Why Am I Crying?
By The Rated Ponystar
Formally Edited by: Clavier, Mr. Minimii and Apple Cinnamon
Edited by: Unnamed Pawn and First_Down
Thanks to Catnipfairy for her artwork!
***
He was coming. She knew deep in her heart that he was here. Stones were littered everywhere, each inscribed with a name from one of his victims, old and young alike. The markers represented ponies who had once lived joyful lives, but were now forever silenced. Sweetie Belle fought as hard as she could to keep the tears from streaming down her eyes, biting her lip so hard blood was drawn.
She looked up and saw the pale moon above a blood red sky, filled with dark clouds. It was like Nightmare Moon had returned, only with a more macabre style. Sweetie Belle held her knees to her chest and slowly started praying this would not be her last night. It didn’t matter to her how she got into this predicament, or how long she had been running from him, but she knew only one thing: if she stopped, it was all over.
She would join the many who slept in the dirt.
A twig snapped nearby and Sweetie gasped. Instantly, she clasped a hoof over her mouth, but it was too late. A low, inequine roar echoed across the graveyard, followed by the thunderous hooves of a giant pony. Shrieking, Sweetie Belle ran as fast as her legs could carry her through the named gravestones. There was no escape in this endless valley of dead, only her inevitable doom.
Sweetie Belle could hear him getting closer. The rattling of his chains and the sound of his scythe swinging in the air made her all but wet herself. She dared not look, not at the monster that could not be tamed or defeated, not at the endless being that was as old as life.
Sweetie Belle never saw the loose rock on the path until her hoof stumbled over it, ending her futile run with a hard fall onto her face. Moaning, she tried to get up, but froze upon seeing a shadow towering over her. She stood still for what seemed like forever until, despite all her instincts telling her not to, she slowly looked over her shoulder. And there she saw him.
Death.
Numerous faces of the shrieking damned formed his black, wrinkled cloak. Spiked chains, covered in fresh blood, levitated around him like snakes, rattling and dripping with its contents. The scythe he carried was big enough to bisect a pony as big as Princess Celestia with one swing, and its blade glinted with a razor sharpness that could cut diamond. But the worst part, the part that made her scream as loud as she could, was his face: skull-shaped, demonic and soulless. His eyes were coal black, filled with hellfire, his teeth were sharp as knives, and his horns were long like a bull’s. It was the closeting thing to the devil Sweetie Belle had ever seen.
Death leaned forward and screamed, expunging a miasmic cloud of flies, snakes and cockroaches from its mouth. In a split second, Sweetie Belle was wrapped up in chains and dragged into the air. She struggled to escape, but the harder she tried the tighter they held her. Death then pointed to a single grave stone and, upon looking at it, Sweetie Belle gasped at what she read:
Here Lies Sweetie Belle
Tried to run, but lost her head
Now she is among the dead
A good young life now has ceased
Forever shall she rest in peace
Lost.. her... head? thought Sweetie Belle with terror as she looked at Death, who cackled with glee. She looked up and gasped as he raised the scythe, aiming the curved, cruel edge at her neck. “No! No! I don’t wanna die!”
It swung and she screamed…
***
“Nooooooooo!” screamed Sweetie Belle from her covers. She continued to scream until the door slammed open and her sister came in, mane disheveled and holding a bat with her magic.
“Sweetie Belle?! What’s wrong! What is it!” shouted Rarity, looking around for signs of an intruder. When she saw none, she dropped the bat, embraced her sobbing sister and rocked back and forth. “It’s okay, Sweetie, shhhh. It’s okay...” She kissed Sweetie on the forehead. “Everything’s okay.”
“I... I-I-I had-d a b-b-bad d-ddre-eam,” stuttered Sweetie Belle, tears streaming down her face. Her face wasn’t the only part that was wet. She felt her covers and smelled the unpleasant stench of fresh urine coming from them. This only made her cry harder. She hadn’t had an accident since she was four.
Although her mouth scrounged up a bit at the thought of sitting in pee of all things, Rarity threw such worries away for more important matters, such as the scared filly in her hooves. “It’s okay, Sweetie Belle. I’ll stay with you as long as you need me to. There is nothing to fear anymore. You’re safe.”
Sweetie Belle stopped crying, yet the terror on her face still lingered with her thoughts. Was she truly safe? Safe from death? Was this just a nightmare... or an omen?
***
Despite not getting much sleep last night, Sweetie Belle was the first one to arrive in the Cutie Mark Crusader Clubhouse. Waiting for her friends to arrive, Sweetie closed her eyes and tried not to think about the nightmare, but found it hard not to. She could still feel the cold steel chains wrapped around her body as well as the fear that lingered deep inside her mind.
