Feather Sigil's I Am Chaos

Discord, as a character, has engendered a great deal of discussion and theorizing on just how exactly such a creature exists. Is he actually evil? As the spirit of Chaos, does he have any free will or must he always act in a way that is most guaranteed to 'shake things up', even if he doesn't feel like it at the moment? Can he ever not feel like it?

[Slice-of-Life] • 2,900 words
You think you know me so well, don’t you? I’m a spirit of chaos, and nothing else. You don’t even know the half of it! Sit back and indulge me for a little; I’ll make you understand what it truly means to be chaos itself.

Hit the break for a chat with Feather Sigil, and links to I Am Chaos out on the ponynet. As always, ebook copies are available over at the Downloads page!

BaroqueNexus' The Pony in My Pocket

Today's Vault entry is a little unusual, in that it doesn't take place in Equestria, or even in a reality connected to Equestria. It takes place in our world, in fact, a world where My Little Pony is just a show for little girls.

[Human Crossover] • 13,500 words
War is war. There is no in-between. In the midst of chaos and death, sometimes incredible stories surface in the military community. And sometimes, the story becomes the reality.

Corporal Ben Wolfe of the 13th Army Expeditionary Unit shouldn't be alive, but he is. He's alive because of his daughter. He's alive because of Rainbow Dash. He's alive because of the pony in his pocket.

Hit the break for a chat with BaroqueNexus and links to The Pony in My Pocket out on the interwebs. Don't forget to grab yourself an ebook copy over at the Downloads page!

determamfidd's It Takes a Village

Growing up is an adventure unto itself, especially when you're a dragon living among ponies.

[Slice-of-Life] • 147,700 words
Spike only wants things to stay the same. Time, however, has other ideas. He's going to need a lot of help...

Hit the break for a chat with determamfidd, and links to It Takes a Village out on the ponynet. Don't forget there are nice clean ebook copies waiting for you at the Downloads page!

Guesswork's Daylight Burning

Today's Vault entry is a little dark, and puts just a touch of a science-fiction spin on the Equestria we know. The idea of the Nightmare - not Nightmare Moon herself, but a third-party corrupting force - is one of the most interesting things in the fandom, to me.

[Adventure][Dark] • 66,500 words
"It's so nice to see you again!" said the thing that was not Celestia. "Oh yes, I know who you are, Twilight Sparkle. I had a taste of your magic the first time we met. Mortals forget things so easily, I find. Allow me to refresh your memory: you tried to kill me. But you failed, Twilight Sparkle. You only mostly killed me. And I guess that makes you one very unlucky little pony."

Hit the break for a talk with Guesswork, and links to Daylight Burning out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab your own ebook copies over at the Downloads page!

Dave Bryant's The Farmer in the Dell

Changelings have offered a wealth of possibilities for fanfic writers, and this isn't the first fic in the Vault to feature them. But it does explore an idea, and explores it in a way, that few other fics have.

[Shipping] • 3,800 words
Dale was a simple pony of the land, a widower with foals grown and moved away, and it looked like he would be the last of his line to work his ancient farm – but when an unexpected visitor literally drops in, everything changes for both of them.

Hit the break for a few words from Mr. Bryant, and links to The Farmer in the Dell out on the ponynet. However, please note that the story only exists – even here at the Vault's Downloads page – as a PDF file; as a graphic artist and typesetter, the author has made very specific selections in that regard that are difficult or impossible to reproduce in other formats.

Mystic's Dancing on Silver Strings

I hope my American readers had a happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday! I hope everyone else had a happy and safe Thursday.

Today we find out what Celestia and Discord were up to while Twilight and company were trying to re-imprison him in his stone prison, exploring the past and Celestia's psyche.

[Dark] • 11,700 words
Princess Celestia is a paradigm of virtue. Calm and benevolent, she stands strong as the moral guide of all ponydom, its infallible protector and symbol of all that is good.

She is... isn’t she?

Discord knows the truth. And he will stop at nothing, absolutely nothing, to make Celestia see it too.

The truth is never clear. Fear, however, is not so hard to find.

Hit the break for a chat with Mystic, and links to Dancing on Silver Strings out on the ponynet. And don't forget to grab your own ebook over at the Downloads page!

JasonTheHuman's Anthropology

Lyra is almost as big in the fandom as Derpy, with a unique fan-created persona that is obsessed with humans. In what is (almost - it recently got beaten out by some little upstart) the most favorited story on FIMFiction, we learn why. (Have you guys heard the song? There's a great song.)

[Adventure][Human Crossover] • 130,400 words
Humans.

Truth or myth? Ancient lost civilization or just an old pony's tale?

No pony has ever seen one, and most haven't even heard of them. But Lyra knows that these wonderful creatures are more than just old legends, and she's going to find out... and possibly drive her roommate insane in the process.

Hit the break for a chat with JasonTheHuman, and links to Anthropology out on the ponynet. There are some pretty nice ebooks waiting for you over at the Downloads page, too!

Helljumper117's Firebird

There have been a fair few fics exploring the idea of immortality surrounding the princesses, but what of the solar princess's beloved companion? (Also have to laugh - I made a point of calling out the shortest fic here in the Vault on Wednesday, and today's entry dethrones it!)

[Slice-of-Life] • 1,100 words
Forever here. Forever faithful. Forever my friend.

Hit the break for a few words from Helljumper117, and links to Firebird out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab a copy in your favorite ebook format over at the Downloads page!

One Year Later

My lovely girlfriend baked me a cake to celebrate. Tasty, too!

One year ago today, I held my breath and posted the first Vault interview. I let it out pretty quickly and went on with my life, because yet another pony blog wasn't going to cause much of a stir, at least not at first. Besides, I had more posts to work on; in those heady days, there were new interviews twice a week.

