Life can be tough when work takes you far, far away. It can be harder when ponies you care about don't get the chance to stay in touch, even when they try to—and even when they have good reasons for not being able to write back.

But finally, Applejack's getting an explanation. Finally, she's getting the truth straight from the horse's mouth, as it were.

Even if the truth hurts.

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This was written for Shaslan as a part of Jinglemas 2020! For more information about Jinglemas, checkout our group!

I was more than a little nervous writing this, honestly—I haven't taken a crack at Appledash before, honestly—but I do hope Shaslan likes it.

All of my thanks to Flashgen for his help.

And once again, I really, really recommend looking into Jinglemas if you haven't given it a shot yet! It's a wonderful time, trust me, and I'm not totally biased on the matter. :p

Cider sales aside, Applejack hadn't really thought of her livelihood intersecting all that strongly with the alcohol trade: generally speaking, apples and beer didn't pair together all that well. Things changed when a two-creature microbrewing enterprise sprung up out of Carousel Boutique, guided by Rarity's keen financial instincts and buoyed up by the unconventional assets Dragon Lord Ember brought to the table.

Months passed, the microbrewing business boomed, and Applejack found herself as the recipient of Ember's bemused attention. Which should be enough, shouldn't it - being the recipient of casual affection from a powerful entrepreneur with the sort of body that hits all of Applejack's weak spots? Or is an unspoken, informal nod towards interaction ultimately not going to be enough?

What, exactly, should Applejack get in writing?

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Part of the Milkverse, which technically started here, included this and was most significantly based on this story. If you're new to the series and you're gonna read any one of them, read the last one.

Yes, I legitimately wrote a sequel to a porn trilogy without any sex scenes and with a T rating. I might very well be insane, and I'm honestly not sure if there's "a point" to writing something like this other than that it was something I personally wanted to do.

All my appreciation to the person who helped me write this, and who's probably ultimately responsible for taking a couple of one-shots i wrote as a joke and turning it into an entity i started to take seriously. It literally wouldn't exist without their influence and assistance.

Cover art is a gift from the artist.

Tree Hugger isn't a bad pony to know, even if she isn't exactly your friend. Some ponies are just nice to have around for conversation and recreation, and Tree Hugger's an excellent partner for both of those things — even if she's a little hung up on some more "esoteric" principles.

Rarity doesn't mind the recreation. Or, for that matter, the conversation. But it's always been a little vexing why Tree Hugger would want to do these things with her.

Sometimes, these sorts of questions have enlightening answers.

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All of my thanks to Flashgen for his help.

Luster Dawn isn't the best of friends. Oh, sure, she tries, but trying isn't the same as doing, and sometimes the mistakes that she makes end up hurting her friends.

Fortunately, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Written within 60 minutes for the Quills and Sofas Speedwriting Competition #27, "New Beginnings."

Pinkie Pie is, essentially, a walking talking recipe for disaster. Introducing her to fireworks is a bad idea. Letting her introduce herself to fireworks and interdimensional catalysts is the sort of idea that leads to all of Canterlot being on fire.

Talking sense into Pinkie Pie, though, isn't the most straightforward of tasks. Especially when the way to talk sense into her isn't an obvious one.

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One of my three entries for the Jinglemas collab, written for Nonchalant.

Image created by Mori, and will be deleted upon request.

Thanks to Wanderer D for his help.

Fluttershy's fangs never went away. Her regression to the ways of Vampire Fruit Bat-pony-ism were inevitable. And, sadly, there didn't seem to be many ways to cure Fluttershy of that problem for good. Only one ridiculous and possibly awful method seemed valid: by introducing Fluttershy to something both apple-related and traumatizing, the Vampire Fruit Bat part of her might shut itself down forever.

Only Applejack can think of one possible solution to this problem, and the solution isn't pretty. In fact, it's about the un-prettiest thing possible.

Don't click the spoiler text if you don't want to ruin the joke and feel like going in blind, but obligatory warning: this story contains (implied) crapping on one of your friends to treat a supernatural illness.

If this also sounds like a joke, it is it is my tribute to The greatest thing Present Perfect has ever written. And by "tribute," I mean "Parody/hopefully the start of the Fibrous Nuggets-verse." For what it's worth, I think he liked it.

This story was written out of love okay

Wanderer D helped me with everything on this please go follow him and stuff he's a bro

It's a theoretically simple setup: five ponies on a train, deciding that playing a popular board game about the restructuring of a barren planet so that it can comfortably sustain life for the ponies of Equestria. They all compliment each other when it comes to forming the perfect group for a board game: Rainbow Dash brings her undeniable charisma to the table, Starlight Glimmer brings her brains, Rarity brings her panache, Applejack brings her delightfully sardonic wit, and Fluttershy's also just kind of there, I guess.

Theoretically, it shouldn't be a bad way to spend a couple of hours.

Theoretically.

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My entry into no writing competition whatsoever. The idea of deliberately sending yourself up to be graded like a bad entry on the fanfic equivalent of Hell's Kitchen doesn't really do anything for me, thank you very much.

Story is a work in progress. Expect to see new chapters Mon-Fri between 2:00 PM-5:00 PM CST, and that's a schedule I'm really going to try to keep to for a change of pace.

All my thanks to Flashgen for his help.

Elements of cover art are by Isaac Fryxelius, and will be taken down upon request.

All Burnt Oak said he was going to do was cut down a tree for Hearth's Warming. All Applejack thought she'd have to deal with was hauling the tree out of the Everfree Forest.

But sometimes, nature fights back. Sometimes, the trees strike to kill.

Oops.

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A story written for Jinglemas, as my (second) gift to the lovely Akataja. They didn't get a story last year, and I figured that it was on my shoulders to try and make things right again.

Cover art is from Mariam Melkumyan, and will be removed upon request.

Every year, snow or shine, Burnt Oak climbs the same hill at the same time of winter to light a campfire. Sometimes, he sings; sometimes, he talks to the breeze; always, he remembers the friend no longer at his side. And it's a nice, peaceful time of remembrance, one which the ponies around him know better than to interrupt.

Except, one winter, for an unexpected arrival - and for almost anypony else, Burnt Oak wouldn't have given them the time of day.

But he couldn't refuse his friend's daughter, could he?

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A story written for Jinglemas, as my (first) gift to the lovely Akataja. They didn't get a story last year, and I figured that it was on my shoulders to try and make things right again.

Rated "Highly Recommended" by Present Perfect.

Now featured on Equestria Daily! (10/1/19)

It's tough to realize that you haven't done enough with your life to really know who you are. And it sucks to know that even being a top student at the School of Friendship doesn't automatically make you feel special or important on the inside.

Fortunately, Smolder's found a workaround to that problem, and she's willing to let Sandbar in on the secret. And it turns out that a new hobby and a developing sense of achievement are powerful tools for restoring a Colt's self-confidence. Perhaps too powerful...

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Thanks to Wanderer D, Flashgen, Door Belle and GaPJaxie for their help.