There are foals. There are clever foals. There are precocious foals.

And then there is the little foal named Twilight Sparkle. Even on the most ordinary of days, on the most ordinary of vacations, she manages to be utterly extraordinary.

Cover art courtesy of EmptyGold on Tumblr.

Pre-read by Lucky Seven.

My name is Celestia, though for much of my existence, you may have known me as Princess Celestia. Rest assured, those days are long behind me. I have lived longer than I care to elaborate on. Seen so much good. Love, joy, wonder. And so much bad as well. So much death, suffering, and pain. The good always prevails, but the bad is never quite held at bay for long. Not that it will be my concern for much longer.

I am about to die.

Cover art courtesy of Loyaldis on DeviantArt.

Reading by Lotus Moon.

My entry for the Experimental category of The A Thousand Words Contest III!

Check out my other entries!
Drama: Fireball
Slice of Life: After the Limelight Fades
Horror: Washed Out
Comedy: Dogsitting
Experimental: You are here!

Everything was going so well.

The entire Wonderbolts team was performing at their best, causing Soarin's heart to swell with pride. He loved being second-in-command. It meant he got to oversee dozens of bright young recruits, the most promising young fliers of the current generation. And he got to work under the wing of the most decorated Captain in Wonderbolts history, Spitfire.

So it was a shock to Soarin when, midway through their display, he watched Spitfire spin wildly out of control and crash into a patch of bushes near the crowd. He was relieved to see her quickly walk away, but his relief turned to confusion when he saw the medical team giving her a breathalyser test.

Cover art courtesy of LupiArts on DeviantArt.

My entry for the Drama category of The A Thousand Words Contest III!

Check out my other entries!
Drama: You are here!
Slice of Life: After the Limelight Fades
Horror: Washed Out
Comedy: Dogsitting
Experimental: With a Whimper

Life on the road is tough. Travelling every day and performing every night is a herculean effort that even somepony like Starlight Glimmer had grossly underestimated. In it, she found a newfound respect for Trixie, for whom this was simply the normal routine to which she lived her life, for years on end.

With another successful performance done, dusted and wrapped up in a bow, Trixie and Starlight retire to Trixie's caravan for a well earned rest.

Trixie, however, has an idea she wants to pitch to Starlight before they go to sleep.

Cover art courtesy of 80653LOUND on Twitter.

My entry for the Slice of Life category of The A Thousand Words Contest III!

Check out my other entries!
Drama: Fireball
Slice of Life: You are here!
Horror: Washed Out
Comedy: Dogsitting
Experimental: With a Whimper

With some creative negotiations, Lightning Dust managed to snag a date for The Washouts to perform at Canterlot Cloud Stadium, and even got them a decent rate on a hotel for the few days prior to their appearance.

After a period of uncertainty for the flying team, it marked a turnaround that the flight team needed to get back onto a positive trajectory.

Lightning Dust, however, would not be present for the performance.

Cover art courtesy of Avrameow on DeviantArt.

My entry for the Horror category of The A Thousand Words Contest III!

Check out my other entries!
Drama: Fireball
Slice of Life: After the Limelight Fades
Horror: You are here!
Comedy: Dogsitting
Experimental: With a Whimper

It wasn't that Roseluck was struggling in the monetary sense. In fact, given a recent boom at the florist she co-owned with Lily Valley, which included the onboarding of several new shift staff, she suddenly found herself with an excess of free time.

She reasoned that given her aptitude for helping plants to flourish, she could easily apply the same love and care to the pets of her fellow townsfolk. Thus, she opted to advertise part time petsitting services with a note in the window of Quills & Sofas.

Her first letter of reply... was unusual, to put it lightly.

Cover art courtesy of ZantyARZ on DeviantArt.

My entry for the Comedy category of The A Thousand Words Contest III!

Check out my other entries!
Drama: Fireball
Slice of Life: After the Limelight Fades
Horror: Washed Out
Comedy: You are here!
Experimental: With a Whimper

The 8th annual Daring Do convention in Manehatten grows bigger and better with every passing year. New friends are made, fandom strengths are deepened, and all involved will pray for the good times to never end.

But end, they must. Home, we must go. And since hotel beds are rarely conducive to a good nights sleep, so the return journey may be a struggle for Rainbow Dash.

Cover artwork courtesy of Monstrum Arts on Twitter.

Not remotely inspired by my own return journey from a convention here in the UK just this very week, no sir-ee you can't prove a thing, I plead the fifth. Wait, what do you mean we can't plead the fifth in the UK? Ugh.

Somehow, I've always known.

Cover artwork courtesy of Cloud-Drawings on DeviantArt.

My entry for the Dialogue-Only Contest!

Reading by Mystery Pony Fiction.

Nighmare Moon was banished for one thousand years. She had more than enough time to plan her return. Every aspect was intricately planned down to the letter, for maximum dramatic effect to instil sufficient terror in her future subjects that they would bow down without question.

At least, that was how the plan was supposed to go.

Cover artwork courtesy of BudgieFlitter on DeviantArt.

In simplest terms, Ascellal Regression is a rarely observed phenomenon where young pegasi show a distinct aptitude for flight from a very early age, but become less capable as they near adolescence. Not much is known about the condition, rare as it is, since fewer than one in one-hundred-thousand pegasi show signs of it. For the symptoms to be displayed by an alicorn is totally unheard of. And yet, fate persists.

Princess Flurry Heart, with gentle nurturing from her mother, came to reluctantly accept her lot in life. With occasional mood swings and fashion choices to vent her frustrations. Luckily, her father has his own ideas for overcoming the situation. Whether or not these ideas hold any merit, that remains to be seen.

Cover art courtesy of icicle-wicicle-1517 on DeviantArt.

My entry for the Shining Armor is a Terrible Dad 2024 Competition!