The Last Dance of the Sun - Continue, y/n? · 6:52pm Sep 3rd, 2018
You know I've got a half dozen stories on the burner with a dozen in the background, most recently an AU doodling of "What if Green Grass was in Estee's universe?" which I bounced off the author and got reluctant approval for someday. Trick Question's The Phoenix Festival made me think of another one, about just what kind of relationship an immortal alicorn might have, in the tone of the play 'Same Time Next Year' only scaled up. Take a look and tell me what you think. It should work out to a one-shot if I get it done.
Princess Celestia always knew when she was about to die. It would have been so embarrassing otherwise. Much like the first time.
It was really such an inconvenience. If she had known in advance, a place could have been arranged on the calendar, arrangements made in advance. Flowers, most certainly. Being dead always left a certain taste in her mouth that took days to go away. Roses helped so much. Still, it was not worth making a fuss over something so simple that she could not change. Plus it had some advantages.
So when she felt the signs, Celestia made sure to write a note for her sister, leave an extra candlenut into Philomena’s food bowl, and retired to her bedroom for the evening. Normally, she did not lock the door, but with Twilight Sparkle occupying the same chunk of space-time, it was a wise precaution. Even though it probably would be another decade or two before Twilight died, she really needed to have the whole thing explained to her first, or the resulting panic fit would be worthy of the history books. Maybe she could have Cadence explain it to her. Of course, that meant Celestia would have to tell her first, yet another troublesome task that the immortal had been putting off until later.
Celestia added it to the things she needed to remember as she settled down in her bed with a toothbrush and a bouquet of hastily acquired roses on the bedstand for later. She relaxed her wings, put her head down on her lace pillow, and breathed in its fresh scent. It was always nice for the staff to—
And then she died.
The Realm of the Blessed Dead always felt new to Celestia’s senses as she emerged from the fog that concealed it from the rest of the universe. The sky was filled with a moon and stars, glittering and dancing in the ebon veil to shine their light over a pleasant green pasture, with a familiar occupant.
His coat was silver in the moonlight, with just the faintest hint of yellow as if it had been gold some odd number of centuries ago and weathered as time passed. His sparkling blue eyes had not changed one bit in that time, nor had his subdued smile. The stallion took a step forward with his wings tented ever so slightly over his flanks and an eternal etheric wind blowing the wan colors of his mane back over the feathers. Sparkles of light reflected from their vanes as he walked, matching her similar slow pace until the two of them were nearly nose-to-nose.
“Celestia,” he breathed. “Beg pardon for the nighttime surroundings. I was expecting your sister.”
She leaned forward and met his lips, allowing herself to flow into the long-delayed kiss which lasted far too short a time. “Are you disappointed?” she asked once they parted.
“Never.” It was his turn to lean into their kiss, releasing a hunger inside Celestia that only her will could hold in check. After all, they had the whole evening before she was to return. A very short time together for their long times apart, and she was determined to make every moment count.
Ooh. You definitely have me intrigued, both here and with the Continuum story.
OK. Speaking only for myself, I very much like the premise and execution so far...
...and before you ask, no, it is not my notoriously piggybacking-prone Muse who is telling me to say this.
4930882 Technically, even though it's an AU, the Green Grass story is *not* a Continuum story since it happens in the first few months of Twilight's move to Ponyville and only during times when she's not there.
Would definitely read!
y
if Death was expecting Luna does that mean they both were dying that night?
4930909 She hasn't dropped by in over a thousand years. She's overdue for a visit. It's like not visiting your dentist for a decade or so.
Y
These are both pretty interesting concepts. I'd definitely read them.
Hm, well, it does seem interesting. :)
y
Personally I have been hoping for chapters of Farmer Bruener has some Ponies
Press "Damn right it'd read the heck out of that" to pay respects.
I've always wondered where all the male alicorns are. Well, for values of "not a gender swapped X so someone can slap the Sex tag on the story".
The interminable paperwork took forever to fill out, and she wanted to be first in line to pick from this millennium's new reincarnation models.
She followed the stallion, Bhava, back to Realm of the Blessed Dead's return kiosk and deposited her soul into the multi-dimensional "Returns" manifold.
Bhava manifested a glowing etherial clipboard and pen and began ticking off a checklist.
"Coat in good condition...low mileage on hooves...mana stores topped off..."
He glanced up at Celestia with a pleased grin on his face.
