The so-called Slender Pony exists in the minds of most as a murderous beast, rarely talked about outside of urban legend or scary stories. His freakishly long legs, sinister black tentacles and blank expression serve to terrify ponies . . . well, most ponies, anyway.

A certain shy Pegasus who's “afraid of her own shadow,” in the words of friends and strangers alike, appears to be unfazed by his ghastly, silent demeanor. She might even say she's bedazzled by a pony who doesn't feel the need to chatter and socialize incessantly.

Would you risk your life to save a stranger?

What if you could only save her for twenty minutes?

A Fallout: Equestria side-story.
On EQD May 30, 2014.
Reading by Illya Leonov (YouTube, mp3).
Russian translation by Psychoshy@ficbook.net and others.

Twilight Sparkle is a gifted student and scholar. When she attempts to harness her creative side by writing a science-themed sensual romance novel, however, things rapidly get out of hoof. Can her friends stage an intervention before she humiliates herself (and them) at a prestigious literature recital?

No. No, they cannot.

She is as beautiful and graceful as the moon, and just as hard to reach. He is a young artist with much to learn about the world. When he accepts her challenge to create an artistic masterpiece, will he win her heart, or learn a terrible lesson in the nature of beauty and love?

The gryphons were not always monsters. That came later.

In the earliest days, they were our friends. They flew alongside pegasi. They shared the land with earth ponies. They studied beside unicorns. There was no fear between us. That came later too.

Time drew our people apart, but it was not time that made them monsters. They made that choice themselves; they chose their fate. And it was the greatest gryphon who sealed it.

He was born, many years ago, on a mountain far to the north...

Pinkie Pie's unrequited love for Rainbow Dash reaches crisis point as she fears the party in her heart has at long last come to an end.

Illustration by the awesome Mogasaki/Swaetshrit.

“My daughter Celestia, look at me. I love you, and I wish the best for you in the eons of labor you have yet to endure. So heed my words. When we planted light upon the fields of Creation, Celestia, it was a divine thing. But there will come a time when our brilliance won't be enough. It will take a great, unknowable darkness to test the luminescence that we have bequeathed life. That is an abyss that we can never, ever follow our children down, no matter how much we love them.”

A Silver Medalist of the Ponychan /Fic/ Write-Off: "Cutting Ties"

Humans... humans are such a bizarre race. Capable of the greatest benevolence and the worst atrocities. And yet, they're so very predictable. For you see, while societies may die, and nations may crumble, one thing will remain constant: the desire to survive.

I should know. I was there when everything fell.

Maybe that glance lasted just a little too long, or maybe a certain conversation could be interpreted as innuendo. Whatever it is, sometimes we see only what we want to see, and sometimes our fantasies get the best of us. Rarity is no exception.

Featured on Equestria Daily.

"My name is Lyra Heartstrings, and you will not remember me. You won't even remember this conversation. Just like with everypony else I've ever met, everything I do or say will be forgotten. Every letter I've written will appear blank; every piece of evidence I've left behind will end up missing. I'm stuck here in Ponyville because of the same curse that has made me so forgettable. Still, that doesn't stop me from doing the one thing that I love: making music. If my melodies find their way into your heart, then there is still hope for me. If I can't prove that I exist, I can at least prove that my love for each and every one of you exists. Please, listen to my story, my symphony, for it is me."

Cover pic by Spotlight: askspotlight.tumblr.com