.until the last pony is ferried.

by shortskirtsandexplosions

.____.

. quite frankly, i dun see why i should even give a flippin' darn .

. my hooves gripped tighter to the pole as i paused in ferrying her .

. she asked me specifically to give that message to you .

. and you sure don't look like no gul-durn messenger to me! not unless messengers get around via splintery old dingies that could use a bit of old-fashioned hammerin'! we've got some place to get to, now dun we? so git! .

. i breathed evenly, pretending to push us along while in fact moving the pole at a sluggish pace .

. she wasn't the only one who cared for you. there are other souls who spoke highly of your name, who praised how strong and dependable you've been throughout the years .

. yes, well, those years are over and done with, now aren't they? now if you don't mind, i would very much like to get to the other side and get this over with. i done gave you your coin, so what's all the fuss about? .

. somepony's in an awful hurry .

. she groaned, folding her forelimbs tighter as she glared over the boat's edge .

. seriously, who runs all this underworld nonsense? i've a good mind to jump over this here side and doggy-paddle my way to where i'm supposed to go! .

. i wouldn't recommend it. there is only one pool and one pool alone that leads to oblivion .

. yeah, well, if you ask me, it's all the same .

. and why is that? .

. she turned and practically howled at me, breathing ghostly glowing fumes into my hood .

. because it's all a damned farce, ya hear?! there ain't no sense in none of it! there ain't never been any purpose or point or anythang! .

. well, that seems rather narrow minded .

. says paley face the boat buffoon! reckon it's mighty easy sassin' ponies about death with yer gangly limbs, moldy robe, and silly little river stick! .

. she turned from me and sat with a huff, slumping over the edge of the raft .

. i had hope, y'know? it was silly and foolish of me, but i actually had hope that there'd be more to this than what twilight said, that i'd actually be able to see granny and big mac and my folks again. but of course not. that'd just be too darned perfect, now wouldn't it? there ain't no party in the afterlife. it's just this. a boaring boatride into darkness, like the world's most confoundedly lame hayride. well, i want off that ride! i've been wanting a ticket off it for years! and nopony would sympathize with me! not even twilight, bless her soul... .

. you seem very angry, and yet not angry at her .

. how can i be? she was the only friend i had left. even if she was full of a lot of hooey, she never did leave my side. just like rarity. they loved me somethin' fierce, though i never gave them much of a reason to. i... i... .

. i watched as a shudder rolled through her body, ending with a sniffle that brought tears to her eyes .

. i knew that this was a long time comin'. this blackness, this hopelessness. i caught myself being dishonest, dishonest to my neighbors and my family... and my own children .

. dishonest? in what way? .

. i t-told them that there was somethin' to hope for. i told them th-that we would all be seein' each other someday. i made them think that there'd be a happy world, a land full of open fields and sunny skies, where we didn't have to fret about no dragons or changelings or evil incantations or none of that hogwash. i made them think that there was somethin' to hope for, even when i knew that it'd be... that it'd be like this. that we'd all be alone when our time came, that we'd have to face the darkness with nothin' but the sound of our own sobbin' breaths, and none of that heavenly song nonsense that we've carried on our shoulders since dawnlight on the farm .

. i fumbled with the rod, gripping it tightly as i found myself speaking before i could stop myself .

. you're not alone, applejack .

. yeah, well, pardon me for bein' sour, but you ain't exactly... .

. suddenly, she froze, glancing up at me with a shivering expression .

. wait, how didja know my name? .

. i was silent .

. Rarity done told ya, didn't she? .

. she had you in her thoughts when i carried her to her end. much like your friends and family who came before you did. you see, even beyond the mortal veil, the thoughts and feelings of our loved ones have the ability to cross immeasurable gaps .

. i... st-still don't see how that's supposed to make me feel any better .

. you may not see your parents or your friends or your children, but they nevertheless feel you. their adoration for you is eternal, no matter if it was born in a mortal realm. why would any of us have a destination if it was not meant to impart something just as significantly as our origin? .

. i don't understand .

. neither did i for a long time, and i have seen countless souls suffering the same old anguish since my existence began. and in the end, they all end up experience peace with themselves .

. because they have no choice, i reckon .

