It wasn’t quick like I expected. It was slow and painful and agonizing. Nothing about it was poetic, it didn’t seem noble, and it sure as hell didn’t seem like I was making a difference. Others got to live though so maybe it was all those things, and more.
I’m hobbling towards a light. With each passing step my steps grow surer, my body hurts less, and I’m sure as hell not as fucked up as I was 15 minutes ago. The light just seems so far away, but I've done far worse with a whole lot less. Although, this whole experience is new to me, well I guess it’d be new for anyone, dying that is.
I kind of remember, it just seems all kind of fuzzy. Whether that’s from being dead or the incident being high adrenaline I don’t know. I remember the convoy coming under fire. The hmv flipped, I was climbing out slowly and there was a grenade. My friends, my brothers, they were in danger and I wasn’t going to let anymore die senselessly. So, I pulled it close to my body and waited for the inevitable.
The shrapnel tore through my wind pipe and my lower extremities were nothing more than shreds of meat. I laid back gasping for air feeling my life fade away to darkness. My Sgt grabbed my hand and yelled for a corpsman. I felt my eyes get heavy and the struggle to breath abruptly stopped. As I sat up I was in this hallway looking down towards this light.
I can’t help but wonder what’s at the end. I was neither religious nor was I philosophical. I didn’t imagine death as anything I just wondered was all. Like, finally getting to pull back the curtain and reveal the wizard pulling all the strings or maybe there really is nothing and I’ll just keep walking forever.
The light is getting bigger and bigger. I finally reach my destination. It’s a door. More specifically it’s a massive white stone structure that would dwarf even the vehicles I was used to operating in. It literally gives off rays of blinding white light. It’s a beautiful work of masonry with carvings depicting all manner of creature, horses roaming in a pasture, griffins, pegasi, and dragons soaring through the air, even unicorns in high spiraled towers.
Something struck me as odd though. Not a single bipedal creature was depicted in this grand mural. And even odder the moon and sun were depicted as auras of these “flying unicorns.” I’ve seen some strange things in what was my short life, but this, this takes the cake. “Well what now?” I ask the door. “I mean you’ve guided me all the way here what is it you want?”
The door seemed reluctant to be forthcoming with answers. So, I sat down facing the door, it’s not like I had places to be or anything. I sat staring at the door, the bright glare never diminishing. I got up once and pushed on it, but it seemed fairly secure. So I put my back against and slid to the floor. At this point I just didn’t care enough I lifted the flak jacket I was wearing, for whatever reason, and set it down. My life was literally over and my afterlife looked like it was going to drive me insane at this rate. I slumped to one side and went to sleep; it seemed like forever since I had gotten in a good nap.
The dead do not dream. They are in it of themselves a flicker of a past life, a dream of lost times. I awoke to the sound of my watch beeping. It was 0500 somewhere in the realm of the living. I had to wonder as I turned it off what the deal was. If I died, and I’m dressed exactly as I went, minus the blood, and my watch is still keeping time for god knows what reason, where am I exactly? I sit up still leaning against the useless piece of masonry.
“WHERE THE FUCK AM I?” I yell at the darkness. No response, not even an echo of my own voice. I slump to my side in defeat and fall back to sleep.
The darkness is starting to get to me I think. I could have sworn that something in the shadows was watching me, but when I turned to look I couldn’t quite detect anything. Two days after that something slithered down the hall way. It was quiet almost undetectable, but I heard it and the sound was unbearable to listen to. Like someone lightly dragging their nails on a chalk board. The sound was just at the edge of the light and then slowly drifted back into the darkness. My sleep had lessened dramatically and I’m twitchy and on edge. It seems like a relief to me the fact that neither hunger nor bodily functions plague me now; they would distract me from keeping watch for this being within the dark. God I sure do miss my rifle now.
Five days have passed now and with each passing moment I feel myself becoming more paranoid about the darkness. Its constant thrumming and overt presence just puts me on edge. If that wasn’t bad enough they’re creatures stirring within the eternal shade. I’m guessing more than one at this point, but it’s hard to pin point how many.
This damn door won’t budge no matter how much I push on the damn thing. I’m sweating now and I’m sitting with my back against the door, when a new sound catches my ear. It’s soft at first, but grows in intensity every few moments. If someone were to throw pudding on the floor, then proceed to drag a piece of metal on concrete, that would be synonymous too the sound coming from the dark. I wait, not daring to breathe as the sound gets closer and closer to the edge of the light. Then as it just about reaches the light it goes quiet. No squelching, nothing.
I wait for a moment then slowly out of the dark walks a young girl no more than 11 or 12. She has very pretty red hair and beautiful contrasting sky blue eyes. She’s skinny, but not bonny however; her skin looks like it hasn’t seen sunlight in many months. She’s wearing what appears to be a night gown that stops above her knees and her shoulder length hair is pushed back behind her. She’s smiling at me.
“Um, hello little one, what’s your name?” I ask cautiously
She offers no reply, but just continues to smile.
