Rainbow Dash was the Iron Wing. She was a war hero, the Slayer of Shadows, the Liberator of the Crystal Empire, the Wrath of Celestia. And depending on who you ask, she still is.

But the war is over. There's little need for a pony like her in peacetime. So she keeps telling herself that she needs to adjust, that she needs to find a new role to fill in the world that she saved. But Equestria seems content to let her remain what she has become, even though they have no need of a warrior.

"This isn't how it's supposed to be", is something she keeps telling herself. But every time she says it, the only thing she can reply is, "so what should it be?"

One whole year after the close of the war, and Rainbow Dash still doesn't have the answer.

Art by NCMares.

The holidays are meant to be a time of holly jolly fun, spending time with friends and family, and celebrating the magic of friendship. You usually couldn't pay most ponies to take a work shift on Hearth's Warming. Redheart, of course, loves the Hearth's Warming shift. It's her favorite time of year, and she can spend it with the only friends and family she has: her patients.

But this particular Hearth's Warming might be different.

Written for NeirdaE for Jinglemas 2021

Things have changed since Lyra moved away to Canterlot. Every time she returns to visit Ponyville to see old friends, everything seems... off. Ponies seem subdued. Life feels washed out. Without love.

And she's determined to fix that.

Originally written for the quills and sofas speedwrite "Happy Stories" contest in November 2019.

i will always miss you.

This story is a sequel to Feeling That Way

The war's over and your fiancé is back. Your once dead town is showing signs of life again. But you feel more muted than ever. Only one thing is there for you, anytime at all.

"Feeling That Way"/"Anytime" are two popular Journey songs from their breakout album Infinity, often played back to back on the radio.

Preread by Yamgoth the Moth and the Dobermans
Recommended by Present Perfect

Pony: source
Background: source

You're drenched in sweat and ennui. She's fighting the enemy, and you're fighting depression. Stuck forever in a nowhere town, you try to rise above inertia, but you only end up feeling useless. You're always feeling that way.

"Feeling That Way"/"Anytime" are two popular Journey songs from their breakout album Infinity, often played back to back on the radio.

Highly recommended by Present Perfect!
Featured in the Royal Canterlot Library!
Four Stars on Louder Yay!

Background: source
Pony: source

This story is a sequel to Portent

"You know," Sugar Belle began, looking into her son's eyes, "One of these days I'm not gonna wake up when you shake me."

Winner of the Palette Cleanser Contest for the Quills and Sofas Speedwriting Group . Originally written in an hour, this version has received some mild refinement.

“I’m just worried you might be wearing yourself out, that’s all.”

This story is a gift for Red Parade, a talented writer and a great mate. Thank you for everything.
The cover is done by the enormously talented Rice
CW: Trauma, blood, animal death
Particular thanks to Red Parade (yep, he's so cool he actually helped edit his own gift) and Wish for their help in getting the story ready

"On those foggy mornings, I looked for the most beautiful thing I could see, the one thing the fog hadn't taken... And I held on tight."

Winner of themoontonite's Curated Contest for the Quills and Sofas Speedwriting Group . Originally written in an hour and presented here with minimal edits. Thanks to Red and Ruby for help with the description.
The prompt was 'Foggy Morning'

This story is a sequel to A lamb to slaughter

Ocellus learns more than just skiing from Double Diamond.

CW: blood, minor/clinical discussion of gore, dissection, death, and skiing accidents

Thank you to Zontan, Red Parade, Wishcometrue, Drider, The Hat Man, Seer,
Atom Smash, AshleyNoble, Exodd, Mushroom, Applezombi, Twinsez, Undome Tinwe, applejackofalltrades, Grand Moff Pony, Emotion Nexus, Lost in Fandom, Holtinater, Decaf, Vis-a-Viscera, Equus, and thank you especially to Shaslan for writing the original.

Written for the Expanding Universes 2 contest for the Quills and Sofas Speedwriting Group. The prompt was for each of us to submit a story, and then someone else would write a prequel or a sequel to it, expanding the story as we see fit. We're on Discord here if you'd like to join us.

Mother sky mushrooms grow in just a few remote peaks of the Eastern Stonewood Mountains. For the monks whose subsistence and religion is built on these mushrooms, they offer far more than just a profound psychedelic experience. Eating the fruit of the mountain is said to give earth ponies super strength, future sight, and the ability to fly.

But the monks aren't the only ones interested in mother sky's power. A pegasus republic gathers strength in the west, rallying around the exploits of a ruthless general and a scheming senator. With the Stonewood mountains in their sights, the two tribes spiral towards an inevitable and horrific war.

Hypha, a young acolyte, aspires to learn the secrets of mother sky's magic and become a full-fledged monk. When tragedy strikes and his world explodes into violence, can Hypha save the secrets of mother sky's near-unlimited power from the hooves of those who would use it for evil?

A story about unlikely friendships and the cycles of history. Updates regularly.

Prereading by lovable literati TheDriderPony and Syke Jr!