Ballpoint Smudge has one job. It's not an easy one, but it's one he's determined to do to the best of his ability. The only problem is that as soon as he meets Twilight Sparkle, everything he's ever learned about princesses goes flying out of the window. He was expecting her to be regal, haughty and bossy. Instead she's warm, friendly and welcoming. Perhaps she's genuinely a nice pony? Nah. It's got to be a test.

Based on an idea by Ambrose Bierce, from his excellent Devil's Dictionary. Just look up 'Insurance'.

Featured at 12.30 GMT on 15/06/2016. I am very pleased indeed about that.

"Thanks, Mom." Two simple words said by a simple guard.

Not so simple when those words are accidentally addressed to Princess Celestia.

While studying, Starlight notices weird changes in Twilight when around Sunburst. She tells her to knock it off in the nicest way possible.

Spoilers for the Season 6 Premiere.

Cover art by Cover Designer Novel-Idea

Hello, friends! My name is Lemony Cutewhistle.

I am probably a normal pony.

-

Editing thanks to Aquaman and Masked Ferret.

Guarding a library at night is one thing,
but waking up a princess that's over ten times your size...

Author's (strange) inspiration: I'm kinda hittin' a brick wall with my other stories, so here's one that came to me during a late at night browsing of pictures.

It's been a long, long time since Spike was stolen from her, but Twilight hasn't forgotten nor forgiven. After a long and arduous journey, she has finally found him and his kidnapper.

She will save him.

No matter the cost.

-----
Featured on EQD.
Now with Dramatic Reading by Joehighlord!
-----
Side story: A Dragon Whispers Her Name

Set in the future, after an unspecified amount of time has passed. Accurate to the canon set before 31/01/2013.
Inspired and loosely based on the short film 'Sintel'.
Elements of the story taken from the 'Where the World Ends' universe (by hlissner).

Image is fanart by NCMares.
Pre-read by ThoseRemainingSilent and Bleeding Rain.
Story formerly known as 'Twintel'.

Twilight Sparkle never seemed to notice Lyra Heartstrings. She didn't even remember Lyra's name.

They were friends back in Canterlot and even went to school together. Yet Twilight didn't notice that Lyra just happened to move to Ponyville the same day she did. She didn't even notice when Lyra appeared at her welcoming party. Nor did she ever seem to spot her old classmate passing by in the background on any other day during her stay in Ponyville. Some days she could look right at Lyra and never realize that they knew each other.

Lyra isn't a very noticeable pony. She has put a lot of effort into that.

Set in late season 5, after Amending Fences.
Note: Lots of spoilers in the comments.

Because when her Pinkie Sense is going off and she just knows somepony's been denied the birthright which is their birthday celebration, she'll go anywhere and do anything to make it right. Even if anywhere means heading deep into a changeling hive, and anything is... well, anything!

But she'll do whatever it takes.

Birthdays are important.

Now with author Patreon and Ko-Fi pages.

Discord's the only creature in Equestria who can recognize the human for what he is -- not the long-lost Seventh Element that never actually existed and couldn't have existed before the human arrived, but a meta-reality warper, an entity far more powerful than Discord with the power to warp the minds of all around him and the very rules of magic to make sure that he's always the Big Hero. And the role the human's assigned to Discord is the Villain to beat down or kill.

Pre-reform Discord's fine with being the villain. But on his own terms. Not dancing on some alien interloper's puppet strings.

Without friendship, or even allies, Discord's going to have to find a way to defeat a creature who can alter fate itself and who can even mind-control him. Or he may just end up worse than dead.

Art by Tenchi-Outsuno. Progress Bar at my writing journal.

Trigger warnings: Mind control (magically induced love, magically induced friendship, magically induced stupidity, Discord being Discord), noncon/dubcon (magically induced love, other forms of highly dubious consent), rape (female on male), violence/gore (mostly against Discord), literally everything in chapters 19-21, humans not being presented as unilaterally wonderful and superior to ponies and/or draconequui.

Brian Mikkelsen had been looking forward to his two weeks leave after two weeks of working on MAERSK Drilling's Tyra field. Transfer onshore on the 24th of May 2015, after next shift and a good day's sleep. Transfer never came, neither did the 24th of May 2015. Nor did he wake in his own body.

A Ponies after People side story to Starscribe's fine work The Last Pony on Earth.

Reviewed as highly recommended by Present Perfect

Awesome cover art by celestiawept!

Now with a Russian translation by Alkarasu :)

More art! Colour sketch for chapter two by ierf.