“Do you know where we are at?” I ask
Still nothing, the smile is beginning the irk me. She’s even began to sway back in forth.
“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU SO CHEERY ABOUT?” I yell and take a step forward.
She stops swaying; in the most twisted demonic voice I’d ever heard she says, “Nothing Cpl Ryder I just so love the taste of fresh souls.”
My eyes widen as I step back towards the door. The child’s body rips in half contorting into the face of some disgusting beast. The mouth formed from the ribs of the girl, the legs and arms ripped apart to form the creatures 8 bizarre appendages. The rest of the beast comes into the light. A mass of rotting corpses stitched together here and there all collectively moving as one. Every eye focused on me, the beast dragging a cage behind it and into the light.
“I’m going to add you to my collection,” it says, a large patch stitched tongue snaking out to lick the rib teeth. I turn around and begin pushing on the door with all my might yelling and shouting for the damn door to open. Something snakes out to grab my leg dragging me to the floor. I look back to multiple arms stitched end to end. I’m clawing at the floor desperate to separate myself from this thing. It slowly begins to reel me and in a last hope I hit the door with all the strength I can muster.
I flip over on to my back and remove a k-bar from my cargo pocket. I slice at the hand that’s locked around my ankle. Like hell I’m being eaten by some half stitched piece of rotting flesh. After my second hack at the arm, the hand come off and the multiple arms retract suddenly. I pry the hand off my ankle and quickly square off with the creature. I begin to make plans of escape when something about the creature catches my eye. It’s no longer staring at me, but rather past me. I turn to throw a quick glance over my shoulder at what I thought were a pair of closed door.
Time stands still as the doors slowly swing open. The light hurts my eyes as someone steps through the doorway. I shield my eyes and the creature behind me makes a gurgling/hissing noise. The light dies down and before me are standing two creatures that I seem to recall somewhere. I look to the door and it dawns on me that these are the white and blue flying unicorn creatures in the mural.
I look upon these creatures with something akin to curiosity. The pure White one with the ethereal mane speaks to the hideous creature.
“Ah Hel, rather far from your domain are you not?” she says with a hint of displeasure in her voice.
The creatures makes a displeased gurgling noise, “Celestia, it’s been a while has it not? And Luna back from the moon I see.” The creature shows its wicked smile made of bone spurs.
The smaller blue creature flinches at the moon remark, but the white one is unfazed.
“Enough with the pleasantries Hel, why are you trespassing on our territory?” The white one says with an edgy and knowing tone.
“Simply collecting a soul found wandering the corridors of eternity.” The creature says speaking plainly. “You know with these souls never really deciding where to go, they end up just waiting around to be collected,”
“So if you don’t mind I’ll just collect him and be on my way.”
“The fuck you are! Just going to collect my soul you pile of rotting corpses.” I interject at this point thoroughly hearing enough from this bitch.
“Quiet, you mortal, you are a mere cockroach of existence compared to me and I will devour you.”
The white and blue creatures are still standing there watching this dispute. A look of perplexity is on the white ones face, but rage is imprinted on the blues as she whispers rapidly into the white one’s ear.
I lose focus for a second and suddenly what appears to be a spinal cord is shooting out towards me from the creature’s mouth. I turn to minimize the impact area and close my eyes. I wait for the impact, but nothing happens. I open my eyes to see a gleaming yellow barrier in front of me has caught the bone spike.
“You dare to interfere Celestia?” The creature growls at Celestia ichor dribbling down its many orifices to the floor.
“Every god and goddess has a right to claim the souls in these halls,” The blue one speaks out with a small smirk, “And if I recall this one is in our territory.” She finishes.
“You have never once claimed a soul in all these years and now you wish to?” The creature asks visibly livid with rage.
“We have the right to do so.” The white one confirms and we shall have this one. “Unless of course you intend to take this one by force.”
Things grew intense in that moment. Each side was dead quiet and from the motions each side was making, it appeared they were readying strikes. The creature made a sound of defeat and turned to leave.
“There will be a day of reckoning princesses, you can count on that, where your petty magic will fail you and on that day I’ll be waiting.” It began making its squelching noise back into the dark dragging its cage.
“Go crawl back into the abortion bucket you slithered out of you disgusting thing.” I yell into the darkness.
With the fading of the squelching noise into the darkness I turn and almost run into those strange white and blue creatures. The blue one has a look of excitement and the white one has that same perplexed look as before.
“Um…hi?” I manage to say before the blue one begins to bombard me with questions.
“What are you, where do you come from, what is that on the floor, how long have you been here in the corridors; do you have a name, where do you make your home?” The questions are rapid fired at me and my brain has a problem just processing them. The white one then puts her hoof over the clearly younger ones mouth.
“What my sister is clearly trying to say is, hello I am princess Celestia and this is my sister Princess Luna. We are the rulers of Equestria. Who are you and how did you find yourself here?” The white one says with a sympathetic tone.
