Eyes heavy with weight and odd weakness permeated Fluttershy's lids. Her tired eyes slowly opened to the view of the bright space of white. Haziness stung her barely conscious mind, she clenched her eyes once more after grasping her head to apply comforting pressure. She grimaced at the echoing beep that screeched loudly in her aching mind. Her teeth gritted fiercely as the pressure in her head grew stronger. The punishing pain slowly went down and she let go of her tensed head, making her hoofs comfortably limp to breath in deeply and make a satisfying sigh.
After accustoming herself after the painful episode from before, Fluttershy opened her eyes in full blast to the blinding white around her. She lowered her lids from the sting of powerful brightness until her weak eyes grew in strength. In a burst of courage and impatience, she opened her eyes full force to gaze upon the grand white area. She looked and saw a black figure opposite of her that looked like a black illusion with no definite clarity. The figure got clearer in perspective and Fluttershy intently watched as her eyes got more used to the hard landscape.
All at once the figure became completely clear, she saw a skeletal creature with five protrusions coming out from its boney arms, a skinless head with darkness clouding its eye sockets and bare, roundish teeth connecting through its jaw, a black robe that had torn pieces of cloth levitating like Princess Celestia's mane, a massive scythe with a skull connecting the sharp curved blade to the deep, dark, cylindrical base, and finally two long legs with feet like a minotaurs.
This creature was sitting down comfortably on a thin air of white, whilst his decrepit looking scythe was grasped in his closed hands. Fluttershy watched it intently before finally realizing that it was watching her as well. She looked down through her legs to suddenly find out that she was sitting in thin air, feeling a energy like force keeping her afloat.
Fluttershy, terrified and not knowing what to do, tried to move out of the invisible chair only to feel an unknown force hold her body down. She began to shake her body, grunting loudly from exerting her force on the invisible restraint. She pushed her hoofs on the place where she felt the belt like force hold her down and pushed with all her might, but, it would not budge.
"Sit still young one.", a skin crawling voice sounding akin to a deep ghostly tone etched deep within Fluttershy's ears, she looked up to the skeletal creature in surprise and ceased her incessant struggling. Shock permeated her expression as she stared at the motionless skeleton.
"You seem surprised by my appearance.", No movement came upon his bony mouth when the sound came forward. The Creature put his scythe on his lap and moved his rump on the invisible white until it shifted position to his left.
"Ah, much, much, better.", The Creature outstretched his boney arms and pressed his white fingers on to each other until a loud cracking sound made itself known. Fluttershy opened her mouth to scream, yet, no sound could be released, like a whisper that could barely be heard. The Creature receded its arms after seeing how shocked her 'visitor' was at him.
"You seem confused of where you are at, I would expect a being such as yourself would figure it out by now.", Fluttershy adapted from a shocked face to a more confused temperament. She looked down pensively until she finally realized what had happened. The sight of terror in her eyes grew intense at the understanding.
"Now, now, Don't freak out! Your not exactly dead, well, not yet that is...", Fluttershy sat back in relief on the force of energy holding her afloat, letting her hooves be calmly still. The Creature placed his bony hand in to a comforting fist for his head to lay on.
"Well, the reason you are here is that you had a heart attack of recent.", The Creature grabbed his scythe and played with it effortlessly by turning the black handle on his two fingers in counter-clockwise motion. The Scythe picked up pace in speed creating a vacuum of grey. The grey vacuum turned in to a image like a pristine television, Fluttershy could see her friends enjoying a pick-nick outside, it was dreadfully sunny so they were under a tree to shade themselves.
Out of the blue, Rainbow Dash giggling to herself on her hilarious prank, jumped out of the tree disguised as a small, horrifying, black dragon with massive teeth and sharp claws where her hoofs were, as well as roaring authentically. Fluttershy was scared to death, almost literally, her natural calm melted away as she screamed and pressed a hoof on her heart, gasping for air. She fell down with a powerful expression of terror. The image soon crackled and disappeared slowly as the scythe slowed down. It turned to a crawl until The Creature grasped it on to his right hand once more.
"Now, as we wait for you to be resuscitated from this 'prank' of your friend, I would suggest something to pass the time, luckily I have something just for that.", He pushed his hand in to his gaseous black robe of flowing cloth and pulled out a deck of playing cards. These cards were a bone colored yellow with traditional signs of aces and hearts portrayed along with kings and queens as well. Fluttershy had never seen these type of beings on the art of the cards, they were no creature she has ever seen back in Equestria.
