Half-Hour Horses

Chapters

It Had Happened Before [General]
THE MOST IMPORTANT DAY EVER [Slice of Life, Comedy?]
The End of the Celestian Era [General]
Worth Every Fight [Romance]
The One Thing I'll Remember [Slice of Life, Comedy]
Mayor Mare's Peaceful Morning
Worth the Risk [Romance]
The Beginning of the End [Adventure]
Delaying the Inevitable [Slice of Life?]
Princess Celestia [General]
A Short Visit [Sad]
Something Closer to Home [Comedy, Random?]
The Perfect Marefriend [Romance, Sad?]
She Was Pinkie Pie [Slice of Life?]
One of Those Days [Comedy, Slice of Life]
Pie, Party of Six [Romance?]
The Final Spell of Princess Twilight Sparkle [General]
Coming Soon [Action, Comedy]
Princess Twilight Sparkle [Slice of Life?]
A Favored Genre [General]
Mystery Ingredient [Comedy]
The Chase [Action]
A New Day [Sad]
Passing the Torch [General]
The Last One [Dark]
Old Habits [General]
Control [General]
Heart [Action]
Best of Both Worlds [General]
Facts and Figures [General]
Sunshine [Slice of Life]
Home In Canterlot [Slice of Life, Sad?]
Why I Love You [Romance]
Tomorrow [Drama, Dark]
One Quiet Night [Slice of Life]
The Last Morning After [Comedy]
A Glorious New Order [Drama?]
Luck of the Draw [Slice of Life]
Had Enough [Slice of Life]
Not Yet [Drama, Sad?]
In Short [Slice of Life]
Half Right [Romance?]
The Price [Dark, Slice of Life?]
Making Friends in High Places [Action, Drama?]
A Manehattan Afternoon [Comedy,Shipping]
Rarity Ascendant [Drama]
Desperate Times [Adventure, Sad?]
One and One Make Two [Romace?]
Sibling Rivalry [Romance, Drama]
Write What You Know [Comedy]
Forgiveness [Drama? Sad?]
Crystal [Sad]
Bound Together [Slice of Life, Romance?]
Platinum [Slice of Life?]
I Don't Care Too Much For Money [Sad]
Captain Dash [Slice of Life?]
Crossing The Line [Slice of Life, Drama?]
This Date Aria [Romance]
Changing Things Up [Comedy, Romance?]
Spending Time Together [Romance?]
A Canterlot Wedding Redux
Snow Day [Slice of Life]
Working Filly Blues [Slice of Life]
Good Intentions [Drama?]
Pegasus' Dilemma [Drama]
Every Morning [Slice of Life, Shipping]
Nope [Slice of Life]
She's Leaving Home [Slice of Life, Sad?]
Alone Together [Sad?]
Serendipity [Romance?]
Way Of Life [Slice of Life?]
In Her Wake [Drama? Equestria Girls]
Goodbye [Sad, Slice of Life]
The Final Return [Adventure]
Against the Dying of the Light [Adventure, Sad?]
The Biggest Party of the Year [Slice of Life, Comedy]
Not So Secret Admirer [Romance?]
The Heart of the Prince [Sad, Romance, AU]
Cattle Prattle [Slice of Life, Comedy?]
The Start of A Beautiful Friendship [Slice of Life?]

It Had Happened Before [General]

(Prompt: The four phases of the moon)

Luna remembered this part.

She remembered the thrill of power, the wonder of the new body and the new senses. Everything was new, the world was an unmarked slate and all things seemed possible. She remembered this, despite the endless time in between. She watched as the violet mare pranced about the castle halls, nervous about the changes in her life but thrilled at her new abilities. She smiled as she watched Twilight take her first few flights, learning slowly as all new pegasus ponies must.

Luna remembered those hesitating first steps toward princesshood, toward godhood. She remembered the paralyzing vastness of the future ahead of her and the looming weight of the world soon to be on her shoulders.

Luna remembered this part as well.

She watched as Princess Twilight Sparkle wove her way through foreign delegates. She watched the mare as she flexed her power, as her horn glowed with more force than even the sun before her. She allowed a tight smile as her elder sister was entirely unable to match the skill and expertise of the young princess' waxing power. This was the best part, she thought.

The first few steps into true adulthood were thrilling, but it was truly pushing yourself past all the previously held limitations that truly gave the first glimpses of your true future. She saw that gleam in Twilight's eye when a spell previously thought impossible just fell together under her practiced casting. She could not miss the little shiver of guilty pleasure that shook through her body when Celestia showed her relative ignorance and weakness, in that one field. Celestia still held more power, politically and physically, but Twilight... Twilight had always been an excellent student.

She was learning, and there was always more to discover, more to explore.

Luna feared what was coming.

She knew the pits and the foibles of the fullness of her power. What was the saying? Power corrupts?

What then about absolute power?

She knew that part all too well. After all, if she had not been able to overpower her elder sister, how could she have kept the sun from rising, all those centuries ago? If she hadn't had the presence to sway ponies, how could her rebellion have ever taken hold?

She knew the anger she saw in Twilight's eyes, whenever Princess Celestia overrode her decisions. She also knew the guilt that always seemed to follow directly after. Twilight's adoration of her sister would only last so long. It was eroding with each denial, like water washing over a stone. It would take time, perhaps longer than Twilight even knew, but it would happen.

It had happened before, after all.

But Luna remembered the following time as well.

The first strike had been satisfying. Throwing down the gauntlet, as it were, was always satisfying. There was a certain freedom in throwing off the yoke of the elder power. Seeing the confusion, the fear, and the fury in her sister's eyes had brought such an amazing mixture of power and exhilaration.

But, just as all new powers rise, they all must wane.

The old power, her elder sister's reign, had been in power for centuries before her rebellion. Celestia had maintained her rule in the millennium since. Twilight was powerful; in time, she would be shockingly so. But the foundations of Celestia's supremacy were well laid, and raw power wasn't everything.

Luna would not enjoy watching the first strike, this time. She would not take pleasure in seeing Celestia humbled, and she would not hesitate in assisting her older sister when needed. She would try, she would do her best not to enjoy striking back. She would do everything she could to treat the reclaiming of Equestria as a dire task that simply must be done.

She would not take pleasure in seeing the new star, the brilliant Twilight Sparkle, fall from grace.

But it was inevitable.

She remembered that part as well.

But as always, as with the Everfree, as with the Crystal Empire, there would be a time of darkness, a long, bleak night. But in time, a new star would rise, and their family would continue to grow. There was a rhythm to these things.

It had happened before, after all.

THE MOST IMPORTANT DAY EVER [Slice of Life, Comedy?]

(Prompt: The fourth child)

(Sorry in advance for stream-of-pinkieness writing)

Twilight thinks I'm crazy.

But that's okay! A lot of ponies think I'm crazy, even if they never say it like that. They say stuff like "It's just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie" but it's not like they say Applejack is just being Applejack when she kicks trees, or that Rainbow Dash is just being Rainbow Dash when she flies really super fast. It's just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie.

But I LIKE being Pinkie Pie, it's my favoritest thing in the whole world!

Being Pinkie Pie means making my friends smile, and making them laugh, and seeing them dance and spending time together and PARTYING and also sometimes dragging one of them through the Everfree Forest like RIGHT NOW just because sometimes you have to get to the other side really fast and going around it takes like forever and sometimes you don't HAVE like forever to spend walking in a big circle when just going straight is so much faster than that! That's why Twilight thinks I'm crazy right now, because when you're running away from a green dragon that's been painted pink and is kind of mad about it you sometimes just have to think that maybe the pony that painted him pink doesn't have her head screwed on straight.

But I know he'll look in a mirror tomorrow and he'll smile when he thinks nopony will see, and that smile still counts!

More importantly though the dragon's cave is emptier now, or really it's more full because we're in it too and OMIGOSH IT WOULD BE THE BEST HAUNTED HOUSE KIND OF THING EVER except for the dragon being real and I guess it would be kind of hard to get to way out here in the Forest but still!

Wait, that's not right, what was I talking about?

Oh right! See Twilight probably thinks I'm crazy because she decided to come with me through the forest because she'd never let me go in here alone because all my friends would be so worried and everypony would wonder what happened to Pinkie Pie because really without Twilight how could I ever get away from a dragon unless maybe Rainbow Dash was here because she flies SUPER FAST like I said before!

No that's not right either, oh! The cave is emptier of dragons now so we can run through it and keep going! See it's so much faster to go straight through stuff instead of around it and even if it's kind of dark and scary in here I'm laughing while we run because really who can be all serious when a half-pink dragon is chasing them?

See Twilight? Everything's fine now, we just had to run through the cave and of course it was going to be too small on this side for the dragon to get out this way, DUH that's how all caves are! Except the ones that aren't like that. But now we're so much closer!

It's really not a good idea to rush through the forest because there's brambles that scratch you and there's roots that jump up and trip you and then you fall into some brambles that scratch you and sometimes there's branches that get in the way so you don't see the roots and then they trip you and all that stuff. Also it doesn't matter to me because I don't have them but Twilight's horn keeps knocking into branches and her wings are a big mess and I guess those things probably aren't fun but sometimes there are things that are more important than just having fun even if nopony would believe me if I told them that.

It might have been easier to take the road. But even if it's spooky and kind of a pain the forest is more fun!

And FASTER!

But then the forest ends just like when you step onto Sweet Apple Acres where the Apples have cleared it out but instead of apples here it's rocks. Lots of rocks, of different sizes and I can see that look on Twilight where she's not really sure if what she's seeing makes any kind of sense, but it makes sense to me, I did this stuff all through my foalhood!

I take off like a rocket and I hear Twilight yelling as she tries to keep up but THIS IS IMPORTANT so I just keep going anyway. There's the house, looking brown and gray and boring like always, and the silo and the stupid windmill even though we don't have any grains to mill anyway we just keep it there for fun and also kind of to pump water! Suddenly I can't believe that I haven't been here in YEARS and I missed it even though I don't even LIKE rocks!

Twilight can catch up when I stop at the door, and then I knock on the door because you're supposed to be polite and knock even if this is still sort of kind of where you live in a "it's where your parents live" kind of way. At first nothing happens and even with Twilight's hoof on my back I can't help hopping because it's SO EXCITING even if maybe I'm too late it's hard to say and then the door opens and it's my little sister Marble and the best hugs are the ones you give your family and I'm lucky enough to have two or three families and still I give her one of the best hugs ever!

But there's no time for doing that too long and soon we're all piling into my parents' room of the little farmhouse and it's gray and brown like always and my parents are there, looking amazed that I'm home and there's more hugs and laughing with them too, even if dad likes to pretend he doesn't care about hugs I think even Twilight can tell he likes it. There's also some bowing and calling her 'Princess Twilight Sparkle' but she stops them pretty quick and then there's a little sound that reminds me of everything I came through the forest for.

A little tiny cry of a little tiny foal in the little tiny crib in the really pretty normal-sized room.

Most earth pony families have a lot of foals and farming families need more anyway, and even though my parents are kind of old for it, it can still happen if you try a lot which is kind of gross to think about but that's not the point. The point is that me and my two sisters have a new... lemme look in the crib... brother! I look down at him, he's tiny like all new foals, and even looks a little like a earth pony kind of Pound Cake, except he's kind of a deep red like... like... like raw hematite!

Yes, Twilight I totally know what hematite is, I was a rock farmer!

It looks like I wasn't too late!

Hey there little foal, I'm your big sister Pinkie Pie! This is a really important day! I know you spent the past couple days in this brown room with my brown and gray family and it's been really boring and maybe even depressing but today you get to meet me and there's just one thing in the whole big wide world that your big sister wants and it's the most important thing in the world!

I stick out my tongue and make a silly sound, even if Twilight pulls back from the spit spraying around.

Then... my new baby brother smiles, for the very first time.

The End of the Celestian Era [General]

(The prompt: The fourth age of Equestria.)

"Your most faithful student, Princess Twilight Sparkle. CE 1013."

Princess Twilight Sparkle dated her last report confidently, and set the parchment aside for sending in the morning, when her assistant woke. But then a moment passed, and she pulled the scroll open again. There, just at the end. "CE 1013."

That shouldn't bother her, it was the correct date. But Celestian Era was... well. Things had been changing, recently. Was it still appropriate to call this the Celestian Era?

What defined a new age of the world? A small smile crept across her lips as she set the scroll down and walked over to the bed, flopping exhaustedly down on top of the covers. This was exactly the sort of thing she was good with, rote recital of facts and then cautious extrapolation from that knowledge.

The first records of pony history were from the pre-Equestrian era. This time was now commonly referred to as 'the Classical era' and other monikers further back. It was a time of myths and adventure, with such powerful names as Commander Hurricane, King Platinum the Three-Hooved, and of course Star Swirl the Bearded. To hear the scribes from the time tell it, every day was a constant struggle for survival and dominance of the land that the ponies then occupied. Of course this all lead up to the events rather inaccurately described in the modern Heart's Warming Eve pageants.

It would be easy to say that's what ended the age. The founding of Equestria, planting a flag and the tribal leaders all speaking that they were at peace. Princess Twilight was quite sure that most schoolfillies would agree with that. But most schoolfillies didn't study period texts. Twilight knew that it wasn't the sort of storybook night of singing that instantly stopped all tensions between tribes. It was decades of arguments and pseudo-kingdom boundaries even inside Equestria. A particularly inquisitive pony in the royal keep of Canterlot Castle could easily see all the crenelations and sturdy stone walls that were built more for repelling an invasion than for inspiration and beauty.

So, at what point did the ponies say they were no longer in this time period?

Of course with the perspective of foreknowledge, Twilight could point to the exact year, Year One of the Equestrian Era was reckoned from the time they were said to have planted the flag. It was very likely that the reckoning was at least a few years off, but it hardly mattered now.

The second age of Equestria had started then. For a time everything was comparatively peaceful; the Heart's Warming pageants were correct about that at least. It wasn't until... Twilight scrunched up her nose, trying to remember. EE 278? That was the time that the first reports of strange magic began to appear. Hindsight made it clear that it was Discord, of course, but at the time the ponies didn't know what to make of it. Towns would disappear, and then reappear upside down. Large populations of lions and eagles would disappear, and rumors of a new combined race began flowing from the far east. The dragon migration split, for the first and only time in recorded history, and lost and confused dragons began attacking ponies just for food and sport.

There weren't many records for a while, but according to Princess Celestia, it was something like EE 350 when she and Princess Luna managed to use the Elements of Harmony for the first time, and seal Discord away. There, that was a major event. Even the ponies alive back then must have known it was a new era. Princess Celestia and Luna both took the reins of Equestria, and began rebuilding it. Luna's rebellion came a decade or two later. But even so, the Celestian Era didn't start for another fifty years.

CE 1013. Thirteen years now, after Princess Twilight had found the Elements of Harmony, and defeated Nightmare Moon on her return. It hadn't been nearly the same scale of event as Discord's first defeat, but... it could have been. If she had failed, the current era of Equestrian history would be one of eternal night. Should the Celestian Era have ended there? Would future historians mark CE 1000 as the last year of that and then... what? The Age of Harmony?

Or was that too small? Maybe it would start when the Crystal Empire returned. That was certainly a big event. Though it was not, strictly speaking, an Equestrian event. The Crystal Empire was closely allied and of course lead by family of Celestia and Luna, but it was not in their direct command.

Would it start with her coronation? Twilight couldn't help but blush slightly at the idea of being that central to history. Certainly, her coronation had been important. Not that many princesses existed, so a new one being crowned was always a huge incident. But Cadance didn't start a new age from her coronation. Also, though Twilight had created new magic, and several more spells since, Star Swirl the Bearded didn't start a new era with his research.

But so much had happened, since. The Everfree Forest had been cleaned from the world. True diplomatic relations now existed with the dragons, the Equestrian borders had grown by nearly a third in the past ten years, and of course the incident with Saddle Arabia... Twilight shook her head. She was getting off topic.

How did ponies know when something new started?

Twilight's horn glowed softly in the darkened room, as she pulled the letter over to her. She unfurled the scroll, and used the nimbus of her magic to see. The quill moved quickly, before she had time to overthink it.

CE 1013 now had a line through it, and AoH 1 was written next to it.

Twilight stared at the ink on the page. Right there, at the bottom, she had penned a new age. Was that all it took? Was it that simple?

A thousand years from now, would some scholar be laying in her bed at night, and wonder who first decided it was the Age of Harmony? Would she wonder why it was strangely ten or thirteen years offset from one of the major deciding events? Twilight smiled a little, and wrote a short post-script detailing her reckoning of the changing of the eras.

Then Twilight set down her quill, and Equestria entered its fourth age.

Worth Every Fight [Romance]

(The Prompt: Four ways I’ve let you down.)

Yes, Applejack, darling, I know I haven't been the perfect girlfriend.

Not that you should have expected as much. We both know that there is quite a lot of difference between us, even if we are friends. Or were.

I know that I'm not as... honest, as you'd like me to be. But really, how could anypony match up to you, of all ponies, in that regard? Certainly, ladies shouldn't lie, exactly, but one must always know precisely how to tell the truth. That is to say, tell the truth in precisely the way that sounds the best. To anypony else, that would simply be a little manipulative, perhaps annoyingly so, but to you... I never wanted to see that kind of hurt your eyes, darling, and you know that I would never have said those things if I had known what it would do to you.

In the arguments that followed, I tried, dear, to be honest with you. Perhaps not as bluntly honest as you would have liked, but I promise you that every... slight misdirection was entirely meant to make things better! You and I both know that I would never lie to you about the things that truly matter, the words that are truly important. You must believe me, I would never intentionally hurt you.

Yes, and I know that I'm not quite as rugged as you like. But of course you knew that before all this... unfortunate circumstance. I was never the type to muddy my hooves with farm work, or enjoy a 'hoof wrassle' or some other such silly game in the outdoors. You know that I would help with your work if I could, but I have my own work to tend to, even if it hardly seems like work in comparison.

Oh don't give me that look, I am not trying to say it's every bit as physically exhausting as kicking trees all day, but you must know that there are other types of effort. I do take the time to visit during cider season and assist your grandam with her sorting. What? It means grandmother, darling.

Applejack, yes, I know. I haven't been as happy as you'd hoped. Darling, neither of us expected this to be a perfect relationship. We've had our difficulties as friends, before this, and we shall continue to have our difficulties as lovers. Ah-ah, I won't hear a word of it! Nopony can love another without arguments and disagreements, and we most certainly have those. I know that I am not entirely to blame for all of it, and you know that you aren't either. But even if you don't believe any other word I say, know that I am much happier than you think I am. Perhaps I don't whoop and holler like you do about it, but I would not give up what we have for any other pony in Equestria.

That leads me to the last thing that I know has disappointed you, dear.

Do you recall it, darling? On our very first date, you told me that should this ever become too difficult, or if, and I believe I'm recalling your phrasing correctly, "this datin' thing don't quite work out th' way we're thinkin'", that I should find another pony who might make me happier.

Stop laughing at my impression and listen to me, Applejack!

I'm afraid I'm going to have to let you down again, as I absolutely refuse to find another mare. I know this hasn't been as easy as we'd hoped, and that there have been tears for both of us. No, darling, you couldn't hide it. I knew, we all knew. But you are my one and only love, and I will not hear another word from you about splitting apart to make me happier.

I may not always tell the truth as plainly as you'd like, and I may not be able to help harvest from the orchard. You rarely brush your mane and quite honestly could probably stand to wash your coat more often. But despite all your protestations to the contrary, you do make me very happy. I refuse to even consider finding another mare, darling. If that disappoints you, then I suggest we simply add it to the list.

Yes, Applejack, I love you too. I always will.

The One Thing I'll Remember [Slice of Life, Comedy]

(The Prompt: Four on the floor.)

(Warning, extremely thick, drunken country accent ahead)

It wasn't exactly the best of ideas, lookin' back.

Now mind you, we all knew what we were agreein' to with this here drinkin' contest. All six of us, includin' Her Royal Highness Princess Twilight Sparkle, though don't ya let 'er hear ya call 'er that, sittin' around a table dragged out here into the barn an' drinkin' season-old cider until we drop.

Bein' completely honest, it ain't really all that fair throwin' a couple a' unicorns into a drinkin' contest. 'Course it does matter a bit who they're playin' against. This stuff ain't as bad as proper distilled spirits or anythin', but it'll sure get your head spinnin' if you're not used to it. Ah suppose nopony expected Fluttershy'd last all that long, and two cups in she bowed out as graceful as she could still move.

That was about when RD got all loud an' boastin' again. Guess my comment about skinny pegasus mares got on her feathers if ya take my meanin'. Now I don't mean nothin' by it, Fluttershy's a real fine friend an' I don't know what I'd do without her, but girl's thin as a whip and that isn't what you're lookin' for if you're tryin' to handle the drink. 'Course RD ain't much thicker, but she's a damn sight more hard headed.

So while RD and I were havin' a time hecklin' and laughin' at each other, Pinkie was over on th' other side of the table doin' tricks for Twilight and Rarity. Nothin' too fancy, just drinkin' from the opposite side of her glass, or throwin' an entire drink down in one swaller. Turns out Rarity's got a bit of a competitive side to 'er too, an' one or two of those big gulps and even a fine and proper lady will drop like a sack of potatoes.

Roundabout two more cups after Rarity'd decided ta take a nap is when it started hittin' the princess. Now take mind that RD was about three wings to th' wind by now and Pinkie was laughin' a bit louder'n usual. Since I don't want t' lie here I expect I may as well let loose that I was swayin' a little here an' there myself. Now Twilight's as fine as mare as any I know, an' I'm countin' what I figure most ponies see as the proper princesses in that list, so don't go takin' this the wrong way. But that mare gets right strange when she drinks.

So Twilight starts goin' all off blatherin' about what kinda chemicals an what all makes cider go to alcohol an' that gets me an' RD's attention right quick. I ain't th' type ta needlessly bully somepony, but seein' as I'd had a few an' we were all friends, I guess the cider got the better a' me an' Rainbow an' I started in on Twilight, makin' silly talk about science like we knew what in th' hay we were even sayin'.

'Course that just gets 'er all riled an' before long she's castin' up diagrams an' talkin' all highminded about molly-cules an' ionic bondin' an' Celestia knows what else. Pardon, my talkin' gets lazier when I'm tired, lemme take a minute.

Anyhow Twilight's all drunk an' if Ah know anythin' about unicorns it's that castin' makes cider go right to their heads. A few bright lights and some teleportin' around to make a point about how she weren't drunk at all ends up with Twilight passin' out on a bale of hay up in the loft.

Now Pinkie's been quiet for a while if you can believe somepony sayin' something like that. 'Course she's been takin' her cider right along with RD an' me, because for all her silly nonsense she ain't th' kind of pony to cheat. But stayin' quiet like that's a real fine way to be plumb forgot about when me an' RD are in one of them moods.

Rainbow's got that look in 'er eye what says she ain't turnin' back from this fight, and though I can't be sure, I reckon I looked about th' same. 'Course it was sort of an unfair fight t'start and I can already see her waverin' back and forth. It ain't all my own head shakin' making her look like that.

Say what y'want about all ponies bein' equal, but I could a' told you out front that it'd be two earth ponies holdin' the end of this little competition. Rainbow gets her back up an' her feathers rustled about somethin' or another, and before long she tries flyin' around the barn like she usually can. 'Course she ain't usually got this much cider in her either, an' then she winds up flat on her back next t' Twilight. Normally I'd move one of 'em over so they don't wake up in a fright, but I'm thinkin' they'll be too hung over t'even think about th' fact they're wakin' up together.

That brings us up t' about now. I'm wagerin' ya can hardly unnerstand what Ah'm sayin' at this point, seein' as how I'm th' better part of a barrel in, an' then I look over to my competition. Now we started with six at th' table, one left early, an' now there's three mares flat on th' floor, and this fluffy pink one lookin' me dead in the eye. I lift my cup and take another drink, the cider seemin' a lot less sweet than it did two hours ago. She laughs an' throws back her whole mug in one go again, an' slams it right down on th' table.

Ah'm th' prideful sort, but I ain't goin' to lie an' say I said what I said exactly clear. Somethin' about supposin' she was jus' about ready t'call it a draw. Pinkie lets out a giggle, th' kind a' laughter y'can't help but catch. Once we calm down she up an' points to th' bet we all put down, hunner'd bits each. Nothin' goin' to break th' farm or anythin', but it's a nice pot.

Now Ah've seen Pinkie puttin' away half a barrel of cider, same as me, an' I'm goin' t' be completely honest an' say that I was wobblin' to and fro a bit, but this girl wasn' doin' anythin' but laughin'. She takes my cup off a' mah hoof and throws back th' rest of my cider. Ah have half a mind t' argue but suddenly th' floor's lookin' a mite more comfortable than sittin' up here.

Pinkie runs her hoof over my mane in th' most infuriatin' but friendliest way Ah can imagine, an' says clear as a bell. "Silly Applejack! Farm girls aren't cheap dates, but a smart pony never bets that she can drink more than the Pink!"

Ah don't even have time t'tell her how stupid that was b'fore there's four on th' floor an' one mare with th' winnin's.

Ah'm bettin' I won't remember about half of this t'morrow, but Ah'll remember one thing.

It's never a good idea to place a bet against Pinkie Pie.

Mayor Mare's Peaceful Morning

(The Prompt: The ponies are back in town)

Morning in Ponyville, for lack of a more original term, shimmered.

Mayor Mare trotted lightly past the receptionist in the town hall, being rewarded with a dubious look from the filly. Mayor knew that in all likelihood the girl would expect her to be a changeling or something to be so lighthearted. Unless-- No, pulling down her mane a bit with a hoof confirmed that the dye was holding. Still a stately, distinguished gray instead of some incredibly juvenile and party-pony sort of pink.

But today was one of those days where she simply couldn't worry about Ponyville. Everything was peaceful, quiet, and under control. Mayor Mare took the sheaf of papers between her teeth as she opened the door to her office, and trotted over to her desk, setting the day's work ahead of her and beginning to sift through it.

No noise complaints, which threw her for a moment before she remembered how peaceful things had been, lately. Of course there were complaints about the library currently being closed, but that sort of thing was out of her hooves at the moment. One thing she had learned, back when she was only a filly, in fact, was that ponies always complained. They didn't always do it directly to one's face, but there was always, always something that they thought could be just a bit better than it was.

So, hire a new librarian. Possibly. Mayor Mare set aside the paperwork and turned to look out of the large window in her office. Ponies trotted and cantered pleasantly about the town square, the shops were all opening, the doors and awnings all glittering and shining brightly in the pleasant morning sunshine. The birds chirped merrily in the trees and all the town's municipally held buildings were intact and functioning, save for the library.

Her smile lessened a bit as she realized that many mayors, even in large, difficult to manage cities such as Manehatten or Vanhoover, thought that such a day was worthy of note. This should, by all accounts, be a completely normal day. Everything running smoothly and quietly and correctly should be the norm.

But of course, it wasn't. Not here in Ponyville. Only recently had things begun to calm down again. Her smile returned again. That's correct, no rampaging ursas lately. No three story tall three-headed dogs escaped from Tartauros, no swarms of multicolored parasites invading and destroying everything, and no Princesses from Canterlot dropping in with increasingly less notice each time, sending the residents into a frenzy and placing altogether too much pressure on Mayor Mare to make sure that every little detail was perfectly handled.

No, today was peaceful. It was quiet. Everything was running smoothly.

Then, Mayor Mare saw something that made her fur along her spine stand on end. In the middle of her peaceful, pleasant, smoothly-running, and most importantly quiet town square, was a pony-sized tube of some unidentifiable blue metal, with wheels to roll it around with, and a lit fuse in the back end of it. Nopony else seemed to notice the device there as they went about their morning shopping and happy little lives.

No. The mare that owned that device, the loud, entirely unpeaceful and completely antithetical to things running smoothly mare that owned that device, was in Canterlot. She was in Canterlot with her rowdy, loud, disastrous friends and they were all staying there with the librarian turned princess that had been absent. The paperwork was right there on her desk, the library was closed and thus the librarian was not here in Ponyville.

The fuse sparked and sputtered as it grew shorter.

See, those ponies had to be in Canterlot. If they were back in Ponyville, then there would be rabbits eating all the gardens. There would be bears attending picnics at cafes where ponies should be. Pegasus ponies would no longer keep contained to the sky where they belonged but instead would come crashing through roofs and windows, knocking over carts in the marketplace, and causing thunder in the middle of scheduled clear days, just to scare other ponies.

Smoke rose lazily from the hole in the rear of the barrel, as the sparking tip of the fuse disappeared inside.

If they weren't in Canterlot, there may well be mile-long queues for cider. Ludicrous competitions for mercantile rights that didn't even exist as legal requirements might be called. Decorations around town would no longer be the simple, agrarian style that Mayor Mare, and of course the majority of other earth ponies, preferred. Instead there would be insistence and constant complaint letters that everything must sparkle and be covered in expensive fabrics, and be ready for any number of expensive, haughty unicorns from Canterlot to arrive at any moment.

A low rumbling sound seemed to shake under Mayor Mare's hooves, while ponies around the square began looking to and fro for what was making that noise.

Not to sound overly alarmist, but if Ponyville was again host to these particular mares, the library would not remain peacefully if unfortunately shuttered and closed. It would glow in the evening hours with questionable experiments. Dragon fire would belch from the windows with secretive correspondences.

The rumbling sound ceased, and the entire town seemed to pause, as though waiting for the other horse shoe to drop.

If that thing out there was really out there, if it was no longer in Canterlot, then Ponyville would no longer be peaceful and quiet. There would be parties. There would be random chaos and insanity in the streets. There would once again be enormous, basically unplanned town events in which Mayor Mare would be expected to make completely professional, inspiring, and entirely improvised speeches.

That simply wasn't what today was supposed to be like.

A resounding boom, followed by a completely ludicrous honk of a party horn, shook through Ponyville. Confetti streamed down all over town square, and there in the middle of all of it were five of the six ponies that were still supposed to be in Canterlot, only a few of them having even the basic decency to look a little embarrassed as the impromptu lawn party was kick-started into full swing around them.

Mayor Mare pressed her hoof to the smooth surface of her desk blotter, and slid it sideways, knocking all the pleasant and uncomplaining paperwork into the bin. Tomorrow, there would noise complaints. There would be rampaging monsters, or some kind of violent invasion. There would be parties, there would be Princesses, and everything would go to Tartauros in a handbasket.

Because, as the high-pitched, impossibly loud voice outside told everypony...

"Weeeee're baaaack!"

Worth the Risk [Romance]

(The prompt: Taking the first step on a new adventure.)

These were dangerous times, and Fluttershy did not particularly enjoy living in dangerous times.

Her life had always contained some element of danger, much to her chagrin. When she was a little filly, in Cloudsdale, the danger had mostly been the possibility of falling. It happened, on occasion, that a pegasus would fall before they learned to fly. While Fluttershy hadn't fallen too early to live on her own, and she certainly didn't regret falling out of Cloudsdale when she had, the danger had always been there.

Of course, that danger had lead her to finding her cutie mark, and had also lead to finding her new home here on the nice, warm, comparatively safe ground. So... the danger of living in Cloudsdale had been alright, she supposed. Falling had been an adventure, in a horrible, terrifying, panicked way.

Fluttershy looked to her right, and smiled at Twilight. Princess Twilight. The princess just smiled back, looking a little nervous as they trotted down the road that lead to the Everfree Forest. Fluttershy was pretty sure she looked every bit as nervous as Twilight.

The Everfree Forest was really what made Fluttershy's life seem so dangerous, most of the time. When she had first fallen, she had decided it would be best to have her house where the butterflies had caught her. The earth ponies from Ponyville had given her strange looks about building there, but she didn't realize why until quite a while later. Living just on the border of the forest had given her a sort of outsider reputation, which she didn't really mind in itself. She didn't really want ponies stopping by at all hours like they tended to do inside the town proper.

But the forest was dangerous. Sometimes she heard timberwolves howling, the dark and quiet of night time making it sound as though they were prowling just outside her barred doors and shuttered windows. Though none of her animals ever seemed to have problems living in the forest, and she hadn't been harmed by it, that she knew of.

Besides, living there had been helpful, a few times. She had saved Twilight from a cockatrice, once. Having access to the kinds of plants that only grew in the forest helped with salves and poultices for her animals, which was always nice.

Fluttershy blinked, coming out of her reminiscing. Twilight gestured with a hoof, and they departed from the path, trotting up a sunny hill.

Twilight was part of the danger that had become so common in Fluttershy's life. Not that Twilight Sparkle would ever harm her, that was impossible. But ever since Twilight had come to live in Ponyville, Fluttershy had found herself on dangerous missions to save Ponyville, or even all of Equestria, time and time again. Venturing into the forest after Nightmare Moon, traversing a spooky hedgemaze, facing down Discord, fighting dozens of changelings alongside her friends, traveling to the ends of the world to fight smokey, ancient unicorn kings, sneaking through magical barriers and into the Everfree again to find a zebra shaman who was training her friend Twilight to take Ponyville back from a mad mage...

Fluttershy's life was a little more dangerous than she'd realized, looking back on it.

For that matter, while Princess Twilight had never mentioned it, and none of her friends really spoke on it much, even being friends with a princess could be seen as a little dangerous. After all, powerful ponies, royalty especially, could end up with jealous enemies. While striking out at Princess Twilight herself would be difficult, Fluttershy was not nearly as scary. She wasn't just being unassertive, or self-pitying, or anything like that. Fluttershy knew that she wasn't a dangerous pony, and that most other ponies weren't nearly as scared of her as she was of them.

So it could be dangerous being a friend of Princess Twilight Sparkle. But that was the kind of dangerous risk that Fluttershy was proud to take. That's why none of her friends talked about it much. It was something all of them knew, but none of them worried about, too often. Besides, being Twilight's friend was an adventure, too. It was dangerous, in a lot of ways, but it was fun. More fun than Fluttershy had ever had.

Fluttershy smiled at Twilight as they walked up to the carefully and precisely laid blanket, both taking their seats as Twilight opened the small picnic basket, and began laying out the simple foods they had brought.

Fluttershy knew about measured risks, even if she didn't like the danger they implied. Being friends with Twilight was one such risk, one she would never even think about shying away from. Approaching injured animals, even her closest animal friends, was also always dangerous. Mister Bear was a kind and peaceful friend, but when he was hurt he often lashed out at any creature that came near. But it was worth the risk. There was danger, but on the other side of that danger there was the chance for happiness and good health.

It was the same, going along on the adventures that being Twilight's friend created. Chasing dragons away, or defeating ancient evils, these things were terrifying and dangerous. Only by going on those adventures though, only by facing the danger and the uncertainty, and pushing through it, was she able to have her quaint little peaceful cottage by a stream, full of her animal friends and always bustling with life.

She leaned gently against Twilight as they sat together on the blanket, looking out over Ponyville in the late afternoon light, the sun fading into a deep orange as it set below the mountains on the horizon.

It was a risk being Twilight's friend. It was something more dangerous, being... more. But it was a risk Fluttershy felt she had to take. There was danger, but the chance for so much joy, beyond it.

She turned her head and nuzzled against Twilight's mane, smiling at the nervous but happy giggle this elicited from the princess.

Fluttershy pulled away, and looked into Twilight's eyes. A moment later, she pressed her lips to Twilight's, and they both took the first true steps on a grand new adventure.

The Beginning of the End [Adventure]

(The Prompt: Run, you clever girl.)

As she turned around the door frame and pressed back against the side wall with perfect timing to avoid the watchful eyes of the approaching guard, Trixie wondered, not for the first time, if this was going to end up being a huge mistake. Not that she wasn't already a wanted criminal, but the scale was a littlee different this time. As the guard's hooffalls grew quieter and more distant, she ventured to move forward into the storage room.

She carefully set aside crate after crate, looking for that familiar acacia-wood box that she knew had to be in here somewhere. Her movements grew more rapid and less careful as time passed, she only had a bit over a minute before the guard would be walking by the door again. No... no... where- there! Trixie's horn flashed as she deftly picked the lock with a well-practiced spell, and the box opened on a spring-loaded hinge. There it was.

The Alicorn Amulet.

Trixie opened her saddlebag and pulled out the magic-dampening cloth, wrapping the amulet several times to make certain none of its corrupting effects would leak through to her. While she needed this thing, she certainly didn't WANT it. She slid the item down into her saddlebag, and took a deep breath. The easy part was over.

Trixie took off running, completely ignoring the guard patrol schedule as she tore her way through the halls of Canterlot keep. Within seconds her galloping hooves had drawn the attention of a half-dozen royal guards, their heavier hoofsteps joining hers echoing inside the midnight solitude of the castle. Trixie smiled, she wasn't the first pony to steal something from the Princesses' secret magical vault, but she was going to be the most spectacular one.

A moment later, the guards' ears rang and eyes saw nothing but sparks as Trixie's magical fireworks show exploded into the narrow corridor. Trixie knew to close her eyes, but she still wouldn't be hearing too well for a while. That, and loud explosions and flashes of light had the tendency to attract more guards than they stunned.

The cold air of midwinter Canterlot seemed to bite into her skin as soon as she burst through the doors into the immaculately maintained courtyard. A dozen guards were already rushing toward her, and found themselves face to face with another dazzling explosion of light and color. Trixie ran hard, she ran harder and more desperately than she could remember ever having done before. No matter where she turned, the seemingly limitless personal guard of the Princesses were there first.

Turning down a dark alleyway, Trixie finally saw her chance. A brief illusion glamor later, her specialty if it absolutely must be said, and the guards that paused to look down the alley as they proceeded to chase the mare down the street saw only a few extra trash bins. After leaving the spell active a few more seconds, Trixie finally dispelled it and took a few long, deep, desperate breaths. It wasn't over yet.

Trixie's horn glowed once more, and she focused. This was the difficult part, not showing off for herself, but showing off regardless. She concentrated, focused her magic, and the sky over Canterlot was split with a violent, nearly city-wide fireworks display. The flashing lights and explosive sounds have to have awoken nearly every pony in the capitol city. More importantly, the apparent center was several blocks away from where Trixie was.

Besides, in a few moments, there would be bigger fish to catch.

The sky exploded outside of the Canterlot Archives, and Sunset Shimmer allowed herself a brief, smug grin. She pressed against the wall, hidden behind a tapestry, and listened to the sounds of all the guards galloping away in a frenzy. Finally. She pulled the dark cape over her head and galloped in turn, making her way along the once-familiar hallway. One left, two left, one right, three left, second right door. Sunset's horn sparked violently, and the door was wrenched from its hinges.

Clover the Clever had been a peaceful mage and assistant. But she had lived in a time of war, and war was what Sunset Shimmer knew. War left no time for purely pacifist writing. The small side room devoted to Clover's work bore the full brunt of Sunset Shimmer's fury and haste, as she tore books from the shelves and tossed each aside in turn. Finally, the title she sought shone in gold lettering before her. Into her saddlebag the book went, and Sunset Shimmer turned and fled.

The hallway was no longer empty. Two night guard stallions spotted her and immediately lay chase. Sunset Shimmer's previous smug grin turned into a downright excited sneer. The doors passed by both pursuer and pursued as they tore down the hallway in a dead gallop. She counted the doors as she ran, and then turned sharply left. The stallions, nearly on her tail already, weren’t as agile. Sunset Shimmer's horn glowed as she ran down the outdoor stairway, and a moment later the stones behind her cracked and then exploded violently, sending masonry and finely-crafted gold decoration flying into the midnight air.

Sometimes, Sunset Shimmer had to pause to admire her own handiwork.

Of course, setting off explosions just outside of Princess Celestia's bedroom was hardly a subtle way of making a point, and also hardly left her any real time. She could only hope that her accomplices were doing their part.

Damned ponies.

This was not her... thing. Magic and ghosts and books and stupid, idiot unicorns with their grudges and revenge fantasies. All she really wanted was a nice warm fire, some furs to lay on, and maybe a roasting deer or something. That, and to make Dash apologize. No, Gilda's revenge fantasies were not the same thing as those unicorns. Hers was justified.

Plus, frankly, she needed the bits.

Gilda's claws rent armor and a bit of fur as she tossed the rookie guard pegasus aside. He'd be fine, she was sure of it, but few ponies would stand before an enraged griffon. He lived up to his race's reputation as he fled in search of friends to help him out. Good. Gilda padded forward quickly, not wasting any further time.

The door was unlocked, of course. Only pegasus ponies could get up to the tallest tower of Canterlot Castle, after all, and with near-constant guarding, well, nopony would ever dare to break in here. Besdies, who would even want half of this useless crap? Gilda glanced side to side as she rummaged through the assorted gear and trinkets stored in this place.

She was starting to consider entirely quitting when she heard the fireworks outside. She had a few seconds, then.

Her talons tore through bags and ripped open boxes as she searched, and then finally, there. A bag of... seeds, exactly as described by... Sunset Shimmer? That was probably the name. Exactly as Sunset Shimmer had described. The bag was old, and falling apart. Gilda put the bag and seeds both inside her backpack, and then secured it tightly to her body. She couldn't have the pack jostling around with what she needed.

She flapped her wings once, and then again, soaring quickly out of the tower room, and perching on the slate roof above. Her eyes narrowed as she searched for the bright-orange coat of the organizer of this complete mess of a theft. She didn't have to search hard, a few seconds of looking and the castle was rocked by a series of violent explosions. There in the center of the fiery mess, predictably, was Sunset Shimmer.

Gilda took flight.

Sunset Shimmer laughed as another group of guardsponies were halted by a fiery blast of magic. This was what she wanted! This is the power of Sunset Shimmer!

"Stay back! Anypony comes a step closer, and we'll be seeing how well the unicorn guards can fly!"

Sunset reared up and her horn flashed again, flames tracing along the ancient stonework bridge before igniting in another deafening blast. As proud as she was of her pyrotechnics, time was running low. The Princess slept heavily, but not this heavily. Guards she could fight. Alicorns she surely could not.

Finally, the sign she'd been waiting for arrived. A piercing eagle's cry sounded out over the towers, and Sunset's horn sparked again as the remaining portions of the stone bridge she was standing on lit with the pre-explosion flames. She bit back her triumphant shout, and jumped off of the bridge just as the explosion ripped through it, losing both herself and the griffon that caught her in the blaze.

The guards, blinded by the explosion and not expecting a winged escape, found only rubble and burning stone in the place of the unicorn thief. By the time they could see well enough to look to the sky, the griffon and her passenger were gone into the darkness of the night.

Sunset Shimmer kept her forelegs tight around Gilda's neck as they descended to the ground, some three miles outside of Canterlot, and two miles below it. The small caravan cart sitting in the middle of a disused field would hardly draw any attention, and that was the point. A cornflower blue mare looked up as they landed, and smiled.

Success.

Sunset Shimmer laid out the items they had procured. Finally. By the time Princess Twilight knew what they were doing, it would be far too late to stop them. Gilda would have her bits, of course, and Trixie could take her revenge on Twilight Sparkle. They were just hired help anyway. As Sunset Shimmer read the spell, and the magic leaped from the amulet and ancient seeds and into her horn, her lips twisted into a malicious smile.

Celestia's reckoning had come.

Author's Note

I had a lot of fun with this one.

Delaying the Inevitable [Slice of Life?]

(The Prompt: And I will open my mouth, and I will sing the song that ends the world.)

Being a Cutie Mark Crusader was the best thing in the world.

It really was. While other fillies studied for their future jobs, or even started doing them early, the Cutie Mark Crusaders went rollerblading. While Applejack bucked down apples all day, Apple Bloom and her friends were out waterskiing. While Rarity worked for hours on dresses for other ponies, Sweetie Belle got to make terrible-tasting cupcakes at Sugarcube Corner. While Rainbow Dash worked what looked like a fun job kicking clouds and setting up storms, Scootaloo managed to drag her friends out for ziplining.

So it was fun. It really was.

Sweetie Belle glanced up at the clock on the wall. Five minutes left. That little diversion had managed to waste two already. It was a start!

She wanted something to fidget with. She was pretty sure her horn was glowing from her nervousness, but nopony was rude enough to call her out on it. She knew that the other Cutie Mark Crusaders were outside waiting for her. Sweetie Belle wasn't sure if that comforted her or just made her more nervous, at this point. She found herself wishing that she was anywhere else. Even ziplining again would be better than just sitting here waiting. She'd take being covered in tree sap over what waited for her out there, any day.

Sweetie Belle smiled a little. It had been a little over two years now since they started the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They were all getting really old for being blank-flanks, but none of them really minded. Sure, sometimes Apple Bloom got upset about it, but they all knew they were going about it the wrong way. Every story about anypony getting their mark was always about them doing something they loved, or at least were already good at. The Cutie Mark Crusaders mostly just did stuff that seemed crazy and fun, but almost always stuff they hadn't tried before.

It was an excuse, really. Sweetie Belle, and she guessed her friends too, knew that once they got their cutie marks, they'd have to stop doing silly things all day and actually try to think about their futures. They'd have to work on whatever sort of skill or career they were meant to do. Sure, everypony had hobbies that weren't related to their marks, but most of them still focused on it as a job.

Sweetie Belle liked trying new things. So did her friends! They never really expected to see a mark when they crashed a wagon or blew up the library basement messing with Twilight's science stuff. It was just for fun. But ponies were starting to talk. Diamond Tiara had never been nice to them, but she was getting downright mean lately. Also, despite how much fun she had, Sweetie Belle could see Apple Bloom's little hints of disappointment sometimes, when one of their more realistic attempts failed.

She glanced at the clock again. Three minutes.

Ruffling through the papers on the floor, Sweetie Belle sighed in exasperation. She knew all this stuff already. She could do it, she could. She was nervous over nothing. Everything was going to be fine. Maybe if she told herself that enough times, it would be true. She picked up the papers in her mouth, and tossed them into a nearby trash bin. No more reading, no more practicing. It was almost time.

It's not like she thought she'd fail, really. She just felt... strange. Like this was a step she wasn't entirely certain she wanted to make yet. But all little fillies had to grow up some day, didn't they? She'd seen other ponies, grown ones, smiling as they went about their work. Even when Rarity was really frustrated with a dress, she at least always seemed to be happy doing what she loved. So maybe growing up wasn't so bad, even if it felt kind of weird to think about.

Sweetie Belle tried to suppress a silly giggle that suddenly found its way into her, and after a moment completely failed, giggling girlishly to herself in the crowded room. Nopony seemed to mind, though she did draw a few looks.

She glanced up at the clock. Time was up.

Sweetie Belle trotted out to the center of the stage, knowing that just on the other side of that curtain was most of Ponyville, waiting in town hall. This wasn't any sort of huge concert, just a little singing competition between ponies, not just fillies and colts but full grown mares and stallions as well. She heard the announcer speaking her name, and the song title. She couldn't help fidgeting a little as she heard it, and focused a moment to make sure her horn wasn't glowing.

The curtains opened. Sweetie Belle froze. Dozens and dozens of faces looked up at her for what felt like hours. Of course, she'd practiced. She knew what to expect. Those hours were really only about two seconds of hesitation before she managed to plaster on the pretty smile that Rarity had helped her perfect. She swallowed nervously, and took a deep breath.

Being a Cutie Mark Crusader was everything in the world to Sweetie Belle.

Then, she opened her mouth, and she sang the song that ended her world.

Princess Celestia [General]

(Prompt #512: “Shining, Shimmering, Splendid”)

I didn't really want to go that day. I mean I did, I always wanted to go to the Summer Sun Celebration, it was the biggest carnival sort of event of the year in Canterlot. There was no filly in the entire city that didn't want to go. But the day before, I'd borrowed a particularly exciting novel from the library, and I had been entirely absorbed in it. When my parents first called out to me to hurry along, I almost made up some excuse not to go. But of course, I couldn't lie to my parents, and besides, I really had wanted to attend.

It's a good thing I did, all things considered. Most of the time was spent in pre-dawn nighttime fair, playing silly games about throwing balls at bottles, or eating all kinds of roasted and fried foods that were neither cheap nor healthy. It sounds like fun for a little filly, and it would have been if I wasn't sulking about being taken away from my reading, and if I had been a little more open to talking to other ponies back then.

Canterlot is one of the safest cities in Equestria, and nopony would dare do anything criminal during the Summer Sun Celebration, so my parents were okay with me pushing my way to the front of the crowd. I don't know what drew me up there, I'm tempted to call it fate or destiny or something like that, as silly and presumptuous as that sounds. Maybe it was just simple hero worship, I'm certainly not above that.

When I managed to force my way to the front, I found her, her entrance heralded by loud trumpeters.

Princess Celestia.

I know, it's unlikely. But as a little filly I couldn't help but feel like that half-second that our eyes met was important. It had to be at least as important to her as it was to me, right? Looking back now, I doubt she even remembers seeing me there, I was only another unicorn out of the thousands gathered to watch this.

She was regal. Resplendent in her shining glory and beautiful height and presence. Everything about her demanded focus, but somehow in a quiet, understated, and completely irresistible way. She didn't have to speak to demand undivided attention, it was just who she was. Everypony watched with as much enthusiasm as I did, as Princess Celestia slowly rose into the air to a rising fanfare from the trumpeters, and flared out her wings as the sun broke over the horizon, the only thing capable of out-shining the Princess herself.

There was a moment there, where I thought her eyes met mine again.

It's not hard to see how I became so inspired. Here was the greatest single act of magic that any pony could ever aspire to, and it was done each and every day. Twice, arguably. Nearly all my reading up until then had been fiction, or studies for my schooling. That was when everything changed, and when I started to develop my lifelong talent for magic.

But that was a long time ago. It was years between that first sight of her and the next time I saw Princess Celestia.

It was under less flattering conditions. I'd lost control of my magic. It wasn't the first time, not by a long shot. Studying over one's limits has a tendency to cause that, and my parents were both pretty well aware of how much raw, stupidly uncontrolled power I had in my horn. If I had been able to think at all when my magic was out of control, I would have been in a dead panic about completely botching my entrance exam in the only way worse than failing to do anything.

But then, she appeared. Princess Celestia. Not just standing on a pedestal for a crowd of thousands, but right there, in the room with me, with her hoof on my shoulder. Everything stopped, my spells, my magic pouring out uncontrolled, all the effects I was holding without knowing it, all the terror in the room, and all my hopes and dreams. Not only had I messed up, lost control, and ruined my entrance exam. Princess Celestia, the undisputed and universally adored ruler of all of Equestria, had been witness to it. Besides, I'd destroyed one of the towers in her school.

She spoke my name, and all I could think to do was apologize. But in her infinite mercy, endless patience and, calm, pleasant demeanor, she only complimented me. Told me all about how she'd never seen a unicorn with my abilities. The world swayed and shimmered as this tall, majestic Princess stood there and complimented me, ME, on screwing up so spectacularly that it was worth notice.

That was the day I got my cutie mark. I was proud of it, hugely, amazingly proud that I finally had one, and that it had to do with my love of magic. But the real highlight of the day was looking into Princess Celestia's eyes and knowing that she was looking back into mine.

It was hardly uncommon, after that. I was her personal student, and we met at least several times a week. She was often busy with her royal duties, and sometimes there would be a few days without meeting. But every day I woke up happy that I knew her.

I've seen her fail, especially that one time, with the Queen of the Changelings. I've seen her suffer the occasional indignity. She's not perfect, in the sense of being completely omnipotent or omniscient. She makes mistakes, she makes errors in judgment. She has regrets about things she knows she could have stopped if she'd seen them happening sooner. But somehow, knowing that she is fallible, knowing that she, like any pony, has limits, only makes her shining glory and indisputable reign over all of Equestria that much more inspiring.

I stand here now, watching Luna and Celestia take the stage in Canterlot again. I can look out over the crowd of thousands, gathered before us. Us, because like Princess Celestia, I am a Princess now. She treats me as an equal, not that she ever spoke down to me. But now I share the title with her and her sister, and with Cadance.

Princess Celestia speaks a few words, and Luna flies upward to lower the moon. A moment later, Princess Celestia joins her, with the sun rising gloriously behind her. It's breathtaking, as it always is. The crowd stands in reverent silence, and I can't help but gawk with them. I nearly miss my cue.

But my horn lights, and I take to the air. I can't mess this up. If Princess Celestia, perfect, regal, shining Princess Celestia wants me to even pretend to be her equal, I will do it. I can't fly fast enough to make a real sonic rainboom, only one pony can. But I pour my heart into this spell. I put the full loving adoration of every sacred memory I have with the Princess, the one pony whose opinion of me means more than any other pony in the world, behind this one casting.

Color explodes around me and spreads all across the morning sky, and the crowd erupts into pleased gasps and crooning. But I don't see or hear any of that. All I can do is land, and look into Princess Celestia's eyes, and know that it worked, that she knows how much she means to me.

All I can do is smile.

A Short Visit [Sad]

(The Prompt: The potion of memories.)

(Warning, a bit sad)

Princess Twilight Sparkle sat comfortably in her warm, pleasant library. It was quiet inside, the silence only broken by the occasional turn of a page or sip of warm, mulled cider. Outside, it was a howling blizzard, the result of the weather team making up for too many mild, sunny days this winter. Really though, Twilight enjoyed having an excuse to stay inside all day, and the winds and snow outside somehow made the comfy library feel all the more comfy.

The blizzard is why Twilight Sparkle found herself so surprised to hear a knock at the door, well past sundown. She jumped from the sound, and nearly spilled her cider, but then took a deep breath and trotted quickly over to the door, opening it to reveal a familiar pony-shaped bundle of well-worn but warm winter coats, topped by a firmly-tied-on beat up old stetson hat.

Twilight smiled brightly, even as she ushered her friend quickly inside. "Applejack! What in Equestria are you doing out there?"

Applejack trudged her way over to the fire, looking all the way like she was still outside fighting the wind. After a few moments, her teeth stopped chattering enough to reply. "Sorry, Twilight, y'know I don't like droppin' by unannounced. But uh... I was thinkin' I could come visit."

Twilight took a moment to help Applejack disrobe, so that the fire could heat her more readily. She shook her head at the other pony's irresponsible behavior. "But it's freezing outside! You walked all the way here from Sweet Apple Acres? Let me warm some cider for you, you must be nearly frozen to the bone!"

Sitting by the fire, now properly undressed and warming herself, Applejack shook her head. She spoke slowly, looking into the fire as she did so. "Uh... beggin' your pardon, but I'm lookin' for a different kind of drink."

