//------------------------------// // Chapter Forty Seven: Smarty Pants // Story: The Pieces Lie Where They Fell // by Evilhumour //------------------------------// Chapter Forty-Seven Smarty Pants Smarty Pants was at a loss at what to do. The Monster had appeared suddenly with the strange looking filly before the Monster threw it into the Punishment Chair and forced the filly named Xvital to watch the Monster do its monster’s duties that it loved to show off to Smarty Pants when she was naughty. The Monster was very angry fighting those strangers who seemed to be close to defeating the Monster but Smarty Pants knew that it was impossible. Nothing could defeat the Monster, she knew th- Smarty Pants held her head in pain as thoughtsheshouldnothavewereinherheadandsomethingwassuqeezingherheadtogetitout. Xvital was whimpering as the Monster hit the five strangers around and Smarty Pants was doing her best to comfort her but the Monster was too strong and- She whimpered at the cruel words the Monster was saying, the loud voice hurting her ears. “You will all die now!” the monster sneered, throwing back the head of the pony whose body the monster was using to hurt the other ponies. “And your precious Xvital will watch all of you die horrible agonizing deaths, unable to save her FRIENDS!” Smarty Pants froze at that word. Friends. Friends. FriendsfriendsfriendsfriendsfriendsfriendsFRIENDSFRIENDSFRIENDSFRIENDSFRIENDS! Ipekenpiiaplpjekacybiealrerltaabowrdhsnirttylefuhs Those words-NO! ipekenpii    aplpjekac    biealrerlt    aabowrdhsni    rttylefuhs Those words, they meant something, something big, something important something bigimportant very bigimportant whycouldn’tsherememberwhattheywereandwhytheywereimportantWHYWHYWHYWHYWHY Smarty Pants began to feel herself begin to forget but no, she would not forget, not forget, she would remember she would remember she would remember SHE WOULD REMEMBER!!! With a cry of pain, she began to remember life before the monster; she remembered living in the room of books below, meeting ponies, knowing ponies, KNOWINGPONIESKNOWINGPONIESSHEKNEWPONIESSOWHYSHECOULDN’TSHEREMEMBERTHESEPONIES‽ She looked up at the view of the five facing the monster and she saw them turn into a pink pony orange pony white pony blue pony yellow pony-she knew this scene she lived through this before when they when they when they when they fought the monster and won. She knew them, she KNEW THESE PONIES AND SHE KNEW THEM! PINKIE PIE APPLEJACK RARITY BELLE RAINBOW DASH FLUTTERSHY With a cry of utter pain, she felt chains holding her mind back shatter, like twigs on the sun, exploding as she recalled all the time she spent with her friends, every moment ringing so sharply in her head it felt like her ears would bleed, so clearly that she would go blind, so perfectly detailed that she…. Smarty Pants placed her hooves onto her head as the master chain, the chain that held her true self back shatter as all of her memories screamed back into place, her body exploding with raw thaumatic might. Her body grew to towering heights, her horn spiraling far enough to scrape the sky, wings soaring out to claim the heavens as their own, her mane the very heart of Magic itself blazing in lights and colours never known to exist and never to exist again. Lifting her head, Smarty Pants died as the last of the donkey filly lie fell away and she reclaimed her true name, saying it for the first time in a thousand years. “I am,” she said softly before claiming the very air to proclaim her return, to make the very fabric of Reality itself take notice of this moment, all the Powers were to witness her rebirth. TWILIGHT SPARKLE Tilting her head downwards to Xvital, she unmade the chains holding her Heiress without thought; the bonds of her prison falling beneath her might to actually bring forth a tiny fulcrum of truth to the fore. With a flicker of her will, she healed the ahuizotless’s wounds and forced Xvital to face her. “The sum of the parts are greater than the whole,” Twilight Sparkle stated. “Honesty without Kindness to soften its words begets resentment, Kindness without Generosity leads to the endless abuse of the good nature until nothing is left. Without Loyalty to temper it, Laughter will be seen as cruel and splinter all to the winds. Without Honesty, there can be no Loyalty as lies and secrets are the only things that can kill Loyalty. Without Laughter to bring matters into perspective, Generosity becomes a self-harming system without end.” Twilight reached for their crown, and placed it on Xvital’s head, the Starburst of Magic changing colours from magenta to violet. “Magic is the Element that balances the others; it is the balance that provides a bridge so that Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity and Loyalty will work in harmony and bring forth the true power of the Elements. Go now and save your fellow Elements from the Nightmare.” Twilight Sparkle then leaned down her horn onto Xvital’s soul and bestowed two boons. She gave her heir a snippet of her knowledge and powers so she could face their imprisoner within the moment and she also gave Xvital’s soul a push as to kick off her own magic abilities. Xvital did not insult either of them by asking a question; she knew what she must do and did it, teleporting away to face the Nightmare and her destiny. Twilight Sparkle was now alone and for the first time in a thousand years, she interacted with the mortal realm directly. Looking down, she saw her own skeleton with broken chains that were still melting, the bones engraved with countless spells, wards, runes and the like to keep Death away. But no creature, no matter how powerful or mighty they may be, not even the Creators themselves, could deny Death what it was due. It had many names; the Pale Pony, the Grim Reaper, the Collector of Souls, the Final Answer, the Great Equalizer, the Unbarginable Griffon, the Reclaimer of Final Breaths, the Stealer of Souls, the Defeater of Empires, the Swallower of Oceans, the Thief of Years, the Ultimate Reality, the