Celestia and Luna have lived long and suffered greatly. Luna, still insecure in her newfound grace, is anxious to secure herself against any further suffering. She sees in Twilight Sparkle (and in many others) the roots of ten thousand tragedies. Celestia proposes a wager.

A very loose retelling of the Book of Job.

Luna and Celestia are not like you and I, or at least that is what we tell ourselves. They do not talk to those such as us, who are mere mortals who quickly pass on by them. At least, that's what we tell ourselves. Until one day, my Lady spoke to me.

I will never forget that night. Even though I want to forget it.

Edited by the ever lovely MaskedFerret.

Luna has had enough of Canterlot, with its scheming sisters and impossible expectations.

Her solution?

Board a train, with no ticket but the wind in her mane.

Now in Russian! ...Twice!

Thanks to Skeeter the Lurker for pre-reading.

Cover art used with the permission of the artist grayma1k.

"...The test ends when you open that door."

Princess Luna has begun searching for her own personal student, and her test has hit a small snag: Not a single unicorn, out of the dozens of applicants, has passed. In fact, every last candidate has failed the test in seconds.

But just what is the purpose of this test? And how can somepony pass it?

A young earth pony named Morning Glory is going to find out.

My unicorn parents called me a worthless mud pony. They pushed me every day to overcome my lowly status. When I woke up one morning with my cutie mark, I thought they would love me. I couldn’t have been farther from the truth.

It was not destiny or enjoyment that led me to discover the cello and composing. My parents made that decision, deciding before I was born I would continue their family legacy of famous musicians.

They did not realize what that decision would cost them.

Special Thanks and Links:

Cover Art: Dreampaw. The inspiration for the story.
Dramatic reading of Act I-III by Malao567. June 2013
Reading with music by ObabScribbler. June 2014
Song: Hooks and Strings by Reverb Brony. May 2014

Style inspired by H.P. Lovecraft
TypeWriterError: Editor & Rating Board
Gage of Grandiloquence: Editor
The11thWonder: Pre-reader
Nharctic: Pre-reader
Breath of Plagues: My Pinch Editor.
ArgonMatrix: Bad Grammar Exterminator
Daemon of Decay: Advice, also inspired me to write fan fiction. Blame him!

Twilight Sparkle is a happy pony. With the help of her friends she defeated Tirek. She has a shiny new castle, the kingdom is safe, and she knows the reason behind her ascension. What more could a young princess want?

She is happy, she tells herself as she digs through the ruins of her home. She is so happy she can barely smell the ashes any more.

But in those ashes she finds something unexpected: a small porcelain vase, and with it a decade's worth of unspoken questions. A mystery hiding beneath her hooves, waiting to be put to rest.

Winner of the November Writeoff event.

I have heard ponies say that living so long would be a curse. That it is a burden. That it can break a pony's mind. There is some truth to that. It can be hard to know that you'll always be left behind as others pass on. However, that is not the whole truth, I am also blessed. I have an opportunity to see history play out in front of me and tell future generations of the ponies behind the legends.

In audio form: http://youtu.be/mTGMfwcAcwQ

Prince Blueblood. Last of his Noble line. Canterlot's most eligible bachelor. Aristocratic, affluent, and arrogant. But, surprisingly enough, a stallion who knows what is truly important in life: Family.

Placed fourth in the January 2016 Write-Off Event: Look, I Can Explain.

I don’t go on a lot of adventures, not unless I’m with my friends. Still, when Princess Celestia showed up and told me I had a once-in-a-lifetime chance to meet one of my dragon parents, how could I say no?
If I’d known what I was going to find, I might have…
Takes place shortly after Princess Twilight Sparkle.

Featured on Equestria Daily
Edited by Themaskedferret, docontra, and Pascoite
Special thanks to bookplayer for brainstorming help.

No one's important. No one's special. Except for the princesses.

Blueblood's always known this. He's always accepted this. He'll never be special. He'll never do anything important.

But now he has to. There's too much at stake.

He knows he'll fail, but he has to try. Because...