Creation, Destruction, and Eternal Sleep

by NicholasLikesPoniez

The First Test

Celestia walked down the dimly-lit halls of her castle with her horn emanating a soft glow in her search for Eternal Sleep. This was supposed to be the last round of their little game, as Celestia will have to be getting to bed soon to help keep her schedule intact. Many of her guards gave her inquisitive or curious looks, and many others simply smile, knowing full well what it is she is doing.

Suddenly, as she looks down a corridor, she feels something hurriedly brush past her. Celestia quickly wheeled around, flashing her arcane light in the direction the shadowy little being apparently walked. Sure enough, Eternal Sleep and Celestia both briefly exchanged glances, then Eternal Sleep took off running in the opposite direction. Celestia immediately took flight after her, forelegs outstretched, ready to grab the scurrying little filly before her.

"Gotcha!" Celestia shouted as she grabbed the filly by her abdomen. Celestia spun around a couple of times to offset the forward momentum, then put Eternal Sleep down. "Aww, you got me again!" Eternal Sleep said, chuckling. "I'm not very good at this game, which is pretty sad, since I can blend in with sha-"

Eternal Sleep suddenly stopped speaking as she jumped in place, letting out a small yelp. "What's the matter?" Celestia asked, sure it was most likely her morbid "death sense" telling her that someone is close to death.

"I heard a scream. A loud, shrill, scary scream!" Eternal Sleep said, looking into Celestia's eyes. "You know what that means..." Eternal Sleep added, dreading the task at hand. "Oh, I see." Celestia said. "Well, then, I bid you luck in your work, Eternal Sleep. Would you like me to show you to the gates?" Celestia asked.

"No thanks" Eternal Sleep said with a wave of her hoof. "I probably won't need to use the gates anyway. But.." Eternal Sleep began, somewhat unsure of how to phrase what she's about to say. "Yes..?" Celestia asked, lowering her head. "Umm.. I'm real sorry for what happened earlier with our parents." Eternal Sleep looked down at the floor in guilt. "I guess they're just used to constantly being in control without any sort of opposition or consequence, so they don't necessarily have the same code of morality as you or Luna or.. anyone else, for that matter." Eternal Sleep explained.

"Oh, it wasn't your fault." Celestia began. "I don't care if you did the worst you possibly could have in the training exercise, he still had no right to treat you that way." Celestia said, getting a tense look on her face. "Ohhh, you knew about the training, then..?" Eternal Sleep asked, wondering how she did.

"Well, I wouldn't necessarily say I knew, I just made an educated guess. After all, why else would he feel that way about someone he had just created? But I can assure you, it wasn't a problem with me at all" Celestia said, smiling. "Now off you go, wouldn't want to keep the dying waiting, hm?" Celestia cringed internally at the sound of her saying that. "Wow" Celestia thought to herself. "I'm gonna develop a really dark sense of humor with Eternal Sleep around..."

"Alright." Eternal Sleep said with a faint smile, trying to momentarily ignore the screaming still going on inside of her head. It's a wonder she was able to pay attention at all throughout that exchange. Celestia nodded her head, said "Once again, good luck." and turned around and began walking. Eternal Sleep wanted to say one last thing before her departure, despite the hellish screaming inside of her head.

"Umm, Celly?" Eternal Sleep said, walking up behind Celestia, surprised at herself for this new nickname she came up with off the top of her head. Celestia turned. "Yes, dear?"

"Umm... thanks for everything.. big sis." Eternal Sleep grew a large smile on her face. "I love you." Eternal Sleep then closed the remaining distance between her and Celestia and wrapped her forelegs around one of Celestia's. Celestia, looking in shock at first, smiled and then said "I love you, too." as she closed her eyes and briefly returned the embrace.

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"It is with a heavy heart, Miss Applejack, that I inform you that there is nothing we can do to save Granny Smith." The doctor said, as he walked out of his latest and worst patient's room into the lobby, in which the rest of the Apple Family waited with baited breath. As they received the news, all three of them gasped in surprised horror, then Applejack and Apple Bloom both broke down sobbing. Big Macintosh was very close to breaking down himself, but he tried to remain strong for his younger sisters.

"I'm afraid the only thing we can do for her now is to ease her way out of the mortal realm" the doctor said, looking down while periodically looking up into their red, wet, puffy eyes in order to maintain his composure. The doctor has never had to inform a family that they're about to lose a member, especially not one so closely-knit as the Apple family. In fact, the doctor has only had one other instance of this before, and he didn't do so well at that one, either.

"Isn't there anything you can do?" Applejack asked, through her failing attempts at suppressing her sobs as Apple Bloom buried her face into her side, sobbing uncontrollably. "Out of all the magic and fancy concoctions people have come up with, there's not a thing you can do to save her!?" Applejack's voice got hoarse and she began coughing, barely after finishing her sentence. "I'm afraid not. You are welcome to go in there and say your goodbyes." The doctor then walked back to his office, perhaps to cry a little himself.

