Until The End

by Erisn

Rating: mature
Tags: Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Rainbow Dash, Sad, Tragedy
Length: 87575

Rainbow Dash dies and comes back. Again, and again until forever ends.

This story is set before the events of Season 5.

Rainbow Dash is the Element of Loyalty. Through thick or thin, regardless of what may happen, she'll always be by her friend's side, guarding their back. But what happens when the unthinkable happens?

Killed by a freak accident, Rainbow Dash finds her soul drifting. Though she's dead, her unbreakable loyalty to her friends brings her back. But while death cannot stop Rainbow Dash, her return may hurt her friends more than her death ever did.

Thanks to Fracturedheart for proofreading help.

Published 2016-05-20 23:20:01 UTC
Last updated 2016-07-26 23:09:23 UTC

Prologue

The day I died was a beautiful day. It was wholly inappropriate and not nearly awesome enough, but what can you do?

I’d have preferred a drizzling day with dark skies and lightning, or a cold frozen wasteland where only a fading slice of sun shone on my broken body. But did I get that? Nope. I died on a nice summer’s day with the birds singing in the sky, and not a cloud to be seen. I didn’t even get the dignity of dying heroically. I mean, sorta heroically, and it was in order to save lives and all, but…well, you’ll see what I mean.

But for all my complaints, I guess the main thing is I didn’t want to die on that day. I really would have liked to die later, in an epic war or fighting off another villain threatening Equestria. I…wanted to have more time with my friends. But I died young, which is how I wanted it of course – going out in the prime of my life and all – but I still wish, with all my soul…

That I could have had a bit more time.

Cut back a few hours to the good part; the part when I was alive, I mean. Like I said, it was a good day in the tail-end of summer, so I was actually feeling pretty content. I certainly didn’t expect to die, but what can you do? In fact, the hour before I had died was one of the best of my life. I was doing the greatest thing ever: hanging out with my friends.

Before you think I’m all sappy, let me just say that if I had to have chosen something to do before I died, it would always be hanging out with my best friends. They may not be as cool as I am all the time, but they’re the most amazing mares I know. The most amazing ponies I know come to that. Their names are Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie.

Together with me, the six of us make up the Elements of Harmony, each one of us embodying the elements of friendship. Our job is to protect Equestria by kicking the tails of whatever bad guy we see. It’s an awesome job, even if we sometimes nearly die in the process. I wish I could say that was what we were doing when I died, but no luck. Actually, we were taking part in a parade. I know, right? A parade. Still, here’s what happened.

Today was the Summer Sun Celebration, the longest day of the year when our Princess (Princess Celestia, a totally cool pony with the ability to raise the sun if you didn’t know) raises the sun and celebrates the defeat of Nightmare Moon and the return of her sister. We had a part in that, by the way. Not to brag, but it was just two years go that the six of us first became the Elements of Harmony and transformed Nightmare Moon back to Luna. Totally awesome story, but I’m getting off track.

So, yeah. The Summer Sun Celebration was going on, and everypony was celebrating. Well, everyone if you count Spike, Twilight’s baby dragon assistant. Yeah, don’t go there, it’s confusing. But while the official celebration with Princess Celestia and Luna wasn’t being held in Ponyville this year, there was certainly celebrating going on. All of Ponyville and the surrounding area had turned out to join in the festivities, and me and my friends were in the thick of it.

Because for us, the Summer Sun Celebration isn’t just a good day and an excuse to hang out and party. It also marks the day we first met each other, which is a special occasion and worth remembering, even if it is sort of sappy. In fact, I think it’s probably the most important memory I have – meeting my best friends for life.

…Even though it’s not the day I would have chosen, it might not have been a bad day to die on at that.

But back to the action, or lack of it. I mean, I’m really trying to bring in some awesomeness into the story, but not much really happened that day. Me and my friends hung out, partied at one of Pinkie Pie’s amazing parties, and that’s about it. Sorta boring when I think about it, but fun. The bad part only happened near the end of the day.

See, one of the things I forgot to mention is that Twilight Sparkle’s a princess. Not just a princess in that she acts like one (like Rarity), or even that she thinks she’s a princess and that it’s all in her head (again, like Rarity). No, Twilight’s an honest-to-Celestia, real, royal Princess. She’s got a crown and everything. Because of some crazy weirdness last year, she got turned from a unicorn into an alicorn, with wings and horn. She still sucks at flying, but it’s still really cool. She’s the Princess of Friendship, and while that’s totally awesome and all, it does have its downsides.

Example A, and the only example you need: formalities. Being a princess, Twilight has to take part in all formal events in Ponyville and some in Canterlot. That’d be cool and all, but since we’re her friends, us other Elements of Harmony have to hang out with her when the boring stuff happens. Like cutting the ribbon at a parade and listening to Mayor Mare give a fifteen minute speech.

I know. Fifteen minutes. That’s way too long. Now, normally I’d pretend I had something important to do any fly off, but I was stuck at right next to Twilight, and it was kinda hard to make an excuse with everyone watching me. That meant I saw the disaster right when it happened, which was lucky. Just not for me.

I’m not really sure why Mayor Mare wanted a giant commemorative float with the six Elements of Harmony defeating Nightmare Moon, but hey, that’s eggheads for you. And it wouldn’t have been so bad if they’d y’know, made it out of cloth or ribbons or…stuff, but nope. This was made out of wood. Apparently, it was going to be put up next to Twilight’s totally awesome castle. (I mentioned she had a castle, didn’t I?)

Anyways, yeah. It was made out of wood and super heavy. It had to have ten wheels to carry it. And what with all the rushing to complete it on time and everything, I guess no one checked how good the brakes on the thing were. Just like they didn’t think about how there’s a slope along the parade route. I mean, seriously. Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle already crashed one giant apple (don’t ask) the last time we had a parade. Would it have killed them to move the route somewhere else?

Well anyways, you can imagine what happened next. Brakes go on the giant float, and it comes crashing down the slope. That wouldn’t be so bad, but it runs into another float. And another. Ever seen a stampede of rabbits? Not too scary. But several thousand tons of rapidly accelerating wooden vehicles? Really scary.

So here’s the scene. Every pony in Ponyville is here listening to a boring speech about raising the sun and the defeat of Nightmare Moon by six awesome ponies. Bring in ten thousand pounds of wooden death, approaching like…ten thousand pounds of wooden death. And there’s nowhere to run.

At least, not in a crowd. Anypony’d normally be able to get out of the way, even Granny Smith. But ponies were panicking and there just wasn’t enough time to get them to move. Mayor Mare was shouting, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie were trying to get ponies to move, and Rarity and Twilight were trying to make a force shield. But it wasn’t going to work.

I’ve seen Twilight do her shield-spell-thingy and it’s really cool. Useful too, when it’s muddy. But that wasn’t going to be able to stop this. Twilight’s an alicorn, but she’s sort of a greenhorn as well. I doubt whether Luna or Celestia could’ve stopped that avalanche by themselves either though, to be fair. Any barrier Twilight made would break in an instant, even if a thousand Rarities were giving her backup. So I did…what I had to do.

I wish I could say I said something really cool in my last moments. Something witty, with just enough sass and awesome words to make ponies cry and say how cool I was. But honestly, I think the last thing I said was ‘oh horseapples.’ I know, but I couldn’t think of anything else to say.

Cut to the chase. I took off and flew away from the oncoming floats of death. Yeah, away. I needed the distance.

Now, I gotta pause this story and give you a little lecture, even though it’s totally at the important part. Yeah, I’m acting like an egghead, but you need to know this. I’m not the greatest of ponies for books, and I really don’t like studying anything. But what any pegasus pony knows is that the faster you go, the harder you hit things.

