A young filly writes to the newly-crowned Princess Twilight, asking for advice.

She's made one small mistake, though, in assuming Twilight feels qualified to give it...

Princess, Professor, friend. What more could a pony ask for?

Ten years have gone since she met her first true friends, and Twilight Sparkle has begun to find the past weighing upon her. She always knew that her friends would begin to drift apart with time; she understood that those endless Ponyville summers must end one day. Still, even though Twilight has accomplished her dreams, something is keeping her rooted in the past.

But the bustling, decadent nights in Canterlot are made for sharing secrets, and tonight, an old friend is waiting for her among the crowds. Could a familiar face and a guiding hoof be enough to lighten the young princess's burden?

Enormous thanks to the amazing Shadowsreached for proofreading and editing. The epic cover painting was created by CosmicUnicorn.

I love Rainbow Dash.

I've loved her for so long.

But now she's been around less and less.

At first I was okay, but things are getting worse.

Now I need to know the answer.

The answer to the question I'm hesitant to find an answer for.

Rarity normally sees Hearth's Warming Eve as a pretty simple holiday. Eat cookies, put up with family, make Sweetie Belle a nice dress. But when all of Sweetie's other presents turn out to be clothes, Rarity can't bear the disappointment in her sister's cute little eyes. After finding an old Dress Me Daisy doll in her childhood bedroom, Rarity decides to make the doll into a perfect present.

Cover Image by 1Trick:
http://1trickpone.tumblr.com/

Poor Spike, all he wanted to do is spend time near the pony he adores. Now, because of one little lie, he's in real trouble. A geography bee, a macabre doppelgänger, and an icebox all play their part as Spike and Rarity once again find themselves on pins and needles...

When you've lost all your friends, you just have to make new ones.

Gummy is the best pet in the world! He always listens to me, never moans or complains when I talk too much, and always comes along with me without any resistance. Sure, he isn't much of a talker, but he's a really swell listener. Every day I spend with him is super fantastic!

Yet, Mr. and Mrs. Cake always look sad every time I play with Gummy. Those sillies! Don't they know that Gummy couldn't hurt me even if he wanted to? He's all gums! Duh! Even my friends have been showing "concerns" about my relationship with Gummy.

I don't know why they're being such party poopers all of a sudden!

Edited by Bad_Seed_72 and pre-read by Skeeter the Lurker and Flint Sparks.

Polish translation can be found here

French translation over here

Fan sequel over there

Equestria Daily took this thing in too. It be right over yonder

Discord has been reformed— mostly. Still, Princess Celestia seems to have trouble controlling what appears to be a seething hatred for him whenever nopony else is around.

When the Princess approaches him one day before a royal ball, Discord begins to see the situation a bit better.

What Spike saw in the doorway of King Sombra's crystal palace hasn't left his mind. The fear of Twilight abandoning him haunts him through recurrent nightmares. Anxiety taunts him when he's at his most vulnerable, reminding him of all his failures, all his inadequacies, all his wounds.

One night, this fear and anxiety manifests itself in a full-blown nightmare, dragging Spike face-to-face with his greatest fear. What if Twilight never needed Spike in the first place?

Takes place right after the Season Three opener (before Episode Three).

Thanks to RGLloyd for editing.

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Check out the YouTube reading by the awesome Chinchillax!

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Rated Teen for some dark elements.

When Twilight and Applejack have a falling out over who can claim to have the best big brother, each will stop at nothing to prove theirs is better.

And their brothers will stop at nothing to make their sisters happy.