Top Favourites

Contraptionology! When life gives you lemons, make robot monsters. by Skywriter 134,483 words · 13,310 views · 988 likes · 25 dislikes
Reading Rainbow When Twilight is admitted to the Ponyville hospital, Rainbow Dash is there for her. by Corejo 7,354 words · 49,993 views · 3,781 likes · 65 dislikes
Who We Are A chilling letter from Celestia throws the girls' world upsidedown by kits 18,828 words · 22,447 views · 1,713 likes · 37 dislikes
Siren Song Bioshock meets MLP in this psychological thriller, where Celestia's new faithful student, Siren Song, must discover the truth behind the city beneath the waves. Arriving in pursuit of Twilight, Siren finds herself trapped in a city of horrors. by GaPJaxie 186,864 words · 10,852 views · 581 likes · 15 dislikes

More Top Favourites

When the Levee Breaks Daring Do returns home one final time. by Cynewulf 6,581 words · 2,090 views · 224 likes · 7 dislikes
Hard Reset Twilight gives her life to stop a changeling invasion. Repeatedly. by Eakin 36,966 words · 71,184 views · 6,825 likes · 109 dislikes
Through the Well of Pirene [Now EQD Featured!] A young girl must travel to Equestria to rescue her kid sister from the clutches of a terrible magician. by Ether Echoes 367,863 words · 19,742 views · 1,333 likes · 76 dislikes
Within and Without Luna takes the Elements of Harmony on a journey in more ways than one. by Cloudy Skies 154,174 words · 12,906 views · 1,284 likes · 22 dislikes
413 Mulberry Lane : A Report (With Annotations by Twilight Sparkle) A student at Celestia's school encounters an entity that seeks to claim him. His only hope lies with Princess Celestia, and the truth hidden in the documents she holds. by Starsong 9,377 words · 5,782 views · 365 likes · 7 dislikes

