Why her?
I stared at the coffin as it was lowered into the open grave with only one thought on my mind,
Why her?
It could’ve been me, it should’ve been me, but it wasn’t, it was her. One of my best friends, a pony who meant the world to me and my four friends, a girl who had her whole life ahead of her. A life that was snuffed out far too soon by circumstances beyond my control.
It should be me in that casket, I am the one who does the reckless and stupid things that can get me killed on a normal basis! Me, Rainbow Dash, the fastest flier in all of...
Fastest? HA! If that were true then why couldn’t I save her, why wasn’t I there when she needed me the most. Instead, I moved too slow, was too stupid, and failed to save somepony that the world needed in their lives, no...in my life. I turn my head to look at the four remaining friends and see how heartbroken they are. I so want to tell them that it would be all right, that we can overcome this, that she is in a better place.
I don’t. I can’t tell them that we can overcome this, because everyday we wake up, she’ll be dead. I can’t tell them that she is in a better place, because that place is here, with us-alive. Look, its not that I think we’ll all live forever, that’s not the point. I know that sooner or later the grim reaper is going to be looking at us and taking us away to the great beyond, THAT I get. the thing is... I didn’t want to lose her so soon, I wanted us to grow old together, to have foals and let them play and become as good friends as we are. I wanted her to see me become a Wonderbolt, I wanted to see her live out her life with me, not die so BUCKIN soon.
I watch the grave finish its decent and the preacher say his final words as I hold the tears back. I won’t cry in front of them, I won’t allow it. All I can do is give them the tightest and closest hug I can, all the while I think to myself...why her?
It’s a few weeks later after her death and the question is still on my mind, only now it's joined with another, why do we live next to Tartarus and never use it? This question comes to me as I make another flyby the huge cavern that leads to the gates. I mean, after all, its right there, why shouldn’t we use it.
Because Celestia has placed a barrier in front of the gates that only she or an official sent by her can pierce.
Then, why not ask her to open it? After all, it’s not like I am asking everypony that has died to be brought back, I only want her. She was taken too soon from us, it was unfair that she had to die and we all had to watch as the life was taken from her. She didn’t deserve that, no pony did. I only want one of my dearest friends to be here again, I only want to see her smile again. If anypony should die at a young age, it should be me.
Oh, don’t give me that, I’m not stupid you know. I know that I am reckless, headstrong, and foolhardy; its who I am and its what I do. I am the fastest, bravest, and the one training to become a stunt flier. They risk their lives daily doing stunts you wouldn’t believe and I know the risks. I want them! If I die, then that’s it, but at least I died doing SOMETHING. .But she...she never asked for death, she never wanted it. She just wanted to live out her days with the rest of us, like we wanted to live life with her for as long as we could.
So why her? She shouldn’t be dead.
I turn around to look to Canterlot before looking over my shoulder one last time at the gates of the afterlife, and glare at it in determination, “I’ll bring you home soon.”
“WHAT THE BUCK DO YOU MEAN YOU WON’T GIVE ME THE SPELL!” I yell to the white alicorn before me.
“I am sorry, Rainbow Dash, but I won’t give you permission to head to Tartarus and bring back-” Celestia was about to continue but I stopped her.
“It’s not like I am asking you to let me bring back everypony who died in a war, its only one life that I want,” I tried to explain to her as I watch her lower her head in sadness, as if I was asking her to kill everypony out there.
“It’s not that, Dash, it’s just that,” Celestia tried to continue.
“And if you are afraid of other ponies asking for this request, then just give it to me under the table,” I said, “That way, if I die you can say that it was on a failed mission to some foreign land. Nopony would need to know that I...” I held back that last word, because it just made me remember how I couldn’t save her,” failed and you don’t have to give another request.”
“It’s not that, Dash,” Celestia looked at me, her eyes showing the usual kindness that I have been used to seeing. She let out a sigh as she continued to look down at me, “If I were to let you go, it’ll be just as if I sentenced you to die. There are things down in Tartarus that very few ponies have seen, things that would break anypony. You would see tortures and ponies go through horrors that you wouldn’t dream of. Then, you would die.”
