Mainstay's life was like an old shoe: worn and uncomfortable, but familiar. Nopony went on grand adventures in Smile Harbour, there were no lost magic artifacts or rampaging monsters, just the daily chore of reaping the sea and whiling away a quiet evening at the pub. But Mainstay is sucked into a maelstrom when one of a hoofful of humans who emigrated to Equestria buys the house nextdoor! With his peaceful life dashed on the rocks he flounders in this strange new sea, trying to find something, or somepony, to hold onto.

Trigger warning: Lots of swearing, some violence, mentions of suicide and self-harm, and a little vaguely described intimacy.

epub: The epub exported from FimFic won't render some of the fonts correctly -- at least it doesn't on my Kobo. Please download a corrected version here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=15TqKiYMwN_QV7Dq05WD_BTYn4ZRZ10mS

Pre-read by Nevran Sarif, Cross Lament, and Crystal Wishes.

Photo used for the cover, courtesy of pxhere.

Adam Inns has always been a simple man. For him, whiling his days away in a log cabin with a good book and a good view is a life well spent, no matter which planet he inhabits. But one day, after a misunderstanding with a Royal Guard gets Celestia involved, she decides to have a little fun at Adam's expense, and he suddenly finds himself as the proud owner and sovereign of a brand-new country, his to do with as he pleases.

However, the joke slowly finds a life of its own, as the poor and outcast find themselves on Inns' doorstep, with nowhere else to go and little reason to love Equestria. As the new state begins to grow into its own, Adam discovers that the calculus of rulership is not as forgiving as he once thought - and as the Equestrian system shudders under the weight of a thousand years of status quo coming to an abrupt end, his newfound convictions soon put him on a collision course with his friend, Celestia... a course neither may be willing to correct.

Can harmony and friendship really prevail against cold, hard realpolitik?

Hitch may have a paid-off mortgage…but he isn’t the only young landowner in Mareitime Bay.

Takes place at least a few years before the start of MLP A New Generation.

3/7/23--#1 on the Featured Box. Thank you everyone.

On a cold Winter night, Police Chief Miranda Rights tries to arrest a very special visitor. With gifts.

Meant as a gift to Estee for the Tryptych Continuum and in particular Miranda Rights, the beleaguered and frequently overloaded Ponyville Chief of Police in the center of Chaos. (and occasionally host to Discord) Rain or shine, quiet nights or rampaging monsters, the thin blue line of the Ponyville police never breaks. (although at times it frays a bit)

Cover art patched together from several sources including Copper Top the police pony and Jean Sapin for the Christmas tree vector.

Now featured on Equestria Daily

Peter and Sponge Pudding are friends. They've been friends for basically their whole lives. Buds. Pals. Inseparable. Gone from simply hanging around one another as kids to now living together as young persons.

Their individual weekends plans have been scuppered, however, and now they have to make the most of things.

With predictable results.

Rainbow Dash's morning was pretty much ruined.
She tripped getting out of bed and landed flat on her face, giving herself an aching muzzle.
She forgot to buy her favorite brand of hay flakes at the store yesterday and had to eat plain toast for breakfast.
She found out she had to pull double-duty today and tomorrow on the weather patrol.
Oh, and she found a nearly-dead foal, broken and bleeding at the edge of Ponyville.

The rest of her day became a whirlpool of stress and worry but the colt woke up, thank Celestia.
Something's not right, though. Nopony can find his parents, he's not in the registers, and there's an unsettling look in his eye...

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YouTube reading by Fire Hearth

Chinese Translation by forgivenlove

Russian Translation by Likantrop

TV Tropes page, if you're interested in that sort of thing.

Shady Fortune is an ambitious stallion. The old manor outside of town is an ancient eyesore. Where most ponies would see a tear-down job long-gone undone, Shady instead sees potential and beauty in the decrepit old house.

But he's not the only thing living in Buckwheat Manor, and Shady will soon learn that not all spirits remain at rest.

This story has a dramatic reading by Skijarama, which you can listen to here. Thanks!

A human living in Equestria owns a restaurant in Canterlot. Hearth's Warming is approaching. Demand is high.

Life is a series of challenges, and running a restaurant is undoubtedly a big one. Jean does his best as anyone can while dealing with other things that have come into his life as of late.

Jasper was not in the Crystal Empire when it vanished. His wife Agate was. Separated from his family across time, he writes letters in the hopes that she may eventually read them someday, however far away that may be.

Written for Bicyclette's Twilight Files contest.

Once upon a time, Princess Celestia meant the world to her young protégée, Sunset Shimmer. In many ways, she was the world to the unicorn filly.

Now, the relationship between mentor and student has become deeply strained. Some weeks ago, the two suffered a major spat. As the rift between them grows and emotions churn inside Sunset, she begins to wonder exactly who she is in the eyes of the age-old alicorn who controls the sun.

And as Celestia prepares to leave for a diplomatic errand, she finds herself confronted by her volatile pupil -- and, put on the spot, must find a way to bridge the gap before it's too late.

Ignores the depiction of events in the comic The Fall of Sunset Shimmer. While the story works as a standalone prequel to canon G4 animated media, it is also canon with my ongoing longform story Together from Canterlot to Canterlot, as well as, separately, my alternate universe setting established by What My Destiny is Telling Me. (Despite the name, it is not directly related to my story Late-Night Conversations.)

Cover art by daOtterGuy, who pre-read the story along with The Sleepless Beholder. Special thanks to TCC56 (First Hoof Account) and Sledge115 (Sogno di Volare) for inspiring me to dabble in this period of Sunset's life.

Featured on 11/8/22-11/10/22! Re-edited 1/14/23. Now featured on Equestria Daily!