Though Ponyville at large is still mourning Fluttershy, Discord remains entirely unperturbed by the loss of his first friend. The reason becomes clear when he offers to take Twilight and her friends to visit Fluttershy in the Elysium.
“...Afterwards, the Royal Sisters took notice, and for my efforts made me the first captain of the Equestrian Royal Guard. Pretty neat, huh?”
As the other pegasus finished her story, Fluttershy stood across from her, sipping quietly from a tall glass of fruit punch. Ponies of all kinds gathered for these outdoor parties, hosted by the archons in an attempt to keep the many souls of Elysium occupied. Eternity, as many learned, was a long time.
“It’s a wonderful story, Miss Shinespark,” Fluttershy remarked, “you must have been very brave to face down a dragon like that.” Shinespark’s bright blue coat almost seemed to glow in the Elysium’s warm light, the gentle beams of holy radiance from above giving her blonde mane an almost a shimmering quality. Her cutie mark, an s-shaped lightning bolt laid over a red shield, matched the thunderous confidence that remained beneath her eyes at all times.
“Pshaw, that’s nothing. You should have seen when he came back. Enough about that, though. How’s my father doing down in the world of the living? I heard you met him after he escaped limbo.”
Fluttershy blinked. “Your father?”
“Yeah, Flash Magnus. He taught me virtually everything I know. Had some pretty unreasonably lofty expectations of me, or so I’d thought at the time.” A sudden frown crossed her face. “I actually started out as a bounty hunter just to spite him, you know. He was not happy about that, I can say that much.”
Fluttershy let out a tiny gasp. “Oh, dear. That doesn’t sound like a very nice thing to do.”
“It wasn’t,” Shinespark replied. The lightning behind her eyes seemed to die down, but only for a moment. “It wasn’t until he decided he had no choice but to disappear himself that I realized how much he meant to me. I never saw him again for as long as I lived.” She paused momentarily, her gaze drifting briefly to the cloud-like ground below them. “It must be so difficult for him to live down there, thinking he’ll never see me again. I mean, I guess he’ll probably see me eventually, but... I dunno, I just feel bad about the whole thing.”
Fluttershy gently placed a hoof on Shinespark’s withers, a gesture that brought her gaze upwards. The lightning behind Shinespark’s gaze took on a gentler, warmer character, her irises sparkling under the ethereal light from the sunless sky above.
“I understand. I know it’s not easy having to go through the realization that you’re... um...”
Shinespark’s lips curved into a smirk. “Dead?”
Fluttershy let out a squeak. “Y-yeah. That.”
“Fluttershy, it’s okay,” Shinespark reassured. “I get that you’re trying to make me feel better, but I’ve already long gotten past the worst of that. You don’t need to stress yourself out worrying about me. I’ll be fine.”
Fluttershy pulled her hoof back, sucking in her lower lip. Inside her ethereal form, a tension she couldn’t quite describe was building, like something was clutching at parts of a body she no longer had. “Oh... are you sure?”
At Shinespark’s gentle word, Fluttershy closed her eyes. She mimicked a motion of her diaphragm, and experienced an odd sensation within her that felt like inhaling deeply, despite being aware that no breath had passed through her form. Almost right away, she felt the tension within her dissipate. When she opened her eyes again, a gentle smile crossed her face.
“Thank you, I needed that.”
BWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM!
The foghorn assaulted Fluttershy’s non-corporeal eardrums with the force of an earthquake, causing her entire soul to shake as she winced from the impact on her senses. She turned again towards the source of the noise, and saw a moderately-sized tugboat sailing across the otherwise-solid clouds making up the ground, a boat far too small to warrant the need for such a horn. On its side, she noticed, was a crudely-stenciled image of her own cutie mark, spray-painted next to an image of Rainbow Dash’s, both marks so close to each other that their paint overlapped at the edges.
But what drew the most attention from her was the fact that Discord was standing at the wheel, dressed in the outfit of an old sea captain, complete with a scraggly white beard and corncob pipe.
“Make way, make way!” Discord called out. “The greatest ship in all of Equestria has arrived!”
Fluttershy aggressively fought the urge to press her own hoof into her forehead, a battle with herself that she almost lost. She settled instead for glaring at Discord’s tugboat as it approached her. When it reached her, she quickly realized that she’d actually misjudged its size by a very significant amount. Somehow, despite appearing at a relatively normal size in the distance, it now appeared to be no higher than her ankles, a fact that when she stared at the tiny Discord whose bath toy of a vessel had just bumped into her leg.
“Discord,” Fluttershy said, voice straining. “I thought you promised you’d wait for my friends before visiting me.”
There was a sudden flash of light, and the ship disappeared, leaving Discord’s usual choice of body and appearance standing just before Fluttershy and a very bewildered Shinespark.
“Oh, don’t look at me like that,” Discord remark. “I don’t recall ever making a promise about it. I simply thought it might be a good idea. But it’s oh-so-dreadfully boring without you around. They actually expected me to deliver a eulogy for you! I hate eulogies! Always acting like somepony’s gone forever, when they’re very clearly not!”
Shinespark stared blankly, while Fluttershy gave a stare that was decidedly more pointed. “Discord, living ponies don’t know whether the Elysium actually exists or not. As far as my friends are concerned, I could be gone forever.”
Discord froze, and a sound like shattering glass came from inside him as his eyes went wide. “Hold on, they don’t know? But you talk about the Elysium literally all the time! It’s in thousands of stories across history! How do you not know?”
“It’s called faith, Discord. Sometimes ponies believe things that they don’t know for sure.”
Discord paused. His brow furrowed, and he raised a claw thoughtfully towards his chin. “Hmm... for some reason I feel like any comment I make on that statement would be both in poor taste and potentially offensive.” He gave a noncommittal shrug. “Oh well, not a big loss.”
It only was then that Shinespark’s thoughts seemed to catch up with the rest of her. “Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa. Time out. You’re telling me that you’re Discord? The one that brought the entirety of Equestria to an era of chaos and terror? That Discord?”
“In the quantum state of matter that may or may not be flesh at any given moment,” Discord replied with a grin.
“So the archons weren’t just pranking me when they said you were friends with Fluttershy?”
“Excuse me!? Who asked you?” Discord said, crossing his arms with a huff. “Don’t you have a baby to be taking care of somewhere?”
“Uh... no?” said Shinespark. “All of my descendants are fully functioning adults, living or dead. Even that what’s-his-face in the Crystal Empire, if we’re being generous.”
“Well, I don’t recall soliciting your opinion in any case,” said Discord. “Now, then...” He turned to face Fluttershy, his features almost immediately lightening, only to frown again when he saw her sad, quivering eyes.
“Fluttershy?” Discord said, his voice going soft. “Fluttershy, are you alright? Was it something I said?”
“I... no, it’s not that,” said Fluttershy. She looked up and sniffled slightly, brushing a stray mane hair out of her face. “I... I know you just want us to keep spending time together like we used to, and I know it must feel terrible not being around me. I just...” Her eyes closed briefly as she turned to look away, before turning back to Discord with could only be described as the Platonic ideal of sad-puppy eyes. “What will my friends think? How will they feel if they ever found out that you’ve been visiting me, when they’ll never see me again as long as they live? I... I just don’t want to hurt them, Discord! I know it hurts you to be kept away from me, but I just don’t want to hurt them either! I... I...”
Discord’s face visibly sagged at the sight of his distraught friend. His eyes still drooping, he raised a finger and opened his mouth as if to speak, only to undo the gesture as his eyes drifted to the ground. It was only after a long pause that he finally spoke again.
“...You know what? You’re right,” said Discord. “I’m sorry to have upset you. If it really matters that much to you, I’ll wait.”
Fluttershy wiped her nose on her front leg, despite her form’s lack of any bodily fluids. “R-really? You promise?”
An idea began forming in the back of Discord’s mind. As the thought bubbled its way to the surface, he began grinning so wide that it threatened to split open.
“You have my word that I will not return before your friends get here. Cross my heart and hope to fly.”
————————
Fluttershy’s house was empty.
Not in the sense that it wasn’t occupied, as many ponies trotted about its interior and exterior. Though her will had guaranteed that all of her animals would be moved to the care of a proper sanctuary, it had also instructed that all of her worldly possessions be sold from her estate, and the proceeds donated to charity. As a result, dozens upon dozens of ponies roamed the estate sale, looking to claim a piece of Fluttershy’s old life for their own.
But even still, the house was empty. There were none of the scents of fresh tea leaves, none of the patters of little animal feet, none of the little touches and decorations of a home being cared for. The house was truly, resoundingly empty.
Seeing the house in such a state had already placed Twilight on edge. There was a sense of wrongness to it that made her skin crawl, like everything about the cottage had been warped and perverted in ways she couldn’t fully perceive. But worst of all were all the many wealthy nobles who descended upon Fluttershy’s former belongings like hungry vultures, desperate to claim things they didn’t need so they could brag about inheriting them from the legendary Bearer of Kindness.
It was nothing short of nauseating. How could they exploit the memory of such a dear friend? Was nothing sacred.
Twilight had tried very hard to avoid letting her contempt for the situation show outwardly. For the most part, she’d stuck to managing inventory and organizing tasks behind the scenes, letting her avoid the opportunistic ponies that disgusted her so much. It was a job that she felt compelled to do herself, as Fluttershy’s friend, yet at the same time she constantly doubted her ability to live up to what she thought Fluttershy would want.
Most of her other friends had worked hard to coordinate the event, but with so many customers flocking to the tiny cottage on the edge of Ponyville, it had quickly proven more than they could handle. Worse, both Discord and Rainbow Dash hadn’t even shown up to the sale at all, no doubt unable to bring themselves to look at the reminder of who they’d lost. It left everyone feeling exhausted and overwhelmed.
With so much work to be done, Twilight sometimes had to take over for her exhausted friends at the cash register just to give them a break. Now, she sat behind a table in the living room, among an assortment of other tables displaying dozens upon dozens of items. The gentle clicking and dinging of the cash register formed a monotonous rhythm as she checked out each of the ponies’ items, eventually falling into a rhythm of her own, not even bothering to notice who the ponies making the purchases were. Pinkie sat at another small table directly to the left of her, providing gift-wrapping services whenever needed, though it was done without any of her usual enthusiasm.
A light brown stallion with a darker brown mane approached the table, carrying a pair of saddlebags. He carefully balanced an ornate blue vase on his back, with a large black flower held in its center. “Hello there, Princess,” he said, sporting a distinctive accent, “sorry we had to see each other under these circumstances. It’s a real shame you lost your friend.”
Twilight was pulled out of her autopilot routine, and looked up to meet the stallion’s eye. “Oh, hey Clockspinner. I didn’t notice you there.”
“Doctor Time-” He froze momentarily, his eyes widening the way a pony’s would if they‘d accidentally stepped in something gross. “Er, Clockspinner. Doctor Clockspinner. Yes, that is most definitely my name.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Since when did you have a doctorate?”
“Oh... oh, dear.” The now pony claiming to be Clockspinner winced painfully. “Well! That’s not important right now, is it? The important thing is that I’m a paying customer, and I just so happen to be interested in this item right here.” In a motion so swift that it should have caused him to drop and shatter it, he placed the vase onto the checkout table, prominently displaying the adhesive price label on the front. “So, how much?”
Twilight’s eyes darted to the label, and then back to Clockspinner. “Um...”
“No, not the vase, the flower.”
“What, that?” said Twilight. Her eyes glanced briefly to the flower. On closer examination, it appeared to be a lotus of some kind, its petals coated in a lustrous, waxy coat that shimmered beneath the light. “But it’s just a flower. I’m pretty sure it just comes with the vase.”
