Kindness
Twilight relaxed her focus as her spell’s energy faded. “Hey, Rarity!” she called. “How does this look?” She took a step back from her creation to look about her. From her vantage atop Rarity’s tower, she could see everything. Zecora’s clearing was barely recognizable. Crabapple had built himself a neat wooden cabin, Angel Cake had a small stone house, and Rainbow Dash’s new cloud home floated just above the treetops. Rarity’s tower of marble and crystal, half-finished as it was, outstripped all of them put together. Twilight was amazed at how much their spells had built in four short days. She was the only one who had access to the full power of alicorn magic so far, but even Angel Cake was a match for any unicorn archmage.
Their numbers had grown, as well. Three more ponies had joined them, two from Trottingham and one from Holstallion. All had been strangers, and none were younger than forty-five. In the time it took Twilight to turn the first of them into an alicorn, Rarity had transformed both of the other two and added a stairwell to her tower. That had been yesterday, and already the stairwell was hidden behind a wall of translucent crystal.
Rarity flew through the open space where an outer wall would soon be built. She landed and examined the brass doorframe Twilight had just finished weaving into existence. It would become the entrance to the drawing room, Rarity had told her. “Well done,” said Rarity. “It’s positively wonderful. Although if you could make it less of a bronze shade and more of a gold, that would be lovely.”
“The detail work can wait,” said Twilight. “The new arrivals don’t have their own places yet.” They were sharing Zecora’s hut with Twilight in the meantime, and Cornflower snored.
“You’re right enough,” said Rarity, “although that reminds me. Rainbow Dash and I were talking about settling the next batch of ponies in the Everfree Castle, if they arrive before we have somewhere to put them. It’s quite close by wing, and I can quickly make it habitable.”
“You mean the castle where we fought Nightmare Moon?” Twilight managed to keep her incredulity out of her voice. “I don’t know. That used to be Celestia’s castle, and she might not want us moving in. We don’t need to make her any angrier than she already is.” She paused. “Besides, that place is creepy.”
“I suppose you’re right, but I hate to see you work yourself to the bone this way.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “That’s rich, coming from you.”
“I create because I love to create. That’s not you. If you were studying some dusty book, I wouldn’t think twice, but this… why are you doing this?”
Twilight sucked air through her teeth. “If I stop working, then I start thinking.”
“Thinking?”
“I let Fluttershy die,” said Twilight. “I really don’t want to dwell on that.”
“That wasn’t your fault,” Rarity said firmly.
“Of course it’s my fault. I had power over life and death, and I chose death.”
“Fluttershy chose death. She never asked you to save her, did she?”
Twilight looked away. “You know, you’re not really helping with the ‘not dwelling on it’ part.”
“You can’t bury your feelings in work forever.” Rarity stepped closer. “You have to talk about it sometime.”
“By which you mean now,” said Twilight.
“Quite. Because you’re being silly. Fluttershy would have told you if she thought she needed saving.”
“Well, I didn’t save her, and now she’s dead. Maybe she would’ve thought differently, if I’d offered her the choice. Maybe I could’ve talked her into coming with us. Or maybe she still would’ve died. We’ll never know because I never even tried.”
“Excuse me.” Center Stage poked his head out from the stairwell. “Somepony’s coming.”
“What?” said Rarity. “Who is it?”
“Looks like a new one. I was over the forest, practicing my flying, when I saw. Some pegasus is headed our way, and fast. I figured you’d want to say hi.”
“Alright,” said Twilight. “Thanks.” So far, all of the newcomers had asked to see Twilight as soon as they arrived. Twilight had never questioned her abilities as a leader before, but now that she was the de facto head of the exiles, she had found a task big enough to give her pause. It was too late to turn back, however. She couldn’t reveal her doubts to anypony but Rarity. Twilight leaped from the edge of the tower, just ahead of Rarity and Center Stage.
The pegasus was arcing down for a landing, spreading her wings to catch the air and bleed off her excess speed. Even so, she was moving fast when she touched down by the base of the tower. She tried to canter along with the momentum, but quickly stumbled to her knees and skidded in the grass. By the time Twilight landed beside her, the pegasus was back on her hooves and shouting for help.
Twilight put on her problem-solving face. “It’s okay,” she said. “You’re here. You made it. Take deep breaths. What’s your name?”
The pony paced back and forth, shaking blades of grass loose from her legs. “I’m Breezybye. Look, we have to hurry. I don’t know how much time there is.”
“Perhaps you’d better explain,” Rarity said as she landed alongside Center Stage. “Start from the beginning.”
“Right,” said Breezybye. “It’s straightforward enough. My uncle Cobalt is dying, and he wants to become one of you. He’s old and sick and he can’t make it here on his own. Please, you have to go save him!”
“Where is he?” said Twilight.
“The hospital at Cloudsdale.”
Rarity frowned. “Princess Celestia did tell us to stay out of her domain. Perhaps it would be best if you had him carried here.”
“But he’ll die!” said Breezybye. “The doctors said not to move him.”
“Okay, then,” said Twilight. “I’ll send a message to Celestia first and ask her. It shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours to sort everything out.”
“He might not have hours. He’s fading fast.”
Twilight suppressed a grumble. “You know, this would’ve been a lot easier if you hadn’t come at the last minute.”
“I came as soon as he asked me to. Until he was about to die, I don’t think he wanted to do this.”
“Are you sure this is really what he wants?” said Twilight. “Maybe he’s just scared. This is a big decision.”
“He sounded sure! You can talk to him, if you want.”
“Perhaps we should argue later,” said Rarity. “It sounds as though time is of the essence.”
“You’re right,” said Twilight. “Rarity, Breezybye, I’ll teleport you two to Cloudsdale to save Cobalt, then I’m coming back here to write to Celestia. I guess I’ll be asking for her forgiveness instead of her permission.”
Sunstone looked up as the bell on the front door tinkled. “Welcome to the Carousel Boutique,” he said automatically. “What can I—” He cut himself off and rushed around the counter. “Goldie! How long has it been?”
“Too long,” said Golden Apple. “I’ve been in town twice in the last year, but I couldn’t make time to drop by. Family matters, and all that.”
“I know how it is. Family can be a real hornful.”
Golden Apple raised an eyebrow. “And how has your own family fared, since their… change?”
“I don’t know.” Sunstone felt a twinge deep inside. “Princess Celestia has forbidden communication with them.”
Golden Apple blinked. “I’d heard that, but… you’re their son! How can Celestia do that to you, too?”
“She told me this is too important to make any exceptions. I have to admit, I do see her point.”
“Why? If they want to go off and leave Equestria alone, whyever should we care?”
“Leave us alone, huh? I guess you haven’t heard about Cobalt.”
Golden Apple shook her head. “Was that recent? I’ve been on the train. I haven’t been getting news.”
“Mom went and plucked this Cobalt character right out of Cloudsdale. I have to say, I never expected this out of her.”
“But what’s wrong with what they’re doing?” said Golden Apple.
“Princess Celestia says it’s not a good idea, and that’s more than enough for me.”
Golden Apple raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And you don’t trust your mom?”
“She’s a good pony, and wise,” said Sunstone, “but Celestia is something else entirely. Everything Equestria is, is because of her.”
“Be that as it may. I don’t think it’s so wrong, letting ponies choose what to do.”
“Oh, I agree. We should have the choice. Still, that means being able to choose wrong. Ignoring Celestia seems like a bad plan.”
