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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!)

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!

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!

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!

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!