You ended up in Equestria about two years ago, and in that time, you've become quite close with a number of ponies. Of them, Rarity in particular has left a major impression on you. She seems to enjoy having you around, and you appreciate the company.

That said, there is one major roadblock getting in the way of your relationship. More than anypony you know, Rarity is extremely concerned with keeping up appearances. As a fashion designer and all-around fabulous mare, she frequently wants your opinion on how she looks.

Unfortunately for you, you're a human with no way of telling what makes a pony "beautiful."

Nature is a beautiful thing. That is especially true in Equestria, and you love every minute that you spend here.

Well, with the exception of one evening each year.

When good ol' nature says that it's the time of year for mares to be ready to reproduce, most have prepared more than enough methods of dealing with their urges one way or another. For most, it's about a week or two of mild discomfort. For alicorns, it's about six hours of uncontrollable urges and pure instinct.

And seeing as how you are the husband of the now-retired Celestia, you have every reason to fear for your life tonight.

There is no clop in this story, I swear.

This story is a sequel to Bed Bug

It was two months ago that you and Chrysalis struck a deal. Now, the two of you live together in your Ponyville home, under the condition that you share your love with the ex-queen while she... doesn't do villain stuff. You've grown quite close in that time, but despite getting her to slowly come out of her shell around you, she still refuses to leave the house.

So when you wake up one day to discover that she has contracted some sort of illness, it comes as a bit of a shock. She has apparently never been sick before, and you don't know enough about changelings to help her yourself. It seems like the only solution is to find somecreature who does.

However, the past is not so easily forgotten. How can you get help when the Changeling Kingdom wants nothing to do with her? When the wounds that she caused run so deep that even children bear their scars? When Chrysalis herself is so stubborn, so prideful, that she is unwilling to admit her fault in any of it?

When is a crime too terrible to forgive?

For a human that ended up in an alien world full of talking ponies, you've been living a surprisingly boring life. Sure, you have friends and go on adventures and stuff, but you don't really have a "purpose" per se. At least, you didn't until about a month ago, when a "heinous villain" that had been turned to stone went missing from Canterlot. Now, there's a washed-up queen crashing in your basement and stealing your love.

If only you could get her to admit that she doesn't actually steal it from you.

Opal is disturbing Rarity's sleep. She tries to ignore it.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

The sound again and again, tapping on her door. The young mare could only try to ignore the tapping and the scratching at her door.

When Apple Bloom goes missing, Applejack desperately searches for her missing sister. She finds Apple Bloom trapped inside a well. But what she pulls out may not be her sister at all.

Artwork provided by Glen Gorewood

Youtube reading: "The Well" by Sparrow9642

2nd Reading: The Well by Mystery Pony Fiction

Trapped in the body of a filly. Alone with a psychopath for a caregiver. Could Nonny's life possibly get any worse? Turns out, the answer is a big yes. It can always get worse. Much like Rob Schneider, Nonny is about to discover that being Twilight Sparkle's daughter isn't all it's cracked up to be. Rated PG-13.

This story is adapted from a greentext I wrote a couple of years ago; you can read the original here if you'd like. This will be the first installment of what will (hopefully) be an ongoing effort to adapt my better greens into formal prose. Since today is Halloween, I decided to start with my creepiest one. Comments and feedback appreciated. Enjoy.

A short existential horror. Apple Bloom accidentally time travels a fraction of a second into the past, and realises she's the only one there. The world continues on around her, yet she's not in it.

The present is an infinitely thin span of time bordered by endless past and future. Everyone you know and love balances on that line. What if you fell off?

Written to be exactly 1000 words for the 1000 word contest (Horror).

Cover image made by me. Special thanks to SpoonierThanThou and Steady Gaze for pre-reading!

Featured 22/06/23 - 24/06/23. Fanfic reading. Translations: Ukrainian

For as long as Sunny can remember, there have been tales of a strange hermit living deep in the Everfree Forest, the most dangerous place in Equestria. Of course, nopony could ever prove if this was true. After all, who in their right mind would actually go there? Unfortunately for Sunny, she may not have a choice, as during a test flight on the Mare Stream, she and Zipp crash land in the middle of that very forest. With no way out and timberwolves just waiting to pounce, what else can she do but hope that the tales are true?

And just who, or what, is this hermit supposed to be, anyway?