This is not a new story, BUT... · 8:32am Nov 9th, 2017
Control your breathing, horizon fans: a new story has just popped up on your feed, but it is neither my writing nor new. (However, I did just post a 100% new story — keep reading and I'll point you to it!)
First, some context on Dream A Little Dream Of Me:
Once upon a time, I published The Last Dreams Of Pony Island, along with a contest to decipher its mysteries and write its final chapter. "Dream A Little Dream Of Me" is the collection of entries for that contest — a series of alternate takes on the fate of Myinnkyun and the identity of Peridot's killer.
Basically, the collection was publically accessible until FIMFiction's rules changed. I never originally published it because I wanted it linkable but not cluttering up my bibliography. Unfortunately, a year or two back, FIMFic decided that all unpublished stories would not only be password-locked, but also against site rules to publically advertise. Present Perfect reminded me that this left Dream in limbo about a month back, when he posted a reading of one of its chapters:
(also omfg that video is hilarious and you need to stop for a few minutes and watch it)
Speaking of PP's readings, he also recorded an audio version of my EqG minific The Slow Fall of an Unfamiliar Star:
If you aren't tracking my shortfic collection Horizontal Lines, you've been missing out on a lot of great content like that.
Oh, and speaking of Horizontal Lines! I mentioned a new story! ... which I'll link in a second, but some exciting writing news first!
I am days away from my first-ever professional publication! 
If this sounds like burying the lead, it's only because I plan to repost it when the anthology containing my story becomes purchasable:
I wrote a story based on the Tarot card VIII, "Strength", titled Chasing the Dragon — an unusual look at addiction through the eyes of a dragon in a war-shaken country. It's one of 22 stories each themed around one of a Tarot deck's Major Arcana. You can browse through this thread to get teasers for the other stories; I'm excited to see what comes of them.
Anyway. What's my new story?
I'll tell you what it's not — my entry for the Lunbra shipping contest. But! You will be seeing that soon — because the contest deadline is Nov. 17, and it's gotta be on FIMFiction by then. (There's a first draft readable on the Writeoff website, where incidentally an original fiction competition is happening this weekend; that draft won a silver medal, but was chock full of problems, and I'm trying to flail at them enough to smooth them out somewhat before the deadline rolls in.)
Speaking of Writeoffs, you can read a fresh drabble from me in this round's comments, where a succession of authors has been riffing off of each other with fun little pre-contest microfics. That's not the story I've been teasing this whole time, either, but I thought it was worth mentioning. 
Finally, the story I'm teasing is not — sadly — Time Enough For Love, whose legion of fans-ready-to-kill-me-in-my-sleep-if-I-don't-get-that-posted-ASAP has recently increased by one. However, I'm hoping I can ride my For The Moon, The Dark Of Night editing momentum into getting TEFL prepped for Fimfic hot on its heels — if only because sooner or later one of those legion of fans will know where I sleep.
And with that, I'm out of story-adjacent news, so as a reward: The Shipper Is: IN, a fun short romp about Discord taking advantage of Princess Cadance's metaromantic powers. Enjoy, oh patient ones!
... And, in other news, how am I doing? Well ... I've been better.
Unfortunately I'm riding through a period of significant stress over work which I don't really have the energy to discuss here; I've kind of retreated into video games as a palliative. (n.b.: If you're a fan of Friendship is Optimal and/or AI in general, and somehow have yet to play the recently-viral Universal Paperclips, it's a thing of beauty.)
On the other claw, there have been some bright spots. I recently got my Type 1 certification for Search & Rescue by doing about 13 miles of cross-country navigation over an October weekend, which means that I'm qualified for the most rugged missions that SAR will assign.
I've also been GMing a game of Ponyfinder with my local tabletop gaming group, set in a cross-dimensional nexus modeled loosely after Through The Well of Pirene's Mag Mell, and the PCs just dealt with a giant surge of wild magic at the start of the changeling-goddess' holiday Umbral Cloak which left them all shifted into a crazy melange of races as they fought off a pair of weretiger rogues rampaging through the city due to getting stuck in their half-beast forms. Next week they get to confront the goddess Kara, who showed up just in time to applaud their victory (after her church has been relentlessly harassing them for days) in order to set up a cliffhanger ...
Also, my notifications are up to 570 unread. I think I'm gonna have to give myself notification amnesty again and accept that I've missed about a month's worth of posts and new stories.
If you wrote anything (blog or otherwise) you want me to see, for all stars' love please flag it for me here.
I wonder why that anthology page has a broken link to the publisher's page at the bottom, and doesn't have a link to where you'll be able to purchase it when it comes out?
The cover looks like it's about kitty cats playing cards, tho', and I support that. Kitty cats should definitely play cards. Except Opal. Unless you want to lose all your bits to her, anyways.
Hope work gets less stressful for you!
--Sweetie Belle
The deadline was extended recently!
well howdy :D
4721206
I wanna read about kitty cats playing cards now...
4721199 Is Ether Echoes aware of this?
Ooh, now I have to read the various alternate endings again. That was a damn fine contest, and produced some utterly brilliant answers to the mysteries.
Also, I had forgotten entirely about the MURDERPONE thing; thank you for linking to the reading. Made me laugh.
Yay! Very glad to see this anthology available again.
Congrats on getting published!
4721206
Looks like it was meant to go to the store page but got chopped up in a cut and paste. I let Makyo know the link was broken. Thanks!
4721267
I'm debating whether I even want to hear the new deadline because it'll just give me more of an excuse to procrastinate ;_;
4721407
Now that you mention it ... I thought I'd mentioned it, but I don't see anything about it in our PMs and I didn't actually get a chance to meet Ether at Bronycon. I'll make a point to drop a line but please also feel free to pass word along if you talk with her regularly.
4721429
Yeah, 4721268 made a thing of beauty.
4721464
Thank you!
4721523
Well... then maybe I shouldn't say... ?
What do?
4721199
Goodness, a Ponyfinder game with borrowed elements from me. I'm flattered.
4721337
I'd like to read about kitty cats playing cards too! Pets playing cards would also be good.
Doesn't have to be exclusively cats and pets. Gabby playing poker with Opal would be interesting to see.
4721523
No problem! I figure when you're advertising something, saying where to get it's pretty vital...
--Sweetie Belle
4721531
Turns out that a cross-dimensional nexus city ruled by four clashing lords is a very game-friendly setting. Who knew?
At any rate, thank you for a universe that was rich and evocative enough to get stuck in my head and processed into another form!
4721524
Well, I'm not getting it posted by tonight anyhow, so I'll shoot for early next week and just be grateful for the extension.
4728092
I suppose it'll be best to say now, then? You have until Jan. 10th of 2018 to submit a complete story.
4728092
<3