Chapters The sun rose over Sweet Apple Acres, bringing with it the warmth of a new day. As the blazing celestial body rose higher, it pushed its beams through the rows of apple trees, past the fields of corn, up the dirt lane to the large red farmhouse and through the uppermost window, where it fell on the light orange coat of a young mare.
Applejack awoke and stretched as the sunlight warmed her body. She took her time getting out of bed. She and her siblings had rushed to finish off the last of the apple harvest the day before and she had strained more than a few muscles.
Sitting up, she idly massaged behind an ear with a hoof while she yawned. In the corner, by the door, sat her pack with her bedroll strapped to the top. She would be taking a load of apples around to a distant orphanage. It was a four day journey and one she looked forward to making every year, first with her father, then with her brother. Unfortunately, Mac wouldn't be able to make the journey. Granny had passed away the winter before and he needed to be around to look after Bloom and the farm. As such, she had enlisted the aid of Rainbow Dash.
The brash and bold pegasus made an excellent traveling companion. She always had an excellent story to tell and was tough enough to stand up to the biggest threat. Between the two of them, there would be nothing that could stand against them. This was an excellent thing because the route that would take them to the orphanage was thick with bandits. Usually, they left her alone, but she had always been in the company of a large stallion. Unfortunately, they might just be bold enough to attack two mares.
Carrying her pack with her downstairs, she set it by the front door and trotted into the kitchen to start breakfast. Big Mac, for all of his talents, was useless in the kitchen. Following the incident when he managed to burn water, he delegated all domestic tasks to her.
She started the stove and put a pot of water on for oatmeal. As the water came to a boil, she put sacks of dried fruits and vegetables in her pack. These would keep her and Rainbow going for their journey. She then returned to the kitchen and put the bread in the oven to toast. Milk and juice were set out on the table, alongside the butter.
The kitchen door swung open and Rainbow trotted in, her pack strapped around her flanks. Applejack glanced at the grandfather clock by the door and saw that the cyan pegasus was actually early, for once. “Ah figured you'd still be sleepin'.”
“What? And risk being late for an adventure with my best friend? Not a chance!”
Applejack chuckled. “This ain't exactly an adventure, Dash. We're just takin' a cartload o' apples around to an orphanage just over the mountains. Ah've made this same trip every year.”
“Yeah, but you said there'd be bandits and wild animals that we'd have to fight off and storms from the Everfree and danger around every turn. Sounds like an adventure to me.”
“Granted, it ain't the safest trip, but Ah don't think we'll be seein' a lot of action. Ah've never had any trouble.”
“That doesn't mean there won't be.” Rainbow growled, rearing up on her hind legs. “And, when it does, I'll be ready.”
“Ah hope not.”
“C'mon, Applejack. Don't you want a little excitement in your life?”
“Ah like excitement just fine, thank you very much. Ah'd much rather have a quiet trip than an adventure, especially as far as we're goin'.” She turned and poured a cup of dried oats into the water. “Want some breakfast before we leave?”
“Nah, I ate at the house.”
Applejack went into the cabinets, gathering bowls and spoons. “Well, park your plot 'cause Ah'm gonna eat. Bloom! Mac! Soup's on!” She called up the stairs.
x---x
Rainbow drummed her hooves impatiently as she waited for Applejack to finish. Macintosh shared warnings about the trip. He told his sister which areas to avoid and where she could camp safely. This was all information she knew, but she listened all the same, knowing it was more to ease his mind than hers. Macintosh didn't like the idea of his little sister taking such a long journey on her own and had objected to it at first. He had claimed that she was too young and that it was too difficult and that the orphans would understand if she wasn't able to make it once or twice.
Applejack reminded him that she had made a promise and that she was the most dependable of ponies. She knew the route like she knew her own name and that those little ponies didn't have much to look forward to. The annual apple delivery was a bright spot in a somewhat bleak foalhood. She loved to see the joy on those little one's faces when she arrived. How they would shout and cheer when they spotted her coming over that last hill. It was a time when she felt truly heroic.
After what seemed like an eternity to Rainbow, they were ready to leave. Applejack tossed her pack into the cart amongst the bushels of shiny red fruit and hitched herself up.
“Hey.”
She looked up to see her brother standing over her. Without warning, he wrapped his forelegs around her and lifted her in a powerful hug.
“Macintosh, what's gotten into ya?” She groaned against the pressure crushing her ribs.
“Ah want ya to be careful. No matter how ya cut it, this's a dangerous trip. Those bandits left ya alone 'cause me and Pa were there. Now...Ah just don't want anything to happen to ya. Before he passed, Pa told me to look after you, Bloom, and Granny. Ah know yer a big mare and you can look after yerself, but...Ah don't wanna lose ya.”
She nodded. Mac was worried and, like any other brother, wanted to protect her. He still saw her as the tiny filly who followed him everywhere and napped in his shadow, despite the fact that she had proven her fortitude time and again in situations far more dangerous than anything a simple journey could present.
“Ah'll be alright.” She assured him.
He nodded and set her down. Taking a step back, he addressed both of them. “Keep each other safe. Ah expect both of you to come back in one piece in four days.”
“Don't worry, Mac. I'm on the job.” Rainbow declared.
Apple Bloom trotted forward to wrap her forelegs around her sister's neck. “Ah'll miss ya, Applejack.”
The mare ruffled Bloom's mane. “It's not like Ah'm goin' away forever. We'll see ya in a few days. You be good for Mac and help out while I'm gone. Don't give yer brother a hard time. Ah don't wanna hear any horror stories when Ah get back.”
“Yes'm.” Bloom dutifully replied.
With that, Applejack adjusted her hat, nodded to her family, and started off down the road at a trot. Rainbow followed along behind.
x----x
While Applejack kept her steady trot, Rainbow zoomed in every direction, ambivalent at the possibility of danger.
“Rainbow, calm down.” Applejack urged, calling up to the pegasus. “We ain't but an hour from the town. If we meet anything, it'll be further along. Pace yerself. We gotta long way to go.”
Rainbow dipped down to hover by her head. “I know, but I'm supposed to spot trouble from far away. How can I do that if I'm not up there.”
“Ah didn't say y'all shouldn't be up there. Ah'm just sayin' y'all should take it easy.”
“Whoa whoa whoa. Rainbow Dash doesn't just take it easy.”
“Really? 'Cause your bi-hourly naps have convinced me otherwise.”
“Where exactly are we going?”
“Ah already told ya.”
“Well, tell me again.”
Applejack gave an annoyed growl and pointed at a narrow gap in the distant mountains. “Y'see that pass?”
“Yeah?”
“That's the Clopler Gap. Half a day past that is the town of Gallop. Mah family's been taken apples up to the Gallop orphanage ever since they sheltered Granny and her kin durin' a surprise blizzard. It's our little way of thankin' them fer their kindness. If'n they turned us away, we might never have made it to settle Ponyville. Granny's Papa was the first to make the trip with a bit of the first harvest with her brother, Great-uncle Jonathan. Jonathan made it with mah pa, who made it with ma, then me and Mac. Every year, regular as clockwork.”
She glanced back at the pegasus, who was distracted with trying to steal an apple from the cart. She stopped short, causing Rainbow to crash into the front box.
“Rainbow Dash! Ah'm surprised at you. Ah just got done tellin' ya how important those apples are. They ain't for you or any other pony other than those foals.” She declared heatedly.
“I'm hungry.”
“Well, ya should have eaten with the rest of us.” She started off again. “We'll stop and eat soon. Ya ain't gonna starve before then.”
Rainbow crossed her forelegs across her chest and hovered along next to the Earth pony. She was silent for a short while. “Is it 'soon' yet?”
“No.”
She waited a while longer. “How 'bout now?”
“No,” came the slightly sharper reply.
“Now?”
“Consarnit, Rainbow!” Applejack stomped her hoof in frustration. “Ya ain't getting an apple so stop bein' a pest.”
“C'mon. Just one. They aren't going to miss one apple.”
Applejack sighed. “Ah want every little pony there to have an apple all to themselves without havin' to share. They gotta share everything else. They oughta enjoy having somethin' all their own, but, every year, there're more and more ponies there. We packed all we could spare, but it still might not be enough.”
Rainbow dropped to her hooves and trudged along, ears folded back in shame. “I'm sorry, Applejack.”
“Don't worry about it. Ah know ya got a thousand other things ya'd rather be doin'. Ah appreciate ya comin' along.”
They made excellent time, despite Rainbow insisting on an early lunch, and hit the Clopler Gap before dusk. The trail was narrow and steep with trees clinging precariously to the rocks to once side while a sheer cliff sat opposite. Rainbow kept an eye on the cart from behind and below, ready to warn Applejack if one of the wheels began to slip. The farm mare took her time, stepping carefully to avoid rocks.
As they came around a bend, she spotted a tree lying across the path and let out a string of profanity. She was tired and her legs hurt. Given the hour, she wanted to get to the campsite without any delays.
“What's the problem?” Rainbow asked, popping up next to her.
She nodded to the tree. “Road's blocked. Do ya think you could lift the cart up?”
Rainbow shrugged. “I can try.”
She disappeared behind the wagon. With a great deal of grunting and groaning, she lifted the cart as high as she could. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be enough to clear the tree.
“Rainbow, forget it.” She strapped her harness. “It's hanging halfway off of the cliff anyways. Maybe we can push it over the side.”
As she trotted over to the broken end, she noticed something. “This tree's been cut.”
“Hi there.”
She looked up to see a pair of griffons soaring in. The both landed on the far-side of the tree.
“Howdy.” Applejack greeted warily.
“We haven't seen you two around here before.” One of them, a female, commented.
“Just passin' through.” Applejack replied.
“Oh. Did you know this is a toll road now? Ya gotta pay the toll if ya wanna keep going.” The other, a male, pointed out.
“This road's always been free before.”
“New rules.” He held out a talon. “We'll go ahead and accept your payment. Ten bits per pony, please.”
Applejack's eyes narrowed. “We ain't got any money.”
“We accept other forms of payment. Your apples look pretty delicious.”
“They're for an orphanage in Gallop.”
“Aww,” cooed the female. “Isn't that sweet?”
Her partner nodded. “Gotta take care of the babies. We'll be sure to leave some for them.”
“How generous of ya.” Applejack spat. “Unfortunately, Ah can't allow ya to have any of these here apples.”
Both griffons had identical expressions of surprise tempered with anger. The male leaned down. “We gonna have problems, pony?”
“Don't want problems. Just wanna be on mah way.”
“We'll be happy to let ya on your way. Just give us the apples.”
“How many times do Ah gotta say it? Ya ain't getting' any apples.” She growled through gritted teeth.
The griffons ignored her and fluttered over to the wagon, intent on taking them anyway. Rainbow Dash sprang up and knocked the female down. “Get down from there!”
The griffon squawked as she was knocked to the ground. Her partner started to laugh. “Did the little pony bump ya, Odessa?”
“Shut up, Nash!” The female snapped. She swung at Rainbow, who dodged. “Hold still, you feathery punk!”
“I'm a punk? Who's trying to steal apples from foals?” Rainbow snapped, jumping up to strike Nash, who stepped aside and lost his balance. He fell into a kick from the waiting Applejack, which launched him back into the air. After tumbling across the ground, he recovered and caught the charging pony, flinging her against a tree. The impact knocked her senseless and, satisfied that his opponent was down, Nash joined Odessa in taking care of Rainbow.
x----x
When she regained her senses, she saw the two griffons beating Rainbow, who was fighting back for all she was worth, but was losing against the onslaught. The bandits clawed, beat, bit, and kicked the pegasus, who could do little more than curl up defensively.
Applejack leaped to her hooves and charged, leaping up with a cry of rage. Both griffons looked up and she wrapped her legs around them, her momentum carrying all three of them off of the cart and over the edge of the cliff.
Rainbow rolled over and climbed back to her hooves, limping as she rushed to the edge of the cliff. She peered over the edge, desperately searching for some sign that her friend had survived.
“Applejack!” She cried out. Only her echo answered. Rainbow began to panic. They were in the middle of nowhere, without a pony around for miles. It was getting dark and Applejack might be seriously injured.
“Applejack! Answer me!”
But there was no answer.
Rainbow winced as she spread her wings and took to the air, gliding on dying thermals. She scanned as she spiraled, searching for any sign of the mare or the griffons. The fading light did little to help her vision and, at the speed she was gliding, she had to fight the wind to keep from being smashed against the rocks.
Finally, she saw it, a glimmer of yellow against the red of the rocks. She tucked her wings in, plummeting to the ground and landing harder than she intended, grunting as her forelegs collapsed and she tumbled across the ground.
With a groan of pain, she tested one leg and found it too shaky to stand on. She tucked it against her body and hopped to where she saw the yellow.
What she saw made her heart break. “No.”
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.”
Recovering Death, Applejack asked his leave to go and check on her remaining family. She was worried about Mac and Bloom. She had promised Bloom that she would return and Macintosh would be devastated over what he certainly felt was a personal failure. But it wasn't just her blood kin that worried her. Rarity, Twilight, Pinkie, and Fluttershy were considered honorary Apples and she wanted to be certain that they would carry on as well.
Death never quite understood the mortal need for closure, but it knew it would have to accommodate that need and others while Applejack transitioned. It granted permission, on the condition that Applejack attend her first lesson.
The pony in the bed was old and withered. She had seen her around town before, but had never bothered to learn her name. She couldn't figure out if this was a good thing or a bad thing. If she had known her name, what she was about to witness would be a lot more personal and, thus, more difficult. But, as the nameless elder mare had no story other than what Applejack had witnessed, there was nothing personal about what had to be done.
She watched closely as Death waited. The heart monitor beeped loudly, each beep counting off a beat of the old mare's heart. As her time grew nearer, the beeps grew less frequent. Applejack grew tenser with every beep, silently wishing the old pony would just give it up and kick the bucket.
Finally, a single tone sounded. Her heart had stopped.
WATCH CAREFULLY.
Death drew a scythe from the air by its head and gripped the handle in its teeth. They both watched as the mare's body seemed to shimmer for a moment before a semitransparent mare sat up, independent of the body. She looked around her, first noticing Applejack, then Death.
“Well, it's about pony-pickin' time.” She grouched, “I've been waitin' for your bony plot ever since I ended up in this clean threshold of Tartarus.”
Applejack's mouth fell open in shock. She had expected tears, pleading, begging for more time. Not an impatient nag upset that she didn't die sooner.
ALL THINGS IN THEIR OWN TIME. Death responded.
“Blah, blah, blah. C'mon, let's blow this Popsicle stand.” She tapped her hoof as she waited.
A MOMENT LONGER. Death chided before passing something to Applejack. She stared down at the pendant it had given her, a silvery Ankh.
THIS DEVICE WILL ALLOW YOU TO MOVE FREELY BETWEEN MY REALM AND THE MORTAL PLAIN. I WILL SEE HER OVER TO THE NEXT LIFE. AFTERWARDS, I WILL RETURN TO MY REALM. PLEASE MEET ME THERE. I REALIZE YOU HAVE A NEED FOR CLOSURE, BUT DO NOT LINGER. THERE IS MUCH TO DO AND LITTLE TIME TO DO IT IN.
“But you're Death and Ah'm dead,” Applejack protested, “We have all eternity to do what needs to be done.”
I HAVE ROAMED FOR MANY YEARS, APPLEJACK. IF THERE IS ONE THING I'VE LEARNED, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS ETERNITY.
She watched as the both vanished before leaving the hospital room. As she passed through the doorway, a team of doctors and nurses charged in and would have run her right over if she had been alive. She retraced her steps, pausing to check on Rainbow once more before continuing on.
As she rounded a corner, a small colt stood directly in front of her. He looked rough with a black eye and a cut on his muzzle.
“Hi.” He chirped happily.
She was slightly surprised. Insofar, the only being that had noticed her was Death. “Y'all can see me?”
The colt rolled his eyes. “Well, duh. I'm dead, not blind.”
“If you're dead, why are ya still hangin' around here?” She challenged.
He sighed and bit his lower lip. “Because I'm not good enough to go to Elysium.”
Her heart went out to the little one as all of the pieces began to fall into place. She folded her legs and sat down. “Why not? Y'all seem good enough to me.”
“I'm not as good as my sister. She went to Elysium when I was still very little. That made Mommy sad. She wanted me to be as good as my sister, but I just couldn't get it right. Every time I screwed up, she got really mad and punished me.” He hung his head, his ears folding back. “I deserved to be punished.”
Nopony deserved to be punished as much as he had been , Applejack thought to herself, except his mother . “What happened?”
The colt pawed at the floor. “Uh...one night, I peed the bed. It was an accident, but it made Mommy really, really mad. She punished me and accidentally knocked me down the stairs. That's all I remember, really.”
“Didn't...didn't Death come?”
“Oh, yeah,” the little colt nodded. “And he told me it was time to go. I was going to go be with my sister forever. I told him I wasn't good enough. I had been very bad and I needed to be really good if I wanted to go to Elysium and be with my sister.”
She nodded, slipping a foreleg beneath the ankh, extending it to show the colt, who's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates.
“Y'see this?”
