After Life

by Silverness

Reflection (Under Revision)

After Life
Reflection

---

I never liked closed spaces, always felt they kept me from flying. The vanilla room was nothing spectacular. Don’t get me wrong, I was always fond of white walls -- reminds me of clouds, you see -- but it was the place itself I didn’t like. You see, the room occupied a dark void, and kept my only light source alit. Some may say that the void was the end of all things, swallowing up everything and anything. The lamp on the ceiling was the only reason for the room’s current existence and my survival against the darkness. It was eternal sunlight as if it were Princess Celestia’s sun giving off heat and warmth.

After some time examining my new room, I began exploring. My bed rested against a wall beside a bookcase carrying almost every book known to ponykind. I wouldn't know if it did because I really haven’t taken the time to actually read any of those books. Two doors stood across from the bookcase. They were simple, yet beckoned to me. There could be anything behind those doors. I walked towards them, and stared for quite a while until finally opening the left one. That one led to a pantry stocked with delicious pastries, red apples, glasses and a keg of water. It’d be nice if it was a keg of cider, but eh, you get what you get.

I took a glass and poured myself some water before heading over to the next door. This one led to a restroom. I took a step inside, taking a large gulp of water as I noticed the interior. It was the same color as the main room, but instead it had a toilet, a shower, a sink, and even a mirror to go with it. Everything looked exactly like a cloud, which was fine by me. It made it more like home to be honest.

I walked in front of the sink, staring in the mirror while taking another gulp of water. The mirror looked like any old one. It wasn’t that big, but you could still see all the bookcases in the back. There was just one problem: where was I? I couldn’t see myself in the mirror, only the background. I patted around myself, feeling for my eyes, mane, coat, and hooves. They were all there, which brought up another question. Why didn't I have a reflection?

I stumbled backwards, fighting to keep the water down, and knocked into something behind me. Frightened, I lost my balance and fell forward into the sink. I gasped, and tried to grab onto something, but my head collided with the counter. Darkness and small patches of light surrounded me as I groaned weakly from the pain. I weakly rubbed my head at the point of impact, trying to see how serious the injury was. I felt a cut and looked down at my hoof. There was no blood. Judging by the size of the incision, there definitely should have been, but there wasn’t. I sighed in relief, knowing that no blood leaked out. Wait, no blood? Why wasn't there any blood?

That’s when I discovered something even I would never suggest in my entire life. I didn’t have any blood anymore. But how could I not have blood? Without it, I shouldn’t even be alive... but, here I was. To be sure, I felt my chest, and looked for a heartbeat. There was none.

How could this be? How could I figure this out? Well, there were a bunch books lying about, maybe that could help me. I was never a reader, but when all you have are books, then you might as well deal with it. Each book I read seemed to get progressively worse and worse than the last. Every ten minutes, I’d turn the page and groan in frustration from boredom. Waiting just wasn’t my style and that feeling grew until I finally slammed my head against one of the books. Good thing pegasi have hard heads or I would’ve knocked myself out.

In the end, the time I had spent reading paid off. What I discovered was the entire history of our world -- the beginning and the end -- right in front of me. I would’ve thought it boring a long time ago, but the world’s knowledge was the only thing keeping me going. All that was fine, but nothing in my readings mentioned anything about not having blood.

After some time reading, I began asking myself questions. Why was I even here? Did something happen to me? Where’s everyone else? I had no idea to be honest. I was never the smartest cookie of the group. That title belonged to Twilight Sparkle, a bright unicorn with incredible talent. She became the leader of our group, the town librarian, and one of the bestest friends I’ve ever known. The last time I saw her, she was leaving for Canterlot on an important trip with the Princesses. I can still picture it as if it were yesterday, her once lavender coat now dulled to a grayish-purple, waving goodbye to all five of us on the Ponyville Express. A smile escaped her lips as she shouted words that I will always remember as long as I live:

“Goodbye! I’ll see you girls real soon!”

Every time I thought of those words, my heart felt like a knife had gone straight through it. I didn’t know why... maybe the fact that Twilight probably wasn’t coming back from Canterlot Castle now that she was a princess and all. I wasn’t quite sure, but that didn’t stop me from hoping against all odds for her return. The only problem is how can I hope if I’m stuck in this little prison of mine filled with dictionaries, history books, and novels? It’s like this prison is filled with everything I never bothered with until now.

Even with all that, my readings began getting longer and longer up to the point that I couldn’t tell whether I was losing track of time or not. Months passed like hours, weeks into minute, and days seemingly slipped by in mere seconds. It was just so hard keeping track nowadays, but I was sure I would be able to survive my imprisonment.

My brain began filling up with all sorts of ideas, and wanted to see how I could give them substance and perfect them. It was at this point that I began questioning my sanity since my behavior had slowly started to become more erratic. I think I was losing it... No, I knew I was losing it. The problem was how to keep my mind stabilized now. I took down a few quick solutions from my books and wrote them on the walls, using them as a whiteboard to help me organize myself and stay sane for as long as possible. So far, taking deep breaths seemed to be the most successful strategy. Everything seemed to have a solution, but not all things have a solution you can find.

