The strain in Celestia's face was obvious as the sun hesitantly clawed itself up into the sky. A sick sun, not the vibrant yellow it once was now it was a deep orange, almost red. The source of her power was as sick as she was. The sun was dying and she was as well. She looked out at where it hung in the frame of her balcony doors, where she laid in her bed, not able to muster the strength to even get up this morning. She was sure that this would be her final day.
Nudging her younger sister gently to awaken her, she wished to say goodbye before they traveled onwards. They had taken to sharing her bed for the last... She wasn't sure how long it had been. But they had been getting colder, and sharing their little heat did bring comfort in both the literal sense and simply being close to family. Luna seemed to be more affected by the sickness than she but in a different way. While she felt sickly, Luna just felt weak. The sun was wrapped up in its death throws, making Celestia sickly. Luna just felt the waning energy from the moon and while a little sicklier than her usual self she simply didn't have the energy she used to.
Though Celestia tried again to wake her sister it wasn't her that accomplished the feat. The loud banging of drums announced Discord's arrival that morning. Celestia frowned silently as Luna's eyes fluttered open to see the draconequus standing in the doorway. The creature had lost much of his powers of chaos as the world died around them, but he still retained enough to make a real nuisance of himself when he wanted.
Luna simply smiled at Discord, she'd always had a softer spot for him than her sister, and he slithered up to their resting space, now only standing at the height of a grown stallion he pulled forth a single rose from behind her ear, causing her to chuckle weakly. Celestia rolled her eyes at his antics but couldn't help smiling faintly as well. "Good morning Discord."
Discord gave a mock bow in answer, grinning his usual mischief. "Good morning to you as well princesses. I do hope my drumming didn't wake you." Luna let out a small snort and was about to speak when she froze.
The two princesses turned as they saw a shadow approaching down the hall, a ponies shadow to be specific, they looked at each other, both nodding in confirmation. It had been a few times that one or the other thought they'd seen signs of their people, but they both saw this one. They had been sure they three were the last living things on the world. Ponies had long moved away from what used to be Canterlot to seek better climates for their survival. But she was sure that even they could not have grown food recently. However, they were obviously, at least partially, mistaken.
A light blue pony with blue and white divided hair walked through the open door, smiling at the two princesses. "Well hello princesses, it seems I am just in time, then again, it seems that's my special talent now isn't it?" She smiled as she walked up to the two princesses, bowing her head to discord who gave a small bow in return as Minuette sat next to the princesses. "Time's almost up now princesses, you might want to say your farewells."
"But... You died! You're Twilight's friend!" Luna was dumbfounded by the event that just took place. Celestia was just happy to have another pony around for their ends, a past student no less. Not one of her personal students but she had attended Celestia's school.
Minuette looked at Luna with an unusual amount of seriousness. "I did indeed, I have many times, and I have a feeling I will many times again unless this time is at last my final journey."
Celestia blinked, this wasn't the hyper blue girl she remembered, then again that one-time Twilight came seeking advice Minuette had been very knowledgable in philosophical matters, even if she did destroy many of the throne rooms bouquets. Celestia nearly shrieked as a very similar looking bouquet landed in front of her, her eyes widened as she looked at Minuette, who also had one, and one was sitting in front of Luna. "Are... Are you death?"
Minuette shook her head, beginning to eat her own bouquet. "No, I am not death. I am not Charon, the Grim Reaper, the Cù-sìth, La Calavera Catrina, Yama, Jeoseung-saja, the Angel of Death, Anubis, the guardian of the gate, the final bargainer, the eternal footman, or a shinigami." The two princesses blinked at the long list as Minuette adopted her usual wide smile. "I have had a lot of time to go over in my head what exactly I am, and I am not death, he awaits you two on the other side of the gate." She shook her head a second time, frowning once more. "Though I think that again he will turn me away."
Luna and Celestia looked at each other apprehensively and Minuette turned away from them. "I'm... Sorry Minuette."