I sigh very slowly grateful to her for her making things much more simple.
“My name Corporal (Cpl) Ryder, Cpl John Matthew Ryder and I’m not really sure how I came to be here honestly.” I state matter of factly.
“Alright Cpl well can I ask you something more personal then?” The white one begins again
“Go ahead,”
“What manner of creature are you exactly?” Celestia and Luna are pretty serious at this point.
“I’m a human and I come from a place called earth.” I say answering their next question. “Can I in turn ask you a question?”
They both nod.
“What is this place exactly?” I motion around me to the dark hallways.
Luna pipes up this time. “These are the hallways of eternity; they are what connect each and every universe that has, will, or does exist. That however does bring up another question why would you, a mortal, be in these halls unless of course…” her line of thought trails off and she suddenly looks very distraught. Her sister suddenly has a similar look.
“What is it you two?” I ask curious what could throw off their moods so quickly.
Celestia begins to talk, “Cpl you may not want to hear this, but I believe the reason you’re in these halls to begin with is because…”
I cut her off, “I died,” I say it very plainly without giving it any thought what so ever.
They both have a confused look on their faces as I say it replacing their distraught looks. “It happens, I just didn’t know this is where I’d end up afterwards,” I say changing the subject. “I mean, when I came too I was in this dark hallway all alone and I saw a white light, your big stone door here that is, so, I followed it and this is where I ended up. There were no relatives waiting on the other side, no pearly gates, or infernos, just a dark hall way and a door.”
The Princesses look to one another confused I guess neither of them knew the answer about life after death either.
“How old were you Cpl when you passed away?” Celestia asks.
“I was 26.”
“You were very young Cpl to have passed away.”
“It happens.”
Celestia gives me an interesting look. However, she doesn’t push the conversation.
“Well Cpl, I have laid a claim on your life in order to protect you from others who would, lets us just say they would consume you.” I scoff at her.
“I’m with the creature you scared off on this one, you seem a little bit to prim and proper to quote be claiming souls,” I make air quotes around when I say claiming souls. This gets a chuckle out of Luna and a glare out of Celestia.
“Well Cpl, the way that I see it you have two options.” Celestia begins with a little smirk. “You can either toil away in these dark hall ways hoping some ancient and forgotten god or goddess doesn’t get hungry and come track you down like a blood hound.”
I wasn’t too keen on that proposition, “Or," I begin for her.
“Or two, you can take me up on my offer,” she says with a smile.
“Alright, and what is this grand ole' deal of yours,” I drawl.
“Simple Cpl, you come through the door with my sister and I and you never have to see these hallways again.” She concludes with a smile.
I give it some consideration; I turn and look down the hallway thinking about all that’s been said. They’re more doors and more places to find perhaps even better ones, but if what they say is true, then they’re probably thousands of gods just looking for a tasty morsel of a soul to snatch up. Why is dying so complicated? I don’t feel like these two are harboring any ill will and they have already proven themselves once by sticking their necks out for me. I turn back to face them.
“Alright, but first, what’s the catch?” I ask bluntly.
“Whatever do you mean Cpl?” Luna says innocently.
“Usually when something is too good to be true, it usually is.”
Celestia begins this time, “Well Cpl, your body is gone simply lost to the sands of time. So, as of right now you’re nothing more than a soul, a spirit if you will, wandering around bodiless and if you were to enter into Equestria, the magic of this plane might end up destroying you.”
“But you guys are literal goddess, aren’t you; can’t you make me a new body?” I ask.
“We can, true enough.”
“Alright, then what seems to be the problem?”
“Well we can’t make you a human body.” Oh no. “But we can make you another body of a different species. Those of which that are under our domain that is.”
10 minutes go by. “Cpl, you’re going to have to stop rolling around on the floor laughing,” Celestia says more than a bit irked, but not letting it show through her regal bearing.
I try to take a breath, but can’t. In between gasps I manage, “You….want….to….turn….me….into….a….pony,” My sides hurt from laughing and I have tears in my eyes.
Both ponies, are staring at me now. Luna has a small smile and Celestia is stoic.
“Well, your answer Cpl,”
I take a deep breath and let it out. “Alright, well I’m certainly not spending eternity in this place so; I guess I don’t have much of a choice.”
The Princesses get up from their resting spot they had chosen after I began laughing like a mad man. One is facing me and the other is behind me. “Alright Cpl, what’ll it be, Earth pony, Pegasi, or Unicorn.”
I give it a moment’s thought, “Unicorn, that way if a mother fucker tries to mess with me I can stab him.”
The Princess gives me a disappointing look and I proceed to chuckle.
“Alright Cpl, on the count of three,” Celestia says quite calmly.
“One,” her horn begins to glow brightly much like a white road flare. “Two,” the horns form a glowing ring around. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.” I say, but am drowned out by the rush of magic.”Three!” the magic hits me with the force of a train and for the second time in a week I feel my body drop out of consciousness.