• Having been elected a national hero for his antics in recovering the Crystal Heart, a modest Spike is now left wondering how it’s possible to accept all the sudden unflattering attention and fame he’s not completely convinced is so necessary – or terribly deserving, for that matter. WARNING: Contains copious amounts of material based upon Season Three's introductory episodes – previously edited by and dedicated to Martian, Bookplayer, theburningone94 & hunterz263, TheMyth, plus the kindly input of Not Worthy, Phazon and Bad Horse. Cover art created by author.

This story is a sequel to In Her Shadow

It is amazing how time can change some ponies. Once, the very prospect of flying terrified Prism Bolt. Now, he soars through the sky, lording his skill over any pony he can. It's all in good fun, he doesn't mean anything by it.

Right?

When practicing for Tornado Day, a single poorly timed slip-up destroys any respect the citizens of Ponyville had for him. To earn it back is going to require hard work, something the pegasus has always dodged.

Perhaps all he needed was the right motivation.

Once again, all original characters contained herein are the property of Kilala97.

Massive amounts of editing and proofreading done by Prak.

Spike is distraught. The love of his life remains constantly out of his reach. His attempts at romance crash and burn like the Horsenburg airship. As the gala draws near, he enlists Blueblood to help in wooing Rarity once and for all. Little do they know that another mare already has her eye on Spike, not to mention a plan to snatch him up first. -Heart to Heart Sequel-

Derpy Hooves is secretly a changeling.

Nopony particularly notices, or cares.

(New 9/15/19: Spanish translation by Spaniard Kiwi! Thank you!)

Greater things are often found through the smallest of interests.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I'm sorry I haven't written in a while. Things seem to be falling through the cracks lately. Spike thinks I should go see the doctor, but...

Young Shining Dawn is very excited when she hears that Princess Celestia is coming to visit Ponyville. But for Sweetie Belle, her grandmother, the visit carries much deeper significance, especially when she learns that her old friends Scootaloo and Applebloom are also coming, and that the Princess is here on a very special visit for Grandmother Twilight.

Story inspired by this wonderful picture by Harwicks-Art. Click through the link for source.

Spike has loved the beautiful and graceful Rarity with all of his young dragon heart from the moment he had first laid eyes on her. The problem was that Rarity barely noticed him. One day he decides to make his intentions known to her, only to find that she has her eye set on the handsome Baron Summersday and his quest may have already come to an end.

Meanwhile, Rarity — after the disastrous event of the Grand Galloping Gala — has been in contact with a stallion named Baron Summersday via mail, as the finale of the Gala prevented him from meeting her in person. After several missives between themselves, he invites her to his mansion for the weekend as an honored guest. Rarity sees this as the possibility of her dream of finding the one for her finally becoming a reality.

But is this really a dream, or a nightmare instead?

Rarity writes a diary entry, puzzling out her thoughts and feelings after being kidnapped by a rampaging dragon.

Originally published on fanfiction.net

Properly embraced, limitations can actually enhance creativity. Plus anything that teaches me to write a little faster will probably be appreciated by many.

Stories written for the Thirty Minute Ponies community on Tumblr. Various characters, various topics, various tones. The points at which I went over the time limit (where applicable) will be marked by a red asterisk like this.*

Further summaries are below, followed by an easy ship reference for anyone who’s here from a shipping group or just wants to find their favorite pairing.

#210. Black Sheep: “Guess who else is a member of the Apple Family!” After the reunion, AJ finds out about an old relative with... unusual tastes.
#211. I’m Gonna Wreck It: “Write the destruction of your OTP.” Spike tears down the Carousel Boutique.
#230. Last Hope: “Her death was not in vain.” A mother will do whatever is best for her children.
#232. Prelude to Kindness: “When you gonna make up your mind? / When you gonna love you as much as I do?” Fluttershy remembers her father.
#244. Reflections of a Dragon: “First memory, last memory.” Spike’s first and last moments with Princess Celestia.
#253. Pink and Purple: “Ancient prophecies can be really, really stupid sometimes.” Spike has to talk Twilight down from panic, again.
#265. Lavender Blossoms: “Unexpected tears. / Unexpected laughter.” Rarity has a love-hate relationship with Hearts and Hooves Day... but maybe this year it’ll tilt back toward love.
#275. Family Tradition: “A change in management.” Applejack knows it’s only a few generations old, but every tradition has to start somewhere.
#278. My Life as a Teenage Dragon: “A lot changes when you’re a teenager.” Sometimes Spike wonders if getting bigger isn’t more trouble than it’s worth.
#284. It’s a Trap: “Follow the White Rabbit.” One of these days, Applejack swears she’s gonna punt that little furball clear across Ponyville.
#298. Birthday Tradition: “Sometimes, duty calls, even on your birthday.” Every year, Rarity begins her birthday the same way.
#299. Gears that Mesh: “I don’t think your cutie mark means what you think it means.” Much to Mariposa’s dismay, Spark has given up on inventing. But is that really what his talent was supposed to be?
#315. It Never Gets Old: “Twilight Sparkle’s middle name.” A casual conversation about forms and applications is suddenly derailed, and Twilight enjoys a personal in-joke.
#316. Undiscovered Underground: “Two or more characters must accomplish a task while in a pitch-black environment with zero visibility. (Bonus points for writing in first person.)” A routine gem-hunting trip goes awry when Rarity finds her magic suddenly unresponsive.
#322. Changing the Plan: “Write a story in the second person in which the perspective character is one of the Mane Six or Spike.” Rarity has a problem, and her problem’s name is Spike.
#324. Hopeless in Love: “One (or more) of the Crusaders is crushing on one (or more) of the Mane Six.” Scootaloo hates Twilight Sparkle. Well, no, she just hates Sweetie Belle’s new crush on her...
#336. A Jury of Your Peers: “Justice for all.” There’s no way Scootaloo stole Dinky’s special dessert, and Sweetie Belle’s going to prove it! Somehow...
#429. Cannot Be Unseen: “The room never felt the same after that.” Spike has seen things. Things no young dragon should have to see.
#430. Unsavory Undertakings Unleashed: “Professor Piggy’s plans for Ponyville!” A heinous hog hopes to lay hold of Twilight’s home! Can she cancel his cruel course?
#433. A Routine Run: “Reimagine My Little Pony as cyberpunk.” Vinyl’s latest job, as usual, goes smooth as silk. Right up until it doesn’t.
#447. Legend of Twilight: The Sonorous Stones: “Fluttershy! You are the hero chosen by destiny!” Sombra thinks he’s won, but destiny says otherwise. There’s far more to the Hero of Courage than meets the eye.
#455. Lovebirds: “Two ponies attempt to play matchmaker... but end up falling in love themselves.” After a flurry of failed matchmaking, Spike and Rarity have one last plan to unite two phoenixes. And maybe they won’t be the only ones uniting...
#462. Negotiations: “Spike in Rarity’s boudoir.” Spike’s made a promise, and he intends to keep it... but he can’t without Opal’s cooperation.
#501. Reluctance: “The fourth return.” Two is a coincidence, three is a pattern, and it’s at number four that Twilight really begins to wonder.
#557. Brotherly Duty: “Big Mac has something to say.” Applejack is bringing her special somepony over for dinner, and Big Macintosh is ready.
#572. Dear Mom and Dad: “All good things must come to an end.” Twilight Sparkle writes home.

Sparity: #211, #265, #278, #298, #322, #455
Twinkie: #253, #429, #501
Appleshy: #284, #557
Scootabelle: #324
Octavia/Vinyl: #433