//------------------------------//
// The Great Beyond 
// Story: Seeing the Pattern 2: Death Take You 
// by Aegis Shield 
//------------------------------//

Seeing the Pattern 2: Death Take You
Epilogue: The Great Beyond

Princess Luna was sitting on her haunches in the space between spaces. Next to her sat the ghost of Papa Apple, twice dead now, feeling naked without his cloak or scythe. “Welp, ah guess that’s it for me then.” He said a little glumly.

The dark alicorn looked over at him, smiling a little grimly. He was a handsome thing, blood red fur and an orange mane. The criss-crossing scars visible under his fur all over his body just made him look exotic to her. “Thy service to me was commendable, stallion, thy send-off was an honorable one.” She spoke rather softly, no aggression in her voice. “Thou fell before a worthy opponent, serving thy goddess. This pleases us.” She told him. Because of her sheer height, she could tuck his head under her chin because of how close they were sitting together.

“What’s out there?” Papa Apple found himself quietly asking. “Beyond that thar horizon?” he gestured to the magnetic pull of the great beyond. He was very careful not to look directly at it, for any dead soul would be drawn to it like a moth to a flame. A need to be there.

“The great beyond?” Princess Luna said, sliding a hoof around his massive frame. “That is the one thing alicorns may never know. Our immortality prevents us from visiting it, for we never truly die.” She admitted with a sympathetic smile. There was a long silence between them. This conversation was the one the dark goddess had been dreading for over a decade. “J-just think. Thy wife will be awaiting thou. She is also dead, yes?” she told him, offering a weak smile.

Papa Apple snickered a little. “I’ll miss you too, your majesty.” He told her. Her head sagged a little shamefully. So readable she was, sometimes! Scratching herself a little awkwardly, she tucked his head once more under her chin and embraced him. The stallion felt small for the first time in a long time. His great arms rose up to wrap around her, stroking her back. 

Theirs was a strange, angry, biting, lusty relationship. But it had worked in its own freakish way, and not just in the bedroom. Both had been lonely for different reasons, and had found each other through vocation. Being Death was a lonely road, especially when one could not come into contact with the living. Being a goddess wasn’t much different, the forbidden fruit no stallion would dare touch. Call it animalistic, but they’d met a certain understanding years ago and had enjoyed each other while they could. It was all over now, though. She could give him a new body, yes, but why? He couldn’t go home. He couldn’t be Death again. His life was over now. Twice. It was time for the stallion to move on.

“Papa Apple…” she said softly, pulling back to look at the massive stallion.

“Aw shucks, you can just call me Apple, you know. Ahm not your Papa.” He snickered a little, and the princess smiled with a hoof over her mouth. Unashamed, the two ponies shared a quiet kiss. Their last. Slowly, he pulled away and faced the dreamy horizon of the great beyond. “Goodbye, Luna.” He smiled his charming smile, pushing his mane out of his face.

“Goodbye… Apple.” She whispered, unable to gather volume to her voice. She watched him walk towards his final horizon, a soul at peace. Come back, she wanted to shout. Come back, serve me again. Come back, we shalt give you a new body and a new job and thou shalt stay with me. She couldn’t form the words though. He was so handsome, so stoic walking forward like that. She imprinted the memory of his handsome stance, his determination. “Goodbye… goodbye…” she whispered as her head began to hang mournfully low. The goddess of death wept quietly, alone in the space between spaces. Such a wonderful stallion.

Luna thought she could hear his final, joyful words as he came closer to the light at the end of the horizon. “Oh wow! Oh wow! Beautiful!”

=-=-=-=

Celestia mumbled over another scroll that had been sent to her from who-cares-what-pony-noble about not-very-important-state-problem. She reached for her tea, but found it tasted of quiet mourning. Saturated on some ethereal level, where no other pony could taste it save her. A message from her sister. Though it was late afternoon and this was often Luna’s sleeping time, she was awake and wanting for company. Rare was it for the sisters to gather for a reason not related to running Equestria. Rising, the goddess of the day gave a quiet sigh. That was noise enough to alert her guards of royal movement (they had a tendency to sleep on their hooves if she didn’t move for more than six hours).

Spreading her wings regally, the solar princess started away from her study and towards her sister’s room. The servants made way for the white alicorn as she went from one tower of the palace to the another, flanked by her twin guards. Passing tapestry after statue after stained-glass window, she favored a few ponies with smiles or kind words but never stopped. Celestia stopped before the great onyx doors, looking at the lunar stallion posted at either side. They bowed respectfully, and their solar counterparts took their places next to them (nopony was allowed in a princess’ bedroom unless explicitly invited). Nodding with a serene smile, she went inside.

The midnight curtains kept out the day, the candles keeping a half-light that her dark sister could bear. “Thy interference hath cost me a powerful stallion.” Luna’s voice said from the darkest corner. “Think not I did not see the blatent solar magic in Pinkamina’s weapon of choice. She may not have realized it, but I did.” She was sour, and her eyes betrayed… crying? Celestia was understandably caught off guard. Her sister NEVER wept.

