A ten page short:
What if all the magic we see in the show is exactly what it appears to be? Does that concept scare you? It should.
After a shocking discovery changes his life, a young griffon follows in the hoofprints of his childhood hero, and mounts an expedition deep into the frozen west.

Both 'The Brightest Shine' and 'Piracy' redirect here, and with good reason; read on and it will make sense.

Fluttershy tends to a bonsai tree. It's a nice, quiet distraction.

Flitter doesn't like most ponies. There's hardly anything in the world Flitter likes, very few which she can even remotely tolerate, and only a couple which she truly loves. Fluttershy is not in the last two categories. Flitter sees Fluttershy as weak, and weakness disgusts her.

But when you're trying to help someone you love, you'll look for help in a lot of places -- including the cottage of the weakest pony in the world.

And for those willing to listen past their pain, it might be the place where they start to learn what true strength is.

(This story takes place about five moons before Triptych and well after On The Application...)

Part of the Triptych Continuum, which has its own TVTropes page and FIMFiction group. New members and trope edits welcome.

Now with author Patreon and Ko-Fi pages.

Audiobook production by ObabScribbler.

This story is a sequel to Tangled Roots

After Babs Seed moves in with her cousins and grandmother at Sweet Apple Acres, seven years and twenty-eight seasons of lessons about friendship, love, and the true meaning of family shape her into the mare she ultimately becomes.

What became of Babs Seed's mother and sister? Will the bobtailed foal ever see the ones she left behind again? How will the other Ponyville Cutie Mark Crusaders react to their fourth member earning her cutiemark before the rest? Is family what we are born into, or is it what we choose to create? And, ultimately, can a city-pony truly adapt to country life?

This is the second installment in the Tangled Roots timeline. "Sweet Apple Anthology" is a collection of sequential side-stories spanning across seven years after the end of the first story's final chapter and continuing to its Epilogue.

The story continues in the third installment, Severed Roots.

A big thanks to Lulubell for the awesome cover image.

Now with a TVTropes page! Thanks to vren55 for putting it up!

Rated Teen for some language, violence, and darker elements.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders know that Babs Seed was bullied back in Manehatten, but how bad could things really have been? And how does Babs feel about returning to the city and the ponies who have hurt her the most?

(Note: to avoid confusion, the first few chapters of this story deal with past events that occurred before "One Bad Apple". I will add an Author's Note to the chapter that begins the "present" state of events and continues forward from there.)

Followed by Sweet Apple Anthology and Severed Roots.

Now with a TVTropes page! Thanks to vren55 for putting it up!

Rated Teen for some violence, language, and darker elements.

Pinkie Pie has always served admirably as the Element of Laughter, and it's time for the princesses to show their appreciation. In fact, they have a special assignment for her, something they've never tried. It will be the best surprise she ever had.

Third-place winner in the /fic/ write-off "The First Time."

Featured on Equestria Daily!

Thanks to Scott "Inquisitor" M for critique of my rough draft.

Lightning Dust wakes up late, to another grey, gloomy day. She's cold and tired, and she's never felt so terrible in her life. But really, all she needs is to get back into a routine, or to see her friends, or to sleep a little bit longer... then she'll be fine.

Really.

Inspiration.

"Jesus, man."
—TheAspiringWriter93

"I'm sad now. Like.. you don't even know."
—thedarkprep

Dramatic reading by Limey Reads

When Trixie finds a magic mane pin that will make everypony love and adore her, she decides to use it to get revenge on the residents of Ponyville, one group in particular. But there are some things about friendship that she never expected...

This story replaces "Magic Duel" chronologically.

Approved for The Goodfics Bin!

Dale was your average bloke from Northern Ireland. Except that he hated the colour green. Everything pretty much unravelled from there.

Now he's in Equestria with a giant chip on his shoulder, and Equestria shall rue the day they ever heard the name Dale Burke.

(Shameless, aren't I?)