He nodded.
“Know what it means?”
He shook his head.
“It means that Ah work for Death. Ah've been watchin' you and Ah like what Ah've been seein'. Y'all have been a good boy and Ah think ya deserve to go to Elysium.”
“You do?” He asked excitedly.
“Eeyup.” She confirmed with a nod. “Now, Ah can't take ya there, mahself, but Ah can certainly put in a good word with the big guy. When Ah do, we'll come back to get ya.”
“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you.” The colt squealed, hopping about in his ecstasy.
She chuckled, happy to bring a bit of light into this dreary afterlife. “Ah don't know how long it'll take me to get back to ya, so Ah'll need ya to be patient. Ah promise ya Ah'll be back as soon as Ah can. Can ya wait that long?”
“I've been waiting for five years.” The colt said, giving her a look. “I can wait a little longer.”
Applejack kept up a false smile while she trotted away, letting out a sob the moment she knew she was out of sight. She raised a foreleg to wipe at her eyes, even though no tears had formed. If any pony deserved Elysium, it was that little colt. If only for what he had endured during his brief life.
Since the library was close to the Hospital, it made a convenient first stop. Applejack poked her head through the front door, expecting to see a tearful or just generally depressed Twilight reorganizing her shelves, as she often did when something was bothering her. However, the library itself was empty. From the apartment above, she could hear the sound of pacing. Cautiously, she mounted the stairs.
Twilight trotted about, gathering bits of equipment from around the room and stuffing them into her already full saddle bags. The unicorn had a slightly-manic look in her eyes as she went through a checklist with Spike.
"Rope?"
"Check."
"Lantern?"
"Check."
"Poncho?"
"Check."
"And maps?"
"Check. Where are we going," Spike asked.
Twilight laughed. "We are not going anywhere. I am going up into those mountains, with Shining and some of the Royal Guard, and arrest those griffons. Just have to wait for Celestia to give us her approval."
"And if she doesn't?"
"What do you mean, 'if she doesn't'? Of course she will. Applejack was a national hero, one of the Elements of Harmony, to say nothing of what happened to Rainbow Dash. I mean, do you really think that she'll let a crime like that go unpunished? No way."
Spike hiccuped and gave a loud belch, expelling a scroll bearing Celestia's personal mark.
Twilight hummed merrily as she picked up the scroll and opened it. "Justice always prevails," she informed Spike before clearing her throat and reading.
"My most faithful student:
I was saddened upon hearing the news of Applejack's demise.This is truly a loss for the nation of Equestria as well as a great personal loss. Surrounded as I am with 'yes-mares', she was one of the few I could count on to give me a truly honest opinion. She has done more to make this world a better place than those who came before her. Please let me know when and where the funeral will be held as Luna and I would like to pay our respects.
Concerning your request to bring her murderers to justice, I cannot, in good conscience, allow this. There is too little evidence that this was little more than a tragic accident. The only witness we have to the event, Rainbow Dash, is in no condition to tell her tale and likely won't be for some time. Furthermore, ties between the Equestrian nation and Griffonia are strained and I cannot condone what will be little more than a mad goose chase through the world without risking open war between our lands. Finally, I cannot allow my personal student to risk her life in such a manner. Your parents left your care in my hooves and I intend to do their faith justice. Please understand that, were it not for these three factors, I would love nothing more than to grant your wish, but I can not.
My deepest love and sincerest condolences to you and your friends.
Princess Celestia ."
Twilight began to hyperventilate as she read through the letter again and again. "No. Nononononononono. How could she do this? Why would she do this?"
She breathed deeply, letting out a ferocious roar and incinerating the letter. Several large pieces of furniture levitated and launched themselves out the windows. A cyclone of debris began to build and grow rapidly as Twilight lost control. In the midst of it all, she wept, shrieking her rage at being betrayed.
Spike charged through the maelstrom and tackled her. The contact broke her concentration and caused everything to fall.
“It's going to be okay.” He whispered. “I miss her too, but it's going to be okay.”
Twilight snorted to clear her head. “I want you to write a letter.” She said, her voice thick with tears.
Spike nodded and produced a scroll and quill. “Alright, to who?”
“Princess Celestia.”
She stood and began to pace. “Dear, Most-wise Ruler.” Only a fool would miss the sarcasm in that statement.
“I want you to take your apologies and condolences and blow them out your over-sized plot...”
“Twilight, are you sure you...”
“Write it!” The unicorn snapped. She resumed her pacing, “I thought, after all Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and I had done for you, you would feel obliged to, at least, investigate such a foul crime as to take the life of one of the Elements of Harmony. I guess you proved me the fool. We have faced down horrors that you and your obnoxious little sister were too cowardly to tend to yourself. Any capable ruler would lead her own troops into battle and face death with them, rather than sit on her tail and stuff her muzzle with cake while pretending that there was some ultimate lesson behind her craven and idle ways. I do hope you, one day, choke upon your precious cake so that I might dance and piss upon your grave.
“Go stick your horn where the sun doesn't shine.” She took the scroll and quill from him to add her own signature with a proud flourish before handing it back to him. “Now, send it!”
“Twilight, I really think you should calm down and rest before you do anything rash that you don't mean to do.”
“Just send it !” Twilight bellowed.
Spike held up the scroll and inhaled, expelling green fire to send away the awful letter.
“Twilight, girl, what are you doing?” Applejack whispered.
“I'm going to get you something to help you rest. You haven't slept since...since we got the news.” Spike dashed downstairs, dodging broken furniture as he raced for the kitchen. Applejack followed, curious as to what the little dragon was up to.
Once in the kitchen, Spike withdrew another scroll and hastily scribbled a note.
Dear Princess Celestia,
Please excuse Twilight's earlier letter. She's crazy with grief and anger and she hasn't slept in days. I'm sure that once she calms down, she'll want to apologize. Please know that Twilight did not mean anything she said.
Sincerely, Spike.
Before anyone had a chance of stopping him, he exhaled fire and sent the apology letter on its way.
“'Atta, boy, Spike. Ah knew ya always had a good head on your shoulders.” She said with a satisfied nod.
She watched as he went into a low cabinet and pulled out a bottle of amber liquid. “I know we were saving this for a really special occasion.” He said to himself as he pulled the cork out of the mouth. “But you need it now.”
Carefully, he poured a measure of the brown, strong-smelling liquor into a cup and carefully carried it back up to Twilight. Even the fumes were enough to make him a bit dizzy as he passed it to Twilight. The unicorn wrinkled her nose as she took the cup in her magic.
“What's this?”
“Something to help you rest.” Spike responded.
“Yeah, she'll rest alright.” Applejack observed.
Twilight emptied the contents into her mouth. Between her physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion and the fact that she wasn't a heavy drinker, the alcohol took effect immediately. She managed three wobbly steps before crashing to the floor.
Shaking his head sadly, Spike retrieved the blanket and draped it over her. “You're not the only one hurting, Twilight. I really wish you could see that.”
Applejack hung her head, trudging away slowly as Spike curled up next to Twilight and succumbed to his own exhaustion. Twilight was the more level-headed member of their group. Applejack could only imagine what the fragile Fluttershy, the dramatic Rarity, or the unstable Pinkie would be like. Any way she looked at it, it didn't look good. It seemed she filled an important role in the group dynamic and, with her gone, how would such change affect the group? She didn't know and she wasn't sure she wanted to.
Applejack was hesitant as she approached Sugar Cube Corner. Given Twilight's rather violent outburst, she could only imagine the state that Pinkie Pie was in. The group was well-aware of Pinkie's troubles, but the mare seemed to have them well under control most of the time. She didn't quite understand it herself, but it seemed like two separate mares lived within one body. One was the ecstatic pony who took an active role in the lives of those around her while the other was an anti-social pony who had been driven mad by a childhood on a dreary rock farm. While there wasn't any credence behind the rumors, she had heard that Pinkie had fled her home to escape her father. What the stallion had been doing was any pony's guess, but it had scarred the pink mare for life.
What she did know, however, was that Pinkie rarely slept soundly and was often haunted by nightmares. On the times that they had all had sleepovers, Pinkie would be restless the entire time, tossing and turning before curling in a defensive posture and shying from imaginary blows while crying out, wordless moans of pain and torment, until she was awoken. After she was awoken, she claimed to not be able to remember anything about the dreams.
There were only a few times that this didn't happen: Whenever Pinkie slept next to her. It was as if the mare could sense the dominating and protective presence of the farm pony, even in sleep. Now that such perceived protection was gone, how would she react?
She noticed, upon entering, that the store was nearly deserted. The few ponies that actually occupied the store were scattered among the tables, silently eating their treats. Carrot and Cup Cake interacted with their customers with their usual jovial manner, but their expressions seemed a brittle front.
They were terribly worried and the object of their worry became apparent. Pinkie appeared from the kitchen. She moved without the usual bounce in her step, her head bowed and eyes downcast. She trudged past her employers, ignored the greetings from nearby customers, and placed a tray of cupcakes into the display case. She then moved slowly about the dining room, gathering dishes before returning to the kitchen. Not once did she speak, lift her eyes, or change her pace.
Applejack noticed Carrot and Cup exchange a worried look as she followed Pinkie. The mare set her burden by the sink and sat down with a heavy sigh. Folding in on herself, she began to quietly sob.
“Pinkie.” She approached the mare. “Don't cry. Ah...Ah...” She sighed, “Ah wish y’all knew I ain't left yet. Ah hate seein' y’all in so much pain.”
Pinkie produced something from somewhere on herself. She held it in her hooves, staring at it fondly for a moment, before embracing it tightly.
“Whatcha got there?” Applejack asked, trotting around to get a better look. She peered closely at the object. It had a braid of yellow yarn held together at the end with a red rubber band and was made of orange fabric with a long braid of yellow yarn for the tail.
It was a doll. A doll of her.
Applejack sat down, wondering if it was possible for a spirit to faint. Pinkie began to rock slowly, murmuring as she held her Applejack doll. The plushie was hastily sewn together, with the seams exposed and being overstuffed in parts. The entire thing had the look of something thrown together at the last moment by an amateur.
It brought comfort to Pinkie, what little that could be offered. Slowly, Applejack got up and began to back away.
“Pinkie?”
As quick as a flash, Pinkie tucked the doll away and turned to face Cup Cake. “Yes, Mrs. Cake?”
“Are you okay, dear?”
Pinkie nodded and presented a brittle smile. “I'm sorry I'm taking so long with the dishes. I'll get on them right away.” She turned and swept the pile of dirty tableware into the soapy dish water, furiously scrubbing at one plate. Whatever the speck of mess was, it was certainly stubborn and, no matter how much force she put behind each stroke, she couldn't get it clean.
Finally, in a show of frustration, she smashed the plate against the floor. It took a full three seconds for Pinkie to realize what she had done.
“I-I'm sorry.” She gasped, shooting a horrified look at a worried Mrs. Cake. “I-I-I didn't mean to. I'll clean it up right away.” She dropped down and began to sweep up the shards, yelping when she suddenly cut the inside of her hoof.
That did it. Choking back a sob, she slumped against the sink and sank to the floor. Cup Cake charged across the kitchen to wrap Pinkie in a tight embrace. Pinkie let out a pitiful wail as she curled into the hug.
“It's okay. It's okay. She's in a better place now. She's happy and you should be happy for her. You'll be able to be with her one day, but you must keep going until then.” Cup Cake whispered as her hold on Pinkie tightened.
Applejack turned and left, certain that if she had a heart it would be broken.
Out on the streets, she was anxious over seeing the rest of her family. She almost didn't want to, but she couldn't stop her hooves from taking one step after another. Idly, she wondered if walking anywhere was really necessary. However, walking was the only way she knew to get around.
In short order, she found herself standing before Carousel Boutique. Given what she knew of Rarity, the unicorn's shop and home would look like Twilight's. Rarity was the definition of a Drama Queen, often throwing fits over the most mundane of misfortunes. The death of a pony close to her would surely send the mare spinning out of control.
Cautiously, Applejack stuck her head into the shop and looked around.
The Boutique was in perfect order. In fact, it was in better shape than she had ever seen it. Slowly, she stepped through the door, afraid that what she saw was just a front and chaos lay around the next corner.
Fortunately, she never came to the next corner. The entire Boutique looked like it had been professionally refurbished from top to bottom. Rarity's Inspiration Room, which was usually what she referred to as “organized chaos” was immaculate, with supplies and fabrics stored neatly in various chests and shelves.
The floor was swept, mopped, and waxed. Mannikins were neatly lined up against one wall, like an army awaiting orders. Despite all that she had found, the strangest thing was that Rarity was no where to be found.
The alabaster unicorn had completely abandoned her dwelling and business, as it seemed. Remembering what she had seen with Pinkie and Twilight, She feared the worst.
“Nah,” Applejack told herself. “She's prob'ly out shoppin', or at the spa, or visitin'. Ah'm sure she's fine.”
Trotting back around to the door, she was about to leave when the door burst open and Rarity entered. Her mane and tail were in disarray, as if she had just come in from a powerful windstorm, and she wore no makeup. There were bags under her eyes and lines across her muzzle. The unicorn looked as if she had aged twenty years in the span of a few days.
From one of the bags, she pulled out a length of shimmery, satiny black fabric. A mannikin was selected and levitated to the center of the wide room. Needles, thread, and measuring tape flew along in her wake as she circled the mannikin.
“This will be my finest creation.” Rarity told herself. “She deserves that much, at least. No, she deserves a great deal more, but there's not much I can do about that, is there?”
She paused in her work to turn her eyes skyward. “I promise you, I will not charge Macintosh one single bit for this. Even though we didn't always see eye-to-eye, I loved you like a sister. I will do anything and everything in my power to help your family through this, I promise.”
Rarity dove back into her work. “You deserve more than what I can give you. You deserve to be alive, but, as they say, no good deed goes unpunished. Even if you can't have that, you deserve justice.”
The bell at the door rang and Rarity trotted past her to see to her customer. “I'm so very sorry, but we're closed until further notice.”
The pony, Carrot Top, looked a little crestfallen. “Oh, I didn't mean to disturb you.”
“That's quite alright, dear.” Rarity assured her. “It's just that... my priorities have shifted for the moment. If you'll just allow me a bit more time, I'll have your gown ready. You won't be disappointed.”
Carrot looked over Rarity's back at the mannikin. “You're making her funeral dress?”
The unicorn's continence shifted into a grim mask. “Now, I know the Apples and the Carrots have had a long standing feud, but I will not have you speaking ill of her on my property. Is that clear?”
Carrot gave a hasty nod. “Oh, of course. My mama raised me better than to talk bad about the dead. Sure, she and I had our shouting matches over the fence and, when we were little, we'd always sabotage each others work, but she was a good pony and she worked hard for everything she had. I'd never dream of letting any old feud tarnish her memory.”
Rarity gave a sad smile. “Thank you. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your kind words. And I'm sure she does as well.”
“Yer darn tootin'.” Applejack seconded, thumping her hoof. “Ah wish there were a dozen more like ya, Carrot Top.”
Carrot smiled and turned to leave. “Let me know when you're ready, Rarity. Take all the time you need.”
“Thank you again for you patience, Carrot Top.”
After seeing Carrot Top out, Rarity returned to her work, designing without templates and letting her art flow from her soul. Each cut, each stitch, was precise as love guided her magic. As she worked, tears streamed down her cheeks and sobs hitched her breath, but there was a bittersweet smile on her face. While this was a painful task, it was like a salve. The application was agony, but it would help the wound heal all the faster.
Certain that Rarity would be fine, Applejack left the mare to her work.
Fluttershy's cottage was out past Sweet Apple Acres, forcing Applejack to pass by her home. She wasn't terribly upset about that. In truth, she dreaded returning to the farm and actually considered just returning to Death's Realm after visiting Fluttershy. However, she desperately wanted to see her brother and sister one last time.
The cottage was unusually silent. The din of the various animals that passed by was absent and the property showed no signs of life. She approached warily, passing through the wall just below the window.
The cottage was empty. The rafters were now devoid of the birds that fluttered among them. The animals that occupied the cottage all seemed to have moved on.
Except for Angel Bunny. The little white rabbit was perched on the arm of the sofa, watching over Fluttershy.
Applejack expected tears, but Fluttershy just laid there, drawing circles on the wooden floor with her hoof. The yellow pegasus let out a sigh, saddened past tears. Her ears and wings were wilted and she seemed to be melting into the furniture.
As Applejack approached, Angel's head snapped up and he seemed to stare right at her. She froze, watching him closely. Carefully, she began to move again, watching as he followed her.
Angel could see her, or, at least, was aware of her. He tracked her as she moved about the room. It was only when she began to approach Fluttershy that he began to screech an alarm.
Fluttershy sat up, giving him her full attention. “What is it, Angel?”
Angel began to shriek louder as he hopped and pointed at Applejack.
“Do you see something?” The Pegasus' eyes swept the room, but found nothing. “What's got you so upset?”
The rabbit hopped off the couch and charged for Applejack, who instinctively took a few steps back. He slid to a halt and resumed his pointing, chattering insistently.
“There's nothing there, Angel.”
