"The first time I came back, I thought it was a miracle. By the fifth or sixth time, I knew it was a curse."

Death is a reasonable fear, but it is also a constant reassurance. A promise that no matter how bad things get, they will one day end.

That promise was broken, leaving Rainbow Dash to pay the cost.

A very last minute entry for the 2024 SciFi Contest III.

Special thanks to ScreamQueen and Rb for prereading and valuable feedback.

General content warning: Some depictions of blood, death, and debilitating injuries, but no graphic descriptions. Some existential horror.

Everything got so much worse for batponies after Nightmare Moon was banished. Even those with no involvement in the war, Equestria turned hostile. Instead of a loving home, Mira grew up as an orphan, cowering in terror from the advance of Princess Celestia's Golden Army.

In the shadowy caverns of Understory, the ancient arts were still taught: Dreamwalking, and all the 'dark' practices that were once fundamental to the bats' reverence of Princess Luna.

After the death of somepony close to her, Mira finally resolved to do something. She didn't have the power to fight against Equestria, but maybe she could do something else.

With the forbidden knowledge of the sleeping world, she could rescue Nightmare Moon, and save batponies everywhere from extinction. That, or die trying.

Updates Wednesdays.

Originally written as a Patreon reward for TyrannisUmbra on my Patreon.
Editing by Two Bit and Sparktail. Cover by Skydreams.

Twilight thought she was coming into her own as Princess of Equestria.

With each passing day, she grew more confident in herself, her choices, and her ability to rule. She even began holding her own court these days, and enjoyed hearing out problems and working on solutions for her subjects.

Yes, she really felt like she was getting a handle on it all, and could deal with just about anything her subjects and the position of princess could throw at her.

Then a little green filly waltzed in and threw her one heck of a curve ball.

"I believe Cozy Glow should be freed."

Excuse me, what?

Twilight had no idea what she was in for, and all the aspirin in Equestria wouldn't be enough to sooth the headaches to come.

Was there something in the Equestrian water supply that was turning cute fillies into devious little monsters, or is she just that unlucky? Well, at least this one didn't seem bent on world domination. At least, Twilight hopes she isn't. This green nightmare might be even harder to stop than Cozy Glow if she ever put her mind to it.

This is not a "Cozy did nothing wrong and the main cast is evil," fic. Just a little filly who may or may not be more than they seem offering a different perspective on the whole situation involving an evil little villainess and what is the best thing to do with her.

Mort, also known as the Pale Pony (of Death), has been tasked to take time off from his rigorous duties of reaping souls. Seeking guidance, he is directed towards the town of Ponyville, to learn about the magic of friendship from Twilight Sparkle and her friends. All he needs to do is keep his true nature a secret. That shouldn't be too difficult...right?

Special thanks to Specter-Von-Baren and Pyrite Foolsgold for their help in proofreading and editing this story, as I really needed it. Additional thanks to Pilate, Chuckle5, Unimpressive Vagaries and Admiral Biscuit as well! Couldn't have done it without all their help!

Credit for the title card goes to Siansaar, AKA Carnifex.

For another excellent take on Mort, check out Sip's version!

For thousands of years, the moon has waged endless war on innocent beaches. Every day the tides wash away countless sand castles, crushing the dreams of foals all across Equestria. Somepony needs to stop the moon's heinous crimes—and, at last, it looks like somepony will.

After her sand palace is washed away by the ocean, Dinky Hooves takes it upon herself to do something that should have been done centuries ago: destroy the moon.

Now with a reading by Teksune Studios!

Originally written for the Writeoff Association's February Contest, "Look, I Can Explain..."
Thanks to Foehn, Quill Scratch, Murmurpunk, Horizon, and Oroboro for helping out in various ways.
Dinky vector by ZuTheSkunk. Silhouetted Luna vector by NightFlyer22. Moon photo by NASA.

The foggy feeling like you're wandering through a dream, disconnected from the world around you. Sunset Shimmer experiences that every day. Ponies struggle to remember her, she suffers from random bouts of exhaustion, and at eighteen, she still has no cutie mark.

Despite the claims her mother makes, Sunset knows she is broken in some way. It isn't until her nineteenth birthday that she discovers why.

When her perception of herself and the world around her shatters, Equestria will face the consequences of the villain... or the hero, it was never supposed to have.

Sunset Shimmer's life was good, she had plenty of friends and greatly enjoyed where she had eventually ended up in life. It's a shame then that reality had a different opinion on where she belonged. Now stuck in the past prior to first leaving for the human world, Sunset will have to figure out what kind of direction she wants to take in life this time around.

After all, the future she herself lived with her friends was not reachable without doing things that she now found appalling. Even so, she knows that staying in Equestria could very well doom the world to a much darker future. If she had time to draft a plan she could probably figure out something that would keep herself out of the way while also not affecting the timeline, it's a shame then that the two princesses of Canterlot would just not leave her alone!

Apparently this thing got feature mere days after publishing... somehow.

3/14/24 Still Alive Edition

There's only one pony in Ponyville that the Mane Six have never met. Pinkie Pie has never thrown him a party, Applejack has never sold him a mug of cider, and Twilight has never seen him check out any books. And as far as that unicorn, Lapis Print, is concerned, that's exactly how it should be.

Lapis can't risk them knowing where he lives, what he does for a living, or even what his name is - if he gets his way, the Mane Six won't even know he exists, and nopony in Ponyville will miss him once he's gone.

It should be a piece of cake - after all, it's not like the biggest magical power in Equestria is about making sure everypony looks out for each other, right?

(Rated Teen for language - mental cursing mostly.)

Born blind, Snowdrop has always lived a life of limitation. Two years since the glorious event that changed her life and unearthed the blessings of winter, she has again fallen into a rut.
An unexpected visit from her favourite Princess and best friend is about to change that.
After the Princess insists that only Snowdrop can perform a certain dangerous task, she heads into the Everfree Forest to confront a mysterious, previously unknown creature. But how can a helpless blind filly possibly succeed where elite members of the Royal Guard have failed?

Sometimes it takes the blind to see what everyone else cannot.

The extended version of my entry in the Writeoff Association's April event, the prompt being Great Expectations.

Preread by BlazzingInferno, Foxy E, Comet Burst, Quill Scratch, Thornwing, Horizon, Not_A_Hat, PaulAsaran, and NightWolf289. Edited by BlazzingInferno, Foxy E, and PaulAsaran. Proofread and finalised by PresentPerfect and Cold in Gardez.
Thanks to Obselescence for letting me pick his brain in regards to the title.

Cover art by Cold in Gardez.

Featured on:
Equestria Daily!
Recommended by PresentPerfect!

"Despite what the layman might think, the damage caused by hooligan activities is actually inversely proportional to the top speed of the vehicles involved. Celestia help us if they ever get their grubby little hooves on a bulldozer." – Reflective Vests, ROSHA director.

Something silly.