After months of pleasant dating, it's time for the inevitable meeting of the family. For Sugar Belle, it should be easy as cake. She's already met three of the Apple Family members, after all. She only has one more to win over.

It's more complicated than that, she finds.

Spoilers for The Perfect Pear.

Thank you to Scathecraw for editing.

Oh Fortis, where are you?

Before there was the Gryphon Kingdom, there were the Griffin Tribes.

Before there was unity, there was strife.

Before peace, there was war.

Blessed Arnau is the Last Lady of the North, facing an enormous task. The griffins face a seemingly unstoppable enemy tide—The Cloven of the Sun. Marching endlessly northwards, they hunt for the remnants of the griffin Tribes making their last stand in the stronghold of Falhstein, a stronghold that has not tasted war in decades.

With promise of support from Fortis, a mere commoner of surprisingly sharp mind and will, she is tasked to lead a defense that will mean the survival or end of her race.

This is her story.

This is my first official World Building Alliance prompt entry for May 2013. Word Count: 5,480

Scored 4.42/5. Second Place for May 2013 Prompt.

The story takes place in the The Gentlemanverse, predating the a time before Equestria opens a portal to Earth. It is an exploration of Gryphon Kingdom history before the events of Feathered Heart.

Rainbow Dash was the Iron Wing. She was a war hero, the Slayer of Shadows, the Liberator of the Crystal Empire, the Wrath of Celestia. And depending on who you ask, she still is.

But the war is over. There's little need for a pony like her in peacetime. So she keeps telling herself that she needs to adjust, that she needs to find a new role to fill in the world that she saved. But Equestria seems content to let her remain what she has become, even though they have no need of a warrior.

"This isn't how it's supposed to be", is something she keeps telling herself. But every time she says it, the only thing she can reply is, "so what should it be?"

One whole year after the close of the war, and Rainbow Dash still doesn't have the answer.

Art by NCMares.

A young, ten-year-old Twilight Sparkle spots a little boy playing all by himself in the morning. She’s seen this boy before, but this is the first time she’s truly noticed him. Unable to place her curious nature to the side, she proceeds to learn things about him that will break her heart.

However, at ten years old, what can she really do about it? What will her family do when she comes to them with questions that belie her age?

Co-wrote with Moonlit Sparkle

Sequel found here: A Spike of Remorse Written entirely by Moonlit and TwiDashForever.

Proof read/edited by: Twidashforever and Lunatone Thanks guys!

Featured the day it went up, 12/21! Thank you so all so much for everything. Moonlit and I were absolutely shocked!

In the deserts of Saddle Arabia, an explorer finds more than he bargained for in an ancient tomb.

A familiar Captain of the Guard finds himself dredged out of the ocean and into the dubious company of totally-not-pirates.

He doesn't remember who he is, and he's not entirely sure he likes the looks the all-mare crew is giving him. Cadence is certainly not going to be happy about that when she catches up with him.

He might have been better off in the water after all.

NEW! Cover image from the awesome and talented Harwick
Seriously go look at Harwick's stuff it's Really Pretty!

After a long night of partying with her old friends at the Castle Courtyard, Moondancer once again heads back home.

But despite all the good that has transpired that night... and unbeknownst to anypony else... there are still some inner demons left for her to confront when she arrives.

...

Based around the events of the episode Amending Fences. Rated for sad and dark themes.

Featured On Equestria Daily!

Late one night, a young Spike asks Celestia why he is the only dragon in Equestria. Celestia tells him a very old story: the time two sisters challenged Tiamat—the Matriarch of Dragons—to a contest of knowledge.

Thanks to JeffCvt for editing and Blank! for writing most of the iambic pentameter/some of the rhymes.

Caught in a rainstorm again, Derpy trudges off toward home. But along the way, she finds somepony down on her luck as well, somepony who very much reminds Derpy of her own childhood. It was a good day.

Lengthened version of the 13th-place finisher in the /fic/ mini write-off "I Regret Nothing."

Cover art "Smile in the Rain" by BlitzPony.

Featured on Equestria Daily!

After ascending to Princesshood, Twilight decides that it's time to really take the notion of "A Sound Mind in a Sound Body" to heart. She has the "Sound Mind" bit down (mostly), but years of sitting inside hunched over a book has given her quite a bit of ground to make up on the "Sound Body" front.

Fortunately, she has an athletic friend to help her out.