Twilight Sparkle's Immortality

[Titanium Dragon 2]

I am a bit sad that so many people are upset over the possibility that Twilight won't die. Seriously, you guys are saying, "You know what's awesome? Death!" You don't realize it, but that's precisely what you're saying. Why would Twilight dying be a good thing?

 

Twilight growing old and dying with her friends does no one any good. Her friends certainly wouldn't want her to die, and moreover, if she dies with the rest of the main characters, then Spike, Luna, and Celestia would STILL be alive and have to mourn her death - it is not as if those three are going to die when the rest of the ponies do. Her dying would be as tragic as anyone else dying, and dying is not a good thing (well, not if they really do deserve to live forever, anyway - and Twilight seems to be heading that way).

 

People die. Twilight is mature enough to cope with it. It will be sad, sure, but if she does become immortal, then her friends' passing will be of old age, which is the least sad way to die - it would be far worse if one of them died violently.

 

It seems likely that becoming an alicorn does not make you immortal in and of itself - after all, we know that some alicorns existed historically who seem to no longer exist today. Most likely, the actual answer is something along the lines of power levels - you've got the basic unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies. You have the alicorns, who are ascended - they have all performed great feats that transformed them into something greater. And then you've probably got at least one step above that, where alicorns become like Luna and Celestia - huge, towering beings with magical manes and extreme power, likely after attuning with some basic element of the universe (day and night in the case of Celestia and LUna).

 

Twilight IS special - she's attuned with the elements of harmony, she's a powerful mage, she has immense knowledge, and she has great leadership abilities. She has been special from the start of the show, and a lot of the lessons she has learned have helped groom her for leadership. I suspect that if she is to live forever, she will have to truly embrace her element of magic (or possibly act as some sort of helper to the day-night cycle; she IS called Twilight, after all).

 

It isn't depressing to think of her as immortal - its a good thing. Earning immortality is a pretty great reward, isn't it? The idea that her friendships would be worthless if her friends all died is nonsense too - not only did her friends help her make more friends, and she will always be able to make new ones, but it also helped her befriend Luna, who is most likely immortal (or at least as long lived as Celestia).

 

But they will never, ever address this in the show. Ever. Ever ever ever ever ever. They are far too afraid of talking about death - and quite frankly, I sort of agree. Death isn't really an appropriate theme for the show, though I suppose dealing with the loss of a loved one with friends IS at least thematic. But killing someone off would be too traumatic, and given that they refuse to even mention that Applejack and Applebloom's parents are dead, I cannot imagine that they would write an episode about death

 

Let's assume that they DID make an episode about death, which wouldn't involve Twilight outliving her friends because that WOULD upset people. If they WERE to do it, they'd probably write it about the death of Applejack's parents anyway, as they're already dead and therefore the viewers wouldn't have to see ponies dying. I suppose another possibility would be one of fluttershy's animal friends dying.

 

But no, I doubt that they will ever do that. I can think of a few ways that they COULD, but Hasbro would not. Writing something about people dying that:

 

A) Won't offend anyone on the basis of their religious beliefs.

 

Won't offend the moral guardians.

 

C) Won't traumatize children.

 

Is really, really hard and risky. Hasbro is not particularly noted for their love of risk-taking. Lord knows they could make a giant pile of money with MLP if they took a few more risks, but they refuse to do so. And this has no potential to make money at all. So you won't ever see it addressed.

[Ratimus 3]

 

 

But if we assume that the statement is true, then I guess wielding the elements of harmony affects the longevity of the user's life, allowing Twilight and co. to live to around the same time if not forever, just like the previous users Luna and Celestia.

Interesting thought of mine. If the Elements of Harmony do extend ones life time, what happens to the original users immortality once replaced? Do they die, or move on? And if so what of Celestia and Luna. My guess we'd see a change in one of said characters. Also another interesting thought, what Elements did Luna and Celestia represent?

[DuskySHARK 6]

I personally don't see Twilight living forever or even being long lived. As several have mentioned Cadence and Twilight don't seem to be immortal, I mean Cadence was born an Alicorn. To me it seems to just be another race, however rarer than the other 3 and related to Royalty. I don't even think Celestia and Luna are immortal (maybe) and may just be really long lived as someone would need to take over for them when they die, to raise the sun and moon. I'm not sure what I think of Celestia and Luna. I think they may be goddesses of the sun and moon and might live forever or might just be really long lived until someone is around to take their places. As for the other Alicorns I just see them living the same as all the rest. Of course who knows and I doubt it will be touched on in the actual show.

