A particular magical horse has made such a habit of randomly appearing and administering whimsy and cuddles that there are enough victims available to form a semi-regular support group.

Something strange about that new guy though...

Mom says that families who work really hard get to put a gold star on the inside of their windows.

Equestria stands on the brink of ruin. A necromancer has raised an army of the dead and is poised to plunge the world into darkness. Monsters and brigands roam freely across the land, preying upon the innocent.

Only one hope remains. Armed with swords, spells, snacks, and a bag of dice, five heroes band together to defeat the forces of evil… if their rolls are good enough.

Welcome to gaming night in Ponyville.

Dramatic reading by Goombasa.

Cover image by Elosande used with permission.

After an unknown accident Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash awake to find themselves sharing the same body! Now they must struggle to hold themselves together as their world is turned upside down. How long can two ponies exist in a single mind? It’s a race against time as they search for answers before it’s too late. When all is said and done, you’ll never look at Twilight Dash the same way again.

"If I hadn't blown the whole thing years ago, I could be flying up there right now. With her, with them, the Wonderbolts. But... would I be better off for it?"

After being expelled from the Wonderbolts Academy, Lightning Dust traveled around Equestria in search of herself. Then, many years later, after a hard day of working she went to a bar and ran into the last pony she ever expected to meet again.

Who is jealous of who, though?

Written for the Everfree Northwest 2015 Iron Author Competition

Princess Luna has raised the moon countless times in her life, but tonight was the first time she received a gift and an invitation to Celestia's chambers after doing so. While she accepts, she can't understand why the offer was made. There was nothing special about the day.

But she's wrong. Today was the day the newest letter from Ponyville arrived.

Cover art: My Sis by averagedraw.

When Princesses Celestia and Luna visit a public art gallery, they come upon a painting of Celestia, banished to the moon. They react to this in the only reasonable way: artistic criticism and analysis.

*****

Cover art by that paragon of good sportsmanship and all-around talented person, Rocket Lawn Chair.

Originally written for the Reversal of Fortune writeoff, with the cover art as the prompt. Thank you to everyone there for the pre-reading and advice, and to Pascoite for his (always invaluable) additional help and editing suggestions!

Now available in Spanish, courtesy of SPANIARD KIWI.
Now available in Russian, courtesy of oranzinispegasas.

This story is a sequel to Mistakes were made

With the local human having ceased wandering and causing ruckus he attempts - with Twilight's ever-patient assistance - to calm down, make it up to those that he needs to make it up to and generally live his best his life.

His greatest obstacle in this, as with most things post-arrival, is his towering neurosis.

And maybe the uncomfortable fact that he can't stop growing larger and more resilient with each passing day. And that not being belligerent to the wildlife gives him sufficient time to fully contemplate the breadth of his situation as a lone and isolated example of his kind in a world entirely not his own, try as he might to just ignore it and stop his brain from eating itself with irritating doubts and fears.

Other than that he's having a whale of a time.

Rainbow Dash was the Iron Wing. She was a war hero, the Slayer of Shadows, the Liberator of the Crystal Empire, the Wrath of Celestia. And depending on who you ask, she still is.

But the war is over. There's little need for a pony like her in peacetime. So she keeps telling herself that she needs to adjust, that she needs to find a new role to fill in the world that she saved. But Equestria seems content to let her remain what she has become, even though they have no need of a warrior.

"This isn't how it's supposed to be", is something she keeps telling herself. But every time she says it, the only thing she can reply is, "so what should it be?"

One whole year after the close of the war, and Rainbow Dash still doesn't have the answer.

Art by NCMares.

This story is a sequel to Emoticon

Not too long ago, Sergeant Major Dawn Triage, medic of the Dusk Guard, broke a rule. It was easy. Simple, even. No one said anything. No one even noticed. And it wasn't a major rule. She simply ... neglected ... to ask for permission from a patient of hers before running a test. It was only to indulge a faint curiosity, an interest that she was fairly certain would never achieve any actionable result. "What harm could it do," she'd asked herself, "if nothing ever came of it?"

Perhaps she should have asked herself what would have happened if something had.

Sixth and final of the Side Stories to The Dusk Guard: Rise. Familiarity with Rise is not required per se, but recommended.
Side Stories so far:
Carry On
The Definition of Strength
Old Habits
Emoticon
Remembrance
Trust

The Saga has a TV Tropes page! Please help keep it up to date!
Special Thanks to Jorlem, Sinister Voice, and AlouetteSK for their help pre-reading and editing.