I've spent the majority of my life tilling the desolate land in which I live. Every day, I wake up to move useless rocks from one location to another. This is an archaic line of work that my family has clung to for generations. It is a dull, grey existence.

Today, I have woken up in a strange room, lying in a bed that isn't mine. I'm surrounded by five mares whom I've never seen in my life. They claim to be my friends, and expect me to bring joy to the hearts of everypony.

Joy? I don't think I've ever experienced this for myself, so how am I supposed to thrust it upon others?

My name is Pinkamena Diane Pie, and I'm not sure what to make of this situation.

A place where ponies can go to have their fantasies brought to life. A young colt finds himself asked by invitation only, as all the clients are. He's not sure if he belongs, and as he discovers more about the strange boutique and how it works, he becomes less and less sure about his patronage - and more and more bewildered by the idea of 'fantasy' and what it means to want something that might never be real.

A story for the friend off, based on Obsidian Solitaire's "The Cutest Thing..."

My first attempted at 'real' writing... apologies to everyone looking for the usual stuff. Will return to regularly scheduled content soon.

There really is no excuse for forgetting something as important as a hoof-written law. But Celestia forgot. And now, a thousand years after she wrote it, a law comes into play mandating that Celestia take a two-month sabbatical from her duties as Princess of Equestria.

So what happens when she has to step down for a couple months and leave Luna by herself in the bloody gladiator ring that is Equestrian politics? What happens when Celestia has to disguise herself and mingle with the populace of Ponyville without them knowing?

The short answer to that would be "a string of hilarious chance encounters, sisterly banter, romantic mishaps, and a political coup that was decades in the making."

The long answer, of course, is this story.

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Rated Teen for swearing and sexual humor.

Cover image is by enma-darei

Rarity has fallen hard for the lavender mare from Canterlot, but there is just one problem, that certain mare from Canterlot is completely oblivious to it all. Thus, Rarity does everything in her power to escape the dreaded friend zone, from skywriting to asking Twilight's parents for help. But will it be enough? Probably not. After all, Twilight is rather naive, but a mare's gotta try.

The pic that inspired this story, and the cover pic credit goes to ~SigneTheSlaske of Deviantart.com, check them out for more great artwork.

Twilight has always had feelings for Celestia. But whether these feelings are for her surrogate mother or for her imagined lover, nopony knows. It will take something strange to make her understand just what she thinks of the Princess; something like her conscience becoming sentient.

When facing Twilight Sparkle, Nightmare Moon was given a choice: redemption or revenge. What if she had chosen the latter? A grim fate awaits Equestria, but in a time of greater strife and conflict, Discord's return is accelerated. While he expected to bring chaos, he did not anticipate that he would end the Longest Night and bring hope and joy back to the land.

Discord struggles to reconcile his nature with his desire for admiration. While Twilight's friends strive to carve a new life in the ever-shifting Equestria, she searches for Celestia, the only one who can bring harmony back to her lands. But Nightmare Moon also seeks her sister in a desperate attempt to find her place in the world. New dangers lurk in the wild and more threaten to fall over Equestria. Nightmare Moon's decision broke the balance of the world. Will Equestria ever turn to peace, or will the spiral of chaos and destruction be the end of everything?

(An alternate history, this story takes the universe established by the canon and explores one possible outcome if Princess Luna had not been redeemed.)

Comments contain huge spoilers. Walk softly.

Special thanks to my pre-readers, MmmandarinOrange and DarkmatterButterflies for keeping my head on, taking the journey of the story, and making it so much better than it would have been if I wrote it alone.

This is an idea that wouldn't leave my head, inspired by Fairy Slayer's "Mommy Nearest," Aldea Donder's "Alicorn," SoundofRainfall's "Play" and RainbowDoubleDash's "Lunaverse"

Alternate Universe: Instead of Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia made Rainbow Dash her personal student instead! Follow her through the events of the 1,000th Summer Sun Celebration. A reimagining of "Friendship is Magic"

Due to a typo on her permit to build a new barn, and the meddling of a recalcitrant bureaucrat, Applejack is stuck running a bar, at least until Mayor Mare gets back to town. So sit down and have a drink in Ponyville's least likely watering hole!

This story is a sequel to Petriculture

It's been several months since Pinkie Pie made a stunning admission about her past that permanently changed her relationship with her friends, particularly Twilight Sparkle, but life seems to have settled back to normal (well, normal by Pinkie Pie's standards, at least). However, when an old nemesis returns and ensnares Twilight in her influence, it's up to Pinkie to make things right.

This is the second story in The Petriculture Cycle. There is a TV Tropes Page for the entire Cycle here.

Cover image by Page Turner; "Princess Twilight" vector by Nianara.

Twilight reads a book about literature and, analysing her world, decides that everything she does is planned by someone other than her.

She does not take it very well.

Rated Everyone for adult humour.

now with a reading