Author's Note

This was one idea I had for the ending to the story, but ultimately decided against it as it was too dark for my taste.

Bonus Chapter: Alternate Ending

Twilight opened her eyes and stared at the tiled ceiling of her hospital room. She was alone, just the constant beeping of a heart monitor to accompany her. She still remembered the words Luna spoke to her, and what she had said in return. She was ready, because for once she knew exactly what to do.

She set up in her bed and groaned at the soreness in her body. Her left arm was constrained by an IV line hooked into her vain, so with her other hand she reached out and took the blue bag off its holder. She uncorked the bag and dumped its contents onto the floor, and with her lungs full of air she filled it back up. She hesitated for a moment, holding the bag in both hands. She questioned whether or not to go through with it, but she was exhausted, a kind of exhaustion that runs deeper than the physical, and she just wanted to rest.

With both hands she squeezed the bag empty and let the air flow through the tub in her arm.

She felt the fire in her arm almost immediately. The fire traveled down her vain like a highway until it held firm on her chest. Twilight gripped her chest and fell back on the bed. She gasp for breath that wouldn’t come as her whole body burned from the inside, but as the beeping became a solid dull tone, Twilight felt no more pain.

***

“Hey wake up,” Skyler said as he rocked Twilight back and forth in her seat. Gradually, she picked her head off the table to see where she was. Nadia, Teagan, and Davis all watched her with grinning faces.

“Geez, Twilight, I know you worked the late shift but you could at least stay awake for our first time out in weeks,” said Nadia

Cotreau walked up to the table holding six beers between his fingers. “I see the sleeping princess is awake,” he said as he passed out the drinks.

“Sorry,” Twilight gave a sheepish smile and brushed back her hair with her fingers. “But I had the strangest dream, I was back home and ... and … damn, what was it about?”

“I hate when that happens,” Davis said. “And it’s always the good dreams too,”

“Does anyone mind if I ask a rather morbid question?” asked Nadia.

“Would it stop you if we said no?”

“No,” Nadia laughed. She took a long swing of her drink and asked her question, “What do you think the afterlife is like?”

“I suppose that would depend on your religion,” said Teagan. “Personally, I preferred the tale of the eternal drinking hall,”

“Oh yeah, honored warriors who fall in battle spend their afterlife drinking and telling the tales of their battles,”

Cotreau rose his beer and pointed at everyone. “You guys want tales, I’ve got a few for you. Did I ever tell you about the time I had commonwealth running all over the country looking for me and my men?”

The group burst into laughter. “You mean besides every time you get drunk,” Skyler explained.

“Well too bad, you’re going to hear it again,”

So they past the time, each telling a story in turn, with rivers of liquor that seemed endless. Apart of Twilight’s mind lingered on that dream, but she felt content sitting there, listening. Until thoughts of the dream faded from her mind entirely and it was her turn once more to regale the group with one of her own tales.