Maud is out on an expedition, earning her rocktoriate.

Pinkie lives in Ponyville and is a part-time baker, part-time savior of Equestria.

Inky and Blinky are now crystal harvesters in the Crystal Empire.

Ever since her daughters found success outside of the family farm, Cloudy has been overjoyed. Yet, something still lingers when she walks the quiet house and grounds.

Why does she feel so lonely without them?

There is no more love.

There is no more queen.

There are only the silent echoes of a dying hive, as a lonely changeling, cut off from the hivemind, ponders the fate that has befallen his brethren.

This is the story of a young girl who had given up all hope. After being born with a deformity, was mocked for it, and losing both her parents, she was left with nothing but dark clouds of depression and sadness.

But when a young man with the hope of a sunny day comes into her life, she might come to see that when dark clouds come our way, the best thing to do is to look toward the silver lining.

This is the story of Derpy.

It took many long years and far more defeats than he'd care to admit, but at last—at long last—victory was finally within the great Ahuizotl's reach. Absolutely nothing, not even that meddlesome Daring Do, would be able to stand in his way any longer. Yet even with his arch nemesis facing her inevitable demise and the ultimate power literally in his grasp, he can't shake the feeling that he's forgotten about something.

One tiny, crucial detail. Something very important. As in, 'could easily ruin his plans if not attended to' important.

...

Eh, maybe he just left the oven on again.

During an evening performance at a private manor, Octavia is shown one of the rarest and finest instruments known to Equestria, a Stellar Variance cello. Just being in the same room as one is a dream come true for Octavia, but then she is given the chance to play it. It is an opportunity Octavia can't pass up, no matter the consequences.

Yet, the next morning Vinyl finds herself at the same private estate, searching for the friend and roommate who never came back.

Some might say that it was a Confluence of Magic. Others might declare it to have been the Will of Discord. Still more might claim that something in the Baker herself was to blame. And some would state that it was something about the dough. Truly, it could have been any of these factors, or a combination of them, but however it happened, its end result was a strange event so unusual, it changed Ponyville forever.

I knew this routine. Just like last week and several times before. Poor Sweetie Belle was being picked on by her classmates. They tease her for not having a cutie mark; they tease her for... well, being Sweetie Belle. Maybe they don’t like the fact that she’s comfortable being herself? Foals can be so cruel sometimes. Poor dear, can't they just leave her alone? She’s such a sweetheart after all.

proofreading by: Mayhew Cullen
Editing by: Contodaslasganas

Celestia said it herself, that Twilight Sparkle is no longer her student. While wandering around in the city of Canterlot one day, Her Highness stumbles upon Trixie's local stage show. To Her Highness, there seemed to be much potential behind the mere performer's act, and soon found it hard to resist taking Trixie under her wing.

Would Trixie even be up to the challenge?

Slightly edited by NemoSpecific.

Big McIntosh has a unique way of appreciating music, and Octavia certainly provides an experience. Octavia would love to get in touch with her earth pony roots, and Big McIntosh has the deepest roots around. They could learn so much from each other about why they do what they do, and they just might gain some insight into their own simple gifts in the process.

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Reading by Goombasa.

Aloe and Lotus love the looks on their customers' faces during a nice soak in the tub, a relaxing massage, a new pony greeting them in the mirror. But it wasn't always that way, and even now, the occasional difficult customer can prove trying.

Expanded from the third-place winner in the /fic/ mini write-off "For Old Times' Sake."

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