She heard a sharp intake of breath from Pharynx, and a whimper of fear from Ocellus. Apparently I wasn’t supposed to say that. But however afraid they might’ve just become; the metallic pony didn’t seem upset. Its tone was exactly as inscrutable as it had been before. “Citizen Celestia is not currently physically instanced,” it said. “That might change at any moment. No member of my population is or will ever be ‘dead’. Not until every drop of energy in the universe has dissolved and no useful work can be accomplished.”