Ballad of the Immortal

by pepdog1

Rating: teen
Tags: Twilight Sparkle, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Princess Cadance, Dark, Sad, Princess Luna, Tragedy, Princess Celestia
Length: 1914

Equestria and all that lived in it are dead. But there is a group of ponies who can't die because they are immortal, and they yearn for death... But which would you rather, finally dying, but for a price, or living forever with the ones you love

Equestria and all that lived in it are dead. But there is a group of ponies who can't die because they are immortal, and they yearn for death... But which would you rather, finally dying, but for a price, or living forever with the ones you love, but at the cost of someone else's life?

Twilight Sparkle has a choice, but which one will she choose?

Takes place ten thousand years after "Magical Mystery Cure."

Cover image: "Twilight Sparkle is not ready for being a Princess" by GizemYorganci.

Published 2013-12-27 08:20:04 UTC
Last updated 2013-12-27 08:20:04 UTC

Backstory / Difficult Decision

Twilight finished tying the knot, and looked up at her rope creation. It was very simple, nothing to brag about. Even if she did brag, no one would hear her. Most other ponies were dead.

She pulled her stool towards herself with her magic and stood on it, so she was looking at the hole she had made in her creation. She stuck her head into it, and flapped her wings, making her hover in midair. Then, she jerked the stool from under her hooves and folded her wings up against her body. And she fell.

Nothing happened. She barely even felt anything. She had been doing this for over an hour and had not managed to complete her goal. She decided to give it one more chance and re-tightened her noose.

Cadence watched this sad scene play over and over again from the window of the dusty ruins of the castle that all the princesses were currently living in. She was almost in tears watching the light purple alicorn try over and over to hang herself. She had to do something.

Cadence rushed to the room where the two oldest alicorns were sleeping and burst through the door, waking both of them up and causing Luna to fall off her bed.

She stared at the princesses. Luna had become a periwinkle colour and Celestia had become grey, and both of them had white hair. Cadence herself still looked like her normal self in the time she was getting married, if only slightly greyer.

"You can't let her live like this!" Cadance shouted at the alicorns as they got up onto their hooves. "You can't let her live through this tragedy for the next hundred million years! I won't allow it!"

Celestia rubbed her temple. "We already told you, Cadence, there is no way for us to do that. We are immortal, and we can't change that!"

Luna suddenly perked up. "YES WE CAN!!! I know how! Cadence, get Shining and meet us in the courtyard. This matter concerns you."

Twilight gasped as the rope choked her for the 57th time. She fell to the floor, her eyes in tears, as she ran a hoof along the red line around her neck.

"Why..." She cried, "Why did it have to come to this? Why did they all have to die so early? And I never got to tell him how much I loved him..."

She slowly got up and walked over to the spot where the graves of her best friends laid. The first grave belonged to Rarity. On the front lay a heart made of red jewels and rose petals. Twilight had made it herself on the day her unicorn friend died. It was bound by a spell so that it could never be blown away by the wind, or wither, unless Twilight herself died.

The sad memory replayed itself inside Twilight's head...

"Hi, Rarity! How are you? You're looking good today!"

"I'm good, thank you! How are you? You also look lovely!"

"I'm good too. So, are you ready for the big night tonight?"

"Absolutely, darling! Ooh... do you smell that? It smells like something is burning! Sweetie Bell, are you cooking?

"Rarity! Help! The curtains caught on fire!"

"Hang on Sweetie! I'm coming!"

CRASH.

"Ah! Rarity! The door won't open! What's happening in there?"

"The roof is caving in! Quick, go to the window outside!"

Clip, clop, clip, clop.

"Twilight! *Cough, cough*. Quick! Take Sweetie!"

"What about you, Rarity!?!"

"I... *Cough*... I don't know! I... I guess... this... is...*Cough... goodbye..."

"What? NO! RARITY!!!"

"SIS!!!"

Twilight walked slowly over to the next grave, Rainbow Dash's. The blue pegasus had died three weeks after Rarity. This one had a cloud on it, made of blue, tear shaped jewels and bluebell petals, made by Applejack. Another memory floated into Twilight's head...

"Hey, AJ! Um... what's the matter?"

"*Sniffle* Ra... Rainbow Dash... died... this morning..."

"What?!? NO! How?

"I was... watching her... doing her special routine for the Wonderbolts... and... she got hit by lightning and crashed. I... I tried to help her... but... she...she had landed on a branch... went right through her... and... and...I tried to take it out but she was already.,..

"There, there, Applejack. There was nothing you could do. Come on. We better go bury her...

The next grave belonged to Fluttershy, who died a month after Rainbow Dash. A beautiful bunch of bird of paradise flowers rested in a pink vase on top if it, courtesy of Pinkie Pie. Twilight remembered the day like it was yesterday...

"Hey, Fluttershy! What are you doing?"

"Oh! I'm going into the Ever Free forest to pick some bird of paradise flowers for a special soup for my animals! Want to come? Pinkie Pie is coming too, she's just a little late."

"Sure! I'd love to come!"

"Hey, girls! Did I miss anything?"

"Not that much. Twilight is going to come with us."

"Whee! Let's go!"

"Fluttershy! I see some over there!"

"These will be perfect for... AAH!!!"

"Twilight! Run! Ursa!"

"What about Fluttershy!?!"

"I'll save her! Just run!"

Clip, clop, clip, clop...

"Pinkie! There you are! Are you OK?"

Yeah... but Fluttershy's not...