“I’m not convinced of that,” said Golden Apple. “This is Twilight Sparkle’s work. She was my first friend after I moved to Canterlot, and I’ve never met a better pony. I can’t imagine her being wrong about something like this. That’s why I came to Ponyville, truth be told. I hoped to speak with her.”
Sunstone frowned. “You’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking, are you?”
“Of course I am. I’d be a fool not to consider it, at the least.”
“Well, that’s as far as you’re likely to get. Celestia’s not letting Breezybye back into Equestria, not after her role in this Cobalt thing. If you want to go talk to Twilight, it’s a one-way trip. I know you’re not going to leave your kids behind.”
“Not now, of course. But in ten years or so, when they’re grown… well, I think it would be worth it.”
Rainbow Dash was hard at work, summoning and shaping cloudstuff into finished structures. She had always been a skilled cloudworker, but now that Twilight had taught her a couple of weather spells, Rainbow could scarcely believe how quickly she built. Twilight herself was down below, helping Royal Ribbon with her transformation.
Up here, the cloud that had begun its existence as Rainbow’s house had been expanded over and over. It was already a small village, home to a dozen new alicorns, with more trickling in by the day. Rainbow Dash wasn’t the only pony building up here.
A hush fell over the construction crew. Ponies were staring at something. Rainbow Dash followed their gaze upward, squinting against the sun’s glare. Celestia was descending in a flawless arc. Other ponies backed away, but not Rainbow Dash. The two of them met alone on the half-finished cloud settlement.
“Rainbow Dash. You know why I’ve come.”
“I guess you’re mad about Cobalt.”
“I sent Twilight into exile. She returned days later. This is unacceptable.”
“Hey, a pony was gonna die if we didn’t!” Rainbow kept speaking as Twilight landed beside them. “Maybe you don’t think that’s a big deal, but I’m never gonna sit back and let that happen to anyone if I can help it.”
Twilight cleared her throat. Rainbow frowned. Twilight must have interrupted the transformation spell. “Princess,” she said with forced calm.
“Twilight.”
The two of them locked eyes. Twilight’s mouth worked soundlessly. Celestia was impassive as a stone.
“Princess, we…” Twilight trailed off, looked away, started again. “You have a point,” she said. “We can’t just wander into Equestria whenever we feel like it. Still, sometimes we might have to go in, if something like Cobalt’s situation happens again. We need to set up some kind of system.”
Celestia stared at Twilight with an unreadable expression. It was a long time before she spoke. “Did you have something in mind?”
“Not yet. I need to think about it and talk to the other ponies here. I guess I can come to Canterlot to figure things out in… let’s say three days.”
“Very well. This system of yours had better not allow any more double-dealing.” She spread her wings.
Twilight Sparkle visibly drew herself together. “Celestia. Can we go somewhere less public? I wanted to have a word about—”
“We have nothing to talk about,” said Princess Celestia. A beat of her wings carried her aloft. The wind of her passage played through Rainbow Dash’s mane.
Rainbow looked to Twilight, who was watching Celestia fly away with her jaw clenched. Rainbow Dash could see the tendons sticking out from her throat.
Ponies were starting to come closer. Angel Cake stepped forward, looking like she had something to say. Rainbow Dash shot her a look, and the filly backed off.
Rainbow draped a wing across Twilight’s withers and guided her towards Zecora’s hut. Twilight craned her neck to watch Celestia’s shrinking form until Rainbow Dash pulled her inside and shut the door. “Hey,” she said. “You wanna talk about it?”
An unintelligible sound rose from Twilight’s throat.
“You’ll be okay, Twilight. If she wants to keep being a butt, that’s on her.”
The noise Twilight made might have been a laugh or a sob. “Like when you were doing the same thing to me.”
“Yeah.” The blow struck home. “Like that.”
Rarity held her head high as she walked the length of Celestia’s throne room, surrounded by familiar faces. Fleur de Lis and Baron Primrose and several dozen other courtiers lined the hall on either side. Seneschal Checkerboard led her down the red carpet to the dais at the far end, where Celestia and Luna ruled. Four ceremonial guards lined the bottom of the dais. Rarity remembered fighting to defend Coltsdam alongside Nova Burst and Stoneskin of the Solar Guard. They stood shoulder to shoulder with handsome Spur and wise old Snake of the Lunar Guard, who had helped Pinkie Pie solve the mystery of the Star Scrolls. Every pony in the room had once been Rarity’s friend or ally, but now they all watched her with a mixture of awe and naked fear.
All but the Sisters themselves. Princess Luna seemed distant, while Princess Celestia appeared her usual serene self.
The seneschal stopped before the dais. “Princess Rarity,” he announced, “of the Everfree Forest.”
Rarity suppressed a frown. The title was respectful on the surface, yet he labeled her a foreigner.
Celestia spoke first. “I thought Twilight would come herself.”
“We considered it,” said Rarity. “We decided this way would be less emotionally fraught.”
“Wise. Twilight always was a sensitive pony.”
Rarity let that pass. It was true enough, even if Twilight wasn’t the only pony whose reaction they feared. “In any case, I speak with her voice. Twilight and the others agreed to abide by what we decide here.” She took a moment to compose herself. “As you established before, we need some method by which we can induct those Equestrians who wish to join us but cannot make the journey, while at the same time honoring the separation you have imposed. We have a proposal.”
“I’m not convinced I should do anything to help my ponies run to your village.”
“With respect, Princess,” said Rarity, “that’s not your decision to make, nor mine. The ponies themselves must decide. You and I should do no more than honor their wishes as best we can.”
“You’re not honoring their wishes,” said Celestia. “You’re invading Equestria. Your path will destroy this land as surely as Nightmare Moon would have. I won’t let that happen.”
Rarity’s eyes narrowed. “Say what you mean, Princess.”
“Either your ponies will respect Equestria’s borders,” said Celestia, “or I will stop you with magic and flame.”
“And you accuse us of following in Nightmare Moon’s path?”
Celestia bristled. “This is nothing like that.”
Luna spoke for the first time. “It is,” she said. “The Nightmare turned to force when persuasion failed. I will not help thee do the same, sister.”
“Then what?” snapped Celestia. “We tried being reasonable. It’s not working. If we give in now, then we’ll give in next time. You know that, and so does Twilight Sparkle. Her followers will devour our realm to feed their own. Force has always been our last resort, but we have always used it when there was no other way to protect Equestria. You fought against Discord and Lord Bronze. You convinced me to imprison Sombra. This is no different.”
“Those foes were using force themselves,” said Luna. “I will not strike first. If we cannot persuade ponies that we are right, then perhaps we should ask ourselves why.”
Celestia tossed her head and turned back to Rarity. “You said you have a proposal.”
“Quite. We would like to set up an embassy in each major city. Nothing grand, just a place where one or two of us can live and where ponies can find us, if need be. That way, ponies such as Cobalt can freely choose whether to join us or no, and we can stay out of the way of the rest of your society. Ponies who do not seek us out need never see us in the streets or, indeed, think of us at all.”
“It will not work,” said Luna. “While I have no doubt that thy ponies intend to shut themselves away, they will not find it so easy. They may be able to conjure their own food, but all your newfound power is no defense against solitude. Some will succumb and leave their cloister. I will not have these ambassadors wandering the cities, and I will not have you in our streets every day as you change shifts.”
“Then how do you propose we solve this?”