I hung my head low as I realized that this mission is do or die. Failing this run meant no coming back, I would be stuck in a proverbial hell for the rest of eternity and I would leave everypony I cared about behind.
“If you fail, Rainbow Dash, you will end up hurting your friends, your SISTER,” she yelled the last one like she wanted to ram the idea into my head, “More than they already are. They will all be heartbroken to know that two of their friends are gone in such a short time. You will be leaving Scootaloo all alone in this world.”
“I won’t be leaving her alone...because I won’t fail,” I argued, some of my confidence leaving me as I began to realize the risk I’m taking. Bolstering up everything I had, I looked at the sun princess straight in the eye, “But if you won’t help...then I’ll find another way in.”
As I began to walk away from her, I hear her yell back, “Wait! You would go no matter what, wouldn’t you. Even if I had sent the entire squadron of pegasi after you, it wouldn’t stop you from going in.”
The smirk I gave her was all she needed to know.
I then watched as princess Celestia lowered her head and let out a soft sigh, as if she had just condemned an innocent pony to the gallows, “Fine then. Take this amulet, it will let you into the gates of Tartarus and past Cheron. I wish you all the luck in the world, Rainbow Dash,” she said to me as she floated a shining golden pendant.
With a nod, I turned and walked out of the throne room, feeling a weird combination of confidence in my mission and worry about failure. It’s weird, I don’t normally think about failure. Failure, to me, has always been one of those nagging things that happen to the best of us but you can get over it. You fail a stunt, you get hurt, you figure out what went wrong, and you move on from there. Heck, I know that sometimes I even get performance anxiety because I don’t think I AM good enough to pull off those stunts in my head and I end up a failure, I usually get over it and move on. But this...feels different. One chance and that’s it, no coming back. I let out a sigh when I hear a voice behind me.
“You know there was a reason why she was trying to protect you,” Luna said, stepping out of the shadows, making me jump a little. I swear, she stays out of the throne room just to give ponies heart attacks.
“What reason was that?” I asked.
“Tell me, what do you know of the pony named...Orpheus?” When I looked at her with a questionly gaze, she continued, “Once, long ago, back when my sister and I first began our rule, there was master musician named Orpheus. His music was unlike any you have heard in recent times, he could create songs that would bring even Discord to tears. One of his greatest sources of inspiration was his wife, until one day...she died unexpectedly. Distraught, he petitioned my sister with a request to head to Tartarus and bring her soul back to the body. My sister, agreed, too young in her rule to understand the repercussions of what she had agreed to.
“He made the journey and quest into those hellish pits alone, and with time, he found the soul of his beloved in the hands of the keeper of souls himself. After much pleading and begging, Orpheus soon arranged for his mare’s release, on one condition.”
“What condition was that?” I asked her.
“That he would lead her back into the living world, as long as he never looked back at her or turned around. His only assurance that she was following him was a magical orb that would show him how she fared. But then,just as they were on the last leg of their journey home, there was a tremor and he looked behind him to see if his mare was fine. He broke the deal and the keeper of souls took his prize for the broken deal. So distraught was Orpheus that he sunk into a deep depression and killed himself with his own intrument.” Luna’s face then became very stern as she looked down at me, “Do you see why she was so hesitant to let you go? She fears a similar fate happening to you and to see her ponies go through the loss of two close friends like that would be one of the hardest things that she has had to go through. It is an important lesson my sister has learned, the spirit keeper keeps his prizes.”
I could only look down in response, unable to find anything to say. I knew what she was saying, and I knew what I was about to do. But, this was for her, if I could just bring back her smile, her voice, her warmth, then that would be worth the risk of any hell that I would go through. Taking a deep breath, I turned and flew off, hearing a faint, “I wish you luck” from Luna.
As I flew back home to Ponyville, I allowed myself to think about this mission. There was no doubt about it, this was a suicide run. One chance and that was it, no coming back. I was going to either come home with her, or die trying. I looked down a little at the town below me and thought about how darker the town seemed without her to brighten things up. It was as if something was missing from the world.
Why her? This town was nothing without her smile, and her death made the town seem so empty. It should’ve been me, what would the town lose by my death. It would just be the loss of another Wonderbolt wanna-be who died in a stunt attempt or the brash idiot for getting over her head. I’ve accepted that, and I know that if I die my friends and family will remember me. The world won’t though, it’ll move on just fine without a rainbow or two.
