Take Your Last Eternal Breath
Princess Cadance climbed a staircase that wasn’t anywhere, but led where she wanted to go.
Each upcoming step imposed upon her the tyranny of time, and the previous step was joyous release.
She had forgotten what seemed like ages ago why she was climbing.
But she knew she had to climb. For reasons that escaped her, she needed to climb.
A quick glance to the left impressed upon her the tapestry of astronomy, which destroyed the meaning of up. Cadance focused her gaze forward to reaffirm her direction.
She had to go up.
Up past Twilight, previous ward and current friend.
Up past Shining Armor, current love and devoted friend.
Up even past Flurry Heart, her current devotion and future friend.
But is there a future beyond the staircase in front of her? She does not know.
All she knows is that her calves ache and each forever moment drives her stir-crazy. Her only solace is that each forever only lasts a moment.
An eternity of pain that ends when her hoof touches ground, then reignites as she lifts her hoof to climb the next stair.
Climb.
Does she know where the stairs end? Does she know why she climbs?
She knows to stop climbing is to embrace death.
To stop climbing is to fail those who look up to her.
Her love, Shining Armor.
Her daughter, Flurry Heart.
Her subjects, the Crystal Ponies.
Her aunt, Celestia.
And her friend, Twilight.
Perhaps Twilight was at the top of the staircase, to soothe her pain and let her rest.
The staircase still did not end.
For days, for weeks, for years she had been rising. Her legs threatened to tear themselves to shreds, her back warned of seizure. Her heart warned of loss.
Yet she still climbed.
What direction was there to go but up? Going down wasn’t an option. Princess Cadance needed to see the top of the staircase, if only because she had spent so long climbing it.
So she kept at it.
Step after step, beat after beat, breath after breath.
Surely all of this toil would reap reward.
Surely, she told herself as her calves burned and her neck strained.
Surely its meaning would reveal itself at the end of the labor.
Surely her suffering has meaning.
Perhaps her daughter had developed into a full-grown mare, her father beating off suitors with a stick.
She chuckled ruefully at the thought. Her Shining, with flecks of grey marring his lustrous mane. Lucky to be subject to the ravages of time.
Time had lost all meaning on this perditious staircase.
No landings, no turns, only merciless up to go.
Princess Cadance wished time was on her side, tearing her apart like a pack of wolves as opposed to the dictatorial youth it imposed upon her.
Like it wanted her dead, but with no concept of death.
So it pushed her forward, away from her home, and up, away from those she cared about.
I mustn’t fret, I mustn’t fuss
I mustn’t moan, I mustn’t muss
Princess Cadance lifted her head at the ghost of words she had thought she heard, her heart threatening to skip a beat as she trained her ear to re-hear the sounds as she marched ever forward.
Ever up.
You will now break, you will now burn
You will now boil them all like worms
There it was again. She knew she had heard it. Although her tendons threatened to pop like a mighty sword held over her, she moved faster.
Anything to escape this wretched up.
I can not cry, I can not cuss
I can not talk so treasonous
Again!
The idea of a grin tantalized her face.
She would see ponies again.
She would hug, she would kiss, she would dance and sing and cry.
She just had to keep going up.
You want to fry them with the sun
You want to frolic when you’re done
Princess Cadance cared not what the words said. Only that they were words and that they were being said.
I dare not give my soul to one
Who’d break the day and call it fun
This was the purpose of life, no?
To fight and bend and march and toil until you cross a stranger along the path and share a knowing glance. That they have toiled as well.
And fought.
And bent.
And marched ever on like a soldier, knowing that if they broke, everything else would break as well.
She had to fight.
She could not break.
You dare to lock me up inside
You dare to be my scornful bride
To break now would be to betray the struggle, to render the climb meaningless. Princess Cadance needed this endless climb to have meaning, even if to one other pony.
And this pony, whose familiar voice she heard just up the stairs, was that pony.
That pony with whom she’d embrace and sob and bequeath upon them the meaning of this climb, this endless upward climb whose meaning had eluded her.
Until she saw the pony at the top of the stairs.
Inside of me you may reside
Of this I barely can abide
The one pony who would understand. Who would know.
The one pony whose gaze would embrace her like loving eternity.
You deign to give me room to yearn
To gnash and wail and whine and churn
Yes, she was close!
Princess Cadance could see the top of the staircase.
She summoned the last of her energy stores.
She pushed her muscles and tensed her back and stomped the
Last
Few
Steps
Up the staircase until she came across a
A landing, where the tapestry of the endless she had been avoiding while climbing assaulted her vision full-on, the word vision itself not doing justice to the breadth of her experience.
She became the undying and the undying became her.
Princess Cadance felt her self slip out from under her.
She felt her muscles die.
She felt her family die.
She felt her subjects and her home die.
Something inside of her laughed.
Princess Cadance thought about the ponies of Canterlot.
Their social climbing, their intricate dance of favors and backstabbing. Their eternal drive to be on top for what felt like forever, but only lasted a moment.
