It was that day again. That day which Celestia dreaded every time she woke up in the morning. The one day were her problems couldn't be fixed by using that fake smile of hers, and nodding. It was her death day, as she liked to call it. Not very imaginative but that was beside the point, it signified her only respite in the realm of the living. Every time a day like this would come along her eyes would fail to focus for an hour, then her mane would cease to waver. Finally her heart would stop beating.
She really wished someone could accompany her on this long journey, however, they would undoubtedly give in to the temptation she is faced with. The promise of death is amazing, you become a god in your own right. Anything you wish to do, you can. There is no mountain in death that you cannot climb, no abyss deep enough to deter you from climbing down, no creature strong enough to strike fear in your heart. This is why ponies die. Not because of their "killers" or natural causes, they die because they wish to.
Celestia let out a sigh as she felt her heart beginning to slow. Ponies constantly wish to know why they die in each other's hooves, yet the answer is so simple that a sick little filly was able to figure it out. From that day on she did not faulter in the face death, she merely continued moving on. The reason why she was able to defeat her enemies was purely because they could not kill her. Her sister, in truth, is stronger. Every time Celestia fires a beam of magic she over exerts herself a thousand times, that is the key to her strength; death. Every time she raises her "beloved sun" she dies a million times over just so her little ponies may live on. She swore yesterday that the nobles managed to stress her enough that a normal pony would die in her position.
Slowly the sun empress’s eyes closed of their own accord. Carefully Celestia exhaled her last breath, being sure to savour it, as it may be her last.
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"Is it really that time of year again Celestia?"
Celestia opened her eyes and took in the sights around her. She sighed knowing it was to be the exact place she arrived last year. She knew it to be rude not acknowledging her host, so she said the only thing that came to mind.
"What gave you that idea, Death?" Snapped Celestia, looking over her new host. The being in question stood on its hind legs in an elegant manner, one which looked perfectly normal for a creature of her size. She wore a dark red dress with no outstanding features. The beings face had no fur what so ever and long grey silky hair flowed down her back. Her other limbs were similar to legs in some ways, however, those similarities ended when the "feet" were observed. They consisted of five tentacle like appendages attached to an odd base. The creature eyes were quite small compared to Celestia's, they consisted of a light blue with a small "muzzle" beneath them.
"Celestia! I would have hoped your manners are improved by now. After all, we both know it's not my fault you're stuck here. I don't purposely drag you back down here. There is only so many deaths a single body can take after all and you take many more than what I would recommend." Scolded Death.
Celestia couldn't help but hang her head in defeat. "I'm sorry, Death but coming down here never gets any easier."
"How do you know this place isn't up?" Retorted Death.
"Please cut the small talk, Death. I just want to be done with this."
"When you were younger you always wanted to delay the inevitable, it's a pity you've changed so quickly. Oh well, everyone needs to grow up sometime. I wonder when your sister will arrive here, most likely not for a very long time. After all she values her life higher than any other being on Equis."
Celestia was quite surprised to hear that about her sister. Luna's whole life has changed, she spent a thousand years on the moon and she is shunned by her own subjects, yet she can continue to fight on. She is most definitely the stronger sister.
"Well, aren't you going to get moving?" Asked, Death, genuinely curious.
Celestia sighed and with much reluctance started travelling down the road. It was a very unique road. She asked death about it once when she was younger, apparently the creatures she bases her appearance off are called humans and this is an old road used by the species. She asked where they went, the only answer she received was; "To the stars, dear Celestia". One thing about this road she knew for certain was that it would never be used in Equestria. A few nobles had proposed the use of this system, however, they were immediately shut down by a certain royal decree.
The road truly was a sight to behold, you could travel down it forever and never find what you are looking for but that is not the purpose of the road. A road isn't a destination, it is used to get to a destination. So Celestia did the only sane thing a pony would do in this situation; she turned and approached her destination. Others might have wondered why a plain wooden door was standing out in the middle of a strange road. Well, this simple door was not just any old door, it was a memory. One which, Celestia would always remember.
Moving even an inch toward the door was difficult for Celestia. She hated entering this door every time she came to the afterlife, however, despite it being one of, Celestia's miseries it was still only the first challenge. Time was irrelevant in the afterlife, Celestia would wake up tomorrow no matter how long it took her to complete the challenges. So, for all she knew, she could have stared at that door for possibly a thousand years. Slowly, Celestia inched forward one tiptoe at a time; each step making her chest close in on itself a little more. After a possible eternity Celestia had traveled to the very front of the wooden door. There she closed her eyes and muttered to herself repeatedly; "It’s just a memory, it’s just a memory."