> Immortal
>  by RatherHomely
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Forever
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I barely remember it... It was so long ago...
A time when Discord reigned and chaos was his scepter. The world was a place set in turmoil. For how long it had been like that, even I didn't know.
But that story is not why I'm here.
My tale began when his tale ended.

"You two really think you can defeat me?" The monstrous creature- seemingly patched together from the many animals that decorated Equestria- let off a laugh, amused by the two alicorns that stood before it. Their faces were that of intense determination, though desperation muddled the mixture. 
"Your rule is over!" the dark blue alicorn shouted, scraping at the ground with her hoof as though she was about to charge.
"We possess a weapon that you will never understand!" the white alicorn proclaimed.
Discord was in fits, but the smile drained from his face when he saw the duo beginning to glow, eyes a brilliant white. It was then that six orbs, the Elements of Harmony, materialized from the aether.

And so Discord was defeated, sealed in a statue of stone. He would be released again someday.
But in his wake he left a kingdom that was in ruins. There was no ruler, and who else but my sister and I could take over the role?
But there was a price for such power. For the Elements of Harmony infused my sister and I with magic of old, enhancing our already incredible powers. We were alicorns, naturally gifted with greater powers, skilled in labor, flight, and magic. But the Elements made us something we hadn't been previously.
We had become immortal.
It was a truly remarkable gift. The responsibility that came with it wasn't a weight like so many other parts of life. We'd fought Discord because we cared about Equestria. And this blessing would allow us to continue nurturing it like a flower. We were gardeners, in a way, and it was through precious care that the garden would thrive. And we were happy.
For a time.

Rain gently taped against the alicorn's white coat, cooling her on that warm summer day. She gazed down, solemn as she stood over her mother's grave. The soft grass felt pleasant beneath her hooves. Her mother had always been a rebellious unicorn, taking to the field when others would take to their books. The alicorn couldn't help but wonder how happy her mother would have been, knowing she now rested in the soil she so long toiled on their farm. A few apples lay at the foot of the small tombstone. Her mother had always loved apples, and though the unicorn had dreamed of growing her own apple trees, life just didn't seem long enough to accomplish that task. Luna had joked that life just wasn't big enough to hold all their mother's dreams.   
The unicorn had lived to the ripe old age of ninety-six. Death had to put up quite the fight to claim her. 
That had been ninety years ago. 
The alicorn walked past her father's grave. They'd never quite seen eye to eye.
Rather, the alicorn approached another soft patch of dirt, where the grass had never quite grown back after the burial. This is why she'd come to the cemetery. The name "Suncatcher" was written on it, and the rain seemed to trace the letters as the drops slowly descended down the front.
The alicorn felt a small smile form on her lips. Pleasant memories drifted through her mind. Luna had always said that Suncatcher had only lived up to his name once. There was one sun he'd managed to catch. Even in death it seemed as though he'd still managed hold on.
The drops of water that ran down her face intermingled with tears. She'd always thought that the stallion would outlive her. At least, before her gift. After, she'd always known that the inevitable would come. 
It did.

Sometimes I wonder how long immortality can last. After all, forever is a long time. I'd wondered if forever was really as long as ponies said it was. Everyone's hourglass must run out. It's just a matter of how much sand there is. 
Looking back, I was young. Yes, at the time of Discord's defeat I was... It's difficult to remember... ah, yes, thirty one. Thirty one is barely out of the womb when you can live forever. I was young, and even though I knew about my immortality I'd never really thought about it. The connections I'd made, the friendships I'd forged, all were laid to waste by time's cruel hand. 
My students have been many. Sometimes I'll spend an afternoon in my den, the one with the pictures hanging on the walls and shelves filled with books some of them wrote. Even now I gaze upon those beautiful, young faces, all so full of dreams. Their beauty came not from any physical traits, but from the hope in their eyes, which the artists managed to capture in their renditions. Like magic. As my eyes roam the walls, I can't help but look closely at one particular mare whom I remember quite vividly.

