RBDash47's Pony Fiction Vault

It's been a wild ride.

[Adventure] • 3,781,500 words
A ponyfic enthusiast attempts to collect the best and most influential fan fiction in the fandom – but runs out of time.

Hit the break for way, way too many words from me, answering my own questions and those posed to me from some of the fandom's readers and authors. If you'd like to keep up with what I get up to from here on out, hop over to FIMFic and follow me!

M.A. Larson's "Luna Eclipsed"

We're continuing our commemoration of the Vault with another special guest!

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I'm going to go into this in a little more depth in the next post, but this is my favorite episode to date. The fabulous M.A. Larson was kind enough to indulge me in talking about it.

So how could I resist this #LasPegAssist auction?

[Slice of Life] • 22 mins
It's Nightmare Night in Ponyville, and Princess Luna decides to pay a visit, determined to change her public image for the better.

Hit the break to spend a little time with Mr. Larson himself, and links to "Luna Eclipsed" – as if you haven't seen it already!

Amy Keating Rogers' "The Best Night Ever"

The Vault is closing. To celebrate, we have some very special guests this week!

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The end of the beginning. Season one of Friendship is Magic had a nice little story arc, starting in "Ticket Master," that involved the Mane 6 (and Spike) gearing up to go to the Grand Galloping Gala, and we got to see every painful minute of their time there in the season finale. We also got one of the fandom's favorite ensemble songs, and further proof that Princess Celestia is just a big prankster at heart.

[Adventure][Comedy] • 22 mins
Expectations are high for the Grand Galloping Gala, but when the ponies arrive they find that their individual interests in the Gala are not all they had hoped for.

Hit the break for a chat with the lovely Ms. Rogers herself, and links to "The Best Night Ever" wherever fine pony shows may be found!

Pen Stroke's Past Sins

This might be the biggest fanfic in the fandom. It's a close race between it and Fallout: Equestria, but Fo:E might lose a little traction due to its explicit content, whereas Past Sins is more family friendly. But countless spinoff fics, fan art, and fan music – and a professional print run – shows that Nyx's story really resonated with all branches of the fandom.

[Dark][Sad] • 203,000 words
On a dark night filled with even darker magics, an insane cult attempts to give Nightmare Moon a body and life of her own, utterly separate from Princess Luna. But, when the spell is interrupted by Celestia, something unexpected is created.

Now, a little black alicorn filly named Nyx finds herself living under the care of Twilight Sparkle, only to be haunted by memories and emotions from her past. Is she Nightmare Moon reborn or is she simply a doppelganger with a soul and mind of her own? Can Twilight Sparkle protect Nyx from those who refuse to see past her dragon eyes and black coat?

Or, will Nyx be forced to inherit the sins that may not even be hers and become the greatest evil Equestria has ever known?

Hit the break for a chat with Pen Stroke and his assistant in crime Batty Gloom, and links to Past Sins online. (Check out the Equestria Daily link for links to other fan works based on the story.) As always, you can get your own ebook copies at the Downloads page, and as a special gift for Vault readers, Pen Stroke got the Equestria Publications team to generate an exclusive PDF of Past Sins, including the illustrations created for the print run – get it here!

All Good Things...

In about two weeks, the Vault will be ceasing operations. (The site will stay up forever*, but it will no longer be updating.)

The final post will be me answering my own questions, supplemented with questions others have asked me about myself, my work, and the Vault. If you have your own questions**, comment below! Or if you'd like to ask something anonymously, I've set up a form where you can do so.

I'll let this run for about a week – then I need time to actually answer questions!

* Meaning, I have no plans to take the site down (and in fact the point of the site is to stay up for as long as possible), and it costs me literally pennies to run, so I don't foresee any reason to ever take it down.

** I reserve the right to not answer questions like "Why didn't you include [story] in the Vault?" and "What are your current GPS coordinates?" I mean, you can ask, buuut don't be surprised if you don't get a real response...

Benman's Happily Ever After

What makes you you? If you wake up at a happier time, in a happier place, could you wake up as a happier pony?

[Shipping][Tragedy] • 2,700 words
Shining Armor will do anything to save his marriage. Anything.