“I did what I had to, to stop all the madness.” Celestia said gently, coming forward and nuzzling her sister comfortingly. Luna was a little still, but didn’t lash out at her. “Death was going way out of line, and you know it, dear sister.” She crooned quietly, leaning and pulling a misaligned feather in her sister’s wingspan. She flinched at the preening and sighed.

“Perhaps, but that does not mean he could not have been reined in.” Luna said, though she knew she was only trying to convince herself. “The Aspect of Death was meant to be a powerful shepherd of the dead, and grasper of the souls of those that refused to move on when their time was up.” She sighed and leaned forward into her sister’s shoulder. The sisters enveloped each other in their massive wings, an ancient gesture only they shared. Like two great swans, they crooned at each other comfortingly. “We… did not intend all this madness. Ever since Pinkamina emerged, nothing but madness…” the dark goddess sighed. Celestia knew it was the closest she would get to an apology, but the tone was sincere so she was satisfied.

“And now she is the new Death.” The sun goddess said gently, almost like it was a question.

“Yes. We shall need to train her carefully. No one saw her die, so she’s at much greater risk of being exposed than D… than our stallion was.” Luna refered to him, unashamed, as her own. Celestia gave her a look, but got no apologies or embarrassed glances. She hadn’t known they’d been romantically involved. “Pinkamina shall be a Death with a feather-light touch.” She rolled her eyes a little, shaking her head with a smirk.

“What makes you say that?” Celestia asked.

“Her cutie mark talent is preventing deaths, and she’s just become the Aspect of Death.” Luna snarked a little. “Talent and vocation at opposite ends, she shall always be looking for excuses not to kill anypony.” She smiled at the irony.

“Death isn’t normally supposed to kill anypony, though.” Celestia reminded her.

“We know, but when the time comes and she feels the urge that the cloak gives her…” Luna paused a moment to word it correctly. “Her decisions shalt be tempered with more mercy than the job hast previously employed. It will be interesting to watch her do it.”

=-=-=-=

Pinkamina awoke in the late morning with Lickity lazily stroking her. She turned her head only slightly, looking at him. Sun came through the window in a heavenly beam that heated the room rather nicely for wintertime. He leaned over her, pressing his lips to her forehead. She murr-growled slightly, turning on her side. She’d been out so late doing she-could-never-explain and she smelled like smoke. “Lickity…” she croaked at him.

“Hi.” He whispered quietly, his expression soft and loving. “You saved me. Again.” The white, green-maned stallion praised her quietly, nuzzling up and down with slow, heady motions. She rested there until she came more and more awake.

“Not my fault you couldn’t take care of your own soul.” She sulked a little, turning her head to one side. He nibbled on her ear instead until she gave a slight giggle and pulled it from his mouth.

“I have you to look after me, though.” He crooned softly, reaching towards the end table. He held something high, over the sun coming in the window. The pink mare squinted at it hard. “Forever.” He turned the golden, glittering object a little before bringing it down. The engagement hoop. She’d promised to marry him after she’d conquered Death. She swallowed a little, pondering technicalities. Well, she’d… she’d beaten Death, but now she WAS Death, did that count? She didn’t know. Pinkamina was a little scowly in her private thoughts and only cocked her head when he gently took her hoof with his. “Marry me?” Lickity Split whispered. She stared at the golden hoop hovering over the tip of her right-front hoof for a long time. She licked her lips a little, looking into his loving face. There was a long silence.  He began to wilt and look sad, and she finally shoved her hoof through. The hoop held above her ankle like it was supposed to. Lickity beamed at her, then leaned over her for a deep kiss. She held his face firmly with one hoof, closing her eyes pleasantly.

“Lickity…” Pinkamina said drowsily, a little caught up in the heady feeling of the stallion paying such good attention to her. She didn’t trust herself not to pounce on him right then, but then half the day would go to waste. She’d fall asleep curled up with him, and there was plenty to do. Nosing his cheek she rose authoritatively, determined to shake off sleep. He nibbled at her shorn fetlock a little and she jittered back, scolding him with her eyes. Hey lay there, splayed out and very much on display for her. Now where had he picked up that little trick, she wondered with a smirk. “I still smell like smoke.” She told him, crossing the room towards the bathroom. “If anypony asks you about the Sweet Apple Acres barn burning down, act surprised about it.” She called over her shoulder.

“Right.” Lickity Split smiled bemusedly. “That whole saving my soul thing, right?” she nodded at him, stepping into the bathroom to freshen up. By the time she emerged again she felt much better, didn’t smell of smoke and had coaxed her mane into something more presentable. She examined the hoop on her ankle, turning it back and forth. “So what’re you gonna do with your day?” Lickity asked her from the kitchen.

“The same thing any mare does when she gets an engagement hoop.” Pinkamina snorted, rolling her eyes at her silly stallion. “I’m gonna go show it off to everypony.” She went to the kitchen, grabbed a banana from the hook, pecked his cheek and was off. He smiled, watching her go. Her genuine smiles really were radiant.



THE END