Fronthologyby FrontSevensChaptersPrankception [Comedy]True Feelings [Romance] [Comedy]Snuff [Sad] *Teen*Prankception [Comedy]“Hurry, Twilight! You have to come see this!” Spike dragged the unicorn into the library’s main atrium. He halted her and pointed his claw to an object in the middle of the room. “There it is!” he exclaimed. “It just appeared out of nowhere!” “Take it easy, Spike,” Twilight said. “It hasn’t set the library on fire or anything.” She set her cup of tea down on the ground, and cautiously stepped forward to get a closer look. After rubbing her hoof on her chin in thought, she instructed, “Fetch me my magnifying glass, tape measure, protractor, and… the surgical specimen examination pliers.” Seeing her assistant’s perplexed look, she amended, “The tweezers.” He nodded and bolted to her study. Upon returning, he emptied his armful of tools. Twilight selected the tape first. “Hmm… Shape: rectangular prism,” she observed, and started to take measurements. “…Three feet and five eighths inches long; two feet wide; two feet, seven and three eighths inches deep. Approximate total volume of… sixteen square feet.” She glanced at her assistant. “I hope you’re getting all of this, Spike.” Startled, he pulled out a scroll and scribbled frantically. “Leave a space for its mass,” she added. “We’ll record that when I’m sure it’s safe to handle.” A magnifying glass levitated out in front of her, close to the object. “The surface is a uniform colour, and looks to be of a copper – borderline ochre – shade of brown. I’ll have to run some tests with the spectrophotometer to be sure. Make a note of that.” Although Spike had trouble with the word “spectrophotometer,” he didn’t bother trying to write it down. Instead, he scribbled some more while stifling a giggle. She leaned in closer to one of the edges, inspecting an instance of fraying. “Judging by the fibres, the material could be paper, or a close relative… maybe cardboard? Yes, I think it is. I can see corrugations. Spike, can you get my hacksaw, please?” “Ha- Hacksaw?” Spike repeated. “But, wh- what for?” “I need to take some cross-sections to determine the degree, and therefore the coefficient, of corrugation. How else can I dissect it?” “Dissect?!” the object shouted. A rainbow-coloured streak shot out of it, and ended on the ceiling. Twilight giggled. “You know, Rainbow Dash, if you want to pull a prank on me, you’ll have to get more creative than that,” she advised as her pegasus friend sheepishly drifted back down to Earth. She took a triumphant sip of her tea. Something in her mouth wiggled around, and she spat it back out immediately. She shrieked as she saw a pair of tadpoles swimming in her drink. “Ew ew ew ew ew ew!” she said as she brushed her tongue off with her hooves. Rainbow and Spike burst out laughing. “You know, Twilight Sparkle,” Rainbow Dash snickered, “if you want to outsmart me, you’ll have to keep up!” True Feelings [Romance] [Comedy]“Hello, Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy greeted with a wave. She was outside of her cottage, feeding a stout little tortoise. “Hey!” Rainbow responded as she landed next to her pet. “Thanks for looking after Tank for me!” The yellow pegasus nodded. “Oh, anytime. He’s made such good friends with the frogs.” “Oh, cool! They’re all reptiles, I guess.” “Um, frogs are amphibians.” “Right, right…” The rainbow-maned pegasus shifted slightly. “Say, Fluttershy… There’s something I feel I should tell you…” Fluttershy fell silent, as Rainbow scratched the back of her own neck. “I don’t really know the best way to tell you this. I mean, there are probably many ways to say this, but I can’t come up with a good way, you know? I’m not good at that sort of thing. That’s more of an egghead thing.” Unsure of what was going on, Fluttershy allowed her to continue. “Okay…” The blue pegasus traced her hoof on the ground. “Can… can we be honest with each other, for a second? We’ve been through a lot. We’ve been friends for a while, now, and I think it’s only fair.” “Sure, sure.” “You see… You’ve been a good friend, Fluttershy. You’re so sweet and kind, taking care of these animals and stuff. I’d never want to hurt your feelings, and so… that’s what’s making this so difficult, I think.” Her friend blushed. She had a hunch as to where this might be going… “I… I can’t keep going like this. All this… All this time we’ve been friends, I’ve always kind of… felt this way. I’ve always wanted to