Sometimes life isn't a perfect story. Sometimes it's just one damn thing after another, right up until it ends.

As her mother lies dead in a still-living body, Twilight Glitter is going to have to come to terms with life—with death, with being, and with not.

CW: depictions of self-harm, and mental decay akin to schizophrenia/dementia

Originally written in 2017 (pre-s8) for the Writeoff. Completed slowly and painfully over the past three years. The prompt was Here at the End of all Things.

Thank you to r5h, garatheauthor, Mousse, and Cynewulf for pre-reading and editing.

Coverart by the amazingly talented Zaid Val'Roa.

The thing about having a honeymoon phase in a relationship means you have to decide where your honeymoon will be. Twilight can't seem to get that.

Thankfully, Celestia is there for her.

A birthday gift for NorrisThePony. Cover art edited by me.

It's tough to be young when growing up is all you're after.

You'll always want to reach for the sky, for that great big light above your head,

But as you are now, you just can't do it yet.

So you bide your time as the world opens up around you,

Watching and waiting, for that Star Overhead.

Growing up is hard.

However, thirteen-year-old filly Twilight Sparkle doesn’t quite understand that yet. Her life is a dull treadmill she can’t seem to get off of, as everything around her is shrouded by fog. Even when she looks up, the blue skies in Underhoof are always the same. Though, that all changes when she makes a simple wish upon a star at her best friend’s request. Life being hard is beaten into her head (quite literally) by a new force that changes everything in an electric and explosive fashion.

Star Overhead is a modern music video set to the soundtrack of life and sung by a filly who doesn’t understand the words. Things are unclear, the world won’t explain itself to you, and nopony understands anything.

The blue skies in Underhoof are always the same.

This story is heavily inspired by Fooly Cooly. For the best experience, please listen to the songs at the beginning of each chapter in the author's notes.

Now with a review!

How do you kill a pegasus's soul? Put her in charge of the town's weather, then only let her schedule sunny days and gentle evening showers. Not thunderstorms, not blizzards, certainly not hail or tornadoes.

Nothing fun, in other words. Celestia forbid the weather team make some real weather, the kind Rainbow Dash dreams about. The farmers would never stand for that.

Well, screw the farmers. Screw the fashionistas and screw the library princess too if she complains. Rainbow Dash has a dream and she's going to share it with the world, whether the world wants it or not.

A story dedicated to anyone who's ever been passionate about something.

Chrysalis' scheme has borne fruit. United by bribes and promises, the leaders of each nation have come with her to deliver an ultimatum: surrender Equestria, or face hopeless war with their combined armies.

So why does Celestia look to Chrysalis with a gentle, mourning gaze? And why is Chrysalis afraid?

One night a year, on the Eve of the Summer Sun Celebration, Princess Celestia is sad, at least according to Twilight's observations. She has a plan, a boardgame, and is determined to try to cheer up her mentor.

No clop, but suggestive content.

Twilight is a princess, and traveling the land to meet ponies far and wide; an excellent opportunity to make more friends. So why is she so unhappy?

I think that I shall never see
A home as lovely as my tree.
In its trunk I made my nest
With all things that I love best.
Books to read all night and day,
Rooms to learn and space to play;
But no more growing, no more fun;
No more soaking up the sun;
Nevermore to drink sweet rain;
Or to greet the Spring again.
There is no power or decree;
No magic spell to save my tree.

Cover art by The-Paper-Pony. Used with permission.

Being an alicorn is wonderful... except when it isn't. There are plenty of things that put a damper on limitless vistas of possibility afforded by such a long life: Court, mortal needs and expectations, the occasional decade of ennui.

And the dreams, of course. Agelessness comes with its own special kind of dreaming. Celestia finds that her own "Inner Court" is a bit too literal, and it--and she--are troubled at the prospect of a near-immortal Twilight Sparkle.

If only she could articulate exactly why that was.

art by spectralunicorn

Part of the Monophysite Quartet, which also includes Celestia Isn't Real, Have You Considered My Servant, Twilight?, and The Esoteric Rites of Darkness. All four stories have a common origin point in an old story idea I called "Monophysite" and touch on who or what Celestia really is in some way. They are otherwise unrelated.

This story is a sequel to Ageless, or Celestia Plays Dice With the Universe

Twilight learned she was ageless a few weeks ago. She also started dating Celestia a few weeks ago. Life moves swiftly, even for the long-lasting and the long-suffering. There are a lot of things that Twilight will have to adjust to. Dating Celestia may be the easiest of those things to accept.

Editing/Pre-reading done by the ineffably gracious and generous TheMaskedFerret and oftentimes by the lovely, beautiful, and brilliant ScarletWeather, whom I love with all my heart.