Rabbit Tracks

by Krickis

Rating: teen
Tags: Anthology, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance, Slice of Life, Sex
Length: 13776

An anthology of short stories and flash fictions. You've seen these before and know what to expect.

An anthology of short stories and flash fictions. These were generally written for fun or the entertainment of others, and will mostly be shipping because I’m trash like that. A lot of these are based on art or other people’s pony blogs, so context will be provided where needed. And of course, characters will change with each entry (but really, expect it to pretty much always be slice of life romance :twilightblush:)

Note: The ones at the end without real chapter names that are specified as “ideas” aren’t full stories. They’re more like summaries of stories that I haven’t written and don’t really plan to, but they were written in a way to (ideally) still amuse people. Still, you could probably find a better use of your time than to read those, to be honest.

Artwork by Pasu-Chan

Published 2017-09-20 10:50:06 UTC
Last updated 2023-02-10 07:44:04 UTC

The Good Ones (Rarijack)

Author's Note

Written as a response to the image, which was drawn to the prompt “Listening to a blind date talk about their ex”. Artwork by Dessert.

The Good Ones (Rarijack)

“You simply would not believe the way he was prattling on!”

“Ya don’t say.” Applejack smiled politely, but truth be told she could imagine quite well what that must have been like. Since she arrived at the Carousel Boutique, Rarity had talked of nothing but her date.

“Every date I’ve been on for months has gone horribly,” Rarity lamented from her couch, where she had collapsed dramatically some time before. “Either he won’t stop talking about his last marefriend, or he simply doesn’t have any ambition to do anything with himself.”

Applejack chuckled. “Don’t forget about the one who didn’t stop talking ‘bout his mom.” As soon as Rarity looked up Applejack felt bad for reminding her.

Rarity never seemed too interested in the stallions she dated. Sure, she’d be distraught when it ended poorly, but Applejack would stop by and she’d vent her frustrations, then she’d be fine. Nevertheless, when she looked at Applejack she was clearly feeling the weight of the mounting failures. “Tell me, darling, and be honest. Do you… could it be me?”

Of all the things it could be, that something was wrong with Rarity was the furthest possibility in Applejack’s mind. “No, sugarcube, I don’t think so.” She took a seat next to Rarity.

Rarity sighed. “I don’t know what else it could be. My luck simply can’t be that bad.”

“Well, uh… Have you ever thought…” Applejack nervously adjusted her hat. “Maybe you’d have better luck dating a mare?”

At first Rarity just looked puzzled, but after a moment she laughed. “Don’t think I haven’t thought about it. But you know, I’m beginning to think that mare or stallion, all the good ones are taken.”

Applejack swallowed a lump in her throat and looked up, into Rarity’s eyes. “Well, maybe not all the good ones.”

Binders (Twiluna next gen) (Royal Sketchbook)

Author's Note

Based on the Other Royal Sketchbook blog by Silfoe (Tumblr/deviantART). Probably not as interesting for people who aren’t already fans of that blog :twilightblush:

Binders (Twiluna next gen) (Royal Sketchbook)

It was clear that Luna thought Twilight was going overboard with the binders. Surely, she had thought, there was no need for detailed notes on every subject that Twilight had thought to cover. She accepted it as one of her wife’s eccentricities, just as Twilight always accepted hers. And to Twilight’s credit, over the years they had used almost all of them. All except for one.

The binders had become something of a joke to the kids. “Don’t you do that, or I’ll tell Mom! Then you’ll get another binder lecture!” It was, however, no laughing matter when they did come out. When Pterus told his parents that he had his first date coming up, Twilight had dedicated the entirety of the week before it to going over one of the binders she had written years earlier. And to be fair, his sisters did still find this hilarious. Of course, the humor was lost on them when Eventide and Dapple each got the same lecture in turn.

But really, the sisters got off easy. The binders had been made for Pterus, after all. They were updated for the girls, but by that point Twilight and Luna had become much more confident in their parenting. Twilight Dapple actually rarely saw the binders, although there was some speculation that the reason was because Twilight had long since memorized them.

Where do babies come from? Binder. Why do some ponies care that they had two moms? Binder. Introducing a new sibling? Binder. First day at a new school? What to do when staying with out of town relatives? How to behave while attending a royal court meeting? Binders for all of them, and all of them had been used in time. Still, there was one that never was.

Twilight had always been nervous about, well, most things really. She knew how things could go wrong, and so she planned and prepared to put her mind at ease. Really, the binders had always been more for her than they ever had been for her children. So she wasn’t worried about that one question; she had a binder ready for whenever it came up.

But it didn’t. And that made her nervous. ‘He’s still too young to think about it,’ she told herself. ‘When he’s older he’ll want to know.’ But one by one, the rest were taken down from their shelf, and she eventually had to wonder if it was healthy for him to continue ignoring something so important.

“You worry too much, dearest,” Luna assured her once Twilight voiced her concerns. “You know he’s well aware of the circumstances of his life. He also knows we love him very much, and he loves us the same.”

“I know,” Twilight said. She cast a glance towards where the binders sat, collecting dust on a shelf. “But, well… what if he’s afraid to ask?”

Luna smiled and nuzzled against Twilight. “Well, I could hardly blame him. He surely knows another lesson is coming if he does.”

“Luna, I’m serious,” Twilight said as she pulled away.

Luna paused for a moment, before smiling again. “I still think there is nothing to worry about, but if it makes you feel better then we can talk to him about it.”

After all these years, and they were still finding new situations to face together. “I… wouldn’t know what to say.”

Placing her wing on Twilight’s side, Luna gently guided her towards the door. “Not everything needs to be so planned out. Sometimes I think you forget that you don’t need to do these things alone.”

Twilight smiled as she walked along with her wife. “Are you kidding? You’re the only thing that’s kept me grounded all these years.”

They found Pterus in the kitchen, making himself a sandwich. Part of Twilight was relieved that he wasn’t in the middle of something. Part of her wished he was, so they could put off this conversation for another day.

“Just like your mother,” Luna commented upon seeing the sandwich he was making.

Pterus just grinned. “Daffodil and daisy sandwiches are the best. It’s a proven fact.”

Luna gave Twilight a knowing look. Twilight didn’t see the significance.

“Pterus, sweetie,” Twilight began, then realized she had no idea how to phrase the question. She looked to Luna for help.

But before either of the could continue, Pterus began looking between the two of them. No doubt he had taken note of her tone. “Is, uh, something wrong?”

“Nothing at all,” Luna said. Twilight wished she could feel as confident as Luna sounded. “But we were talking, and there’s something your mom wanted to bring up with you. Or rather, something she feels you should have probably brought up with us by now.”

“You’ve… never asked about your real parents,” Twilight finished. She kept up her smile, but the words hurt coming out.

Pterus set aside his sandwich. “Is that what this is about?”

Twilight felt herself growing more nervous, so she started backpedaling to explain why she was bringing it up. “Well, of course, it’s only natural to wonder. And obviously you know that two alicorns didn’t give birth to a bat pony. And there’s –”

“Mom.”

“– your heritage, it’s always important to remember that, and then of course –”

“Mom.”

“– you have to wonder why they aren’t around in the first place, and oh!”

“Mom.”

“Twilight, my love.”

“I didn’t mean to make it sound like they abandoned you, they were really good pon–”

Pterus wrapped his forelegs around Twilight, his hug suddenly cutting off her rambling. “Mom, I already know about my real parents.”

Twilight blinked away her confusion, and turned to Luna. She looked just as confused, so it was clearly not her who told him. “Oh? Did, uh, your grandparents tell you? Or one of your aunts or uncles?”

“No, none of them had to say anything.”

Luna stepped closer to the two and placed a wing on Pterus’s back. “Was it one of the guards, then? I suppose some of the older ones would have reason to want to talk with you about them.”

“No, it wasn’t, well, it wasn’t anyone.” Pterus looked between both his mothers and smiled. “I don’t know who my biological parents are, but that’s okay. I’m sure that they were great ponies, and yeah, maybe I’ve kind of wondered about it a bit. But in the end, it doesn’t really matter. I know who I am: I’m the son of Twilight Sparkle and Luna, and I have the best parents anyone could ever ask for.”

Twilight and Luna first looked to each other, then to Pterus. They each moved to hug him at the same time, and he did his best to get a foreleg around each of them.

“I’ve always known who my real parents are.”

Acting Strange (Rarijack)

Author's Note

Based on the picture by Druggyderp. ~~I might do a follow up to this someday.~~ Edit: Nah, that’s not happening.

Acting Strange (Rarijack)

“As lovely as this visit has been, I suppose it’s time I get out of your hair.”

“No need to leave on my account. I don’t have anything else planned for the day.”

