On any given day in Equestria and the lands beyond, millions of stories are unfolding. Some are happy, others not so much, but they all have one thing in common: they are seldom told. Many of the most iconic stories are known—largely surrounding the lives of Twilight Sparkle and her friends—but sometimes it pays to look away for a moment to catch a glimpse of something new and unexpected.

Not every story will be told, but we can certainly try.

For context, I am in the process of rewatching the series in search of inspiration. This will be a collection of short stories that pop into my head as I do. Not every episode will have an associated story, some may have multiple, and some stories may not tie into any episode or movie at all. It's entirely sporadic, and mostly just a way for me to exercise my writing muscles.

Enjoy!

Sunset Shimmer has hated Cadance since before they even met. After working her tail off for so many years as Princess Celestia's personal protégé, striving for perfection and aiming to eventually earn a royal title of her own, to have some random, two-bit nopony fall out of the sky and steal her crown felt like a kick to the horn.

So you can imagine Sunset's absolute delight when Princess Celestia assigns her to be Cadance's private magic tutor.

While at first it seems like some cruel punishment, Sunset quickly sees a golden opportunity. If she does this right, she might stand to gain far more than a mere grade.

Cadance had always felt that she didn't quite belong. Being the lone pegasus in a village of earth ponies, it was easy to see why. She'd shrugged it off as something she would grow out of once she discovered her special talent, but it became harder to ignore with each passing year. Still without a cutie mark by the time her eleventh birthday rolled around, she began to wonder whether she would ever find her place.

Little did she know how her life would change once she learned the truth. Faced with a past she didn't even know she had, Cadance has to decide who she really wants to be. Thankfully, it's not a decision she has to make alone.

Some elements herein are inspired by Twilight Sparkle and the Crystal Heart Spell. Familiarity with the book is not required to understand this story.

Shortly after her coronation as the new Princess of Equestria, Twilight is visited by a creature she never expected to see in person. What's even more unexpected than the identity of this petitioner, though, is his reason for coming.

Maintenant en Français grâce à la traduction merveilleuse d'Acylius!
(Now available in French thanks to the wonderful work of Acylius!)

_{Partially inspired by the Imposing Sovereigns II contest under the prompt "Twilight/The Old."}

In its earliest years, the Crystal Empire was no stranger to threats. Chief among these was the umbrum, a race of ancient shadow-beasts that stalked the arctic wastes. Seemingly born of pure malice, they took great pleasure in tormenting the crystal ponies—destroying their homes and breaking their spirits for fun. And as the Empire grew in both size and prominence, these attacks only became more abundant.

Princess Amore did everything in her power to keep the umbrum at bay. And by using her magic in combination with the Crystal Heart, she was largely successful. But against such overwhelming and unrelenting darkness, even she was pushed to her limits. And the umbrum were growing more cunning by the day. Eventually, something had to give.

Now faced with the darkest days the Crystal Empire has yet seen, Princess Amore will be put to the ultimate test. Against a hatred as old as the wind, can the love of a single pony really make a difference?

Written for FanOfMostEverything's contest: Imposing Sovereigns II. My chosen prompt was "Princess Amore/War."

Nearly a week since the Storm King's defeat and still no one has seen trace of Discord. For Twilight and friends, what started as mild irritation at Discord's inaction in their most recent crisis has turned to worry at the inexplicable disappearance of their friend. So when he suddenly shows up in Ponyville acting as though nothing's wrong, he certainly has some explaining to do.

And it's an explanation that no one could have seen coming.

Serenade has not had an easy life. Being a high-school dropout, estranged from her family, penniless, unemployed, and a single mother to her infant daughter Cadenza, it's hard to imagine things getting much worse for her. But all too often, things get worse before they get better.

Yet despite it all, Serenade endeavors to keep her chin up and work hard for the sake of her foal. She's come too far and suffered too much to give up now.

But just how far can a mother's love carry her?

Far to the west of Equestria, beyond the vast Luna Ocean, there lies a country of emerald fields and twinkling coastlines. And the gleaming capital of this country, Elmshire, is a fairytale metropolis of skybound spires and pretty ponies. It is a city of greatness, where historic tales are forged and reforged—begun and ended. From withstanding the epic darkness of the draconic war, to redefining the modern gemstone industry, to being the purported birthplace of Princess Cadance herself, none can contest its brilliance.

But those are stories for another time. For as grand as the city is, it is nothing without the small, mundane ponies who fill it.

Lilligold is one of these ponies. An obscenely shy but immeasurably talented mare, she is the pinnacle of an Elmshire-bred pony. Being the owner of a well-renowned plant shop specializing in the most peculiar of flora, she has her fair share of stories to tell. Take a glimpse, if you would, into the life of one of Elmshire's more unique residents.

A collection of short stories from The OC Slamjam featuring my OC Lilligold alongside a whole smattering of other ponies. Feel free to brush up on these characters beforehand with this this handy dandy OC compendium. It might make this a bit easier to understand. Regardless, I hope you enjoy!

He could have said no. He should have said no. It would have been the easiest thing in the world to stop her right there and then. She would have understood. She would have forgiven him. The spell would have been gone forever, and everything would have gone back to normal.

But he didn't say no. He didn't, and now it feels too late.

This story is a sequel to One Friend

Princess Luna pays Twilight a visit.

Now with a reading, courtesy of PresentPerfect!