Somehow, Pinkie Pie had known exactly when Twilight would return. There was probably a Pinkie-Sense twitch that said incoming party, or some sort of sign from her cutie mark like a call from the Map, but Twilight had never asked exactly how she did it. One extensive delve into the magics of the pink mare had been enough for Twilight's sanity for one lifetime. If she had more than one then maybe...
In any case, as soon as Twilight had trotted in through the doors, Starlight had been waiting for her.
"Hello Twilight! How was your trip to the Princesses? Why don't you tell me in the dining room?"
Twilight grinned. "I hope it's chocolate cake, I'm really in the mood for that."
Starlight deflated. "It's supposed to be a surprise 'I Sure Hope No Big Problems Have Come Up' party. None did, right?"
"No, we just had an... interesting chat. They're in the dining room, you said?" Twilight began down the hall, eyeing Starlight briefly. "Say, just a quick question - if you were offered the opportunity to become immortal, would you take it?"
"Sweet Celestia, no," Starlight snorted at once, before her eyes widened and she stopped in place. "Is that what you were called about? They can make you immortal?"
"Sort of," Twilight waved a hoof vaguely. "Why would you say no?"
Starlight's gaze drifted to the side and hardened. "I don't do well with power. It's just... look what I did with just one small village under my hoof. I don't want that to ever happen again. So I would say no. I know I can't be trusted with something like that. All of those ponies looking up to me, it would be nice again, but I know I'd slip back into my old ways and start taking away freedoms under the guise of helping others again. You, though, would be much more responsible with it I'm sure."
Twilight hummed to herself and the pair resumed their pace.
It wasn't the response she had been expecting. Twilight supposed it was also a better one. Could she be trusted with the future of Equestria? Would she be responsible enough? Sure, she had embraced her current duties, but in the future would she be able to handle it? If she accepted, then her very presence would affect the world over time whether she wanted it to or not.
Ponies hung on the Princesses' every word. Twilight couldn't count how many times she had seen them bowing and scraping at Celestia's hooves, no matter how many times she attempted to gently dissuade them. Ponies who dealt often with royalty soon overcame their first, awed instincts, but across Equestria the very idea of meeting with one of the alicorns sent most of them into at least a mild worship-induced-panic.
Using Celestia's name like Starlight had was not an uncommon occurance, now that Twilight was thinking about it, and since Luna's return, similar phrases had been uttered about the Moon Princess. She hadn't heard anypony exclaim on her name, yet, but would she be okay with it if they did?
Do I want to live forever? Twilight asked herself. She wasn't sure.
Starlight stopped her with a hoof before the doors to the dining room. "Remember, surprise party."
Twilight nodded with a soft smile and pushed open the door.
After assuring her friends that all was well in the world, engaging in several heated rounds of Pin-the-Tail-on-the-Pony and a spectacularly explosive piñata disembowlment, Twilight had taken a generous slice of the (deliciously chocolatey) cake and retreated into a quiet corner. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were still arguing about who had won the round, and Pinkie had gone off in search of a ruler to straighten the matter out. Starlight was chatting to Rarity and Fluttershy, while Spike was attempting to snag more of the piñata's scattered sugary entrails from beneath the table spread with party food.
There was the aforementioned chocolate cake, a multi-tiered mass of blissfully light and fluffy sponge, the layers split by generous helpings of white chocolate buttercream. The whole thing was slathered in a mirror-like dark chocolate glaze. Carefully done piping across the top had once spelled out Good Thing the World Isn't in Danger Again, Please, but since the girls had fallen on it the only words left were World Danger Please. Twilight that she might go back and snag Danger once she was finished with her first slice to try and head off the inevitable whims of Fate soon. Around the cake, there were a selection of sweet and savoury dishes all brought by her friends for the party. An empty plate bore the only remaining crumbs from Applejack's classic fritters, and Twilight suspected that the comparatively less-touched salad had been provided by Rarity. In and amongst the veritable feast, though, sat one plate that probably didn't qualify as food.
Where in Equestria Pinkie had managed to find a jelly mould shaped like Twilight's own face she wasn't going to ask,. The party pony might have made it herself for all she knew. Nopony had gone near the luridly violet mass, and it wobbled aggressively even from across the room. Upon questioning about the flavour, Pinkie had shrugged and muttered something about grapes and the Everfree Forest. Twilight snickered as she forked a bite of cake into her mouth. If she said no to the Princesses' offer, that jelly might just outlast her.