. because it is their only choice, and it is an awesome one. but for many of them, their lives were haunted by the very opposite of that tranquility. they suffered fear, anxiety, and anguish in the warm days afforded them. that's because they did not have the wherewithal to accept their fate when it finally became their time to accept it. they did not have a source of strength and dependability to make their fleeting days on earth as peaceful as their final slumber. but you? .

. i pointed at her .

. you have given that blessing to all the ponies that you have held dear. you may not see them here and now, but trust me... they will be at peace, just like the ones who came before you because they knew you. now tell me, honestly, would you rather chance upon them in person, or accept the fact that you've done your duty, and they are drifting into eternal slumber with the same ease as you had selflessly afforded them while you were on earth? .

. she stared at me for a while, then glanced out at the onyx horizon, wiping her freckled cheek dry while a fountain of warmth sprung through her complexion .

. i reckon it's mighty silly of me to ask for more than i've been given, especially considerin' that we all had our chance to make use of the daylight when it was ours .

. and you, applejack, took full advantage of the chance that you had. you were courageous, you were honest, and you were strong. you lived as long as you did because you had to. the ponies that you love are safe. it is time to rest. you deserve it .

. yes... .

. the boat thumped as it reached the island, and she was already stepping out .

. i reckon i have, haven't i? .

. with renewed vigor, she shuffled fearlessly towards the pool .

. she glanced back only once, and it was to ask a selfless question .

. what about you, sugarcube? ain't you gonna call it a night one of these days? .

. i quietly shook my head .

. not until the last pony is ferried .

Comments

[Skeeter The Lurker]

That's gonna be a hell of a wait for that ferryman...

...I suck at this philosophical crap...

~Skeeter The Lurker

[Jake The Army Guy]

heavenly song nonsense that we've carried on hour shoulders since dawnlight on the farm

Our.

Not sure I see the sense in this afterlife. You go to this place... just to go nowhere?

[AppleTank]

i fumbled with the rob

rod

Also...that last one is gonna be Twilight, isn't it?

[maximus25]

Rarity talked like it was just Applejack and Twilight left.

And Applejack is talking like it's just Twilight.

But we haven't seen Rainbow Dash. I think she's the ferryman... ferrymare? Ferrypony.

[Zaid ValRoa]

it's just this. a boaring boatride into darkness, like the world's most confoundedly lame hayride. well, i want off that ride! i've been wanting a ticket off it for years!

fdzeta.net/subir/images/sqOh.gif

[Applejinx]

I think somepony recognized the ferryman. Can just about spot the exact moment, too.

Hey, you!

You're busted. But you know what?

You did get to see her again, didn't you?

[JustAnotherTimeLord]

3908497
Isn't that what we all die to do? The final reprieve from life isn't happiness and getting to meet old family; it is finally, truly getting to rest.

[Pony Sparkles]

This may end up being the only fan fiction to make me cry. ever. Well done.

[Daemon]

quite frankly, i dun see why i should even give a flippin' darn

I see what you did there, my dear.

[Vic Fontaine]

Wait a sec....AJ said that Twi was the only friend she had left.

*re-scans this chapter*

....o---oh my dear god/fsm/whatever....please let me be wrong.....

[Jaygryphon]

Ferry Pony, You took this job just to get to see your friends again, didn't you...
And loyal enough to see the job done~

[The Great Turnip]

'Until the last pony is ferried'? Sounds like the pinnacle of Loyalty to me.

[DiddlePants]

Very nice!

[Masked_Frenchman]

3912570 My Little Dashie didn't make you cry?!?! wow. . . . I didn't even know that was possible

[Ponky]

You certainly make oblivion sound nice.

Well done, Skirts, very well done. What a terrifyingly sweet and slow reveal. I love that AJ was angry.

[metallusionsismagic]

Reading these chapters, especially those first three in a row, was the very definition of . Why am I loving this?! My tear ducts hurt.

they all end up experience peace with themselves .

experiencing

3915834
>Rarity mentions 2 names, plus trailing off before a third

it is their only choice, and it is an awesome one.

Ferrypony confirmed for Rainbow Dash.

[Poetical Nonsense]

Y'know, rereading this story makes me want to facelaptop from how many obvious clues I totally missed the first time around..
Brilliant story by the way, though.

[Solaris Hemera]

. because it is their only choice, and it is an awesome one.

Oh shit

Oh shit the ferryman is