//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3 
// Story: Love After Life 
// by CrackedInkWell 
//------------------------------//

"Here's your salmon," the waiter said, placing a plate down in front of Gallus, "and your pasta," he put the other plate down before Sandbar. "So will that be everything?"

    "I think so," Sandbar nodded.

    With that, the waiter went away.

    It had been three days since they arrived in Heaven. Sandbar's family had given them the introductory tour of some of the towns and cities in Equestria. On some level, it had been interesting to see what a better Manehattan, Applewood, even Vanhoover were like in Paradise. There were similar monuments here and there that they had seen in travel books, while others had older buildings along with structures that they had never seen before. 

    Canterlot especially was elevated. It had parks, theaters, observatories, shops, and restaurants that both of them were certain didn't exist when they were alive. They were astonished to find a princess who lives at the palace - an alicorn no less - who they had never heard of before: Princess Faust. But as puzzling as it was to hear about a long-lost princess before Celestia and Luna were born, they didn't pay too much attention because their thoughts were on other things. Fortunately, Sandbar's family took the hint, and they allowed them to roam free in Canterlot, with Spring River promising them that she'd check on them in a few days.

    In the corner of Canterlot, Sandbar and Gallus were sitting down at an outdoor table by a place called The Copper Pot Cafe. For the moment, the two of them were silent with their meal. Gallus picked his fish with a fork brushed with herb butter and a squeeze of lemon on top before glancing at Sandbar munching on an angel hair pasta that had shredded carrots and an alfredo sauce. They either ate or picked at their food for several minutes, waiting for the other to interrupt the silence.

    "You feeling okay?" Sandbar finally asked.

    "Huh?" Gallus looked up from his plate.

    "Just that… you've been feeling down for a while."

    "Oh… Yeah, I…" Gallus thought about what to say, jabbing into the pinkish meat. "I guess I'm still adjusting or something."

    There was an awkward pause for a moment.

    "Do you…" Sandbar began again, "want to talk about it?"

    "What?"

    "Your parents."

    Gallus put his fork down. "I'm just… disappointed."

    "Really?" Sandbar raised an eyebrow.

    "Among many things…" Gallus muttered. "Look… in my life, I never once heard anything from them - ever. When I got dropped off at the orphanage, there wasn't even so much as a note for why they couldn't take care of me. For years, I tried to come up with… something to explain why. That maybe they were too poor, or Mom was a teenager that got knocked up. Maybe they died somewhere, got lost, had a mixed-up at the hospital, just something ya know? The one thought I had tried so hard to avoid was that they simply didn't want me. That they were monsters. Now that I know what really happened…" He snorted. 

    "I take it you must be angry at them."

    "Well, no duh, Sherlock!" Gallus breathed in deeply through his nostrils. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell, just…"

    "We're just stressed and worried." Sandbar sighed. "For me, I'm still wondering if my family and our friends are doing okay." After taking a quick sip of his soda, he added, "All I'm saying is you're not the only one that finds this whole being dead thing to be sucky."

    "Yeah…" Gallus nodded, "If I knew what was to happen, I would have said something different to them. Maybe done things to help… I don't know… move on or what have ya."

    "I know that feeling."

    Gallus raised an eyebrow, "How?"

    "Well, if I knew that I would have ended up dead that day - like I can't change the outcome and all that - I would have at least told my folks, my little sis, too, that I loved them. I would have taken Yona out on the best date ever and let her do whatever she wanted. If things were a little different, I would do one last big hang out with all of you guys. Maybe tell each of them what I honestly thought of them or… something."

    "I see…" Gallus nodded. "Gods, Sandbar… I have so many regrets. So many things I wanted to do, wanted to say. I guess if I knew what would happen in that cave… I don't know what I would have done. But I do know what I would have done."

    "Like what?"

    "Like uh…" Gallus' eyes shifted, choosing his following words carefully. "Maybe I would have uh…" Gallus trailed off to a low murmur.

    "What was that?"

    "That I… may or may not have a crush on a few..."

    "Really? Like who?"

    Gallus touched his talons together. "Silverstream."

    Sandbar clopped his hooves. "I knew it!"

    "W-What!?"

    "Dude, almost all of us were betting that something was going on between you two!" Sandbar said, giggling. "Seriously, the way you were always blushing in her direction and the way Silverstream stared at your butt when you were working up a sweat? We were wondering what it was going to take to get you two to say something."

    Gallus's eyes widened, and his cheeks turned red. "She… she was checking out my butt?" He wrapped his tail around his rear end. 

    "Yup! Though, it's not hard to see why," Sandbar said, shrugging. "You do have a good butt."

    ".... What?" Gallus stared at Sandbar with wide eyes.

    "What?" Sandbar asked.

    "Did… did you just compliment my butt?" Gallus asked, blushing even redder now.

    "Well, yeah," Sandbar sighed as he sipped his drink. "To be honest, I think all of my friend's butts are pretty good in their own way. I thought you were all interesting to try and date."

    "You're bisexual?" Gallus asked, tilting his head.

    "Pansexual is the best way to describe me," Sandbar admitted with a curved smile. "I kinda had an interest in all of you to a degree, but I went with Yona because she won me over with her heart and kindness. Not that I wouldn't have dated any of you guys either if given a chance. Silverstream is a joy to be around, but I knew she had her heart set on you. Ocellus, I came close to asking out, but I kinda felt like I screwed that up when I thought she caused that mess with the Hearth's Warming Eve scenario-"

    "Please don't remind me," Gallus grumbled, covering his face. He felt guilty about doing that even to this day.

    "Smolder told me she was interested in dragons rather than interspecies dating, so that left you and Yona," Sandbar said, shrugging.

    This made Gallus blink a bit. Thoughts of his early crush on Sandbar echoed in his heart and head as he wondered what would have happened if, instead of Yona asked to the dance, it was him. Leaning a bit forward, he asked, "And why didn't you choose me?"

