My name is Midnight Aria, and I was never supposed to be here.

I joined the Rangers for adventure. I wanted to drive timberwolves away from frontier villages and soar over uncharted forests. I wanted to rescue little lost foals in snowdrifts and be a hero. I didn't want to be a guard or a soldier.

And now I'm chest deep in a war and I know for absolute certain that we are all going to die.

Art by the talented Backlash91

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 Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Part 1: What's the Use of Crying?

Pinkie Pie is starting to figure this whole motherhood thing out, but now, Whiskey, Tango, and Foxtrot are beginning to realize their little family is different. They're starting to wonder where their Daddy is, and why he isn't around--questions that Pinkie would rather they not be asking.

Rated Teen for brief language.

Art by Alanymph. Woo!

Big McIntosh has a unique way of appreciating music, and Octavia certainly provides an experience. Octavia would love to get in touch with her earth pony roots, and Big McIntosh has the deepest roots around. They could learn so much from each other about why they do what they do, and they just might gain some insight into their own simple gifts in the process.

Featured on Equestria Daily!

Reading by Goombasa.

It was a strange day for all of us when Pinkie Pie left Ponyville.

It was stranger still when she came back.

Pinkie gives birth to three little foals she names Whiskey, Tango, and Foxtrot. She has no money, no job, no support, and no idea what she's doing.

But she's determined to make it work. Because that's just what a good mama does.

Part 1 of a planned three-part story.
Part 2!

Thanks to AmtrakBrony, Eruantalon, and Pharaohs Queen for beta reading.
Art by Alanymph.

Filly Cadence turns her first heart. Part of the "Cadance of Cloudsdale" cycle; familiarity with the previous work is not required. Thanks to G.M. Berrow for the inspiration.

Every Friday, from five in the afternoon to eleven at night, Pinkie Pie does volunteer work. She doesn't have to do it, the world won't stop if she doesn't, but she chooses to do it anyway. Even if it's doing seemingly insignificant little things.

It is a matter of life and death, after all. Literally.

In which Shining Armor receives a promotion, Princess Cadance reunites with an old friend, and cloudfall is finally made. Part of the "Cadance of Cloudsdale" cycle, now with its own group!

Fancy Pants and his lovely wife Fleur are quite possibly Canterlot's most heroic duet. Together they conquered countless events, faced hordes of snobbish socialites, and emerged victorious from the most dire of faux pas. May their bravery and finesse be forever remembered on parties to come!

There is a missing element in their perfect life, though: the joy of having a child and becoming a family. When conventional methods fail, will the couple muster enough courage to seek out the alternative, or will they stay a duet forever?

Enter Chestnut—a daring filly from beyond Equestria, out of their social stratum, and definitely exceeding their boldest expectations.

For better or worse.

Unsettling dreams are starting to worry Princess Luna. She is positive these dreams hold an ominous portent for all of Equestria, but there is only one stallion who knows for certain the answers she seeks. King Sombra has been imprisoned again in Shadow since his defeat and the shattering of his body, but he is no less cunning and ruthless. And as Luna tries to interrogate him over time, she finds there is a softer side to the unicorn king, one nopony has seen before. But Celestia fears for her younger sister, warning Luna against Sombra's advances. Is the once-tyrant truly starting to court Princess Luna...or is she simply being used as a pawn in his plans to regain power?
~~~
Cover art by the amazing MickeyMonster, who has permitted me use of it for this fanfiction, as this image inspired me to write this story in the first place.
Edited and proofread by my girls TheOneBehindYou and LabyrinthineMind.

8tracks playlist: https://8tracks.com/yoru-the-rogue/lingering-shadows