//------------------------------// // Revolving Door // Story: Discord Takes His Friends to the Afterlife // by Zennistrad //------------------------------// “...Afterwards, the Royal Sisters took notice, and for my efforts made me the first captain of the Equestrian Royal Guard. Pretty neat, huh?” As the other pegasus finished her story, Fluttershy stood across from her, sipping quietly from a tall glass of fruit punch. Ponies of all kinds gathered for these outdoor parties, hosted by the archons in an attempt to keep the many souls of Elysium occupied. Eternity, as many learned, was a long time. “It’s a wonderful story, Miss Shinespark,” Fluttershy remarked, “you must have been very brave to face down a dragon like that.” Shinespark’s bright blue coat almost seemed to glow in the Elysium’s warm light, the gentle beams of holy radiance from above giving her blonde mane an almost a shimmering quality. Her cutie mark, an s-shaped lightning bolt laid over a red shield, matched the thunderous confidence that remained beneath her eyes at all times. “Pshaw, that’s nothing. You should have seen when he came back. Enough about that, though. How’s my father doing down in the world of the living? I heard you met him after he escaped limbo.” Fluttershy blinked. “Your father?” “Yeah, Flash Magnus. He taught me virtually everything I know. Had some pretty unreasonably lofty expectations of me, or so I’d thought at the time.” A sudden frown crossed her face. “I actually started out as a bounty hunter just to spite him, you know. He was not happy about that, I can say that much.” Fluttershy let out a tiny gasp. “Oh, dear. That doesn’t sound like a very nice thing to do.” “It wasn’t,” Shinespark replied. The lightning behind her eyes seemed to die down, but only for a moment. “It wasn’t until he decided he had no choice but to disappear himself that I realized how much he meant to me. I never saw him again for as long as I lived.” She paused momentarily, her gaze drifting briefly to the cloud-like ground below them. “It must be so difficult for him to live down there, thinking he’ll never see me again. I mean, I guess he’ll probably see me eventually, but... I dunno, I just feel bad about the whole thing.” Fluttershy gently placed a hoof on Shinespark’s withers, a gesture that brought her gaze upwards. The lightning behind Shinespark’s gaze took on a gentler, warmer character, her irises sparkling under the ethereal light from the sunless sky above. “I understand. I know it’s not easy having to go through the realization that you’re... um...” Shinespark’s lips curved into a smirk. “Dead?” Fluttershy let out a squeak. “Y-yeah. That.” “Fluttershy, it’s okay,” Shinespark reassured. “I get that you’re trying to make me feel better, but I’ve already long gotten past the worst of that. You don’t need to stress yourself out worrying about me. I’ll be fine.” Fluttershy pulled her hoof back, sucking in her lower lip. Inside her ethereal form, a tension she couldn’t quite describe was building, like something was clutching at parts of a body she no longer had. “Oh... are you sure?” “Positive,” Shinespark replied. “Just relax, okay?” At Shinespark’s gentle word, Fluttershy closed her eyes. She mimicked a motion of her diaphragm, and experienced an odd sensation within her that felt like inhaling deeply, despite being aware that no breath had passed through her form. Almost right away, she felt the tension within her dissipate. When she opened her eyes again, a gentle smile crossed her face. “Thank you, I needed that.” BWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM! The foghorn assaulted Fluttershy’s non-corporeal eardrums with the force of an earthquake, causing her entire soul to shake as she winced from the impact on her senses. She turned again towards the source of the noise, and saw a moderately-sized tugboat sailing across the otherwise-solid clouds making up the ground, a boat far too small to warrant the need for such a horn. On its side, she noticed, was a crudely-stenciled image of her own cutie mark, spray-painted next to an image of Rainbow Dash’s, both marks so close to each other that their paint overlapped at the edges. But what drew the most attention from her was the fact that Discord was standing at the wheel, dressed in the outfit of an old sea captain, complete with a scraggly white beard and corncob pipe. “Make way, make way!” Discord called out. “The greatest ship in all of Equestria has arrived!” Fluttershy aggressively fought the urge to press her own hoof into her forehead, a battle with herself that she almost lost. She settled instead for glaring at Discord’s tugboat as it approached her. When it reached her, she quickly