Ah, the Princesses' offer.
Twilight's smile dropped away, replaced by a light frown.
Celestia had said that she would have years to decide on the right course of action. Coming up with an answer, however, happened to be a problem, and problems needed to be solved. She planned on visiting each of her friends in the next few days to discuss it with them, but for now she was alone with only Starlight's aggressive rejection of the idea.
"Are you okay Twilight? You have too much cake?"
Twilight blinked and found herself staring at her fork. She gave a little snort, and then looked down towards the source of the voice. Spike stood there, with an armful of fallen goodies and a raised eyebrow. Twilight smiled and shook her head.
"I'm fine Spike, I just have a lot on my mind," the purple alicorn took another bite of the cake to prove it. "Celestia and Luna asked Cadance and I a question. A big question. I'm not sure how to answer it yet."
"Oh," Spike picked through his hoard of Dental Problems Yet To Be and found a lollipop. "What is it, like, math? Really complicated math? The most complicated math ever and you have to do it all in your head?"
"Not... exactly. What would, um, what would you do if somepony offered you immortality?"
Spike tilted his head. "I'm a dragon, we kinda live for thousands of years. It's practically a given, anyway. Hold on, is that the question they asked?"
"Yep." Twilight scraped some of the frosting from the top of the slice onto her fork and ate it.
"Is that the kind of question you can say yes to, not hypothetically?"
Twilight nodded, her mouth full of frosting. To her surprise, Spike's eyes filled with tears, and he dropped his load of sweets to throw his arms around her neck. She whinnied in confusion and the dragon began to sniffle.
"S-spike?! What's wrong?"
The words were barely audible against the fur on the side of her neck. "If you say yes, I won't be alone."
"Oh, Spike." Twilight pulled him closer for a proper hug. Once he'd stopped sniffing, she kept one hoof on his shoulder and looked him in the eyes. "Spike, whether I say yes or not, you won't ever be alone. You'll have Princess Celestia and Luna, and Flurry Heart too. Lord Ember and her dragons will be there too, don't ever forget that, okay?"
Spike nodded, and rubbed at his eyes which were still a little watery. He breathed deeply for a few moments, then he leant down to retrieve the sweets and scurried away.
Twilight let out a long, shaky breath and set her plate down on the nearest table.
Guilt washed through her barrel, sending sick waves lapping up her throat and squeezing her heart. The thought that Spike having a draconic lifespan and living so long past her and all of her friends hadn't even occured to her before today. She hadn't ever considered it, but clearly it was something that her Number One Assistant had been thinking about. Oh goodness, was this something similar to how Cadance must be feeling about little Flurry Heart? There was a heavy, cold weight settling in Twilight's stomach. If she said no, then poor Spike would be devastated, but...
She couldn't just say yes because of one individual, could she? Would it be selfish, to ask to become immortal just to spend more time with her favourite dragon? Would it be wrong?
"Twilight, darling? Are you okay? You look to be in some distress." Rarity called across from her conversation, and all of the heads in the room turned to stare at her. Starlight raised her eyebrow and Fluttershy looked concerned. Rainbow and Applejack were standing near a returned Pinkie Pie who was holding a ruler to the Pin-the-Tail board. There was no sign of Spike, as he'd probably taken his spoils back to his room. Twilight froze for a second before clearing her throat and giving them all a sheepish grin.
"Oh, sorry girls, I think I have a headache coming on. The party is great but I think I'm gonna head to my room and get an early night."
Her friends all offered her their sympathy, and Twilight left them to clear up the room once she had been assured that she did not have to help. She hadn't really got a headache, or at least not a physical one, and felt a little bit bad for just skipping out on them all. Twilight wanted to sleep on her thoughts before asking the rest of her friends for their opinions.
She was meeting Rarity and Rainbow Dash for lunch tomorrow at Sugarcube Corner, so she would probably get three different views at once. A nice, healthy portion of debate was sure to spark up more aspects of the decision that she had yet to take consideration of.
Twilight yawned. Well, no use in wasting the extra time she had for sleeping on more thinking. That could come tomorrow.