Princess Cadance thought about the Yaks of Yakyakistan.
Their ritualistic impulses, their cries for raw authenticity. Their smashing and stubbornness, their demands that each creature be only themselves.
Something inside of her laughed.
She saw herself, playing with Flurry Heart. Lifting her in the air, hugging her, laying her to rest.
She laughed.
A darkness penetrated Cadance’s vision as she felt comforting softness under her, cradling her.
She took a breath, the feeling of the miasmic oxygen sustaining her and washing over her, injecting life into lifeless muscles.
Princess Cadance grunted as she rubbed her muzzle and opened her eyes, her vision unfocused and blurry until something came into view.
Princess Celestia.
A glass of water dangled before her. She grasped it with her magic and gulped it down like the Wolf of Death, a strained exhale escaping as she finished. Cadance felt Celestia’s hoof running through her mane as ragged breaths escaped her lungs.
She had known everything, and everything had escaped her.
Except what she most needed to know.
Something unpronounceable.
Something inescapable.
Something sacred.
Something she had to tell the world.
She moved to get out of bed until Celestia pressed on Cadance’s chest with a hoof.
“Rest, my niece,” Celestia said in that amaranthine tone she always wears on her voice, “you’ve exerted yourself quite a bit.”
Cadance scowled. “But they have to know.” She sniffed. “Everyone has to know.”
“And you will tell them.” Celestia removed her hoof from Cadance’s chest. A sign of trust. “Through your actions.”
Cadance grunted and blinked, a sheen of moisture betraying itself upon her eyes. She rubbed her head. “I don’t understand how ponies function anymore.” She shook her head. “Not without this.”
“They climb,” Celestia said. “They climb, and climb, and climb again.” She pressed her lips together. “Tearing themselves to shreds like you used to.”
Like I just did, Cadance emoted to herself.
Princess Cadance gazed down upon Canterlot from a balcony in Canterlot Castle.
Ponies milling about, carrying about their day.
In the dark.
Blind.
Like she once was.
She sighed.
The click-clack of shielded hoofsteps danced in her ears as she sensed a companion. She said nothing, enjoying the… presence.
It was Luna, Princess of the Night who spoke. “Not all who tread the path are equipped to handle it.”
Cadance nodded, understanding the full dimensions of her statement.
If she tried to open up their eyes, they would resist, revolt. Turn on each other.
Turn on themselves.
In fact, she suspected that the pony behind her had once walked the path.
For a thousand years.
An eternity.
It probably felt like a moment.
Cadance exhaled as she felt the tyranny of time once again, through Luna.
Through her husband, who would have to leave her in the future.
Through her daughter, who would not need her in the future.
Through even Twilight, who ruefully had escaped her need long ago.
Yet need time be a tyrant?
She had a new organism to watch over. The Crystal Empire.
With its growing and retracting and growing yet again, all on impulse.
Beating and pulsing with life. The life of thousands.
Perhaps millions. Millions of endless moments spanning the breadth of time.
That reminded her.
She took a breath and muttered, “gnash and wail and want for me. Guide me through eternity.”
Luna grunted.
“I heard a verse in the endless without end. A set of rhyming couplets that never finished.” Cadance grinned. “And that is how I choose to end it.”
“A wise decision indeed.” Luna snickered.
Cadance looked back upon the city under her. She thought she saw a theft in progress.
No, it was just two foals playing pretend.
Shining Armor, her husband, embraced her tightly when she arrived home.
An eternal moment that filled her with warmth. She returned the embrace, fruitlessly wishing that this one forever would never end.
A soft projectile shattered that fantasy as she pulled away from her best friend to see her daughter, a face suggesting that Flurry Heart was very angry that Mommy was gone.
It was only a night, but to a child a night is endless. Cadance sat down and picked up the projectile. It was a stuffed snail.
Flurry’s Whammy.
Mother, Father, and Daughter played pretend.
The Father, pretending he was absolutely sure of his path in life and had no fears teasing his heart.
The Daughter, pretending that they had already impressed importance upon existence without understanding what ‘importance’ or ‘existence’ meant.
And the Mother.
The Mother, Princess Cadance of the Crystal Empire, Niece of Celestia, Wife of Shining Armor, Sister-in-Law of Twilight, and Mother of Flurry Heart.
Cadance now understood that life was a constant game of pretend. Who she was depended on what was needed.
When she was needed.
Why she was needed.
And where and how she was needed.
Her muscles may burst, her lungs may grow raw, and perhaps a few times she’d be utterly lost in the endless expanse for a few moments. No one cared about what she was doing or what she was about to do. They just needed her in this moment.
They needed her in the ever-shifting, amorphous moment.
A moment never ends… yet moments kept passing her by.
All she could do to not miss the eternal micromoments was to seize the opportunities by the reins and fully plunge into the miasmic presence of what is happening right now.
And right now, looking down at Flurry Heart, her precious baby daughter, for whom she’d sacrifice her immortal life to see succeed, to see grow.