“You’re certain about that?” said Clockspinner. “Because I’d say you’d be underselling it by quite a large margin in that case. Here, take this.” With another impossibly fast motion, he reached into his saddlebags and tossed a small bag onto the table, the metallic noise of clinking coins sounding as it fell. “I think that should be enough.”
“Um... thanks?” Twilight’s head tilted slightly as she forced herself to give a reply. Many questions lingered on her mind, but she ultimately decided she was too tired to care about them right now. Sighing inwardly, she grabbed the bag in her telekinesis and opened the pull string, dumping its contents onto the table so she could count them properly.
What she saw almost made her choke on her own saliva. The coins were of a strikingly different design than Equestrian bits, and were minted not from gold, but from platinum. On each of the coin’s faces was the unmistakable visage of Princess Platinum herself.
Twilight’s mouth hung agape. “Wha.... buh... These.... These aren’t bits! These are rare coins from the ancient Unicorn Kingdom! These must be worth a small fortune!”
Clockspinner gave a grin, revealing a perfect set of pearly-white teeth. “Well then, I’ll take that to mean it’s a fair trade. Anyway, I must be going. Lots of work to do. Cheerio!”
Twilight didn’t even get a chance to press him any further, as the brown stallion swiftly grabbed the vase and trotted away, leaving her to simply stare blankly as he vanished into the crowd.
For several more hours, Twilight was subjected to the agonizing drudgery of keeping the estate sale going, made all the more painful by seeing so many reminders of her late friend be taken away. When she wasn’t manning one of the cash registers, she was double-checking every checklist currently in her possession to make sure that everything sold was intended for sale, and every sale was accounted for.
By late afternoon, the crowd had already thinned to almost nothing. It was nearly dark by the time the estate sale ended, leaving Fluttershy’s former cottage completely emptied of everything, save for the dust that settled in the aftermath.
As Twilight checked off the last her checklist, she turned to address her circle of friends, each of which looked as though they could collapse on the spot. “Looks like that’s everything,” she said. She paused as she noticed a conspicuous absence in their midst. “Wait, where are Spike and Starlight?”
“I believe they went home a while ago,” Rarity replied. “Spike looked so tired, the poor dear. I wouldn’t blame Starlight Glimmer for wanting to give him a chance to rest.”
“Guess they must have forgotten to tell me,” Twilight muttered. It was understandable that it would have slipped Starlight’s mind, but she still wished she was informed earlier.
Applejack shivered slightly, glancing around at the. “You know, it just don’t feel right seeing this place so empty.” Pinkie nodded along silently. She hadn’t uttered a word in hours.
“I know,” said Twilight. Her eyes drifted to the side, and her chest began to feel unbearably heavy. “Even after all this time, it’s hard to see her cottage like this. Like it’s not enough for her to be gone, the world has to go out of its way to remind us.” She inhaled deeply through her nostrils, closing her eyes as a single tear dripped down the side of her cheek.
“Twilight...” Rarity reached out with a hoof, only to pause when Twilight held up her own.
“I’m fine, Rarity. This... this is just something that happens. It’s something everyone has to see at some point in their lives.” An understanding began to rise within Twilight’s mind, one that she had purposefully kept buried deep below her awareness for years. It breached the surface of her thoughts with explosive force, like a hungry kraken emerging from the ocean.
“And I guess some of us see it more than others,” she whispered.
The room fell silent. The eyes of her friends pressed upon her, pushing against her until they burrowed into the very depths of her soul.
“Twilight,” said Applejack. “You don’t mean...”
Twilight’s ears splaying against the back of her head. “Nevermind. It’s not important right now. Just forget I said anything.”
Slowly, the door creaked open. Twilight turned to see Rainbow Dash standing in the doorway. Her entire body sagged as she approached, her mane ruffled and her feathers ragged, stray bits of down falling from her wings with each step.
Rarity let out a horrified gasp. “Good heavens, Rainbow! You look dreadful! How long has it been since your last preening?” Her nose wrinkled, and her stomach visibly lurched as she suppressed a gag. “Or a bath, for that matter.”
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Whatever, mom.” A very long string of curses followed, mumbled too quietly to identify exactly, yet just loud enough that they could be recognized as curses.
“Rarity’s right, Rainbow Dash,” said Applejack. Her voice was firm, but the slight waver to it betrayed her deep concern. “You look like you ain’t slept in days. You sure you’re okay?”
Rainbow shot Applejack a glare. “What do you think? What part of this—” she reached out with her foreleg, gesturing broadly to the empty house “—looks okay to you?”
“Rainbow, please. Ah know—”
“Leave her alone.”
Pinkie’s voice cut through the atmosphere like a hot knife. The conversation abruptly halted, letting silence drape itself over the room just long enough to feel uncomfortable.
“Rainbow’s feeling sad right now,” Pinkie continued. Her mane drooped as she pawed idly at the ground. “Maybe... maybe that’s just what she wants. Maybe she just wants to be left alone.”
Right away, Rainbow Dash seemed to snap out of her depressive funk, trading it for wide stare of bewilderment. “Huh? Pinkie, you’re literally the first pony I’d ever expect to try to cheer me up. I mean... I guess I’m not complaining, but I honestly came in expecting to deal with some antics from you.”
Pinkie shook her head, eyes held low to the ground. “If you can find something to be cheerful about, let me know. Because I don’t.” She turned her gaze upwards, and cautiously made eye contact with Rainbow. “What are you even doing here, anyway?”
Rainbow snorted. “I just wanted to see what was taking you guys so long. Didn’t think you’d want to stay in here any longer than you had to.” Her expression turned dire, and her body went tense. “Guess you must have been busy getting rid of everything Fluttershy ever owned.”
“Rainbow, please,” Twilight said. “I know—”
“I’m not interested in hearing your little ‘I know how you feel’ speech, Twilight!” Rainbow interjected. “Because you don’t! You just don’t!”
Twilight stared back in shock. The air felt thick and heavy as she strained for breath, staring directly into the weary, tear-soaked eyes of Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow let out a sigh. “I... I had a crush on her, you know.” Her voice cracked as she spoke, as straining to say the words above a whisper. “Ever since I was a filly. I just... didn’t understand those feelings until recently. I...”
Twilight blinked. Everything about Rainbow’s current state made sense now. It was illuminating, yet it simultaneously felt like a punch to the gut.
“...I-I wanted to tell her for months how I really felt. I kept putting it off, waiting for the perfect moment. Or maybe I was just afraid of how she’d react. I honestly don’t know. A-and now...”
Her words trailed off, tears now streaming freely down her cheeks. As Rainbow shook with sobs, Twilight found herself stepping forward. The motion of her body wasn’t even given a thought as she stepped forward, the sight of a friend in need reaching an understanding deeper than anything she could read in a book.
Twilight’s wing wrapped itself around Rainbow’s barrel, and she felt the warmth seeping between their bodies, as she held her friend in close embrace. The warmth grew, multiplying and intensifying, as each of her other friends joined in turn. Soon they all held each other closely in a shared hug, the pain that they shared soothed as the minutes passed.
Twilight pulled away, her eyes turning to make contact with each of her friends in turn. Rainbow softly wiped the tears from her eyes.
“Thanks,” she muttered. “I... I’m sorry you all had to see me like that.”
“There ain’t nothing you need to apologize for, Rainbow,” Applejack replied. “It’s always hard to lose somepony you care about so deeply.”
Rainbow sniffed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. And... thank you. All of you.”
Rainbow’s lips began to curve slightly upwards. Though the subtle wrinkles of melancholy never left her face, there was a certain softness to it now, like a great tension had been lifted. She stood there, facing her friends in silent appreciation, the lull speaking more to them than any words ever could.
For almost a solid minute, the silence remained. That is, until another unexpected voice called out.
“Is it alright if I chime in now? You had something of a mood going, and I didn’t want to ruin it.”
Twilight’s head whipped around. Behind her, Discord lay floating in the air on his backside, idly rubbing at his claws with a nail file as he observed the scene.
“Discord?” said Twilight. “What are you doing here?”
A huge grin broke out on Discord’s face. “Why, I’m glad you asked! I came here because I have an offer to make for you. How would all of you like to head over to the Elysium and pay your dear friend Fluttershy a visit?”
The room once again went silent, and Discord was met bewildered stares from five separate pairs of eyes.
Rainbow’s teeth clenched. Her eyes narrowed, her wings flared, and her entire body tensed as she forcibly pointed a hoof in his direction. “That. Isn’t. Funny.”
Discord frowned. “And I’m not joking,” he replied. His tone instantly became devoid of even the slightest hint of amusement. “I am here because I made a pinkie promise to Fluttershy that I would not pay her any more visits in the Elysium before any of you got there. Something about her not wanting you to feel left out. Either way, I never specified that you actually had to die to get there.”
“Wha— N-now, hold on!” Twilight held up a hoof. “You’re not only saying that the Elysium exists, but that you’ve been there? And you can just go back and forth from it whenever you want?”
“That I can,” said Discord. “And I can take anyone else I want with me, too.”
Twilight’s wings shifted by her sides. She turned back to face her friends, noting the equal parts discomfort and confusion writ large upon their faces.
“Discord, dear,” said Rarity, “as much as I’d like to take you on that offer, you must understand that it sounds remarkably far-fetched.”
“Far-fetched?” said Applejack. “This is Discord we’re talking about here. Ah’m pretty sure the thought of what’s possible and what ain’t don’t even enter his mind. And besides...” Applejack paused for a moment, and her eyes briefly became distant. As her attention returned to the present, she grabbed her hat, and clutched it against her chest. “I-if there’s even a chance he’s telling the truth... If he really can take us to visit the Elysium...”
“He’s telling the truth,” Pinkie interjected, drawing a startled glance from Applejack. Before anyone else could question her, she continued. “No matter where they are, I can always tell when somepony makes a pinkie promise. I don’t always know what it is, or who it was made to, but... when Discord said he made a pinkie promise to Fluttershy, I could feel that promise. It’s all true. It has to be.”
Twilight’s could already feel her head beginning to swim. She blinked rapidly, hoping desperately to break free from the shock that had struck her. “I... Pinkie, I know I normally trust your... well, whatever the weird things you do are, but this is nuts! Do you have any idea how huge it would be if this were true? Do you understand just how massive the implications are? I... I can’t even begin to think of how society would be impacted by the existence of the afterlife!”
“Then why don’t you stop thinking about it?” Rainbow shot back. “Just let him take us there already!”
“What? B-but Rainbow, we don’t know—”
“Forget what we don’t know!” Rainbow shouted. “If you think I’m going to turn my back a to see Fluttershy again, you’ve got another thing coming! I... I’ll never forgive you if you deny me this, Twilight!”
The words were flung at Twilight with such force and venom, that she reacted to them as though physically struck. As she turned to face Rainbow, she could see the tears once again forming near the edges.
Slowly, the tension in Rainbow’s face began to fade, and the fury and indignation faded from beneath her eyes, leaving only the raw, exposed desperation beneath. “Just... please, let me have this. I just want to see her one last time. Please...”
Twilight’s ears folded back on themselves, and her chest grew heavy with pressure. It became almost unbearably difficult to maintain eye contact with Rainbow Dash, yet she continued to look her straight in the center of her vibrant pink irises. The pain that reflected off of them was as clear as day, wounds still yearning to be closed.
“...Alright,” said Twilight. “I’ll do it. I... I don’t think Discord would lie about something like this, not when it involves his closest friend. I just... don’t know what to expect from this, that’s all.”