The smile on Twilight's lips, built by the pleasant evening and the surprise visit from a friend, died immediately. A few long seconds passed before she spoke again, her voice carrying a note of careful reproach. "Applejack, you shouldn't..."

"I know what you're about t' say, Twilight, and you don't have to say it. You don't know what it's like! Some days I just need... I mean, seein' as how I can go back now, with that stuff, and..."

Applejack trailed off, looking for a rationalization. Twilight watched her for a moment, and then shook her head and sighed, opening a high cabinet nearby with her magic, and pulling a familiar and nearly empty vial down. "I don't know what it's like, you're right. But this isn't healthy, Applejack. Also, there's only maybe three doses left, and then we'll never have any more of it."

Applejack closed her eyes, and nodded slowly. "I know it, Twilight. I'm sure if somethin' else happens we need to know about the past to fix, we can find another kind of way to learn it."

"It's not about saving Equestria, it's about you, Applejack. When we run out, it'll be like losing--" Twilight cut herself off, and shook her head with resignation. She brought a small cup over from the table, and poured a single dose of the magical potion into it. "Here. You can go in the side room, it should be warm enough and nopony will bother you."

Applejack stared down into the cup for a long while.

"I'm sorry, Twilight. This'll be the last time." Applejack took her cup and walked slowly into the small side study of the library, and closed the door behind her.

Twilight sat down at her book again, but no longer felt the warm, pleasant comfort from before. It wasn't the first time Applejack had said she'd stop drinking that stuff, and Twilight Sparkle knew it wouldn't be the last, either. But she had a point, Twilight didn't know what it was like.

She considered a moment, and then pulled a scroll over to write a somewhat overdue letter to two important ponies in Canterlot.

Applejack's eyes opened slowly, to reveal the worn, weather-beaten Apple family farmhouse. The parlor, even if all the furniture was out of place, and a lot newer than it should be. She looked down at her hooves and smiled a bit at how much closer she was to the ground as a blank flank filly. Laughter and voices could be heard just one room away, and Applejack wasted no time in going to go join them.

Far from the quiet, dusty parlor room, the family den of the Apple family farmhouse was warm, bright, and well-maintained. Nice, well-woven rugs kept the wood floor from feeling too cold on her hooves, and the couches and tables were all brightly colored and well maintained. The layout was all different, but she knew it this way by now just as well as the right way. Apple Bloom wasn't there, of course, but Macintosh was, laying out next to the fire in a slightly coltish mess, looking exhausted from a day of helping out with the winter maintenance on the orchard.

Applejack heard a voice of pure love and warmth calling her over to the couch. She nearly flew on her hooves, galloping across the room to launch herself up onto the cushion. She didn't have a choice, she was more watching than much of anything else. She looked up into the eyes of her mother, and then wrapped her short filly forelegs around her in the biggest hug she could manage.

She was obviously with foal, Apple Bloom of course, not that she was Apple Bloom just yet. But Applejack didn't pay that any mind. She felt her mother's forelegs wrap around her and pull her tight. Everything the mare did was done with such love and care for her family, and Applejack felt more warm and secure and happy than she could remember feeling in years.

This was home, this was family. This was everything she wanted.

Applejack closed her eyes and pressed her muzzle against her mother's neck, and smiled as she heard the mare start singing. She'd always had such a voice, carried over from her songstress schooling back with the Orange family in Manehattan. The slow, calm tune just flowed through Applejack's whole body, making the already soft and warm room even more comfortable and pleasant. Everything was just perfect.

But all good things must come to an end.

She shivered as she felt the first few effects of the fading potion. She'd learned to recognize it by now. The crackling of the fire slowly faded, her father's murmuring talk with Macintosh about the day's work got less and less distinct. She clung tightly to her mother, even as the singing quieted and the warmth on her coat slowly turned into the cold of the disused room of Twilight's library.

Applejack opened her eyes, only to close them again. She fell to the floor and tears streamed from her tightly-shut eyes as she tilted the cup upward again, hoping against hope that the scant few drops left would offer her another trip back home. Of course, it wasn't enough. Twilight was right, she was always right. There were maybe two more drinks of this stuff, and then... then Applejack would lose her parents forever. Again.

Applejack lay alone on the floor of the library study, and she cried.

Something Closer to Home [Comedy, Random?]

(The Prompt: The Pony of Shadows.)

The mood in the private study of the ancient castle was still lighthearted, now that all the ponies had settled down from their impromptu night spent accidentally scaring one another. The furnishings in the room were in remarkably good condition for their age, and everypony was seated comfortably on very finely made, if a bit dusty, cushions. The topic of conversation meandered back and fort as it was wont to do between close friends. Eventually, though, the topic of the Pony of Shadows came up again.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "I bet it doesn't even exist! We've been around here a couple times already, and we haven't seen any 'Pony of Shadows' other than Nightmare Moon, and we blasted her!"

"Not seeing her doesn't mean she doesn't exist," Fluttershy started, keeping her voice soft. She was still a little hoarse from shouting for Angel all night. "Besides, everypony thought Nightmare Moon was just an old pony's tale too."

Rainbow Dash crossed her forelegs and pouted. "Maaaybe. It was Applejack that thought it was real anyway. I wasn't even scared."

"Now hold on one cotton-pickin' minute! My granny told me about this legend and she ain't no liar, Rainbow. If that pony doesn't exist now, you can bet she was around in Granny's time."

Twilight's ears perked a bit at this mention. "Granny Smith told you the legend? What did she say about it?"

Applejack huffed defiantly at Rainbow before turning to Twilight. "Well, the way I remember it, it was that somethin' about Nightmare Moon got left behind after she was banished. At night, the dark magic turns into the Pony of Shadows."

"Dark magic? There's no such thing as 'dark magic'!" Twilight stood up, ready to lecture, but then she noticed her friends already looking disinterested in her soapboxing before she even started. She sat back down. "Well, there isn't. Magic isn't good or evil by itself. Besides, Luna turned traitor out of jealousy. Any kind of... I don't know, lingering ghost spell or something that came from that would be looking for other ponies, not just hanging around alone in an empty castle."

"Ooh! A spooky ghost pony that wants to make it night time and have everypony pay attention to it?" Pinkie laughed and rolled over onto her back. "That sounds kind of fun!"

Rarity spoke a bit distractedly, still giving the better part of her attention to her restoration efforts. "Well there's certainly something wrong with this place. I don't believe for a moment that we all managed to scare each other all night without any help at all."

"Of COURSE you didn't! I helped! With the organ!" Pinkie mimed playing the organ, while laying on her back. This mostly just looked like waving her hooves randomly about.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes again. "Yeah. Thanks, Pinkie. So... is it possible that there'd be some kind of magic left? From Princess Luna, I mean."

Twilight paused, and then closed the diary she was reading. "It's possible. I mean it shouldn't be possible, but we've all seen a lot of things like that. But it would have to be something related to what Luna was feeling back then. Some kind of jealous spirit or something."

Fluttershy lay down on her pillow and covered her ears with her hooves. Angel Bunny gently stroked her mane.

Princess Twilight shook her head. "But none of us saw any ghosts or mysterious shadowy ponies tonight. Other than the castle being an old, overgrown ruin, I don't think there's anything magical going on."

"Ooh, but what if there was!" Pinkie jumped back to all four hooves, grinning as she spoke. "Some kind of crazy, really jealous and attention-seeking pony spirit!"

Pinkie's friends all knew they may as well stay quiet at this point.

"She'd walk all around the castle looking for ponies to impress, but there's nopony here like ever, so she'd have to wander around the forest! Then, she'd find Ponyville, because really, where else is better to meet a ton of ponies?" Pinkie bounced lightly around the room. "Can you imagine it? The Pony of Shadows in Ponyville!"

Applejack cut in. "Uh, Pinkie, I'm pretty sure we'd a' met them if there was some kinda shadow pony in Ponyville."

"Maybe not though! Maybe it learned to look like a pony! So she just hangs around Ponyville all day and talks to ponies and gets them to like her, and then she doesn't feel jealous of Princess Celestia anymore because she has a ton of friends!"

Twilight glanced over toward Rainbow Dash, only to find Rainbow looking back and forth between Pinkie and Twilight.

"And then she'd know that being friends was nice but to KEEP friends you have to have fun with them! So she'd have to stop being some spooky magic ghost pony and just try to make everypony happy, with her crazy magic powers! She'd be all over the place, and pulling pranks out of nowhere, and making her friends laugh, and waking everypony up in the middle of the night to go and party and have fun together!" Pinkie shook one of the bookshelves, catching the falling book on the end of her muzzle and balancing it just for fun.

"She'd probably still come back to the castle sometimes just to remind herself how she started and how much she really needs friends and how much she likes playing that organ because really, that was a lot of fun! But she'd have to do it in secret so nopony realized that she wasn't just some friend-loving, attention-seeking happy pony but really the spooooky ghost Pony of Shadows! Because if they did, they'd probably stop being her friends, and not invite her to parties, and she'd be just as lonely as Princess Luna was but a million times worse because now she remembered what it was like to have friends! But yeah, I think we'd all have met some party-pony like that, if there was one in Ponyville."

Pinkie stopped talking and took a moment to look around. Seven sets of eyes, five pony, one bunny, and one dragon, were staring at her, with just as many mouths hanging agape. Pinkie blinked in momentary confusion.

"... What? Why are you all staring at me?"

The Perfect Marefriend [Romance, Sad?]

(The prompt: Discord gives interesting romantic advice.)

(Not really fond of this one, the time limit crept up on me and it ends a little abruptly. Also my Discord is maybe a little too Q.)

Fluttershy hummed happily to herself as she floated gently around her bedroom, getting ready for the evening. It was all so new and exciting! She had never had a special somepony before, let alone a mare, and even more, one of her best friends. It was strange how perfectly everything had been going these past few days, she had never expected things to progress so smoothly.

She giggled in gleeful bliss as she ran her brush through her mane, smiling at herself in the mirror. It would only be a few more minutes until she arrived at the cottage, and then they had reservations at one of the few trendy and expensive places in Ponyville. It wasn't the kind of place Fluttershy would normally visit, but when she was dating--

Fluttershy noticed that her reflection was no longer following her movements. A moment later, out popped a brownish, nearly-pony face, sticking out of the mirror as though there was nothing wrong with that at all. It was a testament to Fluttershy's calm bliss that she managed not to make a single startled sound. "Oh, hello, Discord. I'm sorry, but I don't have time right now. I'm preparing for a... a date."

To Fluttershy's surprise, Discord didn't crack a joke or make any sort of sarcastic comment. Not right away, anyway. He looked almost sour. "Oh yes, so I've heard. You wouldn't believe how gossipy the royalty of Equestria can be about its most important citizens."

Discord wiggled his way out of the mirror, wrapping around Fluttershy just far enough out that he didn't manage to actually touch her. "You know, dear Fluttershy, I'm quite hurt that you didn't tell me about this little relationship of yours. I thought we were friends."

She couldn't help but flinch, just a little, at the dangerous drop in his tone at the end. "We are friends! But, well, none of my friends know yet. It's supposed to be a secret."

Discord moved slowly around her, trailing an eagle talon along her cheek. "Oh yes, such a secret that I even managed to hear, all the way in Canterlot. But what I don't know is who the lucky stallion is. Some brutish farm oaf, sweeping you off your hooves and into a life of birthing foals to work the fields?"

"Oh, well... it's not a stallion. It's a mare. It's..." Fluttershy's voice dropped lower, knowing she shouldn't be telling, but also knowing that denying Discord would only cause more trouble than it was worth. "… it's Princess Twilight."

There was a strange momentary pause in Discord's taunting, before his voice grew much more serious. "Princess Twilight Sparkle? How long ago did this start?"

Fluttershy's eyes narrowed at his tone. "Whatever it is you're thinking, you'd better stop, mister. She's been lovely ever since we started dating, and if you're really my friend at all, you won't mess it up."

Discord rolled onto his back as he floated in the air, laying a paw over his chest as though offended. "Moi? Mess things up? Perish the thought. When did our dear, beloved Princess start showing you such affection anyway?"

"Oh, well, we've always been close." Fluttershy returned to idly smiling, thinking back on her friendship with Twilight. "But it was only a few days ago that she finally told me that she thought of me as more than a friend. I can't believe she finally noticed, after all this time."

Fluttershy flew upwards, fluttering about the room in a happy daze. Discord's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched her, but his voice carried none of the suspicion in his glance. "Just a few days ago, you say? How convenient. Let me guess, you simply threw yourself into her embrace and told her you'd love her forever."

Her cheeks burning, Fluttershy turned back toward her mirror. "No, not exactly. But I would never leave her, she's so amazing!"

A knock at the door caused Fluttershy to gasp in happy anticipation, and Discord to glance over toward the sound. "Oh, she's here!"

Discord trailed along behind Fluttershy as she sped through the cottage, downstairs to the front door. The door opened to reveal none other than Equestria's newest princess, and Fluttershy immediately threw her forelegs around her in a fond embrace. "It's so good to see you! You look wonderful!"

The draconequus floated idly around the room as the ponies spoke for a few moments. It wasn't until he saddled right up next to Fluttershy and hooked an arm around the skittish pegasus that he was even noticed. Twilight's wings flared and her eyes narrowed. "Discord! What are you doing here? Have you been bothering her?"

"Oh, please, Twilight Sparkle. Do you really think I'd be so rude as to bother my only friend in the whole, wide world?" Discord pinched Twilight's cheek between two talons, relishing the annoyance on her purple face. "Oh but do come in, we have a few things to discuss while little Fluttershy here finishes fixing her mane."

"Her mane is fine." Twilight spoke in a flat tone.

Discord rolled his eyes and snapped his claws, sending several long strands of Fluttershy's immaculately brushed mane in all directions, eliciting a startled gasp from the pegasus. "There now, she's got to go fix her mane. Give me a minute here, dear Fluttershy. You know I wouldn't harm your precious princess marefriend."

A brief warning later, and Fluttershy left the two alone. There was a momentary standoff, an angry, determined looking alicorn princess locking eyes with a somewhat bored and disinterested seeming god of chaos and disharmony. The silence hung in the air for a few moments before Discord rolled his arm lazily, and pointed a talon directly at the princess. "I don't know what you think you're doing, but you're out of your league."

Princess Twilight stamped a hoof on the floor, horn lighting defiantly. "I'm taking my marefriend out on a date! Don't you act like we can't stop you from causing problems, we may not have the elements of harmony anymore, but we've stopped you before."

The slow smile on Discord's lips sent Twilight's horn flickering. "Oh, you're half right. The elements of harmony are gone, but you haven't stopped me before, have you? Oh don't act so surprised, Princess Twilight Sparkle," Discord nearly spat the title. "I don't know who you think you're fooling, but you're talking to an old master of the art. I've known from the start."

Twilight took a step back, looking less confident, and glancing toward the staircase. "What do you mean? I'm not fooling anypony."

The air grew a few degrees cooler as Discord frowned. "Oh, we're going to play this game, are we? Fine, you spend the next ten minutes explaining to your marefriend up there why you're suddenly black and shiny, and I'll flash away and dig the Princess out of that little cocoon you're keeping her in. I'm sure everything will go just swimmingly."

In a panic, Twilight raised a hoof to look at it. Nope, still purple. But he knew. She went stiff as she felt him wrap his weird, serpent-like body around hers. "Now listen to me, very carefully. I only have one friend in this world, and I don't like seeing her hurt. You might think of her as simply a meal on the hoof, but..." Discord leaned in close, and his voice dropped to a dangerous, slow drawl. "Let me give you some advice, one friend of Fluttershy's to another. If you hurt her, being discovered as what you really are will be the least of your concerns."

A few minutes later, with mane fixed again, Fluttershy trotted down the staircase to find Discord and Twilight both sitting pleasantly together in her foyer. Discord even smiled and wished her a good time on her date. Even if Twilight seemed a little nervous, she was certainly every bit as affectionate and eager to please as always. Fluttershy was in love, and everything was going to be just fine.

She Was Pinkie Pie [Slice of Life?]

(The Prompt: Seven years underground.)

Fun.

That was what she had wanted. Fun with her friends!

She was Pinkie Pie. She was all Pinkie Pie. Every one of her was Pinkie Pie, and that other pony wasn't.

It had been a long time. She remembered Ponyville, she remembered the bright sun and the warm grass, she remembered the other ponies with all their different colors, all the nice food and interesting buildings. She remembered everything.

There was no fun back in this water. Before she had left, before that other pony had awoken her, she didn't know what she was missing. It hadn't been as bad, then. But now, now she missed the fun. She missed Ponyville.

It had taken time, but after trying, after a long, long time of swimming up a waterfall, she had climbed out. She had been the first. She had come up out of the water and found herself in the cave. There were mushrooms that glowed, hanging vines, weird stone spikes and lots of sand to play with. She had spent a while, just having fun. After all, the cave had been blocked with a heavy stone. She couldn't leave.

There's only so much fun a pony can have alone. Even her. So she struggled to remember. At first it was blurry, but then the sun and grass and games and food all came back to her. Along with a short, simple rhyme.

Into her own reflection she stared, yearning for one whose reflection she shared, and solemnly sweared, not to be scared, at the prospect of being doubly mared.

Then, she was two. There were more fun things that two ponies could do than one. She both did them, she spent days just running and jumping and digging and eating mushrooms and generally playing. But she realized that the cave wasn't fun enough. It wasn't what she wanted. She wanted other ponies, not just more of her. But to leave, she needed more.

So she made more.

But the stone set into the exit of the cave was magically sealed and protected. She chipped a hundred hooves bashing at it, and broke a hundred teeth.

The cave was somehow less fun with this much of her. After a time, she found most of herself poking at the dirt with her hooves, and moping around quietly. But she noticed, when she poked some areas, that dents formed. If she poked there more, she could dig. The magic hadn't reached every part of the cave.

She began digging. When she got tired, other parts of her resumed the work. She farmed mushrooms, and all of her took her fair share. She built homes out of stone, she had a small Pinkieville. But it was only her, and she grew bored. So she continued digging.

Things slowly changed. She argued with herself. She fought with herself, and sometimes she lost part of herself. But she always came back together in the end. After all, where else could she go but onward? Her hooves pounded at the unprotected stone, and the unprotected dirt. She was tired of mushrooms, and tired of what passed for mushroom cupcakes. She was tired of living in stone houses and sleeping on stone beds. She was tired of pink.

She missed having fun.

Her hair was straight, part of it. The rest was poofy. Some of her had a short tail and some kept her tail long. The parts of her with hooves worn and cracked from digging would wait, while the rest of her would press onward. It was difficult, digging with hooves. After a while, she remembered tools. Digging became easier, and faster. More of her could dig at once.

There were no foals, of course, but there was always more of her waiting, if she needed more. She had Pinkieville, and then after a while, she had Canterpie. Canterpie needed towers, it needed spires and balconies. So she dug and she carved until she had those. Pinkieville farmed and Canterpie ruled. But it was all her, and the arguing was kept short.

One day, she had an ear pressed to the stone. She liked hearing the click of hooves and the taps of tools on the wall. This part of her did, anyway. That was when she heard it. Not just hooves and picks, but voices. Voices that were not hers. She called herself over and she listened with more ears. It took some work, there was a lot of noise with her all here. But there, there it was. Other voices. She had nearly forgotten what that was.

The construction of Pinkamenhattan was halted. She had direction, now. She remembered again, the warm sun and colors other than blue and pink. Hooves and picks and shovels all turned to a new purpose. Stone cracked and crumbled, dirt was moved, and the mines were reinforced. She knew what she needed, now. Time passed, less than she thought but more than she'd hoped. Careful carving and digging had left her with only a narrow passage. She didn't want to damage that other town, Ponyville.

She gathered herself together in Canterpie gardens. In the glow of the mushrooms and vines, she reminded herself of the plan. They didn't want her there, she remembered that. But she wanted to leave this cave now. Canterpie was beautiful, and Pinkieville was peaceful and pleasant, but she wanted more. There were thousands of her now, and she knew she could have more in minutes.

She marched en masse toward the small passageway, and she dug upwards through the cobblestone under the streets. The stones slowly fell away under hoof and shovel and pick. She found herself blinking in many eyes as rays of sunlight broke through, and she smiled despite her hurting head. As she widened the passage, she pressed herself forward, and broke out into Equestria again.

She was free, she was having fun, and she would never be caged again.

One of Those Days [Comedy, Slice of Life]

(The prompt: Pirates vs. ninjas!)

(Warning: silly and pointless)

There was always a certain kind of moment during an otherwise normal day, when Rainbow Dash would realize that it was going to be 'one of those days'. Not really in a bad way, sometimes 'those days' could be really awesome actually. But when she was flying around trying to take care of a few loose bits of weather work that the other pegasus ponies had been slacking on, she didn't really expect to see Pinkie Pie standing by the river in a full black bodysuit, whipping around something that looked like a wooden sword wrapped in tin foil.

So, yeah, it was going to be one of those days.

Weather could wait, so Rainbow Dash dropped out of the air like a stone, catching herself a moment before landing, ten feet behind Pinkie. She opened her mouth to greet her, but then found her nose poked just at the tip with a tinfoil-wrapped wooden sword. Rainbow's eyes widened in surprise. "Whoa! Hey! It's just me!"

Pinkie Pie's eyes narrowed, looking a little more dangerous with her big poofy mane hidden underneath her black suit. But her voice was still bouncy and high-pitched, sounding like she was a half-second from laughing. "Hi, Dashie! Did you come to play ninja too?"

"What? Is that what you're doing out here by yourself?"

Rainbow Dash took a few steps back, as Pinkie Pie struck what looked like some kind of fencing pose from Prance. Pinkie giggled until she snorted. "Yeah! I've never been to Neighpon, but I thought, hey! Ninjas are pretty neat! They can sneak around and surprise anypony!"

"But you aren't even doing it right! Besides, Ninjas are totally boring. They're always hiding in the shadows and creeping around and stuff." Rainbow waved a hoof dismissively at her friend's antics, only to get the flat of a wooden sword knocked playfully against her hoof.

Pinkie dropped her sword and turned around to dig around in a nearby bush, and then tossed out one of her emergency eyepatches, some kind of red-striped cotton shirt, and a flimsy plastic cutlass. "So you like being loud, do you? You can't be part of my dojo then, you'll have to be the dreaded Captain Rainbeard Slash!"

She wanted to argue about it, this was moronic and uncool and also she was really more of an adventurer and pro flyer than a pirate. But... they were out here pretty far from town, and being an idiot with Pinkie was easier than trying to talk Pinkie out of being an idiot. Besides, pirates were pretty awesome, sometimes.

There was always a certain kind of moment during an otherwise normal day, when Twilight Sparkle would realize that it was going to be 'one of those days'. It turned out, conveniently, that nearly every day in Ponyville turned out to be 'one of those days', and she didn't really mind it, truth be told.

So when she walked into her bedroom to find Pinkie Pie holding onto a rope and hanging from her ceiling, Twilight managed to keep herself to just a slightly annoyed sigh. Unless she entirely missed her guess, that sword was supposed to be Neighponese, which meant that Pinkie was supposed to be-

"Hi Twilight! I'm a ninja!" Pinkie took this opportunity to wave, losing her grip on the rope in the process and promptly falling to the floor and bursting into giggles. A moment later, she jumped up and clopped her hoof to Twilight's lips. "Shh! I'm hiding here from Captain-"

"Captain Rainbeard Slash, and her first mate, Cuttersly!" Two pegasus ponies suddenly came crashing into the (thankfully open) windows, Captain Slash bowling Pinkie over in a rolling tackle, while Twilight found herself poked very gently in the chest with a low-quality plastic rapier by Fluttershy, wearing an eyepatch and her mane pulled back into a tight ponytail.

"Um, I'm sorry Twilight, but we're going to take you hostage. If you don't mind playing along, I mean."

Yes, one of those days. Twilight couldn't help but smile though, because really, how often did somepony get taken captive by a sixth-century Mareibbean pirate like Cuttersly?

There was always a certain kind of moment during an otherwise normal day... well, let's face it. There weren't many normal days in Ponyville.

Rarity wasn't quite sure how the note, by all appearances written in ink with an antique Qilin brush, actually arrived unnoticed in her work room. Given that under the scent of ink and paper, there was a marked odor of icing and sugar, she had a fair idea of exactly which pony had put it there. A quick scan of the contents only made her roll her eyes, but given how many of her friends were already involved, she might as well go ahead and take part. She would likely be forcibly drawn in regardless.

Besides, it was a chance to wear a kimono. She wasn't entirely certain what exactly a ninja mare would wear when she wasn't.. stabbing ponies or whatever they did, but a kimono seemed like a good start. Add to that a few carefully held fans and some faux shuriken and she'd have a fairly decent ensemble for this silly little game.

In short order she found herself trotting down the appointed path, toward the 'Mareibbean fortress', dressed her in very well-crafted but cheaply produced kimono. After all, she knew it was unlikely to survive the day. As expected, she only barely made it in sight of the evil fortress before being forcibly yanked into a bush by Pinkie Pie.

"What kind of ninja outfit is that? It's so pretty!" Pinkie spoke in a whisper that managed to sound louder than her normal voice.

Rarity looked over Pinkie Pie's dreadful black costume, and then over the black-mud-encrusted Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom next to her. Absolutely dreadful. Though, Rarity did seem rather out of place, now that she was here. "Oh, well, I don't know much about ninjas, darling, but at least I brought... these?"

The offering of throwing stars certainly made the fillies happy, as well as the filly-at-heart mare. The four ninjas turned their attention to making a plan of assault against Captain Slash, Cuttersly, and their crewfilly, Crewtaloo.

Applejack prided herself on being a levelheaded, hardworking pony that didn't have much time for all the silly nonsense of a filly half her age.

Which is why, when she trotted over to the Crusader's clubhouse to find out if the little fillies wanted to come by the farmhouse for supper, it took her a moment to really figure out what the in the hay she was looking at. Princess Twilight was standing on top of the shaky structure, loosely lashed to the tree branch that stuck out of the roof. Hanging out each of the three windows was a pegasus pony, dressed in just about the laziest looking Nightmare Night pirate costumes Applejack could recall seeing before.

Down below the treehouse crept three black-suited--- no, make that one black-suited pony, two muddy fillies, and one somewhat embarrassed-looking Rarity. They were throwing little paper throwing stars up at the pegasi, and then running around trying to pick the fallen stars up again while dodging foam dart retaliation from above.

On one hoof, they hadn't seen her yet, and she had work to do. But on the other hoof, she'd been working all day, and the apples would still be on the trees tomorrow, no worse for the wear. She heard names being shouted, 'Captain Slash' and other silly nonsense, and just like that she figured she might as well stop being an adult for an afternoon and join in.

Captain Rainbeard Slash valiantly fended off the approaching Neighponese invasion of Curacow, with her trusty first mate and loyal crew. But the battle had been lost before it had begun, and the ninja ponies were already climbing in through the windows. They were outnumbered, plain and simple, and soon the captured princess would be rescued.

Suddenly, the fortress shook with the impact of a cannon shell, and smelled suspiciously like apple juice. Ninja and pirates alike rushed to the window to see what new force had joined the battle. There, in the treacherous waters surrounding the fortress, was a ship with a single captain mare on deck, kick-firing apple cannonballs at the side of the fortress to announce her presence. "Hold it right there, ya evil ninjas! Captain Jack Apple's here t' save th' day!"

Author's Note

This one got cut in half on TMP, not sure what happened.

Pie, Party of Six [Romance?]

(The prompt: One love confession at a time, please!)

(This one was written in a different location and doesn't work terribly well. But I want to keep my daily submissions going!)

Rarity kept her pacing slow and ladylike as she walked through Ponyville, though every fiber of her being called out for her to either trot happily or gallop in eager anticipation. It had finally happened! Pinkie Pie had been blithely ignorant of her advances for months now, but according to the carefully scribed note she had found earlier in her boudoir, the silly mare had finally realized just how much she meant to Rarity. An invitation to Chez Hay, a quaint little eatery in the middle of the market, was exactly the sort of first date Rarity would have expected from Pinkie. Nothing too fancy, but at least she managed to pick a destination other than Sugarcube Corner.

Rarity was set on arriving just on time. Arriving early would just stink of desperation, and that wasn't quite the appearance she wanted to project. She knew her feelings for Pinkie already, desperation didn't enter into them. What she felt for Pinkie was much more long-running and real than some silly desperate crush. Besides, she'd taken all this time designing and magically putting together a new dress. She could hardly show up at their first date nude, of course.

She held her head high as she made her entrance into Chez Hay. The server showed her politely to her table, weaving through the other happily dining ponies. Rarity couldn't help trotting a little, her good mood finally overpowering her clinging desire to act properly noble.

The happy smile on her face, however, died upon seeing the crowded dining table with four other slightly-annoyed looking mares.

"Howdy Rarity. We all figured you'd be showin' up too." Applejack tipped her stetson politely, though it was predictably the only thing she was wearing.

Rainbow slid two bits across the table toward Twilight. "You win. I didn't think she'd really invite all of you to talk about how awesome I am and how much she loves me."

Then, it clicked. Rarity tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice. "Pinkie invited all of you here? On a date?"

Twilight Sparkle smiled a little ruefully. "Only some of us. She told me it was just to tell me something important, and Applejack was told it was for discussing sales of apples at Sugarcube Corner."

"Um... She told me it was a date." Fluttershy seemed to be doing her best to hide her face behind her mane, but Rarity could still see the disappointment in her eyes.

Rarity sighed and took a seat. "Yet she hasn't shown herself? How terribly rude of her! Getting all of hopes up, dashing them, and then not even making an appearance herself!"

A high-pitched, happily apologetic voice called from across the restaurant, garnering annoyed looks from several other diners. "Sorry! Just a second!"

It was really only their years of friendship that kept the five mares sitting at the table from just getting up and leaving at this point. That, or some glimmer of curiosity about just what was going on with this entire setup.

After a few moments, Pinkie Pie finally arrived at their table, her mane in a mess of confetti and her eyes brimming with hope and glistening with worry. It was concerning to see that kind of emotion in her eyes, but concern only went so far after at least a few of the gathered ponies' fond hopes had been dashed by this impromptu meetup.

Rarity's voice was calm and measured, and all the more threatening for it. "Pinkie Pie, darling, just what do you mean by inviting us all--"

"I love you!" Pinkie's blurted confession was spoken in a tone that none of her friends had ever heard her use before. She sounded desperate, painfully desperate and as though she was hoping against hope.

There was a momentary pause, while Fluttershy nearly ducked under the table to hide from all the surrounding ponies' stares, their various meals interrupted by this growing scene. Applejack spoke first. "Beg pardon, Sugarcube, but why'd you invite all of us just to tell Rarity ya loved 'er?"

Pinkie Pie blinked in momentary confusion. "What? I didn't mean Rarity."

Rarity made a quiet, pained sound, but her practiced composure didn't falter more than that. Pinkie's eyes widened at the sound. "No wait! I didn't mean it like that! I love you too, I mean! I love all of you girls!"

Fluttershy whimpered quietly. "We... know that already. You tell us all the time."

Twilight Sparkle's wings flared out on instinct as her eyes widened. "Wait, do you mean-"

Pinkie just grinned. "Yeah! I didn't want to just ask one of you out! So I confessed to all of you at once! You don't have to say yes, but I totally already have a party ready for us after the date if you do!"

There was a short silence as the sentiment sunk in, and nearly the entire restaurant stared at them. Twilight cleared her throat. "Well... it might... be interesting?"

With just that, Pinkie Pie smiled, and Twilight knew her next report to the princess would be very interesting indeed.

The Final Spell of Princess Twilight Sparkle [General]

(The Prompt: The Fall of Twilight Sparkle)

Princess Twilight Sparkle stood on the weathered, ancient balcony on the southern face of Canterlot Castle. Her horn made a pale glow in the middle of the night, and she smiled a little as she felt the magic flow through it. Not many ponies remembered why this balcony had been built. It wasn't just for coronation ceremonies and royal weddings.

Canterlot had been built by unicorns, centuries before Celestia had come to power. In those days, unicorns had to raise and lower the sun and moon themselves, and Canterlot was at the center of several powerful, magical ley lines. Twilight would need every ounce of magic she could get for what she was about to do.

The most powerful source of magic she knew was her friendships. They were the driving force behind this decision, and if anything could make this work, it would be her friends.

One of them had started her down this road, after all. Years ago, during a brief visit to Canterlot, Rarity had uttered a single sentence that had changed Princess Twilight's entire view on her duties as royalty. It wasn't anything important to Rarity, not really, but perhaps it had been just the right thing to say at just the right time. They had been trotting along the boulevard, and Rarity had taken just a moment to gently dab her forehead with a small handkerchief, and spoken quite simply.

"Hold on just a moment, darling. Not every pony has quite your flair for keeping young."

Rarity had not been, and still was not, old. She was absolutely in the prime of her life, as were the rest of Princess Twilight Sparkle's friends. But hearing that, just at that time, had a profound effect on Twilight. She noticed then that she hadn't been sweating or out of breath at all. In fact she still appeared to be a mare of twenty or so, despite the extra decade past her coronation.

Twilight smiled bitterly, coming out of her reminiscing and focusing her power in her horn. Becoming an alicorn had granted her such amazing control over her magic and the magic of Equestria. The spell she was casting was far beyond anything even Princess Celestia would dare attempt.

Princess Celestia. Twilight Sparkle knew that the princess would not want her doing this. It wasn't that Celestia wanted to control her, not at all. She only wanted what was best for Twilight, and in any other situation she would likely have been correct. But sometimes, as hard as it was for Twilight to admit it, Princess Celestia was wrong.

After all, despite all her noble court ponies, her sister, and her student-turned-princess, Princess Celestia was completely alone.

Twilight cast her mind to her friends again, feeling the ley lines feed power through her horn. The idea of loneliness brought forth her two earth pony friends. Neither of them had that sense of isolation, and Twilight couldn't imagine them ever feeling that way. Applejack was married now, actually, with two growing foals. The stallion she'd fallen for was not technically anypony of note, Caramel, just one of the many farmer stallions in Ponyville.

But with her loving family, and a third foal on the way, Applejack was never alone. Pinkie Pie wasn't either, though she had no children. She had her surrogate family with the Cakes, and she was as much mother to Pound and Pumpkin Cake as Cup Cake could claim to be. She paid rent for the upstairs loft she stayed in, but anypony could see she was part of their family, and that the rent was only a formality at best. She was a friend, a child, and a sister to the Cakes, and she always would be.

There was a quiet jealousy that Twilight Sparkle was always slightly ashamed of. She had never truly been that close to her own family, not in the way that Applejack and Pinkie were. She loved them, of course, but she saw her parents only once or twice a year at best, and Shining Armor was now prince of the Crystal Empire, a very, very long train ride away. She had her friends, and they were as close as family, but... there was always some distance, since everything had changed.

Twilight's horn sparked and a magical bolt struck the stone of the balcony. Twilight frowned and focused. The amount of magic required for this was possibly even past her control.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy... Twilight smiled even through the difficult casting. The two mares had been together now for seven years or so. They hadn't bothered having the spells cast to allow for children, yet, but it was likely to happen sometime. It was Fluttershy, actually, who had most recently caused this thought to surface again.

She had been crying, and Rainbow Dash had been away on Wonderbolts work. Twilight was there for Fluttershy, just to be as much of a comfort as she could. 'Harry', a dear friend of Fluttershy's was dying. Bears simply did not live as long as ponies. Twilight had found that she did not know what to say, she had no words for this. Death had never been on her mind, in the sense of being something other than a danger of her adventures.

Fluttershy had been crying, but in the most calm and resigned way that Twilight Sparkle could imagine. She had even managed to tell that Twilight wanted to comfort her but didn't have the words. Fluttershy shook her head, and told Twilight that "it happens to everyone, sooner or later."

It was strange, hearing the normally soft and innocent-seeming Fluttershy speaking so fatalistically, but in retrospect it made perfect sense. Fluttershy cared deeply for her animal friends, but most of them only lived a short few years. She had likely seen dozens born and dozens pass, just in the time Twilight had known her.

Yet, despite the small laugh lines on Fluttershy's face, and the slightly slower flight of Rainbow Dash at the air shows, Princess Twilight Sparkle looked to be a mare of twenty.

Twilight Sparkle smiled just a little, her horn's sparking calming as she managed to rein in the power. Certainly, Princess Celestia could feel this casting happening, even while she was away in the Crystal Empire. Twilight knew the exact extent of Celestia's power, and knew that she wouldn't make it back in time to stop this. Princess Twilight also had Luna's expressed, if sad, consent.

The flow of magic finally reached the critical point, and Princess Twilight Sparkle formed it into the spell she needed. This had never been done before, there had never been call for it. But with every new line Twilight had seen on her friend's faces, with every hesitation of some new pony's greeting, with every inch of separation between her and everypony she loved, she realized more and more that it must be done.

The power coursed through her body like an electric shock, purple arcs of magic striking out from her and into the glowing ley lines crossing the balcony.

Princess Celestia would be devastated. Twilight couldn't blame her, she knew what she was doing. This was selfish, perhaps a little, but she... there was no other way. She wouldn't be an exception to the rules that Fluttershy knew, she would no longer see that tiny hint of jealousy in Rarity's eyes, and she would no longer be forced to maintain that distance from her fellow ponies.

The spell reached a crescendo, and Twilight grit her teeth, bearing the surge as best she could. There was a bright flash, and even the ancient stone of Canterlot Castle shook from the release of the power. Twilight Sparkle collapsed to the stone floor, and lay there for a moment, breathing heavily and sweating from exertion.

She opened her eyes slowly, and forced herself to stand. Her legs felt weak, sore, and she felt... light. She looked down to the floor, and choked back a gasp at the pile of purple feathers, fluttering gently in the wind at this altitude. Looking to her sides confirmed it. She wouldn't have to bear the burden of immortal loneliness that Princess Celestia and Luna bore, and she could be just... friends, with everypony, again. She could find a husband, or possibly a wife, and maybe even have children.

Princess Twilight Sparkle had fallen, and now only the unicorn Twilight Sparkle remained.

Coming Soon [Action, Comedy]

(The Prompt: Star spider season.)

Rainbow Dash ran at full speed through the darkened halls of Canterlot High, pulling the panicking Fluttershy behind her by the hand. The other girl's desperate screaming only spurred her to run faster. Only a moment after they turned a corner, one of the invading star spiders crashed violently into the bank of lockers against the wall. The horrible black arachnids were nearly the size of a car, and just about as fast.

Lucky then that Rainbow Dash was faster.

But she could only run so long. Turning another corner, Dash took the chance of opening one of the now-disused classrooms and ducking inside, pulling Fluttershy behind her and closing the door. She slapped her hand over Fluttershy's mouth, muting her screaming and holding her tightly.

Several tense seconds passed, until the tell-tale tik-tak of spider legs passed by the door, and Rainbow Dash let herself relax enough to even look around the room. Looked like a math class, which meant no weapons to be found in here. But if she remembered the layout correctly, her friends were waiting just a few rooms away.

"Okay Fluttershy, I think we can make it. But you've gotta keep it together! No more screaming."

Fluttershy nodded, letting a quiet nervous eep.

Rainbow Dash turned the door's handle as slowly as she could, and pressed it open, hoping that the hinges were well-oiled. The door opened soundlessly, revealing the dark hallway beyond. Still holding Fluttershy's hand, Dash stepped forward. They crept carefully through the once-cheery and familiar school. Rainbow knew they needed to move quickly, not just because of the spiders possibly waiting around every bend, but because of the increasingly panicked trembling of Fluttershy's hand in hers.

They brushed past a tangled cobweb containing what looked to have been a few unlucky students, and then approached the door to the agreed-upon meeting place. Rainbow Dash gently tapped on the door four times, then paused, then tapped twice more. In a moment, the door opened just enough for her and Fluttershy to sneak in.

Inside, she was immensely relieved to find her friends gathered together by candlelight. Applejack seemed unharmed, other than looking pretty worried about the long spider-claw scratches along Rarity's arm. Pinkie Pie was standing off to the side, carefully considering the baseball bat she was holding, smeared with spider ichor. Her hair was flat and straight, pulled back into a ponytail.

"Howdy, Rainbow. Glad y' could make it." Applejack tipped her hat politely, speaking in a hushed whisper.

Rainbow Dash let Fluttershy go to talk to Pinkie, and then turned to Applejack. "Yeah, almost didnt. They uh... they got Sunset Shimmer."

Applejack pulled her hat down over her face, and cursed under her breath. Rarity sank down, sitting on the nearest desk. "Oh my... we're doomed, aren't we, girls?"

Fluttershy hid behind her flowing hair, trapped in a hug from the depressed Pinkie Pie. "Um... maybe."

"We ain't doomed, Rarity. We've been through worse an' some big spiders ain't about to end things." Applejack hefted her woodsman's axe, looking determined.

Rainbow Dash nodded, glancing toward the door. "Still, wish we had Twilight Sparkle here."

Suddenly, something slammed loudly against the battered classroom door, and the piercing screech of a star spider rang out through the room. Applejack held her axe defensively. "We've been found! Everybody back off from th' door!"

The door slammed open, and the bulk of the spider squeezed through, it's mandibles dripping venom. Pinkie Pie and Applejack stood in front of their unarmed friends, but the entire group backed away from the huge arachnid. It advanced on them slowly, knowing it had them trapped. Fluttershy let out a panicked scream as she felt herself back up against the cold wall of the classroom. The spider reared up, ready to strike-

The spider was promptly blasted sideways, rolling over and curling up, dead. The group turned to face their savior, and found Fall Formal Princess Twilight Sparkle standing there with a smoking shotgun. She chambered a fresh round, and remarked cooly: "Come on, girls. It's Star Spider Season."

This Summer, coming to a theater near you, Equestria Girls: Star Spider Season!

Hasbro Studios
1027 Newport Ave
Pawtucket, RI 02861

ATTN: Rainbow Dash
Cloudhome 1
Ponyville, EQ

Miss Rainbow Dash:

We here at Hasbro Studios thank you for your continued work on our flagship cartoon series, and we all hold the utmost respect for your species and all that you've done for your world and for the profitability of our company.

That said, we do not feel that Equestria Girls: Star Spider Season fits the direction we intend for our property to take.

We wish you good luck in your future screenwriting endeavors.

-Hasbro Studios

Princess Twilight Sparkle [Slice of Life?]

(The prompt: Celestia and Luna have not always been called the same names in every place and in every age.)

(I think this one was more interesting in my head)

"Princess Twilight Sparkle."

Princess Twilight Sparkle scrunched up her nose, and then sighed at the ridiculous expression she saw on herself in the mirror. Her wings ruffled a bit behind her in annoyance, and that only did the exact opposite of help to settle her nerves. She tried again.

"Prin-CESS Twilight Sparkle. PRIN-cess Twilight. Prin... ugh!" Twilight threw up her hooves and collapsed to the floor in frustration. It wasn't right! Nothing about it sounded right at all!

A calm, quiet voice turned her increasing frustration into stomach-turning humiliation and panic. "Is something the matter, my most faithful student?"

Twilight covered her eyes with her hooves for a moment, and then sighed and looked up at Princess Celestia as she approached. A moment later she remembered herself, and stood up to bow, only to be pointedly stopped by her mentor. "Your coronation is tomorrow, Twilight. You no longer need to bow to me."

All she could manage was a weak smile. "Yes, Princess Celestia."

"You are worried about your new title." Princess Celestia spoke evenly and with certainty. How she always seemed to know what Twilight was thinking, Twilight had never managed to figure out.

Twilight nodded quietly. "It just doesn't feel right. I'm not a princess, I'm just... me."

"'Princess Celestia' took me some time to get used to as well. It isn't easy, changing your name."

Twilight Sparkle's eyes widened. "But you've always been-- well, no, you haven't, if you had to get used to it. I've never found any reference to you in any book, other than 'Princess Celestia.'"

Princess Celestia sat elegantly on the tufted carpet next to Twilight, and, feeling a bit like a little filly, Twilight Sparkle sat down next to her. She could feel the soothing warmth of the pony next to her, and couldn't stop herself from leaning into it. Princess Celestia's voice was light. "Does it bother you that I may have another name, Princess Twilight?"

The slight joking lilt at the end of the question did not escape Twilight's notice, but she could hardly consider it polite to comment on it. "Well... maybe a little. I've always called you Princess Celestia, and I didn't know that there were others."

Celestia looked upward slightly, as she often did when she reminisced. Twilight waited, knowing that she would speak in her own time. "... You know well that I was not 'Princess Celestia' before taking the reins of Equestria's leadership, though I had already named myself 'Celestia' by then. During the years that followed, bard after royal bard would add more titles. 'Defeater of Discord', 'Vanguard of Harmony', 'Morning After the Eternal Night', and many such others. After a hundred years, it took nearly an hour to introduce myself at court."

Celestia gave a light laugh, and Twilight smiled, listening intently despite the distracting warmth and closeness of her mentor and personal hero.

"That was only in Equestria, of course. The dragons, in those days, called me... a rough translation would be 'The Fire that Burns'. My magic was the only flame that could harm them. To the griffons I was 'The Demon in the West', mostly due to the Fifty Year War. I do not know what the citizens of the Crystal Empire think of me, but I doubt they call me 'Princess Celestia' after I caused them to be banished for a thousand years."

Twilight's smile faltered at the less flattering titles, and she found herself leaning against Celestia, trying to comfort the princess as though she was in any position to do so.

Celestia's speech paused, and then took on that slight teasing tone that only her closest subjects and friends knew. "I had my original name, which I'm afraid must remain a secret between my sister and myself. But tell me, Twilight Sparkle, knowing my other names as you now do, what do you think of me?"

Lost in the Princess' memories and voice, Twilight took a moment to answer, and spoke with undue haste when she realized she'd taken too long. "Nothing! I mean, not anything different. You aren't... a demon, or some dragon slayer. You... you're Princess Celestia, I could never think less of you."

A slight smile curled Princess Celestia's lips. "So, your opinion of me does not change in light of the fact that a bard once called me, only once I remind you, 'Her High and Royal Majesty, Princess Celestia of Equestria, the Eternal Light of the Heavens and Savior of All Ponies Before and After, the One and Only True Goddess of All That Is and Was and Ever Shall Be'?"

Twilight blinked a moment, and then made a strange, scrunched expression as she tried desperately to hold back the treacherous, possibly literally treasonous giggle that was pushing its way out of her. She failed completely, making a very unprincesslike snort as the giggling laughter broke free. Celestia joined her in a much more composed and elegant manner, and the two mares spent a moment of frivolous happiness together.

Twilight recovered after just a few moments, and forced herself not to apologize. "No, Princess, I couldn't think less of you for being called... that."

Princess Celestia opened a wing, and with it, gently pulled Twilight's wing open as well. She gestured toward the mirror. "The mare in that mirror is Twilight Sparkle. She is a well-respected and beloved student of mine, and will always be a very dear friend. She is also Princess Twilight Sparkle, and will one day find herself to be a very well-respected and beloved princess of Equestria. She will be both, Twilight, and neither name diminishes the other."

Twilight Sparkle blushed, and folded her wings, shrinking a little but nodding in understanding. "Thank you, Princess."

Celestia leaned in and gave Twilight a brief, affectionate nuzzle. "Now, go to bed, Twilight. Tomorrow is an important day."

She stayed behind, sitting on the floor, as Princess Celestia stood and walked out of the room. Twilight kept her eyes closed, facing down at the carpet. Princess Celestia was correct, of course. Her friends would still know she was still the same pony. Spike would still be her assistant. She had wings, she was an inch or two taller, but she was still the same pony.

Twilight opened her eyes and looked into the mirror once more. She smiled as she saw herself in the mirror, for what felt like the first time since her transformation. Everything was going to be just fine.

A Favored Genre [General]

(The Prompt: My fondest memory.)

Princess Celestia joined Princess Twilight Sparkle in lighthearted laughter as they idly spoke together over tea. These pleasant nights spent chatting in Princess Celestia's private study were becoming a common occurrence between the two, since Princess Twilight's coronation several years ago. Still though, Twilight had recently realized that she knew fairly little about Celestia beyond the generally light conversations they shared. Bringing this up to the princess had been easier for her than Twilight had expected, and spoke volumes about how equal the mare felt now to her mentor.

After the gentle laughter subsided, Celestia spoke quietly and evenly. "I'm sorry that you feel you don't know me as well as you'd hoped. I do try to stay distant from many of my subjects, Princess Twilight, but not from you. Prying too much into the past can be unpleasant, but I will answer any single question, this once."

One question? But there were so many! Twilight considered her options for a few moments, various historical discrepancies and personal questions about Celestia's history with this pony or that. She didn't want to pry too deeply and offend the princess, or even just a bit too much and ruin the light and pleasant mood of the evening. But Celestia offering to answer any question she asked was an opportunity that couldn't be ignored, either.

In the end she chose something simple. "Well... what would you say is your favorite memory? Of all your time in Equestria."

Celestia smiled that gentle, knowing, almost motherly smile that never failed to make Twilight blush as though she'd done something silly. There was a moment of silence between the two while Princess Celestia considered her words. After a short while, she spoke again. "First, dear Twilight, tell me... of the books you've read, which is your favorite? The list must be in the hundreds."

Twilight thought for a moment before shaking her head. "I understand. You're saying you have too many memories that mean something to you to be able to choose."

Princess Celestia nodded, but then smiled again. "However, you did ask, and I will answer. Princess Twilight, do you still enjoy Daring Do novels? Or the many books on folklore and legends that you used to pore over for hours?"

"Of course, Princess." Twilight blushed a little at still adoring the somewhat foalish adventure genre.

Celestia nodded slowly. "You have your preferred genres of books, Princess Twilight, and I have my preferred 'genre' of memory. Do you know what it is?"

Twilight shuffled her hooves self-consciously a moment. Princess Celestia had done so much in her lifetime, it was hard to pinpoint any one type of thing that the Princess must be proudest of, or would remember the most fondly. Twilight took a shot in the dark. "Helping your subjects? You know, just... defeating Discord, or forming Equestria?"

The Princess shook her head gently. "No, those are things I had to do. Work I am proud of, but not my favorite sort of time."

"I know it's not the paperwork and laws you pass."

They shared a moment of amusement born of shared tedium holding royal court. Twilight paused in thought after that. "I... I don't know, Princess. You've done so many important things, I can't even start to choose one."

Princess Celestia closed her eyes, and then spoke after another moment. "This is my favorite type of memory, Princess Twilight. Tonight, with you."

Twilight blinked her eyes, and looked around the quiet personal study. "But we aren't doing anything."

That smile again. Twilight lowered her head a little. Princess Celestia spoke with quiet amusement. "Exactly, Twilight. These are the moments I remember the most, long after I forget the battles and the important documents and proclamations. Quiet moments with a pony I am close to, where we speak together, and come to know one another better."

Just quiet moments like this? Twilight felt herself blushing. This sort of talk, the evenings they spent together, this was more important to Celestia than the forging of Equestria, or defeating her enemies, or any other sort of grandiose achievement?

Twilight wanted to do something before she lost the nerve, and so she leaned gently against Celestia's side. After a moment, she felt Princess Celestia's wing fold softly over her back.

The two mares spoke long into the night, and it was another quiet, unimportant memory that they both would cherish for all their years.

Mystery Ingredient [Comedy]

(The Prompt: The secret to Pinkie Pie’s punch.)

(This one wasn't quite as punchy as I'd hoped. Also time limit sort of crept up on me.)

"It's time for the extra special game for this party!"

Pinkie Pie waved her hooves in the air to call her friends over to the little table she'd set up. Rainbow Dash shook the apple bobbing water out of her mane as she trotted over with the others. "A new game? Looks like it's just punch."

Pinkie shook her head, and her poofy mane bounced around with the movement. "Nope! It's punch with a secret ingredient! The secret ingredient is a mystery! Anypony who guesses it gets a super special prize!"

Rarity prodded the glass in front of her with a hoof. "Really, darling? It isn't something unpleasant, is it?"

Twilight Sparkle lifted her cup in her magic, and hesitated a second before tipping it back and taking a sip. She paused a moment, savoring the taste, and swallowed. "Hm. It does taste better, but I don't know why."

The other four mares took turns sipping at the sweet, pink beverage, each commenting in turn on how the punch was just a bit better than usual. Pinkie tossed back her glass without a second thought, and laughed. "Okay, just let me know whenever you think you know what it is, and I'll tell everypony at the end of the party if anypony got it!"

"No, silly! Cider would taste TERRIBLE in punch! It's got all those weird spices and stuff!" Pinkie giggled and hugged Applejack warmly. "Besides, your family's cider is already perfect! It doesn't need to go in punch!"

Applejack chuckled as she worked her way free of the hug. "Well shoot, I thought for sure it'd be somethin' like that. I know I can taste apples in this."

"Applejack dear it's plainly just a bit of extra sugar. It's much sweeter than normal, and unless I'm entirely mistaken there seem to be hints of unprocessed cane sugar." Rarity sipped daintily at her fruit punch, looking for all the world as though she was sampling some foreign delicacy or expensive wine.

Pinkie laughed again and carefully patted Rarity's mane, making sure not to muss it. "Noperooni! I learned not to put more sugar from my 'Candy is Dandy' party a long time ago! I was shaking and buzzing around like a bee for days!"

Rarity raised an eyebrow, looking at her punch skeptically. "Gummy wasn't bathing in this again, was he?"

"You don't get two guesses, silly!"

"Um... is it... extra berries?" Fluttershy smiled as she took another sip, letting the liquid pool on her tongue a moment before swallowing.

Pinkie Pie shook her head while drinking another glass herself, giggling as she mostly succeeded in getting punch all over her own muzzle. "Nope! But that's a really good idea for next time, Fluttershy! Some kind of punch-berry-apple sangria!"

Fluttershy smiled despite her failure. "Oh, well... it's lovely, whatever it is."

Rainbow Dash swooped down from the ceiling, laughing at her own stunt flying indoors. "No way it's something like berries! It's got to be something totally awesome, like... uh..."

Pinkie giggled at Rainbow's hesitation and poured herself another glass.

"Like... rainbows! Did you find some pegasus to get you some rainbows from Cloudsdale? I can taste a little spice in this!"

Rainbow Dash's triumphant expression fell when Pinkie Pie just burst into giggles instead of proclaiming her the victor. "Rainbows are too spicy for punch! But they'd make a super amazing surprise cupcake icing! That's the best idea ever!"

