Rarity has been keeping to herself lately.

Applejack is determined to find out why.

This fic is a gift for the incredible rice, edited by the brilliant Silent, the talented Zontan, and the effervescent Otter.

Beware: comments contain spoilers!

The Great and Powerful Trixie performs at a foal's birthday party. She had no choice.

Fifth place finisher of the "Illusion of Choice" writeoff. Reading here by Midnight29.

It's been a few weeks since the Friendship Games. This world's Twilight Sparkle is struggling to adjust to her new school and her new friends. Sunset sees this, and resolves to help ease Twilight into their group in any way she can.

A late night encounter, a pep talk, and a little bit of whipped cream – all things that seem insignificant on their own – cause Sunset to reflect on how she feels about her new friend and herself. Is she really just trying to be a good friend to Twilight because it's the right thing to do, or do her motives run deeper than even she realizes?

11/21/22 Update: New cover!

1/26/23 Update: Big thanks to EileenSaysHi who has edited and proofread this story!

Tagged as teen for tobacco/alcohol use and profanity. Nothing spicier than that.

Hope you enjoy!

Life's been hard for Sunset ever since the Fall Formal. She's chronically lonely, much of her free time is dedicated to work and studying, and her classmates still don't trust her. Regardless, she's committed to making things right and improving herself one day at a time.

Most of her new friends are trying to make her feel welcome, but everything feels so forced and awkward at first. This is made worse by Rainbow Dash who seems intent on making things difficult for Sunset. Are they just incompatible? Or is there a deeper reason they can't seem to get along?

Shoutouts to EileenSaysHi, NudistSquid, X_c4nd13d_p3pp3r_cut13_X, Gusto Starstorm and another one of my friends for a combination of workshopping, pre-reading, editing, and proofreading

Featured 10/13/22! Thank you!

This story begins a couple months after the events of the first Equestria Girls movie.

This also takes place before the events of "Can You See What I See?", but you don't have to read that to understand this or vice versa.

• Sunset vector used sourced from here. Unable to find the original source link. If you happen to know the source, please drop me a link!
• Rainbow Dash vector used can be found here.
• Rest of cover created/edited by me.

Sunset Shimmer is in her apartment, alone, because it’s for the best. That’s why it’s good that she didn’t go to that party. It’s good that no-one knows what she does to herself.

But it’s fine. She knows what she’s doing.

She knows that she deserves this.

It's been six months since Tirek was defeated, but Trixie still has nightmares. Nightmares of being pinned down, of the magic being ripped from her bones, of being thrown around like a worthless doll. It's been six months since Trixie has had a full night's sleep, and all she wants is peace.

But Trixie is fine. Trixie doesn't need Twilight. She doesn't need her family. She doesn't need anyone. Trixie loves being alone.

So why can't she stop crying?

A completely revamped version of a fic written for the Writeoff Association's May contest, "I Regret Nothing," which was originally published under the name Fight Back.
Loosely inspired by the song of the same name by Five Iron Frenzy.
Rated 'Teen' for some minor violent imagery.
Art by Kas92. Thanks to Manaphy, Floydien, Horizon, Trick Question, Majin Syeekoh, Imaginary Valued, and Pascoite for their advice and insights. I love you guys, and I couldn't do anything if it weren't for all of you guys putting up with my ceaseless nagging.

It's a wicked life, isn't it, Trixie?

That's how you really feel, isn't it, Trixie?

You'd like a different life, wouldn't you, Trixie?

Trixie, Trixie, Trixie... if only it were that easy.

Everypony has to live with their mistakes, after all.

Why should you get to be any different?

Thank you to Ice Star, Gay For Godot, and Themoontonite. Love you

Coverart edited from batshaped.

Quiet mornings before school starts can be lonely, but peaceful. For some people, they're a good time to just breathe and prepare themselves for the day ahead. Fluttershy and Adagio Dazzle find themselves doing this in the same place at the same time, in their own ways.

Based on a picture that was a little too big to be the cover art, but cute enough to inspire some shipping anyway.

Now comes with actual cover art courtesy of SkycatcherEquestria!

Comments may contain spoilers!

Now comes with Trope page!

Dusk Shine is completely fine with being a stallion.

Sure, he doesn’t like it, but I mean who does, right? He isn’t good enough to be a mare, like his friends are, so there’s no way he could be transgender.

Feeling out of place and alienated around his closest friends has to be some kind of friendship problem, and that is what he’s here to study after all.

Maybe once he fixes this hole in his heart, he’ll understand why his friends seem to want him around. Maybe he’ll even be somepony who deserves them.

This story is a sequel to The Sunlight Project

After the disaster that was her Sunlight Project, Twilight Sparkle somehow manages to ask Sunset Shimmer out on a date. She isn't ready.

That isn't enough to stop her from trying. However, she needs all the help she can get to navigate the relationships in her life.

☀Edited by the kind and wonderful fourths.
☀Preread by Misago