But without her, the world loses so much more, and I need to bring that piece of the world back to make it whole. Everypony else could get along fine without me...except for one.
Raising my head to look at my house, I took a deep breath and flew into Scootaloo’s room. Carefully I walked to her bed and looked down at her. She looked so peaceful lying there, holding the plush toy of me and sleeping underneath her covers. For a moment, I began to think twice about this mission, knowing I would be leaving her. My biggest fan, no, my little sister.
The idea of not doing this mission was quickly thrown that thought out of my head the moment I saw a tear coming from her. I had to remember, this was for everypony and they would be happier if she was back here with us. With a sigh and a smile, I ran my hoof through her violet mane. Leaning in I gave the little filly a kiss on the forehead and wispered, “Bye Scoots, I’ll be seeing ya.” I then smirked a little, my confidence still hiding my own doubts and fears.
I then turned to her nightstand and wrote a small letter for her, that was marked, “Do not open until midnight.”
Dear Scootaloo,
If you are reading this and I haven't been back in over a day...then I’m gone. I’m dead and I won’t coming back to see you, because I failed in my most important mission ever. If you want to mourn, whatever is left of me will be at Tartarus. I’m...sorry for this, I wanted to see you grow up, to become the awesome stunt pony that I know you’ll be, and so much more. I’m sorry if it feels like I am abandoning you, but I’m not. Even if I’m dead, I’ll be there with you, I’ll be your wind and always will be at your back.
I’ve made arrangements with Spitfire to take you in and help raise you like I would, or maybe just a little bit better than I did. Because she didn’t leave you, but I’ sure she’ll make you a great flier and even better than I was. Don’t give me that...If anypony could be better than me, its you kid. I believe in you.
Take care of Tank for me, the little guy will have nopony to look after him now but you. Also, keep close to those friends of yours, they will be some of the best things about your life.
Signed,
Your sis
Love,
Rainbow Dash, your big sister forever.
Taking a few steps to the window, I turned back and let out a small smile, “I’ll be back.” I then turned my head forward and narrowed my eyes in determination and flew out towards Tartarus.
` In a few short hours, I had gotten ready and stood before the gates of Tartarus. I took a deep breath and made a few short steps to the gates when I heard a voice telling me to stop. Turning around, I saw my four friends standing there behind me all looking worried. Apparently, my little sister read the letter too soon and told all about my plans. Worried that I was doing something stupid, they came here to see what I was doing.
“Girls, I’m heading down there and I’m bringing our friend’s soul back,” I told them, not moving from that spot, “I would’ve told you but, I was afraid you try and stop me.”
That was when one of them said something that reminded me of why they are the best friends that I have been happy to know, “We’re not going to stop you, we’re coming with you.”
I swear, as many group hugs we share...I’m surprised Pinkie hasn’t called us the ‘huggable bunch.’
Now don’t get me wrong, every fiber of my being told me to tell them that I was going alone, that they shouldn’t risk their lives with me, that I was okay with sacrificing my life to bring her back. I could’ve given them plenty of reasons of why it was ok for me to go to hell and back, why they were more important than me, and why they shouldn’t put themselves at risk. But, if Celestia herself couldn’t stop me from doing whatever it took to save a friend. Then, what chance was I going to have in stopping four determined ponies from stopping me from going in a dangerous place alone.
“Besides, if we fail...at least we’ll be together,” one of my friends said with a smile as I put the amulet to the gates and watch them open. Turning to each of them as if this was the last adventure we will go on, I smiled and took a step forward into the darkness.
I’m not going to lie to you guys reading this, it was a literal hell through that place. As if facing off against Cerberus wasn’t enough, there were demonic monsters and undead ponies that I couldn’t begin to describe. We saw lost evils that had been hidden away for centuries and monsters that would’ve scared the pants off ya, but we made it through it all. Why, heck if I know, maybe it was because we knew what we wanted or maybe it was because we had each other to keep us going through the fire and flames. Maybe the bonds that we all shared helped to keep us from going mad or maybe we just knew that nothing was worse than facing a life without her. It doesn’t matter, but I was glad to have them with me.
