Reaper Mare

Applejack looked up along the cliffs she had just fallen down and whistled in amazement. It was incredible that she had managed to survive such a fall, and without injury. In fact, she wasn't in any pain at all. She hadn't seen where Rainbow had landed, but was certain she'd find the pegasus easily enough. The pony did tend to stand out.

She looked around her and spotted Rainbow limping towards her. She smiled. “Ya look a little banged up, but you're in one piece. Ah don't know how long it'll take us to get back up there. This ravine levels out on the far side of the pass. Ah can carry ya that far, but Ah'll need ya to fly back up and get mah pack, if you can. It's got the first aid kit and Ah can patch ya up.”

“Applejack!”

“Yeah, Ah'm here. If ya don't think ya can fly that far. Ah can carry ya on to Gallop. They got a right good hospital out that way. Ah'll let 'em take care of ya and come back for the cart.”

“Applejack, you've gotta get up.”

“What're ya talkin' about, Rainbow? Ah am up.”

She noticed something on the far side of the rock had Rainbow's attention.

“You've gotta get up. We gotta go home.”

“What's got ya? Ah told ya Ah ain't going home until Ah get those apples to those foals.”

Rainbow suddenly craned her neck for the sky and began to scream for help. Applejack rushed around to shut her friend up. Distress cries would bring more bandits as surely as clouds brought rain. “Rainbow, enough!” She cried, raising a hoof and swinging to jab Rainbow's flank.

The hoof passed right through the pegasus' wing.

Applejack immediately snatched her hoof back, fearing that she had mortally wounded her friend, but the pony showed no ill effects from the blow. In fact, Rainbow seemed to have not noticed it at all. She got a glimpse of what had Rainbow so bent out of shape. Something with orange and yellow fur. Slowly, she circled around Rainbow to get a better view.

“Land sakes,” she gasped when she spotted a rather distinctive feature, a three-apple cutie mark. “That's me.”

The body was smashed. Blood was smeared across a few of the rocks, where she had bounced. Her head and chest were partially crushed from the impact and blood leaked from her mouth and ears. Her limbs were stuck at odd angles and one sightless eye stared up at the sky.

“Ah'm dead. Wait! Ah'm standing right here! Ah can't be dead!”

AND YET YOU ARE.

The words. The voice. She had not so much heard it as felt it and the statement held all the finality of law written in stone. She turned to find a very large pony standing behind her, watching her carefully. Its coat shown a pearly white that contrasted its black eyes. She searched for any indication of gender, but could find nothing obvious. She shifted uncomfortably before speaking. “Who're ya?”

I AM KNOWN BY MANY NAMES.

Again, the pony had spoken with finality. She had listened carefully, but couldn't pick out anything to indicate gender. What's more, its mouth had never moved.

“Could ya give me a hint?”

I AM DEATH.

She blinked before laughing uproariously. “Wow. This...this is a really good one. Pinkie Pie, joke's over. Ya got me.” She turned to Rainbow, who had laid down and was quietly weeping. “Ah didn't know ya had such talent, Dash. Really, ya oughta get on the stage.” She turned back to Death. “Is Twilight pulling some sort of spell that makes me kinda intangible with a clone to play dead?” She trotted forward and tried to peer at Death's underside, searching for a zipper. “How many ponies are in there?”

Death swatted her hoof away and rolled its eyes. I ASSURE YOU, APPLEJACK. THIS IS NOT A JOKE.

“Right.” She drawled. “If ya weren't my friends in disguise, how did y'all know mah name?”

I KNOW EVERYTHING.

“Right.” She repeated.

It snorted. It seemed to grow thinner and bonier as a black cloak sprang from its back to cover its body and drag the ground. Wings of bone sprang from its withers and an long horn grew from its head. The apparition peered at her from within the depths of its hood, eyes glowing a dim blue. DO I APPEAR ENOUGH LIKE NIGHTMARE BETRAYAL'S DEPICTION?

Applejack's ears fell back as the realization dawned on her. This was Death. She was dead. She had fallen and that was her body and Rainbow was really brokenhearted and... “Ah'm convinced.”

WONDERFUL. It returned to its original form. I HOLD WHATEVER FORM I PLEASE. NOW, WE MUST GO. I AM ON A TIGHT SCHEDULE AND YOU MUST MOVE ON. THE NATURAL PROGRESSION MUST TAKE PLACE.

Applejack looked over her shoulder at Rainbow, who was still weeping pitifully. “What about her?”

SHE IS NONE OF MY CONCERN NOR YOURS. WE MUST CONTINUE ON.

She looked around. Rainbow was injured and probably stuck down here at the bottom of the ravine. Nopony would know to look for them until they didn't return to Sweet Apple Acres, which would be days. The foals at the orphanage were counting on her to deliver their apples. She couldn't leave.

“No.”

Death blinked. I BEG YOUR PARDON?

“Ah can't leave her. She'll die out here in the condition she's in and Ah made a promise to some little foals at an orphanage in Gallop.”

I KNOW THE PLACE. Death assured her.

“Mah point is that Ah can't go. Not yet. So just, go along and tuck my soul or whatever Ah am now back into mah body and be on yer way.”