realized that she’d actually misjudged its size by a very significant amount. Somehow, despite appearing at a relatively normal size in the distance, it now appeared to be no higher than her ankles, a fact that when she stared at the tiny Discord whose bath toy of a vessel had just bumped into her leg. “Discord,” Fluttershy said, voice straining. “I thought you promised you’d wait for my friends before visiting me.” There was a sudden flash of light, and the ship disappeared, leaving Discord’s usual choice of body and appearance standing just before Fluttershy and a very bewildered Shinespark. “Oh, don’t look at me like that,” Discord remark. “I don’t recall ever making a promise about it. I simply thought it might be a good idea. But it’s oh-so-dreadfully boring without you around. They actually expected me to deliver a eulogy for you! I hate eulogies! Always acting like somepony’s gone forever, when they’re very clearly not!” Shinespark stared blankly, while Fluttershy gave a stare that was decidedly more pointed. “Discord, living ponies don’t know whether the Elysium actually exists or not. As far as my friends are concerned, I could be gone forever.” Discord froze, and a sound like shattering glass came from inside him as his eyes went wide. “Hold on, they don’t know? But you talk about the Elysium literally all the time! It’s in thousands of stories across history! How do you not know?” “It’s called faith, Discord. Sometimes ponies believe things that they don’t know for sure.” Discord paused. His brow furrowed, and he raised a claw thoughtfully towards his chin. “Hmm... for some reason I feel like any comment I make on that statement would be both in poor taste and potentially offensive.” He gave a noncommittal shrug. “Oh well, not a big loss.” It only was then that Shinespark’s thoughts seemed to catch up with the rest of her. “Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa. Time out. You’re telling me that you’re Discord? The one that brought the entirety of Equestria to an era of chaos and terror? That Discord?” “In the quantum state of matter that may or may not be flesh at any given moment,” Discord replied with a grin. “So the archons weren’t just pranking me when they said you were friends with Fluttershy?” “Excuse me!? Who asked you?” Discord said, crossing his arms with a huff. “Don’t you have a baby to be taking care of somewhere?” “Uh... no?” said Shinespark. “All of my descendants are fully functioning adults, living or dead. Even that what’s-his-face in the Crystal Empire, if we’re being generous.” “Well, I don’t recall soliciting your opinion in any case,” said Discord. “Now, then...” He turned to face Fluttershy, his features almost immediately lightening, only to frown again when he saw her sad, quivering eyes. “Fluttershy?” Discord said, his voice going soft. “Fluttershy, are you alright? Was it something I said?” “I... no, it’s not that,” said Fluttershy. She looked up and sniffled slightly, brushing a stray mane hair out of her face. “I... I know you just want us to keep spending time together like we used to, and I know it must feel terrible not being around me. I just...” Her eyes closed briefly as she turned to look away, before turning back to Discord with could only be described as the Platonic ideal of sad-puppy eyes. “What will my friends think? How will they feel if they ever found out that you’ve been visiting me, when they’ll never see me again as long as they live? I... I just don’t want to hurt them, Discord! I know it hurts you to be kept away from me, but I just don’t want to hurt them either! I... I...” Discord’s face visibly sagged at the sight of his distraught friend. His eyes still drooping, he raised a finger and opened his mouth as if to speak, only to undo the gesture as his eyes drifted to the ground. It was only after a long pause that he finally spoke again. “...You know what? You’re right,” said Discord. “I’m sorry to have upset you. If it really matters that much to you, I’ll wait.” Fluttershy wiped her nose on her front leg, despite her form’s lack of any bodily fluids. “R-really? You promise?” An idea began forming in the back of Discord’s mind. As the thought bubbled its way to the surface, he began grinning so wide that it threatened to split open. “You have my word that I will not return before your friends get here. Cross my heart and hope to fly.” ———————— Fluttershy’s house was empty. Not in the sense that it wasn’t occupied, as many ponies trotted about its interior and exterior. Though her will had guaranteed that all of her animals would be moved to the care of a proper sanctuary, it had also instructed that all of her worldly possessions be sold from her