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!