Applejack and Twilight Sparkle are on a mission in the deep sky, far from the comforting ground of Equestria, when disaster strikes. Together the two ponies fall into something from which there is no escape.

On an unrelated note, this story features a black hole.

Written for The Writeoff Association's "Great Expectations" contest. Preread by bookplayer.

Princess Twilight Sparkle has been losing her mind. She lives plagued by nightmares and hallucinations.

Discovering she's not alone, Twilight realizes Equestria may be in great danger. She seeks counsel with Princess Luna to discover the truth about her nightmares. However, Luna warns Twilight the knowledge she seeks will come at great personal cost.

Twilight Sparkle would give up anything to save Equestria, but how much will she sacrifice just to learn the truth?

Special thanks to Bradel for his editing advice.

Mootilda is a cannulated cow: she has undergone a medical procedure to allow direct access to her first stomach, for the purpose of collecting rumen. Twilight Sparkle is fascinated by the idea, and asks Applejack to introduce her.

Twilight is about to learn that cattle see life from a different point of view.

Written for The Writeoff Association's "Illusion of Choice" contest.

Spike loves Rarity.

He just has a hard time saying it.

Written for The Writeoff Association's "Things Left Unsaid" contest.

Rarity is dying from a rare medical condition. Twilight's other friends are getting older. Princesses Celestia and Luna will no longer speak to her. Yet, the Princess of Friendship refuses to make new friends.

Twilight Sparkle has an unconventional solution for dealing with loss. Come take a walk backwards through time, and see the truth through Twilight's eyes.

Three days have passed since the Great Change. Ironically, King Thorax is about to be the last bug in the Hive to learn an important truth.

The secret is something obvious he overlooked in his zeal for sharing love. It bears consequences for the entire Hive... and hard facts about who Thorax truly is.

During the first war with Tirek, Princess Celestia sends her sister Princess Luna a very short letter. Although the letter could easily fit onto a single page, Celestia uses two.

Sometimes the medium speaks louder than the message.

Written for The Writeoff Association's "Princess Not Included*" contest.

Three dark comedy finalists from The Writeoff Association's "It's Your Funeral" contest.

Dying for Attention: Trixie is late to her own funeral.

Celestia's Vacation: Luna covers for her sister's absence.

A Deal to Die For: Applejack goes coffin shopping.

Kevin is the first of his kind to enter advanced studies at Celestia's School of Magic. He's also the first one to leave—under less than ideal circumstances.

No matter what the cause, Princess Luna isn't about to let her former protege leave without saying goodbye.

Written for The Writeoff Association's "In Over Your Head" contest.

While in the market, Fluttershy witnesses a strange pony appear out of thin air. Fluttershy and her friends want to help the stranger, but the mare's problem goes far beyond anything they've encountered before. It might take a unique perspective on friendship to solve the problem.

As it turns out, Fluttershy has one of those.

Written for The Writeoff Association's "Look, I Can Explain..." contest.