Matilda and Cranky Doodle Donkey are recruited as Princess Celestia's personal assassins.

Pinkie's been an apprentice baker ever since she moved in with the Cakes, and part of that is because she hasn't completed her master piece: the dish which will prove she's worthy of the unamended title. For her, that's a soufflé. Something she's never been able to successfully bake.

With the Cakes out of town and the bakery closed for a day, Pinkie has a chance to spend her time in trying to take that final step. And perhaps somewhere before the end of her failures, she'll learn something about why doing so was important --

-- or if it was ever really important at all.

(This story takes place one week before the start of Triptych.)

Part of the Triptych Continuum, which has its own TVTropes page and FIMFiction group. New members and trope edits welcome.

Has a reading by KwirkyJ. Listen as desired.

Now with author Patreon and Ko-Fi pages.

Queen Novo does not forgive or forget easily. When her niece seemed to prefer a school in the middle of a continent run by a would-be thief to Mount Aris, that didn't sit well with her.

The good news is that Twilight's managed to resolve that situation already.

The bad news is that there's another coming down the pike.

An entry in Bicyclette's Crackship Contest. Rated Teen for strong language and the love that dare not speak its name on a TV-Y series.

Cranky Doodle Donkey has moved out of Ponyville in the twilight of his life. Now, with his final days drawing near, he wishes to immortalize his experiences in the form of a memoir.

Although his caretaker has sworn to see him through this task, she herself doesn't seem to believe in whatever cause her patient still endures for, not to mention whatever message his stories are trying to tell her.

Thus, an old donkey and a very skeptical griffon have themselves a little debate...

(Submission for the Equestria Daily Summer Fanfic Contest)

On her way to Twilight's, Rarity runs into a peculiar stallion. With Macklehorse leading the way, Rarity learns the wonders of thrift shopping.

A collaboration with the great, powerful, and amazing CartsBeforeHorses.

The gilded life of a noble, with all of its riches, pomp and circumstance, and eternal restraint was simply not for him, yet it was all he knew. But when the princess murmurs a warning in his ear, this colt takes it upon himself to discover its true meaning and hopefully challenge the gathering tempest head on.

Part II!

Rewritten 04/2019

Flam's life has gotten complicated. His brother is a mess, his marefriend is overly emotional, and the only thing he can do to restore his sanity is to take a long walk. Unfortunately, he finds himself on the brink of a horrible past mistake...

(This can be a sequel, or a prequel, or an at-the-same-time-as fic for Three Steps Back. You don't necessarily have to read it to understand what's happening here.)

For many years Cranky searched for his beloved Matilda, only to find her in Ponyville with the help of Pinky Pie. What did he find while searching for Matilda? What did he do to support himself and his search, and who helped him? This series of letters attempts to answer those questions.

Equestria can't function without the use of magic. It's apart of every creatures everyday life whether they take note of it or not, its the one thing that breaths life into Equestria. Asinus has known this her whole life, it was initially hard to fit into a society as a creature completely disconnected from magic. But she never let it get her down. Asinus went to school, she had friends, she could do almost anything an average pony was capable of, some days she forgot she was different at all. It's only on one fateful day when she suddenly finds she's the only one capable of saving all of Equestria that she begins to learn of her heritage and her place in a world driven by magic

In a sunburned Equestria, Rarity leads the pleasant life of a clothier in the tiny town of Spurhoof. She’s got a successful business, a capable assistant, and the respect of the place she’s called home for six years. Maybe she never achieved her foalhood dreams of fabulosity, but at least she’s comfortable. What more can a mare ask for?

Then a band of outlaws decide to pay Spurhoof a visit, and their leader’s eye has settled upon Rarity. Soon she’ll have to fight not only for her life, but maybe her very soul. Will her diamond turn dull under the hot Equestrian sun, or will adversity make her shine all the brighter?

Print copies now available for purchase on Lulu!.

Now featured on Equestria Daily.

Inspired by Fallout: Equestria and the song Bulletproof Heart by My Chemical Romance.

Other stories inspired by music:
Escape
Ordinary World
Bed of Roses
Drops of Jupiter
How to Save a Life
Forgive Me, Friend
Time for Tea

A big thanks to my brainstorming fellow and ever-awesome friend SorenPixels, who has helped me ponder the plans for this story since its inception.

Additional kudos to Danger Beans and Cerulean Voice for their help with the first few chapters.

Big thanks to the fantastic author Viking ZX for taking time out of his busy schedule to be my Alpha pre-reader.

Last but certainly not least, my gratitude to my gang of Beta pre-readers: Babroniedad, Lord-Commander, Merc the Jerk, Snowybee, Soge, and Wanderer D!

I was not prepared for the absolutely stunning world building or the incredibly well done characters. [...] This is a work of absolute art. — Equstarte Marine Sebaste

Reading and re-reading (and re-reading) this story was an amazing experience. It will always be one of my favorites! — Wanderer D

I dare say this is a masterpiece of the fandom. — FanOfMostEverything

It's a gorgeous, vivid-drawn setting you've crafted for this, and it hits its gritty Western beats and epic scope with aplomb. Rarity's character journey in this is a stellar one, and her gradual sink into (and recovery at the brink of) [...] darkness was wonderfully and believably told. — Carabas

Cover art commissioned from the fantastic bakki, with title work generously donated by Novel-Idea.