(Hit the break for some more self-indulgent musings about the last year, or maybe just enjoy the updated look of the site. You might also be interested to know that every ebook has been updated to celebrate one year at the Vault with shiny new covers/logos, and all PDFs now boast clean, professional styling.)

WovenWord's Wonderbolt

I'm mortified that this is going up to late - but up it goes! Today we have a darker atmospheric piece, set in an unsettling future or alternate timeline from the world we know and love.

[Dark][Shipping] • 3,100 words
I have something I want to tell you.

It's a very simple thing.

A short little phrase.

I wonder if it still matters, though, in a world like this.

It matters to me, but I'd like to know if it'll matter to you.

Hit the break for a lovely long chat with WovenWord, and links to Wonderbolt out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab your own ebook copy over at the Downloads page!

Happy Nightmare Night!

Dash is, as always, best pumpkin.

Also, you'll notice a new poll over on the right - or really, a repeat poll. I'm considering completely changing my workflow for creating the ebooks here at the Vault, and if I did so, it would make my life a lot easier to not bother with supporting raw HTML files anymore. As a plus, you'd get more professional-looking ebooks out of the deal.

If you actually rely on the HTML files on the Downloads page, please sing out in the comments here to let me know.

Gold's Left Behind

I suspect everyone's had to deal with this at some point in their lives... friends moving on to (what appears to be) bigger and better things, feeling as though there's not much for yourself. Buck up - you're just as important in your own right.

[Adventure][Shipping] • 23,300 words
As her friends find success, Applejack begins to worry that her life as a simple farmer makes her the least special of her friends. Rainbow Dash comes up with a plan to show her just how special she is - and discovers something about her feelings for the country farmer in the process.

Hit the break for a chat with Gold, and links to Left Behind out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab your own ebook copy over at the Downloads page!

kits's Who We Are

When I finished reading today's story, I had to sit back and take a deep breath. After all, I'd been holding it for nearly seventeen thousand words.

[Slice-of-Life] • 17,200 words
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.

Hit the break for a talk with kits, and links to Who We Are out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab your own copy in ebook format over on the Downloads page!

Autumn Wind's A Drop of Sunlight: The Becoming of Sun Brandisher

When did ponies become ponies, and not just, yannow, horses? How did their civilization begin? Today you find out!

[Slice-of-Life] • 3,700 words
Long before the coming of the Princesses and the Modern Age, long before the coming of Discord and the Chaotic Age, and long even before the three breeds moved apart, the Age of Separation, there was the first age: The Age of Grazing.

The Age of Grazing was the birth and childhood of the world, where ponies made many discoveries that would one day shape the future of Equestria and its sister lands. Behind every great discovery was a bewildered pony, marveling at a mystery of the world.

This is the tale of one such pony. From mouth to mouth and quill to quill, from whinny to word and from neigh to notes, his name has been transformed and altered, but today, now that his tale has been immortalized in a thousand history books, he is known as Sun Brandisher.

Hit the break for a chat with Autumn Wind, and links to A Drop of Sunlight all around the ponynet. Don't forget to grab your own copy in ebook format over at the Downloads page!

Lamia's Diary of a Ruler

More Celestia! She's a fascinating character, really; what would an immortal's daily diary look like?

[Slice-of-Life] • 28,600 words
My name is Celestia. This is a kind of log, an epistolary detailing various portions of my experiences throughout my long life, and several analytical reflections that come to mind at times. Most importantly, it is a collection of personal thoughts as I struggle through my eternal life's hardships.

Now that my purpose has been discovered, I have decided to share these entries with everypony here; perhaps my own shared introspection over my lifetime could provide an alternative way of thinking to some. If not, then I hope I did not bore you. I realize much of it is pointless rambling, but I have chosen several entries that I believe may be of interest.

Enjoy, if you like.

Hit the break for a few words from Lamia, and links to Diary of a Ruler out around the ponynet. Don't forget to grab an ebook copy over at the Downloads page!

Canterlot Gardens III: Garden Harder

Hey everyone! I was delayed by a laptop that just wasn't cooperating over the weekend, but now that I'm back home I was able to finish compiling the panelists' information into ebook form and upload them here! Click to get the DLC in PDF, HTML, ePub, and mobi formats (or all four), and I've added them to my section at the top of the Downloads page as well.

I had a great time at the con, and was thrilled to get a chance to meet several authors I've spoken with before online, including Melionos, Present Perfect, and kits - and of course the panelists who were kind enough to make the journey from all over the eastern half of the US (and Saddlesoap making the crossing from Ontario!).

If you were at the panel and didn't get a chance to ask your question - and even if you weren't at the panel and would have liked to ask something had you been there - post it in the comments and I'll ask the panelists to drop by.

Canterlot Gardens II: The Gardening

I hate doing this - hate, hate, hate - but I just didn't have time to get everything together for a Vault post this week. I'm writing this about two hours before I get into the car and drive 10 hours to OH, where I will promptly collapse for not nearly enough sleep before the con starts. I've spent the last few days getting everything ready for the con, in terms of my personal life, and as a con attendee, and as a panel moderator, and I've hit the wall and just had to call it.

I'm sorry; regular Vault posts will resume next week. Sunday morning Monday afternoon, there will be is another CG post, containing the panel materials my lovely panelists have put together for you.

Again, if you see me at the con, feel free to say hi!

Canterlot Gardens

If anyone's going to Canterlot Gardens this weekend, you just might see me there! Especially if you come by the fanfiction panel on Sunday, which I have the distinct pleasure of running with panelists Donny's Boy, HiddenBrony, Patchwork Poltergeist, ROBCakeran53, Saddlesoap Opera, and SleeplessBrony, who will be discussing how to write great pony fanfiction. If you can't attend, you'll still be able to get your own copy of some special downloadable content we've put together for the panel, such that you might be able to internalize their deep wisdom remotely.

