Benman's Happily Ever After

What makes you you? If you wake up at a happier time, in a happier place, could you wake up as a happier pony?

[Shipping][Tragedy] • 2,700 words
Shining Armor will do anything to save his marriage. Anything.

Hit the break for a chat with Benman (and some big news) and links to Happily Ever After out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab yourself an ebook copy over at the Downloads page!

Vargras' What Must Be Done

The batponies -- sorry, opliptera -- are a fascinating piece of Equestrian lore (unless you subscribe to the notion that they were just Nightmare Night costumes... but what's more fun, spooky mutant ponies or dressed-up pegasi?) that make the perfect Night Guard. But where did they come from? What secrets hide with them in the shadows?

[Tragedy] • 5,600 words
The Night Guard are as efficient as they are enigmatic, but it takes the curiosity of a recruit to discover that some things are simply best left unsaid.

Hit the break for a chat with Vargras and links to What Must Be Done out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab your own ebook copy over at the Downloads page!

shortskirtsandexplosions' Gift

Generosity can be a double-edged sword.

[Tragedy] • 17,600 word
Over the course of several years, Rarity has achieved a fabulous career, contributing to both Equestrian fashion and the Ponyville community. She is admired by her clients, envied by her peers, and cherished by her dear friends, proving that she's a dependable shoulder to lean on.

Then one day, a mysterious pony visits from out of town. She wishes to meet Rarity, but not to thank her.

Hit the break for a chat with SS&E and a link to Gift out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab your own ebook copy over at the Downloads page!

Chengar Qordath's Through Death and Life

This week, like last week, we explore themes of mortality through the lens of Celestia's immortality. What must it be like to watch all one's friends pass on?

[Tragedy] • 4,600 words
I am eternal, and death is my steadfast companion. The passing of each generation of my little ponies weighs on me; every one of them is a fleeting, irreplaceable treasure, a snowflake dancing 'round a fire. I want to save all of them; I have the ability to save a few. I have saved none.

Hit the break for a chat with Chengar, and links to Through Death and Life out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab an ebook copy over at the Downloads page!

Bad Horse's Mortality Report

Something that Friendship is Magic doesn't let the casual watcher in on: it's friendship reports all the way down.

[Tragedy] • 4,300 words
Princess Celestia writes a report to her teacher on what she has learned about mortality.

Hit the break for a nice long chat with Bad Horse and links to Mortality Report out on the ponynet. As always, you can grab an ebook copy over at the Downloads page!

Arcainum's Five Should Be Enough

So here's the thing. I've discovered that I apparently really enjoy time loop stories. This is the third one to join the Vault. What up with that? Maybe it's because it's a fascinating plot device, a interesting way to explore characters and situations.

You've got Capn Chryssalid's Best Night Ever, in which Prince Blueblood what's really important in life.

You've got Eakin's Hard Reset, in which Twilight Sparkle kicks some serious flank and we all enjoy the ride.

And then you've got this story. This story, in which Applejack learns to make a sacrifice those of us with family have surely considered before. It's not heartwarming like Best Night Ever. It's not fun like Hard Reset. It's like Applejack - it makes its point and gets the job done.

[Tragedy] • 8,100 words
When a tragic event befalls Applejack, she takes drastic measures in an effort to prevent it. But can a simple farm pony make a difference in the face of an inevitable end?

A story about the sacrifices we aren't willing to make, and those that we are.

Hit the break for a chat with Arcainum and links to Five Should Be Enough out on the ponynet. Don't forget to grab an ebook copy over at the Downloads page.

Amit's Solace

How do you deal with your vibrant, full-of-life best friend dying?

[Tragedy] • 4,100 words
Pinkie Pie stands vigil over a dying Rainbow Dash.

Hit the break for a delightfully rambling chat, or perhaps monologue would be slightly more appropriate, with Amit, and a link to Solace. Don't forget to download your own copy over at the aptly-named Downloads page!

Mindblower's Gold Star

Presumably, war must come to Equestria at some point, as it's come to our own world time and time again. No race or species is perfect, and it's practically guaranteed that any time two different ones interact, there will be friction – sometimes deadly.

[Tragedy] • 3,500 words
Mom says that families who work really hard get to put a gold star on the inside of their windows.

