Anon stared back at the group of ponies and changeling staring at him. For a few moments, the air was filled with nothing but silence, but eventually, Anon sighed.

"I... don't know." He admitted, brushing his hand through his hair.

Though they both tried to hide it, Celestia and Luna looked down in disappointment, their wings sagging low as their ears splayed against their heads.

"But, why not?! Anon, this is such a slam dunk of a decision to make. You love your family and you want to be there for them no matter what, don't you?" Twilight pressed.

Anon rolled his tongue in his mouth for a moment. Just as he opened his mouth to respond, however, Chrysalis spoke up for him.

"It's not that easy of a decision to make, Twilight." She replied, simply.

"How is it not? If I was in your position, I would be jumping with joy right now." Twilight reasoned.

"Twi, I don't know if I can even handle living forever. My little monkey brain wasn't prepared for unrestricted access to the internet, let alone the prospect of living forever... It's not that I don't want to be with my family for the rest of all of our lives," Anon replied, glancing lovingly over to Celestia and Luna, "It's that I don't know if I'll lose my mind and go insane after a thousand years."

"Anon, I hear you, I do. But this isn't a decision you're making in a vacuum. I was born mortal just like you were, and now I'm an alicorn. Celestia and Luna ascended as well, and they're both well over a thousand years old. They look pretty much fine if you ask me." Twilight rebutted.

Anon bit his lip. Hesitant as he was to admit it, Twilight did have a point.

"That's fair... but you guys are all ponies. I'm not. I don't know, maybe there's something in your brains that makes it fine for you guys?" He offered, weakly.

"That doesn't sound like a convincing argument, Anon. Besides, eternal life means that you would stop aging. If you're worried about growing senile or something with age, that simply wouldn't happen." Twilight explained.

Anon crossed his arms and chewed on his cheek as he stared at the spot of floor between him and the little purple alicorn. Both Celestia and Luna shared a look of concern before the former stepped over to their husband and wrapped a wing around his arm.

"Honey, if this isn't something you want, you do not have to do it. We love you with all our hearts, and we will support you no matter what your decision is... that said, I can promise you that no immortal being aside from Discord has ever experienced any loss of sanity through the ages." Celestia offered, quietly.

"If we're to be honest, Discord isn't exactly what one would call 'sane', though I do believe that stems from his nature, not his age." Luna added.

Anon glanced up to Celestia, finding her giving him a supportive smile on her pretty face. Despite the stew of emotions warring for dominance in his mind, he found himself utterly unable to not reciprocate, and gave a weak smile back to the light of his life. From there, he found his gaze drawn to Luna as she nuzzled his side, prompting him to look into those brilliant pools of turquoise she stared up at him with. A thousand stars glistened in those iris's, and for a moment, Anon was lost in her eyes once more.

"If this is even legit... how do you know it would even work on me?" He asked, looking over to Twilight, finally.

"All I'm saying is that it's a chance. Probably the best chance we have. What do you say? Give it a chance?" Twilight pressed, smiling up to him.

With only one more lover to consult, Anon glanced over to Chrysalis as she walked over to him. Though her smile was kind and soft, there was an undeniable level of understanding in her eyes. She didn't say anything, but no words needed to be said. Anon quietly nodded to her before fixing Twilight with a resolved gaze.

"Well, I certainly won't stop you from going and looking, Twilight. If this is legit and possible, then... well, it's a bridge we'll cross when we get there. Regardless, thank you for putting the effort into studying this. Really, I don't know what I'd do without my little purple mad scientist." He smirked.

Twilight rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless, "Thanks, Anon. Just you wait until I bring this elixir back. You're gonna drink it and before you know it, you'll be praising me as your best friend in about sixty years."

A small chorus of chuckles ran through the group, "I'd certainly love to see that." Celestia giggled, wiping a small tear from her eye.

Twilight gave the group an enthusiastic nod, "Well, I'd better get going then. I already sent a letter to Shining Armor and Cadence. Oooh, I can't wait to see her. I think I'll bring Spike and the girls along too. They've been itching for a reason to go up to the empire again ever since the Equestria Games."

