In the silence and comfort of the Royal Canterlot Library, a young Twilight Sparkle considers her future while studying the words and thoughts of Princess Celestia's previous students.

2nd Place Winner of Ciderfest's 2023 Iron Author! The prompts were: Legacy, The Space Between, Journal, and Injury.

Cover art by: RhythmPixel used with permission.

Quizzical Greystone has just come to Ponyville as an assistant in Friendship Research. Such a socially inept filly might not be the best pony for the job. But this just might be the job she needs. If you can't make friends in Ponyville can you make friends anywhere?

Surrounded by the Everfree Forest, filled with delinquents, devoid of morals and any real sources of magic, Ponyville is the worst place to live in all of Equestria. But it also has the cheapest rent and Twilight's life just collapsed to the point where she can't afford to live anywhere else.

Perhaps the only thing Twilight has going for her now is that Rarity, the most powerful pony in town, has taken a liking to her. Rarity is eloquent, but the leader of a gang. She's beautiful and intriguing, but the most irreverent and delinquent pony Twilight has ever met. Rumors swirl around her. Some ponies even say she and her entire gang are all vampires.

But Twilight is smart enough to not give in to temptations. Or join a gang. Or become a vampire.

This story is a sequel to Aegis of the Hive

Natural selection. It is the byword of every changeling queen who has ever lived. The chief resource that has always curbed the hives' growth used to be love. Now though, with Queen Twilight Sparkle's bloodline capable of producing love on their own, the old guard of changeling morality has seen fit to acquire this ability for the next generation before removing all of their future royal daughters' competitors.

Some queens are far closer to this goal than others.

Editor in Chief: A Bitter Pill, and Boldish42

This story is a sequel to Rainbooms and Royalty

Alternate Universe (Dashverse): A continuation of "Rainbooms and Royalty" Ponyville goes to sleep one night only to find in the morning that every foal in town is gone! The ancient evil King Sombra has returned and stolen foals from all over Equestria. But why? What is his true purpose in stealing them? It's up to Rainbow Dash and her friends to rescue the foals and stop this evil once and for all. But it's a long journey and complications arise with the ponies that join them. How can they save Equestria and preserve harmony when there is disharmony among their own ranks?

Twilight Sparkle realizes that Rainbow Dash has been keeping a secret from her ever since the Mare Do Well incident. When she goes to confront her about it, she finds out more than she bargained for. And then Twilight reveals that she's been keeping something from her friends ever since the Royal Wedding. Now everything is out there; harsh words have been spoken and a once strong friendship hangs in the balance.

In the wake of Chrysalis' failed invasion, a different hive breaks tradition and steps into the light to open relations with Equestria. The ever eager scholar, Twilight Sparkle, uses this truce as the perfect opportunity to learn more about this enigmatic race. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, she will learn all there is to know about what it means to be a changeling.

But will Twilight lose herself in the hive, or will she regain what she has lost? Only time will tell.

Featured on 9/24/13

My first featured story! You guys are awesome.

Story readings and cover art by Luminescent Skies: Click here for some audio novel treatment

My Editor in Chief: Cloud Hop

This story is a sequel to Of the Hive

Having fully embraced her new changeling heritage, Twilight Sparkle turns to the past to learn more about her people. A difficult task, given that every other queen cares next to nothing about it.

What she finds will shed unwanted light on a secret better left forgotten.

Editor in Chief: ABitterPill

Coverart: Tulip

Sunny believed the tales. Really believed, in a way that most ponies didn't anymore. About the Elements of Harmony, and about Twilight Sparkle. Back when Equestria had princesses, and was whole, when every creature knew the real power of Friendship. She believed⁠—and she knew that, one day, if she believed hard enough, it could be again.

Elsewhere, distant, Twilight Sparkle watches her would-be student, and frets.

A Russian translation by NovemberDragon is available here. | Русский перевод от NovemberDragon доступен здесь.

A Chinese translation by forgivenlove is available here here. | 这里有forgivenlove的中文翻译。

A reading by ObabScribbler is available here.

Part 1 of Equestrian Scions, which continues with The Dreamer and Me.

A late addition to the "But what happened to Equestria?" story pile.

[04/29/21 - 05/02/21] Featured. That's a first for me. Thank you all so much.

This story is a sequel to To Be a Princess

It’s a wide world out there, and Zipp Storm wants to see it all. Too bad she spends most of her time locked up in a castle. The burdens of royalty and popularity don’t sit well on her shoulders—not like they do on her sister’s, at any rate. Her passions and destiny lie outside the walls of the castle or the streets of Zephyr Heights.

So what if she has to sneak out without getting caught? By this point, she’s pretty good at it.

Flurry Heart has found a kindred spirit.

Part 4 of Equestrian Scions, which began with Your Faithful Disciple; this story is preceded by To Be a Princess, and followed by the conclusion, Shine Like the Sun.

Cover art by Swaybat, used without explicit permission. If the use of the art offends, I will gladly remove it.

09/02 - 9/03 - Despite the controversy in the comments (or perhaps because of it), featured. Thank you, though given the feedback so far I think this is far from my best work.