Discord learns a friendship lesson in the space it takes to release a breath.

Written for the Writer's Training Grounds '15 #3.

Parcel Post, the long-missing mailpony who delivered Discord's ticket to the Gala, staggers into work to explain where he's been. Spoilers for "Make New Friends But Keep Discord", but not serious ones.

Peachy Pie doesn't have a very special somepony for Hearts and Hooves Day. Sunny Daze helps her look. But what does Peachy Pie expect from a very special somepony? And which pony could be her match?

These two fillies are not OCs, but background ponies. Their biggest role was in The Show Stoppers, where they won the prize for best dramatic performance by reciting their favourite poem on roller skates. None of Peachy's potential suitors are OCs either. You can find them all in Friendship is Magic if you look hard enough.

Thanks to yellowstripedflutterbat, BlueYoshi, MrAskAPirate, and Pankrazius for pre-reading this story and offering their suggestions. The cover image is pieced together from Background - Apples by liamwhite1, Sunny Days by Kooner-cz, and Peachy Pie by Kooner-cz.

Reviewed by PresentPerfect, 1 Mar 2015 (Fic reviews, March 1st: Super Happy Hearts and Hooves Lovefest Edition!).
Added to the Goodfic Bin, 31 Mar 2015, and featured on its front page, 7 Apr 2015.
Accepted into Nonpareil Fiction, 27 May 2015.

Throughout the ages, the Moon has remained the charge of Luna, but what if it was more so than that

--
An entry for the Equestria Daily Shipfic Competition.

This story is a sequel to In the Moon’s Platinum Glow

A special moment between sisters happened that first Hearth's Warming Eve. Star Swirl the Bearded saw the significance, but too late. Another will happen this year, and with his guidance, maybe Twilight Sparkle can make this the best Hearth's Warming Rarity ever had.

Featured on Equestria Daily!

Cover art by stabzor

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!

Donut Joe keeps his store open on Hearth’s Warming Eve. And why not? He doesn’t have anywhere else to be, and neither do the tired, bitter ponies who find their way inside.

But the Eve is young, and strange things lie ahead. Who knows what might happen on a night like tonight?

(Inspired by the song "Old City Bar," by Trans-Siberian Orchestra)

Reviewed by TheifofZ here.

"Vicariously I,/Live while the whole world dies./Much better you than I." -Tool, 'Vicarious'

Spike brings a Ouija board to the Cutie Mark Crusader's slumber party on Nightmare Night. However, things get really strange. It is just a game, right?

Written for the Poniverse Nightmare Night Contest.

It is Nightmare again and the Clubhouse of Horror is back. For this creepy anthology story the Crusaders have brought a large audience with them, so they can listen to their terrifying tales.

Previous Clubhouse of Horror.
Clubhouse of Horror II
Clubhouse Of Horror

When you're a foal, the summer days last forever.

Summer is freedom. The world is more alive, it is wider and brighter, its colors deeper. Summer is running in a meadow and swimming in a pond and catching fireflies at evening's last light.

Will Apple Bloom lead her friends to the pirate's treasure, buried in the apple orchards? Will Scootaloo make it across the burning deserts and find the magical, healing spring? Will Sweetie Belle defeat the evil Changeling Rarity who grounded her for no reason?

During the summer, every day is an adventure.

This is one.