"Prove Problem, I'd like to offer you an opportunity to learn from me. Will you accept?" The alicorn never got tired of seeing a young filly's eyes light up, a smile stretching their face as the realization of how there life would change suddenly dawned upon them.
The filly's head vigorously shook up and down, eliciting a small chuckle from the alicorn. This filly was indeed gifted. She'd passed her test with flying colors and had made a friend in the process. A newborn dragon lay in the midst of broken egg shells, newly hatched. The alicorn knew there was greatness in her midst. What great pony would her new protégé become?
She blinked.
The filly was now a pony and the baby dragon now could stand on his own two feet. The day had finally come. 
"Make sure to stay in contact with me, okay?" 
The pony rolled her eyes. "Of course I will! You're my mentor, Princess! You're practically my mom!"
The alicorn's eyebrow arched. "Oh really? And all those times you forgot to send me letters?"
The dragon interjected. "You don't need to worry about her, Princess. I'll make sure she stays on top of everything!"
"Yeah, this coming from the dragon that keeps sleeping in!"
The alicorn couldn't help but chuckle as the two best friends broke out into an argument, the kind only the closest of friends could share. "You know how dear to me you are, Prove. I'm just giving you a little reminder." The alicorn then added, in a joking voice, "Why, I'd be heartbroken if you..."
She blinked.
"... Abandoned me." It was funny how her memory kicked in like this, as the many years seemed to make her recollection faulty. The alicorn was sitting in a chair, holding a book in her hooves. She'd read it at least a dozen times and it always brought a smile to her face when she read the dedication page- "To my mentor, who, when I reached for the sky, gave me a stepladder."  She flipped though pages, not really reading them. She turned the book over so she could see the back, where a pair of gentle eyes greeted her. Those familiar eyes were now rested behind a pair of spectacles. They were still the same eyes that held the hope the pony had all those years ago, but now were seasoned with age and understanding. 
"You can see her now."
The alicorn thanked the speaker, and then looked at the dragon sitting across from her. He was now around six feet tall and stood a good foot or two over most other ponies. He gave her a reassuring smile. "No reason to keep her waiting, eh?"
The alicorn nodded.
Together they walked into a room. Her student was lying in one of the hospital's beds, some apparatus hooked up to her left arm. The alicorn, despite the many things she'd seen over the countless years of her existence, always felt a little squeamish about all the tubes and such. 
The bed-ridden pony looked weakly towards them. She somehow managed to hear the creak of the door despite the beeps and clicking of the machines around her. "Celestia, is that you?" She let out a weak laugh. "Come on over, these old eyes of mine can barely see past my glasses these days."
The alicorn walked over to her.
"Hey Prove! Look what I've got!" The dragon placed a box of chocolates gently on the bed, easily within the pony's reach.
The pony gave him a smile. "You're so sweet... You've always been so sweet to me. Why, if you were a chocolate I'd just gobble you up!" The dragon and the pony burst out laughing at the ridiculous metaphor. The alicorn joined in, but her laugh was obviously fake. 
"Chocolates... Wouldn't I be the luckiest mare in the world if I could die while eating chocolates? Here with my best friends in the world..." There was little exaggeration to the statement. At one point the alicorn and the pony were just teacher and student. But, like many a mother and daughter as they grew older, they were no longer on such a cordial basis. The two, along with the dragon, had become good friends. "... Celestia, why are you so sad? You don't have to worry about me. I'm perfectly happy."
"I know you are."
A moment passed. "You know, you haven't changed a bit."
"... I know."
"That beautiful mane... It flows just as gracefully as the day I first met you."
"... I know."
"... Glaive, can we have a moment?" The dragon nodded, ducking out the door while closing it behind him. "Celestia, you can cry. It's alright."
"Prove. I don't believe I have any tears left."
"Everypony has tears. The spring from where they come from never runs dry, no matter how often it seems you empty it." Prove lifted a shaky hoof and picked up the box of chocolates, placing them on her bedside table. "I can't actually eat chocolates anymore. I haven't been able to for years. But poor Glaive, he keeps bringing them. I can't stand to break the dragon's heart. Much like I can't stand breaking yours." The pony gave the alicorn a soft look. "You and I both knew this was coming. I've learned to accept my death. And you must too." The alicorn could feel her eyes moisten. "Celestia, sometimes I envy you. And other times I pity you more than any other pony I know. But a thousand years from now I won't be completely lost. As long as you still remember me."
The alicorn could feel tears beginning to flow. 
"Remember that always... Memories last forever."
To clear her tears, the alicorn blinked.
And as Glaive lay in his cave, scales grey and limbs creaking as he shifted slightly, he whispered, "I'm dying, dear friend."
"Glaive... Don't say that."
"You know it's true. I've lived a long life. Nine hundred years is nothing to scoff at." Glaive gave her a big, toothy smile. "I'll quote a dear, dear friend of mine, when I say that memories last-"
"Yes, I... I know what she said. And what every other pony has said. I don't mind that memories last forever..." 
She blinked.
And then she was alone. 
"... It's that I do."