Hit the break for a chat with Benman (and some big news) and links to Happily Ever After out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab yourself an ebook copy over at the Downloads page!

peppermint owl's To Lead Them Home

Some jobs are necessary, no matter how unwanted they may be.

[Dark][Adventure] • 11,000 words
A young stallion is recruited into the Reapers, an organization dedicated to the safe crossing-over of spirits. Now he must help oversee death in Equestria while coming to terms with what his new role means.

Hit the break for a chat with peppermint owl and a link to To Lead Them Home out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab your own ebook copy over at the Downloads page!

Corejo's Reading Rainbow

Hasbro/DHX really missed the boat – how cool would it have been if season 2, episode 16 was named "Reading Rainbow" and the doctor was voiced by Levar Burton?

[Slice-of-Life] • 7,300 words
When a freak reading accident causes Twilight to be admitted to the Ponyville hospital, Rainbow Dash is right by her side. Compelled by a sense of duty and repayment, she takes it upon herself to cheer up her friend.

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

Dromicosuchus' Mendacity

Did you know that Lyra showed up in "A Canterlot Wedding" because Chrysalis kidnapped her to keep Bon Bon in line? I didn't. I really enjoyed finding out, though!

[Adventure][Shipping] • 74,700 words
Bon Bon's voice is funny, and that's about all that anypony who meets her notices, as her marefriend Lyra soon steals the spotlight with her explosive personality, strange obsessions, and curious beliefs. And why not? Bon Bon is, after all, a perfectly ordinary, boring pony in every way but two: her voice, and the carefully kept secret that she isn't really a pony.

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

PoweredByTea's Never So Far Away

Simple, meditative, a breath of fresh air. The polar opposite of last week, really. The sort of story that should be enjoyed with a cup of tea or a summer's breeze.

[Slice-of-Life] • 3,500 words
Twilight takes a walk in the woods near Canterlot to clear her mind, when a mischievous little phoenix starts dropping chestnut shells on her head. Quite a familiar mischievous little phoenix.

Hit the break for quite a few words from PoweredByTea and a link to Never So Far Away out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab yourself an ebook copy over at the Downloads page!

Sgt. Sprinkles' Cupcakes

I can't come up with any other fanfic that has inspired so much – rage, love, and everything in between – in so many people, in so many different disciplines of the fandom. It's fairly common for fanfic to inspire fan art, less common to inspire fan music – but how many fanfics have inspired fully-animated musical numbers and cosplay at cons? And on an interesting note, something you younger members of the fandom might not realize: this fic predates the Pinkamena we met in "Party of One".

[Dark] • 3,900 words
When Pinkie invites Rainbow over to Sugarcube Corner, the pegasus discovers a side of her friend she'll regret ever knowing... but not for long.

Hit the break for a brief chat with the Sarge, and links to Cupcakes (if you dare) out on the ponynet. As always, grab your own ebook copy over at the Downloads page!

Sharaloth's The Archer and the Smith

In an Equestria where darkness has fallen, there is still a place for friendship.

[Adventure] • 11,900 words
The Shaper is a smith of unparalleled skill, her creations the most sought after in the fallen world. When a pony named Lyra comes to her with a unique commission she has to put all her skill to the test to craft a weapon of great power. For Lyra's goal is not an easy one, and it is not just any weapon that can kill a Dragon.

Hit the break for a few words from Sharaloth, and links to The Archer and the Smith out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab your own lovingly forged ebook copy over at the Downloads page!

darf's A Single Step

You never really know what little events in your past, maybe even ones you've forgotten, have shaped you into the person you are today.

[Slice of Life] • 5,800 words
Twilight accidentally steps on a snail. This makes her sad. As the years go on, several other things happen.

Hit the break for a chat with darf and a link to A Single Step out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab your own ebook copy over at the Downloads page!

Iceman's Friendship is Optimal

Science fiction often serves as a warning of things to come. In 1949, George Orwell wrote 1984, about omnipresent government surveillance and control, something we've all come to terms with in real life over the last decade or two. Today's Vault entry is another possible harbinger of things to come, silly though that may seem.

[Human Crossover] • 38,600 words
Hanna, the CEO of Hofvarpnir Studios, just won the contract to write the official My Little Pony MMO. Hanna has built an A.I. Princess Celestia and given her one basic drive: to satisfy everybody's values through friendship and ponies. Princess Celestia will satisfy your values through friendship and ponies, and it will be completely consensual.