The scents of the bakery were delectable as Twilight Sparkle pushed open the partitioned door to Sugarcube Corner. Lunch time was busy time, and so it meant that all of the smells from the freshly baked and currently baking products were at their highest concentrations. The alicorn could smell apples, cinnamon, lemon, chocolate, flour, yeast, and that sort of sweet egg-like flavour that hot sponge cake exuded. Her stomach rumbled in appreciation, and Twilight glanced around until she located the table where Rarity and Rainbow already sat. From what she could see, they were engaged in a friendly bicker over something on the menu.
To prepare for the lunch, Twilight had eaten a light breakfast - two slices of buttery toast and a glass of orange juice. Her stomach rumbled again, and she scurried over to her friends' table and sat down a little too roughly, a few of her feathers askew.
"Oof," Twilight fidgeted slightly to try and get into a more comfortable position. She looked up at Rarity's concerned cooing and grinned. "I'm not late, am I?"
"No, not at all, darling! In fact, you're right on time in order to settle our little debate," Rarity snatched the menu from Rainbow Dash in her magic, elliciting a yelp of protest, and flipped it open to one of the pages. "Dear Rainbow seems to think that, of all things, pancakes are the ultimate breakfast food. I shall not stand for such taste."
Rainbow snorted. "Rarity isn't even arguing for waffles, though. I mean, I could see her point if she was going for them 'cause that's, like, the eternal debate, right? Pancakes versus waffles? But nooooo. Rarity's saying cereal."
"Oh," Twilight floundered for a moment. "For the record, I think the concept of breakfast-specific food is kinda silly. Why you can't eat one kind of food at a certain time of the day... it's pointless! So I'd say something like a Full Wingland, but less... fried. As for cereal and pancakes? Sorry Rarity, but I have to go for pancakes."
Rainbow threw her hooves up in the air in triumph. "Ha, Princess Egghead agrees with me!"
"Pah, fine. I'm surrounded by the uncivilised," Rarity turned up her nose, but there was a glitter of amusement in her eyes. "Well, enough of that, let us order our lunch!"
"Aw yeah, I know what I'm getting." Rainbow yanked the menu back and flipped a few pages forward. She pointed to her selection eagerly.
"Slice of Cider? Oh, must be some new apple cake thing," Twilight peered over her blue friend's shoulder. "'A generous slice of sweet apple and cinnamon sponge cake, filled with a caramel buttercream and shot through with genuine Sweet Apple Acres Cider, sourced locally. Optional hot caramel sauce drizzled upon request.' Gosh, that sounds fantastic, I'll have one too."
"Mm, I'll bet Pinkie had a hoof in the description." Rarity giggled.
"I sure did! Are you ready to order?" Pinkie seemed to emerge from beneath the table, drawing out two squeals of surprise and one definitely-not-a-squeal-do-you-have-a-problem-with-that-bucko from the three ponies sitting there.
"Goodness, Pinkie Pie, you gave us a fright, startling us like that!" Rarity ignored Rainbow's assertion that she had 'totally not been startled, she just happened to make a noise at the same time the other girls had been startled, that's all'.
Pinkie just grinned. "So whaddya want?"
"Ah, two Slices of Cider, and one Lemon Drizzle, if you would."
"Okie-dokie! Hot caramel with the Ciders?"
Twilight shook her head, Rainbow nodded. Pinkie beamed and bounced away to the counter to relay the orders to the Cakes. There was plenty of the Lemon Drizzle in the display case, but as the apple-flavoured cake was new, it was selling out fast. Pinkie grabbed one of the Drizzle cakes and a fork and hopped back on over to the others with it balanced on her back.
The pink mare slid the cake over to Rarity, and slid herself into one of the empty seats. "Is your head feeling better now, Twilight?"
"What?" Twilight had almost forgotten about her excuse from the night before. "Oh, yeah, headache's all gone."
"Oh, good! I've still got some of that cake left in one of the store rooms if you want to take some with you after this!"
Twilight smiled. "I just might, Pinkie, I'm sure Spike wouldn't mind another helping of it! Say, you girls, I have a question for you."
All three mares perked their ears. Twilight took that as a sign to go on. "I'm just wondering, if you were ever given the option to live forever, what would you do? Would you say yes or no?"
"Is this immortal as in, like we are now, or does it come with a pair of wings and a horn?" Pinkie tilted her head.
"Uh, yeah, you'd be an alicorn. I guess."
