Death and Peace

Barely a week had passed since Pinkie Pie's death, and ponies were discussing what came after death, all of whom did so in the shadows. While there were many theories, only one came close to the truth. Shining Armor's thought were that Princess Celestria acted like a judge, deciding whether to send them to heaven, hell, or an alternate Equestria.

Many ponies disagreed about what happened. However, most were able to agree that there was a "life" after death. Ponies spoke of a bliss paradise, where nothing went wrong. Houses and shops would look like castles, and everything would be perfect.

But now, Pinkie Pie could disprove anypony. At least, she would, had she not died or yet managed, to escape the lobby, where everypony was to go to be judged. Five arches stood in the room, made of stone. They were so tall that Pinkie Pie could barely see the top of the arch from the ground. Each arch led to a different fate, and which arch a pony crossed through was decided by the judge.

Normally, a hooded pony was at the five arches. The far right was a beautiful paradice, where many ponies ended up. It wasn't hard to get there - all you had to do was be good. The one next to this one was the smallest. A blue wall appeared to prevent anypony from going through, all except the hooded pony.

The central arch led to an alternate Equestria. It was thoes who wern't good enough to make it to the heaven arch, but deserved a second chance. Of everypony failing to make it to heaven, about 75% went through here.

The middle-left took a pony to hell. This was a tempory stay, with more mischief ponies staying and suffering longer. Boiling hot, with hardly any water to drink, made this a nightmare to be. Lava and fire everywhere, and chains for some of the very bad ones.

The fith gate seemed more like a black hole than an actual gate. This is the final destintion for the worst ponies out there. If hell was bad...this is hell cranked up to an eleven. And anypony destined to go there never left...

*

Pinkie Pie was waiting. Waiting for something. Something she didn't know. She had been there about a week, and was starting to worry. The arches across the room interested her, so she finally decided to have a peek through them.

She began with the far-most left. She poked her head into the archway. On the other side, she saw a device with chains and gears. A pegasus was attached to the chains. As the chains released the poor pegasus, Pinkie pulled her head back as to stop herself from seeing the grisly fate that was to come.

"I see you have taken an interest in the arches." -A hooded figure was trotting up to where Pinkie Pie was. His voice was deep and not recognisable from any Pinkie had heard before. -"Sadly, there is nothing you can do about her... fate."

"Err, what is happenig?" Pinkie Pie was trembling, she didn't know what to say. This pony - at least, she saw it as a pony - had just snuck up on her. Mixed in with what she saw through the arch, she could do nothing but listen.

The hooded figure began to talk, its voice sounding more reasuring. "Don't worry, Pinkie Pie. I will -"

"How do you know my name?" the pink pony intergeted, feeling more confused and worried.

The hooded pony smiled. "I know everypony's name. It is just something that comes naturally. The same will come to you... in time. -" The hooded figure stared to lift his cloak. Underneath it, was nothing of which Pinkie Pie or anypony had ever seen. Nopony except those whom had seen somepony mugged and killed."- You see, I am the judge. The latest judge, that is. I died about a centuary ago. My precessor... about a millenia more. I will relay what she told me, and I beg you listen."

Pinkie Pie was unable to speak. The shock from seeing the poor pony's face made her feel sad. As sad as her days as a filly. Reluctently, she nodded, and listened.

*

Pinkie listened hard, absorbing every detail. The Judge spoke about being "the judge" between life and death, and that the worst of people would be sucked into the portal Pinkie had stuck her head into. That very pegasus, of which was from another dimention, had earnt her fate by killing her friends, and is tortured every day by whom she loved most. The conforsation oved onto where the portals lead to, and how everypony was - at the very least - sorted by them.

"Any Questions?" The Judge had offered Pinkie the chance to speak after what seemed like an hour of boredome.

"Just the one." Pinkie started to look at the Judge, his face seemingly mending itself. "How is your face the way it is, and why is it reparing itself?"

"Ah," the Judge started, "I hoped you asked me this. You see, there is a magic around here. A magic that bonds us together. But only us. The reason my face is like this is because I was beaten to death. No need to cry, Pinkie. "- Pinkie's eyes started to swell, wanting to burst out in tears. -" My world wasn't the nicest place. Gangsters everywhere even. My fate came to me like a stack of books. But they are healing because -"

"Because while we are here it is some echo of us going on to the next stage, and that part of us has no visual signsof injury, but you needed to to show me your face to make me listen to what you said, and it has healed now because that is what you are eant to look like. And now you are going to tell me that I am the Judge now, and can return to Equestria to see my friends again, but can't because it would mess everything up." Pinkie was now out of breath, panting as she had finished what the Judge was going to say in those few, long sentances.

The Judge opened his mouth wide. "How did you know?"

All Pinkie could say was "Just a hunch".