She had seen many scary things before: Nightmare Moon, Discord, cockatrices, Cerberus, dragons, ursa minors, and more. But never before had something affected her so much that she wet herself while crying. A dark blush decorated her cheeks, grateful that Rarity said nothing this morning when she was doing laundry. She was supposed to be a big pony, not some foal in diapers. I just hope it doesn’t happen again.
Time stretched, the seconds dragging in lonely ticks. At the sound of approaching hooves, Sweetie Belle looked up. Scootaloo paused in the doorway when she noticed she wasn’t the only one in the room. The two friends stared at each other in silence, neither making a move. Sweetie Belle then turned her head away, hoping Scootaloo wouldn’t ask anything and just sit down. To her relief, and somewhat surprise, the pegasus did so, taking a seat near the corner. Although she felt a pang of regret for giving one of the best friends the silent treatment, she hadn’t forgotten their argument yesterday and neither it seemed had Scootaloo. I just hope Apple Bloom hurries up so we can start the meeting.
The two were forced to sit in awkward silence until the sound of hooves on wooden planks heralded the arrival of their third crusader. Seconds later, Apple Bloom appeared, putting aside a basket with a red blanket inside before taking in a deep breath. “Sorry Ah’m late, girls. Me and mah family went to go see Mr. Rich and give him our condolences.”
“How is he? I can’t imagine what he’s going through,” asked Sweetie Belle, biting her lip. She remembered a time when she got lost in the park when she was very young and her mother had been absolutely frantic searching for her. When they found each other, her mother was weeping and refused to let go, even after they arrived back home. If that was how a parent was when their child was lost, then chances were that losing them forever had to be ten times worse.
Apple Bloom rubbed her eyes, trying to hide the tears that Sweetie easily spotted. “H-he’s so sad. Ah’ve never seen anypony cry like that, not even when Applejack broke her leg last summer.” She sighed. “He really loved his daughter and misses her so much.”
“It must be hard for him, losing the rest of his family so quickly,” muttered Sweetie Belle.
Scootaloo stared at her in confusion. “What do you mean... wait... are you telling me Diamond Tiara’s mom is dead too?”
Both Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom nodded, making Scootaloo’s mouth drop in shock. Apple Bloom looked at Sweetie Belle and asked, “How did ya find out?”
“One of their butlers came and asked Rarity to design Diamond Tiara’s funeral dress. She’s working on it right now,” answered Sweetie Belle, who shivered at the thought. The idea that she was designing clothes for a corpse made Sweetie Belle all but want to leave Carousel Boutique as soon as possible.
Apple Bloom nodded before clopping her hoof on the ground for emphasis. “Girls, I think we should decide on what we’re gonna do about Diamond Tiara’s... funeral,” said Apple Bloom, wincing at the sound of the word.
“Wait, I thought we were gonna be talking about how we’re gonna get our cutie marks like we planned?” asked Scootaloo, raising an eyebrow.
Sweetie Belle glared at Scootaloo. A pony dies and all she can think about are cutie marks?!
Apple Bloom seemed to be in a similar mindset as she shook her head. “Honestly, Scootaloo, Ah don’t think Ah can talk about cutie marks at this time. Besides, we should take what Miss Cheerliee said into consideration and think about goin’ or not.” Scootaloo looked to say something, but closed her mouth and turned away, mumbling to herself. Apple Bloom sighed and said, “Ah’m most likely goin’ ‘cause mah family is. What about y’all?”
“I’m going,” said Sweetie Belle immediately. “Even if she was a jerk,” she made sure to emphasize that for a certain pegasus, “it’s the right thing to do.”
The two then turned to Scootaloo, who looked at both of them and shook her head. “I’m not going.”
“Still?!” shrieked Sweetie Belle, making Apple Bloom jump. “Don’t you have any sympathy at all for her?”
Growling, Scootaloo got up and made her way towards the exit. “Look, you girls wanna go, fine by me! But I’m not going to just drop everything and forget that Diamond Tiara made our lives miserable for her own amusement! I’m not going to forget how much embarrassment we had to endure under her bullying, nor am I going to forget all the times we got in trouble because of her! Remember the Gabby Gums Incident?”
The girls winced. It was the lowest point in their crusade to find cutie marks, even worse than almost forcing Miss Cheerilee and Big Macintosh to fall in love with each other. They had wanted to stop their article when it became clear all they were doing was hurting the town’s residents, but Diamond Tiara forced them to continue through blackmail. It was only after they publicly apologized and explained everything did things go back to normal. The town forgave them, even admitting they had a hoof to blame since they were all fine with the gossip until it hurt each of them individually.
