Applejack is no stranger to death, but when Applebloom contracts a terminal disease, she will do anything, even walk in the valley of the shadow of death, in order to say goodbye.

(please read entire description)
(News: first prelude 'Unreconciled' is being written for release before chapter 3)
After nine relatively peaceful years in Ponyville, Spike falls into hibernation and a protracted nightmare.
Upon awakening, the uncertain future of the World is thrust onto him by a message from the Great Teacher, Starswirl,whom may yet live.

The Royal Sisters are trapped in conflict with a Draconic entity capable of destroying the universe.
All the while, Spike and the Elements of Harmony each must seek out powers and wisdom rooted in the origins of the world.
They do this in hopes of overcoming a foe that roils the black and starry depths of the very heavens.

In their absence, the former CMC and the uprising youth of Ponyville grasp power in the midst of possible griffin invasions from the Avian continent.

[key: Telepathy; Thoughts; EMPHASIS in dialogue ; Magic Spells/Special Abilities ; * marks objects or facts related to side stories]

NARRATIVE BRANCHES
(Chronology of back-stories in the Machi-verse)
<prelude>"The Wyrm Has Turned" [un-posted]
<prelude> An Astronomy of Souls [un-posted]
<prelude>Waiting For Galaxei [un-posted]
<prelude>Too Far From The Tree [un-posted]
<cross>Appleseed Hill [un-posted]
<cross>Gambling in the Dust Trough [un-posted]
<cross>Absolute Defense [un-posted]

[credits]
Cover: dsurion (http://dsurion.deviantart.com/) edited: Muzzledelk
editor/illustrator Credit:
AwSweetHolyHell, Frees,Quisky, Karon, lordlyhour, Samaru163, genocidal brony...
all other contributions are credited within the work.(all art use has been permitted by the respective creators.)

Pony Joe awakens before the dawn each morning, readies himself for his day, and then walks through Canterlot's cold and silent streets to his doughnut shop.

Life has become pretty mundane for Joe, but as he serves his customers and chats with his regulars he realizes that he has come to rely on that repetition...he relies on it to keep from remembering.

As a casual utterance by a new customer sends Joe into a spiral of haunting memories we learn about his life...and what he must give up if he wishes to move beyond his past.

Sunshine...sunshine....what's mine...I will retake....hold your hooves.....and try....to stay awake....

Twilight Sparkle finds herself amidst a grand adventure in a realm of slumber. Unfortunately, her progress is being tracked by an unknown foe. With the help of a unlikely ally and a shocked pony, she makes her way through her own mind and beyond.

This is a surrealist work in the same dream-like style of my story "Rarity's Dream: And then the door opened..."

--You might like this story if you also like:--
Twilight speaking in dreamspeak
Goats
Lyra freaking out
Dreamlike imagery and surreal situations
Narrative ambiguity

Golden eyes and a large, curved front tooth were the first give-aways. I was changing and I knew it. I was changing into the monster from my dreams, no, my nightmares.

That wasn't all though. He left me a last little gift as he called it, sending me into a deep slumber only to awaken inside the room of a large white horse with a horn and wings. And she did not look happy.

Adjusting to a land filled with ponies is hard, adjusting to a land filled with ponies whilst you can feel your body and mind change is harder.

I had hoped that if I write down my memoirs I would escape him, escape his influence and his power and his alterations.

How wrong I was. Now I can only recite my tale as I feel the last shards of my sanity leave me. As I feel him beginning to take over.

You can find the artist of the picture at: Poor Yorick
I'll add tags/characters later depending on what I plan for this.

Do you know what it's like to be trapped in stone, not fun. Especially if you're someone like Discord and have to deal with your own twisted mind. Let's take a look into Discords mind while he's trapped in stone and see how enjoys other company. Of course, this would all be easier if he wasn't insane.

Boulder travels to Ponyville from Manehatten for a geological examination of the nearby feature, Ghastly Gorge. However disaster strikes the crew due to unexplainable geological processes. Boulder does what he can as a timid leader to save his fellow workers and his new friend as well as his guide from Ponyville, Fluttershy.

Image credit goes to Quanno3: http://quanno3.deviantart.com/art/Ghastly-Gorge-270358416

There is no easy way to describe this short work of surrealist prose. Rarity has a dream and this is the written form of her journey. The images meld and fuse as the unicorn attempts to understand the secrets hidden in all of the symbols washing up on the shores of her mind.

The point is not to understand the writing, but to move with it and enjoy the flow of images and words.

--You might enjoy this story if you also like:--
Dreamlike imagery and surreal narrative
Trying to interpret something that is almost impossible to interpret
Poetic Imagery
Rarity totally going with the flow even though she has no idea what's going on
You totally going with the flow even though you have no idea what's going on

It has been over a decade since Twilight had to make a heartfelt farewell to Ponyville and return to Canterlot. The stress of her duties has gotten the best of her though, and she returns to Ponyville to reunite with old friends and learn what they've been up to. Her journey finds itself full of hilarity, heartbreak, romance and tragedy, as Twilight must learn all over again the true meaning of friendship.

Original cover by Avlo-Jack