Gilda only wanted the humble things in life. Cheap rent, copious bits, the respect of her peers, the occasional juicy field-mouse.

Being captured by the Equestrians and dragooned into the Territorials wasn't quite what she'd dreamed of, but at least the rent was free.

And the rats were nice and plump.

Once upon a time there was a very lazy dragon who did not want to find a town to pillage.

So he decided to make one of his own.

Editors: Mitch H, Dlafrferg
Jake the Army Guy has done an amazing reading of this on YouTube
Excellent cover picture credit: Harwick on Fimfiction or Harwicks-art on Deviantart.com
Also, the Audio Project has done a reading of this and other stories on YouTube

The village of Brightly, British Columbia, Canada, has a deep and storied history as a coal mining town which slowly faded as ships stopped using coal for their boilers. Nowadays it is a quiet, isolated community nestled within the forests of the Pacific coast. It's the kind of town where everyone knows everyone, and folks look out for each other. Those bonds of friendship and community are tested when some of the inhabitants begin to turn into colourful ponies with strange powers and abilities...

Created with the assistance of my editors: Sandstorm94, Coyotethetrickster, Rejara and other foolishbrave souls.

Welcome to my very first commissioned story. Thanks to the kind support of my patron through Patreon I am able to try my hand at a kind of story I've never written before. This story will be updated monthly for as long as my patron wishes to pursue it.

Cover Art by Gab0o0
https://www.deviantart.com/gab0o0

A story from The Canary Files

As the centuries pass, cutie marks come and go. Some are common: the healing cross, the basic compass rose, the courier bag. Others are extinct: no more mercenary companies, no more mercenary marks. A few are incredibly scarce, coming along once a generation or less: the mark for luck falls into that category. A number only manifest when the call for them arrives: train tracks didn't appear until it was railroading time. But for the most part, ponies take their mark with its associated talent and magic as a blessing in their lives -- no matter what that mark turns out to be. And they accept it as they accept themselves.

Luna, in her first truly open palace session dealing with the public, is about to meet the exception: Joyous Release, a pony who wants nothing more than to be rid of her mark forever -- and every bit of the talent which comes with it.

But marks are permanent...

(This story takes place shortly after A Total Eclipse Of The Fun.)

Cover art by Harwick.

Part of the Triptych Continuum, which has its own TVTropes page and FIMFiction group. New members and trope edits welcome.

Now with author Patreon and Ko-Fi pages.

Discord has one friend. One. A single tie binding him to Equestria, a lone strand of pink tail hair keeping him in some sort of line. His interest in the world's welfare may exactly equal that of his friend's lifespan -- unless there's a next generation for him to adore. And so in the name of the realm's survival, Fluttershy is going to start dating, with Equestria's greatest expert in attracting ponies as her very reluctant prison-sentenced advisor. All Fleur has to do if she ever wants to come home again is get the world's most socially hesitant pony happily married off and pregnant, while constantly keeping Discord in the dark about what's truly happening.

What could possibly go wrong?

Now with author Patreon and Ko-Fi pages. TVTropes entry can be found here.

Cover art by Harwick. Please contact him for commission rates.

Flitter doesn't like most ponies. There's hardly anything in the world Flitter likes, very few which she can even remotely tolerate, and only a couple which she truly loves. Fluttershy is not in the last two categories. Flitter sees Fluttershy as weak, and weakness disgusts her.

But when you're trying to help someone you love, you'll look for help in a lot of places -- including the cottage of the weakest pony in the world.

And for those willing to listen past their pain, it might be the place where they start to learn what true strength is.

(This story takes place about five moons before Triptych and well after On The Application...)

Part of the Triptych Continuum, which has its own TVTropes page and FIMFiction group. New members and trope edits welcome.

Now with author Patreon and Ko-Fi pages.

Audiobook production by ObabScribbler.

This story is a sequel to Five Hundred Little Murders

There are ponies who insist on perceiving the Bearers as their Elements, and nothing more. Applejack is seen as having no qualities other than being honest. Rarity simply has to be generous even when doing so would hurt her. And Fluttershy must be kind. To those ponies, if she acted in any other way, no matter what the situation or provocation, it would mean she wasn't truly Kindness at all.

To see kindness as somepony's only possible response to everything is to take the first step in finding ways to abuse it.

To use kindness as the lone option can be worse.

Note: this is a direct sequel to Five Hundred Little Murders and this time, I will recommend reading that one first.

(Part of the Triptych Continuum, which has its own TVTropes page and FIMFiction group. New members and trope edits welcome.)

Now with author Patreon and Ko-Fi pages.

Five hundred years after the Discord's first defeat, a lone unicorn scientist makes an interesting discovery. Across Canterlot, over the last few centuries, accident rates have increased in the area around the Royal Palace. His work is ridiculed by his peers, but comes to the attention of the Princesses, who know exactly what is happening: Discord is waking up. With Luna and Celestia, he concocts a plan to stop the Lord of Chaos forever.

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Cover art butchered from UnderwoodART's render of the stained glass in S02E01.
This story is based on S1/S2 (Discord was never released and reformed) and sits within my Soot-Covered World canon, but is stand-alone. No knowledge of the other books is required.

All thanks to ascendant, NoeCarrier, turol, KMCA, Caliaponia and billymorph for their prereading and editing over the life of this story.

Tired of seeing the same old faces show up in the Everfree?
Can't stand to see one more 'meet the Mane Cast' sequence?
Sick onto death of seeing That One Tag appear in the New column?
Starting to wonder if there's still a single person in fiction or reality who hasn't been to Equestria?

Then welcome to World's Shortest Crossovers, in which the author takes your Comments suggestions -- mostly the sane ones -- and turns them into microfics! The people, settings, and occasional objects which you choose just might wind up as part of a tiny story! It's free! It's equal-opportunity! And it's guaranteed to be comprised of no more than 90% massive slaughter!

You know you want to...

(Author has both Patreon and Ko-Fi pages, but let's face it: they ain't gettin' any new referrals from this thing.)

As rationales go, you shouldn't allow first-year Gifted School students to have a project fair for the same reason you don't test dynamite by kicking it into the nearest wall. But since everypony else has moved on, the current school staff decided to show Celestia just how they were going to repeat the same old mistake. Because while this day may host ideas waiting for their time to come, that time is not now.

No matter how much anypony wants it to be.

(Part of the Triptych Continuum, which has its own TVTropes page and FIMFiction group: new members and trope edits welcome.)

Now with author Patreon and Ko-Fi pages.