The rabbit gave a shriek of frustration, planted his front paws, and began to kick his hind legs.
Fluttershy watched him a moment before hazarding a guess. “There's something on your back?”
Angel rolled his eyes and disappeared a moment, returning with a plush cow and a length of string, which he used to lasso the toy.
“You want to wrangle cattle? Angel, that's not very safe. I didn't even like it when Applejack did that. I always thought she was going to get herself...” she gasped as her pupils shrank and she collapsed back to the sofa, breaking down in tears.
Angel abandoned his task and returned to the pegasus, settling down next to her.
Applejack slowly left. All of her friends were in terrible agony. Rarity seemed to be coping the best, but she was the exception. She needed to check on Macintosh and Bloom, then return to Death.
This wasn't going to be pleasant.
Applejack looked over the materials laid out on the table before her. The shaft of petrified wood. Crystals from the realm of Char. Iron mined from an asteroid near a massive planet with a prominent red spot that continuously circled its southern hemisphere. These would be combined to form her Scythe.
Death had explained how to build the Scythe, stating that it was almost exactly like how she would normally build a scythe with the chief differences being during the smelting and sharpening phases of construction.
She had already ground down the iron into a rusty-red dust. When she ground the crystal, it looked like gold dust.
Death's bloomery furnace looked like a larger version of the one she had learned to operate on the farm. She had been working to heat it with charcoal and, with a quick check, found it ready. The next part of the process was going to last several hours. She picked up her bucket and laid down a layer of finely-ground charcoal. Atop that went a layer of iron and a layer of crystal.
She continued to stack her materials in this manner until the furnace was full. Over the next few hours, the oxygen in the iron would be burned away by the fires fueled by the fine charcoal. The crystals, Death assured her, would withstand the heat and merge with the iron as it melted. If they merged properly, the final bloom would glitter.
There would be a wait as the metal melted and collected in the small stone bin. From there, she would have to work quickly to forge her blade before the iron cooled.
She took the shaft set it next to the tongs, hammer and anvil. She still had some time before the iron was ready to be forged and she had some questions for Death. Leaving the workshop, she went into the cottage and found it, again, at its desk.
“Ah need to ask ya somthin'. Ah remember readin' somewhere that a pony died somethin' like every twelve minutes or so. How is it that ya got as much free time is ya do?”
IT'S ACTUALLY EVERY ELEVEN-POINT-THREE-THREE MINUTES, GIVE OR TAKE A SECOND. He looked up from his scroll. ALLOW ME TO ASK THIS: DOES PRINCESS CELESTIA OR PRINCESS LUNA APPEAR ON YOUR DOORSTEP AND TELL YOU HOW TO RUN YOUR LIFE?
“Well...no.”
THERE IS NO NEED FOR THEM TO PERSONALLY OVERSEE THE LIVES OF THEIR SUBJECTS NOR IS THERE NEED FOR ME TO PERSONALLY OVERSEE THE DEATHS OF MINE. LIKE THEM, I NEED TO INTERCEDE ONLY WHEN A PROBLEM ARISES OR DURING UNFORTUNATE CIRCUMSTANCES.
“Ah see.” She replied, bringing up her second question. “There was this little colt, back at the hospital. His mom roughed him up pretty good.”
Death sighed. I REMEMBER HIM.
“Don'tcha think it's time he moved on?”
I AGREE AND I'M SURPRISED HE HAS NOT.
Applejack blinked in surprise. “Pardon?”
JUST AS I DO NOT NEED TO INTERCEDE IN EVERY DEATH, I DO NOT NEED TO ESCORT EACH PONY ON TO ELYSIUM OR TARTARUS. WHEN I FIRST COLLECTED HIM, I EXPECTED HIM TO WANT TO MOVE ON IMMEDIATELY. HE DENIED THAT AND SAID HE STILL NEEDED TO EARN HIS WAY. I LEFT HIM TO DO JUST THAT.
“So, he can just mosey into Elysium? Just like that?”
MOVING ONTO THE NEXT PLANE IS NEVER AS SIMPLE AS THAT. IN ORDER TO MOVE ON, A BEING MUST GENUINELY BELIEVE THAT IS WHERE THEY BELONG.
“But, if that was the case, no pony would go to Tartarus.”
YOU WOULD BE SURPRISED HOW MANY DO. GENUINE BELIEF CAN ONLY OCCUR IF THERE IS NO SHADOW OF DOUBT. IF, AT ANY POINT, AN INDIVIDUAL REMEMBERS SOMETHING THAT MIGHT, JUST MIGHT, DENY THEM ENTRANCE TO ELYSIUM, THEN SURELY THEY SHALL BE CONDEMNED TO TARTARUS.
Her mind spun. “So, he can go whenever he wants?”
WHEN HE REALIZES THAT NOTHING THAT HAPPENED TO HIM WAS HIS FAULT. NONE OF THE PUNISHMENTS HE RECEIVED AT HIS MOTHER'S HOOVES, NOR THE ONES HE SUFFERS NOW, WERE TRULY EARNED. WHEN THAT REALIZATION COMES TO HIM, HE WILL BE FREE TO GO.
Applejack's ears lowered. “One more question; what happened to his mother?”
Death blinked. HOW IS THAT RELEVANT?
“Humor me.”
AFTER HER SON'S DEATH, SHE BECAME CONTRITE AND TOOK HER OWN LIFE. SHE GENUINELY BELIEVED SHE BELONGED IN TARTARUS FOR HER CRIMES. Death stood. COME. WE MUST CONTINUE THE WORK ON YOUR SCYTHE.
She shook her head. “We should still have a few hours until the iron's done smelting.”
Death turned back to her and she could swear it was grinning. COME, APPLEJACK. WE MUST CONTINUE WORK ON YOUR SCYTHE.
Doubting, she followed it back out to the workshop only to find that the iron was nearly finished smelting. Already, a sizeable amount had oozed out of the furnace into the catch-basin. What had collected had cooled enough to easily handle and forge.
She stared at it incredulously. This would only have happened after hours, not the minutes she had been gone.
“H-how?”
TIME IS AT MY WHIM HERE. THE REQUIRED AMOUNT OF TIME PASSED WHILE WE WERE TALKING. THERE IS MUCH TO DO AND I DO NOT WISH TO LINGER WHILE WE WAIT FOR THIS TO FINISH.
Taking the tongs, he took the bloom of iron and set it atop the anvil. Applejack, meanwhile, removed her hat and tied her mane back in a tight bun. She didn't know if the flying sparks could set her mane ablaze, but she wasn't willing to find out.
She took the heavy hammer in her mouth and swung with all of her strength, smashing into the soft iron. The strikes came rapidly and Death moved the iron as she needed. Slowly, the blade began to take shape.
Usually, it was Macintosh who forged the metal for the tools while she held and maneuvered it. He had the experience and the endurance to do it properly. She soon found herself sweating and panting as the work continued. Strands of her mane had slipped loose and fell across her face, forcing her to pause and reset the bun.
Nearly finished after what seemed to be an eternity, which could very well have been, given what Death had told her, the blade was formed. Death flipped the metal in his tongs and placed it against the anvil's horn.
The pounding started up again, just as heavy but more precise as she worked the metal around the horn to form the sheath where the shaft would join the blade. Each blow flattened and stretched the metal which circled the horn as it was turned and, finally, joined the other side.
But still, they were not done. The blade needed an edge, which needed to be sharpened. She didn't know how sharp a blade would have to been in order to sever a soul from a body, but she knew how to get it sharp enough to cut a pony without them feeling it. She knew because, more than once, she had cut her hoof while sharpening the farm's scythes.
The blows weren't nearly has heavy as the edge began to take shape. She was amazed that the metal had remained warm enough to be malleable after this much time. Usually, she would have to reheat the iron several times before they made it this far.
She leaned close to inspect her work, blowing away the iron dust that had gathered during the forging. The edge had several nicks and would need honing before it was ready, but that was to be expected. She took the shaft and fitted it into the sheath on the end of the blade, working it until it was seated securely and giving the metal one or two taps to make certain that it would bond to the stone wood.
To the grindstone, where powerful legs worked the pedals, turning the massive stone wheel, and steady hooves held the blade straight. Friction forced even more sparks to fly as tiny shards of the iron were sheared away into a precise edge.
To the whetstone where the edge was honed and sharpened further. Normally, this would be enough, but she wanted to work it still more.
From one table hung a strip of leather. She took it and pulled it taut, hooking it securely to the anvil. Along the leather, she ran the blade, making sure to keep the pressure gentle, but constant. It took dozens of passes on both sides of the blade until she was satisfied. Inspecting her work, she saw that the edge resembled one of Macintosh's razors and, she was willing to bet, just as sharp.
The Scythe was long. Its blade was broad at the shaft, narrowing down to a sharply curled point at the very tip. This was a design that her grandfather had created, allowing him to hook and sweep away what he had cut with each swing.
She watched as the light danced across the smooth black metal, causing the infused crystals to shimmer. It was a work of art and, easily, the best one she had ever crafted. She looked to Death, as an apprentice to a master, and searched for his approval.
IT IS A FINE SCYTHE BUT WE ARE NOT DONE YET. THERE IS STILL THE FINAL SHARPENING.
He turned and left the workshop. She followed, more than a little confused.
“Ah don't get it. How can ya get this blade even sharper. Hay, you could shave a pony with this thing.”
BUT YOU WILL NOT BE SHAVING PONIES, APPLEJACK. YOU WILL BE SEVERING SOULS. FOR THAT, YOUR BLADE IS AS DULL AS A BUTTER KNIFE. THE FINAL SHARPENING MUST COMMENCE. LIFT YOUR BLADE.
She couldn't see the purpose of this, but did as she was told.
THE SUN RISES. LET THE LIGHT STRIKE THE BLADE. LET IT RUN ALONG THE METAL. NOW, APPLEJACK. THERE ISN'T A MOMENT TO LOSE.
She began to furiously swing the Scythe in the air as the sun peeked over the horizon. The light blasted into her eyes, causing her to squint. She was glad there were no other ponies around, fully aware of how ridiculous she looked, waving her Scythe like a flag. She spun the shaft in her hooves, allowing the light to caress each side of the blade evenly.
“Ah don't/ /point in all/ /.” She objected.
/ see the/ / of this/
She paused in surprise and stopped swinging. Had that just happened? Had she literally cut up a sentence?
QUICKLY, APPLEJACK. YOU MUST CONTINUE. IF WE MISS THIS CHANCE, ALL OF YOUR WORK WILL BE FOR NOTHING.
She swung the Scythe with more ferocity, watching as it began to glow with an incredible aura. “Ah think/ /!”
/ it's workin'/
She continued to swing the blade as the sun rose high into the sky, stopping only when Death called to her. Turning to him, she held out the Scythe for inspection.
WELL DONE, APPLEJACK. YOUR SCYTHE IS COMPLETE. THIS IS YOURS AND YOURS ALONE. IT IS IMBUED WITH YOUR ESSENCE AND WILL FOLLOW YOUR COMMAND. THIS IS TRULY A REAPER'S SCYTHE.
“So, how do Ah do that thing like you do where Ah cut open the air and walk through?”
Death nodded. PICTURE WHERE YOU WISH TO GO AND SWING THE SCYTHE. IT WILL OPEN A ROUTE TO THERE. He pointed back to the workshop. NOW GO, POLISH YOUR BLADE. TEND TO IT AS A MOTHER WOULD HER NEWBORN, THEN IT SHALL TRULY BOND TO YOU, BUT BE CAREFUL. THE ONLY THING THAT CAN CUT A SPIRIT IS A REAPER'S SCYTHE. I'M SURE YOU WOULDN'T WANT AN ACCIDENT TO OCCUR.
Author's Note
Whoo-wee!
So, now we have a fully-fledged Reaper, complete with Scythe.
Initially, I wanted to lengthen this out quite a bit more, devoting a chapters to how she gathers the crystals and the iron, but, the crystal gathering was too complex to fit into canon (Darn you season 3 opener. Why couldn't you have drawn out the battle with Sombra over two episodes) and the iron was too boring to devote more than a few sentences to. That's why this chapter took so long (well, that and the half dozen other stories I have going on. Good thing I don't have video games to distract me).
Hopefully, with this out of the way, we can get into the real meat and bones of the story.
Until next time, Children.
Applejack sat in her room, running her hoof along the blade of her Scythe, careful to avoid the incredibly sharp edge. The crystals within the black blade glittered like stars and the metal was polished to a glassy finish.
She looked out the window, at the sun that never set, and wondered how long she had been here. In lieu of a clock, she could tell by the passage of day and night, but the sun in Death's Realm remained forever fixed at ten o'clock. Granted, Death could move it if it wanted to, but it rarely did. It was a bit jarring and, for a while, she wondered how if she would be able to sleep, but she soon found that she no longer needed sleep. She never felt tired or hungry or thirsty.
Unfortunately, she was still able to feel bored.
She wasn't used to being this idle. On the farm, there was always something that needed to be repaired or harvested or sewn or sold or delivered. There wasn't a moment to catch her breath, much less get bored.
She hopped off of the bed and trotted to the center of the room. Death didn't have anything for her to do. Perhaps it wouldn't mind if she left for a little bit. She thought about leaving a note, but figured that, if it wanted to find her, it would. Besides, she wanted to see if Dash was doing any better.
She brought up a memory of the farm, picturing the barn with the neat lines of apple trees, their fat fruit ripe for harvesting.
Swinging the Scythe, she opened a rift and stepped through...
...into rolling green grass.
The color was as jarring as the sudden absence of touch. She walked around, looking at the scenery.
She trotted down the lane to the main road and spotted Apple Bloom coming her way, drawing a small cart. She looked older, but hadn't grown any. It was as if all of the youth had been sucked away from her.
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo crested the hill behind her and charged down, pouring on the speed to catch up with her.
“Apple Bloom!”
The filly turned at their shouts and waited for them to catch up with her.
“We heard.” Scootaloo gasped as she fought for breath. “Say it's not so!”
Bloom nodded. “Ah wish it wasn't, but this farm is too big for two ponies to work alone.”
“You could hire ponies to work it with you.” Sweetie suggested.
Bloom pulled a thick length of wood from the back of the cart, stood it on its end, and pushed it into the ground.
“Dontcha think we've explored that option? We've been barely keepin' afloat for years. We could keep goin' after Granny passed, but, without Applejack, we just can't keep up.”
“Where are you going to go?” Scootaloo asked.
“Mac's found a job in Manehatten doin' construction. We'll be stayin' with Aunt and Uncle Orange until we can get somewhere more permanent. Don't worry 'bout us. We'll do okay.”
She pulled a second, shorter, length of wood from the cart, set it perpendicular to the first length, near the top, and hammered the two together.
“What about this place?”
Removing a thin, square board, Bloom hesitated. “Ah guess somepony will pick it up sooner or later.” She lifted the square board by the attached ropes and hung it from the second board, completing the sign.
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle came forward and embraced her. “We'll miss you.”
“Aw, c'mon guys, don't be like that.” Bloom objected. “We're just goin' out to Manehatten. Once we get settled, ya'll can come visit us whenever ya want. Ah'll be comin' back every now and then and we can always write to each other.”
“Still, it won't be the same without you.”
Bloom shrugged. “Ain't much Ah can do about that.” She hitched herself back up to the cart. “Sorry, girls, but Ah gotta finish packin'. Mac and Ah are leavin' in a couple of days.”
As the trio parted ways, Applejack got her first good look at the sign Bloom had hung.
FOR SALE.
Macintosh was selling Sweet Apple Acres.
She couldn't believe her eyes. Never, in a million lifetimes, did she suspect that Macintosh would do that. This is where their parents and Granny were buried. Hay, she was willing to bet she was buried here too. Granted, the farm had taken a bit of a financial hit in recent years, but that was just temporary. It was to be expected in the agricultural business. When that happened, you tightened your belt and rode it out.
She turned around and marched back to the house. Rainbow Dash could wait. Dead or not, she was about to tell Macintosh precisely how she felt about his sudden lack of spine.
Once she was through the front door, she took a good look at her home. The heirloom furniture had been carefully disassembled, labeled, and set aside to be packed. Boxes were neatly stacked along the walls, labeled for the mover ponies.
Upstairs, she could hear Mac and Bloom talking quietly. She took the steps two at a time.
“Do you want it?” Mac asked.
“Ah have mah own bed.” Bloom replied.
“Ah know, but you're getting a bit big for that one. Better somepony use it. Ah'd hate to see it go to waste.”
“It's her's, not mine.” Bloom objected.
“She ain't using it anymore.”
“That don't mean her stuff should become mine.” She replied, heatedly.
As Applejack stepped over the threshold, Winona leaped to her paws and dashed out.
“Now look, you've gone and made Winona upset.” Mac chastised. “Go and get her before she gets too far. Whether you want this bed or not, Ah'm gonna have to take it apart anyways to get it outta here.”
Bloom got up and left while Mac fetched his screwdriver. His face screwed up in concentration as he worked the tool.
