While on a week-long vacation at one of Equestria's quickly becoming popular vacation spots, Lunar Bay, the town where the night sky is rumored to be the most spectacular in the entire kingdom, Applejack is surprised to learn that Twilight and Rainbow plan to spend it in no different way than if they had stayed back in Ponyville. Applejack has easy solution to fix that, a friendly bet with the new alicorn and pegasus. A bet that may spark something new between the two ponies.

This is my submission for the 3rd Twidash group contest.

Set directly after the Tirek incident, Fluttershy and Discord are suffering, alone and apart. Fluttershy may have forgiven him, but she feels that she has failed her friend, and longs to understand Discord. Why wasn't she good enough, why did he betray them? Why hadn't he cherished their friendship as much as she had?

Discord, on the other hand, struggles from the pain of his own guilt, and doesn't even know who he is anymore. He doesn't want to lose the closest friend he has either, but he's positive that their relationship will never be the same again. He can't stand it.

They're falling apart, and the magic of the earth isn't happy about it. Then a cloaked stranger comes into the picture, and plants a mysterious flower...

Fluttershy only utters a simple request. "I wish I could understand you, Discord..."

Little does she know that such a wish entails much more than just an understanding...and her wish is granted in the most chaotic of ways--and the only one who can help her is the very friend she is trying to understand.

Image by trehcedasil!!!! :D

This story is a sequel to Aegis of the Hive

Natural selection. It is the byword of every changeling queen who has ever lived. The chief resource that has always curbed the hives' growth used to be love. Now though, with Queen Twilight Sparkle's bloodline capable of producing love on their own, the old guard of changeling morality has seen fit to acquire this ability for the next generation before removing all of their future royal daughters' competitors.

Some queens are far closer to this goal than others.

Editor in Chief: A Bitter Pill, and Boldish42

This story is a sequel to Of the Hive

Having fully embraced her new changeling heritage, Twilight Sparkle turns to the past to learn more about her people. A difficult task, given that every other queen cares next to nothing about it.

What she finds will shed unwanted light on a secret better left forgotten.

Editor in Chief: ABitterPill

Coverart: Tulip

This story is a sequel to Vanilla Twilight

Rainbow Dash has a problem.

She might be in love with Twilight Sparkle and has yet to admit it to anypony, least of all Twilight herself. After the events of Vanilla Twilight, the two have grown much closer together, spending more time together and sharing their interests. Unfortunately for Dash, Twilight hasn't caught on to her feelings yet, and she could be content with just letting things progress as they are...

If only she hadn't sent that blasted letter admitting it.

Now, thanks to a pair of meddling princesses, Rainbow Dash finds herself on a globe-trotting journey with the subject of her affections. On the surface, it might just seem like a simple task for the Princess, but for Rainbow Dash, it might be the very thing that forces her to come clean with her feelings, or forever face her doubts. For her, in the world of life and love, sometimes it's best to take it one dream and disaster at a time.

This story is a sequel to Spike's Pet

Exiled Diamond Dogs (Rover, Fido, and Spot) discover and try to steal the Elements from the Tree of Harmony so they can return to the Kingdom of Dimondia. That is, unless a certain draconequus has anything to do with it.

Note: You should also be able to follow this story well even if you've only read "Tirek's Shadow."

This story is a sequel to Learning ABCs - Adorable, Bothersome, Chaotic

Ever since Discord did NOT tell Twilight just who planted the seeds that nearly threw entire Equestria in disarray, Twilight has been giving this secretive relationship-y thingy some serious thought. But it is hard to hold Discord down from doing what he wants and getting what he wishes. It is going to be hard to juggle his chaotic persona with the harmonic balance of the kingdom she was chosen to rule.

It is also probably going to be quite funny.

In the wake of Chrysalis' failed invasion, a different hive breaks tradition and steps into the light to open relations with Equestria. The ever eager scholar, Twilight Sparkle, uses this truce as the perfect opportunity to learn more about this enigmatic race. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, she will learn all there is to know about what it means to be a changeling.

But will Twilight lose herself in the hive, or will she regain what she has lost? Only time will tell.

Featured on 9/24/13

My first featured story! You guys are awesome.

Story readings and cover art by Luminescent Skies: Click here for some audio novel treatment

My Editor in Chief: Cloud Hop

In the magical land of Equestria, two alicorn sisters raise the Sun and the Moon every day to give the world a night and day cycle, basic for the survival of life. There are also two alicorns who rule over two very core aspects of life and harmony itself. Those are Love and Friendship. While not as ancient as the two sisters, all princesses are essential to the world's balance.
This balance is also sustained by the hard-working ponies, who make the seasons change and manage the weather to fit their needs, so everypony has enough food and water, and every animal is also attended to assure that any of them are caught in the changes of seasons.

But what about the planet itself? What about Mother Nature?
This is the question that Gaia asks when she arrives to this foreign world. After so much work her son persuaded her to take a long vacation in Equestria, saying that she needed one and assuring her that he would be in charge now, and she must take a break. But what can a several billion-year old alicorn possibly do to pass her time in this land?

(SimEarth/MLP Crossover)
(Timelife of Gaia's life 'till the start of the story)

Dear Diary,
Looking back, a scientific, step-by-step plan is completely ineffective for social situations (Note to self: don't do them, ever). Inviting Princess Luna to a Pinkie Pie Hearth's Warming party, with a checklist of steps in your head, was an awful idea. There are too many variables that a checklist cannot prepare for, such as an entrancing outfit. The plan resulted in a spectacular failure of when awkward meets anxious.
For future use, a spreadsheet might be better.
- TS

A super-duper, awesomely-wonderful, amazing podcast review of this fic can be found here by Lapis Lazuli and Inky J! Seriously, they're great. <3
More Awesomeness! Doom Pie has done a super-duper reading for this fic! Thank you so much!

Cover art courtesy of the wonderful lovelyneckbeard, which can be found here.