“With the example Twilight Sparkle provided us. When ponies have need of thy kind, they will call you. We will permit you to enter, perform your magics, and leave with your new convert, just as Twilight did with Cobalt. You will not linger. You will not come for any other reason. You will take your quarry and go. We will even permit the messenger to return.”
“Not every pony will get a message to us in time,” said Rarity. “If Breezybye had been an earth pony rather than a pegasus, Cobalt would be dead. Your proposal is unacceptable, Princess.”
“As is yours,” said Celestia.
“Perhaps a compromise,” said Rarity. “Not only will we stay within our embassies, but we will also come and go only by teleporting. That way, we need never set hoof or wing in Equestria and show your followers what they’re missing.”
“Very well,” said Luna. “That should be adequate.”
“Fine,” said Celestia. “Fine. We’ll get something in writing. We’ll have no more of these emergency changes.”
“There is one other thing,” said Rarity. Twilight had wanted to wait before bringing up their other request, but Rainbow Dash had helped Rarity convince her to relent. “I have not seen my son since you banished me. I ask that you let him visit us in Everfree and return to Equestria, along with any others who wish to. I will not argue against our own banishment, but please, don’t exile anypony who merely sets hoof in our land.”
Celestia’s face was flat. “You chose to turn your tail on Equestria. This is your own doing.”
“Sunstone should not suffer for her foolishness,” said Luna. “It is a cruel thing to separate a family.”
Celestia glanced at her sister for the briefest moment before looking away. “Then ponies can visit your kind in these embassies you’ve insisted upon. I won’t have ponies moving between your realm and ours at a whim, but small, short visits won’t hurt too much.”
“Thank you,” said Rarity.
“Do you have any further demands?” said Luna.
“No,” said Rarity. “That is all.”
“Then go,” said Celestia.
Rarity left, fighting down an impolitic grin. She had called Celestia’s bluff, and won.
“Twilight! Come check this out!” Rainbow’s voice was pure glee.
Twilight turned. “What is it now?” Since they left Equestria, Rainbow Dash had been constantly trying to buddy up to Twilight. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Part of her was still hurting, but part was grateful to have one piece of her old life back.
“So I was trying out some tricks, now that I’ve finally got time to see what this new body can do. You’re never gonna believe this.”
“Alright. Let’s see it.”
Rainbow grinned. She spread her wings, crouched low, and—
Rainbow Dash exploded into a momentary trail of prismatic light, searingly bright, but gone before Twilight even finished blinking. Rainbow stood in the grass several hundred yards away. She turned, then another flash, and Rainbow was in front of Twilight once again.
Twilight gaped. “What was…”
“That’s speed! I though the sonic rainboom was fast, but that was nothing next to this!”
“You mean you’re just flying fast?”
Rainbow grinned. “Just flying fast?”
Twilight bit her lip. “I wonder if… hm. I want to try something.” She shifted her focus, bringing her cosmic awareness to the fore for the first time since Celestia had banished her. “Okay, try that again.”
The words had barely left her mouth before Rainbow Dash blazed off again. The rainbow trail was a wide circle, a mile across or more, as she pulled to a halt a couple of hornlengths from where she had started. Again, she moved too fast for Twilight to see. One moment Rainbow Dash was there, the next she was somewhere else.
Twilight’s astronomical senses confirmed her suspicions. “You were flying at the speed of light, just now.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
“And that’s fast?”
“That’s the fastest speed there is. Even teleportation doesn’t go half that fast.”
“Hah! Awesome! Just think how fast I’ll be able to go with some more practice.”
Twilight shook her head. “You can’t go faster than light. That’s not how speed works.”
“Come on! I do impossible things all the time. And now I actually have all the time!”
“Hold on.” Something was tickling the edge of Twilight’s awareness. Now that she was paying attention to the cosmos, she sensed something new in the sky. The moon radiated Luna’s familiar presence, but something else as well…
“Well?” said Rainbow. “What is it?”
“I said hold on.” Twilight focused. The new presence was coming from the sky but was not of the sky, which meant... “There’s somepony on the moon.”
“What? Who? Luna?”
“I don’t know who. Not Luna.”
“Then it’s one of us, right? I mean, I don’t know how a pony would even get there, but it’d have to be an alicorn.”
“I think you’re right. But I don’t know who it is, or why they’re there, or… anything, really.”
Rainbow Dash grimaced. “I don’t like it. Could’ve been one of us getting banished. We oughta go check it out.”
“I think I can teleport there,” said Twilight, “but I don’t know if I’m strong enough to take both of us.”
“Alright, then. Do your thing.”
Twilight did. It was not the most powerful spell she had ever cast, nor the most complicated, but it was close. She arrived in a daze, with barely enough presence of mind to conjure a globe of air around herself. It was dark and silent and cold, even with her magic warming her. All she saw was pale dust and jagged boulders and deep shadows and pinpoint stars in the boundless sky.
“H-hello?” Twilight called. “Is someone here?”
A shadow stirred. She caught a glimpse of washed-out color. “Twilight? Is that you?”
She knew that voice. “Cadence? What are you doing on the moon?”
Cadence stepped into the dim light. Her coat was dulled by gray dust. “I wanted to find somewhere I could be alone.”
“Huh?”
“Equestria is dying, Twilight. You killed it. Now it’s just a matter of time. Your society will keep getting bigger. You’ll grow, but you’ll never lose a member. Sooner or later, there won’t be any room for regular ponies. What are we supposed to do once they’re gone?”
“I don’t see a problem. We are regular ponies.”
“Did you come here to argue?”
“No, I didn’t. Sorry. I came here to find out what’s going on.”
“Okay.” Cadence turned away. “Now you know. You can go.”
“What? But I don’t understand at all! Why are you hiding up here? I’ve never known you to run from a fight.”
Cadence eyed her. “Are you trying to convince me to stop you?”
“I just want to know what’s wrong! I care about you, Cadence. You’re the only family I have left.”
The look Cadence gave her could have turned a cockatrice to stone. “You’re my only family, too, because I let the rest die. Five husbands and eight children. Now all I have left is a bunch of great-great-grandchildren who barely know who I am. And you. And Equestria. Equestria is the most beautiful thing that ever was or will be, more important than me or Shining Armor or Nocturne Sonata, and everything I went through was worth it because Equestria would go on forever. Except now you killed it, and I watched my children die for nothing. I won’t stay and watch Equestria die, too. I can’t.”
“If you—”
“I came here to find peace and solitude,” said Cadence. “Are you going to take that away, too?”
Twilight started to speak, then stopped herself. Wordlessly, she teleported away.
The Ponyville embassy was a small building, two rooms of cozy timber. They told Crabapple it was near the heart of town, but he wouldn’t know. He’d never seen it from outside.
“Look, Pa,” he said, “I really wish you’d come and join us. You’re still in one piece, but with ponies your age, that’s no guarantee. If there’s a heart attack or something, you might not be able to make it to the embassy in time.”
Macintosh shook his head. “Don’t plan on being an alicorn.”
“What? You’re joking.”
“Reckon I lived long enough. Did everything I want to do.” Macintosh’s voice was as steady as ever.
“You’re talking about suicide.”
“Dying ain’t suicide.”
“Hey, when you get to choose between living and dying, and you pick dying, they have a word for that.”
Macintosh shrugged. “Ever since your ma died, reckon I’ve just been waiting to go. Ain’t got nothing left to live for.”
“Right, right. It’s not like you have any children who might want you around.”
