Aside from flying fast, doing tricks, showing off, and being a badass, Rainbow Dash's list of things to do included naps. She loved naps. They were one of her favorite things. She took them everywhere. Clouds, libraries, bakeries, boutiques, and even in apple trees. She'd never taken a dirt nap though. She wasn't even sure what the creepy looking pony in the hood was talking about. So she went on her way.
Some time passed and Rainbow Dash was chilling out on a cloud when she heard a familiar voice. She rolled over to peek over the side of the cloud and discovered the voices owner. Applejack. From what she could see, Applejack looked sad and downtrodden. This confused Rainbow Dash, until she saw that Applejack wasn't wearing her hat. 'She must have lost it.' Thought Rainbow Dash. Floating off her cloud perch, she gently descended until she was in front of the orange mare. "Hey Applejack, what's up?" She got no response and got a little frustrated, "Hello? Earth to Applejack, What's wrong?" She smiled when her friend looked up, but it didn't last long.
Her friends face was sunken and looked like she had been crying for the whole day. Immediately Rainbow Dash's face twisted into confusion once more. "Applejack?..." she left the question hanging in the air, waiting for an answer with bated breath but got no such luxury. Instead she was met but Applejack's piercing gaze that left Rainbow Dash feeling soulless. After what seemed like an eternity, Applejack sighed.
"Why'd you have to do it Rainbow? Why do that and leave all of us here without you?" Applejack's eyes started tearing up and she looked down once again. The subtle drip, drop of her tears pooling in a puddle below her the only sound in the air. Confused, Rainbow Dash looked at her friend wildly.
"Wait... What? Do what? I'm right here Applejack! I didn't leave any of you! I'm loyalty remember!?" Applejack didn't react to Rainbow Dash's words, but instead started a slow walk back on the path she was on. "Wait! Why aren't you listening!? I'm right here!" Still walking towards her, Rainbow Dash took an apprehensive step backward. "Stop! Applejack!" Almost to Rainbow Dash and seemingly ignoring her pleas, Applejack kept walking. Rainbow Dash stopped. "Applejack, look at me!" Rainbow Dash begged, but as her friend reached her, she passed through like she was made of air.
Dumbfounded and shocked at what just happened, she looked back at her friend who had just phased through her like she was made of nothing. "They can't hear you, you know." A sudden voice beside her made her jump. She turned to look at the offending voice, he was the same stallion from earlier. Black with wings made of bone, and a hood that removed his face from view. "Did I startle you? My apologies. However, talking to your friends will do you or them no good." His voice was deep, and radiated in authority. "Perhaps you didn't understand me when I spoke to you earlier. You're dead Rainbow Dash. That isn't a threat either."
"D-dead?" Rainbow Dash's voice wavered slightly when the question was let out. "What do you mean dead?" The bony pony sighed and shook his head.
"I mean gone, no longer living, not alive, passed away, departed. Dead. Dead dead if you must know. You died trying some stupid stunt too close to the ground and now, all you are is a grease spot and a memory. Sorry to put it into terms like this, but it seems like that's the only way I could get it through your thick head." He shook his head morosely as Rainbow's face contorted into a jumbled mix of emotion. The most prominent? Denial. The six stages of the grieving process. He knew it all to well and expected what Rainbow Dash was about to say.
"Yeah right, I'm Rainbow Dash, the iron pony. Nothing can kill me. Not even death!" Moving to a defencive stance, Rainbow Dash pointed an accusing hoof at the hooded pony. "Stop trying to freak me out!" Rainbow dash spread her wings, and with a mighty flap, took to the skies. The only place she truly felt at home. She had to get away, forget about that stupid, freaky pony and the lies he was spewing.
Flying along to calm her nerves, Rainbow Dash spotted another one of her friends. Pinkie Pie. Sighing in relief at finding somepony she could talk to about the weird things happening today, she eagerly flew down to meet her pink pony pal. Upon landing, Rainbow felt uneasy, like the was something pulling at her, but she shrugged it off and walked up to Pinkie. Immediately she knew something was wrong. No longer did Pinkie have her trademark smile, nor her unexplainably poofy hair. Instead, she donned a frown and her mane seemed to be doing the same thing, if that was even possible. Wanting to help her friend anyway she could, Rainbow spoke up, "Hey pinks, what's got you down?" No response was given from the pink pony as she lumbered along the beaten path. Slightly angered by this, Rainbow Dash raised her voice, "Do you have hay in your ears or what?! What's the matter!" Still Pinkie gave no response and kept walking. Rainbow Dash's anger increased as she let out a frustrated groan.
"I keep telling you, but you don't seem to listen. Why is that?" Rainbow Dash whipped around and found the creepy hooded pony from earlier behind her. Still angry, and happy for an outlet, Rainbow lashed out at him. Cocking her foreleg back, she released all her anger into this one punch, making sure she would be satisfied. Right before it connects to the mysterious pony's face, he says, "That's not going to help you." Her hoof connects to his jaw... or so she thought, until her hoof passed straight through him, herself along with it. After hitting the ground with an *oof!*, she sits up quickly and has an infuriated look on her face.
"YOU!" The hooded pony looks around his shoulders, as if to make sure she was talking to him. Afterwards looks back at her and uses the same tone she did.
"ME!" He replies, Rainbow storms right into his face and flips his hoodie back. What she sees, shocks her to the core. The skull of a pony, no flesh or muscle anywhere in sight, locking the pony's face into a twisted perma-grin. Where eyes once sat, lie bottomless pits of darkness, only a small ember rims the eye socket, showing a ghastley effect of the undead. Rainbow's face contorts into one of disgust and horror.
"No! It can't be! You're only in story books!" Rainbow says as she falls backwards onto the grass. Her hooves prying for traction to escape the icy cold glare of-
"Its true honey, I'm death."
Author's Note
If this gets decent ratings, I'll pop out a new chapter every couple days until the story ends. Thanks for reading, leave a like, comment or do whatever you want!