“Great!” said Discord. “So I take it that you’re all ready to depart? There’ll be no need to pack, you’ll only be visiting for a little while. And, as they say, you can’t take it with you.”
Twilight turned to face Discord for an answer, then glanced back expectantly at each of her friends. They, in turn, each gave her a nod.
“...I think so, yeah,” Twilight forced herself to respond. The apprehension bubbling up through stomach had made it difficult to answer, yet now she was certain what her answer was.
“Excellent!” said Discord. “In that case, I’ll go ahead and send you all on your merry way!”
Discord raised his hand, and sound suddenly pierced through the air, a mechanical whiz that sounded not unlike the rapid winding of a clockwork key. From the ground, an outline of a rectangular prism popped into existence, expanding upwards and outwards, as though its far corner was being dragged outwards. Soon, the prism grew to surround Twilight and all of her friends at once.
Then, suddenly, the outline of the prism became solid, its faces solidifying into transparent, impassible. Twilight’s body instinctively seized up as she realized that she was trapped.
“See you on the other side, my little ponies! Ciao!”
Discord snapped his fingers, emitting a blindingly bright burst of powerful chaos magic.
Not just dark, but a darkness so complete that there was truly nothing to experience, devoid of any light, sound, or sensation. It was only the gentle stirrings of her own thoughts that reminded Twilight that she was conscious at all.
Sensation slowly began to return to her, but she soon found herself wishing it hadn’t. It was a dull yet powerful ache, a throbbing pain that covered her from the tip of her horn to the bottom of her hooves. For what felt like hours, she lay down on the soft surface, unable to even move a single muscle in her body.
Wait... soft?
Sure enough, Twilight realized that she was lying on something plush and soft. It was a feeling she’d recognized before, the pillowy texture combined with gentle moisture that she’d grown closely familiar with after obtaining her wings. Her eyes pried themselves open, and she slowly took in her new surroundings.
As she expected, she was lying on a bed of clouds. They were extraordinarily soft to the touch, even compared to other clouds she’d lied down on before, yet they supported her weight firmly. The clouds stretched out in front of her all the way towards the horizon, as though they weren’t objects in the sky but rather a replacement for the soil.
Slowly, Twilight crawled to her hooves, allowing herself to get a better view of where she was. She craned her neck upward, and found the sky above to be a clear shade of blue, without any sign of clouds besides the ground they stood on. The warmth and light of a gentle summer’s day shone brightly from above, yet despite that, there was no sun whatsoever to be seen. As Twilight took in a breath, she marveled at just how clean the air was. It was light, fresh, and clear, a million times clearer than any air she had breathed in Equestria. Letting it into her lungs brought a gentle, tingling warmth that spread throughout her entire body, soothing away any tension that remained in her.
She closed her eyes, breathing in as deeply as she could through her nostrils. A contented sigh escaped her lips. It felt... blissful. There was no other word she could even think of to describe it.
“Twilight? You okay there, sugarcube?”
The sound of Applejack’s voice snapped Twilight back to reality. She looked around and saw her friends standing beside her, but more than that, she had a good look at all the other ponies that were there, too. They appeared to be in some kind of park, dotted with trees and park benches, and noticeable pathways surrounding the field that were seemingly built from denser, harder clouds. A pair of pegasi were playing a game of catch in the air above the field, and various ponies could be seen trotting along the sidewalks. Their forms, Twilight noticed, were all very slightly translucent, and seemed to glow faintly all on their own.
The bliss that Twilight felt vanished, replaced with a yawning chasm within her chest as she came to a horrifying realization.
“I... I don’t know if any of us are okay, Applejack. I... I think we’re dead.”
Twilight’s friends all shared an look with each other, before turning back to Twilight. She could see the apprehension slowly crawling across their faces.
“Oh dear,” said Rarity, “you don’t actually think that could be true, do you? Discord said we’d only be visiting for a short time. You don’t think he... he...”
“We, uh, did kind of explode,” said Rainbow. “I’m no expert, but that seems like it’d be pretty lethal.”
“Maybe we should just ask Discord about it?” said Pinkie. “I don’t think he’d just go right out and do something like that, but you never know with him.”
“Ask me about what?”
A flash of light pierced through the air, and Discord appeared, hovering just above the endless cloudscape. The gentle glow of the sunless sky reflected off his teeth as he grinned.
“Discord!” Twilight called out. “What did you just do to us? I swear, if you just killed us, I... I...”
“Kill you?” Discord scoffed. “Why I never! I can assure you, every single one of you is still very much alive.” He paused for a second, his eyes drifting over to Twilight’s barrel. He leaned over, and Twilight leaned back as Discord stared at her through squinting eyes. “Although... now that I mention it, you might want to get that tumor of yours looked at if you wish to stay that way for long.”
Twilight’s eyes snapped wide open. “Wait, what!?”
“Anyway, now that you’re all here, you should be able to find your dear friend Fluttershy. We should probably get a move on, since—”
“Discord!” Twilight yelled. “What tumor!?”
Discord pressed his hands against his hips. “Excuse me, didn’t anypony ever tell you that it’s rude to interrupt? Now, as I was saying, we should probably get a move on, the living aren’t at all supposed to be here. I can get away with it since I’m not strictly alive or dead, but the so-called Great Mare almost certainly won’t be happy to have you here right now.”
For a brief moment, Twilight felt her initial anger and shock dissipate. Curiosity dripped into the corners of her mind, until it began flooding into the very forefront of her thoughts. “Wait, Great Mare? Also, what tumor!?”
“Hm. You know, I’m honestly surprised you haven’t heard of Her,” said Discord. “But that’s not important right now. What’s important is—”
“DISCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORD!”
The voice came from on high, a noise so great and cacophonous that the clouded ground shook from its sheer power. Ponies all across the park scrambled in a terrified panic, fleeing outwards in all directions at a breakneck speed, until Twilight and her friends were the only ones remaining to be seen.
Discord’s pupils dilated to the size of pinpricks. “Oh dear. I believe that would be Her.”
All at once, everything went silent. The divine light that filtered from above dimmed, leaving all in shadow. The ghastly silence lingered as the shadows crawled over the landscape.
A great bolt of thunder descended from the sky. The clouds quaked with apocalyptic thunder, and the air crackled with static. Brilliant light exploded outward from the thunderbolt’s impact, enveloping everything in its blistering radiance.
When Twilight’s senses finally recovered, her jaw immediately dropped at what she saw. Standing before the group, glowing with an intense luminosity, was the largest being Twilight had ever seen. Her image was that of a white alicorn, standing at well over a hundred feet tall, each one of Her legs as wide and towering as an entire skyscraper in Manehattan. Her mane was a muted reddish brown, yet at once it seemed to burn with the fire of a thousand suns. Six brilliant wings of brilliant white feathers folded out from Her back, and on Her side Twilight could just barely make out a cutie mark of an inkwell and quill.
Discord gulped loudly, and craned his neck upward to meet Her piercing gaze. “Ah! H-hello, Epona! Fancy seeing you again! It’s been what, several eons?”
Epona’s eyes narrowed, and Discord flinched beneath Her glare. “Discord,” She hissed, “did you bring these living ponies into my domain?”
“W-well, I, uh...” Discord pulled at the fur around his neck, tugging at it as though it were a collar. “Y-you see, it’s actually a bit more complicated than that...”
“Discord,” Epona spoke, Her booming voice slicing through the air with the sharpness and strength of a thousand flaming swords. With every word, Her aura grew brighter and more potent, blazing with a heat and intensity that surpassed every star in all of creation. “Allow me to make one thing clear to you. I have only allowed you to wreak havoc in the mortal realm because my influence there is limited. But now not only do you come directly into the astral realm, you willingly breach the delicate boundary between life and death? Do you understand what sort of consequences you have invited by doing so?”
“Wait!”
In an instant, Epona’s intense corona flickered out of existence, the sound of Twilight’s voice cutting through Her fury. As Twilight stepped forward, She looked down to meet her, the white-hot fire of divine power in Her irises dimming into a warm, earthly bluish-green.
As she met the massive deity’s eyes, Twilight’s entire being trembled. Never in her life did she feel more insignificant, yet still her body filled with unbreakable resolve. “Discord, h-he... he just wanted to give us a chance to see Fluttershy again! S-she... she was one of our dearest friends!” Tears flowed freely from the corners of her eyes, pattering gently against the clouds. She knew that hiding her fear and desperation would have been fruitless. “P-please! Just... just let us see her one last time! I-I beg you, just give us a chance to say goodbye!”
Epona’s expression remained unreadable. For what may well have been an eternity, She simply stared down. All was silent, save for Twilight’s soft, gentle sobs.
Finally, Epona’s mouth curved upwards, into a serene, gentle smile. Her eyes glowed with divine light, and the light that radiated from Her aura took on a warm, soothing character.
“Twilight Sparkle,” She said, “you have no idea how happy I am to see you before me.”
Twilight’s ears perked up. She gently sniffled, letting the heavenly air of the Elysium clear her sinuses. “Y-you... you know me?”
“Of course,” Epona replied. “I was the one who first sculpted your soul from the aether, and sent it to the embrace of your mother’s womb. From the very beginning, I had great things planned for you.” Her smile broadened, and the light beneath her eyes twinkled gently. “But seeing you here today... I can see you’ve grown in ways even I didn’t expect. I cannot tell you how proud I am of you.”
“I... thanks?” Twilight’s wings twitched by her sides, and she rubbed her shin with a hoof. “I mean, I guess I’ve figured for a while now that some force of destiny had something in mind for me. It’s just... a bit weird hearing it come from an apparent creator deity, that’s all.” Epona’s face shifted almost imperceptibly, and Twilight immediately flinched backward. “N-not that there’s anything wrong with that! I, mean, I... Oh my gosh, I just offended a creator deity! I... I’ll probably be sentenced to an eternity of infernal fire!”
Epona raised an eyebrow. “Twilight...”
Twilight paid Her words no mind. Her breaths became shallow and quick, as the divine air rapidly pushed itself in and out her lungs. “O-or what if I end up with a sentence even worse than that? Like some sort of ironic punishment tailor-made to hurt me and everything I care for?”
“Twilight, calm down.”
“L-like an infinite library, where I’d have all the books I could ever possibly want!” Twilight continued. “O-only every time I’d even touch one of them, it would turn to ash before I could even see a single word!”
“Twilight, you must calm down,” Epona pleaded. “Living bodies aren’t meant to breathe the aether. If you hyperventilate, your soul could be irreversibly damaged.”
“A-and there’d be nopony else to talk to, nothing but me and an endless expanse books I can never read! I’d be alone forever!” Already Twilight’s head was becoming light, her newfound dizziness far outweighing the soothing quality of the air.
“Be calm.”
The command, spoken in the language of creation itself, echoed throughout the very fabric of reality. A soft, golden glow enveloped Twilight’s body, and immediately she felt her anxiety dissipate. She closed her eyes, and a slow, shuddering breath escaped her throat, her body shivering at the pleasant sensation that washed over her. “Oh, wow... that feels nice.”
Twilight’s eyes snapped open. She turned up to look at Epona, who stared down at her pitifully.
“Wait, you’re not mad?” said Twilight.
“You’ll find I’m not nearly as judgmental as some would have you believe,” Epona replied. Her face subtly shifted, lips curving into a pencil-thin frown. “That said, you and your friends still aren’t supposed to be here. Not yet.”
“Oh. Um...”
“Now you wait just a minute!”
Rainbow Dash’s voice cut in through the conversation like a knife. Despite the raggedness of her body, she stepped forward with unflinching confidence, wings flaring as she positioned herself between Twilight and Epona.
