Elements:the many paths to eternity

It was a simple thought, an idea that formed in Twilight's head in the days and weeks following her ascension to alicorn.
Such a tiny thing at first lost in the swirl of things that came from it and the countless struggles that had reared there heads in the wake of this powerful event, but as things began to slow down and the threats to Equestria began to dwindle away it returned more powerful then ever.

She the princess of friendship, the element of magic, the tamer of nightmare moon....was an alicorn, with all that came with it all the power, all the majesty, and all the responsibility but there was one thing, one tiny detail she had pushed aside for later in her mind...a detail that now reared its face to her and roared at her as she sat staring at a vase of wilted roses in her castles library.

Swiftly did she take out a quill, it sheathing in the lavender glow of her magic floating at her beck and call as she began to write out a carefully worded letter to a very special, very powerful pony.

Dear Princess Celestia

In recent months as you know things have been exceptionally peaceful in Equestria, more so then it has been in years with no ancient threats, no mysterious forces, no friendship lessons it seems to learn and this has left me with time to..

Twilight paused in her writing considering how to phrase what she needed to say what she wanted to...know...but did she truly wish to, she wasn't sure but the intellectual inside of her growled at her and reminded her that a lack of information was never acceptable, that a question once formed 'must' be asked...an answer must be found and so she continued.

...time to think about events of the past few years and of course as you know the highlight of that was my own raising to the race of alicorn, and the rank of princess i have long since asked of your role in my ascension and your honesty in admitting that it had little or nothing to do with you was very welcome but now i come to you with another question one born of my studies into the past and your own connection to Luna and events so long ago.

Celestia...am I, are we Immortal...i know we can die i have come close to it myself on a few occasions i have felt myself bleed, i know i can be hurt...but...baring grim death, will time not ravage us?

Twilight put the quill aside and stared at the parchment laying on the crystalline table, most of the furnishings in her castle were thus, save for the beds at least and perhaps a few bookshelves, she slid her hoof over the crystal...perfect, unchanging, immutable....it would be here years from now, decades centuries even if no catastrophic struck it...was she the same, living gemstone...never to fade or dull?

She began to pace back and forth as the thought echoed in her mind over and over again the implications of it staggering her, bits of her mane began to poke out to the side the more she thought about it muttering to herself "maybe i shouldn't ask maybe it really is better not to know, but....but if i know i can be ready for it i can" she stopped and twitched an eyebrow.

"i can make a checklist, of all the things i need to do before....before what, id have all the time in creation who needs a list when you would never run out of time..." she was breathing heavily now and stared at the parchment on the table before calling out.

"Spike i need you to send a letter for me" there was a grumbling reply from one of the nearby rooms to the library before spike, the small purple dragon with green frills and a very 'babyish' look to him walked thru the door and looked around spotting twilight looking almost as bad as she had during the whole 'want it need it' incident, which made spike twitch himself 'oh no here we go again' he thought to himself and then sighed walking over.

Twilight smiled gently at him and pointed to the scroll on the table with a hoof, he rolled it up and sealed it with some wax before giving it a jet of flame and sending it on its way, twilight began to hyperventilate even more as she paced back and forth spike arched an eyebrow.

"Geeze Twilight calm down, your acting like somepony is dying or something" he said starring at his sister in all but blood, the mare he was the number one assistant to she flinched at his wording and shook her head

"That's just it, somepony might 'not' be dying....ME! Spike....the princesses, there each over a thousand years old, a THOUSAND...w...what if....what if ill live that long, or longer! What if" she was panicking badly now pacing so fast she had to start flapping her wings to keep up with how fast her body wanted to go.

Spike groaned gently and sighed as he watched her knowing there wasn't much he could do to stop her once she reached this point, he'd have to let her ride it out, however as he was doing so he felt a familiar tingle in his throat and he belched loudly a cough of flame swirling up and forming into another sealed scroll dropping into his waiting claws he coughed again clearing his throat as he unrolled it and began to read.

My most faithful student
It is with a heavy heart that a pen this answer to a question i hoped you would never ask for i dreaded to have to tell you...

Spike stopped for a moment "Woah heavy stuff." he commented then resumed reading.