That caught Apple Bloom’s attention. She quickly finished sweeping up the kitchen, then walked as quietly as she could towards where her sister and Rarity were talking.

Rarity gave a dainty laugh, which left Applejack grinning like an idiot. “I do believe you were just saying work around here was never done.”

“Well, I don’t think those were my exact words.”

“But they were, darling. ‘You know how it is, work on the farm is never done.’ That’s exactly what you said.”

Even though Apple Bloom hadn’t been listening in too closely before, she could recall Applejack saying that. And, apparently, so could Applejack. “Well, I might’ve said somethn’ of the sort. But, well, I’m sure I could find something to do, but I don’t need to do anythin’ right now, if you wanted to stay for a while.”

There. She did it again. Applejack had a whole list of chores she was supposed to be doing for the day, and she had already been putting them off for the past hour. What was she going on about not needing to do anything for?

“Well, that does sound like a splendid idea. But I’m afraid I simply can’t; I mustget back to designing my new winter line, or else ponies won’t be wearing them until the summer.”

Only for a moment, but Applejack looked disappointed. She was quick to cover it up with a laugh, though. “Well, I suppose we can’t have that happen. Maybe I could swing by tomorrow to take a look at how the new designs are coming along.”

Applejack was going to go check out fashion? And come to think about it, she had been dead set on letting nothing short of a national emergency get in the way of the day’s work.

That is, until Rarity showed up. As soon as the unicorn had come knocking on the door, Applejack seemed to completely forget about anything else she had planned. But why would she do that? Sure, Applejack loved seeing her friends, but she was acting different.

“Well then, I’ll just have to make sure the designs are flawless by tomorrow!” Rarity said as Apple Bloom walked out onto the porch where they were talking. “I’ll see you then, darling.”

“Yeah, see ya then.”

As Rarity turned to leave, Applejack kept her eyes fixed on her. Even when Apple Bloom walked up next to her, Applejack couldn’t fully bring herself to look away. That was when it clicked into place, and Apple Bloom just knew what was going on.

“Hey there, AB,” Applejack said once Rarity had walked away from the farmhouse. “What can I do for ya?”

“Oh, nothing. I was just seeing how things are going with Rarity?”

Applejack shrugged. “Same as always, I guess.”

“She’s been over a lot lately.”

It seemed that Applejack was picking up on what Apple Bloom was getting at. “Well, sure. She’s a friend, after all.”

“Didn’t you just see her yesterday?”

“Yeah, I was fixing a leak in her roof. You know she’s helpless with stuff like that.”

“And the day before that?”

Applejack was beginning to look nervous. “I was bringing her some apples. That’s when I found out her roof had a leak.”

“And on Tuesday?”

“Are you keeping tabs on everything I do or somethin’?”

Apple Bloom just smiled innocently. “No, I was just asking is all. It just seems like y’all spend an awful lot of time together. More than ya do with any of your other friends, I mean.”

“Now that’s just nonsense.” Applejack turned away and started walking towards the barn. “Now I got a bunch of work to catch up on, so why don’t you run along?”

Any doubt that had remained in Apple Bloom’s mind was gone. But there was nothing to be gained from trying to get Applejack of all ponies to talk about it.

“You got it, AJ,” Apple Bloom said as she walked off towards Ponyville. While Applejack might not want to admit it, she was going to need some help if she wanted to win Rarity’s affection. It was time to find Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle for an emergency Crusader meeting.

Ne'er-do-wells (Appleshy sort of) (1930s Swing AU)

Author's Note

Takes place in Pasu’s 1930s era Swing AU. The AU really didn’t exist when I wrote this, so prior knowledge is completely unnecessary. The artwork at the end was made as a response to the story :yay:

Ne'er-do-wells (Appleshy sort of) (1930s Swing AU)

“So do you think you’re going to see her again?”

Fluttershy smiled and shook her head as she finished bandaging Rainbow Dash’s arm. “Well, I’m sure I’ll see her around. But honestly, Dash, it isn’t anything like that. We just went out for coffee.”

Rainbow snickered. “It sure sounds like you want it to be something like that, though.”

Fluttershy preoccupied herself with putting her supplies away, which conveniently required that she turn away from her childhood friend. “Don’t be ridiculous. Besides, I’m sure Applejack isn’t even like that.”

“Come on, Doc. She just happened to invite you for coffee when you were… what was it? Grocery shopping?”

At least Rainbow couldn’t see her blush while Fluttershy’s head was tucked away in a cabinet. “You make it sound like it’s the craziest thing in the world, but that sort of thing happens. We shop at the same store a lot, and we just happened to start talking one day. There’s really nothing more going on.”

“Uh huh.” Rainbow gingerly stretched her arm. “Then why are you still talking about her?”

Fluttershy turned around and frowned. “Because you are! Now, since we’re finished here, could you please get off my table? I might have an important client come in.”

“Yeah? What, you got a hamster scheduled to come in or something?” Rainbow asked skeptically, although she obeyed.

“At least the hamster’s owners would pay me.”

As soon as she said it, Fluttershy regretted the words. Rainbow’s cocky grin was gone in an instant, and she turned to look at her shoes instead of facing Fluttershy directly. “Look, Shy…”

“No, don’t. I’m sorry, I only meant it as a joke.”

It didn’t seem to cheer Rainbow up. “I’m working on something. I’ve got some dough coming in, I’m sure of it this time.”

Immediately, Fluttershy pursed her lips into a tight frown. “Something with Sunset?”

Rainbow winced. They’d had this argument before. “Yeah, but –”

“Where’s the money coming from, Rainbow?”

Rainbow hesitated, and it was all the answer Fluttershy needed. “Well, it –”

“Save it. And you can keep the money, I don’t want anything to do with it.”

Rainbow threw out her arms and took a step closer to Fluttershy. “What? No way! Come on, this is good news!”

“Nothing with her is ever –”

Fluttershy stopped abruptly as the door opened up. ‘Speak of the devil…’

Sunset Shimmer was wearing a serious expression that Fluttershy rarely saw on her. “Get yourselves looking presentable, we’ve got company.”

“Hey, Doc! It’s your hamster appointment!” Even if the nickname always irked Fluttershy – it was Sunset that started using it first, after all – at least it meant that Rainbow was back to a joking mood.

“Who is it?” Fluttershy asked.

“It ain’t no hamster,” Sunset said, scowling. “We’ve got a john snooping around?”

“Son of a…” Rainbow folded her arms. “Well, what’s he want?”

“She wants to speak with the owner. Told her I’d come get you.”

“You told her what!?” Rainbow shook her head in disbelief. “Sunset, we agreed to keep Fluttershy out of all this!”

Sunset crossed the room quickly. “Keep your damn voice down if you don’t her to hear you. And what was I supposed to say? ‘Yeah, she’s out right now but my friend and I are just loitering around her shop’? That’d go over real fucking well.”

“Dammit.” Rainbow turned back to Fluttershy. “Look, Shy, we’ll take care of it, just –”

“You two have done more than enough, thank you.” Fluttershy pointedly looked away from both of them. As she walked across the room to the door, Sunset moved out of her way without a word.

While she walked to the reception hall, Fluttershy tried her best to think of reasonable things to tell the police officer. Of course, that would be a lot easier if she knew what she wanted. How did she even get involved in… in whatever this was? All Fluttershy wanted to do was run her veterinarian clinic. Sure, people all too often refused to take a woman seriously as a professional, and she was barely scraping by on the few customers she did have, but she was happy with her lot in life.

But then Sunset came along. She didn’t know how Sunset and Rainbow had met, but it wasn’t too long afterwards that Rainbow just up and quit her job. Fluttershy wasn’t sure what she was doing, but she knew whom she was doing it with.

And one day it just sort of happened. Rainbow and Sunset showed up, and they were hurt. Nothing serious, but bad enough that they went to see her about it. Although she hated the idea of Rainbow fighting, Fluttershy assumed that was all it was. They didn’t have the money for a proper doctor, so they came to her. But then they kept coming, and eventually, Fluttershy found that she just couldn’t keep lying to herself about it.

One more moment to brace herself, then Fluttershy walked into the reception hall. She may have been poorly prepared to face an officer, but she wasn’t at all prepared for what she found.

“Sorry to interrupt, but – Fluttershy?”

“Applejack?” They both simply stared at one another for a moment, before Applejack shifted to a warm smiled and Fluttershy began laughing. “I’m sorry, it’s just… well, Sunset said it was a cop.”

Applejack chuckled. “Well, not exactly. I’m a private investigator. Didn’t I say that before?”

Fluttershy froze in place, doing her best to maintain her smile. “No, uhm, you didn’t mention that.”

