What Could Have Been

It's a secret kept from everyone. No one but me knows the truth. Others actually do know of the truth, but they only know it as fiction. I only know because I was there, one thousand one hundred and twenty-four years ago. How can one pony be so old? You're not even an alicorn you say. I tell you that you are right. I am not an "alicorn" and I haven't lived for that long. It's been a series of lives.My first life was a humble one, I don't even remember it. My second one is where the interesting things start to happen. I was a doctor in a small village. The village was generally an ideal one, but it had a bit of a dark side to it. There was this one pony, a young mare, that the entire town abused for some reason. I think she made them feel inferior,  as they really were, compared to her. She had both wings and a horn, and on top of that considerable advantage, she was also quite beautiful. Her mane reminded me of the sky; always in constant motion. Even though she was starved and generally in poor condition, she still outshined all of them.I couldn't stand to see her suffer, but the town wouldn't even consider setting her free. She was to be their prisoner until death if they had their way. One restless night,  I, without a real plan, tried to set her free. We managed to get as far as the village edge without being noticed. The mayor noticed us then however and tried to murder both of us with magic. Clearly, even her subconscious magic was stronger than mine, as she managed to survive what was a fatal hit for me. Just before I died, I could see the Reaper laughing at me.I had many lives before the next important one, each containing that mare in some way.Then was my fifteenth life. My fifteenth life was the next one of any importance after my third. I was advisor to "Princess Celestia" ,as she was now called. I have many happy memories of days spent with her and her "sister" as business partners. My relationship with the Princesses was not nearly as formal as it should have been. It was a time of great peace, I spent much time joking with the princesses. However, when the peace was shattered, I became serious. Celestia's sister had become a strange creature of dark magic, forcing her banishment. I think, on this day, some of that town's fears had been realized.  I was there for Celestia throughout this, however, I eventually died of a heart attack.My many lives from then until the present are unimportant,  however, they all featured Celestia in some way.My current life is the most interesting.  I am the Reaper now. Well, to some degree, I always was the Reaper.