The party was winding down as the night waned on, and Pinkie was always quick to pick up on that sort of thing. Applejack and Rainbow's dancing was getting sluggish, and Rarity was missing pretty badly in her dart game with Twilight. Before anypony could start coming up with a reason to take off early, Pinkie Pie hopped up on a table. "Okay! Party's getting close to over so it's time to talk about punch!"

That got the attention of the scattered group of friends, drawing everyone over to Pinkie. Pinkie looked down at her friends and smiled at all of them smiling and looking up at her in anticipation. "So everypony guessed something, except Twilight! What do you think it is?"

Twilight Sparkle sipped at her punch again, and paused a moment to think. "I really have no idea. It tastes better, but I can't figure out how."

Pinkie giggled again and threw her hooves up triumphantly. "Then nopony guessed it! That means we can just try again next time!"

Applejack chuckled and Rainbow Dash smacked her own face with a hoof, looking a bit frustrated. "Oh, come on! You gotta tell us what it was, Pinkie! It stinks not even getting a prize or anything!"

"Everypony is tied for second place! Second place prize is a big hug from your friend Pinkie Pie!" Pie wrapped her arms around everypony at once, heedless of the impossible distance involved. They all laughed hugged her and each other, the punch quite forgotten for the moment.

"Thank you again for inviting us all to this absolutely wonderful little get-together." Rarity took a few steps backward out of Sugarcube Corner, waving goodbye to Pinkie as she left.

Twilight Sparkle stayed behind, and she and Pinkie quietly set to clearing the decorations and cleaning up spilled drinks and snacks. Twilight couldn't help glancing at the punch bowl as Pinkie hummed to herself and hopped around the room. The others may be able to let that sort of mystery go on unsolved, but it was just outside of her ability to just... ignore a mystery like that.

She set aside the bundle of decorations to be discarded, and trotted over to the punch bowl. She refilled her cup, and took another sip, letting it swish about a moment. It was sweet, fruity, and pleasant, like Pinkie's punch always was. Twilight turned to look for Pinkie, only to be met with the mare's face just about an inch away.

Twilight jumped backwards and shouted, which ended up casting punch in all directions. "Waugh! Pinkie!"

Pinkie Pie just laughed as she righted the spilled punch bowl, and then started moving the mop over the puddle on the floor. "Sorry, Twilight! You just looked super serious about the punch!"

"Pinkie, what was the secret ingredient? I'll just not play next time, but I can't tell what it was." Twilight dabbed napkins over her face, drying most of the spilled punch.

"Weeeellll.... okay, I'll tell you, but you have to Pinkie Promise not to tell anypony else!"

Twilight smiled, and did the appropriate gestures as she spoke. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

Pinkie nodded solemnly, and then leaned in close and whispered. "I already told you though. The secret ingredient was a mystery!"

Twilight's face fell into a flat expression. "Pinkie, you have to know what it was."

"I do! It was a mystery! See, everypony always loves my punch, right?"

Twilight nodded.

"Aaand everypony likes party games! Sooo, I added a mystery! I told everypony there was a secret, and so they all really tasted the punch and liked it more, even though it was the same!" Pinkie Pie spread her forelegs in a triumphant pose, smiling down at Twilight.

Twilight looked up at Pinkie, and then burst into laughter. She threw her hooves around Pinkie in a hug. "Thanks, Pinkie. Promise I won't tell anypony. You were right, this was the best punch ever."

The Chase [Action]

(The prompt:

The lion and the unicorn

Were fighting for the crown;

The lion beat the unicorn

All around the town.)

(He's half-lion and she's a former unicorn. Totally counts.)

Twilight Sparkle ran through the doorway in a frenzied gallop, and nearly fell as her hooves skidded across the dusty floor of the ancient castle of the royal sisters. After a moment, her hooves found purchase on the old stone, and she managed to start moving again just in time to avoid the swipe of razor-sharp griffon talons through the air behind her.

The griffon roared as loudly as he could, and shouted at her. "Get back here!"

Twilight's eyes widened in panic as she turned another corner, flapping her wings to keep her balance and traction this time. She'd only been in this castle a few times and she didn't even know where she was. She dodged around fallen masonry and then jumped over an overturned table. The scratching of taloned feet behind her seemed to be getting closer by the moment. "My crown! He's after my crown!"

"No one can hear you, Princess!"

Twilight dodged left just in time to avoid the heavy stones that the griffon hefted after her. This was insanity! She focused her magic and teleported at speed, which was never really a good idea. The world disappeared, and a moment later came rushing back in, with a stone wall just in front of Twilight's full gallop.

She saw flashing stars before her as she staggered back to her feet after the collision. Standing, she found herself in a dead end hallway, but at least one that was familiar. Turning to run away from the end of the corridor, she saw the griffon ambassador approaching at full speed, eyes blazing in the dark castle hallway.

There was no time for a spell. Twilight threw herself into another full gallop towards him, and then ducked under him as he pounced at her. She tucked into a roll and then clambered back to standing and took off running again. The griffon, only a bit dirtier for his fall, quickly followed.

Twilight tore quickly through the hallways, following the path she could only just recall. He was faster than her, definitely faster. She felt the wind from a missed swipe of claws, and turned around just long enough to fire a bolt of raw magic toward him, which was easily dodged. It did give her a half second to start running again, and she took off like a rocket. A moment later she turned the corner into the old library.

Though now that she was here, she wasn't sure why. Her mind had just made her run for the library without any real reason. She used the half second she had left to teleport a few shelves away, hiding behind the columns of books. The griffon entered the room, and she heard his talons clicking on the stone floor as he stalked through the aisles.

Twilight peered between books, past the long dead star spiders, at the approaching griffon. She was alone here, she couldn't teleport far enough to get away, and he was getting closer with every step. If only her friends-- That's it! Twilight's horn lit, and she focused as best she could. She couldn't teleport away, but maybe...

The griffon peeked around the edge of the next aisle, and was met with six absolutely furious looking mares. They weren't supposed to be here! He grabbed the closest thing he could find and threw it at the nearest mare, an orange earth pony. The book just flew through the pony, and the aged binding failed on impact with the floor, scattering loose pages in all directions. "Hey! What are you doing?! Those books are irreplaceable!"

A bolt of magic blazed through the air and splintered the stone wall behind him, leaving a glowing red mark of heat on the remaining stone. He took just a moment too long staring at the marred stone before turning back to his prey, and his vision was filled by the second bolt of magic, heading straight for his face.

Garret the Guileless slowly pulled his wings away from his face, as the searing heat and instant death he expected didn't seem forthcoming. His beak felt odd, and a moment's inspection revealed he now sported a rather long and ludicrous mustache. He looked up, and the intimidating sight of the five absent elements of harmony flickered and faded, leaving only Princess Twilight Sparkle, smiling despite her heavy panting and sweat-shining coat.

Garret forced himself to standing, as Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm her heart. She spoke first, smiling just a bit. "So... hah... how did I do? I got away!"

The griffon dusted off his wings and fussed with his mustache, lacking any tools to cut it away at the moment. "Barely. A real force of griffons wouldn't have been stopped by a few illusory ponies. Running for the library was a waste of time and ducking under a pounce like that is a risk, at best."

Twilight deflated a bit, but then shook her head. "Still, I did alright. If that second shot had been a real one.... well. Nopony's going to be able to steal my element again."

"Princess Twilight, I am in charge of personal security for the Equestrian royalty, and Princess Celestia has ordered me to make certain you are ready for any sort of enemy agent seeking to harm you or your crown. Escaping once, by the skin of your teeth mind you, does not show you are ready. Now, you have five minutes to hide. I will find you again, be ready this time."

Garret flapped his wings and took off, flying quickly out of the room. Twilight looked forlornly towards the ruined book, but then took off in a gallop, looking for another place to hide. She knew that any trick would only work once against Garret, and that she'd have to be at her best to win a second time.

Who knew being a princess could be so much fun?

A New Day [Sad]

(Prompt: No prompt, 'Free for All Friday'. Warnings read "You are all alone now." and "We will no longer guide you.")

(Warning, a bit sad.)

"But since Luna and I are no longer connected to the Elements, the spell has been broken."

That should have been my first clue. I knew, even then, that there was something more behind Princess Celestia's statement. Time was short however, as it always was, and beyond a question or two I didn't press for answers. Things were different then. Princess Celestia was still an infallible goddess, and I looked up to her in a way that I don't think I could duplicate any longer.

A few months later, she was struck down by Chrysalis, who by all accounts should have been an easy adversary for her. Still, there was no time to dwell on her failure, and after all the other events of that day, it didn't linger in my mind. It wasn't until days later that I even though about it again, but by then it was too late to comfortably ask. The worry hung over me like a dark cloud for a few days, but the sun rose and set, and Princess Celestia seemed undiminished, and I let it go.

My coronation, and the time following, should have been my next clue. She was so proud of me, that wasn't atypical. But it was the manner in which she spoke, and the slight undertone of passing the reins to me... I should have questioned her more. But everything was changing too fast, and all I could do then was hold on to anything that would help me keep afloat. Between journeying to other worlds and losing access, for a time, to the Elements of Harmony, I could hardly pause to think about a slightly strange tone of voice.

I still remember the first time I really noticed anything.

Alicorns, all of us, have a certain... attunement, to the sun and moon. We saw more than other ponies, and felt every motion. I made a habit of it, watching the sun rise every morning. It was still impressive to me after all these years of knowing Princess Celestia. Two years after my coronation, I was watching the sunrise, and... it faltered.

Nopony else could have noticed. Luna would have been sleeping, of course, and Cadance tended to sleep in as well. It was only a half moment, but it was there. Princess Celestia had faltered in her most important duty.

It normally took me three teleportation spells to manage the distance to Canterlot Castle. That morning it took only one.

I appeared behind her, in the early morning light. She was standing on the balcony she always used for raising the sun. Her coat shone with sweat and exertion, and her mane was flowing slowly. She turned her head just the slightest bit, and looked at me out of the corner of her eye. There were no words between us. What could we say? We both knew what had happened.

It normally took me three teleportation spells to manage the distance to Ponyville. That morning it took eight.

I didn't mention what I'd seen to anypony. I didn't want to worry them. I started doing more research, in my own library, in Canterlot, and in the ancient castle in the Everfree. I needed to know, I needed to see with my own eyes that what I suspected was actually true.

Alicorns, as a rule, do not live forever. They live a bit longer than other ponies, true, but there have been dozens through history, and only Princess Luna and Princess Celestia have survived. I never thought to ask why; they were simply goddesses made flesh. It would be as though I was questioning gravity or asking if plants truly needed light. Princess Celestia was simply a granted part of life, an eternal ruler and leader of all ponies.

But that wasn't true. It was the Elements of Harmony. It was always the Elements of Harmony. It had been five years then, since the six of us had found them and first attuned them to us. Since then, we hadn't aged a day, even once the Elements had been returned to the Tree. We didn't talk about it, Rarity certainly wasn't complaining, but it had become harder and harder to deny as time went on.

What, then, of ponies who had relied on this magic for thousands of years?

It wasn't anything dramatic, or immediate. It was another five years before anypony aside from me even noticed. By then, I was up every morning, helping. Princess Celestia and I never spoke about it. One morning, instead of just a momentary hesitation, the sun had simply stopped. A second passed, and another. Each moment in time that the sun simply hung in place dragged out into hours. I couldn't let her fail so publicly, so I focused my mind and loaned her my strength. The sun resumed its course.

This happened every morning. We never spoke about it.

The moon was lighter, and Luna younger. Still, in time, I helped with that as well. It was a solemn choice, and one I didn't make lightly. Luna was a proud mare, and would never have asked for my help. She would doubtlessly refuse it if given the option. But Equestria needed belief in its leaders, it needed a strong royal family. So I took the choice away from them.

Still, this could only last so long. A year of early mornings and late nights passed, and then we were all summoned to the castle. I knew as soon as I got the letter that this would be the last one. We didn't pack anything, even Rarity. We all felt it.

The others have left the room now. They're attending to Luna, who isn't quite ready to give up her position just yet. Celestia, though, isn't as young as her sister. It shows. I hold her hoof in mine, and try to force a smile. She lays on the plush royal bed, her coat slightly mottled, and her mane limp and greyish. She forces a smile as well, looking into my eyes and speaking in a quiet voice as far removed from her normal royal confidence as I've ever heard it. "Princess Twilight."

I nod, trying and failing to keep the tears from running down my cheeks. "Princess Celestia, I'm so sorry, I should have--"

Her hoof, placed gently against my muzzle, stops me. "Princess Twilight. This is something that is long overdue. You must understand that it is not your fault."

I close my eyes and breathe out slowly, trying to compose myself. "What am I going to do? I can't run Equestria by myself! You... you've always been there, Celestia, and now... now you're going to be... you're..."

Celestia coughs, and shakes her head. "I will be gone, but I'll still be watching you. I know that you can do this, Twilight. The doubts you are feeling now are the same ones Luna and I felt, all those centuries ago. It will be difficult, but you will succeed. You must, Twilight. Equestria needs a strong ruler, now more than ever."

I shake my head and try to choke back the sobs I feel welling up inside me. "I can't. I can't lose you."

Her voice takes on the gentle playfulness I knew from better times. "Princess Twilight. You think you are all alone now, but you have friends who can guide and help you. You have been a princess for over a decade. You... know how to raise and lower the sun and moon. You will grow into your new role, do not worry." Her voice dropped just a little, words meant only for the two of us. "I have always had the highest respect for you, my most faithful student."

Even now, I can't help but smile at the old title. She sees it, and for the first time, her smile seems a little less forced. She doesn't look old, she isn't wizened like Granny Smith was. But she's fading, and she's fading fast. I nuzzle lightly against her hoof. "Princess, I've always... You've been like a mother... I..."

I take a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "I love you, Princess Celestia."

She smiles at me, and nods just slightly, her voice filled with the same motherly affection it always has been. "I love you too, Princess Twilight. I have for years, and know that there is no pony in Equestria more suited to follow my rule than you."

There is nothing left to say, and not much time left to say anything. I hold her hoof in mine, and I watch as the sun dims and flickers. In only a few more moments, night falls on Equestria, and I only hope that I can bring another sunrise tomorrow.

Author's Note

This one is on a slight delay, as apparently FFAF posts are held for a week.

Passing the Torch [General]

(The Prompt: Now that we have our Cutie Marks, what should we crusade for?)

(This one suffers from bad pacing. Couldn't get my head in the game today.)

It had all happened so fast.

One day they were gearing up for the annual talent show, shifting their responsibilities around like every year, and the next they were working up a storm, perfectly in sync and with everything going smoothly. Applebloom's hooves moved with perfect skill and pacing as she cut and painted scenery and sets. Scootaloo's choreography and maneuvering went of completely without a hitch, and everything was done to the exquisite sound of Sweetie Belle's songwriting and singing.

The talent show arrived, and it was the best show they'd ever put on. Granted, it was only their third anyway, but everything just went so smoothly that none of them could believe it. The sets, the costumes, the dancing, and the singing were all excellent, and there was no crashing into one another or collapsing structures. Their smiles grew as the song went on, and by the end they were brimming with confidence that they'd all done their parts exactly how they'd wanted to.

There was a flash of light, and a tingling on each of their flanks, and the crowd collectively gasped. A moment later, there was a deafening applause for the Cutie Mark Crusaders' last talent show.

When they realized what had happened, they were absolutely flying with giddy delight, in one case literally.

Applebloom couldn't help grinning like a fool at the pride in her sister's voice, at the afterparty, when the mare told everypony just how useful she'd always been with a hammer and how half of Sweet Apple Acres wouldn't even be standing if it wasn't for that little filly. "I never figured it t' be her special talent, but I guess I should a' seen it comin'! My little sister's finally grown up big an' strong just like we all knew she would!"

Sweetie Belle was practically glued to Rarity's side the entire evening, her normal bashfulness about public singing entirely forgotten as pony after pony made special requests for this song or that. Sweetie Belle nailed each note perfectly, and basked in the applause and smiling faces of each pleased friend. Rarity for her part endlessly gushed at Sweetie Belle about outfits to wear on stage, and how to properly accent her mane's coloration.

Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash spent the evening darting around the room in a halting, occasionally disastrous game of tag. She was in rare form, wings not missing a beat as she looped and dodged around Rainbow Dash. She wasn't able to match her adoptive sister's speed, but she could whip around and turn on a dime, looking for all the world like she was dancing in the air. "What the hay? How'd you even do that, Squirt? You ought to come with me and show the Wonderbolts that kind of move!"

The party went on and on, with everypony enjoying themselves and celebrating the crusaders' final victory and achievement of all they wanted. They did a much less perfect encore of their stage show, though fatigue and laughter managed to cut it a bit short. Still, Pinkie Pie joined them on stage and called out over the whole crowd. "Let's hear it for the Cutie Mark Crusaders, everypony! Three cheers for the three newest mares in Ponyville!"

Something clicked, and as the crowd cheered for them, the three Crusaders shared a look. They'd been friends for years, and it didn't take more than that. The party kept on going, and after a bit longer, they all went home with their families. The bed was tempting for each of them, but they only laid there long enough to hear their families snoring. Then each of the three Crusaders crept out of their houses by practiced routes, and trotted of through the night.

"Isn't it great though? A hammer an' an apple, just like I shoulda figured!" Applebloom grinned and turned her flank toward her friends, sitting in the Cutie Mark Crusader Clubhouse by lantern light. "I couldn't believe it, right there on stage!"

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Yeah, it's great, Applebloom. But we've all seen it, come on! What are we gonna do?"

Applebloom sat down and pouted a bit. "I'm proud of it. But anyway, I don't know. We're still all friends, it ain't like we gotta stop that just because we got our cutie marks."

"But we can't be Cutie Mark Crusaders if we aren't crusading for our cutie marks!" Sweetie Belle's voice broke slightly in the middle of her sentence, and she rubbed her throat a little with a hoof. "Too much singing. But should we rename our club? Be something else?"

Scootaloo shook her head. "I don't want to be anything else! We can't be the Cutie Mark Crusaders, but I don't want the club to just end. C'mon Crusaders, it's been so much fun! We got to do all kinds of stuff."

Applebloom looked around the tiny clubhouse, at all the memorabilia and... junk, really, that they'd collected over the years. "Yeah, I'm goin' to miss it too. But we can't stay fillies forever."

There was a silence for a few seconds, and then Applebloom chuckled. "A buncha the fillies at the party kept askin' how I got my cutie mark. I kept tellin' 'em it was just somethin' I've been good at, but they didn't want to listen. Figure that's what we sounded like t' everypony else?"

Scootaloo grinned. "Yeah, some of the pegasus colts were racing me and stuff, 'cause Rainbow Dash was telling them her cutie mark story."

"Hey! Nopony asked ME for advice!"

Ignoring Sweetie Belle, Applebloom poked at the floor of the clubhouse for a moment. Then she suddenly grinned. "Hey, that's it! There's always fillies an' colts lookin' for their cutie marks, an' always a new class comin' up. What if we hired new Crusaders?"

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow. "What, like replacements?"

"Yeah! See, we're done crusadin' since we got what we wanted, but them other fillies still need t' go out an' do all those fun things jus' to have fun. Y'all don't want the Cutie Mark Crusaders disappearin', so that makes sure it won't!"

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo sat up a bit, smiling. Scootaloo's wings buzzed. "Yeah! Cutie Mark Crusader Recruiters!"

They all clapped their hooves together one last time as Crusaders, and knew that the legacy of their group wouldn't stop with them.

The Last One [Dark]

(The Prompt: Her first kill.)

(Time limit bit me again. I need to work on pacing.)

Celestia and her younger sister picked their way carefully down what might have once been a minor trading road. Luna stumbled here and there on the uneven footing, but angrily shook off her sister's attempts at helping with her magic. Celestia didn't take any offense from this; it had been a long road full of difficult decisions, and even with the end in sight, both of their tempers were a bit short.

She kicked at the stones beneath her hooves, and scowled as they broke open to reveal some kind of chocolate candy filling. So, His influence had spread this far already. She reached the bottom of the small hill, and turned to watch her sister navigating the rest of the trip. Luna flapped her wings and flew a bit awkwardly down the remaining distance, shooting a glare at Celestia after she landed, almost daring her to object.

She didn't, though. It was just something she had to get used to.

Her saddlebags jingled with the gems contained inside. Hopefully they would be enough to stop Him. If not, Celestia was frankly completely out of ideas. There were few ponies, if any, as capable as she and her sister. Their years of apprenticeship under Star Swirl The Bearded, their royal position as the Princesses of the Unicorn Kingdom of Everfree... if 'unicorn' still applied, anyway...

Celestia shook her head. "Come, sister. We are both tired, but if this works, we can rest in the morrow."

"If, yes." Luna's sour expression didn't do much to lift Celestia's spirits, but at least she was spared an argument.

Celestia bit back any reply, and turned to lead the way down the disused trade road. The Castle Everfree was far enough away to be spared Discord's influence, so far, but his random insanity had been causing problems throughout Equestria, far beyond his immediate reach.

One more day. Another perhaps twelve hours of travel, and they would face him again. Exhausted, broken, changed in a way neither of them fully understood, they would face him again. They would bring an end to things, one way or another.

It was already late evening before they met any other ponies along this stretch of road. By now the grass had begun to resemble a sort of checkered patchwork. Up ahead was a small, broken wagon, with crushed crates strewn about around it. No ponies in sight, and the cart looked like an Earth pony design. Celestia spoke quietly. "Stay here, my sister. I may need your help."

Luna nodded, and Celestia felt the smallest bit of pride in how pleased she looked. Luna always wanted to feel more important, and even the barest implication that she might be of help to her older sister always seemed to lift her spirits. Celestia refocused herself, and walked slowly toward the wagon. Nopony came to greet her, but there was something strange about completely abandoned goods this far from any town.

It wasn't until she was only three or four feet from the boxes that she noticed the ambush.

She reared back as quickly as she could, dodging the flying tackle from the large, brown, earth pony stallion. A few steps back and she was out of his immediate reach, though by no means directly safe. A lone earth pony? She lit her horn to make sure he understood who he was facing. "Calm yourself, pony! I am only passing through, there is no need to attack me!"

The earth pony grinned, and she only now noticed the knives attached to his forelegs. "A unicorn mare out here all alone? You must be feelin' pretty scared. Maybe if you dump out those saddlebags we ken talk about the toll. An' take that necklace off, looks like it'd be worth a lot of bits."

Celestia frowned, and the spread her wings, taking on the loud, formal demeanor appropriate for her position. "A common bandit? I am Princess Celestia of the Everfree, and I am on my way to challenge Discord. You would do well to step aside."

"What in Tartauros are you? Everfree's s'posed to be full a' unicorns." The earth pony stepped back, but then frowned and braced himself. "Princess is probably worth a ton a' ransom. Damn fool royalty comin' around here on their lonesome."

The pony rushed at her, and Celestia felt the world slow as her training guided her. She calmly sidestepped his barbaric charge, and whipped her tail around his legs to toss him to the ground. "Discord changed us to this when we last faced him! We challenged him in the name of all ponies, and he sought to make us like all ponies in return. Do you not seek freedom from him as well? Why do you attack me?"

He stood up again, turning to face her. "'We', eh? Finally admittin' you ain't alone?"

Celestia bit her tongue in annoyance. Foalish mistake. Hardly mattered though, really. Luna would be there any second, and perhaps outnumbering the oaf would convince him to at least let them pass. There was a clattering of stone behind her, and she turned to see what it was.

Only a moment later she was on the ground from the stallion's charge. He continued past her and slammed hard against her smaller and younger sister, knocking the alicorn sideways and down a small embankment and out of view. Celestia scrambled to her hooves and rushed to the side, finding herself twenty feet away from and above a stallion with a knife to her sister's throat.

"Alright, see, this is how we're goin' to do this. You're going to set them bags down, an' that necklace, and maybe I'll let th' both of you get back home in one piece." The stallion grinned, looking confident in his bargaining position.

Celestia flicked her eyes away from the stallion's, to the knife, and then to her sister's eyes. There was a moment of agreement, and the smallest nod from Luna. Luna suddenly jerked her head upward, against the stallion's muzzle. He didn't let go, but it bought Celestia maybe a second of time.

She charged. Her hooves were unsure on the unveven hillside, the ground was chaotic and ruined from Discord's influence, and she was half blinded in fury at this idiot stallion threatening what may be the last hope for this world. Celestia's horn lit, she called forth a spell to disable the stallion, hoping that a few hours of unconsciousness would leave him alive, at least.

She heard a short, familiar laugh in her ears. Discord's. The ground shifted just a bit, and she tripped, only a few feet from the stallion. She couldn't stop herself, and her horn pierced deeply into the stallion's chest.

Her unique position, her unforseen magical boost from Discord's change to her body, her training under Star Swirl, the dire misery of the situation... she wasn't sure what it was. But something now seemed to stretch time out. She thought about this stallion. What had lead him to this path? What had caused him to become so desperate as to waylay travelers on the road side? Did he have family? Did he do it to feed his foals? Was he truly evil, or just pressed into it by desperate circumstance?

The few seconds passed, and she pulled her horn back out of him. No unicorn gored anypony, if given the option. It was barbaric and unclean. But it was too late to save this one, her horn had pierced something vital, and he collapsed nearly immediately. Luna stared at her in shock.

Princess Celestia closed her eyes, and steeled herself as best she could. She tried not to sound cold, or at least not as cold as she felt. "It was Discord, my sister. He... this pony may be the first, but he will not be the last. There will be many who oppose our taking of Equestria. Come, we have another foe to face."

Luna stood, nodded slightly, and the two took a moment to look down at the fallen stallion. Celestia closed her eyes, and sighed as she felt Luna gently nuzzle her neck. Discord had changed so much already, this really shouldn't be such a horrible surprise. Certainly Discord had killed hundreds of ponies in his reign, directly or indirectly. The fact that this one had been her fault...

Celestia straightened up, and started back toward the path, sparing only one more regretful look back towards the body. "Come, Luna. We will make certain that this is the last pony that falls to Him."

Old Habits [General]

(The prompt: Staying up past your bedtime.)

Spike smiled and walked alongside Twilight Sparkle as she trotted up the stairs. This was his favorite time of day. A lot of ponies seemed to think that being a librarian, or a librarian's assistant, was easy. Maybe if he was a unicorn with magic to pull and return books, or maybe if he was, odd as it sounds, a Princess, he could manage to go to bed less than completely exhausted. But the fact was that he was a dragon, and a child at that. Climbing up and down ladders and stacks of books all day, running errands for Twilight, and cooking meals so that she didn't end up burning down the library was tiring work.

"Okay, Spike. That's everything on the list!" Twilight smiled, looking positively chipper as she climbed up into her bed and settled down under the covers.

Spike headed to his own bed, the soft pile of blankets in the little basket looking more inviting than ever. He crawled up over the side of the basket, not even bothering to stand up straight like he was normally supposed to, and dove under the blanket, pulling it tightly around him and snuggling down in the warm cotton. It wasn't very manly, or very dragonly, but he'd long since given up on being overly much of either.

He was dimly aware of Twilight talking. She was talking to him, sort of, though really she was just thinking out loud. "So, Spike, tomorrow is the seventeenth, which means... let's see..."

Spike had just about managed to tune the voice out, when a sudden shriek made him jump completely out of his bed. "Aaah! Spike, tomorrow's the seventeenth! I have a report on Hearth's Warming to deliver to Celestia! One I haven't even started yet!"

He glanced back toward his bed, from his position facedown on the floor. Nope, no chance now. Still, he'd try. He struggled to his feet, eyelids drooping. "Come on, Twilight, that report was scheduled before you became a Princess. You don't have to do that kind of thing anymore."

"Don't have to do that kind of thing anymore? Of course I still have to do it! Princess Celestia ORDERED me to do it! Being a princess now doesn't mean I can just disobey her, Spike! Come on, we've got so much to do!"

Spike pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew that tone. He'd been living with Twilight since he was hatched, and that tone was as clear an indication as anything ever could be that he'd be getting nowhere by arguing. Twilight galloped downstairs in a panic, and Spike plodded along behind her, rubbing at his eyes.

The library was already in chaos, and Spike took a deep breath, and then ran down the staircase to catch Twilight before she actually ended up breaking something.

Twilight frowned, tossing book after book off of a shelf onto the floor. "Spike! I need that book, uh... the one about Clover the Clever and Smart Cookie..."

"Assistants, Adjutants, and Associated Administrative Attachments! I know where that is!" Spike sped up a ladder, kicking against a shelf to slide the mount sideways, so that he could reach the given tome. He held onto the book as Twilight impatiently took it in her magic, dragging it and the attached dragon across the room.

Spike shuffled through the desk, knocking the supplies all out of order despite knowing he'd have to fix them later. "Uh... no quills, Twilight. You know, if you weren't writing so fast, this wouldn't-"

"I don't have time for a lecture, Spike! Quills, quills... the store will be closed, it's the middle of the night! Spike, grab a feather from my wing!"

He winced, looking at the feathers held out for him. "This is a really bad idea, Twilight."

She shook her feathers quickly. "Come on, time is wasting! How am I supposed to write a report with no quil-OW! Spike!"

"Spike, could you make some tea? It's... late, and I haven't..."

"Uh, Twilight? It's right in front of you. You really need to go to..." Spike yawned heavily, and then shook his head. "You really need to go to bed, Princess Celestia won't mind if the report's a little late."

"Mind? She won't mind? Of course she'll mind! Agh, Spike, it spilled all over the parchment! Get some towels, quick!"

The morning sun crested over the hills, and the warm yellow light shined bright into the Golden Oak Library. Princess Twilight Sparkle smiled as she checked over her writing, nodding and cross-checking only occasionally. No spelling errors, no grammatical issues, and all the facts checked out. It was solid work, of course it was.

She pulled a small binding ribbon out of the complete mess of a desk, and wrapped it around the parchment, sealing it with a firm pressing of her new royal signet. Twilight took a deep breath, and then let it out in a relieved, satisfied sigh. Done.

"Spike! Can you send this to Princess Celestia? We've got a big day ahead of us!"

No response. She turned around, looking around the room for a bit of purple tail or green spines sticking out of a pile of books. Twilight couldn't help but smile a little when she finally found him, laying on one of the shelves, six feet off of the floor. He looked like he'd fallen asleep while... oh, right, she'd asked him to pull something for her, and she'd found it on her desk. She must have forgotten to tell him.

Twilight paused in her thinking, and looked around the library. It was, simply put, a complete disaster. Books were strewn all over the floor, in no particular order. Three of her longer feathers lay broken on a pile of marked up parchment, the split tips still leaking ink. Everything was in disarray and chaos. Spike was going to have his work cut out for him, putting all this back in place.

Had she even thanked him, all night? She'd been barking orders and demanding help, but she couldn't remember if she had even bothered to actually tell him thank you. Yet, here he was, having worked until he literally passed out. Twilight lifted Spike gently in a field of magic, and walked slowly and quietly up the stairs, doing her best not to wake him. She levitated him over to his bed, and wrapped the blankets loosely around him. She glanced at the windows to make sure no pegasi were hanging just outside, and then leaned in and kissed Spike's cheek.

"Thank you, Number One Assistant. You're my best friend, and I hope you know that, Spike."

She said it in a whisper, not that there was much danger of waking a sleeping baby dragon this exhausted. Twilight lay the bound report down by his bed for later sending, and trotted back downstairs. She kept her work quiet as she straightened up all the mess she'd caused.

Spike, for his part, just snuggled up under the blankets in his basket, and smiled.

Control [General]

(The Prompt: Leverage.)

(Didn't do too well with this one, it just wouldn't work in my head, and I'm out of time. Oh well, there's always tomorrow.)

"Ugh! There's nothing in here about recovering the Elements!"

Twilight Sparkle slammed the book shut, and the immediately opened it again to make sure that her rash action hadn't damaged the binding. With a relieved sigh, she set the book down in the 'useless' pile. While none of her friends, even Spike, had agreed to return to the ancient castle with her, the allure of so much forgotten and lost knowledge was too much to resist. Unfortunately, despite several interesting tomes she intended to peruse more fully at home, the answer she'd come looking for still eluded her.

"How am I supposed to stop Discord without the Elements?" Twilight mused to herself, loudly. It mostly served as a way to organize her thoughts, though it did also help to make the very quiet and dark castle a little less lonely.

A deep, male voice echoed around the room, in a voice immediately familiar to the princess. "To be bluntly honest, you can't."

Twilight jumped at the sound of the voice, and then sunk down on the cushion she was sitting on, unable to help the annoyed expression on her face. Trying to get him to leave would be a bit like trying to push back the tide. "Discord, why are you here?"

Discord appeared next to her in a flash, sitting on another cusion, and leaned against her as though he was her closest friend. "Oh, Princess Twilight Sparkle, I'm just coming to visit one of my good friends? Is that so wrong?"

"We aren't friends, Discord! I'm still mad at you over the plunder vines." Twilight spoke dismissively and plucked the next book from the pile, hoping to ignore him until he left.

He twisted himself around her in an entirely inappropriately close manner. "Oh come now, do you really think that it's healthy to pluck the Elements of Harmony from the Tree again? You saw how it looked before you put them back."

Twilight frowned but didn't respond, flicking from page to page, skimming over the text.

"Besides, Princess, I was never really afraid of the Elements."

Twilight sat upright again, and looked toward Discord. She tried to ignore that his face was only an inch or two from hers. "But that's how we were controlling you! If you misbehaved, you'd be sent back to stone!"

Discord rolled his eyes and unwrapped himself from Twilight. "Oh please. I could have taken them from you without effort. For all her warm, solar goodness, Princess Celestia does seem to have a rather short memory of her failings. The spells she cast can't stop me, Princess Twilight. They never could. Do you remember? Only moments before you heard my exquisitely melodious voice for the first time."

There was a flash, and the ancient castle was gone, replaced by a vision of all her friends, herself included, standing with Celestia in Canterlot Castle. The box previously used for the Elements was laying on the floor, and Celestia was pacing and visibly distraught. "That chamber is protected by a powerful spell that only I can break! This doesn't make sense!"

A moment later, Canterlot disappeared, and they were back in the ancient castle of the royal sisters again. Discord tapped the top of Twilight's head, where her crown would normally rest. "That little spell she cast would never have worked, Princess. I was just playing along for fun."

Twilight felt her body tense, but she tried to sound confident. "But you're friends with Fluttershy. She'll be upset if you do anything to me!"

Discord put on an offended face. "You wound me, Twilight Sparkle! Using my swordpoint reformation and friendship with a mare I've seen all of four times against me! How terrible of you."

Twilight sighed in frustration. "What do you want, Discord?"

His voice dropped a bit, and the normal joking lilt left it. "I'm only here to make you stop wasting your time looking for useless trinkets. And, to let you know what Celestia has known all this time. You don't have any power over me, Princess Twilight Sparkle, and you never will. I hold all the cards, and if you want me to keep being nice, you'd better find something more interesting than empty threats and squeaky, yellow ponies."

Discord tapped her nose, and smiled again. "I'm only behaving because fighting grows so terribly boring. Keep me entertained, and there won't be any problem."

With that, he disappeared, and Twilight was left alone. She looked at the pile of books around her, and then out into the dark, empty confines of the castle. It was hot and stuffy from the midsummer sun outside, but Princess Twilight Sparkle only shivered.

Heart [Action]

(The Prompt: The measure of her heart.)

"Okay, so maybe-" Scootaloo ducked under a branch, and then dodged sideways as she galloped through the forest with the other crusaders. "Maybe we're not gettin' our cutie marks in camping!"

Sweetie Belle galloped alongside the other two, already out of breath. "Why do you always pick stuff that's so dangerous? I just wanted to camp in the park!"

"Quit complainin' you two an' get runnin'! There ain't any way we'll get our cutie marks if we get eaten by-"

A deafening roar from the timberwolves behind them cut Apple Bloom's lecturing off, and they all put even more effort into their panicked flight. Trees and low hanging branches all whooshed by the three as they ran wherever their hooves would take them. The Everfree Forest was largely trackless and, given that it was the middle of the night, next to completely pitch black.

Scootaloo pushed her face against Sweetie Belle's tail and pushed her forward. "Sweetie Belle, we're never gonna get away if you keep being slow! Come on!"

Sweetie panted hard as they ran, and Scootaloo glanced back at their pursuers. They still had a little distance, but the wolves were closing fast. Scootaloo ducked under Sweetie Belle and tossed her up onto her back, redoubling her efforts. Sweetie Belle squeaked in surprise, but Apple Bloom just grinned and kept setting the pace for the other crusaders.

"If we get out a' this I ain't never settin' hoof in this forest again, swear t' Celestia!"

Scootaloo flared her wings to keep Sweetie Belle centered on her back. "Don't say stuff like that, don't know know that always-agh!"

The three fillies suddenly found themselves tumbling down a root-covered ditch, knobbed wood and stones battering against them as they rolled in a tangle down the hill. They collapsed in a pile in the muddy stream at the bottom, and a second passed before any of them even managed to react. The next thing they heard was the high-pitched wail of Sweetie Belle.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo both struggled their way to standing, and Apple Bloom lifted Sweetie Belle's hoof in her own. "Stay still Sweetie Belle! Your hoof's about split clean in half! Scootaloo, she ain't gallopin' anywhere like this!"

Scootaloo looked up the hill they'd just tumbled down, and shrank back at the sight of the three timberwolves staring back down at her. She took a step back, and then another. Apple Bloom looked at Sweetie Belle, and then back to Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle was still screaming in panic, and Apple Bloom put a hoof over Sweetie's mouth. "Scootaloo, her hoof's split an' my hind leg's sprained somethin' awful. You gotta run! Get out of here an' go get my sister! She'll know what t' do!"

Her legs took another step back. She turned and looked at Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, both terrified and injured, and both her friends for years now. She took another step back, fear and panic shooting through her. She could run. She could probably get out of the forest by herself. But those wolves were right there, she'd never get back with other ponies before.... before they got the other crusaders.

Scootaloo had always looked up to Rainbow Dash. She'd been her idol long before she'd saved Equestria a bunch of times. What would Rainbow Dash do? Would she leave her friends crying and screaming in a ditch? Would she run off for help instead of doing the right thing and protecting her friends? Of course she wouldn't!

Scootaloo still took another step back. The three wolves started padding their way down the hill, low growls filling the air. Sweetie Belle's piercing cry still rang in her ears. It wasn't... she wasn't Rainbow Dash. She couldn't fight timberwolves! She couldn't even fly! What was she even doing out here in the Everfree Forest, she was just a filly! She wasn't anypony important, she was just Scootaloo.

She was Scootaloo. She stopped herself, and then leapt a few steps forward, positioning herself in front of her fallen friends. She wasn't Rainbow Dash, she couldn't even win this. But she was Scootaloo. She flared out her wings defiantly, staring up at the encroaching timberwolves. She was a Cutie Mark Crusader. She wasn't about to back down and leave her friends here in the middle of nowhere!

"Y-you don't scare us, you stupid timberwolves! Get out of here! Go eat something else, 'cause you're not getting my friends!" Scootaloo really wished her voice sounded more confident and less terrified. The wolves didn't even slow their advance. She backed up a little, positioning herself right in front of her friends, and tried her best to look big and imposing.

The wolf in the lead shifted its weight into its haunches, and prepared to pounce. Scootaloo braced herself, keeping her panic and terror in check the best she could.

The wolf leapt at her.

Midway to Scootaloo it was knocked out clean out of the air and into a dozen pieces by a rainbow-colored blur. A half-second later, the wolf on the left was struck and destroyed by a kicked stone that must have weighed as much as a full grown stallion, and at the same time the other wolf was lifted with a white-blue nimbus of magic and thrown clear over the trees.

Scootaloo shivered and collapsed, but was caught at the last second by light blue hooves, and pulled into a desperate, clinging hug. She was dimly aware of voices, worried and full of concern for the injured fillies. Scootaloo couldn't think, as the adrenaline wore off and the world spun and started getting dark around her. She hugged the pony that was holding her; that felt about right. She could hear somepony telling her that was the bravest thing she'd ever seen a filly do.

She looked over to her friends, and saw Sweetie Belle up on Rarity's back, and Apple Bloom being hefted up onto her sister. They were safe. Scootaloo pressed her face against Rainbow's shoulder, and finally let herself pass out.

Author's Note

I enjoyed this one. Not really sure why.

Best of Both Worlds [General]

(Prompt: None. Free For All Friday. This is an idea that's been banging around in my head a bit, so this was an excuse to get it written.)

(Also as noted by the TMP reviewer, this is a bit long. I was distracted while writing it and probably overcompensated on the "I wasted five minutes so I'll take an extra five to write" kind of mentality. I'll stick to the time limit more stringently in the future.)

White and gray for three weeks now. Not that Applejack was counting, mind.

But it had been three weeks now without a break in this gloomy winter cloud cover. Sweet Apple Acres was covered in a light layer of snow, as it usually was this time of year, and most of the work on the farm was slow enough that she occasionally even had a few hours off. But see, this wasn't something she really looked forward to. Applejack liked working. She enjoyed going to bed tired every night, and waking up a bit sore. She liked the sun on her back and the wind in her mane. She did not, however, enjoy endless cold, boring, white idleness.

Applejack opened her eyes, and glanced around. Unsurprisingly the sun hadn't come out while she was resting against this tree. The orchard was silent and still, and though the farmhouse offered warmth and good company with her family, she wanted to stay out here a bit. Being outside was something she needed, silly as it was, and her family understood that.

Laying there with her eyes closed and her hat pulled down over her face, she missed the flash of color that popped out of the clouds far above, and dove downwards at a frankly irresponsible speed. She did hear the whistling of wind on feathers, though, and decided to just keep her eyes closed anyway. A sleeping pony might be a good target for pranks, if it was anypony but Applejack. Rainbow Dash had learned that a long time ago.

There was a quiet noise of hooves on grass when Rainbow Dash landed a few feet away, and Applejack did her the courtesy of opening her eyes and pulling her hat up. Rainbow looked to be all smiles despite the gloomy weather. Her voice carried nothing but excitement and pride. "Hey, AJ! Looks good, doesn't it? Flat and perfect, here to the other side of Ponyville!"

Applejack pushed her hat up further, setting it back on her head properly, and looked up to the sky. Yep. "Sure looks like it."

Rainbow Dash's wings lowered a bit as the mare seemed to deflate slightly. "What, something wrong with my cloud work? I'm one of the best weather ponies in Equestria! Look at it, perfect coverage and everything!"

Not wanting to insult her friend, Applejack looked up again, left, and right, as far as she could see. "Yep. It's pretty flat, Rainbow. Can't see anythin' but gray."

"So what's your problem? You look like you hate it."

The complete lack of tact or dancing around the topic was part of what Applejack liked about Dash as a friend, and even in her sour mood it made her grin for a second. "I don't mean nothin' by it, Rainbow. I just ain't seen th' sun in three weeks, an' I'm getting right tired of snow an' clouds."

Rainbow's eyes widened in surprise. "What? Three weeks, really?"

Applejack's grin disappeared. "Don't see how I'd get much sun when you pegasus ponies keep it s' darn overcast."

She opened her mouth to reply, then grinned a little sheepishly, and fluttered her wings. "Yeah, guess you can't. It's sunny up there, though, don't worry! After Winter Wrap-Up there'll be plenty of sunny weather for everypony! Heheh."

Pulling her stetson back down over her face, Applejack settled down against the tree again. "Sounds good, in a month when it happens."

There was an uncharacteristic moment of silence between the two, and then Rainbow scoffed loudly. "What, really? You're just going to lay there? Come on, get up. You're gonna get some sun."

Applejack gave herself a moment behind her hat to hide her scowl before she knocked it back onto her head with her hoof, and looked to Rainbow. The pegasus had her body lowered a bit, and her wings flared to the side. She was also wearing a big, idiot grin that usually spelled nothing but trouble for Applejack. Her voice held that same grinning bravado. "Hop on! It'll be fun!"

She rolled over, and got to her hooves, giving Rainbow Dash a suspicious look. "Y' mean for me to ride your skinny hide up in the air? You don't think that's a mite dangerous?"

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Dangerous, pfft. I give Scoots rides all the time!"

Applejack shook her head and chuckled. If this damn fool pegasus was going to act like there wasn't any difference between a little feathered filly and a full grown earth pony mare, she'd just have to be shown the difference. She took a few steps over and then tossed herself up onto Rainbow's back, wrapping her forelegs around the other pony's barrel as best she could.

Rainbow's muzzle slammed into the ground below them and she gave a loud, unladylike grunt of effort. "Oof! What the hay, Applejack, you weigh a ton!"

"Ain't my fault I was raised on apples an' work instead of just floatin' around all high an' mighty up in the sky, Rainbow Dash!"

She struggled to standing again, and flapped her wings a few times, her grin returning. Applejack suddenly felt much higher off the ground than the couple of feet below her hooves. Rainbow turned to look her passenger in the eye. "You ready?"

"Wait, Rainbow I was just foolin' don't you dareaaagh!" Applejack's protest turned into a howl as Rainbow Dash took off forward at twice the speed she could gallop. Her hat flew off her head and landed on the snow behind her, and the wind rushed in her ears and through her mane more than any kind of storm or gale. All she could do was hold on as Rainbow's ascent started off slow, dodging between the apple trees until she got up over the canopy.

"Just what in th' hay d'you think you're doin'? Put me down right this instant!"

Rainbow Dash just turned her head, her lips set in a grin born of one-sided competition and excitement. "What, somepony scared? Want to go back down and have Granny Smith hold your hoof for a while?"

That was it. She couldn't back down now, even if she'd never agreed to this kind of stupid tomfoolery to start with. "I ain't scared! You just best not drop me or I'll haunt ya for th' rest of your life!"

The wind rushed past them both as Rainbow took a wide, looping path. She was moving forward fast, and her wings were flapping hard, but her altitude was only slowly increasing. This mostly meant that Applejack had a long time to see and consider just how high they were getting. Sweet Apple Acres stretched out below her in a wide, regular expanse of orderly orchards and fallow fields. She wasn't scared, of course she wasn't, but she held on extra tight around Rainbow Dash's barrel.

Dash called back to her, her voice faint over the rushing wind and dizzying height. "We'll be hitting the clouds soon! It'll get cold, but don't worry, it's nice once you get through 'em!"

"Ah ain't worried none!" Applejack had been raised not to lie, but sometimes she did feel the need to. She silently apologized to Granny Smith and her folks. It wasn't a big lie, but small things add up.

Everything went gray. The clouds didn't feel soft and puffy like they had when she'd had that pegasus walking-on-clouds spell. These were just like a heavy fog: damp, cold, gray, and unpleasant. But at least they hid the view of the swaying, sprawling ground so far below them now. Rainbow was hollering something or another, but Applejack couldn't hear her through all the wind and fog.

A moment later, they broke free of the cloud coverage, and Applejack had to scrunch her eyes shut at the sudden brightness. She heard Rainbow Dash laugh, carefree and happy like there was nothing worth worrying about in the world. A second later, she opened her eyes again, and her breath was taken away.

The ground was gone, hidden underneath a huge, endless landscape of golden white clouds. Small puffs of cloud and dimples in the flat cover reflected and shined in the bright, warm sunlight that lit the world above the clouds. The air was cold, frigidly so, and her coat was damp from the clouds and a bit of a nervous sweat, but none of that registered at all. She could feel the sun, warm on her back, and bright in her yellow mane.

Rainbow, below her, had her hooves out in front of her, looking for all the world like she was swimming through the cold winter sky. Applejack took a look upwards, into the endless blue expanse above her, and at the bright yellow sun shining down all around her. She heard herself mutter something about this being heaven, and as near as she'd ever imagined heaven, this was pretty much exactly what it looked like.

Her friend's flapping was getting a bit unsteady though, and Applejack tapped Rainbow's barrel with a hoof. Rainbow nodded, and Applejack looked up again to see the blue sky once more before they dipped back into those white and golden clouds.

The trip down was much quicker, aided by gravity and the weight of a strongly muscled mare. The clouds passed by them in only a few seconds, and Applejack had to squint her eyes shut at the dizzying sight of the ground so far below them and approaching fast. She felt Rainbow bank her turns widely, corkscrewing down until she landed heavily on all four hooves.

Applejack leaned sideways until she fell off of her friend and into the cold snow and soft grass underneath. She lay there on her back for a few seconds, breathing heavily. Before she could struggle to her feet, Rainbow tossed something from off to the side and onto her face. Her weather-beaten old hat. Applejack grinned and stood up quickly, donning the comforting piece of clothing again. "Rainbow, I uh... I don't reckon I ever saw anythin' like that."

Rainbow just shot her a cocky grin, and flapped her wings a few times before folding them behind her. "Yeah, don't get all mushy on me. I'd have brought you up there before if I'd thought about you being stuck down here for all this time."

Applejack shook her head, and let out a happy chuckle. "Tell y'what, Rainbow. You come on in, an' my family'll treat you to th' best winter feast you've had all season. Ya gotta be hungry after all that."

Rainbow laughed, and the two mares started toward the old farmhouse, happy and close as they'd ever been.

Facts and Figures [General]

(Prompt: http://25.media.tumblr.com/ce50f5efabc7df7dbbeb0f760d7d679e/tumblr_my1o0fsxNB1rxvwppo1_1280.png (Cadance and Filly Twilight doing charts on romantic compatibility with Cadance and Shining.))

(This one really didn't work at all, but it's too late to start another and I want to keep posting daily.)

It started off so simply. Twilight Sparkle was waiting in the lobby of the spa, in Ponyville, for Rarity and Fluttershy. She was set to attend one of their weekly spa visits, just for some time together with friends. Arriving punctually was her habit, but of course she hadn't factored in Rarity being 'fashionably late' and Fluttershy being so aware of Rarity's scheduling.

So she was sitting alone, idly for a while. There were various silly little magazines about the lobby for the guests to flip through, and Twilight soon found herself skimming through the only available reading material. Most of it was the typical mindless junk that these magazines focused on. Mane styles, tips for pleasing your stallion, etc etc. Twilight was halfway through idly checking off answers on a little relationship quiz when Rarity trotted her way through the door.

The quiz was quickly forgotten in favor of chatting with her friends. Mostly forgotten. For the moment.

When Twilight Sparkle got home after a day of spa treatment, she felt wonderfully relaxed. It wasn't until after dinner, when she was sitting and idly flicking through some old romance novel, that she thought about the quiz again. Twilight shook her head as soon as the thought occurred to her, and put the idea aside. But then it came back again. She frowned a bit, and more firmly told herself that it wasn't worth the effort to think about.

Two days later, Princess Cadance slowly and cautiously pushed open the door to the Golden Oak Library. Spike, standing on her back, pointed at the alicorn inside the library, who was currently engaged in some kind of high level mathematics as she charted out the compatibility matrices. "See? She's crazy! I thought you could help, 'cause, you know, Princess of Love and everything."

Princess Cadance smiled slightly, and turned to whisper to Spike. "Go spend a little while at Carousel Boutique, Spike. I'll get Twilight back to normal."

"Sure thing!" Spike agreed rather suspiciously readily, and hopped down to scamper off without any delay.

Cadance took a few steps forward, and then closed the door sharply behind her, the noise causing Twilight to jump in surprise. She turned around with an annoyed look aimed roughly at Cadance's pasterns before she realized it wasn't Spike interrupting. "Oh! Princess Cadance! What brings you to Ponyville?"

Princess Cadance laughed as Twilight trotted over to her and they engaged in their typical foalish greeting. Silly as it was, it never felt quite right to skip it. Afterwords, her smile felt a lot less forced. "Spike was worried, Twilight. What is all this?"

"Spike's worried over nothing! These are compatibility charts for love between me and a number of stallions around Ponyville and Canterlot. It's my duty as a Princess to find a husband!"

Cadance raised a questioning eyebrow.

Twilight blushed slightly. "Well... I know it's not my duty, exactly, but... well, I'm in my twenties now, and I've never even had a coltfriend. It's not unheard of, but it's at least one or two standard deviations from the norm! But look at this, wait, where was it... here!"

Cadance took a step back as a paper was thrust toward her, and scanned over it. "Prince Blueblood? Really, Twilight?"

"He's a prince, and I'm a Princess. But look, fifty-four percent. That's terrible. Fancy Pants is married already, but he's only scored at sixty-eight. None of the noble ponies that I have data on scored higher than seventy."

"Twilight..." Cadance did her best to keep her voice even and polite. "This sort of thing isn't important."

"Isn't important? Of course it's important! Love is what Equestria is built on! Unless you mean math, which is even more important!"

Cadance put her hoof gently on Twilight's back, and nuzzled against her cheek. Twilight slowly calmed down, blushing a bit at her own agitation. Cadance spoke softly. "What I mean is, math can't tell you everything about a relationship, or your compatibility with another pony."

Twilight sagged, and sighed quietly. "It worked for you and Shining! Don't you remember, you were... ninety-eight percent or so!"

Cadance hugged Twilight gently and then released her. "Okay, let's do it this way. An experiment." Princess Cadance lifted a sheet of parchment with her horn, and set it on the desk. "Fill this one out, but for you and... let's say Applejack."

"Applejack? But she's a mare, and my friend." Twilight blushed lightly. "I can't date a friend of mine, it might mess up the friendship."

Lifting a quill for Twilight to take, Cadance nodded toward the paper. "Just for an experiment. Let's see how well you two would get along."

Twilight sighed and turned toward the paper, marking down her thoughts as she went. "Let's see... we're friends already, so that's a good start. Though... she's an earth pony and I'm a Princess, and that's a wide gulf in abilities. She's also a farmer, and heavily invested in her family as well and... well..."

Twilight blushed slightly. "She'd want foals, because farmers need a lot of those. We don't share many interests... hmm.."

She continued to mark through the page, and Cadance took a moment to rifle through the assorted notes and charts that Twilight had put together. Prince Blueblood, several nobles of varying importance and wealth, both of Equestria and the Crystal Empire, a few select stallions in Ponyville, including, Cadance noted with a smirk, Applejack's brother. Even the pegasus guard from her own palace, Flash Sentry. The rankings varied, but universally were on the low side.

Cadance's attention was brought back to the current moment by an exasperated sound, and Twilight's voice. "Ugh! This doesn't make any sense! Applejack and I shouldn't even like each other, let alone be best friends!"

"Oh? Maybe you two should stop talking?" She tried, though she suspected mostly failed, to keep the jovial, teasing lilt out of her voice.