Hit the break for a thoughtful discussion with Iceman, and a link to Friendship is Optimal out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab your own copy over at the Downloads page!

Vargras' What Must Be Done

The batponies -- sorry, opliptera -- are a fascinating piece of Equestrian lore (unless you subscribe to the notion that they were just Nightmare Night costumes... but what's more fun, spooky mutant ponies or dressed-up pegasi?) that make the perfect Night Guard. But where did they come from? What secrets hide with them in the shadows?

[Tragedy] • 5,600 words
The Night Guard are as efficient as they are enigmatic, but it takes the curiosity of a recruit to discover that some things are simply best left unsaid.

Hit the break for a chat with Vargras and links to What Must Be Done out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab your own ebook copy over at the Downloads page!

shortskirtsandexplosions' Gift

Generosity can be a double-edged sword.

[Tragedy] • 17,600 word
Over the course of several years, Rarity has achieved a fabulous career, contributing to both Equestrian fashion and the Ponyville community. She is admired by her clients, envied by her peers, and cherished by her dear friends, proving that she's a dependable shoulder to lean on.

Then one day, a mysterious pony visits from out of town. She wishes to meet Rarity, but not to thank her.

Hit the break for a chat with SS&E and a link to Gift out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab your own ebook copy over at the Downloads page!

Horse Voice's The Writing on the Wall

The term "tragedy" as a genre gets thrown around a lot, and is often used as a synonym for "sad". So when a true tragedy comes along, a subtle masterpiece of horror and sorrow, a dark tag is necessary to convey the depths of despair the tale will plumb.

[Dark][Adventure] • 6,200 words

Daring Do can't believe her luck when she is asked to help explore the most ancient tomb known to ponykind. But terrible danger awaits her, for beneath the earth rests something beyond equine understanding.

Hit the break for an interview more suited to a master of comedy, and links to The Writing on the Wall out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab your own ebook copy over at the Downloads page!

Chengar Qordath's Through Death and Life

This week, like last week, we explore themes of mortality through the lens of Celestia's immortality. What must it be like to watch all one's friends pass on?

[Tragedy] • 4,600 words
I am eternal, and death is my steadfast companion. The passing of each generation of my little ponies weighs on me; every one of them is a fleeting, irreplaceable treasure, a snowflake dancing 'round a fire. I want to save all of them; I have the ability to save a few. I have saved none.

Hit the break for a chat with Chengar, and links to Through Death and Life out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab an ebook copy over at the Downloads page!

Bad Horse's Mortality Report

Something that Friendship is Magic doesn't let the casual watcher in on: it's friendship reports all the way down.

[Tragedy] • 4,300 words
Princess Celestia writes a report to her teacher on what she has learned about mortality.

Hit the break for a nice long chat with Bad Horse and links to Mortality Report out on the ponynet. As always, you can grab an ebook copy over at the Downloads page!

Everfree Northwest Loves Writers

I'm not going to be there, which makes me a sad, sad ponyfic enthusiast, because I've never seen a pony con that shows as much love to the fanfic faction of the community as EFNW is showing in a little over a week's time. Most cons will have one or two panels on writing or featuring well-known authors. EFNW has over a dozen panels in their writing track.

EFNW is awesome.

If you have the time, treasure, and motivation, you should definitely check it out. I've been to two cons and had a blast, and neither of them did anything like this for fanfic.

Hit the break for EFNW's full writing press release, and to find out which four Vault alums will be there!

Jake The Army Guy's Under a Luminous Sky

Even the magical land of Equestria isn't always safe from darkness and deceit. Luckily, certain special ponies are ready to fight for their way of life.

[Dark] • 99,700 words
Ponyville, the humble village known for its peaceful tranquility, is shaken to its core when a body is discovered in the Everfree Forest. As the townsponies grieve, the strange, pale Special Agent Bentgrass, from Their Majesties' Royal Investigative Service, arrives at the Books and Branches library and drags Twilight into a world she's only read about: lies, corruption, suspicion, and murder.

