Rainbow Dash and Applejack have cherished the years gone by at one another’s side, but beneath the wear of time, the fuel that is love can turn to ash and smother the flames they hold dear.

Beyond the smoke rising from the cinders, they face an uncertain future. Now, they must come to terms with the harsh truth that, sometimes, love alone isn't enough to keep a marriage burning bright.

Historian’s Note:
Spectrum of Gray occurs about fifteen years after Princess Twilight Sparkle’s ascension.

Cast: Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle & Granny Smith

Entry into the AppleDash "Second Chances" Contest.

Cover Design by Novel Idea
Sweet Apple Acres Background by bronyb34r
Sweet Apple Acres Barn by Jeatz-Axl
Small Cloudiminium: Customized from Screenshot by Novel Idea

Header Designs
Twilight Sparkle Cutie Mark by Intbrony 
Applejack Cutie Mark by BlackGryph0n
Rainbow Dash Cutie Mark by BlackGryph0n
Granny Smith Cutie Mark by The Smiling Pony

Beta Reader & Editor Credits
Ebon Quill: Audio Director & Quest Designer on The Manehattan Project
Little Tinker: Master of Systems at Poniverse & Scripting Engineer on The Manehattan Project
Beltorn: Commenter-at-Large on FimFiction
Cursori: Reader of Many a Pony Word

Special Guest Beta Readers & Editors
Monochromatic - Patron Saint of RariTwi
Oroboro - Expert in Emotional Devastation
Crystal Wishes - One Who Understood
Swan Song - Specialist of Sass and Snark
Corejo - Synopsis Nitpicker Brainstormer

Word Count: 18,000 words
Version: 2.3

For the mare who's forever and always honest, it's damn near impossible keeping your most passionate and heartfelt confessions a secret. Thankfully, there's a hat for that.

As a young orphaned foal of Sombra’s University, Twilight foiled an attempt on the life of Princess Celestia, the immortal ruler of the great nation of Celestine. In gratitude, Celestia took Twilight Sparkle under her wing as her personal protégée.

Years later, a new conspiracy is spreading across the nation, and centuries old legends are coming back to life. When a pony from beyond the Heavenly Barrier appears, Twilight is swept into a plot that not even the Barriers themselves can stop. The fall of Celestine looks to be only the beginning.

And there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight.

Many thanks to my editor Destella Morningdew for helping me with this endeavour! The beautiful cover art belongs to WhiteDiamondsItd. Seriously, go check both of them out. Some character tags are not shown for the maximum satisfaction of the reader (spoilers).

The past and the future sat in a room. The future stared in awe at the past, the fear of expectation and heritage beginning to gnaw at her. The past only smiled, as the future looked bright.

Great thanks to my friends who helped along the way;
Pre-reader: Empty Shelf
Editor: Matthewl419
Cover art originally by Grey, I simply added text.
Featured on 8/16/2017!

Rainbow Dash has rather a poor reputation when it comes to her workload. Everypony always thinks of her as the pony who takes three naps during daylight hours, and four on weekends, and always seems to be looking for something to do to pass the time. All of this is true, of course. But ponies seem to think this means that she must not ever get very much work done.

Can the weather captain for all of Ponyville really be as lazy as she seems? Is that the only explanation for Rainbow Dash's free time and constant napping?

The weather is a full-time job. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. And the worst weather happens at night.

So weather ponies have strange sleeping habits.

Set before the events of the show.

Spanish translation by Spaniard Kiwi on DeviantArt.
Audiobook reading by My name is R on Youtube.

Set a couple days after the near-disaster that was Rarity's fashion debut for new up-and-coming designers (Honest Apple), this story is about two ponies who tried to ignore and shove away their feelings.

After Rarity finds out from Apple Bloom that Applejack sometimes goes out to some unknown location in the orchards to work off stress. And that she's been gone out there for a couple days this time, she makes her way to Sweet Apple Acres; determined to find out what is wrong with her friend.

Oh wow! Was featured on 7/21/17!

While practicing a new trick for the Wonderbolts, Rainbow Dash crashes into the Everfree. After a desperate search fails to find her, Rainbow's friends wonder if they will ever see the Wonderbolt again. After sixteen days, a tired, worn and wounded Dash exits the forest.

What happened to her during those fifteen days?
How did she survive while lost in the wilderness?
And why did she rush back into the Everfree the day after escaping it?

The Grand Galloping Gala is awful.

It can banish itself to the nearest heavenly body willing to put up with it, for all Celestia cares.

That doesn't change that fact that she has to be there, as head of state.

But maybe, just maybe, with a little help, it will be different this year.

Written for FanOfMostEverything's Imposing Sovereigns Contest.

Applejack realizes one morning that Rainbow Dash has apparently moved in with her. This discovery surprises Dash more than a little, too, and sets off a chain of events neither could have imagined.

The original minific version of this story came in fifth in the Dec. 2015 Writeoff Association contest, "Things Left Unsaid." And the full, three-chapter-and-an-epilogue version won 3rd place in The Fourth AppleDash Contest: A Little Twist of Lemon using the categories "A Life-Changing Event" and "An Important or Memorable Date."

Twilight is a hammer in want of a nail. Sunset would rather a good screw.

A dramedy.

A commission for Shogoki. Proofread by MrNumbers, Octavia Harmony, and Themaskedferret. Special thanks to Selbi.