Twilight set the quill down. "I'm not going to stop talking to Applejack just because the math doesn't work ou-- Oh." Twilight smiled sheepishly. "... I see. But it worked for you and Shining..."

Cadance laughed musically. "It was a coincidence! These charts and quizzes you have are for fun, Twilight, they aren't serious. There's no way to test for that special something two friends or lovers share. It just happens."

The two friends laughed and spent a few minutes cleaning up and putting away the charts and supplies. If Twilight seemed a little distracted through it all, Cadance didn't notice. They shared a pleasant visit, until Cadance left a few hours later, headed back to the Crystal Empire.

Twilight waited until the sound of Cadance's hooves faded from earshot, and opened her drawer, pulling the sorted papers out again with a nimbus of magic. She flipped through the names and scores. "So math can't tell me everything, and my books can't either. That means... experimental data is the only way to go! Alphabetically, there's no A, so... Big Macintosh. Tomorrow, Sweet Apple Acres!"

Sunshine [Slice of Life]

(The prompt: Celestia’s mentor.

The prompt: Twilight’s protege.

(You may choose to follow one or both of the prompts.))

Princess Twilight Sparkle trotted lightly down the marble hallway, carrying the tea kettle along beside her in her magic. The castle staff gave her smiles and polite nods as she went along her way, all more than familiar with the unicorn-turned-alicorn by now. She felt just as comfortable here in Canterlot Castle as she did at her parents' home or her library in Ponyville.

In fact, Twilight was comfortable enough in her position as Princess, or more accurately in her position as Princess Celestia's student and friend, that she felt she could open the door to the Princess' private study without waiting for her knock to be acknowledged. Of course, nothing too shocking awaited her on the other side. It was simply her mentor Princess Celestia sitting on one of her luxurious cushions, sifting through a number of parchment scrolls.

Princess Celestia glanced over to the door, and then smiled at the sight of Twilight. She quietly shuffled the scrolls aside and pulled a cushion over for Twilight to join her. "Good evening, Princess Twilight. I had hoped that you would come and see me here during your time in Canterlot."

"I couldn't visit Canterlot and not visit you, Princess Celestia!" Twilight Sparkle took a seat on the cushion, and poured tea for the both of them, setting the delicate cups down on the small table nearby. "I miss this more than anything else about Canterlot. Talking to you, I mean."

Princess Celestia closed her eyes and nodded elegantly, and took a moment to sip at her tea. "I would very much like to hear of your latest adventures and experiences in Ponyville, Twilight."

Twilight smiled and blushed slightly. "I don't do anything that important... well, most of the time. But what's happened since the last time I was here... hmm... Oh, well, a few days after I got back to Ponyville, Pinkie threw this party, her 'Library Re-opening Three Day Anniversary' party..."

"-- and when the lightning struck the cart, I thought Applejack was going to jump over the whole barn!"

Twilight Sparkled burst into laughter at the memory of her friends' antics, and Princess Celestia joined in, smiling and chuckling warmly, as much over Twilight's happiness as the story itself. During the long conversation, their tea had gone stone cold and sat forgotten, while the two ponies had ended up on the same cushion, leaning against one another as they spoke and laughed together. "It sounds lovely, Twilight. You are quite lucky to have so many interesting friends in your life."

"I would never have met them if it hadn't been for you, Princess Celestia." Twilight smiled at Celestia, and then sighed contentedly as the laughter faded. Her ears perked up a bit as she noticed the scrolls Celestia had been reading when she came in. She picked one up in her magic, and unrolled it. "Dearest Princess Celestia, I am happy to report that one of your youngest subjects..."

Twilight smiled as she skimmed over the letter. "You're reading my old friendship reports?"

Celestia nodded, and draped a wing across Twilight's back. "Yes, Twilight. They were always very interesting to me. You were always so very thorough; it was like being there myself."

"You know... You always ask what I've been doing, but you rarely say anything about what you've been up to." Twilight turned to look upwards at Princess Celestia. "How have things in the castle been? What about your friends?"

"Very little happens here, Princess Twilight. Nobles come and go, as do diplomats, and the matters both bring to my attention are ultimately unimportant. I have... fairly few friends. You, and Princess Luna. Princess Cadance, when I see her."

Princess Twilight sat upright, and looked at Celestia in disbelief. "Really? How?! You're so amazing, how can you not have any friends?"

A wry smile spread across Princess Celestia's lips, and she shook her head. "It's because I am so amazing. It's who I am, Princess Celestia. It is difficult to meet new ponies without them bowing and groveling at my hooves."

"You could... change into a normal pony. Well, I don't mean that you're abnormal or anything, but... into a pegasus or a unicorn. Then nopony would recognize you. You could be just another pony.”

Celestia put on an obviously fake frown. "Princess Twilight Sparkle! You know very well that a friendship cannot be based on deception."

Twilight was glad that theatrics like that frown no longer sent her into a panic. She leaned lightly against Princess Celestia again. "You should try it, though."

Princess Celestia closed her eyes, and her horn glowed faintly. Twilight tried to avoid looking at every trace and thread of magic as the spell was woven, and just enjoy the work of art that was Princess Celestia's casting. It only took a few moments before the grand, regal Princess she was leaning against shrunk, her wings disappearing and her body changing to that of a normal, white unicorn mare, with a pink mane.

Celestia opened her eyes, and looked up at Twilight Sparkle. She blinked, and then laughed her in usual muted, elegant style. "How strange to have to look upward to meet a pony's eyes."

Twilight burst into giggles and hugged Celestia gently. "That won't work, you still sound like Princess Celestia. It's so strange seeing another pony talk like that!"

"I believe I've quite forgotten how to speak any other way." Celestia smiled at Twilight's laughter, always happy to see her friend in good spirits.

Princess Twilight sudden smiled a bit deviously, and stood up from the cushion, spreading her wings and taking a formal stance. "Then I, Princess Twilight Sparkle of Ponyville, decree that I will take on a new student, er..." Twilight took a moment to think, looking bashful at her hesitation. "Sun... Shine. Sunshine."

The unicorn on the cushion raised an eyebrow, but with an amused smile on her lips.

"Yes, Sunshine! That's a perfectly normal name. I will teach her everything about friendship, just like I learned about it just a few years ago. Assuming she accepts her apprenticeship."

Sunshine stood up, and then bowed at Princess Twilight's hooves. "Very well, Princess Twilight. I would love to be your student in this."

Princess Twilight laughed again, and hugged Sunshine for a moment. "Well, our first lesson is checking on the kitchen staff, because I'm hungry for a midnight snack."

Sunshine laughed with a more genuine sound than usual, and the two trotted happily together out into the castle, neither quite sure how long their little game would last.

Home In Canterlot [Slice of Life, Sad?]

(Prompt: FFAF. No prompt.)

Rarity was at home.

Not literally, of course.

Applejack chuckled as she sat back against the stone wall of one of the Canterlot Castle ballrooms. The charity gala seemed to be going on just as planned, thankfully without any big calamities to mess it up. Even more thankfully, her little speech at the small event honoring her and her family had gone off without a hitch as well, despite the flinching she saw on the noble ponies' faces whenever she slurred a word or dropped a syllable.

Even with Rarity schooling her on speaking proper for the past few weeks, she never quite lost that twang. Not that she really wanted to, her brother'd give her no end of laughter if she came back sounding more Canterlot than Ponyville.

Rarity was swimming through the crowd like a seapony through water. Every movement she made was soon copied by other mares around her, every little polite laugh and gentle approval was met with relieved smiles and glowing appreciation. She'd certainly come a long way since her first step into Canterlot nobility, and her popularity among the landed elite only seemed to have increased in proportion to her skill. Applejack, in the meantime, sat sipping cider off to the side, doing her best not to get noticed or bothered by a bunch of stuck-up jerks she'd just as soon never meet.

Applejack glanced to the side as some noble pony she vaguely recognized trotted over to sample the foods at the table beside her. She sipped at her cider, rather hoping he wouldn't bother talking to her. Something about most of the noble ponies, and the other fancy, wealthy ones that weren't actual nobles, struck her as just too different from Ponyville folk. They walked around constantly looking down on everypony, when they were sticking their noses up the rears of anypony more important than they were.

"You're from Ponyville, aren't you? Ah yes, the speaker, Apple... jack?"

Applejack fought back her smug smile and spoke with an overly pronounced drawl. "Ah reckon Ah'm jus' th' mare yer lookin' fer."

The stallion actually winced and pulled away slightly, as though her accent might be contagious. Applejack couldn't help but laugh before speaking again, in her normal voice. "Sorry, sir, just messin' with you is all. I'm Applejack. Pleased t' make your acquaintance."

He looked down at her offered hoof, and then shook it after a moment's hesitation. His hoofshake was unpleasantly weak and limp-ankled. "Yes, I'm Gold Filigree. Mister Filigree if you would."

It was an effort not to sneer herself at the sneering tone in his voice, but Applejack managed well enough. "An' just what's got you talking to me, Mister Filly?"

She got the intended slight offense she wanted, but he stayed around regardless. "I believe you know that mare over there? Miss Rarity, I am told."

Applejack glanced over toward Rarity. Rarity happened to glance toward her at the same moment, and spared the slightest little wink. She couldn't afford to actually be noticed noticing the little farm bumpkin earth pony sitting alone on the side of the room, but she wouldn't dream of letting Applejack think she'd forgotten her in all the fancy partying. At least that's what Applejack hoped she was thinking.

"Yeah, I know 'er. She's a fashion designer an' seamstress down in Ponyville. Real fancy type."

The stallion straightened up a bit, plainly glad he hadn't braved her accent for nothing. "I mean to court her this evening, perhaps for longer. Certainly in a small town such as... Ponyville..." He spat the word with contempt. "... everypony knows everypony else. Tell me, what could I do to win her favor? I could make the information worth your while."

Applejack hesitated a moment. She sorely wished she had a sprig of wheat to chew on while she thought, but no luck. It might be considered a mite dishonest to point this stallion towards somepony she knew full well he couldn't win, but at the same time, he wasn't really someone she favored anyway. "S'pose she likes th' real generous an' genuine types. Just let her know her friend Applejack sent you her way."

Gold Filigree tossed her a small sack of bits, and then turned without another word. The stallion wandered through the crowd, and after a few failed attempts that brought him frustration that Applejack felt a bit guiltily pleased by, he managed to catch Rarity's attention. They spoke a few moments, and Rarity glanced over at Applejack again, with the fakest looking smile she'd worn all night. Applejack chuckled and waved her hoof at Rarity, only to get a very noncommittal wave back.

Rarity spoke and danced among the nobles, perfectly in tune with all their haughty ways without partaking herself. She smiled with genuine gratitude at the wait staff, and she laughed with measured control with all the wealthy ponies and their insufferable jokes. Applejack waved down one of the wait staff and passed the bag of bits to her, telling her to split it with the others as a tip. She knew the nobleponies wouldn't do it.

Applejack watched Rarity closely as she moved through the crowd and worked the nobles carefully in her hooves. Even Applejack noticed just how perfectly she timed her donation to the charity, and just how she worked the other ponies into goading one another to donate more and more, turning what could have been just simple charity into a status symbol. The manipulative feeling grated on Applejack's nerves, but the result was a dozen times more money than would have been thrown in otherwise.

Rarity was at home alright, and it was a home Applejack couldn't share.

Applejack noticed a few unicorns supplying the cooks with more produce, and saw the dirt on their hooves and the leaves in their manes. A place like this must have an attached garden to keep all the fruits and vegetables coming in as fresh as you could want. The ponies sighed as they trotted their way back outside.

She should probably stay. Twilight had arranged for this little ceremony recognizing her, and it was possible she could wrangle more money out of these rich folks if she tried. But it wasn't what she was good at, and she'd never really fit in here, with these fancy Canterlot ponies. She cast one more glance toward Rarity, but then shook her head and trotted out after the worker ponies, to go back to the world she knew.

Why I Love You [Romance]

(Prompt #534: Super Lesbian Horse RPG. I haven't played it much, just the first dungeon. So have the alternate prompt, Flutterdash, instead.)

"And that's when I WHOOSH! flew down at top speed and BAM! caught Scoots just before she landed! Another day and pony saved by Rainbow Dash!"

Fluttershy clapped her hooves at Rainbow's performance, even if she expected that a fair amount of the story was overly embellished. There were not, as far as she knew, fifteen bears within easy distance of Ponyville. She was entirely certain that none of them could fly, and only maybe one bear she knew would even attack a pony that was annoying it, let alone assault three fillies in the middle of trying to get their cutie marks. But it still made a good story anyway. "That sounds so... exciting! Um... and a bit dangerous. But I'm glad everything worked out for the best."

Rainbow Dash grinned and landed again on Fluttershy's couch. She laid down next to the much quieter, yellower pegasus, and sighed, smiling contentedly. "Yeah, I'm pretty awesome. But uh.. I think most of those bears got scared off by my fighting, so don't expect to see them here. Especially the ones with wings."

"Mmhmm." Fluttershy smiled and set to her normal task of preening and massaging Rainbow's wings. The next half hour passed quickly and quietly, just the two sitting together on the couch, with little muffled noises from Rainbow Dash as she tried not to show just how much she enjoyed having her wings tended to. Eventually, though, the moment was over, and Fluttershy settled down beside Rainbow on the couch.

A few moments passed before either of them said anything. Finally though, Rainbow Dash sighed again and leaned against Fluttershy. "This is the best part though."

Fluttershy smiled even as she felt her muzzle turn a bit pink. "Sitting quietly? But Dashie-" Fluttershy didn't bother to suppress her giggling as Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at the nickname. "-you like adventure, and helping your little sister, and um... fighting bears. Though please don't do that to any bears that I know."

"Yeah, that stuff's fun and all. I mean it's really great, really, really great." Rainbow Dash grinned again, and then moved a bit to nuzzle against the base of Fluttershy's wings. She laughed at the little nervous noise that escaped Fluttershy's lips.

Rainbow stopped tickling and teasing for a moment, and then looked around the main room of the cottage before speaking. "So... Angel's not in here. What's bothering you, Fluttershy? You know I can tell when something's up."

Fluttershy shuffled her hooves nervously, and flapped her wings a couple times. "I... We've been... dating, for a few months now, Rainbow, and... why do you... like me?"

Rainbow Dash blinked a moment in surprise, and then shrugged, leaning against Fluttershy just to feel her coat against her own. "Does that matter? The important part is that I do, right? That the best flier and most awesome pony in Ponyville likes you?"

She gave a weak smile for a moment, but then Fluttershy looked aside. "Oh, well... yes, it does matter. I tell you all the time how... how pretty you are, and how exciting you make my life, and that... well, that you're the best marefriend I could ever have, but... I'm not sure what you like about me."

"Hey, come on, Fluttershy. You know I'm not good at that stuff." Rainbow nuzzled at Fluttershy's mane just to buy a few seconds to think. "You're... pretty too. I mean you used to be a model, everypony thinks you look great. But that's not really it, I mean it's cool and all, but uh... you're pretty awesome when you really need to be. You can't fly that great or anything, but when somepony or some animal is really in danger, you're just as good as me, and that's even without all my training."

Fluttershy hid her muzzle against the couch cushion, trying to fight the red on her cheeks.

Rainbow continued, her speech halting here and there as she tried to structure her thoughts. "But it's not about being awesome or, you know, beautiful or whatever. It's... okay, how do I say it? Right, what have I done today? C'mon, I just told you."

Fluttershy straightened up and tried to speak clearly despite her remaining nervousness from the compliments. "You... woke up, did your morning training, and um... then you put together the thunderstorm for later tonight."

At Rainbow Dash's nod, she continued. "Well, then you helped Twilight with her flying, but you heard Sweetie Belle shouting. So you rushed over and helped them down from the roof where they were stuck because their parachutes broke. Um... also you fought off a... lot of flying bears. That were in Ponyville for some reason."

Rainbow rubbed her mane with a hoof. "There might not have been THAT many bears. You know, it was hard to tell with all the filly saving."

Fluttershy smiled at Rainbow, and then continued. "Then you returned Scootaloo to her home, and sent Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle back to theirs. Then you came over here."

"What happened once I got here?"

Fluttershy blinked, and blushed slightly. "We... kissed hello, and then we had a nice, quiet dinner together. Angel and Tank spent a little time playing, and you told me about your day. I preened your wings, and now we're just... sitting here."

"Yeah, see, that's what I like." Rainbow grinned at Fluttershy, but then rolled her eyes at her confusion. "My life is always so fast, you know? I haven't had a second to slow down all day, it's been weather work and flight training and saving other ponies since I woke up! But here, you know, I don't really NEED to slow down, but uh... here I can really... relax. More than anywhere else. Or with anypony else."

Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck again, even as Fluttershy smiled warmly at her. "So yeah, Fluttershy, it's uh... You know. I like you because of you being pretty, and nice or awesome or whatever. But I love you because you're the only pony who can slow me down and not make me feel all frustrated. You're pretty amazing, Fluttershy."

Fluttershy smiled, and nuzzled against Rainbow's mane for a moment, until the other mare stopped looking so nervous. "Thank you, Rainbow. I know it wasn't um... easy for you. To say all that."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't tell anypony else, alright?" Rainbow leaned against Fluttershy, and closed her eyes in warm contentment.

"And Dashie? I know we haven't... said it before, and maybe you didn't mean to, but um... I love you too."

Tomorrow [Drama, Dark]

(The Prompt: I’m not going to kill you. I’m going to break you.)

Twilight Sparkle looked up at the gleaming, white brilliance of Canterlot Castle. There on the balcony stood Princess Celestia, as well she should, though she looked older, and more worn than Twilight remembered. She was smiling beatifically down at the assembled throng of ponies below her, though even from this distance Twilight could see a hint of regret and weariness in the Princess' face.

The others next to the Princess is what was wrong about all this. Sunset Shimmer, or 'Princess Sunset Shimmer', as much as it galled Twilight to even think that name with that title, stood there smiling warmly at her new subjects. Next to the two princesses stood the Grand Vizier, Discord, and Twilight's own brother, Shining Armor.

It was wrong. It was all wrong.

Shining Armor stood beside his wife as she was crowned the new regent of Equestria. Twilight grit her teeth. She remembered the wedding, a grand event in Canterlot Castle, over a year ago now. She remembered attending and being happy for Shining's ascent to the royal family, and she remembered being impressed that the new Princess even remembered her name.

But it wasn't supposed to be that way. It was supposed to have been Cadance, and it was supposed to be ruined by the Queen of the Changelings.

A hush fell over the crowd as Sunset Shimmer began to speak. Twilight Sparkled intentionally blocked it out, not wanting to hear another speech from the impostor. Nopony else remembered. None of the castle guards recognized her, and Shining Armor didn't even want to see her after she had tried to convince him a few days ago. Now Sunset Shimmer was taking over Celestia's rule. She was out of time for doing this the right way.

Twilight took another look upwards, at the sole two princesses in Equestria. She took a long look at Princess Celestia's face, before she turned and walked away from the castle.

Her room disappeared, and then another came rushing back. Twilight winced a little at the unexpected drain on her magic, and then opened her eyes to look around. Perfect aim, this was Princess Luna's room. Or it would be, if the Elements of Harmony hadn't killed her along with Nightmare Moon, years ago.

Twilight shook her head quickly, and then rubbed her sore horn with her hoof. She missed being an alicorn. But she couldn't get caught up in this... fake world. She had to remember how things were supposed to be. She took a few steps forward, and then froze as the room filled with light. Sunset Shimmer stood there, wings outstretched and her horn alight, appearing just in front of the only door out of the room. "Hello, Twilight Sparkle. I thought I felt you teleporting in."

She had to fight back the urge to just tackle the Princess. She managed, barely. "Sunset Shimmer! What did you do? What is going on here? Why does nopony-"

"Remember you? Remember the glorious Princess Twilight Sparkle?" Sunset Shimmer's voice dropped, becoming thick with contempt. "Why would they? You're a nobody here. You're not a princess, you're not even a mage. Look at your cutie mark, Twilight, you're a librarian. Just some worthless little pony that nopony else even thinks about. Just as it should be."

The urge to leap at the princess won out. Twilight jumped forward in a sudden fit of anger, only to be thrown back with a blast of Sunset's magic. The room suddenly smelled of burnt fur, and Twilight's side felt hot and painful. She stood shakily. "Fix this! This isn't how it's supposed to be, Sunset Shimmer! You killed Princess Luna! The Crystal Empire is at war with Equestria, and you MARRIED MY BROTHER!"

Sunset Shimmer straightened up, standing at her full height and looking down at the smaller unicorn. "That's right. It's all exactly like it's supposed to be. Princess Celestia's power is all mine, Luna is out of the way, and after today, Equestria is mine, too. And there's nothing you can do about it. Did you really think I was just going to stay in that stupid school forever?"

Twilight lit her horn, and then winced again, as the magic flickered and faded away. Sunset Shimmer's malicious grin only grew. "Aw, little unicorn not as good as she used to be? Face it, Twilight. You're not the Element of Magic anymore, your friends don't know who you are, and..." Sunset Shimmer leaned in close, and Twilight shied away from the heat from the Princess's horn. "I. Won."

"You... you can't win." Twilight Sparkle still backed away a few steps, and tried to teleport, only for her diminished magic to keep her right where she was. "What are you going to do? Have me executed like... like Prince Blueblood?"

Sunset's horn glowed more brightly for a moment, but then she stood up again, and shook her head, her grin settling into a cold smile. "No, Twilight. I'm not. I'm not even going to call the guards. I'm just going to send you back home. Back home to your parents' house, where you can live out the rest of your stupid, meaningless life. You don't have any friends anymore, Twilight, you don't have Princess Celestia, and I have Discord wrapped around my hoof. I don't even need to kill you; you've already lost."

With that, there was another flash, and Twilight Sparkle found herself sitting in her room at home. Posters for Princess Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns hung on all the walls, with the exception of the graduation certificate she used to have. Instead of trophies for her magic competitions, she only had stacks of old books with due dates stamped on the inside covers.

Twilight shuddered, and crawled her way into bed, mindful of her bruised and slightly scorched flank. She couldn't... Sunset Shimmer was right about one thing. She couldn't fight her, not like this. Twilight rolled onto her back, and looked up at the unfamiliar ceiling of her foalhood home.

She was tempted to do what she'd been doing for the past week now. She could think about her friends in Ponyville, the ones who wouldn't answer her letters. She could think about Princess Celestia and Luna, and Princess Cadance, and how two of them were dead, and the other wouldn't grant her an audience beyond the Sunlight Court that every citizen could attend. She could think... she could think about Spike.

But no. No, tonight was the last night. She wasn't going to lay here and cry tonight. She could fix this. She would fix this. Twilight rolled off of the bed, and knocked aside the stack of books on her desk, replacing it with a piece of parchment. She dipped her quill, and titled her new list. Tonight, she would not cry. Tonight, she would plan.

Tomorrow, she would start a revolution.

One Quiet Night [Slice of Life]

(The prompt: What’s an angel?)

Applejack took the blanket between her teeth, and pulled it up over Apple Bloom as the little filly snuggled down into her bed. Applejack let a few of the fireflies out of the small lantern, dimming the light in the room until it was just enough to see her way around. "Goodnight Apple Bloom. I reckon you'll sleep well tonight, seein' as how you finally started applebuckin' with me and Macintosh. You did good work today, little sis."

Apple Bloom stretched out her forelegs lazily, and yawned wide. "It's harder 'n than I thought it'd be."

"Well don't you worry, you'll get a lot a' practice now that you're helpin' out. Now get some rest, I'll see you bright an' early."

Applejack turned to leave, and made it most of the way to the door before she heard Apple Bloom speak, a little quieter and more subdued than normal. "Applejack, can I ask you a question?"

No little filly ever asked if they could ask something unless it was important, so Applejack put aside any thoughts of settling down into her own bed for now, and turned right around. "'Course you can, Sugarcube. What is it?"

Apple Bloom's hesitation spoke volumes before she even opened her mouth. "... Uh, I know we don't talk about 'em much, but... where's Ma and Pa?"

Applejack hesitated, and then reached out and ran her hoof over Apple Bloom's mane. "Come on now, Apple Bloom. We both know they... ain't livin' anymore."

"I know that, but uh... where'd they go after that?"

Giving up on the idea of this being just a quick question, Applejack sat down next to her sister's bed. "I'm bettin' if you asked ten ponies that question, you'd get ten different answers. Truth is I don't think anypony knows what happens after that, 'cept maybe Princess Celestia. But I could tell you what Granny Smith always told me."

Apple Bloom nodded, and snuggled down into her blankets. Applejack smiled and tucked the covers in around her sister. "Now she heard it from her parents too, goin' on back a ways, so there might be somethin' to it. But Granny Smith says that when a pony uh, stops livin', part a' her goes up past where pegasus ponies can fly, way on up in a beautiful place in the sky. They turn into angels up there, an' they get to see all their family and friends that passed on before they did."

"An' what's an angel?" Apple Bloom spoke quietly, sounding a bit unsure of the appropriateness of asking.

Applejack thought for a moment. "An angel's a kind of magic pony with wings, I'm guessin'. Seeing as how they live way on up there in the sky and all."

Apple Bloom's eyes widened. "So Ma an' Pa are princesses?"

Applejack chuckled. "What I remember a' Pa is he wouldn' want to be called a princess, but maybe it's somethin' like that. It's always sunny and warm up there, and there's food to eat and work if you want it, and you never get hurt or lonely. Least that's how I always heard it."

Her sister closed her eyes and smiled as she shuffled around a bit to get comfortable. "It sounds real nice. Can they see me from up there? I want Ma an' Pa to see my cutie mark if I ever get it."

Applejack hesitated a moment, looking off to the side, before she responded. "Sure they can, Sugarcube. S'why we always try to act our best an' make 'em proud. But don't you be in any hurry to go an' join them, you hear?"

Apple Bloom waved one hoof. "Nah, I know they'll be waitin' up there whenever I get 'round to it." Her voice lowered, and she spoke quietly as though somepony might overhear. "Besides, I don't really remember 'em anyway. You been kinda like my mom as long as I can remember."

Applejack closed her eyes and took a deep breath, doing her best to stop from tearing up. She wasn't sure what was making her get misty-eyed, her little sister not remembering her parents, or her sister saying she was as much a mom as anything, but she didn't want to look sad and upset the little filly. She tried to keep her voice even. "Don't you worry, little sis. I'm sure they remember you, and we'll have a big old reunion one of these days. Now scoot over."

Apple Bloom opened her eyes, and then moved over to the side of her bed, and Applejack crawled in under the covers and pulled the little filly close. She spoke quietly to her little sister. "Now I know I don't make a habit of sleepin' in here, but after talkin' about all this stuff I just don't want to let you go just now."

"That's alright Applejack, I don't want ya goin' away either."

It had been a long day with a lot of hard work, and it wasn't another few minutes before Apple Bloom fell fast asleep. Applejack looked down at her little sister, and carefully pulled her mane back out of her face as she slept. She spoke quietly, only barely loud enough to hear it herself. "Ma? Pa? I don't know if you can hear me way up there, but y'all have one real special little filly. I hope you're just as proud a' her as I am. We all miss you down here."

There was no answer, of course, but Applejack didn't mind that much. She held her little sister close, and tried to get comfortable in the undersized bed. In only a couple more minutes, she joined Apple Bloom in dreaming about flying through warm, sunny skies, and meeting two ponies she hadn't seen in far too long.

The Last Morning After [Comedy]

(Prompt: Last night, two ponies kissed for the very first time. What happens today? )

Some mornings, it just wasn't worth waking up.

Birds chirped merrily outside his window, and the morning sunlight streamed in, lighting the room in a cheerful, warm glow. A cheerful, warm glow that seemed to drill picks into his brain. Yes. Yes, last night must have had rather a lot of drinking. How unbecoming for a stallion of his station.

It was then, through the slowly fading pain of waking up in a beam of sunlight, that he became aware of the snoring. A mare, then, he thought through closed eyes. He folded a foreleg over his face to keep the sun out. He listened to the snoring. Yes, definitely a mare. Good then that he hadn't been quite drunk enough to make that particular mistake again. Still, tongues would be wagging this morning, he supposed. He didn't usually go for the mares that were unladylike enough to snore, but one couldn't always tell before one took them home.

It wasn't unusual for him, waking up next to a pony he couldn't quite remember. Being a prince did have its advantages, after all. Blueblood lifted his hoof a bit and let a slight bit of light in before wincing and resting his pastern over his eyes again. No, sunlight would have to wait. As much as he loved his dear Auntie Celestia, she did often raise the sun rather too early for him.

He cast his mind back over the previous night. What had been the occasion again? Ah yes, the new Lunar Ball. Well, that left the field rather open on who this mare could be, didn't it? Ponies from a number of social strata had been invited. The typical socialite nobles had been in attendance, of course, as well as some of the more promising nouveau riche families. A representative portion of the Wonderbolts had visited as well, though in Prince Blueblood's experience, a Wonderbolt usually left him a bit more sore.

Though there were wings, so she must be a pegasus. He distinctly remembered wings. There were a few pegasus ponies of suitable status in Canterlot that he wouldn't be too disgraced to be seen with leaving a party. Hopefully this was one of them, and not one of the ever-hopeful underclass that would feel so terribly scandalized by spending the night that he'd have to spend a small fortune in bits to keep them quiet about it.

The sun was far too bright this morning. He almost felt compelled to submit a formal complaint. Still, he removed his hoof from his eyes and let it fall heavily back to the bed. A few moments of pain and his eyes adjusted to the brightness, even though he kept them closed. Yes, it was unusually bright today. The Lunar Ball must have gone well for Auntie to be in such high spirits.

The snoring had stopped. Lovely, here came the worst part of any of his morning afters. A voice spoke beside him, groggy and quite unlike any noblepony he knew. "Huhwha? Nng, my head hurts. Spike, make some coffgggh..."

The mare seemed to drift off to sleep again, while Prince Blueblood's entire body went tense at once. He knew that voice. He knew the name 'Spike'; it was so uncommon for a pony. It wasn't a pony's name after all, it was a dragon's. There was exactly one pony that would be asking him to make coffee, and it was definitely a pony he shouldn't be hearing in his bed. Prince Blueblood turned his head to the side, and caught a glimpse of quite familiar purple feathers, and a protruding horn.

His stomach leaped into his throat, and it took quite nearly all of his composure to keep all the drink from last night down. He squeezed his eyes shut again. It wasn't that she was unattractive, it was that Auntie Celestia was going to quite literally kill him. What in Equestria had he done last night? He kept his eyes closed, though despite the sunlight bearing down on him, he didn't cover his face again.

The Ball had been going swimmingly, he'd been drinking... yes, wine he supposed. Oh yes, this was one of her first formal events as Princess. She wouldn't have been used to the quality of beverages, or the strength behind their subtle flavors. In fact, now that he pressed himself to remember, he could recall Auntie asking him to keep an eye on Princess Twilight, to make certain she didn't drink too much. Obviously that hadn't worked.

The night had drawn on, she'd plainly had rather too much, as had he. There had been a carriage ride, his driver not even asking if he wanted to leave the mare at the castle. He could recall snippets of stumbling through his mansion, laughing and leaning on one another for support, and then... hm. A kiss was all he could remember, just one before the collapsed into the bed. He certainly hoped that was all that happened, more for his own sake than anything. He didn't feel... sore, or drained, or anything of that nature.

Prince Blueblood turned his head and opened his eyes in a squint, blocking out the brilliant sunlight as best he could while still managing a look at the pony beside him. Yes, purple coat, feathers, horn, pleasant if low-class little stripe in the mane; it was quite obviously Princess Twilight. He prodded her side lightly with a hoof. "Princess, wake up. You must get out of here."

She batted his hoof away with hers, and squinted her eyes closed, only to open them a moment later. She cried out and squeezed them closed again, wincing from the sunlight. "Agh! Where am I? Why's the sun right in my eyes?"

Prince Blueblood rolled over again, laying on his back with his eyes closed while Twilight woke up, and simply listened to her talking.

"Ugh, my head! Wait, whose bed is this? Agh! Prince Blueblood?"

He kept his eyes closed, and frowned pointedly. "Yes, calm down. Nothing happened, Princess. But you absolutely must gather your things and go back to the castle before-"

Twilight's voice was suddenly a strange mixture of happy recognition and very poorly hidden panic and humiliation. "Princess Celestia?! What are you doing in here?"

The now quite certainly Ex-Prince Blueblood's eyes shot open, and he looked to Twilight, and then followed her eyes to the tall, white, and positively glowing Princess Celestia standing a few feet away from his bed. She stared at him with eyes like burning embers, and he sat transfixed by them for a moment, before falling back to the bed in utter resignation.

Yes, some mornings it just wasn't worth waking up, even if he wasn't sure he'd quite get to see another one.

A Glorious New Order [Drama?]

(Prompt: Song "Be Prepared" from The Lion King.)

(I've always liked this song. Also here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHP4VbhtGJ4 )

I've never seen earth ponies as particularly essential. They're dull, and exceptionally dour. But perhaps they've a glimmer of potential, if allied with my vision and power.

Sombra stepped carefully along the path as he walked through the darkened fields. To each side of him toiled countless earth ponies, even now in the cold, arctic night. They pulled their plows, they planted their seeds, they cleared snow and ice from the long winter just passed. The Platinum Kingdom was surrounded by fields such as these. The earth ponies weren't slaves, exactly, though they were only paid in sunlight, warmth, and protection.

He chose a spot, and stopped walking. Truthfully, any place would do. The ponies didn't look up from their work, and so none of them knew who exactly was among them. Sombra cast aside his simple cloak, and revealed the bright, steel armor he had worked himself. He lit his horn, if it could be called light, and flared a dark violet magic across the fields.

It worked. Sudden he found himself with hundreds of eyes on him, and nearly as many knees bent in subservience. As was expected; he was a unicorn, after all. He waited for the ponies to gather around him, and for the quiet murmuring to cease, before he began his speech.

"Earth ponies. I know that you are simple folk. Some unicorns would call you uneducated, filthy, and unworthy of life in the city. But as ignorant as they all think you are, give heed to my words. I come to you with a proposition."

He scanned the field, scowling internally at the many blank stares he was afforded. A few eyes, however, sparkled with understanding. With hope. Those were the ones he needed. He forced himself to make eye contact with each dullard in turn. "You must understand, there is enough there for every pony. Many of you are incapable of the planning and the logistics of running an empire. I am not. But I need allies for this, I need allies to free you from your bonds."

Those precious few stood, and even dared approach. Good. "This will take time. It will not be immediate, but you must prepare. There are those among you that know of metalwork. Beat your plowshares into swords. Take up the bow. A new era approaches, one of light and freedom."

One colt in the throng, standing only a few feet from Sombra now, spoke out. "What will we get when you're in charge?"

The child was immediately pulled away and scolded in hushed tones by a nearby mare, but Sombra merely smiled. "There will be danger, child, but through the sword and fire we will forge a new kingdom. An empire! We will throw down the unicorns controlling this land, and you will have your vengeance on your oppressors, when I am placed in command. We shall work together for this new future!"

More of the earth ponies around him stood, and Sombra's magic burned in his breast. He could feel their emotion powering the crystals in his saddlebags. Yes, this is what he needed. Anger, vengeance. "Listen to me, ponies. No longer will you toil in the fields, passing all of the best produce and craft to your betters, but you will stand among the glittering palaces in the city, and eat your fill!"

Several ponies cheered, and the enthusiasm spread like wildfire. There was an uproar, a clattering of farm tools and a stamping of hooves on the ground. Sombra felt his power surge and flare violently. He shouted, his voice amplified and given power by the throbbing of emotion in the crowd. "Death to the Queen! Long live the King!"

"Death to the Queen! Long live the King!" The crowd shouted in excitement, and raised tools in teeth and hooves, shouting loudly into the air.

Sombra's magic laced around several of the brighter stallions and mares, the spells he'd woven whispered and twisted through their ears and minds. He spoke quietly, and they quickly calmed their compatriots, though the fire of rebellion grew in each heart. Sombra spoke loudly again. "This will take labor. It will take fighting and blood will be spilled on both sides. The future is bright with power and heavy with gold and gems, but only with my leadership will we be able to rise to power together."

There was a murmur of agreement through the crowd, and Sombra smiled at the hundreds of earnest, determined expressions. "So prepare. Save your money. Eat well, and work hard. Grow stronger, make your swords in secret. Prepare, and I will do the same. My plans reach far, and wide, and the roots of this rebellion run deep. When the signal comes, you will know it. With all of the earth ponies behind us, who can stop our glorious new empire? Who can stop the rise of the new King Sombra?"

Another cheer rose through the crowd, and at Sombra's behest, his new lieutenants urged everyone back to work for now. The crystals in his saddlebags thrummed with stored power, and he pulled his cloak back over his armor. His horn glowed as the magic and raw emotion flowed from the storage into his body.

Sombra began walking, as the earth ponies selected the tools to be reforged into weapons. Another night, another field, another hundred troops. Tomorrow he'd have another few hundred more. Sombra smiled, no longer bothering to hide his fanged appearance.

Yes, they would prepare. He would prepare. Soon, his army would be complete, and a new order would arise. His order, and when he was alone as the sole remaining unicorn in the new Empire, bolstered by his carefully attuned crystals, who could stand against him?

Luck of the Draw [Slice of Life]

(The Prompt: It’s all in the cards.)

Princess Twilight Sparkle looked side to side as she trotted down the unfamiliar street, somewhere in Manehattan. She could have sworn her friends had been right behind her a minute ago. Her wings rustled uncomfortably behind her. "Oooh, how could I have lost track of everypony? I don't even know where I am!"

She might not have been sure where she was, but she was pretty sure it wasn't the best place to be. The streets were cracked, the building facades were crumbling, and many of the windows were broken. Every pony she passed seemed wearier and grumpier than the last, until she found herself walking very carefully and making absolute certain that she wouldn't attract any undue attention.

Of course it didn't seem to be working, for some reason she was drawing everypony's eyes as she walked through the city, no matter how inconspicuous she tried to be. It was unnerving enough that when she heard a familiar voice calling out her name, she immediately broke into a gallop toward it. "Twilight Sparkle! What in Equestria is a princess like you doing here?"

In her excitement, Twilight nearly reached the light blue mare before she even took the time to realize who it was. Once she recognized her, she stopped short, and crossed the rest of the distance more carefully. There, sitting behind a small cardboard box in an alleyway, was a sky blue unicorn mare that had brought her trouble twice already. "Trixie? Why are you in Manehattan?"

Trixie's horn glowed as she shuffled a small deck of cards against the top of the overturned box. "The Great and Powerful Trixie... has to make money somehow. Since she no longer can travel and tell her exciting stories of adventure, she has turned to this instead."

Twilight looked over the box and cards. Written in a fairly stylish script on the side were the words "THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE'S THREE-CARD AND FORTUNE-TELLING". She raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Card tricks, Trixie? Really?"

The other mare smiled and spun the cards through the air, fanning them out in a circle and then shuffling them in a maddening maze before pulling them all back together into a perfect deck. In the display, Twilight could see that they weren't modern playing cards, but some variation of old earth pony marot decks. Trixie placed the deck down on the box, next to the three playing cards that were laid out nearby. "Would you like to place a bet that you can choose the Princess of Hearts after Trixie mixes the cards? Or would you like a one-hundred percent guaranteed accurate marot reading from the Great and Prophetic Trixie?"

Twilight gave her a flat look. "Trixie, three-card is a scam and marot card readings are just superstition! You know as well as I do that there's no magic to predict the future!"

Trixie smirked, and pulled the top card from the stack, placing it down on the table. The face of the card showed a cutie mark probably only familiar to a select few ponies, Clover the Clever's, and had embellished text "MAGIC" on the bottom. Twilight bit back a comment on the inauthenticity of the marot deck, but Trixie didn't seem to notice. "You see? This card in this position symbolizes one of the ponies that this reading would be for! Magic can only symbolize either the Princess of Magic or the Great and Powerful Trixie herself! For ten bits, Trixie could continue."

Twilight glanced at the card, then to Trixie, and then to the fairly small pile of bits partially hidden nearby. There wasn't much. She sighed, and placed ten bits on the top of the box. "Fine, Trixie. It might be fun anyway."

Trixie straightened up, adopting a slight mysterious and mystical tone that did not fit the grungy alleyway in any way. She pulled another card from the deck, and levitated it to a place opposite the first card before flipping it over. It depicted an earth pony mare balancing on one hoof on top of a ball. The text read "THE JESTER". Trixie coughed pointedly. "Well, this would be the other pony in the prophecy. The Jester represents, perhaps one of your friends?"

"Actually Trixie, in most historical fortune telling practices, the Jester represents a performer, especially one skilled in spectacle. It might symbolize you!" Twilight shuffled her hooves, grinning. As silly as this was, trying to put meaning to random draws could be an interesting challenge, and it was distracting her from the unpleasant streets around her.

"Yes, of course! The Great and Powerful Trixie is extraordinarily skilled with all forms of performance! The next card symbolizes the location of the reading, though Trixie will admit it is not always clear." Trixie levitated another card over, between the two already placed, and flipped it over to reveal an illustration of food spilling from a cornucopia, and the text "THE FEAST". Trixie smiled at the card, before re-adopting her serious expression for fortune telling. "As you can see, the Great and Powerful Trixie knows prophetic magic of all types. The Feast shows... Ponyville! A farming town produces plenty of food."

"Oh, I like that, that's clever!" Twilight clapped her hooves together, smiling brightly. "As nice as Manehattan is, I already miss Ponyville."

"Yes, well, Trixie is certain you will be able to return. Now, the next card--"

Trixie was suddenly cut off by the appearance of a rather serious looking stallion, who pushed his way in between Princess Twilight and the box. He was wearing a blue cap and uniform, marking him as Manehattan city police. Twilight backpedaled slightly away. The stallion bowed and then spoke with the respect due a princess, drawing a blush from Twilight. "Princess Twilight! Welcome to Manehattan! This grifter isn't bothering you is she? Trixie, how many times do I have to stop you from gambling with tourists?"

Twilight stood up tall, and flared out her wings. "Officer, she wasn't bothering me. Trixie is a... friend of mine! Don't worry about her, we were just having fun. But could you point me toward The Qilin hotel? My other friends are waiting for me there."

He nodded, and rattled off a quick set of directions, before bowing and leaving, only glancing once more at Trixie. Twilight watched him go, and smiled apologetically at Trixie. "Sorry, Trixie. I forget sometimes that I... you know, have these wings and everything. It was nice seeing you again! I've got to go meet the others though, come by Ponyville sometime!"

Trixie waved as Twilight did the same, and watched her walk away in a rush. She looked down at the half-finished reading. "Well, Trixie supposes ten bits is ten bits."

Idly curious, she flipped over the next card, that was supposed to symbolize the theme of the interaction between the two ponies. It was a card showing a crystal carved into a heart, with magic lines encircling it. The text read "LOVE". Trixie blushed and looked around quickly, to make certain Twilight wasn't peeking around a corner or messing with the card order somehow. She stared down at the card, and then scoffed. "Marot is nonsense anyway! But perhaps... Perhaps the Great and Powerful Trixie will visit Ponyville again. Sometime."

Trixie packed up her box, putting the cards away and her small savings inside with her robe and wizard hat. She couldn't help smiling as she trotted her way toward the train station, and toward a brighter future.

Had Enough [Slice of Life]

(The Prompt: I quit.)

"I don't see why I gotta be here doin' work when my friends can go crusadin' all they want." Apple Bloom sulked as she collected the fallen apples. It was a sunny, warm day in Ponyville, but none of the pleasant weather seemed to be reflected in the young pony's mood.

Her sister Applejack frowned as she kicked hard against the trunk of the tree again, causing more apples to shower down. Most landed in the buckets, but the ones that didn't only added to Apple Bloom's workload. "I don't care what your friends are doin', Apple Bloom. It's harvest season an' until you're old enough to start apple buckin', you need to pick up the apples that miss the buckets. There's a lot of work, and everypony in the family is helpin' however they can."

Apple Bloom stomped around as she picked up the apples, dropping them carelessly into the buckets after. "Why am I even doin' this? It ain't my special talent or I'd already have my cutie mark."

Applejack just shook her head and kicked again. She looked up into the branches after, and moved to the next tree. "I grew up doin' the same thing, Apple Bloom, an' I didn't get my cutie mark 'till later. It ain't about trying everything you can, it's about learnin' to look at yourself right."

"Well I'm never gonna get my cutie mark if I can't go crusadin'! I'm gonna be a blank flank forever!"

Applejack sighed. She glanced back at the tree, and then over to Apple Bloom. "Hush now, little sis. Just get your chores done th' rest of today, an' you can go and play with your friends tomorrow."

Apple Bloom reared up, and then slammed her hooves down on the ground, though there was less impact and no thundering noise that she'd hoped for. "I'm not doin' this anymore! I'm goin' out crusadin' right now. I don't want to work on the farm any more, I quit!"

"Darnit Apple Bloom! You can't quit, workin' the orchard is part of bein' an Apple!"

The filly turned and ran off at full speed. She could hear her sister shouting behind her, but she didn't even slow down. She galloped hard, not knowing where she was going, until she was certain she couldn't hear any hoofsteps following her. She looked around, finding herself at the edge of Sweet Apple Acres, toward Ponyville. She'd go find her friends, and when she got her cutie mark, that'd just prove to Applejack that she was right.

Apple Bloom drooped dejectedly as she walked up the planks that lead to the Cutie Mark Crusader clubhouse in the late evening light. A whole day of crusading was over, and she still didn't have anything on her flank but tree sap and baking flour. Suddenly, her ears perked up. Somepony else was inside the clubhouse. Was Applejack up there looking for her?

She burst through the door of the clubhouse, ready to yell at whoever might be snooping around in there, Applejack or anypony else. Instead, she just found a very surprised looking dragon. Spike jumped at the noise of the door being slammed open, and staggered backward a few steps, dropping the handful of gems he was carrying in all directions. "Agh! Don't hurt me, I'm just a baby drag-- oh, wait, Apple Bloom? What are you doing here?"

"Uh, it's the Cutie Mark Crusader clubhouse, Spike. What're YOU doin' here?" Apple Bloom set to helping Spike collect the fallen gems, and tried to ignore how much it reminded her of collecting fallen apples.

Spike set the gems onto a small square of cloth he had laid out on the floor, and then pulled the cloth up around them, tying it into a little makeshift bindle. "I quit my job as Twilight's assistant. I just can't take it anymore! She's so demanding, and she never lets me just do what I want to do."

Apple Bloom sat down heavily on the floor. She didn't care if she looked like she was pouting like a child. "I know what you mean. Applejack's always makin' me do all these chores, when what I should be doin' is trying to find out what my talent is. It ain't fair."

Spike laid down on his back, and stared up at the ceiling. "But I kinda stormed out, so I can't go back to the library. Guess I can't stay in here either."

Apple Bloom looked at Spike, and then laid down next to him. "I'm stayin' here 'cause I can't go back home after quittin' farm work. Applejack said it herself, workin' on the farm is part of bein' an Apple. So if I'm not doin' that, I guess I'm not an Apple."

"Yeah, I don't think they're going to kick you out of your family just because you don't want to do chores."

"What do you know? You're the one runnin' away 'cause you don't want to shelve books."

The two lay there on their backs, looking upward for a few silent minutes. After a while, Apple Bloom sighed. "I guess we gotta go somewhere else if we can't go home."

Spike shrugged, and picked a gem out of his bag, before crunching on it loudly. "Where though? Even if I sell my gems it's not enough for a train ticket."

Apple Bloom rolled over onto her hooves and stood up. "Come on then, Spike. Let's jus' start walkin' and see where we get to. Maybe I'll get my cutie mark somewhere other 'n Ponyville."

Spike hopped up, grinning. "Yeah, and I'll show Twilight I don't need her rules and lectures! I'm not a kid, I'm a mighty dragon! I can do whatever I want!"

After a few minutes packing, Spike and Apple Bloom started down the ramps to the ground. Spike had his gems in his knapsack and a crusaders cape around his shoulders. Apple Bloom had her own cape and her saddlebags stuffed with blankets and pilfered apples.

Spike looked up at the clear night sky, and smiled. "It's thirty miles to Canterlot, we've got two saddlebags full of apples, a knapsack of gems, it's the middle of the night, and we're wearing capes. Let's go!"

Apple Bloom laughed, and they set off on the open road, neither entirely sure of what they'd find, but knowing that there had to be some place better than here.

Not Yet [Drama, Sad?]

(The prompt: Applejack’s parents are alive.)

(Time limit hit somewhere in the latter third of this. I was typing and didn't notice it pass, but I only went past a few minutes. Whoops.)

Applejack woke with a start, and sat bolt upright in bed. Her heart was pounding and she was out of breath, but everything in her mind was fuzzy and dull. She looked around her room, dark and with curtains drawn against what sounded like a summer shower outside. Must have been one heck of a dream. She couldn't even remember anything, but she felt like she'd been running a hundred miles.

Aside from the pattering of rain on her windows, her room was dead silent. Applejack took a few minutes to calm down, and then turned and slid her legs over the side of the bed. Something about the house felt wrong. It was probably just her dream getting to her, whatever her dream had been. Applejack took a moment to listen to the house. That's when it struck her. Big Macintosh, for all she loved her brother, snored like a storm. Granny Smith never quite knew how to sleep quiet either. But the house sounded silent as a cemetery at night, and that just wasn't right.

Applejack walked slowly and carefully out into the hallway, and looked back and forth. No lights were on upstairs. She nudged open Big Macintosh's door, and looked inside, only to find the room just as it should be. Everything in there was right where it ought to be, except for the lack of big, snoring stallion. After another few moments of checking, Granny Smith and Apple Bloom's room shared similar problems.

That's when she heard the quiet humming, even over the drumming of rain on the windows. Sounded like the summer shower was turning into a bit of a storm outside. But that humming downstairs didn't sound much like any family members she knew of, even if it was somepony visiting from out of town. Applejack crept down the stairs slowly, placing her steps to make sure she didn't make any noise.

As she move down the stairs, she could tell that she wasn't hearing things. Somepony was humming pleasantly downstairs, and a sort of protective fire lit in Applejack's heart. How dare somepony come breaking in to her home? She abandoned her creeping and began to gallop down the stairs, making a loud clatter and knocking the door at the bottom of the stairwell open with a bang.

The humming quieted, and a familiar mare and stallion turned to look at her as she bowled her way into the family room. Applejack's world stopped. It couldn't be them, but it was. The room was just right, even the picture of the two ponies that always hung on the wall was still hanging there, plain as day. Applejack stood still as death, staring at the mare that was slowly walking toward her. Her mother looked a bit sad for only a moment before she opened her mouth, and spoke in a voice Applejack hadn't heard in far too long. "Applejack? What a surprise to see you awake, dear."

It was perfect. Her mother had always had that slight Manehattan accent, barely suppressed under an attempt to sound like she was from Ponyville proper. Her coat was the right color, a sort of deep purple, with that reddish mane. The stallion lounging by the fire looked exactly right too, a sort of washed out indigo with a greenish mane and tail. "Ma? Pa? But how... I thought y'all uh... y'know, in that storm a few years back."

Her father spoke from over by the fire. "Now don't you go worryin' about anythin' like that. There's nothin' to do about it. You prob'ly had another nightmare."

The word echoed for her. Applejack pressed her hoof to her temple, and then shook her head. "Nightmare... Yeah, somethin' like that. I was fightin'... who was it?"

A pair of forelegs hooked around Applejack's withers, and she couldn't help but press into the hug her mother gave her. Like she'd thought before, it was perfect. She felt at peace here, like it she was finally home again. It was so peaceful and still, warm and quiet in the farmhouse, against the storm that battered against the windows. Her mother spoke quietly. "Now dear, you know that there's no reason to worry. Sit down on the couch, and tell me all about your dream. It'll make you feel better."

Applejack allowed herself to be lead to the couch. A part of her wanted to figure out exactly what was going on, but a part of her felt more and more certain that she already knew. "Um, Ma? Where's Apple Bloom? An' Big Mac, an' Granny Smith?"

Her father turned to look into the fire, stoking it idly with an iron poker. "They'll be along, little Jack. Can't rush that kinda thing. Last I heard, yer brother's over at that Cheerilee mare's house, an' your sister's out chasin' her cutie mark. They'll come on home when they're ready. I'm expectin' your granny'll wake up soon enough."

Applejack sighed heavily, and closed her eyes. It was starting to sound like she was right. "Ma, my dream, I uh. I think I was fightin' some important kinda fight, with my friends. I thought we were winnin', but I uh, I'm startin' to think I mighta lost."

Her mother nuzzled against her mane, and gave her a warm hug. Applejack pressed back into that hug, even as she felt a cold weight grow inside her. It felt right, staying here with her parents. It felt warm, and comfortable, and she'd missed them. But there was something missing, and she felt uneasy in a way she just couldn't quite nail down.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sound. She only just barely caught it, somepony's voice on the wind outside. Her parents didn't react at all. Applejack didn't pull back from the hug, but she perked her ears. A second passed, and she heard it again.

It was Twilight. There was no mistaking it.

Applejack pulled away from the hug, and looked to her mother. "Ma, d'you hear that? Sounded like Twilight."

Her mother cocked her head to the side. "Twilight, dear? The librarian? It's pouring rain outside, you'll have to wait until the storm stops to go and read."

As if to emphasize the point, the wind and rain made a clamor outside, clattering loudly against the windowpanes. Applejack could hear the squeaking of the old windmill outside, as the storm spun the vanes far too fast for the mechanics. But even through all that, she could hear shouting. If Twilight was outside, she wouldn't be safe. It wasn't any kind of night to be out in the weather.

Applejack stood up, and her parents both leaped to their hooves as well. Her father spoke quietly, but sternly. "Come on now, 'jack. Don't want t' go out in this kinda squall. You'll catch yer death if y' don't watch out."

She reached up to her mane, and found her hat up there. She didn't even remember putting it on. She set it square against her head. She could hear them plainer now, even above the howling winds and hail. Not just Twilight, she could hear Pinkie, Dash, Rarity, all her friends. "Pa, I can't let 'em stay out there alone. Even if it's dangerous, I have t' go an' help 'em."