“Just who the hay do you think you are, telling us we can’t be here? Why should we listen to you, huh?”
Every hair on the back of Twilight’s neck stood on end. She zipped forward, and forcibly jammed her hoof into Rainbow’s mouth.
“Mmmph!” Rainbow protested.
Twilight’s body twitched as she forced out a weak laugh out of her lungs. “U-um, what she meant to say is, thank you for being so merciful and understanding, and not smiting us or anything like that!” Her eyes glided over to Rainbow, and she whispered out of the corner of her mouth. “Rainbow Dash, what do you think you are doing!? Do you have any idea just what kind of being you’re badmouthing right now!?”
With a loud ptooey, Rainbow ejected Twilight’s hoof out of her mouth. ”So she’s big and glowy. So what? I don’t care if she’s the most powerful pony in existence!”
“Except she is!” Twilight hissed. “I’m at least ninety percent certain at this point that she created the entire universe by herself! Do you have any idea just what she could do to us with that kind of power?”
“Well, I could hear the conversation you’re having right now, for one.”
Twilight let out a high-pitched squeak, immediately jumping backwards. When her mind caught up with her reflexive motion, she dropped down onto her knees, bowing her head. “Please don’t listen to her, Great Mare! S-she doesn’t know what she’s talking about! Please, have mercy on us!”
As her face pressed so low the ground that she could feel the clouds brushing against it, an unexpected sound crossed Twilight’s ears. She looked up, and to her surprise, saw that Epona was laughing. It was a bright, bubbly giggle, one that traveled through to the deepest core of her being, its gentle warmth spreading a fuzzy feeling across her insides.
“Wha...” Twilight could do nothing but gawk at the mirthful deity. Several words came to mind, only to escape from her as soon as she tried to speak.
“Twilight, please,” Epona said. “There’s no need for you to apologize on Rainbow’s behalf. She only means to stand up for those she cares about most. Wouldn’t you say that’s an admirable quality for a friend to have?”
“I... I guess?” said Twilight. “I-I mean, it’s just that we’re all so insignificant compared to you, I... I, um... w-well...”
“You’re afraid of me because I am powerful,” said Epona.
“I... w-well, uh... Y-you see...” Twilight stood in place, stuttering incoherently. Finally, she took a deep breath, allowing her thoughts to collect themselves. “...Yeah, it’s true. There’s no sense in lying to you, is there? I’ll admit, I’m... I’m kind of a bit terrified to be meeting you face-to-face.”
“As I thought,” said Epona. Her eyes glittered, and Her lips curved upwards, into a gentle smile. “But what if I said that you’re not as powerless compared to me as you may think?”
“I... what?” said Twilight. “What do you mean?”
“You are correct that I created this universe, and shaped it into what you know,” Epona replied. “And within the Elysium itself, my power is near absolute. But what fate befalls the mortal realm no longer lies with me. Though I crafted each of your souls with the intention that you would one day bear the Elements of Harmony, each of you have lived your lives on your own terms, learning and growing in ways that I never would have imagined. And as I said before, I couldn’t be prouder of you for it.“
“Oh,” said Twilight. “So then, our destinies...?”
“They are what you create. The forces of Harmony will guide you towards their desired end in subtle ways.” Epona’s grin widened, the heavenly light reflecting off of Her teeth. “And sometimes they might not be so subtle. But how you interpret them, and even whether you follow them at all, are ultimately your choice. The power to shape Equestria’s future does not lie in my hooves. It lies in yours.”
“Wow!” Pinkie cut in. “That raises all kinds of philosophical and theological questions! Does free will exist? If it does exist, then is it at all compatible with a supposedly deterministic universe? Even if we have the power to shape the future, does anything we do even matter? And for that matter, does it even matter whether anything we do matters?” As she continued, her voice quivered with panic, her breaths becoming quicker and more intense. “If perceptions can be fooled by hallucinations, then how can we know that we’re really in the afterlife and talking to God? How can we know anything, for that matter? I know that I exist, but what if I can’t even know that because I can’t know if my own thoughts really belong to me in the first place? What if the possible world we exist in isn’t the actual world? What if we don’t exist!? Somepony help me, I’ve gone too deep!”
Applejack placed a hoof on Pinkie’s shoulder, gently rubbing her back. “Easy there, Pinkie. Remember what Epona said about hyperventilating on them there aether?”
Pinkie took in a deep breath, her body steadying as she exhaled. “Whew! Don’t worry, Applejack, I’m okay now! I just thought about candy for a bit until I forgot what I was talking about.” She paused momentarily. “Wait, what were we talking about?”
“Something about how we’re in charge of our own destinies,” Rarity replied. “Though considering my own destiny literally grabbed me and dragged me by the horn, I remain somewhat skeptical of that claim.”
Rainbow rolled her eyes, snorting silently. She looked like she was going to speak for a moment, but then froze where she stood. Slowly, a manic grin crept across her muzzle.
“Actually... now that you mention it, if we really are in charge of our own destines, that might mean we can stay here if we want!” She turned her head upwards, and pointed a hoof at Epona. “And that means you can’t stop me from seeing Fluttershy again! Ha!”
“Rainbow!” Twilight yelled. “Stop taunting God!”
“That’s okay, Twilight,” Epona reassured. “I actually don’t mind having somepony willing to confront me directly. It’s honestly quite refreshing.” Her smile soon faded, and the light above Her seemed to dim as Her lips curved into a frown. “That said, I still can’t let you stay here.”
“What!?” said Rainbow. “And why the hay not?”
“Because the boundary between life and death exists for a reason, Rainbow Dash,” said Epona. “It is not merely the boundary that separates the living and the dead, it is the boundary that separates the Elysium from the rest of creation. If you remain here long enough, that boundary that defines life will unravel, and my domain will directly collide with the rest of existence. I can’t afford to risk the annihilation of the universe I’ve created. If you wish to see Fluttershy again, you’ll simply have to wait for your time like everypony else.”
As Epona gave Her explanation, Rainbow Dash’s face went through a spectrum of different emotions. Anger became shock, shock became confusion, until finally she settled on a deep, powerful sorrow. Her ears lied flat against her own as she stared agape, tears forming in little pools beneath her eyes.
“I-I... No, that’s...” Rainbow looked away. She closed her eyes momentarily, sucking in a sniffling breath through her nostrils. She turned back up and glared at Epona, though her attempt at an unwavering stare was less than convincing beneath her reddened, tear-soaked whites. Epona returned her gaze, though there was not a hint of anger or indignation in the soft, celestial glow of Her irises.
Finally, Rainbow let out a sigh, lowering her head to the clouds. “I... I just... I just wanted to see her one last time. Is that so wrong?” When she looked up to face Epona again, she didn’t even bother trying to hide her tears. “I never had a chance to tell her how I felt about her! I-I could have said it at any time, but I wasted every chance I got! A-and I don’t know if she’ll ever know now! I can’t bear to live like this! Please, just let me speak to her one last time! Let me tell her that I love her! I promise I’ll go back right after that, just let me have this! Please!”
Tension and silence wove themselves thickly into the air. For seconds, if not minutes, Epona simply stared back at Rainbow, Her unflinching gaze remaining soft as Rainbow’s tears pattered against the clouds. Finally, She spoke.
“Thirty minutes.”
Rainbow’s ears jolted upright. She blinked rapidly, and stared back at Epona. “W-what?”
“Thirty minutes,” said Epona. “You have thirty minutes to find Fluttershy, and say what you wish to say to her. Afterwards, you will all return to the living world, with no memory that you were ever brought here to begin with. And as for you, Discord...”
A very conspicuous, Discord-shaped hedge nearby jumped several feet into the air. “Eep! I-I mean, yes, Your Godliness?”
Epona’s eyes narrowed. Her irises turned as dark as the night sky, and thunder rang through the air as the image of a lightning bolt appeared within them. “...I will allow you alone to keep your memories, but you are never to mention your visit here to the others, nor are you to bring any living ponies into my domain ever again. My influence in the mortal realm may be limited, but I can ensure that Harmony will find a way to punish you for your transgressions. Do I make myself clear?”
“Er... y-yes. Crystal,” said Discord.
“Good. Now then, I must be going. Your thirty minutes starts now.”
“W-wait!” Rainbow cried out. “What about our memories? You can’t take those away! I-if we don’t remember—”
“I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash, but that is the most I can allow you,” Epona cut in. “You have thirty minutes. Make them count.”
A great, brilliant light erupted from Epona’s horn. Then, in an instant, the Great Mare was gone. As Rainbow stared up towards the now unoccupied sky, Twilight approached her, and placed a hoof on her shoulder.
There was another, smaller flash of light, and Discord returned to his normal appearance.
“So,” he said with a grin, “it looks like you’re going to need someone to show you your way around.”
With a simple snap of his fingers, Discord had transported Twilight and her friends out of the park, and into what was apparently a residential area. There, rows upon rows of fanciful houses dotted the landscape, with designs that ranged from simple to extravagant, from cozy little homes to towering mansions to bizarre feats of architecture like nothing that existed in Equestria. There was a house made out of ice cream, a house made of rounded white orbs and baubles and encased within a glass dome, and even a house that resembled a giant pipe organ.
“Impressive, isn’t it?” said Discord. “Here in the hereafter, you’re free to live in whatever kind of house you like! Within reasonable limits, obviously, but the home of your dreams can finally become a reality here.”
“Wow!” said Pinkie. “That’s amazing! That means I can live in a house like Sugarcube Corner, only it’s actually made of gingerbread!”
“Just as long as you remember not to eat the foundations, Ah reckon,” said Applejack.
“Yeah, but in my dream house all the parts you eat will grow back!” Pinkie replied. “It’s win-win!”
“Yeah, yeah, stop dallying!” said Rainbow. “Is Fluttershy’s house nearby, or what?”
“As a matter of fact, it is,” Discord replied. “Right over there, even.”
Discord pointed over to a small space between two houses, one shaped like a gargantuan trumped propped upright on its bell, and the other a massive building grown from crystal spires. There in the dead center was a tiny, cream-colored cottage, so unassuming compared to its neighbors that Twilight wouldn’t have even noticed it had Discord not drawn attention to it. It was a spitting image of Fluttershy’s old home, the patchy grass roof and surrounding foliage covering it in green, as though the building itself were a living, breathing organism.
Seeing it here, in the Elysium, Twilight could feel her breath being taken away. It was no different from what her home had always been, and yet... there was a new feeling seeing it now, a feeling like a gentle hearth’s fire that warmed every crevasse of her body, or the soft embrace of a friend.
“Well?” said Discord, “shall we?”
“Discord, wait!” Twilight called out. “You... you don’t think Epona really meant it when she said we’d lose our memories, do you?”
“Well, obviously. She wouldn’t have gone out of Her way to threaten me to keep me quiet otherwise,” Discord grumbled. “And I can tell you from personal experience that Epona takes Her threats very seriously.”
“Oh,” said Twilight. Her eyes turned towards the ground, and she felt her ears flatten themselves out. “I... I was afraid of that. It’s just... why even do this if we won’t remember anything? Why would Epona make us forget?”
“Well, Twilight, Ah can’t rightly speak for Her,” said Applejack. “But think about what would happen if word got out that Discord took us to the afterlife. If Ah’d known he could do that, Ah’d have asked him to take me here a long time ago, and Ah reckon a lot of other ponies would do the same. Considering what Epona said about them there boundary between life and death, Ah can’t imagine how that’d end well.”
“That... does make sense when you put it like that,” said Twilight. “Still, I just... I don’t know. It just feels wrong, knowing that we’ll go on like this never happened.”
