My Little Pony

[MagmarFire]

Something hit me today when I was at work--something kind of depressing. Princess Celestia may be a prankster, but deep down, she must have one sucky life.

Think about it. Her sister turned on her after she was left comparatively shunned and unappreciated by the masses and, thus, went off to try to cast the world in eternal night. Celestia, as much as the disagreement must've pained her, couldn't allow it; so she sealed her up in the moon for a thousand years, after which she takes up her sister's duty to raise the moon. Sounds about right so far, right?

Well, remember, she's been doing this for one thousand years. She's more-or-less a goddess, and with her important task, she's more-or-less immortal. As hinted at in the series, though, this is not so for everypony else. Obviously, this means that she'll outlive all of her subjects--and yes, eventually, this means that Twilight, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Apple Jack, Spike--all of 'em and more!--will die. It's all in one cruel cycle: She watches over them all, sees them discover who they really are for themselves, sees them live their lives, have fillies of their own, and then...die. Rinse and repeat. During that millennium without her sister, who was it that she had to confide in, relate with on a more-personal level, and deal with the pain of loss? Aside from her pet phoenix, no one.

Yeah, it's possible that she may have always known that Luna would come back to her senses eventually (the prophecies-always-being-right thing not needing to be mentioned, possibly), but what if, deep down, she didn't and that it was just an idealistic leap of faith? It's bad however way you look at it, as it didn't prevent the fact that, for one thousand years, she must've lost a lot of friends to time, and it's not like she could talk to her sister, or just about anyone, about it and know someone who understands and possibly feels that pain, as well.

She may be a troll, but man, it's completely justified if it helped keep her from terminal despair.

(I came up with this with the assumption that Celestia cannot "access" those in the afterlife, so this may have been a moot theory all along. It's still darn depressing if you think about it that way, though.)

[The Glamour Nazi]

I do believe this is the trope you're looking for.

[MagmarFire]

You're thinking exactly what I'm thinking. Good to hear we're on the same page.

[The Glamour Nazi]

Anytime someone mentions immortality, that's the first trope I think of.

I'd hate immortality.

[MagmarFire]

For me, I'd hate it, as well, unless everyone else was also immortal. Then it wouldn't really matter other than possible boredom.

[Mysterious F.]

5 Reasons Immortality Would Be Worse Than Death

That's a Cracked.com, article, by the way, so youngins beware.

[The Glamour Nazi]

Of course, Mag's theory is only Fridge Logic but I consider it headcanon now. Thanks. I never even really considered her to be immortal, or at least thought everypony else was as well.

[MagmarFire]

Fridge Logic is something different, actually. What it really is, more than anything else, is Fridge Horror.

But I'm glad you think it makes sense regardless!

[The Glamour Nazi]

Fridge Horror works on Fridge Logic. Oh well.

Anyway, Yeah, I agree.

[Pale Dim]

Would it be sad to say I understood everything you guys are saying?

[MagmarFire]

If you're a brony and/or a troper, no. I was under the impression that you were at least the former.

[Pale Dim]

I was already a brony, on my way of being a troper. But I digress.

So how did this come to you, Mags?

[MagmarFire]

It occurred to me at work when I was, I believe, either having trouble programming something or trying to think of how I can make a good approach to a problem. I suppose when I was thinking about it, I thought of how hilarious Troll-Face Celestia is, but then I think it hit me that...well, her life can't be all it's cracked up to be, especially since she pretty much broke all contact with her sister during her millennium-long imprisonment.

[Pale Dim]

She probably became a troll to get over the miserable facts. 

[MagmarFire]

And to keep herself from going insane--a defense mechanism, if you will.