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.

Derpy and Dinky celebrate their first Hearth's Warming in Ponyville, and although Derpy had intended to spend it alone with her daughter, her friends had other ideas and invite the two of them for an earth pony Hearth's Warming dinner.

A Pony Planet story.

Before Sunset Shimmer tried to take over a high school, long before she fled through the mirror portal, in the days before she was even the personal student of Princess Celestia, the young filly met Canterlot's most elusive stranger. He gave her a secret. And then a gift. And finally, a revelation.

In the end, he really only brought Sunset a curse.

Spanish Translation from Spaniard Kiwi!

Petunia Paleo makes a discovery in the Badlands which turns Equestrian Paleontology on its ear: the largest intact coprolite known to ponykind.

Now with a reading (and commentary!) by The Barcast/Writer's Workshop.

Before she became Nightmare Moon, Luna fought many adversaries who threatened Equestria. And since her return, new and old enemies have appeared with alarming frequency. But the land had peace for a thousand years while Luna was on the moon, and now the princess questions how such a thing could be possible.

Celestia offers her a completely logical and reasonable explanation.

Now with an audiobook by Illya Leonov.

To earth ponies, there is little more important than tradition. Foals grow up taught everything from family recipes, songs, dances, to folk tales passed down from generation to generation. Of these traditions, none is more valued than a proposal, an offer to entwine your life with somepony else's.

To Bon Bon, nothing is more important to her than Lyra, and nothing matters more than making sure that her proposal is perfect.

Now, if only perfection wasn't so elusive.

And if only it was as easy to grow flowers as every other earth pony makes it seem.

Preread by auramane, Melon Hunter, and Carabutt.

Cover art by Rossby Waves.

When Twilight is accused of nepotism, her friends rush to her defense! Sortof.

Written in four hours during a speed-writing exercise. Totally unedited. Enjoy!

A magic experiment strands Starlight Glimmer in another world, with no way to get home.

There's only one thing to do in this situation: learn a friendship lesson! Oh, and have some lunch. Okonomiyaki, to be precise.

A crossover with one of the Internet's oldest fandoms.

Special thanks to guest editor Mooncalf!

Too many suitors, not enough Twilight. How can a brilliant genius alicorn pony solve this problem?

Contains shipping. Contains nuts. Contents may have shifted during shipping. Do not take orally, or seriously. Use the included tools to retighten screws a week after assembly. Luna is always watching.

Many thanks to RarityEQM for quality assurance.

Octavia tells her friends she's dating Discord.

They take it well.

Proofread by Soundslikeponies, Pearple Prose, Themaskedferret and Octavia Harmony.