We are Forerunners; guardians of all that exists. The roots of the galaxy have grown deep under our careful tending. Where there is life, the wisdom of our countless generations has saturated the soil. Our strength is a luminous sun, towards which all intelligence blossoms... And the impervious shelter beneath which it has prospered. I stand before you, offering a chance at new life, with your new form, to become the sole bearer of our Mantle in a world where we have shied away to keep pure from any possible corruption.

Do you accept?

Everyone in the Foundation knew 682. Most of them knew not to talk about him. Not to talk to him, more importantly, for fear of invoking his wrath. That creature made every single thing in the facility frightened, and they knew they couldn't do a thing about it. So what happens when he vanishes without a trace? Chaos. Absolute chaos. But this isn't about what happened there; this is about what happens to where he was transported. Which, coincidentally, is precisely the same thing.

Dedicated to everyone's favorite hard-to-kill reptile. You my boy, hamdoggz, for providing such an awesome rendition of it.

Due to a typo on her permit to build a new barn, and the meddling of a recalcitrant bureaucrat, Applejack is stuck running a bar, at least until Mayor Mare gets back to town. So sit down and have a drink in Ponyville's least likely watering hole!

The Helicoprion, a long-lived genus of shark-like cartilaginous fish that went extinct millions of years ago. This predator certainly was a strange one, seeing how its lower jaw was basically a mix of a fruit roll-up and chainsaw. I make a living studying fossils, and this guy certainly takes the cake for the number one in the weird factor. So imagine my surprise when I inexplicably turn up in Equestria of all places. As a Helicoprion. Guess it's just one of those days.

You can thank Csquared08 for the idea for this story. And I will get that seal of approval, one way or the other. Also to my kickass editor, Linkerman! Thanks for all the help, dude!

The Cutie Mark Crusaders ask Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy about what happened just after the events of the Cutie Mark Chronicles; specifically, what happened to Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash immediately after the race. Reluctantly, Dash and Fluttershy delve into a tale. A tale of a young Fluttershy's amazement at the world she had landed upon, and a filly Dash's desperate quest to save her from that most evil of places: THE GROUND.

So we just nuked our friend dead through the power of friendship... well buck.

It isn't the introductions in life that are hard to come by, but it is often just saying goodbye...

Hope is the thing with feathers,
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all...
-Emily Dickinson

Rainbow Dash stands atop her father in a crowd full of pegasi. Massive anticipation lingered in the air. The little filly was certain Cloudsdale would get to host the Equestria games.

But what happens when they don't? What will a father do to comfort his crestfallen daughter whose hopes were shattered in a matter of seconds.

Takes place during and after the flashback from the episode "The Games Ponies Play"

Cover Art by John Joseco

Story Idea Based on Fic by: Colt in the Moon

Sometimes, hardship might throw some light on what's really important, and it won't always be what you expect.

Indirect sequel to Melodious Desideratum.