"The train leaves in twenty minutes, though I'm sure you know the Ponyville train schedule if you want your friends alongside you," Chrysalis chuckled, "Do be safe. The Crystal Empire may be a nice place, but there are still some creatures outside of the Empire that are dangerous. Changelings don't exactly thrive that far north outside of the city, so our reconnaissance is limited." She cautioned.

"What of the Storm King's remnants?" Luna questioned, curiously.

"Last we saw them, they took refuge in the Jackalope Slopes. Though, that was nearly two weeks ago. I haven't heard anything new since then." Chrysalis replied.

"Most likely returned to his homelands to lick his wounds and prepare for his return. No matter, we will be ready for him just as we were this time." Celestia dismissed.

"Which does remind me, how fares our prisoner?" Luna asked, curiously.

"Tempest? Oh boy..." Anon sighed.

"That bad?" Celestia tilted her head to the side.

"Lets just say that trying to appear 'warm and friendly' has not gotten us anywhere..." Chrysalis sighed.

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Twilight smiled as she stared out the window of the Equestria Express train heading into the Crystal Empire. Her number one assistant sat on the bench beside her, reading a Power Ponies comic that she couldn't be bothered to remember the name or issue of. The howling wind and frigid frost covering the outside world made the journey look like an unpleasant trek, but before she knew it, they passed through the border generated by the Crystal Heart and suddenly, their was nothing but green.

The utter majesty of the Crystal Empire was something to behold, with gorgeous grass fields as far as the eye could see, and mountains that kissed the skyline. Even in the daytime, the faintest outline of an aurora could been seen in the air, hovering above the entire empire and practically shimmering in the sunlight.

"Wow... Can you believe its already been over a year since we were last here?" Twilight asked, glancing over to her drake companion.

"It has been a minute... which reminds me, I need a disguise." Spike acknowledged, before rummaging through the duffle bag he'd brought with him.

Twilight giggled at his antics, "Spike, the crystal ponies love you, but they aren't going to hound you... again. Besides, you're a celebrity to these ponies. Why would you want to hide from that spotlight?"

"Let's just say that I've seen firstclaw how you girls have to deal with the paparazzi every now and again and I'd rather just keep a low profile. Besides, we're going up here to help Anon, not draw a huge crowd to me." Spike reasoned as he slipped into a trenchcoat.

Twilight let out a small whinny that turned into a deep sigh, prompting a raised eyebrow from her drake companion.

"What's that reaction for?" Spike inquired.

"I just don't understand why Anon is so hesitant. I know he's afraid of going crazy or something, but the data just doesn't support that even being a possibility. I just don't get why he wouldn't listen to me." Twilight vented.

"I... thought that he did and that's why we were coming all the way up here?" Spike tilted his head to the side.

"We're just going to do research and see if it's even possible, not bring it right to him. Even if he did agree, it won't be as simple as just bringing it back to Canterlot. Starswirl's notes still don't give a good indication of where exactly the Hall of Unity resides, just that it's in the Peaks of peril somewhere. That's not even mentioning how anypony is supposed to get through the Desolate Wild when everycreature to enter there has never returned. It isn't even technically an 'elixir', it's more of a potion, so who knows what else is in it. Apparently ancient sorcerers brewed the elixir in an attempt to create an evolved form of themselves, but when Celestia and Luna ascended, their order was branded heretical by most ponies and shunned. The last of them disappeared long before Luna even became Nightmare Moon... " Twilight explained.

"That's not particularly encouraging information to go off of." Spike acknowledged.

Twilight sighed, "I know... there's still a chance that an ingredient is missing or unaccounted for. Starswirl's notes are unfortunately... a bit lacking in details when it comes to what actually makes the elixir." She sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck.

Spike let out a low whistle, "Oh boy, this really is just a shot in the dark then, isn't it?"

Twilight gave him a flat look, "Not if I can help it. Now let's get a move on. We're about to pull into the station."

With that, she hopped out of her chair and into the main aisle of the train cart. Seated all around her, were five familiar faces she couldn't live without.

"You girls ready?" Twilight addressed the group.