"Oh, Pinkie... I'm so sorry...

The next grave belonged to Applejack, who died six months after Fluttershy. Hers had a zap apple on top, in perfectly good condition. Twilight started to remember her friend's death...

"Hey, AJ! I see that you've made some zap apple jam!"

"Yeah, but it's just not the same without friends to share it with...

"I know..."

"Maybe some toast and jam and a swig of apple cider will cheer us up! Here you go! Bottoms up!"

Glug, glug, glug

*Cough, cough* "HELP!"

"APPLEJACK!!!"

"She's choking!!!"

"Quick, Applebloom, go get your brother and Granny Smith! Now!"

"T...Twilight..."

"Hold on Applejack, I'll save you!"

"I'll say hi to Rares, Dashie and Flutters for ya. Goodbye... *Cough*... Twilight..."

"Applejack!"

The second last grave was Pinkie's. A cupcake with white icing and her cutie mark in gold sat on her grave. The pink pony had died a mere two days after AJ. Her death was the shortest but most shocking of them all...

"Oh, my head... Pinkie Pie? Why did you knock me out? What happened to your hair? Are we in your basement?"

"Life's not worth living anymore, Twilight, so I'm going to kill myself. I would kill you too, so we could all be together, but you're immortal now. So, goodbye."

"What!?! No, Don't do it! PINKIE!!!"

Twilight felt a hoof on her shoulder and turned around.

"Twilight." Celestia said to her, "We have figured out a way to end your misery, but you must choose. The first choice is that Luna and I change the flow of time so that all of your friends become immortal before they die. This will kill both me and Luna, as we would have to use all of our strength and magic. The second choice is that we make it so that if a normal pony becomes and alicorn, they will not become immortal. This will mean you will die at the normal age, bringing Cadence and Shining along with you. It's your choice."

Author's Note

Oh, gee... I made myself cry... And I'll probably get down-votes for this...

Well, if you do like this, then get ready for a lot more of this kind of thing. I'm still doing comedies, but, to be honest, I like doing this kind a bit more.

Also, alternative endings! If I write a sequel, (and I probably will) it will only follow one ending. Most likely the sadder one. I hope you like!

Ending No. One: Up In Heaven, Finally

Twilight turned towards the last grave, Spike's, and remembered how sad she was when he died when the meteor hit Equestria, killing everything. She had decided.

"I want to go to be with my friends. I want to become mortal."

Then she turned to Cadence and Shining. "If, that's OK with you two..."

"Twilight." Shining said. "Nothing would be better than to finally be free."

"It will be done." Celestia said, spreading her wings as her horn started to glow. Luna did the same. Both alicorns closed their eyes tight as they concentrated hard. there was a bright flash of white, and as the two sisters open their eyes, the trio of ponies dissapeared from view.

"What now, Tia?" Luna asked, uncertainty.

"Now, we wait."

When Twilight opened her eyes, she was in a land of clouds.

"Where am I?"

She suddenly saw something bouncing towards her. It looked like an earth pony with curly hair.

"Pinkie Pie!?!?"

"Hiya, Twilight! Long time no see! We've really missed you."

"Where am I?"

"In heaven, silly!" Pinkie laughed. "Come on, your friends are waiting for you..."

As Pinkie Pie bounced off into the distance again, Twilight looked back. She saw Luna and Celestia, slightly faded, waving at her.

"Thank you. Thank you so much..."

"See you in one hundred million years, my faithful student." Celestia smiled. "Or maybe even sooner..."

With that, the two alicorns disappeared into the clouds, and Twilight walked forward into her new life.

Author's Note

This ending might get a sequel, but probably not the other. I hope you like it, because I had fun writing it. Also, tell me if I have many spelling/grammar mistakes. Thanks for being so committed.

Ending No. Two: Living Forever

Twilight turned towards the last grave, Spike's, and remembered how sad she was when he died when the meteor hit Equestria, killing everything. She had decided.

"I want to here live with my friends forever, please." She said, turning back to the princesses. "But, only if that's OK with you..."

Celestia giggled. "It would be my pleasure." Then, she started to spread her wings and her horn started to glow. Luna did the same. Both alicorns closed their eyes tight as they concentrated hard. there was a bright flash of white, and the two sisters disappeared.

Twilight turned around. The once barren had become lush and beautiful once more.

Then, she noticed somepony flying towards her. It was Fluttershy.

"Fluttershy, how come the landscape is like this? It was all dry, dead, gone!"

The yellow alicorn giggled. "Cadence told me about your choice, Twilight. With our combined magic, we managed to send the meteor from crashing into our land!"

Twilight smiled. "So, everypony is alive?"

"If you mean Rarity, Dashie, AJ, Pinkie, and Spike, then yes."

Fluttershy started to fly off. "Come on Twilight. We're going to help Applejack plant the new orchard!"

Twilight turned around to see if her friends graves were still there. They weren't, but instead replaced by one, big, regal grave that had a bush in the shape of Celestia and Luna on it. Twilight walked up to it.

"Thank you. Thank you so much..."

The bush suddenly started to move. It turned it's head and looked right at Twilight.

"No, Twilight." The Celestia bush said. "Thank you."

And with that, the bush turned back to normal, and Twilight trotted off towards her new life.

Author's Note

This ending probably won't get a sequel, but the other one probably will. I hope you like it, because I had fun writing it. Also, tell me if I have many spelling/grammar mistakes. Thanks for being so committed.