And will not, then, the immortal armies scorn,
The world's poor, routed leavings? or will they,
Who fail'd under the heat of this life's day,
Support the fervour of the Heavenly morn?
It was raining the day Rainbow Dash had died.
Heavy, thunderous and relentless, it had been a torrential downpour, as if the Heavens themselves were lamenting at the loss of one of Equestria's Greats.
A tall, purple alicorn stood outside the Canterlot City Square Hospital, intimidating in stature and regal in nature, shoulders drooped as if carrying an unbearable load. Her long, glimmering navy mane, that usually danced, buoyant and floating on some ethereal breeze, was flat, and limp, and drenched in the rain.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped through the revolving doors. The bustling and beeping of the medical environment was a soft replacement for the clattering roar of rain outside.
"Excuse me," she stopped a passing nurse, who looked shocked that a mare of such prestige would seek her guidance, "do you know where the Skies' room is?"
The nurse's face fell slightly. "Yes, of course," she murmured sympathetically. "First floor, second door to your right, the Lady Bliss ward... I..."
The nurse hesitated as if she was going to say something else.
The alicorn lifted her gaze, eyes glimmering with liquid. "Yes?"
The nurse shook her head quickly as she trotted off. "Uh, nevermind."
Whispers and hushed exclamations followed the mare through the hospital, and the alicorn was vaguely aware of a couple of her private guards trailing astutely behind.
Princess Twilight Sparkle halted outside the Lady Bliss ward. The sign, once bronze and lustre, was now faded and dull.
She pushed the door open with a hesitant breath. The Skies and their children sat on various different seats around the room. Dawn Leaper, their youngest, had tears running down her cheeks as she wept quietly in the corner, comforted by her husband, Air Brusher.
And rough, tough Prism Dart, who was like his mother in so many ways, and whom she hadn't seen shed a tear since he was eleven, had his hooves covering his face as his brother, Sun Sweeper, who had red eyes of his own, patted his back gently as they both to tried to get their father to acknowledge them.
Soarin sat in the middle of the room, staring blankly into space, as if still reeling from shell-shock. His eyes were rimmed red and in his hoof he clutched a ring, simple and golden, with an elegant diamond that caught the light and refracted it in a spectral shine around the room.
The bed next to him was empty.
Twilight's heart sank as her eyes grew hot. She had felt Dash go, she had felt the last of the original Elemental magic fade with her last friend. And yet, seeing the devastation her best friend had left behind brought back feelings so bittersweet in nature, Twilight thought she was going to give in there and then.
She hadn't been able to bear to watch the last of her friends go. Hadn't been able to bear to watch the light fade out her eyes, couldn't bear to witness her last breath, like she had witnessed Pinkie's, and Fluttershy's, and Rarity's, and Applejack's.
She wished she could flee the numbness that followed each of their deaths, wished she could spend the rest of her days in peace, studying, reading, watch from afar the beautiful Flurry Heart grow into the sovereign she was destined to be.
But she couldn't. She had to maintain her composure. With Celestia, Luna and Cadence ascended, Flurry and her were all Equestria had left.
Twilight had built herself a reputation as the people's princess. They loved her, and she appreciated their trust. And yet... there was a painful emotion, a guilty emotion, building up inside her, hot and regretful. If only she had been brave enough to say goodbye.
"I... I'm sorry, Soarin," Twilight muttered, her hoof hovering in the air near his shoulder blades, not knowing quite what to do. "You're no stranger to grief. It's the only way to heal. It's the price we pay for love."
Twilight breathed out, her breath shaky. All she could think about was the image of Flash in her mind. His laugh, the exact hue of his blue eyes, the tone of his voice. The softness of his wings.
His funeral.
She had already payed the price.
"You weren't there." A soft whisper came from beside her.
Twilight blinked and looked down.
Soarin, who had been previously ghostly and silent, had spoken hoarsely.
"Pardon?" She murmured, as Prism and Sunny lifted up their heads.
"She died. She's gone. And you weren't there to say goodbye." Soarin repeated, but this time it was a soft, angry hiss.
Twilight flinched, opened her mouth, blinking in shock. Dawn Leaper opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it quietly.
"I..."
"You could have done something, should have done something, you could have stopped it happening-" Soarin started, his voice shaking, the same blank look in his eyes.
"Soarin, please, you-"
"I don't understand," he reiterated, this time meeting her gaze with hazy green eyes, "were you being cowardly? Why. Weren't. You. THERE."
"Soarin!" Twilight nearly shouted, calm, shaky, but authoritive. "It was not my place to stop it happening."
Something inside Soarin seemed to shatter, his eyes widening as if he had just awoken from a nightmare. He met her gaze with a piercingly heartbroken stare and tears began to run freely down his already-stained cheeks.
And what made it even worse was that she was being a coward. She had run from the one thing she had dreaded most over the past year.
