Apple is a funny word, one that Winona doesn't quite understand.

Her family uses it to refer to food, to trees, to themselves and to each other. It's all very inconsistent.

But whether she understands it or not, she'll always be there for the pony she knows as Little Apple.

Girls repulse you. All those tea parties and cooties and pink bows and stuff. A smart ten year old colt like yourself wants nothing to do with them! You're perfectly happy playing with your model train set. But when the Cutie Mark Crusaders chase you down to discover the secrets of gaining a Cutie Mark, you find there's more to those fillies than you think. Especially their ringleader, Apple Bloom.

Vectors by Kuren247 and the DeviantArt VectorClub.

After another session of failed flight, Scootaloo and her friends decide to do some research. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo check out the archives of the Foal Free Press, and Apple Bloom finds herself interviewing Ponyville's strongest young flyer: Rumble, Thunderlane's little brother.

More specifically, she interviews him on how he trained for Ponyville's turn at tornado duty.

Turns out being a little ace ain't all it's cracked up to be.

Apple Bloom takes a shortcut on a joint project for Twilight time. This poor decision inadvertently leads to a discovery about herself that will change her life forever.

Desperate to be free from Diamond Tiara's bullying, Apple Bloom wishes on a star and escapes to a new Ponyville, filled with strangely familiar colts and stallions. As a filly in a school full of colts, she comes to see a new side to both her friends and her enemies.

Inspired by Conner Cogwork's "On a Cross and Arrow", but not intended to be part of the same world or follow the same story.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders have always thrown caution to the winds when Crusading. However, their latest endeavor has left one of their number in great pain with no obvious cause.
When Apple Bloom has her injury treated, she realizes that things in her life aren't what they seem. And when she learns the truth...
Some things are hard to deal with. But the love of a family can fix a lot of problems.

Edit: New cover art by Inkheart7 on DeviantArt.

A minor injury leads Apple Bloom to learn that she and the other Crusaders aren't like normal ponies. Not having their marks has always been their common bond, but as the trio uncover their unique nature, it becomes clear that their lives are intertwined on a much deeper level. As they learn the secrets of their shared past, it leads to revelations about their friendship, families, and their long sought after talents. What they discover and accomplish along the way is beyond what anypony would have thought possible.

There is now a sequel! Three Wishes: The Hole In The Sun

And a (more or less) standalone Christmas Special set between this and the sequel. Cinder Claws: The Caribou Legend Of Kol-Klor

Big thanks to totallynotabrony, Dusk Watch, AugieDog, and Piquo Pie for prereading and editing help!

This story is a sequel to The Flower Mare: Seele

Schneeblume Herbstlicht—Ponyville's newer Flower Mare—was a withdrawn, grizzled earth pony veteran of the The Great War. It took the determination and attentiveness of the three Crusaders over several years to help Schnee slowly find peace in her tumultuous mind, and life. But it turns out, in a manner of speaking, there is one more battle that must be concluded.

And to lay to rest some more of her demons that have haunted her healing mind, Schnee realizes she must once-more return to where her journey through Tartarus began: back home.

Two-chapter, third and final installment of 'The Flower Mare' series.
Unlike my previous stories that had sequels, this is one that I highly recommend reading the previous two prequels for better world filling.

Cover art by the wonderfully talented pridark, sourced to her DA.

Spike's dreams of Rarity are shattered, and at the worst possible time, for his friends will need him to make it through their greatest crisis.

Inspired by the United Kingdom entry to the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest, "Love Will Set You Free" by Engelbert Humperdinck. From the second chapter onward, different songs serve as the inspiration, so check the comments for the links.

Title image by Jade (tehjadeh.deviantart.com).

Applejack finds something hidden under Apple Bloom’s mattress. Now, it’s time for big sister and little sister to have a talk about what is and isn’t right for an Apple to do.

Written for the Writeoff Association's January 2016 contest, Look, I Can Explain....