//------------------------------// // The Fall Of Friendship // Story: Ghost // by Saacsa //------------------------------// “Dead?” “Ten points to fucking Equestria. Yes. Dead. D.E.A.-” “I know how to spell dead, I’m not an imbecile.” Twilight remarked hotily. “Could’ve fooled me.” The stallion commented. “Though, you do have some will behind you.” “What do you mean?” She asked. “There’s that density. Not only did you alter your memory, which, by the way, you were suppose to silently bleed out, you also changed the past.” He clarified. “How in Equestria did I do that?” “Magic.” Upon seeing her confused look, he decided to elaborate, “When you died, your magic reservoir was full. Itching to get out. After the gunk wore off, it took the chance and exploded outwards. The residual energy was enough for your astreal will to change the actual past. Nothing big, just a few parting words.” “So… I’m dead.. Why did this happen to me?” As the lavender mare said this, the stallion mouthed her words. “Blah, blah, blah! All of you mortals are the same. You ask the same questions, go through the same routine, and even refuse your fate in the end. I was hoping at least somepony of your prestigious status could break the monotony of my boring job.” He complained. “You think killing other ponies is boring… I thought my attacker was sadistic…” Twilight commented. “I don’t kill people, ya twat. I reap them. When they die, I collect their souls and take them to the ‘better place’ mentioned in foal tales.” The stallion explained. “Stop calling me a twat!” Twilight cried. “The stop being one!” He shouted back, then his face dawned some sort of realization. “Dear Tartarus, I’m arguing with my client.” He facehoofed. “You know why you’re here? Because you died. It happened because it was meant to, and no. You can’t have a second chance.” He finished, prompting a moment of silence. “Well if it was ‘meant to be’, then why did you say I was ten years early?” She asked, causing yet another moment of silence as the stallion thought about her question. “Well… That one I actually don’t know-” “Hey, it’s a Hearths Warming miracle.” She interrupted, causing him to flash a glare at her smirk, “The balance is always in flux, somepony’s die before their time and some live long past. It’s unpredictable.” He finished his explanation. Twilight stopped for a second and soaked up his words, her face changing from victorious to despairing as her next question passed through her mind “Huh… Well… Why did you make me go through that..?” She asked, tears glistening in her eyes. The stallion opened his mouth, then closed it again, not expecting the serious question. “Oh, you’re not going to cry are you? I hate it when they cry.” He groaned. “Answer me!” She exclaimed. “Because I’m suppose to. I have to show you simpletons how you died, then take you to the other side. You coming?” He asked, creating a black portal with his horn and motioning towards it. “What?” “Come on, you’ve got nothing left here. Let’s go.” He insisted, motioning towards the portal again. “No. I want to see my friends again.” She stamped her hoof sternly. “Whether you want to or not, you’re coming with me.” He said with annoyance. “No.” “Yes.” “No.” “Yes.” “No!’ “Yes!” “Well that’s it then, you can leave without me.” She said stubbornly and sat on her haunches, crossing her forelegs. “You mule! Move your flank!” He shouted, causing his cloak to fly off of his back and reveal a set of flared, void black wings. Twilight was shocked to say the least. Much too shocked to even respond to his demands. “A-An Alicorn.” Who-What are you?” She asked, both fear and reverence creeping into her voice. “Oh bollocks, I forgot how you ponies reacted to Alicorns. Anyway, I am DEATH!” He exclaimed radically, striking a pose, then lowered himself, “Pleased to make your fucking acquaintance.” He muttered. “Wait, dozens of ponies die every day. How are you both here and dealing with them?” She asked. “I’m not.” He answered simply. She raised an eyebrow for him to continue, causing an annoyed sigh to be emitted. “I don’t owe you anything, so don’t expect an explanation for everything.” She stayed quiet, not budging, only increasing the look of confusion on her face. “Ugh, fine! Long ago, there were dozens of Alicorns spread all across the world. Your two princesses are the only true Alicorns