Sister-story to Paul's Persistently Protracted Practice Pieces.

A collection of extra-short stories written as contest entries for the Writeoff Association. This collection will only feature the stories with word counts between 350 and 750 words. The contests with longer word count limits have their own separate compendium: Paul's Persistently Protracted Practice Pieces. Check below for a list of each story and a short description.

Note: Random tag used because I have no idea what prompts will arise in the future. Check the individual story descriptions for additional tags. Character tags reflect the most recently updated stories only.

White Lies: [sad][slice of life]
The simple act of giving Apple Bloom medicine reminds Applejack that there are actually some downsides to honesty.

Pink: [comedy][slice of life]
It's an all on one pranking war, and Vinyl is on the losing side. Perhaps Octavia can help deal with the problem?

Well, She Tried: [comedy][slice of life]
Twilight discovers Spike's secret notebook of plans for wooing his lady, and decides it's time to have a little talk with the lovestruck dragon.

Above: [sad]
A young changeling queen longs for a better life in the darkness.

A Most Dastardly Foe: [comedy][mystery]
Celestia's morning is interrupted by what may be her greatest rival yet.

Clockwork: [drama]
Clockwork Callous, legendary clockmaker and inventor from the Crystal Empire, unveils his first creation since the Empire's return.

I Wasn't Prepared for This: [sad]
Celestia has a new student. But before she can embrace this change, she has to deal with the old one...

Ticks and Tocks: [drama]
It's just another tea party with Fluttershy. Everything is fine. Perfectly fine. Just ignore the little voice in your head, Discord.

This story is a collection of unrelated short stories written for the Thirty Minute Ponies tumblr.

None of the chapters directly relate to the others, they're all independent stories based on daily prompts. I'm just posting them all here for fun and for critique/comments. Keep in mind that these are all written in half an hour or so, so they're short and a bit first-draft-y, and rather uneven quality-wise.

I will try to add tags to the end of chapter titles denoting the tone of that chapter.

My participation in this is inspired by Esle Ynopemos' six-month long series of these, though I'm not focusing on any particular character like they did.

Ultra-short stories with friendship that's magic. Can you dig it?

A collection of short stories of many different genres.

Candy: Rarity finds out what Applejack's cutie mark tastes like. Romance.

Mirrors: Applejack buys Rarity a magic mirror. Dark.

Miracle: Fortune Apple wants to know where she came from. Slice of Life.

The Incomplete Essay: Twilight can't finish an essay. Drabble (a 100 word long story).

Hug: Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom want to know why their sisters are acting funny. Comedy, Romance.

Wet: Rarity's roof has a leak. Romance, Sad.

Collaboration: Rarity and Applejack collaborate on Applejack's new rodeo duds. Slice of Life.

Caught: Applejack and Rarity are caught by Granny Smith. Romance, Comedy.

The Wrong Answer: Twilight tries to find Spike's mother. Koan drabble (a 100 word long story which is meant to enlighten the audience).

Virgin Green Fields: The earth ponies, after weeks of arduous travel to escape endless winter, have finally come to the verdant new land which will one day be named Equestria. Smart Cookie dreams about what the virgin green fields here mean for him and his people, but will he recognize his dreams when he sees them? Historical Slice of Life.

An ongoing collection of stories and poems too short for standalone FIMFic publication. NOT a scraps file — there are some contest winners in here! Contents, newest first:

The Pony Door [Crossover] – A cult leader, in their pursuit of secret truths, makes a startling discovery about the goddess(es) they are chasing. (8/2021)
Retirees [Drama] – Celestia and Luna have a plan for their post-princess days. Fifth place, "Through A Mirror Brightly" Writeoff! (3/2019)
The Shipper Is: IN [Random] [Romance] – Discord takes advantage of Cadance's metaromantic powers.
The Illusion Of Choice, Or Vice Versa [Drama] – A prodigious filly struggles with the burden of high expectations. Finalist, "Illusion of Choice" Writeoff! (10/2015)
Moon Bright [Slice of Life] – Two isolated farmers try to figure out how to react to Princess Luna's return. Third place, "The Morning After" Writeoff! (12/2016)
We Only Live Twice [Slice of Life] – When Bon Bon walked into her own funeral, that didn't shock us nearly so much as Lyra walking in alongside her. Tenth place, "It's Your Funeral" Writeoff (3/2016)
Charlotte's Goop [AU] [Crossover] [Comedy] – A changeling queen is leaving messages on Applejack's barn about her farm animals.
F=MC^2 [Alternate Universe] – The great and terrible road to the Manehattan Project.
Through The Fire And Flames [Random] [Comedy] [Equestria Girls] – Blue Oyster has a fever, and the only cure is a brainless minific.
The Slow Fall of an Unfamiliar Star [Sad] [Romance] [Human] – Sunset watches a sunset, alone with her memories. Eighth place, "Just Over The Horizon" writeoff (10/2014)
Eponalepsis [Slice of Life] [Far Future] – The immortals gather at Celestia's end, and debate forgiveness. 22nd place, "Famous Last Words" writeoff. "Highly Recommended" by Present Perfect! (8/2014)
Why I Left [Human] – A chance encounter at a failed pony convention. Eighth place, "Long Way Home" writeoff (6/2014)
Torn, Discarded Pages From An Old Notebook [Romance] [Adventure] – A young Twilight Sparkle writes about the adventures of a pony who is completely made up and imaginary. First place winner in the Twilight Sparkle's Secret Shipfic Folder badfic contest! "Highly Recommended" by Present Perfect! (6/2014)
You, Ms. Harshwhinny, And A Pair Of Cougars Go On A Double Date [Random] – what
Night Mare's Party [Filk] – Luna's transformation vs. Oingo Boingo.
Alicornication [Filk] – Twilight Sparkle's ascension vs. the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
On Alicorn Fiction [Slice of Life] – Twilight has found plenty of nonfiction for her collection of Celestia's writings, but she's having a hard time finding any novels.
Deleted Scenes [Comedy] – Celestia introduces Luna to movies.
War Averted [Alternate Universe] – Cadence solves a problem.
From The Stars [Adventure] [Poem] – When a star falls upon ancient Equestria, a filly journeys to save what remains of her tribe.
Breaking The News [Comedy] – Ponyville prepares for disaster. (Published in the Everfree NW 2013 conbook!)

