1. Don't be a jerk. We're all here to celebrate a great show with a great world.
2. Don't be afraid to try new things.
3. No story is too small to be interesting.
4. Message the admins if you have any question or problem with a story.

The rules to write our kind of content are few and simple.

1. Create new towns/cities/forests/wilderness settings within the context of the Equestria world, and populate them with OCs for telling stories.
2. Keep the "chosen one"/"Donut Steel"-ness of any and all OCs as close to "zero" as possible. Make them realistic, a character that you know already would exist in the world. Aim for a "slice of life"-style character design, even if they might wind up on adventures running from Manticores.
3. No disasters/reveals/monsters/magical artifacts that would wind up affecting (or have implications for) canon settings or characters in a noticeable way. Besides, "save the world" is a much more boring plot than "keep the two local ferry boats from blowing each other up". The heroes might actually fail at one of those, and it's the more personal one to boot. Aim for an "Episode 100" mentality, where everyone has their own story going on.
4. Don't forget the tone of the actual show.
5. Reference the names of cities/towns/wilderness settings/etc that other people writing these stories make. Collaborate and have multiple characters from multiple authors live/work in the same towns, even. Make a setting that lives and breathes.

RULE OF THUMB: If the show could directly contradict what you are writing, err to the side of caution.

In short: expand on the world of Equestria in realistic ways, and don't keep yourselves to places like Ponyville, Canterlot, etc. and, most importantly, don't keep yourselves to known characters.

1. Does that mean I have to create a new setting/characters/stick to settings outside the show? No. However, you are more than encouraged to do so. Setting a story in Ponyville, Canterlot, etc. isn't forbidden as long as it fits with the show's narrative. And as for characters, we actually aim to create recognizable characters that other writers can use in their own stories! The only caveat is that you can't use the Mane 6 as important characters. Mentions in passing are fine, but having them directly affect the story is discouraged.
2. Does that mean I can only write slice of life? Not at all. Adventure, mystery, etc. is allowed. However, the scale needs to be kept at a reasonable level. Feel free to have your characters run from their lives from time to time, but don't stake the fate of the world on their adventures. The mane 6 are exceptions in the frequency and stakes of their adventures, and you shouldn't aim to match your OCs' adventures to their own.
3. So... no cataclysms? No cataclysms. See the rule of thumb.
4. So no gruesome death and gore? Do I have to keep everything saccharine? MLP is a show focused on friendship and happiness. However, it sometimes delves into more serious subjects (ie: Lesson Zero, Party of One, One Bad Apple, Tanks for the Memories, Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep, etc.). It's very much all right to write about a serious subject, or have a bit of a darker story. However, the ways in which you illustrate it matter. A falling-off between two friends that leads to one's depression would be acceptable. However, having her ending her life over it or self-harming would be way overboard. The limits of this rule are flexible and a case-by-case thing. As a general rule, if the show wouldn't represent it, ease off on it.
5. Do I have to? It is strongly encouraged. However, we don't want to turn this group into a a self-referential circlejerk. It's perfectly fine to skip the references and focus on developing one's own part of Equestria. Cooperation between authors is something we aim for in the end, but you can't make a beautiful cake without ingredients.