Twilight shifted uncomfortably on her haunches as she watched the elder alicorns rest uncomfortably on the bed. She found herself looking down at her hooves, adorned with golden horseshoes with small purple gems at the toes. The lavender hooves lead to lavender legs, each much longer since her ascension - she had been automatically taller as an alicorn, but she still grew taller anyway. The long, slender legs gave way to a slim, elegant frame draped with beautiful purple fur that she could swear had become prettier since her wings appeared. Said wings were large, magestic limbs, the tips of which brushed the floor as she shifted. Her neck was longer, her jaw stronger yet more elegant, her eyes larger and more full of wisdom. Her horn was as long as her neck, with a sharp tip that seemed to shine. Her hair was longer and shone with the beauty of all magic and love. Nestled just behind her horn was a golden crown dotted with beautiful purple gems. The now fully-fledged princess looked up at her mentors expectantly.
"Twilight, it was good of you to come and meet us." Celestia smiled.
"Of course!" Twilight nodded. "If it isn't too rude, what did you wish to see me for anyway?"
"Always were quick to the point, Twilight Sparkle." Luna sighed. "A good quality in a princess. Important, considering what will happen here."
"Wh-what do you mean? What's going to happen here?" Twilight asked, confused. The two alicorns on the bed exchanged a glance before sighing.
"Twilight Sparkle, you already know that alicorns are immortal, correct?" Luna questioned sadly.
"Y-yes." The purple alicorn paused. "I-if that's what th-this is about, then I've already come to terms with the f-fact that I will out... outl-live my f-friends."
"That is why we have called you here, but not quite for that reason." Celestia frowned. "You see, Twilight, only naturally born alicorns such as ourselves and Princess Flurry Heart are immortal. As such, you and Cadence will live only slightly longer than most ponies. You are - for lack of a better word - a pegacorn: a pony with a horn and wings, but no alicorn magic."
Twilight froze. "So... I-I won't outlive my friends? Just have a slightly elongated lifespan? I'm going to die just like any other pony and I wasn't told, meaning that I never took the chances I should've took? Never settled down, got to know the joys of having a family? I'm going to die knowing that I wasted my life playing it safe instead of taking risks FOR NO REASON?" She could feel the anger burning up within her. These ponies had known for years that she would die normally, but had never even told her or gave her the chance to live her life!
"You are understandably angry, Twilight." The white alicorn bit her lip. "But our point is that a non-natural alicorn can be made immortal, if a natural-born alicorn is willing to gove up their own immortality."
The purple alicorn froze once again. Her anger faded, replaced by confusion, and then a harsh realisation that felt like a tonne of bricks cracking over her head. "If you're saying what I think you are, then I refuse! I will not let you!"
"Twilight Sparkle, my sister and I have lead full lives. We would lose nothing from doing this." Luna reasoned.
"We would not even miss your rise to glory." Celestia smiled. "Our ties to the sun and moon mean that if we die, we will become one with the celestial bodies."
"B-but which of y-you would g-give it up for m-me?" Twilight stuttered as tears welled up in her eyes.
“That does not truly matter.” Luna glanced at her sister. “For there will be some complications - we may both end up sacrificing ourselves."
"Both of you?" Twilight wailed, standing and flaring her wings.
"Twilight-"
Twilight cut the white alicorn off. "There is no way I'm letting you both give up your lives!"
"Twilight you have to understand-"
"No, I don't!" the purple alicorn raged, spreading her wings fully. "I will not let you do this, end of story!"
"Twilight Sparkle, please, at least consider it." Luna reasoned.
Twilight sniffed before setting her horn ablaze. Seconds later a burst of magic enveloped her, leaving nothing but a trail of sparkles behind.
Spike sprang up in surprise as the tall alicorn appeared before him. The dragon had long since grown to his mother figure's height, growing longer legs and a full tail, the spines along his back sharpening. His eyes had gotten larger and more narrow, his pudgy baby face replaced by a strong, angular muzzle and a powerful neck and head. A pair of wings had begun to sprout from his back - still a little underdeveloped but growing quickly.
"Twilight? What's with the fancy entrance?" His voice was more mature too.
"Had to get away from the princesses fast. Couldn't risk letting them do it..." the alicorn muttered. Only once the magic sparks around her had faded did the dragon realise his friend was crying.
"Letting them do what?" Spike asked gently, resting one wing across her back. The wing was easily as big as Twilight's, but would eventually be much bigger - Spike was still fairly young for a dragon.
"They... they w-wanted to... to..." Twilight broke off, leaning into her friend's side and sobbing softly.
"Easy, Twi... It's okay..." the dragon soothed. The purple alicorn tilted her head, burying her muzzle in the crook of Spike's wing. The two stayed like that for the while, with Twilight crying silently into her friend, before Twilight finally was able to talk.
