Those of you that follow of me will have noted three new stories that popped up on my blog when I should really be working on Gilda’s Sore Throat. Thick as Thieves, Ah. Don't. Like. Mornin's., and The Cutie Mark Crusaders Make Good With Words and Prose and Stuff.

These are all old stories that I wrote not long after I joined the fandom, and I’ve stuck them up as curios more than anything else.

Thick as Thieves: While it kind of works as a one shot, there’s enough room for character exploration that it could work well being expanded out, and I’ve had a heck of a lot of ideas for moving the story onwards but I just couldn’t work out how to fit them in... and I’ve still to go back and clean up a few sections, mainly some tonal stuff like the random “do-ho-ho Celestia has adult toys” or being left with the impression that Canterlot has just been turned into a bubbling crater of molten rock when it hasn’t, and everyone’s fine.

Ah. Don't. Like. Mornin's.: This was an experiment with first person perspective Applejack, with the aim of leading into Flutter/Jack shipping at some point. While it’s okay to read, it’s a bit boring as nothing really happens so far, but I think I’ll leave it as a one-shot for now.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders Make Good With Words and Prose and Stuff: A one shot for the MLP

Writers Training Ground on deviant art. It was fun to do, but feels a little forced... especially towards the end.

Oh well, back to staring blankly at Gilda’s Sore Throat and pretending to write/edit the chapters!

I got together with a bunch of other authors, and we threw together story prompts which were then handed out at random like presents, as though it were a non-denominational, non-Christmas version of a Secret Santa. There were the result.

Author: Alexstrazsa

Story Title: The Princess and the Pupil

Link: The Princess and the Pupil

Prompt Received: Twilight visits Celestia, and must fend off Celestia's advances because she's really not interested in pursuing a romantic relationship with the Alicorn Princess. Points for no surprise shipping with Luna. Extra points if Twilight is straight. Triple Points if it's not with Shining Armor.

Author: Argembarger

Story Title: dumb pinkie what have a statue romance

Link: dumb pinkie what have a statue romance

Prompt Received: Pinkie Pie falls in love with Discord and sets about freeing him. Discord reciprocates her love.

Author: Benman

Story Title: My Even Tinier Ponies

Link: My Even Tinier Ponies

Prompt Received: Applejack is convinced that she's hearing apples talk to her. She goes to Twilight for help.

Author: Blueshift

Story Title: Home Is Where The Harp Is

Link: Home Is Where The Harp Is

Prompt Received: Pony scientists develop a chemical that makes everypony's house go away in away that even magic can't undo. Now that everypony is homeless, Twilight Sparkle must develop her own chemical to bring their houses back before her friends do the unforgivable: comfort each other in their loss and develop romantic relationships with each other. How horrifying! [sad][random]

Author: Chromosome

Story Title: Cutie Mark Crusaders: Foal Laborers

Link: Cutie Mark Crusaders: Foal Laborers

Prompt Received: At Ponyville's school it's time for work-placements, a practical assignment where the pupils learn what life in the real world is like, and the citizens of Ponyville get free labour.

Author: Cupcakes

Story Title: Zecora Does Ponyville

Link: Zecora Does Ponyville

Prompt Received: Zecora falls prey to poison joke and must work through whatever form her infection takes. She needs another pony's help to create a cure this time for a reason you must determine.

Author: Daffodil

Story Title: Taxing and Waning

Link: Taxing and Waning

Prompt Received: While Princess Celestia is away, Princess Luna is arrested for 1000 years of tax evasion.

Author: Ninestempest

Story Title: Supposition

Link: Supposition

Prompt Received: A Earth Pony, a Unicorn, and a Pegasus walk into a bar...

Author: PineappleSkitter

Story Title: Faded Grace

Link: Faded Grace

Prompt Received: A background pony or ponies feels overshadowed by the Mane 6. Ever since Twilight came along, nopony has had to really solve any big problems that came up. They don't like it, but what would they DO about it?

Author: Siraj

Story Title: Hypothesis of Collusion

Link: Hypothesis of Collusion

Prompt Received: Pinkie Pie exposes a conspiracy.

Author: The Mechanic

Story Title: The Window

Link: The Window

Prompt Received: One lazy Ponyville day, Twilight Sparkle doesn't really feel like doing anything. So she sits by her window and observes the ponies below.

There seems a positive response from Gilda's Sore Throat so far, and this makes me a happy author!

On reflection the upload of the prologue was a little premature, and while there aren't any major errors in the version up on fimfiction, I will be uploading a v2.0 which clarifies a few points, fixes some issues with punctuation and alters the odd word here and there.

Bits like and was that a dragon scaled on it’s head!? and Celestia saw the buckles torn straps where a mailbag would have hung. are the worst offenders, and if you've already read the prologue there will be no need to reread it. Although feel free to read it again if you really want to!

Just so you know what to expect from the story:

- There are plans for four chapters, plus the prologue.

- Chapter one is written in a very rough form, and after a rewrite and editing will be posted

- Chapter two is mostly written

- Chapter three has a rough outline in place

- Chapter four is as yet untouched, barring a few key plot points that have been noted down

As I'm not sure where else to place them, I want to offer a big thanks to those willing to beat my story with big sticks, and I highly recommend taking a look at their prose:

Alexstrazsa / Midnight Shadow / Couch Crusader / Nines Tempest / MoronSonOfBoron

See you in the next chapter, where the titular character finally receives some prose...