    "Because you're not gay," Sandbar answered as if he was asked the obvious. His eyebrow raised. "I didn't ask because I assumed that you…" Sandbar trailed off when his friend's question settled in. "Wait… are you…?"

    "Both ways, at least I think," Gallus admitted, shrugging his shoulders. "But I liked Silverstream, so… well, I guess maybe I like girls more? But… yeah..."

    "Huh," Sandbar said as a deep silence between them made things awkward. "Okay, so that's something new we learned about us."

    "Yeah…" Chuckling, Gallus said, "Being dead kinda makes secrets pointless now, huh? I guess whatever we did or thought wasn't bad enough to send us to the other place so we can speak or do whatever our hearts desire or something like that."

    ".... You know what," Sandbar said, his face lit up. "You're right! And that's one thing you can put over your jerkbutt parents!"

    "Huh?" Gallus asked, eyebrows raised.

    "Think about it. You're up here in Heaven! You got into Paradise! Eternal happiness, and what do your parents have? Everything opposite of it for eternity," Sandbar said, smiling with satisfaction. "You know what that proves? That you're better than them. That you managed to get to the heavens without them."

    "....Yeah," Gallus said, as a smile crept onto his face. "Yeah, you're right! I didn't need them! And knowing what they really were? I don't want them! I had a family at the end of my life, and that was you, our friends, and everyone at school! I'm here in heaven! I'm set for eternity, baby!" He then turned to Sandbar and held out his claw. "And I'm not alone. I got my best bud with me."

    "Yup!" Sandbar said, hoof bumping him. "We're best dead buddies!"

    "Dude, never say that again," Gallus said, deadpan before leaning back in his chair. "Besides, now that we know Heaven is real, we’ve got all the time in the world to wait for everyone else. Eventually, Silverstream, Smolder, Yona, Ocellus, and everyone else we know will pass on one day. So we can be there to greet them and show them around."

    ".... You're going to prank them, aren't you?" Sandbar asked with a knowing smile.

    "Damn straight!" Gallus grinned. "I wonder if I can get a job as a Reaper and scare the living daylights out of them when they die."

    "Still, I kinda wish we did more with them," Sandbar said, sighing. "Want to know something? Yona and I were seriously thinking of moving in together after graduation."

    "Woah, really?" Gallus said, leaning back forward. "Hmm, I wonder if we were always destined to always fall for one of our friends?"

    "Well, I think we were most likely going to," Sandbar said, nodding. "Don't get me wrong, but I had my suspicions that eventually you, me, or any of us might have started dating each other the moment we all became friends. It was just a question of who. I mean, with us being so close, you'd think that one of these days, we might have asked someone out. Why do you think I started to like Yona?"

    ".... Good point…" Gallus frowned, "Still… Now that you brought it up, I do wonder how they're taking our deaths?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "Well, like what you said, we've been dead for a good three days now, so you'd think that maybe they might be holding the funeral or wake or whatever they put for us by now. Morbidly, I kinda want to know what's happening over there."

    While they were talking, across the street, a deer carrying the mail cart was looking around. With a blue hat and pouch, heavy with letters, the deer brought out a list and looked about as if lost. However, after checking the list a few times, the mail-carrying deer crossed the street. 

    "Hey, excuse me!" the deer called out, "I'm looking for a Sandbar and Gallus? Do you know where they are?"

    "That's us." Sandbar answered.

    "Oh finally," sitting down, the deer reached into the bag, "you have no idea how tricky it was to find you." He pulled out from it two small envelopes, white with a gold leaf around the edges that had their names on it. "So, here's your mail."

    "Huh?" Gallus grabbed the envelopes, "How could we get mail? We just got here a few days ago."

    "Hey, my job is to deliver the mail, not question it." Tipping his hat, the deer gave a small smile, "Have a nice day!" and went away.

    Sandbar took hold of his letter and began to open it. Gallus did the same. He joked: "What, are they sending us bills already?" Ripping one edge with a claw, he looked inside where there were only two things: a theater ticket and a small, rolled-up poster. Unrolling it, Gallus thought that someone had sent him a movie poster by mistake - until he saw his picture. It showed a funeral wreath that was next to a black coffin with a white lily on it. On the wreath was a picture of him - in the casket, eyes closed, and his face fixed from the cave-in. It was cropped into an oval shape, and it was in black-and-white. Above the picture was a black ribbon with white letters of "R.I.P.," and under it was another ribbon with his birth and death year. 

    And like a movie poster, it had a title at the top. In bold, giant white letters, it read: "The Funeral of Gallus Skyflight," and just under it in slightly smaller type: "Staring Gallus Skyflight."

    At the bottom of the poster, it read that the premiere was at the Magic Lantern Theater. A place that both he and Sandbar had passed by not too long ago. It was to hold only one showing at 3:30. And underneath that with small lettering, it says: "Private Screening. Tickets Only. Refreshments Free!"

    Looking up from the poster, he and Sandbar shared the same expression - bewilderment. 

    "Well, I did dream that I would be in the movies once." Sandbar said, "But I didn't think it would be for this."

    "Yeah… You know, a couple of days ago, if I saw this, I would be seriously weirded out. Especially when a movie poster has my name on it."

    "Mine does too."

    "Huh?"

    "Yeah, see," Sandbar flipped his poster around. It was similar to Gallus's, be it that the names were changed and the picture on the wreath was Sandbar laying in the coffin.

    Gallus looked closely at his friend's poster, "Hey, yours is showing the same time as mine."

    "Huh," Sandbar looked at him again, "Do you think it's like a double feature or something?"

    "I don't know… what time is it?"

    Sandbar looked at the clock that was inside the cafe. "Three-twelve."

    Humming, Gallus looked back at his fish, "You wanna finish up real quick and go check out what this is about?"

    Sandbar picked up his fork to get more pasta on it, "Partly because I'm morbidly curious and partly because I can't think of anything better to do - so why not?"

    



    The Magic Lantern Theater was something out of the golden age of cinema. It was small, but it stood proud with lightbulbs, a neon name in cursive, and even had a ticket booth with a pony in a scarlet uniform at attention. Even when they stepped up to it, they could smell the popcorn as they drew near it, walking past movie posters of old movies that they’d never heard of before.

