A collection of short stories. A little bit of this, a little bit of that. All, hopefully, about what it means to be human.

Except, you know, with ponies.

I'm afraid of Changeling: Drone 42531 is insecure and decides he needs to see a professional, whether or not the professional wants to see him. [Comedy] [Random]

One thousand and one: A family keeps a long vigil, regardless of the cost. [Sad]

Uncoordinated: Twilight Sparkle and the Cutie Mark Crusaders conduct an experiment. Accidentally. [Comedy] [Random]

But the Greatest of These: Every pony has to grow up someday. Every dragon, too. [Slice of Life]

Wonder: Pinkie Pie's farm is grey. The sky is grey. Her sister is grey. The world is grey. Until, one day, it isn't. [Slice of Life]

The Apple of my Eye: Apple Bloom finally gets her cutie mark. It's not what she wanted. [Comedy] [Random]

Bookworm: Twilight Sparkle finds an odd message in her books. [Dark]

At the End of the Day: Just what does Pinkie Pie do in her free time? [Slice of Life]

The House at the End of the World: Some promises shouldn't be kept. [Adventure] [Dark]

Pantone Perfect: Rarity and Twilight Sparkle enjoy a refreshing argument at the spa. [Comedy] [Random]

Medium Rare: In which we learn the secret, scarring horror that was Fluttershy's first experience with a dragon. [Comedy] [Random]

One Thousand Flowers: How long do gifts take to grow? [Slice of Life]

Tempest: A pegasus teaches his son the nature of the rain. [Slice of Life]

No Natural Predators: The days have grown longer as the world winds down. [Adventure] [Dark]

Six More Weeks: The first day of Spring is a wonderful time to be a pony. Just make sure you get the date right. [Comedy]

Derecho: A daughter starts a long quest in a forgotten city.[Slice of Life]

O Death, where is thy sting? Human Flash Sentry travels across the multiverse. [Adventure]

The Lotus Eaters: Heaven is different things to different people. A Friendship is Optimal vignette.[Slice of Life]

Tour of Duty: Duty can be lighter than a feather, or heavier than a mountain. [Slice of Life]

Nickel-Iron-Cobalt: An explorer discovers a world without life. Perhaps. [Anthro][Adventure]

(Based on prompts from the Thirty Minute Pony Stories tumblr. All written in 30 minutes – give or take – unless otherwise noted.)

[img]http://s33.postimg.org/7bfqvgx33/Butler.png[/img]

"My lady once wrote in her very personal and very secret diary that I have problems appreciating personal space. I beg to differ on that sentiment." - A Butler commenting on Professional Discretion -

I'm a Butler. My friends, the imaginary ones at least, call me Butler. My job, looking after my lady, can be...challenging at times, but rewarding. Lately the job's become a little more difficult, especially after my lady's sister returned from the moon and the parliament decided to try and pass an entire bill just to be able to legally get rid of me. But managing the chaos is part of the job description, even if it means I must secretly become my lady's knight captain of her personal bodyguards in order to keep my job. Though even I could never have anticipated having to train knights cunningly disguised as maids to stay one step ahead of the nobles. Ah, the things I do for my princess.

Featured 9 - 12 August 2014. Many many thanks to everyone who kindly made this possible! You guys have doubled the fun!

Now featuring the editing talents of our resident editor Dumbgamer99. Be sure to thank him by checking out his page and giving him a follow!

Butler tag kindly made by undead003. Many thanks! (You'll find it actually works if you click on it.)

Cover Art: This picture totally contains ninjas. You just can't see them, cause they're that good.

~Completely Re-edited as of 06/13/2021~

I was once a woman in her twilight, my children both old and fresh.

Now I am the child.

I was once a mother and a wife, my family held importance above even my own well-being in my heart.

Now I am orphaned.

I was once a respected human being, a woman to treat as an equal.

Now I am simply an assistant.

I was once happy.

Now...

... Now I am Barbara The Dragoness.

Barbara the assistant.

Barbara the child.

Barbara the widow.

