AfaFL - Far from the Tree p.1 A chill wind blew through Ponyville, passing by everypony, harmlessly sweeping it's delicate fingers across a pony's side, sending chills down their spines. The weather ponies had orchestrated a cooling off week for Ponyville, much to the pleasure of Applejack and her crew of workers out on Sweet Apple Acres. However, back at the Library, one pony found himself uneager to stand for the chilled atmosphere, the heat in his heart no longer feeding into his being. In front of him laid two flat sheets of colored paper, unagitated. The same could not be said for his teacher and mentor, Twilight Sparkle. &#
AfaFL - Far From the Tree p.2 Twilight reached the rendezvous first, her horn shimmering with mild excitement over feeling out a new spell. The idea was simple enough to copy, but she couldn't help but feel she was overdoing it - the ground behind her was a bit looser whenever her magical field left it, unlike Flint's which seemed to even strengthen the ground even when his magic no longer affected it. Sitting down in a large, flat expanse of stone, the unicorn set about affecting different areas with her magic in an attempt to replicate what she saw. Dash laid down on the cool ground, a yawn escaping her gaping maw as she
AfaFL - The Apple Falls Twilight awoke to the sounds of crinkling paper and low-toned murmurings. There was a moment where the unicorn was worried that somepony had broken into her room, or Spike was trying to cover some tragic mistake in offense to one of her books. However it was too... out-of-place. Not to say she wasn't used to those sounds, it's just that normally she was the one to make them. As full consciousness was regained, the lavender pony pushed against the soft bed and shifted her body against the tussle of sheets that encapsulated her. Her horn glowing from early morning annoyance, the sheets ripped off the unicorn, freeing her
Apples from a Foreign LandDear Twilight Sparkle, my most faithful student... The letter began as any other, but the lavender unicorn couldn't help but feel giddy with excitement every time she received a letter from Princess Celestia. What made this one feel so special, however, is that it had come unprovoked. It wasn't a response to any of her own lessons about friendship or what she had learned that week, that much was for sure. Alongside the wall held every letter Celestia had sent to her student, albeit unorganized. She had always meant to get through them, but she just never found the time. Looking about her libra
Discord's Reign: Theft of Generosity A cyan earth pony slammed the door shut to her and her sister's establishment in an exhausted huff. Through the glass door, she could see the mass of ponies walking dejectedly away from their spa, heads hung low and dripping with chocolate. "This may be a spa in which we beautify the ponies of Ponyville, but we are not a place for free baths!" she groaned, putting a hoof on her forehead and shaking it. Her pink mane fell over her eyes as she freed it from her hairband, putting an early end to a busy day. "Don't worry about it, Aloe!" a happier voice chimed in. Staring up, Aloe could see her sister above, staring out a window
Rumble - (4) Hysteria Breeds Contempt Applejack couldn't help but stare as the beast known as Black Bull took a step toward the gathered ponies, the mare instinctively putting herself inbetween the demon and Fluttershy. Braeburn put himself inbetween his injured officer and looked unsuredly between Black Bull and Applejack. How exactly had the jail kept Bull imprisoned when... that lurked just beneath his coat? It didn't make sense. "'Jackie! Get away from him!" He fought every urge to call Black Bull 'it,' in fear that he might offend the hulking, blazing behemoth of a pony. Fluttershy's hooves stayed firm on the ground, out of fright or some unearthed
TLA 4 - The Panacea Appeal of the Matron Cheerilee busied herself in the Library's kitchen, her upbeat humming in harmony with the mid-morning sunlight that beamed through the window. Truly, she felt at the top of her game, ready to tackle anything to day might throw at her–and rightly, it would throw everything it could. Putting together a pair of daisy sandwiches, Cheerilee couldn't help but start to bend her back legs a bit, hopping about and dancing to some imaginary tune. It wasn't long at all before she was shaking what her momma gave her. "Who's a silly pony~!" Cheerilee sang, a foalish smile on her face. Swinging about, Cheerilee started to lose herself in t
TLA 3 - The Edible, Inebriated Appeal The Blue Mare, in what Twilight Sparkle was sure was false advertising, had its walls painted in an array of seductive reds. Gold trim bordered all the rooms and doorways, including the fake windows that dotted the walls. The small alcoves were home to an array of roses and other romantic flowers, which were accented with the complex floral pattern on the carpeting, with its green vines and red flowers. It was the perfect spot for a romantic evening. "It's a bit much, isn't it?" Cheerilee asked, her voice tinged with boredom. Twilight snapped back to attention as the schoolteacher went on. "I swear, I read the exact same kind
A Rumble in Appleoosa - (3) A Burning Sensation It was a hot summer's day on Sweet Apple Acres, and Applejack was on fire. Or at least, some of the wood that burned brightly above her was. Dust, soot, and smoke swirled around the hellish landscape around her as flames licked greedily at the dry wood. Her lovely baby blue hotel room had been replaced with wooden slivers and stakes which peppered the walls. In front of her, Silverback's barrel was speckled with debris, the stallion's lifeless eyes staring straight into hers. Applejack hated to admit it, but it would seem Silverback's enormous girth had saved her from the blast. "Blast...?" Applejack coughed, her lungs reject