    "Hi there!" Their attention was snapped back into reality as the ticket taker behind the glass spoke up. The gray earth pony pulled his short red hat before snapping back. "Are you here for the 3:30 or some other show?"

    "We got this in the mail." Gallus pulled out the tickets from the envelopes. "Any idea what this is about?"

    Slipping them under the glass, the ticket taker "Ooh'd" in admiration. "The Funeral Show? Oh, you guys are so lucky. I hear it's quite the tear-jerker. I think they got that one guy who directed Ran to film it."

Gallus and Sandbar's jaw dropped, "Ran?" Sandbar questioned, "As in…  Kurosawa? Directing our funeral?"

"Apparently, he got bored and wanted to take up film again." After carefully ripping the tickets in half, he handed them back to them. "Your show is the first on the left."

".... Thanks…" Gallus took the tickets back.

"Enjoy the show!" the ticket taker grinned as they walked past him and through the glass doors.

The lobby they entered was small, and behind a counter with rows of candy bars, cotton candy, a popcorn machine, soda, and a pizza oven was a buffalo reclining on a chair, reading a newspaper. On the left and right of the counter were stairs that went off in opposite directions. On the right, there was a poster that showed a robot with the title of "Maretropolis." And on the left, there was a poster that made Gallus and Sandbar do a triple take. Unlike the posters they got in the mail, this one showed them in their coffins, yet it was on a stage complete with lights overhead, curtains on the side, and even theater lights below. There were mourners dressed in black in all sorts of exaggerated poses around the coffins. From holding a handkerchief over their faces to waving their arms about in grief, they were familiar faces such as family and friends all in mourning. They also noticed a little detail that in their coffins, each of them held a single white lily that was sticking straight up. Although it was a painting, the longer they looked at it, the more they noticed that the image was moving. Above it, the poster was simply titled "The Funeral." 

"No way! It's you guys!"

They looked over to see who was talking to them, but they were blinded for a moment by a bright flash of light. After blinking a few times, they were able to see who took their picture. It was a pale green changeling who wore a similar uniform as the guy in the ticket booth. Next to him was a lidless casket and some funeral wreaths that read "Rest In Peace" on them. They were next to a giant cardboard cutout of a stage, similar to the poster at their funeral. "Sorry about that," the changeling said, "I'm just so excited to meet the actual stars that I…" he erupted in excited giggles, "Sorry, I'm just so star-struck right now!"

“Uh…” Sandbar blinked. “Who are you?”

"Yakov," he said, racing his hoof to shake theirs, "I work here. I, uh, take pictures for like momentos and stuff for various movies. You know, take your picture next to the serial killer or standing on a rock in the background of an adventure movie. That kind of thing!"

"I take it that this one is ours?" Sandbar asked, pointing it out.

"Yeah, we haven't had anyone come in yet, so we had to set this up in a hurry," Yakov added before gasping. "Hey, you want to get your photos? You can be my first customer! Don't worry, it's free, and I'll let you take as many as you want!"

    After looking at one another, Sandbar shrugged, "Well, we are early, so… why not?"

    "Yeah," Gallus grinned, "ya know, I'm getting a few ideas already."

    "I'd be happy to take them," Yakov grinned.

    "You got any other props?"

    "Absolutely!" Yakov pulled a few random items out from the casket. Out of it, he pulled out a fake lily, a knife, a pair of plastic vampire teeth, and a banana. "Help yourself. If you need anything specific, just think about it, and it will appear."

    "We're going to have fun with this, aren't we?" Sandbar asked with a grin.
    
    "Oh, yeah..."

    



    Gallus Van Helsing, the vampire slayer, carefully made his way towards his arch-enemy’s resting place: Count Dracubar. Shivering with both fear and excitement, he steadied himself as he inched closer and looked into the coffin. The vampire pony was sleeping peacefully, looking like any other corpse save for the fanged teeth in his mouth.

    It was time to end this monster once and for all.

    Holding the stake right above the vampire's heart, Gallus let out a cry and hammered into the chest the wooden instrument of God. The moment it pierced his chest, Count Dracubar screamed and hissed in pain, his body thrashing before his eyes landed on Gallus Van Helsing. 

    Gallus didn't stop as he pounded in the stake one more time, forcing the vampire pony to moan and groan as his undeath was soon turning into the proper send-off he should have had years ago. A final strike and Count Dracubar let out one last wail with his hoof in the air before it went limp over the casket as his eyes slowly closed until they would open no more.

    Gallus sighed and wiped the sweat from his brow before turning to the camera bug. "Got it?"

    "Got it!" Yakov said with a smile, showing some of the photos.

    "Good thing I can't feel this thing in my chest," Sandbar said as he popped the fake vampire teeth out of his mouth. "Think you can get it off me now?"

    "Sure, let me get the large pliers."





Something was charming about being on a desert island. The sun. The swaying palm trees. And the hot tub that the locals provided for our heroes.

    "Ah, this is the life," Sandbar sighed, letting the bubbles in the cauldron relax him.

    "We should have crash-landed here a long time ago," Gallus nodded as the natives returned with herbs and vegetables. While one of them was cutting up an onion, Gallus pulled his claw out of the water to lick it. "Hey, this needs more salt." The native nodded happily and went off to fetch the salt.

    More came with large spoons to stir up the cauldron, while a few more carried a couple of coconuts and offered them to the duo. Taking hold of their drinks, Sandbar looked over to Yakov, "You got it?"

    "Yep!" The Changeling grinned, "Are there any others you want to do?"

Gallus looked over the sand below them. "I think I got an idea."





It had taken months of digging in the sands of Southern Equestria, but the archeologist Dr. Gallus had finally found it! He slipped into the lost tomb of Sandhotep III, carefully avoiding the boobytraps and the giant scorpions, making his way deeper into the tunnels until he came across what he was looking for.

