The nine mercenaries of Teufort hold several beliefs in common: weapon maintenance is vital, everyone else on the team is crazy, and a good hat is precious. Dell's a little worried about having two strange specimens from that last category just appear, but -- hats are hats, and one of them has already been claimed. Maybe it'll end there.

Maybe the original owners won't show up to take them back.

Maybe said owners aren't small magic-wielding equines.

...well, crap.

(Now with author Patreon and Ko-Fi pages.)

Rated C for Concheror Crackfic.

Prequel to The Witching Hour

1500 years ago, a kirin named Storm Vine was the unofficial leader of the kirins. Along with her husband Tempest Flame and most of the others, she fought to protect Equestria from any dangers that arose as knights of the realm. When she wasn't doing that, she was spending time with her adopted daughter and friends, which included the archmages of the Sun and Moon, her elder brother, and a delightful, if somewhat eccentric, trickster.

But, this is not the story of her daily life or her exploits as a knight. This is the story of how it all ended. How one of their closest friends turned against them. How they fought against and eventually defeated him. And how his fall brought them down with him.

This is the story of how the kirins disappeared from Equestria.

Cover image by Valkyrie-girl

A pony approaches with an unusual request.

Written for the Dialogue Only contest. I’m taking the “no narration” challenge to heart and want the dialogue to do the scene-setting. For those of you who’d like slightly more info to go on:

Princess Twilight Sparkle, Equestria’s sole lawmaker, is holding court. Lyra Heartstrings approaches to ask her to change a very specific edict.

On the last mission to save Equestria, Rainbow Dash was hurt. Not critically and she'll heal, but for now she's grounded. But she also promised that she'd do a Sonic Rainboom at the next Wonderbolts show for Scootaloo's parents, and she is not going to let her girl down.

Solution: get another Rainbow Dash.

There's just two problems.

First, Spitfire knows her team backwards and forwards and she's not fooled.

Second, the human Rainbow Dash doesn't actually know how to do a Rainboom as a pony.

I'm sure this won't cause any problems.

Written as part of the Quills & Sofas 2024 Wonderbolts Contest.

Featured 4/30/2024 - 5/5/2024!

Also appearing on Equestria Daily on 5/3/3024!

With the end of the reign of the Two Sisters, Celestia and Luna decide to raise the sun and moon together in one final solar eclipse. Where it once represented the rebellion of the moon against the sun, it would now represent a display of stellar beauty where the sun and moon rise together in harmony. It would mark the transition to a new time of peace for Equestria, under Princess Twilight.

Too bad they forgot to notify Twilight about this. Or anypony else for that matter.

This will end well.

Huge thanks to Soaring for pre-reading and helping me get off my flank to finish this, and thanks to ThePeer for pre-reading as well!

Written in celebration of the last total solar eclipse to be visible from the US for the next 20 years!

Yes, I know it was a week ago. Yes, it's a skill issue.

Spike the dog approaches Sunset Shimmer with an important question. A question she simply must find the answer to for the sake of Equestria's future.

Part of the MAD verse.

Thanks to Nova Quill/Firimil, and
Steel Resolve for their edits and suggestions!

Wonderfully serene picture by fizzy-dog!

Even for a superfan like Rainbow, there are things you don't learn about the Wonderbolts until you become the newest part of the squad. Like how the view from the back of the formation never really changes, or that the slipstream carries a few unwelcome scents to the rear position. Or laundry. Nopony told her that the new mare was going to be responsible for doing the laundry. And the whole wash/dry process is just boring.

There's got to be a way to make laundry more interesting. Surely she can make an impression on Spitfire if she just... stunts it up.

Rainbow always makes an impression on ponies. And the landscape. A few windows. The occasional building...

(Now with author Patreon and Ko-Fi pages.)

Ultimately, what Anon learned was to never trust Cadance. (Contains gratuitous Scottish accent)
(RGRE)
{This story has two versions, the last chapter is the first person version.}

Recently crowned Princess of Equestria Twilight Sparkle wakes up after a bender, and tries to piece together what happened.

Perhaps she should be Princess of Wine and Questionable Decision Making instead.

---

Cover art by Spoosha. Written for the Bean's Writing Group prompt "Where Am I?"

An audio reading by StraightToThePointStudio can be found here.

Featured from 9-20 to 9/23/2021, peaking at #1. Thanks, everypony!

Rainbow Dash's morning was pretty much ruined.
She tripped getting out of bed and landed flat on her face, giving herself an aching muzzle.
She forgot to buy her favorite brand of hay flakes at the store yesterday and had to eat plain toast for breakfast.
She found out she had to pull double-duty today and tomorrow on the weather patrol.
Oh, and she found a nearly-dead foal, broken and bleeding at the edge of Ponyville.

The rest of her day became a whirlpool of stress and worry but the colt woke up, thank Celestia.
Something's not right, though. Nopony can find his parents, he's not in the registers, and there's an unsettling look in his eye...

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YouTube reading by Fire Hearth

Chinese Translation by forgivenlove

Russian Translation by Likantrop

TV Tropes page, if you're interested in that sort of thing.