“Ah want to know what ya'll think you're doin'.” She declared as she marched up to him. “Ah never thought you would even consider sellin' this farm. Mac, this farm's been in our family for generations. Countless Apples are buried here. Ya'll can't just up and sell as if it all means nothin'.”
Mac ignored her and continued with his work. The screw he was working screeched as it moved for the first time in a quarter of a century.
“Macintosh, Ah'm talkin' to you! What have ya got to say for yourself?”
Mac continued to ignore her.
Here she was, watching the world she loved fall apart and unable to do a thing to stop it. Anger and frustration built within her as she tried and failed, time and again, to get her brother's attention. Finally, she swung at the screwdriver. Her hoof connected and knocked it from his mouth, sending the tool flying across the room.
They stared after it with identical expressions of shock. She was able to directly manipulate things only in Death's Realm. The fact that she had done this went beyond significant.
He got up and fetched the tool. “Musta bit too hard. Yeah, that's what happened. Lost my grip or somethin'.” He muttered as he returned to his work.
“Horseapples, you lost your grip.” She griped. “Ah knocked if from your mouth.”
The screw was nearly out.
“Macintosh, don't you dare. Papa built that bed and you ain't gonna trash it.”
He continued turning.
“Macintosh, you listen to me.”
He ignored her. She could feel the anger and frustration building up again.
“Macintosh !” She bellowed at the top of her lungs.
He froze. The screwdriver fell from his slack jaw. His eyes were the size of dinner plates while his pupils looked like pinpricks. Tremors ran along his frame as his ears swiveled constantly.
“Ah-Ah-Applejack?”
He had heard her. He. Had. Heard. Her.
This went beyond anything she thought was possible. Since she could move things and be heard, perhaps she could be seen as well.
She closed her eyes and concentrated. She didn't know how it could be done, but she figured anything was worth a try at this point. She tried picturing herself standing next to him, just appearing out of thin air.
“Ah'm right next to ya. Just look up, Ah'm right here. Look up and see me and stop messin' with mah bed.” She muttered.
A final shudder passed through Macintosh's body. “Ah'm hearin' things. It's the stress. All the stress from the move and tryin' to keep the farm runnin'. Ah ain't getting enough sleep.” He sighed as he set his tools aside. “Ah just need a good rest. That's all. That'll get me situated and Ah'll stop hearin' voices.”
He got up and left the room. She followed.
“You're not getting rid of me that easy, big brother. Ah can go so many places now.”
He entered his bedroom and shut the door. She walked through it.
Most of Mac's things had already been packed up. He slept on a thick quilt on the floor. He lay down and rested his head on a pillow.
“Just need a nap. Then Ah'll be fresh as a daisy.” He said with a yawn as he closed his eyes.
She decided to try an experiment. She leaned down and tried to take away his pillow.
Nothing. Her teeth went right through it.
She thought about Mac selling the farm. Apple Bloom leaving her friends. The farmhouse, with its decades of memories, falling into abandonment and disrepair.
And she felt anger and frustration.
She leaned down, took hold of his pillow, and yanked it away.
His eyes opened with an almost audible pop. He stared at his pillow, now a solid pony-length from its starting point. What he didn't see was Applejack holding it.
“Whatcha gonna blame this one on, big brother?” She teased before tossing it away.
He watched it sail across the room before softly impacting the wall.
Mac began to hyperventalate. His eyes rolled wildly as he searched for the tell-tale signs of hidden wires.
“Ah don't know who's pullin' these horseapples, but they'd better stop before Ah get really angry. Ah know Ah should have been there. She'd still be alive if Ah had been there. Dontcha think Ah know that?!” He ranted at the ceiling.
Applejack took a few steps back.
“Ah could have brought Apple Bloom along. She ain't much younger than Applejack was when she made her first trip. Ah could have brought Bloom and been there and protected them and everythin' would be alright.
“Ah gotta do it. Ah gotta sell the farm. We took out too much money to keep it rollin'. The bank's after it now. Ah had to so somethin' or Bloom and Ah would be on the streets. Ah can't let that happen. Ah can't fail again. Ah had to do somethin'!”
Applejack felt sick with shame, tormenting her brother over something he tried his hardest to avoid.
“Ah should have known better. Mac would never sell the farm unless he had no other choice.” She mumbled, staring down at the broken, sobbing pony at her hooves. He looked pitiful, still beating himself up over her death. “Ah understand and Ah'm sorry, big brother. Ah know ya tried your hardest. Ya did your best, can't nopony fault ya for that.”
She turned and trudged away. “Ah'm sorry. Ah'll leave ya'll alone now.”
As she entered the library, she saw Twilight sitting at her writing desk beneath the window. The unicorn's back was to her as she read through a book, humming quietly to herself. Spike was nowhere to be seen, probably having retired for the night.
Applejack was on the verge of a panic attack. She needed to find some way to get Twilight's attention without the unicorn writing it off as an odd quirk of an old building. There wasn't a moment to lose.
To her right, three inkwells sat in a neat row next to three aligned quills and three spare scrolls. She remembered how Spike had decided that he was going to serve her in return for saving his life. She had tried calling Twilight, who was too deep in her studies to hear her.
Twilight had only responded when Applejack had knocked one of the ink wells out of alignment.
Carefully, she reached to nudge the middle ink well. Her hoof passed through it.
She let out a growl. This was ridiculous. A pony's life was on the line. Why couldn't Luna restrain Rainbow Dash until doctors could get to her? Why did she have to work through a proxy? Why did she have to be involved anyways?
Frustration and rage built within her.
Her hoof connected with the ornate brass and the ink well went flying, knocking loudly against the wall on the opposite side of the room.
Startled, Twilight gasped and stood, searching the room for the source of the noise. She spotted the ink well, lying against the wall, and went to it.
She looked to where the other two stood and frowned in confusion. Carefully, she picked it up and made sure none of the ink had spilled. She returned it to the desk.
“Twilight, I need your help.” Applejack spat, trying to get her attention, but watched as the pony ignored her and went back to her reading.
“Really?” She whined before seizing the same inkwell and flinging it. It flew across the room and bounced off of the back of Twilight's head, eliciting a wince from Applejack and a startled yelp from the unicorn.
Twilight spun, angrily searching for whoever threw the ink well. When nothing was forthcoming, her contenance shifted to confusion.
“Spike!” She bellowed.
It took a few moments for the baby dragon to appear, rubbing sleep from his eyes. “What is it?”
Her jaw fell as she looked between her assistant and the table. “But...if you...and that...huh?” She stared at the table for a hard moment. “Something threw an ink well at me. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?”
Spike was automatically on the defensive. “What? No way! Those things are heavy. A pony could really get hurt.”
“You don't think we're dealing with something supernatural?”
Spike shrugged. “Wouldn't be the first time.”
Twilight's horn glowed as her magic built. “Watch the table. Whatever is here, it's there.” She hunched down into a defensive posture. “Reveal yourself.
There was a bright flash and Applejack reflexively raised a hoof to shield her eyes. When the light cleared, she blinked away the after-flash to see Twilight and Spike staring at her with identical looks of shock.
“Did you see what I saw?” Spike asked.
“...Applejack?” Slowly, Twilight's legs buckled and she sank to the floor.
“How? She's dead. How is she standing in the doorway?” Spike moaned.
“Ya'll? We don't have time for this.” Applejack warned.
Twilight lay on her side, twitching and hyperventilating. She blinked repeatedly, trying to focus.
“If you are Applejack, stomp your hoof twice.”
The hoof came down twice, creating loud and clear clops. Twilight moaned miserably.
“Spike, we need some way to communicate with her directly. I need to double-check that she's actually Applejack and not something disguised as her. Bring me that word game.”
Spike disappeared, returning after a minute with a long red box. He gave it to Twilight, who opened it and dumped the contents out on the floor.
“Listen up,” she commanded. “I need to make sure that you are Applejack and, if you are, why you're here.” She rearranged the tiles so that the letters faced up. “Use these to spell out your answers.”
“Alright. Ah think Ah can do that.” Applejack replied.
“Years ago, right after I moved to Ponyville, Applejack had to collect all of the apples on Sweet Apple Acres by herself. What was the reason she gave me for doing this?”
“Easy.” Applejack replied. She knelt down and began to arrange the tiles.
M-A-C-I-N-T-O-S-H-H-U-R-T-H-I-M-S-E-L-F.
Twilight's mouth moved as she read the words. She shook her head. “I'm not convinced. Let me ask you something else.”
Applejack hurried to rearrange the tiles. N-O-T-I-M-E.
“No time? Why is there no time?”
R-A-I-N-B-O-W-D-A-S-H-D-A-N-G-E-R.
“Rainbow Dash Danger?” Spike asked, confused. “Isn't 'Danger' her middle name?”
“Shut up.” Twilight hissed. “This is serious. Rainbow Dash is in danger. What kind of danger?”
S-U-I-C-I-D-E, came the prompt reply.
Twilight began to tremble.
Spike rested a claw on her neck. “It can't be. She got a full psych evaluation before she was released. She was a little depressed, but nothing terrible. She was just grieving.”
“I need to go. I'm not going to lose another friend to inaction.”
“But, we don't know if she's in any actual danger.” Spike objected. “This could be some kind of trap or distraction. That might not even be Applejack.”
“Doesn't matter. I need to check.”
“I'll come with you.”
She spun on her assistant. “No. You're going to stay here and find every book you can on the occult. When I get back, we're going to summon her.”
With a flash, Twilight vanished. Applejack called her Scythe, opened a rift, and followed.
They both appeared inside. Twilight cast her cloud-walking spell and began to move through Rainbow's house. Applejack watched, realizing that Twilight had never before been inside here.
“This ain't no time for sightseein', Twi. Rainbow might be in serious trouble.”
The unicorn continued to check the lower level of the house. Ignoring her, Applejack immediately climbed the stairs to the second level. From there, she went straight to Dash's room.
Abandoned.
She checked the bed, and the closet, and anywhere else the pegasus might hide. A knot of anxiety clenched her throat as her search turned up nothing.
A scream echoed from down the hall. Wheeling, she fled from the room to the source of the scream. Twilight stood in the bathroom door, trembling and frozen with shock. Not bothering to stop, Applejack charged through her and slid to a halt.
Rainbow Dash lay on the cloud floor, face-down, in a puddle of vomit. Above her, the door to the medicine cabnet lay open and everything from prescription bottles to empty first-aid solutions were scattered about on the floor.
She had taken it all.
Like a wraith, Luna exploded upward from the floor. She hovered for a moment before settling down next to the pegasus.
“P-P-rincess, I came as soon as I could.” Twilight babbled. “I-I-I got some mixed-up message from something claiming to be Applejack.”
“I know. I sent her.” Luna replied, looking over Dash while her horn glowed.
“You mean you called Applejack's spirit to come and warn me?”
“No. Applejack came to me with a warning, and I sent her to you while I investigated Rainbow Dash's mind.”
“B-b-but, if you were already here, you could have stopped her!” Twilight accused.
“You know the laws concerning mind-control magic, Twilight Sparkle. Your want-it-need-it spell came perilously close to breaking those laws, if I recall correctly.”
“But you were already here. Why didn't you just pop into existence and restrain her?”
“There isn't time for this!” Luna snapped, causing the unicorn to cower slightly. “Rainbow Dash is still alive, but she is in desperate need of medical attention. If we continue to linger, she will not survive. Go and find help.”
“But-”
“IMMEDIATELY!” Luna bellowed, making use of the Royal Canterlot Voice.
In a flash of lavender light, Twilight vanished.
Luna returned to her work as her horn began to glow brightly. Applejack approached her.
“Princess, Ah'm-”
“You did well, Applejack.” Luna assured her, sweat beading across her brow as she concentrated. “I simply wish I had gotten here sooner.”
“Can ya save her?”
“I am trying to nullify the poisons within her, but there are so many. I do not even recognize some of them. I, alone, cannot save her, but I hope to buy time until help can arrive.” She began to pant from exertion.
Applejack paced. Never before had she felt so terrified and helpless. She wanted to assist Luna and Rainbow, but had no idea as to how to do it. She wanted to roll Dash over so the mare would have an easier time breathing, but the only time she had an effect on the physical world was when her emotions were running high and those usually had violent results. She could roll Dash over, but she risked seriously injuring, possibly killing, the mare.
Luna let out a sigh and lifted Rainbow Dash in her magic. “Her life continues to slip away and I can do no more to help her. Come, we must take her to the hospital ourselves.”
Applejack thought of the hospital and opened a rift, stepping in as Luna vanished. They arrived at the same moment. Luna charged through the doors of the emergency department with an invisible Applejack on her tail.
“WE REQUIRE IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE!” She bellowed, deafening anypony nearby.
The first to respond was a unicorn doctor, who took Rainbow with his magic. “What happened, your majesty?”
“She appears to have attempted to take her own life.”
He gave her a cursory inspection. “I don't see any marks on her.”
“It was poison.”
“Which one?”
“All of them.”
The doctor nodded solemnly. “I understand.” Two nurses came up with a gurney, which Dash was laid on, before all three took off with her, the doctor gathering ponies and giving instructions as he went.
“Princess?”
Luna turned to Twilight, who crept through the door, looking thoroughly shamefaced. “Fear not, Twilight Sparkle. The fault is mine. I had not properly assessed Rainbow Dash's condition and should have brought her here straightaway, rather than attempt to save her myself.”
She turned and pointed a hoof at a receptionist. “You, there. I require Rainbow Dash's medical records. I wish to know what incompetent excuse for a psychologist released her.”
The receptionist's ears folded back. “Y-your majesty; doctor-patient confidentiality dictates that-”
“You would deny your princess her request?” Luna said with deadly calm.
“N-n-no, y-your majesty, but the law states-”
“I am well aware of what the law states, but I state that you will fetch the records. A mare, who was obviously ill, was released and I am conducting an investigation as to who allowed it and why. Unless you wish to be arrested and charged with interfering with that investigation, I suggest you assist me in any capacity I may need.”
The mare gave a quick nod and vanished.
Luna turned to Twilight. “Go home, Twilight Sparkle. Rest, if you can. It will be a while before Rainbow Dash is ready to receive visitors and a while more before she is considered fit to be released.”
Twilight shook her head. “I don't think I'll be able to rest, Princess, but there's a certain pony I need to ask a few questions.” She hesitated. “If I can.”
As the sky changed from velvety blue to pastel pink, Applejack sat by the window of Twilight's study, watching her friend work. Twilight had several books full of strange writing and symbols open before her. She paced between the books and an open area of the floor, where she had drawn a massive five-pointed star within a circle within a square. The points of the star extended past the circle to touch the edges of the square.
“The mark has been drawn.” She announced.
“What does it mean?” Spike asked.
She thought a moment. “It's an ancient spell used by griffon priests to commune with the dead. I've only seen accounts of its use and hypotheses about how it works. I'm not entirely sure I did it right.” She swept a hoof over the symbol. “This is a Seal. The star represents Magic. The circle represents Life, while the square is Death. The points of the star are able to pass through Life and into Death, but not beyond. Nothing escapes Death.
“With this Seal, I hope to use my own magic to travel through to Death and contact Applejack.”
“What if something goes wrong?” Spike asked, his voice wavering slightly. “What if you're not able to get in contact with her? What if you find something that isn't her? What if you get there and aren't able to come back?”
“I've already planned for that.” She responded, pointing to two letters on the desk. “Should anything happen to me, send that to Princess Celestia. It details everything that I've done. Hopefully, she'll find a way to reverse it. If not, the second letter is for Rarity. Give it to her, she'll know what to do.”
Carefully, so as not to step on any of the chalk lines, Twilight stepped into the center of the star. Her horn glowed as she muttered rapidly in a strange language. She lowered her horn and touched the tip to the line directly in front of her.
Immediately, the magic traced the outline of the Seal, causing it to glow. The pulses of energy beat against the unicorn, causing her mane and tail to be buffeted about. The room began to fill with a bright glow as Applejack opened a rift and returned to Death's realm.
x----x
She could feel the pulses of energy as Twilight forced her way into a place she should not have access to and, for the first time in a long time, Applejack was genuinely afraid. This should not be able to happen. She didn't know if Twilight would get stuck here or how Death would react to the knowledge that his home could be invaded by any being powerful enough.
She followed the pulses to where a rift was beginning to open. It looked like a tiny star hovering in the middle of space. She watched as the star stretched and grew brighter. Finally, with a hiss, Twilight emerged.
It took her a while to gather her bearings before her eyes locked onto Applejack.
“Can't say Ah'm not happy to see ya, Twi, butcha really don't belong here.” She said solemnly.
Twilight's eyes roamed. “Where is 'here' exactly?”
“Death's Realm. Not even the Dead get to come here. Ah suggest you keep your visit short, before It discovers you.”
“What?”
Applejack facehoofed. “What can Ah do for ya?”
“Rainbow Dash has tried to commit suicide.” The unicorn announced.
“Yeah, Ah told ya about it.”
“How did you know?”
Applejack shrugged. “Went to visit her. Ever since Ah died, Ah've been checkin' up regularly, just to make sure everythin' is alright. Ah saw your little tantrum.”
Twilight blushed. “You did? Sorry about that.”
