"I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man."
-Thomas Jefferson

Three hundred years ago, Equestria tried to assimilate Earth.
They failed. They fled, rather than face justice.
We moved on. We conquered the stars, we made a civilization that spans across the infinite void. We built true harmony between species.
We thought we'd seen the last of Celestia, but as a desperate mobile colony on the fringes of known space came to discover, we were wrong.

It is time to finish what was started by our forefathers.

Based on TCB: Not Alone, by Starman Ghost.

EDIT: Following Starman Ghost's deleting of Not Alone, I've replaced the above link with one leading to a PDF file uploaded to mediafire.

EDIT (14/04/2014): The character of Evening Star was originally created by Starman Ghost. I am using her without his permission.

Summer is the perfect season for things that grow. However, growth needs fuel, warmth can burn, and romance can be the most volatile fire there is. After she leaves Ponyville and lands a job as a city guard, Gilda will have summer days that are filled with lessons of growth, of love, and of pain.

This is a continuation of Heart of Gold, Feathers of Steel. I recommend reading that story first.
This story is concluded in Evening Flames

Special thanks to WentoX for this awesome, custom cover.

UPDATE: COMPLETE! You may have heard of Pipsqueak. He's a pinto colt, originally from Trottingham, saved Nightmare Night from being abolished seven odd years ago. Know the one I'm talking about? Yes? Good. Since then he's grown into a charming, cultured hedonist who wants to bed near every mare in Ponyville and a good few of the stallions. He has a slender build and some ponies say he has mares' hips, though he feels that those ponies should shut their bloody mouths. His best mate is the gregarious and multi-talented Featherweight, and his other best mate is the stoic trencherpony and excellent cook Chowder.

This is the story of a Friday, and the wee hours of a Saturday. It's a teacher training day, and Pipsqueak and his friends have no school.

In twenty-four hours, a sinister plot to take down a local business is launched, Snips and Snails dabble in the dark magic of Peyuase, a great deal of debauchery occurs, a cocktail of unrivaled destructive power is created and a small fleet of ships are launched! All of this and more, in Pipsqueak's Day Off!

Massive thanks to LittleSallyDigby for help, editing and advice.

A letter from Celestia interrupts one of Pinkie's parties with disturbing news. Now friendships will be pushed to the limit as Twilight struggles to uncover which of her friends is not who, or even what, she appears to be.

(While not a romance, this does contain a shipped pair)

in Russian

This is the story of a very ordinary pony's extraordinary day. Carrot Top and Derpy are good friends indeed, and sometimes friendship can lead to wonderful surprises. It can also lead to arguments, frustration, and general grumpiness, of course, and this story has all of those things as well. But mostly, this is a story about the day Carrot Top learned how to fly.

*****

Originally written for the Hearth's Warming Care Package contest. Many thanks to the contestants who commented on this story, to my EqD pre-reader, and especially to Sessalisk, for helping to polish this story to its present state. Cover art by the incomparable Elosande, used with permission.

Fanart here, courtesy of lalieri!

Audiobook here, courtesy of Deftfunk and Scribbler!

Now available in Spanish, courtesy of SPANIARD KIWI.

The Shaper is a smith of unparalleled skill, her creations the most sought after in the fallen world. When a pony named Lyra comes to her with a unique commission she has to put all her skill to the test to craft a weapon of great power. For Lyra's goal is not an easy one, and it is not just any weapon that can kill a Dragon.

A story inspired by this and this image, as well as this challenge by CDRW (whose fic A Still More Glorious Dawn Awaits is quite good).

Can a utopian paradise that preaches love and tolerance really make ponies happy? Does contentment really lie in free universal healthcare and open government?

Twilight Sparkle is determined to resist this happy world on a matter of principle, and finds herself sneaking off with a mare called Trixie to hate and loathe each other in secret.

Will their hate-nest go undetected? Or will they be forced to face the dangers of the Ministry of Love and the mysterious Room 101?

Inspired by devastating personal losses, Apple Bloom dons a mantle from her youth to counter Equestria's rising crime after a dramatic change in government sends Canterlot into disarray. As more heroes follow her lead and arise in other cities, she must face her own past and dark new evils on the path back to harmony.

Applejack had long since taken the Hearth’s Warming Eve story for fact. When she and Fluttershy find themselves in an untamed wilderness, they’ll learn that not all history is preserved. In their struggle to find their way home, the two will unearth secrets unknown to any living being, pony or otherwise.

Half a world away, the others have problems of their own. As Rainbow Dash struggles to discover exactly what she is to her oldest friend, Twilight must face the stunning truth about her long-time mentor.

In the end, what is lost, and what is found?

One beautiful morning, Twilight Sparkle decides she wants a free salad. After a small amount of theft, assault, battery, and arson, she sits down to enjoy what is sure to be the best tasting salad ever.

...Or she would have, if it weren’t for the Equestrian Intelligence Service locking her up as a potential threat to national security. Now, Twilight must escape a maximum security holding facility hidden deep underneath Canterlot. And to do it, she’ll need a paperclip, a spymare catsuit, an escape plan, and an alliance with the dastardly Drakbog, King of Frogs.