“You don’t need me no more. You’re a grown pony. You know how to be decent folk, when it suits you. I did alright when my folks passed on, and you will too. Me, I just wanna be with your ma again.”
Crabapple rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on. If you actually believed that, you wouldn’t have to wait around. You could go and actually kill yourself.”
Macintosh leaned forward a fraction of an inch. “Ain’t funny.”
“That’s debatable, but I wasn’t joking. I’m actually curious, here. If you’re in such a hurry to die, then why don’t you?”
“I’ll get there when I get there. She’ll wait.”
“What if she’s not? What if you’re wrong about what happens?”
“Then I’m wrong.” Macintosh shrugged. “I’ll take the chance, for her.”
“Augh.” Crabapple turned away for a moment before he could face his father again. “So, what, she’s more important than we are? You’d throw away an eternity with me and Sprout for just a chance at seeing her again? Is that really what I’m hearing?”
Macintosh nodded. “Eeyup.”
“Auntie Dash! Hey, Auntie Dash!”
“Sprout!” Rainbow Dash banked and dove towards Apple Sprout. He was rising with the now-familiar awkwardness of a pony unaccustomed to having wings. Rainbow Dash plowed into him, wrapping him in a four-legged hug. Apple Sprout forgot to keep flying as he returned the embrace, laughing, but Rainbow Dash was more than strong enough to ease them both to the ground.
“When did you show up?” said Rainbow. “I had no idea you were even here.”
Apple Sprout shrugged. “I’m not sure. Dad transformed me right when I got here, and we finished that maybe half an hour ago, but I have no idea how long we were out.”
“Twenty-two hours,” said Honey Pie as she walked to her husband’s side, “and ten minutes.” She was visibly pregnant now, Rainbow Dash noticed. It took her another moment to realize she was looking at an earth pony; it had been some time since she had seen one.
“You couldn’t find somepony to do the princess thing for you?” Rainbow Dash said. “I can handle it.”
Honey Pie swallowed. “I don’t want to be an alicorn.”
“Oh, yeah, of course,” said Rainbow Dash. “I’ve got no idea if that would do anything to the foal. Good call. Well, after the little guy’s born, you should find Rarity. She managed to transform a pony in less than an hour, once.”
“No,” said Honey Pie. “I mean I don’t want to be an alicorn.”
“Sure, then—wait. What? But, I mean, why are you here?”
Sprout cleared his throat. “I wanted to become this. She didn’t. If we stayed in Equestria, we couldn’t do that and still be together.”
“I guess. But really, you don’t know what you’re missing. If you could fly, you’d see pretty—”
“Auntie Dash,” said Apple Sprout.
Rainbow sighed. “Right. Okay. Sorry. But this won’t be easy, and I don’t just mean the whole ‘getting old and dying’ thing. We’re trying to move everypony up to the cloud village.” She frowned thoughtfully. “You’d better learn that cloudwalking spell, kiddo.”
Twilight read the letter. She read it a second time, and a third. The words stubbornly refused to change.
She glanced to the side, where Rainbow Dash was reading over her withers, looking as stricken as Twilight felt. “Where did you get this?” said Rainbow.
“Ponyville,” said Rarity. She hovered above them, unable to keep still. “Sunstone brought it to me at the embassy. I came looking for you two as soon as I got back.”
“Stars and stones,” said Rainbow Dash. “How are we gonna tell Crabapple?”
“I don’t know,” said Twilight. “There he goes.” She pointed off the edge of the cloud city they stood upon. Not far below, Crabapple drifted on the breeze. Soon enough, he returned their stare, then flew up to join them.
He scowled. “Well? What is it?”
Silence. Twilight shuffled her hooves.
Crabapple glowered. “Something’s going on.”
“Oh, Crabapple,” said Rarity. “I suppose there’s no good way to say this.”
Twilight saw the confusion fade in his eyes, saw the hurt grow in its place. “Oh.” His voice was soft, almost a whimper. “How did it happen?”
“A stroke,” said Twilight. “The letter says there wasn’t any pain.”
“Pa, you stubborn old fool,” Crabapple whispered. “I told you.”
Rainbow Dash looked up. “It’s not—” she said, then choked off.
“Your father is perfectly healthy,” said Rarity.
Crabapple frowned. “Then what…”
“Your sister,” said Twilight. “I’m sorry. Golden Apple is dead.”
Crabapple made a low, strangled sound. Rainbow Dash reached out to him, but he was already flying away.
They watched him leave. “We should go after him,” said Twilight.
“Give him some time,” said Rainbow Dash.
“I don’t know,” said Rarity. “No one should be alone at a time like this.”
Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. “We’ll be here when he’s ready. Give him a little while. This is Crabapple, not Pinkie Pie.”
“We’ll have to write to the princesses about the funeral,” said Twilight. “Crabapple should be there.”
Rarity frowned. “Do you think Celestia will allow it?”
“Oh, come on,” said Rainbow Dash. “This is Celestia. She tries to be a good pony. No way is she gonna say no. I mean, his own sister.”
“Then I’d better go write that letter,” said Rarity, horn glowing. “Pardon me, girls.” She teleported away, leaving a fog of sparkling motes.
“I can’t believe she’s dead,” said Twilight.
Rainbow Dash said nothing. She wheezed, once.
“This is my fault,” said Twilight. “If I’d started all this earlier, maybe we could’ve saved her in time.”
“Whoa, hey!” said Rainbow. “This one’s not on you.”
“You don’t know that. Everything would have been different if—”
“Twilight. If this were your fault, I’m the one who’d call you on it. This? Not your fault.”
“It, it isn’t fair,” said Twilight. “I destroyed everything, I tore apart Equestria and Celestia hates me and, and ponies are still dying. She wasn’t supposed to die.”
“It’s okay.” Rainbow Dash wrapped a wing around Twilight and pulled her close. “It’s okay.”
“What am I supposed to do?” Twilight’s voice was muffled by Rainbow’s feathers.
“You’re doing everything a pony can. No one could ask for more.”
“I guess.” Twilight forced her breathing under control. “I really should’ve started earlier, though.”
“Doesn’t matter,” said Rainbow Dash.
“What do you mean it doesn’t matter? Ponies are dead!”
“Okay. Look. You were wrong, then. I mean, really wrong. But now you’re not, and thinking about what happened isn’t gonna help anypony. Now you gotta get past it.”
Twilight blinked. “What, you mean just decide to move on?”
“Uh. Pretty much, yeah.”
“I wish. But it’s not that simple.”
“It kind of is? I mean it’s hard, but so what? You’re good at hard things. I guess it takes patience, but yeah, that’s you.”
“Right,” said Twilight. “Patience.”
The moon was dark and cold. Worse was the silence. Twilight stood on the gray plain, trying to ignore the chill seeping into her hooves. Cadence sprawled limp several lengths away.
The silence had been constant since her arrival two, maybe three hours ago. The first time Twilight had returned, Cadence fled. Twilight had followed her rapid-fire teleporting in a queer staccato race. The second time, Cadence had glowered in silence for hours until Twilight left. Now Cadence was ignoring her entirely, which was somehow the hardest of all.
Twilight wasn’t about to give up, though. She said nothing, for there was nothing to say. Her presence was all she could provide. She remembered Luna’s lecture on the horrors of isolation. Twilight would not let Cadence suffer that fate, self-inflicted or no.