Her father knit his brow, and spoke a bit more sternly. "Y' don't know what it's like out there, Applejack. Y' step out that door an' you might never find your way-"

Applejack's mother set her hoof against her husband's side, and the stallion looked at her. He sighed, and shook his head. The mare turned toward Applejack, and took a step forward, giving her another hug, a little tighter than before. "Applejack dear, you know that we both love you. If you think you need to go and help your friends, we won't stop you. We'll see you again, when you get back."

Applejack hugged back, tighter than she needed to, but couldn't find the words to respond. She pulled back after a long moment, and looked into her mother's eyes, and then her father's. She opened her mouth, and then closed it again, and pulled the brim of her hat down to hide her eyes. She hesitated only one more second, before opening the door and stepping out into the raging wind and lashing rain.

"-pplejack! Wake up! Come on, Applejack, you have to wake up!"

Applejack woke with a start, and coughed violently. She struggled to standing before she could open her eyes. Her legs felt weak, and her entire body tingled and prickled like she'd slept on every limb wrong at once. She opened her eyes, and was met with the teary, relieved faces of all of her closest friends. A half-beat passed, and she was tackled and bowled over by Pinkie Pie, who clung to her desperately, laughing and sobbing in relief at the same time.

She patted Pinkie's back, and looked over to the rest of her friends. Her heart thudded in her chest, she felt battered and bruised, and she knew that the fight must be over, and they must have won, even if just barely. "Don't worry, y'all, I'm still here. You ain't losing me that easy."

Her friends crowded around her, hugging her close even as Pinkie completely refused to let her go. She wasn't quite sure if she remembered everything quite right, but there'd be time enough for that later. She closed her eyes as she returned her friends' hugs, and made a promise to herself, and to any ponies that could still hear her in that farmhouse. She'd be back someday, but not until she was good and ready. Then she opened her eyes again, and joined her friends in relieved laughter and triumph.

In Short [Slice of Life]

(THE PROMPT: Dead line OR THE PROMPT: Life line)

As assignments go, this one had seemed quite simple at the start. The test arrived by the normal method, Twilight Sparkle's companion dragon belching it out during an otherwise completely mundane morning. A cover page accompanied the quiz, stating that it was due in twelve hours' time, and that it was to be completed alone. Assignments like these were much more rare now that she wasn't, technically speaking, Princess Celestia's student.

The assignment only struck her as strange when she pulled open the scroll, and found the single question. "What is Spike, to you?"

Princess Twilight Sparkle turned the scroll over, and back again, making certain that it was only just that one question. Something so simple as that, she could do later. She set it aside.

The day was full and busy, and she ended up completely forgetting about the assignment until late. That evening, she sat down on a cushion in the warm private area of her library. She smiled at Spike as he brought over a pot of tea. She opened the scroll again, and set it down on the small desk in front of her, and read the question. What was Spike?

A dozen quick, snappy answers flew through her mind. He was her assistant, a baby, a baby dragon, her friend, her best friend, her little brother, her son. Most of these were correct in some way or another, but they didn't feel quite right. Twilight glanced over toward the dragon currently dusting shelves in her bedroom.

What was Spike, to her?

He was her assistant, yes, but that wasn't enough. He was always there to help her, even when she had been running him ragged for days. He regularly worked himself to the point where he passed out, and with no expectation of thanks for reward. Multiple times, he had pulled her back from the brink of disaster, acting quite literally as a lifeline to keep her afloat in her more panicked times.

Spike was her friend. For the longest time, he had been basically her only friend. Shining Armor had always been there for her, true, but he had his own life to lead. Once she had left to live at Canterlot Castle, and Shining had gone for his guard training, they had seen each other less and less. But Spike... Spike was always there. Before she'd met her Ponyville friends, before she'd learned what friendship truly was, Spike had simply been there for her.

Though she would have a hard time expressing it to him in words, Spike was her little brother. She'd hatched him, been there for his 'birth' so to speak, but she wasn't his mother. They'd never had that kind of relationship. Still though, when she saw Applejack tending to Apple Bloom, guiding her toward a certain conclusion, or helping her through this problem or that... she saw herself as a filly, tending to Spike. They'd never spoken about each other that way, not really, but somehow Twilight felt like they both knew it.

Twilight glanced at the clock. Not a lot of time left on this assignment, and the parchment was still blank.

Spike... Spike had always been with her. Without him, where would she be? He had saved her from herself when she'd gone into a panic over being late for an assignment. He had been there for her when all her other friends had fallen to Discord. He had carried the Crystal Heart when she was trapped, and saved an entire empire. When she'd traveled to another world, he had disobeyed Celestia directly, just to be by her side, and without him, she may have never made it back. How many times had he rallied her friends to her side? How many times had disaster been averted just by his involvement?

She sighed, and looked down at the blank paper. She only had a few minutes left, after delaying all day. Her ruminations had overcomplicated what seemed like a simple question into a complete mess, and now no answer seemed complete enough. She glanced over to the dragon. He was carefully going through the shelves, checking each title to make certain it was in the correct place. He knew she needed to focus, without even being told.

Twilight Sparkle took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. She grasped a quill in her magic, dipped the end in ink, and scratched out a reply. It was much more terse than her usual answers to this kind of thing, but after spending too much time going over her history with the dragon, it was the only way she could think to express her feelings.

She blew gently across the ink until it dried, then loosely rolled and bound the scroll. A moment of dragon fire later, and it was on its way. Twilight smiled, and hugged Spike close, much to the dragon's surprise.

What is Spike, to you?

Dear Princess Celestia:
Everything.
-P. Twilight Sparkle

Half Right [Romance?]

(The prompt: Write an AU story based on an episode of the show, in which a character’s faulty assumptions or decisions about a situation turn out to have been correct all along.)

(I wrote two for this prompt. The mod suggested Pinkie, and I figured why not. This is a lot weaker than the Blueblood one though.)

Pinkie Pie dragged her hooves across the ground as her friend Rainbow Dash dragged her by the tail. Her ex-friend Rainbow Dash. They were almost to the barn now, and Pinkie knew that she wasn't stopping Rainbow from dragging her, just making everything more difficult than it needed to be. But that was fine.

Her friends didn't like her parties and didn't want to be her friends anymore.

It was the worst thing in the world. It was worse than Nightmare Moon trying to make it nighttime forever. It was worse than missing out on the Grand Galloping Gala. It was even worse than baked bads, which were already pretty bad. It was bad enough that Pinkie Pie had to make new friends out of whatever she could find, because she was Pinkie Pie, and Pinkie Pie couldn't be Pinkie Pie without any friends. It was so bad that her mane had even gone straight again, like before she'd even known what fun was.

Rainbow finally stopped tugging at her tail. They'd reached Applejack's barn. All of Pinkie's ex-friends must be right there inside, just waiting to laugh at her for being all alone forever now that all her friends hated her. Rainbow Dash breathed heavily as she called out to the ponies waiting inside, and pushed the door open with a hoof. "We're... hh.. here!"

Pinkie glared into the barn as the door slowly opened on squeaky hinges. There in the middle of what looked like a very festive party filled with red and pink balloons, presents, and cakes, stood the other four of her now-ex-friends, smiling warmly at her. They yelled in unison "SURPRISE!"

It was a farewell party. What kind of terrible pony would throw a surprise farewell party for one of their friends?

Pinkie Pie couldn't overpower Rainbow, and so allowed herself to be pushed across the floor until she was in front of her friends. She stared them down angrily. For their part, the other ponies mostly just looked confused, and Fluttershy whispered something about Pinkie being excited.

"Excited? EXCITED?!" Pinkie Pie glowered at her once friends. "Why would I be excited to attend my own FAREWELL PARTY?!"

Twilight Sparkle looked genuinely confused. "Farewell party?"

"Yes! You all don't like my parties, and you don't want to be my friends anymore, so you're kicking me out of town and you're throwing a great, big party to celebrate! A 'Farewell to Pinkie Pie' Party!" Pinkie Pie nearly collapsed to the floor, the full realization of how badly she'd misjudged all her friends settling onto her.

Applejack spoke next, sounding a bit guilty. "Uh, well, I guess you're about half right."

"Geez, AJ, just break her heart for pony's sake." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, and swooped over toward a cake sitting on a table nearby.

Pinkie's head drooped another inch. "So I was right..."

Rarity's voice was quiet and even, sounding for all the world as though she were treading carefully around a crazy pony. "Darling, this isn't a farewell party, and we all adore your parties, though I suppose we are all hoping we'll stop being friends, in a manner of speaking."

Pinkie Pie drooped further, nearly laying on the floor as tears welled up in her eyes. She jumped just slightly as she felt a hoof on her back. Twilight spoke quietly. "Pinkie Pie, you know we would never hate you or your parties. Will you at least... read the cake?"

She lifted her head, and looked at Twilight Sparkle. The other mare's eyes showed concern for Pinkie, but were sparkling with hope behind that. Pinkie looked upward, at the hanging red streamers, made of alternating cakes, candies, and hearts. She turned toward the pile of presents, looking to be mostly Hearts and Hooves Day style candy boxes and heartfelt gifts. She looked around at the heart-shaped pink and red balloons. Finally, she stepped over and looked at the cake. There in the center, with a drawing of her and all her friends in icing, were the words "WE ALL LOVE YOU - HAPPY BIRTHDAY PINKIE PIE".

Suddenly, everything made sense! Pinkie's hair poofed back out as she realized what had really been going on. "It's my birthday! How could I have forgotten my own birthday?"

She hugged all of her friends at once, and smiled inwardly as they all sighed in relief. She only squeezed them closer though. "And you all love me so much that you don't want to be friends, you want to be GIRLfriends!"

"That's what we've been trying to tell you, darling! Ever since we all met we've been getting closer, and we all felt your birthday would be the best occasion for this sort of thing!"

Pinkie let her friends go, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "You girls are gonna be the best girlfriends ever! How could I have ever doubted you?"

Twilight Sparkle smiled and kissed Pinkie's cheek. "It's okay, Pinkie, it could have happened to any of us."

Her other girlfriends all laughed and agreed, and the group shared another loving hug. Explanations could come later, or the story of just how it had even been decided that they'd all be together. For that matter, the logistics of all being together might have to be worked out. But for now, Pinkie just grinned widely. "Okay girls! That's enough hugging, it's time to PARTY!"

Dear Princess Celestia,

I am writing to you from the most delightful party. I'm not only having a great time with my friends, but also was given the opportunity to learn a valuable lesson about friendship. Always expect the best from your friends, and never assume the worst. Rest assured that a good friend always has your best interests at heart.

Though, just as a warning, once I have time to write my next letter, it's going to be long, and maybe a little unexpected.

Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle

The Price [Dark, Slice of Life?]

(The Prompt: Fluttershy’s vampirism awakens.)

Applejack trotted casually down the lane toward Fluttershy's cottage. It was warm and pleasant out, a nice late summer day in Ponyville. Only a few clouds dotted the sky, just enough to break up the endless blue, and the temperature was just under being too hot. By all accounts, this was the kind of day that would usually put Applejack in a bright and cheery mood.

Not today, however. Her saddlebags contained a few apples, all drained near dry of their juice. Unsellable, of course, but more worrying for other reasons. The sunlight seemed to dim slightly as Applejack approached the lonely cottage, way out in the outskirts of Ponyville. Times had been changing, lately. The animals around the cottage now included nearly half the vampire fruit bats that used to stay in the sanctuary on Sweet Apple Acres. Fluttershy couldn't convince the bats to leave, but they seemed comfortable enough there that she hadn't tried overly hard.

Applejack knocked lightly on the door. A few moments passed, but then a quiet, slightly raspy voice called out from the other side. "Oh, no visitors today! I um, don't mean to seem rude, but--"

"It's me, Sugarcube. C'mon an' open up."

The lock, fairly newly installed, clacked loudly as it was undone, and then the door opened. Applejack stepped quickly inside, and jumped a bit as the door closed behind her. She turned around to face her friend, Fluttershy. Fluttershy's eyes were strangely red, and her lips failed to completely hide the pointed fangs she'd grown. Fluttershy's head dipped a little as she saw Applejack's eyes. "It's... happening again, I'm sorry about your apples, I... I can't help it, some nights."

Applejack opened her saddlebags and pulled out the batch of apples. There were only five, and she set them down on the coffee table with a slight squishing noise. "Y'had five this time, Fluttershy. Now don't you worry about payin' for-"

"But I have to pay for them!" Fluttershy swooped forward, and wrapped her forelegs around Applejack tightly. "I can't eat your apples and just not pay for it, Applejack."

Applejack pulled back slightly, but didn't bother fighting to get away from her friend. "Come on now, Fluttershy. Five apples ain't a big thing between friends."

Fluttershy nodded, and nuzzled slowly against Applejack's neck, breathing in through her nose as she did. Applejack gently but firmly pushed her away, and Fluttershy resisted for only a second or two before letting go and flying several feet away with her eyes widening. "Oh! I'm so sorry, Applejack, I can't help myself. Please, we need to go to Twilight about-"

"We ain't goin' to Twilight, Sugarcube. Look, I know she might have some spell or somethin', but every time she's tried with this she's just gone an' made it worse. First vampire fruit bats were bad enough, but then her magic made you a vampire pony bat or somethin', and then tryin' to fix you made you... well, y'know. Like this. I'm not lettin' her make more of a mess of things than she already has."

Fluttershy landed on the floor, turning her head aside and looking down and away. "But... the first time took a month, and then three weeks, and..."

"And now it's been two weeks an' we're doin' this again. Dont' you worry, I'm bettin' it'll slow down come the end of harvest season."

Fluttershy sighed, and walked over to her coinpurse, fishing out a few bits and setting them down on the table for Applejack. "... There, that pays for the apples."

Applejack picked up the bits and stowed them in her saddlebags, and then looked to Fluttershy. "And th' other part?"

She seemed to shrink away from Applejack. "Can't I just keep paying for apples? I have the money for them, if I don't buy special food for Angel."

"An' risk lettin' this thing set in more than it has already? You know th' longer you go without doin' this the hungrier an' battier you get."

Fluttershy took a step toward Applejack, her eyes wide and staring at the other mare's neck. "But... but I remember doing it now, and it's... so awkward, and strange, and I... I hate being a vampire pony..."

Applejack set her hooves on the floor, willing herself as hard as she could to stay put. There was a sort of gleam in her friend's eyes that set off deep-seated instincts. Ponies, as a rule, didn't generally like predator animals. "It's my fault things are gettin' this sour. Don't you blame yourself, Sugarcube."

Fluttershy finally reached Applejack, and reared up slightly, resting her forelegs over Applejack's withers as she leaned in. She sniffed Applejack's neck, as her eyes glazed over. "It's... so strange though."

Applejack set her jaw, and forced herself to stay standing as her fur set on end. She stayed quiet. There was a price to be paid for keeping her friend now that she'd made the mistake of getting this magic on her, and Applejack was more than willing to pay any price to keep her friends around.

Fluttershy opened her mouth, and then pressed forward, sinking her fangs into Applejack's neck. The other mare jumped at the sudden pain, but held still as best she could. The pain faded quickly, as always, and there was just a soothing warmth from Fluttershy holding on to her, and a spreading calm and almost pleasant numbness from the bite. Applejack's entire body relaxed as Fluttershy drank from her, even as her head grew foggy and her legs shook.

A minute or two passed, neither pony could keep track of time, before Fluttershy pulled away with a gasp, and backpeddled several feet, until she bumped into a wall. She shuddered and whimpered as her fanged teeth retracted to the smallish little nubs they were before, barely any longer or sharper than her other teeth. Her eyes lost the red gleam, and she finally felt sated.

Fluttershy sank to the floor, with tears welling up in her eyes. Applejack stood still a moment, before turning to look at herself in a nearby mirror. As usual, she wasn't bleeding even after that. She walked over to her friend, and lay down beside her, hugging her close. Fluttershy sniffled and held tightly to Applejack.

Applejack felt terribly drained. Every time they did this, she felt a little worse after. But it was still worth it, to keep her friend healthy. Fluttershy sobbed against her coat, and Applejack felt lower than a snake, having done this to one of her best friends. Still, what was done was done, and there was no reason to go on beating herself up about it.

It was nearly an hour later that Applejack managed to leave the small cottage. Fluttershy had mostly recovered, and after a bit of a late dinner, Applejack was feeling better despite her blood loss. Applejack waved to Fluttershy as she trotted down the path, away from the cottage. She watched as Fluttershy closed the door.

Applejack turned to face forward. She ran her tongue along her upper teeth, feeling the small, pointed canines that suddenly seemed so pronounced.

She might have to go to Twilight after all.

Making Friends in High Places [Action, Drama?]

(Prompt: FFAF, no prompt)

This one seemed better before I wrote it. I think it's worth revisiting in a non-TMP format, but I don't know.

Scootaloo grumbled to herself as she buzzed her wings and sped through town on her scooter, only slightly paying attention to her path. "Stupid Sisterhooves Social. Stupid Crusaders with their stupid sisters that don't have stupid Wonderbolts training every stupid weekend."

It was the kind of angry grumbling that tended to distract a filly, and Scootaloo didn't notice as the smooth, packed-earth road became a bit rougher. She didn't notice as the open fields and nicely tended gardens changed into scraggly trees and overgrown vines. She didn't notice the light being dimmed by the canopy above her, or the eyes peering out between the tree trunks on either side.

She did however notice the loud roar.

Scootaloo turned her scooter hard, skidding to a stop and looking around in a panic. Where in Equestria was she? This looked like the Everfree forest! That was when she saw the timberwolf prowling slowly toward her, its empty eyes glowing a bright green. Scootaloo's ears folded back, and she jumped back on the scooter and took off at full speed, screaming in a panic. "Aaah! Get away get away get away!"

The timberwolf charged after her, and matched her pace easily, and she couldn't help glancing back every few seconds as it chased her. She bounced the scooter over rocks and roots in the path, her wings buzzing as hard as they could go. She looked back again, only to see the wolf's teeth snap just behind her tail. She turned back around just in time to see the branch right in front of her face.

"Awaugh!" Scootaloo tumbled forward in a mess of helmet, scooter, and filly. When the world stopped spinning, she found herself on her back, with her helmet beside her and several feet from her scooter, with the timberwolf between them. She looked at the approaching predator, and suddenly couldn't tear her eyes away from the glowing green ones staring back.

Suddenly, the forest echoed with another roar, and everything seemed to happen at once. A wall of brown fur seemed to land right in front of her, and the wolf jumped back in surprise. Scootaloo kicked her hooves and scooted backward away from the newcomer. It was a griffon!

The griffon grabbed Scootaloo's discarded helmet and threw it toward the timberwolf, before launching herself into the air toward it. The wolf batted the helmet away only to get talons dragged across its face, leaving deep gashes in the wood. The wolf yelped in pain, and the griffon took the momentary distraction to take Scootaloo's scooter and swing it in a wide arc, shearing off the wolf's wooden muzzle with the wheels. The wolf exploded into sticks and leaves.

Howls broke out all around them, and the griffon's eyes widened. She darted toward Scootaloo, and before the filly could even react, she found herself lifted up above the trees, and being carried higher and higher. She wasn't ashamed to find herself screaming in a panic.

Scootaloo tumbled head over hooves as the griffon tossed her to the floor of a small cave, high on the side of one of the mountains in the Everfree forest. This time Scootaloo managed to find her hooves and stop tumbling right side up. She stood up in a defiant pose, though she could feel her whole body shaking as she looked up at the white and brown griffon.

The griffon seemed unimpressed as she shouted angrily. "What are you doing out in the Everfree Forest?! Are you trying to feed the wolves or are you just stupid?!"

"Don't eat me! I'll go home and never come back I promise!" Scootaloo didn't even recognize the voice as her own. The griffon had just taken down a timber wolf in only a couple seconds, as cool as it was to see, it meant that Scootaloo couldn't even start to fight her.

The griffon squeezed her eyes shut and then made a dismissive wave of her talons. "Whatever, you're just a cub. Or filly or whatever. I'm not going to eat you, dweeb."

Scootaloo pulled her foreleg off of her eyes, and let herself look up at the griffon. She'd already walked across the little cave, and was digging through a small bag. She tossed an apple over to Scootaloo, who fumbled only slightly before managing to catch it. "Here, eat that. You're not gonna be able to fly home on an empty stomach."

"You... don't eat ponies?"

"Not since flight camp, kid." The griffon remarked dryly as she pulled what looked like a dried fish from a small rack in the side of the cave, and tore a strip of it off before swallowing it down. "What were you doing in the forest? I thought you ponies didn't come out here. Look at you, you don't even have your uh... booty mark."

"It's 'cutie mark'! And I'm not a baby, I'm almost out of school! Anyway, I don't know why I'm out here. All my friends ditched me, so I just left." Scootaloo munched on the slightly-too-old apple, and tried to ignore the meat-eating griffon. "And I'm Scootaloo, not 'kid'."

"Scootaloo, huh? I'm Gilda. Doesn't matter anyway. Just eat your apple and fly back home. You lame ponies don't need to be out here." Gilda lay back on a bed of furs while finished off her fish, and then chucked the bones out of the front of the cave and over the edge of the landing outside.

Scootaloo felt herself sink lower, and she pushed the rest of the apple away. "I... can't fly. Rainbow Dash tried to teach me but-"

"Wait, you know Dash?" The griffon sat up again, looking Scootaloo over.

Scootaloo grinned proudly. "Yeah, she's my big sister! Or kind of like that anyway. But she still can't make my wings work, and she's busy with her stupid Wonderbolts stuff today. She's always too busy for me lately."

Gilda managed to grin despite not having lips. "So she got in? Cool. I knew she had the stuff." The griffon ran her talons through her head feathers. "So what, you're her adopted charity case or something? I thought all pegasus ponies your age could fly."

Finding the courage to stand up and flaring her wings defiantly again, Scootaloo frowned at the big griffon. "Hey! Just 'cause I can't fly doesn't mean you have to be a jerk about it!"

Gilda laughed, but held up a talon defensively. "Alright, calm down. Look kid, I'll fly you to the edge of the forest, alright? But only if you tell Dash something. Tell her I'm out here, and I'm not comin' back 'till she apologizes. And hey, they had me teaching kids to fly at camp. Maybe if you get her to say she's sorry, I'll even help you out. Deal?"

Scootaloo looked down at the griffon's talon, curled into a fist, and then gave her a hoof bump. "Deal."

A Manehattan Afternoon [Comedy,Shipping]

(The Prompt: What were the others doing in Manehattan while Rarity was busy with Fashion Week?)

(I know next to nothing about NYC, so if these locations are impossible to visit quickly in an afternoon... sorry. Also shipping for no reason.)

The group of five ponies and one dragon trotted lightly out of the double doors of the Mane Fair Hotel. Twilight Sparkle looked up at the towering buildings around them and smiled. "Okay, so the dresses are on their way. Where should we all go while Rarity's busy?"

"We gotta go to Poney Island!" Rainbow Dash leaped up into the air, and pulled a tight loop. "It's got all kinds of rides and haunted houses and stuff, and that Luna Park place they just finished!"

Fluttershy wilted at the mention of such a place. "Oh, I was um... wanting to visit the Broncs Zoo, but... either would be fine."

Twilight thought for a moment. "I was planning on taking an airship tour. It's probably the most efficient way to see everything, since we can't all fly."

Pinkie Pie grinned widely, and hugged Twilight with one foreleg. "Okie dokie! We'll all split up into couples! Me and Twilight will go fly in a balloon, Rainbow Dash and Applejack can go ride rides, and Fluttershy can take Spike to the zoo! Then we can meet back here in a few hours!"

Spike started to protest that he and Fluttershy weren't anything approaching a couple, but everypony had already taken off in different directions. Sighing, he just quickly broke into a run to catch up with Fluttershy.

Fluttershy smiled as she trotted alongside Spike. The weather today was perfect for visiting the zoo, and all the animals were awake and active. It was a little too crowded for Fluttershy's taste, but her excitement over seeing all the animals, as well as her duty of keeping Spike safe, kept her alert and attentive. Truthfully, it was mostly the animals. "Oh look, Spike! A Kangaroo!"

Spike hopped up onto the fence, looking down into the enclosure. It occurred to him rather quickly that kangaroos didn't exactly do all that much. "Yeah, that's cool I guess. I wonder if this place has any dragons..."

"Oh, no, it doesn't, but there's an aquarium nearby. Look, lions too! These don't live anywhere near here."

Spike walked over to where Fluttershy had galloped excitedly. Three lions sat lounging lazily in the sun, while one yawned widely, showing off some pretty impressive teeth. Spike glanced down at the information placard on the lookout area, then back to the lions. A moment later he looked back to the placard with a little more urgency. "Uh, Fluttershy, this says this exhibit is supposed to contain FOUR lions."

Fluttershy stood up straight, her eyes widening. A moment later, the ponies visiting the park broke into a stampede at the sound of a loud roar.

"Wow Twilight! I didn't know you being a Princess meant we could get a private cabin for the airship tour!" Pinkie Pie pressed her hooves to the huge, floor to ceiling windows and looked excitedly out over the city.

Twilight blushed at the mention of her title and smiled at Pinkie as she looked out of the window as well, admiring the view of all the towering buildings and landmarks of the famous city. Her wings fluttered a bit, instinctively, at the sight of the ground so far below. "This is amazing! We can see the whole city from up here!"

Pinkie Pie pressed her side to Twilight's, her smile taking on a familiar and slightly sly aspect. "Yeah, it's kind of romaaantic isn't it?"

Twilight blushed heavily. "Pinkie! Not in public, we agreed-"

"But it's a private cabin! C'mon, Twilight don'tcha want to join the mile-high club?"

Twilight Sparkled stamped the floor with her hoof. "We're nowhere near a mile high, Pinkie, anmgngnh!"

Pinkie cut Twilight off by tackling her to the floor in a loving hug with accompanying smooch.

"Ah just don't see why th' Wonderbolt Coaster's gotta be closed. Granny Smith used t' go on about it all th' time."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "It's like a hundred years old is why. That's why we're going on this ride instead, the Ghost Colt! First pony to scream loses!"

Applejack looked up at the gaudy and overplayed horror decorations. "I don't know, Rainbow, this all looks kinda corny."

The attendant strapped both ponies into their car, and then started the ride. As the darkness grew around them, Applejack could still see Rainbow Dash's grin. She knew that grin. "Hey now, no funny business, Rainbow."

"Yeah, only the most DARING pony would DARE make out on a haunted house ride."

Fluttershy stared daggers at the roaring lion. It finished its dominant roaring, but then pulled back a little, staring back into Fluttershy's commanding gaze. Spike held tightly onto the lion's leg, hoping that he was at least helping keep it from running a little bit.

"Now you're going to calm down, mister meany-lion! You know you're not supposed to be out of your home, and you're scaring all these ponies. Just look at the mess you made of Spike and I! Now, you're going to go right back to your nice big enclosure and stay there from now on, aren't you?"

The lion nodded, shrinking away from the scary yellow pegasus, and quickly scampered off toward the wall of its enclosure, before hopping down inside. Spike collapsed flat on the ground, exhausted from the chase and being scared out of his mind. Fluttershy just smiled down at him, and then tossed him lightly up onto her back, before trotting back toward the hotel.

She couldn't wait to take a bath after the frenzied fleeing and chasing.

"I still can't believe y' messed up my mane enough t' get cobwebs in it. I thought all th' spiders on that darn ride were fake." Applejack fussed with her ponytail as she walked alongside the flying Rainbow Dash. She didn't have a brush with her, and working her mane with bare hooves was nigh impossible.

Rainbow Dash shrugged, all smiles and victorious grins. "Doesn't matter if it was a real spider in your mane making you scream like that. I still won! You owe me dinner at the Far Afield Tavern later!"

"I already got ya that stupid hat. B'sides, Rarity said she was buyin' dinner."

Looking up, Applejack spotted Pinkie Pie waving to them from the hotel doors. Her voice carried as far as it needed to, like always. "Hey Applejack! Hey Rainbow Dash! You made it back!"

Rainbow Dash grinned again as she spotted Twilight's frizzy and mussed up hair. "Ha! I bet I know what you two were doing!"

Twilight shot a look at an oblivious Pinkie Pie, but then turned her nose up indignantly. "No. It was just windy on the airship! Besides, Applejack's mane is just as ba-"

"We went on th' Skyros Flyer! It weren't anythin' weird!" Applejack spoke a little too quickly and in a tone that made it obvious to everypony.

Rainbow landed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, smooth, AJ. Just like you practiced."

"Oh my, all of you are already back? I hope everything went okay."

Four sets of eyes turned toward Fluttershy and Spike. The baby dragon was still laying on her back, looking completely spent, with mud and grass stuck all over his scales. Fluttershy's mane was in a tangle, with sticks all twisted up in it and leaves stuck to her mane and coat with splotches of mud and sweat all over.

Twilight stammered a few unbelieving syllables.

Fluttershy just blinked in confusion. "Um... what's wrong?"

Rarity Ascendant [Drama]

(The prompt: Another moon.)

"Twilight, darling, when you invited me to come out and help restore this castle, I didn't expect to spend the entire day underground."

Rarity walked gingerly through the dark, dusty corridor. The ancient castle of the Royal Pony Sisters had never been an entirely pleasant place, at least not for a thousand years, but the tunnels under the castle just seemed even more dark and miserable than the ruins above.

Twilight Sparkle turned and smiled tightly at Rarity. "I'm sorry, Rarity, I didn't realize how deep these tunnels went."

"To think that we should get lost in such a dismal place! I simply don't know what we'll do if we can't find the way out again!"

Twilight lit her horn and scoured another mark into the wall. "They can't go on forever. We'll find our way out, Rarity, don't worry!"

The two continued down the corridor, casting looks into each room as they passed. These old tunnels seemed to have mostly just been used for storage, and most of the materials in a palace like this didn't stay in usable condition for so long. Rarity's voice held all the weight of walking for hours in the dark. "Oh this is simply terrible, Twilight! It's so dank and musty down here, it will absolutely ruin my mane, and of course we are also likely to starve at this rate."

"Hey, a light! Come on, Rarity, that must be a way out!"

Both ponies broke into a gallop toward the lit doorway. Their hoofsteps echoed down the lonely corridor as they turned around the corner and stopped abruptly. It was another treasure room, but markedly different. Twilight's eyes darted over the glowing marks and etched protections on the walls, and she furrowed her brows a bit. "These marks look... familiar."

Rarity shied away from the glowing runes, but still looked around the room, hoping against logic for an open window or something. Instead, her eyes stopped on a glowing, jet-black gem, set on a pedestal in the dead center of the room. The gem thrummed quietly, though she felt it more than hearing it. It reminded her of little so much as King Sombra's crystals, and scraps of some sort of blue metal spun slowly around it.

She took a step forward. She wasn't usually quite this enamored with gemstones... well, that was a lie. But even so, there was something special about this one. She stepped forward again, only tangentially aware of Twilight talking.

"Rarity, I think these runes are a spell containment circle. It's a really, really old design... Rarity?"

Twilight looked up from the glowing markings, only to see Rarity approaching the pedestal in the center of the room. Twilight's eyes widened. "Rarity, stop! Don't touch that, we don't even know what it is!"

Rarity blinked, and shook her head quickly. "What... oh my, whatever was I doing? Twilight, I'm terribly sorry, but..." She looked back at the gem, and it seemed to fill her vision. "I'm... sorry, but this is absolutely the most perfect gemstone..."

Twilight blinked in confusion. "Gemstone? Rarity, it's just scraps of metal there, and a lot of magic. But whatever that is, somepony went through a lot of trouble to keep it contained. Besides, that almost looks like... Nightmare Moon's armor..."

"Twilight Sparkle! How can you miss such a beautiful stone?" Rarity spoke, aghast, as she reached a hoof up and dared to ever so gently take hold of the floating gem. She could see herself in the pristine facet of the jet-black stone. Her reflection looked back into her eyes. She was dimly aware of Twilight shouting something. Her eyes, in the reflection, suddenly flashed bright yellow, and the world fell away.

Pinkie Pie didn't need a huge number of ponies in attendance to have a fun party. Tonight it was only Applejack and Rainbow Dash, but the three of them were having a fun nighttime picnic out in the middle of Sweet Apple Acres. Three friends, some months-old cider, and a full moon, and they could have all the silly fun they wanted to.

Rainbow Dash continued her story. "So then Daring was all tired and worn out, and I had to fight Ahuizotl myself! Yeah, it's too bad you guys weren't there. You coulda seen how awesome I was!"

Applejack chuckled warmly while Pinkie Pie busied herself making sure all their glasses were full. "Come on now, Sugarcube. It sounds like y' might be sprucin' up the truth a little there."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well... maybe a little. But it was still pretty awesome..."

Rainbow Dash trailed off, staring upwards. A moment later, her friends realized something was up, and looked upward as well. There, in the sky next to the moon, was a gaping black hole. It was nearly another moon in itself, but instead of glowing with a soft light, it seemed to draw in the light around it. Far from the deep blue-black of the night sky, it was darker than any of the three had ever seen. Closing their eyes would have been brighter.

Pinkie spoke first, even her voice carrying a little bit of worry. "Ummm, what in Equestria is THAT? That thing doesn’t look fun at all!"

"I'm thinkin' we need t' go find Twilight. Right now."

Rainbow Dash flapped her wings, instantly a few feet upward. "Yeah, you two go find Fluttershy and Rarity. I'll go to the librar-"

A brilliant flash of light temporarily blinded the three, and when they opened their eyes, they found Princess Twilight Sparkle standing between them, panting heavily and sweating. She looked at each of them, and then looked up and visibly paled. "Rainbow Dash! Go get Fluttershy, and tell Spike to send a letter to Princess Celestia!"

Applejack stood quickly, standing defiantly as though she could push away the strange new moon with sheer willpower. "Twilight? What in the hay is goin' on here?"

Twilight Sparkle looked at Applejack, and then up at the moon. "The Pony of Shadows has taken Rarity, and we don't have much time to get her back."

Desperate Times [Adventure, Sad?]

(Prompt: The Tree of Harmony loses its Elements once again.)

(Warning, a bit sad)

Apple Bloom turned and bucked hard against the thick vines covering the cave. The vines shuddered under the first impact, cracked under the second, and then finally splintered under a third. Apple Bloom smiled to her friends. "See? Nothin' to it."

Scootaloo shook her head and frowned. "It's not cool acting proud, Apple Bloom. None of us want to be here."

"I know that, Scootaloo, but since we ain't got a choice we might as well try to keep our spirits up a little." Apple Bloom sighed as Scootaloo walked into the cave first, with a sour expression on her face. Sweetie Belle at least forced a smile for Apple Bloom's sake, while Dinky Doo, Berry Pinch, and Silver Spoon just looked terrified.

It wasn't their fault, really. Most fillies and colts from Ponyville stayed far clear of the Everfree Forest. "There ain't nothin' to be scared of, y'all. We used to go in th' forest all the time when we were crusaders."

Dinky seemed unconvinced, looking side to side in a fright as the six of them walked slowly through the darkness of the cave. "Mama says... always used to say... that the Everfree Forest was too dangerous."

"Well it kinda is," Apple Bloom said, picking her words carefully, "but that doesn't mean it ain't worth comin' here sometimes. You know, when we have to."

Scootaloo's voice cut through the sounds of hooves on stone. "Yeah, like when nopony comes back and now we're stuck trying to save Equestria."

The light from Sweetie Belle's horn flickered a bit, but then grew stable again, though her voice wavered. "Scootaloo! They might still be fine, don't think like that!"

Silver Spoon nuzzled Sweetie Belle's mane as the two walked together, and Berry Pinch just rolled her eyes and hung back to get closer to Apple Bloom. "Are you sure about this? Do any of you even know what will happen if we do this?"

Apple Bloom glanced at the other ponies, but no of them seemed to be watching her at the moment. She shook her head, and spoke in a hushed whisper. "No, I don't. But I know what'll happen if we don't stop Discord, an' these are the only way anypony knows how t' do that."

The air seemed to grow thicker as they descended through the overgrown chasm. The stressed chatter between friends tapered off quickly, and the silence grew and expanded until it covered them all like a thick blanket. Sweetie Belle's light seemed to barely pierce the darkness, to the point that Dinky Doo lit her horn as well, giving a quiet grunt of exertion as she did so.

Slowly, a light seemed to grow around them. The tangled green vines and gnarled rock trees gave way to natural stone pillars and cave flowers. The oppressive silence felt lighter, and then became more of a calming, contemplative quiet. The light was faint at first, but then slowly got brighter. Not quite enough that the unicorns weren't needed, but just enough to see the glimmer of the cave walls around them.

Scootaloo was in the lead, and when she suddenly stopped short, everypony immediately noticed. Their own hooves slowed as they trotted up beside her, stopping to look upward at the tree. The Tree of Harmony stood proudly in this dark cave, with its silvered branches and brightly shining gems.

Sweetie Belle made a quiet sound in her throat as she caught sight of the purple, diamond-shaped gem embedded in one of the boughs. Silver Spoon leaned gently against her, and Sweetie shook her head, and looked back up toward the tree with renewed confidence.

Scootaloo looked back to Dinky, and buzzed her wings. "Hey, come on. Time's wasting."

Dinky Doo nodded, and lowered her horn. She winced as the magic flowed through it, and then staggered backward when the spell was complete. Scootaloo flapped her wings a couple times, and then nodded as she gained altitude. She flew slowly and still a little uncertainly up toward the tree. She started, predictably, with the red lightning bolt. She pressed her hoof to the gem, and it made a tiny scraping sound as it fell easily from its mount.

Berry Pinch glanced toward Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom shook her head. There would be a time to tell the others later. Scootaloo flew over to the rest of the elements, and each came out of the tree without difficulty. She flew down a moment later, and set the gemstones into Apple Bloom's saddlebag. The tree itself seemed to dim slightly, but nothing catastrophic happened. Just yet, anyway.

"C'mon y'all. We need t' get these to Zecora quick as we can. She's got some way to set 'em straight so we can use 'em."

The six turned to start walking back toward the exit of the chasm, with Scootaloo flying overhead now. The silence seemed even heavier now. Apple Bloom brought up the rear of the group, as usual, and tried not to watch Silver Spoon's attempts to comfort Sweetie Belle. She cursed inwardly when she saw Sweetie Belle break off from Silver Spoon and slow down so that she could talk to Apple Bloom.

"Apple Bloom, that was too easy. Didn't you say it might be dangerous?"

Apple Bloom sighed, and glanced again at Berry Pinch. Berry rolled her eyes, and then trotted forward to occupy Silver Spoon with idle chatter. Apple Bloom took a deep breath, and spoke quietly. "Sweetie Belle, it woulda been dangerous if..."

Apple Bloom shook her head, and then spoke in a whisper, with her head drooped and her ears back. "Y'can't take the Elements out of the Tree that easy, if anypony's still connected to them."

Sweetie Belle's eyes glistened, and she opened her mouth a moment, then closed it. She nodded, and trotted a bit faster to catch up with Silver again. Apple Bloom looked down at the floor, and then steeled herself. Equestria needed her, and she wasn't going to disappoint her sister, wherever she was.

One and One Make Two [Romace?]

(The Prompt: Two or more of the Mane Six move in together.)

(This worked better in my head before I wrote it. The pacing is weird and the ending lacks punch. Still though, figure I should post.)

On a cold winter's night, two mares looked up at the ceiling of their bedroom. A day previous, of course, it had just been Rarity's bedroom. Pinkie Pie giggled lazily, the comfortable afterglow of their celebrations bringing even her tireless laughter and ebullience down a bit.

"This is sooo super awesome, Rarity! Now we can live together and share everything!"

Rarity smiled and brushed her hoof over Pinkie's frizzy mane. "Yes, darling, everything that is mine is yours. I wouldn't dare hold anything back from my affianced."

Pinkie giggled again and hugged Rarity close. "The Cakes said they didn't mind me setting up a bakery even if it's competition! We're going to have the fanciest cakes and prettiest pastries in Ponyville! It'll be like dancing, except I won't always be stepping on your hooves!"

Rarity smiled at her girlfriend's enthusiasm and joie de vivre, and then wasted no time in drawing her into another celebratory kiss.

"Oh, welcome to Carousel Boutique! Where every garment is chic, unique, and magni-"

An explosion rocked the boutique, scaring fashionista and clientele alike. The wealthy looking and quite well-dressed noble visitors from Canterlot turned tail and fled the shop in a hurry, leaving Rarity standing there with her mouth hanging open. She could metaphorically see the bits she could have made just trailing from the nobles' saddlebags as they ran off.

A moment later, the door to the kitchen-turned-bakery opened, and a smiling, cheerful Pinkie Pie poked her head into the boutique. "Rarity! We're throwing a surprise-to-everypony party in here, since my party cannon just went off by itself! Come on, free cake and milkshakes for everypony!"

Rarity closed her mouth, looked to Pinkie, and couldn't help but smile at the mare's excitement. "... Yes, darling. I'll be along shortly."

Fillies and colts danced and laughed inside the boutique, after business hours. Rarity and Pinkie Pie laughed together as they oversaw Sweetie Belle's cute-ceañera. Rarity was of course happy to host the party for her sister, as proud as the entire family was of the little filly.

Pinkie Pie laughed and spun around as she danced with one of the many ponyquins in the room, the dress on the doll fluttering out beside it. Even so occupied though, she could tell that something was off. "Hey, Rarity! Can we move all these ponyquins? The fillies wanna dance!"

"Oh, of course, darling. Though we'll need to put them out again later, precisely as before. Oh, do be careful with that icing, Scootaloo! I know that purple coloring stains fabric, and I simply can't do with ruined dresses!"

Pinkie Pie happily poured cake batter into the pans, smiling and shaking her tail a bit as she cooked. Even with all the messes lately, the new bakery was doing great! Plenty of customers, not as many as Sugarcube Corner, but these things took time. Besides, baking was fun even if nopony bought the baked good after. Besides, she loved seeing the smiles her treats brought all the ponies that visited.

She trotted around the pile of fabrics and half-finished sewing on the counter. The boutique had been Rarity's just a while ago, and living alone meant that her work had filled every place in the building. It was a bit like how bags of flour and other ingredients were all over the Cake's living spaces in Sugarcube corner.

Pinkie was just setting the pans into the oven when a piercing shriek completely shattered her happy baking. She dropped the pan to the floor in surprise, spilling batter in all directions, and bolted off toward the customer side of the bakery as quickly as her hooves could carry her.

A furious looking pegasus mare held a cupcake out to Pinkie Pie, her hoof shaking as she did so. A tiny glimmer of metal shined in the brown chocolate cupcake. "Look at this! There's a sewing needle in my little colt's cupcake! Thank Celestia I saw it before he bit down on it! I'm never coming back to this place again!"

Pinkie drooped as she watched the customers all file out, leaving their cheery, delicious, and possibly a bit too pointy treats behind. She looked down at the chocolate confection on the floor, and miserably kicked it away.

On a cold winter's night, two mares looked up at the ceiling of their bedroom. Just a week ago, it had been Rarity's bedroom. Pinkie Pie sighed and nuzzled against Rarity, almost afraid to let her go. Rarity pet Pinkie's mane with her hoof. "It has been a difficult week, dear."

Pinke Pie nodded against Rarity's neck. "I'm super sorry about scaring Hoity Toity, and for getting flour on all your Hindian silks."

Rarity patted Pinkie's mane gently. "And I am sorry for taking over the kitchen with my sewing, and for hanging clothes out to dry in front of the bakery."

A silence settled over them for a few moments, and then stretched out unpleasantly. Pinkie Pie spoke strangely quietly, her voice quavering while her face was hidden against Rarity's neck and mane. "Are you gonna kick me out?"

"Oh of course not, darling, how could you even think such a thing? True, both of our businesses are suffering at the moment, but I'm certain things will turn around!"

"Maybe we're just too different to live together." Pinkie's entire body seemed to droop as she spoke, all the life seeming to drain from her mane and personality at once. Rarity squeezed her close, almost desperately so, and that did seem to manage to restore her just a bit.

Rarity paused a moment, and then smiled. "Darling, that may be just what is wrong. Oh, don't give me that look, I didn't mean it like that. What if instead of sharing everything, we only shared some parts?"

Pinkie pulled her muzzle away from Rarity's neck enough to look at her with a questioning expression.

"Well, for instance, the Boutique showroom and my inspiration room could be mine," Rarity continued, "and the kitchen could be yours. I have enough bits saved that it wouldn't be difficult to add a little dining area to the side of the building, instead of using that half of the showroom."

Pinkie Pie folded her ears back nervously. Rarity pet her mane comfortingly, never enjoying seeing the normally bubbly pony so miserable. Pinkie thought for a moment. "So we'd still share the bedroom and bathroom and living room? But what about not holding anything back from your aff-fiancee?"

"Affianced, dear. Well... perhaps trying to be together as one isn't the best idea. I love you for you, Pinkie Pie darling, and I believe that being together as two ponies is better than forcing ourselves to share our entire lives."

Pinkie's mane poofed up a bit at the compliment, and she hugged Rarity tightly, oblivious to the unicorn's slightly strangled protests. A moment later, she loosened her hug and kissed her fiance again.

The next day, construction started on the new bakery, and Pinkie Pie and Rarity strode forward into the future side by side, each with their own path, but both knowing that they'd be walking side by side the whole time.

Sibling Rivalry [Romance, Drama]

(The Prompt: Two or more of the Mane Six move in together.)

Spike hefted the pile of bags onto his back, and walked slowly into the library. As much as he adored the mare they belonged to, he didn't much care for her tendency to bring everything under the sun every time she went anywhere. Given the circumstances though, maybe it was understandable.

All his grumbling melted away as Rarity gave him a grateful smile. She then turned to Twilight Sparkle, and hugged her gently. "Thank you so much for letting me stay here, darling. I know it's an inconvenience for you. For both of you."

Twilight smiled and gave Rarity a gentle squeeze before letting her go. "It's no trouble at all, Rarity! After all that's happened, I'm sorry I can't do more."

Spike chose this moment to pipe up. "Yeah, don't worry, Rarity! I'm sure they'll fix the Boutique in no time!"

Twilight shot him a look, and Rarity's lip trembled for a moment, but she quickly tossed her head back defiantly. "Of course they will, Spike. Now, could you be a dear and get the rest of my bags?"

Spike saluted sharply and nearly hopped as he ran back outside. He rubbed his scales a bit, and frowned at the pile of bags still remaining. Everything smelled charred and smokey, and it was unpleasant and annoying even to a dragon. At least to a dragon that lived among ponies. That, and it reminded him of what had happened, and he didn't want to pity Rarity.

He lifted the pile of bags, carefully keeping them all balanced, and walked back inside, setting them down with the others. Rarity and Twilight were sitting at the library's table and having tea. Spike set to his work reshelving books, though each book he picked seemed to get him closer to where Twilight and Rarity were chatting.

"Thank Celestia no one was hurt. I don't know what I would have done if my sister had been in the Boutique at the time!"

Twilight smiled and hugged Rarity again. "But she wasn't; nopony was. Even Opal was at Fluttershy's. But still, losing all your designs, and dresses... We're lucky to have even salvaged what we did."

Rarity sighed into the hug, and pulled away after a moment. "Yes, well. It's certainly a terrible situation, but I.. built up Carousel Boutique from nothing before, and when it's repaired, I'll do it again."

Her smile was obviously fake, and Spike winced a bit at the sound of loss in her voice. He pretended to dust the shelf he was standing near, so that he could keep listening.

Twilight smiled apologetically. "I spoke with the builders, they don't know what started the fire, but they think it was something in the kitchen. They say it will be at least four weeks before they can repair everything."

Spike barely managed to keep himself from shouting for joy. Four weeks! An entire month with the most beautiful pony in Ponyville! It was sad that she'd lost so much of course, but he couldn't believe his own luck! He hopped down from his stool and walked over to fetch a new pile of books to shelf.

Twilight and Rarity kept speaking in friendly tones, and Spike caught the odd word here and there. Rarity offering to pay for room and board, Twilight's flat refusal, and then Rarity's gushing of appreciative thanks for the generosity of Twilight. Spike set the pile of books down and walked over to the two. "Hey! Maybe I should go get Rarity's bed set up! Is she staying up in our bedroom, Twilight?"

Twilight nodded, and Rarity reached down to hug Spike against her coat. Unlike her bags, Rarity had managed to avoid smelling like ash and char. She only smelled like herself, and a faint hint of some sort of floral perfume that left Spike in a complete daze. The few seconds the hug lasted felt both like hours and only too short anyway.

Spike quickly went upstairs as he was released, and hauled the spare bed out of storage, before dressing it with crisp, clean sheets and fluffing pillows. He was sure it wasn't as nice as Rarity's own bed had been, but Twilight thought that expensive sheets and things like that were a waste of money. As much as he loved her, Twilight Sparkle's fixation on efficiency could be kind of irritating.

He crept back down the stairs slowly. He didn't want to run around everywhere like a little kid now that Rarity was living with them. He had four weeks to show her just how manly and grown up and attractive he was. The relative quiet of his creeping around, though, allowed him to notice the now-muted tones of the conversation downstairs. He sneaked closer, trying his best to listen in.

"And he still doesn't know? Twilight, darling, how long are you going to keep this from him?"

Twilight folded her ears back guiltily. "I just don't want to hurt him! You know how he feels about you, Rarity."

Rarity sighed quietly, and hugged Twilight against her. Spike did his best to squelch the sudden jealousy he felt burning in his chest. “I certainly understand, dear, but we can't keep this secret forever. It will be easier to tell him before he finds out on his own.”

Twilight glanced up toward the stairwell, but Spike knew better than to move. She wouldn't see him in his hiding place, and she turned back to Rarity, and then leaned in and kissed her.

Spike's world stopped turning, and then crumbled into pieces.

Rarity wrapped her forelegs around Twilight, and held her close as they kissed. It was only a few moments, but it seemed to stretch on forever for Spike. Finally, Rarity pulled away, with a slight blush on her cheeks. “We simply must tell him, Twilight. I love little Spikey-wikey just as much as you do, and I refuse to hurt him any more than I have to.”

Spike didn't hear the rest of the conversation, as he sneaked quickly back up the stairs and sat down on the floor, out of sight of the treacherous mares below. Twilight... and Rarity... were together. Together together.

Suddenly the four weeks he had been looking forward to seemed like they would be a lot less pleasant. But Spike looked over to Twilight's bed, and then to Rarity's. Four weeks... that was a long time. A lot could happen in that much time, he could show Rarity just how great he was, and she would be there to see all of Twilight's panic attacks and early morning messy mane.

Four weeks was a long time. Was it long enough to steal a pony's heart?

Write What You Know [Comedy]

(Prompt: No prompt, FFAF.)

(Occasionally I get writer's block. I feel this is exceedingly weak but I want to keep writing every day and it's too late to write anything else, so I'm posting it anyway.)

Rainbow Dash flared her wings and let out a frustrated noise. "Argh this is so annoying!"

Twilight Sparkle jumped a bit at the sound.. Up until that, it had been a relatively quiet afternoon in the library. Twilight glanced down at the book she had been reading, then marked her place and closed it. "What's wrong, Rainbow?"

"It's this stupid story, I can't think of anything else to do!" Rainbow threw the quill down, though the feather just fluttered lazily down from her lips, landing with an unsatisfying silence.

Twilight tilted her head slightly. "The next chapter of The Adventures of Color Flash isn't going well?"

Rainbow slumped forward, laying half across the desk she was sitting at. "She's already done everything. She's Captain of the Wonderbolts, she's Daring Do's best friend-"

"Really? I thought they were datin-"

"No way, nothing sappy like that!" Rainbow's eyes widened and she waved her hooves dismissively. A moment later though she sighed in defeat. "But that's it, she's got it all already. It's stupid, flying gets easier the more you do it, but writing just gets... harder."

Twilight smiled, and pushed her book aside. She sat up a bit straighter. "Well, flying gets harder at times too. When you start trying to do tricks, for instance. Maybe that's what you're doing with your writing."

Rainbow perked an ear. "Huh?"

"You already have..." Twilight sighed quietly. "Color Flash, doing all these amazing things. But maybe you want to write something a little more... realistic. You know, like the parts of the Daring Do books that aren't just adventuring and kicking bad guys."

"You mean the boring parts? No way Twilight, I just need to think up something extra awesome for the next chapter!" Rainbow sat up again, and fetched the quill from the desk.

Twilight watched as the tip of the quill hovered over the paper. She opened her mouth to say something, only for Rainbow Dash to glance at her, and then lean forward and press the tip of the quill to the blank sheet. Rainbow froze up for a moment, and then slowly dragged the quill down about the length of a letter.

Neither pony moved for a few seconds, and then Rainbow dropped the quill again with a sigh. "Fine! I have no ideas! I'm a terrible writer, okay? I'm an athlete, I don't do this kind of stuff!"

Calmly lifting the quill in her magic, Twilight set it back down beside the stack of papers. She removed the top sheet and bundled it up, throwing it into the bin next to the desk. "How about you try writing something different? About somepony other than Color Flash."

"You said I couldn't write anything else about Princess Evening Glimmer after the last time."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Not her either. How about... something about one of our friends? The point is to slow down and write something that could actually happen in real life."

Rainbow wore a flat expression. "Twilight, last week Fluttershy turned into a bat and attacked us. Nothing Color Flash does is that crazy."

Twilight opened her mouth, closed it, and then opened it again before speaking. "Well... something that could happen to ponies that don't do crazy things. Just something about life. Something real."

Rainbow Dash, stared down at the page for a few moments. “About who? I can't just write about weather work or anything.”

“How about yourself? A real story about yourself, that isn't about flying or the Wonderbolts.”

The pegasus looked at Twilight suspiciously. “This sounds like some kind of school thing.”

Twilight Sparkle blushed slightly. “Princess Celestia asked me to do this kind of thing sometimes, just as practice. But it's like flying, the more you practice, the better you get.”

"... Fine. But if it's boring and stupid and no one likes it, I'm denying I ever wrote it."

She picked up the quill in her lips, and thought for a moment. Then she started writing.

"Rainbow Dash flared her wings and let out a frustrated noise. 'Argh this is so annoying!'"

Forgiveness [Drama? Sad?]

(The Prompt: They may be immortal alicorn princesses, but above all else, Celestia and Luna are sisters.)

The room was dark, and silent. Princess Luna raised a hoof to feel the garland of flowers around her neck. It was still there. This was still real.

It felt like she was dreaming. Last night, if it could be called that, she had been... gone. 'In' the moon, banished for her treason and rebellion. She remembered everything she had done, she remembered the fear on the ponies' faces, she remembered the regret in her sister's eyes, even after all this time. She remembered the defiance, the sheer, stupid, suicidal stubbornness of that purple unicorn, Twilight Sparkle. Twilight Sparkle had been right to be stubborn; she had won.

