This Equestria is much like any other. Rainbow Dash is still fast, still committed, still devoted to being number one. She's still flying upwards and still aiming for the sky. But right now, she's not even aloft. Today, she's going to be and do all those other things without ever leaving the ground.

"Speed creates a sensation of being alive, more than alive" – Juan Manuel Fangio

Cover image based on a photo taken by me at Shelsley Walsh, 2013.

Starlight's teleportation skills are becoming very impressive. There's just one little problem: she doesn't seem to be able to go anywhere without coming to a rather sticky end. Okay, not end exactly. But definitely sticky.

The first story in the Custardverse.

Now has a reading by Feral!

"As soon as I saw this story title, I was like, This is a good story idea." – Super Trampoline

Sunset Shimmer, now 21 but still stuck in a dead-end sales job knocking on doors for a cake company, has put up with plenty in her years on the road. Drenching rain, clueless managers, hyenas... it's probably surprising she hasn't run into this problem before. A bit of silly fluff for Sunset Shimmer Day.

Verdant Plateau, new to the neighbourhood, has heard plenty of tales of Pinkie Pie and her extraordinary efforts to welcome newcomers to Ponyville. That's why she's currently eating tiny flowers in a field outside town.

A revised and expanded version of "And Thou No Breath at All", an entry from the December 2015 Writeoff.

Now has a reading by Feral!

The Crystal Empire's Royal Couple are popular, successful and happy in their marriage. As if that wasn't irritating enough, they're also very good with words. The problem is, one of the words they'll need today is "Armageddon".

Well, more or less.

Now has a reading by... er... me! Yes. Definitely me. It's only on PresentPerfect's channel because, um, YouTube. She's not reading it at all. You think she has time for that? Of course not. It's me. Yup.

Reviews: Titanium Dragon | Chris | PresentPerfect

Cover art: Last Stand [Speedart] by Mithrandir730. CC by-nc-sa 3.0

After a hard day's work in the apple orchard, Applejack likes to relax with a good book. This time, she's ditched the adventure stories for something altogether more profound. It's a good job she has Twilight to talk to.

Partly inspired by a (sadly now-deleted) comment of JohnPerry's.

Now has a reading by... er... me!

Review: Present Perfect

Cover image: background is a cropped screenshot from "Bats!"; hat adapted from this resource (CC by-sa 3.0) by ZuTheSkunk.

Some ponies are attracted to mirrors like moths to a flame, endlessly preening and posing before their own reflections. Silver Buck has come to hate mirrors with a passion – so why does he spend each new desperate day in their company?

Now has a reading by... er... me!

Cover image adapted from Mirror Shards by Marina Shemesh at publicdomainpictures.net

Fancy Pants' place in Canterlot's social hierarchy gives him certain obligations. One of these is the hosting of a number of balls, dinner parties and so on. Tonight he will be putting on a small, intimate "At Home" affair for just a few guests. Sadly, Jet Set and Upper Crust will be among their number. Before all that, though, Fancy Pants and his faithful butler, Silver Cloud, need to make the final preparations.

The winning entry for the Making the Most of the Mundane contest in the Characters That Need More Stories group!

Review: PresentPerfect

Cover art: cropped, flipped and edited version of Fancy Pants, created by The-Smiling-Pony and made available under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 licence.

Rainbow Dash and Rarity have a chalk-and-cheese relationship at the best of times, but when Dash makes a mess of a special effect for a fashion show in front of some of Canterlot's most influential ponies, Rarity is furious. Embarrassed and miserable, Rainbow believes she deserves to be alone for a while. Her friends may have other ideas.

Lightly inspired by the Rainbow Rocks song "Shine Like Rainbows", hence the story's title, but this is not an Equestria Girls fic.

The Spirit Pony is responsible for the End of All That Ever Was. It has always been so. This particular End looks like being a straightforward one – until a certain pink pony intervenes to prevent it happening. Pinkie has a very, very good reason for stopping the Spirit, too...

Now has a reading by... er... me! And another one by hystericaldominolego!
22/11/19: New! Dramatic reading by Scribbler, featuring Quirky Craft and Illya Leonov!

Featured by Equestria Daily
Featured by the Royal Canterlot Library
Featured by Seattle's Angels
"a look into the power of Pinkie ... Highly Recommended" -- PresentPerfect
"a delightful sense of unreality to the whole thing ... 9/10" -- Soge