left in existence. The rest of us are dead. And that little poser in the Crystal Empire doesn’t count as a true Alicorn, for Celestia and Luna changed her into one. Anyway, when an Alicorn dies, they become Death Incarnate. Most of the buggers decided to act like the dark and scary Death told in foals stories, yet I remained my cheery little self. I am the leader of the other deaths because I died first, due to a rather unpleasant debate with a very powerful, and short fused, dragon. So I’m put in charge of the more important deaths while my subordinates take care of the small fries. So can we please get going now that you’ve got your little lesson in?” He finished the explanation. Twilight was in awe, at least until the end. “As amazing as that all is, I’m not going unless you drag me.” She crossed her forehooves and stuck her bottom lip out, closing her eyes and pouting. Death glared down at her and sighed in defeat, causing her to open her eyes and look at him. “Wait… You can’t, can you?” She smirked in victory. “No. I can’t. You have to be willing, but I am warning you, agree now. I’ve seen so many powerful souls torn apart because they’ve wanted to watch their loved ones.” He warned, suddenly serious, causing the lavender mare to soften at his uncharacteristic attitude flip. “Please, I have to see them one last time.” She said lightly, holding a hoof up to him comfortingly. “You don’t have to come.” “Yes I do.” He glared at her, It’s in the job description. I’ve got to follow you around on your little crusade until you either decide it’s time, wither away, or lose your mind.” He commented darkly. Twilight was still bewildered by his sudden change, but she would not waver her resolve. “I’ve made my decision. I’m sorry, but I need to see them and how they’re getting along without me.” She said, causing Death to sag his head wearily. “Fine. I’ll save you the trouble of finding them.” He said and charged his horn, making a large scythe appear from nowhere. He then slammed the butt of the weapon onto the ground, teleporting them away from the stark abyss and to a green field accented by the sun shining upon the grass. But to Twilight, it seemed somewhat dulled. What struck her as strange were the two rows of seats, filled with ponies dressed in black. Due to that, she could not recognize any from behind. “Where am I?” She asked innocently, eyes traveling over to the center of the activity. “Lucky you, not many mortal blighters get a chance to witness their own funeral.” Death commented, his snarky tone back in full swing. Twilight’s eyes landed on the open coffin in front of the ponies. In it, she was sure her mortal body lie, which gave her the perfect chance to proceed with her plan. She ran up through the center of the rows as fast as she could, Death following casually behind. “You can’t just jump back in your body.” He dully remarked, clearly having been through this multiple times. Twilight stopped with a quick 180, quickly facing the stallion as tears began to streak down her face. “Why not?! Why can’t I jump back into my body and go?! Live a happy life?!” She questioned hysterically, “Why can’t I just live…” She asked on a softer note, breaking down in tears. “Because shit happens and you’ve got to move on with it on your back. You don’t just get to go on your merry way when you die, you will have to deal with it. Just like you dealt with it in life. Unless you commit suicide of course, those idiots get their hopes up. Luckily, I get to be there when its dashed away before they’re sent to Tartarus. Back to the point, you’re dead. Deal with it.” He said bluntly. Twilight was distraught that her last hope for life had been snuffed out, but sat down in an empty seat that was randomly scattered through the crowd due to Death’s rather plain spoken attitude. As the last pony filed in, she noticed that the Cakes were here as well as the entire Apple family. Not to mention Spike, the girls, PeeWee, Owlicious, Shining Armor, Cadence, and even Celestia and Luna had made it. All of them were weeping, dressed in some sort of black garment. The rest of the ponies were denizens of Ponyville. Nearly every single pony was there, paying their respects to the town's librarian and constant savior. Celestia took the stand, a distant look in her eyes. “Twilight… She was a scholar… A prodigy. A hero. The element