Yeah, elementary. Too easy for words, right? But weight plays a part in that as well. Running into Fluttershy in the air isn’t too bad since she doesn’t weigh much, but if you hit Bulk Biceps you’re lucky if you only break a wing. Anyways, the point of all this is that if you take how fat you are and multiply it by how fast you’re going, you get how much splat you make when you hit things. That’s how I knew Twilight’s shield wasn’t going to work, see.

The carts and floats and things were going probably at forty miles per hour. That’s not too fast, but they weighed thousands of pounds each. Something moving that fast that weighs that much could smash through an entire house and keep going out the other side. It’d turn ponies into toothpaste in a second.

Now I’m not a heavy pony. I don’t weigh much more than Fluttershy actually. But I am fast. And remember, the faster you go the harder you hit. I figured that even something light travelling fast enough could stop the avalanche. But I also knew anything going that fast that hit something going in the opposite direction…wasn’t going to be walking away again. But there was no other way.

I could have grabbed my friends and gotten them to safety. I’m totally fast enough to do it. I could’ve even grabbed all the Apples, the Cakes, Fluttershy’s rabbit, Spike, and even Mayor Mare in time. I know I could have. But that would have left all the other ponies, ones I knew or sorta knew. Maybe I could have left them, if it was just a choice between them or my friends. Maybe. But I know that my friends would never have left a single one behind.

So instead of helping control the crowd, I flew away. Nearly a mile outside of Ponyville, until the avalanche was just a tiny thing in the distance. Then I flew at it.

You probably know this already, but I am the fastest pegasus in all of Equestria. The fastest pony if it comes to that. I can go so fast that I can make what’s called a Sonic Rainboom. That’s when the air around me sorta explodes into a rainbow and I go faster than…fast things. It’s hard to explain, but it’s really awesome, alright. That’s what I did now.

It’s always hard getting up to Rainboom speed. I make it look easy, but when you accelerate, the air drags at you and makes it hard to fly. It’s like a giant rubber band it holding me back, but the key is to fly fast enough that it snaps and you go through it. It’s also about precision. I know Twilight and the others think I’m not good at focusing or details, but I am. It’s just that all my attention goes to flying. You can’t waver a second, you can’t hesitate. And that day I had to time my Rainboom perfectly.

I hit my Rainboom right in front of the crowd of ponies and felt myself speed up. Everything goes quiet when you hit a Rainboom – there’s just the rushing feeling of speed, but sound is gone for some reason. I had maybe 100 meters between me and the oncoming carts. That doesn’t seem like much time when you’re going at Rainboom speed, and trust me, it goes by in a millisecond. But this time, it went by so slowly.

…

I sped up. Normally I try not to fly too fast because it can hurt my wings, but I didn’t have that to worry about today. I went faster, faster. I don’t know how fast I was going when I hit, but I’m sure it was the fastest I’ve ever flown in my entire life. I couldn’t tell, because I was too busy concentrating at the time.

See, the thing about being the fastest pony in all of Equestria is that sometimes, other ponies think that’s all you can do. But I’m not just the fastest flier. I’m also a weather pony, and that means there’s more to life than speed. Yeah, I know it sounds weird, but there’s something else that matters when you’re flying.

Precision.

You can’t fly without it. Hitting the right air currents, making sure not to land too hard or flap the wrong wing all plays a huge role, and that’s part of why I’m so awesome. I monitor the skies for trouble, and so I’ve got a lot of…uh…Twilight called it situational awareness, I think. Something cool like that, anyways. But that’s why I hit the Rainboom right in front of the parade floats. It was necessary to—just listen to what came next, okay?

So, I hit the avalanche, or oncoming carts and floats, whatever it was at top speed. The last thing I can remember, really remember is hitting the first float and going through the wood paneling. At that speed…well, even small splinters are like nails, y’know? I was like a porcupine after the first float that I smashed to pieces, a really cut-up porcupine. But of course, there were a lot of other things I ran into as well. Truthfully, there wasn’t much left of me after the fifth float, but momentum kept me going until there was only some blood and feathers left. That’s where I stopped, somewhere about the eighth float.

That wasn’t enough to stop the entire avalanche, though. Even if I was going at top-speed, I was still only a single pegasus, and the floats were big. But remember, I had hit the Rainboom right before that. All that compressed air and colors and stuff is like an explosion, and it exploded right in front of the avalanche. Carts, floats, pieces of wood all flew backwards, and the Rainboom made sure none of it landed on the ponies.

Like I said: precision.

The avalanche stopped. All the floats were lying jumbled up or broken, and the entire street was pretty much destroyed between my Rainboom and the crash. But I’d done it; I’d stopped the disaster, and saved every pony in Ponyville. I’d stopped it, but I’d also stopped myself.

I don’t remember dying. I just remember the pain, and how it hurt more and more until I wanted to scream and cry and beg for mercy, and then when it stopped. This was all in less than a second of course, when I hit the avalanche. But it felt like…forever. But when I died, when my heart stopped and I wasn’t alive any longer, I was still aware in some strange way. I could still sense what was going on, but like a dream. Time was slower, or faster in some ways when you die, and it’s from a different perspective, but I can still tell you bits and pieces of what happened next.

Chaos. Confusion. Screaming and the stampede of ponies that always happens when something bad occurs in Ponyville. Yeah, the usual. But only, this time, there wasn’t any sudden relief once yours truly explodes from the wreckage. There was only more screaming.

Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, they all ran right at the wreckage. I guess they thought I was just injured and were trying to dig me out. I guess I kinda expected that from someone like Fluttershy or Applejack, but I was disappointed that Twilight did the same. She’s an egghead; she knows about physics and stuff. She should have known what they would find.

Blood. A whole lotta my blood. Turns out that when you fly through a storm of wood, nails, and other sharp objects the only thing that comes out of the other side is blood.

I think Rarity freaked out first. Well, she would. She screamed, but then Pinkie Pie and Twilight started screaming as well. Even Applejack started screaming and digging at the wreckage with Twilight and the others. Only Fluttershy didn’t say anything. She just sat there, crying. I think she already knew what they would find.

There…wasn’t enough left of me to bury. Not really. I mean, all the pieces were there, but it was pieces, nothing more. Just scraps of flesh; a shattered bone here, a few feathers there. Actually, when I say I was in pieces, I mean I was in pieces. Parts of me got scattered all over Ponyville from the impact. Derpy found half of my jaw in her kitchen half a mile from where I collided.

And that was it. What more do you want me to say? They found my body – what was left of it, freaked out, and fainted. Cue more running around, screaming, throwing up, and crying. That went on for most of the day until Celestia and Luna arrived. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, I guess. Gotta keep the titles because of respect, y’know?

…They buried me a week later. Ponies kept on finding bits of me and I guess no one really wanted to have the ceremony in the first place. They kept talking about how they wanted to have ‘most of me’ present when they sent me off. It got to be sort of an obsession with some ponies, really. Like Scootaloo. I guess…I should mention that part.

So, yeah, reactions. I’m not good at that kinda thing, and it’s painful to talk about, right? But I should mention what happened so you know.

My friends, the other Elements of Harmony, they took it badly. Each in their own way; they didn’t stick together for some reason. Maybe—maybe it was guilt? They thought they’d let me down or failed me somehow? That’s a load of horsefeathers, but it’s the only thing I can think of.

But they shut themselves off. Fluttershy stayed in her cottage, crying, Rarity did the same in her boutique and wouldn’t talk to anyone, Pinkie Pie nearly starved herself and wouldn’t throw any parties and Applejack harvested every apple in her orchard. She just kicked trees, day and night. Cracked both her back hooves, but she kept kicking trees until they had to knock her out to keep her from injuring herself.

As for Twilight, she just sat in her castle and stared at a wall. It was a good thing Spike was there or she might have died too. She didn’t do anything, at least until the funeral. But that was my friends, and even if they were hurting, at least they had other ponies to help care for them. It was different for Scootaloo.