“So what?” said Rainbow. “I don’t care if I forget. I still want to see Fluttershy again anyway.” A soft sigh pushed itself out of her lungs. “Besides, I... I have to tell her. She’ll remember that, even if I won’t. I-if it’s not for us, we’ll visit for her, right?”
Discord’s lips pressed into a thin smirk. “Mmm. Whatever makes you feel better.”
Rainbow didn’t answer. Her eyes drifted towards the clouds below, and she took in a deep breath. Her eyes narrowed as she stared forward, towards the simple wooden door of the cottage.
Slowly, Rainbow took a single step forward. When nothing bad seemed to happen, she exhaled a puff of aether, and began to slowly walk towards the cottage. The others followed after her, their eyes never leaving Rainbow’s body. Everything about her movements oozed tension and anxiety.
Rainbow approached the door, and with a shaking hoof, gave a series of three solid knocks. Time itself seemed to stretch into infinity, its silence grasping and clawing at the atmosphere.
Finally, the door opened. Behind it, Fluttershy stood, translucent and glowing with the light of her soul laid bare. “Hello, can I help—”
Her greeting was cut off by her own astonished gasp, followed by a pair of cyan forelegs tightly wrapping around her midsection. Though she had at first gone rigid from shock, in time she found herself reciprocating the gesture, pulling Rainbow in as they shared their mutual embrace. Fluttershy’s hooves rubbed gently against Rainbow’s back, offering soothing words to Rainbow as she cried gently into Fluttershy’s shoulder.
When Rainbow finally pulled away, she looked deeply into Fluttershy’s eyes, her own eyes still moist around the edges.
“I... I’ve missed you so much.”
“I know,” said Fluttershy. She returned Rainbow’s gaze, her own eyes reflecting her friend’s sadness. “And I’m sorry that I left you so suddenly. I... I know it must have been hard for you. I’m so sorry I never got to say goodbye.”
Rainbow sniffed slightly. “Y-yeah... me too.”
Fluttershy’s gaze went upwards, towards the others, before resting on Discord. Her brow furrowed, yet the corners of her mouth seemed to twitch both upward and downward, as though unsure of which direction they would move. “Discord, did you bring my friends here?”
Discord grinned. “Well, I promised I wouldn’t come to visit again before they arrived, didn’t I? I just so happened to send them here before I myself stopped by. So consider that promise fulfilled.”
“Oh,” said Fluttershy. Her ears folded against the back of her head. Her hoof pawed gently at the clouded ground, and she bit her lower lip. “You... you didn’t, um... you know...”
Discord pressed his hands against his hips. “No, I didn’t kill them. Honestly, Fluttershy, what kind of friend do you take me for?”
Fluttershy jolted slightly, letting out a soft ‘eep!’ “N-no, it’s not that! It’s, just um... Well, it’s just that I’m not sure how else you’d bring my friends here without upsetting the archons. I don’t know if the rules apply to you, but I’m pretty sure other ponies aren’t supposed to here unless they’re dead.”
Another silence hung over the aether like an albatross, and a series of glances were exchanged among friends.
“...Well darling, it’s funny you should mention that,” said Rarity. “We, er... we actually met the one in charge when we came here. She told us we only had thirty minutes to visit before returning to the world of the living... and as if that weren’t unfortunate enough, she also told us we won’t remember ever being here.”
For the briefest moment, Twilight could see Fluttershy’s pupils dilate. “Oh,” she said. “W-well, um... it’s still nice to see you? I-I mean, there’s no question about that, really it’s just, um... this is all really just so unexpected.”
“Do you think we can hurry up and move things along?” said Rainbow Dash. “There’s... well, a few things. I have a lot I want to say, and I want to make it count while I still can.”
“R-right, of course,” said Fluttershy. She turned around and stepped inside, holding the door open. “Come on in. I’ll be happy to have you stay for a while.”
Rainbow Dash was the first to enter, hurriedly trotting past the door and into the cottage. Twilight followed the rest of her friends as they entered, and as she passed through the door, she saw Discord hovering just behind her. She and Fluttershy both shared a look before turning back to him, undoubtedly thinking the same thing.
“Aren’t you coming?” said Fluttershy.
“Well, I’d certainly love to,” said Discord, “but given that this will be the only time your friends will ever be able to see you before they kick the bucket themselves, I figure I’d leave you to share some quality time of your own. I wouldn’t want to distract you with my usual antics, after all.”
Fluttershy’s lips pressed into a frown. “Well, that’s very thoughtful of you, Discord. But aren’t you worried it might be a while before you get a chance to see me again? I mean, I know it won’t be that long a wait for you, but given this is the third time you’ve tried sneak back up here despite our agreement, um... w-well, I’m just guessing you might not like waiting that much.”
Discord flashed a grin, his teeth inexplicably gaining a swirling, pastel, candy-like coloration. “Not to worry, my dear! I promised I wouldn’t return here until after your friends arrived. Your friends have already arrived here once, ergo any time I return in the future will be after they’ve arrived.” With a snap of his fingers, a scroll with a lengthy contract appeared in the aether before him, written in rainbow-colored ink in letters that shifted and swirled with every passing second. A stamp hovered before before it, and pressed onto the scroll’s surface, leaving behind a seal with Discord’s grinning image giving a thumbs-up. “Therefore, as you can quite plainly see, I have lived up to my end of the contract.”
Fluttershy shot Discord a disapproving glare, but the gentle twitches at the corners of her lips betrayed her true feelings. Before long, she had broken out into a light, airy giggle. “Oh, you!”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “You’re not mad at him?”
“Oh, no, of course not!” said Fluttershy. “You know he’s always been like that. I don’t think there’s a single rule that he hasn’t found a way to bend in his favor. I really do admire how he can think outside the box like that.”
“Glad to see that somepony here appreciates my talents,” said Discord. “Perhaps I’ll drop by sometime later and see if there’s any thing else I can do to make your afterlife more interesting. I’m sure eternal bliss can get awfully boring after a few eons. But for now, I shall bid you lovely ponies adieu!” He stood onto his legs, and gave a deep bow that bent his body at an angle larger than ninety degrees. Then, in a flash of light, he was gone.
With Discord gone, Fluttershy turned to face Twilight. As Twilight looked into them, Fluttershy’s eyes seemed to twinkle gently in the warm, omnipresent light. It felt like it had been ages since she last saw them.
Fluttershy let out a cough, its sound oddly muted due to her lack of breath. “So, um... why don’t you come in with the rest of us? I’m sure I can make some tea for everypony before you have to leave.”
Inside, Twilight and her friends had joined Fluttershy in a perfect replica of her old living room — her “afterliving room,” she had called it. It was a simple room with cozy furnishings and quaint decorations, with only a single coffee table set up for the occasional tea party, set low enough to the ground so that any ponies present would be sitting on the floor. Despite the circumstances, everyone had remained unusually quiet as Fluttershy carefully prepared a tea set and poured a cup of chamomile for each of them.
Fluttershy, for her part, seemed to take notice of this quickly. As everyone sat at their places and sipped their tea, she stared back, her contemplative look gradually eroding into worry.
“What’s wrong? You’ve all been awfully quiet. I-I mean, I’m not complaining, it’s just...”
“Heh.” Rainbow gave a single laugh, though its dull and muted abruptness made it instantly clear that it was forced. Her teacup remained completely untouched, sitting idly on the table just in front of her. “Looks like the tables have turned, eh? Never thought you’d be the one telling me to be louder.”
“I... I guess?” said Fluttershy. She looked around the room, and her brow furrowed. A sharp breath pushed past her lips. “Look. I know it must be hard to see me like this, knowing it’ll only be snatched away. Just... try not to think about that right now, okay? I’m here with you, and that’s what matters.”
“But it’s just so strange though,” said Pinkie. Her mane sagged slightly, without losing any of its usual curl. “I came here thinking we’d all be happy to see you, but now I don’t know what any of us should be feeling. I’m all for living in the moment, but this?” She shook her head. “It’s... different. It’s not like a party where you eat too many of those little cheese blocks they serve on toothpicks, and then wake up regretting everything the next morning. There won’t even be anything left for us to regret when we’re done.”
“Fluttershy’s right though,” said Twilight. She leaned over and placed her hoof against Pinkie’s shoulder. “We came here to see our friend. There’s no sense in wasting what little time we have.”
A very loud cough pierced the aether. Twilight’s head spun around, and she saw Applejack loudly clearing her throat. “Er... Funny you should mention that...”
Fluttershy turned to meet Applejack’s gaze. “You want to see your parents?”
Applejack remained silent. Her eyes turned toward the ground, and she shifted in her seat. “...Yeah. Ah do. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great seeing you again and all that, it’s just, well...”
“It’s okay,” Fluttershy replied. “I understand. I won’t keep you any longer if you want to go visit them.”
“Right. Thanks,” said Applejack. She got up and stepped back from the table, still leaving her tea untouched. “Ah’m sorry for leaving y’all so suddenly, it’s just...” Her words faded before they could leave her throat. Applejack screwed her eyelids shut, a tiny trickle dropping from the corner of her left eye. When she opened her eyes again, she looked straight at Fluttershy. “...Do you know where I can find them?”
Fluttershy nodded. “Just head out the door and turn left. You’ll find their home a few blocks down and to the right. It’s just like your farmhouse, so you can’t miss it.”
Slowly, a smile crept its way up Applejack’s lips, yet there remained a distinct crease of unease atop her brow. “Thanks, Shy. ‘Preciate it. And... Well, before Ah go, I just want to say that I’m real happy you’re doing well for yourself. Shame Ah won’t get to see more of you while Ah’m here, but... Ah just want to you know how much it means to us to see you’re alright.” Her eyes glided briefly over Fluttershy’s body. Or rather, the lack thereof. “Well, from a certain point of view, Ah suppose.”
“Yeah... thanks,” said Fluttershy. Though the serenity of her smile didn’t fade, Twilight suddenly noticed that it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “It... it means a lot to me that you came here.”
Applejack walked over to Fluttershy, pulling her body into an impromptu hug. Though Fluttershy was at first startled, in time she returned the gesture. When they at last pulled away, Fluttershy gave Applejack another warm smile.
“I’ll see you soon,” said Fluttershy. Her eyes went wide when her mind seemingly caught up to what she had just said. “U-um, I mean not too soon, I hope.”
“Now, don’t you go on worrying about that,” said Applejack. “Ah’d say it’s inevitable that Ah’ll come back to meet you someday. Just a fact of life, Ah reckon.”
“W-well yes, but—”
Applejack placed a firm hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Listen, Shy. You’re in the afterlife. This here’s your eternal happiness, and Ah don’t want you to go about spoiling that for our sake. Leave the fretting for those with lives to fret for, y’hear?”
“Alright, if you say so,” said Fluttershy. “But I really think you should get going now. It’s hard to keep track of the time here, but I’m pretty sure you don’t have much left in the Elysium before you, um... get booted out.”
Applejack’s hooves shifted idly on the floor. “...Yeah, you’re probably right. Hard to say goodbye so soon, but... well, Ah reckon there’s no point dawdling.” She turned around and made her way out of the living room, giving one last wistful glance over her shoulder as she left. As she made her way beyond the hall and out of sight, Fluttershy gave her one final wave.
With the farmpony gone, Fluttershy turned to face the others, her eyes drifting to the ground. She gave a heavy sigh, carrying loudly through the aether even without any breath behind it. Her lips curved downward with a deep crease of her brow, her entire face sagging.
“Fluttershy?” said Rarity, “Is something wrong, dear?”