When Princess Luna had awoken, after feeling the effect of the Elements of Harmony, the true power of those artifacts, she had become a different pony. Or rather, she'd seen herself for what she had truly been. Jealous, petty, antagonistic... traitorous. All of these, even to the one pony that nopony should ever defy, Princess Celestia. Even to her own sister.

Yet, when she met her sister's eyes after her defeat, Princess Celestia had offered forgiveness. Without any hesitation, her sister had offered her peace and family again. Within an hour of her defeat, they had attended a town-wide party seemingly spontaneously decided upon by a single citizen, and she had been warmly welcomed by the townsfolk. Two pegasus foals barely out of diapers had even given her this garland.

Here at Canterlot Castle, which was strange and new to Princess Luna, there was something familiar. This room had obviously been built ages ago, with the castle, but it was a near perfect replica of her old bedroom in the Everfree Castle. The room must have set vacant for centuries, just waiting for her. Built even while she was imprisoned, while she was a criminal, and a traitor.

Why?

A soft knocking sounded from the door. Princess Luna tried to summon the will to sound confident and powerful, as her station demanded, but her diminished body and the uncertainty of her emotions lead to her voice breaking halfway through her sentence. She kept her diction formal, in case it was some of the castle staff she had been briefly introduced to. "Thou art allowed entry."

The quiet giggle from the other side of the door gave away the identity of the pony before the door opened. Princess Celestia stood in the doorway, taking up nearly the entire space, wings spread and a stern look in her eyes, despite the small smirk remaining on her lips. A flash of fear surged through Princess Luna, the same fear that had gripped her as she awoke to her sister's voice after her defeat. Princess Celestia stepped forward with no further request for permission, and closed the door again behind her.

A few moments of silence passed. Princess Celestia looked down at her little sister, and Princess Luna looked up into Celestia's eyes, before suddenly feeling ashamed and looking aside.

After another beat, Princess Celestia spoke quietly and carefully, in a guarded, even tone. "I have missed you greatly, little sister."

The temptation was still there, to throw herself into another desperate embrace, and cry with her sister once more. But her emotions had calmed enough since then that she could stop herself, and speak more calmly. "My sister, I must apologize, I... I didn't mean..."

Luna's voice quieted as she trailed off, still staring down at the floor. A moment passed, and she started again, her voice low and thick with scorn. "No, I meant what I said, all those years ago. I see now I was wrong, but... I meant it, all the same."

Princess Celestia stayed silent, and stepped forward, looming tall over Luna. She didn't strike her, or even speak harshly. She spoke quietly and gently. "I know."

Luna looked up to her sister's eyes, and then looked away again. "But still you offer forgiveness. You had this room built for me, you welcome me back without the slightest hesitation. Sister, had I won, I would have killed you. I would have killed you without a second thought, and... and you still treat me like this."

Celestia sighed, and then sat down on the carpeted floor. Princess Luna remained standing, but still only stood even in height with her sister. Celestia spoke deliberately. "Princess Luna, you were a traitor to the crown, you tried to usurp our power, and you attempted to assassinate me. Any other pony, I would have dealt with more harshly. But after all that has happened, you are still my sister, and you always will be."

Princess Luna sat down slowly, the carpet feeling much softer and more well made than anything in the era in which she had lived. She still didn't look up to meet her sister's eyes. "How can you be so forgiving, my sister?"

"I have been imprisoned for a thousand years." Princess Celestia spoke seriously, and Luna fought the urge to stare at her incredulously. "While you were gone, I had to run Equestria alone. I did not relish in your punishment, sister. These past centuries have been the loneliest in my life. I was the only pony in Equestria that didn't age, the only pony that had no true lifelong friends, or lovers. While you were alone in the moon, Princess Luna, I was alone here in Equestria. Every year I raised the sun for the Summer Sun Celebration, and every year reminded me of the distance between us."

Luna stared at the dark purple carpet below them. She couldn't meet her sister's eyes, and she had no words for her at the moment.

Princess Celestia continued. "I had this room built, because I felt certain I was only a short time away from finding the magic to return you to Equestria. I was wrong. I maintained it because I knew you would be home someday, my sister, and I hoped that... I have always hoped that you would return to me, and that you would forgive me."

"Forgive you?" Princess Luna looked upward, and met her sister's eyes for the first time in what felt like forever. "Why would you need my forgiveness?"

Princess Celestia shuffled closer to Princess Luna, and Luna felt her body tense for a moment. Her side touched Celestia's, and familiar feeling rushed back to her. Memories of nights spent together, laughing and talking of old times and old friends, and victory celebrations after a war or a personal battle. Luna sighed, and leaned against her big sister. Her coat was warm and soft, and more importantly, it was hers. For each of them, there was only one pony that truly understood what it was to be who they were.

Princess Celestia spoke quietly, her voice heavy with regret. "I drove you to your rebellion, Luna. I didn't mean to, and you are not without blame for your actions, but I should have seen what I was doing. I should have seen what our subjects' adoration for me was doing to you. I have forgiven you for your rebellion, please forgive me for my mistakes as well."

Luna looked down again, closing her eyes to keep her treacherous tears from escaping. All this time, she had burned with hatred for her sister, through her own feelings, and through the influence of the darkness that had settled on her heart. For a thousand years she had stewed in miserable, lonely resentment, even as the regret burned in the back of her mind. The Elements of Harmony had shown her what she had been doing, they had shown her just how ruinous these feelings had been.

But that all paled next to this pony, sitting beside her. After trying to kill her, after trying to steal her kingdom away, and after a thousand years of torture for the both of them, she was so willing to forgive that it nearly broke Luna's heart. The fact that despite all that, her older sister was asking HER forgiveness simply left her without words.

Princess Luna leaned in, and nuzzled against Celestia's neck, unable to speak. Celestia crossed her neck over her sister's, and embraced her softly. "Thank you, Princess Luna."

After a thousand years apart, the royal sisters of Equestria were finally family again.

Crystal [Sad]

(The Prompt: She dumped me!)

She was everything to me, once. In this time of war and famine, she remains everything good in my life. Telling, then, that she has become so empty of the goodness I once saw in her.

Crystal. That was her name, and her mother's, and her mother's before her. They all deserved it, as they shared the beauty of the stones. Her coat shone, her wings glimmered in the sunlight, and her horn glowed with the alluring shade of moonlight on dew. You may find it strange to hear me use such poetic terms. It is the nature of love to change a stallion.

When I was young, I knew that I must have her. She was royalty, however, the soon to be crowned Crystal Princess, and just who was I? A nopony, a clerk in the castle staff. I was skilled with magic, yes, and my schooling had focused on artifact creation, as well as alchemy. It wasn't surprising then, with a few rare ingredients gathered from the flying warrior tribes to the south, that I could fashion a potion to win her heart.

It worked. It worked very well.

It was effortless to get the audience, the Princess was always eager to meet with ponies below her station. You may think it was simply a ploy to appear more caring, but she genuinely loved all the ponies under her rule. So yes, a clerk managed to meet privately with the Princess, and she trusted all of her subjects, so she drank the wine with him. In that moment, the mare I loved was destroyed, and replaced with a love-sick shell. Then again, so was the simple clerk.

In days, the clerk was a prince. Our love was deep, passionate, and as true as any other love. I may have brought it about through artifice, but we both knew it in a way that few ponies are lucky enough to understand. Our love was all-encompassing, we had time for little but one another.

Soon, her meetings with her people slowed to a stop. More and more of our royal duties were shunted off to advisers and nobles. Useless sycophants when around us, and petty tyrants when alone with their lessers. We didn't see that until much later, however. For a time, our lives were perfect. We woke together, we ate together, we strolled through the perfect royal gardens, we watched performances of plays and concerts of the finest symphonies, and we retired to bed together each and every night.

Nothing last forever, at least nothing good. The potion worked, as I've stated, but there were problems. Over time, she began to notice that her subjects no longer looked at her the same way. The Crystal Kingdom had fallen on hard times, without our central leadership. As we ate and drank and made merry, the ponies of our Kingdom had toiled and slaved under a series of petty tyrants and barons, each using their granted royal powers to further their own goals and hedonism. As we slept together, warm and secure, our subjects barred their doors from bandits, and from their own rulers.

That was when I began to notice the changes.

Her lustrous crystalline coat was dulling, turning darker. Mine was as well. As went the Crystal Kingdom, so went its rulers. She missed the adoration and endless fawning of her subjects, but she no longer understood their plight. She wanted their love and praise; she demanded it. Myself, well, I had always wanted more. I wanted more power, so I had studied magic creation and alchemy. I wanted my princess, so I had taken her. Now, I wanted her kingdom.

I took it.

It wasn't hard, in hindsight. She would do anything for me. She always seemed to sense when anything she did offended me, and she avoided such things as though they burned her. When I asked to strip the nobles of their power, it was done without hesitation. When I asked for control of the military, to quash the rebellious barons and dukes, she gave the speech to the masses praising the new Prince-General. When I declared myself King, and her my subordinate, she bit her tongue and bowed to me, so as not to defy me in front of the masses.

But I saw, even then, what was happening. She was fading from the public eye. As I gained power and influence, as I stole these things from this mare that I so loved, the ponies that once cared for her turned away. Soon, she was only a figurehead in her own castle, and she looked out over the darkened, brown fields of my Empire, and she saw no eyes turned up towards her, she heard no songs about the fair Princess that ruled the land.

By now, I was a dark gray. My horn was curved and glowed constantly from my alchemical and crystal increased magic. Few ponies in the world could match my raw power. She rarely left her room anymore, except to please me, and always kept her body covered when she did. She had changed, her coat had fallen out, revealing a hardened, black shell. Her body had rotted, there were holes in her hooves and her horn was a gnarled, twisted thing. Her greed for love and adoration, and her desperation for loyal, loving subjects had changed her. She had even changed her name, corrupting the old Crystal as I had corrupted the Crystal Kingdom.

The worst night in my life was the night that she left me.

Chrysalis claimed that she saw the writing on the wall, that she knew something was coming. The nation to the south wouldn't bear my feints and skirmishes forever, and she knew that they had more power than they showed. The castle servants, many of them beginning to take on aspects of her new appearance, stood with her. In my throne room we faced one another, she with her mindless, loving slaves, and me with my disciplined, loyal cadre of personal bodyguards, worth a dozen pegasus soldiers or griffon mercenaries each.

There, in front of everypony, in the very room where we were wed, she dissolved our marriage, and our love. Whatever good was left in me, whatever good was left in her, and whatever life was left in my Empire... these were all destroyed, that day.

My scouts tell me that something is coming from the south. Entire regiments of troops have vanished, scouting outposts and castles have been destroyed to the foundations. The sole surviving pony to return to us tells a story of two demon mares with unstoppable power and burning eyes. I know it is my destiny to face these conquerors.

However, tonight I write this letter, this biography, this... confession. I sit here with my wine, and with a locket from years ago, showing her old face and mine.

Crystal, wherever you are, if you are still alive or if you are dead, I love you... and I am sorry.

Bound Together [Slice of Life, Romance?]

(The prompt: Giving somepony a gift that resembles your cutie mark has a special meaning.)

"Wow! These apples are dee-lish!" Pinkie Pie laughed and ate another apple whole, only pausing a few seconds to chew.

Rarity smiled as she delicately nibbled on her own apple slices. "Yes, they truly are quite amazing. We really must remember to thank Applejack."

Rainbow Dash sipped at her cider box as she idly flew around the room. "Where is AJ anyway?"

Princess Twilight Sparkle looked around the room, and at her friends resting after a day spent restoring the ancient castle in the Everfree Forest. It had been a long day, and all of them were tired and sore. Twilight stood up, and folded her wings behind her. "I'll go look for her. You girls just keep relaxing."

"Okie-dokie-lokie, Twilight!"

Twilight trotted lightly down the path toward the Tree of Harmony. It was mostly clear of the overhanging vines and overgrown forest that had once blocked access, but it was still a bit creepy to walk through a dark cave like this. She slowed her trot as she got closer, and kept quiet when she turned the last bend. There, sitting on her haunches and looking up at the Tree was Applejack, with her hat respectfully removed and set on the ground beside her.

She looked up as Twilight approached. "Howdy, Twilight. Y'all doin' okay up there?"

Twilight smiled at Applejack as she sat down next to her. "We would be, if one of our friends wasn't hiding away down here. What's going on, Applejack?"

Applejack sighed, and pointed up toward the tree with one hoof. "I just can't get it outta my head about th' Elements is all. I know we had t' give 'em up t' save the Tree, but, well, I miss havin' 'em."

"I do too, Applejack, but we'll find another way to protect Equestria. Hopefully whatever is in this box will help."

"It ain't Equestria I'm worried about, Twilight. You know how I'm always givin' you girls apples, an' how Pinkie's always throwin' balloon parties, an' Rarity's gift dresses have always got gems an' what all on them?"

Twilight nodded. "You're talking about the old earth pony tradition of giving items that look like your cutie mark, to show friendship."

Applejack sighed and looked up at the tree. "Yeah, and givin' something bigger when you want t' show more. You remember what happens when we use those things, an' just how it feels. Like we're all givin' something about ourselves to everpony else. Th' Elements of Harmony are what made us friends, Twilight, an' they're what started us, uh. Well, what set us goin' toward whatever else we're startin' to be."

"Applejack, we can be friends without the Elements."

"I know that, Sugarcube, but... well, bein' honest, one day I meant t' find a way to give all you girls somethin' important to show just how much this new... relationship-friendship thing we got goin' means to me. I was hopin' it'd be my Element, seein' as how it's my cutie mark and all. There was always that one second when we were all doin' our thing with the Elements, where it felt like we were all givin' each other everything."

Twilight fought down her blush, and looked up at the tree to buy a moment. After a second or two, she smiled. "Applejack, look at the Tree of Harmony."

Applejack turned and looked up at the tree as it glowed softly in the cave. Each Element glimmered at the end of the branches. "Looks like it always does, Twilight."

"No, look closer." Twilight shuffled over beside Applejack, and wrapped one wing around the other pony, while she pointed with her hoof. "See? We all gave our Elements to the Tree of Harmony, and to each other. The magic of our friendship, or whatever we should be calling it now... it's not just that one second when the Elements activate anymore. It's all the time. Our friendship, and our love for each other... it's helping Equestria all the time now."

Applejack looked up at the Tree, at each of her friends' cutie marks on the branches, and the large symbol surrounding Twilight's cutie mark in the center. She raised a hoof and wiped her eyes. "I guess you're right, Sugarcube. I don't figure any of us know exactly what we're doin' or where we're headed with all this lately, but... but I reckon we're all in it together, an' it'll all work out."

Twilight hugged Applejack gently in her forelegs and wings, relishing the warmth of the pony against her fur, and the close bond that let them be like this without hesitation. "I love you, Applejack, we all do."

"I love you too, Twilight. Let's go on back upstairs, I can't stand missin' out on a second with all you girls."

The two ponies stood together and walked side by side out of the chamber, while the Tree of Harmony remained behind, glowing all the stronger for the six mares' growing relationship.

Platinum [Slice of Life?]

(The Prompt: This isn’t snow, it’s …)

Snow.

For nearly two years now, there had been only snow outside the window. I don't know what started it; none of us do. Even Starswirl the Bearded is ignorant of the cause. The pegasus ponies claim they aren't responsible, and though many of my fellows doubt them, I do not. The pegasi have been suffering along with the various earth pony tribes, and our own unicorn Kingdom.

It's good that we are all used to the cold. The grand entry hall for this castle was designed for warmer weather. Now, the many windows and high ceilings actively work against our attempts to keep the hall warm. Usually, I would have retired to my bedchambers by now, but as Princess Platinum is due to arrive this evening, we all must brave the deepening cold in the hall. The Summit of the Tribes has ended after what must have been a long, difficult week. I have hopes that the tribes all succeeded in finding some positive result, through my more realistic and pragmatic thoughts tend toward their failure.

The scouts call out, and the word travels quickly. The Princess' entourage has been spotted on approach. I draw my cloak around my body, and pull my hood up to cover my mane. Though the garment is scratchy, and rather unkempt for a royal adviser, Her Royal Highness would never allow her adviser to wear anything approaching her own splendid clothing.

Magic encases the castle doors, and they open outward, revealing the Princess' palanquin in the flickering torchlight. I rush forward, and walk alongside the bearers until they set her down onto the floor of the chamber. My horn lights, and I pull the Princess' favored indoor robe around her, as she rushes us both through the throng of questioning nobles. Their voices crowd in, but despite my small stature and humble attire, they know better than to test my magical abilities. Soon enough, we are in the private royal chambers, and free of their riotous questions and demands. They will still be there tomorrow.

The doors of the chamber close, and silence hangs over the room for a moment. Princess Platinum's weary sigh breaks the quiet pall, and she trots toward her bed, discarding her robe and her royal vestments as she goes. I catch each and fold them in my magic, setting them aside along with her crown. She crawls onto the covers, and speaks quietly. "Clover the Clever, I need you."

I sigh quietly, and discard my own cloak, tossing it to the floor before climbing into the bed with her. It's strange that me, a mare, being in a position that so many stallions would envy only makes me little more than a glorified heater, to help warm her covers faster. The Princess clings to me, and I hold her close out of obligation. After a moment, I speak again. "Your majesty, about the Summit... did the other tribes see reason, as I predicted?"

Princess Platinum nuzzles against my mane for a moment, but then sighs in resignation. "They do not recognize the superiority of the Unicorns, Clover. The pegasi continue to defy logic and deny responsibility, and the lowly earth pony tribes all claim to be out of food. After the third day, none of the other leaders would even speak to each other. It was a disaster."

I feel myself hold her closer, almost protectively. The room seems colder for the failure of the summit, and the wind howls outside of the Princess' thick, insulated windows. "Princess, we are running low on options. We have only enough food for another few months, and that's on very strict rationing."

The Princess speaks into my mane, her voice low and miserable. "I believe the other tribes are going to seek a new land. We must do the same. This place is no longer suited for the majestic Unicorn Kingdom, and we must not allow the pegasus barbarians or the filthy earth pony farmers to claim the best places before we arrive."

I pull away incredulously, but the Princess' hooves reach for me, and I sigh and go back to her. As she settles back against my coat, I speak as evenly and calmly as I can manage. "Princess Platinum, we can't leave the Kingdom. All of the great Unicorn culture, all of the knowledge stored in our libraries, my mento-- our... less physically capable citizens... We'd lose all of it. We would be throwing away the Unicorn Kingdom in order to save it."

The Princess huffs in a familiar way, and then clings to me as sobs wrack through her body. I hold her close, and stroke her mane as she cries. I understand the trust she places in me with this; no other pony ever sees her cry. She would never admit to any worry over her course, or her decisions, let alone enough panicked misery that she would go to tears over it. Yet here, alone in her bedchambers with her assistant, she cries into my coat.

I know her mind is made up. Honestly, we have no other choice available to us. Either we starve to death surrounded by our inedible art and books, or we leave to find more fertile lands, and lose everything that made us our own Kingdom. As the Princess clings to me like a scared little foal, I look up to her glass windows. The snow outside is only swirling white specks in the darkness of night, lit by the feeble torchlight that manages to escape the window.

But it's not just snow out there. It's death. It's the death of all that we unicorns have built for centuries, death to the pegasus warbands, and death to the earth pony tribes.

For the first time, I hold the Princess close, and I join her in shedding tears.

I Don't Care Too Much For Money [Sad]

(The Prompt: What fires stir in this lonely hearth?)

(Warning, a bit sad I guess?)

"You're sure you don't want to come over? After the Cutie Mark Crusa--"

"I don't care about them!" Diamond Tiara took a moment to stop and stomp her hoof defiantly. She shook her head after, even as she calmed down. "So what if they always make us look stupid? But no, I'm going home. We've got homework anyway."

Silver Spoon opened her mouth to protest, but then shook her head and just waved to Diamond Tiara, trotting off down the road toward her own home. Diamond Tiara watched her friend walk for a few seconds, and then turned toward her own home. She walked through the gate, and then closed it behind her, starting to trot down the paved pathway to the front entrance. The garden wasn't terribly impressive in the middle of winter, all the foliage was dead and brown, and most of it was covered by week-old snow. The path had been swept clear however, thank Celestia for maidservants.

Diamond Tiara looked up at the house as she came closer. No lights in any of the windows, though it was still mid afternoon, so there wasn't much need for it. A thin trail of smoke dwindled out of the main chimney, which was at least a possible good sign, though she knew she was getting her hopes up for nothing.

She fished around in her saddlebag for a moment, and found the small key, unlocking the front door and walking inside without so much as wiping her hooves. Bits of snow and just a small amount of mud flaked from her hooves for the first few steps, but she was certain the maid would get it. The house was silent, of course. Diamond Tiara walked through the foyer and into the parlor. There, on the table, were two notes.

Diamond Tiara -

I have a big deal to work on this evening with representatives from Canterlot's biggest retail chain. Make sure you eat your dinner and get your homework done. I'll be back in the late evening.

-Dad

Little Tiara -

While your father is out working on his business, I'm taking a trip to Manehatten for a few days. Don't worry, I'll buy you something nice, you'll be thrilled. Don't go into my jewelry, and do see if you can get your father to at least be home when I return, won't you?

-Golden Tiara

Diamond Tiara set the letters back down on the table, and trotted out of the parlor and into the servant kitchen. It was quiet and still, and so clean that the maidservants must have already finished their work for the day. On the counter was a very elaborate and expensive looking salad, containing only the most select and expensive fruits and vegetables from Ponyville.

A few moments later, she trotted into the study with a bowl of ice cream from the ice cellar, balanced on her back. The study held the main fireplace, with a few smoldering embers still glowing in it. The maid must have set the fire before she left, and with the stone floor on the first level of the house, there was no real concern over sparks causing a bigger fire.

Diamond Tiara sat down, in front of the hearth, and shrugged her saddlebags to the floor beside her. The silence of the house grew heavy around her, only slightly alleviated by the occasional pop and sizzle of the fire. She ate her ice cream with a dour expression on her face, not even able to enjoy the treat today.

She pushed the bowl aside when she was done, and pulled out her homework for the night. Just an essay, which wasn't too much to think about, and certainly wasn't beyond the ability of a pony like Diamond Tiara. It was so boringly easy, in fact, that she considered just pushing it off till later and practicing her jewelry working. But as fun as her special talent was, it wouldn't be interesting without her beautiful mother there to model the finished creation, or her smart, business-minded father to carefully wager as to the piece's value at market.

So, instead, she laid out her homework on the hearth stone below her hooves. A single page essay, nothing too taxing. She looked at the topic. There, in cheery, obviously-for-foals writing, was the assignment. "Family is an important part of every pony's life, whether by birth or by adoption. Describe all the fun you have with your family below!"

Diamond Tiara gave the paper a flat look, as though she could will the stupid question to be less stupid. Miss Cheerilee, for all her strengths as a teacher, tended to treat them all like little foals. Aside from that, Diamond Tiara was tempted to just scrawl "What family?" and leave it at that, but of course she couldn't do that.

She lay forward a bit, resting her head on top of her paper, and trying to think as the embers in the fireplace just barely warmed her coat. She closed her eyes, and thought back to when she was younger. It got harder and harder to remember right, every time she did it. But there was still enough there.

It wouldn't do to have the fillies and colts at school thinking her life was anything but perfect. She was Diamond Tiara, she had to be perfect. She picked up a pencil in her mouth, tested the point against the paper, and then started writing. It was easy, now that she'd set her mind to it. She knew what it was supposed to say, she knew what Cheerilee wanted to read.

She wrote about how her father helped her with her homework, and how she and her mother went on walks together and spent time together working on their crafts. She wrote about the friendly maids and servants that always helped out around the house and were always so kind and familial to her.

She wrote about the happiest family in the world, while ignoring her own glistening eyes and damp cheeks.

Captain Dash [Slice of Life?]

(Prompt: None, FFAF.)

(This turned out kind of weird, but due to Spitfire's reaction in Wonderbolt Academy, I wanted to write it anyway.)

The Grand Ballroom of Canterlot Castle was home to many of Equestria's most serious, formal, and well-respected events. The Grand Galloping Gala, for instance, as well as the Lunar Ball, and just outside was the courtyard used for the Canterlot Garden Party. The ballroom had seen many very formal ponies and many very auspicious occasions.

This was not one of them. Tonight, instead of unicorns with their noses in the air, the ballroom was full of pegasus ponies flinging themselves through the air. Instead of dour, sophisticated decorations, there were colorful streamers, balloons, and stacked empty cider bottles. Instead of prim and proper dancing, there was aerial maneuvering and inebriated laughter.

Princess Twilight Sparkle felt distinctly out of place. Despite the fact that all of her closest friends were in attendance, and despite that she herself had arranged for this celebration to take place here, she just didn't fit in. She wasn't an athlete, she flew worse than most pegasi half her age, and she didn't really enjoy drinking. But she had to be here, Rainbow Dash wanted all of her friends here.

Twilight smiled as she watched Rainbow organize some kind of obstacle course race with her newly-made subordinates in the Wonderbolts. In a minute or two, the age-old columns and incredibly expensive statues would be used as not much more than blockades in a pegasus race bound to knock at least something to a floor, be it pillar or pony. But still, there was something bothering Twilight, and she couldn't just let it go. She cast her eyes around the party, until she spotted a bright orange mane and a well-pressed Wonderbolts dress uniform.

Spitfire sat by herself at a large table, watching the young Wonderbolt slalom between columns. She held a cup of cider in her pastern, and several more were scattered around her. Twilight had only spoken with the pony a few times, but knew she had a tendency toward being a little harsh and tight-lipped about Wonderbolts affairs. Still, she trotted over and sat down at the same table, far enough away that she hoped it wouldn't be uncomfortable. A moment passed before she said anything. "... She's pretty amazing."

Spitfire glanced over at Princess Twilight and made an obligatory deep nod of recognition, before taking another sip of her cider. "Yeah, she is. The Wonderbolts only take the best fliers in Equestria."

Twilight fidgeted with the napkins laid out on the table, straightening the stack without really thinking about it. "She's the youngest pegasus ever to be promoted to Captain."

Spitfire's eyes narrowed slightly, and she took another sip of cider.

Twilight sighed quietly. "Captain Spitfire, I'm not... making accusations, but I'm curious. Rainbow's amazing, but why did you put her forward for promotion to Captain?"

"You think it was because she's friends with you." Spitfire didn't look back toward Twilight as she spoke, and only stared up at Rainbow Dash as she instructed a few of her subordinates on proper stalling techniques.

Twilight coughed into her hoof. "Um, I wouldn't say it like that, but there are some ponies who try to manipulate royalty, and-"

"With all due respect, Princess, I'm a Captain of the Wonderbolts. I don't need your endorsement, or even Princess Celestia's." Spitfire frowned slightly, and then put her cider down. "You want to know why I promoted Captain Dash."

Twilight nodded.

"I could tell you about how she's faster than Fleetfoot, or how she can fly farther than Soarin'. She fights better than I do, or at least better than I did when I was her age. She's the only pony in recorded history to do a Sonic Rainboom."

Twilight sighed and looked down at the table. "Captain Spitfire, I know she's very good. But she's the youngest Captain by years. It can't just be that."

Spitfire watched Rainbow Dash as she flew her kid sister Scootaloo around on her back during one of the races, both of them laughing and rolling around in the air even as they fought for position. Spitfire frowned slightly, and turned toward Twilight once more. "Do you know how many cadets I've trained, Princess?"

Twilight bit her lower lip, and tried not to look like she was doing math in her head. "You've been captain for twelve years, and the average class size... maybe two hundred?"

The Wonderbolt's frown deepened, but then she sighed and hooked her hoof around the cup of cider again. "Probably something like that. The Wonderbolts have existed for nearly three hundred years. We've been through thousands and thousands of cadets. Eighty percent or so wash out. They don't have the skills. Sometimes, they get injured. Sometimes there are family emergencies or legal problems. We lose cadets all the time."

Twilight kept herself from commenting by fidgeting with the napkins again.

Spitfire looked back to Rainbow as the new Captain pulled Fluttershy into demonstrating slower flight mechanics to the assembled cadets and rookies. Spitfire spoke slowly and evenly. "A lot of cadets leave because they can't take it. A lot of cadets get fired, or injured, and have to leave. Do you know how many cadets have willingly quit Wonderbolt Academy on principle?"

Twilight shook her head, though she felt she might know the answer.

Spitfire tilted her cup toward Rainbow Dash. "One. Rainbow Dash is the only cadet ever to come into my office, or any Wonderbolts trainer, ever, and throw down her badge because she felt that we were wrong. She was willing to throw away the greatest honor a pegasus can ever have, because it put you and your friends in danger."

"You promoted her because she was willing to quit for her friends?"

Spitfire shook her head. "Princess, a good fighter can lead a squad against a few dozen griffons, or a dragon. A good stunt flyer can drum up recruitment, and inspire young ponies to practice their flying until they are Wonderbolt material. But a pony with the strength of conviction that Captain Dash has? She could lead earth ponies into Tartauros."

Spitfire tilted her cup up, and swallowed down the rest of her cider. "No, Princess Twilight, I didn't promote Rainbow Dash because she knows you. I promoted her because... if I had to pick any pony to have beside me when the world was ending, I know who it would be."

She set down her empty mug and stood, giving Twilight a curt bow, and walked off toward the crowd that Rainbow and Fluttershy had managed to gather. Twilight looked over to her friends as they laughed, and at Rainbow's somewhat mussed uniform with the Captain's stripes, and smiled. She flapped her wings, and then stood up to go join in.

Crossing The Line [Slice of Life, Drama?]

(The Prompt: I didn’t mean to make her cry.)

(Writing this one was slow and the time limit sort of bit me, but I wanted to get back in the saddle, so to speak, and start posting again.)

Apple Bloom sat alone in the middle of her bed, in her room. It was real quiet in the house, which probably meant everypony already knew what happened. The stairs out in the hallway creaked, and Apple Bloom hunkered down against her bedcovers a bit more. She counted the steps across the wood floor outside, and then listened really carefully. The pony outside her door paused for a second, and let out a sigh. Apple Bloom knew who it was, then.

"Come on in, Applejack."

Apple Bloom didn't budge as Applejack opened the door and stepped inside. She could have faked she wasn't home, or tried to go out the window, but that would just be putting it off. Applejack closed the door behind her before she walked slowly over toward Apple Bloom's bed, and then reached up and laid a hoof gently on Apple Bloom's back.

Apple Bloom sometimes forgot how much bigger other ponies were than her. "I'm real sorry, Applejack, I know I'm not s'posed to go hittin' other ponies, but she-"

"No buts, Apple Bloom. You're not supposed t' hit other ponies an' that's it. But I know you never done it before now, an' I want to hear what happened."

Apple Bloom turned her head to look at her sister, and instead of looking angry, Applejack just looked... sympathetic. Or sad, or something. It was hard to tell with how blurry the room was getting. Apple Bloom wiped her eyes with the back of her pastern. "Miss Cheerilee didn' tell you already?"

Applejack hesitated a moment, and then climbed up onto Apple Bloom's bed, and pulled the little filly against her. "She told me you up an' hit Diamond Tiara, an' that Diamond Tiara said she didn't say nothin' to start it, but I reckon she did."

"She's always talkin' about us bein' blank flanks an' how we're no good at anythin'. You know how she went an' talked t' Scootaloo about not bein' able to fly. But today she uh..." Apple Bloom fidgeted a little against her sister. "She said Ma and Pa ran off 'cause I wasn't good enough."

Apple Bloom felt her sister's body tense up for a second, but Applejack took a deep breath, and then shook her head. "You know it weren't like that. Listen, Apple Bloom, some ponies don't think b'fore they speak. I don't even blame ya for hittin' her, but you can't go doin' that to every fool that bothers you."

Apple Bloom sank down against the covers and sighed. "Th' worst part is I know she ain't even sorry. Diamon' Tiara always does whatever she wants an' never gets in trouble."

"I'm bettin' she wishes she hadn' said anything to you at all right now. Even if it's only 'cause of that black eye y' gave her."

Apple Bloom put her hoof over her mouth, but it wasn't enough to stop a giggle from breaking out. She looked up at Applejack in a panic, but her sister didn't seem mad. Applejack just sighed instead, and looked up at the ceiling. "When I was a little filly, just a little after I got my cutie mark, a colt in my class said somethin' about Ma and Pa, too. Now mind you, I started workin' on the farm earlier than you, seein' as how, well, we couldn't let just Big Macintosh do everythin'."

"Who was it?"

Applejack shook her head. "Caramel. But don't you worry, he's got a lot better now he's grown up. Ponies your age don't know what they're sayin' half the time. Caramel didn't, an' I broke his nose for it."

Apple Bloom's eyes widened, and she pressed her hoof to her own muzzle. "Y' broke his nose? Applejack!"

"See, that's why y' have to be careful about it, Apple Bloom. I felt jus' terrible about it, an' there was nothin' I could do to make things right again. Now, I'm bettin' Diamond Tiara's gonna want to apologize to you, an' you know you need to at least listen to 'er."

Apple Bloom nodded, and then laid her head back down on the bed. "I'm real sorry, Applejack."

Applejack hugged her little sister close, and then got up out of the bed. "I know, now come on, there's another pony y' need to talk to."

Apple Bloom stood up on her bedcovers, and then hopped down and walked alongside Applejack. She didn't want to talk to anypony else about this, she just wanted it to have never happened to start with. Applejack stopped at Apple Bloom's door, and then opened it slowly.

Diamond Tiara was standing just outside, looking low and miserable. She kept her head hung down low, and Apple Bloom couldn't help but wince a little at the purplish, puffy bruise around her left eye. Behind her stood Big Macintosh, looking placid as usual, but with the slight furrow of his brow that only his family would pick up on. Apple Bloom guessed that Diamond Tiara had already had a firm talking-to.

Apple Bloom looked up at her big sister, and then to her brother, and then back to Diamond Tiara. She rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof. "Um, Diamond Tiara, I uh... didn' mean t' hit you like that. I'm just... I don't like hearin' ponies talk about Ma an' Pa that way."

Diamond Tiara looked up to meet Apple Blooms eyes, and then frowned and looked away for a second, before looking back. To Apple Bloom's surprise, Diamond Tiara's eyes glistened with tears. "I'm... sorry too, I didn't know they were-" Diamond Tiara swallowed hard. "Gone. Like my mother... I wouldn't have said anything about them if I knew that."

Apple Bloom hesitated a moment longer than she should have, but then stepped forward and hooked her forelegs around Diamond Tiara in a hug. Diamond Tiara pressed into it and reached one foreleg around Apple Bloom as well. Applejack looked down at the two fillies, and smiled.

This Date Aria [Romance]

(The prompt: Reimagine one of the songs from the show as having been sung by a different character in a different context.)

(I am not a lyricist, so sorry for all the broken meter, lackluster rhyming, and weird enjambment.)

Pinkie Pie trudged down the main road of Ponyville, in her cake-stained dress left over from the Gala a year previous, next to a nervously smiling if slightly disappointed Twilight Sparkle. She had just been so happy! She hadn't meant to bump into the table at Sugarcube Corner, and now their pre-dinner snack had been ruined!

This date was going to be perfect
The kind of date that a princess like her deserves...
But instead of eating cake
it slid clear off of Twilight's plate
Seems disaster is really all that I can serve.

Twilight Sparkle sighed and thanked the maitre-d politely. It hardly mattered anyway, she had only realized after getting to the restaurant that she had no money on her regardless. Everything was going wrong, the beautiful dress that Rarity had made for her was stained in chocolate, the restaurant had no tables left, and even though Pinkie was still smiling, there was a desperate, faked edge to it that absolutely broke Twilight's heart.

This date was going to be perfect
The kind of date that my best friend of all deserves.
But my reservation's gone
and I left my bits at home
And new problems, it seems, appear around each curve.

Pinkie Pie bounced alongside Twilight as they walked through town, going from restaurant to restaurant. Hearts and Hooves Day meant that all of them were crowded, and the ones that weren't still didn't really want to give them free food. Pinkie wasn't even hungry anymore, because with each step and each giggling joke she told, Twilight's miserable expression just got more and more miserable.

I could care less about my dress
I wouldn't dare to hurt this mare
Well, I guess at least she knows I care

Though I'd hoped to woo a princess
I found that even my best
Isn't good enough to keep her smiling now

No I can not make her smile
Her every movement is denial
But her happiness is all I want!

The night was waning on, and there weren't many places left for the two mares to have dinner. The books, most books on the subject anyway, had expressly shown that dinner dates were supposed to have dinners! Everything was wrong about this, from spilling the cake that Pinkie had so carefully and lovingly put together, to the lost reservations, and all the nervousness and tension around going on this date seemed awfully well-deserved as everything came crashing down around her.

I must find a place before it's too late
Should I use my royal rights?
Well, it might help save the night

I just wanted to prove to her
That no pony could outdo her
and that I'll love and cherish her forevermore

All I need's to make her laugh
and all I want's to make this right!
Oh Celestia, just help me through this night!

Pinkie Pie leaned against Twilight as they sat together on the small hill outside of Ponyville. Dinner had been two of her emergency cupcakes, (only a day old!) that were hidden in the schoolhouse for depressed filly emergencies. It wasn't filling, but they'd eaten them together, and it was fun in a silly way. Pinkie nuzzled against Twilight's mane, and the princess giggled despite her previously sad expression.

Twilight looked at Pinkie, and suddenly realized that despite all the mess and failure of this date, Pinkie was still smiling. Twilight let herself laugh, and felt a smile cross her own lips. Pinkie Pie, in return smiled all the brighter and hugged Twilight tightly against her warm, soft coat.

Pinkie Pie almost hummed to herself in happy triumph.

Finally her smile lights up the night!
Oh yeah, you've done it Pinkie Pie!

Twilight's eyes shined as she looked into Pinkie Pie's.

Oh the dinner didn't take
But what difference does that make?
From now I will be-

Pinkie Pie kissed Twilight Sparkle's nose. "Mine! All mine!"

The two mares burst into happy, giggling laughter together.

Changing Things Up [Comedy, Romance?]

(The Prompt: The perils and wonders of a three way relationship. )

(Disclaimer: Characters' opinions on three-way relationships do not necessarily reflect my own.)

Princess Cadance, in all her incredible beauty and endless kindness and love, walked alongside her friend and fellow wife Queen Chrysalis, through the halls of the Crystal Palace. The sun was shining through the south wall, casting shimmering light through the palace and lifting both mare's spirits.

Queen Chrysalis nodded to the two changeling guards, and they buzzed away after a salute. Her voice carried that subtle hint of dangerous malice, but also rang with just the slightest sound of appreciation and gratitude. "My minions report another day with no large crimes. There is a bank theft planned soon, but my changelings within the organization will stop it before it happens."

Princess Cadance smiled and gently nuzzled against the changeling queen's neck, inwardly pleased at the pleased shudder this loving gesture drew forth. "Shining Armor's idea to integrate your subjects as undercover guards is working well?"

The Queen pulled Cadance into a brief kiss before they continued through the hallway. Princess Cadance spoke again, after a moment. "I can't believe I found my life dull and predictable only a few months ago! Allowing your subjects to join the Crystal Empire, and... you, to join our marriage, was the best idea that Shining Armor ever had."

"It HAS been good, hasn't it?" Queen Chrysalis smiled as she watched two changelings walk by, happily in love with a crystal pony mare. "My changelings have all the love they need, and your Empire has more love to protect it."

They walked together with their flanks just gently brushing against one another, smiles on both their faces. It had taken time to change the crystal ponies' mindset, but now that the changelings had been fully integrated into the Empire, everypony had at least one other to love and cherish dearly.

Queen Chrysalis had a bit more spring in her step as they neared the end of the hallway. "Princess, what form would do for today? Yours? Princess Celestia's?"

Princess Cadance laughed lightly, and smiled. "Your special talents do keep things interesting. But you've been me so many times lately, let's see... Oh! What about that one castle chambermaid, you know, the smallish mare with the amethyst eyes and topaz coat? She's very pretty, in an earth pony, common girl sort of way."

The queen knew the one, and green magical flames moved over her body as they approached the chamber door at the end of the hallway, replacing her tall, black, carapaced body with the warm, smooth, curvy contours of that chambermaid. Princess Cadance kissed the mare once more. She pulled the door open with magic, revealing the personal royal suite.

The two mares trotted lightly inside, closing the door behind them, and then found themselves inexorably attracted to the royal bedroom. Princess Cadance, now taller than her lover, still held herself close to the other mare as they walked, their coats brushing tantalizingly against one another. As they pushed through the curtain hanging in the doorway to the bedroom, they found their loving husband laying on the bed.

Prince Shining Armor lay there, his strong muscles moving teasingly under his coat, and a red rose of passion clenched by the stem between his teeth, as he turned to look upon his beautiful wives. Queen Chrysalis, eager to please and earn the love she needed any way she could, and in any shape her lovers desired, and Princess Cadance, with her beautiful, soft pink coat, and amazingly dextrous purple-tipped wings. Prince Shining Armor pulled the rose from his lips, and held it out with his magic-

Princess Cadance flipped through the next few pages. Even just idly scanning through them showed them to be exactly what she thought they would be. She lowered the sheaf of papers a bit, and shot her husband what she hoped was a withering death glare. Shining Armor's face just wore a look of hopeful almost-innocence.

Cadance kept her voice carefully even. "Shining, honey, you need to stop writing this kind of thing."

"It's not THAT bad, is it?"

Cadance sighed and set the papers down on their bed as they lay together in the late twilight. "No, the writing is fine... but Queen Chrysalis is a murdering sociopath who I wouldn't trust with managing her own prison cell, let alone joining our marriage. Also, really? You have a thing for Tumbling Stones?" Cadance's lips curled into a teasing smile. "Should I tell her?"

Shining Armor's eyes widened. "What? No, I can't have a thing for her, we're married! I mean, sure she's cute and all-"

Cadance's hoof pressed gently to Shining's lips quieted him. "Let's stop there."

Shining sighed and carefully levitated the papers up, clacked them against the top of the bedside table to straighten them, and then set them on the floor beside the bed. "Changelings would be useful for the kingdom, it's not just about sex. Though you have been complaining about things being dull lately."

"I just meant that life was predictable, not... that. Besides, there are plenty of ways we can spice things up without adding other mares."

Shining Armor gave Cadance a gentle peck on the lips. "A changeling would be fun though. Think of the possibilities! They could be anypony you wanted, even when I'm not here. What could possibly go wrong?"

Princess Cadance leaned against her husband as they lay on bed, and pressed her hoof to her chin a moment in a thinking gesture. "Oh, she could change shape in the middle of things. Into somepony like... I don't know... Twilight."

Shining made a disgusted face. "What? No, that's- Wait, Twilight Velvet or Twilight Sparkle?"

"Does that even MATTER?"

He shook his head quickly and squeezed his eyes shut. "No, I- ugh. Okay, fine. No changelings. But really, Cadance, you're amazing. You deserve all the love you can possibly have, if there's anypony-"

Her hoof pressed to his lips again. "There isn't! Thank you for the offer, Honey, really, but our sex life is not getting dull. Though..."

A sinister, almost familiar smile spread across her lips. The fur along Shining Armor's spine stood on end just at the sight of it. Cadance's horn glowed the familiar blue, but a greenish flash went across her eyes. Her voice was low, with just that subtle hint of dangerous malice. "Perhaps I've already captured your beautiful princess bride."

Shining couldn't stop the excited grin from crossing his features. "Just how can I get her back?"

Princess Cadance's wings spread, those tantalizing purple tips shivering in the suddenly much warmer-feeling air of the royal bedroom. "Oh, you'll just have to give me enough love to satisfy me, won't you?"

Shining Armor's horn glowed for a moment, and the locks on the doors and windows clacked closed, as his wife's lips met his own. One of the last thoughts he had before letting himself get lost in the situation was that maybe, just maybe, he shouldn't stop writing those stories after all.

Spending Time Together [Romance?]

(The Prompt: The perils and wonders of a three way relationship. )

(This was finished only a minute or two before submission deadline, so it's not proofread as well as normal. Also it ends pretty abruptly.)

Scootaloo flopped down exhaustedly against the beanbag chair sitting in the corner of the old Crusaders' Clubhouse. The resultant puff of dust in the air made her cough, and she buzzed her wings to clear the air. "Kkff! Ugh! I can't believe we have to stay HERE."

Sweetie Belle's horn glowed as she brushed an old feather duster against the couch before sitting down more carefully. "It's just for now, Scootaloo. We can't talk about these things at home."

Apple Bloom just plopped her rear down on the floor. "Ain't like it matters. Our sisters' are all datin' an' it's weird, but we can't just go an' break 'em up."

"Yeah, I guess. But we haven't been HERE since we got our cutie marks! It's falling apart again." Scootaloo clopped her hoof against the wood floor, hoping to demonstrate that it was rotting through, but only managed to make a loud noise and make her hoof sting a bit in the process.

Apple Bloom smirked smugly. "Are y'all forgettin' just who put this place t'gether? It might get dusty, but nothin' Apple Bloom builds falls apart!"

Sweetie Belle let out a giggle. "I think it's kind of sweet! Rarity dating Applejack and Rainbow Dash, I mean. She was always worried Rainbow would steal Applejack before she could date her herself."

Laying back on the floor, Apple Bloom laughed. "Yeah, an' Applejack used t' go on frettin' about which of th' two she'd have t' pick. I guess it's alright she found out she could pick both."

They both turned to look at Scootaloo. She blinked, once, and then held out her hooves defensively. "What? Dash and I don't talk about that kind of sappy stuff!"

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle both laughed, and the old clubhouse seemed a little brighter for it. Apple Bloom scuffed a hoof against the floor. "I kinda miss this place, bein' honest. We had a lot a' fun here."

Scootaloo buzzed her wings for a moment, and sighed. "Yeah."

A few moments passed quietly. Apple Bloom tapped her hoof on the floor again, unable to take the silence. "So uh, Sweetie Belle, how was your date with uh... whas' 'is name, that rock star."

Sweetie Belle stuck out of her tongue. "He was such a jerk! And all he did was drink, he smelled like old cider and cigarettes."

Scootaloo frowned and buzzed her wings again. "Ewww! That's why I don't bother with stallions, they're all gross like that."

"They ain't all gross." Apple Bloom looked up at the ceiling again. "But there's always so much work t' do I can't even get off th' farm to meet anypony. Besides, I don't like most th' stallions in town, I like you girls more than them anyway."

Scootaloo grinned suddenly. "What, really? 'Cause, I mean, I'd go out with you. Nothing all romantic, but we could try it."

Apple Bloom's cheeks went orange with blush. "What?! Scootaloo, I've known ya since we were jus' fillies! But uh..." Apple Bloom scuffed her hooves against the floor. "Yeah, I guess. I mean, I like you jus' fine an' all, an' seein' as how I've known you forever I guess I can trust you."

Sweetie Belle's voice took on a familiar pouting sound from years ago. "Awww, I wanna goo. You can’t just leave me out.”

Scootaloo's grin only widened further. "Yeah, duh, of course you can come. If our sisters can date, so can we, right?"

"Yeah, an' I've been tryin' to think how we can all spend more time t'gether like we used to. That sounds right nice."

Sweetie Belle clopped her hooves together and giggled. "This is great! But maybe we should just try a few dates before deciding to announce it?"

Apple Bloom laughed and stood up. "Come on girls, just like we used to! Cutie Mark Crusader three-way datin'!"

Her friends laughed too, and the three mares stood together in their old clubhouse and clapped their hooves against one another triumpantly.

A Canterlot Wedding Redux

(No prompt, FFAF.)

(Sorry, Blueblood, I don't know why you get kicked around so much in my stories.)

Princess Celestia sat pleasantly in her private study, sipping hot tea after the menial effort of raising the morning sun. Princess Luna sat next to her sister, somewhat less chipper but nonetheless determined to spend at least morning tea with her older sister, despite their opposing schedules.

Both sisters smiled at the novelty of a letter arriving by magic transport, popping into existence right in front of Princess Celestia. Rare were the ponies daring enough to send one directly to Princess Celestia after all, and since it wasn't through dragonfire but rather standard magic post, it couldn't even be the young Princess Twilight Sparkle. Luna took time to sip at her tea as Princess Celestia unfurled the small scroll and set to reading.

Princess Celestia had been in full control of her horn and magic for nearly two thousand years now. The awkward adolescence full of magical mishaps and strangely short and long days were long over in the land of Equestria. Luna felt completely justified, then, in feeling both mild amusement and also startling worry over seeing her sister's age-old teacup shatter in a shower of golden sparks.

Before Princess Luna could comment, Princess Celestia barked out orders in her no-time-for-pleasantries authoritarian voice. "Captain Bulwark! Deploy two extra squads to Prince Blueblood's mansion, immediately. Find him, and keep him there."

"Your highness!" The guard outside galloped off in immediate reaction to her orders.

Luna didn't have to actually pose a question, only raising an eyebrow.

Princess Celestia sighed, and set the scroll down on the table, away from her spilled tea. "Prince Blueblood has announced a wedding."

"Your insufferable nephew? What mare would tolerate him?"

Princess Celestia's brow knit in an expression that sent chills down Princess Luna's spine. "I doubt she knows yet, he likely just assumes any mare would agree to marriage."

Ponyville was enjoying a lovely spring morning, the kind of morning that made every citizen just happy to be alive.

Fluttershy in particular was in high spirits, trotting about as she fed her animal friends. A caretaker like Fluttershy had to be an early riser by necessity, and she had been awake long enough to have disposed of any morning grogginess or doldrums. A letter popping out of nowhere right in front of her nose, however, was more than just a little startling, causing the skittish pegasus to jump back and let out a foalish squeak.

A moment of hesitation later, however, she opened the scroll and pressed it to the warm grass as she read over the fancy calligraphy. "You are cordially invited to the wedding- Oh! A wedding, how wonderful! - of Prince Blueblood of Canterlot, and-- Oh. Oh my."

Fluttershy rolled the scroll back up with her nose, and carried it into her house. This was going to be a strange day indeed.

Applejack was also an early riser by reason of always having a lot of work to do. It was dead in the middle of Applebuck Season, after all, and there was a lot of orchard to cover, even if Apple Bloom managed to help out more than she slowed things down this year. Applejack wasn't above feeling sore after a few days of this, though, and was pleasantly surprised at the letter's arrival.

She took a moment to stretch her hind legs, and then sat down on the ground and unfolded the scroll. Applejack's eyes scanned left and right as she went through the text. She chuckled lightly, and shook her head. She stuffed the scroll up under her hat and called out to her brother. "Macintosh! I've gotta go handle some Canterlot business. I'll be back b'fore you can know it."

Applejack didn't even wait for the confirmation "Eyup" before trotting into Ponyville, specifically toward Carousel Boutique.

Pinkie Pie, unlike most bakers, was rarely up terribly early. She'd only just managed to finish bathing and feeding her pet alligator before a tightly curled scroll popped out from nowhere in front of her nose. The letter fell downward until it was snapped out of the air by a toothless Gummy.

Pinkie giggled and took the edge of the scroll in her teeth, pulling it away from her pet. "No, Fummy, that'f fnot fer you!"

She hopped over to her bed, and unfurled the scroll on her bedsheets, quickly scanning the letter. Her face fell from her normal joyful cheer to a worried frown, and she plopped down on the floor, mopey and dreary. "Oh, Gummy! This is going to be the least fun wedding party ever!"

The letter for Rainbow Dash popped in just above her muzzle, and fell down onto her face as she slept on her back in her bed. She opened her eyes, and blearily batted the thing away. A moment later though, some portion of her woke up, one that knew such things could be important, and she fished around beside her bed with a hoof until she found it.

She laid back on her back again, and opened the scroll above her. "Ugh, another wedding? There was one LAST year."

Rainbow's eyes widened.

A moment later, the side of Rainbow's very professionally and skillfully crafted cloud home burst outwards as a sky-blue pegasus flew at top speed into Ponyville.

Rarity hummed happily to herself, despite having had no sleep the night before. She was on a hot streak, creativity flowed like wine and inspiration was around every stitch! The Crusaders were off at Scootaloo's house, Rarity had her home and business entirely to herself, with no distractions or irritations to interrupt her wonderful lucky break with her designs.

Of course, this was the time when one should appear. The invitation popped into existence right above her ponyquin, fell down and bounced off the back of the dress, and landed on the floor. Rarity paused a moment, considering whether to read the note or simply continue her work, but what pony would send something magical post if it wasn't quite urgent?

Rarity lit her horn and lifted the scroll before her, commenting to her half-dozing pet cat as she did so. "Oh my, Opal, a royal crest! Do you suppose it's from Princess Celestia?"

She unrolled the scroll and began reading. "Another wedding! How absolutely--"

Rarity stopped, and re-read that line.

Rarity dropped the scroll to the floor, with a blank expression on her face. Her horn lit, and she quite calmly and resolutely lifted a pair of fabric shears from her work space. She turned, and walked deliberately toward the door out of her boutique.

The door seemed to be stuck, until she heard a voice from outside. "I ain't lettin' go of this door 'till you calm down, Rarity."

Princess Luna's curiosity got the better of her propriety, and she lifted the scroll in her magic. She watched Princess Celestia's expression for any hint of anger, but finding none, proceeded to look over the text. It was in Prince Blueblood's admittedly remarkably neat and beautiful calligraphy.

Princess Luna barely suppressed a snort of laughter, and for that was rewarded by the look of irritation she'd expected on her sister's face. Princess Luna set the scroll down on the table again. "So, dear sister, Prince Blueblood is marrying-"

"Princess Twilight Sparkle."

Princess Luna bit back any joking reply, and instead just stayed silent for a moment. She stood, and smiled tightly to her sister. "I shall prepare the castle for the Elements' arrival."

Author's Note

This was initially going to be a full, multi-chapter story between seasons three and four, when it was uncertain if Twilight was staying in Canterlot, and she seemed unsure of her princesshood and what it meant for her. Now it's sort of an obsolescent idea. Ah well.

Snow Day [Slice of Life]

(The Prompt: Winter fun.) (With tags suggesting Twinkie shipping and ice skating)

(This is just a silly aside, as I had no real ideas for Twinkie ice skating. Still, had fun writing it.)

