Immortality for Celestia

> Every decade or so, a young stallion is enthralled by Celestia's majestic presence, her beauty, her kindness, her power
> He is usually either a son of one of the day court nobility, or a student at her school for gifted unicorns
> He sends her notes of admiration, demurely asking if she would meet with him in the gardens
> When she does, she tells him what she has told so many before
"Your love is precious, my little stallion, and I thank you for spending some of it upon me. However, I cannot return it. Time cruelly tears my beloved ponies from my side, until none save Luna remains with me. It is better far, if you would find somepony who can share their whole life with you. Alas, I cannot."
> Some plead
> Some despair
> Some accept it
> Some are filled with determination
> Celestia always watches over her poor suitors, for her heart is easily touched by love
> The happiest are those who find another mare to marry
> Their children often receive a share of Celestia's watchful fondness
> Nightlight was one such stallion
> And then there are those who fall into despair, writing dreadful poetry and refusing meals
> With these, Celestia asks Luna to help, to search their dreams for a greater purpose
> A tragic few allow themselves to wither away and perish
> Lastly, there are those who turn their intellect and resources upon the pursuit of immortality
> These require the most careful surveillance, for they seek power
> There are those that find unraveling the secrets of the planes to be a greater pursuit, and these often become faculty at her school
> And then there are those who seek out dark magics, who must be arrested and imprisoned before their crimes become irreparable
> Sombra was one of Celestia's first failures in this path
> Today, Twilight comes to court to introduce a new friend, a certain Anonymous
> As he gazes up at her with wondering eyes, she sighs
> Which path shall this one take, she wonders
>The direct approach.
>Your mind is still blanked out even as the lips on yours pull away.
>The tongue wrapped lovingly around your own pulls away a second later, leaving your own to dangle for a moment.
>Blinking, you shake your head and looks around, taking in the shocked expressions of everyone in the throne room.
>All but his face, that is.
>Your face burns red as intense eyes bore into your own. Eyes too forcefully determined to be a pony’s.
>But it’s fitting, since said eyes belong to a human.
>”You reject me because you don’t want to see me die, do you?” his voice booms in the silent throne room. “Fine then. I’m not going to say no to a challenge like that. Is that the ONLY reason you’d reject me? You’d truly have me if I do not age?”
>Always Anonymous had been strong. The little he was willing to share of his life before Equestria told you that.
>But this... this is something else.
>Never before did the bold human had such fire.
>Such passion.
>Such determination.
>Even if you summed up all your suitors before him, the result would not have even half of what Anonymous was.
>Your mind wanders for just a moment. To what life with a love would be like, the same daydream had with many suitors before.
>You wanted something to love like that. You always will.
>And a fiery male like the human before you fit all your wants perfectly.
>Numbly, you nod.
>He crosses his arms, his blazing eyes glinting. “You’re on. The Fountain of Youth must be somewhere in this crazy world. I’ll find it, and I’ll return. Anyone in my way will just have to be cut down. I’ve tasted perfection here today, the sort of things men start world consuming wars for. And I WILL have more.”
>Electricity runs down your spine at his words.
>He turns abruptly, making for the door at a brisk pace.
>”It maybe weeks, months, years, or even decades before I return, but make no mistake. I WILL be back.”
>The still shocked guards don’t even dare to stand in the human’s way, both jumping as he passed.
>For the first time in many years, you feel a small ember burn in your chest.
>It grows slowly, turning into a candlelight, then a fire.
>For the first time in many years, you feel hope.

>Anon isn't seen for fifteen years
>One day Celestia receives a desperate letter from the few remaining ruling eunuchs of the Court of the Far East
>Some foreigner showed up a long time ago and started talking among the populace
>The country region was recently fractured with the fall of the last emperor and no heir
>Not long after the fractured country was plunged into a great war
>The stranger led small band into a war of unification
>It grew with each victory, with more ponies joining his cause every day
>Now a great army marches to the last great city, which guards their last great temple
>They beg for her help
>She departs immediately
>Only when she arrives, the city walls are destroyed, the buildings burning, and swarming with soldiers of every tribe
>She spots high-ranking officers standing around the entrance to the temple she hasn't seen in millenia
>Teleporting down from the sky, she stuns them all with a spell and bursts inside
>The eunuchs, all dead, lie about the temple floor
>Before a dais stands a tall, armored, and bloodied figure with a sword at the hip, emptying a jasmine flask
>She'd recognize that stature anywhere
>Anonymous turns around, tossing the flask aside and wiping his face with a sleeve
>He smirks at her as the wrinkles in his face disappear
>"This war of mine didn't consume the world, Princess," he says, "but it was enough."
>"Challenge complete, Celestia."