Cadence wasn't born an alicorn she was a Pegasus first, through her understanding of love became an alicorn the same way twilight became an alicorn through her understanding of friendship. And no one owns whether celestia or luna were born alicorns or became  alicorns. 

[Feather Gem 965]

MAYBE THEY AAAAALL DIE! ~yay

 

 

 

Or...maybe they all become immortal or something.  Or Twilight dies first.  Not much that I can say that hasn't already been said besides that up there ^

[Commander_PonyShep 349]

-snip-

There is a reason why we'd rather see Twilight die of old age with her friends than live alone immortally while her friends die of old age. It's because Twilight belongs with her friends, regardless if she's an alicorn or not.  She wants to stay with her friends more than anything, meaning that if any time they die, she might as well join them.

 

It's like one of Leonardo DiCaprio's lines from the movie, Titanic: "You jump, I jump."  Sure, DiCaprio's character died first, leaving his girlfriend all alone, but eventually said girlfriend would eventually die of old age, thus letting both characters live up to the line, "You jump, I jump".  Same with Twilight; if her friends jump, she jumps, too.  It's ironic and sad, sure, but it's either that or live alone forever while her friends die around her.

 

And besides, Meghan McCarthy confirmed that Twilight won't outlive her friends, even as an alicorn.  That means that, if any time Twilight does attain immortality, that means her friends would attain their own from their Elements of Harmony, even without the need to turn into alicorns themselves.  This would also be sad and ironic, as they won't get to live their normal lives or be with their own unique loved ones, like Spike or the Cutie Mark Crusaders.  But, much like Twilight dying with her friends, this scenario would also be better than Twilight immortal and alone while her friends are dead.

 

Wouldn't want to repeat Sailor Moon's final battle with Queen Beryl, right?  You know, when all four of her friends and teammates, plus her boyfriend Mamoru/Darien, die guiding her to the final battle with Queen Beryl, leaving Sailor Moon the sole survivor before using that crystal thingy to resurrect her friends?

Edited May 11, 2013 by Commander_PonyShep

[Titanium Dragon 2]

Sadly, they probably can't teach this very important friendship lesson until the end of the series, but here it is:

 

Friends are more than people you are around every day. Friends are people whom you love and trust, no matter where they are, no matter where you are. Sometimes, people move away from each other, due to work, school, or other considerations, but that doesn't mean that they cease to be your friends. Even if you don't see each other as often, that doesn't mean that your affection for one another need ever fade.

 

Someday, Rainbow Dash will join the Wonderbolts, Twilight Sparkle will return to Canterlot (or end up elsewhere), and Rarity will be some big-wig fashionista and no longer reside in Ponyville. But just because they are not living in the same town forever doesn't mean that their friendships will go away, and that they won't still love one another. They will. And I think this is an important lesson all of you should learn.

 

Dying together isn't a good thing; its a tragedy. And while you speak of her friends, Celestia and Spike are both very intimate with Twilight Sparkle as well, and indeed, arguably more so than her friends in Ponyville - Spike is essentially her little brother, and Celestia is her mentor and a somewhat motherly figure, and Twilight worries more about impressing her than anyone else.

 

And let's face it - in the end, relying on the word of Meghan McCarthy is no better than relying on the word of Lauren Faust. No one person has control over the series forever, and if it isn't in the show or other official materials, it isn't canon. Not to say that it isn't how it works, but, really, in the end, Word of God when you're working on a show with twenty other people is not nearly as strong as the Word of God of a single author.

[Commander_PonyShep 349]

Sadly, they probably can't teach this very important friendship lesson until the end of the series, but here it is:

 

Friends are more than people you are around every day. Friends are people whom you love and trust, no matter where they are, no matter where you are. Sometimes, people move away from each other, due to work, school, or other considerations, but that doesn't mean that they cease to be your friends. Even if you don't see each other as often, that doesn't mean that your affection for one another need ever fade.

 

Someday, Rainbow Dash will join the Wonderbolts, Twilight Sparkle will return to Canterlot (or end up elsewhere), and Rarity will be some big-wig fashionista and no longer reside in Ponyville. But just because they are not living in the same town forever doesn't mean that their friendships will go away, and that they won't still love one another. They will. And I think this is an important lesson all of you should learn.