"Then, like, duh! Of course I would! Think of all the parties I could throw with the power of an alicorn and all of eternity!" Pinkie's eyes grew as wide as saucers. "I could make friends with everypony."
"Oh, indeed! The ponies you'd meet! The sights you would see!" Rarity dug her fork into the yellow cake in front of her. "The exotic cuisines! Why, you would never have to worry about fitting in the time to go visit some faraway land like you've always dreamed - because you wouldn't have the limit of old age to hold you back."
Pinkie nodded along, her mane bobbing wildly. "There would be so many friends, you'd never run out! New ponies to meet around every corner, and if you just wait a while, look! Even more! Saying goodbye to old friends would be sad, but I'd hope they'd all be happy that you remember them and that you can find new ponies to be friends with. "
Rarity giggled. "Why, seeing how things change over time would be amazing. I would love to see how fashion evolves over the centuries with my very own eyes! In fact, given the nature of the influence that an immortal alicorn has, I would be able to influence fashions myself for eons! Ahem, not that I would take advantage of that influence... too often, anyway."
"Wow," Twilight blinked. "That's a lot of... positives!"
"Oh, speaking of," Pinkie jumped up and waved at the counter. "I think your cake is ready, be right back!"
Twilight mulled over the responses. Both Pinkie and Rarity seemed to hold the potential experiences one might have as an immortal in quite high regard. The purple mare looked over at Rainbow Dash, who had yet to chime in. The pegasus had an unusually strong look of concentration on her face. Twilight shrugged and looked eagerly towards Pinkie and her rapidly approaching slice of cake.
The discussion was temporarily hushed as Rainbow and Twilight dug into their cake with relish. Pinkie had poured Rainbow's caramel on with a practised flourish, and hopped away again for another moment to return the small pouring jug to the counter.
"Mmmmoh my gosh," groaned Twilight. "This is so good."
Her stomach growled in approval.
"It apple-lutely is!" Pinkie snickered. "Me and Applejack came up with it last time I was running the store. She had some apples and a barrel of cider, I had all of the cake ingredients and a new caramel recipe... next thing we know, the Cakes are begging for the recipe and Slice of Cider was born."
"I'm going to marry you and Applejack." Twilight savoured a bite in her mouth.
Rainbow briefly surfaced from her slice. "Ditto. Think you can get the papers sorted for next week?"
"I can get them done tonight." Twilight's eyes took on a manic gleam.
Pinkie snorted. "I think you might need to ask us first, and I want to set a date in Spring."
Rarity eyed the cider cake. "I'm beginning to think I missed out on something."
In response, Twilight levitated a forkful into the unicorn's mouth. There was a minute of slow chewing and bated breath.
"I'm designing the dresses in my head right now."
A chorus of giggles rolled across the table.
"Okay, okay, the cake is the best thing I've ever tasted but Rainbow hasn't answered my question yet." Twilight set an expectant gaze across to the pegasus, who tried to wipe caramel from her muzzle unsuccessfully. Rarity began to dab her with a napkin, and Rainbow's face scrunched up in thought again.
"Nah," she said at last. "I wouldn't go for it."
"Really, darling?" Rarity's ears flicked. "I'd have thought that you would love the power of an alicorn at your frogs."
Rainbow let out a huffing breath. "I've said it before - I don't want to be a princess. I want to be a Wonderbolt. I am a Wonderbolt. I'm living the dream right now. Sure, I'm the rookie of the team at the moment, but I know that I'm gonna be the best, one day. Hay, I'm already breaking records. Where I am right now? Nope, I wouldn't take it."
"But Dashie," Pinkie prodded her with a hoof. "Wouldn't you want to be the best at flying forever?"
"What? No!" The other three mares drew back slightly.
"I mean, no, of course not. I really want to be one of the best, maybe the best there's been so far, but I don't want to ever be the best forever. What about all the ponies who come after me, who want to be the best at flying there's been yet as much as I do? The next Rainbow Dash? I don't want to steal that from them. I hate losing, but I have to lose eventually, or no one else would ever win and no one else would ever try to win ever again, and that would be, like, the worst thing. 'Cause then what's the point of winning? You know what, one day, I hope there's a pony who beats my records. Just, y'know, once I'm done setting them. Then I'll know we're doing something right."
"Oh." said Twilight.
"Wow," Pinkie's eyes swam. "That was sorta really kinda awesome."
"I try." Rainbow smirked and began spearing at the cake crumbs.