Diamond Tiara, however, was not easily forgiven, and had to endure the same disapproval the three of them had for weeks. Only Silver Spoon seemed to still be there for her. Over time, that even faded, but the three fillies would never forget that dark moment.
“I’m not about to cry over a filly that made me a pariah, especially to Rainbow Dash!” argued Scootaloo. “I’m not going and that’s final!”
“But Scootaloo, she was—” said Apple Bloom.
“Forget it, Apple Bloom,” interrupted Sweetie Belle, coldly. “She doesn’t care that somepony is dead. I bet she’s even happy that Diamond Tiara died.”
“For the last time, I am not!” roared Scootaloo, nostrils flaring. “I just don’t care! She was nothing but trouble, and I bet trouble was all she would have been in the end! All bullies are like that!”
“Not all!” shouted Apple Bloom, stepping forward. “Mah big brother got picked on by Mr. Rich all the time, but they became friends! Maybe Diamond Tiara could have changed as well! All ponies have some good in them! Maybe we never saw it, but it had to have existed, right?”
Scootaloo looked like she had been whipped when she heard what Apple Bloom said, but stayed silent. Shaking her head, she scoffed and turned away. “Fine. Think whatever you want, but I’m not going to her funeral and that’s that!”
Before any of them could say anything, Scootaloo left the clubhouse, grabbed her scooter and was soon gone. Sweetie Belle sighed, still feeling bitter, and shook her head. “I can’t believe she’s so heartless.”
“Well, to be fair,” said Apple Bloom, scratching her neck, “Ah get her point. Ah mean, none of us liked Diamond Tiara, but now that she’s gone...” She shook her head and sighed. “It’s just so confusin’.”
“Yeah,” muttered Sweetie Belle, closing her eyes. She then turned to her remaining friend and asked, “Is there anything else you wanna do, or do you mind if I head home?”
“No, Ah got...” Apple Bloom eyed the basket she brought, “...some readin’ to do. Ah’ll see ya at the funeral, right?”
Sweetie Belle nodded and soon left the clubhouse.
***
If Sweetie Belle knew her sister, and she did, Rarity was still working on the funeral dress. Having no desire to be there for it, she opted to walk around town instead. Sighing, she wished her parents were back from their business trip in Saddle Arabia, but even if she had managed to message them from the other side of the world, they wouldn’t arrive in time for the funeral. Normally, her parents didn’t travel during the holidays, always staying home so they could be together, but this was one of those rare times that looked like it would be just her and Rarity.
Her thoughts turned back to the clubhouse and she began to wonder what Scootaloo’s problem was. She could understand how much Scootaloo didn’t like Tiara, who always made fun of her inability to fly at her age. But that doesn’t mean she can disregard the feelings of others as well! Tiara’s family, some of our classmates, Silver Spoon, all of them are hurting because of her death, especially Mr. Rich. I mean, to lose all your family...
Sweetie Belle didn’t want to think of a world where her parents and sister were dead. Even if she had all the friends she ever could have, it would still feel like she was all alone. And Mr. Rich was experiencing that same feeling now.
Before Sweetie Belle could continue her morbid train of thought, she smacked face first into a sign. She shook her head to clear the cobwebs and ensuing eye-rolling and looked up, ears dropping the moment she saw where she was: Mr. Waddle’s Funeral Home.
Sweetie Belle didn’t know whether to think this was a coincidence or an ill portent as memories of her nightmare started to flash in her head. Just as she was about to run as fast as her little legs could carry her, she saw two ponies walk out of the nearby funeral home. She quickly hid behind the sign to keep from being seen. One of them she recognized as Mr. Waddle, and the other was that butler who appeared in front of Rarity’s shop yesterday during their talk, Sebastian. Tiptoeing towards a pair of bushes, she silently peaked out and listened in on their conversation.
“That should take care of the preparations. Rest assured, I will give Miss Tiara the best farewell I can give anypony,” said Mr. Waddle, shaking hooves with the butler. “It’s a shame this happened to one so young. And only a few years after I had to misfortune of arranging her mother and brother’s funeral.”
“I’m sorry Master Rich wasn’t able to come make the preparations himself,” said Sebastian, sorrowfully. “He... hasn’t been the same since...”
“Naturally,” said Mr. Waddle, nodding. “He’s not the first grieving father I’ve had to deal with, nor shall he be the last as long as this body still holds life. I’ll make sure everything is ready three days from now.”
Sebastian bowed and walked away while Mr. Waddle went back inside his business. Sweetie Belle walked out of her hiding place and stared at the doors of the funeral home. She had never bothered to think twice about this place whenever she passed by, but soon she would be going inside a place of death and mourning. Still, the conversation she had overheard made her curious, and she decided to knock on the front door.
