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.my name is charon, ferrypony of the underworld.
.it is my task to carry the souls of the dead into the darkness beyond.
.this is a necessary burden, one that i took up at the cost of my own spiritual tranquility.
.and i will not sleep, nor will i taste the soothing kiss of oblivion, until the last pony is ferried.

Chapters (7)
Comments ( 268 )

Oh my...

This is certainly different.

Damn somber too...

Least the ferryman seems like a decent person.

~Skeeter The Lurker

...Why am I reading this in one go...?

Leave it to Pinkie to sing right off into rest.

~Skeeter The Lurker

Boy this is deep...

Loving the little looks into their 'golden' years, as it were.

Also... Queen Twilight? Interesting...

~Skeeter The Lurker

This style, or format should I say, is a first for me. Nonetheless the description is beautiful and I LOVE the concept itself. Alright, one pony down (Poor Shy)...I'm ready to read the rest!

That's gonna be a hell of a wait for that ferryman...

...I suck at this philosophical crap...

~Skeeter The Lurker

...In the words of Han Solo...

I got a bad feeling about that.

~Skeeter The Lurker

Hmm. This is intriguing so far.

...HOLY SHIT.

That... Holy fuck, man.

Just holy fuck that was unexpected...

Oh, yeah...

acknowledge it, tjat things are different than as i now see them .

I think you meant 'that'...

~Skeeter The Lurker

heavenly song nonsense that we've carried on hour shoulders since dawnlight on the farm

Our.

Not sure I see the sense in this afterlife. You go to this place... just to go nowhere?

Damn, those chills.

Wow. Okay, loss of words here. Did NOT expect that, I was confused why she didn't have her own chapter at first but then...oh, shit man the feels. Well played, I really love this twist! One more chapter to go!

3908510

Yeah, but why? I mean... iunno, maybe I just read too much into it, or maybe my own vision of the afterlife prevents me from seeing it, but... why? Why not just snuff out? I know, I know, "for that one last moment of peace." Still, doesn't make much sense.

Bah. Twas a damn good read, at any rate.

It is interesting that you had the time marked out by the length of the lines of the chapters.

3908568

I had the exact opposite problem. Didn't read deep enough, I think.

Think of it more along the lines of purgatory.

That and you're remark about closing remarks/last bit of piece is the most likely just from how it read.

And hell yes it was impressive.

~Skeeter The Lurker

It's been said before, but I'll say it again; this was beautiful. I'm glad I picked this as my first SS&E story, and I can't wait to read more.

3908584

Right, but I have this problem, where I can;t shut my brain up. I always look at the bigger picture. Why was this system put into place? What point does it serve? Why does he always knock away the other souls? I know, it's Dash, but I mean before her, Charon, the real one. If they just all wink out into nothing, then why construct this elaborate afterlife waiting room for... nothing?

3908596

They don't, if I read it right.

They simply move on into the next plane.

I could be horribly wrong, though.

~Skeeter The Lurker

O___O

Great as always.

... You know, it's kinda like reading E.E. Cummings. Also, I love how the style just makes everything echo.

Your life is over -- you will be squelched -- take a number.

3908604
He always talks about sleep, and oblivion, which to my eyes means nothing. Also, Applejack pretty much said that there is nothing, and she will never see her family again. A bit overly-nihilistic for my tastes, but eh...

3908620

That's true. She DOES say that buuuut...

I dunno... I'd like to think they simply moved on to better things.

~Skeeter The Lurker

Does this story remind anyone else of Hell Girl? If anyone even knows what that is. :rainbowlaugh: Same kind of of deal, except the main character takes the souls on a ferry ride to purgatory o.O

3908633

I said this on Skype, but I think it bears repeating: this whole set-up makes me feel like the afterlife is run by the US Military:

"Why is this ferry in place?"
"Well, we need some way of getting the dead across the river."
"Why is there a river?"
"To separate the lake from the dead."
"Why do we separate the dead from the lake?"
"So they can ride the ferry."
*blink*
*blink*
"I don't think you're grasping this."

I honestly believe that a true sign of the Apocalypse would be if SS&E ever wrote a story which didn't end bitter sweet or with at least some form of death from one or more of the 6.

It might have been better thematically if they had crossed the threshold together -- but then again Dash being who she is wouldn't consider it a win unless she went after the immortals.

3908620
You're assuming this was purposely created, and is not a function beyond purpose. :rainbowderp:
Aside from that, though 'Charon' refers to it as 'oblivion', Twilight claims to know more than any other about the afterlife, and she refers to where they're all going as a 'slumber', and has hope for a future of some sort. I suppose my favored 'purposeful' interpretation would be that this is all that can pass from one heat-death frozen universe to the next. Even though they may be like a drop of wine in an ocean, if those that have passed can flavor a future reality, then it isn't so 'pointless'.
Oh look I've gone cross-eyed. :twilightoops:

Very nice atmosphere. Such an engrossing read. Good job.

3908568 I think you are underestimating the value of "that one last moment of peace." For people who have lived life in constant struggle or those die with grief, sorrow, regrets in their hearts, being given the chance to experience one last moment of peace would most likely be a great gift. Well, what's the point of even that if they're just going to unravel into oblivion?

. someway, somehow, i will wait for you. for that time when a magical spark reignites the gasp of life from beyond our fathomless slumber .

Perhaps this isn't as bleak as it appears.

3908734

A great gift... for what? Sounds to me like Rarity and AJ had peace when they died, so why go through it again? And even for someone like Fluttershy, who died in pain, what does it matter if there's nothing after?

Holy moly, Skirts, I haven't read anything quite so haunting since CiG's "Garden of Good and Evil." :fluttershysad:

But where's Rainbow Dash, I'd like to know? Did I miss something?

edit: ... :pinkiegasp::rainbowderp::applecry::fluttercry:

(•⌓•)

I...I don't know what my feels are doing.

3908427
Hmmm. What are Tia and Luna doing?

Wow, I must be really slow.
I just realized the chapter titles were a timeline of sorts. Either that or im looking way to far into things
._. I thought it was a face.

i fumbled with the rob

rod

Also...that last one is gonna be Twilight, isn't it?

3908868
Oh that's neat if its true. I mean it fits and stuff as well as adds a something different becides names for them

~Reggie

Oh shit, I completely forgot about Dash until I looked at the character tags again. I was completely ignorant to who 'he' was.

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