Friends came and went. 
Glaive was a dear companion of mine. It's funny. Despite my close companionship with Prove, bless her soul, it was Glaive who I ended up becoming extremely close to. Perhaps his lengthy life helped nurture a special relationship. Or maybe that long life gave me a chance to get to know him better than any normal pony. Yet even the mighty dragon must settle in his cave for an eternal rest at some point. It's... odd seeing a dear friend start off as a baby. You see them grow. They learn, they make mistakes. Suddenly they're out of diapers. Then they're walking on their own. And as they grow I remain unchanged.
My mother once said to me that anything can happen to her. She could even die the most horrible death in Equestria for all she cared... And this was, as she'd tell me, was because she was a very selfish pony.
Why's that? I'd ask.
She'd tell me that there's one thing she never wanted to see, and that was me wasting away. To see her baby die. 
As my mind aged, but my body remained eternal, I finally understood what she meant.
As I look at the paintings mounted on my wall I see so much life in each face, joy in each smile, and hope in each eye. And in times past I had the privilege of seeing once strong, energetic bodies become weak and grey. The fillies which had once leapt for joy at mastering basic spells could do little more to celebrate their successes with a weary smile.
And so, each and every pony eventually passed, leaving me to continue on without them. 
I saw the dear things grow, and I saw them die.
There was one blessing I had. Luna was everything to me. She felt my pain, for she too had lost many friends as the centuries became millenniums. She was the one I was closest to, and even when I lost a dear friend she was there to provide comfort. She meant everything to me.
The darkest time in my life was when she betrayed me.

"Sister! What do you think you're doing?!" The fiend known as Nightmare Moon was in the middle of finishing her grand spell, one that would cause the night to last for all eternity.
"I'm sorry, sister... This is for the good of the kingdom. I... I'm sorry." And with help from the Elements of Harmony, the alicorn unleashed a powerful spell upon her younger sibling, resulting in banishment to the moon, where she would stay for a thousand years.
Equestria was saved from eternal night.
And the alicorn was left alone.
Each morning she'd lower the moon, and then raise the sun.
And each evening, she'd lower the sun and raise the moon.
And, as time passed as well as friends, the alicorn continued to be alone. 
Perhaps it was some sort of irony that the Elements of Harmony, relics of friendship, had twice been the cause of her pain. For something referred to as the Elements of Harmony, it was very skilled at breaking her heart in two.

It was when Luna was gone when I felt the most lost. I felt like I was without wings, falling down a bottomless pit. Every time I tried to grab onto the walls the pieces would break off. Yet I continued to do so, even when I knew nothing could stop my descent. 
I continued to take on protégés. Is it ironic that every time I tried to patch up the holes in my heart all I ended up doing was creating new ones?
In my desperation for companionship I stumbled across my dear Philomeena. It was touching to have a pet that was just like me, unable to move on, seeing the world change while she remained untouched by time.
You'd think, with my heart being one that's full of holes, I'd have no reason to continue. That I should give up. 
Perhaps I've been a bit misleading.
You see, I don't regret the friendships I've made. A good friend of mine once said, "Memories last forever." And she was right. When I feel lonely, I can retreat to my den. And even though it's never a good idea to spend your whole life dwelling on the past, immortality has given me thousands upon thousands of years of great memories to recollect, visions of all the good times I've had. My dreams are filled with friends of old. They've never truly left me.
And perhaps time hasn't been as cruel as one would think. Even though it's stolen many a friend from me, it gave me something back. It had taken a millennium, but it had finally given me back the one thing in life I treasured most.

"It has been a thousand years since I have seen you like this." The alicorn smiled softly. "Time to put our differences behind us. We were meant to rule together, little sister."
The assembled ponies let out a gasp. "Sister?!"
Ignoring them the alicorn asked, "Will you accept my friendship?" 
There was a moment of silence. The alicorn had waited a thousand years. She could wait a few more moments.  
With a cry, the younger alicorn rushed towards her. "I'm so sorry! I missed you so much, big sister!" 
The alicorn hugged the younger alicorn with her wings. She could feel tears beginning to flow.
To clear her tears, the alicorn blinked.
"I've missed you too."