Many years went by since her coronation. Twilight had grown considerably bigger since then. However, she felt and looked like she was still in her early twenties, with being an alicorn meant she had immortality.
This wasn't the same case for her friends. They were yet still full of life, but their age was starting to show. She could hardly bear to look at them. It was if they were decomposing before her very eyes. This must not happen. She must fix this.
Twilight sat on her throne looking down at her friends, who were all middle aged, but to her they might as well be dead already. Her friends were nervous, wondering why they were abruptly called here.
“My friends I assume you're wondering why I have summoned you here?” said Twilight
“Is Equestria in danger?” asked Rainbow.
“No… but… you are.” she said sadly.
“Whatcha talkin 'bout?” said Applejack.
Twilight stepped off her throne and walked toward them. “I am working on a way to grant you all immortality.”
“Awesome!” shouted Rainbow Dash.
“Will I be young and pretty again?” asked Rarity.
“I think so, yes.” said Twilight. Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Applejack didn’t seem very excited about this news “But… I need to turn you all into stone in the meantime.” she added somberly.
Her friends gasped in shock.
“Turn… turn us into a stone?” said Fluttershy.
“Ya, ah’m out.” said Applejack.
“Me too.” said Pinkie Pie.
Rarity bowed deeply before Twilight’s hooves. “Hit me Twilight, I don’t want to grow old and die like the rest.”
“Me neither.” said Rainbow Dash, making to stand next to Rarity on the right.
Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Fluttershy gasped in shock.
“Rainbow? Are ya serious?! What about us?” said Applejack softly, with tears in her eyes.
Rainbow turned to face Applejack and spoke in a low voice. “Applejack, I love you, but I don’t want to see Twilight to see me go into a wooden box and see me become worm food.”
“We can see her again in heaven.” she implored.
“When would that be? The heat death of the universe when the alicorns are the only ones left standing? I can’t wait that long.”
“But ya leave me in heaven by mahself?” Applejack said in a low voice, her eyes tearing up.
“You will leave me too.” said Fluttershy, tears falling down her cheeks.
“And me.” said Pinkie Pie, her hair going flat, her body turning a dark shade of pink.
“Don’t… make it any harder for myself. I’ll miss you too.” said Rainbow Dash, looking down at the floor.
“Honestly, why not just agree to this?” said Rarity, looking on in confusion. “You can just jump into a volcano if you get sick of life.”
“Hey yeah, that could work.” said Pinkie, trotting over to join Rarity and Rainbow.
Fluttershy and Applejack gasped in shock.
“Pinkie, what are ya doing?!” Applejack shouted.
“Not leaving my friend Twilight alone.”
“What ya doing ain't' right. What about yer foal and yer husband?” said Applejack.
“Err, I can see them again at the heat death of the universe.” said Pinkie Pie, waving her hoof nonchalantly.
Fluttershy stepped forward, joining them as well. Applejack’s jaw dropped in horror. She turned to look at Twilight to see her horn glowing with magic.
“Twilight, are ya mind controlling them?”
“Applejack, I’m sorry. I hope you can forgive me in time.” Twilight said in a low voice, a single tear falling down her cheek.
Applejack screamed as she felt her hooves becoming heavy. She looked down to see them turned into grey stone. “Twilight, please. Don’t do this. I want to see granny again… and my Mom and Dad.”
“I’m so sorry.” she said, turning to look away.
Applejack continued to scream as her flesh slowly turned into stone. As the stone magic reached her head, she shouted one last thing just before she was silenced. “Ah will never forgive you!”
“We have forever to talk about it.” said Twilight, looking to the floor.
Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Twilight! What have you done?!” she flew into her face, hovering in midair before her. “You cast mind controlling magic on me?! And you turned Applejack into stone!?”
“I had no choice.” said Twilight. “None of you were willing to be turned into stone.”
“No! You can’t do this!” she shouted, lashing out with her hoof. Rainbow Dash slammed her hoof against Twilight's face, there then came a bone sickening crack and Rainbow dropped to the floor, crying in pain.
“Rainbow, I’m an alicorn! Please, be more careful next time!” shouted Twilight. ”Here, let me heal you my friend.”
“I am not your friend! I don’t know what happened to you, but the Twilight I know is dead.”
“No. I’m still... Twilight. But I cannot… and will not let you die on me.” she said, tears falling down her cheek as her horn lit up with blinding light.
“No!” Rainbow felt her hoof magically heal itself, but then saw it a second later turn into stone.
”You monster! I’ll kill you when you release me!” was the last thing she said, before turning into stone completely.
Twilight dropped onto her knees, and began to wail in grief, tears streaming down her cheeks.”I’m sorry Rainbow, I hope you can forgive me.” she said softly, gently nuzzling Rainbow’s stone neck.
Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie came to their senses. The three quietly tried to sneak their way out of the throne room while Twilight was distracted. However, they only managed to make it about ten feet away before an invisible wall stopped them in their tracks.
“I cannot let you leave.” said Twilight, making to stand up on shaky legs. ”I cannot let you leave me. You are my friends, I don’t want to see you die on me.”
“Twilight, please. Snap out of it! This isn’t you!” shouted Fluttershy.
“Please don’t do this Twilight.” Rarity pleaded, dropping to her knees, begging for mercy, tears falling down her cheeks.
“No… this isn’t happening… this is all a bad dream.” said Pinkie Pie.
“I-I… I don’t want to do this. But spending eternity alone without my friends will drive me insane.”
“Objection! You have become insane already!” shouted Pinkie Pie.
“Goodbye… for now, my… my…. my friends.” said Twilight in a low voice, tears falling down her cheeks as her horn glowed with blinding light.
Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rarity screamed in terror as they saw their bodies turn into stone. Their screams were silenced when the spell was finally finished.
“I had no choice. I hope they can forgive me... in time.”
With that Twilight dropped to the floor and began to cry silently among her petrified friends all around her, their looks of horror frozen in time.
End
