Shaun Gray—Only human in Equestria, professional magic sponge, and unwilling participant in the School of Friendship’s relentless optimism—just wants to brood in peace. Too bad Princess Twilight (aka "She who should be feared") shoved him into a pastel hellhole where ponies treat emotional vulnerability like a competitive sport.
Now he’s stuck with:

• Smolder, a dragon who breathes fire and terrible life choices,
• Gallus, a griffon with the survival instincts of a concussed pigeon,
• And a curriculum that insists sharing feelings is somehow not a form of psychological warfare.

Armed with sarcasm, a hoodie, and an existential dread of group projects, Shaun must navigate:

• Pinkie Pie’s "trust exercises" (read: trauma bonding),
• Twilight’s attempts to dissect him like a frog in science class,
• And the horrifying realization that his new friends might be worth keeping—if they don’t kill him first.

Themes: Found family (unwillingly), emotional damage (willingly), and why you should never promise a dragon "anything."

TL;DR: A snarky void of a man is adopted by rainbow ponies against his will. Chaos (and grudging affection) ensues.

"I absorbed your magic, not your friendship. Stop looking at me like that." —Shaun, probably

Side note: Holy fuck. I got featured on like my 6th chapter wasn't expecting that thanks for the support and I'll try and keep it up. (17/04/2025)

Princess Twilight Sparkle, in light of her recent ascension, has moved to Canterlot to formally take up her mantle as monarch. Unfortunately, she had to leave many cherished things behind in Ponyville– her school, her former student, and her best friends in the whole world.

In Twilight's absence, Starlight has grown distant from the others, and interacting with them in the course of her duties as Headmare has been awkward.

Still, that won't stop the mare from trying to live up to Twilight's ideals.

The plan for this fic is a series of loosely connected one-shots examining Starlight's relationships with the other Mane 6 after Twilight moves to Canterlot.

They'll be completed as I come up with ideas for them, so no guarantees. Treat this like a sketchbook more than a story.

Edit: Hiatused because this idea kinda fell flat on its face and I am working on other stuff

This story is a sequel to The Carmine Line

Rarity has tasted something so tantalizing that she cannot resist its allure. Day by day her ambitions grow and the only cost is her friend's blood. Yet how long can her boldness go unnoticed, how long until her desire outstrips her subterfuge?

Certainly not related, Twilight has been getting nicked and scratched a lot lately. Spike thinks she's just getting clumsy.

Written as part of a fun contest with friends to write "terrible" sequels to each other's stories. This is a sequel to Zontan's The Carmine Line. In the words of Zontan: "This is the sequel that all of those people who asked for more deserve." It and other "terrible" sequels were written in jest and to have a good time.

This story is a sequel to Blank Slate

A new land, free from the machinations of the church and its alicorns, where ponies, changelings, hippogriffs, and griffons can live in safety. Or so we thought. As we explore what would be our new home, new threats arise, as the whispers of my predecessors foretell of worse to come, while the prophecy of another world looms over our heads.

Twilight Sparkle from a very young age proved to have a great ability for magic, one worthy of being part of Princess Celestia's school for gifted unicorns, however, just when it looked like Twilight would pass the entrance exam with an outstanding demonstration of power, the dragon egg she was to hatch only fell to the ground, fractured with a small crack, but not cracked open.

The unicorn won her cutie mark that day but was rejected to enter what would have become her bright future. Now, as an adult, Twilight works in the Canterlot library, almost isolated and full of remorse against herself.

One day like any other in her routine of monotony and self-loathing, one of Celestia's most talented students, Sunset Shimmer, bursts into the library, in an attempt to escape for a moment from her burdensome labors as a disciple, she meets Twilight and the two embark on a relationship that will question the purpose that life has placed on both of their shoulders, the place they truly seek to play and the love they have for themselves and for each other.

Formerly named Broadcast: The Great War.