say something, but I’ve been afraid to.” She stomped a hoof on the ground. “And I’ve never been afraid of anything! But, I’m scared to say this, and I don’t know why…” Fluttershy sat down. She didn’t feel ready; she wasn’t prepared for what her best friend since childhood was about to say. Would she be able to handle it? She mustered up as much confidence as she could and said, “Don’t be afraid, Rainbow Dash… You can tell me anything.” “Thank you, so much. I care about you, you know? I hope you understand.” “It’s okay, Rainbow…” She put a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “Don’t be afraid. I promise that I won’t take it the wrong way. I can handle it.” “Well, here goes…” Fluttershy held in a breath and felt herself shaking. She had to be ready. She knew that she could be there for her, no matter what- “Your lemur creeps me out.” “Oh…” She looked down at the small creature clinging to her arm. Surprised, she said, “Um… thanks for… letting me know.” Rainbow smiled. “Well, I’m off to nab something to eat with Tank. See ya later, Fluttershy!” With that, she took to the air and flew away to Ponyville. Fluttershy sighed and looked down at the curious little animal, giving him a reassuring smile. With her free hoof, she scratched his back. “One day, Mr. Lemur. One day…” Snuff [Sad] *Teen*Snuff [Sad] *Teen* Pinkie Pie struck the match. The sound of it echoed throughout Sugarcube Corner. It reverberated and travelled to every dark corner of the empty bakery and beyond. For as long as it searched, it found no other of its kind. Eventually, it became so weak that it dissipated into nothingness. Only one pony heard that sound, and that was the striker. She watched the flame as it danced at the end of her hoof. It seemed… happy. She smiled weakly as she observed the innocent little thing, new to this world and what little was left of it. It had been ninety-seven days since her own birthday party. Ninety-seven days since Applejack had mentioned she was feeling “a little sick”. But over the next few days, they learned that she wasn’t just a little sick; she was very sick. So sick that… she died. Pinkie felt a tear run down her cheek. Applejack’s words during her final moments echoed in her mind: “We’ll all be together again one day,” she had said, lying in the hospital bed. “Don’t be sad.” But it had become harder and harder not to be sad. In the following weeks, more and more ponies got sick and passed away. She had said goodbye so many times, but it hadn’t become any less hard to say it. She’d smile, and they’d smile back, and then they were just… gone. They were all gone, and she missed every one of them, but especially her best friends. And now, the only friend that Pinkie had in the world was that one little match. She laid it down on the carpet. Slowly, she stepped back as it spread from the carpet to the floorboards and the edges of the house. Every hoofstep backwards was slow and stiff. Saying goodbye to herself was much more difficult to do than she had thought it would be. Her hooves felt the cold dirt of the street, and she sat down to watch the bakery burn. Every other building in Ponyville was perfectly intact. But, Ponyville without ponies was hardly Ponyville at all. Her friends were all that mattered, them and their smiling faces. And that was what made life worth living; to see her friends happy. Now, well… the only face left was her own, and she didn’t have much to smile about any more. The fire licked the upper edges of the open front door and began its ascent to the second floor. Embers glimmered and floated up into the night sky, joining the stars. The bright light and smoke of the fire were hiding the stars, but she knew they were there. Pinkie looked at the fire as it flowed up from the floor of the bakery. Not ninety-seven days prior, her friends had been there dancing on that floor. It had been before any doubts, or pain, or loss, or grief. There had been happiness shared among them, a simple joy in being around ponies that cared for each other and loved each other as friends. Now, she was sure she could see them again. Her five best friends were there in the fire, dancing to the high crackles and low roar of the blaze. They were smiling and happy, and Pinkie wanted nothing more than to be with them once more. Just to see their smiling faces and hear their laughter again: that would’ve been the most splendiferous thing in the whole wide world. So she joined them.
