When news of pony disappearances reaches Canterlot, Princess Celestia implores the girls to travel to the neighboring country of Saddellia, a kingdom of earth ponies ruled by a brutish king. Eagerly accepting this mission, they make the journey and, along the way, meet and save the crown prince of Saddellia, Prince Linden.

Things become difficult when the young heir becomes smitten with Rainbow Dash and royal trickery traps the two in a marriage betrothal. As the pegasus struggles with her growing feelings for Linden, she and her friends quickly learn that there are dark secrets being kept in Saddellia and they all must tread carefully if they are ever to go home again.

At Celestia's behest, Twilight Sparkle arrives in Ponyville to prepare for the Summer Sun Celebration, and potentially the return of Nightmare Moon.

Her preparations will be anything but easy. The stallions in charge of the festivities all seem to have taken a "romantic" interest in her, and every one of them is terrible at flirting. Really terrible. Really.

T for innuendo/creepy behavior. Thanks to Sereg for prereading and to Midnight Rambler for helping with the first draft song sequence. Thanks to Posey, Jetto, Blank!, and Kuroi Tsubasa Tenshi for editing (Plus three other anons who didn't give me their fimfic names). Especial thanks to whatmustido and ocalhoun for nitpicking the hell out of this mess.

All-mare version
All-stallion version
Stallion Twilight/mare main five version
The password for the FIMfic versions is: TUSH
(Every version is essentially identical, save character gender. Comments are enabled on the Gdocs if you notice any typos )

The Great and Powerful Trixe, found dead by Sugarcube Corner. The murder is horrific and the murderer? Gone without a trace. With her family in danger and her neighbors afraid for thier lives, sixteen year old Pumpkin Cake must rise to the challange. With the help of an intelligent and very rude detective, she's determined to uncover the truth and prove her family's innocence. But, things aren't always what they seem...

On the Pie family farm, there are only rocks. It's a life Pinkie moved away from. Back home, after a tragic event, her sister Inkie wonders if she should do the same. After all: it's hard to have a life worth living, with only rocks.

Written for the EQD Prereader Battle of June 2013

Edited by Vimbert.

Cover image edited by knighty.

"And so you rise to this challenge expecting that revolution will be simple?" Obsidian snarled, his incredulity clear in his voice. "I suppose it would be, had you not spent your entire life fighting for the wrong side. The Elements of Harmony, my ponies, are not peacekeepers—you are war-enders, and you're going up against another set of the same. And I feel there's no better time than now to welcome you into history's latest horrendous repetition."

For so long I've been living life like a marionette on its last string. Only one thing kept me from falling into emptiness. That one thing that kept me going. It gave me a reason to pretend that life still mattered.

Only one pony in the world ever showed me a speck of kindness when I never deserved it. And now she's gone.

I'm falling, and the only thing that scares me is what I'll find when I hit the ground.

(Comments contain spoilers.)

A big thank you to PresentPerfect for his tireless help in editing this fic.

Twilight casts a new spell labeled as a "pick-me-up" that, among other things, gives her the ability to smell color and causes her to lose all meaning of the words "personal space."

At the reading of his mother's last will and testament, Joseph Taylor is left a strange package. His only instruction being to protect the contents inside. Said items turn out to be nothing more than an old, empty journal, and an odd looking pen. What could be so important about such simple objects? But, Joseph will soon be given a rude reminder of the old saying, "Looks, can be deceiving..."

Edited by: SilentBelle

In an effort to keep her mind occupied, Twilight Sparkle decides to delve once again into the grand mysteries of Pinkie Pie. This time, Twilight's focus is on her claims of growing up on a rock farm: like so many things related to Pinkie Pie, the idea that somepony could grow rocks as an agricultural product makes absolutely no sense. However, the investigation eventually leads Twilight to a rather... surprising discovery.

This is the first story in The Petriculture Cycle.

Artwork by Page Turner. Now with a TV Tropes page.

Whilst enjoying the company of Twilight Sparkle and her friends in the doughnut shop immediately following the events of The Best Night Ever a disappointed Princess Celestia send a letter off to Prince Blueblood explaining the implications of his failure of the "Rarity Test", among other things...