It's a fair question, isn't it? It's a question each and everyone of us ask ourselves in our lives. 'How far am I willing to go to accomplish my goals?' Will I accomplish my goal by working hard and taking the path most trodden? Or will I take the quick and easy route that normally leads through betray, loneliness and loss?
I sat upon my chair as I stared at the phoenix egg I had acquired a few days ago. When I told Trixie what it was she actually assumed I had stolen it from some unguarded nest. No, I'm not so cruel as to take a child away from its parents, but in the end does it really matter? I had saved the egg from a small gang of teenage dragons. The idiots wanted to smash it against a rock, as if such an action held great honor. Needless to say all of them ran off with burnt scales and wounded pride.
But... were my actions truly honorable? At first I did search for a nest, but as the hours rolled by I had all but given up hope. It's possible that I saved the sole surviving egg of the family. For all I knew the parents were dead. The chick that would hatch from this egg would be an orphan. Of course, it's more than likely the chick would imprint upon me should it hatch, but I'm not a caretaker. I have neither the time nor the patience to look after an infant, intelligent bird or otherwise.
Which led me to the debate I'm currently holding with myself. Before I had been imprisoned in stone I had read a substantial number of books I had 'borrowed' from the princesses. One such book was actually a potion book which held a number of formulas, some of which I no doubt would be considered illegal today. I'll never forget though the one potion in that book that caught my eye. It was a very advanced concoction and the ingredients were rare and difficult to acquire. The most difficult ingredient though? The egg of a phoenix. If I could get a hold of a phoenix egg and some of the rarer ingredients, I could concoct a potion of eternal youth. I would forever escape the winds of time.
Was it the immortality I had originally envisioned? No, but it certainly would be a great first step. All I needed to do was sacrifice an innocent life for my own benefit. And the worst part about it? It's so much simpler than one would assume. All I had to do was turn a blind eye and eternal youth would be mine. I never really put much faith in my moral compass anyway. Why should I start now?
If anything I would be doing the creature a favor. If I allowed it to be born than not only would I occasionally neglect it, but it would also live a dangerous life simply because it was with me. I can sense the energy within the egg. It's getting stronger with every passing day. If I had to guess I would say that the egg would hatch in little over a month. It would probably be sooner too if I gave it the correct amount of warmth, whatever that may be.
I rubbed my face to chase away the haze that had covered my eyes. I don't know how many hours I had dwelt on the subject, but I needed to come to a decision soon. The book stated that the egg had to be close to hatching, which was exactly what I had. All I needed now were the other ingredients, each of which were perfectly legal and very possible Zecora had some to share. And yet the question still plagues my mind.
How far am I willing to go?
I shook my head as I got up from my chair and made my way to my room. It was late and there was no point in brooding over the question now. Perhaps a good night's rest would clear my mind. Still, the window for the potion closes with every passing day. By tomorrow morning I would have to come to a decision.
Do I spare the egg and raise the chick within it?
Do I sacrifice the unborn life for my own betterment?
I can only hope I make the right decision.