"Alright, Lets get started, this is how it works.", The Creature set down his scythe and shuffled the cards magically like if there was a magnet in his hands. The cards went in the air like a wave that finally traversed in to his palm. He calmly stacked them up in to one pile, spreading them out between his two hands for easy picking.
"Pick three cards, they can be any three cards, for you see, I will tell you your future!", Fluttershy, curious at the act, carefully pulled out a hoof to grasp the cards she liked most. She pulled a Clover of Four, a Queen of Hearts, and a Diamond of One. The three cards were bone-like rough to her soft hoofs.
"Alright, now I just need you to place the cards face down on the invisible table", Fluttershy gave him a look of stark confusion.
"Uh... just, give me the cards". Fluttershy hoofed over her valued choices to the hollowed patron before her. He gladly grasped the cards and pushed them together in to a three card deck. He placed his hands on the air between her and him, he bent down all the way at Fluttershy's pelvis level and put them down on the invisible surface. It was close enough for her to watch as the cards lay flat on nothing.
He lowered down on his invisible seat and placed his skinny hands above the first card, The Diamond of One. He turned his wrist to make the card magically flip over to its other side. It bore an image of a black silhouetted mare surrounded by wilderness and trees.
"This future tells of a solitary existence of peace and tranquility", He lowered his hand to the next card in line, The Clover of Four. He flipped it as before, it showcased four silhouetted ponies with a space in between where another should be.
"This shows that you will lose some-pony, Whatever the cause may be all depends and how the loss may be", Fluttershy pensively looked at the second card, she thought the possibilities of ponies she knew that could hit the bucket. Pinkie Pie could have a heart attack from eating too much sweets.
Rainbow Dash could die from over stressing her body from remaking a sonic rainboom. Maybe, Rarity accidentally gets crushed by a rock while looking for gems. Finally, Twilight Sparkle might have been killed by one of her experiments. All of these thoughts worried her to no end and The Creature watched intently as the sad pegasus cried tears of fear over her friends.
"Don't worry yellow one, It might not even be me that fate has in store for whomever", She looked up in to his skinless face that had no apparent expression nor any indicator of life. Yet, she could hear the passion in his voice, the sadness and worry of someone who cared. She smiled at him, and gave him a full two hooved hug for all the work he has done to occupy her for the time being. Surprised by the sentiment, The Creature slowly hugged her with his arms, covering her body with his flowing dark robe.
She released her new friend and allowed him to sit back comfortably on his invisible chair. She could not see an expression on his face, but, felt like he was smiling back at her.
"Your the first being in ages to ever give me a hug", A loud beeping sound soon permeated both of their excited ears. The Creature pulled his robe to look at his arm clock, it was fleshy and black with unusual signs of alien origin on its circle, Fluttershy certainly had never seen any watch like that before.
"Well, I would love to continue this, but, its time for you to go", Fluttershy could feel her very consciousness become dizzy, her eyesight became hazy and she lost all sensation to her body.
"It was nice hanging with you, see ya soon", Fluttershy closed her eyes and felt a sudden shock from her stomach. She opened her eyes and breathed in a deep breath, Fluttershy looked around her surroundings, there was medical suits, mouth covers, and words that she could barely make out.
She's awake!
She's out of cardiac arrest, Quickly lets take her to the hospital
She felt an adverse feeling of queasiness, and closed her eyes once more. Soon, an odd smell of plastic and a loud sound of crying gave way to her revival. She opened her heavy eyes to see she was surrounded by white curtains. She stood up and heard the hurt sobbing from the right. She opened the curtain and found a sad, Rainbow Dash, she was crying full tears with her eyes covered almost entirely by her hoofs, her loud whine of pain resounded deep within Fluttershy's consciousness.
"Rainbow... Dash?, Is that you?", The Rainbow Pegasus opened her eyes and screamed a bellow of joy. She got out of her forlorn chair and squished her arms all around Fluttershy, she was surprised by the sentiment, especially if it came from her of all ponies.
"I thought you were a goner. I'm so glad you are alright.", Rainbow Dash sobbed in to her, the pain so fiercely evident in her voice. Fluttershy grasped her head in joyful embrace, she caressed her close to feel the much needed comfort.
"I promise never to prank again, I'm so sorry, It's all my fault...", Rainbow Dash teared up, her emotions got the best of her.
"It's alright, I got to meet a new friend after I left.", Rainbow Dash looked up in to her eyes, confusion deeply etched inside her. Fluttershy smiled warmly at Rainbow Dash's guilt-ridden face.
"I met with death."