Hope to see you there!

Jetfire's It's a Dangerous Business, Going Out Your Door

I love every story included here at the Vault - obviously, that's kind of the point - but today's story might be my all-time favorite. Wonderful imagery, characterization, character development... this is one of the stories that I originally created the Vault for, to ensure it's never lost. It was also the story that convinced my girlfriend that pony fanfic was more that just silly wastes of time - no mean feat!

[Adventure] • 143,000 words
When an accident leaves Twilight Sparkle seriously ill, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity must undertake a perilous journey to find her a cure. What adventures await them beyond Equestria's borders?

Hit the break for a chat with Jetfire, and links to Dangerous Business online. Don't forget to grab your own copy in your favorite ebook format over at the Downloads page! (And if you've read it before, you might want to revisit it at either the PFA or via an ebook - it's been through a fairly major edit since getting posted at EqD, and the individual chapter links there are out of date!)

RazedRainbow's The Mill

There's a lot of pressure on a young person (or foal, as the case may be) - societal pressure, family pressure, peer pressure - but things generally work out in the end.

[Slice-of-Life] • 2,700 words
Apple Bloom had always dreamed of the day. She just never dreamed that it would be a nightmare.

Hit the break for a chat with RazedRainbow (boy, I hope that handle doesn't mean what I think it means...) and links to The Mill all over the ponynet. If you ask very nicely, there just might be an ebook waiting for you over at the Downloads page as well.

TheBandBrony's Moments Worth Sharing

Following a theme from last week's Vault entry, today we take a unique look at what it must be like for a nigh-immortal being to live through innumerable sunsets.

[Tragedy] • 3,900 words
After a very stressful day visiting her prized student in Ponyville, Princess Celestia is left alone to contemplate and watch the sunset. From an outsider's perspective, she has everything she could ever want. But has she ever really had anything at all?

Hit the break for a chat with TheBandBrony, and links to Moments Worth Sharing out on the ponynet - and don't forget to grab your very own ebook over at the Downloads page!

Larathin Bradley's A Summer Twilight

This is a golden oldie, originally published way back in April of last year. It's interesting to think about how a species that can live for hundreds or thousands of years must become accustomed to loss - by any useful measure, dragons might as well be immortal.

[Tragedy] • 3,400 words
A grown-up Spike looks back on his life and on those who are no longer with him as the anniversary of a dear friend's death rolls around. Will he be able to deal with his grief and put the past behind him? Or will he need the help of someone even older?

Hit the break for a chat with Larathin, and links to A Summer Twilight all over the ponynet. (It's even been adapted into a comic.) And you can check out the Downloads page for your very own ebook copy!

Horse Voice's The Savage Way

It's an odd combination, this - a background character and a human, trapped alone on a deserted isle. Who'll crack first, the pony or the man?

[Human Crossover] • 5,000 words
A disaster at sea strands Caramel on an island with one other survivor: a human immigrant. They agree to work together, but Caramel's new friend may not be as benevolent as he seems.

Hit the break for a cheerful chat with Horse Voice, and links to The Savage Way out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab a copy in your preferred ebook format over at the Downloads page!

Church's Who Makes the Wind Blow?

There's always something new to look forward to, waiting just around the corner.

[Slice-of-Life] • 3,500 words
I've always wanted a cloud... and now the day is finally here.

Hit the break for a chat with Church, and links to Who Makes the Wind Blow? out and about on the ponynet. Of course, you could always grab a copy of your own over at the Downloads page... um, if that's okay with you, that is.

Today...

...the Vault will be taking a day off. It usually takes about a week of lead time to get an interview and ebooks ready for a Vault entry, and my last week was much busier than normal for me, so there just wasn't time. Sorry, everyone!

Regular service will resume next week. (Has anyone else noticed that the next entry will be the Vault's 50th?)

BillyColt's This Nearly Was Mine

The Octavia-Vinyl pairing has been done, as the saying goes, to death. Today's Vault entry is a refreshing take on the subgenre, from the outside looking in.

[Shipping][Tragedy] • 12,700 words
Stoic. Calm. Unflappable. And above all, Professional. These are attributes that the pianist Frederic Horseshoepin likes to pride himself on.

But sometimes it's difficult to stay professional. Frederic finds it difficult to maintain a veneer of stoicism when he has to deal with his own feelings. What can he do when he's in love with a mare that he cannot hope to have?

Hit the break for a chat with BillyColt, and links to This Nearly Was Mine out around the ponynet. There's ebooks, too, you know, over at the Downloads page!

DawnFade's Pirates for a Day

A short-but-sweet piece of innocent friendshipping. Do you remember what it was like to be young, to go off and have adventures with your friends? No? Maybe this will help remind you.

[Slice-of-Life] • 2,600 words
Pipsqueak and Dinky are good friends playing together in the forest when they make a discovery.

Hit the break for an interview with DawnFade, and links to Pirates for a Day all around the ponynet. Don't forget to grab yourself an ebook or two over at the Downloads page!

jdmhouse's My Maker

Stories like this are the reason fan fiction exists, in my opinion. A "character" who got, what, five minutes of screentime (and is in fact an inanimate object) is imbued with a personality, motivation, backstory... it's pretty impressive, the depths fanfic authors plumb.

[Tragedy] • 7,800 words
Everyone has an imaginary friend growing up: a stuffed animal, a companion to guard us when the monsters come knocking and the like. We know them and love them; they mean everything to us. But have we ever stopped to ask what we mean to them?

Hit the break for an interview with jdm, and links to My Maker out on the ponynet. Don't forget you very own ebook copy, available over at the Downloads page!

Kkat's Fallout: Equestria

This is arguably the biggest fanfic in the fandom. It's spawned over 250 side stories, translations into multiple languages, and countless pieces of fan art and fan music, and was considered notable enough to be mentioned in Fallout's Wikipedia entry. You can check out all the fan content at the Fallout: Equestria Resource. Marshmallow ponies and post-apocalyptic wasteland... who'd have thought?