And by Celestia, did she regret it.
"Sorry..." he mumbled, collapsing his face in his hooves, "I'm sorry... I don't... I..."
Twilight smiled sadly. "It's alright," she hushed him, her heart twinging with grief, "I miss her too."
"Why..." Soarin moaned, wrapping himself in his wings, "does it hurt so much?"
"You and Dash..." Twilight started, in an attempt to placate him, as her eyes grew unfocused and watery, "had something really, truly special. I... I can't explain it. Even Cadance can't explain it, and she's the goddamn Princess of Love. It was like... like Fausti herself made you two to fit together."
Soarin said nothing in reply, just curled up tighter. She let him be engulfed by his children, all three of whom had manes just as vibrant as Dash's had been, and left the room as the Skies family dissolved into a heap of grief, hot tears and murmured comfort. She had tried, but the scene was too melancholic to stand.
The only way to bear grief was to grieve.
Twilight's eyes shone with tears as her horn lit up in a soft purple glow, gleaming in the dark corridor like a star, bright and lonely in the way only things that lived forever were.
Immortality was a gift and a curse.
Like chains of gold that bound her to this life, and she dared not to sever it out of fear of what dwelt beneath the fall.
But love... love isn't mortal or immortal. It just is.
Rainbow Dash had no fear, and in that way, she was the bravest of them all.
The short description should be "a blessing and a curse."
Other than that, poor Soarin, and especially poor Twi. Beren died, but Luthien lived, and knew that she would see all her children by Beren died as well, along with all her friends among Men. This world is not made for immortality; we are meant to arrive, play our part, and then leave the stage, not linger on even after the final curtain should have fallen. Mortals simply aren't prepared for immortality, mentally speaking; we're not physically equipped to think about living forever, anymore than a fish is equipped to think about working as an accountant. Here's hoping that Twilight manages to learn that, and manages to square her account with love before too long.
Stop I'm crying so hard! I had to take a break in between because I couldn't see my screen.
Amazing feels... so many feels.
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Ahh, thanks for catching that error! It's fixed now!
Yes, the concept of immortality has always intruiged me. If everyone on earth was immortal, nothing would be achieved, as there would be no motivation or pressure to do so. It goes against the cycle of life.
I want to explore how Twilight deals with losing those dearest to her, and how she learns to move on and look at the bigger picture. Thanks for taking an interest in my work!!
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Aww thank you, you're always so supportive of my writing
I want preface this by saying this is all my opinion. So...salt and plenty of it? Maybe i am wrong? Who knows?
Considering this deals with immortality and its..nuances then being a treaty on how great...or horrible It is...
I would offer some thoughts that you may find interesting? Who knows? Just questions that fall into my mind as write my novels?
1. Would Twilight question Celestia on her choice? Question (oh my...not Twilight?) Weither it should have been her...or could have their been someone else....0someone better? hmm?
2. This I am putting in my story (well all of them...subtly really, some...not.) Have memory of Twilight being asked by her children why they have to die? You know?
The follow is a rant...feel free to skip...
Why is that when people write storys like these...not yours mind? They never write that the children (people with wants a desires of their own...oh my!) ask that pivottal question? Why not them? Why not everyone literally? Why...you. See Equastria has "Destiny and..." then these same kids could ask? If destiny exists, why do anything if say...Luna could almost conquer world (imagination and for arguements sake. So bare with me) and they innocent kids? Don't got it? Perhaps say...on another note? Fluttershy is just to kind? Essentially their is not enough bitter sweet conversations and reactions? Like where is the mom? Giving her immortality to her kids? Or Celestia instead "guiding" people herself? She spreads her immortality out across the world. (Magic).
Sure you might say...no one would handle that well...but, then they got along before with out her guidance (on small community level)? Maybe learn and grow beyond needing a demigod to shepard you and your kids kids...forever and forever? Maybe...for ounce...grow up and stand together? Truly?
End Rant.
3. Explore martyrdom found in the lone or group of immortals. How everyone deals with it? And unlike see above (great and or horrible it is...) it can show different people handle thing differently? You know?
I have never properly read a story that really goes after the idea that immortals likewise to mortals? Are different from each other? People tend to write them as fairly homo-cultural...thats boring. Imo...
So anyway...these are some of my ideas feel free utterly ignore this. I have just thought about the way people write this stuff often enough. So, When someone came to writing immortality fic that has actual nuance and...depth other then good or bad? Minor Rant :Or you know...everone blissfully ignoring that their kids might want to live forever?
Or that by not working towards immortality for all as one of a cabal of immortals you are condemning people to death?
For instance who is a immortal...one at that...to say that they know what is best? You know? Its like saying because I am old...I know better? Would not immortality be improved by having new blood then falling to stagnation...cough never read a story like that before cough...
I should probably write that last one...
