After a mysterious headline adorns the top of the Ponyville Foal Free Press, we take to the streets to ask citizens if it's true: is Fluttershy Best Pony?

Allergy Warning: Contains Flanderization.

The two most intriguing minds in Equestria sit down and have tea together.

Sweetie Belle is leaving Ponyville. As Apple Bloom says goodbye to her, she thinks about everything they've been through together. Does she have what it takes to stop Sweetie going?

This story was inspired by the Foalcon group collab prompt Run, and also by the Snow Patrol song of the same name.

Do people think an "E" tag is appropriate for this story? I've tagged it "T" for now.

Apple Bloom shared everything with Babs Seed. She was her confidant, her best friend, and closest cousin.

And, one night, one small talk changed everything.

A birthday present for the wonderful Babs, because she deserves it.

Thanks to TadStone for the preread and KevinLTK for edits. You're both awesome.

The graffiti did not bother her. The art of vandalism was, in some form or another, as old as civilization itself. The content, on the other hoof, was an entirely different issue. “Princest Is Wincest,” it said. Bad grammar and spelling were one thing, but this was an attack on the Equestrian language.

Luna frowned. She would have to ask Celestia about this at the first opportunity. Perhaps there were spare funds for a literacy program. If nothing else, Tia might be able to explain what exactly the phrase meant.

Thanks to Wade and Sereg for prereading. Thanks to Burraku_Pansa and especially Midnight Rambler for editing.

Dramatic reading, courtesy of CaptainBron3y.

Cadance and Night Light share a pleasant conversation in a café. Everything somehow manages to get really weird, really fast.

Proofread by Octavia Harmony and Selbi.

Pinkie Pie loves Nightmare Night. She loves dressing up, and she loves candy. Most of all, she loves pranking ponies. One year she goes too far.

Reading by CaptainBron3y: Pinkie Pie's Last Nightmare Night
Reading by Jennabun (PegasisterReacts): Pinkie Pie's Last Nightmare Night
Reading by AShadowOfCygnus: Pinkie Pie's Last Nightmare Night

Translation into Russian by Dark Room Collaboration

[Second Person Perspective]

Once a year, you come around with a simple task. Most of the time, it means nothing. You are normally dismissed without another thought.

However, when you find out Princess Luna has been asking for you, you can't help but worry that something is wrong.

(Scene written for confirmed-by-voting best pony Luna. A bit of a mystery fic. See what details you can glean from the dialogue to determine who the character is and what they are talking about.)

A troubled Princess Celestia, wandering her School for Gifted Unicorns late one night, chances upon her young faithful student Twilight Sparkle, who has problems of her own:

She can't catch the Tooth Flutterpony.

What possible advice could Princess Celestia give to her upset young pupil, who is desperately trying to prove that an old ponies' tale is real?

Inspired by Skywriter's How to Remove a Unicorn Tooth (which is a much better story and you should probably go read it, if you already haven't); and, of course, Sir Terry Pratchett's Hogfather (which you should have already read, and even if you have, you should go read it again).

After reading a book by Spitfire's personal trainer, Rainbow Dash decides that the best way to get closer to her ultimate goal of joining the Wonderbolts is to add strength training to her practices by having one of her friends ride her. However, when she decides that Twilight Sparkle is just the mare for the job, the pegasus gets a bit more than she bargained for.

Artwork by Piggybank12. Used with permission. Thanks to DPV111 for assisting me with story planning.