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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

Blaze's The Conversion Bureau

Today's Vault entry is special in a number of ways. To begin with, it is currently incomplete, and most likely will never be finished (in general, only completed works will be added to the Vault). But more importantly, it can be thought of as the Helen of Troy of Friendship is Magic fanfiction - the fic that launched a thousand spinoffs, many of which are better-known, better-read, and arguably better-written than the original. However, this is the story that started it all, and it is therefore the first Classic included in the Vault.

[Adventure][Human Crossover] • 20,300 words
The ponies and the humans have lived together in harmony for centuries. Equestria is an island inhabited entirely by ponies, and some have branched off to live with humans. However, the humans, seeing their bleak world and accepting that they have made too many mistakes in their world to fix, have decided to open facilities to convert humans into ponies and live in peaceful Equestria.

Hit the break for an interview with Blaze - whose opinion of his own work may surprise you - and links to read it on your favorite pony sites. As always, there are eBook copies in various formats available on the Downloads page.

If you need more Conversion Bureau goodness, Midnight Shadow (a Vault alum and prereader for EqD) maintains a guide to the Conversion Bureau's various continuities, and a directory of all Conversion Bureau stories.

Pride's Arddun Lleuad

Today's Vault entry is an excellent example of a genre that's difficult to do well - a human in Equestria. Perhaps even more ambitiously, it ships said human with everyone's favorite Princess of the Night, and succeeds wonderfully.

[Adventure][Shipping][Human Crossover] • 40,200 words
University student Chester Llewellyn tries to survive in the Everfree Forest after being torn from Earth without warning or reason. But Equestria has sent a legendary war hero to personally recover him, for at the tallest point of Equestria, somepony needs Chester, and fast.

Hit the break for a particularly verbose interview with Pride and links to Arddun Lleuad on your favorite pony sites, and check out the Downloads page to grab it in your preferred eBook format!

I count myself lucky to have gotten this chance to learn more of Pride before his self-imposed exile from the fandom. If you were not aware, his final act as a brony was to release the sequel to Arddun Lleuad on his deviantArt account. Chwe Goleadau was originally only available from Pride as a downloadable Word document; it is now also online at the Pony Fiction Archive.