Applejack didn’t seem to notice anything was wrong. She grinned sheepishly and adjusted her hat. “Well, ‘fraid it’s true. So, got any ne’er-do-wells hangin’ about?”

Fluttershy was quite certain that her heart was going to beat itself to death against her chest. “No, I… why do you think that?”

“Aww, I’m just joking with ya! I know you’d never get caught up with anythin’ like that.”

“Oh, uh, right. Of course not.”

Applejack sighed and looked around the room. “Kinda a shame, though. I had a lead that a couple of suspicious characters were known to hang around this place. I had high hopes that this would be a break in a bootlegging case I’m workin’.”

“I certainly haven’t seen any, uhm, bootleggers.”

“Oh, I’ve got no doubts there. Heh, besides, a nice gal like you probably wouldn’t even recognize a bootlegger if ya did meet one!”

Fluttershy chuckled nervously. “Well, I, uhm, I’m sorry I couldn’t be more help to you.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Applejack reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a notepad. She scribbled something down, ripped out the page, and handed it to Fluttershy. “Here, just in case. It’s my number. You can call me if you ever dohear anything about somethin’ like that. Or if you have any other creeps givin’ ya a hard time.” She dropped her voice a bit and looked off to the side bashfully. “Or, you know, if ya ever just want to go grab a cup of joe again.”

Fluttershy looked down at the number, certain she’d never be calling it. “Right. Uhm, thank you.”

Applejack paused for a moment, looking like she was gonna say something, but then tipped her hat instead. “Alright then. I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah. Uhm, goodbye then.”

As soon as Applejack was out the door, Fluttershy collapsed into a chair. Barely a second later, Rainbow and Sunset were running up to her. “Did I hear you say that was Applejack?” Rainbow asked.

“That was… strange,” Sunset said.

“I’m gonna be sick…” Fluttershy murmured.

“Well… hey! Nothing bad happened!” Rainbow said. “And she gave you her number. See, she’s totally into you.”

“Rainbow!” Sunset snapped. “That’s not a good thing. Fluttershy doesn’t need to be involved with a copper.”

“Come on, she seems as dumb as a bag of bricks. And she’s totally blinded by love on top of it. Pretty sure Shy’s safe on this one.”

Sunset sighed. “Look, Doc, just take it from me, you don’t want to go messing with people like her.”

“And who should I be messing with?” Fluttershy snapped.

Sunset blushed. “I… I dunno. Just not her, alright?”

Fluttershy shook her head. She didn’t see why Sunset should care about her love life. “Forget it. But I think it’s time the three of us had a talk. Bootleggers?”

Rainbow and Sunset exchanged panicked looks. “Shy, I told you, you shouldn’t worry about us.”

“Zip it, Rainbow. Because if the next words out of your mouth aren’t the full story about exactly what you two are up to, then I swear I’m going to call Applejack and tell her I found a few ne’er-do-wells after all.”

Anticipation (Rarijack) (T-rated sex)

Author's Note

This was written based on a picture shared in a private conversation that the artist decided not to share publically. I later adapted the text to completely stand apart from needing the image at all, so this one can actually be enjoyed completely as is!

Anticipation (Rarijack) (T-rated sex)

Applejack didn’t get the appeal of this whole ‘pole dancing’ thing. Sure, she knew it was an excuse to watch someone move around while practically naked, but that sort of thing just didn’t interest her. And it was way beyond her why someone would ever want to be the one dancing.

It was not, it seemed, beyond her girlfriend. When Rarity told Applejack that she had practiced pole dancing for a while, Applejack wasn’t quite sure what to think of it. She was even less sure when Rarity decided to have a pole installed in her house.

That all changed when Rarity convinced her to watch a private show. At first Applejack remained as skeptical as ever – especially when Rarity insisted she should be handcuffed for the performance. “To make sure you stay put,” Rarity had said, as if Applejack was just going to walk out otherwise.

But as Rarity warmed up and really started to lose herself, so did Applejack. Although Rarity had started the evening fully clothed, that slowly changed. First it was just a couple shirt buttons, then it was all of them. By that point, Applejack was seeing the appeal of pole dancing after all.

It wasn’t just that Rarity was becoming increasingly less clothed. It was the way she danced. The confidence in every movement. The seductive looks that lasted only a second, taunting Applejack, making her want more. It was even the handcuffs; Applejack was left unable to do anything more than watch Rarity dance, and it was perfect.

By the time the music came to a stop, she was stripped down to nothing but lacy panties that only barely covered her. Even though she had to be worn out from dancing, she didn’t show it. Rarity walked over to Applejack painfully slowly, filling her with anticipation. She placed her mouth near her tethered girlfriend’s ear and spoke barely above a whisper. “Now then, love, was that really so bad?”

Applejack shifted her arm, wanting desperately to bring Rarity in closer, but it was still firmly handcuffed to the chair. “Well, I, uh… I guess it might’ve –”

“You guess?” Rarity pulled away, frowning. She pouted as she gently placed her hand on Applejack’s cheek and slowly traced it down her neck. Her hand stopped at the collar of Applejack’s shirt, where it began toying with her top button. “Is that really all you thought?”

Applejack’s eyes widened. She was trembling as she imagined how the night could play out, but she knew it wouldn’t unless she did better than that. “No, I didn’t mean it like that! That was positively the best thing I’ve ever seen in my life, and I loved every minute of it!”

Rarity smiled again. More grin than smile, and it always drove Applejack crazy to see. She leaned in closer, placing her arms around Applejack’s neck. Her body glistened with sweat, and all AJ could think about getting that body on her own. “Tell me, Applejack…” Rarity rested her forehead on AJ’s and moved ever so slowly closer, so their lips were practically touching. “What would you like to do with me now?”

Again, Applejack tried to move her arms, but again, she failed. She just grinned instead, confident that whatever happened from here would be as enjoyable as the show had been. “Oh, I could think of a few things.”

“Oh?”

Applejack planted a kiss on Rarity’s neck; at least she was free enough for that. “I think you know exactly what I got in mind.”

As Applejack gave a small nibble, Rarity giggled. “Oh yes, I think I know.”

Without warning, Rarity jumped up. “But I think I’d rather get myself cleaned off. This was fun, though! Maybe next time, darling.”

Applejack could only watch as Rarity gathered her clothes and walked away. “Rarity?” Applejack asked the empty room. “Rarity, come back. I’m still handcuffed here, Rare! Rarity!”

Tsundere (Dazzlings being sisters) (Some Sonashy and Sunblaze)

Author's Note

Based on the picture by Overlordneon (Tumblr/deviantART), partially as a response to some other unrelated artwork but mostly as a way to be trash and write about my favorite siren ships.

Tsundere (Dazzlings being sisters) (Some Sonashy and Sunblaze)

It was inexcusable. Unbelievable. It was as if she had forgotten everything that has happened. Forgotten everything that they had done. It was their fault that things were so bad, and they should never be forgiven. And they definitely shouldn’t be befriended.

If Aria Blaze had to rank the worst the worst people she had ever met, it would be pretty easy. The worst was Starswirl, for imprisoning her and her sisters in this stupid fucking world in the first place. Next would be Sunset Shimmer, for being just the actual worst thing. The rest of the Rainbooms would be next, since they were all indistinguishable anyway. Well, maybe Fluttershy was next, and then the rest of the Rainbooms. And after that? Currently, it would be her own sister, Sonata Dusk.

Since Starswirl had probably kicked the bucket by now, that meant that the Rainbooms were enemies number one through seven. So why in the name of all things good was Sonata out with three of them!?

“Why are you worried about what Sonata does, anyway?” Adagio asked, as if Aria had invited her to open her big mouth.

“Who says I care what she’s doing?” Aria shot back.

“You’re literally writing a list of the worst people right now, and you put Sonata right under all of Sunset’s friends.”

Aria glared at Adagio. The elder siren was sitting on their tiny couch with a book sitting open on her lap. But rather than reading it and minding her own business, Adagio was looking lazily over in Aria’s direction. “How do you even know what I’m doing from over there?”

“Because that’s what you did when Fluttershy took Sonata to that petting zoo.”

“That was one time.”

“And I found your list from when Sonata and I went to that party Pinkie invited all of us to.” Adagio’s eyes narrowed. “I was on that list.”

“And your point is?”

“Not to mention the first time we met with the Rainbooms, and you spent the entire time figuring out which one was the worst. You decided it was Sunset, but only after she went out of her way to make sure you were comfortable.”

“Jesus Christ, are you stalking me or something? Want to read my fucking diary while you’re at it?”

Adagio resumed reading her book. “That depends. Would I find a bunch of hearts around a certain somepony’s name?”

