Discord's been settling in, if you can call anything Discord does "settling", to life as Fluttershy's housemate. He's friends now with both Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, he's become an extraordinarily annoying second mentor for Twilight, he and Celestia are even making attempts to repair their old friendship. But what comes as close as Discord can get to "ordinary" life is haunted by a secret he's not willing to share with any of his new friends. He's been exiled from the Q Continuum because he's on trial. And there's a very significant chance they're going to take his powers away.

Crossover with Star Trek: The Next Generation, though don't expect to see much of the TNG characters or see the crew of the Enterprise interact with the ponies. Part of my "Next of Kin to Chaos" series, where Discord is Q. This is what happens immediately prior to and during the TNG episode "Deja Q" from the perspective of Discord's pony friends. Or, why would someone take refuge with "the closest thing" they have to a friend when they have actual friends they could go to instead?

A page for this series now exists: Next of Kin to Chaos

There is now a Progress Bar at my writing journal.

For centuries, countless griffons have braved the depths of the Abysmal Abyss in the hopes of recovering the Idol of Boreas, never to return.

But now stories have surfaced that someone came close to bringing back the legendary artefact, and one group of explorers is willing to try again where others have failed, for a chance at restoring Griffonstone’s lost glory once and for all.

Unfortunately, success may hinge on them first getting into that friendship thing that dumb ponies seem to love so much.

Life in Equestria is changing, and nopony knows this more than Lyra Heartstrings. While on vacation in Appleloosa to forget her past trauma with changelings, the struggling musician ironically stumbles upon Queen Chrysalis. In her starving death throes, the Matriarch of the Hive latches onto Lyra. When the unicorn awakens, she is no longer her usual self, but rather a super-powered pony with all the gifts and talents of the changeling queen who has merged with her, forming a shared consciousness in Lyra's head.

Together, the two will be forced to work out a symbiotic relationship, performing acts of heroism against a shifting tide of questionable politics, dangerous personalities, unpredictable technologies, and the runaway denizens of Tartarus. Neither Chrysalis nor Lyra exclusively, they must both settle for an identity that sparks fear in the minds of evil... and instills hope in the hearts of the innocent.

This is not the story of Queen Chrysalis. Nor is this the story of Ponyville's silly Lyra Heartstrings. This is the day-to-day saga of the pony known only as the Shell, the heroes and villains attached to her, and the adventurous legacy that she will ultimately leave behind.

Cover Art by Rangelost

Idol Hooves holds a special place in Equestria. He's probably the only exiled changeling to serve in the Royal Guard, or at least, that's what he expects, as exiles don't really broadcast that fact. However, it's well known that Princess Celestia loves all of her little ponies, and her guards perhaps more so, and that makes it one of the best ways for a changeling to discreetly feed.

But how does a changeling even get there, let alone get exiled in the first place? For that matter, why would it ever go to Canterlot? Set a number of years before the series proper, before Luna’s redemption, Idol details how he was exiled, the ponies he’s met, and the series of misadventures that led him to joining the Royal Guard, and should continue a good ways into the series, as something of an alternate perspective.

Soon, he’ll have to deal with a boisterous new princess to serve and a royal wedding in the works bringing a third to power. Will his old instincts bring this new life crashing down around him? What precipitates Chrysalis’s ill-fated assault on Canterlot? Is it really so wrong for a changeling to enjoy good craftsmanship to an obsessive degree?

New cover art provided by the fantastic Carnifex

And a TVTropes page here.

And an Ask Blog of questionable canonity!
Out of Idol Curiosity

Fanart by Norad2! Major thanks! Short For a Royal Guard

Art by Egophiliac of Idol and his Daring Duckie Please don't tell him what that brush is meant for.

Rating updated to (T), it's a bit darker than (E)
Comedy Tag added as well
And changed the character tags a bit.

This story is a sequel to Ynanhluutr

Rainbow Dash endures many trials to reach the edge of the world.