And so she waited. She would leave without hearing a word, she knew. She would be back. Again and again, maybe for weeks, maybe for decades. When Cadence finally needed her, Twilight would be there.
Twilight was watching the sunrise when Rarity arrived. Spears of red-gold sunlight pierced the city beneath her wings—and now it really was becoming a city. Spires of cloud and gold and glass mingled together like an artist’s fever dream.
Rarity teleported in so smoothly, blending her form with the surrounding air, that it took several seconds before Twilight even noticed.
“Oh!” said Twilight. “You’re getting good at that.” She paused at the grin on Rarity’s face. “Okay, what’s going on?”
“Twilight, darling, it’s wonderful news! You’ll never guess who I ran into at the embassy! Oh, I am positively delighted.”
“Do you mind if we skip the guessing game? This sounds important.”
“Oh, very well. Some ponies have no flair for the dramatic. Follow me.”
Rarity teleported away, but slowly, leaving an obvious ethereal trail for Twilight to follow. An eyeblink later, they were within Rarity’s tower beneath the city, along with—
Twilight went down under the weight of a full-grown pony. “Did you miss me? Did you did you did you?”
“Pinkie!” Twilight extracted herself from the tackle-hug. “I was starting to worry you weren’t coming.”
Pinkie giggled. “Well that was silly. I came as soon as I could. I just had to get the foster stable set up so it could keep working without me, first.”
“I’m so glad you’re here.” Twilight brushed her mane out of her face. “After Applejack and Fluttershy… it would’ve been hard to lose you, too.”
“Well, now we’re all together! You don’t have to worry about that ever again.”
Ponyville’s cemetery was crowded. The funeral was a short affair, and tense. Crabapple didn’t linger, but took to the air as soon as Golden Apple was in the ground, before even his father could speak to him. Luna’s eyes never left Crabapple as he flew. In spite of the few mourners who summoned the courage to approach her, Luna kept her gaze on Crabapple’s shrinking form. His passage left tiny whirlwinds in the snowflakes drifting to the ground.
Macintosh planted a sapling atop the grave, and ponies began to trickle away. By the time afternoon slunk into evening, Luna was alone in the cemetery.
“Twilight Sparkle,” she said. “I know thou art here.”
Twilight’s image wavered into view as she dropped the illusion spell about her. “I, um, hi.” She stood beside Applejack’s grave, a stone’s throw from Luna and Golden Apple. “Please don’t be mad.”
Luna took a breath and looked at the setting sun. “Thy presence here is foolish.”
“I know! But Golden Apple was my friend.”
“You are fortunate my sister sent me to watch Crabapple in her stead. Had she come herself, this would have gone poorly.”
“Oh, come on.” Twilight’s breath steamed in the winter air. “She won’t actually do anything. She’s backed down how many times, now?”
“It would have gone poorly for her. She is hurting terribly. There is no call to make it worse than you already have.”
Twilight shrank in on herself. “I’m sorry.”
“I am not the one who needs thy apology.”
Twilight paused. She took a deep breath, gathered herself, and strode forward. “No, actually, you know what? You don’t get to ask for that.” She tapped Golden Apple’s tree with a forehoof. “She’s the one who’s been wronged, but because of you two, this will keep happening.”
Luna was silent for long seconds. “Perhaps not for as long as thou thinkst. Golden Apple’s children are already traveling to thy city. There are dozens more who had been waiting to make the journey, but who will delay no longer, after this. Can you support so many?”
“Oh, we can. The others are getting better at magic, so we’re building faster and conjuring more food with every day that goes by.”
“Good,” said Luna. “That is good. Thy civilization cannot be stopped, now. All that remains is to make the best of it.”
“Can you tell that to your sister?” Twilight said quickly.
“I have tried. Some day, I may persuade her, but I do not think she will forgive thee, Twilight Sparkle.”
“Oh,” said Twilight. “Oh.” She hesitated. “What about you?”
Luna sighed. “Perhaps a pact is in order. I will forgive thee for tearing down the old order, if thou wilt forgive me for upholding it.”
Twilight nodded. “Yeah. Let’s. I’m not blameless in maintaining the old order, either. And Rainbow would say we need to move on.” She cleared her throat. “Speaking of which, I ought to go. I don’t really belong here.”
“True enough.” Luna looked at the tombstones around her. “Thou art everything this place is not. Even so, I would have thee stay for a while.”
“Thank you.” Twilight settled on her haunches. “I need this.”
Luna stretched a wing towards Twilight, stopped herself, refolded the wing at her side. “The hurt will fade, in time.”
“Yes.” Twilight reached out her own wing and pulled Luna close. The two ponies leaned into each other. “We have a lot of time.”
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Darn, I wish that someone would somehow figure out how to continue this. (Not anything against the author
) It's an amazing story, and i wish that Celestia and twilight would make amends and maybe figure out how to solve the problem. Good job though! 
I always love stories about Rarity saving the world, like this one.
In my opinion, making everyone an alicorn is bound to end in disaster. It's a plain fact that the world won't be able to support them for long, at that rate. And as far as I'm aware, other planets don't really exist in this universe.
All of that said, I think you got Rainbow's and Celestia's characters pretty spot on.
Not to say the rest weren't good, but those two seemed really well written.
Really, dude? That's it? We don't get to see the resolution? How a world full of immortals ends up? more and more ponies, none ever dying, no resolution between Celestia and Twilight? You have so much you could explore here... but you didn't.
http://images.cryhavok.org/d/13825-2/Wat.jpg (Positively surprised)
okay celestia really you'll end them in fire? there ALL alicorns. if you attacked them the rest of equestria would see it as an act of tyranny and you would likely end up getting your flank handed too you faster then you can think. anyway i still am not taking sides here i was just noting celestias lack of tacticale forthought. and so it seems that equestria has it's high eleves now. i hate to ask this but the everfree isn't all that large when it comes to terms of a civilization, do they just intend to keep building upward? move to mars?
Who did the right thing?
Everyone did the right thing. Twilight did the right thing in her own way, though she did take it too far. Celestia did the right thing, though. Nobody, aside from Rainbow Dash, was really completely wrong.
Well, if they can move at light-speed, conjure food, and travel to other planets (the moon isn't just a light in the sky, so I assume stars are suns too), there can't be a Malthusian disaster. They'll spread throughout the universe, given enough time. And they have all the time there is. Yes, they destroyed Equestria, but they'll have something better to replace it with. The only judge here is time, and time is on their side.
Can't believe this is over. But all stories most come to an end. Will see what more you will write. Good luck in future writing and may the writing block come once in a lifetime.
So rises the eternal empire of ponies. Manifest Destiny made apparent. Be interesting to fast forward a hundred years or so, and see what type of world is around. Would there still be donkeys, griffins, etc, or just ponies everywhere?
Well the space travel/light speed power kinda removes all resource limits. Now off to take over the Solar system.
What?
This isn't an ending.
2482548 Thanks! I love discussion
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I actually kind of agree. Maybe just one more chapter or epilogue of sorts set x amount of years into the future that establishes a new status quo.
On the other hoof, I actually do kinda like the current ending.
I would have liked to see Celestia and Twilight make peace again ._.
That's all folks!!!
I have to admit, I really didn't know how a story like this would end....that's not to say that I didn't like the ending, or I thought it was anticlimatic....just that, I don't know, I honestly didn't know what to expect - so perhaps in that, It wouldn't be right of me to have my expectations too high.
