Spike the Dragon was curiously absent while the rest of his close pony friends were completely overrun by fans, haters, and critics of The Friendship Journal. Surely, some pony had to have commented on his written experiences, right?

Yes.

And that's the problem.
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This is a fan's interpretation of an event that takes place shortly after the episode "Fame and Misfortune" (allegedly written by M.A. Larson, though he's on record saying that he doesn't like it).
One-shot.

Thanks to the heroics of Sunny Starscout, Hitch Trailblazer, Izzy Moonbow, Zipp Storm and Pipp Petals, magic has at long last returned to the land, and after many many years apart, earth ponies, unicorns and pegasi no longer live in abject fear of each other. However, there’s still one big loose end Sunny has to tie up. All it took was one little question from her new friends about her old foalhood friend Sprout Cloverleaf.

(Additional character tag: Sprout Cloverleaf)

Edited by: James Fire

10/3/21 Now with a live read courtesy of StraightToThePointStudio! Check it out along with reads they've done of other fics!

As Maretime Bay, and all of Equestria, begins to reunify and bring more open minds to other races, Sprout decides to try and get closer to the one mare who helped make it all happen.

Author's Note: Please go and thank Ranger Dust, whose comment planted this idea in my head.

And also allow me to say I'm sorry... But not really.

Hitch knew he used to be friends with Sprout, and then things changed. And now he wants answers, and maybe along with that the possibility of Sprout becoming a better pony.

Or were they ever really friends at all...? Is there even a chance for Sprout to turn his life around, grow up a little? Hitch doesn't know, but he'd like to find out.

Pale Vestige is an ordinary detective, out to find the truth. To him, there's lots of hidden secrets among the ways of Equestria that deserve to be uncovered. No, nothing magical or ancient. Secrets regarding the actions of those who ran the place. That's right, the princesses themselves. Whether ponykind realizes it or not, they aren't perfect and the public has the right to know that. Whether it be uncovering the secrets of the Crystal Empire, Celestia's hidden desires, or the origins of the Bat Ponies, Pale Vestige is out to find the truth. His main goal however, is correcting the injustice dealt to a child: Cozy Glow.

Cover art by: https://www.fimfiction.net/user/343139/ZettaiDullahan

This story now has a sequel!

https://www.fimfiction.net/story/501105/cozy-glow-psychology-phd