"Hay yeah we are. I've missed the empire. Gonna blow some of those royal guards out of the water in the jousting competition this time." Rainbow Dash enthusiastically replied.

"It's great to be back. I have been meaning to take a trip back up here ever since the Equestria games." Rarity beamed.

"Plus it'll be nice ta' see yer brother and Cadence." AppleJack smiled.

Twilight nodded as a bright smile formed on her muzzle, "I can't wait to see them again. Cadence said she had something very exciting to share with me. I'd be lying if I said helping Anon was the only motivation I had for coming up here. Speaking of which, thanks again for agreeing to come with me." She replied, gratefully.

"Oh, there's no need to thank us, Twilight. We're just happy to spend some time together and take a little vacation for a week." Fluttershy giggled.

Pinkie Pie, who had been uncharacteristically silent so far, practically vibrated in place, "Y-yep... it's gonna be so much fun, hehehehehe... just a little longer..." She muttered.

"Pinkie, uh... why are you shaking?" Rainbow asked, quirking eyebrow at her pink friend's antics.

"I don't know! I've been getting all kinds of doozy's ever since we took the train. I don't know what, but something absolutely crazy is going to happen, I can just feel it!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"Is it... anything bad?" Fluttershy asked, a worried frown forming on her muzzle.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure we can handle it. Besides, the Crystal Empire is super chill these days. If anything, it's probably just gonna be some big announcement like Cadence being pregnant or something." Rainbow shrugged.

"As far as I know, Anon's the only creature to successfully have a foal with an alicorn. If Shining can do it too, that'd be the mother of all doozies." Twilight chuckled.

The entire train cart shared in a moment of laughter, before the train lurched and the sound of screeching brakes reached all of their ears.

"Oh hey! We're here!" Spike called, looking out the window to the fast approaching train station.

"Right, well let's get a move on, girls. Times'a wasting, and the sooner we figure out more about this elixir, the sooner we can just relax and enjoy the empire." Twilight announced, leading the pack to the front of the train.

As they exited the train, they found that much to Twilight's surprise, there was nopony waiting for them at the station. The group searched around for a few moments, all of them tilting their heads to the side in confusion at the lack of a prince and princess they were all expecting to meet.

"Huh... that's strange. They're usually quite punctual." Twilight acknowledged, rolling her tongue.

"Twily!" Shining Armor's voice called out, making her whip her head in his direction.

The burly stallion that was her brother came into view, Cadence alongside him and both of them absolutely beaming as they saw Twilight and her friends.

"Shining! Cadence!" Twilight called, excitedly rushing over to them.

As was tradition, Twilight and Cadence dropped low and sang their little mantra.

"Sunshine sunshine, ladybugs awake. Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" They sang in unison, before bursting into a fit of giggles.

"It is so good to have you here again, all of you." Cadence announced, quickly pulling Twilight into a hug.

"We've got quite a few ponies asking when they could see a certain 'brave and glorious dragon'." Shining added, giving Spike a wink.

"Aw yeah! I-I mean, uh... ahem... trying to keep a low profile this time, Shiny." Spike coolly replied, much to his older siblings' amusement.

"As excited as we are to see you both, I do have some things I need to look at before I can just start relaxing and perusing the empire. Luckily, my friends have all agreed to help, so I don't think it should take too long with the seven of us looking." Twilight explained.

"The elixir for Anon?" Cadence asked, receiving a nod in response.

"After we got your letter, I started doing some digging of my own. I'm not sure if what we have is what you're after, but it'll be a decent start at the very least." Shining offered.

"Thank you. I know it's a long shot, but if I can get Anon an opportunity to stick around... well, I owe Celestia and Luna that much. Plus think of little Artemis and Dawn? What kind of aunt would I be if I let their dad die of old age?" Twilight scoffed.

"There's the Twilight I know and love. How can we help?" Cadence inquired.

Twilight tapped her chin in thought, "Hmm... I'm going to need access to the library... the entire library."

Anon and Chrysalis walked side by side into the interrogation room. While they'd made the journey nearly a dozen times already, the route always felt long and tedious, taking multiple twists and turns as they descended from the surface.