You touch upon of the issues with these two world orders, ultimately, respectfully, try to present both opposing viewpoints -- can their be compromise? or will Twilight's New Alicorn Order eventually simply supersede the old one with time, as Cadence says? Is that a good thing? A bad thing?
This chapter as a whole, was difficult to gauge whether it was a happy or a sad one, even if you take an impartial view I feel -- ultimately, people like Big Macintosh are going to do what they do, and we can argue that risking his life when he can have a new one just isn't worthwhile, but nevertheless, as emotional and faith-based as his reasoning is, one could argue that it doesn't necessarily make it a bad thing.....and it's true: We could argue that letting himself go, for the chance, of seeing Fluttershy again is ridiculous....but the thing is, a guy like that, you don't really want to tell him that -- you can sit down him with, have an intense philosophical debate that he's being an idiot, and although he's heart-broken over the loss of his wife, he shouldn't throw his life away needlessly.....and yet, and this is my point of view right now, I really wouldn't something like that.
For some people, logic isn't good enough....we all have friends that have different viewpoints, perhaps fundamentally, but ultimately we all compromise and try to get along, for better or worse -- and although you can argue that, in time, some viewpoints eventually get filtered out (and perhaps Twilight's new world order will indeed end up becoming a new Equestria), you have to question if you yourself would actually do it....if you would actually try to destroy Big Mac's hope in seeing his wife again, regardless of how rational that hope is or not -- he's clinging to a hope that, regardless of whether or not it's sound, you don't really want to destroy because you have so much respect for the man, and he could very well be right in the end: and perhaps, you really want him to be.
Some may say that's because we respect and care about the people we love so much, that it's of utmost importance to guide them away from potentially really big mistakes like this, and although Big Mac is old, heart-broken, and should be left in peace until he dies, one could argue it would be the same as what happened with Applejack and Fluttershy -- the idea of respect and self-sacrifice, like Celestia said. In the end, I feel Twilight ended up learning that lesson after all.
Ultimately, who is right and who is wrong? It's the end of the story, and it's as contentious as ever, and perhaps it will always stay that way -- I honestly couldn't see this story as either good or bad in what the characters did, and perhaps ultimately it's better that way: I've mostly sided with Rainbow and Twilight, but it's hard to look at the paragon of Love on the Moon, and be happy....an Old Order, a millenia-old way of living has been crippled, and even if you feel that's a good thing, It's hard to honestly feel happy because, well, not everyone is, and perhaps the problem isn't them -- if this story is all about personal liberty, then why shouldn't Big Mac be left alone to die? Because he should be saved? Who says he needs saving?
That was Twilight's big surprise, I feel....she had this image of going across Equestria and transforming society overnight without any repression, but it just doesn't work that way for good reason -- ultimately we are all going to have to look in ourselves to figure out what makes us happy and what we want out of ourselves, and that ultimately must be respected: Twilight wants to 'save' everyone and be respected for her choices, but she must equally respect that some people don't 'need' saving, and in that regard...perhaps their death isn't so tragic.
You can't gloss over these kinds of issues, and I'm happy that the author did not -- there aren't really any right or wrong answers here, and it all leads to a pretty neutral ending in my opinion. I'm happy to have read alongside this story, and I definitely enjoyed the ending....whatever side you take, let's simply do what we did during our debates -- agree to disagree and try our best to compromise and be happy....we can use whatever form of reasoning to squash our debate opponents perhaps because we feel it's for their own good, but we're all ultimately human. I feel the older you get, the more mellow you get and you adopt a "live and let live "mentality to the world...you just don't care to passionately debate or question certain things anymore, because it's just not worth it -- people are gonna do what they gotta do, and maybe it's because we love them so much, that we have to let them go and live, and die, as they choose.
Love and Tolerate my friends, love and tolerate.
Thank you for the wonderful story!
not to be harsh or anything but, the idiot of the eternity award goes to, *drum roll*, Twilight Sparkle!!!!!!!
This has been approved by Celestia and over five hundred ponies who still believe in the ole way.
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Or when 5 trillion alicorns are trying to live on one planet.
Or when two armies made of immortal gods go to war.
Or when half the population goes insane with grief.
Or... you know what, how about an ending where things... you know... END?! Seriously, dude, nothing is resolved, no characters grow, nothing is tied up. The characters are essentially in the exact same state as they were last chapter. If you were going for some kind of symbolism for immortality, that nothing changes, then you did that... but that's hardly conducive to a narrative arc.
In regards to the author's note... All of them were idiots.
Celestia was an idiot for being so wrapped up in her mentality and refusing to be open to new ideas, and caring more about the country than the individual pony. She came across as stubborn and cold throughout the entire story, and never really explained her pov well. Just "I'm right because I'm 1000 years old."
Rainbow Dash was an idiot for not considering the ramifications and long-term consequences of immortality. Nope, forget responsibilities and whether or not a pony can mentally withstand immortality, let's just make everypony immortal. Let's just base all our decisions on pure emotion, because that ALWAYS ends well.
Twilight was an idiot for letting others do all the thinking for her, and also not thinking through the consequences. One would think that the studious Twilight would have a better plan than just "Alicorn all the things." Some princess.
Just a bunch of haphazard decisions with large consequences made by idiotic ponies.
So I see you've opted to punt the horrifying consequences of immortality (international unrest, severe overpopulation, crippling birth control, the new immortals slowing going insane, heat death of the universe) into Fridge Horror. I don't really blame you.
Not gonna lie. Not overly pleased with that ending.
That's a wrap?! *rolls off into a flood of fanboy rage, then breathes slowly and calms down* Well damn... I knew I called it though. Twilight made a foolish decision and now she is wrapped up in the savior complex, as are some of her friends as well. Save everyone at the cost of those who do not wish to be saved. This is what happens when one messes with the natural order. However I am not bragging or saying my view is right, so hopefully no one gets that impression.
This ending that leads off into whatever might happen is a bit frustrating but hell, it's also exciting. Do you intend to write a sequel or are you going to leave it open ended like this? Either way you made an awesome story and I enjoyed reading it quite a bit. Even if the reviews and discussions that came with them made my head ache. lol
Now to answer your final question. I'll answer the last question first. Yes, of course the first two questions can have different answers. The world is so diverse and full of so many strongly opinionated people and ponies. These people and ponies may also have very sharp minds, leading to endless scrolls and pages of thoughts on what could happen. My opinion will clearly differ from the rest but it will contain similar elements that others will contain, because it is my belief that such questions will all anchor around a certain truth. Be it the truth of those who would strongly side with Twilight, strongly side with Celestia or be neutral. All truths are true in their own light and no truth is wrong. Just as no opinion is blatantly wrong. Hopefully we can all respectfully agree or respectfully disagree.
Now for the first question. I HATE YOU! Not really, but dang it, those tough questions are a pain. I have to say that I am still siding with Celestia and I wish I could be there supporting her decision and giving her strength. Celestia is still doing what, in her mind, is right for her kingdom. All the years that she has done things the same way and seen things prosper, even if things weren't perfect. Now there is change and as anyone who has experienced change knows, change sucks. It challenges the general thinking and this kind of change is so life altering that it cannot be ignored. So Celestia continues to put her hoof down and will not budge on her main decision. I hope she will never weaken further and I loathe Twilight and her stupid friends for their choices and their challenge for Celestia to change the old ways. It is like a poison that will creep through the land and kill everything, leaving the future forever altered.