Prankception [Comedy]“Hurry, Twilight! You have to come see this!” Spike dragged the unicorn into the library’s main atrium. He halted her and pointed his claw to an object in the middle of the room. “There it is!” he exclaimed. “It just appeared out of nowhere!” “Take it easy, Spike,” Twilight said. “It hasn’t set the library on fire or anything.” She set her cup of tea down on the ground, and cautiously stepped forward to get a closer look. After rubbing her hoof on her chin in thought, she instructed, “Fetch me my magnifying glass, tape measure, protractor, and… the surgical specimen examination pliers.” Seeing her assistant’s perplexed look, she amended, “The tweezers.” He nodded and bolted to her study. Upon returning, he emptied his armful of tools. Twilight selected the tape first. “Hmm… Shape: rectangular prism,” she observed, and started to take measurements. “…Three feet and five eighths inches long; two feet wide; two feet, seven and three eighths inches deep. Approximate total volume of… sixteen square feet.” She glanced at her assistant. “I hope you’re getting all of this, Spike.” Startled, he pulled out a scroll and scribbled frantically. “Leave a space for its mass,” she added. “We’ll record that when I’m sure it’s safe to handle.” A magnifying glass levitated out in front of her, close to the object. “The surface is a uniform colour, and looks to be of a copper – borderline ochre – shade of brown. I’ll have to run some tests with the spectrophotometer to be sure. Make a note of that.” Although Spike had trouble with the word “spectrophotometer,” he didn’t bother trying to write it down. Instead, he scribbled some more while stifling a giggle. She leaned in closer to one of the edges, inspecting an instance of fraying. “Judging by the fibres, the material could be paper, or a close relative… maybe cardboard? Yes, I think it is. I can see corrugations. Spike, can you get my hacksaw, please?” “Ha- Hacksaw?” Spike repeated. “But, wh- what for?” “I need to take some cross-sections to determine the degree, and therefore the coefficient, of corrugation. How else can I dissect it?” “Dissect?!” the object shouted. A rainbow-coloured streak shot out of it, and ended on the ceiling. Twilight giggled. “You know, Rainbow Dash, if you want to pull a prank on me, you’ll have to get more creative than that,” she advised as her pegasus friend sheepishly drifted back down to Earth. She took a triumphant sip of her tea. Something in her mouth wiggled around, and she spat it back out immediately. She shrieked as she saw a pair of tadpoles swimming in her drink. “Ew ew ew ew ew ew!” she said as she brushed her tongue off with her hooves. Rainbow and Spike burst out laughing. “You know, Twilight Sparkle,” Rainbow Dash snickered, “if you want to outsmart me, you’ll have to keep up!”
True Feelings [Romance] [Comedy]“Hello, Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy greeted with a wave. She was outside of her cottage, feeding a stout little tortoise. “Hey!” Rainbow responded as she landed next to her pet. “Thanks for looking after Tank for me!” The yellow pegasus nodded. “Oh, anytime. He’s made such good friends with the frogs.” “Oh, cool! They’re all reptiles, I guess.” “Um, frogs are amphibians.” “Right, right…” The rainbow-maned pegasus shifted slightly. “Say, Fluttershy… There’s something I feel I should tell you…” Fluttershy fell silent, as Rainbow scratched the back of her own neck. “I don’t really know the best way to tell you this. I mean, there are probably many ways to say this, but I can’t come up with a good way, you know? I’m not good at that sort of thing. That’s more of an egghead thing.” Unsure of what was going on, Fluttershy allowed her to continue. “Okay…” The blue pegasus traced her hoof on the ground. “Can… can we be honest with each other, for a second? We’ve been through a lot. We’ve been friends for a while, now, and I think it’s only fair.” “Sure, sure.” “You see… You’ve been a good friend, Fluttershy. You’re so sweet and kind, taking care of these animals and stuff. I’d never want to hurt your feelings, and so… that’s what’s making this so difficult, I think.” Her friend blushed. She had a hunch as to where this might be going… “I… I can’t keep going like this. All this… All this time we’ve been friends, I’ve always kind of… felt this way. I’ve always wanted to say something, but I’ve been afraid to.” She stomped