[Adventure][Dark][Crossover] • 607,200 words
Fallout. With ponies! Set in an alternate future, one pony must learn to survive in a blasted, poisoned land... and possibly, with the aid of friends made along the way, bring new light into the darkness of post-apocalyptic Equestria.

Hit the break for an interview with Kkat (of which there have been quite a few), and links to Fo:E out on the ponynet. And of course you can grab ebooks suitable for your terminal or PipBuck over on the Downloads page!

Sessalisk's We

A gripping, unique look into how the Royal Sisters and Equestria came to be. (It also kind of defies genre tagging, in my opinion, so... yeah!)

[Slice-of-Life] • 4,100 words
How does Celestia know the things she knows? How does she relate to her "nieces" and "nephews"? What is friendship? What is harmony?

What is she.

Hit the break for a sit-down with Sessalisk - doesn't that just roll off the tongue - and links to We here and there around the ponynet. The Downloads page is still a thing, too, in case you just gotta get yourself an ebook!

Filler's Beyond the Wall

Today we have the Vault's first official Dark fic. Other stories here have certainly explored some less-than-well-lit themes, but in the end they were really more Tragedies than anything else. This one is true, subtle horror.

[Dark] • 5,600 words
Never enter the woods alone, for there are monsters there. They can look like anything, even another pony. And if you waver in Gaea's love, you will become one.

Hit the break for a talk with Filler of /fic/ fame, and links to Beyond the Wall around the ponynet. You remember where to get ebooks, right? Right?

BronyCon 2012

When I found out about the Sonic Roadboom 

I basically had to throw together a Vault ad for it.

Was a blast! Got a chance to meet Vault alums The Descendant, SleeplessBrony, and Saddlesoap Opera, as well as Ms. Lauren Faust and Mr. John de Lancie.

I tweeted a fair bit during, including quite a few interesting pictures; if you're interested in that sort of thing, check it out here.

Time to pass out for me. See you Friday!

Donny's Boy's Seeking Beauty

Rarity and Pinkie Pie? You'd think Rarity'd be too boring for Pinkie, and Pinkie'd be too crazy for Rarity... but they actually fit together pretty darn well.

[Shipping] • 30,600 words
Rarity has accomplished everything she’s dreamt of accomplishing, and she couldn’t be happier. At least, that’s what she thinks, until an old friend comes unexpectedly bouncing back into her life.

Hit the break for a sit-down with Donny's Boy, and links to Seeking Beauty out on the ponynet. As always, you can find lovingly hand-crafted ebooks over at the Downloads page!

BronyCon!

Anyone going? I'll be there both days. Look for the guy in the Wonderbolts flightsuit with a Mare Do Well (my girlfriend) never too far behind. Feel free to say hi!

Kwakerjak's Wild, Sweet & Cool

A well-written story, based on a unique idea; the author excels at weaving his narrative seamlessly in and out of the canon of the show while providing his own take on its events and situations (and even explains why a world full of ponies would have saddles!). As an added bonus, you'll have a much better understanding of the mechanics of flight by the end.

[Slice-of-Life] • 34,700 words
After reading a book by Spitfire's personal trainer, Rainbow Dash decides that the best way to get closer to her ultimate goal of joining the Wonderbolts is to add strength training to her practices by having one of her friends ride her. However, when she decides that Twilight Sparkle is just the mare for the job, the pegasus gets a bit more than she bargained for.

Hit the break for a talk with Kwakerjak, and links to Wild, Sweet & Cool wherever fine pony fanfic can be found. Don't forget to grab a copy for yourself over at the Downloads page!

Arkensaw Pinkerton's Fixing Up Miss Smartypants

PhantomFox's Sunny Skies All Day Long is often pointed to as a perfect "episode" fic - it's the sort of thing that could believably happen in the show itself without any real changes. I think the same way about today's Vault entry... if the show was targeting a slightly older demographic, that is.

[Shipping][Comedy] • 50,200 words
Big Macintosh had a perfectly good reason for taking Twilight's doll; he wanted to use it to finally start a conversation with her. But Applejack's having none of it, Rarity's getting the wrong idea about everything, and the Cutie Mark Crusader Matchmakers are about to really throw a spanner in the works! A comedy of errors launching a full fleet of ships.

Hit the break for a few words from the good Mr. Pinkerton himself, along with links to Fixing Up Miss Smartypants out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab a copy in your favorite ebook format over at the Downloads page, hot off the digital press!

As Foretold In Revelations...

...I have returned. And embarrassingly have been too swamped with jetlag and playing catch-up at work, home, and online that I flat-out haven't had time to complete my usual work for a Vault entry this week, though I very much wanted to have one. I kinda feel guilty taking three weeks off. If it's any consolation to you (and me), I don't have any extended trips planned in the foreseeable future, so this sort of thing shouldn't happen again, and regular Vault service will resume next week.

I did want to take a moment to draw your attention to the good work of the My Little Pony Fan Labor Wiki. It aims to be the Wikipedia of all things related to the Friendship is Magic fandom: an unbiased information resource for all appropriate content (including fan fiction), editable by anyone and without regard for the popularity of a given work or its creator. They could use your help, 'cause in case you haven't noticed, our fandom produces a lot of work - if you're interested, go check them out!

Vacation & A Call to Arms

Hello, dear readers!

I regret that I don't have a new story for you today, and I blame the fact that I'm writing this on my phone at 36,000 feet. I took off about 15 minutes ago for a 10-day vacation with my family. The last week or two has been something of a mad dash to get ready, at work and at home, and this is the first time I've had to myself free of planning concerns in a while.