"Hmm, I suppose if I was an alicorn who dabbled in fashion, other designers might lose their unique perspectives and take to following blindly in my style, and only my style. While following the whims of fashion is usually a good thing, getting repetitive and same-y is, well, it becomes tacky and dull. I certainly see your point, Rainbow, though I might be able to take a break from designing every century or so to pursue my other passions..."
"Hey, Twilight! What about you? What would you do if you were asked to become immortal?" Pinkie began to stack their empty plates up, setting the three forks in a neat row on the top.
"Oh, well. First I'd find out what my friends think, and weigh up all of the pros and cons that they can find."
Three pairs of eyes were suddenly staring at her.
"So that's why the Princesses wanted you up in Canterlot!" Rarity finally broke the silence.
"Th-they really said you could become immortal?" Rainbow Dash leant forwards over the table. "Really?"
Twilight waved a hoof around. "They have a theory, but they're not sure if it will work yet. So it's more a 'maybe I could be immortal if I try it out'. Thing. Something. It's a big question."
"I'll say," said Pinkie. She gave a low whistle and tapped her chin. "What would you do with that big ol' heap of time, though? Crazy powerful magic thingamabobs? Ooh, read everything? Teach at Celestia's school? Become the next Nightmare Moon? No, wait! Go live in a cave away from society and become known only as 'The Hermit' or something and ponies make great journeys to seek you and your wisdom out but all you do is offer cryptic advice that proves really useful in hindsight and maybe you throw off your ratty old Hermit cloak every few hundred years when some big meanie like Tirek turns up and you completely annihilate them and leave everyone gasping in awe and then-"
"No, I don't think I'm going to live in a cave, Pinkie."
"Hmm, you're right. You'd end up in some mystical hidden library of mysticalness."
Twilight shook her head, but she smiled.
"Have our suggestions helped, darling?" Rarity pricked her ears and pursed her lips.
"Oh, yes! You've provided some interesting opinions. I still need to see Applejack and Fluttershy, though," Twilight twitched her wings. "I don't suppose any of you know if either of them are in town today?"
Pinkie Pie shrugged. "Sorry, I've been here all day and neither of them stopped by." She grabbed the empty plates and whisked them away through the door behind the counter, into the kitchen.
Rarity shook her head. "I saw Big MacIntosh at the apple stall today, so Applejack must be on the farm."
"I think Fluttershy was planning on picking up some stuff from the vet this afternoon if you wanna hang around for her." Rainbow began digging around for her bitpurse as Pinkie came pronking back with a slip of paper in her teeth.
"Oh, really? Thanks Rainbow, I'll try to catch her there." Twilight also began rummaging for bits.
Pinkie grinned as she set the bill down. "Friends' rates as always! You all heading out, now?"
"Oh indeed, I've a letter to Sassy on my desk that needs sending, and then I shall be having a brainstorming session," Rarity levitated a number of coins to the pink mare, and a generous share into the tip jar. "Do take care, Pinkie dear."
Rainbow Dash grinned. "And I've got to burn off some of this cake. Don't wanna stretch my suit too badly."
Rainbow and Twilight paid for their lunch, and then the three mares bid farewell to Pinkie.
Twilight paused outside the bakery for a moment to watch the others disappear. Then she let out a little snort and set off for the Ponyville Veterinary Practice, thoughts about endless days of wonder and stolen futures swirling in her head.
"Nope," said the receptionist with a light smile. "She hasn't been by yet. Feel free to use the waiting room, though."
"Oh, thank you," Twilight beamed back. "Actually, while I'm here, I'd like to make an appointment for my owl, he's due a check-up soon."
As Twilight and the mare behind the desk began to hammer out the details of date and time, a stallion with a cat left the examination room, and a mare with a foal and a puppy were called in. Twilight, satisfied with her plans, went to sit in one of the chairs that the small family had just vacated.
Her friends had raised some interesting points. If she was immortal, she would probably end up using all of that time to study and learn as much magic as she could. Would that mean that any other aspiring magicians would be put off by an alicorn who knew so much more than they could ever catch up to? Or would future generations be inspired by her and want to follow in her hoofsteps, as she had been inspired by Celestia's raising of the sun, all of those years ago as a filly?
"Hello, Twilight!" Fluttershy's soft voice cut through Twilight's thoughts. "What are you doing here? Oh goodness, is Owlowiscious alright?"