Faced with an indifferent police force and Agent Bentgrass's infuriating methods, Twilight must put the pieces together and catch the killer. But as blood continues to spill and questions pile up, one thing is terrifyingly clear: in the dark of the Everfree, much more is at play than mere murder.

Hit the break for a talk with Jake (and check out the video interview he recently did with PiquoPie!) and links to Under a Luminous Sky out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab your own ebook copy over at the Downloads page!

Hoopy McGee's The Keepers of Discord

Discord is a fascinating character, as ponyfic has explored before. But just how does chaos incarnate stand being sealed in immovable stone for all eternity? (Assuming, of course, there's no Fluttershy around to bring him around.)

[Slice-of-Life] • 10,600 words
You'd think that being trapped in stone would mean that, if nothing else, I could get some peace and quiet. Unfortunately, it seems that Celestia has other ideas.

She has appointed these ponies... these 'Keepers', as she calls them, to keep me entertained during my incarceration.

Honestly? I'd prefer the boredom.

Hit the break for a few words from Hoopy McGee, and links to The Keepers of Discord out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab your own ebook copy over at the Downloads page!

Chris's The Purloined Pony

What's it like to live in Ponyville, in and around the Mane 6 as they go through their adventures? Maybe you sleep through the whole thing, maybe you're the hero of the week; either way, it's up to you to decide.

[Adventure] • 30,300 words
When a young foal goes missing, it's up to Carrot Top to step in and save the day.

Hit the break for a chat with Chris and links to The Purloined Pony online. Don't forget to grab your own ebook copy over at the Downloads page!

Softy8088's On the Importance of Spelling

One of the problems with being a fan of a cartoon for little girls about magical horses is, the characters have unusual names, and so they often have unusual spellings, too. We spend hours debating what is 'correct', but what if even the ponies are unsure?

[Comedy][Shipping] • 4,100 words
After a busy day celebrating princess Mi Amore Cadenza's birthday, Shining Armor and his wife take time to wind down, relax, and talk. The topic of their conversation soon moves in an unexpected direction, and the couple finds that their marriage still has surprises in store for them both.

Hit the break for a chat with Softy8088 and a link to On the Importance of Spelling out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab your own ebook copy over at the Downloads page!

Cynewulf's This is a Story You Will Never Read

As we've all learned, friendship is magic. But even if you have many close, treasured friendships, sometimes you still feel lonely.

[Slice-of-Life] • 3,800 words
Twilight Sparkle is used to being lonely. Sure, she's got friends now, but sometimes they're busy and you're left to your own devices. When these times come, she takes refuge in a particular place and partakes in a very particular activity: writing. Specifically, silly throwaway writings. Why? Well, they're safe.

Hit the break for a chat with Cynewulf and a link to This is a Story You Will Never Read out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab yourself an ebook copy over at the Downloads page!

horizon's Fugue State

By any sane standard, musicals are a terrifying nightmare world. How does everyone know the words to a song that's being written on the fly? Mass hysteria? Hypnosis? Some sort of horrible hivemind? Then again, maybe it's just... magic.

[Shipping] • 7,000 words
Ponyville has a problem: Twilight's friends all switched Cutie Marks, and the musical numbers are flying thick and fast.

Lyra has a problem: She can't handle the way musical numbers get into your head and take you over.

Bon Bon has a problem with that.

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

OtterMatt's Somepony Else's Story

Sometimes as I'm driving, I look around at the cars surrounding me, and meditate (briefly) on the strange concept that nothing about me matters to any of the drivers I'm surrounded by, all of us speeding off to do something that matters very much to each of us and not at all to everyone else. We are all of us background characters in everyone else's lives.

[Slice-of-Life] • 2,800 words
Vinyl Scratch walks into a bar. There is no punchline.

Hit the break for a chat with OtterMatt and links to Somepony Else's Story out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab your ebook copies over at the Downloads page!

Arcainum's Five Should Be Enough

So here's the thing. I've discovered that I apparently really enjoy time loop stories. This is the third one to join the Vault. What up with that? Maybe it's because it's a fascinating plot device, a interesting way to explore characters and situations.

You've got Capn Chryssalid's Best Night Ever, in which Prince Blueblood what's really important in life.

You've got Eakin's Hard Reset, in which Twilight Sparkle kicks some serious flank and we all enjoy the ride.

