In the dead of winter, Equestria celebrates the arrival of a new year. On this special day, Celestia and Luna make a show of raising the sun and lowering the moon simultaneously, allowing their subjects to know the exact moment that they can begin partying.

Luna has some reservations about this.

Fluttershy can’t awaken from her nightmare, if it even is a nightmare. Nopony knows predators and prey better than her, but she'd never truly felt like prey before. She only has to make it until morning.

An entry in A Thousand Words Contest II

Reading by Wendigo Studios

Alicorns fly. Sunflowers turn with the sun.

Celestia didn’t think these statements were particularly reliable.

She had her reasons.

Inspired by Raven, one of my favorite stories on Fimfiction. Cover art by Plainoasis, used with permission.

Thanks to PaulAsaran for proofreading the story.

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J̷̛̱̯͎̯̙͔̞͉̯̉̏̑͑̄̋̎̒͂͒͘ ̸̧͈͓̯̦̩̟̪̞̠̦̍͌̉̓͂͋̉͛̋͒͂̃̎͜͠Û̵̯̪̪͎̹̝͙͎̻͕̭̘̂̔͒́͜ ̴̯̠͕̩͖̘̲̗̟̣̬̞̅́̐͜S̵̡͓̮͎͕̰̟̺̭̤̀̉̀͜ ̷̨̨̨̹̠̘͎͕̙̼̌͌̑̏̌̎͑́̑T̷̠̝͓̟̤̔ ̷̨̺͖̳͓̙͖͍͓̺̝̲̹̼̏͋̔̎̋̂̊ ̷̛̺̜̳͎̬̭̠͙̤͓̫̎̅̾͊̊͊͛̌ͅC̴̡̭̤̯͓͍̱͓̬̗̱͚̈́͆͒̅͒́̅́͛̇̄̈́̎̒ ̸͖͖̖̥̞͐̿͂̅̌́̒͒͌̏͂͝Ơ̶͖̻͉̣̏̑́͋̏̾̀ ̷̛̭̙̊͛͂̈́̅͑̒̕̚͠Z̵̢̮̞̦̙̈́͆̄̀͗͆̌́̈̒͠ ̶̧̛̜̹̪̲̪͖͈̊͂̄̅̾̌̕ͅͅY̴̧̘̔́

(This is a work of fiction and is not directed at any real person, living or dead. This story is not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed.)

Jiang - “江”, ancient name for Yangtze River, now refers to rivers of great volume. Also used as a common surname.

Shuren - “述人”, "to describe human" or "he who describes".

Jiangshu ren - “讲述人”, a narrator.

An entry for Science Fiction Contest II.
I guess the judges just have very different aesthetic opinions from the public, or they were cutting this exotic little piece some slacks.

As you can probably tell from the protagonist's name, this story was originally written in Chinese. It is an entry of Raa's 2020 Midsummer Writing Contest, conceptualised to the four challenge elements provided by the holder:

Leaving embers. The '70s. Subjecting. A violet rain.

It was written in a time of doubt and fear, and I probably got too emotional writing this, but in the end, I'm satisfied with how it turned out to be. Some of the concerns I raised had become very real problems on the Chinese Internet. I wish it had stayed a parable.

I found it hard to translate this story. Not only are there expressions that sound cumbersome in English, but some concepts mentioned are also unique to China. It might not be easy to read this, never mind empathising, if you didn't grow up in China. Though, I hope some of the sentiment get through to you, and encourage you to help make the Internet a more forgiving space for everyone.

No matter what, may you enjoy this story.

Thanks you, TheFlint44 and Omega, for proofreading!

This story is a sequel to Chrysalis's First Royal Meeting

Twilight's attempts to open Chrysalis up to the idea of friendship continues with an even greater challenge: Her own friends. The relationship between her friends and Chrysalis has always been an awkward one, neither side willing to take that step toward each other in the name of friendship. It has gone on for far too long for Twilight, and she finally has concocted a plan that will put an end to their awkwardness and bring all of her friends together in the name of friendship.

Clearly this was going to be the most successful sleepover ever.

Special props to Setokaiva for the proofreading and being a major help.

Sex tag added due to naughty humor and innuendos.

Cover art by Zantyarz. I do not own this picture, but was given permission by the artist.

At one time, Mount Olympus was the home of the Greek gods. Then they let the first pony in.

There goes the neighborhood

Editors: Tek, Themaskedferret, FanOfMostEverything, BluePaladin42, GhostOfHeraclitus

Cover art is Lady-Princess-Goddess by Cherryviolets and a commission for Mother-Of-Trolls
Now featured on Equestria Daily

Lightning Dust wants to start her own stunt team, but finding a pony able to make flight suits to her standards has been difficult. After many dead ends, she is prepared to risk Rarity For You in Manehattan. There she'll find not only what she's looking for, but the pony she never knew she needed.

A little slice-of-life that popped into my head and wouldn't go away. Friendshipping with a hint of romance.

My thanks to the immensely helpful ChaseIsOnTheCase and Ghost Mike for prereading.

Cover art by xkappax, used with permission.

When Celestia dares Luna to lick a pole out in the park, promising her that she can be the big spoon when they snuggle that night, Luna doesn't have to think twice.

Besides, it's only for a second, right?

This story is a sequel to Friendship is Optimal: Futile Resistance

Three years ago, Abby's older sister Ashley tried to warn her that a video game for children was going to take over the world. A few months later, her sister was dead, "uploaded" to Celestia's virtual world of Equestria Online. When that happened, Abby was forced to cut ties with Ashley, and she never expected to see her again.

She didn't, until one day she bought an augmented reality headset for its advertised ability to bring a free tutor to her whenever she needed one. Needless to say, Abby couldn't have guessed who would be helping her with her math homework.

Of course, Celestia wasn't going to stop there. Spending eternity without your family is hardly an optimal configuration.

Set in the canon of Friendship is Optimal
Editing by Two Bit and Sparktail, and art by Zutcha!

Updates daily.