Hard lives breed hard ponies, whether by choice or by need. A chance meeting, a kindness rebuffed, and a direction of travel shared all lead to a journey of self-discovery on two fronts.

Cover is a composite of images from the talented artists Murphylaw4me and Dufy.

Five ponies, a gazebo, and a rain shower: There should be a joke here, but instead it's just five mare friends having to take shelter somewhere in the middle of an afternoon shower, and trying to make the best of it.

"United together as part of this world,
Our intentions combined, our purpose the same,
Gath’ring the six, we seek out another,
Part of the essence from whence we all came."

Some worlds are real, others merely fiction. But all are equally true. Their boundaries lie only in the thoughts and imaginations of those which inhabit them.

Drawn out of her world by an unknown force, Princess Celestia begins to learn about the true nature of her reality, her world's place in the cosmos, and herself.

She's lost, without any idea how or why. Now she's completely isolated on an unknown world with no way to get home...a world she has found to be loud, scary, and rather alien. With only a white rabbit to keep her company, how will a lone pegasus pony survive?

Rated T for violence, language, and suggestive material.

For thousands of years, mules have used their mystical martial arts to protect the very ponies who despise them, but when the scandalous "Cakegate" photos reveal Princess Celestia for the confection-snarfing tyrant she truly is, the mules decide it's time for a regime change. It's time to assassinate Princess Celestia!

Featured on Equestria Daily on 6/11/2012, Star-5 Story.

Inspiration is Rarity's Element, and Sweetie Belle her greatest achievement. But the filly has questions, ones that Rarity might not be able to answer on her own. What makes a pony? How can somepony know if they really are alive? Are they alive if they laugh and cry? Are they alive if they think, if they make mistakes and have ideas?

If Sweetie Belle is nothing more than a collection of wires, is she truly alive?

Spanish Translation now available through this elegantly crafted link!

Your name is Dr. Bones Do. You are a 20 year old unicorn and are an esteemed archeologist in charge of researching, tracking, and finding ancient artifacts of great value. So in short words, your a treasure hunter with a doctorate. Many ponies look up to you, but no pony respects, loves, and admires you more than your adventurous sister; Daring Do. This is a story about brotherly love.
(This story takes place when Daring Do is 17 years old and sets out on her first adventure with you, her brother)
(Picture by Archonitianicsmasher)

How deep does a friendship go?

Does surpass the conventions and taboos of society?

Does it overpower the scorn of others?

For Twilight and Spike, this has always been the case; their deep bond formed under the watchful eye of Princess Celestia during their long years in Canterlot.

But for Rarity, a mare known for her superficial view of the world, this question has always remained open, until a chance encounter reveals a dreadful secret about Spike that could drive both him and Twilight from Ponyville.

Horrified beyond belief, and pushed to the very edge of her relationship with the two, Rarity will see exactly how far her friendship to a scatterbrained librarian and her reptilian assistant will take her.

Nopony ever said the friendship between Fluttershy and Discord would be an easy one. The difference in their life expectancies doesn’t help, but that’s a problem Discord can fix with a snap of the talons—that is, until Fluttershy finds out. Discord isn’t one to give up easily, though. He’ll do anything to keep his one and only friend. Anything.

Inspired by the image by C-Puff.

There is now a video review! And still another video review! And Russian and French translations! And there are dramatic readings from Joehighlord and Dr. Wolf! But wait! There's more: Dr. Wolf has collaborated with Meb90 and a team of other talented artists to produce something amazing.

For years Nightmare Moon was considered "nothing but an old pony tale," but what did those tales actually say about her? See Luna, Celestia, and Discord as viewed through pony myths and legends.

I may add more short stories on in the future as new chapters.

Image courtesy of anbolanos91 on Deviant Art. Thank you! :)