TLA 2 - The Scholarly Appeal "And that concludes the fundamental theorem of Calculus. Anypony have any questions?" Cheerilee asked her class, her bright eyes scanning the room for any glazed over expressions. Luckily, her fears were unfounded as even Snips and Snails seemed excited over the prospect of math, of all things. "Very good, class. Now, I know you all have been waiting very patiently for class to end, and seeing that it's such a nice day out, I think I can turn you all loose early for the day–" With an unnatural roar, the class exploded into a frightful din, the students immediately starting to pack their school utensils into their desks a
The Literary Appeal "And remember everypony, the book reports on Dr. Hoofslove's classic story about being quiet and loving his fans is due this Monday!" Cheerilee said, giving her class her best and brightest smile to combat the chorus of groans and various foally headdesks. She lightheartedly chuckled at her class' usual demeanor toward homework and dismissed the legions of children to the unprepared streets of Ponyville. As Cheerilee watched them all flee, she sighed wistfully, watching the clock on the wall tick just past three. The red, one-room schoolhouse echoed a certain soundlessness that, ever since Heart
The Stars in the Scroll - PrologueI'm sorry to hear about your parents...Th-thanks. It–it was a shock. I keep going over it in my head. Day after day I stay away from Canterlot, I really didn't think... I never considered for a moment they wouldn't be there if I ever came back.You mean you didn't know if you'd ever come back?No! I mean, I don't know. I've made so many changes in my life, that I hadn't thought that far ahead. I guess it's all so overwhelming.I understand. It's hard losing someone so close. To lose two is just, ugh, I don't want to imagine it!Well... I feel awful saying this, but I was never really... close, to my parents. Don't misunderstand me,
Discord's Reign: Division of Loyalty Discord swirled the clouds around him, a gleeful chuckle escaping his lips as the spun clouds started to turn pink. Floating them above his head, he clapped his mitts together as the new cloudforms took off into the sky, finding their white brethren and infecting them into a delicious treat. Satisfied that the problem would take care of itself, Discord's newest target made herself clear to him with a scream. Up above, a griffin spun around her cloud nest, trying desperately to keep the home from falling apart. Wooden sticks, perfectly placed on hard-packed cloudstuff started to sink into the hastily sweetening surface, large chunks o
Discord's Reign: Silence of Laughter It was as good as a place to start as any. Draped in an inexpressive gray landscape, the Pie Rock Farm lay as dormant and sediment filled as ever. The weather above looked as happy and sun filled as ever. And, as ever, he could feel the ponies celebrating in their Harmony. He would have to change that. There were too many things that were uniform, and as he walked nonchalantly through the melting sea of chocolate dirt, he took some delight in the feeling of goo on his scaly tail. Slipping his head around, he sampled his newest creation with a quick lick, face melding to that of some deliriously happy child. Slipping his head bet
A Rumble in Appleoosa - (2) Things Get Hot A thousand, tiny Apple Blooms bucked her head, drumming to the beat of her heart. A muddied thickness aliken to that of the Everfree Forest trickled into her vision, eating away at her senses. Applejack strained against the vines that threatened to hold her, her mind like molasses, sucking the motivation to move dry. From afar, Fluttershy's muffles whimpered through the undergrowth. That wasn't right. Applejack was the strongest mare this side of Canterlot, and there wasn't anypony who could harm her loved ones. This would not do. Appleloosa roared through the foliage, overtaking Applejack as her eyes snappe
A Rumble in Appleoosa - (1) Bad Blood Dust billowed over wooden decks, weathering the sun baked wood into splinters. Heat radiated from the ground beneath Applejack's hooves, a reminder of the day's warmth as the starlight twinkled above. The sky over Ponyville was unlike that of Canterlot, but even that little village couldn't stand up to the midnight expanse over Appleloosa. Lonely flats of sand and dust stretched on as far as the eye could see, mountains peaking along the horizon, the soft glow of the moon casting patterns upon the town. A light pressure tore Applejack from the scene as Fluttershy leaned against her, her eyes stained with sleep from the long t
A Package for Scootaloo Rainbow streaks crossed the sky with incredible speed as the usual suspects sat in the fields of Ponyville to watch the cyan mare tear up the clouds and deliver death-defying stunts to the oohs and aahs of the crowd. As the rainbow pony finished up her morning routine, the crowd started to disperse, leaving only the most dedicated of fans staring from below. Scootaloo stared up at the sky, her hero nothing but a speck in the sky as she darted from cloud to cloud, gathering more and more moisture around her. The filly on the ground stood as tall as
The Time We Have Now "It's supposed to be super-tough, but I'm not worried about it! I am the greatest flyer in all of Equestria, after all!" The high-flying boast could only come the one and only Rainbow Dash. Sky blue with signature Rainbow mane, the speedster was in the middle of her self-congratulatory speech in front of her assembled friends. "This time next year, you're looking at a certified Wonderbolt!" Despite the calm and collected mare she was attempting to portray herself as, Dash couldn't help but give off a high pitched squeal of delight as her friends surrounded her with praise and wishes of good luck.
