-Distant Past, River of Denial, Bennu-
I looked into the river and saw bright blue eyes staring back, feathers of brilliant red, orange and yellow filled out my form.
What I saw wasn’t what I used to be.
I was a heron that became the mother of the phoenix species, but I had yet to truly become the goddess that the true gods and goddesses see me as. I had the divinity and the power, but there was one thing that kept me from truly passing the threshold into being a true immortal power.
I would prefer to stay a sham they haven’t seen yet, I knew exactly how close I was to no longer being as such.
I had the power of creation, rebirth, a friendship with the sun and more, but I wanted something that no god or goddess would be willing to give me at this point in my life.
The ability to return to the natural cycle, even if for only a little while.
Some hit a wall when it comes to gaining divinity and can even lose it before they ascend, others could not even reach or get close to the point I am at, but overall? Divinity earned is not so easily avoided once you accept it, I once accepted it without knowing what it was that I was taking on… then I became the first phoenix.
A bright fire, that burns and burns again. With the ash left behind I will rise once more, eternal yet not truly immortal. The gods and goddesses didn’t think of the implications and thought that I was one of them, for all the power that I had… I wasn’t.
This led me to where I am, stuck in a cycle of my own making. Not quite truly immortal, but not capable of ever being able to truly die or change from who I am, to move on and to enjoy that which mortals take for granted.
That ability to become something else, to erase what happened to them in a past life and to experience everything anew for the first time with fresh and wide eyes.
Thus half a time upon her waking, after hearing about this mortal from my friend Baast, I went to meet this young cat.
She was not where she should be, she was also very frustrated with her current circumstances and angry at the world.
I had seen many mortals angry before and I was still technically mortal, but she was going to take things to a new level I feel. Jaded is very much a name befitting her, but she still manages to stay relatively friendly despite where she is and was incapable of being where she wants to be.
Our first conversation was simple and profound, we got to know one another.
“So what’s it like… knowing that you’ll rise up no matter how you die? Infinite lives, every death imaginable and yet death can’t touch you because of it?” Jade’s question was one of curiosity.
“It’s a big nuisance, never seek immortality… that’s a surefire way to never achieve it and it tends to end in tragedy. The gods will never ask why, but I have… let’s say… a different perspective from the rest of them.” Somehow seeing that my word’s had some hidden hint beneath them, she looked at me with a quirked eye and a few wordless flexes of her tongue. There were many questions on its tip. “Only those who don’t go looking for it usually find it far easier, and the most deserving are those who don’t even want it at all. I certainly didn’t go looking for it and I found it all too easily. So… what’s it like, for you, being priestess of the sun?”
“Eh, can’t complain. It’s not nearly as important as being myself.” When Jade said that I winced audibly, she was a fairly perceptive being. She came from another time and place entirely of course, didn’t need to be a goddess to see that. “So what did you need to talk with me about?”
She held a deep sadness, she had those she wished to return to. I had no one to return to, for they were all long dead and have moved on as part of the natural cycle. I too wished I could do the same, my children could still die true deaths despite being able to rebirth numerous times.
My ability for rebirth was far too powerful by comparison to a normal phoenix, just because my divinity was almost too overwhelming.
“I heard from Baast of your plight, I wish to aid you…. if you’ll see fit to aid me in a project.” It was an awful idea, but I had the divinity and power to do it. It would force Baast’s paws to action.
Jade needed to do something horrible… to be cursed into the form of a statue by my friend. This would take a strong betrayal, one that I would force to happen.
Killing a friend would do that and we will inevitably become great friends, but would she do what I know no gods and goddesses would for me? They cherish companionship more than anything, but always hurt themselves as time causes and heals wounds in equal measure.
Time heals wounds for mortals, time causes wounds for immortals…. mental, emotional and some to the point that they even feel it physically. Time itself, with a certain depth, strikes at the heart of an ascended as to leave an ever burning scar as a reminder.
“Can I ask an important question first?” After Jade asked this, I inclined my head for her to go on. “If a unicorn’s horn gets broken… is there ever a chance or way to fix it?”
I knew my answer wouldn’t be what she wanted to hear, given I can feel the importance oozing from the question itself. It was in an effort of to build our friendship; the truth, as much as I could speak it, was going to flow from my beak.
I, however, wasn’t about to tell her I wasn’t fully a goddess yet.
-Two and a half years later-
We met again, as we have done many times before, this moment was different though.
It was time.
I held out the artifact to Jade and bowed my head for her to take it.
“I have completed the End of Immortality, I hope you have set up your method to be revived at the right time and place in the future.” Never have I seen someone so determined to ruin those that earned her ire, it wasn’t like she had much else going for her from what Baast tells me.
All of Saddle Arabia fears what she would do next, but I knew where she would be in a short while if things worked out. They had nothing to fear, but the fear itself would certainly linger.
Jade would be on her way to where she belonged and I… I would be dead.
We would both be making a sacrifice here. I was willing to die a true death so that Jade may live the rest of her life where she belonged.
“Okay, so what was the favor you needed of me and how is this going to aid in me being cursed on purpose? Baast seems to find my evil more amusing than demented.” Whether Jade knew it or not, she was fairly amusing in how most of her evils led to object lessons that many needed to learn; even I learned a few myself.
I learned the lesson from the event where Jade turned the princess of Nagrabah into a lamia and made Ballad Din suffer, but eventually Ballad Din turned himself into a lamia out of love and made a sacrifice so that they could be together.
“As my dear friend… and likely the only one that can do this.” She listened to my words and what I said next made her shake her head in denial. “I want you to use that on me… and then kill me.”
