Lily brings happiness to other ponies, one flower at a time. But when that happiness dies the next day, what was it really worth?

Revised 2/28/16

Featured on Equestria Daily 3/2/16

Twilight takes Moondancer through "The Chalice of Moonlight" via Haycartes' spell.

Written for the Writer's Training Grounds '15 #9.

This story is a sequel to Iron Wing and the Demolition Crew

Everyone knows the story of the Iron Wing. They all know how fiercely she fought at the battle of Rainbow Falls. Soldiers measure their worth by where they were when she routed Sombra at the gates of Canterlot. Even now, there's a pilgrimage some take that follows her entire campaign.

And anyone who knows anything about the Iron Wing knows about the Demolition Crew. The story of the Crystal Collapse is one fraught with thrills and chills for fillies of all ages, and the closing of the Ghastly Gorge continues to inspire and terrify all who hear of it.

But legends seldom begin as the titans they become. Heroes are not born, but made, through fire and pain and loss. There isn't a pony alive who doesn't know the story of the heroes, but the story of the soldiers who became those heroes is one known only to them.

This is not the story of Iron Wing and the Demolition Crew. This is the story of Rainbow Dash and the Pie sisters.

Ahhh, yes. The land of Equestria. A magical land of...ponies, really. There are also a few other degenerate races but they are largely unimportant. Who gives a damn about dragons and griffons anyway. RIP Spike

A land in which the rulers do nothing but eat cake and sit on their butts, their guards are more incompetent than a toddler, the police are non-existent and a group of 6 teenagers enforces local law and order in the entire country.

Because upkeeping a police force costs money. Money that would end up not being spent on cake. And no ruler can rule without cake. Especially not if they have a sun on their butt.

Or if they're called Marie Antoinette, but that's a different story...

Proofread by Infuscate and MLPmatthew. Check out their work, too! They truly do deserve it.

With a heavy heart and an empty journal, Rarity heads north.

Faced with an incompetent captain, orders that make no sense, and a winter of boredom and terrible coffee, the choice for Stoker was to either like it, or lump it. So he chose mutiny instead. Unfortunately, life is seldom as simple as all that, especially in the frozen north of Equestria. Before the day is out, he will have to face a royal visit, negotiations, a terrifying new weapon, and history that wants to be repeated.

With a complete chorus of soldiers, sailors, tractor axle makers, princesses, terrible bars, crossed wires and big mistakes, you could do a damn sight worse than read The Battleship Ponytemkin.

Fancy Pants' place in Canterlot's social hierarchy gives him certain obligations. One of these is the hosting of a number of balls, dinner parties and so on. Tonight he will be putting on a small, intimate "At Home" affair for just a few guests. Sadly, Jet Set and Upper Crust will be among their number. Before all that, though, Fancy Pants and his faithful butler, Silver Cloud, need to make the final preparations.

The winning entry for the Making the Most of the Mundane contest in the Characters That Need More Stories group!

Review: PresentPerfect

Cover art: cropped, flipped and edited version of Fancy Pants, created by The-Smiling-Pony and made available under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 licence.

It has been over seven hundred years since the banishment of Nightmare Moon. They say time heals all, but some wounds cut too deeply to ever heal the scar. Celestia is reminded of this every night.

Then she finds a book.

~~~

Thanks to these awesome fellows for looking over this and pounding my grammar mistakes, repeat of words, and general problems into oblivion!... Well, mostly. I'm not perfect.

m1ntf4n
PheonixStarr

Story inspired heavily by this wonderful song (Original) (Animated <-- This one is incredible). If you haven't heard it, go take a listen!

Yesterday you were born.
Tomorrow, you will die.
When the river of life promises to sweep you away
All you have left is to live for today.

Editing provided by The24thPegasus and Loyal Liar
Written for Everfree Northwest's Iron Author competition

Love and Hope once shone bright from a gleaming crystal city, only to be lost to the evils of indifference and despair. This is a tale of the leaders who built an empire based upon those virtues, and the two newly weds who are about to realize their shared destiny in reclaiming it.

[AU] Because of the Two Sisters book and Sombra Comic.

Edited by: Bok and Voidchicken
Proofread by: Geomancing and Wylie
Cover art by: FoxInShadow