a hoof on the ground. “And I’ve never been afraid of anything! But, I’m scared to say this, and I don’t know why…” Fluttershy sat down. She didn’t feel ready; she wasn’t prepared for what her best friend since childhood was about to say. Would she be able to handle it? She mustered up as much confidence as she could and said, “Don’t be afraid, Rainbow Dash… You can tell me anything.” “Thank you, so much. I care about you, you know? I hope you understand.” “It’s okay, Rainbow…” She put a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “Don’t be afraid. I promise that I won’t take it the wrong way. I can handle it.” “Well, here goes…” Fluttershy held in a breath and felt herself shaking. She had to be ready. She knew that she could be there for her, no matter what- “Your lemur creeps me out.” “Oh…” She looked down at the small creature clinging to her arm. Surprised, she said, “Um… thanks for… letting me know.” Rainbow smiled. “Well, I’m off to nab something to eat with Tank. See ya later, Fluttershy!” With that, she took to the air and flew away to Ponyville. Fluttershy sighed and looked down at the curious little animal, giving him a reassuring smile. With her free hoof, she scratched his back. “One day, Mr. Lemur. One day…”
Snuff [Sad] *Teen*Snuff [Sad] *Teen* Pinkie Pie struck the match. The sound of it echoed throughout Sugarcube Corner. It reverberated and travelled to every dark corner of the empty bakery and beyond. For as long as it searched, it found no other of its kind. Eventually, it became so weak that it dissipated into nothingness. Only one pony heard that sound, and that was the striker. She watched the flame as it danced at the end of her hoof. It seemed… happy. She smiled weakly as she observed the innocent little thing, new to this world and what little was left of it. It had been ninety-seven days since her own birthday party. Ninety-seven days since Applejack had mentioned she was feeling “a little sick”. But over the next few days, they learned that she wasn’t just a little sick; she was very sick. So sick that… she died. Pinkie felt a tear run down her cheek. Applejack’s words during her final moments echoed in her mind: “We’ll all be together again one day,” she had said, lying in the hospital bed. “Don’t be sad.” But it had become harder and harder not to be sad. In the following weeks, more and more ponies got sick and passed away. She had said goodbye so many times, but it hadn’t become any less hard to say it. She’d smile, and they’d smile back, and then they were just… gone. They were all gone, and she missed every one of them, but especially her best friends. And now, the only friend that Pinkie had in the world was that one little match. She laid it down on the carpet. Slowly, she stepped back as it spread from the carpet to the floorboards and the edges of the house. Every hoofstep backwards was slow and stiff. Saying goodbye to herself was much more difficult to do than she had thought it would be. Her hooves felt the cold dirt of the street, and she sat down to watch the bakery burn. Every other building in Ponyville was perfectly intact. But, Ponyville without ponies was hardly Ponyville at all. Her friends were all that mattered, them and their smiling faces. And that was what made life worth living; to see her friends happy. Now, well… the only face left was her own, and she didn’t have much to smile about any more. The fire licked the upper edges of the open front door and began its ascent to the second floor. Embers glimmered and floated up into the night sky, joining the stars. The bright light and smoke of the fire were hiding the stars, but she knew they were there. Pinkie looked at the fire as it flowed up from the floor of the bakery. Not ninety-seven days prior, her friends had been there dancing on that floor. It had been before any doubts, or pain, or loss, or grief. There had been happiness shared among them, a simple joy in being around ponies that cared for each other and loved each other as friends. Now, she was sure she could see them again. Her five best friends were there in the fire, dancing to the high crackles and low roar of the blaze. They were smiling and happy, and Pinkie wanted nothing more than to be with them once more. Just to see their smiling faces and hear their laughter again: that would’ve been the most splendiferous thing in the whole wide world. So she joined them.
