The Burdens Of Alicornhood

          Twilight looked over the city of Canterlot.  The capital of Equestria, one of the largest countries on the planet of Equus.  She was laying on a single cloud in the evening sky, watching the setting sun dip low into the sky as it gave way to night.  Colors of orange, purple, and dark blue penetrated the sky, brining forth night.

           Twilight stared off, deep in her thought process.  She has only been an alicorn, as well as the new princess of Equestria, that she was starting to look into things that she didn't know too much about.  This topic was Alicorns.

           She knew the basics.  Part of all three pony tribes with impossibly strong magic, extreme flying abilities, and strength that surpasses any stallion.  They were idols, yet Twilight knew little to nothing about then.  So did everypony else for she could not find one scrap of solid information on the god like creatures that ruled their country.  Twilight now being added to that list.

            A few questions ate at her mind.  Why was it that the princesses have no recorded mate or children?  Over the years they should have least found a few stallions, or mares if they went that way, to be with and have a few foals with.  But no matter how deep she searched, there was never any mentions of any sort of relationship or foals.

            Then there was one considering her own ascension.  She knew Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were immortal, thus their history dating back so far, but what about her?  Would she live an eternity over the country, or will she die with her friends, when they hit to be too old?  Did ascending instead of being an alicorn by birthright even give you immortality?

            Twilight sighed and placed her head over top her hooves, deciding to inspect the cloud she was laying on. After a few minutes, staring at the swirled white mass of condensed water started to hurt her eyes.  She closed them and rolled over, turning her belly towards the ever darkening sky above her.  So many questions to be asked yet she didn't know wether they should be.

           "Why the buck is everything so confusing?" She shouted, throwing her hooves into the air.

          "Because we will never learn without the diffulcties of life."  Twilight jumped.  She turned to see Celestia landing next to her on the cloud.  Her white alabaster coat shone brilliantly in the dying light.

           "Why are you out here, my dear Twilight?" Asked the alicorn, sitting down next to her.  Twilight sighed and layed her head on her forehooves, looking over the city below.

          "I was just thinking.  Nothing to worry about." mumbled Twilight, avoiding the subject.  Celestia sighed and nuzzled the smaller alicorn's side.

           "I know that's not true, Twilight.  It's more than just some thought.  If it was that, you wouldn't be out here like a depressed filly." said the white alicorn, looking down at her.  Twilight thought for a moment before looking up at the much older alicorn.

          "Am I immortal?"  Celestia was taken aback by the question.  She wasn't expecting the question so soon, but she should have expected the mare to come to the conclusion sooner or later.  Sooner considering her intellect.  Celestia sighed and looked over the city such as her companion did awhile ago.

           "All alicorns come with multiple curses, Twilight.  Such is the way of our unique existence.  One of them happens to be immortality." said Celestia, keeping her gaze away from the mare next to her.

           "Me and Luna have seen countless ponies close to us come and go, almost too fast at times.  Cadence expirenced this after the Crystal Empire incident, leading all the way out to now.  It does not matter wether you were born an alicorn as me and Luna, or brought into it such as Cadence and yourself.  We all have the exact same curses to deal with."

             "So, does that my friends will...."

            "If there was a way to prevent it, I would have done so by now.  I'm sorry, Twilight.  They will die long before you."

                                                                                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~

            "No!" shouted Twilight, tears streaming down her face.  She is sitting up right in her bed, the sheets thrown onto the floor.  She looked around the darkened room of her Canterlot bedroom.  The same dream played through her mind over and over again.  She has been having it for the past three weeks and she had not told Celestia or Luna of them, fearing them to be more reality than dream.

            "You okay, Twilight?" Asked Spike who was watching her with concern from the edge of the bed.  She sighed as she looked at the dragon.

            "What am I going to do, Spike?  These dreams are going to haunt my forever." said Spike, putting her head in her hooves.  "I need to know but I'm afraid.  What if I'm right?  What if they will all die while I live immortal?  I couldn't possibly live like that."

             "Yes you can, Twilight.  I believe in you, Celestia believes in you, Luna believes in you, we all believe in you.  You can handle what this new life will bring or else you wouldn't have it." said Spike, placing a claw on her shoulder.  Twilight thought for a moment.

