• Member Since 3rd Aug, 2014

Cosmic Cowboy


I'm a linguist. I like ambiguity more than most people.

Middle Shelf 60 stories
  • Middle Shelf 60 stories - 35 unread chapters Stories that are very, very good. I'm glad I read them.
    Created by Cosmic Cowboy
    - October, 2014
Found 58 stories in 53ms

Total Words: 7,423,312
Estimated Reading: 2 weeks

Bookshelves



  • Read It Later 277 stories


  • Top Shelf 9 stories - 0 unread chapters My absolute favorites of all time. I would pay money to own these in print.


  • Middle Shelf 60 stories - 35 unread chapters Stories that are very, very good. I'm glad I read them.


  • Lower Shelf 76 stories - 99 unread chapters Stories that are a cut above the rest, and definitely worth reading.


  • Quickies to Read Later 117 stories Stories I should be able to pick up and read when I'm bored and I have five minutes.


  • Involved 4 stories - 25 unread chapters Stories I Edit, Preread, Proofread, or otherwise helped with.


  • Re-Read 12 stories - 17 unread chapters Stories I read before I got all organized and experienced. Will they still hold up?


  • SlamJems! 2 stories Memorable Stories from the OC Slamjam


  • Book Club 10 stories A Bunch of Fics that have been, are, or might one day be required reading for my fanfiction class. Yes, I actually teach one of those.

Community



  • Featured 23196 stories Stories that have been featured on Fimfiction ( Automatically populated! )


  • Interviews 408 stories Stories that have had their author interviewed


  • Reviewed 0 stories Stories that have been reviewed
T

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.

Chapters (43)
T

An English knight married a kindly woman, touched in the head, who thought she was an alicorn. She was right.

Then one day Cecilia disappeared.

He knew that Cecilia vanished into the side of the statue, the same place she lamented the 'mirror closing' two and a half years ago. He threw a rock at it... and it vanished. It was true. He had to find her.

He didn't care about Cecilia's madness, about this 'Equestria' or her obsession with ponies. He loved her. He loved her enough to walk into Hell itself. He would bring her back, no matter what.


TV Tropes page


Non-canon chapters 8-12


Edited by: John Hood, OkemosBrony, Legion222 & Katherine Kerensky (Chapters 1-12)
Guest Editor: refferree

Chapters (20)
T

This story is a sequel to Stardust


Times are changing for Equestria as Twilight’s return brings with it news of people and cultures from beyond the peaceful world everypony knows. Aid and volunteers are freely offered to help the besieged humans of Earth because every Equestrian knows that’s what good friends do. Unfortunately, making friends can also have the unintended consequence of making enemies.

When the monsters besieging the humans strike at Equestria with a level of brutality not seen in over a thousand years, the cry for help is sent to all the kingdoms of the world. Honored allies step forth to fulfill ancient treaties and oaths. Enemies, old and new, bury their grievances. An alliance never before seen in Equestria will be created to combat the monsters from the void.

And because of these events, a grim but welcome sibling to the XCOM project is born.

(XCOM/FiM Crossover)
(Sequel to Stardust, which I recommend reading before starting this. Fortitude Amicitia and Broken aren't required reading but are supplemental to the storyline)
(Gore tag for blood and violence)
(Alternate Universe tag because of the divergence from canon that Stardust has caused)
(Uses elements of Season 4)
(Coverart produced by the amazing Carnelian!)
(Many thanks to Arzoo, BradTheBrony, Vandenbz and Setokaiva for prereading!)
(As of 03/07/2016, the prereading team consists of Arzoo, BradTheBrony, Noble Cause and Metallusionsismagic!)
(Complete with it's own TVTropes page as part of the Stardust continuity. Could use some updating!)
(Character tags will be added as chapters are added!)
(Featured 5/12/2014! Thanks folks!)
(Possible spoilers in the comments! BEWARE!)

Chapters (44)
T
Source

Terra, 2317. For over a century, corruption has been lurking inside the Vault created by System Administrator Celestia. The Nightmare virus that overtook her sister Luna threatens to break free. To that end, she sends her finest student, a prodigy coder named Twilight Sparkle, to take charge on restoring the worldwide Grid.

Unfortunately for Twilight, that means doing the one thing she absolutely despises: making friends. But when the fate of Terra rests on her shoulders, she'll have to put aside her feelings and focus on bringing together a team of unlikely heroes to save the Grid and billions of innocent lives.

Cover art credit belongs to AnthemHearts on deviantArt.

Chapters (9)
T

This story is a sequel to The Celestia Code


When the monsters created by the dark crystal engine escape their prison, it's up to Princess Twilight Sparkle to deal with them. She gets help and advice from Princess Luna, but things don't go as planned. In fact, when a pony who relies on logic and rationality tries to navigate the stormy seas of emotional entanglement while simultaneously saving Equestria from a horde of evil creatures intent on destroying everything they encounter, nothing goes as planned.
AUDIOBOOK by VisualPony
WARNING: Major spoilers in the comments.