 

Dying together isn't a good thing; its a tragedy. And while you speak of her friends, Celestia and Spike are both very intimate with Twilight Sparkle as well, and indeed, arguably more so than her friends in Ponyville - Spike is essentially her little brother, and Celestia is her mentor and a somewhat motherly figure, and Twilight worries more about impressing her than anyone else.

 

And let's face it - in the end, relying on the word of Meghan McCarthy is no better than relying on the word of Lauren Faust. No one person has control over the series forever, and if it isn't in the show or other official materials, it isn't canon. Not to say that it isn't how it works, but, really, in the end, Word of God when you're working on a show with twenty other people is not nearly as strong as the Word of God of a single author.

I'm still relying on word from Meghan McCarthy, though, because she's the new head-writer of the MLP show.  Even if she does pass down her title to another writer, that same writer might still share the same idea that Twilight will not outlive her friends even as an alicorn.

 

But, since there's a word of truth to what you say, better that Twilight stays apart from her friends because of their respective aspirations, rather than because they're dead and she's immortal, the latter scenario being highly unlikely because of what Meghan McCarthy herself confirmed.  Besides, if Rainbow becomes a Wonderbolt and Rarity a Canterlot pony, that would mean they would have to move to Canterlot to be closer to their new respective lives -- and by extension, Twilight Sparkle herself.  That means Twilight will just have to say goodbye to Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack, but not to Rainbow and Rarity, because she would still be with both those ponies in Canterlot.

 

Also, let's not forget about the book, Twilight Sparkle and The Crystal Heart Spell.  At the beginning of the book, she chose to stay in Ponyville with her friends, and even learned to depend on them for political decisions by the end of the story!  This implies that Twilight is not only mortal and not all-powerful, but also that she's still dependent on her friends, as she always has.

Edited May 11, 2013 by Commander_PonyShep

[Titanium Dragon 2]

I have not read that book, I'm afraid. Perhaps I shall someday. However, there is a difference between being DEPENDENT on your friends and DEPENDING on your friends. I would say that, at least in the series, Twilight depends on her friends, but is not dependent on them - she is quite capable of operating on her own, but her friends are helpful/useful/additive. Dependence is something else entirely, where you fall apart without them, which is a terrible situation to be in. I would say that friends need to be independent, but dependable.

Edited May 11, 2013 by Titanium Dragon

[Unpredictable Ranger 696]

I am already lost in the discussions, now. Would anypony please help me, what book is the one that some of you were referring to?

[GreyScholar 1,584]

I am already lost in the discussions, now. Would anypony please help me, what book is the one that some of you were referring to?

My Little Pony: Twilight Sparkle and the Crystal Heart Spell: http://www.amazon.com/My-Little-Pony-Twilight-Sparkle/dp/0316228192

 

Book Description:

Twilight Sparkle is a very special Pony and a loyal apprentice of Princess Celestia. Twilight Sparkle's life has been turned upside down by recent exciting events in Ponyville, so she sets off for the Crystal Empire to get advice from her former foalsitter, Princess Cadance. Join Twilight Sparkle in this original and brand-new adventure!

[Unpredictable Ranger 696]

I see, that book. Thank you, @EquestrianScholar. Anyway is there any plot difference in the book as compared to the animated show, or are they having the same story (with no addition in either versions)?

[MadPointer 75]

The question was "As an alicorn, will Twilight be immortal and forced to outlive all of her friends?".

 

Actually there're two questions and McCarthy dodged the first one while answering the second one. Why?

 

Let's take a look at two possibilities:

1) If Twilicorn had a normal life span, McCarthy would just answered the first question. However, McCarthy might have decided against this response because it would imply that alicorns aren't as special as people thought about them or it would imply that the writers are going to bring Twilight back(if it was the case, McCarthy wouldn't want to spoil it).

 

2) If Twilicorn is immortal, it makes sense to skip the first question and reassure that Twilicorn won't outlive others even if she stays immortal.

Edited May 12, 2013 by MadPointer

[GreyScholar 1,584]

I see, that book. Thank you, @EquestrianScholar. Anyway is there any plot difference in the book as compared to the animated show, or are they having the same story (with no addition in either versions)?

From what I have heard it actually is a new story, showing how Twilight decides to stay in Ponyville and how she will depend on her friends to help her learn what she needs to be a princess, it tell the story of Cadance of how she would be taken in by Celestia and become an alicorn, and I believe it would also go into a bit of detail on Celestia and Luna.

