First, a link to the Equestria Daily fanfic archive. The Fanfics recommended here can also be found there, these are simply some of our favorites.Past sinshttp://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/07/story-past-sins.htmlDescription: 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, an 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 the filly Nightmare Moon reborn or is she simply a doppelganger with a soul and mind of her own? Can Twilight Sparkle protect Nyx from those 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?
21 chapters, 500(+-) pages, the most amazing story, exceeding any possible expectations a fan-made story would have, and deserving a movie of its own in my opinion. Well, that's in my opinion. Honestly, I haven't been so thrilled about a story since Harry Potter. And I do believe this one is even better.
Fallout Equestriahttp://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/04/story-fallout-equestria.htmlDescription: 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.
It combines fallout, ponies and it is VERY GOOD at combining it. Sure the mane cast is dead but it still makes for a nice read and you get to see them often in flashbacks.
Dangerous Businesshttp://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/04/its-dangerous-business-going-out-your.htmlDescription: 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?
Applejack has never really had her own episode in season 1. This story remedies that and its a great read.
A Drop of Moonshinehttp://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/09/story-drop-of-moonshine.htmlAfter a long day of ruling Equestria, the Royal Sisters need a chance to unwind. Luna's solution is a few glasses of her once famous Moonshine, a drink distilled from moonlight. Celestia has been sober for a thousand years, but the temptation to have "just one" glass proves too great. Yet, when that one glass turns into several, it's Twilight who will have to deal with the princesses when they’re drunk off their flanks.Author:
Pen Stroke! Yup, from the creator of "Past Sins" himself!
Honestly, I haven't laughed so hard since... Saturday actually, during the MLP episode. Still, the story is hilarious and is a nice quick one-shot read. Also, drunk Princess is best Princess. And be prepared for some hilarious stuff at the end!
Simply Rarityhttp://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/06/story-simply-rarity.htmlDescription: An argument between her friends has brought to question Rarity's
generosity. Can a unicorn who's had everything and nothing truly be
generous?
its kinda sad and tries to pull your heartstrings in a very provoking manner by providing Rarity with a backstory.
Allegrezzahttp://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/08/story-allegrezza.htmlI generally avoid shipping like the pest, especially anything with dash in it. Or rarity, because those things turn perverted real quick... But this one is with octavia and vinyl scratch, and it has some funny bits in it. Its incomplete as of yet, but updated often.
Description: Octavia is part of a rare breed, a pony that can create beautiful music, despite lacking the horn unicorn musicians love. Her love for music is rivalled only by her love of fine whiskey, but not on the rocks, what kind of charlatan are you?
Macintoshhttp://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/07/story-macintosh.htmlDescription: Big Macintosh seems like a simple pony who keeps to himself and doesn't say much, but there's more going on beneath the surface of this red stallion than it would seem at first glance. After his family urges him to go and make some friends in town, Big Macintosh finds himself meeting interesting ponies and discovering a whole world outside of his farm. But even with these new experiences, old memories and ghosts from the past resurface to haunt him. Big Macintosh finds himself confronted with something he thought he put behind him long ago…
The Vinyl Scratch Tapeshttp://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/06/story-vinyl-scratch-tapes.html?commentPage=1I haven't read many fan fics, but this one is defiantly my favorite. I can say I literally fell out of my seat laughing. It's basically this comic in story form:
+ Show Spoiler +So it's that, but longer, with better writing, and instead of getting blindsided with a bed scene you get blindsided with intermittent daww moments that I didn't think a story this funny could pull off, much less so well. It is technically shipping, but it is as light of shipping as it gets. It is only really present in part 4, and you could interpret the story as having no shipping with the right mindset. If you are super opposed to shipping, then you can at least read part 1 with no shipping at all. And it's written in play format, which I like reading more.
Bubbleshttp://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/03/story-bubbles.htmlIt's short, it's sad, and it's really well written. It not quite as sad as my little filly IMO, but if you think you day has just been too happy, and you need to fix that in 5-10 minutes, this will do it.
Night's Favored Childhttp://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/08/story-nights-favored-child.html#comments.
