Rarity has been keeping to herself lately.

Applejack is determined to find out why.

This fic is a gift for the incredible rice, edited by the brilliant Silent, the talented Zontan, and the effervescent Otter.

Beware: comments contain spoilers!

This story is a sequel to Hocus Pocus

A few years have passed since the events of Hocus Pocus, and the lives of Ditzy Doo and her daughter Dinky have never been more exciting. Dinky's final year of study at Celestia's Academy for Gifted Unicorns is about to begin, and Ditzy's relationship with her coworker, Autumn Breeze, has blossomed into a beautiful partnership.

But when a figure from both ponies' past reappears, events quickly escalate out of control, and soon, Ditzy and Dinky find themselves wrapped up in what may be the greatest crisis Equestria has ever faced.

In this final chapter of the Shipping and Handling trilogy, two ponies learn about the greatest magic of all.

(Excluding the prologue and epilogue, takes place 3+ years after Hocus Pocus, and between seasons 8 and 9 of canon MLP.)

This story is a sequel to Seven of Six: A Screaming Butterfly

Twilight Sparkle is a unicorn prodigy, her special talent of magic allowing her to wield all manner of the arcane arts with ease. She is an SGU graduate, has connections with the Royal Guard, knows Princess Celestia, and is a mother to a juvenile dragon.

She's also apprenticed to Discord, Lord of Chaos and Disharmony.

And he has a mission for her. A fallen alicorn named Nightmare Moon will soon return to bring eternal night and assured death to all the world. It's up to her to retrieve the Elements of Harmony and stop her.

Join her as she explores a familiar town, befriends familiar ponies, and completes a quest that's as old as the fandom itself, but with a twist.

A retelling of the pilot episode Friendship is Magic, but set in one of Starlight's alternate timelines.

Apple Bloom wants to grow up. She's sure she does. Surrounded by the family that founded a town, shaped it, and made it what it is today, she finds herself all the more invested in becoming a part of this legacy.

Yet as Apple Bloom's interest in the legacy grows, so does her interest in a pony who never had one.

After all, sometimes there's a good reason to step outside. To fly on your own. To look beyond the herd.

There are many words that can describe the equine force of nature that is Pinkie Pie: loud, fast, bouncy, hyperactive, wild, frenzied, fun...

These are, Rarity would freely admit, normally absolutely wonderful qualities for her friend to have. However, there are circumstances where even the most universally positive qualities are... not ideal. And, she would politely insist, there is at least one place in Ponyville that Pinkie's irrepressible exuberance should never intrude upon: the spa. Rarity would consider this a reasonable arrangement.

And yet, thanks to an ill-timed conversation and the dread spectre of social politeness, these two worlds of hers will soon collide when she is forced to invite Pinkie to spend some time with her in her haven of relaxation.

Will the Ponyville Spa survive? And even if it does, will Rarity's reputation there come out unscathed? Or will, by some miracle, Pinkie bring herself down to the realm of mortals and show Rarity more about herself than she ever could have guessed.

Note: the cover picture is entirely unrelated to the story, except in as much as it involved Pinkie and Rarity at the spa and it amused me.

Edited by raven618

Featured on 3rd March 2020 - Thank you guys so much!

Trixie and Starlight discover witchcraft is real, and do the obvious thing about it.

A commission for R5h, who deserves the world and is more patient than I deserve. Edited by MrNumbers.

Patreon. Ko-fi. Picture of me looking handsome.

Rainbow Dash faces her final test to join the Shadowbolts, and fails with flying colors.

An entry into the Raridashdoodles Raridash Writing Contest, using the image prompt in the cover art.

(2019-05-08) Featured on Equestria Daily!

Twilight Sparkle discovers that the alternate timelines created by Starlight Glimmer in her misguided attempt at revenge did not, in fact, disappear when the original timeline was restored. Instead, they persisted as separate, parallel universes.

Never one to leave a job unfinished, she decides to employ the magic of friendship to restore those universes to a more harmonious state.

She begins with Nightmare Moon.

This story is the first in a series. The other stories can be found below.

1. For Want of a Horseshoe <-- you are here
2. A Big Brother's Duty
3. Healing

Cover art provided by the excellent Sini.

Years ago, Rainbow Dash achieved her lifelong dream of becoming a Wonderbolt. She'd gone through the academy, been a staple of the main lineup and, eventually, earned the rank of Captain.

At 43 years of age, it's time for Rainbow to leave that dream behind, but not before she can dazzle the ponies of Cloudsdale one last time.

Proofread by AShadowOfCygnus.

Featured on Equestria Daily!

Waking up one autumn morning, Twilight finds that Discord has put together a giant festival with carnival rides, food, and games just outside Ponyville to celebrate the end of Daylight Saving Time.

Something tells her it's going to be a very long day...

The original version of this story won 1st place in the 95th contest at Writeoff.me, "The Nightmare After Nightmare Night," and the cover art is a commission from hazeyhooves.