"Huh?" said Twilight. "Oh, hey Flutterhy, it's okay! Owlowiscious is fine, I was actually here to find you."
"Oh?" said Fluttershy, tilting her head slightly.
"Rainbow said you were picking up some supplies?" Twilight twitched her wings, and Fluttershy nodded. "Anyway, it's nothing major, I just wanted to ask you a question."
"Yes, anything. I mean, not anything but, um, you know what I mean."
Twilight giggled. "I just wanted to know what you would say if somepony offered to turn you into an immortal alicorn princess. Yes or no, and why?"
"Ah," Fluttershy wavered. "I'd say no, I think. If I was a princess there would be so many ponies. Ponies who would be looking up to me, or asking me questions or, or, just, expecting things. From me. I would love to be able to care for my animals and never worry about l-leaving them behind, but... "
Fluttershy's eyes were wide as she tried to find the right words.
"It's a lot of responsibility?" Twilight suggested.
"Oh, yes. I would never be able to do what you do. Having one of the thrones at your castle is already enough for me. Ruling over ponies as a princess, though? Goodness, I could never." Fluttershy lifted a hoof to her mouth
"So the responsibilities that would inevitably come with a position like that might be too intimidating and strenuous to be worth it?"
"Yes, that's exactly it," Fluttershy glanced towards the desk. "Was that everything you wanted to ask? Only, I really do need to get those medical supplies..."
Twilight's ears pinned back, and she gave a sheepish grin. "Yep, that's it! Thanks, Fluttershy, I won't delay you any longer. Have a good afternoon."
"You too, Twilight!" said Fluttershy, who turned and trotted over to speak with the receptionist.
The purple mare chuckled as she exited the building. Really, had she expected anything else from her timid friend? At least there was only one more pony to ask today.
Twilight had taken to the sky on her way to Sweet Apple Acres. It felt good to get the wind through her feathers, and feel the breeze pull back her mane. Of all the things being an alicorn had given her, the ability to fly was probably her favourite.
The town of Ponyville was spread out before her, the buildings radiating out from Town Hall in haphazard circles. Her castle glittered somewhere behind her, and if she turned around she'd have a clear sight all the way to Canterlot. However, Twilight's sight was fixed firmly ahead, at the rolling hills to the South of the town that were covered in a rich carpet of green trees. Applebuck Season was still a few months away, but the earth pony magic of the Apple Family kept at least some fields in various states of fruit production all year, bar the winter months. Twilight glided along, dipping low enough to see if any of the trees bore the tell-tale red of ripe apples.
If Applejack was on the farm, chances were that she'd be in one of the fields where harvesting would be possible. Twilight drifted West, over a grove of trees in bloom. The sweet aroma of apple blossoms hit her nose, just as a flash of orange caught her eye a few fields over. Twilight grinned, her quarry in sight, and spiralled down to land near her farmer friend with a thump.
"Hey, AJ!"
"Whoa," Applejack started slightly, then broke out into a broad grin. "Well, howdy sugarcube, what can I do you for? Early night did ya good?"
"Yep, all better now. I've actually got a question for you, if you're not too busy." Twilight said.
"Shucks, Twi, if ya came all the way out here to ask me somethin', least I can do is listen. Shoot." Applejack shifted one of the collection baskets to the side a tad and flicked her tail.
"Okay," Twilight giggled. "Firstly, that new cider cake you helped Pinkie make? The best cake I've ever had."
Applejack tipped her hat. "Mighty kind of ya to say, Twilight! Me 'n' Pinkie should collaborate more often."
"You definitely should. Anyway, I just wanted to ask, if somepony gave you the option, would you say yes or no to becoming an immortal alicorn?"
Applejack studied Twilight for a few moments. "This why Princess Celestia asked you up to Canterlot, then? Gave you an offer."
"Yep," Twilight swallowed. "So I've been trying to see what everypony thinks - what they would do in my horseshoes. To try and find the reasons why, or why not, that resonate with me."
"Huh. Gimme a moment to think about this," Applejack said, her eyes dropping to the ground. She pawed with one hoof at the grass, slowly. "What did the others say?"