Soon enough, the door opened and Mr. Waddle’s head poked out, surprise registering on his face. “Sweetie Belle? What are you doing here?”
Sweetie Belle felt a band of sweat drip down the back of her neck. “Y-you... know my name?”
He smiled and nodded. “Of course! I saw you and your friends’ efforts in the talent show about two years ago I think. Never saw a funnier act in all my life! Not to mention you sort of sung on my back one time when I was giving an outdoor service.”
“Oh! I-I’m sorry,” muttered Sweetie Belle, blushing.
Mr. Waddle laughed. “Don’t be. You have quite the voice, young lady.”
“Oh, thanks,” muttered Sweetie Belle. “Um, Mr. Waddle? May I come in? I have a few questions, and I’m hoping you can answer them for me.”
Mr. Waddle obviously wasn’t expecting a filly out of the blue to ask such a thing, but nevertheless he opened his door wide enough for her to enter. “Come in, child.”
What lay inside wasn’t what Sweetie Belle was expecting. Having never been in a funeral home before, she thought she would be seeing mostly black and depressing icons, but the entire place had bright red and blue colors with various vases of flowers everywhere. It looked more like an old, rich pony’s home with pictures of angels and statues everywhere. It was quite cool inside, and the halls were decorated and filled with life. Most of the double doors in the halls were closed, leading to other rooms that she suspected was where the actual funerals took place. However, one was open.
Mr. Waddle led Sweetie Belle down the hall and when they reached the opened doorway, she saw a bunch of ponies picking up cushions, curtains, candles, and flowers and putting them in boxes. There was no coffin, much to her relief, but she saw a picture of an old looking pony in a wreath with a small banner wrapped around it saying “Rest in Peace”.
The funeral director, seeing this, pointed out, “Oh, they’re putting Miss Sweet Ring’s stuff away. Died in her sleep, peacefully.”
Sweetie Belle gulped. “W-where is her casket?”
“I assume it’s being buried right now by our undertakers,” said Mr. Waddle, like it was an everyday occurrence. Sweetie Belle couldn’t even fathom how it was possible for a pony to be surrounded by death all the time and stay sane.
They finally reached Mr. Waddle’s office where the elder pony grabbed a cushion and urged Sweetie Belle to sit. He went over to his desk and sat behind it. “Now, what is it that I can help you with?”
Sweetie Belle wasn’t surprised to see this room neat and tidy like the others, only it had rows of books and vases full of flowers. Remembering why she was here, Sweetie Belle took a deep breath. “Mr. Waddle, I’m going to the funeral for Diamond Tiara, but... but I don’t know what happens or what I should do.”
Understanding dawned on Mr. Waddle face, and he gave a sad smile. “I understand. This is your first one I take it?” Sweetie Belle nodded. “Don’t worry, many children your age are confused when dealing with this sort of thing.”
He sighed. “While there are many different funeral customs, Miss Tiara’s will be based around traditional earth pony rites. First, everypony gathers and engages in small talk, usually to offer their condolences to the family and friends of the deceased. It’s also around this time that ponies go up to the casket and say their final farewells. Then everypony sits down as the family and closest friends give a eulogy before everypony goes up and places a flower in the casket before it’s closed and taken to be buried. Only the family of the deceased is allowed to be present at the burial as well as a few close friends. Everypony else must wait for them to return. It’s based on an old earth pony faith, before the founding of Equestria, that believed all life came from the earth and all life must return to the earth in the end to be renewed.”
Sweetie Belle found it hard to believe that anypony would want to be buried in the ground, filled with dirt, bugs, and who knows what else. Sweetie Belle shivered. “W-will I see the b-b-b-body?”
Mr. Waddle sadly nodded. “Yes, normally during children funerals I keep it closed casket, but Mr. Rich insisted on an open one for his daughter. He wanted her to look beautiful one last time. I believe she had dreams of being a model like her mother.”
That made Sweetie Belle turn green. Seeing a dead body, especially somepony she once knew, sounded just so wrong in her mind. She wanted to keep telling herself that it would just look like sleeping, but there would be no rising chest. No heartbeat. Her brain wasn’t even thinking. She was just an empty shell.
“Are you alright? This isn’t troubling you, is it?” asked Mr. Waddle, snapping Sweetie Belle out of her thoughts.
“I-I’m fine,” lied Sweetie Belle. “How do you do it? How do you... let yourself be surrounded by all this?”