And then you've got this story. This story, in which Applejack learns to make a sacrifice those of us with family have surely considered before. It's not heartwarming like Best Night Ever. It's not fun like Hard Reset. It's like Applejack - it makes its point and gets the job done.

[Tragedy] • 8,100 words
When a tragic event befalls Applejack, she takes drastic measures in an effort to prevent it. But can a simple farm pony make a difference in the face of an inevitable end?

A story about the sacrifices we aren't willing to make, and those that we are.

Hit the break for a chat with Arcainum and links to Five Should Be Enough out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab an ebook copy over at the Downloads page.

D G D Davidson's Forever

In a land where females vastly outnumber males, is friendship magic... or a necessity? What do you do when your best friend leaves?

[Slice-of-Life] • 5,200 words
On the eve of her departure, Lyra pledges her love to Bon Bon.

Hit the break for a chat with D G D Davidson and a link to Forever online. Don't forget to grab your own ebook copy over at the Downloads page!

Eakin's Hard Reset

Today's story is a thoroughly entertaining romp through Canterlot as everyone's favorite purple unicorn, over and over again. We're treated to a first-hand (hoof?) look at her snarky mind... and how she faces the consequences of having no consequences, for a little while at least.

[Adventure][Dark] • 35,000 words
Twilight isn't having a very good day. An experimental spell blew up in her face, an army of changelings is attacking Canterlot, and she just died. Yet somehow, it looks like it's going to keep going downhill from here.

Given the chance to correct what's gone wrong, Twilight swears she's going to fix all this even if it kills her. Which it will. Frequently.

Hit the break for a chat with Eakin, and links to Hard Reset out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab yourself an ebook copy over at the Downloads page! (And note that the online version features a bonus alternate ending.)

RedSquirrel456's Whisper Sun, Silent Moon

A beautiful story about the very early days and challenges of Celestia and Luna.

[Adventure] • 13,800 words
A snapshot of the millennial lives of a young Celestia and Luna, as they prepare to do battle with Discord and fight to keep the Harmony they have only so recently mastered, and learn lessons they will struggle with all their days. In a journey that has no end, what matters most is who walks beside you.

Hit the break for a chat with RedSquirrel456 and links to Whisper Sun, Silent Moon out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab yourself an ebook copy over at the Downloads page!

applecinnamonspice's Fire Spores

Spike really doesn't get enough love, in the show or in the fandom. Today's Vault entry reminds us that you should always make sure those who are important to you get enough love.

[Slice-of-Life] • 8,600 words
The friends we take for granted are often the ones that leave the largest impact on our lives. When Spike falls seriously ill with a mysterious disease and the ponies strive to nurse him back to health, Twilight Sparkle comes to grips with this very realization about her number one assistant—and friend.

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

horizon's My Harshwhinnial

Sometimes you run across a piece of fan fiction that just floors you. When you reach the end of the story, you sit and stare at your screen, and then you remember to breathe, and then you read the story again, because you can't quite believe someone could write something so gripping, so wonderful, so real about candy-colored equines.

This is one of those stories.

[Shipping][Comedy][Crossover] • 9,100 words
This is a poni adaptation of the best fanfic ever written except the original was too dark an goffik. So now it's abt sports and MEdal is Miss Harshwhinny's son. He does sports things and inspects cities for the inter Equestrian games. With his friends and sometimes his mom.

Hit the break for a chat with horizon, and a link to My Harshwhinnial for your reading pleasure. Don't forget to grab an ebook copy over at the Downloads page!

Delay!

Hey folks, I'm moving today! Check back tomorrow for the usual interview post.

UPDATE: I am spent, and will be spent for the foreseeable future, and therefore am regretfully bumping the schedule back a week. See you Friday!

Obselescence's In Memory Of

Everypony grows old eventually, and it can be a trying time for their loved ones.

[Slice-of-Life] • 7,100 words
Dear Princess Celestia,

I'm sorry I haven't written in a while. Things seem to be falling through the cracks lately. Spike thinks I should go see the doctor, but...

Hit the break for a chat with Obselescence, and links to In Memory Of out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab your own copy over on the Downloads page!