Again, not to brag but she kinda looked up to me. I mean, I was the most inspirational, coolest, most awesome pony in all of Equestria so that makes sense, but I think my death was hardest on her. Did I say collecting the parts of my body became her obsession? After her initial shock, which lasted almost four days where she wouldn’t even move, Scootaloo started going around Ponyville, searching high and low for any part of me that remained.

The less that I say about the next bit the better, I think. The day before the funeral, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle checked up on Scootaloo at their clubhouse. She’d been living there the last couple of days, not saying a word to anyone. She must have been out, because what they found was…me.

Parts of my face. Some of my mane. Feathers, hair, glued to a mannequin. I don’t want to think of what Scootaloo was thinking, but I think we can all guess. Anyways, they resolved that with Princess Celestia’s help and the rest of me joined the coffin.

They buried me at dawn. On a small hill, overlooking Ponyville where nopony would graze or disturb the grave. Some ponies wanted to bury me in Cloudsdale’s floating graveyard, but my friends told them I was going to be in Ponyville. They knew me very well.

Princess Celestia was present and Princess Luna as well. One of the rare times the sisters were there together, and to mark the occasion both sisters pulled up the sun and moon to make an eclipse. It happens only to mark the most important occasions, and I’m a bit touched they did it for me.

Anyways, the Princesses were there, but that meant Twilight and Princess Cadence as well. And where she goes, Shining Armor goes as well, and so he was there with a bunch of Crystal Empire ponies, ponies from Canterlot, Manehatten, Appleloosa…pretty much every city sent somepony.

All the ponies we’d met or saved decided to come, from Chief Thunderhooves to Fancy Pants, even Cheese Sandwich and ponies from the furthest reaches of Equestria stopped by. Even Discord popped in, and I’ve never seen him that somber before. It was the biggest crowd of ponies I’d ever seen, well not seen, but…forget it. But it was humbling, and touching and…stuff. I’m not good with words.

Full honors as a Wonderbolt. I was only on the reserves, but Spitfire pushed it past the regulations. I’d died saving ponies and that’s what Wonderbolts do. She said they’d lost the best flier in Equestria and while that’s true, I would have cried if I’d been able to hear her say that.

The ceremony took hours, and the goodbyes took longer. Each pony had something to say, and I won’t go into all of it here. My friends have words for me as well, but they were secret, and private and I won’t share them ever. And at last, they all left, even Scootaloo, even Tank. The poor guy wouldn’t eat or leave, but Fluttershy took care of him.

And that’s the story of how I died. I guess I was sticking around to see myself buried, but after the last pony left, I felt completed. The last link binding me to the world was gone and all that. Time to move on, to go to the great Pasture in the Sky or something. Fly higher, into a new world. And I was going to do that, I really was. But as my consciousness was fading, as I was about to leave, I remembered my friends.

They looked so different that day. Fluttershy’s eyes could barely open, they were so swollen. Applejack’s hooves were in casts and she had to be helped around. Pinkie Pie looked like a skeleton, all skin and bones since she wasn’t eating, and Rarity didn’t even speak. Twilight…I’ve never seen her so depressed. It was like something took all the life out of her.

They looked broken, all of them. Not just broken; crushed. Hopeless, depressed. Dead. They looked worse than the day Discord corrupted all of our Elements, and when I remembered that, I couldn’t just go.

They needed me. As a spirit, I had senses beyond normal. I could see—

Rarity, stabbing needles into a piece of cloth over and over again, hundreds, thousands of times without stop.

Applejack, drinking cider in her cellar and staring at nothing.

Pinkie Pie, hair flat, lying in a corner of her bedroom and refusing to eat anything the Cakes brought.

Fluttershy, pressing her head against a wall and crying.

Twilight, throwing her books into the air, ripping them to shreds and breaking down while Spike tried to calm her.

My friends were suffering. I couldn’t abandon them.

But death isn’t like a person. I can’t argue with death, and it was trying to take me away. No matter how hard I tried, I felt my soul, essence, being – whatever being dragged away.

Every fiber of my being was telling me that my time was up. It went beyond willpower; it was trying to fight who I was and that’s impossible. Even for somepony like me who can do the impossible, I couldn’t resist that pull. I could feel myself slipping, disappearing. But I fought on, as hard as I could. Without stop.

Even if it takes me forever. Even if it hurts more than anything I’ve ever felt. Even if it means damnation. I will go back.

Something broke. Was it me, or the laws of the universe? I don’t know, but I could feel that thing snap as it gave way. Suddenly I found myself hurtling back down to Equestria, towards the place where I lay buried.

I was going back. Back to my friends, back to make things right again. I was so relieved at the time, I didn’t even bother to wonder what had happened. I’m a bit single-minded, okay? But I had done it: I had escaped death, done the impossible and was coming back to life. It was a miracle.

Funny thing is though, there’s always a catch.

Chapter 1: Awakening

Rainbow Dash woke up. It was dark. Cold too, but not the kind of cold she normally associated with the word. This was a deep cold, a chill but far off – the sensation of lost warmth more than actual freezing temperature.

That was alright. It didn’t feel so bad. If that was the price of being dead for a while, well, big whoop. Death was sort of overrated if all there was to it was being cold.

But it was also dark. Important fact, that. Rainbow Dash tried to sit up but couldn’t.

She was stuck. Dash could hardly move her body – there was something hard above her, something in her way.

Stuck. In…a box? No.

A coffin.

Panic suddenly infused Rainbow Dash’s mind. Stuck. She was. Stuck.

Movement is as natural to a pegasus as a horn is to a unicorn. Rainbow Dash had lived her entire life with the freedom of the skies around her. She wasn’t afraid – she was never afraid – but she had never experienced being stuck like this.

No, not stuck.

Buried.

“H-hey!” Rainbow Dash had trouble saying the words at first. She had to cough up something in her lungs, and then remember to take a breath. Odd. She had to remember to breathe? But there was not time to think about that.

“Hey!” Dash shouted again. “Hey! Can anypony hear me?”

No response. Dash pounded on the coffin again, and then harder. “Hey! Let me out! Help!”

The earth was silent. Rainbow Dash screamed and beat at the coffin.

“Let me out! Somepony! Please!”

But no one came.

I think I stayed in there for three days. Three long days filled with silence and me hammering on the coffin’s lid, begging to be let out. But of course, I was buried, and buried deep. You don’t want animals digging up coffins, so I was under at least ten feet of dirt. And decomposing. Remember, I was dead. The worst part was that when I stopped to listen, I could hear the worms gnawing in the darkness.

Eventually I broke out of the coffin. Desperation and not feeling pain helps a lot in that respect. I broke my hooves on the wood, and then my bones. But even the best-made coffins break after you hit them long enough. After that, I dug upwards to the surface. It took me an entire day, squirming through the mud and dirt. But it was better than the coffin. And eventually, I reached the sky.

I remember breaking through the topsoil, reaching up and not feeling any more dirt around me. I poked my head out of the ground like a weird turnip, and then I saw the sky. Well, I saw the clouds. It was raining. Apparently when Ponyville’s weathermare dies, the weather doesn’t get tended to properly. Fancy that.

But rain or no rain, I was so happy to be out in the open I could have cried. I tried, but crying is something only the living can do.

I guess I didn’t realize I was dead at the time. I mean, sure, I knew I was dead, but knowing isn’t the same as knowing. But regardless of what I’d been through, regardless of the pain and madness I endured in that small coffin, one thing had brought me back from the grave and it consumed my every thought.

My friends. I wanted to see them again.

It wasn’t even conscious. I just started walking towards Ponyville from my grave, shedding the earth and worms with every step.