"Well, Sandhotep," Dr. Gallus grinned as he neared the sarcophagus, adjusting his safari hat, "it was pretty smart to hide your tomb underneath the river. But not smart enough to keep me from finding the secret entrance." So taking out a crowbar, he struggled to wedge the lid off the stony casket. Inch by inch, the top moved until he could finally see the mummy that lay inside. He shined his flashlight into the coffin with the opening wide enough to illuminate what he had been searching for.

There it was! The forgotten pharaoh, Sandhotep III, laying there in his ancient wrappings for the past three thousand years! And in its crossed forelegs was the charm of eternal life—the Ankh of Osiris, one that was made of pure gold.

"Come to papa," Gallus reached for the artifact when suddenly a dried hoof clenched around his arm. "What!" He recoiled in shock as the mummy moved. Its eyes were opening, moths escaping its maw and a grip that could crush bones.

Sandbar coughed, "You got it?"

"Uh-huh," Yakov nodded, "The Mummy option is always a classic! So do you want to do any more?"

"Yeah," Gallus said, "I got another idea." Flying up to perch on the edge of the casket, Gallus faced Yakov. "How about the next one we go for something out of Pegasi mythology? We can have marble columns and stuff, something like a ruin. Maybe it could be like that minotaur myth - no! That snake lady that turns you into stone just by looking at her, what was she called?"

While Gallus continued to spin his idea, Sandbar sat up a little from the casket. However, as he adjusted himself, getting ready to get out, he realized that where his friend had perched was close to his face. In fact, from the low angle he was at, Sandbar blushed as from there he could see… everything that the griffon's posterior usually hid under his tail. 

"Uh… dude," Sandbar tries to speak up.

"Just a sec, I'm thinking here," Gallus interrupted him, oblivious to what Sandbar was seeing. "Oh! How about sand here can come in with a spear, and I would be pinned down-"

"G-Gallus-"

"Hold your horses. I'm almost through. So anyway…"

The problem for Sandbar wasn't that he didn't like the view he was seeing. Sure he may or may not have sneaked a few glances here and there in the past (especially in the locker room for Rainbow's P.E. Class), but it was always from a distance. However, given that he was so near to this perfectly crafted rump, along with seeing how… alluring his friend's nether regions were - that was precisely the problem. The longer Gallus sat there, talking about the next photo, the more Sandbar felt the bandages lower down were tightening up.

Sandbar felt that he needed to get out of the casket and fast. But given the awkward positioning (in more ways than one) he was in, he felt around for something to get a grip on. And unfortunately, he gripped Gallus's hindleg.

".... So in a way," Gallus continued, "it would be like holding up a hunting troph- WOAH!" Unexpectedly, the griffon felt something pulling him back, and he lost his balance. His wings spread and flapped on instinct, but that didn't stop him from landing on Sandbar. "Dude! What's the big ide-" 

Rip!

"What the...?" Gallus looked over to the sound source and saw something that made his face turn bright red. While the griffon was almost sitting on his friend's face, there was another part of Sandbar that was… up. It didn't take long to piece together how awkward a position both of them were in.

Then to make this embarrassing moment worse, Gallus saw a flash from the corner of his eye, finding that Yakov had just taken another picture. "Oh! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to take that. Hoof slipped." While the two were trying to scramble out of the casket, Yakov dispersed the illusion. Sand, hieroglyphs, and the tomb dissolved back into the theater's lobby. The Changeling rushed over to pull Gallus out, but in doing so, the casket tipped over on its side. 

The three of them tumbled onto the floor, with Sandbar quickly reaching out for the safari hat that Gallus was wearing to cover himself. Gallus, as thoroughly embarrassed as Sandbar was, couldn't look his friend in the eye while he scrambled to get up. Yakov pushed the empty casket back up, "Are you guys okay?" he asked with concern.

"Y-Yeah, yeah," Gallus nodded, his cheeks flustered so much that they were burning. "Ya know what, I'm gonna go ahead and see that movie."

"But your photos-"

"Justburnthelastone, bye!" Gallus abruptly said, half running and half flying up the stairs into the theater. 

Yakov blinked and turned over to Sandbar, who was still covering up. 

"Is there a, uh… bathroom anywhere?" Sandbar asked, his eyes shifting.





Gallus sat alone while the screen ran trailers of upcoming movies. In truth, he wasn't fully paying attention. A few promoted some dramas, a romantic comedy, an animated movie about spaceships, and one about... humans? He wasn't sure, nor was his mind focused on them.

He wasn't even contemplating the screening room he was in either. In any other circumstances, he would have wondered if this was a movie theater at all. There were hardwood floors. A bar that was stocked in candy, nachos, popcorn, soda, and ice cream. And the only seating in the room were two big chairs that were heavily padded, covered in velvety black fleece, and it had buttons on one armrest to recline it so much that it could turn into a bed and even vibrate to massage one's back. In any normal circumstances, he would be easily wowed by the sheer luxury of it all.

However, his mind was elsewhere, and it all focused on Sandbar. On some level, he was deeply embarrassed that he had accidentally flashed his friend without realizing it. If his friends were here, they would make it worse and probably tease him about it until the day he died. As far as he saw it, Heaven for the next several days (perhaps the next few months) was going to be awkward. 

Yet… a small part of him held complicated feelings ranging from flattery to confusion and everything else in between. For the first time, he was able to (for lack of better words) turn someone on like that. It was unbelievably humiliating, yet… seeing his friend get so… aroused like that was almost something to be proud of in a way. Yet, pride wasn't the right word either. For a long time, Gallus sat there, struggling to come to terms with what just happened. It was shocking, but he knew that he shouldn't be, considering that Sandbar just came out as Pan. 

'Maybe it's… hope?' Gallus wondered. 'Nah, it can't be that. But what else could it be? I haven't felt like this since I realized that I had a crush on him. Not to mention that I unintentionally gave the guy a boner. Hell, he wasn't fully hard, and yet he was hu-' He shook his head. 'C'mon! That doesn't mean anything! So the guy got… excited, that doesn't mean that he's suddenly in love with me.’