Hit the break for a few words from Mindblower, and links to Gold Star out on the ponynet. The Downloads page awaits, as always, if you're interested in your own ebook copies!

TheBandBrony's Moments Worth Sharing

Following a theme from last week's Vault entry, today we take a unique look at what it must be like for a nigh-immortal being to live through innumerable sunsets.

[Tragedy] • 3,900 words
After a very stressful day visiting her prized student in Ponyville, Princess Celestia is left alone to contemplate and watch the sunset. From an outsider's perspective, she has everything she could ever want. But has she ever really had anything at all?

Hit the break for a chat with TheBandBrony, and links to Moments Worth Sharing out on the ponynet - and don't forget to grab your very own ebook over at the Downloads page!

Larathin Bradley's A Summer Twilight

This is a golden oldie, originally published way back in April of last year. It's interesting to think about how a species that can live for hundreds or thousands of years must become accustomed to loss - by any useful measure, dragons might as well be immortal.

[Tragedy] • 3,400 words
A grown-up Spike looks back on his life and on those who are no longer with him as the anniversary of a dear friend's death rolls around. Will he be able to deal with his grief and put the past behind him? Or will he need the help of someone even older?

Hit the break for a chat with Larathin, and links to A Summer Twilight all over the ponynet. (It's even been adapted into a comic.) And you can check out the Downloads page for your very own ebook copy!

jdmhouse's My Maker

Stories like this are the reason fan fiction exists, in my opinion. A "character" who got, what, five minutes of screentime (and is in fact an inanimate object) is imbued with a personality, motivation, backstory... it's pretty impressive, the depths fanfic authors plumb.

[Tragedy] • 7,800 words
Everyone has an imaginary friend growing up: a stuffed animal, a companion to guard us when the monsters come knocking and the like. We know them and love them; they mean everything to us. But have we ever stopped to ask what we mean to them?

Hit the break for an interview with jdm, and links to My Maker out on the ponynet. Don't forget you very own ebook copy, available over at the Downloads page!

Chromosome's White Box

Memory - or the lack thereof - is a powerful thing. But then again, so is imagination.

[Tragedy] • 8,300 words
My name is Canvas. I remember because I wrote it in the corner of the white box. It takes twelve steps to get from the cot to the wall. And the lights hurt my eyes.

Hit the break for a few pretentious words from our pretentious author, and links to White Box on the ponynet. There's always ebooks on the Downloads page if your reading tends toward the offline side of things, too!

A note about special formatting: if possible, read White Box in the original Google Docs version; failing that, use one of the ebooks here in the Vault; failing that, FIMFiction. Color plays a special role, and not all hosting locations support the originally intended formatting of the work. Now get to reading!

device heretic's Eternal

I was talking about story length last week, and then this week we have an even longer one. I hope you like reading! (If you don't, why are you here?) This is another story I effectively couldn't put down, an epic tale of Celestia's immortality and hubris, and her special relationship with Twilight.

[Adventure][Tragedy] • 159,800 words
Many years after sending her beloved protégé to Ponyville, unease sits heavily on Princess Celestia's heart as her relationship with Twilight Sparkle seems to have cooled despite all they've accomplished together. On the advice of her sister, Celestia sets out to investigate and resolve the lost connection with her most faithful student. What does it mean to be a Faithful Student... or a Princess of the Sun?

Hit the break for more words - all the words! - from device heretic, and links to Eternal online. You can grab a long, long ebook over at the Downloads page!

Drakmire's For Those We Left Behind

This is a tight little piece - an economy of words, with all the fat stripped away. It does a wonderful, terrible job of capturing that sense of bewildering loss you find yourself in when someone very close to you passes away.

[Tragedy] • 5,500 words
When her mother passes away unexpectedly, Twilight Sparkle reflects on a parent she neglected in pursuit of her own dreams. With only a little time left before the funeral, she returns home to piece together what she can of a life she barely remembers, hoping to make peace with the memories of a pony she took for granted.

Hit the break for a talk with Drakmire, and links to For Those We Left Behind online. As always, you can grab a copy in your favorite ebook format at the Downloads page.