Butterscotch Cream's Silverware

Today the Vault features its first coltcuddler fic! Why should fillies get all the fun? Stallions can be just as sweet, charming, and adorkable.

[Comedy][Shipping] • 5,200 words
Everyone has things they aren't particularly good at, and we all work to make the best of our weaknesses. Sometimes, though, our weaknesses can prove to be tools of our undoing.

Hit the break for a talk with Butterscotch Cream, and links to Silverware - bane of earth ponies everywhere - out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab your ebook copy over at the Downloads page!

Nonsanity's Words Failed Her

When your name is Twilight Sparkle and you're living in Ponyville, even the most average of days can end up becoming an adventure.

[Adventure] • 6,700 words
In a world full of magic, mere words can carry viruses. When reading any correspondence or signpost could infect the unwary, and cases are starting to turn up around Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle casts the one spell that can give her time: the Curse of Illiteracy. Now she has to figure out how to stop the epidemic... without being able to read

Hit the break for a chat with Nonsanity, and links to Words Failed Her out on the ponynet. As always, grab your own ebook copy over at the Downloads page!

The 24th Pegasus' Of Skies Long Forgotten

We got a little taste of how Equestria was made in the Season 2 episode "Hearth's Warming Eve", and apart from the series opener, it's really the only bit of Equestrian history we know. But what happened before the events of "Hearth's Warming Eve"? What was Commander Hurricane's life like before he met Private Pansy and the other pony tribes?

[Adventure][Dark][Tragedy] • 105,500 words
How far will you go to save your family? Your friends? Your empire? Twenty years before the events of the Hearth's Warming Eve story, long before the pegasi had even met the other two races, Commander Hurricane was a simple farmer in the great Cirran Empire. When the neighboring griffon nation declares war on Cirra and everything it stands for, the young Hurricane finds himself thrown into the middle of a conflict with the fate of his very race put into question. Will he rise to be the pegasus Cirra needs him to be, or will the mighty empire fall to the claws of the griffons?

Hit the break to hear from The 24th Pegasus, and links to Of Skies Long Forgotten out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab an ebook copy from the Downloads page!

Las Pegasus Unicon Relief Fund #LasPegAssist

I have decided to attempt to throw my hat in the ring of the Las Pegasus Unicon #LasPegAssist charity auctions. I don't have much to offer, so I'm offering myself - or rather, my copyediting and digital publishing skills.

I will copyedit (ensure there are no errors, clean formatting, clean punctuation, etc) and digitally publish (give you corrected raw HTML and BBCode, and HTML, mobi, epub, and PDF ebooks) your completed story for you. I'm offering three levels of service (short story, novella, novel).

For full details, please visit my auction thread over at laspegassist.com.

Clarion Writers' Workshop

Hey all, just trying to help get the word out about Bad Horse's Clarion Writers' Workshop scholarship.

There are three famous 6-week fantasy & science fiction summer writing workshops. All of them cost $3400-$5000. We are pooling our money to help any ponyfiction author who is accepted to one of these workshops attend. See here to apply or to donate money.

If you're interested in either applying or helping to fund the cause, check it out! Otherwise, see you Friday.

Cyanide's The Moonstone Cup

Very myffic, very Harry Potter, very anime – all in all, a very exciting and entertaining time.

[Adventure] • 61,000 words
Twilight is invited to Canterlot to compete with some of the greatest magicians in the world for the Moonstone Cup, a prestigious award for the most powerful and skillful magicians, unicorn and otherwise. Can she win? What sort of competition will she face?

Hit the break for a chat with Cyanide, and links to The Moonstone Cup out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab your own lovingly hand-crafted ebook copy over at the Downloads page!

GhostOfHeraclitus's Whom the Princesses Would Destroy...

Ah, the unsung heroes of the world. The janitors, the garbage-ponies, the staffers of the Equestria Civil Service. The glue and the lubricant that holds society together and keeps it running smoothly. Always a shame when something gums up the works...

[Comedy][Slice-of-Life] • 19,700 words
To Twilight Sparkle and Princess Celestia, it is a simple surprise visit to Canterlot. To the ponies of the Equestrian Civil Service, it is twenty-four hours of chaos, politics, weaponized dessert, politics, underhooved manipulation of media, politics, and things batrachian and tentacular. Who said bureaucracy isn't exciting?