Fluttershy’s ears twitched. She turned her head up, and pressed her lips into a smile. “Oh, no! Nothing at all. It’s... it’s great to see you all, as I said. I couldn’t be happier to have you here.”
“That’s great!” said Pinkie. “I mean, can you imagine how weird it’d be to end up in paradise for the rest of eternity and not be happy?”
Fluttershy cringed. “U-um... yes. That’d be very weird. Definitely.” Fluttershy gave another dull cough. “But enough about that! How have you girls been doing? I, um... haven’t really tried to look.”
“Look?” said Twilight. “What do you mean?”
“There’s a place called the Astral Observatory where we can observe our living friends and family through telescope,” said Fluttershy. “I haven’t bothered with it so far. None of the archons have explained to me how it wouldn’t be an invasion of privacy.”
“Oh,” said Twilight. A number of images came to her mind of her grandparents seeing things she’d very much rather they not see. She very quickly pushed that thought away before it could linger for too long. “Well, now that you mention it, we’ve been doing... alright, I guess?”
Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. “You guess?”
“It’s... been difficult,” Twilight admitted. “Trying to adjust, I mean. We were just at the estate sale for your old cottage before Discord took us here.”
“All these ponies came and bought all your stuff!” said Pinkie. “And some of them weren’t even ponies I knew! And I know everypony in Ponyville! It was super uncomfortable!”
Fluttershy hesitated before answering. “...I see. W-well, I hope it hasn’t been too hard.”
“We’re... well, we’re certainly trying not to,” said Rarity. “But... I’ll admit, it was difficult not to let it affect us. There’s really no denying how much you meant to all of us.”
“Ah,” said Fluttershy. She flinched away, the persistent glow of her form fading visibly. “I... I see. I figured you wouldn’t be taking it that well.”
There was a sharp pounding noise as Rainbow Dash’s hoof struck the table, eliciting a small ‘eep’ from Fluttershy. “Okay, that’s it,” said Rainbow. “Something’s definitely going on with you.”
“Going on?” said Fluttershy. “I... I don’t know what you’re talking about. There’s nothing going on, really! I, just, um... w-well, you see...” She paused, letting out an imitation of a breath. “...You wouldn’t believe me if I said nothing’s wrong, would you?”
Twilight looked into Fluttershy’s eyes. There was a dullness to them that wasn’t there before, accentuated by the deep lines of melancholy folded into her brow.
“Fluttershy,” said Twilight, “we’re your friends. If there’s anything at all that’s bothering you, you can tell us. We’re right here to help you through it.”
Fluttershy turned her eyes away, avoiding making direct contact. “But you won’t be,” she muttered. “And... that’s the problem. None of you will be here.”
There was another pause. Twilight stared at Fluttershy, the rotors within her mind turning rapidly as she caught up to the statement. Her chest felt heavier the more that she thought about it. “Fluttershy, what are you saying?”
“There’s no need to act like you don’t know,” said Fluttershy. “I can tell you all miss me a whole lot. And... and I know that I must’ve really hurt you by leaving.”
“What!?” Rainbow Dash blurted out. “Fluttershy, that’s not true!”
“You don’t need to lie to protect my feelings, Rainbow,” said Fluttershy. Her eyes drifted momentarily towards Rainbow’s wings, still ruffled and covered in bits of loose down. “I can tell you’ve been taking it harder than anypony. You look like you haven’t groomed yourself in days.”
“Wha...” Rainbow Dash froze. She took a glance back at her wings, sucking air through clenched teeth the moment her eyes landed on them. They were an absolute mess, certainly in no condition for her to be performing any athletic feats. “I... alright, maybe preening slipped my mind for a few days. But so what? That doesn’t mean anything!”
“Yes it does!”
The room fell silent. All eyes stared pointedly at Fluttershy. Following her outburst, she was left quivering at the table, glowing streams of ethereal liquid trickling down the corners of her eyes.
“I... I’m sorry,” said Fluttershy. “I didn’t mean to yell. I just... I don’t know. I was so happy at first to get a chance to see you all again, but now can’t stop thinking about it. About how I...” She paused briefly, a small ‘ulp’ coming from her throat. “...how I abandoned you.”
“What?” said Rainbow. “Abandoned us? That’s ridiculous! I know you’d never do that!”
“But that’s exactly what I did!” Fluttershy countered. “By dying and leaving you all behind in the living world! By forcing you to endure all of that pain and loss before any of you were ready for it!” Her words were forced out through quiet, choking sobs, reflexively mimicking her former body. “And it isn’t just you! A-all the animals I took care of must be devastated! Angel never allowed himself to be fed by anypony other than me, how could he possibly live knowing that I’m gone?”
Twilight’s jaw hung loose. She reached out, moving to offer a comforting touch, but stayed her hoof as another sob interrupted her.
“And... and my family! How could they possibly deal with this? I hadn’t spoken with my brother in months, and now he’ll never get a chance to speak with me again for as long as he lives! A-and... and my parents! I can’t even imagine how devastating it must be to have to outlive their own child! A-and it’s all because... because I... I...”
Fluttershy didn’t finish her sentence. She slumped over, leaning her head on the table as she descended into uncontrollable sobbing. Her teacup was knocked over by a stray hoof, and she didn’t even seem to notice as it spilled over, soaking into her mane and coat. With every second that passed, Twilight felt a sharp nail being driven deeper and deeper into her heart.
What happened next didn’t even require thought. She moved without hesitation, joining her living friends as they sat up from their places, moving to Fluttershy’s side. They came in closer, pulling her into a shared hug, letting the warmth from their bodies mingle with the gentle incandescence of Fluttershy’s soul. She wrapped her forelegs around Rainbow Dash, letting the frazzled cyan pegasus hold her in close embrace as the others huddled closely beside her.
“I... I’m sorry,” said Fluttershy. “It’s all my fault. A-all my...”
Rainbow nuzzled Fluttershy, whispering softly. Tears freely flowed down her own cheeks as she held her embrace. “No, don’t say that,” she whispered. “It’s not your fault. None of this is your fault.”
Fluttershy pulled away. Her eyes stared deeply Rainbow’s, glistening softly as they held their mutual gaze. “B-but...”
Rainbow gently reached forward, her hoof wiping off an ethereal tear from her eye. “Fluttershy, please. Don’t cry. I don’t blame you for what happened. None of us do.”
Fluttershy’s nose twitched. There was a dull noise that sounded vaguely like sniffing, though more so like a gentle whistle of the breeze. As she scooted back, she sat within in a circle of friends, her eyes moving to meet all of them in turn. She turned her head towards the ground, ears pressed flatly against it.
“It doesn’t matter. I left you, and you were all hurt because I left,” Fluttershy said. “I... I was just starting to accept my fate, and what I did to you. I’ve been seeing a therapist about it ever since I arrived. I just... I never thought I’d have to meet you all face-to-face. At least, not so soon.”
Rarity let out a gasp. “Fluttershy! A-are you saying that we reopened old wounds by coming here?”
“What?” said Fluttershy. “Oh, goodness, no! Please don’t feel bad about it! There’s no way you could have known! It’s not your fault!”
“Well, sure,” said Pinkie. “But the same thing’s also true of you, isn’t it?”
Fluttershy blinked. “True of me? What do you mean?”
“I think she means that you couldn’t have known either,” said Twilight. “At least I don’t think you did. It happened so quickly, but we wouldn’t have gotten a chance to ask you.”
Fluttershy shook her head. “No, it’s true. I couldn’t have anticipated it myself. I just... I don’t know. I... I guess I do know it’s not my fault, but it sure feels like it is. And I just don’t know how to deal with that.”
“Well... would it helped if I told you myself?” said Rainbow. “I, uh... I know it’s a long shot, but I really do want you to be happy here. This is your afterlife, after all. Do you think you could try to be happy?” A slight flush appeared on her face as she spoke. “For... for me?”
Fluttershy’s pupils dilated slightly, a slight pink coloration appearing on her muzzle. “O-oh... W-well, um... I...” She pawed at the ground with her right foreleg. Slowly, her lips began to curve subtly upwards. “I-if it’s for you, then, um... I guess I can try. It... it really does mean a lot, hearing that from you.”
Rainbow rubbed the back of her head. Her blush intensified, spreading outwards from her cheeks. “I... y-yeah. I guess. I, uh... I...”
“Oh?” said Fluttershy. “What is it?”
“I-I... I... I... Y-you see, there’s this... I’m sort of... W-when we met... I-I... Y-you... M-me...”
As Rainbow continued to stammer, her face turned so red that it lost any last trace of its prior blue coloration. Watching her attempt to express her feelings, Twilight couldn’t help but giggle slightly. “It’s okay Rainbow,” she reassured. “None of us are judging you.”
“H-hey! Shut up!” Rainbow shot back. “This is hard, okay?”
“Um,” said Fluttershy. “W-well... About that, actually. I think I—”
Fluttershy’s sentence was suddenly cut off. It was a sharp gasp, one that cut through the aether like a hot knife.
“Rainbow!” Fluttershy cried out, “You’re fading!”
“Huh?” said Rainbow. She looked back, and let out a yelp when she saw that her own body had taken a translucent character. With each second that passed, it became less and less substantial, fading further and further into nothing.
“Oh dear,” said Rarity. “Do you think this means our time is up?”
“Aww,” Pinkie groaned. “But there’s still so much fun we could have had together!”
Twilight’s eyes darted across the room, across all of her friends in succession. She raised a hoof in front of her, noticing that she was fading more slowly than the others. She felt her chest clench at the sight of it all, and the familiar sensation of her ears pressing against the back of her head.
“Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said. “If there’s anything you want to say, say it now. This will be your last chance.”
“R-right. Of course.” Rainbow’s voice quivered slightly, emitting a tiny ‘ulp’ as she swallowed. She took in a deep breath, and then looked Fluttershy square in the eye.
“Fluttershy. Listen. I... I think I love you.” The words fell heavy and thick, so simply stated, yet their profundity echoing forever. With the floodgates finally opened, she continued speaking without stop, her feelings pouring out with every word that was spoken. With every breath, her eyes were further dampened by the unrestricted flow of tears, overwhelming in their raw emotion. “I-I know it sounds silly, but it’s true! Ever since I first met you at flight school! I’ve had these feelings all along, and I never knew what they meant until years later! A-and I finally figured it out, and I spent months trying to find the best way to tell you, and I... I...”
And then, Fluttershy answered. She leaned in quickly, and gave Rainbow a soft, light kiss, right on the center of the lips. As she pulled away, she spoke two words that meant more than every book in Twilight’s library put together.
“I know.”
For seconds on end, everyone stood dumbstruck. Rainbow gawked, her face frozen and her jaw hanging loose. As her body edged ever closer to nothing, she managed to utter a single question.
“You... you do?”
“I, um... I actually felt the same way, believe it or not,” said Fluttershy. “You were so kind and supportive, and yet so strong and confident, and... I guess I always knew I wanted to be close to you. And one day I just... I realized that I liked you. A lot. I just never really knew how to say it.”
Rainbow opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. By then, Twilight could barely see her body at all; it was so close to invisibly that she almost had to squint to make it out. She held out a single hoof, tears streaming down her face freely as she tried to reach out to Fluttershy.
“Rainbow,” said Fluttershy. Her voice was calm, yet it carried an unmistakable confidence. “I know you won’t have any memory of what I just said to you. But... I have a hunch that maybe, just maybe, you’ll hold onto what you felt here. And I don’t want you to feel like you’ve missed your chance, or that you’ll never be able to love again. I want you to feel like you can live. Like you have something worth living for. I want you to feel like you can find a pony who makes you happy. I... I promise I won’t mind if you date somepony else, okay? And as long as you’re happy, I’ll be happy for you.”
