After his defeat at the hooves of the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony the stony figure of Discord was dragged far, far, far out of Ponyville where the good ponies could eventually forget the name of their tormentor...

...again.

But, it seems, as the months have passed some creature in Ponyville has not been able to put aside what had happened. Now, that creature approaches, and it seems as though he'd like a word with the immortal spirit of chaos...

After a strange set of circumstances involving baby beavers, a field trip from Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, and an "epic rain cloud" leave Sweet Apple Acres adrift Applejack writes to Mayor Mare asking for some understanding, some sympathy...and a bailout.

As things go from bad to worse around the farm a young republic is tested and Caramel finds himself in an usual position...all while Applejack informs the mayor of her attempts to save the farm.

How did Fluttershy acquire her "Freaky knowledge ah' sewin'!" as Applejack called it? The answer is simple, Rarity taught her! Yet a winter full of struggle takes its toll on the two and brings their friendship to the breaking point.

Spike has finally saved up his allowance, and on a beautiful winter's day he buys his first material possession, a sled!

When a technical difficulty causes him to doubt his purchase Twilight quietly uses her magic to solve the problem. But what awaits the dragon whelp as her magic turns an average sled into the Super Amazing Rocket Sled of Awesome?

In the midst of autumn's splendor Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Applejack and Rainbow Dash head north to participate in the Hoftston Mare-athon segment of the annual Running of the Leaves.

Yet, as they meet the sea something seems to call Rainbow Dash down, down into the fog and uncertainty that rolls in from beyond the Everfree Forest.

What secrets of old Equestria hide in the deep woods and upon the silent shore?

*Resubmitted following revisions.*

When Spike returns home early from a gathering he sees something that causes him to go running from their little home...the sight of Twilight and Caramel together.

Once Twilight finds him, shivering and cold, she decides to try to address his fears...by giving him The Talk.

But, to Twilight's surprise, it may not be a talk about basic biology that Spike needs...perhaps something far more important is on his mind.

"They take da' pain out, make it somethin' good, somethin' good. Wear yer' blues well, colt, you gonna earn every drop of em'. Yer' gonna be tangled up in blues," the old stallion told Blues, presenting him with the saxophone.

Blues himself tells us of his life after that day and as he explores what it means to be "painted blue"; to hope, to fear, to love, to lose. He tells us as he learns what really makes a stallion a stallion, what it's like to leave something you love behind, and what risks one must face in life or risk becoming nothing at all.

All of this, Blues tells us, takes place against the background of critical moments in his life and as he travels the scope of Equestria from Manehattan to Ponyville and Appleoosa. All the while the songs he learns from his pain mingle with the one his mentor, Moody Blues, revealed within him...something unbelievable the old pony did to bring it forth.

Pony Joe awakens before the dawn each morning, readies himself for his day, and then walks through Canterlot's cold and silent streets to his doughnut shop.

Life has become pretty mundane for Joe, but as he serves his customers and chats with his regulars he realizes that he has come to rely on that repetition...he relies on it to keep from remembering.

As a casual utterance by a new customer sends Joe into a spiral of haunting memories we learn about his life...and what he must give up if he wishes to move beyond his past.

"Her parents hadn’t come close to telling us what had happened. As I read her newest letter I couldn't believe what she was telling me. This kid hadn’t 'had an accident'… this kid, damn, this kid had been buckin' broken... she’d been broken…"

Based on characters and situations from "Tiny Wings" by DeadParrot222.
Image "Filly Dash" by Imalou. Both used with permission.

A story lovingly ripped off from the Futurama episode of the same name.

Twilight gathers the girls to her basement to reveal her latest invention. Unfortunately, they get distracted by another of her inventions: the 'What If" machine, a device capable of answering any 'what if' question posed to it. Follow along as the mane six discover the improbable scenarios that could have been their lives.