However, I did want to take this chance to call your attention to an unfortunate circumstance surrounding one of our fandom's ponyfic authors, who's looking for your signature to help stop a fraudulent lawsuit against his mother's small business, which has the potential to bankrupt them. For more info, check out his petition at Change.org: http://www.change.org/petitions/abuse-of-the-americans-with-disabilities-act

I'm afraid that's all I have for you for now. Keep reading, my friends!

SleeplessBrony's Romance Reports

Yes, you read that right. Today we welcome the Vault's first explicit story. I usually use this space to give a brief glimpse into why I might have selected any given story for inclusion here, but in this case I had a little more to say, so I said it over here. If you're confused about the appearance of a clopfic in the Vault, please mosey on over to that previous blog post, and do check out the interview below as well.

[Shipping] • 138,800 words
Twilight Sparkle has a crush on Luna, but the Princess insists that Twilight learn some things about love and romance before they can make a date.

Hit the break for a very lengthy, very enjoyable interview with SleeplessBrony, and links to Romance Reports at FIMFic and the PFA. As always, carefully hand-crafted ebooks can be found at the Downloads page!

(ETA: If you've read Romance Reports in the past and have been thinking about a re-read, now's the time! SleeplessBrony has just completed a thorough overhaul/polish, and the ebooks here and web version at the PFA is completely up-to-date, with a FIMFic update forthcoming over the weekend.)

On the Subject of Clop

The more astute of you might have noticed that for the last week or two, there's been a clopfic in the "Coming Attractions" queue over on the right sidebar. Some of you may be shocked and outraged, and I hope you read the rest of this post before storming off to less controversial areas of the Internet; others of you may breathe a sigh of relief, and can finally stop haranguing me to get it included in the Vault.

I worried for a little bit about the best way to include Romance Reports here. Should I do it on a Monday, with a 'regular' fic on the same Friday? But I didn't like that; I felt it devalued RR, and RR is not a fic to be taken lightly for any reason.

Violet CLM's Home Is Where the Hearts Are

I've always thought that this sort of thing would have to be pretty common in a place like Equestria, if sentiments like "everypony equal, everypony loved" are the true motto of the land. Doesn't mean it all goes perfectly right away, of course...

[Shipping] • 27,700 words
“Polyamory.”
Rainbow Dash blinked at Rarity. “Come again?”
“Polyamory. What you’re trying to build with Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy is called a polyamorous relationship."
“Okay,” said Rainbow Dash, “fine. So I know what it’s called. But what I really need to know is how I’m going to make it work!”

Hit the break for an interview with Violet CLM, and links to Home Is Where the Hearts Are around the ponynet. Don't forget to grab a copy from the Downloads page, if you're into that sort of thing!

Chromosome's White Box

Memory - or the lack thereof - is a powerful thing. But then again, so is imagination.

[Tragedy] • 8,300 words
My name is Canvas. I remember because I wrote it in the corner of the white box. It takes twelve steps to get from the cot to the wall. And the lights hurt my eyes.

Hit the break for a few pretentious words from our pretentious author, and links to White Box on the ponynet. There's always ebooks on the Downloads page if your reading tends toward the offline side of things, too!

A note about special formatting: if possible, read White Box in the original Google Docs version; failing that, use one of the ebooks here in the Vault; failing that, FIMFiction. Color plays a special role, and not all hosting locations support the originally intended formatting of the work. Now get to reading!

PhantomFox's Sunny Skies All Day Long

I can't help but feel there's not been as much attention paid, fanfiction-wise, to our benevolent Princess of the Sun, as there has been to the darker Princess of the Night. I expect that's why, really - often the darkness is what's more interesting, what draws us in and makes us wonder, makes us think... but sometimes we just need some sunshine in our lives.

[Slice-of-Life] • 8,500 words
Princess Celestia tires of constantly being surrounded by decorum, deference, and formality, and decides to take a day off from being Princess. But visiting Ponyville incognito is harder than she expects. Will she be able to fit in and make friends without blowing her cover?

Hit the break for a look at the fox behind the curtain, and links to Sunny Skies All Day Long around the ponynet. Don't forget to grab an eBook from the Downloads page, if you are so inclined!

Capn Chryssalid's The Best Night Ever

Do you love Groundhog Day? Of course you do. What isn't to love? However, let's say - just for the sake of argument, of course - that you are less than enthusiastic about Groundhog Day: Bill Murray's not your kind of actor, Harold Ramis isn't your idea of comedic genius, Andie MacDowell doesn't do it for you as a love interest. Even given all that... you like ponies, right? Of course you do - you're here.

[Adventure][Comedy][Shipping] • 50,700 words
Prince Blueblood thought the Grand Galloping Gala was over. He thought he could just go to sleep and put it behind him. He never expected to be reliving the same disaster of a day, over and over... and over.

Hit the break for an interview with Capn Chryssalid, and links to The Best Night Ever around the ponywebs. Don't forget to grab an ebook over at the Downloads page!

device heretic's Eternal

I was talking about story length last week, and then this week we have an even longer one. I hope you like reading! (If you don't, why are you here?) This is another story I effectively couldn't put down, an epic tale of Celestia's immortality and hubris, and her special relationship with Twilight.

[Adventure][Tragedy] • 159,800 words
Many years after sending her beloved protégé to Ponyville, unease sits heavily on Princess Celestia's heart as her relationship with Twilight Sparkle seems to have cooled despite all they've accomplished together. On the advice of her sister, Celestia sets out to investigate and resolve the lost connection with her most faithful student. What does it mean to be a Faithful Student... or a Princess of the Sun?

Hit the break for more words - all the words! - from device heretic, and links to Eternal online. You can grab a long, long ebook over at the Downloads page!

Error Correction

I have some personal downtime scheduled for the end of next month, and one project I intend to tackle is updating the ebooks here at the Vault. Since the Vault's inception, I've made tweaks to the various formats hosted here - some more than others - and I want to take the time to ensure every ebook is consistent.

