There's a hot new toy craze in Canterlot, and young Twilight Sparkle is determined to get ahold of one to make her BBBFF's Hearth's Warming absolutely perfect.

This should have been a simple and straightforward quest, except for two things: that she waited until the last minute to do her shopping, and the intervention of a disagreeable stallion who'd rather hoard the toys to himself.

Special thanks to Yoshikage Kira for help with lore consulting and pre-reading.

Written for IgnisKitsune for Jinglemas 2022

The worst part of a betrayal is often not the act itself, but everything that lingers after. Trying to piece together the motivations of someone you once trusted, sifting through memories for some sign you might have missed.

Wondering if, somehow, they had a good reason behind it all.

Seeking closure, Twilight tries to find answers in Cozy Glow's abandoned possessions, but the truth she discovers is one that will make her question everything.

Written for the 3rd Annual Cozy Glow Short Story Contest.

Prompts used:
-Twilight Sparkle gathers Cozy’s belongings for disposal. One object surprises her.
-Cozy’s got a secret!

Twilight Sparkle is good at finding books even in unexpected places.
She's also a very helpful and proactive young filly.

You'd think these would be good traits, and yet still she manages to nearly ruin Hearth's Warming with an interstellar war.

Written as a gift for Zontan, as part of an anthology. Art by rice.

In a quiet spaceship making a nondescript voyage, Applejack knows something is wrong.

The computer says everything is fine.

Her crewmates say everything is fine.

Her very eyes say everything is fine.

And yet she just can't let go of the feeling that things are not fine at all.

Written for the Quills & Sofa's "Anonymous Authors 2" contest, where it received Second place

Have you ever wondered how the story of Equestria that you know might change if Fluttershy was a swordsmith?
How would things be different if Rarity had a Stand?
What about if someone gave Applejack a culinary degree, a space-worthy exosuit, and a phoenix-core wand?
What if all of these happened in the same story?

If you have, dear reader, then welcome to the Celestial Forge! Where every thousand words, random chance bestows one of your favorite ponies with a new outlandish (and often copyright-infringing) power!

Earth Ponies controlled the Ground. Pegasi, the Sky. Unicorns, the Aether.
And things generally worked out for a few thousand years.

And then there was the Sea.

And now there's just me.

An entry for Bicyclette's 1000 words contest (group / info) in the "Angst" category.

Tucked away in a corner just off the main roads of Canterlot, there exists a small shop.
It's a humble place of red brick, lacking entirely the put-upon golden and marble splendor of the richer, nobler portions of the city.
But that's just fine in the mind of it's proprietress. This place isn't one meant for the rich and the noble.
It's meant for the stressed single fathers, the cash-strapped students, the hungry tourists, the late-shift guards.
All are welcome there, and all are greeted as friends.

Art provided by Froopy (who I can't link to because we only ever spoke on Discord)

While most Apples fall somewhat close to the tree, this is not universally true.
Some Apples land on a hillside and try to roll away from the Tree as far and fast as they can.
This is the story of Lady Alice Careen (née Apple), who thought that distance made her better, when really it only left her ignorant.

An entry for Bicyclette's 1000 words contest (group / info) in the "Humo(u)r" category.

When you have an accident-prone filly, you make her wear a helmet.
When you have an accident-prone filly who is incapable of feeling pain, you keep the hospital on speed dial.
When you have an accident-prone filly who is incapable of feeling pain and you have no insurance because you’re self-employed, you learn to take care of things yourself.

Because that’s what sisters do.

An entry for Bicyclette's 1000 words contest (group / info) in the "Grim" category.

Tirek is a juggernaut. A nonstop bullet train on the fast track to becoming the sole source of magic in Equestria (and it's de facto ruler).

But what happens when this unstoppable force meets an immovable will?

A will that's more than eager to resort to cheap tricks and humiliation tactics to balance the karmic scales?

At that point... it's open season.

Tirek Season.

An entry for the Who Crossed Over My Little Pony? contest.

Cover art by the impeccably talented Mutter_Butter.

Special thanks to mushroompone for prereading and feedback.