“Somepony!?” Aria stood up and clenched her fists. “What the hell are you implying!?”

“Aria, please. I’m trying to read.”

Although it was tempting to argue the point, Aria had long since learned the futility of that. There was no way she could do anything to rid Adagio of her stupid smug attitude, so she’d just have to deal with it.

On her list, Aria wrote ‘Adagio’ underneath Sonata.

The door opening caused Aria to scowl. If Sonata was back, it only could mean one thing: They were going to have to hear about her date, and how everything had been so nice.

“I’m back from my date! Everything was so nice!” Sonata announced. It was almost enough to make Aria gag.

“Welcome home,” Adagio said without looking up from her book.

“Okay, so we were at the mall, right?” Sonata started, but Aria wasn’t having any of it.

“No one cares,” she interjected. “Oh, look at me! I’m Sonata and I want to hang out with our biggest enemies! Fluttershy and I probably snuck off to make out with each other!”

“I don’t think Fluttershy wants to do that kind of stuff yet,” Sonata said. “But while we were walking and everyone could see, she totally held my hand! She was a little embarrassed, but it was really cute!”

Aria switched from almost gagging to actually gagging. “I think I’m going to be sick…”

“So how are Sunset and Twilight?” Adagio asked, although she barely seemed interested.

“They’re both doing good,” Sonata reported. “Even though we weren’t supposed to get all dressed up, Sunset wore this flower dress and wow! She was just gorgeous!”

“So why don’t you just date all three of them then?” Aria asked through clenched teeth. “You know what? Just date all the fucking Rainbooms!”

“Don’t be silly, that’s not what a double date means,” Sonata said. It was frustrating how oblivious she was to Aria’s sarcasm. “Besides, just because Sunny and Twi are both really pretty doesn’t mean I want to date them.”

“You can relax, Aria,” Adagio said as she turned a page in her book. “Sonata’s not after Sunset.”

“And just why do you think I would care about that?” Aria demanded.

“Because this is really about how you’re jealous Sonata and Fluttershy weren’t double dating with you and Sunset.”

Aria’s sisters were stupid. They were so stupid that it was embarrassing, and that was why Aria’s face was going beet red.

“Oh, I didn’t know that!” Sonata excitedly ran up to Aria. “I could talk to her about it if you want. Twilight has another girlfriend back in Equestria, so I know they’re not exclusive.”

Aria blushed even more. It must have been because Sonata was getting even more embarrassing by the minute, and could not have been for any other reason. “No! I hate Sunset, and I don’t want anything to do with her! Now just shut up about your stupid date, I’m tired of hearing about it.”

“But I didn’t even tell you about –”

“No!”

Sonata sighed and looked down at the ground. She tentatively lifted her head to look at Adagio, but she turned away again when she saw Adagio wasn’t interested. Head hung low, she walked back towards the door.

Aria looked down at her list and wondered if maybe Sunset deserved the top spot instead of Starswirl.

Sonata’s voice was gratingly peppy when she next interrupted Aria’s thoughts. “Hey, Aria! I got you something at the mall!”

Aria looked over to see her holding up a blue sweater. It had the words ‘I’m not a tsundere (I actually hate you)’ written on it. “What is that?”

“It’s a sweater!” Sonata announced, as if that part wasn’t obvious.

“I can see it’s a sweater, but what the hell’s a tisuh…”

“Tsundere,” Aria corrected. “It’s an anime thing, it means –”

“Nope!” Aria turned away, unwilling to even entertain the thought. That was one of the worst things about Sonata dating Fluttershy; they watched all this weird crap together, and Sonata was always trying to show it to Aria and Adagio. “There is no way I’m wearing something with one of your stupid made up cartoon words on it.”

“Aww, and Sunset was so sure you’d like it,” Sonata said. “As soon as we saw it, she said it reminded her of you…”

“She did?” Aria turned back towards Sonata, who was holding up the sweater and looking at it sadly. Her expression was so pathetic that it made Aria blush again. “Then I definitely don’t want it.”

Adagio set down her book and walked across the room. “Hmm…” She examined the sweater and smirked. “I think Sunset’s full of it. Aria’s way too much a tsundere to pull something like that off.”

“What does that word even mean?” Aria demand.

“Don’t worry about it,” Adagio said as she slipped on the jacket.

“Hey, that’s mine!” Aria said as she made a lunge for it.

Adagio effortlessly moved out of the way. “What’s the matter, Aria? Want the sweater from Shimmer-san after all?”

Although Aria didn’t know what that meant, it made Sonata giggle, so it had to be bad. “No! I just don’t want you taking my stuff, so give it!”

“Fine.” Adagio shrugged and started taking it off. She stopped short, however, and grinned. “I’ll give it to you if you can say something nice about Sunset.”

Aria scoffed. “Really? Fine. Sunset’s really popular and everyone loves her.” She held out her hand expectantly. “Now give it!”

Adagio tapped a finger against her lips. “Hmm… no.”

“What? But I said something nice!”

Adagio just shrugged again. “I wasn’t specific enough. It has to be something about her that you like. And don’t even try to say you like her popularity.”

Aria clenched her teeth. “But I hate the bitch!”

“Come on, this is easy!” Sonata chipped in. “Sunset’s really nice, and she even got you to talk with her at that get together when we first started to patch things up with her and her friends. She has a great singing voice, she can play the guitar, she’s pretty, she’s smart, she has that really cool motorcycle.”

“See, Sonata’s making it easy for you,” Adagio said. “So tell me, Aria… Do you like those things about Sunset?”

It was too much. Her sisters were just too much. They were so embarrassing, and Aria could not stop blushing. “Fine, keep the damn sweater!” She stormed off as her sisters laughed, slamming the door to the bedroom shut.

Sunset was definitely going above Starswirl.

Grief (Fluttercord)

Author's Note

Based on this Fluttercord comic. Can’t believe I wrote something with a straight Fluttershy. That’ll never happen again.

Grief (Fluttercord)

In all things, there should be chaos. It just wasn’t any fun if there wasn’t. And in most things, Discord could find chaos, or else he could make it. But time? Time was beyond his grasp. It only went one way, always at the same speed, and there was nothing he could do about it.

He knew, because he’d tried. Not right away. No, Fluttershy wouldn’t have liked that. Perhaps she wouldn’t have liked him trying at all. If so, then disappointing her one more time would be just another thing on the list of reasons to stay in bed.

Had he disappointed her? No, he didn’t think so. Fluttershy was happy. Or she had been. Past-tense, she was happy no more. She was nothing anymore, nothing but gone. A memory of better days, of better times.

But yes, DIscord had tried to work his chaos magic on time itself. Perhaps he could make it go backwards, or else just move through it. He could go back into the past, he was sure his past self would understand. And besides, imagine Fluttershy’s surprise when there were suddenly two of him! Her face would be priceless.

But it seemed that time cared little for what the Lord of Chaos wanted.

What Discord wanted seemed to matter little to anyone or anything now.

Like that knocking at the door. Discord wanted it to stop, but it just kept going. Why could nopony take a hint and just leave him be?

“Discord, I know you’re in there,” Spike called through the door. There weren’t many of the old group left these days, but Spike would still be around for a few centuries to come. It was a comfort to have a friend that would be there for some time to come, even if Discord didn’t feel very comforted at this moment.

Discord threw the blanket over his head and ignored the knocking. Ignored the pleading in Spike’s voice, ignored the thought of his friend being so worried about him. He was curled up in what had once been Fluttershy’s bed, and he was not going to move from it.

It was a shame Fluttershy flew so rarely. She was always so graceful in flight, and Discord loved to watch her. The two of them twirled through the air in sync with one another, as much a dance as a flight.

And then Fluttershy stopped flying. She fell to the ground as if her wings had been clipped, screaming for Discord to save her. He broke into a dive, chasing her as fast as he could. Somewhere along the way she stopped screaming, her whole body going limp as she fell.

Discord could do anything. He was the Lord of Chaos, he could snap his fingers and a flying rabbit would come and catch Fluttershy. He could do anything, but he could not catch her. She fell, and although he should have been faster than her, she only grew father away.

And then there was the ground. It was approaching fast, any moment now…

“Discord, stop!” a voice rang out, and the world froze.

Discord swooped down to save Fluttershy, but she vanished into smoke when he touched her. In her place, he felt a hoof on his shoulder.

“I’m dreaming, aren’t I?”

“You are,” Luna said gently. “You’ve had this dream before.”

“Every night, I almost catch her. But then she slips away from me.”

“It is not easy for ones such as ourselves to lose a loved one.”

A part of Discord wanted to snap at her, insist that he was chaos itself, that some pony princess could never know how she felt.

