Princess Celestia, forced to endure yet another tedious major event, reminisces over much better times.

The day before Nightmare Moon's return, the Flower Trio venture into the Everfree to collect flowers...

Equestrians – travellers, celebrities, even national heroes – are being kidnapped. No one knows who is behind this, how they’re trumping security measures so easily, or why they’re doing it at all.

As part of an awareness campaign, fundraiser, and defiant statement, Rarity orchestrates a fashion show in Manehattan’s largest public park, aided by Applejack and several close contacts. Unfortunately, her statement proves a little too defiant; she and several others soon become the latest victims of the spree.

Even worse, that’s merely the beginning of their misery. For they soon learn the who, how, and why behind the crimes.

Another Crystal Empire exists, far darker and grimmer than anything up north. Fuelled by crystalline technology, esoteric forces which they cannot possibly understand move them about like pawns in a game. And “game” is precisely the point, for they soon learn that the victims are nothing but slaves for entertainment. Literally.

Without training, warning, or outside help, they are forced to compete in Magical Deathmatch, the most hellish fighting tournament ever devised, run by a demented sadist and designed for the sake of a broken society.

It’s not all doom and gloom, however. A rescue party is on the way. Allies turn up in the most unexpected of places. Whatever else happens, they have their wits and their strengths.

Most of all, they have each other. Rarity and Applejack, Applejack and Rarity. That should even the odds somewhat.

Rating: General reading, but some fight scenes will be more intense than those depicted in the show.

Please Note: This is a story in progress. Magical Deathmatch was initially written as part of National Pony Writing Month 2016, and is currently being continued for National Pony Writing Month 2017. Final version may be very different.

After his journey through Equestria, the one realm in the Big World where the ponies live, Seabreeze has become a figure of awe and respect among the other Breezies. Much to his annoyance: he just wants to spend some quality time with his family, and he has no desire whatsoever to get roped into so-called adventures. Or so he tells himself.

Once the next Forage begins, he naturally chooses to stay behind and so return to a normal life, free from excitement and terror and dangerous creatures. However, when an intruder rushes into the little village – and is, to everyone's surprise, successfully captured by the Breezies – poor Seabreeze is thrown into the midst of a mysterious and ancient conflict that just screams "ADVENTURE". Things only get worse from there...

Cover Design courtesy of Novel-Idea.

Written as part of National Pony Writing Month 2016.

Golden Harvest very much likes to think of herself as the sensible mare of the earth. She's certainly not one for breaking a perfectly good daily routine: give Dinky a hot meal, take care of the carrots, try to remember when she last had lunch...

Unfortunately, it's Nightmare Night coming up, and she's going through one of the least productive (and therefore least profitable) months of the year. So of course Derpy takes the chance to ask her for help with something she should've done last week. And yes, she does need it ready for tonight, and no, she has no idea how to actually go about it.

However, Derpy is a mare on a mission, a pony with a plan. And there's nothing more terrifying than that, even on Nightmare Night.

While hiding from her sister's latest attempt to smarten her up, Sweetie Belle joins Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo at Ponyville's local river to have fun in the cool water. Together, they come up with a silly story explaining the origin of the infamous "Beauty Curse", a blight Rarity apparently suffers from.

Collecting artefacts of power is only slightly less safe than tightrope-walking over a snake pit, but it's a fantastic excuse to go places for the likes of Carmine and Vanilla, henchmares-for-hire.

This time, they're hunting for a pegasus crystal on a hot, sunny island, somewhere beyond Equestrian borders. It's got a lovely little legend attached to it, too. Vanilla likes legends.

Ancient secrets, evil deeds, death waiting for the merest slip-up... it's just another Monday, really. At least the scenery's nice.

Rating: General reading, but some scenes contain a level of threat and violence beyond the TV show's standard.

Against her will, Doctor Caramel Crisp recruits a rehabilitated mad scientist for their next scientific and technological commission. The mare is crazy, there's no denying that, but she's also said to be an unparalleled genius.

Well, Caramel's heard that one before.

When they were fillies, Applejack was a lone farmer and Pinkie Pie was a party animal, and that was the unlikely beginning of a rocky but fruitful friendship. Yet as both ponies will soon discover, there's a little play in the work and a little work in the play.

Equestria has become a boiling pot with an expanding list of ingredients. Naturally, there are some who take a dim view of the new recipe.

Chancellor Dextrous schemes and dreams of the day when he can put his plan into action: Operation Self-Immolation. If only, he thinks, the old days would come back. Things were better in the old days.