Cadance has felt off recently. Restless.

One could say she felt... not herself.

Written for FanOfMostEverything's Imposing Sovereigns contest, which you can find here.

Equestria has always been ruled by two Princesses, but that's not always been the case, has it? Even years after being freed from exile on the moon, Luna feels that her place is no longer in Canterlot. Perhaps it's time for a change. Perhaps it's time for something...radical. Perhaps it's time to quit.

During a routine shopping trip, Starlight Glimmer has a chance encounter with a pony espousing some incensing rhetoric to anypony near enough to hear. Eager to prevent a potential problem, and maybe prove she can do some good, she inserts herself into the situation.

Over 5 centuries ago, halfway through Celestia's millennium long reign, a rebellious political faction attempts to take over Equestria and start a new pony republic. Celestia is accused of crimes against ponykind and put on trial in an effort to remove her from power. Celestia must defend herself, and her actions, against the conspirators who aim to take over her kingdom. The fate of friendship and the future of Equestria hangs in the balance.

Told through the perspective of Princess Twilight reading the story to Luster Dawn.

Cover art by Decoy the Skeletal Boy:
https://www.deviantart.com/theflamingalberto
https://twitter.com/skeletal_boy

A decade after uniting with the other tribes under the banner of Equestria, there are some fading traditions that the warrior pegasi cling to. One of those is an honor foal for the most commendable female officers; an opportunity to bear a foal of their line while remaining counted as on duty, with full support of the tribe in its care and upbringing.

When Major Pansy is granted an honor foal, she sees it as a chance to offer the strength of her line to the future of Equestria, despite having let her service to tribe and country prevent her from ever having found a suitable mate. But she knows just the pony she wants for its father: a strong pony, a brave and skilled soldier, a wise commander, and the dearest of friends. Considering it, she may want even more from him than a sire for her foal.

But Commander Hurricane has always protected his emotions with a stony mask and an armor constructed so that nopony can pierce it. Especially not the one pony he holds above all others in his esteem: the hopeless soldier who once stood before him for discharge with the true spirit of a pegasus shining through her.  

Set in the same continuity as Sun and Hearth and Respect and Respectability, but neither are required reading.

Thanks to GhostOfHeraclitus, bats, Themaskedferret, Axis of Rotation, and Merc the Jerk for prereading.

As Celestia can attest, nothing is ever simple. A stallion may walk through a portal in a huff and everycreature may cheer his departure, but that doesn't make him any less of an important functionary in the greater scheme of things. And so, while the Princess of Friendship can handle the straightforward task of averting world war, Celestia must shoulder a heavier burden.

She has to convince a bureaucrat that he made a mistake.

Ladies do not avoid their problems. If a lady finds herself facing down a lonely Hearts & Hooves Day, she should smile and gracefully accept her lot in life, patiently trusting that more enjoyable times are on the way.

A lady certainly doesn't chase a stranger down the dreary streets of Canterlot, even if that stranger does turn out to be the Madam Inspector of the Equestrian Games. Loneliness and creative distress are no excuse for wild behavior. A lady should know better.

But Rarity has never been just a lady.

Spanish Translation from Spaniard Kiwi!
Silver medalist in the July 2016 Writeoff!
Gold place winner says nice things about it!
Gosh I love exclamation points!
Hahahaaa!

By simple biological necessity, one can conclude that Scootaloo has parents. And, indeed, there is a couple in Ponyville who claim her as their own. But they adopted her long ago. The documents are in Town Hall for anypony who cares to look. So, whence came the winged Crusader?

To learn that, we must go not just to another time, but another place, for Scootaloo is as orphaned as an orphan can be.

Written for F*** THIS PROMPT! 11. Prompt: Scootaloo is an orphan.

This story is a sequel to Sour Sweet Sorrow

"It concerns us to know the purposes we seek in life, for then, like archers aiming at a definite mark, we shall be more likely to attain what we want."
– Aristotle

In the aftermath of her suicide attempt, Sour Sweet still has lingering feelings of hopelessness concerning her existence. With her father desperate to patch things up along with her boyfriend and best friends organizing a big surprise, can the archeress find the inspiration to go for the gold in the complicated game of life?

(My fifth featured story! - 6/16/16)

Sunset Shimmer has grown and changed from who she was. For a long time she's kept to her own path through life in the human world and kept her silence from across the rift that separates her from Princess Celestia.

But there's something important to say and a lot of healing still left to do.

It's time they talked again.

Finalist in the Forbidden Knowledge event on http://writeoff.me/. A big thank you to everyone who critiqued and reviewed the story there.