Which characters have been good friends? Twilight and Rarity. Twilight was forever wrestling with the decision and Rainbow Dash kept pushing her and pushing her and never letting enough be enough. Rarity on the other hand quietly supported Twilight and Twilight never took anything out on Rarity, as far as I remember. Also, Fluttershy was a very good friend to everyone. She never tried to start trouble and never tried to force Twilight into anything. She accepted that death is a natural part of life and didn't fear any of it.
Well, that's it. Sad to see the story end but hoping for more great work from you. Good job. Very good job.
2486859 Among other things, no resolution as to whether Celestia's and Cadance's fears were actually well-founded.
..sequel?please?
Not sure I like this ending. I realize that it was more of a story to spark the thought of how this would pan out and such, and I understand that it can't go forever. I just feel like it was odd... Well, that's all I can say... Adios!
I stand by my opinion from the previous chapter; neither side made the right decision. i was so ANGRY last time it was sick, both at twilight for surrendering to pressure, and at tia for being a brick wall. an unstoppable force met an immovable object. I think you divided by zero.
that said, the raging flames generated in the debates in the comments makes this story as unique as it is devisive. congratulations on writing a piece of fanfic fare that serves as both an Armor Piercing question and a major wham episode that's different from everything else I've ever read in stories for this franchise.
I agree, though, that this needs an epilogue, a 'where are they now', just to find out if the unstoppable force (Twilight) and the immovable object (Celestia) annihilated each other.
Oh boy. I must admit, this story was one hell of a ride. I would like to say some things about it, but jeez, I think everyone else has got me covered.
I guess ultimately the story and the discussion of course made me re-think immortality a bit. Though it doesn't change my basic reasoning with immortality that I already had, because obviously absolute immortality is (probably) impossible. You're always going to be able to throw yourself into a volcano, or the sun, or a blackhole, or just wait for useable energy to run out in the universe, for time to stop, whatever. But I guess the really unsettling thing is that I've somewhat lost my sense of "ideal". Now I know none of us can build a utopia or anything, but most of us have sort of an "ideal" to use for a measuring stick, and hopefully, the closer we get the better. But now I feel like it sucks either way. The idea of having literally forever in front of you seems terrifying now. A trillion trillion years from now, and you're still literally no closer to a conclusion? BUT, this doesn't make death seem like a better option to me. Everything you are and love goes away for eternity. Unless there's an afterlife, which, ya know, counts as living forever again I imagine.
So thanks a lot folks, now I'm philosophically trapped between a rock and a hard place
Nah, I'll get my head in order again and adapt to these new thoughts. And I appreciate people actually being able to challenge me and sorta change my mind every now and again, though I was a bit of a jerk about it earlier, for which I sincerely apologize to anyone I was rude to.
2478619
in particular.
Well, anarchy reins, it's an odd situation, when change is inevitable, but leads to stagnation. Granted, over-population won't be a problem any time soon, and indeed, may never become problematic. After a brief period of time, people would probably get used to their new unlimited lifespans and thus birth rate will decline dramatically. Still....
Honestly, all blame rests on Rainbow Dash and Celestia for this one. Celestia failed to reinforce Twilight, or discuss her position at all. Her assumptions and 'lessons' were more in the vein of 'I'm right, listen to me' than any sort of logical reasoning. Not that she couldn't develop such logical reasoning, but she just didn't bother. Rainbow Dash though, brought about the end of Equestria as they know it, due to her own inability to handle grief.
Twilight deserves some of it too I suppose, being unable to refuse her friends.
That said, I agree with other... nothing really ended up resolved. Need an epilogue.
They're all fools. Some people think Celestia didn't explain herself well enough, but how do you explain immortality to a mortal? All they saw in immortality was a way to avoid pain and fear, but Celestia knew it was much more than that. She chose to immortalize ponies with great discretion, but twice now she chose wrong, which proves how impossible it is to convey. What would become of a world full of the undying? Do other races have the capability, or with this are they automatically lesser beings? Surely most ponies would go mad at some point, ponies who can travel at the speed of light and build cities single-handedly in days.
Well, that all depends on what 'immortal' means here. Are the ponies utterly impervious to all harm, or are they ageless but still vulnerable?
Also, I forgot, but was Spike ever mentioned? I don't remember him having any lines.
In the end, the character I personally agree with most is Luna. She's not really for it herself, but wouldn't deny others the choice, now that it's happened, and is willing to ride out the storm and make the best of a situation she doesn't want. I respect that. Even with concerns I find more than valid, she wouldn't start a huge thing over it, like Celestia. Who, despite apparently sharing my pro-mortality views, is a huge prick about it, and probably only hurts her own cause by her cold stubbornness on the issue. I also feel for Cadence, who while not willing to actively fight it, doesn't want to be anywhere near it, either. It's sad.
All that said? Find it interesting that the longest-time immortals are the biggest pro-mortality advocates in the story. We get some looks into why they think that way - especially Celestia and Luna, that is, Luna's past - but it makes me wonder if more happened to convince them that near-universal mortality was the best way. And if some of these new immortals might experience something to change their views. Man, this story is just rife with sequel and prequel material, isn't it?
Now the character I disagree with the most, is Rainbow Dash. She was basically the pro-immortality side's Celestia - just more harsh than cold. While some ponies I can say, yeah, they have decent enough reasons for going that immortality path, I never found I could find any acceptable ground in Dash's arguments at all. It was all fear, anger, and sadness, three emotions I can't feel make for a good - or safe - reason to become immortal. And she got her way by bullying and guilting - much like Celestia seemed like she would, if Luna's calmer voice hadn't balanced her. Also? After pounding it into Twilight that every pony's death ever is her fault if she doesn't turn them into alicorns, saying 'Oh hey, now that you agree with me, it's not your fault if ponies die and you didn't alicorn them'? I know it's a bit deeper than that, but it still comes across as self-serving. Rainbow Dash is the Immortality villain to counter Celestia as the Mortality villain, and I can't approve of her at all.
Which I guess would make Rarity the Immortality Luna, the voice of reason for the Immortality camp! I liked her negotiation scene with the Sisters - not condemning their inaction, like Rainbow would, or feeling guilty like Twilight, being Twilight, probably would, but carrying on civil discussion, accepting where they were within their rights, pointing out lines crossed, and being the star player in hammering out a mutually acceptable agreement - some help from Luna, all the hindrance from Celestia. Out of all the Immortality camp, she's my favorite - calm, welcoming of those coming, but not condemning towards those who choose otherwise. The Immortality camp hero.
Which of course leaves us Twilight. What can I say about her? Indecisive, wanting to please everyone, even when she finally does choose a side can't let go of those who feel she betrayed them... and frankly, immortality-debate aside, I think they sort of have reason to feel that way. Because Equestria is their everything, and for better or for worse this seems to be trickling towards the end of Equestria. But this isn't about them, back to Twilight. Twilight, to the very end, never struck me as firmly in any camp, whichever side she was arguing for at the time. She wants all of both worlds, and doesn't seem to be able to handle not having it. But the path she chose is one she can't turn back from, it's very permanent, and I don't know how that'd affect her (oh look, another possible sequel hook!).
So! My own opinions don't even come into play, both sides had their supporters that I liked and that I really, really didn't. It takes excellent writing to make it so neutral that preexisting bias doesn't take over, without it being... bad and bland. It was a great read, very thought-provoking even with my own views already firmly set, and man would I like to read more from this world you've made. Maybe someday.
