How far will somepony go to save one they love? How far should they go?

A terrible accident leaves one of the Cutie Mark Crusaders clinging to life. While some fight hard to save her, others kowtow to fate, mournfully accepting the inevitable. Is it still possible for her to be saved? Can one's existence persist after life, or is death the end? And just what is that ethereal thing called a soul?

After receiving her first correspondence from Princess Twilight, Dragon Lord Ember decides to embark on a journey to Ponyville to help bridge the two cultures. Accompanying her, is the cantankerous Garble, one who Ember believes could benefit most from this foreign Pony concept of "friendship." Shortly after arriving, however, Ember learns that this supposed teacher of friendship is just using Spike as her personal servant. Such indignance will not stand. Not if Dragon Lord Ember has anything to say about it.

How had it come to this? I came here for a fashion show. Now I found myself trapped on the cold streets of Baltimare with no place to stay, and no place to go. Worse, I didn't know a single soul in this big, foreboding city. Without bits for a train or a place to stay, how was I supposed to get by?

Editing thanks to Word Worthy.

Many decades ago—perhaps even centuries now—a realization hit me. To this day it haunts my thoughts. Time has us all in its thrall. Though my body may resist its ever-present pestilence, that does not make me immune to the inevitable decay.

I keep these troubling thoughts locked away, hidden where no eye may cast its gaze on them. But that does not mean that they do not exist, or that they do not weigh heavily on my mind. Every so often they come back to plague me, to remind me that even I cannot escape time. All I can do is mitigate the erosion; it's all anypony can do.

Thanks to my pre-readers WickedLSDragon and Regina Wright. A big thank you goes out to Cerulean Voice for editing.

While out on the playground, Scootaloo comes across an opulent diamond ring. Will she keep it, or will she return it to its rightful owner? What if that owner was the pony she hated most?

Proofreading thanks to RaylanKrios

It isn't often that things go well for Derpy. Between her eyes, her clumsiness, and her propensity for disaster, it's hard enough just to make friends. Add to that a revolving door of jobs and a daughter to raise, it's a miracle that she has much time for herself at all. So when her date stands her up at a loud, flashy club, it hurts.

Maybe she should just give up. Or, maybe she just needs the kindness of a strange bartender in purple shades.

Image source.

Rainbow Dash stumbles upon a disturbing truth about her relationship with Scootaloo. Deciding to act on this new information, she changes the way Scootaloo sees herself and her situation—and not for the better. Now Dash must find a way to get through to Scootaloo and start to repair the damage she's done.

A special thanks to my pre-reader and editors: DudeGuyOne, RaylanKrios, Replicant, and SpitFlame. Check them out. They're awesome.

Cover art used with permission by Neilikkaa.

I reckon Pinkie Pie has to be in that barrel. I saw her go in myself. But I just can't shake the feeling that if I go and open that lid, she won't be in there.

While the Cutie Mark Crusaders were busy slipping Cheerilee and Big Mac a love poison, everypony else was trying to enjoy the holiday. However, it's kind of hard to enjoy such a romantic day if you don't have a very special somepony, or at least the courage to speak up about your feelings. For Twilight and her friends, it's mostly just another day.

A special thanks to my pre-readers draziw & Izanagi

Octavia and Vinyl have been dating for months, but neither has had a chance to introduce their significant other to their families. Vinyl always dodges the issue, but when Octavia is insistent, they have a fight. This leaves Vinyl with no other option than to have Octavia over to meet her parents.

Maybe she should have told Octavia who she really was?

Dramatic reading by Goombasa available here.

Now in Russian, translated by Hopeless.