I continued reading through more books, leaving them in a pile or open in case there was something relevant about my problem. The more I tried, the more it seemed impossible to find. Even after searching for so long, I was starting to lose hope and wondered if I was going to be stuck here like this forever. The mere thought of it all made me consider if I was in a horrible nightmare. It didn’t seem possible, but here I was in some weird place with a book in front of me. All I really wanted was to go back to Ponyville and hang out with my best friends once more.

A single tear slid down my snout, dropping onto the book below me. This was a rare occasion, but I didn’t care. There wasn’t anybody around to see it anyway. I slowly collapsed, my body shuddering and curled into a ball on the floor. I really don’t know long I was lying there, but finally something broke the silence that had been my constant companion.

“Child.”

Startled, I raised my head and took a quick look at my surroundings, searching for the source of the voice. There wasn’t anything around other than the mountain of books and the bed -- The room couldn’t supply me with a comfy cloud. I missed my fluffy cloud back home in Ponyville, and I missed my friends more than I had realized. Tears welled up in my eyes once more as happy memories appeared one after another.

“Child, please stop your crying.”

I looked up, wiping the hot tears from my stinging eyes and looked up at the ceiling. The source seemed to be coming from there; it had to be. There was only one way to find out.

“H-hello? Who’s there? Whoever you are, come out now before I... oh nevermind,” I asked before sulking back onto the wet ground.

“You seemed troubled, my child. Pray tell what bothers you so?” the soothing voice spoke.

Her words brought warmth and seemed to lighten up the room. Something about her voice was familiar, but I couldn’t place where I had heard it before. Whoever this pony was, she was probably in the same situation as I was. Finally, somepony I could talk to. I gently rubbed one of my eyes, still stinging from earlier and cleared my throat.

“I’m all alone in this place. Where is everypony?” I asked, hoping for an answer.

“They are not gone my dear child. Just unable to reach this place by simple means.”

“Simple means? What do you mean by that? Who are you anyway?”

A soft chuckle enveloped the room, echoing off the walls. “That depends on who you think I am. I am known by some as the creation of life, but not everypony calls me that. My more common name is Princess Celestia, but it is also Princess Luna and another that I dare not say.”

My eyes widened, and quickly realized who I was talking to. “Princess Celestia?” I took a small bow, showing respect for royalty.

“Yes, my child. I am part of Celestia and Luna, twin alicorn sisters and rulers of Equestria. As for your other question, this place is unique in its own way and can be accessed only when you reach a certain stage in your life,” she said, both of the Princesses’ voices responding in perfect harmony.

“What stage would that be?” I asked, my curiosity growing.

“That, my child, is the ascendence, or as you ponies call it: Death.”

My mouth dropped open. I was dead?! A shiver went up my spine. How could I be dead? I stood frozen on the spot as sweat dripped from my face. There were so many questions to be asked in so little time. “I-I’m dead?” I sputtered out.

“Why yes child, your death was quite unfortunate, but no matter. You’ve become even greater than your former shell. You are now magic.”

The last word confused me. I knew what ‘magic’ was, but not what she meant by it. I looked down at my hooves, and tared at them as if they weren’t mine. I poked at my hoof, curiously testing out my hypothesis. Everything still felt normal -- Nothing out of the ordinary as far as I could tell. There was no doubt that my appendage was real, and I certainly didn’t feel any different... So how was I magic?

The voice chuckled, drawing my attention back to her. “If you perceive yourself to be real flesh and blood, the magic will reflect that. Over time you can learn to control it. Everypony eventually learns that for themselves,” she spoke calmly.

“Alright, so you’re saying that I’m a magical essence now? Like my spirit or something? Because I really have no idea what you’re talking about.” That was the best explanation I could come up with, but it sounded too far-fetched to believe. Even my head was hurting from thinking about it.

“Precisely,” Princess Luna’s voice replaced Celestia's. “Thou art a magical essence, which thy become after death. As we explained it before, it is ascendance, the last stage in life that all must complete and the most important.”

“Now I’m lost. What do you mean by the last stage in life and what exactly do I have to complete?”

“One question at a time, my child. For your first one, it is basically as I say it is. The final stage, the beginning of the end,” Princess Celestia answered. “As for the second, that is a question I cannot answer. It is something that you must discover for yourself.”

“Myself? How exactly am I supposed to do that? I’m stuck here in this room with nothing else to do other than read books,” I asked, frowning at the books lying in a pile nearby.

“It’s quite simple. You’re going to do your job,” both sisters spoke at the same time.

“My job? Isn’t being the captain of the Wonderbolts a bit awkward for finding an answer?” I asked, remembering the time when I used to dream of being a Wonderbolt. That chance finally came after years of practice and hard work. Then a few more years passed before Spitfire, friend and leader of the Wonderbolts, approached me about becoming the new captain. I must’ve fangasmed a lot because the only thing I remember saying was “Ohmaigosh!” over and over again.