End rant.
Ps. I actually have not read this chapter. My thoughts writing this were that I figure you will explore larger themes? Maybe? I will put it in my to read pile. I have seen your backlog and I like your creativity!
Cheers!
Adding to what I said, what about people just coming up with other ways of living forever? Like is their only one way? And what of Twilights mistakes...did she like her mentor erase the history books?
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Wow that was a big comment, it took me a while to dissect that
But I think you've raised some really interesting ideas there, some of which i hope to entertain within my story. Twilight's relationship with her children's mortality is something that is going to be explored in greater detail in further chapters. It's not just seeing children and family and friends as side-characteral objects, things to lose to aid the story, but people with motivations and emotions and desires and questions, ones that even Twilight herself cannot answer. The reasons she does not give them immortality follows this same mindset, that people are born to play their parts, and immortality isn't natural, and it's not her place to give it out as she pleases, not even to her own children. That's simply life, its a given, you are born, you live, you die. Once you break that cycle, its impossible to go back. Perhaps Twilight is simply too scared to change the very nature of existence.
What also intruiges me is the difference between the types of alicorns Twilight and Cadance & Celestia and Luna are. Celestia and Luna were born alicorns, whereas Twilight and Cadance had to perform some heroic deed/ prove their worth to deserve to ascend and earn an alicorn status. Flurry Heart, however, is born an alicorn, suggesting she already has a divine right to 'rule', persay.
I understand the idea that if being immortal is so great, and if the only downside being losing those close to you, why not just make everyone immortal? Unlike Celestia and Luna, who were born with eternal life, mortals aren't familiar with the idea of living forever, Twilight will have lived the majority of her life thinking she will one day eventually die, and this is what she struggles with. She can't accept the fact she won't die. The fact that mortals are born to play their parts, the Element Of Harmony were all born for their roles, and when their time was up, they would die, and life would continue. So why would Twilight specifically been chosen to continue a new era, why couldn't Celestia and Luna kept on ruling? But also, if everyone was immortal, would anything really be achieved? Would people have motivation without the pressure of time? Would the world become drastically overpopulated, with no dead to make space for the living?
But my reasoning is that for a functioning society and in the context I want my story to be in, the point is that Twilight struggles with not necessarily the economic responsibility Celestia has put on her, but the emotional and symbolic responsibilities as well. She questions why it was her, and why Celestia would thrust such an emotionally tolling role upon a mortal who, in some ways, doesn't deserve the catches.
Twilight is known to most as a saviour, and most of her regrets are personal, so there wouldn't be much against her in the history books. She also has trouble with the idea of a successor, if she is to live forever, and knowing when to simply 'move on' to more divine states, as Celestia and Luna did. Becoming one with the force, if you will.
Anyway, sorry for the ridiculously long reply, and thank you so much for the follow!
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Naw, its cool. I ljke the well thought answer. In truth its more interesting then folks writing the thirtieth. (Immortality is bad/ good. Thing)
Ps. Love Love the questions your asking of your characters! It makes it a treat to talk with a author that thinks about theme and character.
Just because I am that guy. For one of my world's I have all alicorn's able to die. They are ageless and are largely quari of the universe. This in truth is for me...(because now I want to share a theme of one my story's) Is that every life can and should have value...though weither they see theirs or others...that way is up for the characters and story.
Or rather that for the odd immortal they seem so much like marble...so basically its my mission to get these goobers live life. Whst ever that means? Eating apple? Like for me I aim to show the worthiness of just being alive? That you need not have "destiny" written in the stars. To be valid? You know? This also not talk down to the mortals stories. But a humanizing of everyone and everything. Not a demeaning or a lording of those that have lived longer
Pps. For me in some my stories...because I like show differing ways of doings for sake...well, characters. The first generati9n of immortals is rather stagnant, mostly sleeping and to combat apathy and listless (for their is no divine in my worlds...as far as know ; )
The generations after can then ask the harder questions and socuetal would be better equiped to question weither life eternal is worth it?
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Yeah that's really interesting concept and I'll have to go check that out later The idea of some lives, or some destinies being more valuable than others (say, for example, the Elements Of Harmony) has always intruiged me, and I think its funny how in every fantasy novel, or dystopian book series, they always follow the 'Chosen Ones', if you will, and really disregard the rest of life in the book as merely pillars to support the main characters story. I suppose this is the best way it would work out for an interesting read, but by creating OCs, and by writing stories about lesser-known characters, writers are bringing a ut more life and validity to these other characters.
Also, I think it would be really interesting to read a story where it doesn't follow one particular characters or group of characters, because by giving a character a perspective, you're automatically giving them a certain amount more validity than other characters. I wonder what would happen if you made the playing field completely even, with no one character having more authority than the rest. A world of all immortals is also really fascinating- how would they deal with not only the emotional changes but economic and social changes?