nyanbinyary said:
Hey now. Lexicon here seems to have just cold-read the full details of the Incident With The Dwarf.

So it seems about time to jump in in defense of Honourshine's decision there. The price he was asking was too bloody high.

...Wait, are we a mortal? Celestia lived for at least a thousand years, but it's not clear if that's an alicorn thing or a "is the sun" thing.

Following that revelation, you can't help but stand by Honourshine's decision: saving time would not have been worth the cost. And besides, the "forgetful" Dwarf did not exactly make a reliable impression of himself — even had he told you the truth, you wonder, would you have believed him?

Lexicon Anathema: "You have no reason to trust me, yet here you are."

You argue that you were given no reason to distrust her, either.

Honourshine: "Although, we were warned about your time having a price. Was making you laugh truly enough?"

Lexicon Anathema: "Oh, don't you worry about that. It's clear to me now that you haven't come here seeking forbidden knowledge."

Admittedly, you are unsure as to what counts as forbidden knowledge or not. You ask whether information about the Elves would be considered as such.

Lexicon Anathema: "How insightful of you. Yes, the Elves were erased from history for a reason..."

Suddenly, you hear a strange echo, as though the hermit's soft voice lingers in the air. The sound of the rain is gone. You glance outside, and find water droplets suspended in midair. Back at the table, your friends are frozen in time. Lexicon Anathema gives you an... amused look?

Lexicon Anathema: "Hmm... I do find the Dwarf's dilemma entertaining. Now, what if the roles were reversed? It does get lonely out here, after all. So if you'd like to know the truth about the Elves, ask for more tea, and I'll let you... convince me."

You stare at the brazen filly in disbelief. Did she just—? Then, a thunderclap jolts you back to reality. Rain falls noisily beyond paper-thin walls. Did you just daydream that...?

Lexicon Anathema: "... But you have other questions, don't you?"

You hesitantly nod. Pushing those thoughts back to the far reaches of your mind, you point out something Lexicon Anathema said earlier that piqued your interest: she called you mortals. You ask if that includes you.

Lexicon Anathema: "It does. You may be an alicorn, but your soul is balanced, which keeps your body in its temporal form. This binds you to the physical realm, and makes you a mortal, just like your friends here — or most other alicorns before you.

You must be thinking of your royal princesses. They're different: bound to astral objects which fuel their souls with light. Excess light transforms the body into its harmonious form, which is what makes them stand out so much.

There is also an opposite chaotic form born from darkness — the likes of Nightmare Moon, for example."

Moonflower: "Ohhh...!"

Lexicon Anathema: "This is not something unique to alicorns, either; any creature can reach its own harmonious or chaotic form and become immortal. But only alicorns can freely change between those forms, or ever become mortal again."

Honourshine: "This sounds familiar. Did we not read about something like this before?"

You nod, and recall the book A-Ni-Ma mentioning that an excess of darkness or light caused a state of undeath — and now, you've just learned that alicorns are immune to its adverse effects. You thank the hermit for patiently explaining this to you.

Lexicon Anathema: "Of course. Honestly, it's concerning how much basic knowledge has been lost over the years."

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