That was my first mistake. And it was a pretty bone-headed mistake too, right up there with the worst of egghead mistakes. I just skipped, well, dragged myself really, into Ponyville expecting everything to be like normal. I guess I kinda forgot I was dead, but y’know, when you’re dead it’s pretty obvious. To other ponies, at least.

Fluttershy ran. In the cover of the night, she ran down the small dirt road leading from her cottage to Ponyville. The moon tonight was obscured by the clouds – another of the many problems with Ponyville’s weather after Rainbow Dash’s death.

Without their fastest, if laziest, member, the weather pony team was unable to effectively manage Ponyville’s climate, leading to flash floods, sudden droughts, and cloudy skies on what should be clear nights.

But that was the least of Fluttershy’s concerns. Bereft of any light to see by, she smacked into small shrubs as she ran, tripped over tree roots and rocks, but kept running, galloping as fast as she could to make it to Ponyville. She didn’t stop, even when she cut herself on a low-hanging tree branch, or even when she struck a tree hard enough to bruise. She had to run, and only run.

Because she was being chased.

It had come out of the night soundlessly. No, that wasn’t right. It had appeared with a lot of sounds, smashing into her cottage door and trying to batter it down. But it had made no sounds, no actual noises aside from its clumsy movement. Even a Timberwolf, terrifying as the beasts were, would have alerted Fluttershy and her animals by its breathing, its terrible howling, and growls. But this creature was silent, and it had chased Fluttershy the last five miles as she ran for safety.

It did not seem to care about the other animals. Angel and the other animals had evacuated to safety without attracting its attention, but they hadn’t been able to slow it down, either. The smaller creatures had tried to buy Fluttershy time as she fled out the back door of her cottage. She had heard them try to distract the monster, scream in horror, and then flee.

She hoped they weren’t hurt, or…dead. Fluttershy had never worried about her friends dying, at least, not violently. All animals died of old age, but she’d seldom worried they’d be hurt by anything else. She had believed in their safety, believed in the magic of her friendship that would keep them alive. But that belief had shattered and crumbled to dust with the death of one of her friends.

Now Fluttershy didn’t believe in much of anything, but she did still believe in fear. And it was fear that kept her running even as her breath burned her lungs and her legs screamed at her to stop.

Why wasn’t she flying? Fluttershy’s wings curled uselessly at her back. She was too afraid to fly, that was why. She’d never been a good flier in danger, at least when it was her own life that was in danger. She had to be pushed, guided, encouraged by her friend who was a far better flier than she was. But that friend – that dear friend was gone, and Fluttershy couldn’t fly without remembering her face.

But without her wings, Fluttershy was no more than a substandard Earth Pony, without their superior stamina or strength. So even as she spotted Ponyville’s buildings rising in the distance, she also found that the thing that was chasing her had caught up.

Fluttershy reared in alarm as something appeared on the road in front of her. She turned and whirled around, but out of the corner of her eye she saw a blur of movement. The creature moved around Fluttershy and blocked her from running away, moving with a speed that far exceeded Fluttershy’s own.

The pegasus unconsciously whimpered and shook in her hooves. She desperately tried to unfurl her wings, but she was paralyzed by fear, unable to open them and soar away. And on the ground the creature approached her, and Fluttershy knew she would never outrun it.

She was cornered. Trapped.

The creature lurched towards her. It didn’t seem possible that it could have moved so fast, but it had easily outpaced Fluttershy. Yet for all that, it seemed clumsy, moving forwards in a stumbling gait that Fluttershy had never seen in any animal. For a pony so familiar with the movements and rhythms of every living being, this terrified her most of all. But then the…thing came into view, and Fluttershy saw it looked almost like a pony. And it opened its mouth and spoke.

“Heegh.” The creature lurched towards Flutterhsy. “Heegh.”

Fluttershy’s eyes went wide and she backed up fast. It looked like a pony, but it wasn’t. It’s voice sounded garbled, as if something had ruined the creature’s throat. And what was with its body? Pieces were falling off, hanging loosely like they were broken or…

Rotten.

Fluttershy turned to run. She had to get into Ponyville. There she would find her friends. There she would be safe. But as she began to gallop, the creature put out it’s…hoof and spoke again.

“Heegh. Fluttershgh. ‘s megh.”

Fluttershy stopped. She stared at the shambling creature in horror. It spoke to her, with words she should know. That was her name. It had spoken her name. How did it know her?

The monster took advantage of Fluttershy’s confusion to steal forwards a few more feet. Then it finally came into view, and Fluttershy’s brain put together the pieces her heart was trying to deny.

Rainbow Dash’s corpse, or what was left of her shambled towards Fluttershy, walking in that unnatural shuffling gait. That was because its legs weren’t working properly. One hoof seemed bent, as if the bone had broken, and another leg looked dislocated. Yet the corpse moved, even though it was clearly dead.

And it was smiling. Or trying to smile. Fluttershy saw the lips move up, and a face horribly decayed stretch around gaping holes of flesh.

She trembled. Her breath came rapid and shallow. It wasn’t. No. No, it couldn’t be. But her eyes told her the truth. And it’s words…

“Flttrsh. Iss mh.”

Fluttershy felt her heart stopping. No. But yes. Undeniably yes, but no. She couldn’t believe. But it was so…she had to ask.

“R-rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy’s voice quavered in the night. “I-is that you?”

Rainbow Dash’s body stiffened, and then it nodded up and down. Like a puppet. And smiled.

Fluttershy stared at the decomposing body, looked into its face, saw her friend, and saw her death.

“Oh.” She said weakly. “Oh.”

And then she fainted.

Fluttershy fell to the ground, unconscious. The corpse hesitated, unsure, but went quickly towards her. But no sooner had it laid a rotting hoof on the pegasus than something struck it from the side, knocking it to the ground.

Slowly, the body jerked upright, legs, head twisting upwards. Not like how a living creature would move at all. And once it was upright, it looked around for what had hit it.

The dead body saw, or rather the spirit inside it sensed more movement. It leaned back as two more stones shot out of the darkness and cracked against the ground hard enough to send clods of dirt spinning into the air. The corpse looked in the direction the shooter and saw another familiar sight.

Applejack stood on a ledge, back hooves poised to kick again. Several hoof-sized stones stood in front of her, ready to be used. “Get back,” she warned the creature. “If y’all try to touch Fluttershy again, ah’ll kick your rear end all the way to Appleloosa.”

Ignoring her warning, the corpse jerked towards her. Instantly Applejack kicked, and two more stones struck the corpse in the chest, sending it tumbling to the ground again. But the instant the body fell to the ground it was back upright once more, the two pieces of jagged rock stuck in its rotting flesh.

It advanced on Applejack rapidly, and the Earth Pony cursed and leapt from her perch to the ground, turning as she prepared to kick the creature with its hooves. But she stopped as she moved close enough to see the corpse.

Applejack’s face drained of all color, and she took a step back. The dead body waited patiently. It tried to smile again.

“No. Rainbow Dash?”

So, yeah. I don’t do communication that well. I’m sure any other pony in my hooves would have figured out a better a way of communicating than running around scaring ponies, but what do you expect? I’m confused, freshly dead and uncertain of what was going on. But I do want to see my friends.

Too bad they really didn’t want to see me.

Fluttershy was the first pony I visited, simply because she was closest to where I had been buried. Unfortunately I’m clumsy in my new, or rather, old body and I keep smashing into the door rather than figuring out how to get my hooves to open it. I guess that scared her.

Duh. It’s Fluttershy. Of course it scared her. An oversized piece of cheese could scare her. But in her defense, I think a strange creature smashing into your front door would scare anypony.

In any case, she runs, and I run after her. Her animals get in my way, but the instant they see me they ran for the hills. And in the meantime Fluttershy dashed straight towards Ponyville. Pretty quickly too – I’d never seen her move this fast, but fear’s a great motivator, I guess.

