"It's called 'Shh'," said Fluttershy. "It's a game about who can be quiet the longest. Sound fun? I'm the world champion."

Fluttershy is not a pony who makes things up. She really is the world champion of "Shh," or The Quiet Game. And now it's time for her to defend her crown, with Twilight Sparkle and Rarity along for the ride.

Missions come with risks. They usually don't think about that. They have many ways of not thinking about it and given how many missions they've been on, some of them have not been thinking about it for a very long time.

They were just waiting for a new mission to start. Then somepony came along and asked them to write down every medical circumstance under which, by their own legally recorded desire, they would prefer to die.

And now the thoughts won't stop.

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

Princess Celestia requests Twilight to join her in her throne room on the day before Hearth's Warming. The young unicorn is unsure what her mentor would need her for on the holiday, but rushes to her side anyways. When she arrives, it turns out Celestia has a very special gift to give her most favored student. A gift as wonderful as the holiday itself. But is there more going on than what Twilight believes?

This was written for Nekiyha as a part of Jinglemas 2020!
For more information about Jinglemas, check out our group!

Dear Princess Celestia,

I'm sorry I haven't written in a while. Things seem to be falling through the cracks lately. Spike thinks I should go see the doctor, but...

This story is a sequel to Lost Cities

Once upon a time there was a high tower at the edge of the world. The ponies who lived there thought it would last forever.

It did not. Neither did the great pegasus cloud fortresses, or the earth ponies's mighty metropolises, or even Everfree, home of the Sisters and the glorious capital from which they ruled an empire. Cities, it seems, are as mortal as ponies – they are born, they live, and someday they must die.

But the world goes on. The stories never end.

Ocellus was a bookworm. Everycreature at the School of Friendship knows about Ocellus's constant reading habits. It could sometimes be a hassle to get her away from the latest tome she was digesting! But no one would have her any other way.

But when her friends ask her where she became such a bookworm, she's hesitant to say anything about it. Why would she have something to hide about her love of reading? Little by little, her friends uncover what sparked her love of books... and Ocellus may face a long-standing problem of her own.

Takes place some time before the Young 6 grew up. Whether this story takes place before or after Twilight's final coronation would not change how the story unfolds, methinks.

Crude coverart done by myself.

One night, Twilight notices something odd as she's nestled in bed with Rarity: her hair smells different, just slightly. The next morning, her tea tastes a little bit less sweet, and the flowers outside smell somewhat less fragrant. Out at a cafe together, the music doesn't sound as sharp and clear, and Rarity's new dress feels marginally less smooth against her coat.

Twilight just wants to know what's happening, so she can fix it. It has to be temporary, after all.

Written for the Quills and Sofa Speedwriting group contest with the prompt "How will I break the news to you?"

Cover art by Koviry.

Past the Endless Ocean, deep within the Sea of Ghosts, there is an island shrouded in mist.

Written as both an experiment and a tribute, directly inspired by Cold in Gardez's magnificent Lost Cities, and published with his permission. Check him out.

Cover art belongs to FoxInShadow. Check him out.

Ponies tell themselves many stories.

Tales of great towers spun from the air itself; legends of those who could bend the heavens to their will; myths of cities that live forever on the edge of memory.

Often, the stories themselves bear little resemblance to reality; the truth is found between the lines.

In the spirit of Cold in Gardez's Lost Cities challenge.

Proofread by Not_A_Hat.

Buried beneath the Dragon Lands, there is a city. It rots, and it bleeds.

And it breathes.

A writing exercise inspired by the magnificent Lost Cities, written by Cold in Gardez.

Enormous thanks to Undome Tinwe, without whom this story would probably not exist.

Audiobook by Illya Leonov!

Audiobook by Jman14102!