"Uh, even my hive was more straight-forward than this... when are Tia and Luna going to let me install some changeling infrastructure in here? It'd literally make it twenty times faster for us to get from the throne room to the interrogation room." Chrysalis bemoaned, dramatically rolling her eyes.

Anon chuckled at her behavior, "Being a bit melodramatic tonight, aren't we, Chryssi?" He teased.

Even now, the nickname still got a small blush out of the pretty Changeling Queen, "You say that as if you don't feel the exact same way."

Anon shrugged, "True, but you know how much of a logistical nightmare that would be? No thank you." He chuckled.

Chrysalis chuckled alongside him as they reached the door leading into the interrogation room, "I suppose you're right. Still, it would be an improvement over what's here."

Anon nodded as he opened the door, revealing the room to them once more. However, as the two of them looked inside and saw the lone prisoner of the room, something immediately felt off. Tempest was sitting in her seat as usual, though there was a profoundly noticeably smirk upon her muzzle. Whereas every previous attempt to speak with the mare, she'd looked melancholy or simply uncaring, she now bore an almost sinister look in her eyes. It was enough of an upset that both Chrysalis and Anon stared at her, both of them struggling to process just what was so different.

After a few moments of silence, Anon found himself nearly jumping as Tempest suddenly spoke.

"Prince Anon and Queen Chrysalis... how good to see you both again. Especially you, Prince Anon." Tempest greeted, her voice filling the air was a kind of barely suppressed glee that make Anon's skin crawl.

"Uh... good morning, Tempest. I'll be honest, you're looking much more... uh, up-beat than usual." Anon managed, recovering as much as he could.

While Anon moved to step into the room, he paused as he glanced to the side, finding Chrysalis staring at Tempest as if she were trying to read her mind. Granted, she probably was, given everything he knew about his Changeling lover, but even she couldn't tell what anyone was actually thinking in their subconscious.

"Right... let's begin, shall we?" Chrysalis finally replied, stepping forward and taking her seat across from Tempest.

Anon, finding himself slightly concerned and confused by the change of attitude from both mares, hesitantly took his seat as well.

"Alright, so let's start with the obvious. For one, you look much happier today. Is there a particular reason you wanna share with us?" Anon began, clasping his hands together as he expectantly looked at Tempest.

"You could say that... I've been doing some thinking and well, I think I do have some information that you would find beneficial. In fact, I think its information good enough to get me out of this joint." Tempest replied, giving a deceitfully sweet smile to Anon.

Anon slowly nodded as Chrysalis squinted in suspicion, "Right... and what might that be?" Anon pressed, leaning forward slightly.

"Well, it has nothing to do with the Storm King if that's what you're after. From what I can tell, you weren't expecting much from me on that front anyway. You seem so interested in my past, yet I can't help but wonder about yours as well." Tempest replied, tilting and inspecting her hoof as if it was suddenly more interesting than Anon.

Anon shared a quick glance with Chrysalis, "Uh, we're not really here to talk about me, Tempest-"

"Oh, I think we are. For what's a more impressive tale than that of an alien from a different dimension suddenly showing up on Equestrian soil and marrying not one, but both royal alicorn sisters?" Tempest cut him off.

"I don't see what that has to do with-"

"First you marry the two of them, and then you do the unimaginable. You put a foal in both of them. Real, live alicorns born into this world for the first time thanks to the efforts of none other than Anonymous the human." Tempest cut him off again.

"Tempest, what are you getting at here?" Anon frowned.

However, much to his chagrin, Tempest continued as if she couldn't hear him, "Finally, after all that, you almost single-handedly reform one of Equestria's oldest and most dangerous enemies, turning her entire species into allies and propelling Equestria into an age of peace and harmony that was otherwise unthinkable-"

Chrysalis's hooves slammed on the table, finally halting Tempest's speech, "Get to the damn point!" She barked.

Neither man nor changeling was quite prepared for the deep, rich, devious chuckle that emanated from Tempest's throat. A wide and very sinister grin split her muzzle, and even though she was chained, guarded, and powerless to actually hurt him, Anon felt a wave of chills run down his spine at her demeanor.

