This story is a sequel to Memories and Honor

Anon tries to show his appreciation to Twilight's father for Father's Day, but as always, his plans get a little derailed with heartfelt moments and unexpected praise.

This story is a sequel to As the Raven Flies

Sometimes, friendship can be a trial of endurance.

For Twilight, it's the trial of her friends heaping celebration and attention upon her to make up for several years of missed birthdays.
For Moondancer, it's the trial of rebuilding her friendship with Sunset and ignoring her rising jealousy over Sunset's relationship with Twilight.
For Sunset, it's the trial of conquering her inner demon before it pushes her to do something she can't take back.

Sometimes, trials end in failure.

Historian’s Note:
Set in the Wavelengths Timeline where the Sonic Rainboom didn’t happen, Checkmate in Two occurs three months after the events of As The Raven Flies.

Cast: Sunset Shimmer, Moondancer, Twilight Sparkle, Surprise, Minuette, Coco Pommel, Coloratura, Cheerilee, Raven Inkwell, & Princess Celestia.
Guest Starring: Trixie Lulamoon & Philomena as herself.
Special Guest Stars: 28 Very Special Ponies.

Beta Reader, Synopsis Crafter & Editor Credit
DrakeyC: Master of Edits for Sunset Shimmer

Cover Art by OverlordNeon
Cover Text, Chapter Header, and Break Designs by Amber Spark
Sunset Shimmer's Cutie Mark by MillennialDan
Celestia’s Cutie Mark by BlackGryp0n
MLP Book Vector by SnowedEarth
MLP Magic Aura Vector by AimeeLovesU
Moondancer's Cutie Mark by AllyCatBlu
Coloratura's Cutie Mark by AllyCatBlu
Raven's Cutie Mark by Parcly-Taxel
Cheerilee's Cutie Mark by noxwyll
Minuette's Cutie Mark by juniberries
Coco Pommel's Cutie Mark by thatguy1945

Stories set in the Wavelengths Timeline in chronological order:

Origins Arc
The Alchemy of Chemistry
Bards of the Badlands
Grading on a Bell Curve
Habits of the Equestrian Phoenix
How Not To Use Your Royal Prerogative

Applications Arc
The Application of Unified Harmony Magics
Princess Celestia: A Brief History
The Cloudsdale Report

Dreamers Arc
Tactics of Snowbound Unicorns
A Study in Chaos Theory
Teahouses of Saddle Arabia
As the Raven Flies

This story is a sequel to Something Worrying Awaits Behind

Rainfall Mist hoped a camping trip could help her and her father relax after an eventful year. However, it might just be the right time to finally talk through something bothering her.

Entry for the A Thousand Words Contest IV, Slice of Life Category

Everyone knows that in summer the sun stays in the sky much longer, even almost at night the sky is quite bright. But it's not at all that the planet is at some other angle or other nonsense.

Celestia has long established a tradition for herself - to sleep after dinner in the summer, wake up at midnight, sing about Luna, set the sun and go back to sleep. Even after my sister returned, the tradition remained.

It's definitely not because Celestia likes to take time off from work, no, no.

The cover was drawn by me with mouse, based on art from Bri-sta.

When one is a princess, there are a thousand things you have to remember. Public policies, economic projections, meeting details, nobles' names, whether or not you closed the balcony doors before going to bed.

As such, it's only natural for a few things to fall through the cracks.

But surely that's alright. After all, what are the odds that the one thing a princess forgets happens to be of significant importance?

Written for the 2025 Iron Author contest at Everfree Northwest. (It didn't place, or even get an honorable mention, but it was unofficially voted "Best in Quills" by a panel of totally-not-biased friends).

(Originally written in two hours. No changes have been made from the submitted version aside from a few misspelled words, now corrected.)

Cover art drawn on the back of a Panera's receipt by the ever-talented Shaslan during a live reading session.

Somnambula is invited to Ponyville for the annual Hearth’s Warming Eve celebrations, but modern traditions are so very different from the old ones she’s used to.  Luckily, Pinkie Pie is always ready to help a friend with party problems.  Together, they learn that, even with different practices, the spirit of Hearth’s Warming is always the same: past, present, and future.  

Written for hawthornbunny for Jinglemas 2024

This house of mine is a tale of creeping loneliness and paranoia. Moondancer, a failed CSGU student, finds herself in a mysterious predicament, where her own reality is questioned every step of the way, can she escape this nightmare, or will she lose her mind before being able to?

FOOTNOTE: The synopsis reads like some kind of psychological thriller, and if there's something I learned from those kinds of books: They almost never end well. I need to find Moondancer, wherever she may be.

Author's note: This story is best experienced using Dark theme, and reading on a computer, using the default Fimfic reading configuration (Open sans font, Default color, 1 text size, 1.8 line spacing, 1.2 character spacing, double spaced paragraphs with justified wrapping.) You may read the story without these, but it will not have the full intended impact. This story is highly experimental.

If you are using mobile, the story is still readable, though of course with not as much of the intended impact. You can change your browser to "Desktop mode" if you'd like.

This story is a complete re-write of "Fading Sanity"

Sweet Apple Acres hums with the slow, steady rhythm of summer; cicadas in the trees, the creak of a barn door, the easy laughter of friends. Sunset Shimmer comes seeking a break from the city’s noise and ends up in the middle of something quieter but far more disarming: the quiet pull of someone who says little but somehow says everything.

Between long days in the orchard, golden evenings on the porch, and Applejack’s good-natured meddling, Sunset finds herself caught in a subtle dance she never planned to join. Big McIntosh is not a man of many words, but each one lingers.

It’s a weekend of dirt-under-your-nails work, laughter under wide summer skies, and a connection that grows like roots beneath the surface.

An eclectic group of creatures find themselves stuck together on a very small boat in the middle of the ocean and try to figure out where it all went wrong.

Thanks to both Scribbly and Lightshine for beta reading this one.

Artwork by Buckweiser

A simple homework assignment can make a creature think about a lot. From the shifting cultural landscape of her home, to the way her head works. For Ocellus, reconciling identity means a lot of uncomfortable questions. In order for her to really grow into herself, she'll need more than just writing a paper and a few trips to the guidance counselor's office.
(Cover by pastacrylic <3)