I would fly after her, but I have no wings. Rather, upon exiting my grave I found to my horror that my wings were gone. Missing, with only two ugly stumps whether they should have been.

But even without wings, I’m Rainbow Dash and she’s Fluttershy. Even my dead body is faster than her, and it takes me only a few minutes to corner her and finally tell her it’s me.

Sort of. Guess what? Turns out vocal chords rot just like the rest of your body, and when that happens speech pretty much becomes impossible. But she gets the picture eventually when I get close enough.

“R-rainbow Dash? I-is that you?”

Bingo. I give her my best smile.

She screams and faints. I guess I should have expected that. As she falls I go to catch her, but now Applejack appears and starts kicking rocks at me. Rude, but I get why she’s doing it.

I lurch over to her and try to show her my face. Applejack’s face pales, and she takes a step back.

“Stay back!” I’ve never heard Applejack shout like that. She shouted at me all the time, whenever I stole apples or took a nap rather than help her. But she was always angry. Now she sounds…

Afraid.

“Don’t come any closer, y’here?” Applejack stomps her hoof and advances towards me a bit. “Leave Fluttershy alone! If y’all want someone to go after, I’m right here!”

Does Applejack not recognize me? I wave one hoof and point it to my face. She sees the gesture and her eyes widen. She cautiously approaches, peering at me and then she gets it.

“R-rainbow? Is that really…?”

I grin. Or rather, I try to smile with the teeth I have left. I can see Applejack hesitate. Slowly, she approaches me, staring hard at my face. But the fear doesn’t leave her eyes. And neither does she relax her posture.

At least she’s not fainting. I smile again, and try to give her a hug. I’m not one for sappy stuff, but I’d even kiss Discord. It’s great to see her face.

But Applejack isn’t happy to see me. I can take a hint, and I notice the way she draws back in fear, begins dry-heaving, and starts screaming at me.

“No.” Applejack says suddenly. She jerks back from me and starts walking backwards. “No. Nononononono. This ain’t happenin’.”

I pause in confusion. Applejack keeps backing up until she’s in front of Fluttershy, crouching to protect her.

“The dead stay dead, y’hear?” She kicks a rock at me. I hear it whiz by one ear, fast enough to crack bark of the tree it hits. “Git away! You’re not real! You’re dead! The dead stay dead!”

Not what I had planned. I try to approach, but Applejack starts kicking more stones at me. “Leave!” She screams at me. Her eyes are wide and panicked, and Applejack seems more afraid than I’ve ever seen in my life. “Yer dead! Dead! The dead can’t come back!”

I want to yell at Applejack. I open my mouth, but a stone strikes the ground next to me, sending up a shower of dirt. Applejack is kicking stones at me now, hard as she can. She’s strong, and a great shot. She can kick an apple hard enough to dent wood. If she hits me with a rock, she might fracture my skull. That wouldn’t really be a problem since I’m dead, but self-preservation instincts still kicked in. Rather than force my way towards Applejack I slowly back away.

The friendly neighborhood Earth Pony I know so well doesn’t stop screaming and kicking stones at me until I’m far out of sight. At this point I’m in Ponyville proper and trotting away from her, confused and angry. Why would one of my best friends chase me off like that? Fluttershy I can understand fainting, but Applejack? Okay, sure I’m dead and that would give anypony a shock but…

I remember something as I trot. Applejack’s parents are dead.

Oh. I feel guilty all of a sudden, and pain stabs me in the heart. It’s mental pain, or rather, emotional pain, but it’s the first real sensation I’ve felt since waking up my grave.

And it’s unwelcome. I’d rather not feel anything than that. But my thoughts are only half on that. The more active, thinking part of my brain is trying to decide whether I should leave Ponyville rather than scaring my other friends, or—

But the choice isn’t mine. I hear the patter of small hooves and hear a voice.

“Dash? Is that you?”

Oh. No. This is bad.

I turn and see a small shape running towards me, followed by two other small shapes. No guesses as to who they are. I look around for somewhere to run. Maybe—no. Just run.

My corpse breaks out into a strange, jerking gallop as I dash through the streets of Ponyville.

“Wait!” The filly calls out after me, but I run as fast as I can. I know her pain, but I don’t want to let her see me. Not like this.

But if I could outpace Fluttershy even while dead, this filly is another matter. She’s quick on her hooves and runs in front of me before I can get away. I hear the intake of breath as she spots my ruined body. Too late now.

“R-rainbow Dash?” Scootaloo walks forward hesitantly. She peers at my face, but it’s too dark for her to see me that well. “I-is that you?”

I’m never more grateful for the night than I am now.

Slowly, I shake my head.

“Scootaloo!” I can hear Applebloom and Sweetie Belle run up. “Don’t go near it! You know what Applejack said! Let the Princess take care of it!”

“Shut up!” Scootaloo shouts at them. “It’s her! Look!”

She walks even closer, and now she can see my face. To her credit Scootaloo only flinches when she sees it. “It is her. See? It looks just like her.”

Applebloom paws at the ground. “But she’s—she might be dangerous. Applejack said—we gotta let Twilight handle this. That’s what she said.”

“Y-yeah.” Sweetie Belle chimes in. She looks at me nervously. “Let’s go, Scootaloo.”

“No.” Scootaloo looks at me, and I can tell she knows. “It is you, isn’t it? Rainbow Dash? It’s me, Scootaloo.”

There’s no helping it. I nod my head.

Scootaloo jumps. Her face turns pale, but she doesn’t faint. Instead, she slowly takes another step forwards. Appleblom and Sweetie Belle approach as well, but stay much farther away, staring at my body with horror in their eyes.

Scootaloo takes a deep breath. Her eyes can’t leave my face. She looks into my eyes and for some reason turns dead white. But despite that she remains standing. At last, she whispers to me.

“You’d d-dead. Aren’t you?”

I nod once.

Scootaloo freezes at that. I can see her breathing hard, but there’s something she wants to say to me. I can see it in her eyes.

“Do you know what’s happened since you left?” She asks. “We had a big funeral and everything. Did you know about that?”

Once again, I nod.

“And I uh, I did things…” Scootaloo shakes as she looks at me. “D-do you know about that too?”

I hesitate, and then nod.

“Are you—” Scootaloo’s voice breaks. “Are you…mad at me?”

My heart hurts. How could I be mad at her, ever? I slowly shake my head.

“Oh. Good.” Scootaloo sniffs. She’s trying hard not to cry. “Um. I’m s-sory. I just—after you…died I made a mistake. A big mistake. I-I just wanted to see you again. S-so I…”

I don’t want to hear. I already know. I shake my head and bend down so Scootaloo and I are at a level. Carefully, I pat her on the shoulder with a hoof.

Scootaloo flinches as my dead flesh touches hers. But she is reassured, and that’s what matters. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle hover uncertainly behind her, gazing at me with fear in their eyes. But Scootaloo’s always looked up to me, rightly or more probably, wrongly.

“I’m sorry,” she says in a small voice. “I really am. I didn’t want to—it’s just that you can’t really be…I mean, you’re too cool to…why did you die?” She looks at me, tears in her eyes. “W-why did you have to die, Rainbow Dash?”

To that I have no answer. I can only pat her on the shoulder again. She starts crying. I don’t know what else to do.

“Sorry.” She apologizes as she tries to wipe tears away. “I didn’t want to—this is so uncool, but…are you back? Will you come back?”

I shake my head slowly.

“Oh.” Scootaloo sniffs. “But then…at least I saw you again. Right? That’s something, right? And you’re still awesome, even if you’re d-de…”

She can’t finish. I hesitate. I don’t want to hug her, not when just touching her makes her so uncomfortable.

So instead I smile at Scootaloo. Big mistake. The instant I open my mouth I know the worms have infested that place. They spill out onto the ground, white, wriggling things. Scootaloo takes one look at them and then at me and faints.