Rainbow stared back, the last trickle of her tears falling away, dissipating into nothingness. Already, Pinkie Pie and Rarity had faded into invisibility, no trace of them left to be seen. Unable to speak, the corners of her mouth edged upwards, into a smile. She gave a nod, wistfulness reflecting in the last vestiges of her irises.
And then Rainbow Dash was gone.
Now alone, Twilight stood with Fluttershy. Even as she became more and more insubstantial, her entire body only felt heavier. As Fluttershy turned to face her, she looked her straight in the eyes, struggling to maintain eye contact beneath the weight of melancholy.
“Looks like I’m the last to go,” Twilight muttered. “Just like in the living world.” She breathed in through her nostrils, the aether somehow straining to make it into her lungs. “Fluttershy... I don’t know if you’d realized this, but you’ll probably have to wait a long time to see me again. A-assuming nothing bad happens, I mean.”
“Oh?” said Fluttershy.
“I’m an alicorn,” said Twilight. “Nopony knows how long an alicorn’s natural lifespan is. It’s estimated to be about five thousand years, and that’s at the very least.” Twilight felt a wet trickle running down the path of her cheek. “It could be centuries before I see you again. Maybe even millennia. I... I’m not even sure how I could go that long without any of my friends. What will I do, Fluttershy? What should I do?”
Fluttershy stepped forward. Her soul shone more brightly than anything Twilight had seen, yet its glow never once hurt her eyes. “But you won’t have to live without me. Because I’ll always be with you.” She reached out, and pressed a hoof against Twilight’s chest, leaving a soft indentation in her coat. “Right... here.”
Twilight’s body trembled. The gentle sensation of Fluttershy’s touch spread from the point of contact, resonating through her until it harmonized with every part of her being. The warmth enveloped her completely, soothing the fatigue and sorrow until there was nothing left but a deep, profound sense of peace. The sight of Fluttershy’s cottage began to fade into a blinding white, and Twilight could feel the Elysium drifting further and further away as her existence was pulled back into the living world. Just as she finally slipped away, Twilight was able to utter one last sentence.
Alright, AJ. You can do this. No need to be all nervous about it.
Even when no one else was listening, Applejack was a terrible liar. Of course she had a reason to be nervous. How could she not be? It had been more than twenty years since she’d seen her parents, and she’d spent her entire life resigned to the fact that she’d never see them again. But within the span of half an hour, everything she thought she knew was turned on its head.
It was almost eerie how closely their house resembled her own. If it weren’t for the lack of surrounding farmland, it would have been a perfect match for the farmhouse on Sweet Apple Acres. It made sense, in a way — no matter the circumstance, her parents would have been hard pressed to give up on the comforts of home.
As she approached the door, Applejack couldn’t help but wonder if this was actually happening. Was it just her imagination? Was it just some sort of bizarre fever dream? Would it even matter if it were real, if she wasn’t going to remember any of it?
No, focus! You’re almost out of time! Worry about that nonsense later!
Before she had even realized it, her body was moving towards the door. Time itself escaped her grasp with each step, moments stretching into hours, only to compress again into mere moments. The pounding of heartbeats in her eardrums drowned out all other sounds, until she reached out with a single hoof, and...
knock knock knock
In the intervening seconds, Applejack considered turning around and never looking back. She doubted there was anything she could say, anything that could make the anticipation any less agonizing. But no matter how many second thoughts crossed her mind, she knew she couldn’t turn back. This was what she wanted, more than anything else in the world.
The door opened with a loud creeaaaaak. There, standing on the other side, was Bright Macintosh, looking not a day older than he did more than twenty years ago.
“Howdy! What brings you to our... our...”
Bright Mac’s words trailed off mid-sentence, leaving his jaw hanging loose. The world around Applejack was drowned out by her own ragged breaths and pounding heartbeat. It wasn’t real, it couldn’t be real, and yet it had to be.
Don’t just stand there! Say something!
“H... h-howdy?”
Bright Mac blinked rapidly, pausing only to rub his eyes. Seeing him there, he was almost like a perfect photograph, just like the one that hung in the mantle above Applejack’s fireplace.
“By the stars,” he muttered. “Applejack? Is that...”
“Yes!” Applejack blurted out. “A-ah, mean, uh, you see...” Her left foreleg rubbed against her right, seemingly of its own volition. She had suddenly become painfully aware of every itch, every passing sensation on her body, everything that reminded her she was still a living pony. “W-what Ah meant to say was, uh...” Her words faded away, and once again, she found herself at a loss for things to say.
Bright Mac stepped forward. His initial shock had worn away, and he approached Applejack slowly, with a smile in his face and a sadness in his eyes. “You don’t have to say anything. Ah know it can be a lot to take in.”
“...Yeah,” said Applejack. “It is.” Her body moved without thought or hesitation, and before long she found herself wrapped in her father’s embrace, sharing a hug that she had not felt since she was a child. “If... if you don’t mind me asking, is ma here right now?”
“Of course,” said Bright Mac. “We were just preparing ourselves a nice meal to share. Ah’m sure your ma would be overjoyed to sit down and have dinner with you.”
Applejack glanced backwards, towards the sky above the Elysium. As always, it was bright blue and free of clouds, shining with a perennial light that had no apparent source. “Ain’t it a bit early for dinner?”
“We’ll call it lunch, then,” said Bright Mac. “Up here, it don’t make much difference.”
Applejack’s hoofsteps grew light and shaky as she followed her father through the doorway, into the house proper. Apart from a few minor details, everything about it looked exactly the way she had left her own home, back in the world of the living.
Had she not known any better, she would have thought she’d never left home at all.
Her breaths became heavy and belabored as she continued following her father into the kitchen. Even now, she struggled to grasp what was truly happening. Her head spun, and her body felt light and airy, like it was all a dream. The living room gave way to the cozy interior of the kitchen, and almost immediately she was greeted by the humming of a familiar voice she hadn’t heard in years. Her heart rate quickened, and she immediately couldn’t help but wonder what, precisely, she was doing there.
...No, that was wrong. She knew exactly what she was doing there. She just didn’t know if she was ready for it.
Seemingly unaware of her thoughts, Bright Mac walked forward, a cheerful smile written across his face. “Hey, Buttercup, you’ll never believe who’s here!”
At the far end of the kitchen, a mare of soft orange and cream colors stood diligently by a pot on the stove, letting the scent of vegetable stew waft across the room as she stirred. As she lifted a ladle and took a single, dainty sip, her eyes widened to attention. “Oh?” she said, turning to face Bright Mac, “who is...”
The ladle abruptly fell to the floor, spilling its contents across the ground. Applejack’s body tensed as she looked into the eyes of her host, yet at the same time there was a deep swelling in her heart, a feeling of safety and comfort she had not known in years. As the conflicting emotions swirled in her head, she could only think to speak a single sentence.
“H... Hi, ma.”
For moments on end, Pear Butter stood silently. Her eyes began to well up with tears, sparkling and translucent like the rest of her aethereal form. As more moments passed in silence, Applejack simply stared back, unable to form even a thought to articulate.
And then, in the blink of an eye, she felt herself being wrapped up in a pair of forelegs, a warm embrace that she hadn’t felt in a long, long time. When it finally ended, Applejack felt the familiar squish of hooves against her cheeks.
“Look at you,” Pear Butter said, starry-eyed. “You’ve grown up so much.”
“Ma, you’re embarrassing me.”
Pear Butter simply gave a knowing smile in response. That smile quickly vanished, however, and a deep wrinkle of concern wrote itself plainly across her face.
“Something wrong, Buttercup?” said Bright Mac.
“No, it’s fine. It’s just... Honey, you do understand what it means that our daughter is here, right?”
Bright Mac’s eyes went wide, and he silently mouthed an ‘oh.’
“Er... am Ah missing something here?” said Applejack.
Both of her parents looked at each other anxiously. “...Is the family okay?” said Bright Mac. “They ain’t taking it too hard, are they?”
“Taking what too hard?” Applejack replied. But before she had even finished the sentence, she’d arrived at the answer. She rubbed at the back of her neck, tripping over her own words as she spoke. “...Oh. Right, that. Er, Ah... well, the thing is... Ah’m not actually dead yet?”
The blank stares she received from her parents were almost painful to look at. Applejack tensely rubbed her own leg with a forehoof as her mother and father huddled together, speaking to each other in hushed tones.
“...She still hasn’t figured it out? What do we say to her?”
“Calm down, dear. It’s normal for folks to be in denial. Just be gentle, Ah’m sure she’ll reach her own conclusions.”
Applejack raised an eyebrow, and coughed loudly into her hoof. “Not to be disrespectful or anything, but Ah heard all of that.” Ignoring the startled glances she received, she continued. “...and what Ah said was true. It’s, uh... hard to explain, but Ah’ve been given a chance to visit before heading back to the land of the living.”
“Oh?” said Pear Butter.
“...Is that allowed?” Bright Mac added.
A deep sigh escaped from Applejack’s throat. “No. No, it ain’t. Ah don’t know how much longer Ah’ve got left, but in a little while, Ah’ll be sent back. And Ah won’t remember ever being here, neither.” Before she could fully parse her parents’ reactions, Applejack forced out a laugh. “But hey, that ain’t nothing! We can still enjoy each others’ company in the meantime, right?”
“Well... when you put it that way, Ah don’t see why not,” said Bright Mac.
“We’d be happy to have you over,” Pear Butter said. “Why don’t you go help set the table for us? The stew should be ready in just a minute or two.”
“...Sure thing,” she muttered. Just like old times...
————————
Before long, the table had already been set, the familiar ceramic bowls placed atop the tablecloths, set between a soup spoon and a salad fork. Why stew needed a salad fork, Applejack couldn’t say, but her father had insisted on it much like he had in life. She had almost forgotten about that quirk of his.
With the tableware laid out, Pear Butter soon carried out the stew pot, balancing it carefully against her back. Gripping the ladle between her teeth, she deftly managed to serve full portions to every bowl placed before them, before returning the pot back to the stove top.
Yet as she now stared down at the bowl before her, Applejack couldn’t bring herself to eat. Not that it looked unappetizing — it looked exactly as good as she remembered of her mother’s cooking. But as she stared down, thoughts of all that she had missed swirled within her head, drowning out any inclination she might have had towards eating.
“So, Applejack, how are things on the farm?”
“Huh?” Applejack’s head swerved up, and she blinked rapidly. “Er, sorry ma. Got a few things on mah mind. It’s doing alright, Ah guess. Things have been a bit rough ever since Fluttershy passed away. Ah did manage to say hi to her on the way here, so there’s that.”
Pear Butter frowned. “Oh. Well, Ah’m sorry to hear about that.”
“Nah, don’t apologize,” said Applejack. “She’s happy up here, right? And in the end, that’s... w-well, Ah suppose that’s what really matters, right?”
Pear Butter’s frown deepened. The way her eyes scanned over Applejack, softly and yet full of worry, made it clear that she could not hide her own discomfort. Her mother always had a way of knowing if something was wrong.
But before the thought could continue, her father cut in. “So, how’s Apple Bloom been? We heard a while back that she got her cutie mark, is that right?”
“Er... yeah,” said Applejack. “Managed to figure it out with her closest friends a while back. They’d been searching for so long, didn’t even realize their real talents were right under their noses. It’s just... Ah dunno. Something don’t feel right, having to tell you about it second-hoof. Ah sorta figured it’d be the kind of occasion you’d be there to celebrate. Things have been moving so fast lately, and you just... ain’t there.”
Pear Butter looked her straight in the eye. “Applejack...”
