Two things Twilight learned the days before the Grand Galloping Gala. One: don’t cast spells to force you to stay awake. Two: who knew Discord would make such a brilliant dance partner?

When Twilight royally messes up before the grand galloping gala she sits in agony at the thought of having to see the very nobles at the gala who saw her collapse. However, in this self-deprecation she least expected Discord to be a source of comfort.

Now with a reading!

Life is full of all sorts of potholes. Some bigger than other, some deeper than other. Some potholes' falls hurt, other might even completely break you. Some potholes, however, can change your life.
So, what is a mare to do when she finds herself falling into one?

What happens when a pregnant Trixie shows up at the Golden Oaks Library during a storm? Twilight ending up as an unwilling caretaker of the showmare and her unborn child is what. What happens after that is all chaos.

When Fluttershy and her friends find themselves threatened by a new villain they're trying to defeat, Fluttershy is scared and nearly attacked. Fortunately, her guardian draconequus appears to protect her.

Day Two of #FluttercordWeek2022: Protection

Rated T for being run over by a hypothetical trolley.

Everyone hates thought experiments. They're confusing, time consuming, and there's usually no way out without making you look like a jerk.

Today, Twilight tries to explain to her friends why letting them die is technically the correct choice.

Several months have passed since Luster Dawn embraced friendship and moved to Ponyville. Despite a few bumps along the way, she has settled in well and even has her own group of friends.

One day while going through one of the Castle's libraries, Luster discovers a strange mirror, one that leads to an entirely new world. Unable to help herself. she sets out to explore what could be on the other side.

Twilight and Starlight can only sit back, and enjoy the show.

Celestia travels to a far corner of her kingdom to investigate a rumor about a colt with strange, illicit cutie marks. She meets Radish Root, a boy whose marks make him an anomaly in the fabric of Equestria, a mystery to himself, and an outcast among society.
When Radish joins the Royal Guard just prior to the return of Nightmare Moon, he finds his life being complicated by all the changes coming to Equestria. His marks will lead him into adventure, intrigue, and trouble... but will they ever lead him to answers?

Proofreader: Slavenger Karl
Cover Art Gallery
Table of original characters
A reader is translating this story into Spanish. Check it out here.

"We do not understand, Sister... hoof-paints?"
Celestia suggests that Luna try hoof-painting as an outlet for her frustrations. It is not the wisest of ideas, as it turns out.

The USS Exeter, still damaged after a recent battle, scans a certain planet and finds evidence of much-needed dilithium crystals on the surface. Scans also show it's a pre-warp civilization, so the Prime Directive is in full force.

But they need those crystals, as the nearest starbase is hundreds of lightyears away. They only need a few pounds of them to repair their warp drive, then they can be back on course. How hard could it be to beam in, get the crystals from the primitives, and beam out?

What they don't know about is the white unicorn who's been using them for her dresses.

Those poor fools...

Sweetie Belle's outstanding performance in the school pageant should be a reason to celebrate, but when she is crushed by a glaring absence in the crowd, Rarity steps up—just like she's always had to do.