It was a lovely funeral.
Lovely considering the circumstances. Nearly half of Equestria came to wish the youngest Princess of Equestria well on her journey to the other side, to paradise.
It was an all day even, the casket containing the late alicorn was paraded through the streets of Canterlot by the entire royal guard. Twilight’s casket and her closest friends and remaining family were all taken by chariot to the small town of Ponyville.
After arriving, the parade began anew, though this would be the last time anypony would get a glimpse of the precious cargo as it traveled the streets from the ruins of the old library, to the gigantic, gaudy crystal castle that now towers over Ponyville, to the cemetery just beyond the outskirts of the town.
Five old mares, a dragon, three princesses, an aged prince who was leaning against his bride who has only grown stronger (and taller) over the years, and three middle aged mares sat alone in a cemetery around a freshly filled grave.
“Oh Twilight...” rumbled the deep voice of the adolescent dragon who stood a mere yard away.
“I know Spike. We’re gonna miss her too,” Rarity spoke up, “But don’t worry, we’ll all see her again- er,” the little white mare glanced at the princesses and up at Spike, “Right, sorry, but I’m sure you’ll see us as well, once we… you know… eventually...”
“Ah think what Rarity is trying to say, is don’t worry, this ain’t really the end,” Applejack clarifies, “We’ll all see each other in paradise when our time comes.”
This was met by a chorus of nods and sounds of approval.
Thump.
Everypony, (and dragon)’s ears perked up at the sound.
“What was that?” said an old blue pegasus in a wheel chair.
Cold… cold and dark… I’m dying… no, I died… Twilight thought as she floated in absolute darkness, Magic… my magic is fading… No, not fading, leaking… maybe I’m leaving my body.... I’m still in the hospital, right? I guess it doesn’t matter if I’m dead… so I died… I guess that’s what I get for boiling liquid rainbow…heh, that was a pretty spectacular explosion… I do hope Rainbow survived...
She lazily looked around for anything of note. So this is what being dead is like? Where’s the golden gates into paradise? there was nothing. Nothing accept for tired… I’m getting tired… my magic is running out… but I should be with my mom soon… she will make it better… mom and dad… and grandma Sparkle… and... Why can’t I see paradise? This isn’t right. I don’t see anything. Nothing, there is nothing. My magic... is still draining.
She felt like a light that was slowly being turned off as the magic in her spirit kept draining on its own.
What was left of her mind began to formulate a way to stop her magic from leaking, she soon felt her reservoir blocked and the non physical hole patched up, stopping the flow. Good… my magic isn’t going anywhere. But I think I need to rest… my magic is very low… and I don’t want to know what would happen if it were to drain completely.
Probably nothing.
Literally.
Suddenly, her mind wasn’t floating, and she could feel her body once again. She was laying on her back, on something hard, but not uncomfortable.
She opened her eyes, only to be greeted with blackness. But I have my body… I don’t know what part of the boom killed me, but it must have left my body intact if I’m not in unbearable pain...
“Hello?” she called out, only to hear her own voice followed by the most deafening silence. She took a deep breathe, the air smelled like fresh dirt. Huh... Weird.
Maybe I should just... She swiftly moved to sit up. Thump. Her horn banged into something solid. Her front hooves instinctively flew up to hold her head in pain. Ahh! My horn! I must be in the morgue… that would explain the cold...
Lighting her horn, expecting to see a metal surface above her. Uh-oh...
She found herself in a rather restrictive space, but it was well padded with what appeared to be and felt like top grade white silk. Almost like what you’d find inside of a- Uh-oh...
Calming herself before she could panic, she began to assess her situation. She was trapped in a box, that was most likely two strides underground if not more. Her magic was nearly depleted, and she had limited air.
Time to panic.
With all her might, she coiled up one of her arms, aimed it at the lip and struck at it with an impressively, borderline deafeningly muffled -
“I think we’re just hearing-” Fluttershy began to say as she was cut off by a soft sound that caused her to quickly hide behind the immobilized pegasus in the wheelchair.
Thump.
Everypony was dead silent, eyes trained on the rectangular patch of dirt, under which, one pony very dear to all of their collective hearts lay.
Thump.
Some of the microscopic pebbles that sit atop the mound of fresh dirt shifted.
Thump.
“Everypony, step back.” Luna spoke, the others did as told.
Thump.
“W-what’s happening?” asked the faded pink party pony.
Thump. The dirt in the center of the patch dipped down slightly.
“It couldn’t be… dark magic, could it?” Celestia asked with a glance at her sister, then back at the ground.
The thumping was replaced by shuffling and scraping.
“I’m not detecting any necromantic magics.” Luna responded.
Celestia and Luna’s horns began to glow, readying to discharge into a spell to neutralize any threat that may be coming.
