Berry Punch has taken to the hobby of pulling out the old lawn chair and watching Ponyville explode. It seemed a little too common at this point to be honest. How many times could a town explode before it got old?

Everything was going the way it usually did. Her on a lawn chair, bottle of wine in hoof, and a catastrophic event playing out in front of her that would no doubt be written in the history books. A usual afternoon in Ponyville.

Then a certain dragonequus shows up, drained of his magic, down on his luck, and in need of some mortal wisdom.

The fate of Equestria rests in her hooves, and Berry Punch doesn't even know it.

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-Inspired by that one lawn chair meme.

In the distant future, a probe arrives above Equestria after a journey of five thousand years.

Once discovered, a mare's voice tells of a lost colony on the edge of the galaxy, and begs for rescue before issuing these last words: "I am sorry... I hope this was enough..."

Submitted for the Science Fiction Contest #3, 2024.

Cover photo taken by the author.

Equestria has witnessed centuries of rapid technological advancement during Twilight's rule. Innovations in the production and integration of magic has led to countless improvements in the quality and efficiency of life in Equestria, and enabling ponies to finally touch the stars and new worlds. However, with the rise of more and more energy-heavy processes and a stagnation in development regarding the extraction of energy, Twilight turns to the biggest and final step in energy extraction: a dyson sphere: a massive device that would surround the sun and allow virtually all the energy released through nuclear fusion to be harnessed by Equestria.

Two former princesses have some concerns.

Written as an entry for the Science Fiction Contest III.

To help Applejack relax and be away from her farm life and her grief, Rarity takes the farm mare and both their little sisters, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom to the soft and sunny beaches of Puerto Caballo with their pets.

That was, however, when an unknown disaster stuck Equestria, causing a change of plans. This led to the four fillies, cat, and dog stranded on a desert island with no way to get home, if said home is still there.

Flash Sentry was done trying to ask Sunset out. Between any number of magical threats she, and she alone, could handle, and her already busy school plate, she didn't have time to be asked out, let alone go on a date.

And throughout all his attempts, Derpy Hooves was there, ready to give him a pat on the back and a word of encouragement. But, during a conversation, Derpy lets it slip that there is another reason she was trying to help, and Flash figures it out.

This is an entry into the May Pairings Contest, being hosted by Wander D. I haven't seen any other fics with this particular ship, so I'd count it as rare enough.

“Once upon a different time, in the Land of Equestria, Princess Twilight Sparkle had a dream. And in that dream, she met some humans
[PRIORITY INTERRUPT PRIORITY INTERRUPT]
THE UNSV HARMONY HAS CRASH-LANDED AT THE NEW CIRCE COLONY SITE. ALL CREW AND THEIR FAMILIES ARE DECEASED DUE TO BIOLOGICAL CONTAMINANT RECEIVED UPON FIRST CONTACT WITH LIKELY HOSTILE SENTIENT NONHUMAN LIFE. TWILIGHT SPARKLE (PRESCHOOLER CARETAKER DROID/QUADRUPED/CHARACTER) IS ONLY OPERATIONAL SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENT DROID REMAINING.

DIRECTIVES:
1. ESCAPE USNV HARMONY.
2. EVADE HOSTILE SENTIENTS.
3. ASCEND MOUNTAIN IDENTIFIED DURING CRASH LANDING.
4. TRANSMIT DATA TO APPROACHING [CLASSIFIED].
FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION.

An entry for the 2024 SciFi Contest III. Cover Art by CadetRedShirt.

Starlight Glimmer has been a Programmer in The Equestria for her entire life, working with the vast computer cores that maintain and operate the ship.
As Celestia, one of those cores, takes an interest in her happiness, Starlight finds herself seeking unorthodox methods to analyze her own personality and needs.

This is an entry into the Science Fiction Contest III by Bicyclette.

Cover artwork is being used with permission of the artist, Marenlicious.

After Pinkie Pie mixes a dash of "retrospective rum" into a cake, she and Rainbow Dash find themselves in the frozen wilderness north of Equestria. They don't know where exactly they are, and neither do they know exactly when. Pinkie is ever the optimist, but Rainbow is less so.

"A troubled young man commits suicide and wakes up as a pony in a world of friendship, magic, and technicolor equines. He encounters a lavender alicorn who has been tasked alongside her friends with solving his “friendship problem”. Unfortunately, he sees no hope for himself in the fragile affairs of deep interpersonal relationships and wants nothing more than to live a better life in his new world, one without the “magic of friendship”. However, his incompatibility with a world founded on friendship means that he must rely on others, and, in doing so, he will learn what it means to have true friendship."

This is my first time posting on here (and my first non-short story/fanfiction). Hope you enjoy!

Some months have passed since the destruction of the Memory Stone. Wallflower Blush has entered a new school year, her last at CHS, and so far, things have been looking up. Talking to people is getting easier, and she even has a few friends to her name.

But dealing with social repercussions is still a thing that Wallflower has struggled with all her life. Making a few connections is all well and good, but what about deeper connections? What about one-on-one bonding? What about dating? With the shield of the Memory Stone gone, how can Wallflower find a safe way to experience consequences?

Luckily, her first date with Moondancer is certain to give her some much-needed education on the subject. Even if it takes a few more first dates than normal.

An entry for both May Pairings 2024 (other entries here) and Science Fiction Contest III (other entries here). Pre-read by Dewdrops on the Grass and The Sleepless Beholder. Sex tag applied for crude references only.

Featured 13-14 May 2024!