To see not need her anymore.
… Right now, Flurry Heart needed a boop in the nose.
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Nice :)
I really enjoyed this.
Fascinating.
You can't fool me. I know what you referenced with the title. For I see the magic of art, and it would tear you apart if you knew.
8950186
I guess that he just had bigger plans, though I'm not sure if they were by demand.
Very poetic
. Also...
Well, lucky for you I love experimental narrative.
Since it's you, Syeekoh, I wish I could say something snarky, but I can't. Not this time.
Absolutely beautiful.
Huh, it's very rare I read stories on here that have no dialogue, but I have to say the way you did it here was really good.
Keep up the good work my good man
I know this is such a weak way to advertise but I just published a story called The Hearth's Warming Surprise and I'm really happy how it's turning out I'd appreciate you guys coming to look. Thank you
Interesting, though a bit confusing at times. What is this staircase, and the voice Cadence heard? What did she see?
Apparently Sombra designed Cadance's immortality induced epiphany. Really explains how she achieved those supermodel legs.
8950374
I thought of this too!
>adventure
>SoL
>rated E
Cocks shotgun
"What did you do with the real Majin?"
Okay, I know the title and chapter are referencing one of DAgames songs, but I can't for the life of me remember which one.
Pretty sure its not Build Our Machine like8950374said, though.Edit: Nope, turns out it was Build Our Machine, thought it was Bonds from the Grave. Oh well.
8950253
Well, he'd better get out of that darkened cell soon, he's gotta break us out of this hell.
...
...
... there’s a mare whose love
is for all of the world
and she’s climbing the staircase to heaven
Interesting... Would you mind if I quoted it? I'll be sure to give credit.
8951190
Sure, go ahead.
8950944
The Chapter title, however would need to start with "draw" rather than "take" to fit the song. Thinking about it, "draw" just sounds better, in my opinion.
8951212
Ok, I have but one question... What the fuck WAS that staircase?
8951365
A representation of struggle.
8951368
So it wasn't an ACTUAL staircase?
8951376
It was very real to Cadance, you could say.
8951383
So was it a physical staircase or not? Because my first thought was of the monstrosity that Sombra had under the castle.
8950948
This world's pretty grey, but I wouldn't feel too much dismay about it.
Really enjoyed this. Although, for some reason I thought there was going to be a twist at the end where it turns out Cadence was just using a Stairmaster.
"Nod yer 'ead to da beat of deaf as ya draw yer last eternal breaf. Sensations, of an invasion, start ta course right frough our veins..."
Don't go finkin' for one second dat I didn't catch onto da title. Good story, dough!
I like it, but I hesitate on the like button for some reason.
This is a weird question, but, did you write this story because it needed to be written, or did you write this story to see how people reacted to it?
8951911
Doesn't wanting to see the reaction count as a need?
(No idea if I'm being profound here, or just flippant.)
8951911
I knew I had to write it when I thought of the first line.
8952062
Makes sense.
8951955
There's a difference between "man, I wonder how people are going to react to the story I just wrote" and "let me write this to make people react" in my mind. It may be just me.
At first, I thought she was trying to earn back her mortality, but now I get that she was just accepting her immortality. Really moving.
You created this masterpiece? You traitor!
8950621
Have you ever read "The Last Continent", by Terry Pratchett?
Was the title and chapter based off that one Bendy and The Ink Machine song?
8953074
No, I have not. I've heard of Discworld, but never read any of those books. Are they good?
Nope, sorry, this one completely bypassed me. Too much of an engineer (and a lich) for philosophy and/or the perils of immortality for this to work for me (which is my best guess to what this is about; if it isn't, frack knows), I'm afraid.
8953235
They're brilliant. I only asked because that particular book ends in a similarly unfinished way. (Not saying that either story suffers for it, though.)
Any of the Discworld books are well worth the read. They're a bit like Hitchhiker's Guide, but fantasy instead of sci-fi. And, honestly, I prefer Pratchett's humour to Adams'.
I don't understand, but it was pretty cool.
Oh Jesus.
I regret that I have but one upvote to give this story.
I... won't pretend I understand what that was about.
Here, have an upvote instead.
This was wonderful. Who are you and how dare you write a story I can't GODDAMMIT SYEEKOH at?
Fascinating. I can't claim to perfectly understand this story, but I think I have a grip on what you were going for. I find myself wondering how Twilight will handle the staircase and its aftermath should she ever find herself upon it.
Well that was a lot of philosohical mumbo jumbo I still can't figure out after a second reading. So can someepony please xplain what the hay Cadance just did?
i lost track of the story faster than
The thing that Soran and Picard each missed is that time is both.
Hm
Okay so Cadance has to come to terms with imortality? I think? But how did she get on the 'staircase' in the first place? So confused
9887583
And, at the end, Death is waiting, to guide you along, so that you will not have to travel alone
I really liked this.
I'm not 100% sure if I understood it, though I believe I did, but I really liked it.
I guess that's the point of life itself, isn't it?