It's Not a Goodbye

Negotiation

The very old mare lay in her bed, in a kind of lethargy, in a very deep sleep. The coat that in her youth was yellow was now almost pale, like the color of old bones, and crossed by hundreds of wrinkles. At the sides of the senile head hung languid, graying locks, which had completely lost their pink hue. It breathed so softly that it gave the impression of being dead, yet there was still life in it. Faded blankets covered her skeletonized, weakened body. In fact, for weeks she no longer got out of bed, spoke, or made any sound.

The guide snore in disgust.

“It's one of the most pitiful states to which a creature can be reduced. It's really cruel of you to let her wither away like that, and you're supposed to be her best friend?”

Discord did not answer, but went to the side of the bed, and stayed there, caressing the forehead of the Pegasus with much tenderness, as if it were a filly, without disgusting to touch a forehead that had the texture of raisins. To a certain extent, it seemed as if the pony had stayed too long in a sauna.

“Look, the deal I'm offering you is this: I'll let you take her, but I'll go too. That way, every time Fluttershy reincarnates, I'll come back with her.” said the Lord of Chaos, making a blackboard appear where he illustrated all the phases.

But the spirit envoy shook his head flatly, and answered sharply:

“No, Discord, you can't go with her. Sorry, it's the rules.”

Angry, Discord snapped his eagle claw, and the two appeared again in the room.

“And why not?” he asked indignantly, crossing his legs and adding a black scowl over his eyebrows. 'I promise I will be good, and cause as little chaos as possible “Agh, it's amazing that there are rules even for the dead!”

“Rules are rules, Mr Draconequus. I don't make them, I make sure they're followed.”

“Pfff, you're more boring than Celestia...” shrieked Discord, giving the guide Celestia's characteristic four-colored mane, and even her crown.

“Your function here, Discord," the guide interrupted him, with a lower tone in his voice, and fading the decorations, "while you are the opposite of Order, is to maintain the essential balance of forces. Your magic is part of one of the currents that flows in this world, the other being the current of Harmony, of whose magic it is subsidiary, for example, the Tree of Harmony.”

“So if I leave this world, the scales of magic will become unbalanced and everything will get out of control?”

“Hmmm, sort of... I'd have some influence, yes, but not to make a big mess.”

“So I am not indispensable to the world of the living anyway..." said Discord, disappointed.

“It's that the main problem is crossing the barrier, in the middle dimension, some call it ‘Limbo’.”

“Oh, yes, I've heard of Limbo and the story of seven ponies that were trapped there for a thousand years, and then, thanks to our clever Princess Twilight, they returned to the world of the living. And how is that possible? Couldn't they have crossed over into the Erebus without any trouble?”

“Ah... that's not my thing. It is problematic to lie in body and soul in an immaterial dimension, irremissibly cutting off the cycles of incarnation of the souls. But as I said, that's not my business.”

“So what's the problem with me going to the Erebus? Who's supposed to keep the balance there?”

“That's not relevant to our discussion. Listen, the boundary between the worlds has an essence that is difficult to describe, what happens is that it is designed to be crossed by simple souls and spirits, that is, beings like me. You are a more complex and stronger spirit, and your magic is too heavy for the barrier; to get too close to it could cause incalculable harm, and if you go in, you could cause it to collapse. This would be a terrible catastrophe, especially because on the side of the Ereb it acts as a protection against... certain beings, who are not allowed to enter the world of the living.”

“What kind of beings are those? Devils, succubus, elves...?” asked the draconequus, as all sorts of imaginative representations of such entities came out of nowhere.

“I don't have time to explain to you what they are... I can only tell you that what makes them dangerous and inadequate, in most cases, is their ability to absorb souls.” When he saw the draconequus' face of amazement, he added “Yes, absorb souls. And the body is left as an empty shell. Would you find it amusing if in Equestria there were beings capable of taking your friends' souls?”

“Hmmmm, no, certainly not...” admitted the draconequus. "It's no fun appreciating chaos if everyone is undead...”

“And besides, souls are neutral, they don't possess magic. They are lighter than a bird's feather. Magic is repelled by the barrier, especially because it is not compatible with the magic in the Erebus.”

