Community service isn't exactly fun. Sunset Shimmer is learning that the hard way—especially when Saffron Masala keeps cooking extra meals that their soup kitchen couldn't pay people to eat. It's not fun, it's not worth it, and it's never ever ever going to change. And... for some reason, it seems Saffron's okay with that.

Now, six Wednesday nights out from the disastrous Fall Formal, Sunset decides that she might as well ask Saffron why.

Written for the May Pairings 2024 contest. Special thanks to my editors Octavia Harmony and Monochromatic, and to all of my wonderful prereaders. Art by me!

“Once upon a different time, in the Land of Equestria, Princess Twilight Sparkle had a dream. And in that dream, she met some humans
[PRIORITY INTERRUPT PRIORITY INTERRUPT]
THE UNSV HARMONY HAS CRASH-LANDED AT THE NEW CIRCE COLONY SITE. ALL CREW AND THEIR FAMILIES ARE DECEASED DUE TO BIOLOGICAL CONTAMINANT RECEIVED UPON FIRST CONTACT WITH LIKELY HOSTILE SENTIENT NONHUMAN LIFE. TWILIGHT SPARKLE (PRESCHOOLER CARETAKER DROID/QUADRUPED/CHARACTER) IS ONLY OPERATIONAL SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENT DROID REMAINING.

DIRECTIVES:
1. ESCAPE USNV HARMONY.
2. EVADE HOSTILE SENTIENTS.
3. ASCEND MOUNTAIN IDENTIFIED DURING CRASH LANDING.
4. TRANSMIT DATA TO APPROACHING [CLASSIFIED].
FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION.

An entry for the 2024 SciFi Contest III. Cover Art by CadetRedShirt.

After travelling alone for so long, she's finally coming home.

An entry in Bicyclette's Science Fiction Contest III.

Thanks to Rego for editing, and particularly help with names.

Fluorescence's mom helps run the pony side of the portal between Equestria and Earth. Taylor's mom does a similar job on the human side. So Fluor has known Taylor for, like, ever, and they share a fascination with the portal and how it works. This fascination only occasionally leads to interdimensional disasters.

A magical universe and a science-based universe may sit uneasily side by side, but friendship knows no boundaries.

This is an entry in the Science Fiction Contest III.

On the last mission to save Equestria, Rainbow Dash was hurt. Not critically and she'll heal, but for now she's grounded. But she also promised that she'd do a Sonic Rainboom at the next Wonderbolts show for Scootaloo's parents, and she is not going to let her girl down.

Solution: get another Rainbow Dash.

There's just two problems.

First, Spitfire knows her team backwards and forwards and she's not fooled.

Second, the human Rainbow Dash doesn't actually know how to do a Rainboom as a pony.

I'm sure this won't cause any problems.

Written as part of the Quills & Sofas 2024 Wonderbolts Contest.

Featured 4/30/2024 - 5/5/2024!

Also appearing on Equestria Daily on 5/3/3024!

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.

Two souls who found each other, and rekindled their relationship, so late in life are getting married, and the wedding is surely going to be a grand event. Both Cranky Doodle Donkey and Matilda have led long, eventful lives, and that's led to a long and varied guest list.

One such guest is looking at a wedding invitation from his first ever friend. He's going to go. He can't not go. But one little request, one added specifically for his invitation, has him stopping short. Four little words chilling him to the core.

Come as you are.

A standalone entry in the The Eventide Verse.
Other tag is for Kevin.
Also check out author Patreon, Ko-Fi and commissions.

Staring at the sun makes you go blind.

This story did not explode! What a relief and/or letdown.

Part of OPERATION CRACKFIC STORM 2024 ( group | stories ).

Thanks to Silk Rose for coming up with the idea, writing chapters 22 and 9, and developing the code; thanks also to Meadowsys for general code help.

Thanks to IrradiatedPirateBooty ( tumblr ) for the awesome character art.

And thanks to everyone in the comments who stuck around for the final countdown!

When Shining Armor was in high school, he was given an assignment to take care of a bag of flour decorated like an infant filly. By the end of the week, "Floury Armor" was a prize-winning batch of muffins and the yearbook committee had unanimously voted him "Most Likely to Appear in a Future Villain's Tragic Backstory." This really should have been a red flag, but for some reason the Queen Bee of the school still married him anyway.

When Shining Armor found out that his wife was pregnant, he was quick to introduce the Crystal Empire to the idea of a gender reveal party. Luckily, that quarter of the city had been due for extensive renovation anyway and his explosion-proof wife appreciated the sentiment.

Now, when his daughter is turning into a pony he no longer recognizes (and he can't even blame the changelings this time), it's up to him and his self-proclaimed stellar parenting skills to save her from herself.

My entry for the Shining Armor is a terrible dad competition.

Proofreading and pre-reading very helpfully contributed by Light Striker, GreyTheGriffon, RB, Pneu, and Scream Queen