Princess. Alicorn. The pillar of all ponykind, against which so many ponies often judged themselves. Celestia hates having to constantly be these things, and it's past time for a break. Luna will watch over Equestria while her sister is gone, but taking a break from your duties and taking a break from how the world sees you are two very different matters. Enter Prominence, a quiet pony who nopony really pays much mind to. Perhaps because she doesn't exist.

Aided by this disguise, Celestia will find her peace and relaxation in the home of one of the few ponies who know Prominence's true identity: Princess Twilight Sparkle. But when Twilight begins to see Celestia as a pony, and not a princess, can she deal with the feelings that arise? And are the feelings for Celestia, or for a pony she knows is not actually real?

EDIT: I've been featured, July 19th, 2014. I have no words to express how terrified and humbled and terrified and proud and happy and terrified this makes me.

Have you ever seen a pony that just seemed out of place? Perhaps some mannerism, some behaviour that just struck you as odd? Some piece of clothing that didn't seem quite right? perhaps a coat or mane whose colour just seemed flat-out weird. A strange build, a strange voice, or maybe they were perfectly normal, except that you swear you just saw the exact same pony not five seconds ago somewhere completely different?

Of course you have. Everypony has encountered an Outsider at some point. But never up close, it's always at a distance, and they're always gone before you have the chance to challenge them.

But sometimes the rules get broken. Sometimes fate gets distracted for a moment, and a lone unicorn mare gets to see something that she was never meant to see.

Twilight Sparkle's day is about to get very weird.

FAQ and Supplemental Materials (Potential Spoilers for new readers)

Featured! Twice!
...I really don't know what to say!

Special Thanks go to Horizon for initial proof-reading, editing, and signal-boosting, provided as a prize for spotting an Easter egg in his story Hard Reset II. Seriously, it's an awesome, brain-warping story and you should go read it right now.

Thanks also go to my editors for putting up with my atrocious grammar and spelling errors - Ganelon, Ephraim Blue, BronyWhooves, Commonancestry, Princess Autumn Forest, and Morning Sun

Cover art credit goes to EMedina13 and tamalesyatole. I am looking for more appropriate art, so If you think you can do better, let me know.

A sleeping Rarity mysteriously appears in her friends' beds, and nopony knows how or why. Her friends are determined to discover the truth behind Rarity's night-time snuggling spree.

This story is a sequel to First Meeting

Years have passed since Octavia Philharmonica and Vinyl Scratch first met on the platforms of Canterlot Station. In the short time that they spent together, they became the best of friends. Then they separated, both of them returning to their homes, meeting one another with less and less frequency as time went on. Within a few years, they had only memories of each other, impressions of the fillies that they used to be.

And then they met again, in the hallways of the Canterlot Conservatory.

"Learning to trust your instincts is a valuable lesson to learn."

Mere months after the events of "A Canterlot Wedding," the memories of cold shoulders and dismissals remain fresh in Twilight Sparkle's mind, which causes her to question her ability to face the next task that Princess Celestia bestows upon her.

Alone, she must find a way to protect an entire empire. She's afraid and unprepared, but when a mysterious stallion lends a hoof to her success, she soon discovers a friendship that threatens to blossom into something much greater.

(6/9/2016): Made it to the "Featured" page again! You're so awesome, guys!

(( "Of Magic and Masquerades" is the first story in the Crucibles of Harmony series. It is an alternate take on "The Crystal Empire," with some alternate events from Season 3 and minor Twilight/Sombra shipping. ))

A few years have passed since Princess Luna was purged of the evil known as Nightmare Moon by the Elements of Harmony. She took back her rightful place on the throne of Equestria at her sisters side.
On a sunny day, a couple of seemingly mundane events trigger memories long forgotten. Memories of a secret Luna hast kept to herself for far too long. Facing Celestia won't be easy. But she has no choice. It is her duty to care for her subjects, and she has to retake the responsibility she could not fulfill while banished to the moon.

In terms of full disclosure, the story got a review by TheifofZ.

What has happened since her disappearance? What will she find? A joyful reunion or devastation? What happened to her Children of the Night?

Inspired by Children of the Night. Cover art is a screenshot from the video. I do not know if there is an "official" story for the Children of the Night and I do not claim mine to be "canon" in the context of the video. These are just my thoughts on what might have happened back in the days.

This story takes place right before the season 4 finale.

The past always comes back to haunt the present, there is no escaping the inevitable. For decades, Celestia has kept a secret from her student. A secret she made out of pain, and through pain will be revealed for all to see; for Twilight Sparkle is the secret daughter of the Sun.

Now, there will be consequences.

Consequences, they come in all shapes and sizes for every decision. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. These words are lessons that Princess Celestia should know, bits of wisdom she practices in her rule of Equestria. How is it then, that when faced with a decision, she chooses the one that would inevitably bring the most pain? How is it that she couldn’t bear being recognized as the mother of her child? And why? Twilight Sparkle is about to find out.

Disclaimer: (I do not own the picture; Title Picture owned and designed by KitsuneHino; Source: http://mel-rosey.deviantart.com/art/By-my-side-364777307) (I do not own any of the characters, places, events, etc. outlined in this fanfiction, MLP FiM does under Hasbro, give them the credit.)

[Featured on EQD 21/4/2014] [Now on TVTropes]

When Luna gifts Twilight the town of Ponyville and its surrounding countryside as her demesne she's initially confused. Then, after double checking her dictionary, more than a little concerned.

All her friends are, legally, her possessions. The town that took her in is her plaything, if she so wishes. She has been given responsibility.

Can Twilight's vision for a modern renaissance outrun the harsh realities of the shadowy figures pulling strings behind the scenes, nobles jockeying for her attention, and an irritatingly metaphorical love triangle?

Special thanks to the insatiable Blue_Paladin42, the incorrigible Maskedferret, the intuitive Southpaw and the indestructible newbiedoodle for all their hard work, past, present and future.

This story is a sequel to The Fruits of Their Labors

Rarity always believed that she knew exactly who she was, what she wanted, and exactly how she would obtain it. Then she fell for somepony wholly unexpected: Applejack. When unhappy tidings call Rarity to the frozen North to spend the Hearth's Warming holiday with her relatives, Applejack accompanies her into the family fray.

The ponies arrive in Whinnyapolis at a time of endings, and find that relationships can be fragile things, vulnerable to the cold. Rarity will search her past for the key to her future, but the old house at Maple Cove may not hold all the answers she needs. Perhaps, though, two ponies will learn that there really is no place like home for the holidays.

Cover art provided by the lovely, talented, one-and-only WhiteDiamonds.

Thunderlane had never thought he would meet a mare who would turn everything he knew on love and relationships upside down. He always figured that if he ever found a mare worth dating, she would be a close friend of his who he could talk to easily.

That was before a simple mix-up introduced him to Derpy.

Now on a date with the wall-eyed pegasus, he finds out that sometimes a pony needs another to sleep peacefully.