Description: For almost a thousand years, the immortal Nightmare Moon has reigned over Equestria as Empress. To the average pony, Nightmare Moon is an overarching enigma whose rule is absolute and whose wrath is terrible. But to Twilight Sparkle, who as an orphan has never known her parents, the Empress is something else entirely. When the young unicorn is brought under the royal wing as an apprentice, she learns a great deal more about the supposed tyrant than she ever knew. But as Twilight is introduced to life with her new mentor, she is thrust into a world of political intrigue, conspiracies and secrets. Secrets that were never meant to be revealed. As allies and enemies plot against the very peace of the nation, will Twilight fall prey to the perils of her new position? Or will she prosper and find in Nightmare Moon the mother she never had?
Heart of Goldhttp://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/05/story-heart-of-gold-feathers-of-steel.htmlDescription: There are two sides to every conflict. Nothing is ever black-and-white; there are only many shades of gray. When viewed from another angle, even the worst actions have justification, even if that doesn't absolve the person performing them.
Feathers of Steelhttp://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/05/story-heart-of-gold-feathers-of-steel.htmlSequel to Heart of Gold. I will say it I hate shipping, but Feathers of Steel is not only a sequel to a great story. It is a well done shipping were the characters are not all over each other all of a sudden, like in most shipping these days.
Description: Many things flourish under the sun. While adapting to a new lifestyle, Gilda learns more about herself than she does the intricacies of being a city guard.
Fallout Equestria: Project Horizonshttp://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/08/fallout-equestria-project-horizons.htmlRead Fallout Equestria first this is a side story
Description: Forced into the life of a security mare, Blackjack is far more
interested in eking out what fun she can in the dim halls of Stable
99. All that changes as she becomes enveloped in a plot that not only
endangers her stable but the remaining world as well.
Antipodeshttp://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/03/story-antipodes.htmlDescription: Set in the far future after Celestia and Luna mysteriously vanished and the sun and moon froze in the sky, Antipodes the the story of two ponies thrust out into the harsh new world on an adventure to uncover what happened to the world so long ago.
Frigid Winds and Burning Heartshttp://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/05/story-frigid-winds-and-burning-hearts.htmlDescription: A heated confrontation with Celestia over her portrayal as Nightmare Moon and her sister's authoritarianism leads Luna to search for answers about the past, unwittingly tangling Twilight and her friends into a cosmic struggle between order and chaos that ultimately inspires only more questions. Set one year after the first two episodes.
The Vagabondhttp://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/05/story-vagabond_22.htmlI highly recommend the first story here. There are two sequels which I felt are not as good as the original, but are still fantastic.
Description: An injured stranger comes to Ponyville. He carries with him the darkest of secrets. He is condemned to a fate worse than death, but is there yet hope of salvation, before the end? Only the Elements of Harmony can decide.
Transcendencehttp://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/09/story-transcendence.htmlDescription: When Scootaloo moves to Ponyville, she meets a certain cyan pegasus who becomes her idol. Things go well for the filly until a pivotal moment in her life causes her hopes and dreams to come crashing down around her. Broken and betrayed, Scootaloo must learn to accept her reality and embrace her inner strength with the help of her father and two best friends. The writing is superb although the long descriptions ain't something for anypony. And the epic combination of Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash is more than enough reason to read it.
Circle of Friends http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/03/story-circle-of-friends.htmlDescription: Hundreds of years in the future, an older, wiser pony looks out over her kingdom. A summer night brings recollection of memories and regrets. Extremely short, extremely sad. You will cry manly tears of sadness.
This is recommended as accompanying music. If you manage not to cry you are a heartless rock.
Best Night Everhttp://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/11/story-best-night-ever.html Description: 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. Its about the gala (season 1 finale) written through the eyes of Prince blueblood but the interesting thing about it is that he is stuck in a time-loop (inspired by the excellent movie Groundhog day). It completely dissects the gala and turns into a awesome redemption/ romance story for blueblood, it also dives into the finer points of the mane 6's characters
My little Dashie http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/10/story-my-little-dashie.htmlIt's is a great story about one man finding a filly Rainbow Dash! I've heard people cry while talking about it or telling it! For some life changing!
Here is one that is reading, really great for iPods/phones/mp3:
recorded reading part 2 of the recorded readingFallout Equestria: Project Horizonshttp://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/08/fallout-equestria-project-horizons.htmlDescription: Forced into the life of a security mare, Blackjack is far more interested in eking out what fun she can in the dim halls of Stable 99. All that changes as she becomes enveloped in a plot that not only endangers her stable but the remaining world as well.
Some forewarning, this one is much darker than its predecessor. None the less, I think this one is definitely one of the best fics out there in general. The original still gives me chills, and I think I like this one even more!