"Everything looks good here. No issues here. I wish all our customers were as courteous and conscientious as you."
A soft *ping*! *ping*! emanated from the clipboard.
Bhava gave a low chuckle. "It says here that as a diamond member of our 'Repeat Resurrection Club', you are qualified for a discount on select models for your next next reincarnation."
He waved his hoof toward a rank of imposing, Gigeresque alicorns done up in a rather fetching red and black scheme. "I can even give you a free 'edgy back-story' on our new dual-horned 'OC' line."
Celestia tittered in amusement behind her hoof. "Oh dear me, no! It has been a long time since I was a rebellious filly celebrating her 16th aeon. I think I will stick with my current model." She *hmmmm*'ed thoughtfully and tapped her hoof against her chin. "Perhaps add a bit more to the tush this time around?"
Bhava made a quick notation to the clipboard before dispatching it with a jaunty little *bweep*!.
"Alright! Done and done!" He waved Celestia over to a set of lavish double doors. "Your credit check and background history is still on file, so we will be able to expedite your next rental. In the mean time, please feel free to relax in the Diamond Lounge and enjoy our complimentary tea and cake!"
4932000 somebody's angling for a Not The Final Word entry :)
4932029
heh heh
I was inspired by our rental experience this Labour Day holiday and the thought of Estee writing a completely barmy "Celestia Resurrection" type story. (Although I imagine if Estee did write something like that, there would be a lot more paperwork and delays involved as new credit and background checks are run to meet the updated requirements (Celestia would fail natch), Celestia's club membership would have expired one and a half centuries ago, the rewards points do not transfer between astral planes, and the only things available available are "Breezie" and "off-brand pink with suspicious stain and a faint smell of stale cigarette smoke"...)
4932055 "So... I'm immortal. But I have to fill out the paperwork?"
The mare behind the ratty oak desk that seemed to lean ever so slightly to the side looked up from her magazine, then to the sign over her reading 'Immortal Alicorns - Stop Here First' and back down to her magazine. "Yeah, whatever," she muttered. "Lemmie get done with this compatibility quiz and I'll get your first packet of forms. If they're in stock."
...
"Excuse me." Twilight held up the hoof-thick stack of papers and riffled through them, past the ink blotches and the sections where the waxy paper refused to allow ink to properly set. "There's supposed to be a page 477, but it goes right from 476 to 478. There must be a mistake."
The dingy mare looked up from her magazine at the eager young alicorn who placed the stack of paper on her desk and smiled back. Giving the paper stack a little push, she dumped it into the trash can and gave Twilight a different, much smaller form. "Sorry, it must have been a typo. Fill out the form requisition form again and I'll get you a new blank copy."
4932058
Needs more bureaucracy and corporation:
A hulking, well-groomed yak in a cornflower-blue polo shirt towered over Twilight.
"Hello! My name is Plumb Bob and I am pleased to be your reincarnation agent this very fine afternoon. I will be assisting you in your final steps before resurrection. I am seeing several flags on your account. We will need to be resolving them before you can continue."
Pumb Bob squinted at the checklist in his hoof.
"Copyright law require that you pay a license fee for any works to be remembered across resurrections. I am showing 49,511 books, 5,122 musical works, and 49 plays. Your account contains insufficient credit to cover the license fees and the works will be replaced with royalty-free selections of Equestria's Greatest Kazoo Hits."
"The new Righful Privacy Rights Act requires written consent from ponies in order for you to retain your memories of them. The memories of 9,114 ponies you interacted with are being held in escrow. If notarized consent forms have not been received after 90 days, those memories will be deleted. Dragons, Griffons, Hippogrifs, Minotaurs, and Pegasi are not signatory to the act, so all memories regarding their respective races have been re-emptively removed"
"Due to your limited resurrection history with us, we are providing you with a limited reincatnation co-signed by some of our sponsors. This will allow you to build up your history and boost your 'Reincarnation Score' which will provide access to more options on later deaths. Your resurrection may be rate limited on a 'fair use' basis at peak hours and some modification of thought processes and personal preferences may occur to better align with sponsor branding guidelines."
"Your reincarnation comes with a monthly subscription to the standard alicorn 'Ethereal Mane and Tail' plus a coupon for 18% off the first month.The subscription will auto-renew each month unless a notarized cancellation form is mailed no later than 25 days before the next billing period."