What if pony princesses were actually highly social carnivores?

What if a National Geographic team began following them around to film a documentary?

What if nopony saw anything unusual about this?

A metaphor about growing up. Or possibly a metaphor about living in a surveillance society. Or maybe just a very, very weird idea that needed to become a story.

All of Equestria is united in celebration for the return of their beloved Princess Nightmare Moon. But when Celestia and everypony else recieve her she's skeletally starved, filthy, and very nearly dead. Meanwhile, while everypony's eye is turned, a lusty Blueblood pursues Twilight Sparkle, intent on adding her bloodline to his own so his family might step closer to godhood. (Alternate Universe, there never was a Princess Luna)

Twilight is asked to choose which branch of the Equestrian forces she would like her guards to come from. In response, she invites one representative from each of the three branches to stay in Ponyville so she and the Elements can choose her and Ponyville's protectors with the proper amount of knowledge. Nocturnal is picked by Luna as the representative for her forces. He does his best to meet Luna's expectations, educate ponies about what it means to be a bat pony, and stay out of trouble during his brief stay.

4th Place winner of Equestria Daily's Bat Pony Write Off event.

A flip of a coin. A twist of fate.

Twilight Sparkle, younger sister of Princess Celestia's personal student, Shining Armor, grew up listening to her brother's bygone dreams of joining the elite of the elite: The Royal Guard.

Now, fresh out of the Academy, this young mare is ready to prove herself equal to the deeds of the great soldiers she read about as a filly. Too bad the princess she ends up protecting isn't Celestia.

When a Necromancer is hurled into the place between places then escapes to another world at the cost of his life it is not the end. Being a Necromancer he returns to life with ease, but is skirting the edges of consciousness, and unable to truly wake as a mysterious figure uses magic to put him on the back of a horse to carry him away into the night.

To make matters worse the phylactery he used to save his own life recreated him as a member of the dominant race with... some errors. His injuries are still present and he's now in a much smaller body with his magic drained to nothingness.

So now he's horribly injured, held captive by an unknown force, in an unfamiliar body, in an unfamiliar world and completely exhausted. He's had worse days. He just can't think of any off the top of his head. So familiar territory then, nothing to worry about.

(Thank you again Tulip for the amazing piece of artwork.)

On Hiatus due to Life. Sorry.

After an experiment gone wrong, Twilight finds herself stuck in a body that's not hers, in a place she never wanted to be. Now she's in a race against time as Queen Chrysalis sets another one of her terrible schemes in motion, and the stakes couldn't be higher.

Editor: PiquoPie

Coverart commissioned from Evangel-Rising

After a busy day celebrating princess Mi Amore Cadenza's birthday, Shining Armor and his wife take time to wind down, relax, and talk. The topic of their conversation soon moves in an unexpected direction, and the couple finds that their marriage still has surprises in store for them both.

Cover image by naroclie. Used with permission.

This story is a sequel to Culling of the Hives

It's been twelve years since Twilight awakened as a changeling. With Phoenix Roost's focus on economic and population growth, the hive has grown strong.

The rest of the changeling hives have been ravaged by war for years with Twilight's brood remaining aloof. Sphinx psyker immigrants have dispersed throughout not only Equestria but as far as the Griffin and Minotaur nations, eager for a new life away from the paranoia of their homeland.

Yet for all of Twilight's desire for leave the rest of the queens to their wars, the Home Guard's proclamation will force Twilight to return to the jungle of her rebirth.

Real cover art pending.

As always, big thanks to Boldish42 and A Bitter Pill for editing.

Twilight tries on her first pair of glasses, and though she enjoys them, something goes wrong. Anypony who merely looks at her faints on the spot, and she must figure out why before the entire city of Canterlot is compromised.

Cover art made by the talented and super cool MalWinters!

Now with a YouTube reading by Short Stories, and another YouTube reading by ZeusMacD

A normal day was all it took.
A simple failed prototype, a missed experiment.
There was an explosion, and I woke up. I don't really know what happened between those two events, but I'm fairly certain I shouldn't have awoken in a small, dark box.

I'm scared.

Cover art by the amazing Avatar of Madness!