Book 2 of the Alicorn Adventure series.

Goodreads Page
100% Approved by Twilight's Library!

The Badass Twilight tag applies more than ever, but please note the new tags.

This story is a fairly direct continuation of The Celestia Code. You might be able to follow it without having read The Celestia Code first, but it's better if you do.

The sequel is here: The Twilight Enigma

Most excellent pre-reading/editing done by the erudite AcademicPony and the dapper statoose!

Chapters (22)
T

UPDATE: 8,000 unique views! Wow! I'm incredibly flattered!

TVTropes Page

Plowpony's Day- a day of peaceful rest and relaxation. Or it was, until Twilight Sparkle badly mangled a teleportation spell. It has left her with a bad case of Horn Rot, a disease that if untreated could prove fatal. What's more, the malady is advancing faster than the slow-brewing potion that cures it!

There is one swifter cure: the Beneviolet, a star-shaped flower that grows in the distant Archback Mountains, far beyond the western borders of Equestria. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity choose to undertake the long journey for the sake of their friend. Their path will wind through floes of ice, across gold-tinted plains, into distant forests glimmering with magic. They will learn much about the world beyond their homeland- and much about themselves, as well.

Yes, it's "Dangerous Business," here on FIMFiction. A huge debt is owed to all those who have supported me over the years. I've edited the story some to remove extraneous bolding and italics, but other than that, it remains unchanged. I hope new readers enjoy it as much as old ones did.

TVTropes Page

Chapters (20)
T

This story is a sequel to Project: Sunflower


After the events of Project: Sunflower, Erin Olsen has returned to Ponyville, happy to pursue her studies in magic. After everything that happened the year before, she's looking forward to spending her days studying and having fun with her friends.

Meanwhile, on the newly discovered world of Harmony, humans and ponies work together to study this strange new world. However, their arrival causes something ancient to begin stirring. Something that may end up changing everything.

Erin will need all of her courage, all of her cleverness and, of course, all of her friends to see herself through what happens next.

Cover art by Valkyrie-Girl
Editing provided by:
Brilliant Point, Coandco, Ekevoo, Ludicrous Lycan, Merlos the Mad and Razalon the Lizardman.

Chapters (22)
E

Pinkie Pie is bringing her big sister Maud around on a tour of Ponyville. While looking around Sweet Apple Acres, Maud loses her pet rock, Boulder. She receives help from Big Macintosh, and the two have a nice, deep conversation.

Thanks to RainbowBob for the idea for this ship.

Now with TWO YouTube Readings! One by Arwhale and one by DRWolf!

Now with a Spanish translation!

Chapters (1)
T

[Featured on EQD 21/4/2014] [Now on TVTropes]

When Luna gifts Twilight the town of Ponyville and its surrounding countryside as her demesne she's initially confused. Then, after double checking her dictionary, more than a little concerned.

All her friends are, legally, her possessions. The town that took her in is her plaything, if she so wishes. She has been given responsibility.

Can Twilight's vision for a modern renaissance outrun the harsh realities of the shadowy figures pulling strings behind the scenes, nobles jockeying for her attention, and an irritatingly metaphorical love triangle?

Special thanks to the insatiable Blue_Paladin42, the incorrigible Maskedferret, the intuitive Southpaw and the indestructible newbiedoodle for all their hard work, past, present and future.

Chapters (10)
T
Source

Twilight still isn't having a very good day. An army of changelings is attacking Canterlot, and the experimental spell that blew up in her face has stuck her in a time loop until she gets everything perfect and saves Equestria.

She's got a plan. She's also got a problem: Suddenly, she's not the only one whose day is repeating. And when you're caught between unstoppable force and immovable object, life has a tendency to get complicated.

* * *

This story is an authorized alternate-universe re-imagining of Eakin's Hard Reset, in which multiple loopers turn the time shenanigans up to 11. (Knowledge of Hard Reset is not required, but based on reader comments, will help in sorting out the early chapters.)

Cliff's Notes versions: RampantArcana has started a GitHub repository to codify the time-loop rules and the early-story timeline. Hawthornbunny has posted a chapter-by-chapter breakdown of all the loops, including the ones we don't see, with a lot of critical analysis. Those links contain spoilers (of currently posted chapters). If you're confused, either one of those fan projects is a great starting point, and story comments have a lot of insightful discussion as well.

Publication schedule: 2014 kicked my plot, but as of November I'm picking up the writing again and hope to have something by the end of the month.

Cover art by Alexstrazsa.

Chapters (17)