Death hummed thoughtfully. I'M AFRAID IT'S NOT AS SIMPLE AS THAT, APPLEJACK. YOUR BODY WAS CRUSHED BEYOND HEALING. YOUR BONES ARE SMASHED AND YOUR HEART AND BRAIN ARE BOTH DESTROYED. I WOULD TUCK YOU IN ONLY FOR YOU TO SPRING BACK OUT AGAIN. FURTHERMORE, I CANNOT SIMPLY RESURRECT YOU. THERE ARE VERY SPECIFIC LAWS CONCERNING RESURRECTION AND THE LIKELIHOOD OF ANY CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE I WOULD BE ALLOWED TO DO IT OCCURRING IS SLIM TO NONE.

NOW, I AM ON A VERY TIGHT SCHEDULE SO, IF YOU PLEASE.

“No! Ah told you Ah ain't goin' anywhere. You could call this one of those unfinished business things. Ah ain't passin' on until Ah know Rainbow will be safe and the foals will get their apples.”

Death grunted. YOUR FATHER WAS JUST AS STUBBORN AS YOU ARE. HE HUNG AROUND FOR MONTHS TO MAKE SURE YOU AND YOUR BROTHER COULD CARRY ON WITHOUT HIM. I CAN'T SAY I'M SURPRISED. THERE'S NOTHING I CAN DO TO CONVINCE YOU?”

Applejack folded her legs and lay down next to Rainbow. “Ah ain't budgin'.”

I SEE. AND, WHAT IF I SHOULD OFFER YOU A DEAL?

Applejack's ears perked up. “Ah'm listenin'.”

SINCE THE POPULATION EXPLOSION IN RECENT YEARS, I'VE FOUND MYSELF A BIT OVERWORKED AND IN NEED OF A VACATION. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS SITUATION IS ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE. I'M NOT WANTING FOR WORK ETHIC, BUT I DO ENJOY MY IDLE PURSUITS.

Exactly what did Death do in its spare time? “Ah don't see your point.”

MY POINT IS THAT I COULD USE SOME HELP. ANOTHER TO FOLLOW BEHIND AND HELP WITH THE EXCESS. EVENTUALLY, I'D LIKE THAT SOMEPONY TO TAKE OVER FOR A WHILE, A FEW HUNDRED YEARS OR SO, SO THAT I COULD REST. WHAT I PROPOSE IS THAT YOU WORK FOR ME. YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO MOVE ON, NOT UNTIL YOU'RE READY, BUT YOU STAY WITH ME.

“Ah see.” Applejack replied. “Ah'd still need to know Rainbow was safe...”

Death stomped a forehoof and the world took on an ethereal gray haze. The moon erupted from the horizon to streak across the sky with the sun in hot pursuit. When two of these sped-up passes had occurred, a magenta-coated unicorn appeared. She recognized Sparkler, one of the younger mares from the orphanage. When last Applejack had seen the pony, she was nearly too old to be staying in the home of her youth. With no prospects for work, she, like many who aged out of the system, faced a bleak life. The farm mare offered her temporary work at Sweet Apple Acres. Sparkler stood at the top of the cliff and peered down before zipping away in the direction of Ponyville.

The moon was on its third pass, Spark returned with an exhausted-looking Macintosh and four other ponies. All six came up the ravine and stood over her and Rainbow. Rapid silent words were exchanged before Rainbow was loaded onto a stretcher and taken into the night. Mac took up her body and carried it with him while Spark went up to the path to fetch the cart.

The world flickered a moment before clearing again to show Ponyville's hospital. Applejack looked around to see doctors and nurses bustling about. One of them actually ran right through her, but didn't seem to notice.

She saw Death standing next to a specific doorway, gesturing with a hoof. She peeked inside to see Rainbow wrapped in bandages and sleeping fitfully. “Is she gonna be okay?”

Death held out a hoof and produced a thick book from thin air. He opened the cover a flipped through it a moment before studying a single page intently. He held it out for her inspection and she could see Rainbow's name in neat mouthwriting next to the number ninety-three. Rainbow's age.

AS YOU CAN SEE, SHE HAS A LONG LIFE TO LOOK FORWARD TO. ONCE SHE RECOVERS FROM THE EXPOSURE, EXHAUSTION, DEHYDRATION, AND OTHER ASSORTED INJURIES.

She continued to the pegasus' bedside and stood over her, watching her friend rest. “Uhm...Can Ah have a minute?”

TAKE YOUR TIME. I HAVE APPOINTMENTS TO SEE TO HERE.

She shuddered at the knowledge of what its appointments were and relaxed a bit after it left the room. At least, she was fairly certain she was relaxed. It was difficult to tell what her body was doing when she didn't have a body to work with.

She reached out and rested a hoof on Rainbow's chest. “It's okay, Rainbow. Y'all are gonna be okay.”

Rainbow groaned in her sleep and shifted. “Applejack,” she whimpered.

Applejack leaned in. “Ah'm here. Ah'm right here.”

“Don't go.”

The earth pony bit her lip before responding. “Ah have to go, Rainbow.”

“But, I love you.”

That made her straighten up. Had Rainbow really just said that? She had never shown any interest before. Sure, they had been buddies, but Rainbow didn't seem inclined to go any further than that. It had to be delirium or drugs. The mare wasn't making sense.

“I love you, Applejack.”

She stepped away from the bed. “Ah love you too, Rainbow Dash. Ah'll find a way back to you. Ah swear it. Pinkie Promise.”