He couldn’t even process what had happened.
One minute, he was on his hospital bed, playing a board game with his parents in the long-term care ward. The next, he was standing over his own corpse, listening to the heart rate monitor flat line. It was the only thing he could hear. Just the constant, ear shattering beeping sound. He couldn’t even hear his own parents calling his name, becoming increasingly more scared.
He moved out of the way as the doctors rushed into the room, snapping him out of his gaze. They were pressing all kinds of buttons, moving things out of the way, and eventually rolling his bed out the door. His parents soon left the room, and for the first time in a long, long time, he was left alone. Completely alone in the teal painted room, with heavenly sun rays blasting through the curtains.
What was once an area of recovery and health had suddenly became a place of somberness.
Well, what now?
He had died. It was obvious. He looked down at his own hands which looked detailed enough to not set off any alarms in his head. He then moved to his chest, pressing both hands into himself. He didn’t feel sick anymore. He felt healthy for the first time since he was a child.
Maybe he should follow himself? For a moment, he even considered if he should. He didn’t even register that his parents had just witnessed their child die. For some reason, he didn’t feel sad. Not that he was a psychopath, but his heart didn’t feel shattered, or longing. No, his heart had felt… full. Complete. Happy with the end result. He died young, sure, but what else was their to life, anyway? Wasting away in a hospital bed?
No. This was the right feeling. Content was the right feeling for this. Now, he just had to wait for the after-life, whenever that was.
As he waited, he explored the room. Although he was in here all the time, he had rarely had the time to walk around. Now, with legs full of reinvigorated strength, he walked to one corner and turned around. It was… strange seeing his closed-off world from a new perspective.
Once or twice, he tried to open the doors to the rest of the hospital, but found no matter how hard he pushed, the door stayed closed. Makes sense, being a ghost and all.
His parents had been gone for a long time. Now he thought if he would ever see them again? The simple answer was probably no. That glimpse of them following the doctors would probably be it. Thank god, too. The last time he’d seen their faces, they were laughing with him. Smiles drawn ear-to-ear. He didn’t want to remember his parents with sadness.
The sun had been setting, the previous sun rays now climbing the walls opposite the window. He had no sense of hunger. No sense of sleep. He just existed. Perhaps this was all the afterlife had to offer? Sitting in the same room you died in for all of eternity. This thought scared him. He’d been sitting here for over thirty minutes, after all. Unless he wasn’t actually dead, in which this is the scariest nightmare he’d ever have.
He let out a deep sigh, slinking against a wall, sliding down until he was sitting on the floor, facing the window with the sun rays. He put his hands into his deep brown hair, giving it a ruffle. For a moment, he was scared a spider landed on him. That was until he remembered, he used to have hair, and now his post-mortem ghost had given him deep-brown hair, reminiscent of his childhood.
“I expect you are wondering why you’ve not crossed worlds yet, young one.” A motherly voice called out. The first voice he’d heard since death. He looked up at the window. “Have no fear, for I will present myself now.”
A wave of colors splashed across the room as a bright rainbow broke the window, leaving him completely stunned at the amazing display. Materializing out of the sun, a tall horse-creature emerged.
Her coat was whiter than winter’s snow. Her mane, dazzling colors of the rainbow. She wore golden armor, highlighting her with a sense of royal. But for him, the most striking feature was the features of a horn and wings, the latter she stretched outwards, taking up most of the small teal room.
He could only wave his hand. “H-Hello.” He said, tentatively still sitting on the ground.
“I presume you are Mr. Jake Glass?” She said. For some reason, watching the horse move her mouth with English words unsettled him slightly.
“The one and only.” He said with a faint smile, trying to break the determined stare he was accidentally giving the tall horse.
“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria.”
“Why’re you a horse?” He asked, somewhat derailing Princess Celestia. Instead of getting angry, or whatever princesses do after getting interrupted, she just let out a short laugh.
“We are ponies, not horses.” She smiled warmly at the human.
“Why’re you here?”
“Inquisitive one, aren’t you?” She said, still glowing with a smile. “In case you haven’t noticed, Jake, you have died.”
“I actually have noticed.”
“My job as ruler of Equestria is to protect my little ponies. But, that doesn’t mean I can’t look after other worlds, too.”
“Worlds? As in, other places like earth?”
“Yes, like Equestria. I’ve appointed myself to a sort of ‘rehabilitation’ program for young kids like you.”
“Uh-oh. Did I do something wrong?”
“No,” She let a small laugh escape. “Of course not. Far from it. From what I’ve heard and seen, you’ve been quite the good boy, haven’t you?”
“Boy? I’m sixteen. Practically an adult.”
“Where I come from, sixteen is hardly kindergarten.”
“Really? What’s your species life expectancy?”
“Oh, somewhere in the neighborhood of- 1,000 years? For royals like myself, we can live much, much longer. Upwards of a few dozens millenniums.”
“Ha. That sounds nice right about now.” Jake planted his hands on his knees, looking up at the towering pony. Suddenly, she closed her wings and stared walking towards the unfortunately small human being.
“That’s why I’m here, Jake. I’m here, on earth, for people like you.”
“Me?”
“Yes. Important people. Kind people. People who deserve a second chance. People who never got a first one.”
“Never got a first chance?”