Mr. Waddle leaned back. “I suppose it is hard to imagine at times. Yes, this job does seem odd, but to me I feel like I’m doing something important for everypony involved. For the dearly departed, I’m giving them a chance to be remembered, for ponies to see them as they once were regardless of whether the final resting place is in the ground or as ashes. For family and friends, I want to help lessen the grief by providing a peaceful service so they can feel better and begin to heal. I have given funerals to many ponies, young and old, innocent and criminal alike. We all deserve this respect. Funerals are ways to honor our dead, not just to mourn them. That way, they live on in our hearts.”
“But I don’t understand, why bother celebrating that somepony died? Why do ponies have to die in the first place?!” asked Sweetie Belle, rubbing her teary eyes. “Why did Tiara have to die?”
Mr. Waddle shook his head. “There are many answers, Sweetie Belle. I think each pony has their own theory and they stick with it. Those who believe in a faith, such as myself, think that life and death are part of a greater test that allow us to achieve salvation in an afterlife. Others think it is simply the law of nature and all life exists to end at some point so that life can continue in other forms. It is a confusing topic, and many ponies have asked themselves: why do we all die? In the end, only those who have passed on before us know.”
Sweetie Bell gulped and fidgeted in her seat. “When... when you say ‘we’... does that mean the same thing will happen to me? I-I’m going to one day die?”
Mr. Waddle hesitated to answer, but in the end he nodded. “Everypony dies at some point, Sweetie Belle. It’s the sad, honest truth.”
Sweetie Belle nearly fell backwards as her mind turned to the funeral settings she saw before. Only now, instead of Miss Sweet Ring’s face, she saw a picture of herself surrounded by flowers and farewell banners. I’m... I’m going to die one day. I’m going to be just like Tiara, dead... dead... dead…
“...I see. I’m gonna go home now,” said Sweetie Belle, slowly rising from her seat. Mr. Waddle tried to say something, but she had already left and was soon outside.
Into a world where death was everywhere.
They say the good die young. If that's true, I must be shooting for immortality But I suppose one would want a serious answer, huh?
Don't worry Sweetie Belle, if I had seen Death, I would have pissed myself too.
Now to answer this.
My first real experience with death was when a cousin of mine died. I, among others, felt guilty, but I could only imagine how his mother was feeling. He had been the only real thing she had left. Several family members of mine been in and out of remission for various cancers, and that reminded me that one day they will die, and I'll probably be around for that. Then- I realized I too would die. Likely not for a while but when the time comes, I take no issue with it.
Savvy?
Death... something I am too familiar with.
I watched my father die from heart disease, and I watched my mother die from cancer.
I myself have managed to help save two from dying, while on Waterville Fire Department one morning, but the third... we was unable to resuscitate her. Amber was a friend of mine too.
What happens to us when we die? What of our consciousness? That which we would call our soul?
I honestly do not know. I would like to believe that there is some sort of afterlife, but there is that one small corner of my mind where I sit and tremble in fear, wondering whether or not that with death, there is no more. Sick with the terror at the thought that when you die, you just fade into oblivion.
Honestly, at times, it scares me to the point where I want to hide. I want to curl up and never leave my home. But I cannot do that. Because while I fear death, I am vene more afraid to NOT LIVE.
This is a scary topic, to be sure, and, to be honest, I am envious in a way of those who have such strong faith, that they simply BELIEVE, and have no fear of what comes beyond the passing from this world.
Another great chapter. Keep them coming!
Chapter music:
Okay, I've gotta admit, the image of a disheveled Rarity wielding a baseball bat made me chuckle.
Initially, as far back as I can first remember the subject being breached: worried, concerned, not wanting to die.
Now?
(I had another version with lyrics, but in between the first time I saw it, it got "blocked from my county" by EMI rights or something like that. Here's the link, anyways: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KiuEdhnKdyU)
Now, my view of death is far more lax. Those first sets of spoken words pretty much sum up how I feel. It's gonna happen anyways. I don't really care when anymore. What I really care about is how I go out. Preferably being a goddamn hero, doing something awesome, or sacrificial. Not succumbing to an illness or something like that.
And hey, I feel there's gotta be something else past death. It can't end there.
Well, I've had a grasp of death for a while thanks to being a huge animal kid when i was younger, so it wasn't much of a shock. I also was a big Catholic when I was younger, so I have believed in the afterlife as well. As I've gotten older I sort of adjusted my view of the afterlife though.
A few years ago my uncle died. Cancer. He'd been struggling with it for a while.
I...don't remember how I felt. I don't think I cried, not even at the funeral. I still haven't cried for him. What does that say about me?
Well, when I first learned about death, my first dog died and I was 6. It didn't bother me. Like at all. In this story, I side completely and fully with scootaloo. Loved this new chapter. Can't wait for scoot's veiw.