But then he looked into her face, and he saw that she did. Luna had also lived through ages, and she understood as well as anyone ever could. “Yes, well, it would be easier if these nightmares would stop. That’s your job, isn’t it?”

“I will do all I can, of course. But the nightmares won’t stop until you accept the loss.”

At that, Discord did snap. “I have accepted it! I know she’s gone, and I know she’s never coming back!”

“I know, but that is not what I meant.” Luna looked off to the side, where butterflies were fluttering. “You have accepted she is gone, but you have not yet accepted the ways that she is not. Surely there is more to Fluttershy than the hole she left behind.”

Discord folded his arms. “If you’re going to talk in riddles, we might as well not talk at all.”

“If I could give you the answer, I would. I am sorry, Discord.”

“Everyone’s sorry. Every time I see anypony, that’s all they have to say to me.”

Luna turned back to Discord, her eyes full of understanding. “It will get easier, but you must allow the change to come. Start small. Take a walk.”

“You think a walk is going to heal this pain?” Discord asked skeptically.

“I think a walk is a good way to start.”

“And here I thought you were the wise one. Come see me when you have some real advice.”

Luna sighed. “I hope you will take my words to heart. And if I can, I will try to intervene sooner next time.”

Discord didn’t say anything, so within a few moments, Luna disappeared.

Of all the stupid suggestions… A walk. That’s what Luna thought would help DIscord get over the loss of the only pony he’d ever loved. A walk.

It was such a stupid idea that he had to do it, just to prove her wrong.

He found himself hesitating before opening the door. He had not left the cottage since the funeral, had not once opened the door for visitors. This place had been their home, the place he shared with Fluttershy, and it was filled with so many reminders of her. He did not want to be away from it.

But he needed to show Luna what a stupid idea this was. So he opened the door and stepped outside. It was a midsummer morning and a nice breeze was blowing. He stepped outside, and just to make sure Luna couldn’t say he didn’t listen to her directions properly, Discord walked rather than flew.

He didn’t have anywhere specific in mind. He barely noticed where he was going at all. All along the way, he thought about Fluttershy and how she would want him to get out of the cottage like this. But that didn’t mean Luna was right, it just meant that ponies were silly and sentimental and that included Fluttershy as well as Luna!

And if Discord had watched where he was walking? Well, he would have picked a different path. Any other path. Going straight into Ponyville would have been preferable to where he found himself once he snapped out of his daze.

Sweet Feather Sanctuary. The cottage had been theirs, the two of them together. This place was exclusively Fluttershy. Of course, Discord had been there many times. But never without Fluttershy, and he had never once tried to impose his own chaotic views on it. It was too special for that, too near and dear to the mare he loved so much.

Discord considering turning around and marching straight back to the cottage. If he did, he would have barricaded the doors and not listened to anything else silly pony princesses had to say to him.

But… what would Fluttershy say about the way it was getting so overrun with weeds? The grass was meant to be long enough for the animals, but not this long. And a storm must have broken off some branches of nearby trees, because it was absolutely littered with debris.

This would not do. Fluttershy may be gone, but if she was somewhere looking down on this, she would go faint at the sight. With a sigh, Discord got to work.

It took all week, but Discord did it. Sweet Feather Sanctuary had never looked better, and his efforts showed. Animals were scarce at the sanctuary when he started, but now they were coming back. Discord smiled at his work.

He smiled. Discord smiled. In a world without Fluttershy, Discord still managed a smile.

It was brief, and it was small. Within moments, he was sulking again. What was he going to do with himself now? It had been nice fixing up the sanctuary. So much so that he had done the whole thing without magic. But now that was done, and Discord didn’t have anything left to do.

“Wow…”

Discord wheeled around to see a young filly looking at the sanctuary. “Who are you, and what are you doing here!?” Discord snapped.

She reeled back. “I-I’m sorry! I was just following those butterflies, and I wound up here!”

Discord looked where she pointed, and he saw that there were indeed butterflies fluttering around. “Well this is private property. Go home.”

“Oh, okay…” the filly said dejectedly. “But I, uhm, well… this place is really beautiful.”

“Hmph.” What did some kid know about this place? She couldn’t possibly appreciate it like he could.

“I’ll, uhm, I’ll leave you alone…”

“Do… you like animals?”

The filly turned back with a look of surprise. “I love animals.”

“I could… show you some of them,” Discord said bashfully. “I know a lot about the animals that live here.”

The filly went wide-eyed. “Okay!”

Discord lay on the ground at Sweet Feather Sanctuary, looking up at the clouds rolling through the night sky. Things felt a little better. Things got a little easier. Not a lot. Just a little, here and there.

But it happened every day. Each new day was a little easier than the last. Discord would make his way to Sweet Feather Sanctuary, and he would see Posey, the little filly that had taken to calling him ‘Uncle Discord’. He taught her about the animals that lived in the sanctuary, and it helped fill the time and take the edge off his hurt.

And then one day he didn’t really hurt. He still missed Fluttershy. He would always miss Fluttershy. But the pain wasn’t really there.

Discord watched the clouds, and he swore they looked like butterflies.

This place was Fluttershy. But not just this place. She was part of Discord now, a part of him that would never leave.

“Maybe,” Discord said to nopony in particular. “Maybe I was wrong.” He placed his paw over his heart. “I guess I can spend the rest of my life with you after all.”

Culture Shock (sirens returning to Equestria)

Sunset stopped at the doors to the throne room. One more reminder couldn’t hurt. “And remember, be on your best behavior.”

Adagio rolled her eyes. “We know, Sunset. We won’t embarrass you in front of your little pony princesses.”

Considering the three sirens had been turned into ponies when they passed through the mirror, Celestia was in fact much larger than Adagio Dazzle was, but Sunset decided not to point that out. Instead, she focused on something else. “It isn’t embarrassing me that I’m worried about. Remember, this meeting will determine your future. My friends and I know you three are good now, but Princess Celestia doesn’t.”

“We’ll be good!” Sonata said cheerfully. “Well, Adagio and I will be good. Aria is the one you need to worry about.”

Aria quirked an eyebrow. “Please, if Sonata can behave herself, so can I.”

Sunset took a deep breath. She’d spent months getting to know the sirens, building trust between the four of them, and she knew they could behave themselves. But the thing about could is that it didn’t mean they would, especially if Sonata and Aria started bickering.

But this was their futures, not Sunset’s. All she could do was trust her friends to not blow their chance to return to Equestria now that they had it. She pushed the door open.

Princess Celestia sat on her throne before them. Princess Luna was absent, no doubt sleeping in preparation for her role as the Princess of the Night.

But that was as planned. The sirens only needed to pass inspection from one of the two rulers, as Luna trusted Celestia’s judgement on the matter. Sunset walked forward, her three companions following a few steps behind.

“Greetings,” Celestia said, rising from her seat. “Sunset has told me much about you three. Good things, I assure you.”

Sunset bowed, and she hoped the others were quick to follow her lead. “Hello, Princess. I present Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, and Sonata Dusk. Although they once terrorized Equestria before being banished by Starswirl, they’ve changed their ways and wish to return to Equestria and learn to live in harmony with your little ponies.”

Celestia stepped forward. “Rise, Sunset, and all of you. I see you’ve taken on the form of ponies for this trip. The mirror’s magic?”

“Yes, Princess.”

Celestia nodded. “Well, whatever form you take, as Sunset’s friends, I welcome you all.” She stepped up to Adagio. “You should know I’ve been made aware of the incident at Sunset’s school, as well as what Sunset knows of your past transgressions. I do not mean to punish you if you are truly ready to change your ways, but I will be keeping a close eye on your progress.”

“We understand,” Adagio said, and Sunset wished she would have remembered the honorific title of ‘Princess’ at the end.

Celestia moved on to examine Aria in her place. “I would have you three stay in Ponyville under the watch of Princess Twilight and her friends. I trust you’re acquainted?”

“We’ve met,” Aria said bluntly. She held something of a lingering grudge against Twilight for foiling their plans, but she would get over it, just as she had gotten over her grudge with Sunset. “We’ll be saddled with a babysitter then?”

“I would prefer you think of Twilight as a guide. If you wish to live in harmony with ponies, you will need somepony to show you how to do so.”

Sunset winced, wondering what Aria was thinking, making a comment like that. Celestia simply moved on to Sonata. “But I am not without my reservations. It is true that Princess Twilight will keep me informed on how you three are progressing.”

“Of course!” As Celestia leaned in to look at Sonata, she kissed her on the muzzle, leaving the others dumbfounded. Sonata continued as if nothing was amiss. “We’ll be on our best behavior!”

For a moment, everyone was silent. Even Celestia seemed to be at a loss for words at the unexpected kiss. It was Aria who spoke first. “Ugh, ponies don’t do that, Sonata!”

