When the light dims and the flame burns out, the magic inside us all will forever endure.

With the time she has left, Rainbow Dash seeks what is truly important in life before moving on.

The strong silent type usually have a lot more to say than they let on. Big Macintosh is no exception. His life has been filled with joys and tragedies, causing him to develop a loving bond with his sisters. This little slice-of-life story highlights some of the major events in Mac's life which have nurtured that bond.

A big thanks to All of the Above for feedback during my writing.

Cover art is titled Happy Birthday AJ

Rainbow Dash is fine.

Written for the Quills and Sofas Poetry Slam Contest on 9/9/22. My prompt poem can be found in the authors notes.

EDIT: FEATURED! Told you I’d make it, mom.

I've decided not to tag a key story element for the purpose of keeping spoilers down. This tag is not anything conventionally disgusting, anything to do with snuff, or any fetish. If you are sensitive to dark content, please view the tag below:

Trigger warning: Suicide

In the wake of a fun performance turned dramatic, two mares weigh their feelings for one another. In a sea of internal doubt and external crisis, might two struggling souls meet and find happiness together?

Also known as YAY! Appledash!

Applejack has always been known as one of the strongest and most dependable ponies in Ponyville. She is sturdy, down-to-earth, and unwavering - the kind of pony others knew they could rely on through thick and thin. But the inexorable march of time never ceases, and the cruel hand of fate knows no mistress. Even the most reliable of ponies can be pushed past their breaking point, and even the strongest can be brought to their knees. How can one mare hope to keep her hooves on the ground when her whole world is falling down around her?

Mood music, and a major source of my inspiration: "Below My Feet"

Before you read this, I URGE you, in order to understand much of it, you MUST read this previous series: "To Fix You"

It has been several months since the fateful suicide attempt of a certain cyan pegasus. For Rainbow Dash, her new Marefriend Applejack, and the rest of Ponyville, life has returned to whatever semblance of normality they have previously grown accustomed to. However, when a mysterious stranger appears in town, it seems time to remember that things sometimes can be too good to be true. When confronted with hm, two mares will face a life-changing decision; a decision that could rip them apart no matter how strong the bonds of their relationship were forged. For some ponies, forgiveness is easy. For others, it proves hard to let go. He is a polarizing figure; a stallion who few in Ponyville remember, and those who do mostly wish to forget. His arrival begs the age-old question that is always posed when uncertainty rears its ugly head: What if? What if? What if?

Sometimes, when you've lost so much, when everything you do seems to come out wrong, and when you don't feel like anything but a failure, it can seem like there is no other option but to give up.

But when one pony feels so lost, so inconsolable, so forlorn, that she makes a life-changing decision that almost leaves her shattered forever, it is up to her friends to bring her back.

When you lose something that you can't replace, when you love someone but it goes to waste, and when the tears come streaming down your face, is there anyone who you can turn to...

...to fix you?

Goodbyes are hardest when you see them coming and can do nothing to put them off. That doesn't stop Rainbow Dash from trying when she has to say goodbye to her very special somepony much sooner than she thought.

Applejack/Rainbow Dash. Futurefic.

I created a full cast audio drama version of this fic can be found here.

After staying away from her friends for years, Fluttershy is stunned to discover Rainbow Dash on her doorstep looking injured and asking for sanctuary in her escape from someone she won't name.

Full cast audio reading with special word from the author can be found on my YouTube channel here, starring TheLostNarrator, Illya Leonov and Starryflame.