I also intend to correct a myriad of minor but perpetually annoying - to my mind, anyway - errors that I've noticed in my rereading of some of these stories over the last few months. I do proofread and copyedit every story featured here before it's posted, but things have a way of sneaking under the radar in the heat of the moment. I've been collecting a list of typos, grammatical errors, punctuation issues, et cetera, and I'll be doing a mass update to the ebooks hosted here to address these.

I'm posting about this for two reasons - one, to let anyone who's been curious know that I'm aware of the inconsistencies in the formatting of certain ebooks and intend to correct them, but two, more importantly - have you noticed any errors in any of the ebooks here? Spelling, punctuation, grammar, syntax, formatting? If you have, please do let me know in the comments or in an email to rbdash47@gmail.com. My goal is to provide publication-quality books here, and I want to minimize errors as much as possible.

(Please note this does not apply to the Fallout: Equestria ebooks - Kkat specifically requested that Fo:E go completely unchanged from the original Google Docs, and I am obliged to do so.)

AbsoluteAnonymous's The Games We Play

This week's story is more than double the length of any previous story featured in the Vault, as long or longer than many novels you'd find in a bookstore - the PDF came out to 379 pages. I read it in a day, in more or less a single sitting. I'm a fairly fast reader, that still says something: it's the sort of story you don't want to put down. A well-crafted romantic mystery - you don't see many of those.

[Shipping] • 138,200 words
There's been another sighting of the mysterious Mare Do Well...but this time, all of Rainbow Dash's friends plead ignorance, insisting that they've put aside their costumes for good. Rainbow Dash is determined to uncover the masked mare's true identity before she's humiliated yet again, but this time around, the vigilante seems especially interested in her as well. Will Rainbow Dash be able to solve the mystery before the culprit takes the hoax too far? Or is she in danger of losing not only her mind, but her heart?

Hit the break for just a few more words from AbsoluteAnonymous, and links to The Games We Play on every ponyfic site out there. That PDF I mentioned, along with a few other ebook formats, is waiting for you over at the Downloads page!

Drakmire's For Those We Left Behind

This is a tight little piece - an economy of words, with all the fat stripped away. It does a wonderful, terrible job of capturing that sense of bewildering loss you find yourself in when someone very close to you passes away.

[Tragedy] • 5,500 words
When her mother passes away unexpectedly, Twilight Sparkle reflects on a parent she neglected in pursuit of her own dreams. With only a little time left before the funeral, she returns home to piece together what she can of a life she barely remembers, hoping to make peace with the memories of a pony she took for granted.

Hit the break for a talk with Drakmire, and links to For Those We Left Behind online. As always, you can grab a copy in your favorite ebook format at the Downloads page.

Cudpug's Hospice

This is slightly different fare than our usual ponyfic. It's a little harsher, a little darker, a little more adult - not in the cloppy sense, mind you, just more... seasoned than most of the fiction in this fandom. As one of the people who recommended it to me said, it will stay with you for a few days after reading it.

[Tragedy] • 64,700 words
Have you ever loved someone? I think that love is a universal theme that defines us all, and is really the ultimate satisfaction in life above all else. Hospice details the relationship between Rarity and an unnamed narrator, and how their relationship rises and falls in the wake of choices that they both make and forces outside of their control. The intention of the story was always to engage with the theme of relationship breakdown; view the story as distinctly metaphorical as these two tortured lovers do everything in their power to remain together.

Hit the break for an interview with Cudpug, and links to Hospice out on the ponynet. You can get ebook copies hot off the presses over at the Downloads page, of course!

AugieDog's Half the Day is Night

Heading into the weekend with an oldie but a goodie, originally posted at EqD almost exactly one year ago. Another unique take on how well the recently-freed Luna reintegrates with Equestrian society... but also looks at how society handles having her back.

[Adventure] • 60,700 words
Romance, palace intrigue, and swashbuckling adventure await our six heroines when Princess Luna summons the Elements of Harmony to Canterlot.

Hit the break for an equally well-written interview from AugieDog, as well as links to Half the Day is Night around the 'net. Don't forget to check out the Downloads page if you want your very own ebook copy!

CoffeeGrunt's Allegrezza

This week we have one of the best-known Octavia/Vinyl Scratch shipfics in the fandom, only recently completed. The title is Italian for 'joy', which should give you an idea of how this melodious story goes; impressively, the story's pages on EqD and FIMFic are the first Google results for the word!

[Shipping] • 47,500 words
Octavia is a high-class pony. Fine alcohol is her wont, and uncouthness her intense chagrin. Such is her surprise to find herself lumbered with an insufferable oaf of a DJ pony. However, sometimes these situations work themselves into a satisfactory ultimatum all the same.

Hit the break for an interview with CoffeeGrunt, and links to Allegrezza online - and don't forget to grab an ebook copy from the Downloads page!

Geography Lesson

I thought it might be interesting to see a visual representation of where the authors featured in the Vault hail from! You may have noticed a new tab in the menu above; this will get updated with each new author. Obviously there's a strong bias toward English-speaking countries, as I speak (and therefore read) English, but I'm impressed by the composition ability of some of our authors, for whom English can't be a first or possibly even second language.

That's all for now; check back at the end of the week for CoffeeGrunt's Allegrezza.

EsperDerek's Out in the Cold

Today's entry is another Classic, a story that completely redefined Twilight and Trixie's relationship, and inspired several other excellent stories - be sure to check out the rest of the stories in this particular fanon continuity.

[Shipping] • 23,600 words
Feeling the weight of the world and haunted by memories of her past, The Great and Powerful Trixie returns to the scene of her greatest defeat. Will she find a new purpose, or will the events that transpired make such a thing an impossibility?