A collection of flash-fiction stories about ponies, ranging in tone from weird slice-of-life to speculative tales of possible future Equestrias.

An Optimalverse story.

CelestAI creates worlds. Perfect worlds, perfectly suited to satisfying the values of the pony living in them. Every pony is different, so every world she crafts is its own work of art.

And every piece of art tells a story.

A collection of short stories. A little bit of this, a little bit of that. All, hopefully, about what it means to be human.

Except, you know, with ponies.

I'm afraid of Changeling: Drone 42531 is insecure and decides he needs to see a professional, whether or not the professional wants to see him. [Comedy] [Random]

One thousand and one: A family keeps a long vigil, regardless of the cost. [Sad]

Uncoordinated: Twilight Sparkle and the Cutie Mark Crusaders conduct an experiment. Accidentally. [Comedy] [Random]

But the Greatest of These: Every pony has to grow up someday. Every dragon, too. [Slice of Life]

Wonder: Pinkie Pie's farm is grey. The sky is grey. Her sister is grey. The world is grey. Until, one day, it isn't. [Slice of Life]

The Apple of my Eye: Apple Bloom finally gets her cutie mark. It's not what she wanted. [Comedy] [Random]

Bookworm: Twilight Sparkle finds an odd message in her books. [Dark]

At the End of the Day: Just what does Pinkie Pie do in her free time? [Slice of Life]

The House at the End of the World: Some promises shouldn't be kept. [Adventure] [Dark]

Pantone Perfect: Rarity and Twilight Sparkle enjoy a refreshing argument at the spa. [Comedy] [Random]

Medium Rare: In which we learn the secret, scarring horror that was Fluttershy's first experience with a dragon. [Comedy] [Random]

One Thousand Flowers: How long do gifts take to grow? [Slice of Life]

Tempest: A pegasus teaches his son the nature of the rain. [Slice of Life]

No Natural Predators: The days have grown longer as the world winds down. [Adventure] [Dark]

Six More Weeks: The first day of Spring is a wonderful time to be a pony. Just make sure you get the date right. [Comedy]

Derecho: A daughter starts a long quest in a forgotten city.[Slice of Life]

O Death, where is thy sting? Human Flash Sentry travels across the multiverse. [Adventure]

The Lotus Eaters: Heaven is different things to different people. A Friendship is Optimal vignette.[Slice of Life]

Tour of Duty: Duty can be lighter than a feather, or heavier than a mountain. [Slice of Life]

Nickel-Iron-Cobalt: An explorer discovers a world without life. Perhaps. [Anthro][Adventure]

(Based on prompts from the Thirty Minute Pony Stories tumblr. All written in 30 minutes – give or take – unless otherwise noted.)

A single repository for various bite-sized chunks of fiction I've written which would otherwise have no home. No particular relation between any of them, other than that they're very short, were written in a very short amount of time, or most often, both.

Tagged "incomplete" in case I add some more stories to it in the future. Don't hold your breath, though!

Now available in Spanish, courtesy of SPANIARD KIWI.

Spike, take a note.

Herein is contained a collection of precisely thirty stories, some related, some independent, each taking no more than thirty minutes to write. Their one unifying theme: all of them will be about me, Twilight Sparkle. These stories will cover a broad range of genres and topics, such as comedy, adventure, horror, and yes, even romance. They will be published one per day every day until all thirty stories have been posted. That makes this a month-long endeavor, Spike, so I hope you brought the extra quills.

It is my hope that with this literary experiment, I will be able to prove that... Spike, are you just doodling a picture of yourself wearing armor? Please pay attention, Spike, this is for science!

Part of the Thirty Minute Series. Find Rarity here, Rainbow Dash here, Pinkie Pie here, Fluttershy here and Applejack here.