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.

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

Be it ancient menace or new threat, diplomatic snafu or domestic concern, monster attack or friendship problem, Twilight Sparkle and her friends have always risen to the challenge.

That's a bit of an issue this time around, when the challenge is a marked absence of Twilight Sparkle.

Cast out of the Celestial Palace, the former Royal Student, Sunset Shimmer, is about to take life into her own hooves and seize what rightfully belongs to her, on the other side of that mysterious Mirror Portal.

Only problem is, somepony else got to the mirror, first. It's gone, vanished.
So is Celestia.

On the bright side, the new Acting Princess, Mi Amore Cadenza (or Cadance, as she likes to be called), is willing to ignore that banishment and give Sunset a second chance. She's heard the rumors about the reclusive, disobedient, and just-generally-mean Royal Student, but the Acting Princess needs all the help she can get.

So, all of a sudden, Sunset goes from being a disgraced scholar, banned from the palace grounds, to serving as a valuable asset of Princess Cadance's desperate scramble to hold the Principality of Equestria together and figure out what on Equus even happened to the Princess of the Sun.

Now, Sunset just has to avoid royally peeving off the ponies giving her a second chance: to ingratiate herself to them, even; to make herself indispensable. She can lie, cheat, and swindle like nopony else in the Celestial Palace, and it's time she used those talents for somepony other than herself.

Starting with this little project of Cadance's. The Princess needs to recruit a young group of friends to serve the Crown and Harmony, and she's already got a lead. Sunset just has to do the actual hoofwork of meeting the candidates, and then she can dust her hooves of this and go back to her studies, secure in her appointment as Royal Student.

What's the worst that could happen?

Comes after Stay of Execution, but that work is not required to appreciate this one. Provides context for Understudy.

Rated Teen for coarse horse language and various threats made to ponies' well-being.

Opaline had stolen the cutie marks from half of Equestria and was rapidly conquering the rest. Even the fake alicorn Sunny Starscout and her minions were faltering before her. One more push would bring Opaline to her final victory.

Then she surrendered.

And even Opaline doesn’t know why.

She tries to provide a living example. Demonstrating how much better things could be when you're just happy and willing to get close. Of course, there are those who say that Izzy gets a little too close. But when she's in a new place every day, the disorientation is almost constant and she just needs to center on something sort of familiar... then at least there's other ponies. Frequently at a proximity of roughly seven tail strands.

Maretime Bay isn't fully comfortable with that. Which may be why the bulk of it just took out a restraining order. Trying to get Izzy to back off, just a little, until she learns to respect personal space.

Or maybe they're just trying to make an example out of her.

Cover art from a vector capture by Lavender-Bases.

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

Opals form from layer upon layer of microscopic silica spheres, the countless reflections brought on from eons of accretion giving impressions of nigh-infinite depth. Because there isn't a single crystal structure, they are more fragile than other gemstones, and can crack due to sudden changes in pressure or temperature.

Opaline Arcana is formed from layer upon layer of mental instabilities, the countless delusions brought on by eons of isolation giving impressions of nigh-infinite evil. And she already cracked a long time ago.

Now that Misty feels comfortable enough to discuss the topic, her new friends will find out just how deep the damage goes.

An ineligible entry for Imposing Sovereigns IV, using the prompt Opaline/Loyalty, set around Chapter 5 of Make Your Mark.

It's going to be the two of them together, for the rest of their lives. Riko Saikawa knows that. Just her and Kanna -- well, all right: her beloved's mother can visit every so often, the maid's probably coming along, there's nothing wrong with Miss Lucoa or Mr. Fafnir, and if Ilulu-san was maybe seven years younger, Saikawa might have fallen in love with her first. But ever since that first moment when Kanna entered Class 3-2, Saikawa's known. It's destiny. And anyone who might get in their way has to be stopped.

Today was supposed to be their playdate. And Kanna wants to show some stupid foreign kid around the city. That dumb boy doesn't deserve any time with her!

So what's the best way to get rid of this 'Spike'?

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

If there's a holiday, then somepony's probably overdecorated for it. The Greening has seen entire homes blend into the local grass, while Lambvent shrouds neighborhoods in wool and Hearth's Warming traditionally welcomes guests into homes through making it impossible to see where the front door is. But if Ponyville's going to get dressed up anyway, then Town Hall might as well have a little contest built around it. The mayor signed off on that.

Which meant there was a period of at least two seconds in which Marigold Mare completely forgot her town hosts the Bearers -- and that she'd just given them a reason to compete against each other.

Shall we count down to the inevitable one home visit at a time? In six, five, four, three...

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

Rated C for they don't celebrate Christmas Crackfic.