Something can be a secret even if everybody knows.

Written for WandererD for Jinglemas 2022

Based on the prompt: I'd like a feel-good story featuring Silverstream and Ocellus.

This story is a sequel to Breakfast with Rose

Spurred on by a class presentation and an unexpected—but not entirely unwelcome—new day job, I began to more seriously consider how I might fit myself into pony society.

Manual labor provides plenty of time to think, and strips away facades.

I wasn’t sure that I was ready for that, but I couldn’t put it off forever, either.

This story is a sequel to Braiding

A meeting with Nurse Tenderheart and a chance encounter with a filly motivate Sam to invite Rose over for dinner, as well as to push Sam just a little further into full integration with pony society.

This story is a sequel to Dinner with Rose

After a dinner with Rose and a late night drunken trip to Sugarcube Corner, Sam wakes up from a nightmare with a hangover and more questions than answers about fitting in in Equestria. Luckily, ponies have pancakes and aspirin, which at least deal with the first problem. For the second, Sam's got a day off to hopefully find some answers.

This story is a sequel to A Sleeping Rose

It's been a week since Sam spent the night at Rose's house, and the two have grown closer. Rose helped plant flowerbeds all around the house, but a surprise visit to check on the flowers on laundry day puts a slight strain on their budding friendship. Now Sam's forced to make some choices she's not quite ready for.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that that perfume wasn't my own, nor did it take any real effort to locate the source of both of my issues: there was a pony asleep on my arm.

I assume she was asleep, anyway. She was breathing slowly and shallowly, which was quite easy to ascertain, as my right arm was draped across her.

This story is a sequel to A Sleeping Rose

Lily's conspiracy newspaper said that there was a monster near Ponyville, and while it was mostly wild speculation, town gossip said that Ginger Gold suddenly had somebody—something—unexpected working in her woodlot.

Lily had her thoughts about that, and so did I. Assuming it actually existed, would Ginger Gold hire it if it was really a monster? I didn’t think so, but the only way to find out was to see for myself.

Pre-read by TheLegendaryBillCipher, The Red Parade and Topaz Moon