Applejack let out a nervous laugh. “But enough about me! Why don’t you tell me what you’ve been doing with your lives? Uh, Ah mean, not lives, but uh...”
“Applejack,” said Pear Butter, “you don’t have to hide your feelings from us. If you really miss us that badly, we understand.”
Applejack’s eyes drifted away from her mother’s gaze. “...That obvious, huh?”
“It’s only natural for you to feel that way,” said Bright Mac. “When we ended up here, the first thing we worried about was how you’d take it.”
“But it ain’t fair,” Applejack protested. “Ah still remember it like it was yesterday. The day the barn caught on fire, you promised me you’d make it back. You said you’d rescue ma, and be back before we knew it. Ah just... never would’ve imagined that you’d never make it out alive.”
Pear Butter looked her in the eye, her form gently glowing with celestial light. “Oh, sweetie...”
“There’s still so much time we could’ve spent together, as a family,” Applejack continued. Despite the clear, soothing aetherial air, she found it more and more difficult to breathe. “And... Ah know Ah ain’t the only one to feel that way. Big Mac, Granny Smith... Hay, Apple Bloom barely even remembers having any parents. And...” She gulped, aware more than ever of the trembling in her hooves. “...And Grand Pear, too. He misses you, ma.”
Pear Butter’s eyes went wide. “Mah father?”
“Yeah,” Applejack said. She’d already felt the beginnings of tears at the edges of her eyes. “We... met him, a few months back. Didn’t rightly know who he was, at first... but he told us everything. All the things you never told us yourselves. Wished he had a chance to make amends. But as far he knows, that ain’t never gonna happen now.”
Silence hung over the dining room table. Applejack’s parents both stared back, exchanging glances with one another and with her.
“You really think your pa’s had a change of heart after all these years?”
“Ah... Ah suppose it’s likely. Ah disappeared from his life so long ago. If anything would get him to soften up, it’s... well, you know.”
“Sorry for bringing it up,” Applejack muttered.
“No need to apologize, dear,” said Pear Butter. “Ah guess Ah figured something like that might happen, just... it ain’t been something we’ve given much thought.”
“Right,” said Applejack, “’cause of paradise and all that.”
Another silence persisted over the dining table. A deep, gnawing sensation began to grow within Applejack’s gut. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and yet she couldn’t even think of anything else to say.
Slowly, the scent of the stew just below her wafted across her nose. There was no denying it, it smelled absolutely delicious. With a steady motion, she grabbed the spoon by her side, dipped it into the bowl, and lifted a spoonful towards her mouth...
...it tasted perfect. Better than she even remembered it being. Better than she ever expected it to be.
And yet, it tasted exactly as good as she would want it to be.
“Mmm. That’s... good. Real good.”
“It is mah own recipe,” said Pear Butter. “Ah figured you’d like it.”
“Y-yeah,” said Applejack. “Hey ma? Can Ah ask you a question?”
“Of course! Go right ahead.”
Applejack turned her head downward, letting the brim of her hat obscure her own view. She couldn’t bear to look her own mother in the eye. Not like this.
“...How am Ah supposed to know that you’re real?”
Silence. Applejack looked up again, and saw the astonishment written plainly on her parents faces. Yet even now her vision remained obscured, not by the brim of her hat, but by the tears that were rapidly welling up in the corners of her eyes.
“Ah want this to be real. Ah really do! But... it’s just too good to be true. And when it’s over, Ah won’t even remember it! It’ll be just like a dream that you forget once you wake up!”
Bright Mac reached out towards her with a hoof, a deep sympathy reflected in the lights of his eyes. “Applejack...”
“It’s just... Ah wish Ah could say for certain that this is really happening! That Ah got a chance to say Ah love you one last time! But there’s j-just... just no way of knowing. And it won’t even matter if Ah did know, because just like that, you’ll be gone again! And... and...”
“Applejack.”
Applejack felt a subtle warmth against her. When she looked up, she saw her mother, standing right next to her, gently placing a hoof against her withers.
“Y-yeah?”
“It’s okay, Applejack. We understand.”
“B-but...”
Before she could finish, Bright Mac had already left his seat, joining her mother by her side. “Ah know you’ll miss us. It’s only natural to. But for as long as you’ll live, you’ll carry a part of us with you. That’s what made you into the pony you are today.”
“And we couldn’t be more proud of that pony,” Pear Butter added.
Applejack couldn’t think to say anything. So many words came to mind, so many things she could have said, but all of it was at once overwhelmed by the raw emotions that sprung forth without provocation. As the floodgates opened, she found herself openly bawling, surrounded on all sides by her parents’ warm embrace.
Minutes passed, for what seemed to Applejack like ages. When the tears finally dried, she looked into her parents eyes one last time. As she gave them one last solid look, the world around them began to fade, leaving only the sight of her parents against an ever-encroaching void of blinding white.
“Looks like it’s time for me to go,” said Applejack. “Ma, pa... Ah’ll never forget what y’all meant to me. Thank you.”
And as the world faded to white, Applejack could hear words of gratitude being given in return.
The sunlight fell through the bedroom window unrelentingly, shining without a care for the one who was still asleep. Rainbow Dash grumbled and turned as the ray of light struck her eyelid, yet despite her protests, she was soon forced awake.
She dragged herself out of bed, her hooves falling sharply onto the clouded floor. She didn’t even bother to fly, as she normally would. There was a thick layer of sweat building on her skin, and as her mind cleared the early morning grogginess, she was made painfully aware of how gross she felt. She craned her neck around, and gave herself a sniff.
The sudden assault on her nostrils convinced her right away that a shower was needed. She wasted no time in getting herself there, and before long, she was already feeling the warm streams of water running down her coat. It was refreshing in a way that she had nearly forgotten about, to the point where she had shuddered with relief upon feeling the water touch her skin. She’d needed it so badly, she realized. How long had it even been since she’d showered last?
After washing herself clean, she stepped out of the shower and dried off. As the hot water vapor cleared from the air, Rainbow realized just how easy it had been. It was a simple task, by all means, but just yesterday it had felt almost impossible. A crushing weight, intangible and omnipresent, that held her down and kept her from her own responsibilities. But now, seemingly without reason, it was gone. Something had changed since yesterday, but what?
Come to think of it, the entire day yesterday was... fuzzy. She’d stepped outside of the house for the first time since Fluttershy passed away, and met with her friends. But aside from that, everything else about that day was completely blank. She had no idea what had happened.
And yet... when she thought about that day, something about it just felt right. Like it was everything she’d needed. Just what had she done?
The answer, once it came to her, seemed obvious. She must have slept through the entire day. She’d had difficultly sleeping since Fluttershy died, restless thoughts and emotions keeping her up all night. But for the first time since, she felt rejuvenated. She felt rested.
But she was still hungry, as her stomach soon reminded her. Before she went downstairs to prepare breakfast, though, there was still one thing she wanted to do. She made her way back to her bedroom. There, on a nightstand right next to her bed, was a single framed picture of herself and Fluttershy. Taken by her parents when they were still fillies, with Rainbow proudly showing off a somersault move while Fluttershy cheered her on.
This is what you would have wanted, right? You wouldn’t want me to literally lose sleep over you.
Rainbow Dash gave a small smile. As she did, she felt tear running down the side of her cheek. She didn’t bother to wipe it off.
Thanks for everything, Flutters. I won’t forget you.
————————
Applejack had found it difficult to work that day. She found it difficult to work, and she didn’t know why. It became apparent throughout the morning, as she repeatedly found herself skipping past trees in need of harvest, and bucking the same tree more than once. It wasn’t like her at all to be so careless.
But the more she went through her routine, the more she began to realize why. There was something nagging at her, something in the back of her mind. And it wasn’t until the afternoon that she understood what it was.
There was a hole in her memory. A massive, unexplainable gap where the day should have. She remembered attending the estate sale at Fluttershy’s house, and then... nothing. Everything else about that day had simply disappeared into the void.
As she pondered this strange turn of events, Applejack didn’t notice that she was slowly drifting away from the orchard. Her steps carried her without thought or reason, to a destination that she didn’t even know she was headed for. When she took notice of her arrival, her mouth fell open.
Huh? How did Ah get HERE?
The clearing. A place she had only learned of recently, but had since come to see as one of the most important places of her life. There in the center, standing tall above everything else, were a pair of trees that grew in tandem with one another, their trunks briefly coiling together before splitting apart, forming a heart-shaped gap in the space between them.
This place was a good distance away from the farm, she realized. She had to have been totally spacing out to not even notice she’d made it this far.
Why she came here, of all places, she couldn’t say. It didn’t make any sense.
...Yet at the same time, it also did.
She walked up to the twin trees, noting the blurry sensation that had overcome her eyes. Her breath grew heavy as she placed a single hoof against the tree. She closed her eyes, and held them. She didn’t know for how long.
“Applejack! There you are! Big Mac’s been looking all over for you!”
“Huh?” The sound of Apple Bloom’s voice snapped her back to reality. She blinked rapidly, wiping away the moisture from her eyes. She looked back, and saw her younger sister staring up at her pensively.
“You came to visit Ma and Pa, huh?” Apple Bloom stepped forward, sticking close by Applejack’s side. She didn’t make eye contact as she spoke.
“Yeah,” Applejack replied.
Apple Bloom went quiet, and for a while the only sound that either of them heard was the rustling of leaves in the breeze. Applejack wrapped her foreleg around Apple Bloom’s body, and the two of them stared up at the twin trees, taking in the sight of what their parents had left them.
“Ah wish Ah could’ve gotten a chance to know them better.” It was Apple Bloom who broke the silence. She was barely old enough to talk the last time she’d seen them.
Applejack struggled to find the words to reply. They seemed to stop just shy of leaving her mouth when she tried to speak. She settled on giving a silent nod, which Apple Bloom seemed to understand perfectly.
“Do y’think they’re still watching over us, somewhere?”
Applejack hesitated to respond, at first. But the more she let the question linger on her mind, the more it dawned on her. Not quite certainty, not quite faith, but a feeling. And right now, that feeling was all she needed to find an answer.
“Y’know, Applebloom? Ah think they are.”
————————
It was a nice day in Ponyville.
The days were usually nice, as to be expected from Ponyville’s weather team, but in contrast to the heaviness that weighed on Twilight’s heart since Fluttershy died, it seemed downright cheery. She could take some comfort in it, breathing in the crisp air, feeling the warm rays of sun lightly touch down on her skin.
The morning that day had been relatively quiet. Aside from a strange feeling that prompted Twilight to schedule an oncologist appointment, she’d been going about her routine just as she normally would. Just as though nothing had changed at all.
Of course, that wasn’t true. Things had changed. Things would always change. That was the nature of time, she supposed.
After taking care of her shopping at the market, Twilight passed by one of the local cafe restaurants. With the perfect sunny weather, almost all of the patrons were sitting in the outdoor tables, casually enjoying their meals as they socialized. Sitting at the table closest to the street were Pinkie Pie and Rarity, conversing beneath the table’s parasol. She stood there and gazed at her friends, not saying a word.
It was funny. Looking at them now, she couldn’t help but think about how fragile their lives were. She would almost certainly outlive them both, just as she had already outlived someone she held dear. It left a bitter taste in her mouth to think about, and yet...
...and yet, they were happy. And Twilight knew that for as long as she lived, she’d share in their happiness, keeping their memory close to her heart. She wasn’t sure what had brought on such intense thoughts, but it mattered little when the two of them turned to notice her.
“Oh, hey Twilight!” said Pinkie. “Rarity and I were just about to order lunch. Wanna join us?”
