Be it ancient menace or new threat, diplomatic snafu or domestic concern, monster attack or friendship problem, Twilight Sparkle and her friends have always risen to the challenge.

That's a bit of an issue this time around, when the challenge is a marked absence of Twilight Sparkle.

“Come and see,/How the wind in your hair will feel differently,/Catch and release,/The lure above.” -Silversun Pickups, ‘Catch & Release’

After a long week, Yona is exhausted and just wants a quick nap before dinner. However, in her sleep, the yak has made herself comfortable against Sandbar, who is unsure of what exactly to do in this situation.

Cover art commissioned from LateCustomer.
Pre-read and edited by a friend who wishes to remain anonymous.

Shining Armor is... mostly aware of what his little sister's been up to since the Friendship Games. Cadence keeps him in the loop, but she refuses to talk about some topics, insisting that it isn't her place to discuss them. When his phone rang a few moments ago, he thought Twilight had finally decided the time was right.

He's not entirely wrong, but he'll soon wish he had been.

An entry in the Shining Armor is a Terrible Dad Competition.

Stories about monsters disguised as treasure chests were thought to be no more than legends.

But when Sunburst finds the last one in existence, the Changelings come to the Crystal Empire with a demand: kill it and send the species to extinction.

This story is based on a suggestion by LordMentat!

As far as Flurry is concerned, she's a perfectly normal filly with a pretty ordinary life. Sure, her house is somewhat larger than average and maybe there's the whole 'horn and wings' thing. But she goes to school with everypony else, her parents both do mostly-boring work for the local government and just like nearly every other firstborn, her father obsessively recorded her foalhood.

The photo albums are bad enough.

The crystal showcase galleries may have gone a little too far.

Absolutely not an entry for the Shining Armor is a Terrible Dad 2024 Competition, but was inspired by its existence.

(Now with author Patreon and Ko-Fi pages.)

Prophesy says that Twilight Sparkle will not outlive her friends.

To preserve the Princess, her friends must survive.

They may not be immortal - but one year can become a thousand at the speed of light.

An entry for Science Fiction Contest II, where it took a Committee Prize!

Additional tags for spoiler purposes: My Little Pony: A New Generation ; Mane 5

Featured 3/23/2023 - 3/28/2023!

And featured on Equestria Daily on 4/4/2023!

Thanks to my pre-readers: The Sleepless Beholder, Dewdrops on the Grass, daOtterGuy, and Avery Day.

The Tree of Harmony loomed large before Gilda.

This was her one shot.

Taking a deep breath, she began her case. "Harmony, I have come to bargain."

Featured 8/19/2021 - 08/23/2021!

Twilight discovers, as ruler of Equestria, she is the one that makes the law and the one that is the last word of what the existing ones mean. Their wording feels a bit outmoded as cases come before her.

Done as a random challenge from the fine folks on the FimFiction Discord.

5 contributions to the Ponyville Ciderfest 2023 Storytelling Adventure App AKA 5 tales from the Book of All Stories.

For those who don't know: The Ponyville Ciderfest Storytelling Adventure was an interactive story that ran throughout the 3-day convention in 2023. An "Alternate Reality Game" that involved actors, events, quests, and an interactive app that contained dozens upon dozens of bite-sized stories. These stories were unlocked using code words hidden around the convention, and each one offered multiple endings that would contribute pages from the Book of All Stories to one of three factions.

It was an honor to participate in the event, even though I could not attend the convention myself. The five stories below are my contributions, with their code words and all possible endings. Each story will have a brief description at the top, and the endings will be separated into separate chapters for a true CYOA experience.

I hope you enjoy these few scattered pages.

Once upon a time, in a story we all know and love. There was a unicorn, who shined as bright as the sun, she was a prodigy in magic and Princess Celestia’s prized pupil. One day, she was sent to Ponyville and met her best friends: Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy. She and her friends were able to defeat any foe that came their way, and spread friendship and harmony throughout Equestria... that is, until Opaline Arcana came, she wanted power, all of it, she even stole the dragon magic, and became a Fire Alicorn. Twilight knew she wouldn’t be able to stop her, so instead, she put Ponykind’s magic into three gems, and put an invisi-bubble around Equestria, so that the evil Alicorn could never harm them again, but the seeds she had planted started growing until each of the three tribes took their gem and separated. Until an earth pony, Sunny Starscout reunited Equestria with Izzy Moonbow, Pipp Petals, Zipp Storm, and Hitch Trailblazer in one MASSIVE quest. Together, they created new magic and defeated the alicorn that even Twilight couldn’t beat.

But I’m trailing off, aren’t I? Ahem, you know that story, obviously, but I wanna show you a story, where Twilight Sparkle, Sunny Starscout, and their friends existed simultaneously.

"There are twelve Elements of Harmony, but only eleven are known so far." Twilight read as she flipped to the next page. "Honesty, Selflessness, Kindness, Empathy, Laughter, Creativity, Generosity, Confidence, Loyalty, Courage, and Hope, the twelfth is a total mystery..."