In Heaven a spirit doth dwell
"Whose heart-strings are a lute";
None sing so wildly well
As the angel Israfel,
And the giddy stars (so legends tell)
Ceasing their hymns, attend the spell
Of his voice, all mute...

If I could dwell
Where Israfel
Hath dwelt, and he where I,
He might not sing so wildly well
A mortal melody,
While a bolder note than this might swell
From my lyre within the sky.
- Edgar Allan Poe, "Israfel"

Octavia Melody has performed for hundreds of audiences across Equestria, and left every one breathless. She has come so far, become one of the most celebrated musicians in the kingdom, and this concert will be her crowning achievement. Tonight, she will play before the Princesses themselves.

This is not her story.

Cover art by the amazing TheAuthorGl1m0.

Thanks to Belligerent Sock for their critique.

Featured by Equestria Daily on February 24th, 2014.

Featured by The Royal Guard on March 20th, 2014.

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[img]http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o282/Abramus5250/badge_zpseaf496af.gif[/img]

Hello, I'm Mary. I'm a mother of two, married to the most wonderful man I could hope for and live what I consider to be, the life I've always wanted. So... why oh why, in the wide, wide world of whys, did this happen to me?

This is my story, for better or for worse, about how things in my life became beyond unbearable.

The Apple family has always had close ties, so when Apple Bloom is sad that her friends are all occupied with other things, Big Mac comes to the rescue. Who says there's no fun to be had on the farm?

Cover art by Mandydax

Cutie Mark Crusaders Time Travelers, yay! ...Wait, what?

When older versions of Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Spike appear from the future, Twilight and her friends are in for the time of their lives. The Crusaders have gone back in time on a mission that may decide the fate of time itself! They are fearless, they are resourceful, they... completely messed up right from the start, huh?

Now it's a literal race against time to set things right, as powerful enemies from the future attempt to claim the past for themselves. So join the Elements of Harmony and the Crusaders of tomorrow in an epic story of danger, hope, despair, betrayal, revenge, love and swashbuckling high adventure!

Just remember the golden rule: Time travel doesn't make sense!

Everyone knows how fairy tales go: We meet a dumb protagonist who does something foolish. Things go wrong. We learn a moral.

Clearly, fairy tale authors have never met Clyde Pie.

In this collaboration, a number of your favorite ponyfic authors take a fresh look at classic fairy tales, and what we can learn from the wisdom of an eminently sensible earth pony. (This is an open collection; submission rules can be found here.)

List of authors:

Salivanth
Horizon
Cloud Wander
Benman
DJ TR33
SirTruffles
Meta Four
chankl2
Nonagon
Quixotic Enigma
Caffeinated Pinkie
Farsan
SoothingCoffee
Thomas Hunter
TheLevelHeadedBrony
Goldfinch142
Kandagger
Ghost Pikachu
SwiftStroke
GroaningGreyAgony
The Iguana Man
DaeCat
JumpingShinyFrogs

Cover art by Veggie55

Sometimes we forget who we really are. We ignore things that should be important until we forget they were even there and end up locked away in forgotten places in our hearts. But no matter what happens, we can never hide from ourselves. This is the story of when people meet, even when they were never meant to do so. A story that shows us how alien we can be to other worlds... Or to ourselves.

Pinkie Pie has always served admirably as the Element of Laughter, and it's time for the princesses to show their appreciation. In fact, they have a special assignment for her, something they've never tried. It will be the best surprise she ever had.

Third-place winner in the /fic/ write-off "The First Time."

Featured on Equestria Daily!

Thanks to Scott "Inquisitor" M for critique of my rough draft.

A thousand years is quite the generation gap, so Princess Luna decides she has to get with the times. However, this isn't quite as easy as she thinks it will be...

Summer is the perfect season for things that grow. However, growth needs fuel, warmth can burn, and romance can be the most volatile fire there is. After she leaves Ponyville and lands a job as a city guard, Gilda will have summer days that are filled with lessons of growth, of love, and of pain.

This is a continuation of Heart of Gold, Feathers of Steel. I recommend reading that story first.
This story is concluded in Evening Flames

Special thanks to WentoX for this awesome, custom cover.

After witnessing a series of strange events Twilight Sparkle and friends search for answers, only to find themselves entangled in a war between two ancient races and a plot that could end all existence. Luckily, our heroes find help in the form of an eccentric brown pony with an impossible blue box.