Harvester of Souls, the Keeper of the Keys at the End of the Universe, one of the Four Harbingers of Apocalypse, the Terror of the Grave, the Proclaimed First and Final Soul of Creation,  and so many more names lost to time itself. For most Death was an undefeatable terror, its visage capable of breaking any mortal’s will arrogant to believe them able to match its horrifying gaze of unnatural fire in its skull glaring out of its eye sockets. Its reach was beyond the stars themselves and was faster than any mortal alive, its hood and scythe imprinted into all minds of where true horror came from. However, even in death, there were exceptions. For those who died without sin, the young or simple minded, Death’s fearsome appearance was softened, its scythe absent and eyes’ glow was dulled and it took those to their final Judgement with softness and tenderness. And there were exceptions. To those who suffered needlessly and were kept past their time, to those who had lost so much, to those who had been pushed beyond into the ground and yet kept their souls pure, Death did more than simply soften its body. It took the time to bring true comfort to those unlucky but blazing, righteous souls for they were what the Creators had always hoped mortals would achieve in their tenure of life. Twilight Sparkle was an exception unto herself; being the exception to the exception and being a soul who had been part of a Role and Purpose and would have been a Power unto herself if fate had been allowed to go as it was intended. She had been part of Harmony and should have been Magic and during her tenures of life, she had fulfilled her Purpose, Role and Duties without fail. So when Death came for Twilight, Death took the appearance of kindly old grandfather. Smiling with love and kindness, he stood protectively by her side and took her beyond the realm of mortals and into Tartarus for her final journey. Almost all souls would be directed to Charon, the Ferryman, who would take the souls to the banks of the damned, where they would go to Judgement to learn of their fate. The line was endlessly long for all were allowed to make their case to the Judge of Judges, to plead for leniency and mercy for their actions, true sins and doubts of deeds spoken by the soul. Only the truly innocent and the truly guilty would stay silent, assured in how they acted in life would be clear to the Judge and give them passage to Elysium. Those found guilty of sins and continued to deny their deeds would be condemned to the tortures of Tartarus until such time their crimes had received the proper punishment and the soul understood the weight of their crimes. Those who had lived proper lives would go onto and enjoy their paradise that they earned. A part of giving their soul over to a Purpose to become a Power was that a deal was made to those who gave themselves this highest of callings. To those who fulfilled their Purpose and Role, saw that their Duties and Obligations were fulfilled, that they did not abuse their position and mantles were allowed to pass the Judge without Judgement. Even those who had the darkest of Purposes and bleakest of Roles, who created untold graves and slew uncountable lives were promised paradise and was given to them when their services were at an end. Death brought Twilight to the edge of Elysium, the Guardians of paradise turning what passed for heads down at Death and Twilight. It was not often that Death brought a soul directly to the final destination and it deserved notice. Twilight Sparkle looked into paradise and what she saw made her legs fold. On the other side was her family and friends, all eager and overjoyed to see her once more. Her mom and dad were crying with joy, her brother and his wife-to-be standing next to them and smiling brightly with her draconic brother/son standing tall on the white stallion’s back. Behind them were people that she knew from Ponyville and Canterlot, friends she never had the chance to know but all cheering at her arrival. And straight in front of her were her five best friends. Applejack was crying with joy and trying to hide the fact with her hat. Rainbow Dash was twitching with joy, acting like a hummingbird with a wide grin on her face. Rarity was dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief, her own grin speaking volumes. Fluttershy was simply smiling broadly, with her pet bunny rabbit perched on her head. And of course, Pinkie Pie was bouncing faster than the eye could follow and before anyone could process the thought, a massive banner saying Welcome home Twilight!!! was in the air and everyone had a party hat on their heads, with the Guardians sharing looks of confusion and Death’s eyes rolling up to the hat on its head. Twilight Sparkle walked close to the edge of Elysium and raised a hoof before she crossed the barrier. She looked backwards, back into the mortal realm. She thought of what Xvital and her friends were going to face, with the Nightmare being a terrifying foe that managed to kill her friends, trap and torture her for a thousand years, and did what it did to the princesses. She thought of what they could be facing, the monsters that Twilight and her friends left undefeated. She thought of all the hardships they could face and how much she could do to help and aid them. She thought of all the good she could do and a tiny part of her screamed to turn around, reject paradise for there was still so much to do. A tiny part of herself felt the need to be the princess of friendship was she destined to be and help the new generation of Elements. It was a tiny part of herself and only a tiny part. The rest of herself was tired from all the pain and suffering she had endured, that she had done all that was required of her. She was due her paradise and her reward for fulfilling what had been asked of her. Without looking backwards ever again, Twilight stepped forwards and joined her friends and family, took part of the party that prepared for her. And at long last, Twilight was finally able to rest in peace.