estate, and the proceeds donated to charity. As a result, dozens upon dozens of ponies roamed the estate sale, looking to claim a piece of Fluttershy’s old life for their own. But even still, the house was empty. There were none of the scents of fresh tea leaves, none of the patters of little animal feet, none of the little touches and decorations of a home being cared for. The house was truly, resoundingly empty. Seeing the house in such a state had already placed Twilight on edge. There was a sense of wrongness to it that made her skin crawl, like everything about the cottage had been warped and perverted in ways she couldn’t fully perceive. But worst of all were all the many wealthy nobles who descended upon Fluttershy’s former belongings like hungry vultures, desperate to claim things they didn’t need so they could brag about inheriting them from the legendary Bearer of Kindness. It was nothing short of nauseating. How could they exploit the memory of such a dear friend? Was nothing sacred. Twilight had tried very hard to avoid letting her contempt for the situation show outwardly. For the most part, she’d stuck to managing inventory and organizing tasks behind the scenes, letting her avoid the opportunistic ponies that disgusted her so much. It was a job that she felt compelled to do herself, as Fluttershy’s friend, yet at the same time she constantly doubted her ability to live up to what she thought Fluttershy would want. Most of her other friends had worked hard to coordinate the event, but with so many customers flocking to the tiny cottage on the edge of Ponyville, it had quickly proven more than they could handle. Worse, both Discord and Rainbow Dash hadn’t even shown up to the sale at all, no doubt unable to bring themselves to look at the reminder of who they’d lost. It left everyone feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. With so much work to be done, Twilight sometimes had to take over for her exhausted friends at the cash register just to give them a break. Now, she sat behind a table in the living room, among an assortment of other tables displaying dozens upon dozens of items. The gentle clicking and dinging of the cash register formed a monotonous rhythm as she checked out each of the ponies’ items, eventually falling into a rhythm of her own, not even bothering to notice who the ponies making the purchases were. Pinkie sat at another small table directly to the left of her, providing gift-wrapping services whenever needed, though it was done without any of her usual enthusiasm. A light brown stallion with a darker brown mane approached the table, carrying a pair of saddlebags. He carefully balanced an ornate blue vase on his back, with a large black flower held in its center. “Hello there, Princess,” he said, sporting a distinctive accent, “sorry we had to see each other under these circumstances. It’s a real shame you lost your friend.” Twilight was pulled out of her autopilot routine, and looked up to meet the stallion’s eye. “Oh, hey Clockspinner. I didn’t notice you there.” “Doctor Time-” He froze momentarily, his eyes widening the way a pony’s would if they‘d accidentally stepped in something gross. “Er, Clockspinner. Doctor Clockspinner. Yes, that is most definitely my name.” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Since when did you have a doctorate?” “Oh... oh, dear.” The now pony claiming to be Clockspinner winced painfully. “Well! That’s not important right now, is it? The important thing is that I’m a paying customer, and I just so happen to be interested in this item right here.” In a motion so swift that it should have caused him to drop and shatter it, he placed the vase onto the checkout table, prominently displaying the adhesive price label on the front. “So, how much?” Twilight’s eyes darted to the label, and then back to Clockspinner. “Um...” “No, not the vase, the flower.” “What, that?” said Twilight. Her eyes glanced briefly to the flower. On closer examination, it appeared to be a lotus of some kind, its petals coated in a lustrous, waxy coat that shimmered beneath the light. “But it’s just a flower. I’m pretty sure it just comes with the vase.” “You’re certain about that?” said Clockspinner. “Because I’d say you’d be underselling it by quite a large margin in that case. Here, take this.” With another impossibly fast motion, he reached into his saddlebags and tossed a small bag onto the table, the metallic noise of clinking coins sounding as it fell. “I think that should be enough.” “Um... thanks?” Twilight’s head tilted slightly as she forced herself to give a reply. Many questions lingered on her mind, but she ultimately decided she was too tired to care about