Every Friday, from five in the afternoon to eleven at night, Pinkie Pie does volunteer work. She doesn't have to do it, the world won't stop if she doesn't, but she chooses to do it anyway. Even if it's doing seemingly insignificant little things.

It is a matter of life and death, after all. Literally.

In a world of snakes and ladders, Rarity has had to learn a single, simple fact:

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single mare who desires recognition and success must, without a doubt, be a social-climbing bitch.

Edited version of my entry to Everfree Northwest's Iron Author competition. Special thanks to Swan Song for the encouragement, support, and for believing in this story strongly enough to throw money at it when I was ready to give up on it.

Amazing cover art by the fantastic lilfunkman

Anonymous leaves Ponyville to pursue a quiet office job in Manehattan. While he finds the possibility of new love in his future, he finds that his past from Ponyville isn't willing to give him up so easily. Some mares just don't know when to stop.

Who will Anon choose? His past life, Fluttershy? The mysterious Autumn? Or, perhaps the troubled Mulberry?

Your life in Equestria sucks and you really just want to kill yourself.

Written for Aragon's Comedy (Is Serious Business) contest

Ponies are only scary until they are snuggled.

A baby dragon learns this first-handly.

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.

Time moves on. Things change. In the midst of sorrow, Twilight learns one last friendship lesson, taught to her by the children of her best friends.

MLP Belongs to Hasbro and the cover art belongs to its creator (Not me, found it on google images because I couldn't find the original creator). Finally found the link to the actual picture thanks to a reader: https://derpibooru.org/288396

Now with Prequel: How to Date a Princess

A humble, down-to-Equestrian man lives a reasonable dream running an American-style breakfast joint serving his friends and colleagues the best vittles he can offer. One day he finds himself with a sick yet stubborn nurse in his meaty paws. Can he convince her to take the day off and rest?
And maybe, just maybe, he'll give the nurse the care she so often gives to others. There may be more to their relationship than he could ever have guessed.

[WARNING: This is a second-person Anonymous in Equestria story. If you dislike second-person perspective or the concept of AiE, then please save your time and look elsewhere. Otherwise, I invite you to read on, and hope you enjoy my little work!]

Everyone has something in their lives they wish they could change. But given the opportunity to actually change it...

Would you?

Come with me now and follow one pony who did exactly that... and the consequences that followed.

Cover art by Dawn Dreamer from Lunar Echoes

If you were to ask him, how he ended up in Equestria, he would answer that he didn’t know, nor care, not any more. You see, for Masao, all he cared about was serving his goddess, his princess. However, if you were to ask him how he came to be her ever loyal servant, her ever valiant and honorable Knight in shining armor, he would laugh and send you on your way. For our purposes however, we will explore the entirety of his life, from a little before the time he met his princess, to now. So pull up a chair, sit back and enjoy the story of the Lunar Knight, the only everlasting Knight of Equestria, the only good soul that practices black magicks with the approval of the crown, Ser Masao Darkheart…

Warnings: Character Death; Subtle references to human on pony action, some explicit mentions, but no scenes; Human in equestria;