Colourful ponies reacting to humans, and eventually the horrors of industrialized warfare.

This story will be in the format of ponies and other creatures in Equus interacting/reacting with the sweeping technological improvement brought on by the humans, as they descend into total war. Idea originally conceived on 5/4/2025, also my first attempt on HiE.

Cover image by me (style inspired by Centaura by Classicmasternoob), map in it by a friend. I am not sure if I am using the right tags so let me know of mistakes!

"1908 AD (Anno Domini)—Equivalent to 1003 ALB (After Luna Banishment)

Cenbaphae (lit. "star-like formations" in Sylvestinian)—the continent of the Humans: a race of magicless, featherless, and partially furless bipedal mammals, averaging approximately 1.71 metres in height—or 3.42 hooves tall. Their elongated, lanky limbs end in peculiar minotaur-like appendages known as hands and feet, and their bodies, while uniform in structure, vary widely in pigmentation and appearance. Capable of both great deeds of good and monstrous evil. They are divided into myriad of nations—republics, kingdoms, empires and more—they are distinguished by diverse ethnicities and rich cultural tapestries, spread broadly across their homeland.

Their sudden arrival in our world was met with widespread anxiety—and no small amount of curiosity. A great magical storm accompanied their transmigration, stirring fears across Equus of a possible return of the Storm King. These concerns were only eased when Pony explorers, dispatched by the Alicorn Sisters, confirmed the existence of the new continent and the new strange race inhabiting it.

Thankfully, first contact proceeded peacefully. The Humans welcomed the ponies with friendship and cooperation, and before long, they were formally introduced to the world stage through Equestria. As trade routes opened, human technology spread like wildfire—transforming societies across the world almost overnight.

The Humans’ advanced mastery of metallurgy, engineering, and chemistry—combined with local magic—rapidly ushered in an age of sweeping industrialisation: an era of marvellous innovation, population growth, and deeply unsettling, rapid change.

Yet, Cenbaphae was far from the peaceful, technologically enlightened and magicless land many had imagined. Dubbed "a powder keg" by human historians, the continent simmered with long-standing rivalries, territorial disputes and imperial ambitions—like a keg of explosive powder, waiting to explode. It took only a single gunshot to ignite the conflagration—plunging the continent into a devastating conflict.

One that would reveal the darkest depths of industrialised warfare, the future of warfare—and expose the duality of man and creature alike. A war that would show just how monstrous even the most civilised, peace-seeking beings could become. Though it would be known by many names—The War to End All Wars, The Great Powder Keg—one would echo loudest across Equus and Cenbaphae alike:

~Opening chapter of 'Historical Equestrian Accounts of the Great War' by Lucky Archivist with the help of Canterlot Archives, 1013 ALB / 1918 AD

Featured on 12-14th of April 2025 as #2 & #1

A diamond ring is often given as a symbol of betrothal, representing an agreement to be wed. The diamond ring effect appears when the moon eclipses the sun, highlighting the topography of the lunar surface for a moment before the light disappears entirely.

Based on the timeline where Nightmare Moon won from the season 5 finale.

An entry for the (Un)Happy New Yuri Contest (pet the koi), under the categories Toxic, Doomed, and Unrequited.

_{Contains the kind of multilayered power dynamics you typically get when an evil presence dominates someone's body, and uses said body to dominate someone else's body.}

Twilight gathers all her friends together for a private meeting to ask them if they've noticed any changes in Spike's behaviour. And as each one starts to share their story, a worrying pattern begins to emerge...

Featured from 19-21 April 2025. Thank you for... well, you know.

A story told out of sequence, about a romance that has happened out of order. How long ago could Pinkie and Twilight have been together?

A question they can try to answer while making up for lost time

_{Cover art is "Untitled" (Perfect Lovers) by Félix González-Torres^[1]}

Principal Celestia is visited by a lightbringer, but hope remains imprisoned.

An entry into FoME's Verbal Exchange Contest.