studies. What she gets is an adventure which makes her realize that, when sailing the high seas, the line between right and wrong is never as clear as it seems.

(Featured on EQD as of 4/28/13
A huge thanks to Breath of Plagues and Amacita, who are amazing editors.
Credit is also due to psychicscubadiver and Zeta040 for pre-reading.)

High Style, Photo Finish's aide and famous stylist, was trying to have a normal day, but few things are normal when Cloud Kicker arrives.

This story is written as part of the Winningverse (which is why I don't go in depth into exploring Cloud Kicker's character). If you don't know why Cloud Kicker is the way she is, then go read the Life and Times of a Winning Pony. It is by far a better story than this one.

However, I'd appreciate it if you came back once you were done.

Inspired by the heroics of the mysterious mare known as the Stable Dweller, Silver Storm, a guard of the town of Marefort, decides to go on a daring mission to rescue her captured brother. Of course things rarely go as planned and her attempts at heroism drags her into a tangled web of plots and conspiracies as warring factions vie for control over the last great city: Dise.

Spanish Version translated by Spaniard-Kiwi: https://www.deviantart.com/spaniard-kiwi/art/Fallout-Ecuestria-Heroes-996263393