If I Ever Leave This World Alive

by Closer-To-The-Sun

If I Ever Leave This World Alive

The sound of a quill scribbling on parchment echoed throughout the dark library. This soft scratching was enough to wake a small, sleeping dragon. Opening one of his eyes, he sat up in his bed. Rubbing his eyes with his claws, he got up to investigate the source of the sound.

Carefully maneuvering around in the dark, he made his way down the staircase. Stopping halfway down the staircase, the dragon found who was responsible for the sound. Sitting at her desk, Princess Twilight Sparkle was writing something upon the parchment with magic. A single candle flickered as she continued to work. Suddenly, she lowered the quill and read what she had just written down. Apparently unsatisfied with it, she took the parchment in her hooves and crumpled it up and threw it elsewhere. Twilight took another piece of parchment and began again from scratch.

Walking down from the stairs and moving closer, the dragon decided to spook the alicorn, “You know, it’s very unprincess-like to be awake at this hour. Well, except for Princess Luna, I suppose.”

Twilight almost jumped out of her purple coat at the words, “Eep!” Turning to see the familiar face of her assistant, she was calmed, “Goodness, Spike. You startled the daylights out of me,” one of her hooves were placed on her chest in an effort to calm her racing heart, “what are you doing up at this hour?”

“I could ask you the same, Twilight. I know you like writing letters to Princess Celestia and all, but I think this is overdoing it a bit,” Spike pointed out.

“I’m not writing a letter to the princess,” Twilight turned back to the desk and the parchment that laid on its surface. The expression on her face dropped.

Spike raised his head up to try and see what was on the desk, “Really? Then what’cha writing? One of those ‘special stories’ that I’m not allowed to read?”

A small smile appeared on face at Spike’s question, “No, no, this isn’t one of those things.” While she was amused for the moment, her facial expression became one of melancholy again, “It’s just…I don’t know how to put it….”

“Then just try and say it,” Spike responded. He grabbed a nearby stool and took a seat.

Twilight Sparkle took a heavy sigh and looked down at the almost empty parchment, “Spike, how old do you think Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are?”

Raising his claw up to his chin, the dragon thought aloud, “How old are the princesses? Well, Celestia is the older one, by a few years or so….um, I would guess they would be about three thousand years old? Give or take a few years.”

“That’s what I thought as well,” Twilight commented.

“Why are you asking this?” the dragon asked.

The pony answered in a sad tone, “Because I’m a princess now. I’m just like Celestia, Luna, and Cadence.”

Spike nodded, “Well yeah, you’re the Princess of Friendship. A pretty cool role, if you ask me.”

“You don’t get it, Spike. I’m a princess, I’m an immortal, I’m….cursed.”

“Cursed? What do ya mean by that?”

“For time and all eternity, I’ll be here, alive. I’ll live far beyond anypony else, just as the other princesses. I’ll watch those I love and care for vanish from my life as they succumb to their own mortality. Mom, Dad, Shining Armor, the girls, even you Spike. I’ll be alone without any of you by my side. A curse of immortality,” Twilight fought hard to keep the tears in her eyes at bay, but a few managed to roll slowly down her cheek.

Spike was shocked by the sudden sorrow and desperation in the alicorn’s words. He had never seen Twilight more frightened in his life. The truth of the matter, it actually scared him to see the mare like that. To Spike, the purple alicorn before him was the same pony that not only hatched him from his egg and raised him from an infant, but she was the first individual that he could trust, put his faith in, and rely on. To him, Twilight was far more than just a simple friend; she made him feel like he belonged.

Carefully, Spike attempted to speak some comforting words, “Well, at least you don’t have to worry about something like that for a while, right?”

“But it will happen. It’s inevitable. And when it does, it….it will utterly destroy me. I will watch all of those who I hold dear grow old, wither, and die while I live, considered to be blessed with this agelessness,” Twilight wiped a few tears off of her face, but the candlelight still showed that a few new ones were begin to fall from her closed eyes, “I don’t want to live an existence like that. Not without those I love.”

The dragon was silent, unable to think of anything to say. The deafening stillness between the two was haunting and bothered them both. Breaking the motionless calm, Spike hopped off the stool and moved close to Twilight Sparkle. In one fluid motion, he wrapped his arms around the sitting mare and hugged her tightly.

Opening her eyes in surprise, Twilight looked down at her assistant, “Spike?”

“Can we please change the subject? I don’t like this or where it’s going,” the dragon begged as he held on tightly to Twilight. His voice was timid.

Twilight was a bit taken back, “I-I’m sorry, Spike. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad or anything of that sort.”

“I just don’t want you to think this way, Twilight,” Spike looked up at the mare’s face as he released her from the hug. “You know we all care about you a great deal, and no matter what happens, we’ll be happy for you. That includes you becoming a princess or whatever. And….” Spike paused in his statement, looking baffled and at a loss of words.