Seems legit.
To answer the question, Rated, meh? Death is death. It's an inevitability and it comes to everyone. To the religious it means moving on to a better place. To the non religious (me!) it just means something came to an end and it's all rolling around to bring about new stuff. So be it.
Death doesn't bother me inherently. It's the loss of someone I give a shit about that bugs me.
3080239 That you don't cry easily? That you weren't super close to your Uncle?
I've had several relatives die that I didn't particularly care for or see very often. I didn't get too broken up about them. When my younger cousin got hit by a train I just got mad that she was actually stupid enough to be put in that circumstance. My mother's death was the only one that really affected me emotionally.
To me, it doesn't matter when you die; life is short, so live a good life. Right now is what's important, not dwelling on the past or future.
3080370 I love my uncle's sons. I hope that, should something ever happen to them, I would react...appropriately.
3080456 There is no "appropriate" reaction. There's only your reaction.
Anyone who tells you there's a right way to act in those situations is talking out their ass. There is definitely a wrong way to act, but those are universally "ways that make others uncomfortable."
3080460 I hope I at least cry. They deserve that much.
Poor Sweetie Belle. She's just too cute to face the Grim Reaper like that! Made me think of this song:
What do you think?
How can one filly be so heartless?
Is there nothing the Cutie Mark Crusaders can do? Ask Ra's al Ghul to take Diamond Tiara to a Lazarus Pit and bring her back from the dead?
3080370 I'm religious an I believe it's because adam and eve sinned and disobeyed god. If they had not sinned, we would have lived eternally.
3080488 That's well and fancy, and changes nothing about what I said. Would'a, could'a, should'a, it ain't so now.
Well, I never had problems with my mortality. Probably because I live just a few meters away from biggest graveyard in city, so the idea of been it's resident one day was with me from my erly days. Oh and now I work in a morgue during pathoanatomy classes.
3080460 i have to disagree on one part.
my father dug graves all my life. i worked with him since i was seven, i've seen hundreds of different reactions to grief and i can say, there is no wrong way.
3080517 I would argue that doing anything to make someone else feel worse is a wrong way.
I'm pretty religious and have a strong belief in life after death. I also work as a Paramedic, have for years, I've seen more then my share of the left overs from when people pass on as well as been there for deaths that I couldn't stop. As a result of both I've become rather apathetic about death in general and just view it as part of life. Knowing that I'll go out someday(probably sooner then necessary as I don't take as good of care of my self as I should) really doesn't bother me. I have no desire to live forever.
3080517
May I ask you a question, since your father was a gravedigger? I'm guessing he's worked with a few funeral directors before so I was wondering if the whole funeral home scene from the designs to Mr. Waddle's behavior and quotes were accurate in a sense on how a real funeral direction would be.
I've been to many funerals myself, but I always ask a second opinion on such things, especially i they've been involved more then I have.
The last part I can relate to. When I found out that death was a thing I was like 6 or something, and I was upset all week long.
3080239 Well, My nana, grandpa great grandparents (save 1) grandfather, 4 dogs, two fish, and 1 guineipig have all died in my lifetime, my other guineipig who ran away is probably dead, the cat we gave to a farm is probably dead, we gave away my latest dog, my uncle is trying to kill himself, my grandma died not long before my birth, and I had a half uncle who died long before my birth. And never once did I cry. And then you have all the people in my religion I knew who died, and those I didn't know.
I've never really feared death. My religious beliefs say that there is indeed an afterlife waiting for the deceased. My only worry about death is will I go to Heaven or will I go to Hell? (I know that there are people on here who don't believe in Heaven or Hell, but I do so I'm just stating my point). I've been taught that Heaveb is eternal happiness. In other words, I really want to be able to go there when I die. Hell is eternal damnation. In other words, I really don't want to go there. It's hard to grasp eternal afterlife, but I believe that it's real.
For those who don't believe in the afterlife, well I don't really know what to say. I could see why those people would be terrified of dying, thinking that you would just fade out of existence forever. If I didn't believe in the afterlife I certainly wouldn't want to die either.
The only death that I fear is the death of my loved ones and animals. I don't know what happens to animals, but I'm hoping that I will be able to meet up with them again when I pass from this world.
When it comes to people, the same stands true. Since I believe in the afterlife, I will probably see them again. Unless we go seperate ways (one Heaven, one Hell). I really hope that doesn't happen though.
But I do fear when people I love will pass. Like my grandparents or my parents or my family in general, and my friends. I sometimes get a little to close to people, so when they die it will hit me a bit harder then I hope. Especially my grandparents. One is 82 and the other is 77. They don't have too much time left on this life. So I try and spend as much time with them, and I try not to think about death and what will happen when they are gone.