Hit the break for a chat with GhostOfHeraclitus, and links to Whom the Princesses Would Destroy... out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab a copy in your preferred ebook format over at the Downloads page!

Vimbert the Unimpressive's Twilight, Revised

Not every story has a happy ending.

[Dark] • 33,200 words
In a world where she sees from a distorted perspective, all Twilight Sparkle can do is cling to the one pony she knows will never let her down: her teacher, the princess... no matter which princess her addled brain tells her that is. Twilight's used to rewriting letters, but when she's the one being rewritten, she finds the sensation to be altogether different.

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

Skywriter's A Short Story by Twilight Sparkle

I feel strongly that today's story should be required reading for any aspiring author. It has a powerful message, about what writing is and why you should keep at it and the idea of perfection.

[Slice-of-Life] • 2,600 words
Princess Celestia helps to banish a hoofful of inner demons lurking deep in the heart of a troubled author. Metafiction, again, ensues.

Hit the break for a few words from Skywriter, and a link to A Short Story by Twilight Sparkle online. Don't forget to grab your own ebook copies over at the Downloads page!

Amit's Solace

How do you deal with your vibrant, full-of-life best friend dying?

[Tragedy] • 4,100 words
Pinkie Pie stands vigil over a dying Rainbow Dash.

Hit the break for a delightfully rambling chat, or perhaps monologue would be slightly more appropriate, with Amit, and a link to Solace. Don't forget to download your own copy over at the aptly-named Downloads page!

bookplayer's Best Young Flyer

Today's addition is here because it manages to realistically and believably ship an adult Scootaloo with her childhood idol, no small feat.

[Shipping][Comedy] • 32,800 words
Scootaloo has a job as a flight instructor in Cloudsdale and a cloud house of her own. She doesn't have a special somepony, but she's cool with that. Just a normal life for a normal young pegasus, until a streak of rainbow turns her life upside-down.

After all, could she really resist the chance to train for the Best Young Flyers competition with a Wonderbolt? Could she turn down an offer of no-strings-attached passion with the most awesome pegasus in Equestria? Is there any way she could not fall in love with the shining idol of her foalhood?

Could Scootaloo ever say no to Rainbow Dash?

Hit the break for a chat with bookplayer, and links to Best Young Flyer out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab your own copy at the Downloads page!

Mindblower's Gold Star

Presumably, war must come to Equestria at some point, as it's come to our own world time and time again. No race or species is perfect, and it's practically guaranteed that any time two different ones interact, there will be friction – sometimes deadly.

[Tragedy] • 3,500 words
Mom says that families who work really hard get to put a gold star on the inside of their windows.

Hit the break for a few words from Mindblower, and links to Gold Star out on the ponynet. The Downloads page awaits, as always, if you're interested in your own ebook copies!

An Interview with a Ponyfic Enthusiast

Namely, me!

PiquoPie at FIMFiction recently flattered me with an interview about my work here at the Vault; if you're interested in learning more about me and how the Vault operates, you should check it out!

Ponydora Prancypants' The Flight of the Alicorn

Since season two, my girlfriend has decided that Rarity is, in fact, best pony. While she's obviously wrong – note the distinct lack of speed, awesomeness, etc. – it's not difficult to see why Rarity could be considered such... and then along comes a story like this, thrusting Rarity into a world-spanning adventure with lasting geopolitical consequences, and I'm forced to admit there might be something to the fussy white unicorn after all.

[Adventure][Shipping] • 224,300 words
Rarity's exploits in "Sweet and Elite" set in motion a chain of events that will find the unicorn dressmaker taking part in the greatest airship race in the world, the Alicorn's Cup. Excitement will give way to terror, as Rarity soon finds herself the victim of a plot against Equestria, and shipwrecked far from home with her least favorite stallion, the boorish Prince Blueblood. Rarity will learn of treachery in Canterlot and abroad, and will have search for something of substance beneath the prince's obnoxious veneer as she struggles to not only save herself, but her entire nation.

Hit the break for a wonderful chat with the good Mr. Prancypants, and links to Flight of the Alicorn out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab your own copy in your favorite ebook format over at the Downloads page, and consider checking out the sequel to the story!