He sighed, 'Then again… if I had known before, maybe I could stop being afraid and just ask if he would go out sometime. Perhaps, if he said yes, things might have been different. I don't know how the girls would have taken it, but now… they're not here. Probably for a long time. And not only might it be possible here, but it's clear that he found me… yeah. I mean, I lived and died waiting to see if either Sandbar or Silverstream could feel that same way back. Well, now, I finally got my answer - not only might it be possible, but he's turned on too.

'So… maybe…'

His ears perked up from the hoofsteps that walked up the stairs that Sandbar appeared. Even when he heard his friend had walked in, Gallus didn't dare look him in the eye, and unbeknownst to him, Sandbar was doing the same as he simply sat down in the other chair. Although both of them knew that at least one of them should say something… perhaps it was best to wait until after the movie.

Not that they had to wait long as soon after Sandbar sat down, the movie began.

On the screen, at first, it showed the sky with a few passing clouds. At first, it was quiet except for birds chirping in the distance. But as the camera moved back, something strange happened. At first, Sandbar and Gallus thought it was their imagination, but the screen was getting broader and taller, revealing more and more of the sky, the mountains around Ponyville, a tree, and Yona with her back against them underneath that said tree. Even when it focused on this still image of a calm day, the screen kept on expanding further into the theater.

"What the…?" Gallus exclaimed as the screen moved past them, enveloping them in their seats until the screening room was gone. It was replaced entirely by the film. 

Sandbar looked around, "Wait… what's going on? Where…?" He looked over his seat at the grass below. So he stretched his hoof down to touch it. "Dude," Sandbar said, getting out of his chair. "I think… I think we're back."

Gallus sat up and spread his wings to fly out of his seat. If this was an illusion, it was a convincing one. The breeze felt real, it smelled real, and it looked real too. Even the sun's warmth even felt real. "Are we really…?" He then turned his back and froze for a second. His wings were still white and not blue. He looked over his friend's head and saw that he still had his halo. 

It was then that Gallus knew they were still dead.

"But if we're back then… Yona!" Sandbar cried out with joy as they turned to the yak, her back still to them. She was dressed in some kind of black poncho with green gems on it. She was sobbing and pretty hard too. Neither had seen Yona cry so much, not even when she broke her leg one time by accident. 

"Yona?" Sandbar called out as he approached her, "Yona, it's me, Sandbar!" Gallus reached out to stop him, but Sandbar rushed over to his special creature and smiled at her. A part of him felt some sinking pain seeing such a happy expression on Yona's face.

Sandbar cried out her name again, but Yona wasn't looking at him. "Yona, what's wrong?" Sandbar reached out to lay a comforting hoof on her, but it went through. "What the…" He moved his hoof around on her, but he couldn't feel anything. 

"Dude," Gallus said, walking over as he placed his head on Sandbar's wings. He freaked out for a moment until he saw them and his halo. "We're still dead."

"Then… are we ghosts, or is this an illusion?" Sandbar asked, looking at Yona, who was wiping the tears from her eyes.

"I don't know..." Gallus said as he and Sandbar just continued to watch.

"Yona?"

The three of them turned to the left and saw Ocellus walking towards them. She too was dressed in black, but she wore some jewelry and makeup on her face. "We've been looking all over for you. Everything is almost set up at the funeral home. They'll be opening it up for visitors in an hour. We thought… we thought we'd go together."

"....Yona don't want to go," the yak muttered, closing her eyes. "Yona don't want to say goodbye."

Ocellus, frowning, walked over and placed a wing on Yona's back and nuzzled her. "I know… I don't want to either." She sighed. "But it's the least we can do for them. Sandbar and Gallus were our friends... I miss them too, but we have to honor them by-"

"Yona don't want to honor Sandbar and Gallus as dead! Yona… Yona wants to hold Sandbar… tell Sandbar that Yona loves him..."

"Yona," Sandbar whispered as a few tears dripped from his face. Gallus placed a wing over his friend and continued to listen.

"You can still tell him," Ocellus said with a sad smile. "Don't yaks believe the dead are with us at the funerals before going to the afterlife?"

"Ocellus not believe in afterlife," Yona pointed out.

"Just because I doubt that anything happens to us when we die doesn't mean I don't think it's wrong to say something may happen to those we love when they are gone," Ocellus said, sighing. "Besides, if there is a better place after we die, I can't think of two creatures who deserve to be there more than them."

Yona was quiet for a while before she slowly got up. "Promise to be with me?"

"All of us will," Ocellus said as the two hugged and began to walk away.

"....Well," Gallus said with a shrug. "I know Ocellus is gonna be surprised when it's her turn to come to the hereafter."

"Yeah but…" Sandbar sighed, "I couldn't do anything. Yona was in tears, and I couldn't make it better."

"I know." Gallus held a claw up and, swiping at the tree, it went right through, "Whatever this is, I think we're only here to watch. So if we're in a movie about our own funeral, is that where we need to go next?"

"And Ocellus said something about a funeral parlor in town…" His eyes lit up in realization. "I know where it's at!" Turning to the town, Sandbar made a full gallop, "Follow me!"

"You have wings now!" Gallus shouted back, "You can fly!" But Sandbar was too far away to hear, so with a disgruntled grunt, he spread his wings and flew towards his friend's direction. 

The two of them made their way back into Ponyville. Through the streets, and behind city hall, Sandbar led his friend to a solemn-looking place. A two-floor building in black with a sign hanging above a pair of double doors called "Sarcophagus and Sons." For Ponyville, it was the only place in town that made coffins and the only funeral parlor in town. And next to the door was a chalkboard where, written in white, were the various services it would be hosting. Halfway down the list, they saw the message: "Gallus & Sandbar - 4:30."

"So, do we just go in?" Sandbar asked, putting a hoof through a wall. "I mean, we are early."