I’d then tell her the truth about my status as a goddess… that I wasn’t one. My divinity had blinded the other gods to the truth and I explained to Jade that it would help her return to where she wanted to be more than anything.
She had a choice to make.
I was glad that she could see it through and I smiled softly as she slew me to be drenched in the vital fluids of another mortal.
She was quite sad to do this to me and saw the life leave my eyes, yet I still smiled despite my world falling away.
-Present day, two hours after Twilight’s first official audience, location:???, Jade-
I was standing on a beach with several powerful beings, Baast, Sekhet, Celestia and Anubis. We were gathered here for a reason and made sure that there was no one else around to hear this exchange as I stared out at the ocean.
What I was about to say would shock them all beyond belief, but it had to be said and if I was right… well I would quickly find out.
“Bennu… if you recognize your name, then are you here?” I asked tentatively, there was a gasp and then we all heard her voice.
“Yes… how very unfortunate that I can remember myself now. I couldn’t escape it, my fate. At least not forever.” Her voice sounded tired and she was very mournful, then we all heard a bit of cheer come back into it. “You however, are where you wished to be and I am glad that I could have assisted you in your endeavors Jade. You are right where you belong.”
“B-b-benny, you’re… I…” Baast didn’t have the words for it, Anubis and Sekhet silently looked between us with hints of confusion. “How… I mean… that… Jade and…”
“I still killed you.” That was something I was still rather upset about, even now.
“Yes, but at least you tried to make it as quick and painless as possible.” Her voice was soft and gentle as she trilled to us. She even let a bark of harsh laughter slip from her mouth. “I went back to the natural cycle. I lost all memory of my time spent there, at least until now… I reveled in it and life without knowing why I cherished it so. Looking back on it… being unable to remember, not being able to rebirth with my mind intact and being able to see so many different perspectives. Jade… it was worth every bit of the price that I paid for it. Do not doubt that!”
“Yet you couldn’t fully escape it could you… you couldn’t get away from ascending?” Sighing this out, I tried not to look towards her or the other gods watching us silently.
“My divinity was far too strong to allow me my freedom forever. You can even say that I’m far too nice for my own good Jade.” Oh Bennu, you had a wish that can never be granted anymore and you tried to get as much time as you could from it. “I was a butterfly once, from the humble beginnings of a caterpillar so small and frail. I was a queen bee, I grew to be so beautiful and I married a charming hummingbird. I was a pufferfish, the ocean seemed so vast and eternal. I was a male Minotaur, one that saw a beauty in nature that my warring kin could not. I was a griffon hen who enjoyed flying more than I loved greed, I lacked aggressiveness that other hens had and it spooked the males to no end. I was a breezy so adventurous and strong at heart despite my small stature. What I’m trying to say is… I was many things. All of them were me, I was all of them, and out of all of it… it was worth every second you bought me Jade.”
“Are you honestly not mad that I’m bringing out the past in you now?” I slowly turned to face her. Once our eyes met, she looked straight into mine with a calm smile.
“Jade… I don’t think I could hate one of my dearest friends, a priestess of the sun, and one of the stranger anomalies to exist in the history of Equestria as it is known now.” She came up to me and spread her wings wide inviting me to come forward.
“Well at least, in the end, things turned out alright for you… Celestia.” I opened my arms and let her wings sweep around me to bring me into a hug and she nuzzled her head into my neck. “You have a sister now, doesn’t that seem like a journey?”
“It’s the first time I’ve ever had a sibling and… I let Nightmare Moon happen. I have plenty to make up for Jade and I want you to know that I’m alright.” Releasing me, Celestia turned to Baast. “Baast… I’m sorry. Truly, you have no idea how sorry I am.”
“It’s alright Bennu, I have come to terms with it.” Baast moved forward and grew to alicorn size and went to hug an old friend. “Though it took the element of kindness to talk me down a bit and get me there.”
“Well this certainly explains your excitement upon first seeing me Celestia, you wouldn’t mind if I called you Benny every once in a while right?” I wanted to cry, but I was a little bit numb to this situation.
“Of course, I will not begrudge you that Jade… or any of my old friends.” Eventually Celestia broke her cuddle with Baast and Sekhet walked straight up to her with a dull and flat look on her face.
“I couldn’t care less even if you were the Queen of Sheep-baa!” Sekhet suddenly yells while raising a paw to the sky, she then lunges forward and thrusts her tongue into Celestia’s wide eyed mouth.
After the deep and thorough kiss ended, Sekhet sauntered away with her tail held high in the air and had an incredibly smug smile on her face.
She left behind a confused Celestia on the ground with what has to be the biggest wing boner in existence. Her Sister Baast was also sporting a wing boner and a look of shock on her face.
“Stupid… sexy… sphinx...” Celestia stated blankly with a bit of drool coming out of her mouth.
“Well… that happened.” I walked over to Anubis, I was feeling a little perky after such an amusing sight. “So… are we moving into our therapy session?”
“Yes. It would certainly be a good thing for more than just the two of us.” Anubis said after a moment of contemplation. “It is strange that her soul was invisible to death gods even when it has wandered so far. I believe it is involved with her wanting to hide away from her own divinity.”
“Eh, I’m not an expert on that stuff, though that sounds fair.” I nodded in agreement.
-Ponyville, Sugar Cube Corner, Fluttershy-
“I’m really going to miss spending time with Twilight… she’s in a better place… or would it be a worst place since it’s full of snobs that don’t know how to party?” Pinkie had been going for a while.
She was just being a good, worrying, friend.
“Does someone need a party pony that travels?!” Cheese Sandwich asked as he made an entrance.