Edited May 12, 2013 by EquestrianScholar

[Dythe 5]

I think that the "Twilight won't outlive her friends" just means that they won't address it in the show. Cartoons aimed for 5-7 year old girls don't really address death and mortality that much. If someone died in the show, there are two paths: Fans will love the adult theme introduced but adults will almost sue Hasbro, yet then take it off and it's Derpy all over again.. OR- Fans love/hate the adult theme, no response from adults, and then a riot will start because apparently a character with crossed eyes is more offensive than death, etc.

If they do address it in the show, it most likely will be in the form of the other Mane 6 becoming alicorns. Horrible, but likely true. Buck it, Hasbro already has drawings on toys of Alicorn Mane cast.

[Lemonpie 47]

My guess is twilight sparkle won´t be granted inmortality so she will live her whole life in the companionship of her friends, it is a way to avoid the whole "you will outlive your friends and everyone you love" problem with inmortality, idk

[Nature's Spell 526]

There is always a few ways to look at the show canon, fanon (fanfic and widley accepted ideas) and personal head canon. I'd be surprised if it comes up in the show and I'd be really surprised if they ever have a mane character die on the show.

 

So, you're left with fanon and head canon, which can diverge widley from the show and is often darker. Basically it's the Wild West and you pick your poison.

 

I've always made the point that she needs not be immortal to outlive her friends or family. People out live their friends all the time.

[GreyScholar 1,584]

I have not read that book, I'm afraid. Perhaps I shall someday. However, there is a difference between being DEPENDENT on your friends and DEPENDING on your friends. I would say that, at least in the series, Twilight depends on her friends, but is not dependent on them - she is quite capable of operating on her own, but her friends are helpful/useful/additive. Dependence is something else entirely, where you fall apart without them, which is a terrible situation to be in. I would say that friends need to be independent, but dependable.

Hmm, misuse of word then. I meant that she will use the advice and help of her friends to adjust to the changes now going on in her life.

[Nuclear Neurotic 56]

I am pretty indifferent to Alicorn Twilight.

Makes for some very nice fan art in some cases.

 

But I will agree that the episode did feel a bit rushed and there was more songs than dialogue.

[GreyScholar 1,584]

I am pretty indifferent to Alicorn Twilight.

Makes for some very nice fan art in some cases.

 

But I will agree that the episode did feel a bit rushed and there was more songs than dialogue.

Yet one could argue that the only reason the episode worked in the alotted time of 21 minutes was because of the music/songs. Personality I feel the music helped move the story along more quickly and smoothly.

Edited June 10, 2013 by EquestrianScholar

[RandomName 28]

Meghan McCarthy has already said via Twitter that Twilight will NOT outlive her friends, so you don't have to keep worrying about that.

[Forlong 1,725]

Had to post this:

 

Anyway, I'm not sure if the writers are even going to touch on that.  They won't go anywhere near the fate of AJ's parrents.  Maybe in an offical statement at a convention they'll tell us.  I can't imagine why she wouldn't be.

[GreyScholar 1,584]

I can't imagine why she wouldn't be.

Can't imagine what? That Twilight is or is not immortal? As lets be honest here what reason would their be to justify having Twilight be immortal, what purpose would it serve? Especially since evidence points to the fact a certain once pegasus now alicorn having a normal aging process (Princess Cadance).

[MLPFan14 73]

Well now that she's an alicorn and also a princess,that means she will now have the abilities that Luna,Celestia and Cadence have which also includes imortality,so she's now imortal!!!

[GreyScholar 1,584]

Well it has officially been said that Twilight is not going to outlive her friends, meaning one of three things:

 

1. Twilight is not immortal (the obvious answer I feel)

2. Her friends will have extended lifespans in some way, perhaps through their connection with the Elements of Harmony

3. Twilight will die before her friends. 

Edited June 17, 2013 by EquestrianScholar

[not 72]

 It's also been stated that Luna is still growing, which insinuates that she is younger than Celestia, who is fully-grown, and her time as Nightmare Moon essentially stopped her from aging. This also insinuates that neither of the princesses have inherent immortality. It is entirely possible that Celestia extended her lifespan through unnatural means in order to survive until either her sister was freed or new bearers of the elements were discovered, or both.

 

 Or perhaps she just wanted to extend the rule of the great Solar Empire indefinitely. Who knows?