Hit the break for an interview with EsperDerek, and links to Out in the Cold online. If you're into ebooks, the Downloads page awaits!

Thanqol's Yours Truly

Whenever possible, I'll be presenting something interesting on Mondays - last Monday was a compilation of the first 25 interviews here at the Vault, and today is an author being featured for their second time (which means an abbreviated interview - most answers haven't changed). Thanqol's latest work is a stellar example of why I started the Vault in the first place; in the unlikely event you haven't read it already, make some time to do so.

[Shipping] • 18,300 words
Distance can drive us apart. It can also bring us closer together. After all is said and done, and the ponies have gone their separate ways, the only way they have to keep in touch is through letters.

Hit the break for a second look at Thanqol, and links to Yours Truly on your favorite pony sites. Check out the Downloads page for copies in the usual ebook formats as well.

Caerdwyn's A Shower of Stars

This week we have an author whose work I discovered by pure chance and immediately loved. I highly recommend you check out the rest of his work; one other story even includes a fully functional apple cake recipe woven seamlessly into the narrative. This story in particular caught my eye for its interesting take on Luna-as-Nightmare-Moon, and its more serious look at the Wonderbolts' existence.

[Adventure][Tragedy] • 10,700 words
What starts out as an ordinary afternoon for Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash quickly turns serious, as half-forgotten plots come to fruition.

Hit the break for a thoughtful interview from Caerdwyn, and links to A Shower of Stars out on the ponynet. Check the Downloads page for a copy in your preferred ebook format as well!

RBDash47's Volume 1

Did anyone else notice that the Vault includes over 25 stories now? I did! To celebrate, I've collected the first 25 interviews into ebooks, just like the stories themselves. That's now available on the Downloads page; check back this Friday for a regular Vault update.

Thanks for reading!

AestheticB's Sparkle's Law

In which Twilight Sparkle has a really, really bad day. Which means a good day for you, readers!

[Comedy][Slice-of-Life] • 17,700 words
It is the day of the Summer Sun Celebration, and Princess Celestia is coming to Ponyville. Twilight Sparkle is overseeing preparations yet again, and has meticulously planned every last detail to ensure that everything is perfect for her mentor’s arrival. Nothing is going to wrong.

Except when the big day comes, Twilight has gotten four hours of sleep and Fluttershy is nowhere to be found. Pinkie Pie sets off after her with nothing but a dark coat and the voice of a chain-smoking stallion, and the Apples and the Carrots are at each other’s throats while Rainbow Dash is attempting to fill in for Fluttershy.

As her plans collapse around her and Ponyville descends into chaos, Twilight Sparkle must focus on obtaining the one thing that can make everything better: the all-powerful, awe-inspiring magic of caffeine.

Hit the break for a few words from AestheticB, and links to Sparkle's Law out in the wide world of ponyfic. Check out the Downloads page for copies in your favorite eBook format too!

Titan Rising's Moonspire Run

Continuing the adventure theme, Spitfire challenges Rainbow Dash to a race through one of the most treacherous areas of Equestria. This story really reminded me of the X-Wing novels with all the precision flying and juking around. Stay on target...

[Adventure] • 14,100 words
Rainbow Dash faces off against her hero, Spitfire, in a one-on-one race through a relic of Nightmare Moon's past.

Hit the break for an enlightening interview with Titan Rising, and links to Moonspire Run out on the ponyweb. Ebook copies await you on the Downloads page, hot off the presses!

Amateur Hour

Holy crap, guys. I discovered last night that just about every single epub in the Vault was corrupt. No wonder it's doing so badly in the format poll!

I have corrected, validated, and spot-checked all the epubs and reuploaded them - so if you've been desperate to use one but have been getting weird error messages when trying to read it, redownload!

On a related note, some of the formatting in the mobi files has been cleaned up, so if you're a mobi user, you might want to redownload too.

Sorry!

Pen Stroke's Creeping Darkness

So our last poll indicated we could use some more adventure fics here, and I wholeheartedly agree! If you're leery of a video game crossover, consider this: before reading this one, I had never played Alan Wake and knew only it "has something to do with a writer" - Creeping Darkness was so good I went out and bought the game, a sentiment I've seen echoed by other fans of the story around the fandom.

[Adventure][Crossover] • 61,300 words
Alan Wake has unintentionally released the Darkness and an old villain upon Equestria. To fix the mistake, Alan starts a new story with Twilight Sparkle as the protagonist. Can the unicorn find the strength to face the darkness, or is all of Equestria doomed to be the victim in the dreadful horror story?

Hit the break for an interview with the dynamic duo themselves, and links to Creeping Darkness where fine pony fiction is found. Don't forget to grab an ebook copy at the Downloads page!

Attenuation

Hello, dear readers!

The sad fact of the matter is, at the moment, I am unable to keep up with a two-story-per-week post schedule. This is partly because I've run through a great deal of my stable of stories I knew I wanted to include before I started the Vault months ago and need to scout out new ones, partly because quite a few of the remaining queued fics are longer multi-chapter stories that take me a great deal more time to process for addition to the Vault, and partly because I haven't had as many responses from authors in the last week or two.

I do not add a story to the Vault without express written consent from its author, and obviously I do not fabricate interview responses either - so even if there's someone I'm desperate to include here, if they don't respond to my communiqués, there's little I can do but wait and hope. My personal all-time favorite fanfic isn't here yet for that very reason! Of late, I've had a lot more non-responders than usual, and many who did respond would love to participate but are currently too busy to complete an interview. (If you've never thought about it, do realize that apart from the serious time and effort put into the original story, I am essentially asking every author featured here to put in even more time and effort to thoughtfully respond to my questions.)

