Death Note: Equestria

by Nonagon

So, What WOULD Have Happened? pt. 2

“Let me tell you a story, Twilight.

"Once upon a time, there were two pony princesses who ruled over a kingdom of their very own. Being wise as well as powerful, they decided to raise and guide their subjects through both love and fear, and divided up their duties to reflect this. The first princess loved her subjects unconditionally, praising the righteous and bringing mercy and generosity to all she saw. But the second sister took on the much more difficult task of punishing the wicked, striking fear into the hearts of anything that might threaten their rule and maintaining order and safety across the land.

“But as the many, many years went by, the first of the two princesses began to notice differences in the ways that she and her sister were treated. Whenever she asked somepony to do something for her, it was done slowly and sloppily, when it was done at all. But when her sister gave an order to somepony, it was done immediately and without question. Her subjects accepted her gifts without thanks and spoke to her with the easy familiarity of a commoner, but they bowed and trembled before her sister as if she alone were the ruler of the land. And the longer this went on, the more the first princess felt shame and jealousy build up in her heart, until she could stand it no longer.

“So it was that one day, the first princess went to the chamber of the second and told her sister all that she had been feeling. She asked that from then on, their positions be reversed: that she would be the princess who ruled through fear, and the other would be the princess who ruled through love. Her sister agreed, and the very next day they slipped into each other’s shoes and took on their new roles with pride.

“But instead of accepting the change, the ponies they ruled over rebelled. After hundreds of years of harshness, when the former Princess of Fear gave them praise they were overjoyed, as they felt that they had finally earned her love. But when the former Princess of Love began to punish their misdeeds, they felt betrayed.

“And so all the ponies of the kingdom rallied behind the new Princess of Love, and the Princess of Fear was banished to a place very, very far away. And from that day forth, the kingdom was ruled by only one princess who raised her subjects with both punishment and praise alike.”

"Wait." Twilight shook her head. "Wait a minute. Are you talking about-"

“It’s only a story.” Warm Quilt smiled, as though comforting a frightened foal. “Don’t let it worry you.”

---

Once upon a time, there was a pony princess. She was blessed and cursed with immortality, and because she was so very old and very powerful, the ponies she met assumed that she must be very wise. Because of this they named her a Princess, and carted her around as a goddess of the new world. But in reality she was just as petty and foolish as any other pony, with all the same dreams, and all the same weaknesses.

While this pony had a sister with whom she could share her eternal life, the duties that the ponies below had placed upon them prevented them from spending their time with one another. So instead, she tried to make friends with mortals. Time and time again they died, and she thought that her heart could not bear the grief. So one day, she gathered together her closest companions, and she gave them eternal life.

This turned out to be the worst thing she ever did. As it turns out, there is a very good reason why ponies are not meant to live forever. As the centuries went by, the ponies she had blessed lost sight of their former selves. Overwhelmed by the same power and grief that had possessed her, one by one they transformed themselves into monsters. Some mutilated their bodies and turned to devouring their own kin, while others lost themselves in the darkest and most powerful of magics. And so the Princess’ best friends became her greatest enemies, and though she loved them so very, very much, she was forced to take their lives away or seal them within the darkest reaches of the earth, where they could do no harm.

And so for a time, life returned to the way it had been. The Princess learned to accept that all friendships must end, and that others will rise up to take their places. She loved briefly and powerfully, caring for all ponies as if they would be together until the end of time. And there the story might have ended, if something else had not occurred.

In the furthest wastes beyond the dark ocean, there lived a great and terrible dragon named Coronus. He came to Equestria in a storm of fire, appearing as a creature of death and destruction, but instead came before the Princess with a plea. He had been cast out of his clan for his use of a dark magic called Metempsychosis, a process that granted him not only eternal life, but eternal youth. Whenever injury or age began to creep upon him, he would snatch away a newborn dragon and slowly imprint his essence into their mind, transforming their soul into his own. And so he copied himself generation after generation, passing his thoughts and memories down from dragon to dragon in a cruel mockery of immortality, until the elders of his clan discovered his dealings and mortally wounded him, driving him from their lands forever.

