Ideas I will not be writing #3: Afterlife

First described in this thread in the Writer’s Group. The thread itself is quite heated and probably not worth your attention anyway, but I like the idea too much to just let it rot in there.

The question posed by the opening post was “What pony afterlife is like?” Since canon is, presumably deliberately, very quiet on the subject, we’re free to imagine more or less whatever gives us the most dramatic opportunities. As long as it doesn’t feel too out of tune with the spirit of the original, at least.

My first take would give us a few, but not a whole lot such opportunities:

Considering how many humans seem to end up in Equestria when they die, you can expect the reverse is true: When ponies die, they go to our own little corner of hell.

I am sure, however, that this has to have been done at least once, so it’s probably not a particularly interesting idea.

But here’s a little something that would give us a lot of dramatic opportunities:

Ponies in afterlife – does not matter what it’s called, might as well be Elysium – retain their memories, experiences and character, become free of all material needs and wants. They acquire the ability to freely observe whatever goings on in the material universe they please to see – but not to communicate to it.

They can do little to each other except talk, which can be done in quantity and is their primary activity. Occasionally, they can interfere with the material reality, but such interference into the material reality requires a majority vote, or a similarly complicated procedure requiring high levels of cooperation. Naturally, this is not achieved often, as ponies, while generally a friendly race, do not necessarily agree with each other readily without the influence of a demigod figure like Celestia. The interference they do manage to effect results in what we, the readers/viewers, see as bursts of improbability, that we explain away as one plot trope or another.

Since in such an afterlife, ponies are much freer to do anything they please, but there is, simply, much less to do, the primary thing occupying their time is politics and drama, as they attempt to “live” through their descendants and living relatives and track their progress, pursue high-level philosophy and distance themselves away from the material, (Some of these achieve enlightenment and disappear, nobody is sure how) argue over how to best influence the world and who is their favorite living pony, ship living ponies, play copious amounts of roleplaying games, spy on Celestia in the shower (she gets really annoyed even though she can’t understand why) and count the number of cups of coffee consumed by Luna, (they believe that once she achieves coffee singularity, she will be able to freely converse with them) etc, etc. There’s never a dull moment, and they can do something of consequence, depending on what values they adopt…

It’s just difficult as hell, because they have nothing to overcome except themselves and each other.

…In short, they go all brony and pegasister on everything. :)

Comments

[Lurks-no-More]

I kinda love this idea. It's wacky, but positive enough to fit into the canon pretty nicely.

[Oliver]

3867721

Take it! I'd really love to read something like that, which is why I posted it in the first place. :)

[Meta Four]

They can do little to each other except talk, which can be done in quantity and is their primary activity. Occasionally, they can interfere with the material reality, but such interference into the material reality requires a majority vote, or a similarly complicated procedure requiring high levels of cooperation. 

So, interfering with the world of the living is basically a huge game of Twitch Plays Pokémon?

[Oliver]

4561124

So, interfering with the world of the living is basically a huge game of Twitch Plays Pokémon?

Exactly that. :)