Honestly, I have no idea. I mean, it's not like my parents ever tried to shield me from the idea of death or what it was so there was never a moment that I went 'I'm going to die someday' I just sort of, always knew I guess.
And it's not like my parents ever tried to sugar coat what death was in stuff like movies (Land Before Time, a number of Disney Movies, kids movies but hey, occasionally there's death in it...Hell the first movie my dad ever took me to was The Lion King.) I knew what it was and my parents certainly didn't try to tell me otherwise.
A weird answer I know but, it's the truth.
Again, I dunno. I mean, when I was little it was very simple to me, if you're a good person you go to heaven with angels, if you were bad you went to hell with the devil.
Now, well, I sure as heck believe in ghosts so, I guess that means there's something out there.
I believe in the after life but i see death as the balance of the universe what has been given must be returned
Sweetie seems to be taking the realization of her mortality rather...I guess harshly is a good word for it. And she's kinda pushing her own beliefs onto Scootaloo, which isn't very fair. Personally I just look at death like the epilogue of life. And I hope that when mine is written it'll be a good one.
It wasn't exactly an experience, and it's not so jarring for me. Since I learned about death when I was very little from personal experience, it's something that's become part of my life. I don't really freak out over it. I don't even worry at all. All I know is that I want to leave some sort of imprint in the world; something people might be able to remember me for, even it might be small. As long I changed even one person's life for the better. I actually worry more about my family's death more than mine.
And I choose not to really expect anything; I won't say there's nothing, I won't say there's something. Although I still think it's probably Heaven and Hell, I just don't expect that. Better to be prepared for anything.
I'm pretty much neutral on the whole subject, I guess. What happens happens.
It's funny how little you fear death when you've got nothing to lose.
It's a lot less funny when you nearly die, and that 2 years later it's the cause of all your current happiness.
I never was afraid of dying, only curious as to what would happen after...
"What do you believe?"
The secret of life is that there is no one great secret. It just is, until sooner or later it isn't anymore. So don't stress over asking why things have to be the way they are, because even if you believe there are spiritual reasons behind everything, whatever happens, happens, and the only way to live your life is to make of it what you can, while an entire world around you does the same. Just try not to leave behind too much of a mess when you go.
What do I believe? Death will come when it comes, but life is here and now. No point getting in a tizzy over what's going to happen regardless of how much you might want it not to. Otherwise, death is what makes life precious in the first place. If we lived forever, then it wouldn't be worth our while to do anything.
I'm with Scootaloo on this one. It's not like she is dancing on Tiara's grave but she simply doesn't care. But no the others disagree and think she should only look from their point of view. Honestly that is what I generally hate about people. If you don't see it their way you are wrong and deserve to be scolded or the like. Very few analyze from every point of view. Like say one of my worse enemies dropped dead. Would I care? No. Would I see what everyone else saw? No. But I would try to see some form of good. But if I couldn't well.. No skin off my flank.
Close calls, random quirks of chance. I have avoided a few potential deaths, more by luck. I may have saved a life, once (ehn, not too sure it would've been fatal for that kid if I kept him from wandering into traffic, but better I grabbed him before, for sure). One of my worries is that I may kill someone on accident, just because I got careless.
Can death be "defeated"? Problably not. Extending life: no problem. We've been doing that since some ape-man looked at the stars (or the moon, or the sun, or whatever and whenever it happened) changed the course of history when he (or she) did something incredibly new and had an idea.
I think it may be possible to one day, to some degree, upload minds into computers, in a form of immortality--- but would that be immortality, or just another way of conceiving "offspring"? Certianly, the origional body will one day be gone: even if you replaced each body part with cloned organs, would that be the same body? There's a though experiment involving a main ship and a repair ship: as the main ship travels, parts and hull plates are replaced with spares, so it always looks like it did when it was new. The repair ship follows, and keeps all the removed parts, and effectively rebuilds the ship into working order as a separate ship. So, which of the two near-identical boats is "the ship"?
As an Atheist, I recognise that death is just a consequence of life and existance. Billions of years ago, some massive star died in a malestorm of fire, force, and radiation, tearing itself apart as it's core shattered and flung itself in one final cataclysm. And good thing too: for if not for that blast, the elements forged in that nuclear fury wouldn't have been free to form the Sun, the Earth, and it's waters...
Ages ago, life was born in the primitive seas. Young life forms constantly evolved in order to survive. Some prospered, some did not; all sorts of life ebbed and flowed like the tide. In the quiet rhythm of the mother sea, life grew, always seeking to survive and flourish. Soon life began the advance towards land, opening new habitats. A great prosperity came, as life conquered even the highest mountains. Mass extinctions came wave after wave, but empty niches always quickly refilled, to once again prosper, grow, and reproduce.