It's also huge, at least ~650K words.
Pony Psychologyhttp://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/06/story-pony-psychology.htmlThere are tons of descriptions for this, since it's a bunch of short stories. Here's the first one though I suppose:
After the Grand Galloping Gala, Fluttershy finds herself thinking about her actions…and her childhood.
Story 2 for it has also come out:
Secrets and Lieshttp://www.fimfiction.net/story/24381/Secrets-and-LiesTwilight Sparkle and her fellow Elements of Harmony have faced down supernatural foes of the highest order, but sometimes the deadliest danger can come from places one would least expect. As Twilight is forced to bear a devastating secret, her efforts to keep the Elements together may well tear them all apart.
The plotline of the thrilling Pony Psychology Series continues with an exploration of deception, despair and Discord.
IMO, this one will be just as great as its predecessor.
The Games We Playhttp://www.equestriadaily.com/2012/03/story-games-we-play.htmlThere'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?
Lots of the people in IRC / the thread loved this one, such as ZealotKiller, Raelcun, etc.
Your Trulyhttp://www.equestriadaily.com/2012/02/story-yours-truly.htmlDistance 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.
Pinkie Watches Paint Dryhttp://www.fimfiction.net/story/22329/Pinkie-Watches-Paint-DryPinkie Pie has an existential crisis while painting her room. This self-parody is dedicated to Professor Piggy, who once told me that I could write a story about Pinkie watching paint dry and weave it into an incredible psychological journey. Let's see if he was right.
Don't Let The Sun Catch You Cryinghttp://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/06/story-dont-let-sun-catch-you-crying.htmlAU. Twilight Sparkle travels to Canterlot to investigate why Princess Celestia has been acting distant lately. Faced with a harsh discovery, she finds a new friend in Princess Luna. But can their new friendship survive Luna's insecurities?
This one was recommended by diversee.
Through the Eyes of Another Ponyhttp://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/08/story-through-eyes-of-another-pony.html "So yeah, I'm a human. And now I'm a pony. No, that's not a joke, though I would laugh if it were. All I did was party at my place and pass out, only to wake up in Ponyville. Now you must be thinking I had one too many, and I'm right there with you. But no drunken hallucination lasts this long and whatever the case, The Nightmare seems to have a problem with me. A big one.
So now, armed with my cigarettes and some cool unicorn magic, I have to fight off The Nightmare, my own Fanbronyism, and try to find the time to let the ponies give me a name. I know, I suggested getting a pony name first, but they're pretty excited about that. Not sure why. All of the ponies in this town are crazy."
This one was recommended by DeCim.
Background Ponyhttp://www.fimfiction.net/story/19198/Background-Pony"My name is Lyra Heartstrings, and you will not remember me. You won't even remember this conversation. Just like with everypony else I've ever met, everything I do or say will be forgotten. Every letter I've written will appear blank; every piece of evidence I've left behind will end up missing. I'm stuck here in Ponyville because of the same curse that has made me so forgettable. Still, that doesn't stop me from doing the one thing that I love: making music. If my melodies find their way into your heart, then there is still hope for me. If I can't prove that I exist, I can at least prove that my love for each and every one of you exists. Please, listen to my story, my symphony, for it is me."
motbob liked chapter one of this one, so it's sure to be good.
The Moonstone Cuphttp://www.fimfiction.net/story/3378/The-Moonstone-CupTwilight 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?
Recommended by Phearlock
Clipped Wings and Photo Albums
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/48774/Clipped-Wings-and-Photo-AlbumsA slice of life short story, following Applejack as she spends her days in Canterlot to be near her close -- and now injured -- friend, Rainbow Dash.
Inspired by, and based on, Vladmir Nabokov's short story, "Signs and Symbols."
Repercussionshttp://www.equestriadaily.com/2012/09/story-repercussions.htmlDescription: When Twilight Sparkle hits a wall in her research on Princess Celestia, a new face in Ponyville gives her the spark she needs to overcome it. But after his arrival, ominous events are set into motion. Soon, Twilight must choose her side in a conflict that will decide Equestria's fate. By our very own Gary Oak
As usual if you want something added here PM me, please PM me stuff for the fanfic section in the Title, link, description format, as I'm not going to read a 600+ page fanfic to figure out what its about so I can add it here :-P Thanks to Chibithor for helping with the formatting and to everyone who contributed a fanfic (especially 1337n00b)