Twilight looked at Spike, “And?”

The dragon sighed, “Sorry, I’m just trying to think of the right words to say, but none of this is sounding the way I planned it to be. I guess what I’m trying to say is that we’re here for you. No matter what difficult challenges you might face, whether it be some strange and powerful villain or just struggling with some sort personal problem, we’ll all be here to help you. That includes Mom and Dad, Shining Armor, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and, of course, yours truly,” Spike pointed to himself as he gave a small smirk. “If you ever need any of us, we’ll be there for you in a heartbeat.”

A soft smile appeared on Twilight’s face, “I know you all will. And I’m so thankful for that.” The smile began to vanish as her sentence ended.

Spike took notice of this, “You know, I don’t get it, Twilight. Right now, you’re looking towards the future, but already you’re begging for past. What will that get you? I think you should think about the good things in your life with those you love, the good times that you shared with them. And you still have plenty of time to have more good things and have them last with those you love.”

“So, you think I should enjoy the time I spend with everypony?” Twilight asked.

“Of course.” Spike replied as he sat back down on the stool, “You said it yourself, you’re gonna outlive the rest of us. Sure, it’s pretty sad what will happen, but that doesn’t mean you can’t live for today and enjoy your time with all of us. Make the now great so you have great memories to look back on.”

Twilight Sparkle nodded, smiling, “You’re right, Spike. I can’t believe I never had thought of something like that.”

“For having such a big brain, you seem to forget the simplest of things, Twilight,” Spike jested with a small laugh.

The mare shared in the laugh, “I guess I just get overly worked up about things.” Twilight looked at the candle burn, seeing some liquid wax roll down, “Sorry about that all of that, Spike, “she turned back to her assistant, “I didn’t mean to get you wrapped up in my own personal dilemma.”

“Pssh, no big deal,” the dragon raised his claw and brushed the issue aside.

“I really do mean it, Spike. Thanks for comforting me.”

“Just returning the favor.”

The comment caused Twilight to tilt her head in puzzlement, “Returning the favor? What do you mean?”

Spike seemed a bit surprised that Twilight asked, “You don’t remember? You used to always comfort me or keep me company when I was little. Whenever I got hurt playing at the playground or when I had a bad dream, you would be there to make me feel better, even going as far as to stay up with me until the early hours of the morning until I fell back asleep.” The dragon seemed a bit bashful as he spoke, “It meant a lot to me then and it still means a lot to me now.”

The pony looked at the dragon with a smile, “I forgotten about that. You were such a sweet little dragon. And you still are.”

He resumed, trying not to be embarrassed at Twilight’s comment, “What I’m trying to say I’ll always be by your side. I know that being a princess is sort of an eternal role, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a friend with ya, right? Even if it is only for a while.”

“You’re saying that you’d want to stay by my side throughout your life?” the mare asked.

“That’s what friends do, right? Stick by each other through the good and the bad, and even when things get weird,” Spike seemed proud with his statement.

“I’m beyond grateful for this, really I am, but may I ask why you would do all of this for me?”

“It’s the absolute least I can do for you. You raised me, treated me like your own flesh and blood, comforted me when I needed you most, dried my tears, and have done so much for me. I want to do this to thank you,” Spike paused as he tried to keep himself from becoming too emotional, “To thank you for all the things you’ve done in my life.”

Twilight was touched.

“I’ll always be there for you, Twilight, no matter what. Whenever you’re doubt, all you have to do is just call my name and I’ll be there before you know it. And I can promise you that after I pass on to whatever is beyond this life, my spirit will always be with you, Twilight. I can promise you that I will always sit down by the foot of your bed, there to protect you as always. I promise.”

Twilight Sparkle moved to her assistant and hugged Spike tightly, smiling as a few tears of joy streamed down her face, “My faithful assistant. Just knowing you’ve grown into a fine young dragon is enough to know that everything will be alright.”

The embrace hug between the alicorn and dragon lasted for a considerable amount of time. Finally, they broke their hug and Twilight gave a warm, thankful smile to Spike. He returned the smile, but it was accompanied with a yawn.

“I think we should get back to sleep, Twilight. It’s like three in the morning,” Spike insisted.

“Okay, just give me a moment.”

As Spike made his way back up the stairs to his bed, Twilight turned her attention back to the desk for one last time. She took a fresh piece of parchment and started to write with the help of her quill and her magic.

Satisfied, Twilight left the parchment upon her desk and left to go to sleep. On the parchment, it read:

Royal Decree of the Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle: Always treasure friendships, both past and present. They may be gone, but they will never be forgotten as long as a friend has a cherished memory of them.

END

Comments

[MythLeviathan]

Since Spike is a dragon, isn't he just as immortal as the princesses are?