Latest Stories

T The World is Filled with Monsters
Adv
Rom
Vermilion didn’t join the Guard to be a hero – he just wanted to escape his old, boring life. But when everything goes wrong at a small town called Hollow Shades, Vermilion finds himself fighting for his life, and all of Equestria as well.
Princess Celestia
Princess Luna
Other
Cold in Gardez · 75k words · 260 9 · 1.4k views
T The Adventuring Type
Com
SoL
Rainbow Dash gets bored waiting for monster attacks in Ponyville, and decides to find some adventures of her own.
Rainbow Dash
Cold in Gardez · 45k words · 205 5 · 1.5k views
E I'm Afraid of Changeling (and other short stories)
Com
Dark
Rand
SoL
Short sketches about being human. Except, you know, with ponies.
Spike
Original Character
Other
Main 6
Cutie Mark Crusaders
Cold in Gardez · 47k words · 642 12 · 5.4k views
T The Color of the Stars
Adv
Drama
Mys
Starlight Glimmer and Twilight Sparkle follow a mysterious dream message in a quest to prevent their world from being undone.
Twilight Sparkle
Queen Chrysalis
Starlight Glimmer
Cold in Gardez · 9.1k words · 284 6 · 1.6k views
T The Lamia
Com
SoL
There aren't many stallions in Ponyville. For most mares, this might be considered a problem. For a mare addicted to eating them, it's the perfect chance to detox.
Twilight Sparkle
Rarity
Spike
Original Character
Sex
Cold in Gardez · 8.3k words · 726 37 · 5.4k views
E Childhood's End
Mys
SoL
A young colt gets his cutie mark in a dream. If only he could remember what it was about.
Twilight Sparkle
Original Character
Cutie Mark Crusaders
Cold in Gardez · 7.8k words · 219 8 · 1.6k views
E The Riddle of the Sphinx
Adv
Mys
Daring Do encounters a legendary monster, and a terrible test, deep beneath the earth.
Other
Daring Do
Cold in Gardez · 4.2k words · 636 6 · 3.6k views
E Completely Safe in the Reference Section
Com
SoL
Twilight Sparkle and her friends recover an ancient book of black magic. She does the obvious thing with it.
Twilight Sparkle
Rarity
Main 6
Cold in Gardez · 8.1k words · 994 14 · 7.2k views
T The Instruments of Our Surrender
Adv
Rom
Two ordinary ponies find the strength to fight back during Tirek's rampage across Equestria
Original Character
Tirek
Cold in Gardez · 8k words · 185 6 · 1.6k views
E The Time of Their Lives
Com
SoL
Twilight Sparkle is arrested for the second time in her life. Rarity is attempting to put her business partner out of business. The undead have risen and walk Ponyville's streets. A normal day, in other words.
Twilight Sparkle
Rarity
Cold in Gardez · 7k words · 842 28 · 5.3k views
E Babel
SoL
Ponies learn what really matters after a curse scrambles their languages.
Twilight Sparkle
Discord
Mr. Cake
Mrs. Cake
Cold in Gardez · 1.9k words · 545 8 · 3.1k views
E Lost Cities
SoL
North of Canterlot, in the far marches of the Equestrian lands near the Griffon tribes, there is a mountain that flies.
Princess Celestia
Original Character
Cold in Gardez · 11k words · 963 14 · 8.5k views
T A Once and Future Darkness
Dark
SoL
When Luna returned after a thousand years of exile, she brought something else back with her. Dreams – real dreams – are shaking the world, and Twilight Sparkle must stop them before they destroy it.
Twilight Sparkle
Rainbow Dash
Princess Luna
Main 6
Sex
Cold in Gardez · 9.6k words · 441 37 · 3.8k views
T Land of the Blind
Adv
A prince and a young mare go in search of a legendary cure. Finding it is the least of their challenges.
Original Character
Cold in Gardez · 29k words · 131 1 · 853 views
T National Geographic Presents: Big Princess Week
Com
X'ver
Rand
Twilight Sparkle notices some odd urges, now that she's suddenly become an alicorn.
Twilight Sparkle
Rarity
Princess Celestia
Cold in Gardez · 5.4k words · 1,145 41 · 9k views

Where am I?

The current 'Big Deal'

Also know as the "What am I pouring my heart and soul into this week?" box.

The World is Filled with Monsters

Vermilion didn’t join the Guard to be a hero. He just wanted to escape the farm and his old, boring life.

But now it seems he may have no choice – his unit is being sent to Hollow Shades, a tiny hamlet hidden in the depths of an endless forest, to fight monsters on behalf of Luna and Celestia. When the mission turns into a disaster and the town is lost, Vermilion finds himself at the forefront of an unexpected war, with all of Equestria at stake.

A new dark age has begun. Heroes must be found to guard the flickering lights of civilization. And Vermilion and his friends will discover that monsters are the least of their worries.

Set in the years before Nightmare Moon’s banishment, The World is Filled with Monsters follows a young hero and his friends as they struggle to protect a newfound nation – and discover the cost of greatness.

Two hundred years ago, an American president said it was not America's mission to journey abroad in search of monsters to destroy. America would offer moral support to the world's fight for liberty, but we would not crusade on its behalf.

We haven't always lived up to that ideal. The past fifteen years of my life have been consumed by the fight against what John Quincy Adams would have called monsters. They've been on my mind quite a bit lately.

So, like most things on my mind, I decided to write a story about it. With ponies because, you know, I'm me.