“'Salright.” The farm mare responded. “The point is that ya made up for it.”
“But, Applejack, you still haven't said how you knew she was going to try to take her own life.”
Applejack shuffled her hooves. It was obvious that Rainbow's secret crush on her was just that; a secret. It wouldn't be right to tell Twilight something that the Pegasus didn't want shared. “Well, Ah went by there, like Ah said, to check up on her. The last time Ah saw her, she was laid up in the hospital and drugged out of her head. Ah wanted to see how she was getting on. Ah went up to her house and went to her room. She was cryin' and talkin' crazy talk 'bout how it was her fault Ah was dead and how she shoulda died too. Then, she started talkin' 'bout how life wasn't worth livin' anymore. That scared the hay outta me and Ah had to go tell somepony.”
“Why Princess Luna?”
“Luna and Celestia, because they're immortal, can see and hear me. Ah didn't know where Celestia was, but Ah knew she had left the library and Ah knew there was a good chance that Luna would be in the throne room. Ah went there and she told me to come and let ya know.”
“But, I can hear you now.”
“That's because ya'll are here, in Death's Realm. Speakin' of which, ya ain't supposed to be here. It can't be good for ya to be here and Ah don't know what bein' here this long is gonna do to ya. Ah have a feelin' that the longer ya stay, the harder it's gonna be for ya to get home.”
Twilight looked hurt. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”
“Yes.” Applejack sighed at her friend's expression. “Twi, listen. You ain't dead. You're still alive and Ah intend to keep it that way. Ah don't want ya exposed to this place's magic anymore than ya already are. Ah don't know what it'll do to the livin', but it's the magic of Death so it can't be good. Please, Twilight, for both our sakes, go home. Ah'll look after ya, but ya won't see me. We'll figure out somethin' to keep in touch.”
She put her hooves on Twilight and began pushing her back towards the rift. “Now, ya gotta get goin' before somethin' bad happens. Ah promise we'll talk again.”
Twilight dug her hooves in. “I'm not going anywhere until I find out more about what's going on.”
Tears sprang into Applejack's eyes as she noticed a massive white pony marching purposefully towards them. “Please Twilight, ya gotta go.”
“Applejack, what's wrong?”
“Consarnit, Twilight! Git to steppin'!”
“Please, talk to me. I'm scared for you. Nothing's right.”
An idea popped into her head. For Twilight's own safety, she had to get rid of the unicorn. There was only one way to do this, but she didn't like it.
Twilight never expected the hoof that caught her muzzle. Tears were in her eyes as she looked back towards Applejack. “W-why did you hit me?”
“'Cause ya ain't leavin'.” Applejack snapped. “Ah'm through with ya, Twilight. Ah'm dead and buried and ya'll need to let me lie. Ah got important work to do and Ah ain't got time for your tomfoolery.”
Twilight stumbled, looking confused and hurt. “Applejack, why are you acting like this?”
“Because Ah don't want ya around. Ah don't need ya, any of ya. Ya'll can sit in Tartarus for all Ah care.”
Twilight's ears fell back. “B-but I only wanted to help.”
She let out a derisive snort. “Ah don't need you, or your help, or your friendship. All of ya'll can just stay out there and leave. Me. Alone!” She roared.
The look in Twilight's eyes made her feel sick. She hated hurting her friend, but it seemed rejection was the only way to get rid of her.
To keep her safe.
With a sad shake of her head, Twilight turned and reentered her rift, returning to the mortal realm.
The burning knot clenched Applejack's throat. Hot tears slipped down her cheeks as her breath hitched.
“Ah'm so sorry, Twi. Ah didn't wanna hurt ya, but ya didn't give me any choice. Oh, sweet Celestia, Ah hope ya can forgive me.”
Death stepped up next to her. WHAT WAS THAT?
Applejack couldn't escape the remorse she felt over hurting Twilight like she had, despite her certainty that it had been for the best of reasons. What was worse; she didn't have any proof that being in Death's Realm would have negative effects on her friend.
She began to question the wisdom of staying on as Death's assistant. Was it even necessary? How would things have changed if she had moved forth and stayed ignorant of everything? In the beginning, she had stayed to make sure Rainbow wouldn't have died from her injuries at the bottom of that ravine, but she wouldn't have been able to have any effect on her friend's fate either way. Sparkler still would have come and found them.
How had tormenting her brother stopped the sale of Sweet Apple Acres?
How would overhearing Rainbow's lament have changed anything? Death's book still dictated that the mare would live a long life and, according to the pale pony, that hadn't changed for even a moment. Was it possible that Luna would have found out eventually and warned Twilight all the same?
Had everything she had done been born of selfish desire?
She heaved a heavy sigh.
YOU ARE TROUBLED.
She turned to see it watching her with what she could only describe as curiosity.
“Why do you care,” she snapped.
I KNOW A GREAT DEAL ABOUT HOW BEINGS DIE, APPLEJACK, BUT I KNOW NEXT TO NOTHING ABOUT HOW THEY LIVE. I AM ALWAYS LOOKING TO EXPAND MY KNOWLEDGE. TELL ME WHAT TROUBLES YOU.
“Ah don't rightly know,” she replied. “Ah'm wonderin' if what Ah did was the right thing.”
YOU QUESTION THE MORALITY OF YOUR DECISIONS?
“Ah suppose.”
ABOUT THE INCIDENT WITH RAINBOW DASH'S ATTEMPT TO TAKE HER OWN LIFE?
“About everythin'. Ah'm beginnin' to wonder if Ah did the right thing in stickin' around.”
I AM AFRAID I DO NOT UNDERSTAND. MORALITY HAS ALWAYS BEEN A FOREIGN CONCEPT TO ME. THERE IS ONLY DEATH AND LIFE. WHAT HAPPENS DURING LIFE HAS NEVER HAD ANY EFFECT ON MY WORK. I SIMPLY SEPERATE THE SOUL FROM THE BODY AND THE SOUL DECIDES WHERE IT SHOULD GO FROM THERE.
“That's just the thing. For me, morality has always been simple; 'right' and 'wrong', 'good' and 'bad'. Ya did right by other ponies and you were a good pony. If ya did wrong, you were a bad pony. Ya always wanted to do right and be trustworthy, because trustworthy ponies had a good life. Ponies respect a trustworthy pony. But, the problem now is that Ah'm seein' in shades of grey.”
ALL IS GREY HERE.
“Ah don't mean literally. Ah'm speakin' metaphorical-like. There are some things that, on the surface, seem like good things to do. Things that a good pony does. But, deep down, they're actually somethin' that bad ponies do. Ya understand?”
NO.
“For instance, Ah've hurt mah friends before, but Ah did it to protect them. Does that make me a good pony or a bad pony?”
I CANNOT SAY. FOR ME, THERE IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG, ONLY NECESSARY.
“But what's necessary is a matter of opinion, too. Say ya kill a bad pony 'cause it was necessary, but who's to say that the bad pony only needed help and that's why he was actin' out?”
PRECISELY. WHO IS TO SAY THAT THIS BAD PONY WAS NOT TRULY BAD?
“Now, that ain't fair. Ah've seen some bad beings, but they only needed help.”
YOU SPEAK OF THE SALVATION OF NIGHTMARE MOON AND THE REFORMATION OF DISCORD.
“Yeah.”
BUT YOU SPEAK AS IF THERE IS BOTH GOOD AND EVIL WITHIN US ALL. WHERE, THEN, DO I FIT INTO THAT CONCEPT? DO YOU SEE ME AS EVIL AND IN NEED OF SALVATION BECAUSE I END LIVES OR AM I GOOD BECAUSE I END SUFFERING?
Applejack thought about it for a moment. Death had never shown any malicious intent like she had seen with other evil beings, but he still took lives, which she had been raised to believe as wrong. “Ah gotta admit, that one's got me stumped.”
I AM NEITHER. I SIMPLY AM BECAUSE I FILL A PURPOSE. YOU, TOO, FILL THE SAME PURPOSE. WAR HAS THE PURPOSE OF KEEPING BALANCE. FAMINE HAS THE PURPOSE OF POPULATION CONTROL. PESTILENCE HAS THE PURPOSE OF MAKING A STRONGER SPECIES. NONE OF THESE THINGS ARE DONE IN MALICE, THEY SIMPLY ARE.
“Ah would debate the maliciousness of war.”
ANOTHER OPINION, AND ONE OF MANY, BUT YOU SEE MY POINT. NONE OF THESE THINGS ARE GOOD OR EVIL, THEY SIMPLY ARE AND THEY ARE NECESSARY. PERHAPS WHAT YOU DID WASN'T GOOD OR BAD, ONLY NECESSARY.
She didn't like the thought of that. “If there ain't any good or evil, then what's the point?”
DOES THERE NEED TO BE A POINT?
“Yeah. Else, what'll ponies strive for?”
CAN THEY NOT STRIVE TO BE GOOD PONIES?
“But, there ain't no good or evil,” she was becoming frustrated.
WHY IS IT NECESSARY FOR THE VIRTUES TO BE TRUE FOR THEM TO BE EMBODIED? CAN A BEING NOT EXUDE GOOD VIRTUES EVEN THOUGH THERE IS NOT ACTUAL GOOD IN THE UNIVERSE?
“No!”
WHY NOT? YOU DID.
Applejack's entire argument died in her throat as she realized that Death had a point. While there was no “good” in the universe, she had been considered a good pony.
MORALITY IS A CONSTRUCT OF ALL SENTIENT BEINGS BASED ON A SHARED AND UNWRITTEN CODE OF CONDUCT. THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THIS SAME MORALITY APPLIES TO THE UNIVERSE AS A WHOLE. THE UNIVERSE, AND ALL WITHIN IT, SIMPLY EXISTS.
It dawned on her that Death saw everything, from every perspective. It made no difference whether a pony was considered good or bad, kind or cruel, trustworthy or not. They all ended up the same way.
“From the Earth; we came, and, to the Earth, we shall return,” she said, quoting the Earth pony prayer.
PRECISELY.
That was why it had said “All is grey here”. Because, to Death, all was grey. There was no difference.
She needed to apologize. “Ah'll be back later.”
She opened a rift and stepped through to Twilight's apartment above the library. The unicorn was tinkering with some sort of contraption, making tiny adjustments to what looked like a pair of glasses. Spike sat nearby, looking bored.
“What are we doing again?”
“I've already told you,” she replied.
“Yeah, but most of that was in technical mumbo-jumbo. Put it in lay-dragon's terms.”
Twilight sighed and set down her tools. “Ponies can only see in the visible spectrum. I hope to use the Heat-Seek spell to charge these glasses and be able to see in the thermal spectrum. What I'm doing now is trying to hook this spell battery to the glasses so that it can power the spell without me having to constantly devote energy to maintaining it.”
“But why do we need to use the thermal spectrum?”
She pointed to a book. “According to Inner Sight's Spirits, Spectres, and Spooks : in order to manifest, a spirit or other etherial being must pull energy from its surroundings, in many cases from the ambient heat, creating a cold spot that can betray the location of such a being with a fair degree of accuracy.”
“But, I thought you didn't believe in the supernatural,” Spike objected.
“If you have a better explaination for what's going on here, I'd like to hear it.” Twilight ran a hard-line between a battery pack on a belt around her barrel to the glasses. She closed her eyes and concentrated as her horn began to glow. The lenses of the glasses darkened and shifted colors. The battery pack glowed with the magenta energy as magic fed back down the line from the glasses.
Her head rotated as she scanned the room, pausing at Applejack. “I think I've got something.”
“Already?”
“Looks that way,” she responded, stepping closer to Applejack. “If your name is Applejack, strike the floor twice.”
Clop.
Clop.
Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank Celestia. I don't know what I would have done if you weren't Applejack. Listen, there's no need to apologize. I understand. To be honest, I should have known better than to go wandering around a realm I knew nothing about. I was concerned about you and curious about being in a new place and I guess I got ahead of myself.”
Applejack nodded. “Ah'm glad ya understand. I had a hay of a time figurin' out how to explain what was goin' on to ya.”
“Applejack, I might be able to see you, kind of, but I still can't hear you. We're going to have to figure something out aside from clopping and letter tiles, but we have a more pressing issue. Since you're gone, it's no longer possible for you to serve as the Element of Honesty. Unfortunately, that leaves us a mare down should Equestria ever be threatened again and it's imperative that we have all six Elements available. Celestia told me that the Elements recognize themselves.” She took a deep breath. “Applejack, I need you to find a new bearer for Honesty.”
“And how exactly are we gonna do that?”
“I think she spoke, if the thermal fluctuations are any indication. Applejack, I can't hear you.”
“Didn't you say something about sound frequencies,” Spike asked.
“Yeah,” Twilight prompted, wondering where the baby dragon was going with this.
“Well, maybe she's speaking in a frequency outside of what we can hear.”
Twilight's jaw fell. How was it that she hadn't thought of this first? “Spike, you're a genius!”
“Well, yeah. I live in a library. I'm bound to pick up something sooner or later.”
“It makes perfect sense that she's speaking outside of the hearing frequency, but which frequency?” She paced a moment while she thought. “Spike, where is my oscilloscope?”
“Uhm, I think you lent it to Vinyl Scratch.” He replied.
Applejack swung her scythe and opened a rift. While Twilight fetched her tools, she would have a talk with Princess Celestia.
Luckily for her, Applejack found both Princesses in the throne room when she arrived. Unfortunately, the place was packed with petitioners. Not content to keep at the back of the room, she marched forward, not caring who she passed through. Upon seeing her, Celestia held up a hoof, commanding silence from the gathering.
“A rather urgent emergency has come to our attention,” she proclaimed. “If you would all please bring your concerns to my ministers, they will attend to them promptly.”
With those words, she stood and left. Luna gave a subtle jerk of her head, indicating that Applejack should follow. The trio trotted through the castle to Celestia's private quarters. Once all were comfortable, Applejack began.
“What's this Ah hear about me needin' to select a new Element of Honesty?”
Celestia and Luna shared a look. “Well, we figured it would be fairly obvious. Despite the fact that you still linger, you're no longer-”
“That ain't what Ah have a problem with,” Applejack interrupted. “What Ah want to know is how Ah'm supposed to go about doin' that? Ah mean, do Ah hold interviews or put up flyers or what?”
Celestia couldn't help but giggle at the mental images those words gave her. “Not at all. The Element Bearers are able to recognize themselves. You should be able to sense those qualities in another pony.”
“Sense those qualities? How?”
“That is a question I've been trying to answer for many centuries,” Celestia confessed. “As the former Element of Magic, I recognized the same qualities in Twilight the day I met her.”
“Alright, let's say that Ah find this pony. What happens then? How do Ah convince them that they are an Element Bearer?”
“They have to recognize those same qualities in themselves,” Luna said. “It's rather like getting one's cutie mark, I suppose.”
Applejack removed her hat and massaged her scalp with a hoof. “Ah don't know. That's a tall order. Are ya sure there ain't somepony else that can do it?”
“Unfortunately, you would be the best candidate. We're confident that you can complete this task.”
“Ah'm sure ya'll are,” Applejack groused.
Celestia leaned in and a look of complete seriousness marred her usually mirthful continence. “We understand that you are quite busy, Applejack, but you must complete this task with all due haste. I fear the Elements will soon be needed.”
This gave the Reaper pause. It was not a warning given lightly. “What makes ya say that?”
Celestia sighed and stared off into the distance. “I can't exactly place my hoof on it, but whenever Equestria is threatened, I know it. This is why I was able to send Twilight to Ponyville in time for Nightmare Moon's arrival.”
“Ah thought she came to organize the Celebration.”
“It's true that was the guise I sent her under. I had to deceive my student because, if I told her the true reason, a thousand of my guard wouldn't be able to drag her from that library. The Elements would never have been discovered and manifested. We would all be living in Eternal Night, under the tyranny of that beast.”
Noticing how Luna had wilted, Celestia placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Don't worry, Luna. I don't blame you for what occurred. You were taken from me by something otherworldly. You, Luna, would never have committed those atrocities.”
“It's not that, sister,” Luna replied. “I cannot escape this sense of dread that has accompanied me these past few days.” She turned to Applejack. “Please, you must do everything in your power to find a new Element Bearer, before we are all consumed.”
Applejack frowed. What was so terrible that it could frighten an Alicorn? The Reaper stood, resolve steeling her spine. “Don't worry. Ah'll have another pony fit to fight before too long.”
APPLEJACK! COME IMMEDIATELY!
The shout hurt so much it nearly floored her. It sounded like Death had bellowed in her ear, but the Pale Pony was nowhere nearby. She shook her head to clear her vision. “Ah'm sorry,” she told the princesses. “Ah gotta go. The big pony wants somethin'. Ah promise Ah'll find a new Bearer for ya.”
She called her scythe and opened a rift, stepping from the mortal plain to the Realm of Death. She hurried to the door and trotted through the main room into Death's office, instinctively knowing where her master was.
“Sorry, boss, Ah had some things to take care of back on the mortal plain,” she rattled off as she entered and turned to close the door and hang her hat. “Some stuff has come up that Ah gotta take care of. If this is about another lesson, Ah gotta take a rain...” Her words trailed off as she got a good look at the four ponies occupying the space. Four pairs of eyes, all identical pools of ink, stared back at her. Death patted the floor next to him.
