Spike's a young man who works at the local library. Twilight's the parrot-sized dragon who lives on top of the bookcase in his apartment.

Twilight's made it quite clear that she'd rather not talk about where she came from, so Spike doesn't ask anymore. But when five dimes from Twilight's hoard disappear, Spike and Twilight will have to confront her past in order to save their present and the whole world's future.

This is not an entry in Choices: A Species Swap Contest. It's actually an original short story I had published in a couple places nearly 30 years ago. But since I've been taking some of my pony stories, changing the pony stuff into non-pony stuff, and submitting them to the various SF magazines, I got to thinking: would it be possible to turn a non-pony story into a pony story?

Then I saw some entries for the abovementioned contest being posted and realized that the idea of a "species swap" was just what I was looking for. So let's see if it works!

And now it's got a reading on YouTube by Skijarama!

A blizzard strands Rarity and Applejack in the middle of the woods. Things won’t be easy, but at least they have food, fuel, shelter… and each other.

A cozy disaster story.

The Mareconi Wireless Radio. A brand-new invention that allows messages to be sent to ships at sea without the need of magic. It is but a novelty, only being available at the Manehattan Harbor and on a few select vessels.

This newfangled nonsense would be put to very good use one calm night. As I was just about to finish cleaning and shut everything down, a message came through the wireless that, for the first time ever, made my blood run cold.

"CQD CQD SOS Titanic Position 41.44 N 50.24 W. Require immediate assistance. Come at once. We struck an iceberg. Sinking"

It seems the kirin village is more empty than usual, but none of them are talking about it. In fact, none of them are talking at all, save for one. Autumn Blaze has always felt the outsider for refusing to silence herself, but perhaps she can bring some life to this dreary and lonely day?

It doesn't take long for her to figure out that the problem goes much deeper than just a few kirins keeping quiet though.

Written for Kirinfest 2022 for PacifistDoodl3r.

Twilight Sparkle is good at finding books even in unexpected places.
She's also a very helpful and proactive young filly.

You'd think these would be good traits, and yet still she manages to nearly ruin Hearth's Warming with an interstellar war.

Written as a gift for Zontan, as part of an anthology. Art by rice.

How can this be true? When the sun was later in rising than it should have been, Princess Luna became concerned for her older sister. No pony had seen her since Princess Cadance and Shining Armor's reception had ended late the night before. However when Luna went to urge the moon down hoping to nudge Celestia into completing the cycle, her magic brushed against an aura she had hoped and prayed to never glimpse again.

Had her inability to protect the ponies she cares so deeply for, driven Princess Celestia to do... The unthinkable?

Everyone has a secret self they don’t show to other people. Not to friends, not to lovers, not even to family. They hide who they are and what they want behind lies and painted smiles. Thus the world maintains its thin veneer of peace.

The problems crop up when someone scratches that veneer while trying to do a 720 front flip on her scooter.

Second place in Bicyclette’s Lofty and Holiday contest. Not actually a crossover with Spy x Family. Kindly preread by EileenSaysHi and Krack-Fic Kai

This story takes place during the events in the episodes Cutie Re-mark Parts 1 and 2

When Starlight tried to go back in time to change the events of the mane six, her actions led to her and Twilight trapping themselves in a world where Discord had taken over Equestria. They eventually meet up with Princess Celestia and Luna, who are trapped in the same world ravaged by the lord of chaos, and go on a journey to find the bearers of the elements of harmony to save the world from Discord's clutches.

Cover artist: Pridark

Editor: The Fan without a Face

A machine made for war awakes in a new world. Stuck in surroundings which puzzle it; can it, or will it be able to become something more than what it is?

Crossover with Keith Laumers Bolo-verse
Other tags include : Slice of Life, Possible Romance believe it or not! And a bit of humor.
Please beware of any spoilers in comments as well

“Hey, Rainbow?”

“What?”

“Are we gay?”

"...What?"

Written on a whim after a weird dream and a bout of insomnia. I am not sorry.

Now with a reading.