The pretty good ones

Completely Safe in the Reference Section Twilight Sparkle and her friends recover an ancient book of black magic. She does the obvious thing with it. by Cold in Gardez 8,098 words · 7,188 views · 994 likes · 14 dislikes
All the Mortal Remains Twilight Sparkle discovers an urn, and a decade's worth of questions, in the ashes of her library. by Cold in Gardez 9,035 words · 12,770 views · 1,730 likes · 22 dislikes
The Destruction of the Self Buckwheat would like to be a farmer. But what he wants isn't important, and that's alright with him. by Cold in Gardez 6,147 words · 2,906 views · 495 likes · 13 dislikes
For Whom We Are Hungry You didn't want to come here, but fate cares nothing for insects. The story of a changeling in Ponyville. by Cold in Gardez 14,935 words · 5,398 views · 901 likes · 10 dislikes

Stories of mine that have won various contests, Writeoff events, and the like.

Dramas and the like

A Once and Future Darkness When Luna returned after a thousand years of exile, she brought something else back with her. Dreams – real dreams – are shaking the world, and Twilight Sparkle must stop them before they destroy it. by Cold in Gardez 9,555 words · 3,804 views · 441 likes · 37 dislikes
The Last Trumpet's Call A gryphon survives a battle in the north. His friend does not. He wonders, sometimes, who really won. by Cold in Gardez 14,587 words · 2,394 views · 362 likes · 3 dislikes
The Carnivore's Prayer It is their nature by Cold in Gardez 9,679 words · 6,545 views · 683 likes · 12 dislikes
The Glass Blower A young artist in love will do whatever it takes to satisfy his heart. by Cold in Gardez 10,489 words · 15,068 views · 1,068 likes · 23 dislikes
Small-town Charm Twilight has seen some odd things in Ponyville. by Cold in Gardez 3,958 words · 9,092 views · 1,023 likes · 34 dislikes

Some of the more serious stories I've written.

Adventures! Others!

The Wind Thief A Tale of the Dragonborn by Cold in Gardez 72,221 words · 18,350 views · 845 likes · 17 dislikes
The First Light of Dawn A terrible accident threatens to unmake the world as we know it. by Cold in Gardez 67,434 words · 4,873 views · 333 likes · 6 dislikes
The Riddle of the Sphinx Daring Do encounters a legendary monster, and a terrible test, deep beneath the earth. by Cold in Gardez 4,203 words · 3,645 views · 636 likes · 6 dislikes
I'm Afraid of Changeling (and other short stories) Short sketches about being human. Except, you know, with ponies. by Cold in Gardez 47,297 words · 5,410 views · 642 likes · 12 dislikes
Lost Cities North of Canterlot, in the far marches of the Equestrian lands near the Griffon tribes, there is a mountain that flies. by Cold in Gardez 11,045 words · 8,521 views · 963 likes · 14 dislikes

And that leaves my two long-form stories, both adventures. For those of you who ever wondered where the Skyrim crossovers are, The Wind Thief is hopefully your answer. The Riddle of the Sphinx is about the best pegasus, while The First Light of Dawn was my first attempt at a true epic. Shorts is just what it says on the can – a collection of short stories, all written in 30 minutes or so. Lost Cities is an exercise in telling stories without characters or actions.

The Comedies

Naked Singularity Twilight attempts to write a sensual romance novel. by Cold in Gardez 10,524 words · 60,718 views · 2,916 likes · 53 dislikes
The Contest Fluttershy returns to defend her title as Quiet Game world champion. by Cold in Gardez 6,714 words · 37,037 views · 1,812 likes · 24 dislikes
The Lamia There aren't many stallions in Ponyville. For most mares, this might be considered a problem. For a mare addicted to eating them, it's the perfect chance to detox. by Cold in Gardez 8,321 words · 5,449 views · 726 likes · 37 dislikes
National Geographic Presents: Big Princess Week Twilight Sparkle notices some odd urges, now that she's suddenly become an alicorn. by Cold in Gardez 5,406 words · 9,046 views · 1,145 likes · 41 dislikes
The Time of Their Lives Twilight Sparkle is arrested for the second time in her life. Rarity is attempting to put her business partner out of business. The undead have risen and walk Ponyville's streets. A normal day, in other words. by Cold in Gardez 6,988 words · 5,253 views · 842 likes · 28 dislikes