"I don't see why not," Gallus shrugged. "If we're ghosts or something, I don't see why we couldn't have a peek." So sticking his face through the plaster, the griffon walked through the wall. Sandbar followed after him.

The two found themselves in a lobby where ponies and a few other creatures walked around or looked to be workers. Sandbar and Gallus watched as creatures phased through them, including a big husky crying earth pony muttering something about his mother. 

"Busy day?" Gallus wondered aloud as they quickly noticed a unicorn levitating a green and red-flowered funeral wreath with Sandbar's cutie mark designed in flowers on it and a banner at the bottom that read: "Goodbye Sandbar. We Love You." on it.

"Hey, boss?" the female unicorn asked the aging earth pony stallion. "What number is the room for the two teenagers? The griffin and earth pony?"

"Room Six," he answered before going back to his papers.

The two invisible souls didn't bother to wait and followed the unicorn, staying right behind her. They passed a few other rooms where services were going on or ending before arriving at room six, where their names were up in front, as well as their birth and death dates.

When they walked in, it looked like they were still setting up. Chairs were being unfolded and placed in rows. Black silk banners were being pinned up, florists at work on bouquets to make some finishing touches, and a podium was placed behind the two coffins. Their attention lay directly ahead as the unicorn they followed walked up to put the wreath on a tri-stand next to one of the caskets. 

"And here's the other one," another unicorn, a younger stallion, went to the mare. The two ghosts noticed that he was carrying a wreath that was similar to Sandbar's, but it had light blue roses, and the bottom had a ribbon where it was written: "Farewell Gallus. We Love You."

"Good to hear they got it done on time," the mare commented, "Put it up on the other stand, then go get the rest for the Hippogriff's farewell in Room Nine."

After placing the wreath on the other stand, the younger stallion rushed out.

"Alright," the mare then opened Sandbar's casket and frowned, "Looks like you need a flower." She then went over to Gallus's and opened it, "No, both of you do. Glad nopony bothered to do their job." Muttering, she walked past the invisible souls.

They couldn't withhold their morbid curiosity any longer. Gallus and Sandbar walked down towards their caskets, peeking over to come face to face with themselves. It was surreal that in these velvet-lined coffins that they looked at their lifeless bodies. Yet, if they didn't know any better, they might have mistaken them for doppelgangers being asleep. 

Gallus was impressed that he couldn't pick out anything that made him look broken, considering how he died. His face was frozen in a stoic calm. However, he was taken aback by what his corpse was wearing. It was a white robe, silk by its look, and stitched together with golden thread. His claws clenched on a sword, highly decorated with sapphires and diamonds on a silver hilt. It wasn't that he was being buried in a traditional griffon robe that surprised him, but that he was a robe designed for nobility — something for a king.

Sandbar looked at his body that lay there. He looked at the face of someone that might be having a happy dream of some kind. There was even a smile. His heart almost broke at what he was wearing: a white dress shirt with a tie-dyed tie and suit that his parents no doubt requested. He noticed that on the bottom of the casket was a layer of sand, the kind that would be from a beach, complete with seashells placed around the body. Sandbar also noticed that his tie had a pin in it of a peace sign. 

Gallus gave a low whistle, "Ya know, from someone that got crushed from a cave-in, I look good for a dead guy."

"At least they cleaned up the blood," Sandbar commented, rubbing a hoof over his mouth. "I almost can't believe they would do all of this for us."

"That's a huge understatement. You see what I have on?" Gallus pointed out, "The last known griffon to ever be buried like this was meant for royalty. And given that I was born from nothing, I'm shocked they decided to do this."

"Excuse me, but we're not ready yet!" This new voice got their attention. Looking behind them, they saw the mare that carried Sandbar's wreath enter with Silverstream and Queen Novo. Silverstream, wearing a black cloak with the hood covering her head, walked past the mare. Her face looked as if it was barely holding together and her eyes wet marched towards the caskets. 

"Ma'am, we're not ready for-," The mare protested, but the Queen, who wore an elaborately stitched vail that blurred her face, craned down to face her.

"I know you're not ready," Novo told her, "but right now, my niece needs this. It's… part of how we show respect to our dead. The last rite if you'd like to call it."

"What do you mean?"

"Just watch."

Silverstream stopped before the coffins, lifting her hood. Gallus saw her up close, doing what she could to not burst into tears at that moment—even taking in a few deep uneasy breaths to steady herself. 

Then, gently, she walked over to his coffin and leaned forward as if to whisper something in his ear. Curious, Gallus went around to listen to what she had to say.

"The way you walked has changed, through no fault of your own," she said softly like a prayer, "As the rain follows back into the sea, so too shall you return to where you were made. Your many tears, your endless anguishes, your countless fears, and your continuous pains are behind you. Your toil has finished. Your slavish work has come to an end. Sleep now, and go off to where you may dream of tranquility. Rest now, forever now. You are at peace."

Gallus had never had believed in religion or gods or any of that stuff because no creature on this earth prayed for him. He had never even gotten an amen. Yet, now that his mortal life was done, someone had given him his first prayer. And regardless of being so short, it was the most beautiful one he had ever heard. So much so he was already leaking tears and doing his best not to sob. He slowly reached for Silverstream only to phase through her as a bitter reminder of his fate.

Silverstream slowly inched closer to Gallus' forehead with her beak trembling and lay a kiss on it. Then she couldn't hold it in anymore and fell to her knees. She let out a wail as the tears finally came unleashed in a dual set of waterfalls that couldn't stop. Queen Novo was quickly there for her niece as she scooped her up and held her against her chest. The room workers looked at each other awkwardly before slowly leaving one by one and closed the door behind them out of courtesy. Silverstream continued to cry, pounding her aunt's chest over and over again. 

Gallus was crying just as much, and he didn't even bother hiding it from Sandbar. He just sat down and sobbed. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry, Silverstream..."

For the first time, Gallus really wished he wasn't dead. That Silverstream or any of their friends would have to suffer like this. He didn't want to be dead anymore. He wanted to be with her.

"I..." Silverstream whimpered as she slowly calmed down. "I loved him… Gods help me, I loved him!"