Doesn't really feel like an end. But then how can it be continued?
Maybe it's just preference, but it doesn't really flow well.
2487336
Well... how exactly do you end a story about immortals? I suppose you could do a happily ever after or terribly ever after, but eventually it will go back around to the other side, in eternal oscillation. Forever means all non-zero possibilities will eventually happen. That means they'll go through societal collapse and war, then maybe kiss and make up, then eventually go to war again, etc.
2487105
2487077
Except considering that the Alicorns can live anywhere in any environment (Considering Moon Cadence and twilight and all) , produce food in vast numbers and eventually grow new lands and bloom new plants. They could easily colonize the moon, and various other planets. They'll expand across the stars.
Regardless, up with the new order!
2486878
Dashie said she'd be satisfied if Flutters was gifted with immortality, and out of anypony getting it, she deserved it the most. Celly wanted to keep immortality to a a very select few, (one every few Millenia or so, which given the context is very selfish) while Twi wanted EVERYPONY to be immortal.(like I said before, that's really dumb) Out of those two options I would side with Celly, but RD's point of 'some ponies really deserve it' is the most logical of all.(You know they're not making sense when RD is logical by comparison) They're the freaking Elements of Harmony. It's not just another little thing to put on your resume.
RD the only one who was wrong? I think RD was the only one who was right.
A review courtesy of the Orient Express Explorers!
The style and mechanics are good enough that we don't need to talk about style and mechanics. This story should be judged on how well it did what its author wanted it to do. I wrote a pretentious blog post yesterday saying that I like stories to be about something. This story is ABOUT something. So much about something that the danger was that it would be preachy.
But how do I review how well a story accomplished something, when it relies on your not knowing ahead of time what it's trying to accomplish?
In vague, non-spoilerish terms: Benman saw the comments on "Mortality Report", and knew most readers would be determined to see things a certain way. So he cleverly pulled a bait-and-switch. Halfway through, readers grew confused. By the end, most of them realized what he was doing. Not all did, which proves that it wasn't too preachy.
And he changed some readers' minds. That's an achievement.
If you disagree with Benman, telling you more would probably dissuade you from reading the story. But if you already agree with him, do you need to read the story?
Not as much. But I still recommend it. Even apart from its message, it shows the Mane 6 and the princesses coming into serious conflict with each other over important problems, in a way that's in-character, believable, suspensful, and surprising. It engages emotionally and intellectually at the same time. That's also a great achievement.
I know you want the "thinking" ending but this feels like a cop out. In addition I think you made the Alicorns able to solve all of their problems too easily. In most stories if an author rights it where everything can be solved with a simple spell then we would be tearing the story down. Of course the issue is that you need it to be that easy or else the the choice becomes too easy to choose to side with mortality. I think in your attempt to try to make the story have a question at the end you actually ruin the narrative. Especially with this deus ex machina sort of stuff they can do. Need food? Spell for it. Need land. Spell for it. World ends. Spell for it. Everything is far too easy and I think that hurts your attempt at trying to be impartial (or at least I feel like you were trying to be impartial in the choice) and makes immortality too easy to choose.
Your story actually talks to a real life problem of over population and how most of the world is not dealing with the idea and yet we of course are doing everything to exacerbate the problem (we all live longer and reproduce more but die less often). This is actually a very deep and potentially disturbing problem that certainly needs to be talked about but if we could just solve everything like in your story that issue losses all that makes it interesting and I think this has occurred here.
I am really sorry to say this too because I was enjoying the story too.
Lastly I was sad that Pinkie got a one paragraph cameo I really think you let a chance for some drama go there.
I still side with Celestia. Twilight might think that she was saving everyone from torment, but she just sentenced them to the worst torture possible. The torture that never ends... for all of eternity.
I'm seeing how arguments could go either way. In my opinion Celestia would have been right if she hadn't listened to Luna and stuck to her own course. Although Twilight and party have the right ideals in mind, it is not their civilization they brought up for them to decide. They say they are giving the ponies choices, but there really isn't one. When given the opportunity at immortality, it's obviously taken immediately for the most part. But you see, Celestia worked her flank off to bring the civilization to where it was, the way she wanted it. In my opinion, it isn't right for Twilight and friends to just swoop in, say we have a new proposed civilization idea that will replace yours and can never be undone, and we are implementing it whether or not you like it. More importantly, not everypony is exactly the best of ponies. They are more than likely to get evil and criminal ponies who join the ranks of immortals, making them unkillable, along with giving them the capacity to cause so much more destruction than ever before.
2486858 They have the magic of a nation of alicorns, and all the time in the world to figure out how to use it. They can make the world support them. Heck, they could make worlds to support them.
I agree with the others, here. This isn't a resolution. In a story like this, the outcome of Twilight's choices has not come to fruition, and, as such, the story has not yet been completed.
For a second, I wanted a future epilogue just like everyone else. Then I realized having an epilogue would defeat the whole point.
This story exists to produce a debate. All an epilogue would do is make one side of the debate "right" and behead it. So don't write the epilogue. Don't tell half of your readers that they're right and the other half they're wrong.
Please.
Where is Discord in all this?
I don't want to die tomorrow. Tomorrow, I won't want to die the day after tomorrow. Transhumanism, or I suppose Transhumanists who actually believe in Immortalism, isn't about fear of death, but not being afraid of living.
That said, a society suddenly developing an option for immortality overnight? Bad Idea. While overpopulation and insufficient resources might eventually be a problem, stifled progress is a far more worrisome difficulty.
Any liberal who lives long enough will eventually find that they're now a conservative. Do you really think humanity as a species would have developed as far as we have if there were still people from the 17th century walking around?
This is the kind of ending I'd expect if a sequel was in the works...please tell me I'm not wrong?
It's wrapped up but not FINISHED, if you know what I mean.
Also
>Is 22
>Already going slowly crazy due to length of existence XD
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Who says they have the power to make worlds?
Having many powerful people does not make for an all-powerful being.
For example, 10 people with genius IQs does not equal one person who is insanely smart.
They might not be able to pool their power into one world-making spell, and certainly none of them individually would have the capability of doing so.
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Blame me, to some extent. The original story actually had a brief epilogue several thousand years in the future. I convinced Ben that it was cryingly inadequate.
Here's the thing: I suggested that there were two equally valid ways to fix it. Remove it or expand it.
I do sympathize with both of those arguments, and it's hard to objectively say whether this was the better choice. I'm sure there's fertile ground for another 20k+ words of sequel.
Personally, I think the open-ended nature of the current ending works out the best. The further forward in time you go, the more the story has to take a stand on the correctness of Twilight's decision, and half the fascination of this story is coming into the comments and seeing the depth of the arguments.
edit: 2487622 Exactly.
There is something so poetically wonderful about Cadence - perhaps she has a very romanticized and emotional viewpoint on death....but given who and what she is, would you really expect anything else? Is that really so bad?
And given that she knows more about Love than anyone else, what does her words have to say about the future? Is she merely talking about the "old" Equestria? or the new one as well?
Th- The end?
AW COME ON! 
I do have to say I like this ending, but I really want to see either an epilogue, or maybe a sequel/continuation by someone else?
2487682 Who says they don't? I said they could, as in, it is a thing that could potentially be so. I didn't say that they would.
You're the one dealing in absolutes like, "making everyone an alicorn is bound to end in disaster." without anything solid to back up your claims.