“Indeed. Still-borns are a nasty, nasty way to go.
“Well- Obviously you’ve made a mistake, cause’ I don’t think I fit under any of those categories.”
“Please, explain.”
“I’m not important. The most important I’ve been was when my middle school organized a fundraiser for me.” He explained. Princess Celestia’s grin vanished quickly as she lowered her head to meet Jake’s, now only a few inches away from the poor kid.
“Nopony isn’t ‘important.’ If nopon- Nobody is important, why do anything at all? I’ve never met anyone who’s not important.” She receded from her offensive position against Jake’s face, and continued from afar. “Never say you aren’t important.”
“Well- secondly, I’ve had my run. I don’t need a second chance. I died young. That’s how the dice roll.” Instead of interrupting, Princess Celestia just nodded her head. “And lastly, I’m a big meanie head whose never cared for anyone. How can I be kind?”
“Wrong again, little one. You could have survived this disease. It was curable, after all. But, instead you donated all of your fundraiser money to a little girl half-way across the country who you decided needed it more.”
“That was a one-time thing! I’ve always been a bit of a douche.”
“Elaborate.”
“I dunno how to elaborate. People have always cared for me. I’ve never returned the love, I guess.”
“And that is exactly why I need people like you, Jake. You are kind, even if you don’t realize it. I’m offering you a second chance at life. A fresh canvas.”
“What if I deny?”
“Do you want to see what’s after death?”
“Not particularly, no.”
“Then I suggest listening. In my world, everypony is kind to another. In my world, everypony has learned to love eachother. In my world, everypony is someone’s second shot at life, like you.”
“So what, like a proto-heaven?”
“You could call it that, yes.”
“So, I could risk going to the other side, seeing if there's an actual heaven, or follow you for a guaranteed second chance?”
“Almost. I left out one crucial detail.”
“What’s that?”
“You’ll have your memories wiped. Everything you’ve ever loved. Every sight you’ve seen, kiss you’ve shared, and moment you spent with your loved ones, will all be forgotten.”
“Geez. Seems kinda harsh, doesn’t it?”
“It’s something I cannot stop. Foals- or children rather, are very bad at keeping memories. In the time it takes for you to speak your first words in this new life, you’ll have forgotten everything up to that point.”
“So, I sit around, slowly wasting away as other people- or- ponies take care of me?”
“Yes.”
“Heh. Sounds kinda familiar, Princess Celestia. I’m used to wasting away.”
“So will you do it?”
“What other choice do I have?”
“Good. There is one last thing, however.”
“One last-last thing? Second last thing?”
“Yes. I cannot choose which body you’ll inhabit. I cannot determine what race, gender, ethnicity, or privilege. Like the human world, it’s just another dice roll. But I can guarantee, wherever you end up, it’ll always be full of love.”
“Quick question, do you ponies have orphanages?”
“Yes?”
“How can a place like that have orphanages? Isn’t that like- impossible? Abandoning kids in a perfect world?”
“I never said Equestria was perfect. It has it’s own share of problems. But if life on earth is ‘manageable,’ then Equestria would be ‘heaven.’”
“Alright, you convinced me. Lets get this show on the road.”
“If you wish, Jake.” Princess Celestia approached the human, still sitting on the floor. Her horn had lit up a blinding bright color of sun-like yellow, and she tapped Jake on the forehead.
“One more question. Do I keep the name, Jake?”
“Of course not. I cannot control that.”
“Good, because I don’t wanna be-” And Jake disappeared from this reality in an instant.
Somewhere else, a crib laid in the center of a familiarly teal room. However, unlike the hospital’s place of mourning and somberness, this area had the complete opposite effect. It was a living room, full of life and bustling ponies.
“Applejack, I’d like you to meet your new sister.”
“But ah’ already have a big brother!”
“We’ve told you this. Just take a look at her, and you’ll fall in love.”
“Ah’ don’t think so. I would never-” The face of a pony peeked over the crib. Her orange fur and blonde mane filled the small crib, illuminating the previously lonely crib. She couldn’t help but smile, and make a small noise at the towering figure. The ponies face, however, had changed from one of pure disappointment, to surprise. Then, from surprise, to excitement. Slowly, Applejack lifted the filly with both of her hooves. She plonked her flank onto the wooden floor, and kept making eye contact with the small filly.
“It’s everything ah’ wanted, ma!” A small tear escaped her face, rolling down her cheek before she could wipe it away with her shoulder. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
“It’s no big deal. Ma here only carried her for what, nine months?” A strange male voice came from her left.
“Puh-lease. You make it sound so easy.” An equally unfamiliar voice came from her right.
“Honey, I practically babied you the entire time. I think I’m due for a ‘thank you?’”
“I’ll thank you once you thank me for making such a darn cute filly.”
“I helped!” Although the filly couldn’t see the faces yet, she had an idea that was the sound of her two new parents. She had a long life ahead of her, yet. She wondered if she could make it to sixteen the second time around?
“Could ya stop being mushy-gushy and just look at her?” Applejack held her up. “She’s the darn cutest thing this side of Ponyville!”
“We’re happy you’re happy, dear.” The mare spoke.
Alright, enough chit-chat. Time for round two. This time, it’ll be more awesome, I promise.
I promise you, mom and dad.
I promise you, new mom, new dad.
I won’t let you down.