them right now. Sighing inwardly, she grabbed the bag in her telekinesis and opened the pull string, dumping its contents onto the table so she could count them properly. What she saw almost made her choke on her own saliva. The coins were of a strikingly different design than Equestrian bits, and were minted not from gold, but from platinum. On each of the coin’s faces was the unmistakable visage of Princess Platinum herself. Twilight’s mouth hung agape. “Wha.... buh... These.... These aren’t bits! These are rare coins from the ancient Unicorn Kingdom! These must be worth a small fortune!” Clockspinner gave a grin, revealing a perfect set of pearly-white teeth. “Well then, I’ll take that to mean it’s a fair trade. Anyway, I must be going. Lots of work to do. Cheerio!” Twilight didn’t even get a chance to press him any further, as the brown stallion swiftly grabbed the vase and trotted away, leaving her to simply stare blankly as he vanished into the crowd. For several more hours, Twilight was subjected to the agonizing drudgery of keeping the estate sale going, made all the more painful by seeing so many reminders of her late friend be taken away. When she wasn’t manning one of the cash registers, she was double-checking every checklist currently in her possession to make sure that everything sold was intended for sale, and every sale was accounted for. By late afternoon, the crowd had already thinned to almost nothing. It was nearly dark by the time the estate sale ended, leaving Fluttershy’s former cottage completely emptied of everything, save for the dust that settled in the aftermath. As Twilight checked off the last her checklist, she turned to address her circle of friends, each of which looked as though they could collapse on the spot. “Looks like that’s everything,” she said. She paused as she noticed a conspicuous absence in their midst. “Wait, where are Spike and Starlight?” “I believe they went home a while ago,” Rarity replied. “Spike looked so tired, the poor dear. I wouldn’t blame Starlight Glimmer for wanting to give him a chance to rest.” “Guess they must have forgotten to tell me,” Twilight muttered. It was understandable that it would have slipped Starlight’s mind, but she still wished she was informed earlier. Applejack shivered slightly, glancing around at the. “You know, it just don’t feel right seeing this place so empty.” Pinkie nodded along silently. She hadn’t uttered a word in hours. “I know,” said Twilight. Her eyes drifted to the side, and her chest began to feel unbearably heavy. “Even after all this time, it’s hard to see her cottage like this. Like it’s not enough for her to be gone, the world has to go out of its way to remind us.” She inhaled deeply through her nostrils, closing her eyes as a single tear dripped down the side of her cheek. “Twilight...” Rarity reached out with a hoof, only to pause when Twilight held up her own. “I’m fine, Rarity. This... this is just something that happens. It’s something everyone has to see at some point in their lives.” An understanding began to rise within Twilight’s mind, one that she had purposefully kept buried deep below her awareness for years. It breached the surface of her thoughts with explosive force, like a hungry kraken emerging from the ocean. “And I guess some of us see it more than others,” she whispered. The room fell silent. The eyes of her friends pressed upon her, pushing against her until they burrowed into the very depths of her soul. “Twilight,” said Applejack. “You don’t mean...” Twilight’s ears splaying against the back of her head. “Nevermind. It’s not important right now. Just forget I said anything.” Slowly, the door creaked open. Twilight turned to see Rainbow Dash standing in the doorway. Her entire body sagged as she approached, her mane ruffled and her feathers ragged, stray bits of down falling from her wings with each step. Rarity let out a horrified gasp. “Good heavens, Rainbow! You look dreadful! How long has it been since your last preening?” Her nose wrinkled, and her stomach visibly lurched as she suppressed a gag. “Or a bath, for that matter.” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Whatever, mom.” A very long string of curses followed, mumbled too quietly to identify exactly, yet just loud enough that they could be recognized as curses. “Rarity’s right, Rainbow Dash,” said Applejack. Her voice was firm, but the slight waver to it betrayed her deep concern. “You look like you ain’t slept in days. You sure you’re okay?” Rainbow shot Applejack a glare. “What do you think? What part of this—” she reached out with her foreleg, gesturing broadly to the empty house “—looks okay to you?” “Rainbow, please. Ah know—” “Leave her alone.” Pinkie’s voice cut through the atmosphere like a hot knife. The conversation abruptly halted, letting silence drape itself over the room just long enough to feel uncomfortable. “Rainbow’s feeling sad right now,” Pinkie continued. Her mane drooped as she pawed idly at the ground. “Maybe... maybe that’s just what she wants. Maybe she just wants to be left alone.” Right away, Rainbow Dash seemed to snap out of her depressive funk, trading it for wide stare of bewilderment. “Huh? Pinkie, you’re literally the first pony I’d ever expect to try to cheer me up. I mean... I guess I’m not complaining, but I honestly came in expecting to deal with some antics from you.” Pinkie shook her head, eyes held low to the ground. “If you can find something to be cheerful about, let me know. Because I don’t.” She turned her gaze upwards, and cautiously made eye contact with Rainbow. “What are you even doing here, anyway?” Rainbow snorted. “I just wanted to see what was taking you guys so long. Didn’t think you’d want to stay in here any longer than you had to.” Her expression turned dire, and her body went tense. “Guess you must have been busy getting rid of everything Fluttershy ever owned.” “Rainbow, please,” Twilight said. “I know—” “I’m not interested in hearing your little ‘I know how you feel’ speech, Twilight!” Rainbow interjected. “Because you don’t! You just don’t!” Twilight stared back in shock. The air felt thick and heavy as she strained for breath, staring directly into the weary, tear-soaked eyes of Rainbow Dash. Rainbow let out a sigh. “I... I had a crush on her, you know.” Her voice cracked as she spoke, as straining to say the words above a whisper. “Ever since I was a filly. I just... didn’t understand those feelings until recently. I...” Twilight blinked. Everything about Rainbow’s current state made sense now. It was illuminating, yet it simultaneously felt like a punch to the gut. “...I-I wanted to tell her for months how I really felt. I kept putting it off, waiting for the perfect moment. Or maybe I was just afraid of how she’d react. I honestly don’t know. A-and now...” Her words trailed off, tears now streaming freely down her cheeks. As Rainbow shook with sobs, Twilight found herself stepping forward. The motion of her body wasn’t even given a thought as she stepped forward, the sight of a friend in need reaching an understanding deeper than anything she could read in a book. Twilight’s wing wrapped itself around Rainbow’s barrel, and she felt the warmth seeping between their bodies, as she held her friend in close embrace. The warmth grew, multiplying and intensifying, as each of her other friends joined in turn. Soon they all held each other closely in a shared hug, the pain that they shared soothed as the minutes passed. Twilight pulled away, her eyes turning to make contact with each of her friends in turn. Rainbow softly wiped the tears from her eyes. “Thanks,” she muttered. “I... I’m sorry you all had to see me like that.” “There ain’t nothing you need to apologize for, Rainbow,” Applejack replied. “It’s always hard to lose somepony you care about so deeply.” Rainbow sniffed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. And... thank you. All of you.” Rainbow’s lips began to curve slightly upwards. Though the subtle wrinkles of melancholy never left her face, there was a certain softness to it now, like a great tension had been lifted. She stood there, facing her friends in silent appreciation, the lull speaking more to them than any words ever could. For almost a solid minute, the silence remained. That is, until another unexpected voice called out. “Is it alright if I chime in now? You had something of a mood going, and I didn’t want to ruin it.” Twilight’s head whipped around. Behind her, Discord lay floating in the air on his backside, idly rubbing at his claws with a nail file as he observed the scene. “Discord?” said Twilight. “What are you doing here?” A huge grin broke out on Discord’s face. “Why, I’m glad you asked! I came here because I have an offer to make for you. How would all of you like to head over to the Elysium and pay your dear friend Fluttershy a visit?” The room once again went silent, and Discord was met bewildered stares from five separate pairs of eyes. Rainbow’s teeth clenched. Her eyes narrowed, her wings flared, and her entire body tensed as she forcibly pointed a hoof in his direction. “That. Isn’t. Funny.” Discord frowned. “And I’m not joking,” he replied. His tone instantly became devoid of even the slightest hint of amusement. “I am here because I made a pinkie promise to Fluttershy that I would not pay her any more visits in the Elysium before any of you got