The Apple family remnants slowly got up from their seats and walked into the hospital room, gazing upon their slowly dying grandmother. Granny Smith opened her eyes to see her family slowly file into the room. Once they finally got in, Applejack ran up to Granny Smith and gently placed her head on her beloved Granny's chest, listening to her heart, which was barely beating.

"Granny.. oh, Granny..." Applejack managed to say through her sobs, which worsened once she saw Granny Smith. "You've taken c-care of us almost all of our lives after mom and dad died... and now we have to lose you, too..!" Applejack squeezed her eyes shut, unable to bear the pain of losing another family member.

"Applejack... Applejack, it's alright." Granny said comfortingly. "Everyone dies eventually.. and now, I guess it's simply my time to jump over the bucket.."

"But WHY!?" Applejack shouted. "Why does it have to be now? I don't want you to die, I don't.. want you... to die..." Applejack buried her face into Granny's blanket and continued sobbing. Granny placed a hoof on Applejack's head, and Big Mac put his on her back, fighting back his tears, which was a losing battle. Apple Bloom could only stare up at her Granny as her life slowly seeped away.

Suddenly, a black-coated filly appeared in the doorway. Slowly, she began walking towards the grieving family, pity in her eyes. "Ohh, why do I have to be the one to do this? I can't rip an old mare away from her family like this..." Eternal Sleep thought. "I guess I should just get this over with."

She walked in a few more steps. "E-excuse me...?" She said, feeling ridiculously awkward and terrible at the same time, intruding on them like this. The Apple family all stared at the black-coated filly. "Wh- who are you? What'cha doin' here?" Applejack asked.

"Umm.. I don't know how to say this, but..." Eternal Sleep began. "I'm.. here for your grandmother. I am... here to... take her to the afterlife." The Apple family's mouths all dropped at the same time. All 3 of the able-bodied Apple family members stood on their hind legs, got in front of Granny Smith's deathbed, and spread out their forelegs as if they were arms. "No! We will not allow you to take Granny Smith away from us!" They all shouted simultaneously.

"What did I just get myself into..?" Eternal Sleep thought ruefully. Apple Bloom rushed forward and attempted to attack Eternal Sleep. Punches, kicks, even a few headbutts. All of them going through Eternal Sleep's body, not phasing her in the slightest. Apple Bloom only recognized this after a dozen or so failed attacks.

"Can you please stop that?" Eternal Sleep asked, wondering why on earth the filly before her was attacking her. Apple Bloom just sat there and stared through puffy, bloodshot eyes. "I'm so sad, I'm hallucinating! Applejack, can you see this thing?" Applejack just sat there, puzzled and staring, as was Big Mac.

"Allow me to explain." Eternal Sleep offered. "I am the new 'angel of death', so to speak. Your grandmother, I'm afraid, is very close to death. I am here to ensure she gets to the appropriate afterlife safely. I assure you, I am not doing this because I enjoy it. I'm only doing it because I have to, it's what I was made to do, just like you all were apparently made to sell apples. Now, please allow me to do my job." Eternal Sleep said. "I will, of course, allow you to say your final goodbyes to her and everything, but I'm afraid she must come with me after that."

The Apple family all exchange glances in confused silence. "Umm... alright, I guess." Applejack said. "Give us a moment, wouldja?"

"Of course." Eternal Sleep nodded her head and waited for the Apple family to bid farewell to their oldest member. "Goodbye, Granny!" The rest of the Apple family said in unison, crowding around Granny. "We'll miss you..." The last of their tears fell onto Granny's deathbed, soaking into the covers. "Goodbye, everyone.. I'll miss you too.." They all shared one final embrace.

Eternal Sleep mounted the bed, stored Granny's soul in her body for "safekeeping" as she passes through the realms, and then turned toward the rest of the Apple family, who was staring at her in shock, wondering what she just did to their Granny's soul. Granny's physical body has now gone limp, with its eyes closed, now an empty, disease-ridden vessel. "I bid you all farewell. My sincerest thanks to you for being so understanding." Eternal Sleep, just as quickly as she came, disappeared when she came into contact with the shadow of the death bed as she hopped off.

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"Well done, Eternal Sleep!" The Creator said, congratulating Eternal Sleep on a job well done. "I must say, you handled that very well, contrary to what your father would think. You have passed your first test, of which there are two, not counting the initial training session."

"W-what's my next test, then?" Eternal Sleep asked, curious and nervous at the same time.

"A test I'm sure your father will love, for it will end violently. Whether you pass or not."

Comments

[theYasha]

violent ending....
i like this story its awesome