Minuette wasn't sure which of the sisters spoke, but it didn't matter, she waved a hoof in dismissal of the apology. "There is nothing for it, enjoy your last meal, I thought you could use a last meal. And I have a favor to ask, tell Twilight and my other friends that it was fun, they will be some of my fondest memories in the worlds to come, and of the worlds passed." Minuette turned quickly to give the two princesses' a bow and backed out of the room, their dumbfounded faces fading from her view, but, she did hear munching start just as she turned, good, the final snacks she'd saved for all that time wouldn't go to waste.
And So We Go Around Again
Minuette sat on a nearby hill, looking over the ruins that had once been Canterlot. She knew that the time was coming, Celestia would die, and Luna would lie with the body for a few minutes, the body would not even be cold by the time that Luna too joined her beyond the veil. Minuette did not need to intrude upon their final moments, she had had a few that she was invited to, a few of her own loves that she had said goodbye to in person. But at the end, she rarely had anyone to spend the final moments with, except...
Discord popped into existence next to her, and she nodded to him, looking up at the sick, sick sun, knowing that it was actually dead, the light just hadn't reached them yet, the blinding flash perhaps? The scouring storm, or the dull cold? She would prefer a quick death this time, she had experienced it so many times though it made little difference ultimately. She looked to the side, nodding at her oldest friend. "So, we have eight minutes."
"Yes, only eight minutes now, then I will cease to be for a while, and you..."
"I will watch, I will watch a world without people, a world stuck in a rut, without chaos or intelligence, just going through its motions, until it finally finds a way to once again create things worth watching, and loving."
"I do hope that when it comes back about I don't get stuck in a statue again, talk about boring! I was starting to feel like you!"
Minuette smiled wryly at Discord. "You would have many, many years to catch up to me, old friend. And it was your own fault, you chose to play the antagonist again."
Discord nodded, popping a small coin into his hand. "They needed a villain, it wasn't like I just arbitrarily chose to be the villain, or flipped a coin!" He flipped the coin to emphasize his point and Minuette smiled once more in genuine amusement.
"Well let's hope this next batch is more settled than this one, so you don't need to play the villain."
Discord nodded, snapping his fingers and the coin disappeared, looking up at the sun as well. "Do you think we'll ever get to go to where they have gone?"
"You? Certainly, you're probably there now, in another capacity."
"How do you figure?"
"You are chaos, but what is chaos? It is the choice of all thinking creatures. Unless you get no choices in the afterlife you will be there, you will see your friends again." She gave him another sly smile. "Especially Fluttershy."
He nodded. "I'm sure you'll get there too."
"You don't need to give me baseless comfort Discord."
"Well if you aren't there I'll come get you! Screw what death says!"
Minuette giggled quietly, her oldest friend was impulsive. "Well, it's good to see you getting close to a few people this time, you're usually so standoffish."
"I've lived without her for thousands of years Minuette, and that was my only other real friend all these years... How do you do it?"
Minuette smiled sadly. "If I live for all eternity, I will know that I made a difference in a few lives, and it is such fleeting things that make an eternity worth living."
Discord nodded, falling into a companionable silence, it wasn't like they wouldn't have thousands, perhaps millions of more years together. Not every moment needed to be filled with talking. They had only a minute left when discord spoke again. "The thing that always makes me wonder, is what causes different life to live, instead of ponies, people, instead of people dragons, instead of dragons strange floating creatures with many eyes. What do you always wonder when a new world starts?"
"Who is the one creature who's life I can change, who's life is it that I will matter in. Their form doesn't matter, just their need."
Discord nodded, and fell silent again for another twenty seconds, only leaving him with ten seconds, finally working up the courage to ask the question he hadn't for so many millennia beyond counting. "Does it hurt?"
Minuette didn't speak for a few moments, Discord thought that she wasn't going to answer, or at least not in time, only to hear her words as he faded out, the last of the suns light was just reflecting off the moon the last creature that truly had choices passed from the world as Luna died, curled up next to her sister's body. "Every time." Minuette looked up, as the sky grew bright for a few moments and she closed her eyes, so it was the wave of flame. She was glad, that was quicker, though ultimately, it didn't matter, she never had a real choice anyway.
Author's Note
Hope you enjoyed it, have a good day everyone.