A dirty and scratched up lavender hoof attached to a lavender furred bleeding arm broke the surface and shot up out of the ground.
Pinkie Pie gasped in a deep breath, “Zombie!” she screamed before performing a perfect ten point triple backflip before landing on Spike’s back. “Spike use fire breath!”
“Oh no you don’t! ”Just as Spike had filled his lungs, the wheelchair bound pegasus wheeled herself to sit in front of the grave, “What’s the matter with you all? This is Twilight!”
Spikes cheeks were about to burst as he forced the fire back down his throat before letting out a loud burp. “‘Scuse me.”
“Awe, it wasn’t very effective...” Pinkie mumbled as the old mare slipped off of Spike’s back.
The princesses let the magic in their horns to dissipate as Rainbow dash slowly made her way to sit by the rest of her friends.
The hoof flailed about a bit as it tried to find purchase on something solid. Finding the ground decent, a second hoof slowly made its way up and out of the hole. This hoof was also similarly injured like the first. A cracked and burnt unicorn’s horn slowly appeared, followed by the rest of said former unicorn.
Once her body was out in the open air, Twilight’s body decided now was a good time to rest. She lay there face down in the dirt, panting heavily.
“Twi… that you?” Asked Rainbow with a nervous squeak.
“Nothing...” Twilight muttered.
“I’m sorry dear, what was that?” Rarity asked, stepping forward.
“There was nothing… complete and total nothing.” Twilight said again, this time loud enough for everypony to hear. She began sobbing as she struggled to pull her hind legs out of the hole she made.
Celestia was the first to rush to her side and pluck her from the hole. She hugged the cold and mildly rotten pony as Twilight clung to her chest. Twilight cried as hard as she could into her former mentor’s chest, the rest of the ponies and dragon gathered around her in a huge group hug.
“There there… it will be alright, my faithful student… just calm down...” Celestia said as softly as possible. Softer than any pony had ever heard her in years.
After the last nerve shaking sobs began to die down, allowing Twilight to catch her breath, she drew a deep breath before speaking “Celestia… there was nothing. It’s all a lie.”
There was a round of gasps in response.
“What do you mean there was nothing?” Asked Celestia.
“I mean nothing. No golden gates, no field of flowers, no palas made of happiness. Just nothing. Paradise doesn't exist.”
“No.” The old apple farmer breathed. “That ain’t true… That ain’t possible! There has t’ be paradise! How else is Mah and Pah lookin’ down on us?”
“Sis, does that mean Granny and Mac are… gone?” Asked the other apple farmer.
“It appears you have made a startling discovery, Twilight Sparkle. But I’m afraid this is how live is meant to be.” Luna stepped forward with her horn aglow.
“L-Luna? Wh-what are you doing?” Asked a fearful Celestia s her grip on the formerly deceased alicorn tightened.
“The truth must never be made known, Tia. Otherwise it would breed panic and chaos.”
“You… you knew? All this time? You knew?!” Celestia bellowed. “You lead me to believe that ther was an afterlife all these years?! Centuries!?”
“Tia, I am sorry, but it is my duty to help those who have died to pass on. Even if there is nothing to pass on to.” Luna explained. “A pony’s soul, including mine and yours, are made of the most essential magics in the universe, and it is up to me to make sure that that magic is returned to whence it came.”
“But there was nothing...” Twilight said, her voice hoarse and weak. “I felt my magic flowing out of me. Out of me and into nothing. If I let it continue… I… It would be like I never existed at all… All the time I spent learning and studying… worthless! Completely worthless and meaningless!”
Twilight stood with the sound of every joint in her body creaking. Her slightly sunken and milky eyes boring into Luna.
“You’ve known,” Twilight brushed her way past the other ponies to stand before Luna. “You’ve known and didn’t have the decency to at least warn some pony about it? About the absolute nothing that we get no matter how hard we try in life?”
“What is wro!-gluhhh.” Twilight’s reprimanding was cut off as her jaw and part of her face fell away from her head.
“GAHH!!” many ponies and a dragon called out.
Luna simply stood there as she watched Twilight fumbled wide eyed and fail to put her jaw back on.
“Hold still, let me just...” Celestia muttered as she tried to help Twilight pull herself together.
“This is why necromancy is outlawed and punishable by death...” Luna commented dryly.
“Lunie. That isn’t funny!” Pinkie booped Luna on the nose. “Now do something and fix her!”
“Alright, sheesh...”
With a flash of light from Luna’s horn Twilight’s jaw was back in place and her body was no longer decaying.
“Hold on! Hold on! You mean to tell me you could have fixed her this whole time?” Rainbow Dash wheeled over to Luna. “What about me? Why’s she so special? She’s undead, ain’t like she’s gonna keel over now!”
There was a second flash and Rainbow’s injuries were gone. “Because you didn’t ask.”