Applejack and Sweetie Belle scream in unison and bolt. But they come back, dashing with frantic speed to drag Scootaloo away with them. Even in their terror, they’re still a team.

Good kids.

But their screaming has woken Ponyville. I can see lights flickering on in houses, and hear ponies waking up in alarm. That’s what a small town is all about. If one pony shouts for help, everyone comes running.

Unfortunately, that’s the last thing I want at the moment. My eyes dart around frantically, but now all of Ponyville is waking up. And without wings, there’s precious little places to hide where I won’t be immediately found.

So I run to the only place I can think of.

The Carousel Boutique isn’t open at this time of night. And it’s always locked. But I know where the key is – hidden on the mantle above the doorway. Rarity can always lift it up with her magic, and I could normally fly up and grab it, but it takes me several painstaking minutes to use my dead body to climb that high up and retrieve it.

Even harder is opening the door. My body doesn’t do small motions well, and I must clumsily use my mouth to insert the key and twist it. I lose a tooth in the process, and the piece of ivory falls to the ground, bits of my dead flesh attached to it. Whatever. The door unlocks, and I dart inside.

The boutique is dark and empty. Perfect. I can hide here, then run away. Already I’ve scarred Scootaloo, and hurt Applejack and Fluttershy. I understand now how foolish it was to come to Ponyville. I’ll wait here until the commotion dies down and—

Moonlight shines through a window. Perhaps the moon had been blocked by one of the clouds, but now it flows into the room and illuminates a pony I hadn’t noticed in the darkness. She looks up in fear and surprise at my sudden entrance.

No. Not her.

“Who’s there?” The unicorn gets to her hooves and walks forwards. “The boutique is closed. Please, leave me alone. I—”

I move backwards towards the door and a ray of moonlight catches my face. The unicorn pauses, and I hear her breathing stop. She darts forward, and now both of us are caught in that brief moment of light.

“Rainbow?” Rarity turns pale. Well, paler. She stumbles backwards. “Is—is that—?”

I freeze in place. Of all the ponies, I wanted to see her least. I’d rather be back facing Scootaloo, or Applejack or Fluttershy or anypony else. I have to get away. Now.

I turn and instinctively open my wings to fly away. But instead of feathers I have decayed stumps of flesh. I crash into one of Rarity’s clothing mannequins and try to scramble away.

My hoof is on the door, but her voice stops me.

“Rainbow. Please don’t go.”

That’s enough to stop me dead in my tracks. I turn, walk back to her.

Unlike Applejack or Fluttershy, Rarity only flinches at the sight of me. She walks towards me, slowly, hesitantly, but she doesn’t run or scream. She only touches me, once, to feel my rotted fur and damaged flesh.

“Oh Rainbow,” she sighs. Yes, sighs. I have no better words for it. But it’s the wrong word.

Can a sigh be the sound of a heart breaking? Can a sigh sound like pain and love and loss? Can a sigh capture grief in every shade of being? If so, yes, she sighs.

Rarity moves closer to me. I wish I could feel her presence, but I am cold. Yet I see her, hear her voice and drink in these two senses hungrily. I yearn to touch her, but I don’t want to ruin her perfection with my blighted presence.

But she touches me. Rarity reaches out and touches my face, ignoring how burial and death have changed it.

Her hoof rests upon my chest. She looks at me, and strokes my fur. Once. I remember the sensation, yet cannot feel it.

I long to rest my head against her mane. If I could – my hoof raises and I take a step forwards. But I am dead, and my flesh is cold. I lower my hoof and step away.

Her mane falls over her face and she looks away. The bad thing about having my eyesight and vision is that I can see everything, from her shaking shoulders to the tears she’s trying not to show me.

I want to hug her to me, to whisper in her ear. But our relationship had just begun, and now is stillborn. I cannot speak in any case. My voice has rotted away, and my flesh is doing the same.

My heart is dead in my chest, but even so, something hurts my soul. I have to go, so I turn and walk out the door. I can hear her weeping as I leave. My death has hurt her most of all, the pony I would do anything for. I should have never fallen in love with her, or told her I love her. I should have left Rarity alone, but I didn’t, and now she is alone and I am dead.

My sins are legion.

I wrote her poetry in the early days, when I first fell in love with her. It wasn’t good poetry, mark you. At best it was alright.

…I think I called her ‘half as cool as Daring Doo, but nearly as awesome.’ I never said I was good at poetry. But she laughed, and that was enough to make me happy. And from there we grew slowly closer.

Slowly. I’m the fastest pony in Equestria (in all humbleness and that, but I really am. Or was.), but I was so terrified of making a mistake like I normally do that I took every step at our relationship at a snail’s pace. Or Tank’s pace. Whatever.

She was the one who pushed me, gave me the strength to apply to be on the Wonderbolts reserves. In the late of the night, when I’d sneak over to her boutique disguised as a thundercloud, it was she who would take away my fears and give me back my confidence. In the same way, I was the one who helped her get through her insecurities, her daily struggle to create and find inspiration, to be generous even when every fashion critic hated her dresses…

Oh yeah, she had her paranoia about her sewing, just like I had my fears about not being good enough. I’d like to say that we were too awesome to let that bog us down, but if it hadn’t been for our relationship, we might have gotten stuck there. But on those nights, when we shared a blanket and drank cider together by a fire…ah, memory hurts far more than anything else.

I would have plucked the stars out of the sky and given them to her. I actually tried it, once. Um. Turns out stars are hundreds of thousands of miles away and are actually bigger than all of Equestria. And you can’t breathe if you fly too high. And it’s really cold. I didn’t know any of this until after the fact.

And yeah, I learned three other things that night. I learned that nearly dieing of oxygen deprivation and freezing is a really painful, I learned that everyone gets mad if you try it, and that despite that, you actually get a lot of relationship points for trying.

Like, a lot of relationship points. And uh, the last thing I learned is that Rarity knows the wing thing.

I don’t know how she learned it, and I don’t wanna know. I get jealous, and generosity is her thing. But regardless of anything else, I was always happy to be with her. Even if our relationship was a secret, even if we couldn’t be together with me trying to get on the Wonderbolts reserves and her opening up a new boutique…we were happy.

But I died, and so whatever we had died with it. I’m not an idiot. I just don’t like thinking. But I can see what would have happened if I embraced her, hugged her, kissed her, all the things I wanted to do.

“Rainbow…” Rarity’s voice trembles with emotion. She reaches out to me, hesitates, and then reaches out again. Her hoof touches my ruined face, and I feel her shudder, but she doesn’t pull away.

No. I’m the one who pulls away. I step back and let her hoof fall to the ground. She looks at me, bewildered, hurt.

“Dash. Why are you—I’ m so sorry. But we can fix this. You—I thought—when you were—but you’re back. I don’t know how, or why, but you’ve returned, and—” Rarity looks at me, and I see the tears in her eyes. “Oh, Rainbow. I thought you were dead, I swear! I would never have let them bury you if—please. Please let me touch you. Let me hold you.”

She moves closer to me, and I move away. It takes all the force of will I have to do so. Rarity stops, hurt, confused.

“Rainbow? Is it something I’ve done? Please, talk to me. I’m so sorry. But if you have something to say—”

I shake my head. How could I express with gestures something that words would fail to convey? There is nothing to say, in any case. I can only back away, towards the door.

Rarity comes after me, beseeching, not understanding. “Dash? Rainbow? Why are you leaving? Please don’t go. Don’t leave me. Not again. I just want to be with you. I will be with you. Just don’t leave me—alone.”

Her voice breaks on that last word. So does my heart. But her words only confirm what I know. I have to leave, or face the worst. So I keep backing away. I am nearly at the door when she breaks down.

