From God to dust
Year: 2069
Canterlot Castle
Equestria was thriving, it’s economy was booming and new technologies each more advanced than the last appeared every day. Canterlot had become a centre for technology and as new buildings rose from the city floor. Celestia smiled as she finished her last pile of paperwork for today. ‘Some tea would do nicely’ She thought as a guard poked his head into the room
“Princess” The guard said with a bow “There is a pony here to see you”
“Do they have an appointment?” Celestia asked in a annoyed tone, she wasn’t in the mood to deal with another spoiled Noble or stupid request
“No ma’am, but he says it’s urgent” The guard stated
“Very well, send him in” Celestia said and straightened herself in her throne, the door opened and in walked a tall Green Alicorn almost as tall as her with a dirt brown mane, he was wearing a brown cape that barely covered his wings was ripped and torn in some places. He smiled weakly at her and spoke in a week yet firm voice
“H-hello Tia” He spoke followed by a coughing fit as he bashed his chest with a hoof
“EQUIS!” Celestia said in excitement as she jumped down from her throne towards her younger brother and pulled him into a bone crushing hug “It’s been nearly 200 years since your last visit” she said as her guards looked at her in confusion
“I-I know, I’ve been a bit preoccupied over the last few hundred years” Equis said as he quickly pulled away from the hug and coughed dryly into his foreleg.
“Equis, are you alright? You sound ill” Celestia said I’m worry as she put a hoof on her brothers shoulder
Equis didn’t respond but instead fell over in a coughing fit at Celestia’s hooves as his sister wings shot out in panic and called for a medic, but Equis’s hoof stopped her from finishing the order as he shakily stood up. Supporting himself on Celestia’s shoulder
“Celestia, I need to talk to you in private, please I don’t have long” Equis said as he struggled to stand up
“Brother, you need to see a doctor” Celestia said in a firm voice as she supported her brother with a wing. She began to walk her brother to the throne room door when Equis spoke
“NO! Celestia just please listen to me, I don’t have long to tell you this so please just take us to your room and get L-Luna” Equis said starting out strong and finishing softly as more coughing took over him.
Celestia looked at him in surprise and worry and begrudgingly listened to him, Teleporting both of them to her large room and placed him on a large pillow in the floor as he groaned and exploded into more coughs. Celestia left the room and knocked firmly on Luna’s door.
Celestia heard hoof steps on the other side of the door as Luna got out of bed and opened the door.
“What do you want Celestia?” Luna said in a groggy voice as she stared up at her older sibling
“Luna, come quickly. Equis is here and he’s not well” Celestia stared as she turned her head towards her room. Where loud coughing could be heard. Luna snapped her head towards Celestia’s door and quickly rushed towards it. Followed by Celestia
The door to Celestia’s room swung open as Luna barged in and spied her older brother coughing on the floor and rushed over to him with worry planted onto her face.
“Equis, are you ok?! What happened”
Equis didn’t reply as his coughs quietened as he groaned. Celestia and Luna exchanged a worried look as Equis groaned and spasmed on the ground. Celestia laid down next to her brother and draped a large white wing over his back. Luna sat down and nuzzled his neck and removed the cloak from his back with her magic.
Both Celestia and Luna gasped at how badly their brother looked, his once muscular body was a shadow of its former self, gone were the bulking muscles and in their place was skinny and overgrown legs, his rubs picked through his skin and his once massive wings that shaped mountains were almost featherless minus a few loose feathers.
“Oh my...Equis what happened to you?” Luna asked in shock as her once titanic brother now looked like a old stallion.
“Progress..” Coughed Equis “Strip mining, deforestation, factories, machinery all of it” Equis paused to cough but a thick black liquid flew out of his lips “..and oil spills”
Celestia mouth gaped like a fish out of water, they were killing him. The pony’s the three had worked so hard to protect were killing him. She was almost sick, she had been the one to approved large strip mining operations in the south, and oil drilling in the sea. Both she and Luna had saw the everfree forest torn down for factories to be built.