Cudpug's Hospice

This is slightly different fare than our usual ponyfic. It's a little harsher, a little darker, a little more adult - not in the cloppy sense, mind you, just more... seasoned than most of the fiction in this fandom. As one of the people who recommended it to me said, it will stay with you for a few days after reading it.

[Tragedy] • 64,700 words
Have you ever loved someone? I think that love is a universal theme that defines us all, and is really the ultimate satisfaction in life above all else. Hospice details the relationship between Rarity and an unnamed narrator, and how their relationship rises and falls in the wake of choices that they both make and forces outside of their control. The intention of the story was always to engage with the theme of relationship breakdown; view the story as distinctly metaphorical as these two tortured lovers do everything in their power to remain together.

Hit the break for an interview with Cudpug, and links to Hospice out on the ponynet. You can get ebook copies hot off the presses over at the Downloads page, of course!

Caerdwyn's A Shower of Stars

This week we have an author whose work I discovered by pure chance and immediately loved. I highly recommend you check out the rest of his work; one other story even includes a fully functional apple cake recipe woven seamlessly into the narrative. This story in particular caught my eye for its interesting take on Luna-as-Nightmare-Moon, and its more serious look at the Wonderbolts' existence.

[Adventure][Tragedy] • 10,700 words
What starts out as an ordinary afternoon for Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash quickly turns serious, as half-forgotten plots come to fruition.

Hit the break for a thoughtful interview from Caerdwyn, and links to A Shower of Stars out on the ponynet. Check the Downloads page for a copy in your preferred ebook format as well!

Cold in Gardez's The Glass Blower

Today's story is top-shelf stuff, a haunting tale that will stay with you for the rest of your day. It's been a while since we've had a tragic romance story, and this should certainly satiate lovers of the genre.

[Shipping][Tragedy] • 10,600 words
She is as beautiful and graceful as the moon, and just as hard to reach. He is a young artist with much to learn about the world. When he accepts her challenge to create an artistic masterpiece, will he win her heart, or learn a terrible lesson in the nature of beauty and love?

Hit the break for an interview with CiG, links to The Glass Blower on your favorite ponyfic sites, and head over to the Downloads page if you'd like a copy for your eReader or mobile device.

The Descendant's A Cup of Joe

Today we learn the past life of Canterlot's premiere doughnut pony, and how he's learned to cope with his loss. Military bronies take heed; this may strike a little close to home.

[Tragedy][Slice-of-Life] • 17,400 words
Pony Joe awakens before the dawn each morning, readies himself for his day, and then walks through Cantelot's cold and silent streets to his doughnut shop. Life has become pretty mundane for Joe, but as he serves his customers and chats with his regulars he realizes that he has come to rely on that repetition... he relies on it to keep from remembering. As a casual utterance by a new customer sends Joe into a spiral of haunting memories we learn about his life... and what he must give up if he wishes to move beyond his past.

Hit the break for an interview with The Descendant, which may well be our most loquacious yet, and links to A Cup of Joe around the interwebs - and don't forget that the Downloads page also has copies in your favorite ebook format.

ROBCakeran53's My Little Dashie

Today's Vault entry struck a chord with many bronies, helped perhaps by its more serious take on the human crossover genre.

[Human Crossover][Tragedy] • 12,400 words
When your life is as dull a gray as the world that surrounds you, the mundanities can make it all seem meaningless. Sometimes all we need is a little color - or six - to reintroduce us to what truly makes life worth living.

Hit the break for an interview with Rob, a.k.a. Cakeran, a.k.a. LoCarb, and links to My Little Dashie on your favorite pony sites... as if you haven't cried manly tears over it already. Don't forget that eBook copies are available on the Downloads page!

Ebon Mane's Ships & Notes

This is the third entry in a row featuring a romantic tragedy... if that's not your cup of tea, my apologies! I'll have to start mixing it up. For today, though, we have a two-parter that tugs at the ol' heartstrings.

[Shipping][Tragedy] • 4,500 words
Friendships don't always last, time isn't always well-spent, and not everyone gets a happy ending. Everypony has their regrets, paths not taken, failures and lost loves. Sometimes, it's too late for second chances.

Hit the break for a few words from the good Ebon Mane, and links to Ships That Pass in the Night and The Three Notes on your favorite pony sites; check out the Downloads page for an eBook compilation of the two.