of magic itself. All of these terms would be true, but she was so much more than that. She is… Was… The greatest mind in Equestria. A friend, and it was my privilege to be her mentor… Although, she taught me more than I ever could teach her.” Celestia choked, ending her speech as silent tears fell from her empty eyes. The solar Alicorn stepped off of the podium, allowing Shining Armor to take the stand. “To see somepony as powerful as Celestia cry, it’s moving in itself.” Death commented at Twilight’s side, but she ignored his comments. She was too immersed in the sorrow of her friends and family to care about the Alicorn. “My little Twily… My BLSBFF…” He dryly chuckled, “Was taken. She was there for me for everything and I was there for her… But I couldn’t be there to save her. Or even see her one last time. To whisper mom and dad’s old lullabye as she drifted into the void…” He stopped, looking up at the sky, “Why? Just… Why?” He stepped off of the stage, crying all the way to his wife. Luna stepped forward, taking the stand. “Words can not express the amount of sorrow I feel towards Twilight’s death… But there is something I do have to say.. Without her, I would not stand before you ponies today as a reformed princess… And… I wish I could’ve just been there for her last moments… To whisper sweet nothings to her as she faded. To hold her close one last time…” Twilight’s heart leapt to her throat as the moon princess paused. “Come on, Luna, you can do this.” Twilight urged, tears still sinking into her fur. “My sister forgot one thing… My little star was not just a friend, she was a lover.” Luna stepped from the platform, going to sob into her sisters mane. Celestia patted her back as Applejack made her way to the podium. “You’re boinking Mooney? Bloody Tartarus, that’s awesome.” Death laughed, being ignored again by a smiling Twilight. “Thank you, Lulu.” Twilight whispered through her emotional pain. “She can’t hear you, ya know.” The Alicorn stallion commented. Before Twilight could retaliate, Applejack cut her off unintentionally. “Ah… Ah don’t know what ta say… Celestia said it best, but… Ah’ve gotta say something. She was a friend… A fighter… She was strong until the very end and Ah couldn’t have asked for a better friend. She held us together, brought us back from our darkest places. Ah speak fer all the elements when Ah say we were connected in more ways than just bein’ friends. The moment she passed, we all felt somethin’. Like we’d lost a part of ourselves. A part of our souls. Ah know she would’ve been an Apple,” She hit her chest with her hoof, “Ta tha core. ” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them, they were filled with a fiery determination. “And Ah promise on my momma and daddy’s graves that Ah will find whoever did this, and make ‘em pay.” A hate so dangerous it’s pure radiance could kill glinted in the Apple’s words. Even a few members of the audience visibly shuddered as Applejack walked back to the group of her friends, her mane darkening her face. Twilight finally got a to get a good look at them. Rarity was in a lacy black dress, her eyes distant as she stared into planes unknown. Rainbow Dash was clearly intoxicated, sporting a faint smile of pain as she stared at the coffin and took the occasional swig of Marewaukee’s Best. Fluttershy was also dressed in lacy black, a veil hiding her eyes to the living. But as an astreal being, Twilight could see through the mortal barrier. Fluttershy was still in a state of shock, her eyes bright and her pupils pinpricks as silent tears crawled down her face. And Pinkie. Pinkie was just happy it seemed. She sported a wide grin as she stared directly at Twilight’s ghost. At first the two apparitions thought it to be a coincidence, until the pink demon began to wave. Understandably, Death’s jaw plummeted. “How in Tartarus..?” He asked, confused beyond everything “Because, she’s Pinkie.” Twilight giggled and waved back. “Whatcha wavin’ at, sugarcube?” Applejack asked Pinkie, being the only other one of her friends coherent enough to ask. Pinkie looked over at the orange mare and laughed, shaking her head. “Nopony, silly.” She said and looked back to where Twilight and Death were standing, and winked. Twilight winked right back as Death had an aneurysm. Death took out his scythe and poked Twilight on the side, causing her to