            "Spike, find a time where both princesses are free and clear my time for them.  We need to have a talk."

                                                                                          ~~~~~~~~~~~

           "Do you know why we have been called here, Sister?" Asked Luna, walking into the dining hall she was asked to meet in.  Celestia was already sitting at the table, sipping on the already served tea.

           "Not a clue.  I thought you called the meeting, dear Luna." said Celestia, taking another sip while levitating the pot to her sister.  The younger alicorn accepted it with a nod and poured herself a cup of the tea.

          "I did not.  Then that only leaves dear Twilight.  But what could she possibly want with us?" asked the midnight alicorn.

          "Answers to sate my nightmares."  They turned to find Twilight walk into the room, bags under her eyes.  At her heels was Spike.

         "I told you look like shit." said Spike.  Twilight shoved him for that.

          "Thanks for the uplift, Spike.  Really helped." said the alicorn with a roll of her eyes.

          "Why do you look like you have not gotten any sleep, Twilight?" asked Luna, cocking her head at the young alicorn.

          "Because I haven't.  Questions can become obsessive if not answered and mine became nightmares.  That's why I want to ask you them." said the lavender mare, sitting at the end of the table.  Unlike Celestia and Luna, Twilight poured herself hard cider.  She had a feeling she was going to need every drop of the strong liquid.

           "What is your questions, my dear Twilight?" Asked Celestia, concerned for her former student.  Twilight set down the mug and looked the two in the eyes.

           "Am I immortal?"  It was those three words the sisters have dreaded hearing for the last three months.  Each day they felt lucky that the new alicorn did not ask them.  Now, however, they were stuck with a choice.  Tell her the truth and break her now, or lie and break her all the more harder with the added length of false bliss.  It was a choice they hated and only had to do once, that time being before Nightmare Moon and only a few years before the fall of the Crystal Empire.  It was the rise of Princess Mi Amor Cadenza.  Now they had to do the same for Princess Twilight Sparkle.

          "Alicorns come with a long list of burdens," said Luna.  "Me and Tia have expirenced so many of these burdens and curses over our long lives.  Nightmare Moon is a curse, but that is for another time."

          "Immortality is one of the larger curses of our eternal lives," continued Celestia, sitting back and looking out the window.  "I have proven that much after the banishment of Nightmare Moon.  So has Luna.  Alicorns can never die naturally, at least in the normal sense."

          "But back to your question, the answer is yes," said Luna.  Twilight just stared in shock and horror.   The conversation was not perfect but close to her nightmares the many nights before.

          "My friends will die before me." said Twilight, staring down at the grain of the wood.  Spike just stroked her mane, already coming to grips with his overly long lifetime awhile ago when told by Celestia.

         "We are trying to change that short of alicornhood.  If need be, we will change them into alicorns some way." said Celestia, trying to comfort the distraught mare before her.

         "Why can't you just do the same as you did for me for them?  Why not have them cast the spell?" Asked Twilight, crying.

         "Because it has to be cast by a powerful magician.  Twilight, the only reason you are an alicorn is because you deserve it by showing your knowledge of friendship and you incredible ability of magic." said Luna.  Twilight shook her head.

          "There has to be a way.  I don't know how I would continue without them.  We've been through so much together..."

          "We know how you feel, Twilight." said Celestia, a sad look on her face.  "Me and Luna have witnessed the death of our parents and all of our loved ones over the course of four thousand years.  Three thousand for Luna.  When we were your age, oh so long ago, we felt the exact same way.  But we remembered we were not alone."

           "We had each other," said Luna, smiling.  "We knew as long as we had the other we would never be alone.  When we met Cadence and she rose, then our chances of being alone lessened.  You must remember that even though you live for so long, you will always have me, Tia, and Caddy to keep you company and pick you up.  That's what we are for."  Twilight smiled at the two, tears streaming down her face.

          "Thank you."  And she meant it.  The helpless pit was filled once again.  Though one of her questions were answered, there were plenty more to be answered.  And she knew she had to be ready,