Zakia and her mother are harvesting food outside the walls of their village when an alarm cry sounds from the village wall. This time, it is not a predator that was spotted, but a flight of distant pegasi, heading right for their village, their intentions unknown.

Second-place finisher in the Everfree Northwest Iron Writer competition.

In the crazed aftermath of Discord's escape, a young zebra and diamond dog are found on death's doorstep outside of Ponyville. Taken by their adoptive guardian, the duo attempts to acclimate to town to the best of their abilities all the while hiding a fairly big secret.

A collaboration between myself and Greycait . Give him praise for this as well.

Now edited by Celefin. Go read his stuff as well!

Zebras. None of Twilight's friends had even known they existed before seeing Zecora. But zebras exist, and are sorely absent in Equestrian society. Seeing a gap to bridge, Twilight decides to head to Zebrabwe, the zebra homeland, as an ambassador and open diplomatic relations. New friends are new friends, no matter where they are.

But things aren't all as they seem; Equestria isn't the only country interested in Zebrabwe, and definitely not the closest. Zebrabwe has neighbors of its own, and there's a reason zebras in Equestria are harder to find than needles in haystacks.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: "Zebrabwe" was originally "Gondwana" before I decided that the country needed a horse-pun name. Early comments mention Gondwana rather than Zebrabwe.

Flash Sentry: hero, heart breaker ... and self-admitted coward. For the first time, he details his own undeserved rise to heroism (as well as the trouble such a reputation brings him) in his own words.

Zecora isn't from Equestria. That should be obvious. She hails from a distant land where everything from skin to speech is vastly different. There, she was a skilled shaman, one of the best in all of the land, and the uttering of her name could open more doors than the Abada himself.

So why, then, is she in Equestria? Why would such a powerful zebra leave her rich and vibrant homeland to live in an untamed forest? Why does she never speak of it to anyone? And why is she constantly speaking in rhyme?

Because of mistakes. Her mistakes, his mistakes, and the mistakes they made together.

And lo, the hero did find the sword, and having found the magnificent, beautiful, most perfect weapon of the ages, the hero did set forth to roam the earth while bearing the sword, much to the dismay of alicorns and harmonious creatures everywhere. So began the adventures of the handsome, perfect sword and his wacky kensai puppy.

"Shut up, Limey, and stop narrating!"

And thus, Shēdo did began arguing with the narrator, much to the dismay of the narrator himself. Dirty pool, Shēdo, dirty pool. It's bad form to argue with the narrator as the story is being told.

"Shut up!"

Lo... hey, waitaminute! Shēdo! We've become an entry in the Weedverse.

"Limey, some of the things you say are very troubling."

A bit of stupid fun background info.

A distress call issues from a mansion in the snow-capped peaks of the Crystal Mountains. One of the six young residents is reporting evidence of a changeling among them. The Royal Guard rallies to their remote location with all haste, but they are days away—they have charged Detective Pesco and his apprentice Bluebird with investigating the scene in advance.

There's nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide. Identity is a delicate thing, and the changeling's isn't the only one on the brink of unraveling.

A novel-length mystery (social deduction, closed room, limited suspect pool) with an emphasis on character drama. Entirely original cast split among canonical and semicanonical MLP species: ponies, griffons, reindeer, zebra—and among them, the changeling.

Assumed to take place prior/alternative to the changeling reformation in season 6.

Cover art (one and two) by Rocket Lawnchair.

Many thanks for the catches and suggestions from my beta readers, including: wonderkid125, Miller Minus, mikemeiers, Secret Moon, Majora.

River the zebra took pride in her work as an agent of Customs and Immigration in Jubilation, the largest port of the Free Zebrica Republic. She didn't mind the paperwork, and quite enjoyed the company of her coworkers (even though one was a bit flirty, especially for a widower nearly a decade younger than her).

What changes might come when an unscheduled group of refugees arrive, seeking safety and a new home?

This is a Rekindled Embers side story. No prior knowledge of the main story is necessary to enjoy this one. However, if you wish a brief summary: It has been a thousand years since alicorns vanished from Equestria, which is now ruled by a bigoted, tyrannical theocracy.

Written as part of a speedwrite event for my friend Nailah, held on her Discord server.

Pre-reading and Editing thanks to several different writers, including Holtinater, Stinium Ruide, Nailah, Queen Chrysalis Forever, Atom Smash, and Nano Discussions.

Although zebras are united today, this was not always so. Long ago, the zebra tribes were separate and unconcerned with each other. Each tribe managed its own affairs, and the others could go rot for all they cared.

But when an unthinkable calamity upsets the balance of the plains, everyone struggles to survive. One zebra, Maelewano, will take it upon herself to draw the tribes together and support each other, forming the beginnings of what would become Zebrabwe. By ancient tradition, her tale has been directly passed down from one generation to the next across centuries, always in person. And today, it’s your turn to hear her story.

Editor’s note: Due to the corruption inherent in oral tradition and based on what scant archaeological evidence exists, the following is estimated to be roughly 50% history, 25% myth, and 25% hagiography.

Written for Jake the Army Guy's Horseword Extravaganza II and as an experiment for my 50th story.

Granny Smith has had an agreement with Filthy Rich for years, making sure that he gets the first 100 jars of zap apple jam every harvest. What her grandchildren don't know is why, or how come their grandmother has agreed to increase that amount this year at the risk of losing the farm. They find a photo of a zebra family that Granny Smith becomes defensive over hidden in the pages of a curious scrapbook they have never seen before. They discover that there is a link between their dear old grandmother and the Barnyard Bargains businesspony hidden among the old photos and clippings, along with the answers to questions they never dreamed they would ask. Just what secrets are hiding in Granny Smith's private scrapbook?

Cover art done by the ever so talented Frostspear. Please check him out on DeviantArt, and give him your appreciation: http://frostspear.deviantart.com/

Pardon the mess, I'm re-editing and adding more content! Stay tuned for more!