Luna almost cried as her brother coughed up more black liquid and she summoned a handkerchief for him, her brother had once been a beacon of hope for the warriors of old and had supported life quite literally on his back. She ran a hoof gently through his dirt brown mane and nuzzled him soothingly as he continued to spasm in celestia’s grip
“Oh Equis, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry” Celestia wept as her brother died in her hooves, she reminisced about the times she and Equis had adventures through the mountains and slain evil monsters, the arguments and makeovers. She wiped a tear from her eye with a hoof and stared down at her brother who’s breath was getting slower and more shaky
“Why didn’t you tell us?!” Luna yelled at her brother as her emotions did a complete 180 “We could’ve stopped it! We could’ve help you!” She yelled in a mix of anger and sadness
“I-I couldn’t stop it Luna...life has to advance, I can’t stop it from happening and neither can you” Equis said as the last of his feathers fell from his wings. His breath became weaker as he tried to stand but Celestia’s hoof held him down
“Equis don’t move, please, save your strength..” Celestia begged with tears in her eyes
“I want to see it Celly...I need to see it one last time” Equis said as he weakly pushed celestia’s hoof of his side. He slowly clambered up and drew a shaky breath, using Luna as a support who gladly helped him
Celestia stood up and placed a wing over his back as they shuffled towards the balcony. Luna’s magic slid the door open and the three walked onto the large construct. There was some nature far of into the distance beyond the massive city below them. The mountains that were tiny specks in the distance shined in the winter sun and a cool breeze filled the air.
Equis gently laid down and stared at his celestial form as sadness overcame him, the once beautiful forests he worked so hard to create were gone, and the great mountains he crafted millions of years ago were being destroyed before his eyes. His sisters laid next to him as he felt nature take its course
“Cel...Lulu it’s happening” Equis wheezed as he struggled to breathe through his weakening lungs
The sisters wept as they watched their brother slowly die, they each placed a wing over him and he rested his head on Celestia’s shoulder. His breaths grew weaker and weaker as his body failed him
“I-I....love you two, never f-forget that”
Equis let out a final breath as he went limp in his sisters hold, his body started to turn to dust and flew off into the breeze. Celestia and Luna laid there for what felt like hours. Neither moving nor saying a word, until their brother was completely gone
“He’s gone....this wasn’t how it was supposed to happen...” Celestia said first, breaking the silence
Luna nuzzled her sister as the two looked over the distance, as a single green feather floated down in between them
===(-)===
The funeral was quick, as only Celestia and Luna came. The sisters stood on top of Mt. Shatterhorn, the largest mountain their brother had made. The two stared silently at the memorial they had made, they worked tiredly for days on it and neither complained as they hauled it up the mountain by hoof.
The sisters had placed several of Equis’s old things into a box weighed down by a piece steel crafted from the heart of celestia’s sun. Luna placed the box in front of the memorial along with two flowers and a single green feather.
“He’s gone..he is really gone this time” Celestia spoke as she finished the memorial by putting a shield over it
“His body maybe, but he will always be with us. And we’ll see him again, during the end” Luna responded
“That’s several billion years from now Luna”
“Then we will wait” Luna said “And we will enjoy what life has given us”
The two finished their conversation and gave one last look at the memorial before they began their descent down the mountain
===(-)===
The two arrived back at Canterlot castle, they hadn’t spoken during the entire flight back nor had they stopped once during the 7 thousand mile journey, which took days to complete.
The two touched down at the gates and made their way inside the castle, not speaking to anybody and walking straight to their quarters. Nopony disturbed them, sensing the mood they were in....all for one
“Aunties!” A snooty voice sounded from behind them “Where have you been?! My time is money and one of you will answ-“
Celestia cut the obnoxious brat off with a magical grasp on his throat and brought him to eye level with her “Unless you want to end up a statue in the garden I suggest you shut up and buck off, nephew” She growled threateningly and threw him to the ground.
The brat got up and ran with his tail between his legs. As Celestia joined Luna in their quarters and closed the door behind them
The end
