Octavia was always one for competition. Unless, that is, the competition is forced upon her by the mare of her nightmares. And it's not that she's ever had a problem with Canterlot nightlife; she just has a problem with ponies named Vinyl Scratch. Not that anypony knows why, though, and Octavia isn't about to share embarrassing secrets.

Story concept and first chapter by Lynked
And thanks to Noc for the editing.

"Gather round, I got a bit of a story to tell. It don't got much to do with princesses, dragons and the like- not even much of a happily ever after. But things worked themselves out all the same."

"This is the tale of a little filly, no older than the ones you see scurrying about town- futures as bright as their smiles."

"The Kid ain't have it so lucky."

"Her classmates, even some of her friends would poke fun at her. Some even called her a chicken.

Children can be cruel like that.

One day, Kid got some news, started believing all that hogwash. Broke her little heart something fierce. But between you and me, Kid had more guts than any chicken I seen."

"I should know, because I was there..."

(Narrated in the voice of Ruck from Bastion.)

Kuno, a young changeling, is left weak, bloodied, and bruised after the events of the Canterlot wedding. She is soon discovered by Warden, a Royal Guard. But for some reason, Warden shows her mercy. Instead of taking her into the custody of the Royal Guard, he becomes both her captor and her savior. But over time, Kuno will come to ask herself the hardest question she has ever pondered: Can a changeling feel love?

Twilight and Trixie go through the adventure of life together, the other as their sister. Things go smooth for both mares, but as fillies their lives are more than unusual. While Trixie fights homework, school work, everything else that involves work, as well as her mother, Twilight stands alone as a golden child. More often than not, the sweet alumna sees herself saving Trixie from trouble around every corner. As Trixie lives life to the fullest, exploiting her sister for everything she could, Twilight prefers the quiet way, keeping Trixie in line as best she could.

Holding in emotions is never good. Keep them buried for too long, and eventually they burst out at the wrong time. Both Rarity and Rainbow Dash have a secret they have been hiding from their friends, specifically from a certain shy, animal-loving pegasus mare. They've finally decided to come clean, but neither of them counted on the other revealing the truth, much less at the same time.

Now Fluttershy is stuck with an impossible choice between her two best friends. Can she choose one without risking her friendship with the other?

"Sex" tag due to innuendo and suggestive material. No actual sex happens in this story.

Author's Note: Many, many thanks to Steel Resolve and Karrakaz for pre-reading and letting me know when I screw up. Now with new cover art, courtesy of johnhilist over at deviantart.