In books, she had heard it was the ultimate void of nothing; an oblivion that was inhabited by souls that had nowhere to go, and were doomed to eternally wail in anguish at the fact that they would see heaven, nor hell. Twilight Sparkle sat in Purgatory, and it was the most beautiful place she had ever seen.
She sat in the grass next to a winding dirt path, right next to the beautiful Blossom Trees that were littered around the area. The flowers on the trees were an absolutely beautiful light shade of pink, and it comforted Twilight to be among them. The grass was as green as could be, and neatly trimmed at that. The sun was stuck in it's setting position, so they sky glowed a beautiful orange and pink. It was the perfect temperature, too; It wasn't too hot but it wasn't too cold, and a nice breeze blew through the wind and through her main and tail. No, purgatory was nothing like she had read in any books, as it was wonderful.
Now all she had to do was travel the dirt road, and ascension would be complete; she would move on to the afterlife, heaven, and all would be peace and bliss forever. But she wouldn't. She would stay here forever, as that is all she wanted to do.
It was all her fault, really. Flying above the Everfree was her first mistake, but she could easily do it; she was a Princess! Despite her friends warnings, she pressed on. She remembered it so clearly; the ear-shattering rush of the wind, the blinding flashes of lightning, the force that gripped her and wouldn't let go, until it was over. The storm had claimed her, and she found herself here amidst the flowers.
She was immortal, and her friends were not. She was an all powerful being, a princess; her friends were not. So how, and why, did she go before they did? How could she die before any of her other friends? Here she thought she would have to mull over their deaths for centuries, visit their graves constantly, and weep over her wonderful curse. Alas, it was not so, and now her friends would weep over her passing with every day that goes by.
That is why she did not go.
She had let her friends down, by dying. Now there was no hero, no sixth element, no spark. Who will aid Equestria in it's time of need, if not the Elements of Harmony? By foolishly flying into that storm, she had not only let down her friends, but every last citizen who once depended on her. How could she go to heaven for everything she has done, when there are too many things she will not be able to do? She did not walk down that dirt path because she did not deserve it. Or so she told herself; she knew there was another reason.
When she went down that dirt path, she left her friends behind.
Twilight Sparkle was not ready to do that. Every memory she had of her best friends brought her happiness, and with it pain. This was the closest she will ever be to them ever again, so this is where she will stay. She will never leave her friends behind, even in her death, to that she swore.
And so she sat in Purgatory, the middle lands, while mulling over the memories of her past life and taking in the gorgeous environment when she heard hoofsteps. What confused her more was that they were coming behind her, and not in front; her back was facing the way to ascension, so the visitor must be coming from that way. Slowly, she turned around to see none other than Princess Luna advancing towards her, a warm smile on her face.
Twilight had forgotten that Luna took care of all death in Equestria. Celestia had the job during Luna's exile, of course, and it was the only job that Luna didn't want back; she even offered Celestia the job upon her arrival back. Twilight had never heard the elder Princess's answer, but it must have been a no judging by the fact that she stood in front of her now.
"Mind if I join you, Twilight?" she asked. Twilight returned the smile on her face and gestured to a patch of grass next to her. "Of course, Princess."
The Princess of the Night sat down where Twilight had indicated. She took a moment to look around the area, taking a deep breath of the fresh, blossom scented air around them. She exhaled, and continued to look around the area.
"It really is gorgeous here. I tried to make it look the best it possibly could. I really think I did a good job, no?" she asked, turning to Twilight. Twilight nodded her head in affirmative as she too looked around the area. "You did, Princess. Tell me, what did you have in mind when you designed this place?" The Princess chuckled at the question.
"Almost perfect. Perfect is that way." she said, pointing with her hoof directly in front of her. At that statement, she turned to Twilight, who had a saddened look on her face now; she knew exactly what the Princess was about to say, so she was the first to speak.
"You're here to take me to the afterlife. I don't want to go, Luna. I've made that decision." Luna deeply sighed and looked down at the green grass before looking back at Twilight.
"I am here to convince you to go, not to take you; you can do whatever you want, and me and Tia will support you in that decision." At the mention of Celestia, Twilight's eyes watered; she convinced herself not to cry, though a single tear dropped to the grass below her. Luna saw it, and her face became grim.
"Ah, so this is what is holding you back; you still have not reached acceptance, and you grieve for your friends. You believe that you are the closest to them now then you will ever be again, and that is why you will not move on. Am I correct, Princess Twilight?" Tears flowing now, Twilight nodded. Luna scooted closer to her and embraced her; Twilight gladly returned it. They hugged for about a minute before Luna spoke again.
"Let me tell you this, Twilight. Your friends have moved on. Your funeral was an emotional time, and your friends all gave wonderful speeches, but they have all moved past it. They still think of you, yes, but they understand that life must go on, something you have yet to grasp." At that remark, Luna began chuckling a little bit. "Well, you're dead, so life cannot go on, but you get what I am saying. Can I tell you a story?" Twilight smiled and nodded, and Luna looked around the environment once more as she began to speak.
"When I was banished to the moon, my sister could not do her duties for days, and so it was night for a week." Twilight's eyes widened in surprise; she hadn't heard that before. Luna still did not turn to her as she continued to tell the story.
"The citizens were worried, but were relieved when the sun came creeping past the horizon as usual. It took her a while, but she finally managed to move on from what she had done. Do you know what finally motivated her to resume her duties, Twilight Sparkle?" Twilight thought of all the possiblities before answering.
"No, Princess. What happened?" She asked. Luna finally turned to face her, a smile plastered on her face.
"She wondered what I, her real sister, would have wanted her to do. She believed that I would have wanted her to continue her duties, as the Protector of the Realm, and so she did. So, Twilight, I pose the same question; what would your best friends want you do? Your parents? Spike? Would they want you to stay here?"
Twilight's eyes widened again. I'm the closest to them they'll ever get! But I have a feeling this is more than moving on to the afterlife; it's about moving on from them. Twilight smiled ear to ear and slowly got up from her position. When Twilight rose, Luna did as well, with an identical smile on her face.
Twilight took a deep breath, the blossom scented air filling her lungs once more, and took a look around again. Her eyes danced across the landscape for almost five minutes before she turned to the Princess of the Night again, who had her eyebrows raised in a knowing expression.
"It's time I was on my way." said Twilight. Luna nodded, her eyes closed, before putting a hoof on Twilight's shoulder.
"You will not brave it alone; I will come with you. And above all, Twilight Sparkle, remember this; you're friends will be joining you sooner than you think." Twilight's expression quickly became worrisome; upon seeing this, Luna couldn't help but burst out in laughter.
"I do not plan on killing them, worry not. I only mean that they'll be here before you know it. And I, and Celestia, and Spike, for immortals, contrary to popular belief, do not live forever. Something always gets us in the end...are you ready, Twilight Sparkle? Truly?"
Twilight thought about that for a moment; everything she knew was being left behind; her friends, her family, everything. But, deep in her heart, she knew she would be okay, because she knew something else; her friends would be okay as well, and that was the only assurance she needed.
"Yes, Princess." said Twilight. Her voice sounded content, and her countenance was determined. Luna merely nodded at her answer, and gestured to the path that lay ahead.
"Then let us ramble on, Twilight Sparkle."
