“TWILIGHT SPARKLE!” Rarity roared, her voice echoing through the halls of the castle. 

Twilight paused in mid-spell and cocked her ears. “Spike! Tell Rarity that I’m not seeing visitors today.” 

She began to gather magic to her horn again, but there was a sudden bang and the door to the lab flew open. 

“She didn’t take no for an answer,” Spike protested, as Rarity stormed down the stairs. 

“Twilight, I would like a word,” Rarity hissed, her tone like cut glass. 

“Urgh, Rarity.” Twilight set down the bright Pinkie crystal she’d been working on. “I’m in the middle of a very delicate piece of–oh sweet Celestia, there’s a pipe through your barrel!” 

Rarity, despite the hoofwide section of drainpipe embed in her chest just below her shoulder, rolled her eyes. “Yes darling, I had noticed. It seems that despite earning cutiemarks the Crusaders are still a hazard to everything in a hundred-hoof radius. However, I was particularly concerned by the fact that a drainpipe has penetrated though what my passing grasp of anatomy tells me is a lung. Now, while I don’t particularly relish the thought of drowning in my own blood, I do believe it is the customary response. Do you have anything to say about the situation?” 

“Umm...” Twilight’s eyes flicked to her experiment bench. “No?” 

“Twilight darling, I know you’ve been worried about the whole ‘immortality’ thing.” Rarity took a seat on a nearby cushion, resting the pipe on the floor. “But I would prefer to be told if I was going to become an unholy abomination of magic gone too far.” 

“You’re not an abomination!” Twilight exclaimed. Rarity cocked an eyebrow at her. “Okay... technically speaking you’re a litch. But—” She held up a hoof. “—It’s just a temporary thing. Just while I figure out how to make you all alicorns.” 

“A litch?” Distain dripped from Rarity’s voice. “A withered shell of a pony who clings to life by draining the souls of the living? I’m afraid to say that I would rather die.” 

“Oh, no no no, that couldn’t be further from the truth.” Twilight levitated a book over from a nearby shelf. “See, litches just lock a body in its current state, that’s why old withered mages stay withered. This way I can keep you in the prime of youth for as long as it takes to come up with a more permanent solution.” 

Rarity sighed. “And the soul eating?” 

“Heh... Well as an alicorn I have a lot of soul to go around.” 

“Twilight, is it really so hard to accept that we might not be around some day?” Rarity asked, pressing a fetlock over her eyes. “I know thinking about it hurts, but you can’t encase the world in crystal and call it saved.” 

Twilight hung her head. “I know. But I’d never forgive myself if, say, Rainbow Dash died in a stunt when I could have saved her. We always end up in so much danger I had to do something. Actually, come to think of it I’m a little surprised you’re the first pony who found out.” 

“Well, I suppose that’s fair.” Rarity sighed. “Though I’d prefer not to be known as the wicked sorceress of Ponyville, so if you could put my soul back–” 

“Right. Do you want me to remove the pipe first, or...” 

“Yes, I want you to remove the pipe,” Rarity snapped, then seemed to remember her composure. “If you wouldn’t mind. And then we shall, as a group, discuss our newfound litchdom before anypony else gets impaled by anything.” 

“TWILIGHT!” Pinkie Pie cried out. The mare tripped at the top of the stairs and descended in a tumble of flailing limbs. “Owie.” Her leg rolled free of the heap and stopped at Twilight’s hooves. 

Pinikie picked herself up a shook herself. “Oh, hi Rarity,” she said, teetering on three legs. “Have you done something with your hair?” 

“Umm...” 

“Oh, right. Twilight can you stick my leg back on? I was playing with the clothesline with gummy and it popped clean of, can you believe it?” 

“Yeah, sure,” Twilight said, bemused. She lowered her horn and applied a mild healing spell to the joint.

“Thanks Twilight. See you,” Pinkie chirped and bounced off. 

“Well of course Pinkie would be fine with it,” Rarity said, sighing. 

“Actually... I haven’t finished the spell for Pinkie yet.” Twilight frowned, and turned back to her notes.

“Huh.” Rarity looked down at her pipe. “So, eternal youth and beauty you said?”