“They don’t?” Sonata cocked her head to the side.

“Sonata…” Sunset winced. “What was that?”

“Kissing a siren on the muzzle is a sign of respect,” Sonata said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Princess Celestia is not a siren!” Adagio said sharply. “We told you to let us do the talking.”

Celestia giggled, then full on laughed. Sunset was, again, dumbfounded. “Well, there’s a first for everything, I suppose. No, ponies don’t have that particular sign of respect, but it was well meant and well received. Thank you, Sonata.”

Sonata beamed, and Sunset let out a sigh of relief.

“Now then,” Celestia said, guiding the others away with her wings towards the door they entered from. “Enough of this. I’ve had the cooks prepare us a meal so that we may talk over food. Perhaps you can tell me more of siren culture. I admit I know little of it.”

“Oh, I’d love to!” Sonata said before the others could answer.

Aria groaned, but Adagio seemed amused by the development. She turned to Sunset and grinned. “Told you there was nothing to worry about.”

Shaking her head, Sunset followed the others out of the throne room. It would, if nothing else, be an interesting lunch.

Author's Note

Inspired by the above picture by scraggly-guy

Under the Mistletoe (Pinkiedash)

It was just one of those things that ponies did around this time of year. It didn’t mean anything, not really. Just a fun tradition.

After all, no one thought anything when Pinkie hung up the mistletoe. No one thought anything when she caught Big Mac and Sugar Belle under it. They’d all cheered as the shy stallion kissed his wife in front of everyone. And later, when Pinkie caught Twilight and Fluttershy under the mistletoe, well, they’d all cheered again.

It was just one of those things. Just a silly little tradition. Twilight and Fluttershy weren’t even dating – at least not yet, but Pinkie had some idea that they weren’t under the mistletoe together by coincidence.

Nor would Rainbow Dash. She’d be caught under the mistletoe next, and it would be Pinkie she’d be with. But not because Pinkie wanted to kiss Rainbow. Sure, she didn’t mind kissing her friend, but that wasn’t what she was after.

No, this was part of a prank. Rainbow had said that she’d hate to be the stallion that caught her under the mistletoe, so Pinkie asked what would happen if it wasn’t a stallion. Rainbow had gotten flustered and didn’t answer, so Pinkie took that as a challenge.

And sure, she could probably get Rainbow under the mistletoe with a different mare, but there wouldn’t be a better angle to see the look on her face.

So Pinkie waited. That was the key to this. She danced with her friends, keeping an eye on Rainbow. She took careful note of Rainbow leaving the dance floor, and soon excused herself as well, all the while looking for her opening.

“Rainbow!” Pinkie called as she approached her friend.

The pegasus turned and grinned at her. “Heya, Pinks.”

“Done dancing?” Pinkie asked.

Rainbow shrugged. “ I thought I might go grab some cider. Wanna join me?”

Pinkie beamed. Surely she could use this for her plan. “Sure! Lead the way!”

The two friends made their way to the snack table, which was conveniently close to the doorway that Pinkie had hung the mistletoe in. She didn’t rush things though. She had to take her time with this or else she’d blow the whole thing.

Not only did Rainbow have to be under the mistletoe with Pinkie, but she had to not even notice she was until it was too late. No, this was not something to rush.

“So hey, great job setting up this party,” Rainbow said as she poured a couple mugs of cider for them.

Pinkie took a sip of hers. “Thanks, Dashie. I’m just glad everyone’s having a good time.”

“You know we always do at a Pinkie Pie party!” Rainbow grinned and held out her mug. “Cheers another holiday with good friends!”

“Cheers!” Pinkie said, then clinked her mug against Rainbow’s. She took a long drink of it, debating all the while how to play this interaction.

She didn’t debate for long. Applejack came over to see the two friends, stumbling a little. She’d clearly had a few ciders herself. “Howdy, you two. How’s the cider?”

“You know it’s great,” Rainbow said. “It really hits the spot.”

“Done dancing?” Pinkie said, wishing she were still preoccupied. She didn’t want anyone to get in the way of her great prank.

“Yeah, for now. Course I could still dance circles around you.”

Rainbow laughed. “Yeah right! Why don’t you put your hooves where your mouth is?”

“Maybe, but let’s do something a little different than dancing. Hoof wrestling, go!”

“You’re on!”

Things were not going how Pinkie had planned, but that was okay. There was always room for improvisation in a good plan. The three mares walked over to a table, where Pinkie adopted the role of a referee. “Okay, I want a good clean match! No funny business! And believe me, I know all about funny business, so don’t think you can sneak it past me!”

Applejack and Rainbow locked eyes as they locked hooves, waiting for Pinkie’s word to start.

“Ready… set… go!”

The two mares both tried their hardest to bring the other one down. Pinkie could see their muscles straining, and at first, it really looked like neither one was going to gain ground on the other.

Then slowly, Rainbow’s hoof started going down. She tried everything she could to bring it back up, but Applejack was built Apple tough, and she would not yield.

Rainbow’s hoof fell onto the table with a thud, and reluctantly, Pinkie cheered, “Applejack is the winner!”

“Ha! I knew it!” Applejack threw her hooves into the air, then stumbled a bit.

Although she caught herself before she hit the floor, Pinkie stepped closer in case she needed to brace herself on a friend. “You okay?”

“Yeah, just got a little caught up.” Applejack chuckled nervously. “What about… aww, don’t be like that, Dash!”

Rainbow was already flying away. Pinkie frowned and walked after her.

“Rainbow?” Pinkie promoted when the pegasus landed. “It was really close.”

“Yeah…”

Pinkie reached out for Rainbow, then stopped short. Rainbow and Applejack did stuff like this all the time. Sometimes Rainbow won, sometimes, Applejack did. It didn’t usually get to her like this.

She frowned, her only concern being her friend. “You’ll get her next time, I’m sure.”

Rainbow didn’t say anything.

“Hey, I bet you can beat me in hoof wrestling! Wanna give it a shot?”

“Hey, Pinkie?”

“Yeah?”

Rainbow pointed up. Pinkie rose her head to follow where her friend was pointing, and she saw they were right underneath the mistletoe.

Before she could react, she felt Rainbow’s lips on hers. Pinkie’s eyes went wide, and her hoof went to her mouth as Rainbow pulled away. She could still taste the cider.

Rainbow grinned. “Happy Hearth’s Warming, Pinks.”

“Uh… yeah, happy Hearth’s Warming…”

Rainbow flew off, and Pinkie felt a smile creeping across her face. It occurred to her that she’d been played perfectly, but she couldn’t manage to be upset about that one little bit.

Author's Note

This was written for my writing club I host on my Discord server, with the them "Fool Me Once". The original idea was stolen from Hoofclid. It's actually exactly 1000 words but Fimfiction's word counter is a little off :trixieshiftleft:

The Dilemma (Rarity x OC) (Hoofclid & Friends)

Author's Note

Based on this post by my good friend Hoofclid. If you're unfamiliar with his blog, you're doing yourself a disservice; do give it a read!

The Dilemma (Rarity x OC) (Hoofclid & Friends)

The whole thing was just a little bizarre. Fluttershy was left looking around, not entirely sure she had heard correctly. Rarity was standing in front of her in full panic mode, waiting for Fluttershy’s reaction, and all she could think to say was, “Uhm, what?”

Rarity forced her composure by taking a deep breath. When she repeated herself, she did so much more calmly. “Dear sweet Buckler has asked me on a date. And I have simply no idea what to do about this!”

That was what Fluttershy had thought Rarity had said, and it made just as little sense the second time around. Fluttershy, who had been doing a bit of gardening, set her spade to the side and stood up to better talk to her friend. “Why don’t we go inside for some tea? Then you can tell me the whole story.”

Rarity nodded, so the two of them went into the cottage. As Fluttershy brewed them some tea, Rarity spoke, and details became ever so slightly clearer.

She explained how Buckler had come to her blushing, a bouquet of roses in his mouth to woo his lady. Once Rarity had taken the flowers and allowed him to speak, Buckler had gingerly explained to her that he had not thought to court one of the princess’s friends, fearing it may interfere with his duty to Twilight.

“And then the way he spoke!” Rarity placed a hoof on her brow. “You would not know it, but the sweet boy does have a poetic side to him.”

Fluttershy served Rarity her tea, placing the sugar in reach of her friend so she could sweeten it to her taste. Rarity often chose how much sugar to add based on her mood, so Fluttershy had learned this was better than trying to serve her. This time, she added double her usual amount. Fluttershy sat across and did not comment.

“So he asked you on a date.”

