Love is a like a garden, Rarity had always known that. You had to take care of the garden that was love: water it with affection, weed out petty fears, nurture the timid intimacies. But the weeds that suffocate the flowers and feast on the trees can strike with little warning even when the utmost care is taken. The rot of despair can eat away at the green no matter how much love is poured into a relationship.

Rainbow deals with the possibility of a flightless future in the aftermath of a brush with death with help from Rarity. Many waters cannot quench love; perhaps not even crippled wings can dampen it for long.

(Sequel to Where the Sun is Silent. You do not really have to have read that story to enjoy this one. Know only that Rainbow and company were pawns in the sick games of an elder god of chaos and that she was seriously injured.)

After working on a major project for the betterment of Equestria, Twilight Sparkle brings her work to her mentor and princess for approval and funding, and her proposal is rejected outright without explanation or sympathy.

Devastated by Celestia's refusal, Twilight tries to determine whether she has failed her work or her teacher - and wonders what her special status and talent is worth.

On a warm, rainy afternoon, two young ponies take shelter in a gazebo. One is hoping to find a job at a bakery nearby, and just wants the rain to go away so she can make it to her interview. The other isn't really a pony, and just wants the rain to go away so he isn't caught.

Life tends to work that way, I suppose.

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Written for the Outside Insight Fanfiction Contest.
Featured 8-10-14!

Zevan was a loyal changeling and always did his queen's bidding, although he quietly questioned why changelings should end centuries of secret but peaceful intermingling with the pony population. After being expelled from Canterlot by the irresistible force of love and badly injured after crash-landing in trees, he had to reconsider his future. Ponies knew that changelings existed now, and the only example of them was Chrysalis' attempt to overthrow Celestia and their attack on Canterlot's population. His kind would be pariahs for the foreseeable future and maybe even their disguises would not keep them safe. A unicorn mare with a broken horn might do the trick though.

There is now a prequel to this story - Prelude To Change I suggest that you read that first.

Whirring Cogs had a happy and near ideal life as a mechanic at the Cloudsdale weather factory. He had his best friend, a good social life, a job that he loved, and time to take joy in flying. While he enjoyed socializing with mares, he had no interest in complicating his life with a relationship, and lived contentedly as a single stallion. Then a mad changeling queen dared to make plans to wrest control of Equestria from the alicorn princesses. It's a pity that she was his queen, and Cogs the changeling had his perfect life ruined.

This is a prequel to my story - "Change of Life" - and explores the events that led up to the beginning of that story, before his fateful encounter with Lavender Dreams.

My name is Kadie, and when I was eight years old, my people, the griffins, went to war with the ponies of Equestria. My mother never wanted me to think about that, so she never talked about it. The Emperor told my father that he had to go off and fight the ponies, though, so I know that she thought about it a lot.

A few months after I turned ten, a messenger came into our town and told us that our emperor didn't want to fight anymore, so the ponies won, and we lost. Mother said that since we lived so close to our capital, we needed to go see the pony army meet our emperor.

I did not like that.

Edited wonderfully by Prak

Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity have a sleepover. Certain uncomfortable secrets come to light.

Thanks to Einhander and Exuno for their help.

Even when there's no light at the end of the tunnel, that doesn't mean you can't keep moving. Luna finds it within herself to put one hoof in front of the other, as her immortality melts away.

"Astoundingly, sex does /not/ ensue" - Pearple Prose

During a lull in the conversation at an upper class charity dinner, Rarity takes a moment to contemplate some commonly held assumptions made of Princess Celestia. Specifically, her table manners.

Nightmare Moon won. She defeated Celestia, broke the Elements, banished the sun. This all happened a very long time ago. So long ago, that she has had plenty of time to change her mind.

Of course, fixing our mistakes is never so simple, and never without consequences. Even with particularly potent help.

"If you came to conquer, you'll be king for a day. / But you too will deteriorate and quickly fade away."
— "No Control" by Bad Religion

A big thanks to Craine, Sorren, and Idylia for prereading and editing. If you enjoyed the story, don't forget to check out their pages.

Equestria Daily
Royal Canterlot Library (FIMfic version)
Russian translation by Doof
Chinese translation by Dreams Set Free

Kitsune Heart has done a dramatic reading of this story! Find it over here.
ObabScribbler has done a dramatic reading of this story! It includes a full cast of voice actors. Find it over here.

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