[Closer-To-The-Sun]

4707595 Dragons are mortal in the MLP universe (if I'm correct), and therefore can die. And from what I can gather, princesses are immortal (though they can be rendered powerless).

You know what, magic. That explains it all for the princess side of things.

[MythLeviathan]

Hm. You'd think the giant red dragon from the episode "Dragonshy" or the giant green dragon from the episode "Owl's Well That Ends Well" would at least be over one hundred.

As for the princesses, I think only Luna and Celestia are immortal. I mean, they are called "The Immortal Sisters". Besides, they were born as Alicorn princesses. Since Cadence and Twilight were made Alicorn Princess, I don't think they became immortal as well.

But all-in-all, that's just MY theory.

[Closer-To-The-Sun]

4707703 Well, we all have fan theories. Either way, let's focus on the truly important things: ponies.

[MythLeviathan]

True

[Eonflare]

4707605 When has the show ever implied that Dragons were mortal?

[Closer-To-The-Sun]

4707973 I gathered that since dragons are just like any other type of species in MLP, they are just like them in that they can grow old and die. Of course, this just a theory of mine and as with most fan theories, it won't be proven as canon.

[Smurf]

i believe that Dragons are functionally immortal ie they don't die unless given a fatal wound but with their near Invulnerability which only gets stronger as they age the chance of killing one becomes almost nothing, best way to kill one would be to get it while its young and stupid

also about that immortality thing
derpicdn.net/img/view/2014/6/8/648474__safe_twilight+sparkle_princess+celestia_comic_princess+twilight_tumblr_crying_fanfic_immortality+blues_artist-colon-romanrazor.png
edit: your youth is showing

[Angelus Alvus]

Well, at least Spike will stick around for a few thousand years.

[DX-1118 C]

4708066 Perhaps spike is immortal. He was born of magic, and possibly a dud before that. Not to mention celestia tried to hatch him, and possibly tons of other unicorns. All that magic could make him special. Hell, might make em live longer.

[DX-1118 C]

4707703 not just yours. Faust said they are mortal too

[MythLeviathan]

4708979 I mean, I know they can live forever, but if someone killed them, they're done. Therefor, they are totally immortal.

[DX-1118 C]

4709324 I have a headcanon I can pm you when I'm not on a bus if you wanna hear it.

[MythLeviathan]

4709591 Sure

[conantheimp]

Downvoted because this goes nowhere

You introduce the problem: Twilight thinks she's cursed with immortality.

Your solution?
: "Yup. You sure are, Twilight. Just forget about it for now; that's future!Twilight's problem. You can agonize over our absence later."

So...yeah. You bring up a common issue in fics, and you not only don't solve it, you have Spike divert the issue because it's creeping him out... Go read some more Ageless Twilight fics. There's some real thought put into a lot of those, could give you more ideas for next time you try this out.

[Eonflare]

4712625 That's actually quite good criticism. It might be harsh for writers to see that, but I personally think every storyteller needs to be told what's wrong with their fics. They won't improve as much otherwise.

[Closer-To-The-Sun]

4712625
4713688

This is good criticism and I thank you for such. I understand where you find issue with this fic, but either way, I'm happy with it. My plan wasn't to solve the issue, but rather have Twilight see that while it is a scary thought, she still has the love and support of her friends and family no matter what and even after they are gone. I see where you are coming from and I see the flaw in my work there.

Nevertheless, I am still grateful for your criticism and I will be putting it to use upon future writings.

[conantheimp]

4714987
To be honest, that's ALL that I thought was wrong with it. Everything else was spot-on. You did a good a job at telling what was, for me, a pretty pointless affair.

I kinda get having the message of "sure, it sucks, but we're here now", but it still feels like it'll just drive her even further down the rabbit hole. Sure, they'll still be able to pick her up again...

I think what I mean is this feels like the first third of the story. Part 2 has Twilight realize what terrible advice Spike gave and go into shock in a crossbetween the Smarty Pants and Time Travel incidents, and part 3 has her friends get her back out of it and teach her why immortality doesn't suck plot.

[beirirangu]

4707605 I'm a bit late to the party, but if I may point out that mortality/immortality isn't an all-encompassing feature, it's a situational aspect, for example: one can have the ability to live forever while being able to die, for it can only require the absence of the weakness we typically view in old age (like Lobsters)

[TerraZeal]

The creators have said Twilight won't be immortal, but I still like the fics where she is and has to deal with it. I also particularly like the fics that deal with the fact that DRAGONS are immortal (or at least have a lifespan in the thousands). Most people seem to forget that even in Equestria, dragons can live near-forever. A NAP for a dragon is at least a hundred years. I think that was even mentioned in Dragonshy. Still, I liked it. Would have liked it more if Spike and Twilight both lamented that they will lose their friends but will always have each other.

[Teikan]

perfume? bruh