"The first time I came back, I thought it was a miracle. By the fifth or sixth time, I knew it was a curse."

Death is a reasonable fear, but it is also a constant reassurance. A promise that no matter how bad things get, they will one day end.

That promise was broken, leaving Rainbow Dash to pay the cost.

A very last minute entry for the 2024 SciFi Contest III.

Special thanks to ScreamQueen and Rb for prereading and valuable feedback.

General content warning: Some depictions of blood, death, and debilitating injuries, but no graphic descriptions. Some existential horror.

Princess Celestia gets legit deaded by everyone's favorite bacon head.

This story is a sequel to Mundane Utility

Nopony seems to understand how hard this is on her. Maybe Zipp can find joy in social isolation, but the more sensible of the sisters recognizes that she's been largely cut off from fame, fortune, and the constant reinforcing platitudes of those who clearly love her. Still, when Pipp is truly feeling lost, she can always power up Bestie, check the views on her latest video upload, and bask in the approval of the upvote count --

-- what's that little red symbol? That's never been there before...

...okay. Even more to the point: who cast that downvote, and how can Pipp make sure they never do it again?

(Now with author Patreon and Ko-Fi pages.)

While the story is labeled as a sequel, this just indicates that it takes place after the original tale. No extra reading is required.

Equestria has witnessed centuries of rapid technological advancement during Twilight's rule. Innovations in the production and integration of magic has led to countless improvements in the quality and efficiency of life in Equestria, and enabling ponies to finally touch the stars and new worlds. However, with the rise of more and more energy-heavy processes and a stagnation in development regarding the extraction of energy, Twilight turns to the biggest and final step in energy extraction: a dyson sphere: a massive device that would surround the sun and allow virtually all the energy released through nuclear fusion to be harnessed by Equestria.

Two former princesses have some concerns.

Written as an entry for the Science Fiction Contest III.

Cadance and Shining's world comes to a screeching halt when they are visited by a specter from their past.

My entry for the Dialogue Only Contest.

One day in Equestria, the narration disappeared

Twilight does not take this well

An (apparently illegal) entry into the Dialogue Only contest

You can help support me and my stories on Ko-fi, if you want

This story takes place after Mwah Mwah Mwah! and its prequels, but knowledge of them is not necessary to enjoy this one.

While buying groceries with your wife, Pinkie Pie, something catches both her eye and her heart. She really, really wants one.

You have to remind her that you have plenty at home already.

Luna is a strange mare. Cadance is only now just starting to see how strange she is when Luna mentions the unthinkable. Maybe she'll learn something new in the process.

Part of this story appeared as a chapter in Missing Pages & Scrawled Footnotes on May 31st, 2017. It has since been revised and expanded. Contribute to the TVTropes page!

Fluttershy's always felt more than a little different from the other foals her age, but it wasn't until recently that she came to terms with one of the reasons why that might be. Her best friend, Jet Stream, has always supported her, despite how different they are...but he's been acting a little weird lately. Fluttershy wants to believe it doesn't have anything to do with her, but she's the only thing that's changed recently. Is she going to have to choose between her true self and her only friend, or is there something else entirely going on?

This story contains transgender themes.

A life of reverence for the sea, the tides they bring, the wonders they keep.

And the dreams they give.

Cover art by Boggy.