JOIN US, APPLEJACK.
Applejack approached cautiously, never taking her eyes off of the three new ponies. One was a massive crimson monster, far larger than Macintosh. His flesh was covered in scars of every sort and the armor he wore was dented in several places. From his armored saddle hung the heads of a Tauren and a Griffon.
The second pony was a dark blue, nearly black, and bone thin. She could count the knobs of his spine and, given a pair of sticks, she could play a tune on his ribs. His cheeks were hollow and his eyes sunken. The poor devil looked like he had never known the joy of a decent meal.
The third pony was revolting. His pale green skin was mostly concealed in filthy bandages. What was exposed was covered in oozing sores. Patches of his coat had fallen out and the bare spots were black and rotting. He grinned at her, all smiles and few teeth. She took a seat next to Death.
APPLEJACK, ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE MY BROTHERS: WAR, FAMINE AND PESTILENCE. BROTHERS, THIS IS MY APPRENTICE. SHE IS PRIVVY TO ALL SHARED HERE.
The others nodded their approval.
BROTHERS, IT HAS BEEN MANY CENTURIES SINCE WE WERE LAST TOGETHER, Death declared.
NOT SINCE THE DAYS OF THE THREE TRIBES. AH, I MISS THOSE TIMES. SO MUCH STRIFE AND DESTRUCTION, MORE THAN ENOUGH TO KEEP US ALL BUSY. NOW, WITH ALL OF THIS PEACE, THERE IS NEARLY NOTHING TO DO. MY TROPHIES GROW LONELY, War lamented.
AND THE DISEASES. Pestilence turned to Applejack. TRULY HORRIBLE ILLNESSES, THE LIKES OF WHICH YOU'VE NEVER SEEN. HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A PONY VOMIT OUT HIS OWN INTESTINES?
She felt like today would be that day.
BROTHERS, LET US KEEP TO BUSINESS, IF WE MAY. WAR HAS BROUGHT SOME INFORMATION THAT NEEDS TO BE SHARED AND WE MUST DECIDE HOW THESE DEVELOPMENTS WILL BE HANDLED.
War cleared its throat. THE AUDITOR APPROACHES.
She carefully watched the expressions of the beings around her, trying to guage their thoughts. However, nothing in their faces betrayed their minds. She'd hate to be in a poker game with this group.
THE AUDITOR HASN'T BEEN SEEN IN NEARLY A THOUSAND YEARS.
“Who, or what, is the Auditor?”
Death turned to her. THE AUDITOR IS A BEING OF INCREDIBLE POWER. IT IS ORDER AND DESPISES ALL THAT IS CHAOS.
“So it's the opposite of Discord,” she concluded. “But, Discord was evil, spread chaos wherever it went. Isn't this Auditor a good thing, then?”
IF ONLY. THE AUDITOR LIKES ONLY ORDER. BARREN BALLS OF ROCK CIRCLING SUNS IN NEAT ORBITS. IT WILL ELIMINATE ANY CHAOS IT FINDS AND IT CONSIDERS ALL THINGS CHAOS.
“So it poses a threat to all life?” She nodded, “Well, I guess you'll finally get that vacation you've wanted.”
Death simply stared at her. “YOU DO NOT COMPREHEND. INDEED, IT POSES A THREAT TO ALL LIFE. THOSE THAT HAVE COME BEFORE, THOSE THAT ARE, AND THOSE THAT WILL COME STILL. WITHOUT LIFE, THERE IS NO PURPOSE FOR WAR, FAMINE, PESTILENCE, AND DEATH. WITHOUT LIFE, WE WILL CEASE TO EXIST. It leaned close. YOU WILL CEASE TO EXIST.
She took a few breaths to steady herself. “Alright. How do we handle this?”
THAT HAS YET TO BE DECIDED.
I SAY WE STRIKE BACK. WHAT ARE WE IF NOT THE GREATEST FOUR BEINGS IN THE UNIVERSE, War urged.
NOTHING COMPARED TO THE AUDITOR, Death responded.
“Maybe the Elements of Harmony could be enough,” Applejack offered.
PERHAPS, Death agreed. BUT NOT WITHOUT EACH BEARER. WITHOUT HONESTY, THE ELEMENTS ARE USELESS. I KNOW CELESTIA HAS TASKED YOU WITH FINDING A SUITABLE BEARER. HOWEVER, I QUESTION WHETHER OR NOT YOU'D BE ABLE TO FIND ONE IN TIME.
“Maybe the Princesses themselves would be enough.”
CELESTIA COULDN'T STAND AGAINST THE QUEEN OF THE CHANGELINGS. WHAT THREAT DOES SHE POSE TO THE AUDITOR?
Famine, who had remained quiet, cocked his head. PERHAPS, IF WE COULD COMBINE FORCES.
TOGETHER, WE POSE A GREATER THREAT THAN ONE ALONE COULD. Pestilence offered.
Death thought this over. THIS IS OUR BEST TACTIC? ALLY WITH MORTALS?
IF YOU HAVE A BETTER ONE, BROTHER, SPEAK IT.
I DON'T LIKE IT ANY MORE THAN YOU, War said, BUT WE HAVE NOTHING BETTER.
AND HOW WILL THE MORTALS REACT?
They all turned to Applejack, knowing she had been to the Mortal Plain. “Well, nopony was able to see me, except the Princesses, but Ah was able to move things around me. Ah suppose, if we went straight to the palace, we won't stir up too much a ruckus.”
Death nodded. THEN IT IS SETTLED. GO TO THE PRINCESSES, TELL THEM TO GATHER THE REMAINING ELEMENTS, AND, ONE WEEK FROM TODAY, WE WILL MEET.
ARE ANY OTHERS EXCITED? Pestilence asked.
Once again, Applejack found herself marching for Twilight's house, wondering why she even bothered dying. It wasn't like much in her daily routine had changed. Granted, she returned from a different place, but she always found herself wandering Ponyville during the day.
She hoped Twilight would be able to help her find another Element of Honesty. The unicorn, despite being fairly new to Ponyville, had managed to make a lot of connections and had an uncanny ability to read ponies. She seemed to know what was going on behind a pony's eyes and could learn a great deal about their true nature in only a few moments. Not to mention, she had garnered a great deal of respect as the Bearer of Magic. Ponies were more willing to work with her.
Unfortunately, neither Twilight nor Spike were home. Applejack sat down, at a loss as to what to do next. True, Twilight could have been out visiting, but it also made sense that she would have been called to Canterlot, what with the rapidly-approaching Auditor. She didn't think it was practical to sit and wait for the unicorn to return as there was no telling when that would occur. Her mission was on a tight schedule, and she needed Twilight's help.
She heard the sound of many hooves and looked up to see a group of ponies marching for the library, with Twilight at the head.
“Well, how do ya like that?” She asked herself. Instead of searching for her friend, Twilight came to her.
As the crowd approached, she could see why Twilight had attracted such an audience. The mare was covered in specialized gadgetry. There was the spook-spotting glasses, which had been upgraded with more widgets, the purpose of which was lost on the Reaper, than reasonably necessary. A pair of headphones that were perched over her ears with a small microphone jutting from a rig on her chest. Across her back was a massive magical battery, powering everything attached to her.
She looked like she hadn't slept properly in days. Her mane and coat were a mess of matted hair, and her body twitched oddly.
Applejack could hear the mutters of the group around her friend, rumors that the pony had finally lost her mind under the stress of being a Bearer, the Princess' student, and the recent tragedies of her life. Twilight seemed to ignore the speech of the others as she continued her search.
Finally, she turned and noticed Applejack sitting by her front door. “There you are,” she stated, making a bee-line for the Reaper. “I've been looking all over for you. I got my Oscilloscope back from Vinyl and I'm ready for more experiments. I need you to speak into the microphone so that I can gauge the frequency you're speaking in and adjust the headphones so that I can hear you. But, I also have something very important that I need to speak with you about.” She raised her foreleg to eye-level, bringing the Oscilloscope into view.
“Alright,” Applejack said. “Pony Pepper Piper pick a peck of pickled peppers.”
Twilight nodded, “Looks like you're speaking in the frequency of nine-point-eight hertz. I'll adjust accordingly.” She fiddled with some knobs and switches on her earphones and gave a second nod. “Let's do it again to make sure I've made all of the necessary adjustments.”
Applejack leaned into the microphone. “How's this?”
The unicorn gave a startled yelp as she backed up a pace. “Not so loud next time.”
“Sorry.”
“It's okay. Let's go inside so we can have,” she cast a murderous glance over her shoulder, “some privacy.”
They entered the library, Twilight unnecessarily holding the door for the Reaper. Inside, it was quieter, but ponies kept trying to look through the windows. With a flick of her head, Twilight closed the curtains.
“I wanted to bring something up,” Twilight announced without preamble. “Our friends are hurting. Pinkie hasn't been seen in days and Fluttershy seems lost. I want to bring your lingering to their attention, so that they'll know you haven't truly left. However, I'm conflicted. The knowledge that you are still watching over us would bring them some comfort, but the problem is that I don't know how they would take knowing that you haven't found peace.”
Applejack nodded, remembering something that her father had once told her. “Ignorance is bliss.”
Twilight nodded. “I understand. I'm not happy about it, but it's for the best, I suppose.” Going to her desk, she pulled out several files. “I've been interviewing some potential candidates that might work as an Element of Honesty. I think you'll like these.”
The folders held the pictures and brief bios of four different ponies. She had met one of them and knew the others by reputation.
“Big Mac ain't a possibility, Twi.” Applejack drawled. “Surely ya heard?”
“No, I haven't.”
She drew a deep breath. “Sweet Apple Acres got sold. Mac and Bloom don't live here no more. They moved on to Manehatten for a construction job.”
Twilight's ears wilted, “Oh, I'm so sorry.” With a hoof, she pulled Big Mac's folder away.
“Ain't much you could've done about it, at any rate.” Applejack replied. “What say we get on the rest of these?s We're on a short schedule.”
Twilight cocked her head. “I've been meaning to ask about that. I know something is coming. Princess Celestia insinuated as much when we last spoke. I can't figure out what it might be.”
“Believe me, Twi, ya don't wanna know. Just trust me when I say things are gonna change around here.”
“What kind of change,” Twilight inquired.
“Ever heard of the Four Ponies of the Apocalypse?”
Twilight sat straight, “You mean they actually exist.”
“Eeyup. Death, my employer, is one of 'em. They're gonna be poppin' up here soon.”
“I...I should warn everypony.”
Applejack shook her head. “Nope. That's the exact opposite of what ya oughta do. Ah want ya to keep this quiet. They ain't gonna hurt anypony and all we're gonna do is go to the palace, have a talk with the Princesses, and be on our way. That's all.”
“Wait...you're going to see the Princesses? Oh sweet Celestia, you're not gonna kill them, are you? I need to warn them.”
“Hold yer horses, Twi. All Ah mean is whatever has Celestia and Luna up in arms has Death and his brothers spooked as well. There's gonna be a big meetin' concernin' all of this, soon as Ah can get everythin' set up.”
Twilight seemed to settle down a little. “I don't think I like the idea of the Harbingers of Doom paying us a social call.”
“They don't like it any more than you, believe me.” Applejack rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the folders. “Ah like Cheerilee and Octavia. Let's focus on them.”
Twilight retrieved the folders and stored them away. “Alright. We need to get together with them and have an interview. I'd like you there so that you can see what they're like when they're not in the spotlight. I've always considered myself a decent judge of character, but you would know better than most.”
Applejack couldn't help but agree, especially when it came to her own element. “Alright, but Ah think ya'll should leave them doodads behind. Ponies ain't gonna take you seriously if ya'll are wanderin' around looking like somethin' from a Sci-fi book.”
Twilight was taken back. “But, how will I be able to tell if you're there?”
Applejack scoffed. “Ya'll can always come back and get my say. There's nothing stoppin' ya from that. Besides, Ah don't want everypony knowin' I'm still hangin' around. Ah don't think it would do well for everypony's state of mind to know that there's a creature who can take their lives on a whim wanderin' the streets.”
Twilight nodded. “I see where you're coming from. I'll hold my tongue, but we still need to help our friends. They're in a sorry state, Applejack.”
“Ah understand, Twi. Really, Ah do, but what kinda state they gonna be in when they find out about my lingerin'? Ah mean, one of their best friends, who has, they're convinced, moved on, is still hangin' around and watchin' their misery.”
“We have to do something.” Twilight asserted. “They're suffering.”
“And we will,” Applejack assured her. “We just gotta wait for a good time to do it. Ah'm sorry, Twi, but Ah don't need ponies keepin' an eye out for me every time I make the Mortal Plain. Best to just keep it like it is.”
“And what happens when another of our friends tries something like Dash did?” The unicorn challenged. “What happens the next time I have to go galloping through the night because somepony has slit open their forelegs or downed the contents of their medicine cabinets?”
“Ah wanna help in some kinda way.”
“Then let me tell them.”
“And what'll that do? 'Oh, hey girls. Y'know our friend, the one we were all convinced had moved on and would want us to do the same? Yeah, she sold her soul into slavery to Death itself to watch over us.' Yeah, that'll go over real well.”
“What do you want me to tell them?”
“Nothing!” Applejack snapped, frustrated that Twilight couldn't see that she had their best interests at heart.
“That's not acceptable. We've already seen what could happen with that.”
“Dash blamed herself from my death. She was unstable. She shouldn't have been let out of the hospital to begin with.”
Twilight sighed. “Luna's investigation found that Doctor Script felt Rainbow was as she seemed, stable, but grieving. She was supposed to return for therapy twice a week.”
Applejack groaned and facehoofed. “Shoulda just moved on. Ah wouldn't have to deal with this mess if Ah'd just moved on.” After a moment of thinking, she locked gazes with Twilight. “Say nothin' to them, ya hear? Ah'll take care of this. In the meantime, Ah have somethin' for you to do. Ah need ya to get with Cheerilee and Octavia and set dates for an interview. Invite them to tea or somethin', Ah don't care. Leave a note on your calender where Ah can see it. Have the interviews here on those dates and times, Ah'll be here.”
Startled by the Reaper's sudden change in mood and tone, Twilight didn't know what to do other than nod. “Okay.”
“Good. Don't let them know we're interviewin' for a new Element Bearer. You're just regular Twilight Sparkle drinkin' regular tea with her regular friends and hopin' to catch up after a difficult couple o' months. Get 'em here and keep 'em talkin'. Ah'll take care of everythin' else.”
“Okay.”
With a huff, Applejack turned and left. Out on the street, she began to mutter to herself, cursing Death, and herself, and the Griffon bandits that put her in this mess. For a moment, she seriously considered going to Death and telling him she wanted out, but she couldn't. She had given her word to look after and protect her friends, even from beyond the grave. Death, Twilight, and even the Princesses were depending on her to protect them from the Auditor. It was quite a load to put on a single simple farm pony.
She paused for a moment. Worrying over all she had to do would only make the task seem larger and not actually get anything done. She needed to break everything down into simple objectives and follow them step-by-step. That's how she handled her work on the farm when she had a long list of chores to tend to, and it always worked.
She spotted the hospital just down the street. “Since Ah'm already headin' in that direction, Ah might as well.”
She resolved to tell Dash what the Pegasus wanted to hear. It wouldn't be easy, but it was for the best. How she was going to do it, however, she had no idea.
The psych ward of Ponyville Hospital was surprisingly pleasant. Walls of pristine white and utilitarian gray gave way to hues of soothing blue and pleasant green. They were a sharp contrast to what was confined within them. Ponies in various stages of breakdown occupied the rooms on either side of her. Those that didn’t pose a danger to themselves or others were allowed to move about their rooms freely. Behind one closed door, she could hear sobbing. The door across from it was open and occupied by a single stallion, who stared at nothing while convulsively sipping from an empty cup. Another held a mare who batted at things only she could see, cooing happily. Applejack focused her gaze to the floor and marched on, hoping to find Dash’s room quickly and leave. She didn’t like this place.
“Hey!”
Her eyes snapped up and she saw the colt again, still with his bruised eyes and broken muzzle. “Hi there. You’re a bit far from where Ah last saw ya.”
The colt shrugged. “I come up here from time to time and watch the ponies. There’s not much to do when you’re dead.”
“Ah wish Ah could sympathize.” She responded. “The big pony’s kept me busier than a beaver in Spring.”
“Speaking of which, have you had a chance to talk to him?”
Applejack smiled. “Walk with me.”
Down the hall they went, passing by patients and doctors and unnoticed by all. “Ah’ve gotta bit of good news for ya.”
“Really?” The colt asked, an edge of excitement creeping into his voice.
“Eeyup. Turns out that you’re near ready for Elysium. There’s just one more thing ya need to do.”
“There is? Is it easy? Oh, who cares if it’s easy, I get to go! Is my sister gonna be there?”
She sat down. “The only thing I can tell ya is how to do it. Ya need to realize somethin’.”
The colt looked confused. “Realize something? What’s that?”
