First you're born, and then you're recorded in triplicate. The end of labor is the start of a very long paper trail, because nopony can exist without being documented. Sending copies of a new foal's documents to the Herdbook Registry is perfectly normal. And of course, in order to make sure there's nothing strange going on, that paperwork gets reviewed. Which is done by bureaucrats who establish absolute control inside their office while having no idea of what's happening in the actual world. So as far as they're concerned, the forms associated with somepony named 'Flurry Heart'...

Don't tell them. It's funnier if they find out on their own.

(Now with author Patreon and Ko-Fi pages. (Due to minimal story length, this was a pledge freebie.))

Finding one's ideal assemblage of beauty products is somewhat more complicated than discovering the perfect mate: after all, when it comes to love, a mare has but to locate one pony. It's taken years for Rarity to learn what works best for her: in some cases, the only things which work at all. Which means that having a crucial shampoo (her only shampoo!) taken out of the mix may create something of a minor issue.

Well, it's surely nothing which a proper lady can't deal with in dignity and grace. Also explosions.

She's still a Bearer. There's always explosions.

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

Cover art taken from assembled captures by SelenaEde.

Missions and Bearer responsibilities can mean spending a lot of time away from loved ones, and that's one of the reasons Rainbow has brought Tank (the most awesome pet ever!) along with her to the Trottingham fair. Sure, she'll be stuck at the Meet A Wonderbolt booth for the whole weekend while the rest of the team actually does stuff, but at least she'll have company. And since being at the booth gives her the chance to sleep in, Tank can just use his rotor to go out and grab her some breakfast. Besides, even if something happens to go wrong along the way like, say, having the rotor leaking glow, it'll all work out. Ponyville's perfectly used to this sort of thing.

This isn't Ponyville.

And Trottingham's residents can be a little... off.

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

Twilight Sparkle and her best friends are in deep trouble... yesterday.

Starlight Glimmer's been holding onto a secret for a long time now. Her old villainous days of messing with Starswirl the Bearded's spell alerted an alternate dimension full of shape-shifting monsters, and now this malevolent faction from beyond seeks to send their minions back in time to the first year of Twilight's stay in Ponyville in order to consume the magic of harmony. So, to secure the timeline and save the multi-verse, Starlight has devised a plan to project herself back several years and play bodyguard for the Elements of Harmony.

There's only one problem. Her great and powerful best friend steps in during the execution of the spell. Now both Trixie and Starlight are stuck back in time—fused magically to the same physical avatar—with an incredibly difficult mission to accomplish during the first year of Twilight's friendship lessons. Can the two time-displaced mares work together to thwart an alternate dimension's meddling? Or will they fail and hoof the future over to chaos? Even worse—will they get too relaxed with the comforts of the past and miss an opportunity to be heroes?

Credit to KeronianNiroro for the vector
and
Scampy for the edit.

If Zap apples make such phenomenal jam, why aren’t they used for the Apple family’s other famed delicacy: cider? Apple Bloom wants to know, and dooms all of Ponyville into finding out.

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Pre-read by bookplayer

Fifty years ago, the first thing most ponies thought when they heard the word "Ponyville" was "What?"

Ten years ago, it was "Monster attacks."

Right now, it's "Princess Twilight Sparkle," which is certainly a step in the right direction. Mayor Mare wants to keep up the momentum, but she needs help. And it just so happens that Twilight needs a favor to push this "School of Friendship" she's so eager to build past the zoning board...

Awarded "Most Creative Plot" in the Original Parings group's May 2020 Pairings Contest.

Each of the Bearers of Harmony came to that first Grand Galloping Gala with a dream in her heart and dreadfully few relevant facts in her mind. Rarity dreamt of finding her Prince Charming. She knew his name, appearance, and not much else.

But in this timeline, one of her friends has her back.

All of the girls speak directly to his face, and it feels like none of them listen to a single word which emerges from his mouth. They treat him as a prize: something which will say how special they were for being able to win him. There are boys in Hogwarts who would relish that shallow level of attention, and Bill Weasley isn't one of them. Sometimes it feels like there's no one in the world who understands.

But some say there are other worlds. And no one doesn't mean nopony.

Now with author Patreon and Ko-Fi pages.

No outdoor sports competition in Equestria has ever been rained out. Every parade takes place under clear skies. The weather is scheduled moons in advance, and those arrangements are enforced by government employees. So in theory, the mere existence of the Weather Bureau should keep ponies from having something to complain about.

In reality, the existence of the Bureau gives ponies an address they can write to.

And when you factor in Ponyville...

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

This story is a sequel to A Trip To The Border

After what feels like months or even years, Mayor Mare, Raven, Apple Bloom, and Spike are back in Ponyville, hopefully for good. This is the story of a well-earned but failed denouement, for the world is not content to allow Ponyville's mayor to drink in peace. Not yet.

My annual Mayor Mare story. Thanks for five years!