Princess Twilight Sparkle looked out over the nearly endless expanse of flat ground in front of her. It was midwinter, and they were far north of Ponyville, so of course the ground was entirely covered in a thick layer of snow. Twilight turned her head to look up at the pony who brought her here: her mentor and fellow alicorn, Princess Celestia. "Um, Princess Celestia, no offense, but it's just a field. You told the royal guards we had important diplomatic business to attend to."

Princess Luna took a few steps to stand alongside her sister. "We do, Princess Twilight. Today, this will be the site of a great battle!"

Twilight blanched and folded her ears back. "A battle?! Equestria's not even at war, and we're in the middle of Equestrian soil. The nearest foreign nation is The Crystal Empir-"

Princess Celestia gently pressed a hoof to Twilight's lips, and the younger alicorn silenced herself immediately. Celestia's own muzzle bore a small, gently amused smile. "Twilight, every pony needs a day away from work every so often. Today, we princesses will be having a snowball fight here. We're far enough away from Cloudsdale and Neighagra Falls that nopony will see us."

Luna nodded. "'Tis listed at Equestrian wargames practice on the schedule."

Twilight blushed slightly, and then took a few steps back away from the two older princesses. "A snowball fight? Really? And you invited me?"

Princess Celestia smiled gently again. "Yes, my most faithful-"

Celestia's quiet, confident, elegant voice was cut off by the soft paff of a loose ball of snow breaking over her muzzle. Twilight brought a hoof to her lips to try to stifle a giggle at the sight, and Celestia turned and looked upward toward her sister. Luna flew several yards away, with a dark blue magical aura holding a half dozen more spheres of snow in the air next to her. "The battle has commenced, sister!"

Twilight couldn't help but laugh, but only managed a couple seconds before another snowball flew down from above, knocking into her mane and leaving cold snow over her purple coat. She looked up and only barely managed to hop to the side to dodge the second attack from Luna, and then laughed again as she ran a short distance away to gather some ammunition.

"Twilight Sparkle! Thine fortress is only half finished!" Princess Luna stood confidently behind the walls of her own fortress, which while much less immaculately accurate than Twilight's, was at least complete.

Twilight looked up from her work, and then her eyes widened and she ducked down again as a larger snowball broke against her perfectly straight front wall. "Luna! I'm not ready! That's not fair!"

A sudden hail of snowballs rained down on Princess Luna from above, causing a very unroyal squawk of protest, and uncharacteristically light laughter from her sister above. "Remember, Princess Twilight, do not rely solely on walls to protect you. Allies are important as wel-"

Another attack puffed away on Princess Celestia's cutie mark, and she looked down in surprise, to see Twilight Sparkle sticking her tongue out at her. "You can only count on your allies until the common enemy is beaten!"

Princess Luna and Celestia circled one another with the kind of skilled battle flight that was rarely seen in the skies of Equestria in this era. Each carried a number of projectiles, though neither could easily find purchase against the other's quick maneuvers. Princess Luna slipped more into her older style of speech with the excitement of competetion. "Thy aim is abyssmal, sister! Oh! Ha, such dishonorable attacks from behind will not save thee!"

"I have had a thousand years of practice since we last battled, sister!" Princess Celestia dropped in elevation, and then lunged toward her sister, pressing a snowball against her muzzle directly with a hoof, instead of flinging it with magic.

Luna shook her head quickly to clear the snow and laughed again as she threw a dozen projectiles at once, overwhelming any attempt at dodging. Snow glistened and sparkled as it fell from the impacts on her sister's coat.

However, only a second passed before a much larger snowball whizzed past Luna, and a frustrated "Shoot!" sounded down below.

Both princesses looked down, mouths agape at the medieval-era catapult made of magical projections, from a somewhat irritated looking Twilight. Twilight stuck her tongue out of the side of her mouth, and then loaded more snow into the catapult. "What? I read a book on magical constructs yesterday! You might want to dodge, I think I fixed the aim!"

The catapult fired a cloud of loose snow upwards, and both royal sisters scattered across the sky, laughing gaily.

Celestia landed on the snowy ground, now pocked with dozens of boulder-sized snowball impacts, and a half dozen ruined snowforts. She looked up at the mid afternoon sun, thinly visible behind the cloud cover. Celestia permitted herself to wipe her brow with her pastern, despite the unroyal image. "It may be time to stop this, our guards will be concerned."

"Hah! Thou art only retreating because you are beaten, sister!" Princess Luna stood triumphant in her hastily constructed cloud fortress. "While there is snow on the field, we shall do battle!"

Princess Celestia smirked, and then lowered her head, her horn glowing. The sunlight brightened, and the clouds over the field seemed to evaporate away. Soon, the snowy ground nearly glowed with sunny warmth and brightness. It couldn't last long under the light of day.

Princess Luna winked at her sister, and then flew slowly up from her cloud, forelegs outstretched. A shadow fell over the sun as the moon raised in front of it. "No, dear sister! Remember this day, for from this point onward, the fight shall last... forever!"

Princess Twilight's eyes widened, and she disappeared immediately in a flash of purple magic.

Princess Celestia flew over the blue-black field in the artificial night, dodging snowballs thrown from above. Her wings were tired, her body ached, and she was laughing happily despite it all. Snow paffed against her wings, and seeing a flash of light below, she feigned defeat and soared downward in a spin, landing more roughly than usual.

Princess Luna lowered herself in the night sky, and her eyes widened as she saw a familiar sight. Six brightly colored mares below her, five arranged protectively around Princess Twilight, all looking up at her with angry expressions. Luna shook her head quickly. "No, subjects! You misunderstand, this is not-! I am simply at play, and-"

A snowball paffed against her muzzle again, and she looked down to see the pink earth pony giggling madly as she scooped another pile of snow and formed it between her hooves. "Come on, girls! Let's use the Elements of Snowpony to protect Equestria!"

Luna laughed again and turned tail to flee the hail of projectiles headed toward her as the battle was rejoined. Being a princess of Equestria was fun, it was an honor, and sharing a castle with her elder sister was important to her after so long in isolation. But there was truly no substitute for a day spent simply having fun with friends.

Working Filly Blues [Slice of Life]

(The Prompt: Ponies working for minimum wage.)

(Early prompt surprised me, so this is a bit of a rushed concept that maybe works and maybe doesn't, and isn't that well proofed. Here's hoping!)

"I jus' don't think it's fair!" Apple Bloom pouted and stamped her hoof against the ground of Sweet Apple Acres. "Scootaloo gets paid doin' her job over at Sugarcube Corner!"

Applejack wiped her brow with a pastern as she set another bushel of apples onto the back of Big Macintosh's cart, and tapped the wagon twice to let him know to start moving. "Scootaloo ain't working for her family, Sugarcube. Besides, you get an allowance. 10 bits a week."

"Well... I think I should get paid for doin' chores. Scootaloo gets more 'n that every day."

Applejack sighed, and then looked down at her little sister as she sat pouting on an old stump. Applejack looked out over the orchard, and then shrugged. "Alright, 'Bloom. Tell you what. I'll give you a week treatin' you like a hired farmhand. I'll pay y' normal wage an' you can buy your food an' all. After that you can decide if y' want to keep doin' it or not."

Apple Bloom jumped up excitedly. "Really? Thanks, Applejack! I'll be th' best farmhand ever!"

"Apple Bloom! Get up, it's past startin' time an' you're still in bed!"

Apple Bloom held her head and rolled over, falling off the side of her bed and relying on the floor to wake her up. A few seconds later she pushed open her door to see her big sister Applejack out in the hall, with the fakest-looking angry face she'd ever seen. "What's th' matter, Applejack? It ain't even sunrise."

"Come on now, Apple Bloom. You're a workin' pony now, and there ain't time for sleepin' in all day just because it's summer. It's time to get to work."

Apple Bloom kicked back hard with her hooves, and felt the tree shake behind her. A few apples fell from the branches, and the rest of the vibration from the bucking seemed to reverberate though her hind legs. Apple Bloom grumbled and collected all the fallen apples into the baskets before giving the tree another kick.

She sat down with aching hooves, and looked over to her brother and sister. The two experienced farmers kicked the trees without even flinching, and their apples seemed to almost magically fall right into the baskets without any effort. Tree after tree shook, with all the apples raining down easily.

Apple Bloom was still just watching them work when Applejack turned to look at her, and set a decidedly less faked expression of annoyance. "What're you doin' sittin' around? We're payin' you to work, Apple Bloom, c'mon now!"

Groaning, Apple Bloom stood back up and went back to kicking, each buck just setting her hindquarter shaking with another painful hit.

Apple Bloom dragged herself into the house behind Applejack and Big Macintosh. She tried not to react to the smirk on her sister's face. The past three days had been the longest she'd ever had. She didn't have time for crusading or any time for much of anything but working and sleeping. She saddled up to the kitchen table with her family, but there wasn't a plate in front of her.

Granny Smith coughed pointedly into her hoof, and then held out another one. Apple Bloom drooped forward, and then pulled a few bits from her saddlebag and passed them to Granny Smith. That bought her about half the food the rest of the family was eating for free, but hired workers didn't get free food at Sweet Apple Acres.

Somehow, even Granny's Apple Caboodle Surprise didn't taste half as good when she had to pay for it by doing farm work all day.

Applejack sat with Apple Bloom in the young filly's room, on Sunday morning. There wasn't need to work on Sunday, at least for Apple Bloom, and so they had a few minutes to go over their deal. Apple Bloom held a pencil in her lips as she worked out numbers on a sheet of paper.

"So uh... that's forty hours workin', and you're paying me uh.... that-a-much, and I guess I spent this and that many on food..."

Applejack chuckled and mussed the filly's hair. "An' you're rent's due. Nopony gets t' stay free if they ain't stayin' with family. So that's another fifty bits."

Apple Bloom shot her older sister a look, but Applejack didn't seem too bothered by it. She marked down the new figures, and did a little math on the sheet. "So takin' out rent, an' food, an' docked wages for bruised apples, an' for unscheduled breaks, I guess I made..."

She looked down at the sheet of paper. Yep, all the math was right. "Uh... eleven bits."

Apple Bloom looked up at her big sister. "I don't still get my ten bit allowance... So I made just one more bit workin' than I would if I'd just done my chores regular?"

Applejack chuckled and hugged Apple Bloom against her. "That's right. I'm bettin' if you asked Scootaloo how she was doin' at her job, she'd tell you she ain't happy workin' for change either. It ain't easy bein' a big pony, Apple Bloom."

Apple Bloom thought about pulling away from the hug in indignation, but instead just felt herself hug her sister back. "Alright, Alright. I'll go back to bein' just a filly if I don't have t' work all that hard anymore."

Applejack put her hoof to her chin. "Well, I don't know about all that. Seein' as how you can work that much after all, I don't think it'd be right lettin' you do less just so you can be lazy."

Apple Bloom laughed and tackled her sister playfully, despite every muscle in her body being sore and tired. The two ponies fell to the floor laughing, and Applejack messed up her little sister's mane.

Maybe she'd have to move out sometime, maybe she'd have to get a real job like Scootaloo or work doing something she didn't like, but for right now, just for the moment, Apple Bloom figured she could be happy enough just being a kid for a while longer. She'd never felt more lucky to just be a silly little filly.

Good Intentions [Drama?]

(The prompt: Equestria gets off to a rocky start.)

(I know it's a bit long and the time marker is a bit too early in the story. But I thought it was a solid idea and just spent too much time milling around before the important part.)

Chancellor Smart Cookie found herself wishing, not for the first time, that the hiding cave where the ponies of the world had found the secret to fighting off the blizzard had been anywhere but the top of a mountain. There was no snow, seeing as it was mid-summer, but there was wind, and wind was always cold when a body was this far off the earth.

She looked back to her newly appointed secretary, Pie Chart. He seemed to be weathering the windy cold as well as could be expected, bundled up in a dozen thick coats. He was strange for an earth pony, with a head full of numbers and diagrams. If he was old enough for it to be possible, Smart Cookie might have thought he was half unicorn.

Not that most ponies would want to be thought of as half breeds nowadays.

Smart Cookie looked up and pointed with a hoof toward a dark opening in the cliffs up ahead. The two ponies trudged through the biting winds until they stepped across the threshold. Only a few steps into the cave, the wind seemed to die down, leaving the inside still and pleasingly calm, if a bit stifling. Smart Cookie didn't have the knowledge of how to look for it, but if she had to wager, it was magic.

After piling their belongings in with the already established pile, the two trotted their way into the main area of the cave. Smart Cookie smiled at the pegasus mare that had become so familiar over the years, and waved with a hoof. At the sound of the hoofsteps, the graying purple mare at the other side of the cave looked up, and gave a weary smile as well.

Clover the Clever, or more formally Her Royal Majesty's Personal Protege and Assistant, Clover the Clever of Canterlot, was sitting among a circle of a half-dozen books, pointing out a few passages for her young aspiring sorceress student. She left the other pony behind as she stood up and walked lightly over to where Smart Cookie and Pansy were talking.

"Hello, Chancellor, Lieutenant. I'm glad to see you again, though I wish it were under better circumstances."

Lieutenant Pansy bowed slightly. "Yes ma'am. As glad as I am to see the both of you, I wish we didn't have to meet here. Do you have any report on your people, Cookie?"

Smart Cookie chuckled at the shortened form of her name. It had taken ages to convince a pegasus, even a good friend, to drop the title and full name when speaking to her. "It's not so much a report, but there's still problems. Ponies say that the pegasi are favoring certain farms for rain, and the unicorns are making the growing season too short." She raised a hoof defensively. "Don't you start, I know it's not true. But you can't convince a herd of angry ponies, they won't listen."

Lieutenant Pansy's wings drooped a little, a sign of falling hope that the others were starting to recognize in their strange flying brethren. "Oh, I had really hoped that twenty years of peace would have been enough. But this summer is awfully cool, and even with more sunny days than normal, we can't get the temperature to rise again."

The three ponies looked to one another. They knew what this could mean, but nopony wanted to say it.

After a few moments, Smart Cookie shook her head. "We'll figure something out. Now I brought along my secretary, Pie Chart. He's been taking down notes these past few years on temperature, day length, weather, that sort of thing. Between two ponies as smart as him, your student, and you, Clover, I'm betting we can find a solution."

It was several hours later that Chancellor Cookie and Lieutenant Pansy had their casual discussion of ideal farm weather cut short by Clover's approach. The unicorn mare looked somehow older than just that morning. She sat down beside other two, and sighed. "It seems that I was correct. The pony tribes aren't working well together. I do not believe there is any high-level governmental ruling in this direction, but the discontent and racial tension of the lower classes seems to be causing rifts daily, in all three tribes."

Smart Cookie sighed and shook her head. "Not much else I can do about it, Clover. I've been trying to get them to talk to each other. They know there's good ponies everywhere, but they only remember the bad ones."

Pansy nodded her agreement, but bit her tongue.

Clover looked back toward her assistant as the white and pink filly chatted with the earth pony. She looked again to the floor of the cave in front of her. "There is... an option. A choice we can make."

Lieutenant Pansy looked up cautiously. "A choice?"

"We can magically compel our peoples toward peace. This cave has a certain crossing of magical lines... it's a kind of nexus. If we had been forced to stay any other place, we may never have become friends. But here, there's a type of magic that we can harness. It will be difficult, and I will need you both here."

Smart Cookie's eyes narrowed. "You're talking about mind controlling our people. Taking away their will and choices."

Clover the Clever shook her head quickly. "No, not at all. Just... making it easier to get along. We can pull away their distrust and their contempt, and remove the negative emotions that bind them into conflict. We won't be controlling them, exactly, but we will be making it easier for them to pick peace over conflict."

Smart Cookie looked into Clover's eyes, and then nodded after a second. "Alright, I trust you. But only because I'm out of options here. I've got foals at home, Clover, and I can't have them freezing to death in ten years."

Smart Cookie felt like her belly was full of ice and sharp rocks. 'Nervous' didn't even start to describe how she felt about being part of some huge, untested kind of magic in what she now knew to be some kind of special, magical hole in the mountain. It wasn't that she didn't like unicorns, but magic just never sat right.

Still, she was here. She looked at Clover and her assistant, Helia, as the two unicorns oh-so-carefully touched horns. There was a spark, and then the semi-familiar purple magic that always seemed to appear in this cave started to swirl around the whole group. Smart Cookie took a deep breath, and hooked her pastern around Pansy's. The pegasus looked toward her, and smiled.

Taking strength in her friend felt right just at the moment, and it brought her calm even as she felt the magic moving through her. Something was changing, she could feel it more than she could put into words. The multicolored magic swirling through the cavern passed through her body, and she could almost tell just the instant that her feelings changed.

(time)

That mistrust about magic... was still there, but it was harder to get mad about it. She was still a little jealous of the pegasus ponies' flight, but she could hardly begrudge them for being born what they were. It was hard to place, really, what had changed. But for some reason, that sort of thing just didn't bother her anymore.

She looked over to Clover again, and felt a bit alarmed at the sweat running down the mare's face. Helia seemed even worse for the strain on their magic, as the carefully woven magic strands around them wavered and moved out of their arranged shapes. The lights and darkness that the magic had been pulling in from outside of the cave faltered, and pulled away from their paths. The cavern went from hectic but full of controlled spellcasting, to absolute chaos as lines of magic and... feelings, or whatever those lights and shadows were, ricocheted and spun around uncontrolled.

"Agh!" Clover the Clever collapsed to the floor, and Smart Cookie galloped over to her, helping her up as best she was able. Clover's eyes widened as she looked at the uncontrolled magic flooding the chamber. "We have to get out of here! We must leave, I don't know what will happen!"

At that moment, everything happened.

A brilliant flash filled the room, and the mountain shook with the release of power. When the five ponies opened their eyes, they found a sixth person between them. A strange, brown, serpentine being, with a pony's face, but a body of a dozen animal's parts. He stood slowly, and looked around at the ponies before him.

They all stood, with mouths agape. After a moment, Clover took a few steps back. "No... we have to run, that... THING is something we created! He's made of all the malcontent and disharmony between the tribes, the feelings we removed!"

The creature lifted his eagle talon hand, and looked at it for a moment. He glanced toward Helia, and snapped his talons. The pony's pink mane suddenly changed to a strangely flowing green, blue, and pink. The creature smiled, and then snapped his talons again. Wings sprouted from the unicorn's back. He spoke lightly, as if completely assured of his own power. "Fly away home, little pony. There's nothing you can do here."

Helia looked back in panic at the wings on her back, but then darted forward and snatched something from the ground at the creature's feet. Smart Cookie caught just the quickest glance of some kind of large seed between her teeth as she half ran and half flew from the cavern.

The creature before them straightened up to his full height. "Well... it's only fair that I have a name, isn't it?"

The four remaining ponies all stepped backward nervously, ready to bolt at a moment's notice. He looked at them carefully, with a hint of malice in his eyes. "I'm made of distrust? Disharmony? Dis... Hm. Yes... Discord. That will do nicely."

He raised his talon again, smiled, and snapped. At that moment, Equestria's brightest and darkest age began.

Pegasus' Dilemma [Drama]

(The prompt:

“It’s getting colder in this ditch where I lie.
I’m feeling older, and I’m wondering why.
Well, I heard they told her it was tell and live or die.
I didn’t know her, but I know why she lied.
I didn’t know her, but I know why she died …”
(Hanson, "This Time Around"))

This was the grossest thing ever. That was really about the only thing Rainbow Dash could think of to call the cocoon she was stuck in. Gross. It was full of slime, really bad-tasting slime with a sour, viscous feel to it. She didn't have to breathe, but she could still talk, and she was pretty sure she'd been in here for a couple days but she hadn't had to eat or drink anything. But it was still gross, and her wings twitched constantly from wanting to fly.

She heard their hoofsteps long before she actually saw them in the dim light. When she saw that one of the shapes was a lot taller than the other two, she flared her wings and swam back against the back side of her cocoon. The two changeling guards walked up to her first, and then the Queen stepped forward into the gentle green glow of the prison.

There was a smile on her lips, but it wasn't a happy one. "Hello, little pony. Ready to talk?"

Rainbow Dash kicked the front of the cocoon, even though she knew trying to break it was pointless. "No! Get out of here! My friends are gonna find me!"

The Queen chuckled darkly. "But they won't. We've already replaced Rarity and Pinkie Pie. The Princess' other friends will soon be mine too, and then she won't be able to fight us."

The glow in the room brightened slightly, and Rainbow Dash could dimly see Rarity and Pinkie floating in their own cocoons, looking at her with widening eyes. This wasn't good. "So what? There's no way your bug is as awesome as me! Twilight will know, and then you'll all be in trouble!"

"That's exactly why I'm here." The Queen took a step closer to the cocoon, her height and presence making Rainbow feel small and helpless. "I know you have a little codeword for Twilight. To prove to her that you are who you say you are. Tell me."

Rainbow Dash grinned. "Yeah right! Why would I tell you?"

Another low chuckle, the Queen's sharp teeth gleaming in the sickly green light. "Because if you don't, we'll just kill you now."

Rainbow looked aside, though there wasn't much to see but the opaque side of her prison. "Why don't you just read my mind or whatever?"

"Your Princess is smarter than she seems. There's magic blocking that part of your mind, and we can't break it. But we have other ways to get the information..."

Rainbow refuse to even look back to the Queen. After a second or two, the Queen's grin turned into a scowl. "You're wasting your time. Your friends already told us theirs, and my changelings can keep Twilight from suspecting anything for a while. If you don't tell us, she'll never find you in time."

"Yeah right, you probably have us in the Everfree forest or something, right next to Ponyville."

The Queen's scowl deepened. "You think that knowing where we are will make it easier to escape? You can't get out of there. We're far from Ponyville, in a ruin in the badlands."

Dash looked down at the floor, surprised she was only now noticing it was made of some kind of baked clay. Yeah, she knew this place. Twilight would never look this far fast enough. "So, you wanna know my password, right?"

The Queen nodded, a glint in her eyes as her victory seemed certain.

"How's this for a password?" Rainbow Dash shimmied around in her cocoon, fighting the limited space, until she was head-down in it with her rear facing up toward the queen, and flicked her tail up, thumping her hind legs against the front of the prison just to emphasize her point. Pinkie Pie giggled in her own cocoon, while Rarity pretended to be offended.

The Queen didn't have to pretend, slamming her hooves down loudly against the floor. "Cut the feeding to this pony! She is to starve!"

Rainbow banged her hooves against the front again. "What? You're not going to take me out of here and fight me for it?"

Letting out another low chuckle, the Queen stared down at her with hatred in her eyes. "Of course not. I won't give you a chance to fly back to Ponyville. You'll die a slow death, alone in that prison."

Rainbow Dash drooped, and shuffled her way back right side up. She bit her lip, and then shook her head. "It's... It's 'where's the Griffon's Goblet.'. That's my password."

Pinkie Pie made a little sigh of disappointment, and Rarity just turned and looked away. Rainbow Dash frowned at them, but what choice did she have? The Queen smiled maliciously, and turned around to leave. "Don't reconnect the feeding line. She's no use to us anymore anyway."

Rainbow bashed her hooves hard against the front of the cocoon, but it didn't break any more than it had the last hundred times. The changelings left the room, and the light dimmed enough that she couldn't see her friends anymore. She frowned into the darkness. They thought she'd given away the password.

But Rainbow wasn't about to give that up. Even if she did, she was dead anyway. But if Rainbow knew anything, she knew Twilight. And Twilight knew Daring Do books. It had been this temple that she'd found the Griffon's Goblet, in the second book of the series. Yeah, the password was wrong, and maybe Twilight wouldn't figure it out fast enough. But she might make it soon enough to save Pinkie and Rarity, and Rainbow wasn't about to leave her friends hanging.

She sighed and lay back in the thick goop of her little prison. She really hoped that Twilight's egghead brain was as fast and smart as it needed to be.

Every Morning [Slice of Life, Shipping]

(Prompt: Getting Up early)

Pinkie Pie awoke early, to the muted sounds of mixing bowls and baking pans downstairs. She rolled over on her back, and looked up into the dark room. It was too early, but she HAD too wake up too early, that's just how it was!

Most ponies woke up with the sun, which was probably what Princess Celestia wanted. But Pinkie Pie didn't have time to wait that long, even if two weeks ago she did. Pinkie rolled out of bed and shook herself all over. Giggling, she trotted lightly over to her mirror, and ran her brush through her mane a few times. It never really straightened it out, but if she didn't, it'd just be even more tangled.

Gummy was still asleep, and Pinkie just carefully set him next to the window so the morning sunshine would warm him up. She trotted out of the room, but was careful not to make too much noise. Mister and Misses cake were awake and downstairs, but the babies weren't, and waking them up was always a huge mess.

Mrs. Cake smiled at Pinkie as she came down the stairs, and Pinkie smiled back. "Hi, Mrs. Cake!"

"Hello, Pinkie. Up early again?"

"You know it, Mrs. Cake! Ooh! Can I have one of those?" Pinkie asked as a formality before nabbing one of the warm cinnamon rolls from the cooling rack. Mrs. Cake hardly seemed to mind, and just smiled knowingly at Pinkie as the mare hopped happily on her way out of the door.

Ponyville was a very different place in the early morning. Where normally all of Pinkie's friends would be out trotting around and enjoying the sunny weather, this time of morning everything was super quiet. The Cakes had to wake up early to bake treats for the ponies that woke up at the usual time, and a few other lights were on here and there. But for most of Ponyville, the day hadn't started yet.

Which was great, because this was the kind of party that didn't need a lot of guests!

Pinkie had taken a while to learn that not every pony always wanted fun and excitement and balloons and streamers and stuff like that. But it was an important lesson to learn! She wanted to be the best party pony in Equestria, sure, but the important part was making ponies happy with her parties. If that meant some parties had to be quiet and private, that was fine too.

Golden Oak Library was a pretty distinctive building, and it always made Pinkie Pie smile to see the big tree growing in the middle of Ponyville. She trotted her way up to the front door, and pushed it open slowly and carefully. It didn't make any noise, which was good, she didn't want to wake anypony. She walked inside and closed it behind her.

The library was a little creepy when it was dark and quiet. But Pinkie had been here like this enough times that it didn't bother her. She crept quietly up the stairs, and giggled almost silently at the baby dragon laying lazily in his little bed. Twilight's bed was empty, which it should be. Pinkie walked carefully over to the door to the balcony.

Princess Twilight Sparkle smiled when she saw Pinkie. She smiled a lot more lately. Pinkie giggled and walked over, sitting next to the alicorn princess. It was still dark, but there was a thin orange line on the horizon, and Pinkie smiled knowing that she'd gotten here just in time.

She didn't even know about Twilight doing this until a couple weeks ago, but she'd been coming home late from a party that ran all night, and she had seen Twilight up here. Twilight had looked so lonely up on the balcony all by herself, and Pinkie had climbed up to join her. Something in her friend's face had told her to be quiet, and so she had.

But Twilight had smiled, then, and Pinkie knew it was okay.

So now Pinkie was here again, for the thirteenth morning in a row. She sat next to Twilight, and the two ponies looked over the side of the balcony at the glow on the horizon. The sun, bright and orange and beautiful, crested the horizon, and the light shone brightly over the thatched roofs and rolling hills of Ponyville.

Twilight watched as though mesmerized, and Pinkie giggled quietly and nuzzled Twilight's neck. This elicited a giggle from the princess, and she hugged her friend close. They never said anything while they watched the sun rise, and that was okay. Some friends just wanted to have peace and quiet, and maybe even some really special friends, like Twilight Sparkle.

They hadn't said it yet, but Pinkie wasn't born yesterday. She could see how much Twilight liked having her here. Twilight never looked lonely in the morning anymore, and even other times she was always so happy to see Pinkie. The past two weeks had been nice, getting up early to sit here with Twilight, and now every time she saw Twilight, there was that special little twinkle in her eye of shared secrets and time spent together.

Pinkie hugged her friend close, and giggled quietly again. Maybe it would take a little while for Twilight to see it too, but Pinkie could wait. A good special somepony was always worth any kind of wait, and Twilight Sparkle was the best special somepony ever.

Nope [Slice of Life]

(Prompt: None, Free for all Friday)

(This didn't quite work out like I wanted it to, but I'm out of time, and I want to submit something instead of missing another day.)

It seemed like this day never could really pass without something stupid happening.

Hearts and Hooves Day was hardly Big Macintosh's favorite day of the year. Mac, all told, didn't bother all that much with romance. He had work to do, and any given day of the year, there was more use working than there was fooling around trying to impress some mare or another. Not that he was opposed to dating, but it just wasn't in the cards for a stallion that had to carry an orchard on his back.

That, and it seemed like every pony in Ponyville went completely crazy leading up to Hearts and Hooves Day. He had to keep away from anypony that wasn't kin, just to keep the increasingly desperate single mares from propositioning him just to avoid being single that day.

But work was work, and Hearts and Hooves Day often found him in town anyway. This time he was hauling hay from a supplier in town back to the Acres, for the sheep and cows that stayed on their land. Wasn't common to see somepony loading up a wagon on a holiday like today, but it was more important to get this done than to fritter away time with some mare that'd lose the sparkle in her eye as soon as the holiday was over.

That was when the little orange filly popped her head over the top of the stack of hay bales nearby and asked "Hey, Big Mac! Doing anything special for Hearts and Hooves Day?"

His answer came quickly, instinctively, around the sprig of wheat he often kept in his lips. "Nope."

Though really, there was no reason to lie about it. He didn't have plans, though last year he'd lost a ton of time and potential work to his sister and her friends' meddling and setting him up with Cheerilee. While Cheerilee was an attractive mare: kind, intelligent, and all in all a good match, they just didn't click that way. Plus the color of her coat was too similar to his mother's. But maybe they'd set him up with somepony he hadn't considered this time.

Instead of just ducking back behind the bale like last time, though, Scootaloo grinned and hopped down on the side Big Macintosh was on. "Really? Then, uh..."

Big Macintosh couldn't quite look away as Scootaloo took a few steps toward him. She kept her front end low, and looked up at him with what he supposed was a look she'd seen full grown mares make. The filly sauntered toward him in that awkward, entirely unattractive way that only children imitating adults can pull off. Big Macintosh switched the sprig of wheat to the other side of his mouth.

Scootaloo finished walking toward Big Macintosh, and then opened her eyes a bit wider, realizing she didn't quite have the next part planned out. "Uh, then maybe... you know... we could. Go out somewhere."

He had to break it to her softly, he didn't want to break some poor filly's- "Nope."

Mac sighed inwardly at his tendency to speak too much too quickly.

Scootaloo's face fell, and a shamed blush spread over her cheeks. "What? No? Why? Am I that ugly?"

"Nope." That was true. She was cute, in a little kid sort of way, but she had the kind of features that might make for a pretty, if a little coltish mare, when she grew up.

"What, is it because I'm a pegasus? I mean, I know your whole family is earth ponies, but-"

"Nope."

Scootaloo's head dipped further. "Is it because I'm the same color as Applejack? 'Cause I know it's sort of weird, but I can dye my coat..."

"Nope." Though that would be a bit weird, now that he thought about it.

"Then what is it? Is it because I'm too young?"

"Eyup."

Big Macintosh hesitated a second, and then sat down fully on the ground beside Scootaloo. The little filly didn't hesitate to sit next to him, but then looked up as if just noticing how much larger a full grown stallion, particularly Big Macintosh himself, was. Big Macintosh moved a hoof and mussed Scootaloo's mane gently.

She laughed, but then sunk down to the ground again. "I just wanted to try going out with somepony, and you're so nice and hard working, and you're kind of handsome, you know, not that I care about stuff like that. ...Apple Bloom's gonna kill me."

"Nope."

Scootaloo brightened just a little. "You'll keep it a secret? Thanks, Big Mac."

She hugged him for a moment, and then settled down again. "But so what if I'm little? I'm old enough to do what I want. I know I don't have my cutie mark yet, but I'll get it, you'll see! You don't think I'm stupid, just because I'm a filly."

Big Macintosh tried to find the words for what he wanted to say, but his mouth always moved faster than he wanted. "Nope."

Scootaloo leaned miserably against his shoulder. "But I guess I've still got school and everything, and I can't help on the farm. And Apple Bloom would kill me. But maybe if I was older? Like, if I had my cutie mark, and was like... Rainbow Dash's age?"

Macintosh sighed and shook his head a bit. Maybe he'd date a pony Rainbow's age, but it wouldn't do to tell some little filly that if she was a bit older, he'd go for it. This was awkward enough already.

Scootaloo sighed. "So... what you're saying is that it's kind of... like, age is more than just a number or a cutie mark?"

"Eyup." That sounded like something he could agree to anyway.

"And I guess... I have more in common with ponies my age. Besides, I don't really want to have to work on an orchard all the time. I guess I kind of need to learn what I'm all about, and get my cutie mark or whatever first. Also it'd be weird to have to learn to fly just so I could kiss my special somepony. You're kind of tall."

Big Macintosh chuckled and shook his head again, but answered with a "Eyup" anyway.

Scootaloo stood up, and hugged Big Macintosh around the withers as he leaned down so she could reach. "Thanks, Big Mac! You're a really good listener! I bet you'll find the best mare ever! I'm going to wait before I date anypony, I've got plenty of time left. You're the best!"

Big Macintosh stood up again, and ruffled Scootaloo's mane again. She laughed and jumped away. "Okay, okay, I get it. I'm going to go find the other crusaders. Thanks again, Big Mac!"

"Eyup."

He watched the little filly gallop away, and shook his head. He set himself back to work, loading the hay into the wagon, and trying his best to forget the whole awkward situation. Sure, he had a way with words sometimes, and sure, it all worked out in the end.

But next Hearts and Hooves Day, he was just going to stay home. It just seemed like this day never could pass without something stupid happening.

She's Leaving Home [Slice of Life, Sad?]

(The prompt: Every story has an ending. But every ending is just another story’s beginning.)

(Call this a prediction, though I doubt it'll be pitched this way in the show proper. Time somewhere in the AJ section.)

Sugarcube Corner looked mostly the same.

It was mostly the same. From the outside you couldn't really tell anything had happened, and from the inside, where the customers stayed anyway, it looked the same as always. Maybe a little cleaner, with less remnants of streamers taped to the walls, but it mostly looked the same.

But it wasn't.

Pinkie Pie looked at her old room. It was empty. The walls were still brightly painted and the sunlight shone in through the windows, but it was empty. No streamers, no balloons, her party cannon was gone already, Gummy was over with Fluttershy, and... everything was just so... empty.

Pinkie stood there in the little beam of sunlight from the window, and looked at her empty room.

It was weird enough that she was doing this anyway. She moved out of her family's house when she found her talent for partying, and then she was super lucky enough to find another family with the Cakes. But now she was moving out of here too, and... she didn't want to do it again, even if she was pretty sure she'd find a new family again, anyway.

Pinkie took one last look around the room, and turned to go down the stairs.

In the kitchen she found Mr. and Mrs. Cake, both looking a little teary-eyed when they spotted her with her last saddlebags full of stuff. She hugged them both, even though they hugged just a little too tightly and it threatened to make her smile slip. But they'd already all said their goodbyes, and it was just a nice, fake little "See you later!" and Pinkie Pie was gone.

"But Rarity, it's Carousel Boutique! You can't give it to anypony else!" Sweetie Belle followed behind her sister as Rarity levitated certain small possessions and design books into her already overstuffed saddlebags.

Rarity sighed, and her horn sparked in frustration until she managed to fit the last set of designs into her bag. "Sweetie Belle, darling, Miss Pommel is a very capable designer, I'm quite certain she will do very well here."

"But Carousel Boutique is yours! You're the best designer in Equestria! Why do you have to go?" Sweetie Belle knew she was whining, and knew that Rarity's patience was limited for that sort of thing, but she couldn't help it.

She sat down on the floor as her big sister finalized a few small details with the dumb, cream-colored earth pony mare that was taking over the shop. She didn't listen. She didn't want to listen. She wanted things to be like they were before, and she wanted her big sister to stay here in Carousel Boutique and do all the things Rarity liked doing.

But things change.

They trotted outside together, and suddenly Rarity was just that extra half-step farther ahead of Sweetie Belle than Sweetie wanted her big sister to be, and Sweetie Belle threw herself forward to hug Rarity's hoof. Rarity opened her eyes wide in surprise, but then sat down on the road and hugged her crying little sister close. "Sweetie Belle, you will always be my little sister, and nothing will ever change that. Even leaving..."

Rarity looked up at the building she'd just left. It looked the same, or at least mostly the same. But it wasn't hers, anymore. She'd built the boutique as a business, from the ground up, and now it wasn't hers anymore. Rarity looked up at the building for a long second, and then turned to hug her sister again. "Leaving Carousel Boutique is not the end of the world, Sweetie. Now, let's go find Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. I'm quite certain the three of you will feel better together."

Brave little fillies didn't cry. Or at least that seemed like something they shouldn't do, to Scootaloo.

But it was kind of tempting sometimes, like when Rainbow Dash's cloud house was being demolished. It was always sort of a big block in the weather patterns, and most towns on the ground didn't allow cloud homes anyway. But Rainbow Dash had been weather team captain for a while, and so her house had stayed there, until now.

Rainbow Dash had elected to tear it down herself, which made a weird kind of sense to Scootaloo. Of course, Scootaloo couldn't help even if she wanted to, so she sat on the warm grass on the hilltop below the house, and watched Rainbow kick away the puffy white walls and blow away the remnant cloud stuff.

Scootaloo had a lot of Rainbow's old things, and the rest of them were already gone. Rainbow Dash said she liked to travel light, and that she couldn't take most of the things she wanted to bring with her.

She looked up at the rapidly dwindling cloud home, and sighed.

Even if she wasn't really, she felt an awful lot like she was losing a sister.

Fluttershy finished putting the final touches on her old cottage. It was a sort of bittersweet feeling, tearing down the old doors and windows so that animals could move in and out as they wanted. The chicken coop was already gone, as was all the fencing and all that sort of thing. Her animal friends were all running around and exploring the new freedom of movement.

It would take a little adjustment, leaving this house. She had lived here basically the entirety of her adult life, but... there was always a time for good things to end, and this was the time.

It was near the Everfree forest, and the animals always had the food they needed. The less capable animals, like the chickens, were already at Sweet Apple Acres, so there wasn't anything to worry about.

"Okay, Gummy, it's time to go." Fluttershy smiled to the little alligator resting on her back and holding on to her mane with his gums, and turned her back on the animals' new home.

Applejack's vision swam and stars flashed in her eyes a bit as Big Macintosh pulled her into a hug tighter than any hug had any right to be. After a moment she pushed on his chest, and he released her, having the decency to look a little apologetic. Applejack smiled at him. "Come on now, big brother. It ain't goin' to be that different. I'll be back for applebuckin' season and it'll be just like old times."

"Nope."

That word, and the tone behind it, left no doubt that they both understood something was changing.

Applejack sighed. "I'm real sorry, y'all, but this is how it's got t' be. I'll come back an' see you when I can."

Her brother, her little sister, and Granny Smith all wrapped their forelegs around her and each other in the last family hug they'd have for a while. Applejack would deny it later, but while she was here, there was no point in saying there weren't any tears.

But sometimes tears are okay, and sometimes things have to change.

For only the second time in her life, Applejack turned and left Sweet Apple Acres, without any intention of moving back in.

The six mares, formerly the Elements of Harmony, stood together on a hill on the outskirts of Ponyville. Each of them looked a bit wistful, some of them were even a touch misty-eyed. But even Rainbow Dash knew that teasing over this was out of the question at the moment.

Princess Twilight looked back toward Ponyville, and her friends saw her eyes linger for a long moment on the big, distinctive tree that housed Golden Oak Library. Twilight hesitated, and then smiled and turned toward the Forest. "Well girls, are we ready?"

Five mares nodded, and one dragon, sitting on Twilight's back. Twilight took a deep breath. "I know it's hard to leave like this, but after everything that's happened, losing the Elements of Harmony, finding ourselves over these past few months, and... well, the rainbow thing... I think a new start is what we all need."

Applejack nodded, and nopony mentioned the tears in the mare's eyes at leaving her home. "Y' sure about namin' this place-"

"The Rainbow Kingdom!" Rainbow Dash found some energy from somewhere, and laughed loudly. Just that bit of sound seemed to lighten the expressions on everypony's face. "I know it's not really about me, it's about the, you know, new powers or whatever. But it sounds so awesome!"

The low mood broken for the moment, Pinkie Pie laughed with Rainbow Dash, and the six mares started down the hill and into the Everfree Forest. Deep within stood their new home, the newly restored Rainbow Castle, and they'd all have reason to celebrate again soon.

Alone Together [Sad?]

(The Prompt: Not with a bang, but with a whimper.)

(Warning: Sad depending on interpretation of the last scene. It's left intentionally vague.)

Princess Twilight Sparkle furrowed her brows as she tapped her glowing horn lightly to the stone door. Her horn flicked and went out on contact, and then lit again as she pulled back. "It's... obsidian. The whole room is."

"And that's bad?" Rainbow Dash eyed the door cautiously, having already nearly split a hoof kicking it while it was shutting.

Twilight nodded. "It's not impossibly strong or anything, if we had tools we could break out easily. But we don't, and it's a natural magic dampener. There's no way I can break us out of here, or teleport through it."

Rainbow landed on the floor, favoring one hoof. "So, what, we just sit here?"

Applejack's voice carried from the other side of the small room they were all in. "Don't you fret, Sugarcube. I got two saddlebags of apples and cider, we'll be fine waitin' for rescue."

"Oh!" Pinkie Pie's smile almost lit the otherwise lightless room by itself. "It'll be like a slumber party! Come on girls, let's dance!"

Twilight only hesitated a moment before smiling. "Keeping our spirits up is important, a party might be fun!"

Rarity's horn glowed, and multicolored lights shone through the room, lifting all their moods as the party kicked in.

The small, dark room was quiet again.

The walls were black, smooth, and depressingly undamaged. Neither of the unicorns had their horns glowing, and so all six friends sat there in perfect darkness. The silence was so deafening and complete that the other five all jumped at the quiet sound of Fluttershy's voice. "I hope Angel is okay."

"Really? Your little bunny? We're stuck in this stupid castle and you're worried about that?"

"Rainbow Dash!" Applejack frowned in the direction Rainbow's voice had come from, and carefully moved toward Fluttershy. She put her hoof around the shivering pegasus' withers. "Don't you worry, Fluttershy. Angel's smart as a whip and his bunny friends don't ever seem t' have trouble stealin' my apples."

A moment or two passed, and then Twilight spoke. "I hope Spike is alright. I left him in charge of the library, and... he's only a baby dragon."

Rainbow Dash's voice carried a hint of remorse. "Spike's a tough dragon, he'll be okay. I left Tank with Scoots, so... he'll be fine. They'll all be fine, Fluttershy."

Applejack lay down next to Fluttershy, taking comfort on the warmth of the other pony's coat against hers. "I'm more worried about Big Mac an' Apple Bloom. We all got family, they must be worried sick."

"Applejack! Lay off it!" Rainbow Dash snapped out angrily.

Applejack stopped her hind legs a moment before her hooves would have hit the wall again. "I just can't take it anymore, Rainbow! I gotta get out of here!"

Rainbow stamped her hoof on the floor. "You can't break the wall, we've all tried, Applejack. But you're being loud and you've been at it for hours!"

"An' just what in the hay am I supposed to be doin'? Just sittin' here waitin' for-"

Pinkie Pie sat up quickly, and spoke just a bit too fast. "Hey! How about we play I Spy? I'll go first! I sp-"

Applejack stamped on the floor, making a much lounder clap than Rainbow had. "Quiet, Pinkie! It's black as pitch in here an' there ain't nothin' to see anyway. Even if we had a light, all you'd see are broken cider bottles from your darn fool jugglin' nonsense!"

Pinkie wilted against Fluttershy's coat, her voice quiet. "It was an accident..."

"Hey! Leave her alone!" Rainbow stood up and glared in the direction that Applejack's voice was coming from. "It's not her fault we're stuck. Twilight was the one that wanted us to explore this stupid trap-filled castle to start with!"

Twilight's horn lit brightly, and all the ponies stopped and blinked in the sudden brightness. When they looked again, however, Twilight didn't seem angry. Her eyes brimmed with tears. "Please girls, I know this is hard, and our tempers are short, but... I'm sorry, I didn't mean... I'm sorry."

Rainbow Dash looked down, and rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof. Applejack scuffed at the floor. After a moment or two, both walked over to Twilight, and hugged her close.

The silence hung heavily over the group, in the darkened chamber.

Every little shuffling movement made just enough sound to draw everypony's attention, and so nopony really wanted to move. Even Pinkie Pie just lay limply against Fluttershy's wing now, having given up any attempt at making her friends smile.

This time, it was Rainbow's voice that broke the silence. "I always thought I'd go out flying."

Nopony answered her for a few moments, and she spoke again. "You know. Fighting a dragon or something. Something really awesome like that. Save the day but then, boom, gone, and everypony remembers me for that."

Applejack spoke carefully and evenly. "Don't go thinkin' like that. But uh... I sorta hoped I'd go surrounded by my family. This ain't too far from it."

Rarity didn't lift her head from her forelegs. "I at least had hoped for the dignity of being buried in some sort of glittering dress."

Pinkie's voice was low and miserable. "I didn't EVER want to go."

Princess Twilight lit her horn just a little, allowing the bare, glimmering outlines of all her friends to be visible. She spoke with obviously false confidence, even though her dry throat made it a bit raspier than normal. "We'll be okay, girls. We're not... dying here. Somepony's sure to rescue us."

Her friends didn't look impressed, and just lay their heads down again. Twilight's horn flickered, and then went out.

Spike panted heavily, coughed, and then took a deep breath. Sure, this probably looked easy. It's just breathing out, right? But you try breathing out hard, over and over, for half an hour. Easy really isn't the word.

He took another deep breath, and blew out flames at the lock again. The stone took a lot of heat to get to melt. The top edge of the little cut he'd managed glowed, and bits of molten stone dripped away from it. He blew out air until his lungs ached and he felt completely drained, and then he gasped for another breath.

He took a few seconds to catch his breath. "Twilight... Please be okay. I know it's been a long time, but I couldn't figure out where you were, and, and I don't even know if you can hear me in there, but you've got to be okay."

Another hour of breathing out fire passed before he heard the stone creak, and then saw the latch on the trap snap. The door dropped down into the floor, and the light fell across several ponies laying on the floor inside. They didn't react. Spike took a step into the room.

"... Twilight? Girls? Are you all okay?"

Serendipity [Romance?]

(Prompt: None, FFAF)

(Is the last ship in this even something that has ever been done? Should it ever be done to begin with?)

Silver Spoon slowly pushed her muzzle past the doorway. It was dark in her home, but just enough moonlight filtered through the thick curtains that she could see the hallway was empty. She crept out into the hallway on her slipper-shod hooves, carefully making as little noise as possible.

She'd done this before of course, so she knew just which boards to avoid and just how to get down the stairs silently. She kicked off her slippers as she reached the door downstairs, and a few seconds later, she was outside with no pony any wiser for it.

The elite, wealthy district of Ponyville was kind of creepy and quiet at the best of times, and in the middle of the night it was just spooky. Silver Spoon actually found herself happy for the clip clop of her hooves on the cobblestone street as she walked alone down the darkened path. The sound echoed weirdly as she passed by Diamond Tiara's house, and she broke into a gallop without even thinking.

Ponyville rushed by her in a blur as she galloped through the silent and still streets. All good ponies stayed inside at night, or at least most of them, and she had the town to herself. Nopony was likely to hear a little filly running around in the middle of the night, so she didn't bother with creeping anymore.

By the time she made it all the way across Ponyville and into Whitetail woods, she was icky with sweat and her legs ached. How the other fillies and colts in her class managed to run around like this all day, she didn't understand. She slowed down as she got closer to the agreed-upon place, looking around carefully for that snatch of coat she hoped to see.

A quiet "Psst!" sounded from a nearby bush, and Silver Spoon smiled and darted into the greenery.

She was immediately pulled into a close and happy hug, and she returned it gladly, even though she knew her friend would probably react badly to the dampness of her coat. To her surprise though, Sweetie Belle didn't even comment. She spoke in a quiet whisper even though they had to be the only ponies for miles. "You made it! I didn't know if you would tonight."

Silver Spoon sighed and folded her ears back. "I'm sorry about Diamond today, I don't know what got into her saying those things about your horn."

Sweetie Belle's bottom lip trembled, and Silver Spoon got ready to cover her ears from the inevitable high-pitched crying squeal, but after a second, Sweetie shook her head and hugged Silver close again. "It's okay, I know you didn't mean what you said. But I really think we should just tell everypony that we're friends! They'll understand!"

Silver Spoon felt herself blush a little as the hug pressed her muzzle into Sweetie Belle's pink and purple mane, and only managed to answer her after a couple dazed seconds. "But I can't! Diamond Tiara... you don't know her like I do, she'd never forgive me!"

Sweetie Belle just sighed and held her friend tightly. Silver Spoon rested in that soft embrace for a moment, before getting the wits to speak again. "How did you find this place anyway?"

Sweetie Belle giggled. "We had to hide here for a few days once, after we set Apple Bloom's family's barn on fire trying to get our marks in glassblowing."

Silver Spoon giggled along with her friend, even as she felt keenly aware of the feeling of their hooves touching. Her ear perked as a new sound caught her attention, and she tackled Sweetie Belle quickly to the leaves lining the ground, pressing a hoof over her lips.

"I jus' don't see why you gotta go actin' like that."

Sweetie Belle's eyes widened. It was Apple Bloom's voice, and both fillies knew it. They'd been found out!

"Ugh, whatever. Fine, I'm sorry I said her stupid horn doesn't work, but it doesn't! And besides, you know I have a reputation to maintain! If I just went soft on you, Silver Spoon wouldn't even be my friend anymore."

Silver Spoon pulled her hoof away from Sweetie Belle's mouth, and they both crept slowly and carefully through the underbrush, until they came across a small clearing. There in a little patch of moonlight sat Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara. Apple Bloom was wearing Diamond Tiara's diamond tiara, and Diamond was holding Apple Bloom's hairbow in her mouth as she deftly braided the other filly's mane. She re-tied the bow around the end of Apple Bloom's new braided mane. "There, see? If you put some work into it, you look really pretty."

Apple Bloom looked down into a mirror that was laying in front of her, with a fancy gold handle that marked it as most likely Diamond Tiara's. "Wow, I guess you're right. But it ain't like I can wear my mane out like this on a date if we can't even tell anypony."

Silver Spoon took Sweetie Belle's tail in her teeth and pulled her friend back from the scene and into the bushes again, being as quiet as she could. After they managed to get far enough away in a random direction into the woods, Silver Spoon hugged Sweetie Belle happily. "Did you hear that? If we tell them, Diamond Tiara can't be mad, she's dating Apple Bloom!"

Sweetie Belle squealed happily, and then leaned in and kissed Silver Spoon on the cheek.

A second passed, and both fillies blushed madly, looking away in the suddenly awkward quiet. Silver Spoon stammered a moment, and then spoke quietly. "Uh... I-uh... I guess we can tell them we're dating too?"

Sweeite Belle giggled nervously, but then folded her ears back. "Oh no! What about Scootaloo?"

Almost on cue, another voice drifted through the bushes of what was quickly becoming obvious as the Cutie Mark Crusaders' favorite hiding place. "Come on, Thcootaloo, thtop being so thilly! Nopony can hear uth way out here! Just have thome more of these delicious thweets! I made them jutht for you!"

Silver Spoon looked over to Sweetie Belle, who just giggled innocently. Silver Spoon smiled, and decided that from now on, honesty might be the best policy. "Okay... let's just tell them now."

Way Of Life [Slice of Life?]

(The Prompt: Technological innovation in Equestria.)

(I've had this idea banging around a bit for a while, so thanks for providing a prompt for it.)

Princess Twilight Sparkle stepped into the small meeting chamber, and bowed respectfully before her mentor and former teacher, Princess Celestia. It wasn't needed anymore, of course, but Twilight still did it almost on instinct.

When she raised her eyes again, Princess Celestia was smiling, but with a slight tension behind it that set Twilight's nerves on edge. "Princess Twilight, it's so good to see you."

Twilight Sparkle smiled, and trotted over to give Celestia a hug. Celestia's smile seemed a lot more genuine after that. "Princess Celestia, you issued a royal summons, I couldn't just ignore it. Is this about my latest letter?"

There was a momentary pause that spoke volumes. "... Yes, Princess Twilight. Please, come with me."

Celestia turned and began walking. Princess Twilight followed after a momentary hesitation. She tried to keep a smile on her lips despite the strange feeling she was getting from Celestia. "It's an automatic loom, isn't it great? I had a little trouble with, you know, running out of spooled thread, but once I found a way to eject and reload the pirn-"

"How many weavers are there in Ponyville?"

Twilight blinked in surprise. Princess Celestia only very rarely interrupted her. She thought a moment. "Um... Spinning Thread, Flying Shuttle... Twelve? No, thirteen."

Princess Celestia nodded, and pressed her horn to a small indention in the wall of the hallway, one Twilight had never even noticed. The wall slid open with a grating sound, and Princess Celestia stepped through. Twilight took a moment to look at the secret door, but then trotted past a bit more quickly, to catch up with the Princess. The door grated shut a few moments later.

Princess Celestia spoke quietly. "Your letter mentions that your loom does the work of... how did you phrase it? Ten horsepower?"

Twilight nodded, trying not to look too proud. For some reason, she felt like it wasn't really a compliment. "I know it's a strange term, I heard it in that other world; in Canterlot High. But yes, it works ten times as quickly."

"One of your machines, operating in Ponyville, would put quite nearly all of the weavers there out of work."

Twilight actually stopped walking for a moment. She sped up to catch up again. "Well... yes, but not really. There's demand for cloth, and Ponyville could produce so much more. It would bring a lot of money in."

Princess Celestia's horn lit, and Twilight saw a few magical fields down the hallway blink away. Was this place trapped? Celestia continued down the hall, and then tapped her horn against the metal door at the end. It opened to her will, and Twilight's eyes widened as she stepped inside.

The room was full of strange objects, both large and small. Twilight recognized next to none of them, all manners of weird mechanical and pseudo-magical shapes filled the room. Her eyes finally stopped on something more familiar, something she could hold on to. "Is that the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy Six Thousand?"