".... I loved you too," Gallus muttered, but it was an echo in the wind.

"I know," Queen Novo whispered, much to her niece's shock. "You didn't think I would approve?"

".... I thought..."

"That because he was an orphan of no noble blood that I would not allow you to see him as a special partner?" Queen Novo placed her claws on Silverstream's cheeks and kissed her forehead. "Perhaps, at first, I would have been against it. But as you told me more and more about him. I realized just how much in love you were. It reminded me of my husband even - long may he rest." She gave a soft smile. "So, yes, Silverstream. I would have approved of him and you."

"Not that it matters," Silverstream muttered, turning away to face the casket. "The gods took him from me."

"I know that you are hurt and cursing them," Queen Novo said, putting her claw on her shoulder. "I was that way for many years after my husband died. The gods have plans we do not understand. Perhaps we never will. But take comfort in knowing that in those last moments you had together, you had a chance to express that love you both had. Rather than never having it at all."

Silverstream wiped her tears away before sighing. "I… I want to be with my friends now."

"Of course, we still have thirty minutes until the funeral starts," Queen Novo said, slowly guiding Silverstream towards the door. Once it was opened and left, the workers quietly went back to work, but with even more silence.





Unbeknownst to the funeral attendees, Sandbar and Gallus stood at the very back of the room. Being as crowded as it was with mourners, the invisible souls were side by side in a corner, watching familiar faces make their march to the caskets underneath the black banners. Some stopped before the bodies to let out a few words, lay a flower on the lid, and either took a seat or walked over to the table that had a montage of photos of them when they were alive (mostly taken during their time at the academy). That table was on the other side of where they stood. A simple black tablecloth with dozens of pictures taped on some cardboard pieces, along with three lit candles and two white roses. All the while, melancholic nocturnes of Horseshoepin played softly from another room while small talk arose from the mourners.

Before the funeral began, some familiar faces walked through in sober black. There were their professors and Headmare Starlight who entered together. Rarity was the only one among them to dress up for the occasion, a black dress with touches of gold, a modestly feathered hat, and a dark veil. Next came Princess Twilight with Spike, her closest adviser. They were then followed by their friends with Queen Novo, who accompanied Silverstream. Following them behind was Smolder. Unlike her friends, she wasn't wearing black clothes, but noticeably, her head was covered and dusted in ash. Sandbar and Gallus told themselves that maybe this was a dragon's way of showing that they were in mourning since they can see tear stains underneath her eyes. Minutes later, Sandbar's parents came in with his little sister. 

But it didn't stop there. Before the funeral started, others came to fill up space in the room. The kind that neither of them expected to show up. There were students from the school who came to pay their respects, many they didn't recognize. Shining Armor had entered and pinned metals on their bodies - they went over to see that they were given purple hearts; something only reserved for Equestrian heroes who have died in combat. Yet, the most surprising of all to pay their last respects was from someone they expected the least to come. Ex-Chancellor Neighsay walked in among the whispered attendees and, without saying a word, placed a rose on each of the caskets before sitting down. 

Then the funeral began with Twilight getting up before the podium. "If I can have every creature's attention, please? Thank you. Before we start, I want to thank everyone here that came out to honor these two remarkable students. More than that, these fallen heroes gave their lives so that Equestria and the world remain safe and free. Although they were never asked to take the call of action, we are now thankful for standing up against the darkness of the world.

"As I knew them, Sandbar and Gallus were outstanding students when I was then Headmare at the School of Friendship. They excelled in their studies and did what they could to learn and excel with whatever projects, tests, quizzes, and assignments they were given. Like their friends, they had the desire to grow and better themselves. When last I spoke to them, they were planning a future where they could make a name for themselves in some small way. 

"When they grew older, they and their friends became guardians on behalf of their nations and each other — forming a bond that has brought down foes that threaten tyranny, to divide and to destroy the harmony that unites us. In this fight to preserve what is good in the world, it was that even when facing danger, they gave their friends and each other their last full measure of devotion. 

"Today, under sad circumstances, we are gathered here to preserve the memory of these remarkable individuals. So I invite you to come up to bring your stories, your thoughts, your testimony to be laid out. The podium is open for everyone if you wish to speak."

To the surprise of the deceased and those in attendance, Smolder was the first to get up. The dragon had done her best to hide away any tears from the moment she arrived at the room, but now she was no longer hiding them. They were mixing with the ashes on her face, but she did nothing to stop them until Twilight gave her a tissue to wipe herself with gently. 

Clearing her throat, Smolder looked at the two caskets before turning to the audience. "Look, I'm not going to say something dramatic or long. Don't expect me to be sappy. That's not who I am, and I think both Gallus and Sandbar would like me to talk about them the way I normally do." She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts. "You know, I always dreaded this day in my heart. My best friends were short-lived creatures compared to dragons like me. I knew that one day, I would have to say goodbye to them in a casket, one by one. I just figured that it would be… so much later. Like when they're old and grey, and I still have a good eight hundred or so years left to go around kicking, you know?" She shook her head. "But this… this shouldn't happen. Not so quickly and not so soon. I remember the lessons we had about when it was time to say goodbye to our friends. I failed those tests every time because I didn't want to think about saying goodbye. I honestly still can't. I just want to smack both of them awake and punch them in the face for getting killed like that."

Both Gallus and Sandbar snorted. Smolder would do that if she could.

"Still, I think both would be happy to know they died saving Equestria one last time… and that the rest of us made it out alive," Smolder whispered, wiping her tears. "You know how they say best friends forever? Well, I hope that's true even in death because they'll always be my best friends. Be it in life or death." She walked over to where the two caskets were and gave a sad smile. "Wait for us, eh, guys? And don't start any parties without me."

Gallus felt Sandbar wrap his arms around the griffin and started crying openly on his chest. Gallus wanted to as well, but he just stood still and watched Smolder sit down. Soon enough, someone else quickly got up and made their way to the podium. Sandbar only sobbed harder upon seeing who it was.