“Rainbow!” Her voice cuts into my very soul. “Don’t go! I can’t do this if you’re not by my side! Please don’t leave! I love you—”

I jerk as those three words hit me. She and I never said those words in all the time we were together. They were unspoken, but always with us. She knew it, I knew it. It was in our hearts. To say them aloud would have taken more courage than I had in me, but to hear her say them—

Oh. Why so cruel? Why so mean? Why have a heart at all if you only want to tear it out?

For the longest moment, I hesitate. Rarity is weeping, tears falling from her face as she begs me to stay. She isn’t wearing makeup, I notice. She always does, but I suppose she didn’t feel up to it after my passing. Seeing her like this, plain, as she would describe herself, made me love her all the more.

Yes. I do love Rarity. With all my heart, and with more eloquence and passion than I’ll ever have words to say. I love her.

So you know what I did? I left. I walked out the door as she begged me to stay. And that is loyalty. It might not seem like it, but what good is being next to somepony if all you can do is hurt them? Sometimes…sometimes it’s best to hurt them a bit instead of ruining their life.

That’s what I told myself. That’s what I kept telling myself, but it hurt more than anything else I’ve felt in my life. It hurt more than dying, and I know that from personal experience.

I stumble outside into Ponyville and I don’t even care when I realize that there are other ponies outside waiting for me. Other ponies, yes. Ponies I’ve known either as aquantinces or just familiar faces all my life. They’re gathered outside of Rarity’s boutique, and as they see me the sadness happens again.

Some scream. Others point and some simply faint away.

I shouldn’t be able to hurt more, but somehow my heart grows enough to feel even more pain. The ponies are all around me, panicking, full of horror and fear.

“Enough!”

A voice cuts through the shouting and I look up to see a figure flying down through the sky. Aother friend. Another would in a heart that I had no intention of causing. But this friend is a Princess as well, and she is stronger than I ever gave her credit for.

Twilight lands on the ground hard. She’s still an amateur flier, but when she pulls herself upright I can see at least part of Celestia and Luna’s princessness has rubbed off on her.

“Everypony, please go back to your homes,” she shouts, using magic to amplify her voice. “I’ll—I’ll take care of this. Please, just go back and let me deal with this. She’s not here to hurt anypony.”

Numbly, I watch Twilight herd the other ponies away. I’m still filled with numbness, but after many minutes when Twilight returns, I can still feel more love and pain in my heart when I see her face.

And it’s in hers as well. Twilight looks at me and shudders, and I can see just how much it’s hurting her to see me as well. But unlike the rest of my friends she can push past it to get me off the streets and help other ponies.

Duty. I respect that part of her with all my soul.

“Rainbow,” Twilight says. “Please, come with me.”

I don’t have the will to do anything else. Not that I would have ignored my friend’s request, but I was numb inside. Death was something I experienced, but until this moment, I had no idea what it meant.

Twilight leads me down the silent street, but I can feel the eyes of ponies within their homes on me. It shouldn’t bother me, and it doesn’t, really. But I begin to realize more and more my own death, and it is a dull knife that twists in my soul. I hadn’t really felt the loss of it before, but like the deepest of wounds the pain creeps up on me as time passes.

Twilight’s castle is empty and she takes me down the corridors until she brings me to an anteroom she normally uses to receive guests. What’s odd is that she is trotting quickly to bring me there. Of course I follow her, but Twilight is constantly glancing over her shoulder. She gestures and I enter the room.

The door locks behind me and I turn, confused. But if Twilight wants to lock me away, I wouldn’t argue. No, it would be for the best. Yet that’s not the real reason. I quickly understand a few moments after the door locks.

“Hey Twilight!” A familiar, bouncy voice echoes from the corridor outside. I start in recognition at the sound of my last friend.

“Pinkie,” Twilight says, and I hear the tension in her voice. “This isn’t a good time. I know you heard—”

“That my best friend Rainbow Dash is back? Of course I heard, silly!” I hear Pinkie Pie’s laughter echoing from the door. “Where is she? In there?”

“Pinkie, no.” Twilight says firmly. “She’s back. Rainbow’s here but she’s…not Rainbow.”

“How can she be Rainbow and not Rainbow silly?” I hear Pinkie rattling the doorknob. “Hey, it’s locked. What gives, Twilight?”

“Pinkie, please listen. She’s dead. Rainbow Dash is dead. You know that.”

“Well of course I know that silly!” I heard the door rattle even harder. “Come on, let me see her. Dead is dead, but I can still say hi, right? Rarity and Applejack told me they saw her. She’s walking around, so she can’t be really dead.”

“It’s her dead body Pinkie. Not Dash. Just let me handle this, okay? Can you do that? For me?”

“No!” Something smashes against the door hard enough to make the crystal frame crack. “Let me see her! Rainbow! It’s me, Pinkie! Let’s play!”

“Pinkie! She’s not in there! She’s dead! She died and you saw it!”

“I don’t believe you! It was fake! Twilight! Open the door!”

“No!” I can hear Twilight screaming back. “Spike, hold her back! Pinkie, you can’t see her! Don’t make me do this!”

“No, no, no!” I hear wood splintering and things breaking. “You can’t make me! Dashie! I want to see you! Please! I threw you so many parties and you never came! But now we can have a coming-back-to-life-party! It’ll be great!”

I put my hooves over my ears, but it’s not enough. I can hear every terrible moment as Pinkie begs for me to come out.

“Dash! Don’t ignore me! Have you forgotten about me? Me? Pinkie? We played pranks together, remember? Remember Gilda? Griffinstone? We did so much together! Open up and let me see you! Dash! Open up!”

Something really heavy hits the door and I can feel it beginning to crack.

“Pinkie!” I hear Twilight shouting. “I’m sorry I have to do this!”

“No! Don’t Twilight!”

But the magic is cast, and I hear Pinkie’s hammering on the door start to slow.

“No, please Twilight.” She begs. “Please?”

“You have to sleep Pinkie.” Twilight’s voice is nearly muffled by her sobs. “Please. Don’t make this harder.”

“Can I say something to her? One thing?”

“One thing.”

I hear Pinkie at the door. I stand up and go over to listen. I can’t help it. Pinkie is still pushing at the door, trying to get through to me.

“Dash…” her voice is growing weaker. “I…I made you a thousand paper cranes. Ten thousand. I made forty thousand five hundred and eighty three, but they took my paper away from me. I baked you a lot of cakes. A lot of cakes. I didn’t eat any of them because I was waiting for you to show up. Come on. Please? They won’t let me wait for you to arrive and keep feeding me with a tube. But now you’re here we can play. It doesn’t matter if you have to go away. I can go with you and you won’t be lonely.”

I can hear Twilight crying. Pinkie Pie is crying too. I’m crying, but only in my heart. My body is dead.

“Please?” Pinkie’s voice is a whisper as sleep overtakes her. “I’ll be good. I Pinkie Promise. Please? Pretty please? I just want to see you again. Dash…”

Something scratches faintly at the door. I wish I were dead.

Pinkie whispers to me. “Please don’t leave me alone again.”

And then she is silent.

I wait in silence, in the depths of a hell far worse than Tartarus, to the sounds. Twilight is weeping, and Spike is talking softly. I hear something being dragged away, and then the door unlocks once more.

Twilight walks into the room, eyes red, and closes the door.

“Pinkie’s asleep,” she says quietly. “I-I couldn’t let her see you, Rainbow. I’m sorry. She stopped eating after you…left. We had to force feed her, but then she got one of the knives and—I had to lock her up in one of the rooms here. If-if she saw you it would be worse. I’m sorry.”

I nod. What else can I say? If I could I would apologize, or better yet, jump out a window and then jump off a cliff. But I’m here now, and I have to see it through. This is the worst mistake I’ve made.