Soon, we met the keeper of souls himself. His body was mostly covered in shadows with the exception of his fiery red eyes and shimmering red ruby-like claws. so I couldn’t tell you much more about what he looked like. But, I can tell you his voice reminded me of those legends of Tirac I heard about. Of how his voice was dark and uncompromising, and very low, “What brings you mares to the den of the dead?”
I took a step forward, “We’re here to bring my friend’s soul back to life!”
He let out a chuckle that chilled me and my friends to the bone, “So, you have the same stupid goal as the musician, and what makes you think that I would agree to let you take the soul back to the body? The musician played me a song from the heart, what do you have to offer me? Your heart? Your memories? How about your skills? Or, are you going to offer them?” He then turned his red eyes to the four ponies behind me.
“I would rather die than give them up,” I said, my expression not changing as I looked him straight into his red eyes.
With a smirk I stared him straight in the eyes, putting every ounce of courage I had into one big boast, “Did you see how easily we got here? Did you SEE what we did to get here? We trounced everything you threw at us and beat everyone of your lame-o minions. What makes you think that we won’t try everything we can to break out of here? We beat and reformed chaos...hell seems like the next step. Now, let me get my friend’s soul back!”
Me and my friends stood there, looking up at the demon as he stared back at us after that declaration and then let out a giant laugh, “HAHAHAHAHA! In all of my long years of living, I have never seen the like. You five are willing to endure an eternity of hell for one another, just for this one soul? I am touched,” he then produced a shimmering image of my firend, “Take her, providing you can can bring her back without looking at her. This orb will allow you to see your friend as you guide her back to the land of the living; however, if you look back at her with your own eyes even once...then I get her soul back,deal?”
I quietly nodded my head and took the orb, quickly turned around, and walked out with my friends in tow, keeping a close eye on the orb to make sure that we were taking her home. For most the trip, it was rather uneventful and we made it to the stairway to the gates without too much of a problem. However, just when I was about to open the gates, I hear my friend let out a gasp of surprise. I was so worried about her that I forgot to look into the orb and turned my head to look at her.
Big mistake.
I watched in horror as a group of tendrils reached out from the shadows to grab my friend’s soul to bring her back. With a large yell of “NO!” I leapt to where my friend was being pulled away and grabbed her body with my forelegs and pulled as hard as I could.
“Let her go, Rainbow Dash. We had a deal,” the soul keeper said from within the darkness.
“BUCK YOUR DEAL!” I yelled down at him, trying my best to pull my friend back to us.
Then I could feel my friends wrapping their hooves around me, helping to pull me and our friend back up, “We’re not going to make any deals with monsters like you!” One of them yells.
“You keep taking the ones important to us before we’re ready, that’s unfair.” Another one screams.
“Just this once...we’re making it fair!”
Then, strangely, our bodies began to glow with a weird inner light. Call it the power of friendship, the power of bonds, or whatever, but somehow...I felt stronger when we were all pulling at once. Like something was feeding me the strength of all of the others and I was feeding them my strength. Somehow, we were making each other stronger, without the aid of any jewels or artifacts. IT was just our love for one another and the friendship that we shared that was pouring strength into us. With a mighty effort, we all pulled our friend away from the shadows and ran with her back into the surface. Moving quickly, we placed her soul back into the casket and watched as her body rose.
“Who are you?” She asked, and that’s when we knew. She had lost her memory of us and I could almost hear the laughter of the keeper of souls from within Tartarus.
“We’re your friends and we just brought you back to life,” One of my friends tell her.
“Why? Why did you do this for me? Why me?” she asked, as she looked at all of us.
Why her? Because she is one of the most important things in our lives, and we would go to hell and back for a friend. That’s why.
Author's Note
This one came out when I read one too many death fics. I had begun to wonder, what would one of them really do when one of them dies.
In case you are wondering, I had only picked Dash because of luck of a draw. In truth, it could've been any one of the six and I think it would've worked just as well. I was going to add a few more challenges in hell, but then I thought "If I did that, it might give a character to the pony who died." I did not want to do that, I wanted to make it so that way, anybody could've put one of the mane 6 into the victim's role and the story would be none the worst or better for it.