there. Something about her not wanting you to feel left out. Either way, I never specified that you actually had to die to get there.” “Wha— N-now, hold on!” Twilight held up a hoof. “You’re not only saying that the Elysium exists, but that you’ve been there? And you can just go back and forth from it whenever you want?” “That I can,” said Discord. “And I can take anyone else I want with me, too.” Twilight’s wings shifted by her sides. She turned back to face her friends, noting the equal parts discomfort and confusion writ large upon their faces. “Discord, dear,” said Rarity, “as much as I’d like to take you on that offer, you must understand that it sounds remarkably far-fetched.” “Far-fetched?” said Applejack. “This is Discord we’re talking about here. Ah’m pretty sure the thought of what’s possible and what ain’t don’t even enter his mind. And besides...” Applejack paused for a moment, and her eyes briefly became distant. As her attention returned to the present, she grabbed her hat, and clutched it against her chest. “I-if there’s even a chance he’s telling the truth... If he really can take us to visit the Elysium...” “He’s telling the truth,” Pinkie interjected, drawing a startled glance from Applejack. Before anyone else could question her, she continued. “No matter where they are, I can always tell when somepony makes a pinkie promise. I don’t always know what it is, or who it was made to, but... when Discord said he made a pinkie promise to Fluttershy, I could feel that promise. It’s all true. It has to be.” Twilight’s could already feel her head beginning to swim. She blinked rapidly, hoping desperately to break free from the shock that had struck her. “I... Pinkie, I know I normally trust your... well, whatever the weird things you do are, but this is nuts! Do you have any idea how huge it would be if this were true? Do you understand just how massive the implications are? I... I can’t even begin to think of how society would be impacted by the existence of the afterlife!” “Then why don’t you stop thinking about it?” Rainbow shot back. “Just let him take us there already!” “What? B-but Rainbow, we don’t know—” “Forget what we don’t know!” Rainbow shouted. “If you think I’m going to turn my back a to see Fluttershy again, you’ve got another thing coming! I... I’ll never forgive you if you deny me this, Twilight!” The words were flung at Twilight with such force and venom, that she reacted to them as though physically struck. As she turned to face Rainbow, she could see the tears once again forming near the edges. Slowly, the tension in Rainbow’s face began to fade, and the fury and indignation faded from beneath her eyes, leaving only the raw, exposed desperation beneath. “Just... please, let me have this. I just want to see her one last time. Please...” Twilight’s ears folded back on themselves, and her chest grew heavy with pressure. It became almost unbearably difficult to maintain eye contact with Rainbow Dash, yet she continued to look her straight in the center of her vibrant pink irises. The pain that reflected off of them was as clear as day, wounds still yearning to be closed. “...Alright,” said Twilight. “I’ll do it. I... I don’t think Discord would lie about something like this, not when it involves his closest friend. I just... don’t know what to expect from this, that’s all.” “Great!” said Discord. “So I take it that you’re all ready to depart? There’ll be no need to pack, you’ll only be visiting for a little while. And, as they say, you can’t take it with you.” Twilight turned to face Discord for an answer, then glanced back expectantly at each of her friends. They, in turn, each gave her a nod. “...I think so, yeah,” Twilight forced herself to respond. The apprehension bubbling up through stomach had made it difficult to answer, yet now she was certain what her answer was. “Excellent!” said Discord. “In that case, I’ll go ahead and send you all on your merry way!” Discord raised his hand, and sound suddenly pierced through the air, a mechanical whiz that sounded not unlike the rapid winding of a clockwork key. From the ground, an outline of a rectangular prism popped into existence, expanding upwards and outwards, as though its far corner was being dragged outwards. Soon, the prism grew to surround Twilight and all of her friends at once. Then, suddenly, the outline of the prism became solid, its faces solidifying into transparent, impassible. Twilight’s body instinctively seized up as she realized that she was trapped. “See you on the other side, my little ponies! Ciao!” Discord snapped his fingers, emitting a blindingly bright burst of powerful chaos magic. And then Twilight and her friends exploded.