Rarity always dreamed of being famous. She dreamed of being rich, too, but she knew if she became a famous fashionista, everything else would fall in line. Well, everything has, and while she has everything she ever dreamed of, there is something she never realized she would be missing: being normal. Or at least feeling normal. Even her best friends treat her differently now. Being fawned over and beloved is all well and good, but it doesn't leave a lot of room for, say, long conversations over wine and cheese, or giggling gossip in bathrobes and towel hats. If only somepony could see her for who she used to be, just for a little while, she could truly call herself the most fortunate pony in Equestria.

Ever since she rekindled her friendship with Twilight, Moondancer's life has been on an upward slope. Coming out of the darkness and actually interacting with other ponies for once has been great for her self-esteem, her confidence, and her overall well-being. It even resulted in her hearing about a fashion show where Rarity the Unicorn might be found. With fashion as her secret guilty pleasure and Rarity the absolute titan of the industry, how could she possibly miss this chance to meet her idol? She might even get an autograph...

For as long as anypony who knows them can remember, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon have been the best of friends. Where one can be found, the other is surely nearby. But theirs is a friendship deeper than anypony can possibly understand, and it was born of several crucial moments in their lives together. These are the stories of those moments.

Note: This story is a side project, and will update VERY slowly. I might get a chapter every other month, but I can't say for sure. It's a sidequel to NLL and TMUP, and takes a backseat to updates on both of those stories. Cover image by MacTavish1996.

From the personal diary of Princess Twilight Sparkle:

Pinkie seemed unusually sad after Maud left the other day. I mean, it made sense, since she wasn't going to see her sister for a while, but somehow it felt...darker than that. Like there was more to her feelings than just missing her sibling.

I asked her what was wrong, and she just said she'd been thinking about some sad stuff that seeing Maud had reminded her of. She didn't expand at all, but I told her that when I feel sad, I sometimes like to write poetry about what's making me feel that way. She said that sounded like fun, and that she was going to give it a try.

Today, she asked me to read her poem and see what I thought. I told her I would.

I wish I hadn't.

It could have been just another night. Instead, Vinyl Scratch leaves a show to find herself suddenly presented with a chance to make a difference in the life of a filly no one else will look twice at. Now if only she can convince Octavia she's not making a huge mistake...as usual.

Note: This story now has an indirect sequel set several years in the future in The Most Unlikely Places. Cover art by SonicDash777.

How do you cope when all your friends are dying of old age around you, but you seem not to be growing older at all? Twilight Sparkle tackles this problem for herself the only way she's ever known how: research, and then contacting Princess Celestia for advice. The explanation she gets is nothing like what she could have expected, and it will change Twilight's life forever.