The voice chuckled again, but this time sounded closer than before. I felt a sudden touch on my shoulder. I jumped away and quickly whirled around towards my attacker and crouched close to the ground, ready for a fight. Instead, I found myself face-to-face with a white alicorn, a golden regal crown resting atop her flowing celestial mane. I gasped, jumping up into the air and used my wings to stop myself before I crashed into the floor. It was none other than Princess Celestia herself!

Except it wasn’t her. Her white coat and celestial mane looked remarkably like the Princess’s, but something about it wasn’t quite right. Maybe it was because of the glowing hooves beneath her. “Sorry if I startled you. Just trying to get in form,” the alicorn spoke, looking at herself. “Very nice, it seems that I’ve done an excellent job as always. Unlike Luna’s form, I can’t believe she let herself go after a thousand years being banished on the moon.”

“I wasn’t startled. You just caught me off-guard,” I said quickly, huffing in response.

“Of course,” she said. “Anyway, to answer your question, your job won’t be the Wonderbolt captain because another pegasus will be working that job.”

“Another pegasus?” I asked incredulously. “What other pegasus could possibly be good enough to take my place?”

“Why Scootaloo of course,” Celestia said, smiling.

Scootaloo. It has been a while since I’ve heard that name and one I will never forget. She was the little orange filly that looked up to me. She still did, but she wasn’t little anymore. Now a Wonderbolt, she would’ve become my replacement once I retired. I guess she was named the new captain after all. Still, I don't understand what she had to do with all of this. I rubbed my head, puzzled by what she just said. “Um, I don’t understand. What exactly are you asking of me and how does Scootaloo fit into all of this?”

“It’s very simple, Rainbow Dash. You will take care of Scootaloo,” Celestia answered. “To put it in simpler terms, your job is to guide her through her life. When I say life, I mean everything she did during your past life. There’s just one catch: You cannot reveal your true identity to anypony, including yourself.”

“Wait, what?!” I shouted. “How am I supposed to guide her when I can’t reveal my identity? That sounds practically impossible!”

“Practically, but not impossible. Basically, all you’re doing is heading back in time to help somepony you loved dearly. It’s every magical essence’s, or what you ponies call ‘Guardian Angels,’ duty to help others through their lives. In some rare cases, one must go through their own life and help themselves, which is difficult. Only a few have succeeded, but that’s not the point. The point is are you prepared to go through that yourself?” Celestia asked.

“Forget it! I’m not about to go on a suicide mission to guide Scootaloo through her own life. I don’t want to go ruin somepony else's life, especially hers!” I answered, crossing my hooves and glared at the alicorn.

“Suit yourself.” Celestia walked over beside me, flicking her tail against my face. It was true what they said about her tail. It felt like the softest silk in the world and smelled of bright sunshine. I sneezed, wiping my nose with my hoof and watched the princess’ horn glow before a flash blinded me. It felt as if the sun was burning its way through my skin, fire surrounding my body. When the light faded, a piece of cake hovered in the air, surrounded by Celestia’s magic. It was a bright white with golden frosting all over. I smacked my lips, and drooled as Celestia took a bite. Even my stomach seemed to what some of that cake.

Celestia looked over, and smiled before resting the cake on the floor in front of me. I grinned happily, taking ahold of the plate and began gobbling down the cake. The white foamy inside and the ridiculously sweet frosting tasted amazing compared to the crackers I had been eating. I swallowed it all down, and licked my lips of the frosting before feeling the sugar enter my system.

“That was awesome!” I grinned. “I haven’t had a cake that great since Pinkie Pie’s.”

“Exactly,” Celestia responded, patting my head. “Now, how would you like to reconsider? Every pony must go through this no matter how they feel about it.”

I scratched my chin, and considered all of the information I had just learned about the task. There was so much at stake here, I mean Scootaloo’s life could be ruined based on my own decisions. Would I really want to be responsible for her life? I really don’t know to be honest. My gut told me not to go through with this because it could be a trap, but my heart longed to see the greatest friends anypony could have asked for.

I looked at Celestia, standing straight and puffed out my chest. “Princess, I’m the Element of Loyalty. My heart lies with the friends who stuck by me no matter what. If I’m able to see them again, then yes I’ll do the job.”

Princess Celestia smiled, and placed a hoof around me. “Excellent, I knew you would do it. Now, if you would please follow me,” she asked, leading me off into the surrounding darkness. As I walked, I thought of something that I hadn’t in a long time:

This should be fun.

Author's Note:

An idea I came up with in January. Thanks to Jeremy for editing, Red for the awesome cover art, and everyone else for helping out! Enjoy!

Comments

[blueApposite]

Thoroughly enjoyed this!
I await to see where it goes

[Zennistrad]

You know, something tells me that "Celestia" isn't exactly who she says she is. The princesses are powerful, yes, but I highly doubt that they're be close enough to omniscient to manage an afterlife.