Another visit to the ER for Dash, but that's not going to keep her from her usual night out with the girls. The conversation turns to Death, and… it's not at all what Twilight expected. Death either.

13th-place finisher in the Write-Off Association's "Distant Shores" event.

Thanks to Themaskedferret for pre-reading feedback.

Featured on Equestria Daily!

Twilight Sparkle is a happy pony. With the help of her friends she defeated Tirek. She has a shiny new castle, the kingdom is safe, and she knows the reason behind her ascension. What more could a young princess want?

She is happy, she tells herself as she digs through the ruins of her home. She is so happy she can barely smell the ashes any more.

But in those ashes she finds something unexpected: a small porcelain vase, and with it a decade's worth of unspoken questions. A mystery hiding beneath her hooves, waiting to be put to rest.

Winner of the November Writeoff event.

[Complete! With TVTropes apparently!]
Also, apparently, an animated trailer.

In a world of brass and steam, Twilight Sparkle had thought she had made a life-changing discovery with the invention of the telescope. For better or worse, she was correct.

Now her discovery has not only changed her life, but the lives of those she seeks out in her desperate attempt to contact the only other creature as lonely as Twilight herself.

It all would have been much simpler, but it had to be the one Twilight could only call The Mare on the Moon.

Decidedly not within walking distance, then.

[Featured on EQD before story was meant to be submitted. 4/03/2015]

[Editing team: Southpaw, Wolfvenom, Maskedferret, SwanSong and BluePaladin42, without whom this story would be a fraction of its current state.]
[Special thanks to Novel-Idea for the updated cover]

(A collab by JaketheGinger and Luminary)
Equestria isn't what it should be.

Celestia is a figure of distant mythology. Progress has replaced harmony as society's watchword. Progress born of spell, steam and gears. A dark corruption eats away at Canterlot and stretches out its influence.

In the shadow of the dying capital are scattered points of light. The selfless pink toymaker, caring for nothing but a smile. A unicorn noblemare feeding the ghettos. An airship captain who gave up wealth and status to stamp out injustice. They, amongst others, are thrown together by danger and flight, and find themselves gambling on a desperate bid to restore Equestria.

(Welcome to EqD ponies! Thanks for the feature!)

When Celestia went on sabbatical into the west, she promised Twilight it would be only a couple of months. A year and a half later, the sun resists control, the country is in ruins, and her teacher is lost in the wilds. Twilight has become the apostate, her faith in her teacher and her teachings waning. In the wake of tragedy, her resentment blossoms into fury and she vows that something must be done. Shadows gather around Canterlot, and old things that should not have been awakened are on the move. The Student goes west, her hope restored by friendship and righteous fury.

The night, at long last, is passing.

Tall Tales didn't intend to be in Ponyville for long. It was supposed to be a brief stop on the way to the storytellers' gathering in Connemara, and nothing more. How was he to know he'd be offered the opportunity to show southerners real storytelling? More to the point, how was he supposed to refuse? And just what does this pink pony want with him, anyway?
Now he's shanghaied himself into performing, and must use all his skill to stay on stage, on target, and within the bounds of sanity. So gather round, pull up a bollard, and listen to some proper Equestrian folk tales.
Or watch one stallion go slowly mad in public. Either way, you're in for a treat.

In a remote village, ponies begin to disappear. Celestia sends Twilight and Fluttershy to investigate, but one of them already knows more about the situation than she is willing to reveal. At the same time, Celestia herself is about to complete a plan she has been harboring for a millennium.

Now with a prequel.

Rarity normally sees Hearth's Warming Eve as a pretty simple holiday. Eat cookies, put up with family, make Sweetie Belle a nice dress. But when all of Sweetie's other presents turn out to be clothes, Rarity can't bear the disappointment in her sister's cute little eyes. After finding an old Dress Me Daisy doll in her childhood bedroom, Rarity decides to make the doll into a perfect present.

Cover Image by 1Trick:
http://1trickpone.tumblr.com/

"They came and took their faces, and then they took their insides. And one day, when the moon itself is fuller than it's ever been before, they'll crawl into our homes... and give them all back."

Pound Cake never cared for Canterlot. Why should he? This city has poisoned his existence, destroyed who he his, mutilated his body and soul and left him only a shell of who he could've been. And so he leaves it behind by rising above it, taking up the dangerous job of runner and transporting documents from rooftop to rooftop, away from the prying eyes of the provisional government. But when his sister is framed for a crime that would make her the most wanted criminal in all of Canterlot, he must prove her innocence while protecting the ones he loves and the lifestyle he has grown accustomed to.

A pseudo-crossover with Mirror's Edge. Teen for swearing ponies. A big thank you to all my pre-readers as well, for helping me crank this thing out!