Written for the League of Extraordinary Gentlecolts fic swapping event! Apologies for how very, very rushed it is.

*****

There was a time when all little Camera Shutter had to worry about was other ponies making fun of his name. Those days are long gone. It's hard for anypony to taunt you when you're a ghost and they can't even see you.

But he doesn't care about that anymore — all that matters now is finding his mother and saying goodbye one last time. However, with life continuing to throw everything it can at him and with Death only allowing until ten p.m. to find her before sending him to the afterlife, it's a task that's easier said than done...

In a dark place named Tartarus, a subterranean hellscape between worlds, humans and ponies are paired together at random to survive a gauntlet of horrible monstrocities while the future of their realms hang in the balance.

Now, are you buying that? Good. Cuz I'm friggin' tired of having to explain it all on top of dragging this annoying-ass unicorn around the effing corridors of purgatory along with me. You'd think the damn, burning yahoos who run this place would give us rest stops to drown ourselves in beer or something. Friggin' A.

Oh, and some ponies and humans spill blood together and stuff. I dunno. Stop playing BattleDuty: Future Football and read this, or whatever. Like I give a crap...

The friends we take for granted are often the ones that leave the largest impact on our lives. When Spike falls seriously ill with a mysterious disease and the ponies strive to nurse him back to health, Twilight Sparkle comes to grips with this very realization about her number one assistant--and friend.

EDIT: So this little story made it on Equestria Daily on 10/8/12. Now please excuse me while I pass out on Rarity's fainting couch while murmuring a soft Fluttershy "...yay."

Rarity and Applejack share a secret history: as fillies, they were the best of friends, until one terrible day soured their relationship for years to come. Forced back together by recent events and mutual friendships, they nevertheless cannot ignore the painful memories of all that went wrong. The past cannot be changed, but when Rarity and Applejack must work together to save their sisters from terrible danger, it just may be the case that a friendship once broken can be reforged in fire, and emerge from the flames stronger than ever before.

This story is a birthday gift from me and the illustrator, Harwick, to a very dear friend with a singular affection for Rarity and Applejack.

Getting a college roommate is random chance.
Sometimes you get lucky, and sometimes you get a pony.

Rainbow Dash enrolls at an Earth university.

Update: and then some other stuff happens.

Usually when you are killed, you die. Of course there are exceptions to every rule. Usually those exceptions don't end up in a world full of colorful talking ponies with 3 other people from random points of Earth's history, but hey, I can't complain too much. Now if we can just figure out what happened, how we ended up in Equestria, and who is responsible for this mix up...

Will add tags for characters as they appear.

Humans... humans are such a bizarre race. Capable of the greatest benevolence and the worst atrocities. And yet, they're so very predictable. For you see, while societies may die, and nations may crumble, one thing will remain constant: the desire to survive.

I should know. I was there when everything fell.

Ever since Bon-Bon left for a new life in Manehatten, Lyra's life has lost its focus. She gets up, she goes to work, she eats, she goes to sleep. One day she knows she's going build up the courage to tell Bon-Bon how she really feels about her and they can live happily ever after.

That day will never come. Something terrible is happening in Equestria. Something that could be the end of the world. The Smooze has arrived and no-one can stop it, not even Twilight Sparkle. What hope then does Lyra have?

My name is Canvas. I remember because I wrote it in the corner of the white box. It takes twelve steps to get from the cot to the wall. And the lights hurt my eyes.

(Note: The story isn't in color because I decided to try this without the gimmick! But I still recommend reading the GDocs version.)

I once had a friend. She was the dearest, most special friend I'd ever had, and she stuck by me in a place where nopony else would. But she's gone now, as well as every good memory I once had. It's all because of a condition I have that not only gives me uncontrollable bouts of rage, but also renders me incapable of remembering most of my life.
I want everything to be okay. I just don't know where to start.