"C-celestia and Luna w-wanted to... tried... wanted to g-give up... g-give up their... i-immortality for me!" she choked.
Spike's eyes widened a little, his forked tongue flickering nervously. "Twilight, I'm sure it'll be fine."
"No! It won't!" Twilight shook her head furiously. "If they give up their immortality, they'll be dead within days!"
"Which is why you should cherish this chance! You know they'll do it either way, so you should take it with pride and live it to the fullest! That's what they'd want you to do." Spike told her.
“I-I know, b-but I w-would just miss them s-so m-much!” Twilight sobbed.
“Of course you would. I’ll miss them too. So will your friends. So will all of Equestria. But I know you’ll be a great ruler.” The drake reasoned.
Twilight sniffled quietly.
“And when they give up their immortality for you, you will have the magic of three alicorns. You will be the most powerful pony on Equus. Nopony will want to disagree with you.” He joked.
“I d-don’t wanna be a t-tyrant.” The alicorn murmured.
“Right. Bad joke.” Spike sighed. “But seriously, you should do it. If they’re willing to do it, then it’s best for you to do it. Think of it as their will.”
“But a pony’s will doesn’t do anything until their dead.”
“Which means you’ll have to wait a couple days, and then you’ll be the sole ruler of Equestria. You’ll get to raise the sun and moon, and decide the country’s fate!” Spike grinned. “Wait that probably wasn’t a good thing to say.”
“I have to raise the sun and moon!” Twilight laughed madly. “I get to decide the country’s future! I get to sign things and order armies and rule the land!” the alicorn’s pupils had shrunk, becoming tiny pinpricks in a sea of white, hiding on an island of purple.
“Twilight, calm down.” Spike frowned. “You’ll have your friends there to help you until you’re used to it. I’ll be there for centuries after! You’ll always have someone there to help you. I promise you, you’ll never be alone.”
“So you have decided to let us do this?”
“Yes, Celestia. I-I t-talked to Spike a-and he was a-able to c-calm me down and c-convince me to t-take this chance.” Twilight shivered.
“It is very brave of you, Twilight Sparkle.” Luna smiled.
“So h-how does this w-work?” Twilight asked.
“It is similar to when we gave you our magic during Tirek’s attack, only even more powerful.” Celestia explained.
Twilight gulped. When she had absorbed their magic before, it had been painful. To take in a lifetime’s worth of that magic would be agony! “I’m r-ready.”
“The guards have already been informed. We will begin at once.” Luna told her, her horn beginning to glow. Celestia’s did too, and streams of magic fed into a giant magic ball above Twilight’s head. The alicorn whimpered as the magic ball grew larger than her, larger than Luna, larger than Celestia! The magic ball was cut off from its sources and began falling towards Twilight. She closed her eyes and braced herself as her magic instinctually reached out. Her magic began to absorb the other alicorns’, sending waves oof pain through her horn. The alicorn cried out as the magic began to force its way into her body. The pain was unbearable! She whimpered and cried as her horn absorbed the magic. It felt as if her horn were about to snap off. Her eyes flew wide open and glowed white with magic. Her mane and tail began to flow, sparkling magically. She felt herself growing a little as the other alicorns’ life magic was fed into her body. Finally the pain ended, and she collapsed, panting heavily.
Twilight looked up at the other alicorns. They had also collapsed, but their eyes were closed. The purple alicorn forced herself to her hooves and looked down at the two limp figures. She pressed an ear to her mentor’s chest, her blood turning to ice.
“No! No! They were supposed to live another few days!” she screamed, tears filling her eyes. “This wasn’t supposed to happen!”
After a moment of thinking, she suddenly realised. Luna had said there would be complications. This must be what she’d been talking about!
“Twilight… S-Sparkle?” Luna croaked. Twilight gasped in delight, running over to the fallen princess.
“Y-yes? What is it L-Luna?” she whimpered.
“The complications… Y-you were t-too powerful… Too much m-magic…” Luna gasped. “One alicorn’s p-power wouldn’t have b-been enough for y-you.”
“Luna, no, please… You were supposed to survive another few days!” Twilight pleaded.
“Complications, T-Twilight Sparkle. C-complications…” Luna smiled weakly before her eyes closed again.
“No no no no no! Luna, please!” Twilight wailed, tears falling from her eyes. “This wasn’t supposed to happen! Please, d-don’t go…”
The alicorns sat there for hours, just crying and wishing for the two alicorns to wake up. She didn’t care that magic was leaking from her horn. She didn’t care that it was throwing things around the room. All she cared about was that her magic was kind enough not to disturb her mourning.