In desperation, Coronus came to the land of Equestria, and in secret he struck a deal with the Princess who lived there. Knowing that his time was short, he offered to share with her the secrets of Metempsychosis if she would permit him to place himself into one of the young dragons who lived in her kingdom. After some thought, the Princess agreed, but only if she were the one to perform the ceremonies, so that she would know she had not been deceived.

Shortly after, Coronus died of his injuries. As promised, the Princess preserved the dragon’s essence and prepared to place it in a new body. But instead of a dragon, she put the spirit of the monster into a pony. She went out into Equestria and found an orphan foal with a hole in his mind that no doctor was able to cure, and she stole him away and filled him up with the mind of the mighty Coronus.

When the dragon awoke, he raged and raged, but he was trapped in a weak and helpless body and could do nothing about his situation. Years passed and the dragon sulked. But eventually, boredom made him curious about the kingdom he now inhabited and he went out into the world. Being in the body of something so small gave him a new perspective on life, and he eventually ceased his fury and allowed friendship into his heart. He forgave the Princess for her deception and the pair became fast friends. And then the Princess began to plot.

One by one, the wicked immortals were dug up from where they had been buried. Their minds were scoured clean and transplanted into the bodies of the lost and the weak. There they began their lives anew, learning to appreciate their weak and mortal lives while also being forever preserved. And one by one, their sanity began to return to them as they were so recaptured.

And so the Princess’s greatest enemies became her best friends once again, and much that was lost was regained.

---

"Shining, one last thing." Twilight hesitated. "Did Cadance ever have a sister?"

Shining Armour gave her a puzzled look. "Twilight, you know this," he said. "She was found in the snow and adopted by a family of-"

"I know the story," Twilight interrupted. "And that's why I'm asking you. Did Cadance ever have a sister?"

---

"Twilight, please," Celestia sobbed.

"But if there's one thing I've learned about friendship these past two months, it's that friendship ends," Twilight continued. "You know that. I think you know that better than anyone. Those weren't just your friends that you gave immortality to, were they? They were your children."

Nothing but sobs and a furious glare were the response to this. "And who best to lead your children? Who could you trust to reincarnate all those years, watching over the ones you treasured most? Cradling them like a warm quilt?"

"Twilight, if you think you know-"

"She's you, isn't she?"

A measured silence met her. "No," she mused. "Less than that. She's what's left of Celestia when Celestia is taken away."

---

Scraps and endings:

Colgate takes on the Eyes of the Shinigami, giving Sidoe more time to live while he searches. The time she gives up is described as "not very much" but future Death Note shenanigans later inadvertently extend her lifespan.

Straw Bolt is demoted to being Colgate's underling.

Shells dies.

It is revealed that Inferno caused the schoolhouse fire and kidnapped Snips and Snails, as he's been doing for years to kidnap foals to use as hosts in the Blight's reincarnation facility. His mind is that of the mighty Coronus, still alive after all this time. His host's name was Cinnamon Swirl.

The mysterious creator of the golems is revealed to be the reincarnated Judas Loam in the body of Limestone Pie.

Jazz may or may not be a past incarnation of L. Or the real L, Luna's only child, given immortality. Or Lyra's father. Even by the end, it's ambiguous as to who he really was.

Warm Quilt's real name is revealed to be Fae Belle. Her relationship to Cadance is ambiguous. Eaten by Sidoe.

---

And that, the King of Death supposed, was that.

All was quiet in the Shinigami Realm. Deathly quiet. Anything of interest came through the cracks in time, the holes to the worlds below. Now another of these worlds was slowly falling quiet again, back to peaceful order as the gods departed and young Byuk's machinations came to their logical end.

