The few.

The proud.

The only ones who were available at the time.

When the royal budget is blown, Luna needs to show that the disasters that have so drained Equestria's resources aren't going to continue. Reforming the Lunar Guard on a tight purse means that she doesn't necessarily get the ponies that she would have chosen, but how bad could it possibly be?

They're reckless, dangerous, they weren't even supposed to be here today, and they might well be Equestria's last hope.

(Featured and flattered!)

30 years after Twilight's ascension she has taken a student. On this day she decided to tell her student about the story of Nightmare Moon. Twilight expected Shooting Star to just accept everything she was told. She didn't. Now Twilight is making the ultimate decision. She's going to tell Shooting Star the real story of Nightmare Moon.

Love to my editors Selbi and Don't Look at My Name Bro!!!

Pinocchio wasn't the only wooden puppet to become a real person.

There are other puppets out there, animal-like beings controlled by quasi-intelligent trees. Ponies call them timberwolves and know them as nothing but beasts. But what happens if one of those beasts were to gain the intelligence and ambition of one of the most successful hunters in the universe, a human?

This story loosely shares continuity from Split Second: An Eternity Divided. Reading that is not required at all.

Has a Tv Tropes page.
Featured on EQD: 10/2/2015

This story is a sequel to The Moon, The Flower, And The Door

Effective Immediately, This Story Has Been Cancelled.

"Anyone Can Be A Wizard..."

Morning Glory has succeeded in passing Princess Luna's test, and is now her personal protege... and soon to be her foster daughter. All seems to be sunshine, lollipops, and fluffy puppies forever... until Luna makes a discovery regarding the young filly's parentage, one that could wound the young filly's heart terribly. Keeping this information a secret seems wisest, especially given the connection the young filly has with Celestia's new student, but it soon becomes clear that this is just the tip of the iceberg, as the filly begins exhibiting strange and seemingly inexplicable talents. The young filly seems intent upon becoming a wizard, in spite of being an earth pony. Is such a thing possible, and is Equestria ready for it? And if so, what kind of a wizard would she be?

One thing soon becomes clear: No matter what the outcome turns out to be, something big is about to happen in Equestria, and when it's all over, nothing may ever be the same....

Twilight Sparkle has too much magic, and it will take her decades to learn to control it. Her spectacular loss of control during her entrance exam only proves that fact. She is a danger to herself and others.

After Sunset Shimmer’s disappearance, Princess Celestia needs a new student to bear The Element of Magic to defeat Nightmare Moon. With all of Equestria at stake, Twilight Sparkle…is not the pony she needs.

Princess Celestia seals Twilight Sparkle’s magic with the distant promise of one day teaching her.

But there are two diarchs of Equestria. Amidst a lucid dream, an offer is made.

“Hello, Twilight. Would you like to be my student?”

Cover art provided by Lafiir.

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.

Have you ever seen a pony that just seemed out of place? Perhaps some mannerism, some behaviour that just struck you as odd? Some piece of clothing that didn't seem quite right? perhaps a coat or mane whose colour just seemed flat-out weird. A strange build, a strange voice, or maybe they were perfectly normal, except that you swear you just saw the exact same pony not five seconds ago somewhere completely different?

Of course you have. Everypony has encountered an Outsider at some point. But never up close, it's always at a distance, and they're always gone before you have the chance to challenge them.

But sometimes the rules get broken. Sometimes fate gets distracted for a moment, and a lone unicorn mare gets to see something that she was never meant to see.

Twilight Sparkle's day is about to get very weird.

FAQ and Supplemental Materials (Potential Spoilers for new readers)

Featured! Twice!
...I really don't know what to say!

Special Thanks go to Horizon for initial proof-reading, editing, and signal-boosting, provided as a prize for spotting an Easter egg in his story Hard Reset II. Seriously, it's an awesome, brain-warping story and you should go read it right now.

Thanks also go to my editors for putting up with my atrocious grammar and spelling errors - Ganelon, Ephraim Blue, BronyWhooves, Commonancestry, Princess Autumn Forest, and Morning Sun

Cover art credit goes to EMedina13 and tamalesyatole. I am looking for more appropriate art, so If you think you can do better, let me know.

After discovering some more of Star Swirl’s unfinished spells, Twilight's curiosity causes her to cast one, in spite of Spike's warnings. To her surprise, the spell doesn’t seem to do anything. Frightened that perhaps she repeated her previous mistake from Magical Mystery Cure, she rushes to Ponyville only to find everything is as it should be. After this, she agrees not to try to fix any more spells and goes to sleep...

Only to wake up in the past.

Using this opportunity, she begins to correct past mistakes. There are some setbacks, but overall Twilight believes she is making the world better.

Yet as she seeks to fix the problems of her past, she will find that sometimes past mistakes are exactly what our future needs.

For those wondering about continuity with events in the show, chronologically, I'd say the events take place just before the episode Filli Vanilli. The basic outline of this story was actually planned out before season 4 began and much of it was written before the end of season 4.

This fiction was featured on Dec. 9, 2014 - Now that's a great Hearth's Warming present. Thanks guys.

If you want to know more about the writing process for this story, you can check out my blog post More About "More About Time" for, well, more about this story.

Magic is a common sight in Equestria and for some it's a way of life. At the darkest depths, an ancient secret of this arcane art lies hidden away from the world. Few possess the rare ability to summon this mysterious power and even fewer are able to control it. A lone mare will discover her great and powerful ability to break the boundaries of her magic and learn the secrets of true magic under the guidance of a strange unicorn who is keeping more than a few secrets. What wonders and dangers lie beyond the veil of the ageless magic steeped in mystique and darkness?
***
Constructive criticism, thoughts, or any help would be greatly appreciated!
Edited by my good friend, Shumiry

Unsettling dreams are starting to worry Princess Luna. She is positive these dreams hold an ominous portent for all of Equestria, but there is only one stallion who knows for certain the answers she seeks. King Sombra has been imprisoned again in Shadow since his defeat and the shattering of his body, but he is no less cunning and ruthless. And as Luna tries to interrogate him over time, she finds there is a softer side to the unicorn king, one nopony has seen before. But Celestia fears for her younger sister, warning Luna against Sombra's advances. Is the once-tyrant truly starting to court Princess Luna...or is she simply being used as a pawn in his plans to regain power?
~~~
Cover art by the amazing MickeyMonster, who has permitted me use of it for this fanfiction, as this image inspired me to write this story in the first place.
Edited and proofread by my girls TheOneBehindYou and LabyrinthineMind.

8tracks playlist: https://8tracks.com/yoru-the-rogue/lingering-shadows