jump. “Gah! What was that?!” The lavender mare demanded. “I increased our cloaking field. We should be invisible to EVERYTHING now.” He said. “If ya say so.” Applejack said and turned her attention back towards the miscellaneous ponies and their eulogies. After the words, Twilight noticed that her friends leaving before the visitations. She followed them, weaving through the crowd with ease, mostly due to her ghostly body structure. When she arrived at the small road where her friends had gathered, she noticed four of them in a heated argument. Fluttershy was the only one not to comment, just staring into the distance with the same shock etched into her features. “Well Ah’m goin’ after him, whether ya like it or not!” Applejack growled towards Rarity. “Not wishout me, you ain’t!” Rainbow Dash slurred, causing the Apple to deadpan to the polychromatic mare. “Rainbow, ya can’t even walk in a straight line, how tha hay do you expect to track down the murder a the element a magic?” She asked. “Darling, let the guards handle this, you’ll only dig your own grave.” Rarity insisted. “Shuddup! You donno noffin’. . . ‘Bout anythin’!” Rainbow shot back rather poorly. “See what Ah mean? And the guards weren’t there when she needed savin’, what makes ya think they’ll be there this time?!” Applejack exclaimed, causing Rainbow Dash to roll her intoxicated eyes. Girls… Twilight thought, a tear coming to her eye. “Please Applejack, girls! Let’s just… Calm down. Let’s go back to Sugar Cube Corner and have a party! It’ll cheer everypony up!” Pinkie offered desperately. “Pinkie, ain’t nopony in tha mood fer one of yer parties.” Applejack shot her down. “Hey! Dontcha talk ta Pinkie like that!” Dash pointed her bottle at AJ threateningly. Girls, please… Twilight’s pleas were left unheard. “And what if ah do, Airhead?” The Apple challenged, causing Twilight to grit her teeth. “What your parents never got tha chance to!” Rainbow shouted. “STOP!” Twilight screamed, but yet again, her helpless cries could not be heard, even in the deadly silence that followed Rainbow’s regretful statement. “Deeeeeeeeyyymmmmm.” Death commented from the side, but was ignored by the distraught lavender mare. “Girls…” She said futily, drooping her head helplessly. Rainbow Dash’s face changed from angry to regretful when she say Applejack’s cold expression. “A-Applejack…” I’m sorry, I didn’t-” Applejack raise her hoof, cutting the drunk mare off. “Just… Don’t.” Applejack said darkly, turning around and walking towards Sweet Apple Acres. Rainbow Dash harrumphed and began to fly away. “Girls! Come back!” Pinkie exclaimed, looking at her leaving friends in desperation. “Darling… I’m afraid it’s useless… Applejack was right. Twilight was the one who held us together. Without her, I’m afraid we’re going to fall apart… Ta Ta…” Rarity hung her head, and began to retreat to her boutique. Fluttershy had raised her head, no longer in shock, but instead her eyes were dull. The tears had stopped, no emotion seeped from the young mares shadowed face. “Flu-” “It’s a good day for rain.” She cut Pinkie off with a hollow voice. “But, it’s not raining.” Pinkie said in confusion. Fluttershy stayed silent for a minute, then began to walk towards her cottage. “Yes it is…” She said as she passed the pink mare, letting a single tear roll down her face. As Pinkie watched her go, her man deflated, sinking into a flattened state. She then began to cry, trudging the the direction of Sugar Cube Corner. “Girls…” Twilight breathed, not believing that such a strong friendship and been so easily destroyed. She felt the hopelessness of the entire situation surround her, enveloping her like a cold blanket. “I told you so. Have you seen enough yet?” Death asked from being Twilight. She stayed silent for a minute, taking in all that had happened. Eventually, she spoke. “No.” She croaked weakly, then looked up at Death. “I need closure… This was not what I was looking for.” “Of course it wasn’t, you bloody mortals are so hard to please.” He scoffed, then took his scythe out. “Well, let’s get going. The sooner you wither away is the sooner I get a, hopefully, less stubborn client.” He said with a little too much chipper. “You’re heartless.” “No, I’m Death.” The stallion answered simply, then slammed the butt of his scythe on the ground teleporting the two away from the old dirt road.