Princess Luna is a rather archaic princess. Being a thousand years forward in the world, it is understandable. She always assumed that she would always be an outlier to others, never finding something even nearly as old as her besides books and buildings.

However, she is surprised to discover an object more archaic than her. Far more archaic.

A train.

A rather... famous train.

Sombra's takeover took everyone in the Crystal Empire by surprise. No one saw it coming, none were prepared for it, and almost no one got away. Almost.

A few hooffuls of daring souls managed to break out of the city and flee southwards, towards Equestria. Some ran to beg the Princesses for aid, others - just to save themselves and their families from the mad tyrant.

But as the refugees are about to learn, it's the dead of winter outside the Empire's shield, and the crystal ponies are far too used to their warm life in the city. One filly that gets separated from her parents while trying to get away learns that fact all too painfully...

Cover art by Marbo, Allfather of the Snowponies.

Additional tag:snowpony

Rainbow Dash and Big Macintosh spend the day gathering supplies for Apple Bloom's birthday party. This is a good thing.

This may or may not have been written for Jake the Army Guy.

When Gaberdine is awarded a noble title by Princess Celestia, he soon finds out that his new lands contain several surprises. For starters, there is no land in his new barony. Secondly, his new castle turns out to be a broken-down riverboat. And third is… seaponies.

Baron Gaberdine has a lot to learn about his new barony. And himself.

Fortunately, he has a very young teacher.

Now with a sea-quill (sorry) Drifting Down the Lazy River

Cover photo by PhoenixSwift
Editing/Pre-Reading assistance by Tek, Shaleclaw, Peter, Seether00, Monsieur Connoisseur, GhostOfHeraclitus, The Masked Ferret, Blue Paladin42 and Admiral Biscuit

Note: Unlike The Traveling Tutor and the Librarian, this is a single POV love story, like Changelings, Love and Lollipops. Only with fewer cannons and fountains.
Now Featured on Equestria Daily
With a YouTube Reading of the first chapter by BigAsh
And with a dramatic reading by Neighrator Pony and company Full playlist here.
Thanks for a wonderful review by Paul Asaran
Available in paperback through Lulu.com at cost.

The will to fly is not found in the wings, but in the heart.

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Fluttershy’s parents are concerned. Her brother is hysterical. Her neighbors are downright confused.

Fluttershy is insistent. She needs to find her own way into the air. The wings on her back aren't enough to make her fly. She needs something more. She needs to find her real pegasus wings.

It's a huge step they're taking, and it's going to be hard, and long, and exhausting. But it's going to be worth it in the end, to form a family with him, to be a mother—is like all the pieces of her life are finally falling into place and she's exactly where she needs to be.

Or, Sunburst and Starlight take the plunge and decide to start a family, through adoption.

Edit: added a bit more context into the story to make a certain aspect more obvious.

Shining Armor spends some time with his daughter while he is recovering from a war wound. They play chess, and talk about some thoughts the game brings up.

Written for the Father's Day Not-a-Contest challenge

Luna was always alone on the moon, and it was obvious why. It was a banishment, but...

Sometimes she swore she heard a voice, a low and rough voice that could sound like crashing waves or gentle tides. She assumed she was hallucinating, because who would be connected enough to the moon to speak to her? Who would care enough to speak to her?

The Sea finds himself in a body he hadn't donned in over a thousand years. With only a vague guess as to why, he ventures out to right the wrongs his subjects had committed over the course of his incorporeality. Surely, he'll be able to accomplish it with no orphan-pegasi-related complications, right?

...Right?

Edit: Featured on 3/24/21! Thank you all, I'm over the moon about that!

Celestia didn't want very much. She was happy to spend her youth learning how to farm with her adoptive father. She was happy learning how to cook from her adoptive mother. She was happy to play hide and seek with her little sister Luna, and stare at the stars with her on those warm summer nights. But when the world began to freeze with unnatural snow and ice, and the pony tribes began to go for each other's throats, Celestia's world is undone, and all she wants is to protect her little sister, no matter what.

But between ravenous snow spirits, superstitious ponies, and the machinations of those who would use them for their own ends, Celestia will struggle at every corner. Matters only become that much harder when her little sister begins to hear a voice in her dreams, calling her across the frozen wilderness with the only words Celestia remembers her true mother saying.

"Rise and shine."

A special thank you goes out to my editor, Chromio.

It is best to read this story with Night Mode turned on.

Chapter and cover art were all made by me.

One's a terrified flower pony who takes everything seriously. One's a party-loving jokester who never takes anything seriously, not if he can help it.

Each of them would love it if the other would just grow up. Neither can agree on what "growing up" entails.

Both of them need each other.