After the events with the Tantabus, Luna thinks she's got everything under control. However, when Twilight drops in to pay her a visit, she starts to question her own actions.

Scarlet Letters is a lot of things. A Mare. A pegasus. A former member of the guard. And now, a librarian. She's looking forward to the post-war peace and prosperity that's been promised.

Now if only she could get some sleep.

Notes:
- Cover art by Minibot-1, check out their DeviantArt page here.
- This is a story in the Birthdayverse.
- Blood Lord is best pony and best pre-reader.

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....

My version of Lauren Faust ending up in Equestria. I probably got her character all wrong. Hey, I never met her, cut me some slack.

So, Lauren Faust is Queen of Equestria in this story. How will she react? How will everypony else react? And what does Pinkie's chimicherrychangas have to do with all of this? One thing is clear already. For Twilight and her friends it won't be the same.

Added AU tag, 'cause someone mentioned it would be safe. And when I think about it, I don't think we ever get to learn who the princesses parents are.

Just a note, this is set during season two. So the events of "A Canterlot Wedding" haven't happened yet.

Cover Art done by ZuTheSkunk

04.18.2015 Wait what? This story is hot? Wow. Thanks guys.

I got an editor. It's GaleSinger

Crime was easy before Princess Twilight and the First Five ushered in a golden age of Harmony. Back then, any idiot could plan a robbery, just like any rat could sneak through the cracks in wooden granary walls. But now that everything is cloudstone and clearsteel, with magical countermeasures over the few remaining holes, it takes a different breed of rat to survive.

"Slippery" Jimmy the Grey is one of the rare few ponies who can still slip through the cracks — even with the legendary Rainbow Corps on his tail. Now he's got a billion-bit heist planned in the gleaming skyscrapers of Cloudsdale. If only he hadn't made the mistake of stealing from a dragon …

Now with a reading by Illya Leonov and Scribbler!

* * *

This is a crossover with Harry Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat novels, but it assumes no knowledge of the series.

Winner of February's Writeoff Association competition! * Featured by Equestria Daily! * Featured by Seattle's Angels!

REVIEWS: "Highly Recommended" by Titanium Dragon; "Recommended" by Present Perfect; rated "Why Haven't You Read This Yet?" by PaulAsaran

WORD OF MOUTH:
"The Iridescent Iron Rat was not only my favorite story from the most recent writeoff... it's my favorite story of anything I've read in months." —Sharp Spark

"What a ride it is. This story is made of awesome moments." —Casca, Seattle's Angels

"[A]stounding on so many levels. … If there’s one story from this round you have to pick, make it this one." —Corejo, Seattle's Angels

"Absolutely beautifully done. It fits the style and feel of the books to a perfect T." —Themaskedferret

A vengeful demon steals Starswirl the Bearded from his pleasant afterlife and shoves his spirit in a book.

Starswirl is secretly elated by this.

Not so much once he meets the pony he'll be staying with for the indefinite future.

Featured on 13/02/2015

Proofread by the wonderful God Of Physics and CryHavoc21.

Art courtesy of the awesome Lightspeed!

Ten years ago, the Griffon Empire opened a portal to a strange new world and tried to annex it. In the peace settlement that followed they lost control of the province containing the portal. Since then, the Griffonian Democratic Republic had been completely isolated, surrounded on all sides by a hostile empire. Now, for the first time, a visitor had been allowed.

Dear Diary,
Looking back, a scientific, step-by-step plan is completely ineffective for social situations (Note to self: don't do them, ever). Inviting Princess Luna to a Pinkie Pie Hearth's Warming party, with a checklist of steps in your head, was an awful idea. There are too many variables that a checklist cannot prepare for, such as an entrancing outfit. The plan resulted in a spectacular failure of when awkward meets anxious.
For future use, a spreadsheet might be better.
- TS

A super-duper, awesomely-wonderful, amazing podcast review of this fic can be found here by Lapis Lazuli and Inky J! Seriously, they're great. <3
More Awesomeness! Doom Pie has done a super-duper reading for this fic! Thank you so much!

Cover art courtesy of the wonderful lovelyneckbeard, which can be found here.

Just as you arrive home after getting into an interesting fight with your supervisor as to what qualifies as 'good research', you open the door to your house to find the strangest looking creature. She calls herself Twilight Sparkle. She's convinced you're a fictional character from a book series on her world, and that you're her 'favourite character'.

A mainly philosophical and logic-based story where characters explore these topics in a very obvious way.

When Maud Pie officially endorses the latest party game to hit Equestria, Pinkie can't wait to share it with her friends.

For all the wrong reasons, it's a game they won't soon forget.

The trendsetter so controversial, 60% of FimFic's mods ruthlessly crushed the subsequent bandwagon!

Stuff said about CAE:
"I never knew I wanted this until now!" - Xomniac
"Despite your vileness, I can't stop laughing at this fic!" - Professor Tactitus
"Illuminati confirmed." - AlesFlamas
"So weird, I reviewed it twice!" - John Perry

Rated Teen, but brace yourselves for some rather 'near-the-knuckle' humour and strong-ish sexual references. Oh my.

Edited by Kolth