...It is as you have come to realize my dear student...you are in fact quite immortal as all alicorns are, we are the physical embodiment of the aspect of this world and thus so long as those aspects exist so shall we endure.

So long as there is day and night...so long as there is love, so long as there is friendship.

We will endure eternally...I am sorry i know this is a heavy burden but take heart that you will have a great many years yet before you fully feel its weight, time I have found helps one to come to terms with even the most monumental of challenges.

Forever yours Princess Celestia

The addition of 'forever' to the traditional signature at the end was lost on neither the dragon nor the alicorn in the room.

----------------------------------------two days later---------------------------------------

Twilight sat at the map table with her friends each positioned in there own chairs, each had a variation of a solemn expression on there faces except of course for pinkie pie.

"Well this is awkward, I don't know what sort of cake to get for a 'congratulations you just found out your immortal' party." she commented putting a hoof to her chin, applejack rolled her eyes a bit nearby

"ah think yer missun the point here sugarcube" Flutershy spoke up next as she nodded .

"Yes I...its such a...hard thing to think about" she said just loudly enough to hear rainbow dash chuckled.

"Well, hey its still awesome though, you'll get to see what Equestria is like 1000 years from now, I bet it'll be epic with super techno magic gizmos and cities so tall they touch the sky..." she grumbled a bit. "and ill be stuck taking a dirt nap while you get to enjoy the view." she muttered blunt as ever rarity glared at her

"I think that's precisely the problem that twilight is trying to put forth, darling...Twilight is the Princess of Friendship after all...." she said and everyone nodded.

"...And one of the bestity best best-est friends i have ever met in my whooooole life." Pinkie said exuberantly.

Twilight just looked down at the tabletop, the map was turned off so it was just a smooth table there was nothing special about it at first glance she slowly circled a hoof on the crystalline top of the table, spinning it around and around wings drooping behind her as she thought of the monumental span of years that sat ahead of her, hundreds at least thousands maybe...

"I don't want to loose you." she finally said looking over all her friends. "I can....I cant think of, cant imagine a world without my dearest friends in it."
Spike looked up. "Starlight too?"

She laughed and nodded. "Though to be frank, I'm almost certain Starlight will make the jump to alicorn herself." she took a breath then continued "She has far to much magic coursing thru her not to...she just needs to learn friendship, to master harmony and find her role in it, something I'm...quite sure shes capable of...and you of course being a dragon will live thousands of years already"

Rarity blinked "Wait, really?" she asked askance. "Spikey Wikey will...out live me by...that long"

Twilight smiled sadly."He will probably be giving your great great grand-foals piggy back rides Rarity."

Rarity blinked again and tried to picture it and failing that she promptly fainted, ever the over dramatic filly it seemed Twilight sighed as she looked over her friends the somber mood hung in the air like a wet rag as no words were said for a long few minutes....then it was at last pinkie pie who spoke up first

"What if she was there giving them rides too...." twilight snickered

"And how would she go about doing that?" she said with a smirk "I love you all i really do, your my best friends but i know enough to know that none of you have the magic in you for...well this." she spread her wings out and shrugged "Not even Rarity." Applejack stared at the table.

"But, being an alicorn ain't the only way ta stand the test passin' of the seasons...is it?" she asked.

Twilight raised a hoof and opened her mouth to speak, to state that it in fact was but then she stopped and stared across the table closing her mouth as she pondered for a long moment. "You know, i don't know its not...something I ever considered really before now but...would you even 'want' to, would you wish to bear that weight on your shoulders even if there is a way its probably not something just everyone can do...would you....would you knowing that still be willing to...."

Twilight stopped and considered how to ask this and then finally she just said it.

"Will you stay with me forever? Would you all do that for me. If you could find a way" each of them looked at each-other for a long few moments then one by one they each nodded and Applejack spoke up.

"If'un we can find a way twilight, we will sugar cube...we will...till the last setting of Celestia's sun." twilight looked around at her friends then nodded
"Then girls it looks like we have some studying to do...if there's a path to that goal....we will find it!"

Each of the six gave a firm nod to one another...watching from a hallway nearby a seventh, a pale pink unicorn with a streaked pale mane smiled "Wish I had that much confidence in myself twilight...but I'll try not to let you down either'" she turned on her heals heading to the library with a purpose in her steps...it was time to study some friendship!