“Yes, and oh how he asked.” Rarity sighed wistfully. “I wish I could repeat it to you, Fluttershy dear. He told me that he was captivated by my beauty, which would have been nice, but then he elaborated that he meant the beauty of my soul. I hardly know what to say.”

The situation became more clear, but there was still one bit of confusion. Just one thing that Fluttershy could not understand. Before they got to that, she asked, “So what did you say?”

“Well, I told him I would think of it, of course.” Rarity spoke as if that was obvious, but it only confused Fluttershy more. “That is simply how these things are done.”

Fluttershy thought back to her enthusiastic “Yes!” that she had given Applejack when she was first asked on a date, and she found herself in disagreement with Rarity about how things were done. She didn’t comment on that either.

Instead, she sipped on her tea. “I see. So how long are you going to make him wait before giving an answer? You know he’s probably worried sick.”

“I assure you that I will only leave the poor thing waiting as long as it takes me to figure out how to answer him.”

That was just what Fluttershy was confused about. This time, however, she did decide to comment. “You’ve, uhm, you’ve been flirting with him since he got here.”

Rarity blinked. “Oh dear, you’re right… You don’t think… he wouldn’t…” The unicorn busied herself with her tea.

“Uhm, I don’t know what you mean…”

Rarity took a deep breath. “Well, you know… It’s like he said, he is Twilight’s guard. I had always assumed it was a bit of fun, with him being so unobtainable. I had assumed he knew this as well, and…”

“I see. So you don’t want to accept?”

“Well now, I hardly said that I should think.”

Fluttershy quirked her head to the side. “So you do want to?”

“Let us not jump to any conclusions.”

Fluttershy closed her eyes and mimicked Rarity’s earlier deep breath. “Rarity. Do you want to date him or don’t you?”

“I…” Rarity looked around the room nervously. “I’ve never, uhm, been on a date, you know?”

Fluttershy knew that, of course. Rarity was among her best friends, but at times she had forgotten. Rarity was so confident at all times, and she did flirt with a number of ponies. But, Fluttershy knew, it was usually with ponies like Buckler; ponies that were unavailable.

Understanding began to sink in. “I see. So then, are you just afraid?”

“Well…” Rarity took a deep breath. “Yes. I am afraid. But because of that, I haven’t really considered it. So I’m not sure.”

“Okay. Then let’s consider it now. Would you like to go on a date with Buckler?”

Rarity was quiet for a moment, then she spoke slowly. “Well, I think that…”

Feeding the Fishes (Noodleverse)

When Spike was little, he had been given an aquarium. He didn’t remember getting it; as far as he knew, it had always been there. He had, after all, been a foal when he got it. His parents always said he was captivated by the fish within.

Of course, now that Spike was older, he wished he had a more lively pet. The fish were pretty and he still loved watching them, but would it really be that bad to get a cat or a dog? He swore he’d take care of them!

But Spike was eight years old. His parents insisted he was too young to take care of a bigger pet, even though they were impressed with how well he took care of the fish. Give it another year or two, they said.

So in the meantime, Spike took care of his fish. He monitored their water, and he gave them the proper amount of food. And the fish thrived. At least, until they died.

Fish did that. Sure, some breeds would live quite a long time. There was a particularly old cory catfish that had just always been there, as far as the colt was aware. That was his favorite. But even so, it did not come as a surprise when Spike went to feed his fish, and he found one of the little molly floating upside down.

That was just part of owning fish, though. His tank was large, and it held almost thirty fish in it. Most of them were tiny, and most of them only lived a couple of years. That meant that he did not think much of one dead fish, aside from being just a touch sad to see it go.

There was not much ceremony to the matter, but he did have his little ritual. He opened a drawer and took out a net, which he used to scoop up the small fish. Then he walked through the house, holding the net in his mouth. He made for the back door.

Along the way, he came across Twilight, who was sitting on the couch with a book. She looked up and saw him making his way past. She didn’t say anything; there was no need to. This was a common sight in the household.

Spike passed from the living room to the kitchen, and from there, he opened the back door and stepped out.

Before the door could shut, Twilight stepped out with him. She didn’t follow past the closed door, however. Spike continued alone into the backyard.

He walked over to the garden, sitting down next to it. He set the net down on the ground and used his hooves to dig a little hole at the edge of the garden. He made sure not to disrupt any of the flowers, only digging where there was just dirt.

When he decided it was deep enough, he took the net in his hooves and turned it upright. The fish fell into the hole, which Spike carefully buried again.

Then he stood up and made his way back to where Twilight was waiting. She smiled at him. “You okay, Spike?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Content with the answer, Twilight opened the door. Spike followed his sister back into the house, where the two of them stopped in the kitchen.

“Are you hungry?” Twilight asked.

Spike shook his head. “A little, but I didn’t get to feed the fish.”

“Well then, guess you better get to that.” Twilight opened a cabinet that was far too high for Spike to reach. She pulled out a jar of peanut butter. “How about I make you a sandwich for when you’re done? Peanut butter and banana?”

“That sounds great! Thanks, Twilight.”

Twilight nodded, and Spike left the kitchen.

Once he was back in his room, Spike put the net away, and took out the fish food. It was important that he keep his fish fed properly. They thrived in his care, at least until they died.

Spike was accustomed to death because of his fish. Sure, he knew he hadn’t really experienced what a death to a loved one would be like. And he wasn’t sure he ever would.

He watched as the flakes fell slowly through the water. The fish came up and bit at the flakes, and Spike thought about he would live through the death of every single one of those fish. He would be there, and they would die.

He did not get attached. They were almost more decorations than pets when it came down to it. But even so, Spike did everything he could for them. Because one day they would die, and he would still be there. He would bury them in the garden, where they would become food for the plants and live on as something else. He made sure every single one of them would get that.

After a few minutes, Spike put away the fish food and left the room. He walked back to the kitchen.

Twilight smiled at him. “There you are. I was just about to come find you.”

Spike was Twilight’s little brother. He was not a dragon, even though his whole family was. He didn’t mind that he was adopted, he loved his family so much, and they loved him.

But he was eight years old, while Twilight was seventy-eight. She was still young; full-grown, but a young adult. She would be moving out on her own soon, his parents had explained to him. She would find the place where she would settle down and spend the remaining centuries of her life.

And Spike would do the same when he was old enough. He would not wait until he was seventy-eight. He was an earth pony, and he would not live for centuries. One day, he would be gone, and his family would still be there.

“What took you so long?” Twilight asked as Spike pulled himself onto a kitchen chair.

“Nothing,” Spike said, smiling at the lunch Twilight had prepared for him. “I was just feeding the fishes.”

RariJackShy idea

Author's Note

So a while ago I was doing a thing where people could send me a ship and I’d ramble on about what I liked or disliked about it. For a couple of them, I wrote these half stories instead. It’s more like a loose outline that could be a story, but told in a way that’s coherent and (ideally) entertaining. It’s like reading a Wikipedia plot summary rather than reading an actual fic.

RariJackShy idea

Fluttershy and Rarity were already a happy couple, but Fluttershy couldn’t help but fall for Applejack as well. Rarity, ever the worldly mare, saw what was going on and encouraged her marefriend to confess her feelings. Applejack, who was always only marginally concerned with life outside of those closest to her, thought it was the weirdest dang thing she ever heard. But, well… she couldn’t deny she always loved Fluttershy’s visits, and the way she smiled whenever they were together, and how Applejack herself couldn’t help smiling along with her. Still, she held out for a while, until Rarity talked her into it.

Initially, Applejack couldn’t help but walk on eggshells around her new marefriend. Especially whenever Rarity was around. Coupled with Fluttershy’s nervousness, it almost didn’t get very far at all. Rarity had expected this, of course, and she was damned and determined that her marefriend’s new relationship would turn out just like a storybook romance. So she took a trip to Sweet Apple Acres without Fluttershy in order to plan a big romantic outing just between Shy and AJ. Much to her surprise, Applejack was actually quite good at romance once she let go of her needless worrying.

In time, Rarity found that she was growing jealous, but not of Applejack for sharing in her marefriend’s affections. No, she was jealous of Fluttershy. It wasn’t fair. Rarity wanted somepony who would sweep her off her hooves like that. She absolutely adored Fluttershy, who always made her feel loved in so many little day-to-day reminders. But Rarity also wanted her hero, the valiant knight whom would stop at nothing to save the fair maiden.

She didn’t tell anyone, not at first. Things were going so well for Fluttershy and Applejack, she would hate to risk anything between them. If Applejack didn’t feel the same way about her, she would be alright. Well, she’d probably eat a gallon of ice cream while crying as Fluttershy comforted her, but that was pretty much ‘alright’ by her standards. But what if Applejack became uncomfortable around her again? What would that mean for their relationship? And what would Fluttershy think towards somepony who had thrown away a chance at her beloved’s heart? No, it was better to keep this inside.

