"Zecora? As the Mayor of Ponyville, I owe you an apology."

A double entry in the May 2024 Pairings Contest and the Dialogue-Only Contest.

Rainbow doesn’t know what made her want to move in with Applejack. She doesn’t know why everything feels so tender and touchy where it used to be quick and light. She doesn’t know why she gets pins and needles when she looks into Applejack’s eyes.

Could it really be so simple as she wants to be with Applejack? This whole emotional maturity thing is way more trouble than it’s worth.

Something causes you to wake up in the middle of the night. You're groggy, you need to use the bathroom, and you really, really want a glass of water. On your way to the kitchen, you notice that your wife is still awake.

You're not surprised.

Adagio is an adult in this story.

Twilight Sparkle hasn't been feeling like herself recently, so she skips Pinkie Pie's holiday party.

Well, at least she tries to. She didn't expect a piece of the party to come to her.

Written for starcoder for Jinglemas 2023!

While visiting the grand city of Manhatten for work Adagio meets a shy city mouse that keeps distracting her.

This short story was made for the May Pairings 2024 Contest.

In the jungle, even sleep is not a refuge from the horror of war. A radio operator tries to find something to hold onto while surrounded by nightmares, both real and imagined, and the line between the two is all too often blurred. One day, he knows, he'll go home and try to move on. Until then, he keeps the radio on.

CONTENT WARNING: This story contains potential triggers for veterans suffering from PTSD. It is based on the recollections of a dozen veterans I've spoken to over the years, in particular several Vietnam War veterans. The content is disturbing, but necessary to paint an accurate picture of one facet of war. Link to veteran helpline here.

This story is not intended to be a commentary on the Vietnam War. Rather, it is about a soldier finding something to cling to when surrounded by madness. This describes perhaps a majority of the men who served in that war: good people caught in an impossible situation and just trying to survive and keep their comrades alive. Whatever your opinions on the nature of the conflict are, please be respectful of the veterans in the comment section.

My Little Pony and its contents are the property of Hasbro, Inc. and its affiliates. Please support the official release. Cover art is a public domain picture from Free Images.

In this world, there is one thing that scares Trixie to death, and another one worth dying for.

An overdue dedication to a great and powerful friend and Trixie writer, Ninjadeadbeard, which may not be proper to put here due to the present themes but is only fair, as his legacy and our memories of him will live on forever.

Many thanks to ThePeer, Mockingbirb, Rego, Bronie312,Bean, Riley, 6-D pegasus and Buck Swisher for their invaluable input and to Felfox for the amazing cover art, check his twitter for more masterpieces.

"Because I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and there’s not a single creature with wings I can think of who is exclusively attracted to the opposite sex.”

Now with a reading!

And another!

Princess Celestia gets legit deaded by everyone's favorite bacon head.