Applejack stared at him a moment. “This ain’t gonna be easy. Ah need ya to realize that none of this is your fault. Everythin’ your mama did to ya, everythin’ you’re goin’ through now, none of it was your fault.”
He cocked his head in confusion. “I don’t understand. Why would mom punish me if I hadn’t done anything wrong?”
She swallowed. “Your mama was a very sad, very sick mare. When your sister passed, somethin’ inside her broke. Ah can’t tell ya what, but she was hurt bad. She didn’t take her hurt right. Instead of gettin’ the help she needed, she tried to get help where she had no business goin’. It didn’t get rid of her pain, just made her mean. She wanted to hurt ponies like she was hurtin’, and the only pony available was you.”
“But, if she was hurt, why didn’t she go to a hospital?”
She reached out with a hoof and ran it through his mane. It was as if somepony had put a blade through her heart. “Ah wish Ah could tell ya, sugarcube. Ah really do.”
“But,” his voice was beginning to crack, “Didn’t she love me?”
The blade twisted. “Ah’m sure she did. After ya died, the pain finally became too much. She took her own life.”
The colt cringed at that. She wrapped her forelegs around him and pulled him in for a tight embrace as he began to sob. “Ah’m sorry, sugarcube. Ah’m so terribly sorry, but ya needed to know. Ya needed to know these things, bad as they are. Your mama hurt ya, but none of that’s your fault. None of it, ya hear me? The sooner ya realize that, the sooner ya can leave this place.”
After a while, his sobs ceased and he pushed away.
“Now,” Applejack said. “Ah need to ask ya somethin’. Were ya a good boy?”
“I...I tried to be.”
“Nah, that ain’t gonna do. Remember what Ah told ya; nothin’ that happened to ya was your fault.”
He gave a single nod. “Right.”
“Now, were ya a good boy?”
He frowned for a moment. “Yeah. Yeah, I was. I didn’t hurt nopony and always did what I was told. I washed my face and brushed my teeth and did my schoolwork the best I could and...What’s that?”
Applejack turned and saw a large door behind her. It looked sturdy and seemed to be made of heavy oak. Furthermore, it hadn’t been there before. In fact, she was willing to bet that it had appeared around the same time the colt had started listing off the ways he was good. She hunched down and whispered into his ear. “Ah think it’s for you.”
Hesitantly, the colt stepped forward, stopping only a few inches from the door. He let out a startled yelp as a pony trotted through, oblivious of the obstacle. He stood for a moment, hoof pressed to his chest as he panted, before looking back at Applejack.
She gave him a nod of encouragement.
He reached up with a single hoof and grasped the lever. Pulling it down, the mechanics within the lock clicked and the door slowly swung open, revealing the hallway continuing on the other side.
He turned back to her with a questioning look, which she responded to with a shrug. She hadn’t seen a pony pass over to the other side, so she really didn’t have any experience in the matter.
He turned back to the door and took a few hesitant steps towards the door. First one hoof, then another, then a third, crossed the threshold. He was nearly through when he spared another glance back at her. Without warning, he spun around and galloped back towards her, tackling her in a hug and burying his face in her chest. “Thank you.”
The chuckle she gave wasn’t some forced bubble, but truly genuine as she gave him a playful noogie. “Ya’d better get goin’. Ah don’t know how long that thing’s gonna hang around, but Ah’m sure it ain’t gonna be forever.”
“Yeah. Right. I gotta go!” He agreed, charging back to the door, pausing only long enough to wave goodbye, before he stepped through and vanished. There was no flash of light. He didn’t fade away. One moment he was there and, the next, both he and the door were gone.
Applejack gave a surprised grunt. She had just helped her first spirit pass over and it was easier than she thought. All she had to do was convince him that nothing that had occurred to him was his fault.
She chuckled as she continued down the hall, always checking for Rainbow’s room, when a disturbing thought occurred to her. She had just sent a young colt to Elysium on nothing more than his word. Sure, he had said he had been good and everything she knew of him and his story had pointed to that, but she hadn’t been there to witness it herself. There was no doubt that what he had suffered wasn’t his fault, but what did this mean for the future? Could she be so easily convinced to give a pony who had done evil a free pass to paradise, or damn an innocent soul to eternal torment just on the word of that pony?
She sat down and took a deep, shuddering breath. It was a good thing this was only a temporary job. She didn’t think she could do it for much longer and she could now understand why Death needed a break. Anypony would after this much stress.
Her nerves calmed, she continued her search for Rainbow Dash’s room, wondering how much further she’d have to go. There hadn’t been any sign of of the pegasus and hoped that she hadn’t been released again. She wasn’t a psychologist, but she knew it would take a long time for her friend to heal.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, she found the door. The white board beside it indicated who’s room it was with R. Dash written out in red pen. She stood before the door, unexpectedly hesitant. She didn’t quite know what to expect on the other side of the solid-looking metal door. There was a small window at eye-level, where doctors could look in on a patient and, while she expected a slot where food could be pushed through, there wasn’t one. That was a good sign. Rainbow was stable enough to not stay locked in and restrained.
Now that she thought about it, there wasn’t really a reason to keep Dash restrained. Certainly she was a danger to herself, but precautions could be taken to keep that danger to a minimum. The probably monitored her often, with lots of therapy and medication to help her.
Applejack couldn’t help but chuckle at the mental image of a strung-out Rainbow bound to her bed with leather belts. It wasn’t funny, but it was a ridiculous thing to fear. She stepped through the door and into the room itself.
The first thing that struck her was that it didn’t look very comfortable. The bed was a solid-looking thing made of metal and built to last. There wasn’t much in the way of comforts in the room, but that was to be expected.
On a little table by the bed, there were a couple of books, but the didn’t look like they had been touched.
Dash sat on the bed, staring down at her hooves. Her mane was unkempt and her wings looked like she hadn’t preened them in days. She was thinner now, her usual diet of high-fiber granola and protein shakes, having been replaced with the more varied meals provided by the hospital staff. Her fur was matted where she slept on it and hadn’t brushed it back out.
Applejack shook her head at the sorry state of her friend and tried to decide how she could lift Dash’s spirits. The fastest way to do that would be to tell the mare what she wanted to hear, even though it would be a lie. With Dash feeling better, she would be released from the hospital, hopefully in time for the meeting.
She began to pace, trying to figure out how to get her message across to Dash. Rainbow was not like Twilight. She would not come to the same conclusions as the unicorn. Odd happenings were just that and were to be ignored until they stopped. Either that, or Dash would begin to believe she really was losing her mind.
There was a window near the bed. The glass was thick and reinforced with steel mesh. She trotted over to it as she thought about the past weeks?...Months?...Years? She really had lost all concept of time. Rainbow Dash, proud to the point of vanity, was reduced to a shamed shell of herself. She had nearly died by her own hoof and, if it hadn’t been for her intervention, Rainbow Dash would have been her second soul-reaping lesson.
She wondered how things could have gone so horribly wrong. Everything was falling apart and she was able to do nothing more but stand to the side and watch it happen. Perhaps this feeling of utter helplessness was what the Princess had been referring to when she said that watching the world change and not being able to do a thing about it.
She let out a sigh, and the window fogged over a bit.
She stared as the condensation dissipated, the wheels turning in her mind. Leaning close, Applejack panted on the glass, making the spot of fog grow. Satisfied, she raised a hoof and began to draw. She worked quickly, before the condensation had a chance to dissipate again.
She stepped back and admired her hoofwork, looking over her shoulder to see if Dash had noticed.
The Pegasus stared at the window with a mixture of shock and rage. She locked onto it, her mouth flapping wordlessly while her wings buzzed in agitation. Dash mewled in pain before taking a deep breath.
The reaper wasn’t the least bit prepared for the string of high-volume profanity that left her friend’s mouth. The pony jumped off of the bed and stomped over to the window, wiping away the message with a single hoof.
“What the hay is wrong with ponies? Did they think I would feathering like this? Did some featherbrained nimrod think this was feathering funny?” She ranted as Applejack worked to reform what her friend had destroyed.
Rainbow returned to the bed. “It’s okay, Dash. If you don’t calm down, the doctors will come in a drug you again. Just remember what Doctor Script said. Deep breath. Relax. The sun is warm. The grass is…”
Her mantra halted as Applejack up the finishing touches on her work. Their initials in a drawn heart.
She turned back to see Rainbow staring at the window in open-mouthed shock. “Applejack? Is that you? Are you here?”
“Yeah. Yeah, Ah’m here. Everything’s gonna be okay.”
Rainbow continued to stare at the window. “Is this for real?”
Applejack turned to look back at the fading heart. “It’s what ya needed to hear, sugarcube.”
l-l-l-l
Returning to Death’s Realm, Applejack found the Four Ponies of the Apocalypse waiting for her. She took in the group. “Ah guess Ah oughta get out the extra placemats and put fresh linens on the beds.”
WE NEITHER EAT NOR SLEEP, APPLEJACK. Death responded. The others nodded their consensus.
“Ah know that, boss. I was makin’ a joke.”
AH, PLEASE WARN US NEXT TIME. WE’LL BE SURE TO ACT ACCORDINGLY.
As it seemed Death lacked a sense of humor, She simply gave an embarrassed grin and nodded. “Sure thing, boss.”
HAVE YOU MANAGED TO HAVE WORD WITH THE PRINCESSES?
She shook her head. “Not yet. Ah was a bit busy ensurin’ there’d be a new Element of Honesty and gettin’ Rainbow Dash outta the mental ward. We’re gonna need all hooves on deck if we’re gonna get rid of this Auditor feller
AND WHAT PROGRESS HAVE YOU MADE?
“Ah’ve been havin’ words with Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic, and she’s told me that she’s found a few ponies that might make good replacements. Ah can’t say for certain ‘till Ah’ve seen ‘em for myself. There’s gonna be a few meet and greets while Ah sit on the sidelines and watch.”
MAKE CERTAIN YOU VISIT WITH THE PRINCESSES AT THE FIRST OPPORTUNITY. WE HAVE VALUABLE TIME THAT CANNOT BE WASTED.
Applejack held up a hoof to stop him. “Ah don’t feel comfortable making any plans for the future until we have a new Element of Honesty brought up to speed and ready to go. Not to mention that Dash is still sittin’ pretty in the mental ward and Ah gotta make sure she’s clear before anythin’ else happens.”
I SEE. VERY WELL, CONTINUE AS PLANNED BUT TAKE NO MORE DEVIATIONS FROM YOUR GOAL. ALLOW ME TO RESTATE THAT WE HAVE NO TIME TO SPARE. AM I UNDERSTOOD?
She snapped off a salute. “Loud and clear, bosspony.”
ALSO, IT HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION THAT YOU ASSISTED A SOUL IN CROSSING OVER.
“Eeyup, that colt that was in the hospital.”
WELL DONE. WHILE I HAVE NOT INSTRUCTED YOU IN HOW TO PROPERLY PERFORM THIS TASK, I FIND INITIATIVE TO BE AN EXCELLENT QUALITY. HOW DID YOU FIND THE EXPERIENCE?
“Rewardin’,” she replied after a bit of thought.
INDEED. AS IT SHOULD BE.
As she turned to leave, Death called her attention again.
ONE FINAL THING, APPLEJACK. INFORM TWILIGHT SPARKLE THAT SHE IS NEVER AGAIN TO INVADE MY REALM WITHOUT MY PERMISSION.
She felt her blood freeze a moment. How long had Death known?
WHILE THE MAGIC HERE CANNOT HARM A MORTAL, I DO NOT APPRECIATE THEM RUNNING ROUGHSHOD THROUGH MY HOME. IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN, I WILL HAVE TO HAVE WORDS WITH HER MYSELF.
Death let that threat hang in the air for a moment before raising a forehoof and flicking it at her. ON YOUR WAY.
Author's Note
Hi, guys.
She stood on the lane that led up to the old farmhouse. Everything was unnaturally quiet. It was just like the morning Granny had passed. They had been expecting the old mare to succumb to her age for a while so her death wasn't nearly as shocking. They had wept, they had grieved, they had remembered, they had adjusted, then life returned to normal.
Applejack watched as a breeze she couldn't feel rustled the tops of the apple trees. On the porch, the screen door rattled and banged, beating against the frame.
She wanted to get this over and done with, but she couldn't will her hooves another step. So, she simply stood there, a few meters from the door, wishing that all of this was a nightmare. Hoping that, any moment, her alarm would ring, she would open her eyes, and be ready for a new day.
But wishing and hoping weren't going to cut it. She was one of the lingering dead and she knew it. As Granny Smith had always said: you can't make a three course meal of a bicycle, better to just get on it and ride.
She had never understood that saying, until now. Accept things as they were and adjust accordingly.
With a weary sigh, she trudged up to the house and, with only a little hesitation, stepped inside.
The interior was silent and empty. She moved through the living room, her hooves making not a sound. In the kitchen, Winona was curled up on front of the oven, dozing.
She remembered how Angelhad reacted to her presence and wondered if her faithful dog would do the same. Slowly, she entered the kitchen.
Winona cam alert almost immediately, leaping to her paws and letting out a low whine.
“Can you see me?” Applejack asked, taking another step.
The collie reacted, tucking her ears to her head and her tail between her legs and retreating up the stairs to the second floor. Curious, Applejack followed. She watched as the dog disappeared into the furthest room on the left. Applebloom's bedroom. Through the open door, she could hear muffled sobs and hushed voices.
She poked her head in, spotting Macintosh sitting on Applebloom's bed. She almost didn't see the nearly grown filly sheltered in her brother's hooves. Mac nuzzled her while whispering words of comfort, working through his own grief to comfort her.
At the foot of the bed, Winona lay, watching the door carefully. The moment Applejack stepped through, the dog was up again. Her hackles were raised and she let out a growl, calling the attention of the other two ponies. Macintosh reached forward and nudged her.
“Winona, hush now. There ain't nothing there.”
She took another step into the room. Winona rose to her full size, completely puffed out, and began to bark loudly.
“Enough now! Nothin's there!”
Applejack slowly backed out of the room. Her friends were hurting, her dog didn't recognize her, and her family was completely oblivious to her presence. Perhaps it was true, what Death had said. Perhaps she should have just moved on. This was no longer her world. She no longer had any place here.
No.
She would show them that she was still here, still watching over them. She was Applejack, the loyalest of friends and most dependable of ponies. She would find some way to show them. She had heard stories of ghosts moving things and making noises so that the living would hear them. She had thought those were made up to scare foals, but now she began to think that they had something to them. All she needed to do was find some way to make it so.
She left her family farm with a new purpose. Even if she couldn't be ressurected, she would find a way to contact her friends, to let them know that she was happy so that they could carry on. Outside, she reached with a hoof and brushed the Ankh that hung around her neck.
There was a tug. Then nothing. She stood over an abyss. Darkness surrounded her. There was no sight, no sound. Nothing.
The first thing she noticed was the sensation of grass brushing against her legs and the kiss of the wind along her coat. She could smell dirt and flowers and pollen. Gradually, everything came into focus. Grass and trees and, in the distance, a little cottage, swam into focus. For a moment, she thought she was stuck on the mortal plain. But, something was wrong.
There was no color.
The whole world looked like one of those old photographs from when her granny had been a young mare. There were no hues of green and blue and red, but everything was in shades of gray. She rubbed at her eyes, hoping that it was only her, but, when she opened them again, the world remained without color.
Everything felt right. The grass felt like grass and the warmth of the sun was real, as was the breeze that pushed her mane. But, no matter how she looked at it, this place was just wrong.
Slowly, she approached the cottage. The meadow rustled as she moved through it. She paused and dug at the ground for a moment, revealing gray dirt.
“As if this day could get any stranger.” She muttered to herself, wondering what surprises the afterlife would reveal next.
She approached the cottage, raising a hoof and rapping on the door. “Hello?”
The door slowly opened with an appropriately ominous groan. The inside of the cottage, despite its outward appearance, was cavernous and seemed to stretch on forever. Through the foyer, she could see a sitting room that held furniture one would find in any house. Overstuffed chairs sat next to lampstands with magazines on them. She stepped through the door, which slammed shut behind her. Startled, she spun to find her exit blocked. But, next to the door, was a surprise. A hat stand with a familiar stetson hanging from it.
Applejack lifted the hat from the hook and gave it a wary sniff. It was hers. It smelled like her. It was the wrong color, though. She expected, since her hat was brown, this one would translate to an even grey. However, it was black, as black as a moonless night.
Regardless of its appearance, it was still her old hat. She donned it, sighing at the familiar press of the band around her head.
She scanned the foyer again. “Hello? Is...uhm...anypony here?”
Crossing the sitting room, she caught sight of one of the magazines. Afterlife Weekly was its title, with subtitles announcing articles like Tips for Proper Scythe Care and True Death Stories .
“Death?” She called out again.
An alcove off of the sitting room offered two doors and a staircase. She opened the first door and peeked in, finding an expansive office with a massive oak desk as its centerpiece. Next to the desk was a large globe of Equis.
Along the far wall, behind the desk, was a massive bookshelf filled with thick, leather-bound tomes. Three titles stood out to her: Celestia, Luna , and Discord , as well as several other names she didn't recognize.