Until, of course, Fluttershy noticed anyway. Rarity was simply awful at hiding her feelings, and Fluttershy knew her too well. But Fluttershy didn’t say anything to her, and instead talked to Applejack about it. At first, AJ was unsure about the idea. Sure, Fluttershy was dating two ponies, and Applejack was nothing but supportive of Fluttershy’s other relationship. But for herself? She had never thought she’d be in a situation like that.

Then one day, Rarity came home to find a note. It asked her to go into town for a romantic candlelit dinner at a formal restaurant, and was signed by Fluttershy. It seemed that Applejack was rubbing off on Fluttershy, or maybe it had been Applejack’s idea in the first place. Rarity didn’t care, she was more than happy to be receiving some special attention from her special somepony, and dressed in her most seductively stunning apparel.

But when she arrived at the restaurant, she didn’t find Fluttershy at all. Instead, the waiter led her to a table with an orange farm pony, who was dressed in what must have been her best outfit yet was still below the standards of the high-class restaurant, and had her mouth hanging open slightly as she stared at the mare who stood before her.

Fortunately, Rarity still found her exceptionally charming.

Polycule idea, based on my story Finding Home. It'll probably only appeal to fans of that story.

Author's Note

Like the RariJackShy idea, this one comes from an ask on Tumblr. The idea was how the TwiShySet ship from Finding Home would combine with the other ship from that story, Luna x Amber. This is not at all canon to my Who We Become series; it’s just a fun “What if everyone was dating” type of thing.

Polycule idea, based on my story Finding Home. It'll probably only appeal to fans of that story.

It could only have been Fluttershy’s idea. Luna thought of it as well, but she prizes her friendship with Fluttershy far too much to risk suggesting anything herself. But Fluttershy knows Luna still has a thing for Twilight, and she’s always felt bad for her never getting her chance.

Before even talking to her own lovers or Luna about it, Fluttershy would bring it up with Amber. Given their occasionally tumultuous past, Fluttershy is wary of doing anything that might cause a rift between the two of them again. But Amber gives her okay to the idea, so they begin plans to get Twilight and Luna together.

Fluttershy tries to simply talk about it with Twilight, but Twilight gets the wrong idea. She thinks Fluttershy means that she herself is interested in Luna, and takes some time to think about it. When she does, she tells Fluttershy it sounds like a perfect idea. Dinner plans get made, but both of them expect the other will be going. It’s not until the day of that they realize their mistake, and Sunset practically dies laughing.

Not wanting to disappoint their friend, Twilight goes through with meeting her at the restaurant. She has every intention of explaining the miscommunication, and that she’s flattered but completely uninterested in dating anypony else. Once they’re face to face, however, Twilight worries about hurting Luna’s feelings and stumbles through every attempt to bring it up. Luna interprets this as general nervousness at being on a first date and does what she can to make Twilight feel comfortable. And, much to Twilight’s dismay, she’s absolutely charming.

Halfway through the dinner, Twilight abandons all pretense of calling it off. By the end of the date, she gladly accepts a second. She returns home with a spring in her step, which doesn’t exactly go unnoticed. Sunset just grins knowingly from the second Twilight walks through the door.

Everything about the relationship fills Twilight with equal parts euphoria and anxiety. She loves her new marefriend, but she’s more than a little concerned about being the only one who’s dating a third pony. One night while Twilight’s out with Luna, Sunset’s complaining about Twi’s mood swings to Amber, who had accompanied Luna to Ponyville in order to catch up with her friends. Amber jokingly suggests that the two of them start dating so Twilight won’t have anything to feel bad about, and Sunset jokingly agrees. Fluttershy suggests they actually do it, just to see how things go. Worst case scenario, they might actually succeed in getting Twilight to stop worrying about things. The two of them figure ‘what the hell’ and go for it, just for fun. They jokingly go out on a date, and even share a joking goodnight kiss. They do it again on Twilight and Luna’s next date. Nopony’s really sure when exactly they stopped ‘pretending’ to date and wound up actually dating, including them.

Throughout everything, Fluttershy remains interested in only being with Twilight and Sunset, at least in any official form. She had been very close friends with Luna for years, and the two of them have always been oddly affectionate. Once Sunset and Amber began dating, that same tendency quickly spread to Amber as well. She never grows to love them like she loves Twilight and Sunset, but the nature of her friendships with both of them causes a lot of confusion to any onlookers.

Preening (Pinkiedash) (Noodleverse)

Author's Note

A very short thing inspired by the picture. Takes place in the Noodle AU, Pasu-Chan’s species swap AU that I also write full-size stories in.

Preening (Pinkiedash) (Noodleverse)

“You know, you could take care of your own feathers,” Rainbow said, not for the first time.

Pinkie just smiled innocently. “I know, I’m such a scatterbrain sometimes. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Hmph.” Rainbow smoothed out a particularly unruly feather before answering. “I wonder about that all the time.”

Turning to face Rainbow, Pinkie tapped a talon against her beak. “Hmm, well, you’d probably starve to death for one thing.”

Rainbow lifted her head and frowned. “I meant what you’d do without me.”

Pinkie cocked her head to the side. “Aww, you don’t ever wonder how you’d get by without me?”

The feathers on Rainbow’s chest puffed up. “Just… go back to laying down so I can hurry up and finish this!”

Pinkie giggled. “Right. Sorry, Dashie.”

But as Rainbow resumed her work, it was clear she was enjoying herself almost as much as Pinkie was. Really, when it came down to it, they both knew that Pinkie was never going to start preening her own feathers.

Making Up (Appleshy)

Author's Note

This was written during a conversation with Pasu, hence why it’s small and vague. It was intended to be part of her Swing AU, but there are exactly zero references to that. Just take it as any kind of humanized Appleshy that you want :ajsmug:

Making Up (Appleshy)

Applejack lay tossing and turning on the couch, unable to find a comfortable position. It wasn’t so much that the couch itself was uncomfortable. Rather, it was because the argument still weighed heavily on her mind. It was over something dumb, nothing worth fighting about, but Applejack just couldn’t let it go. It didn’t matter who was right or wrong in the beginning; Applejack had been the one who let it escalate when Fluttershy had tried to drop it. Even Winona knew which of her moms was in the right this time, as she was sleeping soundly in bed with Fluttershy.

Or at least, she should have been. It was good that Applejack wasn’t asleep, since the sudden appearance of four paws on the couch would’ve made for a rude awakening.

Applejack smiled as she scratched Winona’s head. “Hey there, girl. Now don’t think I’m not happy to see you, but at least one of us should get to be comfy tonight. You should go back to bed.”

“Maybe you both will?" Fluttershy said. In the dark, Applejack hadn’t even noticed her approach. "I’m sorry for sending you to the couch. Please come to bed with me?”

Applejack sat up. “No, I’m sorry. I shoulda never let things get out of hand. But I’ll gladly take you up on that offer.”

As she stood up from the couch, Winona ran between the two women. Fluttershy giggled as she took Applejack’s hand and led them back to bed. “You’ll be happy to know someone is always on your side. Winona wouldn’t stop whining that you weren’t in bed with us, and I just couldn’t leave the poor dear missing you.”

Applejack grinned while Winona jumped on the bed. “That’s my girl!”

Fluttershy kissed Applejack’s check. “I guess we both missed you. A little.”

Let's just call it like it is, I shipped some rocks. Tom x Boulder. I'm not even going to try to get anyone to read this, it's another idea thing, and it's, well, it's about rocks.

Author's Note

Context can’t save this...

Let's just call it like it is, I shipped some rocks. Tom x Boulder. I'm not even going to try to get anyone to read this, it's another idea thing, and it's, well, it's about rocks.

Boulder was very upset about the whole thing. Maud tried to explain that Pinkie didn’t really mean anything by it, that she was only trying to make Boulder happy as best she could. But Boulder just couldn’t shake the feeling that the only thought Pinkie had even put into the whole thing was that they were both rocks. It was insensitive, at best.

But of course, Pinkie was important to Maud, and Maud was important to Boulder. And Boulder really didn’t have any plans for Saturday night, as Pinkie had been so quick to reveal to this other rock – Tom, was it? Without an excuse, and unwilling to be outright rude, Boulder agreed to go on the blind date.

Still, the tone for the whole evening couldn’t have been any worse. Tom was fine, Boulder supposed. But the whole time, all he could think about was how forced things seemed. Before the night was over, Boulder was already counting the minutes until he could leave, and he certainly did not arrange for a second date.

Which was a shame, really, because Tom thought the evening went rather well, and he really thought this one would be different.