Celestia sat at her podium, reading a report on Basel production. She yawned as she read it; she was really hungry, and this was the last document. She stole a glance across the throne room at a waiters cart filled with the days lunch. Delicious, royal pastries and chocolate dipped apples and the cake. Oh, how her stomach rumbled when she gazed upon the frosted concoction of pure genius. She felt her mouth water and relished in it. Soon,the cake would be hers!
Looking around real quick, she looked back at the report and hummed a tune while she read.
"The Basel factory is suffering from a correction...A scarlet confection made to tasty perfection for your mouth’s inspection. The tip of the toppings, the vanilla flavored frosting, is so tempting to you. The taste bud’s elation in what you are facing is something like devil’s food cake. The tiled floor kitchen in the hours bewitching leaves your pulse a twitching from the caloric intake. And the hours you shorten by licking the shortening - they are a mistake. But they are your poisonous pleasure, made to bake and yours’ to take - it’s a sweet treat we call cake!"1 Celestia realized her forearms were raised in the air and she was shouting. Ponies were staring at her from ajar doors. No doubt her singing had been echoing around the whole castle...wait, she had been singing?
"Emm hmm," she coughed, fluffed the paper, and went back to reading the report, hiding her blush behind the document. One of the servants that had been about to deliver a message coughed and recomposed himself.
"Princess Celestia?" the servant asked, trying hard to hold back a smirk.
"Yes?" she said nonchalantly, thinking to herself the best way to erase the memories of a castle full of ponies.
"Princess Twilight Sparkle is here to see you, your Majesty," the servant bowed.
"Let her in," Celestia said, setting the reports down. Now why would her student be coming to see her? Perhaps she found out who had taken the How to Bake a Cake in 12 easy Steps!, or perhaps she wanted some friendship advice, or-
"Princess Twilight!" announced the servant loudly as the doors to the throne room opened majestically. Some trumpets sounded from the music room, and confetti canons shot as Twilight trotted in. She walked right up to Celestia's throne and bowed. Celestia smiled gently as Twilight stood up straight.
"Princess Celestia?" Twilight asked, a light of curiosity in her eyes. "I'd...like to ask you a question."
"Yes?" Celestia asked, wondering why Twilight didn't just send a letter.
"Am I immortal, or just undying, or something else entirely?"
---
Twilight watched Celestia's expression as she asked the question. She saw Celestia's face twitch slightly and the smile falter ever so slightly.
"Why, Twilight," Celestia looked around quickly and unusually nervously. "How about we discuss this over lunch?" She clopped her hooves and a cart that had been lying across the room was wheeled over by a servant. The cart was placed carefully between Celestia and Twilight, and another servant brought a padded seat for Twilight. Before the second servant left, they whispered into Twilight's ear, "Let her have the cake." Then every servant in the room left, and only the guards posted in their spots remained.
"I'm sure you must be hungry after your journey here," Celestia said as she levitated a piece of Red Velvet into her mouth. Twilight looked down at the fine food specimens, then looked at Celestia, a firm look in her eyes.
"Celestia, as an alicorn now, I'd like to know just what that means," Twilight crossed her hooves and stared right into Celestia's soul. "I'd like to know what things I can do, how long and, well, how I'll live." Celestia swallowed her piece of cake loudly, fidgeting uncomfortably under Twilight's gaze.
"Twilight," Celestia began, "Sometimes it is better...not to know things." She waited and stared into Twilight's unwavering eyes. "All you need to know is that the tree of Harmony chose you-"
"No," Twilight interjected, placing a hoof on the pastry cart. "You chose me. You're the one who cast the spell on me to turn me into an alicorn, and then I got a coronation and BAM! Princess Twilight!" Twilight threw her arms up on the last phrase.
"Well, I did the spell, but only because I felt prompt-" Celestia bit her lip. A bead of sweat condensated on her forehead and rolled slowly down her face. "Honestly, Twilight, why the sudden curiosity-"
"Don't try to change the subject on me!" Twilight leaned forward, their muzzles almost touching. "What prompted you to change me?" Celestia gulped again.
"I felt you were ready, of course," Celestia chuckled halfheartedly.
"Ready for what?" Twilight asked slowly.
"Well, the enormous responsibility of being a Princess and an alicorn."
"Alrighty tighty," Twilight said, leaning back slowly. Her expression had changed to one to close examination. "How long will I live?"
Silence.
"Celestia?" Twilight thought back to what Spike had said about her not wanting to know the answer. "Is it...bad?"
"No, of course not," Celestia reassured, taking a bite out of the hot fudge cake. "It's just that, I, ehm...don'twanttotellyousogonow!" Celestia clopped her hooves together again, and the throne room doors opened.
"Oh no," Twilight said, "I am NOT going until I get a straight answer from you." She put her hoof on Celestia's cake. "TELL me how long, you think, I'll live!" Twilight glared at Celestia, who crouched a little and looked up at Twilight with big eyes...but Celestia said nothing.
"Security," Celestia eventually whispered. Immediately after she did, dozens of guards began spilling in from the random posts they had been standing in. Twilight flapped her wings and rose a dozen feet into the air.
Pointing at Celestia, Twilight said venomously, "Fine, whatever. I like Luna better than you anyway!" With that, Twilight flew out of the throne room. The guards milled about by the door, wondering whether they should chase after the lavender Princess.
"Princess Celestia," asked the Chief Guard, "do we have permission to obtain the fugitive?" He didn't seem sure, by the expression on his face, that Twilight was a fugitive by any means. Celestia herself was relaxing herself from that stressful encounter by indulging a bunch of cake.
"Celestia?" the guard asked again, somewhat dismally. Celestia looked up, crumbs streaking her maw, and nodded.
"Gaw ahehhd," she mumbled with her mouth full. The chief guard nodded, and yelled to his troops, "Ready yourselves! We are to chase down Twilight and apprehend her!" All the guards left the throne room and began to spread out halfheartedly throughout the castle. Celestia sat contempt in her seat, full of cake, when a sudden urge to cough overcame her. She hacked, looking very not Princess-like, until she belched. A surge of flame (it looked a lot like a solar flare) burst from her mouth and a singed Spike fell to the ground. He got up and shook his head, looking around, confused.
"Wait, where's Twilight?" he asked Celestia.
"I think she went after my sister," Celestia said grumpily, not having the best of mornings.
"Ah, great," Spike groaned, and prepared himself yet again to perform the quickest way from A to B.