Orphaned from birth, with only the memories of a soft touch and gentle voice to remember her by, Twilight yearns for her mother. What pony wouldn't want to know why they were abandoned, why they were left to be found by the Princess of the Sun herself.

That was nearly two decades ago though. Twilight was older now, and hopefully wiser. She is happy with her two best friends, Cadance and Shining Armor. They are like family to her, the brother and sister she never could have. Though dreams still haunt the young mare, dreams of lullabies and tender kisses, she has moved on.

The personal servant to the Princess of Helios, the land of the Sun, Twilight enjoyed both rank, and knowledge. But it also means that when Princess Luna comes to visit her old friend, Twilight is given the task of tending her. The Princess has come in search of marriage, at the behest of her ruling Council. They demand an heir to ward off the potentially catastrophic attacks of the neighboring dragons.

Soon, Twilight will be tested and tried. She will be given the a choice between the life she has known, and the duty she is sworn to. But never, not once, will she forget.

For who can stop loving their mother.

Applejack prepares for what she hopes to be the biggest apple sale of the year. And what better place to advertise such an event than the Ponyville Daily?

Except Rainbow Dash's new attention-grabbing antics keep stealing the front page, pushing Applejack's article aside. Frustrated , she confronts Rainbow Dash—only to escalate the situation for the worse in a town of media-crazed sensationalism.

Originally written for The Writeoff Association's Great Expectations contest.

Proofread by: Mayhew Cullen
Artwork by: HugsForPenguin

After a discussion in class, Twilight has a very important question to ask her mentor Princess Celestia.

Pre read by ZOMG, Jumbled Thought, Cerulean Voice and Zodiac.
Edited by Dont Look At My Name Bro

Celestia was always a "family mare". She always held up families as one of the greatest social institutions in the country. She is famously good with children. All of Equestria looks to her almost like some great parental figure. But for some reason she has always been childless herself.

Perhaps it's time to change that. She is, after all, married to the most wonderful mare she had ever known.

As everypony knows, Pinkie Pie can do impossible things. She can hover in midair without wings, play ten instruments at once, and even go days without breathing! Clearly some kind of magic is at work, but what could it be?

Pinkie decides it's finally time to tell her friends the whole, unvarnished truth.

Written for The Writeoff Association's "The Best Medicine" contest.

Finally, after years of begging, Celestia gives Twilight permission to access the Forbidden Wing of the Royal Library, a wing so secret even the other princesses can't access it. Twilight rushes to Canterlot, excited for the research potential.

Then she finds those books…

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It was no national secret.

Celestia always told her guards that nopony was to touch her mane. Ever. If terrorists broke into the castle and held her at swordpoint, they were to let her die before anypony touched her mane. If an adoring foal ever grasped for her flowing locks in the street then they were to be tackled as if they had held a knife to her throat. If she tripped at the top of the Unreasonably Long Staircase in the highest tower of the castle, broke her wings and began to slide over the edge of the stairs then they were to look on impassively as she fell rather than grasp her by her mane to save her.

Nopony was to touch Celestia's mane; it shouldn't have been a difficult command to obey. Somewhere in the depths of the Canterlot archives lay a twisted and malicious law on the subject and now, for the first time ever, she had to exercise it.

For fate had dealt her a hand worse then death, worse than damnation, worse even than Discord.

Fate chuckled, or perhaps cackled, and threw her a mane full of Pinkie Pie.

Due to an editing/publishing error, all of Twilight's friends have now 'officially' died of old age. This leaves an immortal Twilight to grieve over the tragedy of how she outlived all of her friends and will continue to do so for the rest of her eternal life.

Seeing the obvious pain that this news is having on Twilight, Princess Celestia moves to console her with the help of her supposedly-but-actually-not-really-deceased friends.

Cover image belongs to Shawnyall.

It's almost Mother's Day. Scootaloo comes to Rainbow Dash with a startling question, but then backs off, feeling ashamed she asked it. Rainbow Dash, taken off-guard by the question, starts to question both herself, how she feels about Scootaloo, and about her past...

Being a princess is stressful, but your peers and friends can certainly help.

That was what Twilight had in mind when she invited Luna over for tea one afternoon. A relaxing, friendly meeting between two fellow princesses where they can commiserate and share their experiences. An invitation to a stronger friendship than they had before, offered to a pony displaced in time.

What she got was an uncomfortable assertion about her relationship with her number one assistant, Spike. One that she is having difficulty refuting.