Coral had finally stopped crying. She had been crying ever since she entered the funeral home, and it looked like she was ready to burst again at any moment. She walked over to Sandbar's coffin, where her older brother's body lay at peace. Leaning forward, she kissed his forehead and whispered something to his ear before making her way to the podium.

"My big brother… he was a pretty cool guy," Coral said with a sad smile. "I always wanted to be like him when I was growing up. Saving the day from bad guys and hanging out with friends from all over the world. Just going to school and being taught by the greatest heroes of our generation. It just seemed like the perfect life." She took a deep breath. "I didn't know Gallus too well, but from the few times I met him, I got the impression he was awesome in his own right. I could see why my brother liked him a lot."

Gallus could feel his cheeks blushing but did his best not to look at Sandbar, who didn't notice

"It's funny," Coral said as she looked at her brother in the casket again. "They always say that the hero comes back after an adventure. My brother was a hero. Gallus was a hero. But they… they didn't come back this time. It's a hard reality to learn life isn't a storybook, but I guess we all have to learn that growing up."

"Coral… I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry, sis," Sandbar muttered.

"I want to believe that my brother and Gallus are up there in Heaven. Happy and at peace," Coral said, smiling. "I can't think of two creatures who deserve it more. So, big brother? If you and Gallus are looking down at us? Please don't cry. We miss you, but we'll always love you."

"I can't… I can't anymore..." Sandbar said, turning away.

Gallus didn't answer, but he agreed as well. The two slowly left the funeral home before the following speech. 





The funeral went on for two hours before Gallus and Sandbar saw them moving their coffins in a hearse through town. Those who attended were following, singing what sounded like songs of mourning and passing. Even Gallus, despite not being a pony, was being treated as if he was one of them.

The hearse came to a stop at the "Final Fields Cemetery," where workers carried both caskets from the funeral home until they reached a spot with two open holes and two gravestones:


Here Lies Gallus The Griffin
Born 989 E.F - Died 1007 E.F
Beloved Friend to All
Rest Forever In Peace



Here Lies Sandbar Oceanvale
Born 990 E.F -Died 1007 E.F
Beloved Friend, Son, and Brother To All
Rest Forever In Peace.


The two watched as their caskets were lowered into the dirt as everyone mourned one last time, a few throwing flowers into the graves. When the loud 'thud' was heard, that was it. It was official. Gallus and Sandbar had been placed in their earthy beds. The two just stared at the graves for a long time, even after everyone left and the holes were filled up.

Eventually, everything went black, and the two found themselves soon back in the theater room with two words on the screen:

"The End."





In the lobby, Yakov was waiting. After he cleaned up the mess that Gallus and Sandbar left behind and had the pictures developed, he sat on the edge of the open casket. His hindlegs swinging, he held onto the camera in his lap while holding a hoof down on the developed photos. Humming an improvised tune quietly, and his ears perked up to listen for them to come down the stairs.

Yakov was looking forward to seeing both their reactions to their movie and the pictures he'd taken. He couldn't wait to see their awed expressions and maybe impress them with these amusing photos. Perhaps, if he's lucky, he might get their autograph too.

Finally, he heard them coming down the steps. This was it! Leaping off the casket with the photos, he rushed over to greet them. "Hey there! Did you guys enjoy the… show?" His excitement died on his lips when he saw them. 

On their faces, they looked as if they had been drained of every tear they could shed. Tired, yet defeat and heartbreak were hacked, carved, and chiseled on their faces. It left them in a glassy-eyed, heavy-hearted depressed state. It was as if they had watched a genocide in which they had no way of interfering. They walked past Yakov, not paying him much attention.

"Hey, what's wrong? Didn't you like the movie?"

"Yeah…" Sandbar muttered softly, "It was… something…"

"Now, wait a minute," Yakov walked in front of them. "Was there something wrong with the movie? I thought it was brilliant."

"Something… wrong?" Gallus deadpanned in a heavily sarcastic tone, "Oh gee, what gave that away? Could it possibly be that we've witnessed our funeral where everyone we loved and cared for is crying entire oceans' worth of tears that there's not a damn thing we could do about it? Maybe it's witnessing our friends and family wishing that we haven't died? Or perhaps there's no way to get in touch with them to comfort them in their time of grief? Nah, I'm sure it's something else."

"Oh… Oh…" Yakov's ears laid flat against his head. "I'm so sorry. I thought that since it was about you two, you might have liked it."

"All it did was make us realize how much it sucks being dead." Sandbar said, moving towards the glass doors. "And wish even harder that we can go home."

Gallus sighed as he followed Sandbar behind him. However, before they could reach the door, they heard, "That's not… entirely out of reach." 

This got their attention. "What do you mean?" Sandbar questioned.

Looking over his shoulder to make sure that the Buffalo wasn't listening, Yakov said quietly. "Look… I'm not supposed to say this..."

"Why?" Gallus inquired and was hushed.

"Shh! Keep your voice down." Yakov looked over his shoulder, seeing the buffalo flipping over to the next page. "This is something that most souls - well, even a majority of angels don't know about. Because if they did, many would likely abuse it or shut it down completely."

"How come?" Sandbar asked.

Yakov waved a hoof for them to come closer. "Let me get straight to the point - there is a way for us to contact the living. There are strict rules, mind you, but it's the only line of communication there is. In fact, I'm breaking the rule of secrecy just letting you know about it."

Gallus grabbed him by the shoulders and held him up to his eye-level. "How and where?" He said in a low voice.

"In a nutshell, through dreams. And as to where…" After conjuring up a pen, Yakov scribbled an address and some instructions on the back of one of the photos. "But uh… before I do. Could I at least have your autographs? I'll trade you this if you sign my little book."

After agreeing to this, Yakov took out a small black book underneath the cloth and opened it. Gallus and Sandbar scribbled their names into the blank spaces, next to the signatures of dozens that neither of them recognized. After thanking them, Yakov gave them the photos and wished them a good day before leaving the theater's doors.