Equestrian Writers Convention - The Beginning It has been said that even the greatest Equestrian scholars with the highest magics available to them can't peer into the past or future. Even when discussion is brought up with the Royal Sisters, the topic never reveals much about a time before ponies. Celestia has been on record as saying that one day she just was, and that she was not alone. Many modern scholars were especially confused by this, until the day Luna returned, bringing truth to an old mare's tale. But even after that point, Celestia mentioned that she and her sister were not alone. There was more to the beginning than anypony t
Equestrian Writers Convention - Middle Twilight Sparkle had to find Fluttershy. The cream-colored pegasus had fled the panel hall following a compromising situation involving two authors and their genre of choice. Ignoring Twilight's shouts to come back, Fluttershy had very quickly disappeared into the gentle wave of pastel ponies. Now, as she rounded another bend of the convention halls, Twilight slumped over next to the wall. "Well that's just peachy." Twilight's eyes landed on the multitude of ponies, perfect for anypony to be lost in. Trying to catch a pink mane or a butter yellow coat was useless in a p
Equestrian Writers Convention - Finale "And where were you the morning of the Longest Night in Equestria?" the detective asked, his eye bearing down on a blond maned stallion. "Writing some loathsome tome of evil to benefit the moon tyrant?" His breath was a mask of alcohol, a goblet of his self-described manliest drink in his hooves. The pony opposite him was midnight blue in coat, seemingly disgruntled at the drunk dick. Taking another drink of his Fuzzy Navel, Squeak leaned close to the stallion. "I'm on to you!" "Excuse me, but I'm an artist- I don't exactly write demonic tomes," the artist sighed, pushing a hoof against Squeak
A New Hearth's Warming Heart His Hearth's Warming gift to himself had been to tell his boss to stick it so far up his flank that he'd walk funny for a week. Dapples Toity had done more than just live in Ponyville over the past six months, but he had become a part of it. A cog in the vast machine that was the day to day of his new home, and after completion of his work detailing the events leading up to and the aftermath of what was known as Nightmare Moon's return, the gray unicorn was not about to give up the position he had set himself up here. He had friends for the first time in ages, and ponies who's names he could remember. So when his boss had called for Dappl
Appleshy short: Fourth Month Applejack tasted the dry, arid atmosphere, her tongue lazing out absentmindedly. The constant clatter of metal against metal was dulled through the wooden cabin of the train car, the last vestiges of the day hanging just over the horizon. The mare yawned, her sun dried tongue hastening its retreat back into her mouth. The feeling of it in her mouth was not unlike sandpaper, and Applejack made as if to move to get a drink of water, but an ebb of warm softness kept her from moving. Eyes trailing against the obstruction, Applejack's gaze fell upon the sleeping form of Fluttershy, nuzzled up against her in a peaceful embra
In Defense of the Acre Tail whipping about, an orange Earth pony surveyed the land between the trees and hills that made up Sweet Apple Acres. Blonde mane blowing wildly in the wind as it passed by, emerald green eyes narrowed at the slightest agitation from the undergrowth. Bringing the bridge of her hat down further, Applejack sneaked behind a large tree and looked beyond it, trying to catch sight of her prey. Somewhere in the orchard, her orchard, a beast from the Everfree had been set loose. At first she found it odd that such a foreign being would even be set to come all the way out here, but in her head she realized why it had chosen her farm to come.
Sta.sh