"Starlight and Fluttershy both said they'd refuse because of all of the responsibility that would be expected of them. They're afraid that they'd either misuse the power it gives them, or otherwise disappoint the ponies relying on them as a leader, which the positon as an immortal princess would bring. Pinkie and Rarity would say yes, because they both value the rewards that never running out of time would afford - all of the experiences and possibilities that a life like that could offer. Rainbow also said no, because she doesn't want to get in the way of the dreams of future ponies. Spike would want me to say yes, as dragons are also incredibly long-lived, and Cadance said she wants to wait for more information before she can make a decision, and that it'll be based on her family," Twilight bit her lip. "They're the only ones I've asked so far."
"Huh," said Applejack again. "Well, Twilight... I ain't gonna pretend that I know exactly what your priorities are, but if it were me, I'd've already agreed."
"What? Really?" Twilight cocked her head. "I thought, um, I mean, uh. Y-your family is, um, I mean-"
"Ya thought I'd say no so I wouldn't have to lose 'em," said Applejack. Her mouth pulled into a sad smile. "I know what you were thinkin' Twi, but the truth is, I've already lost some of my family."
The orange mare looked up at the closest tree.
"It was one o' the hardest times in my life. Nothin' can prepare ya for somethin' like that until it happens."
Twilight floundered for a few seconds. "I, uh, you don't have to-"
"It's okay, hun, I've made my peace with it. Still hurts, it always will, but I can live with it. Now, y'see, I also know that one day, Granny ain't gonna be there either. One day she'll slip into a nap and never wake up. One day Big Mac'll hang up his yoke an' never put it back on again. I'm gonna see my little sister get grey in her mane, an' maybe the same fer my own kids if I ever have any. The thing is, Twi, all of that is gonna happen, an' I'm planning on being there to see it anyway. My parents were gonna pass on anyway, even if they went sooner 'n they should've."
Applejack pulled her hat off her head and began to twist it between her hooves, still staring up into the branches of the tree before her.
"The thing is, Twi, things are always gonna happen. Accidents and injuries and the passing of time. Things happen to rip away the ones you love an' you can't do a gosh darned thing to stop it. But if I was immortal? Nothin' could rip me away. Nopony would ever have to mourn at my grave or feel that empty grief or cry themselves to sleep over me. If I could never die, why, I could take losing my family as the years pass, 'cause it'd mean they'd always have somepony. I could look 'em in the eye, tell 'em I'll never have to leave 'em, and it'd be true."
Applejack finally looked back towards Twilight, meeting her eyes with an almost defiant look.
"Ya do whatever feels right for ya, Twilight, but that's my answer."
"Wow, that's - thank you, Applejack." Twilight gulped once, and then cleared her throat. Applejack replaced her hat and gave herself a shake.
"No problem, sugarcube. Ya mind givin' me a hoof with the rest of the field?" The farm mare's grin had returned, and Twilight was glad for the change in subject.
Applejack's reasons had been a lot heavier than she'd anticipated, and now all of her previous notions were in turmoil.
"Oh, not at all! Just point me in the right direction and I'll get started."
"Can ya start on the next row over?" Applejack pointed to her left, and began to kick the tree they'd been standing by.
"Absolutely."
Twilight's quill hovered above the parchment, hesitant. She dithered for another few seconds before signing her name. It was written. Taking in a shaky breath, Twilight rolled up the page into a neat tube, jerkily wrapping a red ribbon around it. She held a few beads of sealing wax over a candle, and then pressed it to the scroll. Her magic carved a symbol of her cutie mark into the rapidly-solidifying wax, and then she dropped the scroll onto her desk.
Strangely out of breath, she found herself panting as she stared at the letter.
Shaking herself from her mounting panic, she called out once. "Spike!"
The contents of the letter were greetings, pleasantries, goodbyes, and one other word. The word that would determine her fate. With the parchment bound up in its scroll, she could almost imagine it was like some Shrewd Angles' cat of a word. The ink wouldn't be set on the page until Celestia and Luna unrolled it and read it for themselves.
"Yeah, Twilight? What's u- whoa!" Spike came barrelling into the room, almost tripping over some of the discarded drafts that Twilight had screwed up and tossed aside.
Twilight caught him in her telekinetic grasp. "I need you to send a letter to Celestia."
Spike's slitted eyes locked onto the scroll. "Is that what I think it is?"
Twilight snorted. "It's about time I give them a solid answer. I don't want this hanging over me any more."
"So, what did you say?"
Twilight only smiled in response.