Princess Celestia actually smiled again, though still a bit tightly. "Yes. You remember that it quite nearly resulted in your friend losing her farm and livelihood."

"Well, yes, but-"

Princess Celestia set her hoof gently on top of another machine, full of cogs and magic-to-motion transducers. "This is an automatic harvester. It only works for ground crops: carrots, potatoes, that sort of thing. But it can do in a day what would take Applejack a week."

Princess Twilight's eyes darted from object to object, noticing now the grips and movements that the arms and apparatus would make. It was hard to tell what each could do, but she was starting to see a pattern. She could almost imagine a place in the crowded vault already being cleared for her loom. "But... why do you keep these things secret?"

Celestia walked slowly across the room, her eyes moving across the objects scattered about, as though looking for something. "I found, long ago, that my subjects are happiest in a certain... way of life. The machines in this room, each and any of them, would threaten that way of life."

There was a certain ire building in Twilight, as they passed device after ingenious device. "But this could feel everypony for almost no effort! Look, this thing is some kind of forging tool, isn't it? It could make horseshoes cheaper than apples!"

Princess Celestia stopped at a small table, sitting in front of a dozen yards of empty hall. Her horn lit, and she moved something that looked like one of Rarity's dress forms over to the end of the hall. She spoke quietly. "Twilight, you have always been a very intelligent pony."

Princess Twilight fought down her boastful smile, but also felt her indignation fade a little. It was a compliment, but at the moment it didn't sound like one. "Thank you, Princess, but-"

"You are aware that there is some knowledge that is dangerous."

Twilight nodded again. "Yes, that's why we keep certain spellbooks hidden. Like the Necrosombracon, and--- These aren't the same thing, Princess. These machines would... change things, yes, but they would help ponies. Everypony could have more. More food, more possessions, clothing would be cheap, everything could be."

Princess Celestia poured what looked like some fine sand into the end of the object on the table, and then rolled a steel ball down the tube. She very carefully lifted the device to her shoulder, and set her hoof near a small switch. "Princess Twilight, I understand you value knowledge, and science. But Equestria can not begin on this path without following it through."

Celestia nodded to the dress form sitting at the end of the hallway. "Imagine, for a moment, that the ponyquin there is a friend of yours, or any pony. Keep in mind that I have used no magic on this device." Celestia glanced down at Twilight. "And do cover your ears."

Twlight folded her ears back, and looked at the ponyquin. Celestia's hoof moved just slightly, and a resounding crack of thunder shook through the room. The end of the object lit into fire, and the dress form toppled over backwards in a spray of stuffing and burnt thread. Princess Celestia lowered the item carefully to the table, and her horn lit as she levitated the dress form closer to Twilight.

Twilight rubbed her ears, and scrunched up her nose at the strangely acrid smoke in the room. She looked at the ponyquin, and her eyes widened. There was a hole torn clear through the center of the body, near the heart, or where a real pony would have a heart. The white fabric of the ponyquin and Celestia's previous words brought to mind the image of Rarity having a wound like this. Twilight squeezed her eyes shut.

A few moments of silence passed, and Princess Celestia spoke again, quietly and apologetically. "This is a Windchaser musket, one of nearly a hundred that were produced. It was the basis of a rebellion, four centuries ago. Twilight Sparkle, I would have simply taken your loom, were you any other pony. But you are my closest friend, and I wanted you to see why. Do you understand why I do not allow these things?"

Twilight nodded slowly, opening her eyes again to look at the destroyed dress form. "Yes, Princess Celestia. I understand."

Twilight Sparkle looked up at the ceiling of her darkened room, back home in her library. She couldn't sleep.

She turned her head over to her small work area, where up until this afternoon she had kept her magically driven loom. It was empty aside from a few scraps of cloth and discarded mechanics. She stood up, walking quietly as to avoid disturbing Spike, and looked over her old diagrams, the few that hadn't been removed by the guards.

Ponyville had thirteen weavers. They all did their best, they worked every day, like every pony. But many ponies in Ponyville had to stay indoors most of the winter, because they couldn't afford to buy expensive warm clothing. Everypony could eat, of course, but many ate less than they'd like, simply because of the effort and cost of producing food. Some fillies and colts didn't have horseshoes, or they did, but their parents didn't.

In the middle of the night, the secret vault in Canterlot was lit by a flash of purple light. Princess Twilight Sparkle appeared from her teleportation, and then lit her horn, just enough to see. She pulled out her sheaf of paper, and began studying the devices there, and taking notes. As she worked, her mind took in new principles of motion, and new ideas of automation.

After all, Princess Celestia had been wrong before, and Twilight knew that everypony would be happier this way. She just had to prove it.

In Her Wake [Drama? Equestria Girls]

(Alternate Prompt: After the end.)

(After the end of Equestria Girls.)

Vice Principal Luna walked away, and Sunset Shimmer looked down to the floor and picked up a stone, setting it aside into the cart for Snips and Snails to haul away later.

She looked up to where Princess Twilight Sparkle was standing with her friends. They spoke for a few moments, and then Twilight Sparkle went through the portal. A beat passed, and all the magical additions to her friends disappeared. Pinkie Pie ran forward and slammed into the statue.

Sunset Shimmer didn't bother to suppress a smile at the image. She picked up another rock, and set it in the bin.

It was over.

She had spent nearly three years here, now. From the beginning of her freshman year until the fall of her senior, she had spent her time researching, planning, scheming. She had returned to Equestria in secret, learning of what had happened and then planning for the theft of Twilight's crown. She had stolen it, held it, and for a brief few minutes, known true power here in this magicless hell of a world, and now it was all over.

She picked up another brick, setting it into the bin.

But, that was when she felt it. It felt wrong. Subtly off, in some indescribable way. Her forehead almost itched, the hairs on her arms stood on end, and her fingertips tingled. But it was gone as soon as it started. She glanced over toward Snips and Snails, but they were still dutifully cleaning up the rubble from the school entrance.

Sunset Shimmer looked skeptically at the still smoldering pit where she had been defeated.

A moment passed, and a little movement caught her eye. She turned to look, and saw Twilight's five new friends walking toward her. They looked cautious, uncertain. They might have even been a little scared. This time, Sunset Shimmer fought the urge to smile.

She adopted the appropriate look of contrite shame from her defeat, and greeted them all humbly, as she supposed she was expected to.

The dance was over, the police were gone, all the students had dispersed, and the school was empty.

Save for one girl.

Sunset Shimmer stood at the ruined entrance of Canterlot High School. She looked up into the night sky. It was a clear, beautiful, starry evening. At three in the morning, give or take, the Canterlot of this world was nearly completely silent. No one would expect her to be here.

She ran her fingertips along the shoddy masonry she'd been required to do as punishment. It was terrible work, of course. She had no knowledge of construction, and they'd just have to tear it down before proper repairs started. But apparently it was Principal Celestia's intent to simply humiliate and punish Sunset by making her do pointless work. Not that the Principal had directly said so, but it could only be assumed.

Sunset Shimmer walked slowly along the wall, keeping her eyes and ears open, for what it was worth. Here. Right here was where her attack had landed. She lingered a moment, but there was nothing there. The rainbow had passed through here to dispel her control on the other students... but there was nothing here either.

She paced carefully along the ruin, but it wasn't there. Sunset Shimmer grit her teeth in frustration, but then turned and walked toward the crater. It was marked off with police tape, for the safety of the students, but she simply knelt to go under it. There... there it was. Her skin prickled just slightly.

Sunset Shimmer crawled down the side of the crater, ignoring the mud and dirt getting on her clothing. Each step made her more sure of it. By the time she stood at the bottom of the crater, she felt a twinge in her forehead that she hadn't felt properly in what seemed like forever.

But now that she had confirmed it, it occurred to her that she wasn't equipped to use it.

She had no horn. She could feel it, the wisps of magic left behind after Twilight's little tantrum, but without a horn, she couldn't focus it. She furrowed her brows, and tried to use the same techniques she would have in Equestria. Glowing strands of power flashed through her vision, but all it resulted in was a growing pain just behind her eyes.

Sunset Shimmer slammed her fist into the ground angrily. It was there! It was just there, just under the surface, and she couldn't use it!

Her hand glowed as she removed it from the ground. Sunset stared down at her fingers, and flexed them outward, then back in. She tried again, with the Equestrian techniques, but modifying them a little. Her fingers shone along the sides, and then a familiar blue-green aura arced from finger to finger, before coruscating over her hand in bright flames. She opened her other hand, and smiled as the power spread to it as well.

Magic.

Sunset Shimmer's smile turned to a malicious grin. The blue magical aura on her hands sparked, and long, twisting strands of remnant power shone in the air. She pulled the power into herself, drawing from the well until the air ran dry and the colors of the area seemed muted. The she drank in more.

The Sunset Shimmer who had first crawled into that pit was not the same one that levitated herself up from it. She had suffered a defeat, yes, but in her defeat she had been granted all the power she would ever need. Who could stand against her, when no other person in this world had what she had?

Sunset Shimmer raised her arms, and felt the power flow through her. It was three AM, the sun was down, and the stars shone brightly. This was the perfect time to test herself. She looked to the east. She held her hands out in front of her, and then slowly raised them, straining against the unfamiliar focusing method.

A faint shimmering light appeared on the horizon. Sunset Shimmer smiled, and refocused herself. At her will, the sun rose on her new empire.

Goodbye [Sad, Slice of Life]

(The Prompt: All good things must come to an end.)

Princess Twilight Sparkle sighed as she took each dress and saddle in her closet down from the hangers, folding them carefully. There was a lot more to pack than she expected, and every time she looked around, the library just seemed emptier. She wasn't one, really, for endless sentimental musing, but it was natural to feel saddened by big changes in her life. She was quite certain she'd read that... somewhere.

Her dress for her first Grand Galloping Gala caught her eye, and she smiled wistfully as she folded it and set it away. Rarity. Rarity had been the first to go, though none of them could blame her. Running a fashion boutique in Ponyville was never quite ideal. When the opportunity arose to move to Canterlot and open a business there, well... it would have been a lie to say that Rarity wasn't excited by the prospect.

It had taken her a while to admit it, though. All six of them had been through so many trials and adventures together since Twilight had moved to Ponyville, and all of them were loathe to break up their friendship. Rarity lied to all of them, for days, fending off her potential investors in Canterlot with excuses that quickly wore thin. When the rest of her friends had realized what was really happening, they confronted her directly.

Twilight smiled a little, remembering that night. It hadn't been easy. There had been crying, and light arguing, but really what hurt the most was admitting that what they had, the special friendship that had saved Equestria and brought one of them to become royalty, wasn't something that would stay forever unchanged.

Rarity replied the next day to her investors, and inside of a month, Carousel Boutique was vacant. Recently, it had been renovated into a small concert hall by Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, though Sweetie had elected to name the hall "Rarity's" regardless.

Rarity wrote to her friends, and to her sister. Regularly, at first, but now rarely more than once or twice a month. The letters often became boring, full of little happenings in both parties' lives that didn't affect the other.

Twilight Sparkle closed the suitcase full of dresses, and strapped it shut.

Downstairs, she started packing away more of her personal belongings, the grand majority of which were books. Twilight had managed to find several large boxes to ship her collection in, and researched a number of spells to keep the humidity and other conditions inside those boxes just right.

Twilight found a certain kind of distracting pleasure in packing her books alphabetically, which kept her mind just occupied enough to avoid thinking about anything, until she got to the 'D' section. Daring Do, of course. One book in the series was missing, still on loan to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow had told her that she'd return the book once she came back, so that she always had an excuse to come back if she needed to.

Rainbow Dash had been the second of the group to leave. She had been formally accepted into the Wonderbolts, and seemed to be on the fast track for Captain. But joining the Wonderbolts didn't mean that she just took a week for Academy and then came back. Once she was a full member, she would need to move to Cloudsdale, live in the Wonderbolts' compound there, and tour and train with them continually.

She had quite nearly turned them down again. But after fighting about it, in a very literal and bruise-inducing sense, with Applejack... well, Rainbow had decided that her friends all really did mean it when they told her to follow her dreams. Applejack was the first to admit that it tore her up inside to lose Rainbow after all this time, but she was willing to come to blows just to convince the stubborn mare that her dreams were every bit as important as anypony else's.

Rainbow Dash accepted, and in a few days, she was gone. She'd done her best to avoid a big goodbye, but Pinkie Pie had managed to catch her somehow, just as she was flying away from Ponyville. There were tears, there were hugs, and promises of visits and letters and things like that. But being a Wonderbolt took a lot of time and dedication, and Rainbow Dash had never been much of a writer.

Twilight sighed as she placed the books into the box, and sealed it shut with a spell.

Twilight stacked the full boxes in the corner, and set to packing away the few remaining mementos and miscellanea that filled any pony's home after a few years. The photographs were hard to look at just now, and she did her best to pack them by category without actually looking at each to properly categorize them.

Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie were all still in Ponyville. None of them had any real cause to leave, and Twilight was starting to expect that the earth swallowing Sweet Apple Acres was about the only way Applejack could be dislodged. A flash over the frame of a picture caught Twilight's eye, and she smiled at the image of Pinkie Pie and Big Macintosh at their wedding.

It had taken time for Pinkie to slow down enough to get to know Big Mac, and it had taken even longer for Big Mac to manage to get a word in edgewise with Pinkie. But over time, they'd gotten closer and closer, and finally Pinkie had proposed, much to the more traditional Big Mac's chagrin. But he hardly had any intention of declining, and they'd had a wedding only a month later. A grand event, with Rarity and Rainbow Dash both making the trip back home to attend.

So now, Pinkie Pie was an Apple beyond any doubt, and even had a foal on the way. Applejack had been more than pleased to take her friend and new sister-in-law into her home, and the boost to the family's baking income wasn't a bad thing either. But with moving out of the center of town, and with her tendency to throw herself into anything she took on, Pinkie Pie almost disappeared from Ponyville's party circuit for a while. She learned how to farm the orchard, learned how to bake apple pies the Apple family way, and learned that there most certainly was more to her than planning parties and being silly.

Fluttershy, for her part, was still the same as always. She lived in her small cottage, almost a hermitage really, with her dozens of animal friends. She visited Ponyville regularly to shop, and to speak with Twilight, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie. However she was always prone to isolation, and with Dash and Rarity gone, she tended to stay home more and more.

Twilight sighed and set the picture into the box, on top of the framed photo of her and her friends from the day after she'd moved to Ponyville.

The cart pulled away, hauled by two sturdy royal guards who were looking a little displeased at their new job. Twilight Sparkle watched it leave, packed up with all her belongings. Spike was already in Canterlot, staying at Rarity's while Twilight finished up her packing.

Applejack's voice cut in to her musing. "So you're finally goin'."

Twilight Sparkle forced a smile, though she was pretty sure it looked a little weak. "Yeah. Princess Celestia wants me to start taking a more active role, and, well..."

Applejack's smile looked a bit unsteady too, and she stepped forward to pull Twilight into a tight hug. "I know. Don't you fret, nopony's gonna blame you for takin' off. Pinkie'd be here too, but she's gettin' bigger and doesn't need to be hoppin' all over town, now that she's in a family way."

Twilight pressed herself against Applejack, squeezing her friend almost as tightly as she was being squeezed. "I'll write. I know that Rarity and Dash's letters tapered off, but... but I'll try."

"I know you will, Sugarcube. An' you're always welcome t' stay at Sweet Apple Acres if you need to visit. Ain't really fit for royalty, but you know we'll put out our best for you."

Applejack made a move to pull back from the hug, but Twilight threw both forelegs around her almost desperately. Applejack smiled, and patted Twilight's back with a hoof. "Come on now. I know y' liked havin' us all around every day, but things change, Sugar. Don't you worry. You might not see us as much, but y' know we'll always be friends."

"I know." Twilight spoke quietly, and held on to her friend for another long moment before pulling away with a sigh. "Applejack, I... I wish things were different."

Applejack smiled at her, not even bothering to pull her hat down to cover her glistening eyes. "I know it. Don't you forget to write."

Twilight smiled, and hugged Applejack quickly again. "I'm not saying goodbye. I'll come back to visit, I promise."

She let go of her friend, and took a step back. Twilight looked up at the library, now empty of her personal items, waiting for its next owner. She sighed, and flapped her wings, flying up into the air. Applejack waved to her, and Twilight waved back, just before turning toward Canterlot.

Author's Note

Thirty Minute Ponies, the blog these prompts came from, ended today.

So there's no more daily prompts, and this series is stopping at 80 chapters. It's been fun writing (almost) daily for the past couple months, though I did miss a couple, but rarely have I ever managed to write so much so quickly. TMP gave me a little event to look forward to each day, and I'm going to miss it.

Thanks for running it, mods, and I hope things go well for all of you in the future.

The Final Return [Adventure]

(Prompt: The Fourth Return)

When she first left, she had sworn she'd never return.

As soon as she was able, she did.

The first time she came back, she just needed to remember the place. She needed to feel the stone under her hooves, to see the guards walking carefully through the old halls, and to catch the smallest glimpse of the one who had sent her there. She felt ashamed, needing to see her face again. There were some things that such a short time simply couldn't change.

The second time was much later, after she'd established herself in her new home. A reconnaissance mission and little more. She'd seen the signs, she knew what was coming. Even from so far away, she could feel the gathering magics. It wasn't even her home, now. Not anymore. She crept through the hallways on muted hooves, she cast an illusory glamor to hide from the prying eyes, and she made as complete a map as she dared. She had to be ready when the time came.

The third return was the one she felt was the most important.

This time she knew what she had sought was close by. It was almost too easy to sneak past the guards, her hoofsteps magically muffled and her body cloaked in darkness. The pony who had stolen what was rightfully hers slept peacefully, carelessly.

As soon as her magic lifted the crown, Sunset Shimmer knew that this Element, this power, was hers. By rights, by birth, by her own efforts, she now held the key to true power, in both worlds.

Perhaps, she had let the thrill of victory make her a little careless.

A panicked retreat and a moment of gloating later, and she felt home again. Home among the humans she'd grown to consider as much kin as any pony. The crown had slipped through her fingers, but it would be hers again soon. Who could stop her, here, in the seat of her own power?

Two days later, she had found her answer.

Twilight Sparkle, Princess Twilight Sparkle, had managed to dethrone her in the one place she felt unbeatable. Even more, she had managed to do so without the artifact. The crown, that single link to power that had driven Sunset Shimmer back to Equestria three times already, may as well have been so much worthless tin and glass.

Sunset Shimmer hadn't come to her limited power in this world by being a fool. She knew what this girl wanted, what any pony, and certainly any favored student of Celestia would want. So she summoned up her tears, she cried and pleaded forgiveness. It worked, of course it worked. Not only on Twilight but on her new friends as well. The selfsame friends that had somehow granted her the power to defeat Sunset Shimmer. Something she hadn't known before had given them all more strength than she could have imagined.

Thirty moons later, she stood in front of the statue. By now, certainly, Twilight Sparkle would have related how she'd converted. She would have told everypony how Sunset Shimmer had learned the error of her ways, and Princess Celestia, in her infinite mercy and desperate, pathetic optimism, would be hoping with all of her heart that she would return.

Like a fool, Princess Twilight Sparkle had handed Sunset Shimmer the tools to defeat her. It wasn't something to be done alone, no. Even Celestia had her friends, her confidants, her soldiers. Sunset Shimmer may be returning to Equestria alone, but she would find others to help her. She would draw on the same well of power that Princess Twilight seemed to swear by. The same power that had helped the awkward failure of a pony-turned-human defeat her.

The fourth return would be the last.

Against the Dying of the Light [Adventure, Sad?]

(The Prompt: Four Elements Down)

(I feel this one suffers a bit from time limit. Reach exceeded my grasp. Still, worth submitting I think.)

The night looked a lot... bigger, from here.

Princess Twilight Sparkle shook her head, figuratively, and tried to focus. This wasn't easy. It was never easy, even theoretically, for a princess to push into another alicon's sphere of influence. Even Twilight's own boundless respect and adoration of Princess Celestia had been increased after trying to take on Luna's dreamwalking. For Celestia to have moved the moon, all these years...

No, no, back to the point. Twilight found herself in an endless black void. All around her, millions upon millions of lights. All of Equestria must have fallen for this night by now, nearly everypony had a dream. Millions of tiny stars floating around her and there was no way to tell which was whose.

Not immediately, anyway. Ever since her coronation, though, there had been something different about her friendships. Something truer, something more ingrained in her very essence. It annoyed Twilight to no end that she had no more accurate a way of phrasing it, but this was all new magic and new science. In any case, a few stars shone brighter than the others.

One in particular was a glaring, pulsating, almost sparking pink. Three guesses who that was.

But while Twilight was new to this, she knew that some minds were better left to a practiced approach. Pinkie was difficult to deal with even in the real world. Somepony easier then, at first. It took some time, precious, ever-dwindling time to make her way through the endless chaff of the dreamscape, and find... there. The star burned with a bright, green glow. It reminded Twilight of nothing so much as trees and grass and sunlight over an orchard.

Twilight dove in.

She immediately found herself in an overgrown, tangled hell. She flapped her wings, unpracticed as she was, and managed to clear the undergrowth before the vines around her hooves took root in them. Managing the altitude to pass the grabbing, clinging canopy, Twilight found herself over Sweet Apple Acres, or what had once been that peaceful orchard. Her eyes scanned the endless, writhing green below her. How could she possibly see anything under all the trees and thick vines? Where was Applejack in all this?

Would she be out hacking away leaves? Tending to the growth as though it was supposed to be there? When all the world was ending and there was nothing left, where would Applejack be?

Twilight scolded herself the moment she realized her error. Applejack would be fighting, yes, but not out in the fields. Twilight folded her wings back and dove almost violently toward the half-collapsed remnants of Applejack's farmhouse. Risking a landing in the name of speed, she blasted the area with magic to clear as much of the insidious growth as she could, and then turned and bucked the wooden door open.

Inside, she found her goal. Applejack, pulling vines away from what might have once been Granny Smith. A patch of yellow filly was visible behind another mass of twisting vines, but there was no sign of Macintosh. Twilight shook her head, Luna had warned her about getting caught up in the dream worlds. She charged forward and lit her horn, pulling Applejack back from her Granny.

The earth pony mare kicked hard, but uselessly, at the magic surrounding her. Her voice carried as much panicked fury as Twilight had ever heard. "Consarn it Twilight, lemme go! Can't ya see they're stuck? Ah need to help them! You have ta let me!"

Sweat dripped down Twilight's brow as she struggled to keep Applejack contained, the swearing and increasing panic of the mare lending her almost more strength than even an alicorn princess could hold her with. But the vines wrapped tightly around Granny and Apple Bloom, and before Twilight's eyes, they constricted.

Applejack began sobbing, and the sound rent Twilight's heart. But Twilight had nightmares all the time. She knew how this worked. Nightmares showed you panic, they showed you fear. But once everything was done, you woke up. The world around them started to darken, and Twilight dropped Applejack to the ground. She could only whisper a momentary apology, before galloping out of the dream world again.

The star sputtered, and then glowed less harshly green, and Twilight found it followed her. Good. There was a short explanation, wordless and purely empathic, and they were on their way.

A moment later and there was a yellow star, glowing with life and beauty. Twilight pressed inward.

Applejack was here with her, now. Flying, somehow, beside her. Twilight started to say something, but a curt look from her friend cut off any consolation she might try to offer. They both dove down toward the small cottage overrun by emaciated animals.

A few minutes later and Twilight was out into the stars again, Fluttershy's flickering star following her. Twilight paused a moment, swallowing hard. She wasn't sure what her tears were made of, here, floating in this matterless ether, but they were real. She knew, academically, that no matter how hungry they were, Fluttershy's real animal friends would never....

Twilight shook her head again, forcing all her thoughts away. She focused, the myriad stars blowing by her rapidly as she searched. She knew who was next, who had to be. There, the loudest blue star she could see. Had to be Rainbow. The sound of cheering filled her ears as her growing party slammed into the star at full speed.

The cloudosseum, in Cloudsdale. Of course. Twilight and company looked around quickly, Fluttershy sparing only a moment to make sure she was all together again. The entire audience was composed of Wonderbolts, dozens of each of them, and a single box with their friends. Even copies of Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity. A faceless pegasus tore around the course, and the crowd cheered in exhilaration. Applejack grumbled something about this hardly being any kind of nightmare.

Then, Twilight spotted a speck of blue, far below them, falling through the air on tattered wings.

The night sky rushed back in on Twilight a few moments later, the sound of the impact still echoing in her mind. The nightmare was over, yes, but Twilight couldn't help but wonder how readily Rainbow Dash would fly after that sort of feeling. She took a deep breath, figuratively, and opened her eyes again. Three down. Two to go.

The pink star from before still glowed brightly, but even drawing near it made the dreamscape go fuzzy, every light and sound amplified. There was laughter, manic, nearly screaming laughter in her mind as she even approached. No, that dream would have to wait.

It didn't take long to find the most beautiful, shining star in the void. But as beautiful as the star was, it was alone. It seemed to almost repel the nearby dreamers, pushing them away from it, so that it could exist in singular shining passion. Even pressing herself forward into the mind was difficult, and Twilight only just managed.

Despite being in completely perfect health, Rainbow Dash limped along behind the others as they walked into the brightly lit castle. It was endlessly huge, with walls and flooring of immaculately polished white marble. Inlaid gold filigree filled every space that was not crowned with perfectly carved busts of the queen of the realm, diamond eyes shining out over them.

They galloped madly through the endless, meandering halls, passing tapestry after tapestry of her royal, shining brilliance. As they progressed, everything only grew more and more ludicrously wealthy and preposterous. It was only in the final room that they found the lone pony, held in heavy chains by her own wealth.

The dream faded, and Twilight looked behind her. Rarity had been stunned, but by no means broken, and her new follower still shone brighter than any of the others. There was a moment, a short... sort of eye contact between the dreamers. Their friendship, their camaraderie, it strengthened all of them. They shook off the remnants of misery, they fought back against their clinging fears, and then they turned toward the remaining friend.

Twilight pushed the group forward, hopeful hearts only slightly dimmed from the bright pink star pulling more and more of its neighbors in for the party. Hysterical, maddening laugther filled their ears as they drew closer. Soon, they were being pulled in just like all the others. This was only the start of the fight, after they all awoke there was an even greater danger waiting.

The Elements of Harmony set their jaws and dove into the swirling chaos. Four Elements down, one to go.

The Biggest Party of the Year [Slice of Life, Comedy]

(The prompt: The busiest day of the year.)

It was early for Pinkie Pie to go to bed, but she had been hoping to catch up on a little sleep. This time of year was always big on birthdays for ponies, and despite how everypony thought she could just pull parties out of nowhere, all those hats and cakes and decorations took time! There was some kind of nagging doubt in the back of her mind about going to bed early, but she pushed it aside as she brushed her teeth, brushed her mane, and brushed her Gummy. She settled down into her nice, warm, fluffy bed, and looked over to the small calendar next to it.

Tomorrow was... the seventh of Hay.

The seventh of Hay.

Pinkie's eyes, half-lidded with sleep, snapped wide open. No! Not that day! There was no time for sleeping if tomorrow was that day!

In a matter of seconds, Pinkie Pie had kicked the covers off of her bed, jumped up, apologized to Mister and Misses Cake and told them both that she totally had enough money for everything, but she sort of needed all the ingredients in the store, and then rushed downstairs to begin preparations. She paused a moment, Granny Pie had told her to always make a plan before she made a party. Let's see, she would need how many ponies attending? All of her friends, of course! So that was... the main five, of course, and also Mister and Misses Cake, Roseluck, Daisy, probably her friends' sisters too... Pinkie counted on her hooves, quickly ran out, and began counting on various objects in the kitchen. Then she ran out of those, too.

A lot. A big lot. Maybe even a whole lot, if she was stretching it a bit.

There was no time for planning! She'd just have to make a whole lot plus maybe a small bit of hats and cupcakes and decorations and work out all the details later! The Cakes ran a professional bakery, and they had nearly a dozen ovens of varying types. But nearly a dozen wouldn't be nearly enough! Thankfully, Pinkie Pie was friends with everypony, and maybe she could manage to borrow some ovens. Paper for the hats would be easy enough, and the scraps would make for confetti. Streamers she always had.

All night long the Cakes slept fitfully as the sound of crashing pans and snipping scissors and tape and all sorts of things went on downstairs. They awoke the next morning to a shop that looked fully like a warzone, covered in cooling confections and neatly stacked huge piles of decorations and party paraphernalia. But Pinkie, as haggard and worn as she looked after staying up all night, was not finished.

It wasn't enough! She was barely through a quarter of a whole lot of work and that simply wouldn't do! She could ask her friends to join in, but they always thought she was being silly with this sort of thing. They'd waste time telling her it was stupid and not worth doing, and then she'd have to waste more time convincing them that it wasn't, and then any help they gave wouldn't be enough to make up for the lost time.

So, no friends. But Pinkie knew who liked parties, even stupid and silly and not-worth-doing parties. Kids! Foals and fillies and colts liked parties! They could make hats and confetti, it was easy!

It didn't take much time to convince the beleaguered Cheerilee to let the class take a field trip to Sugarcube Corner for an arts and crafts assignment. The hats were being taken care of by the clumsy but capable hooves of a couple dozen students! Now she could focus on the cakes. The Cakes! That was it!

The store already in a huge chaos, and so the Cakes were fine with helping Pinkie sort out the baking situation. After all, she was purchasing all this stuff anyway, so it was a good day for business even if they didn't sell anything to other ponies. Besides, most of the school children were spending their allowances on random goodies to eat while they made hats anyway. So, the cake situation was handled. Also the Cake situation.

Pinkie Pie was helping out with icing on a set of cupcakes when Misses Cake asked a very important question. How would she decorate for a party this size? Surely the one party cannon wasn't nearly enough. It wasn't!

Pinkie had to sit down a moment and think. She could widen the bore of the cannon a bit to fit more in there, but last time she overloaded it she'd only ended up with charred and slightly sparky confetti. That wouldn't do. So when she couldn't go bigger, she simply had to go for more. It was a good thing the food and hats and confetti were all handled, because this was going to be a big job. Maybe it was even worth bringing in other Pinkies for. But no! No, this was something Pinkie would have to do alone.

It was mid-afternoon when Mayor Mare took the stage and walked solemnly up to the podium. To her right stood Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Twilight. To her left was a small group of very important nobleponies who more importantly had quite a lot of money to donate to a small town if they believed it would make them look good. Behind her was a patrol group of royal guardsponies, who she could not dissuade from being onstage while Princess Celestia was there. They stood against the fine applewood backdrop to the stage, presenting a lovely outdoor sort of theater for this occasion. Before her, in the audience, were a few dozen reporters from various papers and magazines across Equestria.

This had all been arranged far in advance, of course. There was even a small reception area discreetly placed off to the side where the wealthy guests could retire to after the ceremony, and pose for pictures with the huge checks they would hopefully be signing over to Ponyville. Mayor Mare allowed herself a small smile, and began her speech.

"Stallions and gentlemares. Princesses, nobles, and associated press ponies. We are here today to mark the occasion of the centennial--"

"HOOOLD ON A SECOND!"

Mayor Mare could swear she actually heard a record player scratch as the pink, poofy-maned, and perhaps a bit baggy-eyed pony pronked her way onto the stage. Princess Twilight's left eye twitched slightly in annoyance, and Mayor Mare could only barely convince herself that Princess Celestia wasn't smiling a little about the interruption. The guards behind her made a slight movement, but stopped obediently at Celestia's gesture. Pinkie Pie took the podium from Mayor Mare, just as though there was no reason to defer to her at all.

"That's not what we're all here for! 'Mark the occasion' sounds so boring! We're here to celebrate the day that Ponyville is one hundred years old! You know what THAT means!"

Pinkie Pie kicked back with one hoof, and the elegant and altogether very well-built backing to the stage simply toppled over backward. Even Princess Celestia's eyes widened at what appeared to be an entire, thankfully unmanned regiment of siege weaponry, brightly painted blue, and pointed to some indeterminate point some distance above the stage. Dozens of cheap party tables sat all around the town square, each with several cupcakes sitting on them. Princess Twilight sounded resigned to failure, but still spoke the mare's name. "... Pinkie."

When the assorted ponies all turned to look away from the cannons and toward the disruptive mare, they found her inexplicably dressed in a sharply pressed army general's dress uniform, complete with appeared to be an antique riding crop hooked in her pastern. Pinkie Pie gave Princess Twilight a slightly annoyed look. "You forget yourself, Twilight! I am Funnery Sergeant Pie, the mare in charge of this Partillery Battery! This kind of boring speech and those little cucumber sandwiches over there aren't enough for an occasion of this magnitude! Every pony in Ponyville is invited, I just sent them out by filly messengers! Everypony will be here in just a few minutes!"

There were several long moments of dead silence as all the gathered ponies tried to contemplate exactly what how to respond to this.

Eventually, the quiet and calm voice of Princess Celestia broke the silence, and all eyes were immediately upon her. "Pardon me, Funnery Sergeant Pie."

Pinkie's voice was peppy and entirely without worry as she smiled at the princess. "Yes, Princess Celestia?"

"I will fire off the barrage. It's the only appropriate way to start a birthday party this size, after all."

Pinkie Pie gave a sharp salute, her hoof clonking against her skull before she took a step back, and allowed Princess Celestia to take a few elegant, perfectly sure steps up to the hoof-controlled trigger on the floor of the stage, that hadn't been there even a moment ago. Princess Celestia smiled out to the ponies around her, and the others that were approaching the stage all around.

Princess Celestia's hoof pressed down, and the town was wracked with a deafening fusillade of a hundred party horns as confetti, streamers, and party hats rained from the sky. Pinkie Pie jumped up into the air, and let out a call that started the biggest birthday party Ponyville had ever had.

"Happy Birthday, Ponyville! Leeeet's PARTY!"

Not So Secret Admirer [Romance?]

(The prompt: “[W]hen you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth …” (Sherlock Holmes, in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Sign of the Four))

(This was cuter in my head. Also the time limit got to me. I need to watch that.)

Princess Twilight Sparkle trotted down the stairs to the public portion of her library. It was early morning in Ponyville, with the sun shining and the birds chirping and everything just as perfectly idyllic as ever. She was freshly bathed and her mane was neatly brushed, and normally everything would be set for another wonderful, cheery day in her pleasant life here in the small town she'd come to love so dearly.

Except that there was a mystery hanging overhead, and unsolved mysteries tended to be a bit of a burden for Twilight Sparkle.

She trotted her way across the room and sighed a little before opening the door. Then she jumped backwards with a startled wail as she was met with a brightly shining pink face. "Hi Twilight! That's the best good morning wake up jump ever!"

Twilight took a second to calm her pounding heart before replying. "Good morning, Pinkie." She scrambled to her feet, and opened the mailbox on her door. Yep, right there in a plain white envelope, was yet another letter. Pinkie followed the letter with her eyes as Twilight magically hovered it over to read.

Pinkie Pie scooted in over beside Twilight, pressing her fuzzy mane against Twilight's as she read the letter out loud. "Dear Twilight Sparkle: By tonight you'll know who I am. See you at the party at Sugarcube Corner. Love, Your Secret Admirer."

Twilight flipped the letter over, and then placed it back in the envelope and set it down on the little table beside the door, next to the other six. "I've been getting these every day for a week! There's no information about who it is, and I don't know how they're managing to deliver these letters without anypony seeing them."

"Ooh! A mystery!" Pinkie plopped down a dark gray bowler cap on Twilight's head, and blew bubbles on a very nice looking pipe that she'd seemingly pulled out of nowhere. "You didn't find any clues, lowly assistant?"

Deciding to just play along for the sake of making things easier, Twilight shook her head. "There aren't any hairs or fur in the envelopes, the ink is just normal in every way, the paper is the kind they sell at the quill store, anypony could have gotten their hooves on it! Nopony sees them get delivered, and even putting a spell on the mailbox didn't reveal anything."

Pinkie adopted a look of careful consideration as she blew more bubbles that floated up into the air and popped around her head. She pulled the pipe away after a moment. "You're missing one clue, my fine filly-urp!" Pinkie burped, and a little soap bubble floated up and popped over her head. "Oh, don't inhale on toy pipes! Anyway, the party today's just us six! So it's got to be one of our friends!"

Twilight shook her head to clear it of the image of Pinkie burping soap bubbles, and sat down on a cushion next to her dining table. "Well... okay, that's true. It's just the six of us there, so that leaves five suspects."

"Oh! And Spike!"

Twilight made a face. "Ew, no. Spike wouldn't deliver letters like that, and just... ew!"

Pinkie Pie giggled, and then sat down next to Twilight, on the same cushion. "So let's figure out which of our friends is your secret admirer! Maybe it's Rarity?"

Straightening up a bit, Twilight entered her lecturing, facts and reason sort of mood. "It can't be Rarity. Even if she might try to send letters like this, these letters are all written by mouth, see? Rarity always writes with her horn, in calligraphy. Besides, she likes stallions, like Fancy Pants and Prince Blueblood."

Pinkie swished the pipe over to the other side of her mouth, blowing bubbles idly for a moment. "What about Fluttershy? She'd be too super-shy to just ask you!"

Twilight blushed slightly, and thought for a moment or two. "It could be her. Except that everything Fluttershy owns smells like animals, and these letters don't. Besides, she's always too busy feeding her friends in the morning to deliver these letters so far from her cottage."

"Ooh! She'd need to be super fast to get here and back in time between feeding the dawn animals and the mid-morning ones! Super fast like Dashie!" Pinkie threw out her forelegs to express the speed required, and fell over sideways onto Twilight, knocking them both to the floor. "What about Rainbow Dash? She's always over here reading and stuff right?"

Pushing her friend off of her, Twilight sat up, trying not to look too annoyed. "Well, yes, but she wakes up way too late to deliver these. Besides, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash would never write letters like this, she'd just fly right up and ask me!"

Pinkie nodded solemnly, and collected her fallen pipe from the floor, putting it back in her mouth. "You're probably right, lowly assistant!" Pinkie gasped dramatically. "That leaves Applejack! You could marry her and be a farmpony!"

Twilight looked down, blushing, at the letters. "Could it be Applejack? Maybe, but... Applejack's writing is terrible, and the letters look... more like..."

Bubbles idly wandered out of the end of Pinkie Pie's pipe as she sat next to Twilight. She was smiling even though she wore a look of concentration, by all appearances considering their friends to figure out which of them might be the culprit. But anypony who knew Pinkie, really knew her well, could see the little tension in her smile. That hint of worry on her brow, and the nervous moisture in her eyes.

Twilight bit her lip, realizing just how close she and Pinkie were sitting on this little cushion. "They... look like your party invitations. Pinkie, was it... you?"

Pinkie giggled nervously, and then hugged Twilight tightly. "Well duh! It can't be anypony else, can it?"

"But why go through all the trouble of writing letters if you're just going to show up and lead me to finding out it was you?" Twilight thought about pulling away from Pinkie's warm, tight hug, but just couldn't quite bring herself to do it.

"Because detective stories are no fun if they just TELL you who did it! And you should have known anyway, the pony who done it is always introduced just a few paragraphs in!"

Twilight blushed as Pinkie Pie nuzzled against her cheek. There was still a little tension in Pinkie's forelegs as they rested around Twilight's shoulders, and the nuzzling was just a little too close and a little too fast, like she was afraid she'd never get the chance again. Twilight had never believed in taking too long to make a decision. "Well... Pinkie Pie, would you... like to go to the party together, today?"

The Heart of the Prince [Sad, Romance, AU]

(The prompt: Write an AU story based on an episode of the show, in which a character’s faulty assumptions or decisions about a situation turn out to have been correct all along.)

She was stunning. Absolutely beautiful. Prince Blueblood watched the white unicorn mare carefully, though he was adept enough at seeming as though he wasn't. She was plainly trying to act far above her station, a peasant in princess clothing. She was also quite plainly posing for him. Still, she was quite attractive, and there was something there, something under the surface, that left him quite unable to completely ignore her.

He trotted toward her as soon as she looked away, and slowed to a quiet walk as he drew near. She sniffed at one of the roses, with a gentle smile on her lips, and he felt his heart move just seeing such an innocent gesture. So many of the mares he knew, the uptight nobles and the social climbing peasantry of Canterlot, would never have even noticed the brilliant plantings in the castle courtyard. He closed his eyes, adopting his most regal tone. "Well hello. I am Prince Blueblood."

The mare turned aside with what appeared to be genuine bashfulness. "I am... Rarity." She turned back toward him, and daintily lifted a hoof. Her voice changed just slightly, and Blueblood could almost picture her putting a mask on. She was faking being a noble, though she was doing such a poor job of it that it took effort not to correct her. "Oh my, what a lovely rose!"

However, he could show her how the nobility truly was, eventually. For now, he couldn't bring himself to miss this chance. "You mean, this rose?" He leaned in and picked it, and then stepped forward, sliding it carefully between two tresses in her mane, exactly where it wouldn't detract from her absolutely exquisite styling. "It isn't half as beautiful as the mare who wears it."

Prince Blueblood couldn't help but smile at the gentle, heartfelt blush that spread over the unicorn's cheeks. She wasn't one of the Canterlot elite, and her every motion, so genuine and true, proved exactly that. She had obviously been seeking him, and a few minutes careful conversation revealed as much. Still, despite the artifice around their meeting, Prince Blueblood had a real interest in this mare, and for the first time in years, poured himself into making another pony happy.

The courtship was not a long one. In fact, despite a few hiccups along the way, including one incident of shielding the mare with his body in defense against airborne baked goods, he found himself completely enamored as the night went on. The smell of apple frosting was annoying, yes, but the Gala continued even after Rarity's maddened yellow pegasus friend drove dozens of animals into the ballroom.

Her friends left, eventually, and Rarity and Blueblood shared a lovely waltz, the last of the evening. Somehow, Prince Blueblood knew that if he let this mare go back to Ponyville without telling her what she had come to mean to him, he would lose her.

He smiled, and though he had no ring, he asked. Rarity accepted, and Prince Blueblood's life would never be the same.

Prince Blueblood soon discovered just how amazing this mare was. Their wedding was perfect in nearly every way, despite the unintentional interruptions her friends tended to cause. She was endlessly generous and kind, and as skilled a designer as any pony in Canterlot. She missed Ponyville, and her friends missed her. Still, his influence managed to fast track Rainbow Dash into the Wonderbolts, and his bits paid for many trips for her friends and Rarity herself to and from Ponyville, for visits and frivolity.

When Discord returned, Prince Blueblood spent two days in terror for his wife as she faced an ancient, unknown evil. She returned to him, with scuffed hooves from digging, and shame in her eyes, but she returned victorious. He stood by her as she braved the world of the nobility, and assisted her in handling the lies and backhanded compliments that came through the plastic smiles of each and every noble pony he knew.

He was alongside her, helping with each difficult movement and each new stress during the wedding of Princess Cadance and Captain Shining Armor. He imposed himself between the Queen of the Changelings and his beautiful wife when the monster revealed herself. He supported her and her friends in their desperate struggle, and stood in awe with them as the love of the two engaged ponies defeated the hordes.

Prince Blueblood helped her to draft a suitably apologetic letter expressing regret that she couldn't assist with the troubles of the Crystal Empire. She was quite heavily with foal, and so much activity was simply something she could not safely handle. Her friends all understood. He stood with Rarity as they watched the others leave for the Empire. He stood by her as she listened to the story the ponies that made it back told her, and he held her close as she cried at the loss of Spike, so far from home.

The letters came less and less frequently, as time went on. Her friends had their own lives, in Ponyville, and caring for the young twins took nearly all of Rarity's time, as well as nearly all of Blueblood's. She was happy though, living in the lap of luxury, and they were very much in love. They spent their days tending to the foals, and their nights at home, cuddling warmly and simply enjoying one another's company as they had since their first meeting.

Then the Princesses disappeared, and the vines took Ponyville. The Everfree Forest was expanding. Nopony knew what was happening, and Princess Cadance, the only alicorn Princess that anypony could find, returned to Equestria too late to make a difference. Twilight Sparkle and her friends fought valiantly in Ponyville, but were unable to turn the tide.

Blueblood and Rarity stood with them, as the vines lashed and tore at Shining Armor's shield around Canterlot, even as his little sister bolstered it as best she could. Canterlot was the last holdout in Equestria, but it was no use. It was only a matter of time before the shield would fall. Prince Blueblood prayed, he cried out to the heavens and to the Princesses presumed dead to help him find some way to save his wife.

The world stopped as his prayer was answered. The only creature moving was Discord, the spirit of chaos and disharmony. He dragged his claw along Rarity's coat, and then turned to Prince Blueblood. The invasion was more than he had ever planned, and certainly more than he wanted now that he was friends with Fluttershy. By now, however, it was too late to stop. Discord smiled as he explained how he'd planted the seeds of this destruction, ages ago, and laughed as Blueblood attempted to stomp him into paste.

There was only one way to fix it. Discord could see the threads of destiny, he explained, and could spot exactly where they'd snagged. One small change, and everything would be again woven in such a way as to fix this.

She was stunning. Absolutely beautiful. Prince Blueblood fought back tears as he watched the unicorn mare carefully. She was acting above her station, a habit she'd never quite been able to drop. She was posing for him, and he longed desperately to sweep her off her hooves and give her the world. There was something though, something he had to do, that he was unable to completely ignore.

He walked slowly toward her, dragging his hooves in a very unroyal way. She blithely sniffed at the flowers, her beautiful lashes and that delicate smile on her lips quite nearly breaking his resolve. She was so beautiful, and so pure. He closed his eyes as he approached, and spoke in a slightly haughty, regal tone. "Well hello. I am Prince Blueblood."

She turned aside with her adorable embarrassment, and spoke carefully, in the tone he recognized now as nervousness hidden behind a false noble accent. "I am... Rarity. Oh my, what a lovely rose!"

Prince Blueblood looked down at the beautiful mare, and the stunning rose. It was such an easy action, to sweep her off her hooves again. This mare, this beautiful, perfect unicorn that he loved so dearly. His wife, the mother of his foals. But she wasn't now, and, well... She was more important than he was. She could be happy without him. "You mean, this rose?"

Blueblood picked the rose with his teeth, hesitated a half second more, and then clipped the stem short, and stuffed it into his lapel. He fought back the revulsion he felt for himself, and avoided looking into Rarity's disappointed eyes as best he could, as he haughtily spoke the sentence that changed history. "Thank you. It goes with my eyes."

Cattle Prattle [Slice of Life, Comedy?]

(Alternate prompt: The cows of Equestria take the stage.)

(I shouldn't write when I'm half out of my mind with a cold. This is short and stupid but I wanted to write something anyway.)

It was a sunny afternoon at Sweet Apple Acres. The birds were singing, the sky was clear, and the grass was nice and juicy. Six cows stood together in the pasture, heads down and grazing pleasantly on the grass below. No pony would have expected that Equestria was in dire need of its most powerful defenders.

Daisy Jo spoke midway through their pleasant, day-long meal. "Oh now, come to think of it, have any of you seen Applejack today?"

Mooriella just let out a low mooing noise. Bessie shook her head. "Oh no, it's been a few days doncha know. She an her friends there ran out to fight that bad-lookin' character."

"I suppose I shouldn't be worried, nopony would dairy hurt our Applejack!"

The cows burst into laughter for a moment, and then Mooriella pointed out a scrumptious looking patch of clover.

It was a warm, pleasant morning at Sweet Apple Acres. A few clouds idly drifted over the farm despite not being pushed by any pegasi, and there was a pleasant, warm wind that just couldn't let anyone worry, least of all the six cows that stood grazing again. Still though, Daisy Jo couldn't quite get it out of her head.

"Yanno girls, I can't help thinkin' that there might be something wrong with Applejack and Winona. I haven't seen them for a week ya know."

Mooriella gave a flat look, and bent down to eat more onion, despite the Apples often asking they stay out of that.

Bessie shook her head. "Now don' go fretting about anything, Daisy Jo. I'm sure they know to steer clear of danger they can't handle."

Daisy Jo chuckled but then looked over toward Ponyville, the town's skyline invisible in the summer haze. "Oh I don't know, I can't help but miss seein' the ponies around, even Mooriella here can't stop milkin' their absence for all it's worth, ya know."

Mooriella was too busy munching on onion sprouts to respond, but Bessie just bumped her flank against Daisy Jo's. "Ooh, I know you're just missin' that Big Macintosh, dearie!"

The scandalized Daisy Jo could only blush and stammer until the alluring scent of some wildflowers caught the cows' attentions.

The six friends slowed their panicked retreat after what felt like an eternity of running. In the rush, they'd entirely forgotten just what had gotten them so spooked to begin with. Daisy Jo looked around at the empty cottages and caved-in roofs of Ponyville. "Oh my, just look at Ponyville, girls! I knew it'd been too long since I'd seen any of those ponies."

Mooriella munched idly on a fallen thatch roof.

Bessie, now unable to ignore the dire state of things, looked mildly alarmed. "Golly, ya know, we really ought to do something about all this! It's udderly unbearable!"

Daisy Jo glanced over toward the ruined Sugar Cube Corner, no longer filled with the scent of fresh-baked oatmeal cookies. She stood up tall, a surge of vengeful determination washing through her. "That's it, girls! We've got to go gather the Elements of Har-moo-ny, doncha know!"

Mooriella pointed one cloven hoof over toward a path of tilled earth, full of tender looking, delicious vegetable sprouts.

Bessie gasped sharply. "Oh my, Golden Harvest's vegetable garden's ripe! We oughta go help her harvest, ya know!"

The six cows walked quickly over to the garden, their mouths watering, and the Elements of Harmoony quite forgotten.

Equestria was doomed.

The Start of A Beautiful Friendship [Slice of Life?]

(The Prompt: Cheese Sandwich isn’t the only one; write the story of a pony who got their Cutie Mark after being inspired or spurred on in some way by one of the Mane Six after they got their Cutie Marks.)

I remember the first Wonderbolts show I went to.

It was just one of the usual shows, in Cloudsdale. They do a lot of them, you know, to drum up recruitment. I went with my dad, one of the days he had time to go with me. It was bright and warm outside, perfect weather really, and the show was amazing.

See, before that day, I didn't really know what I wanted to do. I mean sure, I was a pegasus, and I was a good flier yeah, but plenty of pegasus ponies are good fliers. But seeing the Wonderbolts doing their trick flying, and showing off just how fast and how agile a pegasus could be... it was amazing!

But the Wonderbolts weren't really what changed everything that day.

See, the Wonderbolts... they're special. They're the best fliers in Equestria. To any little filly watching, sure they're amazing, but they're unattainable. They're some kind of special breed, something a pony like me could never join, right?

Wrong. Because that day, the day I first saw the Wonderbolts, I saw another pony too. She stood out even in the brightly colored crowd, with her bright rainbow mane and blue coat. She wasn't any older than me, and she was across the cloudosseum from where I was sitting, so I wasn't sure or not at first if she was a blank flank like me.

So yeah, I saw her before the show started, with her bright mane, sitting there with a pony that I guess was her mother. But what really caught my attention was about halfway through the show: see, the Wonderbolts were doing sort of a mock derby. They were flying at full speed around the course, dodging in-between each other and jockeying for position. It was all choreographed beforehand, but as a little filly I didn't know that.

But then suddenly, there was another pony beside them. Rainbow Dash. She was going just as fast as the Wonderbolts, and even from my cheap seats I could see the surprise in their eyes. Of course, she was young, and she only managed to keep up with them for about half a lap before collapsing out of the air, panting and rolling in the clouds. Security took her out of the grounds and I never really saw her in person again. I read about her the next day, there was a short thing in the paper, about the filly who got arrested at the show. No real charges, but enough of a spectacle to write about, I guess.

But that sight, of a filly no older than myself keeping up with the Wonderbolts? That sight changed my entire outlook.

I wasn't just some stupid filly with no talent. No way, if some other kid could do it, so could I!

I stopped caring about my stupid games with friends, I stopped worrying so much about class and weather work. After that show, I knew what I wanted. I wanted to be a Wonderbolt, and if she could do it, so could I.

I trained every day. I worked my stupid blank flank off. My parents worried about my grades, but whatever, you only need to graduate to be a Wonderbolt, not be top in your class. Yeah, I didn't see my friends so much either, but so what? I was quickly becoming the best flier in my class, and then in my entire school.

One day, during weather drills, one of the advanced teams lost control of one of their thunderheads. It went careening across the other practice lanes, and everypony was staying away. Of course I wasn't even paying attention, I was running laps instead of doing my schoolwork. So, like an idiot, I almost ran into the cloud. But at the last second I saw it, and I saw the lightning bolt coming right toward me.

I dodged it.

That was when it hit me. Not the lightning, but the realization that yeah, it was more than just a dream. It was more than inspiration. Being the fastest, most agile, and flat-out best flier in Equestria was my destiny. That's when my cutie mark appeared, bright yellow lightning right there on my flank. I couldn't have been more proud if Princess Celestia herself had shown up to congratulate me.

Meanwhile, I had kept track of Rainbow Dash. She moved to some boring earth pony town, and I thought she'd just gotten complacent and slow. But no, she didn't. She even managed a sonic rainboom at a competition! I thought it was impossible, just some old legend, and BOOM, right there! She didn't let anything stop her, and I decided I wouldn't either.

Sure, there's always ponies that act like I'm not as good as I think I am. I had to go through flight school, like they had anything they could teach me. I had the colts calling me stuff like "Lightning Bust", whatever. Got into a few fights, but I still made it through alright.

I even got a job in the weather factory, doing roundups on escaped clouds and condensing leftovers from rainstorms on the ground. It was boring grunt work, but it paid for food and housing while I practiced and trained. Every day I was a little better, and every day I was a little older.

Finally, I hit the minimum age, and I sent in my application.

I got in.

So yeah, here I am. Wonderbolt Academy. I'm standing with my fellow recruits, waiting on the instructor to get here. Then, I see her. It really can't be anypony else. Right there, in my class... heck, she's in my squad! Rainbow Dash! But hey, who cares, right? She's just another pony, just like me. Sure, I'm the best flier in Equestria. She's probably second. Maybe I'm even getting that backwards. But she never lets anything stop her, she inspired me to get this far, and I'm going to show her that I'm even better.

When Rainbow Dash and I are in the Wonderbolts together, nothing's gonna stop us.

I take my place at her side, and straighten up. After all, Spitfire's coming to greet us, and we'll have all the time in the world to be friends once I show her my stuff.