Life can be tough when you're part of the in-crowd, so it helps to have a few friends you can turn to. For one filly, realizing who those friends are might mean losing the only friend she's ever known. If only she had the courage to face her biggest fear, things might be different.

Maybe this year...

This is an update to the 4th place finisher in the January 2015 "All In" Writeoff.

Special thanks to sunnypack and Titanium Dragon for pre-reading the update and all the wonderful reviews from The Writeoff Association group. You guys rock!

Twilight Sparkle was thrilled to find her place as Princess of Friendship. But what is a Princess of Friendship without her friends? When Applejack comes to her to have an important conversation, Twilight is reminded that some of her friends have places of their own.

Part of the "All In" minific writeoff.

That was the summer nine hundred and sixty three years after Discord's fall, when everyone called me Chryssy and I knew better than to correct them. That was before Princess Luna was banished, when ponies and changelings mingled without fear. When all I wanted was to best my sisters and become queen. When finding a mate was the furthest thing on my mind. That was the summer we went to the Macintosh Hills, on the border of changeling and pony lands...

A ponification/parody of Dirty Dancing. 8th place finalist in the December 2014 Writeoff, "Behind Closed Doors". Thanks to kp-shadowsquirrel for the artwork!

Doctor Hooves has the solution for everything that ails Ponyville's most unique patients.

A fun little one-shot written originally for the December 2014 Writeoff competition under the prompt "Behind Closed Doors".

This story is meant as pure comedy with the potential to draw awareness to a very real and debilitating disorder.

Please note: This is NOT a Doctor Who crossover fic!

Deep in the Whitetail Woods, an artificial set of stone doors has been re-discovered after a millennia. Eager to uncover its origins, Princess Twilight leads a group of archaeologists and reporters to the site.

Expecting nothing more than ancient relics, the party finds itself up against what the Vault truly hides.

In the dark, fear lives.

The expanded and much improved edit of the original fic submitted for the Writeoff's 'Behind Closed Doors' December prompt.

Stress levels were already high, with Twilight directing her first royal Hearth's Warming pageant and unexpected snowstorms escaping the Everfree. Then the changeling army arrived.

Now, with Queen Chrysalis holding Ponyville hostage and the clock ticking on suspiciously pointless negotiations, it's up to Rarity to match wits with the invaders and save the holiday. However, as she digs ever deeper into the queen's tangled plot, what she learns could force her to choose between her friendships and her conscience.

Off-season note: This is a Hearth's Warming story like Die Hard is a Christmas movie (but with espionage instead of explosions). Don't skip it just because the holiday's over.

Critical praise:

"A high-tension thriller where nothing is what it seems." — Titanium Dragon (rating: "Highly Recommended")

"An entertaining ride from start to finish … watching all the pieces fall into place is fantastic." — Present Perfect (rating: "Highly Recommended")

"Props to horizon for an intricate web of deception. Most writers have difficulty with crafting mysteries … this one, however, had me completely fooled from beginning to end." — PaulAsaran (rating: "Why Haven't You Read This Yet?")

"It’s a rare mystery and thriller that can keep things tense and make the mystery actually tough to guess as you go along, while still feeling like a natural conclusion. ... The end result of layers unveiled and red herrings contradicted makes it sing." — Ghost Mike (rating: "Really Good")

Second-place winner in the "Behind Closed Doors" December writeoff, now expanded and revised! Featured on EqD! Rated "Recommended" by MLPmatthewl419!

Big thanks to Titanium Dragon for post-Writeoff editing assistance.

Comments contain spoilers!

Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns is famous across Equestria as a center of academic excellence. Only the best and brightest unicorns are offered places, selected by their academic merit, magical ability and passion for study. To make the admissions process as fair and reliable as possible, all candidates are given three exams by different teams of examiners, who then meet in private to decide which students are most deserving of a place.

Winner of the December 2014 Writeoff competition: Behind Closed Doors.

Rarity helps a beautiful mare pick out the perfect hat in her boutique.

As seen on Equestria Daily.

Ahuizotl threatens to sue A. K. Yearling for libel unless she stops writing the Daring Do books. She makes him a counter-offer.

Based on the November 2014 prompt from The Writeoff Association, "Title Drop," the original version of this story won second place in that month's contest.

Fed up with the constant complaints against Prince Blueblood, Celestia resorts to drastic measures to help fix the problem.

*Updated for FimFiction posting*

Originally written for the November 2014 Writeoff — "Title Drop". Check out the competition here. Follow the conversation here. Leave your comments below!
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