These were demi-gods, untouchable by Death. She selected Celestia and opened it. A few names jumped out at her. Nightmare Moon...Twilight Sparkle...Elements of Harmony.
This was an biography, being written as they lived their lives. It would make sense that Death wanted to keep track of them.
She closed the book and carefully replaced it. She didn't want her new employer to know she had been snooping.
Leaving the office, she entered the second door. This held a library that seemed to stretch on forever. Heavy bookshelves reached for the heaven, their tops hidden by clouds. At the edge of each row were plaques, each about eye-height, listing what could be found in each row. Just like a library.
She selected a book at random and paged through it. Like Celestia, these were self-writing biographies, but, unlike the ones in Death's office, these were for normal, mortal creatures. Reading through the book, she suddenly realized that she was spying on this being's life.
“This ain't right.” She muttered, replacing the book.
Upstairs, there was only one room. She opened the door to find her bedroom. It was the same room she had spent her life sleeping in. Everything was exactly as she remembered it. The old bed that her father had built, with his own hooves, sat against the wall, opposite the window that faced East. The trunk that held the extra bedding sat at the foot. The hooks where she hung her hat and her lasso were next to the door, exactly where she remembered them. The room even held the same scent.
Was this some kind of sick joke? Did Death want to taunt her with what was no longer hers as punishment for not moving on when he wanted her to?
WELCOME.
She spun to find Death standing directly behind her. She hadn't even heard him approach. Angrily, she gestured behind her.
“Ya mind explainin' all of this?”
Death cocked his head. I'M AFRAID I DON'T UNDERSTAND.
“This! All of this!” She turned and paced around the room. “Everything exactly as it was. Why do you have this? Where did you get it? How did you get it?”
YOU TAKE NO COMFORT FROM THIS?
She felt her choler rise. “Comfort? Comfort! What the hay do ya think you're tryin' to pull?! Why would Ah take comfort from reminders of what Ah can't have anymore?!”
Death nodded. MY APOLOGIES. I THOUGHT HAVING WHAT IS FAMILIAR WOULD HELP TO EASE YOUR TRANSITION. It waved a hoof, wiping away all of the room. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PLACE WITHIN THIS ROOM WHATEVER YOU WISH.
“This is mine?”
OF COURSE. A SANCTUARY WHERE YOU MAY RETREAT TO BE ALONE WITH YOUR THOUGHTS. THIS TASK IS A DIFFICULT ONE, ESPECIALLY FOR ONE SUCH AS YOU, WHO KNOWS THE STING OF MORTALITY. YOU WILL FIND THAT, FOR A WHILE, IT WILL OFTEN BECOME MORE THAN YOU CAN ENDURE. WHEN THAT COMES, THIS ROOM IS YOURS TO USE AS YOU WISH.
She nodded. “Ah see.”
AGAIN, I APOLOGIZE IF I CAUSED YOU ANY DISTRESS. I ASSURE YOU, THAT WAS NEVER MY INTENTION.
She waved away its concern. “Nah, Ah'm just a little over-sensitive.”
UNDERSTANDABLE, ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. IF YOU NEED A MOMENT, PLEASE TAKE YOUR TIME. I WILL BE IN MY OFFICE. DOWNSTAIRS AND...”
“...straight across from the stairs. Ah've found it.”
It nodded and left.
Applejack looked over her room. It was like looking at a blank sheet of paper. She wanted to add something, but wasn't entirely sure how to go about it. All she could focus on was what she had seen before and, despite how she had protested to Death, she wanted it. She supposed it was the shock of seeing something so familiar in a place so alien after all of the stress of the past few days that had caused her outburst, but she did find it comforting. She closed her eyes and concentrated.
When she opened them again, there was everything. The bed, the chest, the window, the hooks, even her rope, which hadn't been there before.
“Well, how do ya like that?” She observed. She climbed up onto the bed and turned slowly, taking in the sensation of the quilt and the old mattress, even the one spring that had broken and poked her flank when she laid wrong.
She hopped down, her hooves clopping across the wooden floor as she went to the chest and opened it. There was a couple of pillows, a spare quilt, and a set of sheets. She went to the window and looked out to see an apple orchard in full bloom. Something told her that this wasn't an actual apple orchard, but a projection of her mind.
She turned and left the room, heading back down the stairs to the office of Death. It sat behind the desk, a quill working itself across a scroll before him.
He looked up as she entered. ARE YOU READY TO BEGIN?
“Yes,” she nodded. “What are we goin' to do?”
FIRST THINGS COME FIRST! Death declared, rising from his desk. WE NEED TO BUILD YOUR SCYTHE.
She cocked her head. “Why would Ah need a Scythe?”
THE SCYTHE IS A NECESSARY TALISMAN FOR THE REAPING OF SOULS, ESPECIALLY IF THE SOUL IS UNWILLING. IF YOU SHOULD FIND THE SOUL UNWILLING, WHICH HAPPENS MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, THEN YOU MUST USE THE SCYTHE TO SEVER IT FROM ITS MORTAL FORM.
“Can't Ah just use your Scythe?”
A REAPER'S SCYTHE IS TUNED TO THEIR SOUL AND THEIR SOUL ALONE. MY SCYTHE WOULD BE USELESS TO YOU AS YOURS WOULD BE USELESS TO ME. YOU MUST BUILD YOUR SCYTHE, WITH YOUR OWN HOOVES.
“Ah wouldn't know how to build the kind of Scythe you use.”
I KNOW. I SHALL GUIDE YOU. Death drew his own Scythe and swung it, opening a hazy blue rift in the air. COME, APPLEJACK. WE SHALL BEGIN.
She followed him through the rift and found herself in a forest. The ground was torn apart in massive rifts, leaving wide chasms that were lined with charcoal-grey trees. She approached the nearest one and pressed a hoof to it.
“This tree is made of stone.”
INDEED. THE TREES HERE WERE ONCE ALIVE, BUT MILLIONS OF YEARS OF VOLCANIC ERUPTION HAVE CAUSED THEM TO FOSSILIZE. THIS IS THE PETRIFIED FOREST.
“I've never heard of anything like this in Equestria.”
THE PETRIFIED FOREST IS NOT FOUND IN EQUESTRIA. WE FIND OURSELVES IN A SEPARATE REALM ALTOGETHER. YOU MUST HARVEST ONE OF THESE TREES, APPLEJACK. FROM ITS STONE, YOU WILL FASHION THE SHAFT OF YOUR SCYTHE.
She chuckled and pulled her stetson lower on her brow. “'Tain't a problem.”
She rotated up onto her forehooves and cocked her hind legs, winding up for the most powerful buck. She kicked, slamming her hooves into the stone. A shock wave threw dust as it spread out from her.
But the tree remained solid.
Inspecting her work, she noticed, much to her dismay, that she had not marked the stone in the slightest.
“What the hay?”
IF YOU WERE NOT SO IMPATIENT, I WOULD HAVE EXPLAINED HOW TO HARVEST A PETRIFIED TREE.
“And how, exactly, do Ah do that?”
YOU ATTEMPTED TO HARVEST THIS TREE AS YOU WOULD HARVEST APPLES. THIS IS NOT WISE. INSTEAD, SINCE YOU ONLY REQUIRE A BIT FOR THE SHAFT OF YOUR SCYTHE, TRY TO TAKE ONLY A BIT.
It was ridiculously simple. Only take what was needed. She adjusted her aim, fighting her instincts to center her strike, and bucked again. With a loud snap, a length of the stone tree broke off, twirling a short distance away.
WELL DONE, APPLEJACK. AS A WHOLE, THE TREE IS SOUND AND IMPOSSIBLE TO SIMPLY BREAK, BUT, IF YOU WERE TO CONCENTRATE THE FORCE TO A SMALLER AREA, YOU WILL FIND THAT THESE THINGS ARE, INDEED, FRAGILE.
She fetched what she had broken off, a piece roughly half the length of her body. It was cold and gritty in her mouth, but would make a fine shaft.
COME, THERE IS MORE WE NEED TO FETCH. Again, Death swung his Scythe and opened another rift, stepping through with Applejack in tow.
Willing to bet that Rainbow was out of the hospital, Applejack set out for the pegasus' cloud-house on the other side of town. Briefly, she wondered how she would actually get up to the cloud-house, but figured she would find some way up to it.
As she passed by the Library, she spotted a familiar golden chariot sitting a few steps from its door. The armored Pegasi that drew it were idly watchful for any threats, not that there was any in quiet Ponyville. At least, none that She couldn't handle.
And if She was here.
“Oh no.” Applejack muttered as she dashed into the library.
At a small table, Princess Celestia sat with Twilight, who was on the verge of tears while trying to explain the unexplainable.
“You know I would never normally say anything like that, Princess. I was a wreck. I had destroyed half of the library. The mess took days to clean up, but, after I got over the hangover-”
“You turned to alcohol?” Celestia asked in a concerned tone.
“I had only one, but it was pretty potent. Spike reminded me of what I had done and I knew I had to apologized immediately and...” She winced in expectation of a blow. “Please don't hate me.”
Celestia glanced around the room and, for a moment, the Alicorn's gaze locked on to Applejack. She blinked once before giving a nearly-imperceptible nod.
“I understand, Twilight.” She said, returning her attention to the Unicorn. “I, too, have known the pain of lost friends, but rarely so suddenly. Perhaps my years have hardened my heart more than I'd care to admit. I will forgive you on one condition.”
“Name it!” Twilight nearly leaped onto the table with eagerness.
“I would like some tea.”
“Tea! Yes. Of course. Right away.” She galloped off to see to her mentor's wish.
Celestia returned her gaze to Applejack. “Why do you linger?”
Her jaw fell and, cautiously, she approached the Alicorn. “You can see me?”
Celestia smiled. “We now share something very unique. Neither of us are mortal. It's a burden my sister and I have had to live with since our births. We have the ability to see and interact with the lingering dead. As time passed, what few genuine friends we had would age and die while we remained the same. Sometimes, we would find one or two that lingered for whatever reason. I was able to convince them to continue on while I did the same, letting them live on in my memories. Luna never had that ability. She was torn between wanting them to move forth to a better place and needing them to stay by her side forever.
“In time, this conflict drove her mad. Now, answer my question.”
Applejack held out a hoof and called her Scythe, its blue aura glowing brightly.
Celestia's eyes widened. “So, it has taken an apprentice. Why, Applejack?”
“Ah did it to make sure Rainbow would be okay and Ah do it because Ah made a promise and Applejack keeps her promises.”
“Your loyalty to your friend is admirable, but you have no idea what you've done. Watching as your world changes destroys something precious within you and that's to say nothing of being Death. Not all ponies die old, warm and safe in their bed, surrounded by friends and family.”
“Ah wouldn't have done this if Ah didn't think Ah could handle it.” Applejack replied less than convincingly.
“You think so now.” Celestia replied, ominously. “But this; immortality will destroy you. The pain it causes me is nearly unbearable and I can only imagine how it will be for you. I have had to watch my loved ones die. You will be the one performing the act. Not murdering, but ending their lives all the same.”
She shook her head ruefully. “They say that absolute power corrupts absolutely. You hold the power of life and death in your hooves. A pony need not be on Death's doorstep for the Scythe to cut them down. It is as effective as any blade and more effective than most. Unlike common blades, your Scythe can cut through anything, piercing plate armor and shields as if they weren't even there.”
“Ah know what you're inplyin', Princess and Ah don't like it. Ah was the Bearer of Honesty, in case ya'll have forgotten, and Ah don't appreciate that trait bein' called into question. Ah am as honest as the day is long. Ah would never kill another pony in malice.”
“I never thought you would.” Celestia assured her. “But malice is subjective. What some see as a necessary deed, others see as an unnecessary evil. Where is the line drawn, Applejack? Will you end the life of a pony in great agony without any hope of recovery and see it as a mercy? Will you slay an evil-doer and see it as a service?”
“Of course.” She replied without hesitation.
“Ah, but what if the secret to recovery was a mere day away? What if the evil-doer was only a sick mind crying out for help? What then? These are the things you must always consider.”
“Then Ah'll only take the souls of those who have passed.”
“So you'll harden your heart against the suffering of others? A suffering you yourself know so well?”
“Princess, who are you talking to?”
Twilight had returned, levitating a tea set with her.
The Princess gave Applejack a final glance before smiling. “Myself.”
“It sounded like you were answering somepony.”
“One of the odd quirks that one who has lived as long as I develops. I find it helps me to sort my thoughts quite well.”
Applejack left the pair to their discussion. It was getting late and she would have to return to Death soon, but she still wanted to see Rainbow.
She still found it hard to believe that Rainbow lived all alone in such a huge house. Applejack was a pony of practicality and didn't see the point in having more space than absolutely needed. A single pony would do well with a small apartment. Still, Rainbow was a pegasus and, as a pegasus, she was able to manipulate clouds. When a pony could build and live comfortably in a house of clouds, she could see how it would be easy to get carried away.
The real problem, though, was that Rainbow's house was made of clouds and sat fairly high off of the ground with no easy access for a pony who couldn't fly. However, from one of the lower windows, she could see a bit of the room beyond. She memorized it, pictured it, swung the Scythe and stepped through the portal.
She exited about three feet above the floor and dropped onto the pillowy clouds.
“Well, how do ya like that?” She marveled as she bounced slightly.
Up a rather extensive flight of stairs, she found three rooms. A bathroom, a spare room for storage, and Rainbow's bedroom. Inside, the pegasus sat on her bed, staring at a photograph.
“You depended on me. I should have spotted that tree and scouted for a better route. That was my job. I failed you, Applejack. I had to watch out for you, protect you, and I couldn't even do that right. What's worse, I never told you how I really felt. I was too embarrassed. I was too afraid that you would laugh at me or blow me off completely.” She let out a bitter laugh. “Look at me, I'm supposed to be the toughest, most awesome pony in Equestria and I was too afraid to say that I loved you. Now you're gone.”
She set the picture aside. It was a photo of Applejack in that ridiculous dress Rarity had made her wear during a game of Truth or Dare. Twilight had taken the photo and made copies, passing them around the group. Everypony had a good laugh, except Rainbow. The mare had merely stared at the picture, then stared at the farm pony, as if seeing her in a new light.
Applejack was shocked. She had never figured Rainbow would go for mares, not that she could blame the pony. She could appreciate a fine-looking mare, and Rainbow was a fine-looking mare. Toned body from years of training to be a Wonderbolt. Finely groomed coat and wings. The roguish style of her wind-blown mane.
Rainbow laid down and curled up. “Why did it have to be you? You've gotta family and a business to take care of. I just have me.”
She didn't like the sound of that.
“Maybe there's nothing left for me. If I can't have you in my corner, what's the point of achieving anything?”
She didn't like the sound of that at all.
“Please, Rainbow, dontcha go and do anythin' stupid, alright? Ah know ya feel bad about what happened, but that ain't no reason to go and throw everythin' away. Don't do somethin' that's gonna hurt our friends more.”
“Maybe life's not worth living anymore.” The pegasus mumbled.
Her mind spun. If Rainbow was actually considering taking her own life, something needed to be done quickly. Applejack didn't have any influence to steer her friend from this dark path, but she knew one pony who did.
She brought up the unforgettable room that she had seen only occasionally and swung her Scythe, hoping that the one she needed would be there.
Her hooves struck the marble floor soundlessly as she stepped out of the rift, which closed behind her, and looked around the massive throne room of the Sun Palace in Canterlot. Celestia's throne of gold stood empty, but the one next to it, equally massive and made of obsidian and dark-blue velvet, was occupied.
“So the rumors are true.” The younger Alicorn observed. “I had hoped my sister was joking though, in retrospect, I cannot see how this is a laughing matter.”
“It ain't” Applejack replied, approaching Luna. “Princess, Ah need your help with somethin'.”
“Why are you not surprised that I am aware of your presence?”
She waved the question away. “Celestia explained everythin'.”
“I see. Continue.”
“It's Rainbow Dash, ma'am. Ah just came from seein' her and she contemplatin' doin' somethin' bad.”
“And what terrible deed is she considering?” Luna queried.
“Ah think she's gonna try and take her own life. Ah can't stop her and Ah don't know of any other ponies, 'cept you and Celestia, who Ah can go to.”
Luna sat back and frowned. “This is troubling news. Celestia has left Ponyville, but has not returned as of yet. If what you say is true, Applejack, then we must begin immediately.” She rose from her throne and began to gather shadows about her. “I will go and enter Rainbow Dash's dreams to confirm if she is indeed contemplating the unthinkable. You must return to Ponyville and inform Twilight Sparkle. Her word carries a great deal more weight among the Elements of Harmony than mine or Celestia's ever could.”
“How am Ah gonna do that?” Applejack asked.
“You must find a way. Contact Twilight Sparkle. She is an intelligent mare and will listen to what you will say. You need only find a way of speaking to her.”
And, with that, Luna had vanished.
“Talk to Twilight? How in the hay am Ah gonna do that?” She muttered as she paced. There was no getting around it. She swung the Scythe, opened another rift, and was gone.
