Dash from Death

An Empty Void

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Dash from Death

by Mavaku

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“Noooooooooo!” Rainbow dash awoke with a start, sweat on her brow. “Oh thank Celestia that was just a dream! But it felt…so real…” She got up and looked around, still shaking from the horrible nightmare she just had. “That’s odd,” she muttered to herself. “This isn’t my home. In fact…where am I?” All around her she only saw one color, white. She looked up, down, and all around her, but all she saw was a white void…like a blank canvas. There was no definite floor, wall, or ceiling. “This place, it seems to go on forever!” Rainbow dash was having some serious doubts now, and was starting to panic. She flew as fast as she could, searching for something that would give her a clue to where she was, but all she only found more emptiness. “Hello? Anyone here at all? Help!” The voice echoed off into the distance until disappearing into the vacuum.

For hours she continued her futile search, until her wings could carry her no longer, and she collapsed onto the “ground”. Tears formed at her eyes, but she didn’t even try to hold them back. Soon she was openly weeping, terrified and confused, unsure of what was real and what wasn’t “I…I just want to go home…I don’t know what’s happening! Please! Somepony help!” The tears seemed to leech color right from her, and soon all her colors were a muted and dull version of what they once were. Then it hit her. The colorless and endless void, the horrible yet all too real nightmare, completely alone…It all made sense, yet as much of a possibility it was, she didn’t want to believe it was true. But the more she thought about it, the more likely it became until, inevitably, she arrived at her dark conclusion. “I’m…dead, aren’t I…?”

“But that means…Pinkie Pie…she actually did this to me? That it wasn’t a dream?” The tears flowed even more freely as the reality of betrayal washed upon Rainbow Dash.

“Why…what drove her insane? Did we do something wrong? My friends! They could be in danger! But…how can I even help? I’m stuck in wherever this place is, and even if I did escape, how could I help? I’M DEAD!” A loud caw cut Dash from her thoughts.

“What? Is that a crow?” Some hope returned to Dash as she looked around to locate the source of the noise. Off to her right, just ten feet away, a crow now stood, its head cocked as Rainbow looked at it, and its eyes bore deeply into hers. Then a smooth, yet low voice seemed to come from everywhere at once, but Dash instantly knew it came from the bird.

“Rainbow Dash, you have been betrayed by a friend you knew and trusted. The trauma of the event and your loyalty to your friends has caused you to arrive here…for a second chance…this, is” Ignoring the ominous aura about the crow, Dash perked up immediately at the mention of a “second chance”.

“Did you say a second chance?! You mean I can warn my friends?” The crow looked slightly annoyed at Rainbow Dash’s sudden interruption but continued.

“Yes, you may have a second chance…but you must first let me explain where you even are, and then you must answer a few of my questions.”

“Okay, fine…just so long as I get to warn my friends! I can’t leave them in danger like this!” The crow displayed what appeared to be a smile, then began to speak once again.

“As I was saying before, you are in what is known as Limbo: a place for lost souls such as yourself, who have unfinished business in their world. I’m sure you think you know what yours is, but soon…soon you will see how wrong of an idea that was.” Dash got up and glared at the crow, understanding what it was implying.

“Oh don’t you go and try convincing me that my friends don’t care for me! I may have been brainwashed once, but there is no way it’s gonna happen again! I know that they do care for me! That’s why I’m loyal to them! Because they are my friends!” The crow chuckled.

“Oh really? Tell me Dash, do you know how long you have been dead?” Rainbow looked confused, but replied quickly.

“A couple hours at most, not that long. But what does this have to do with anything?!” She now looked slightly annoyed.

“Oh, it may seem like it’s only been a few hours to you…but it’s been four days…and your “friends” haven’t even started to look for you, they aren’t even the slightest bit worried. Almost as if you never really mattered to them.” Dash was starting to become incredibly upset. “And why should I trust you? I hardly even know you! I don’t even know what you are!”

“What am i? Well that’s simple; I’m death…and I am all-seeing. If you doubt my word about your friends, perhaps you would like to take a look at what they are doing right now?”

A large pedestal with a bowl of water on top appeared before Rainbow Dash. From where she stood, she could already see Ponyville. She peered deeply into the waters now, the vision of her home filling her with many emotions, the strongest being longing. Oh how she longed for none of this to have happened, to once again fly carefree and have fun with her friends. Her friends! She almost forgot! Quickly she willed for the waters to find Twilight.

“If anyone would be wondering where I am, it would have to be her!” The waters blurred and rippled. Once the liquid settled, Rainbow Dash could see Twilight. She was laying on the grass with Spike, eating some seemingly scrumptious cake. Her face looked as if she was having a wonderful time, her mind on nothing other than the food in front of her and the surprisingly beautiful day, despite the fact that Rainbow Dash wasn’t even alive to clear the sky.

“She doesn’t miss me at all…or even seem to notice I’m gone.” Dash’s face drooped, and even more color seemed to drain from her. Desperately, she searched for her other friends, hoping to find different results, but for each and every one of them it was the same story. All seemed to be doing their regular routines without even a trace of worry or sadness. She frantically checked on Scootaloo. Even she didn’t seem to care about Dash’s absence, or even notice she was gone.

“They…don’t care…I really am all alone.” Once again the crow cackled. But this time Rainbow dash didn’t even flinch, she was dead… both physically and emotionally. She had fallen victim to exactly what she said she wouldn’t succumb to.

“Now you see them for what they truly are. You couldn’t matter less to them. Just a thought, have you checked on Pinkie Pie yet?”

“Pinkie…” The mention of her name didn’t cause Dash any dread, just pure hate. But as she thought about the name, a desire took place in her heart. She wanted to see what atrocities had befallen her physical form and what the heinous Pinkamena Diane Pie was doing. Rainbow Dash focused on the waters once again, and soon the basement of Sugarcube Corner materialized on the crystal clear surface. She ignored the gore and other disturbing sights, scanned for her body or Pinkie Pie, and quickly found both. Dash’s body was as dull and colorless as she was. A stand propped her up like a ponnequin at Rarity’s Boutique while Pinkie Pie stood there, talking to Rainbow Dash’s corpse as if it could respond. She had seen enough. Disgusted and outraged, she turned to the crow. “Bring me back,” she demanded, her wings flared in aggression.

The crow looked at her with a gleam in its eye. “For what reason do you wish to return?”

“To get revenge on that monster of a pony.” The words came out sharp and harsh, almost all aspects of Rainbow’s nature seemingly absent in her voice.

“What about your friends? Do you wish to help them?”

“I could care less about those ‘friends.’ What good are they? Did they help me when I was being tortured? Did they even think to look for me? No! They earned whatever fate they get. But all I want is revenge.” The words were even more blunt than before, as were the colors on her body. Almost all color had been leeched from her, leaving a monochromatic and dull coat.

“Excellent. Then you may have your wish…” The crow emitted an earsplitting caw, then all of Rainbow Dash’s vision went black.