And it had been an adventure, hadn't it? Full of twists and turns, plots and intrigue, suspenseful encounters and surprises that had even startled him some of the time. It was a shame about Sidoe, it truly was. But then, as the saying went; lose a son, gain a daughter.

But it was over now, as all things ended, as inevitable as death itself. Time for something new. Time for something fresh. He really should allow these kinds of games more often.

Deep in the deepest recesses of the darkness in which he dwelled, some part of the Shinigami King smiled... then frowned. It wasn't totally quiet in the realm after all.

Something was getting closer.

He turned his ears toward the door and listened. Not just one - several. Many, even. Moving quickly. A funereal procession? A revolt? Either way, nothing he couldn't deal with. He listened closer as they grew nearer, and one of his eyes narrowed. Were they... singing?

Just like that, they were upon him. The door was flung open and shinigami poured into the massive chamber. The young and the old, the large and the small, all alike entered or were pushed inside. One by one, their cries of revelry went silent, crushed beneath the darkness and the immense space. Only one kept singing, one small shape that bounced and wove among the gods around her, one who was definitely not one of his children.

The King of Death spoke, his one word bypassing sound entirely and searing itself into the minds of all who beheld him.

You.

"Hi!" the tiny pink shape responded, bouncing forward. "Are you the King? My name's Pinkie Pie and I threw this party just for you!"

How did you get here.

"Somebody told me this place was a total snoozealot, full of sad faces and lots of boredom. And I thought, wow, that sounds like a job for Pinkie Pie! And Pinkie Pie is me! So I came here to liven up this gloomy-doomy place with a party!"

What.

"And everyone said that the loneliest mclonerson anywhere lives here! So I brought all your friends to celebrate with you! Look! I brought balloons, and music, and streamers, and pin the tail on the pony!"

That's not. What.

"And best of all..." The bouncing pony whirled around, producing from somewhere a dark cake shaped like a notebook. "I baked this cake for you! Want a piece? Huh? Huh? Huh?"

I.

There was a horrible deadly silence.

A titanic dark claw, vast as worlds, loomed out of the shadows. It descended, and, with deathly precision, picked up a slice of cake on a little paper plate and vanished back into the darkness.

There was a horrible deadly silence.

It is delicious.

There was a hopeful deadly silence.

Continue.

The chamber erupted in cheers and song. Shinigami danced as the party rose and swelled, spreading outside to those still waiting to enter. A pink pony bounced through it all, leading the cheer in fantastical displays. Somewhere in the darkness, the King of Death suppressed a smile.

All was well.

Comments

[CuriousCurse]

Huh, never thought I would see this story again yet it popped up in the feature box just now. Wonder if you're about to get a fresh batch of fans.

[Greatazuredragon]

Why is this still carrying a Cancelled tag?

[Dirty Bit]

That last part was clever

9256683 He's merely churning out what could have been in his story after announcing its cancellation

[warbird]

Am I missing something? I don't see what Twilight's final fate was in this story? And what's the deal with Pinkie showing up in the Shinigami world? Is it just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie or is there an explanation that I missed?

[mycutiemarkisagun]

THAT PONK SCENE WAS ADORABLE I WANNA CRY AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[Braininthejar]

At first i was like WTF

Then I remembered Echo Pie, and suddenly the whole thing with reincarnations clicked neatly into place.

[CuriousCurse]

9256701
Oh i know, but it's been years since this last had time in the lime light. New people and people who missed it the first time are likely to stumble upon it.

[Starlight Nova]

What he and warbird said. WTF is going on in this chapter? Why is Pinkie in the Shinigami's realm, and what happened to Twilight, Fluttershy, and Byuk?

[Firefoxino]

Haven't read it yet, I got the 1000th like though so I'm content of myself.

[IDontWatchMLP]

Congrats! You finally reached 1,000 likes!

[GorochuVA]

*pre-read: sees "cancelled"* That's okay, put if they don't still meet the Mane 6 and Ryuk immediately wants to marry Applejack, I don't want it