Things are not looking well for Appleloosa. Vicious bandits plague the town, stealing and killing whatever they please. The buffalo tribes are preparing for another assault, bent on flattening the town and every pony in it. And their only hope for rescue is a short-tempered thief, a baby dragon with sticky fingers, and a reliable cowgirl assigned to keep the two crooks honest.

Masky, Patsy, and Applejack are in a race against time to hunt down the bandits before Appleloosa is ripped apart. But everyone in the seemingly-cheery settlement has a few secrets of their own, and nothing is ever as straightforward as it seems in the wild west. The ex-convicts have their work cut out for them--that is, if they don't manage to sneak away first.

With the Spirit of Chaos locked in stone by the powers of Harmony, a new order must be created. The spirits of Love and Harmony are given physical form, taking the names Cadence and Philomena, so that they may walk among the ponies and ensure peace reigns.

Too bad they're both terrible at this.

Sequel to Head Full of Cotton Candy

Co-authored by TheGreyPotter

"It's quite lonely being encased in stone." So I said.
But no one ever accused me of being honest.

(Originally written for Equestria Daily's Nightmare Night 2012 Contest.)

Greed can drive a pony to do crazy things. And when Manehattan con artist Masky catches wind of a story about the flashiest gems in all of Equestria, the smell of bits is just too strong to pass up. He'll drag his dragon accomplice through the hell that is an innocent rural town, contending with lecherous grannies, fresh country air, belligerent farmers, a score of hysterical dames, screaming children, and a dangerously business-minded Pinkie Pie to get his hooves on those jewels, or get somepony else to die trying.

It is the responsibility of a king to care for his people and maintain order in his kingdom. That shouldn't be much trouble for a ruler as powerful as Discord, right? With his faithful and insecure advisor at his side, the draconequus sets out to explore his new world and personally see to it that peace reigns in Equestria.

However, the ponies want nothing to do with their frightening new ruler, and the unamused Spirits of Equestria aim to drag the Spirit of Chaos away before he can cause any more harm. Can Discord be the ruler Equestria needs? Or is he truly doomed to become the monster he is seen to be?

Princess Celestia struggles to distinguish reality from illusion as Discord begins to seep into her brain. But... isn't Discord still imprisoned in stone?