What this means is, for the time being the Vault will be updated once per week. I am happy to do so on either Monday or Friday, so I'm leaving it to you - please vote in the poll on the sidebar. Would you prefer to greet the start of your week with excellent ponyfic, or the start of your weekend? The poll will run until this weekend, with a simple majority deciding.

As always, if you know a story that is truly top-tier excellent stuff, please let me know. Especially if the story hasn't been posted to Equestria Daily or isn't highly rated at FIMFic, the PFA, et cetera, I'm likely to have missed it - I am not interested in a story's star rating if it is well-written and unique, but when there are tens of thousands of pony fanfics in existence, I have to narrow it down somehow when looking for new Vault additions. Several recent Vault entries are here because someone messaged me, stating I had to read this story... and I did, and now it's here, so hopefully you have read it too!

All the best,
RBDash47

Cloudy Skies's Where Earth Meets Sky

We end the week with an extremely solid piece of shipping, and with a ship I've only seen done well (so far) once or twice.

[Shipping] • 38,900 words
Something is definitely up around here. Applejack and Fluttershy have been spending a lot of time together without the rest of the gang. Well, Rainbow Dash is on to them! In fact, she is sure this is the no-good friend-stealing Applejack's doing, and she will not stand for this - whatever this is. Also, Rainbow Dash wears a corn hat.

Hit the break for an interview with the inestimable Cloudy Skies, and links to Where Earth Meets Sky on the pony sites you know and love. As always, grab a copy in your preferred eBook format over at the Downloads page.

Cold in Gardez's The Glass Blower

Today's story is top-shelf stuff, a haunting tale that will stay with you for the rest of your day. It's been a while since we've had a tragic romance story, and this should certainly satiate lovers of the genre.

[Shipping][Tragedy] • 10,600 words
She is as beautiful and graceful as the moon, and just as hard to reach. He is a young artist with much to learn about the world. When he accepts her challenge to create an artistic masterpiece, will he win her heart, or learn a terrible lesson in the nature of beauty and love?

Hit the break for an interview with CiG, links to The Glass Blower on your favorite ponyfic sites, and head over to the Downloads page if you'd like a copy for your eReader or mobile device.

The Descendant's A Cup of Joe

Today we learn the past life of Canterlot's premiere doughnut pony, and how he's learned to cope with his loss. Military bronies take heed; this may strike a little close to home.

[Tragedy][Slice-of-Life] • 17,400 words
Pony Joe awakens before the dawn each morning, readies himself for his day, and then walks through Cantelot's cold and silent streets to his doughnut shop. Life has become pretty mundane for Joe, but as he serves his customers and chats with his regulars he realizes that he has come to rely on that repetition... he relies on it to keep from remembering. As a casual utterance by a new customer sends Joe into a spiral of haunting memories we learn about his life... and what he must give up if he wishes to move beyond his past.

Hit the break for an interview with The Descendant, which may well be our most loquacious yet, and links to A Cup of Joe around the interwebs - and don't forget that the Downloads page also has copies in your favorite ebook format.

Daetrin's Off the Edge of the Map

Starting off the week with a fun adventure featuring everyone's favorite pegasi discovering that here, there be monsters. Some really interesting story elements here, fancy words you may or may not have to look up, and well-written to boot!

[Adventure] • 34,900 words
When Rainbow Dash's newest trick backfires spectacularly, she and Fluttershy find themselves stranded in the middle of nowhere. Together, they'll have to survive and find their way back to Equestria and Ponyville... no matter how far the journey.

Hit the break for some more words from Daetrin and links to Off the Edge of the Map wherever pony fanfic may be found; don't forget the Downloads page has eBook copies for you.

The_RPGenius's Constellations

Today's Vault entry falls into the "short but sweet" category, providing a different look at Princess Luna after her return from the moon (Season 2 canon be damned) - and exploring a special ability she discovers in the night.

[Slice-of-Life] • 4,800 words
Luna attempts to distract herself from the same frustrations that she once let ruin her life.

Hit the break for a chat with The_RPGenius, links to Constellations online, and of course check out the Downloads page for copies in your preferred eBook format.

AVery Strange's Kindness's Reward

We're starting the week off with a beautiful tale of redemption and renewal, a story that's become mine and many others' favorite Trixie fanfic.

[Shipping] • 28,800 words
Fluttershy is used to nursing critters of all sorts back to health. When she comes across a broken showmare, however, it will take all her patience and care to help the other pony. Especially when Trixie begrudges her help every step of the way. Can she get through to her? And can Trixie learn that she doesn't need to stand alone to stand strong?

Hit the break for a few words from AVery - or is it Avery? find out below - and links to Kindness's Reward on your favorite pony sites. Don't forget that eBook copies await you on the Downloads page!

CouchCrusader's Wingmares

Today we have an excellent piece of friendshipping, exploring the circumstances surrounding Rainbow Dash's defense of Fluttershy at summer flight camp.

[Slice-of-Life] • 20,500 words
Little Rainbow Dash is loyal to one pony and one pony only: herself. It's a simple system, and it gets her through the days. But that all changes one stormy summer afternoon at flight camp, when another pegasus blunders into her life - a pegasus with whom she shares nothing in common.

Hit the break for an interview with CouchCrusader, and links to Wingmares on your favorite pony sites - and check out the Downloads page for copies in your preferred eBook format.

ROBCakeran53's My Little Dashie

Today's Vault entry struck a chord with many bronies, helped perhaps by its more serious take on the human crossover genre.

[Human Crossover][Tragedy] • 12,400 words
When your life is as dull a gray as the world that surrounds you, the mundanities can make it all seem meaningless. Sometimes all we need is a little color - or six - to reintroduce us to what truly makes life worth living.

Hit the break for an interview with Rob, a.k.a. Cakeran, a.k.a. LoCarb, and links to My Little Dashie on your favorite pony sites... as if you haven't cried manly tears over it already. Don't forget that eBook copies are available on the Downloads page!