Life is a beautiful gift, a precious treasure that carries equal weight to all the inhabitants that dwell within the world which gave that miracle. However, can life ever grant a flawed existence and unequal life? Some equines consider such a question to be a silly, pointless query in their lives. For one particular equine, young Soapbox views the question to have no answer for him. It is a hazy mess with no happy outcome.

After a long day, how does the queen of the changeling empire enjoy her time before bed? Perhaps a puppet show?

Every four years, Princess Celestia celebrates the kindness of Debutante; a kind mare who--with her artful dancing--pulled the regal pony out of her saddened state a thousand years ago after having to banish the corrupted Princess Luna to the moon. During the Debutante’s Masquerade Dance, ponies go before the mystical mirror of Façade, the burgeoning thief. Though the true secrets of the mirror remain lost, this powerful artifact, made by a unicorn that intertwined four years of his life energy into his magic, turns others into whom they desire, care for, or inspire them. The party delights those who attend it, becoming huge success while lightening the mood of everypony.

Four years have passed since the last ball, and the time has come. Twilight and her friends are invited to this year’s masquerade. With her development in magic progressing steadily, the studious unicorn believes her own time has come, deciding to test her skills with a single spell.

In the world of Equestria, happiness is a strange word that differs between so many. Some view it as a precious treasure, a unique gift that should always be cherished. Others find their happiness to be an unforgiving curse that drags them down into a dark abyss. Sometimes, not even the pony knows what truly makes them happy until it is lost, forever.

Two hundred years after the battle between Princess Celestia and Nightmare Moon, a unicorn stallion sets off on a journey for Canterlot. In those royal halls was a hope to quell the obsession that plagued the pony’s heart. Now, all that's left is the past. In that past, Steadfast hopes to find happiness before his final judgment is met out.

Hard, long, difficult -- take your pick. Any of those words could describe Derpy's day, delivering mail and packages to ponies. She patiently sits inside Mr. Calzone's restaurant awaiting her order. However, a mishap causes the mail mare's delectable deep dish pizza to go to the wrong pony with the recipient's beloved dessert pizza to her.

Derpy, with her oath pledged, sets off to deliver a pizza and claim hers with a bonus. A week's worth of free pizzas, it's probably worth a bit of trouble, right?

No pony has ever heard of this place, except for those who worked there. Even those who worked there were kept in the dark about each others research. The Equestrian Research Institute's most advanced laboratory, Alpha three.

No pony knew why it was closed down, except for two. Abstract, a young pony researcher, sets out to uncover why her two professors refuse to speak of that place. And to quell her own interest in Science and Alchemy. The pony never expected to find a "thing" such as that in the bowels of A3L.

Author Note: This is the first story that i've truly written, and accept all criticism. Please be kind in your remarks, comments, suggestions for improvements, etc... . Wholeheartedly welcome any type of ideas for improvement, but I can't learn if i'm just told the story is horrible with no opinions on where to improve it.