"And after all that... he's still just a man." Tempest chuckled, her voice echoing in the otherwise silent room.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Anon demanded.

"For all your accomplishments and all your victories, there's one enemy you can't defeat on your own. None of your family can help you, and nothing you do can save you..." Tempest continued, her steely gaze narrowing down on Anon as he felt a steady dread rising up in his chest.

"Anon..." Chrysalis spoke, her voice just a quiet whisper to him as his attention was focused entirely on the mare before him.

"Time." Tempest chuckled, shaking her head in amusement.

Anon sunk into his chair slightly. His brow furrowed as the word sunk into his brain. Though no blows were thrown, he still felt as if he'd been struck.

"Is that your game? So what? You've figured out what everypony in Equestria has known for years. Anon is mortal, what of it?" Chrysalis demanded, though her voice was filled with barely contained rage.

Tempest shrugged, "I'll admit, I didn't have you figured out at first. Now? It's clear that the thought is on your mind. How will little Prince Artemis and Princess Dawn manage without their loving father? Especially considering the two alicorns you're married to who'll just have to jot you down in their memoirs along with all the other stallions and mares they've bedded."

"Enough! If you've only insults to spew at the crown, then your cell will have better use of you than we will. Guards." Chrysalis ordered, and nearly every guard in the room rushed to take Tempest back to her cell.

"Not a great idea if you want to change that little fact." Tempest whispered, her voice barely heard over all the commotion of the guards.

"Wait." Anon announced, making every guard freeze just before they could grab Tempest and drag her away.

"Anon?" Chrysalis asked, giving him a worried look.

"What do you mean?" Anon questioned, looking squarely into Tempest's eyes.

"There are ways to grant a nonmagical species immortality. I'm sure your Princess of Friendship has already found one or two of them." Tempest smugly replied.

For the first time since entering the room, it was Anon who suddenly bore a smug look on his face. It was such a jarring shift from the previous few minutes that even Tempest's mask cracked ever so slightly.

"Yes, she has. She's gone to research one right now. I'm not sure what you're offering, but I doubt we need it. Twilight's the smartest mare I know. Also, I'm not even sure if I want to live forever just yet. You think you've got me figured out, but I think you might just think you know more than you really do." Anon rebutted, crossing his arms and sitting back in his chair.

For a few moments, a silent staredown emerged between the two. Neither one was willing to back down, prompting the atmosphere to thicken as the tension in the air reached a fever pitch.

"She wouldn't happen to be researching the 'Elixir of Magicae' would she?" Tempest asked, making Anon's eyes widen.

The tiny break was all Tempest needed to jump on, "She's going to have an awfully disappointing trip to the Crystal Empire when she realizes that the information she needs isn't there. Also, you say that you haven't even decided yet, but come on. You may be fooling yourself and you may be fooling your wives, but you aren't fooling me. You know what I think? I think you're scared, not of losing your wits to something no mortal mind was meant to handle, no... I think you're scared that eternity with your wives will make them all realize that you're just a novelty to them, nothing more. You're scared that rather than dying and being loved in their memory forever, they'll grow tired of you. That said, you've got little ones you want to be with and see them grow. Oh, what a decision you have to make. All of the curses of immortality, or all of the curses of mortality. At least one lets gives you the chance to see if your hunch is right. Then you can always end it yourself in five hundred years when they've all left you and you're all alone."

"That's enough. Take her back to her cell, now." Chrysalis snarled, snapping all the guards to action.

As she was physically dragged out of the room by literally every single guard, Tempest continued to chuckle, her voice reaching out and raking at Anon's ears as he stared ahead, his mind reeling.

"Think on my offer, Prince Anon. Who knows, maybe I'm wrong and your wives will love you forever. There's only one way to know for sure..." Tempest called after him as she was led away.

Anon found that his hand was shaking.

Author's Note

A lot happened in this chapter, huh? There's just so much to do! And so little time! Also, Tempest can be mean when she wants to be, haha. No, I don't want to be bullied by my broken horn edgehorse wife, you can't prove anything!