When a story touches you deeply, sometimes the only appropriate reaction is to respond in kind.

This is an open anthology of minifics which continue or revisit other authors' fanfics — embracing and extending, and reflecting on questions raised by the work. Due to the nature of the collection, this contains spoilers for other authors' stories, though each chapter contains a link to let you read the source first (and a spoilered summary, if you want to jump right in).

Sept. 2017 note: This anthology is closed, but the project continues with Never The Final Word, Vol. 2 — now curated by FanOfMostEverything.

Many of the included chapters are reviewed by Present Perfect here. Several are Highly Recommended by Titanium Dragon!

Dragon Lord Ember took her throne when she won the Bloodstone Scepter, and its ancient magic which controls dragon minds.

In a world linked to Equestria, a very different Ember chafes under her father's leadership, hungry to take ownership of the instinct-controlling power of the Bloodstone Crown.

Their two worlds are about to meet. And only one dragon will stand between Equestria and the deadly, unforgiving call of the wild.

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Winner of the Imposing Sovereigns II contest!
"Equal parts character piece and action movie, and it is amazing. I can’t recommend it enough." –FanOfMostEverything
"For anyone who thinks that ‘mere’ fanfiction cannot be art, I can safely add this to the list of counterarguments." –cleverpun
"This is a good story, an important story, because it is so very relevant. Behind the fire, scales and teeth, is a very simple but incredibly real story about finding one’s true place in the world." –Venerable Ro

Highly Recommended by Present Perfect! "Treat yourself to the most unique story on Fimfiction ... a pulse-pounding thriller that explores Dragon Lord Ember in ways no one else has."
Featured by Seattle's Angels! "[Horizon] goes the extra mile ... if you’re looking for a great character-driven story about characters confronting their EqG counterparts, but especially if you are a fan of Ember or just dragons in general, then go check this out."
Recommended by brokenimage321! "Drop what you're doing and go read [it] ... A moving story about inadequacy and adaptation. And it has some of the best combat scenes I've ever read, in any genre, period."
Recommended by HapHazred! "Distinctively written ... Exciting, interesting, and gets more intense and cerebral as time goes on."
Reviewed by cleverpun! "[W]ell worth your time."

A huge thank you to Skywriter for prereading assistance!

We were the summer-sunset-wind, warm and wild and untouchable.

We were rulers of a crumbled-down kingdom, prince-and-princess of the sandstone sky.

We were long-day shadows, stretching ourselves dark and blurry past our breaking points and more.

We were pulsing breath-and-blood, flowing fast through veins of buildings and wide-open spaces.

We were rebels rivals friends lovers runners...

Until that moment, that second, when it all fell away.

A traitorous spy who can freeze time. An amoral archaeologist with a dangerous past. A cloudheaded Wonderbolt who wants to be a hero. A secretary in way over her head. Leading them all into the depths of the changeling hive is Princess Luna. Their mission: to capture Queen Chrysalis and bring her to justice. There will be no support, and no going back. And none of them are prepared for what they'll find.

The changelings have a past deeper and darker than anypony imagined. And so does Chrysalis.

Reviewed by Seattle's Angels June 10th, 2014.

This story was created with the help of Einhander, Auramane, Benny, Cola_Bubble_Gum, and Guy_Incognito.

Credit for the lovely cover art goes, of course, to 2315D.

This story takes place between the Changeling Invasion of Canterlot and the reappearance of the Crystal Empire. It takes basically no cues from the IDW comics. If you consider those canon, this should be considered AU. (Update: for obvious reasons, the canon has moved on from where it was when this story started, so the point is moot.)

It's Button Mash's birthday and he's finally legal across all of Equestria. All he wants to do is stay in, work on his kill to death ratio in Thirst for Blood and maybe catch up on some back issues of Moanin' Mares. Unfortunately for him, he has two best friends who've decided they've had enough of him being helpless, repressed and anti-social.

Rumble has a plan: a night of bar hopping from one end of Ponyville to the other where, hopefully, Button Mash can find a girl to take home. Rumble is absolutely sure this is the going to be the best night of Button Mash's life. Button Mash is absolutely sure he just wanted to stay in. Shady Daze is absolutely sure he wants to keep his two best friends out of a prison cell.

Nothing could possibly go wrong.

(Set in the same world as Einhander's 'Royals' and Cola_Bubble_Gum's 'Rum Punch'. All the events are set after both stories.)

Cover art by Silver_Tip
Edited by SpaceCommie
Proof-Read and Co-Written by Shub-Niggurath

Twilight still isn't having a very good day. An army of changelings is attacking Canterlot, and the experimental spell that blew up in her face has stuck her in a time loop until she gets everything perfect and saves Equestria.

She's got a plan. She's also got a problem: Suddenly, she's not the only one whose day is repeating. And when you're caught between unstoppable force and immovable object, life has a tendency to get complicated.

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This story is an authorized alternate-universe re-imagining of Eakin's Hard Reset, in which multiple loopers turn the time shenanigans up to 11. (Knowledge of Hard Reset is not required, but based on reader comments, will help in sorting out the early chapters.)

Cliff's Notes versions: RampantArcana has started a GitHub repository to codify the time-loop rules and the early-story timeline. Hawthornbunny has posted a chapter-by-chapter breakdown of all the loops, including the ones we don't see, with a lot of critical analysis. Those links contain spoilers (of currently posted chapters). If you're confused, either one of those fan projects is a great starting point, and story comments have a lot of insightful discussion as well.

Publication schedule: 2014 kicked my plot, but as of November I'm picking up the writing again and hope to have something by the end of the month.

Cover art by Alexstrazsa.

... and learns important life lessons, somewhere in between everything going wrong.

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"The first thing I thought upon reading Hitchhikers was that the gods of ponyfiction … had smiled upon me." – Ezn
"Congratulations, you have written the first 'Proper Noun Verbs A Noun' story that does not actively disgust me." - Prereader Benman

Long ago, at the top of the world, Love ruled a magnificent frozen empire. Then the sun rose, and darkness fell.

* Now with an audio reading by Illya Leonov! *

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Featured by Seattle's Angels:
"Horizon, taking almost wholesale the structure of T. S. Eliot’s The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, has done something really incredible here. He’s managed to not only write some beautiful poetry about Sombra, Celestia, and the dichotomy of ice and fire, but tell a coherent story of longing and loss." – alexmagnet
"Melt is perhaps, by what I’ve seen, the best [poetry] this fandom has to offer." – RazgrizS57

"Highly Recommended" by Present Perfect

"This is one of the finest examples of literature produced by the fandom, a beautiful homage to T.S. Eliot." – Illya Leonov

The Coltcuddlers Writing Contest Winners!!!

Theme: a secret crush!
the following is a selection of 5 of the 23 submissions to the first ever Coltcuddler group writing contest. Please read and enjoy, let the authors know what you think.
the winners are...
Appleloosan Psychiatrist
Fimbulvinter
Thunderplunk
Fizzlesticks
congratulations!!!

great work everyone, even if you didn't place, just know that every last one of your works were a pleasure to read.
Just in case the title didn't let on there will be M/M

Everypony looks at me as if I'm beautiful and perfect. On the outside I succeed in matching that profile. On the inside I'm scared and envious. I may be generous to all, but want I really want is to snatch their every quality.

You guys wanted another confession story, so here it is.