Barbara...

The Lost Soul.

This is the story of my second childhood, and how I found the strength to keep moving forward.

After Nightmare Night, Luna invites Twilight to tea, and they start spending more time together. Princess Celestia teases Luna about it sometimes.

This story is a sequel to The Assembled Letters of Twilight Sparkle, Protégé of Emperor Discord

After getting a taste of Friendship and questioning her allegiance to Discord, Twilight Sparkle chose instead to accept the will of Chaos and remain a student of the Emperor. Now, she has been charged to return to Ponyville and plant Seeds of Discord around the Tree of Harmony, but there are more things than broken friendships awaiting her arrival in Ponyville.

A note on the [Dark] tag: This fic is not grimdark.

It is however, an adventure story with high stakes, and themes that may touch on more serious matters, such as brainwashing or mental/emotional abuse. There is also some brief moments of violence and intense danger that, while not excessive, may be troubling to some. This tag was actually something recommended by one reader after Discord's psychological games with Twilight in the previous story, and I think it's time to add it. Link to reddit discussion where I made the decision, slight spoilers for Chapter 6.

Please don't let it turn you off from the story, just consider it fair warning that some parts may be slightly disturbing to more sensitive readers.

Aria Blaze is history's most prolific composer. Writing music constantly for upwards of a thousand years will earn you that title. Now, after a defeat which robbed the three sirens of a magic they've known their entire lives, she relies more than ever on her passion to carry her through an uncertain time. Whatever form fate thrusts upon her, she will never stop making music, and that's all that matters...or it would be, if she could get one roommate to stop pestering her, and the other to stop a downward spiral of self-destruction.

Twilight Sparkle is lonely and is determined to change that.

She’s had her eyes on Rainbow Dash for a while, but she doesn’t know how to truly express her feelings. No books were able to properly explain how to cope with her feelings of love, leaving her frustrated and confused. She has tried dropping subtle hints here and there, but Rainbow is oblivious to her advances and Twilight is too nervous to spill her heart out to her.

So she waits, spending many months devising a way to get Rainbow to see her more than just a good friend. Given a set of perfect circumstances, Twilight is finally able to put her plan into action. Now, Twilight might finally be able to see if she can turn her friendship with Rainbow into something wonderful.

Edited by Rated Ponystar and Alcatraz

Featured on Equestria Daily

Ever had one of those days where everything's just gone wrong, one problem after another?

Of course you have.

Ever had one of those days when you wake up to find you've accidentally switched places with your counterpart in a world where you and all your friends are stallions?

...No?

Maybe that's just Twilight, then.

But the Princess of Magic isn't going to let a little thing like being in the wrong universe ruin her day. She has a schedule - a checklist! - and it matches up with this Dusk Shine's perfectly. Apart from the names and the genders, everything seems to be a match, and Ponyville has seen much weirder things since she moved here.

Being stallions or mares shouldn't make her friends that different. What could possibly go wrong?

This story is a sequel to Meeting The Family

Today is the day. After months of planning, prodding, and picking, the day of the wedding has finally arrived.

But, as the wedding is about to begin, there are tensions and stories in multiple areas, ranging from planning troubles, wardrobe malfunctions, lost rings, wedding dates, and relationship debacles.

In this tale, you will hear the tales of the bride, the groom, the wedding planner, the Mare of Honor, the guests, the flower fillies, and the Best Dragon and Best Draconequus, all as they prepare for the day in which a former tyrant and the Element of Laughter will join together in matrimony.

Everypony has a story. Some tell of heroic feats and grand adventure. Others tell of villainy against the forces of Harmony. The story of an average guard, however, is one of obscurity. They live in the background, unnoticed but ever-present.

Silent Knight assumed his tale would be like that of his father's: join the Royal Guard and serve Equestria. He would be just another helmet and spear, part of the rank and file. And that was all he ever wanted.

However, when Captain Shining Armor asked for volunteers to form a House Guard for the recently returned Princess Luna, it was Silent's hooves that stepped forwards to set his new life in motion.