Hanging out at Sugarcube café, Rarity confronts Applejack about what happened during the Friendship games.

How can this be true? When the sun was later in rising than it should have been, Princess Luna became concerned for her older sister. No pony had seen her since Princess Cadance and Shining Armor's reception had ended late the night before. However when Luna went to urge the moon down hoping to nudge Celestia into completing the cycle, her magic brushed against an aura she had hoped and prayed to never glimpse again.

Had her inability to protect the ponies she cares so deeply for, driven Princess Celestia to do... The unthinkable?

For years, Twilight Sparkle and Queen Chrysalis have been at each other's throats. Both have experienced victory over the other, and both have experienced defeat. Out of all the creatures in Equestria, none despise each other the way the pony Princess and changeling Queen do. They seemed destined to remain locked in battle forever, or at least until one is finally dead at the hooves of the other. The cruel insults, the vicious loathing, and the powerful spells that have passed back and forth between them at each meeting have become the stuff of legend.

Imagine Twilight's surprise when she finds out changelings consider this dating.

And now they're married.

***

Sequel: Pony Courtship Rituals

***

Some beautiful fanart of the end of chapter three was done by Dmann892; you can see it here.

More awesome fanart, this time from chapter one.

Now with a TvTropes page (obligatory TvTropes warning goes here).

If you want a Russian translation, you can find it here.

There is now a reading of the story on Youtube, which starts here.

Hearts and Hooves Day was a whirlwind, especially for Cheerilee and Big Macintosh. They remained friends in wake of the fiasco that almost ended in hasty marriage, and Cheerilee never gave their friendship any further thought. They were just friends, nothing more.

However, when she learns of Big Mac and Marble Pie's fling over the Hearth's Warming holiday, Cheerilee begins to dwell upon her friendship with Big Mac. Could there have been something more to their relationship that she hadn't realized before?

After all, hindsight is 20/20.

Edited by Lord-Commander and Kestrel

Pre-reading by FamousLastWords

Cover art made by the talented Coffee Munch

Takes place in the same universe as Learning Curve. Familiarity with that story is not required, but I do recommend it!

Reviews!
Seattle's Angels
PaulAsaran
PCaRG

Once upon a time, everypony spoke the same language.

Then came Discord, and everything changed. Was it a malicious prank? Boredom? An attempt to teach everypony a lesson? We can't ask him, because he's gone, and who knows when he'll be back.

If language is the glue that holds society together, what happens when it turns to sand?

Winner of the October Writeoff competition, "Illusion of Choice."

Rainbow discovers that she has a pest problem in her house. The pest turns out to be both cuter and more annoying than she expected.

A winner of the 2015 Bat Pony writing contest.

Russian translation by KoylanGOLD
Also read: The Most Annoying House Guest

What joy, I've a treat for you:
A lovely warm dinner of Scootaloo stew.

It’s sweet and delicious,
I'm so sinfully kind.
I left in the hooves,
I hope you don’t mind.

With huge thanks to Bad Horse for pre-reading!

First contact. Not just with a new world, but with a world in a whole new universe. Initial negotiations go well, so Princess Celestia makes a visit to this 'Earth' to cement peaceful relations. Unfortunately, even when you are as experienced as the goddess of the sun, it's the little things that can trip you up.

Preread and edited by Noe Carrier. SPOILERS IN COMMENTS!
Russian translation: Все это скоро закончится, принцесса by Smikey

Celestia makes sure to surround herself with the most competent staff
in all of Equestria, but when they go too far in her service, she takes
things into her own hooves.

Fluttershy's Nightmare Night scare from last year is on all the girls' minds again. So when the yellow Pegasus invites them all to stop by her cottage for another frightful Nightmare Night, they all jump at the chance. And boy, does Fluttershy deliver. First, she lets out a terrified scream as she runs out of her cottage, then a creature of darkness sucks her back in, and now she's talking in a voice not entirely her own.
But it's just a fun fright for Nightmare Night. Right?
'Horror' tagged because it's Nightmare Night, after all, and 'Teen' because it might be a bit scary (?)

Written for EQD Writer's Training Grounds "Scare Master".