The talk was becoming somewhat interesting, so Discord decided to make tea for the two of them, even though the psychopomp refused, since beings like him had no physiological needs, such as feeding or sleeping. The draconequus snapped his claws and made a kitchen appear with a kettle of boiling water, at the same time as a small table (rustic style although a bit effeminate) with two cups, and in passing a tray with biscuits. The guide found this a strange gesture, perhaps just a ruse to keep him distracted while he thought of a new plan.

“So, when a pony dies, his magic doesn't go with him? How sad for the unicorns who spent a lifetime to learn it and use its full potential... only to have the magic fade away when they die.” lamented Discord.

“Magic doesn’t fade away, but when the soul leaves the body, it becomes energy, and that energy spreads around.”

“Oh, I think I’ve heard Twilight or Starlight talking about that a long time ago..." commented the Lord of Chaos. "There was a theory by an old sage, he said that depending on the conditions in which death occurs, and the emotions, feelings and thoughts that cross the pony's mind, the magic he leaves behind turns into dark energy... or something like that.”

“It is a correct theory, it also influences the level of corruption of the soul and whether the bearer has used his magic for evil. It is almost impossible to obtain that energy, although there are secret sects that are dedicated to the subject.”

“Hey, another thing I find interesting: is it possible for a soul to be trapped in this world before passing into the Erebus?”

“Sometimes very rarely...”

A kind of very sharp whistle shook both spirits; it was like a kind of call from the depths of the earth. The guide rose, exasperated at having lost so much time.

“Discord, time and my patience are running out. I'll give you one last chance to let her go easy. You can't go with her, and that's final.”

“Can't I even go and visit her? Isn't there some secret door that leads to the Erebus without risking its so precious barrier?”

“No, none. Anyway, even if you went, you wouldn't be allowed to see her. The souls spend some time together with those of the ponies that accompanied them in life, but after a certain period, and the ground for their new incarnation is ready, they are baptized in the River of Oblivion, and guided to what will be their next life.”

“Wait... Will Fluttershy forget me when I return to this world? How long is that supposed to take? How will I know what body it's going to take? Hmmm, your granddaughter is about to have a child...”

“She will remember you in Erebus until the time of her return, but I cannot assure you that she will be reincarnated in her great-grandson, not even in someone from her family lineage. I don't know how many years you'll have to wait, but I'm telling you that those who have led an exemplary life have a better chance of reincarnating soon. But there is no way of knowing, the destiny of a soul and its reincarnations is not written, but is being written continuously. Something important is that some of the ties built with others become so strong, that, for example, the soul of Fluttershy and her husband can meet again in their next lives. It is even possible that in previous lives, the souls of her and her friends have followed this path.”

Discord snorted at the memory of her friend's late husband, father of her three daughters. He never liked that steed, he thought it was an earthly pony, somewhat imbecile and possessive, good at heart but cowardly as a rat... It was something like the Angel bunny (father of five generations of bunnies, and currently resting in the heaven of the little animals) in pony version. He got along best with his daughters, two Pegasus and a land pony. Except for one of the Pegasus, which was more attached to the father, the other two adored Uncle Discord, following him in his madness, participating in many of them, so they often earned the scolding of their parents. The memories of those good old days gave the draconequus a mixture of nostalgia and joy, and softened his stubborn and hardened heart.

“And that would work on me, too? I mean... Fluttershy would forget me, she would become another pony, but that pony would somehow become my friend in the near future, and all because there is such a strong bond between us, right?”

“That's right. I suppose even if you are an immortal being, the thread of fate would be favorable to the ‘continuity’ of your friendship. The downside is that you prevented Fluttershy from passing into the Erebus when it was his time, and that may not be well received by the judges.”

“But you can't blame her for my mistake.”

“Certainly not. All that remains is to trust in the thread of fate.”

“Ah, all right, all right...” Discord finally surrendered “we'd better get this over with, before your friends down there ring the bell again. Please just let me say goodbye first.

Meanwhile, outside, clouds of white cotton were covering the starry mantle, and a light rain of petals of all colours was beginning to fall.