Someday the next great emigration will occur, as we leave this existence looking for another.
Indeed: We are stardust. And one day, the journey will begin anew.
That nightmare with Death was just way too awesome for something Sweetie Belle came up with.
Been a long time since I had my "omg I'm going to die one day" moment. I was... eight or nine? For about two weeks I just watched everyone and everything and was like, "what's the point? It's all just going to end."
That's when I realized, living IS the point. Death was only scary because there were still things I wanted to do. From that point forward I resolved to live my life without regrets.
I try my best not to think about death. I just want to enjoy life and have fun. I don't really care what goes on in this world. I try my best to avoid the news and stick with fantasy. Its probably not the best way but I'm trying to enjoy life as much as possible.
Having buried both parents, it's sort of easy to sympathize with her. Isn't a day goes by I don't half-way expect to see them or notice themselves in me.
at a young age i got diagnosed with a heart condition that has me near death majority of the time and it doesn't bother me to much, i just want to make the most of what i got and mostly i just want to be remembered.
yeah is tough when we, for the first time, realise we are gonna die at some point. I didnt have to much trouble with the fact that I was gonna die one day, thats fine really.
what scared me the most was the death of the people I love, my mother in particular. I remember crying when I was little when she took too long to come home, guess I was mamas girl in a wayXD
I still have the same fear, looking at my grandparents, I can see life slowly fading away.
so I guess I enjoy every moment I can when Im with them, having a good time and build good memories. stuff like that.
boy, this is getting deep. great chapter dear author.
Im gonna go and read something uplifting and fluffy for a change though
Am I too young for this? I'm only fifteen and I have thought about death for far too many. A lot of my relatives have passed away. Most of their funerals I couldn't attend. But when I do attend, however, is like stabbing a knife on my back. I don't talk often during the funeral. The thought of dying is like a huge weight on my chest. Even until now, dying is like the abyss for me. I wouldn't want to go there, but I want to know more about it.
There are times when my friends talk about death. I'm really sensitive about it, so I stay silent. Of course, they would notice, and they would understand.
I believe that death is saying farewell to the world. We cannot be here forever, and so does life itself. There will come a day when all life in the world will vanish.
This is just too much for me. Just saying what I have to say.
I don't fear death, I'm scared of what lies after and the inconvenience of it. I've been to four funerals. I didn't feel anything for the first three, I was to young to question life but the fourth one, which was my grandfather's was the first one I'd been to after I had begun thinking about life and death. It was pretty tough. It was like someone had punched me and just knocked the wind out of me when I first heard. Some might disagree but that feeling of dread when you know someone close to you is going to die soon is the worst feeling in the world.
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I love your series by the way!
and to think of all the highly dangerous stunts they pulled to try and earn their cutie marks they only receive minor cuts/bruises and the occasional tree sap, but DT gets hit by a cart going too fast and she ends up dying on the operating table... which makes you wonder, if she was coherent before going in then ho did it end up so bad?
I have lost a few people in my life, and unfortunately I may even lose a few more before I'm finished with my current endeavor. Death is never easy to deal with, and learning of your own mortality is horrifying. I can imagine Sweetie Belle falling into a deep depression before this is over.
It hit me at the age of ten. I was looking at a picture of my third grade class and the weird thing was up till that point i had never seen death.the fear came from no wear i started to cry and mom and dad asked what was wrong. I told them i didn't want to die they said i wouldn't have to worry about it for a long time i think that was the first time in a long time that i was afraid of dying soon after i started to rationalize it and it doesn't bother me any more iv come to terms with my mortality and all i want is to just enjoy the time i have
3081499 nothing wrong with that.i avoid the news to its never good i think this video explanes why perfectly
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ANyDzdDb7_4
If the link doesn't work look up Richard Jeni bad news
I so wanted to hug Sweetie Belle at the end
I'm not entirely sure when I came to terms with the fact I was going to die, but come to terms with it I did...
As for what I think happens after death I'll let a man wiser than I describe them.
Even if there is nothing beyond death, and it is simply the bane that will one day fell everybody we know, death is also the greatest ally of those who want liberty and justice in the world, for so long as men die, no tyranny can be eternal, and truly all are equal, for death doesn't care for your culture, skin tone, race, creed, gender, or anything it simply is.
Being a Christian, I believe that there is a heaven and a hell. The only way to avoid hell is through salvation from Jesus Christ. And I don't worry too much about tomorrow or the years to come, since I believe God is in control.