Twilight paces back and forth in front of me. She glances at my dead body a few times before looking away hurriedly. She wants to say something, bursting with the need to speak.

“I checked,” Twilight said at last. “I mean, I would have checked, but you were in pieces.”

“Biologically, scientifically there was no chance of you surviving. Even magic couldn’t have brought you back. Not in pieces. I checked. I double checked. Celestia banned me from that section of the library of course, but I knew where the books where and I looked. I wasn’t going to bring you back, but I might’ve if you weren’t in pieces. But you were dead! So this is impossible.”

She points at me. “You are impossible, but you’re here and that means Starswirl’s theories on death were wrong. I’ll have to amend his notes. I mean, amend his entire theory. Can you imagine how hard that will be? It’s practically the foundation of all magical understanding. Centuries of work could be undone, but your presence her clearly indicates there’s a major flaw in his theories…”

She’s babbling. I want to tell her to relax, but my throat is gone. I can only let her wind down.

“I-I should write a letter, or ask for advice.” Twilight looks around frantically. “Spike has my quills. And my parchment – I don’t have any here. But I’m a Princess. I should be able to handle this myself, right Dash? I’m a Princess. Princess of Friendship. And that means being a good friend. Being there for a friend. But I—I wasn’t there for you when you needed me. I was too—I was weak and—”

Twilight’s eyes fill up with tears again and she chokes. If I held her—no, I’m dead and rotting. But she is so hurt. Twilight’s trying to speak, but she’s crying at the same time, so hard she can’t even see.

“I’m so sorry.” Twilight collapses at my hooves. Tears stream down her face as she puts her head to the ground. “Rainbow. This is all my fault. If I’d only been—”

She coughs, chokes again, and keeps crying. I don’t have anything I can say. There’s nothing I can do. I look at my hooves. Rotting flesh and maggots. I can’t even hug my friend.

Twilight sobs at my hooves. Pinkie Pie lies unconscious as Spike watches her sleep outside. In her boutique, Rarity’s heart lies broken. Applejack sees her dead parents, and Fluttershy is perhaps the best off, merely asleep from the horror I have brought.

I should never have come back. This, all of this was a mistake.

Something catches my eye. I turn from my helpless vision of Twilight’s grief and see a pony-sized mirror. One of Rarity’s little additions to the castle she sneaked in when nopony was looking. She uses it to pose and model her dresses.

I walk towards it. I don’t want to look. I’d rather do almost anything else than look. Now that I know what to expect, I’m afraid of what the mirror will tell me. But it’s this or look at my friends suffering because of me. An easy choice, when you put it like that.

I bow my head and see.

Somepony stands before me. No. Something. It might have been a pony once, but now?

Rot and decay has eaten away parts of its body. What was once vibrant blue fur is pale, grayish flesh torn open. White worms wriggle among the darkness, but the rest of this creature is simply disfigured.

Its wings are gone. I suppose there were never enough feathers gathered in my grave. But more than that, even the skeletal framework of my wings are gone. I look at myself and see a pegasus no longer. But it would be an insult to call me an earth pony either. No, the creature standing before the mirror is no pony at all.

Its face remains much the same. The features are all in the right place, but they too are rotting, a horrible mockery of what once was. And, with a start I notice the strangest thing of all.

This creature has no eyes. Rather, where they once were are only empty sockets. Something has destroyed them. I put my hooves up and feel the gaping blindness. But how is it that I see?

I don’t know. But the sight of this thing is too much. I have to turn away.

And only now does the true nature of what I must seem like to my friends strike me. The screaming, the running away. The apologies, and not least, the fear. They think I’ve come back for vengeance.

It sounds like the stupidest thing only one of the flower ponies would think up, or maybe a paranoid delusion Twilight would get on a really bad day. But no, they’re all thinking it. Why? Was I so petty in life?

Maybe. Death has a way of revealing your hidden flaws, and I can look back and say I was that foalish at times. But this is guilt. And pain. It see it in the way Twilight lies on the ground, overcome by grief.

I hesitate. But then I bend over and place a hoof on her shoulder. I feel her shudder at my cold, clammy touch but it works. She looks up at me and some of the guilt drains out of her. I give her my best smile, mouth closed, and she nearly smiles back. It’s that special kind of smile that you can only give in the worst moments.

But then Twilight looks into my eyes, or rather, empty sockets and her expression firms. I see determination there, the kind of will that you need to become an alicorn princess, I guess. And I know she’ll be alright.

“Rainbow, there’s something I need to show you.” Twilight tells me. “Will you—will you come with me?”

Of course. There’s no need for her to ask like that. Obediently, I walk after Twilight, trying to match her pace. My body feels heavier. Is it because of all the grief I’ve caused, weighing me down? Or is it my rotting corpse simply giving out beneath me? Either way, Twilight is forced to slow down every few steps, looking back over her shoulder as I trudge slowly after her.

At last she comes to a large set of doors. I recognize them. Twilight’s quarters.

“In there,” she tells me. “It’s – I found it after your death. It might explain a few things.”

That catches my attention. If it would explain my undeath, I’d love to know what Twilight has found. Could it even cure me? Bring me back? I eagerly step through the doorway.

And then—

Rainbow Dash, or what is left of her steps into Twilight’s room. She looks around for whatever the alicorn princess wants to show her, but sees nothing out of the ordinary. She turns to look at Twilight in confusion, and suddenly she is lying on the ground. A bright flash of light and energy washes over Rainbow Dash, along with a thunderous explosion of sound.

“Wh?” Rainbow Dash tries to turn her head. Something is wrong. She can’t move. She twists, hard, and feels her spine cracking. She looks at her back and sees burnt ash where her back should be.

“Oh, no.” Twilight’s voice echoes in Rainbow Dash’s ears. She sees Twilight’s horn smoking, her face twisted by horror. “I thought—I thought it was powerful enough. I’ve never cast this spell and—”

Twilight chokes as the acrid smell of burning flesh hit her nose. She wants to vomit, but the body of her friend still moves on the ground before her. It opens and closes its mouth, looks up at her.

Twilight is full of horror. Her heart is full of pain and ice. She closes her eyes and whispers a prayer.

Memory fades. But the important parts linger on. I see Twilight’s face, hear the dripping of her tears. The world grows dark, although my eyes have long since lost their sight.

She walks towards me. Her horn glows with more magic than any mere unicorn could possess. I’m not sure, then, what she is doing. But she bends down and whispers into my ear and I understand.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” she tells me in the smallest voice I’ve ever heard. “I thought it would be quick. Go to sleep, Rainbow. Go back to sleep. Please. You don’t have to be here anymore.”

I try to reply, but my throat is cauterized and my vocal chords have rotted away. I can only twitch.

Twilight stands up. Her horn glows.

I am blasted to ash. Her tears fall among them, and my soul departs.

But not to heaven, or hell, or any other place where the dead go. No, I remain, caught between life and death in the eternal void. I can see, or rather sense Twilight collapsing to the ground as my friends go to her and find my scattered ashes, feel the day slipping away.

I am not dead, but neither am I alive. And despite how much I wish I were gone, I cannot leave.

Not yet.

Chapter 2: Duty

Fluttershy flew through the night, heart pounding out of her chest. Around her lightning fell like rain, and the rain itself drowned out both land and sky, pouring harder than the pegasus had ever seen before.

Rain fell, and water gathered in the forest below Fluttershy. Pools of water overflowed and ran together to join streams. And those streams became rivers and those rivers a flood. Raging water crashed through the forest, threatening to drown and carry away all it touched.

It was a storm to end all other storms, and end the life of any creature caught within it. By all rights Fluttershy should have flown away, run back to her cottage as she yearned to do. But she couldn’t. As much as the fearful part of her shook and begged to flee, she couldn’t.

She was searching.

Fluttershy skimmed across the treetops, eyes darting frantically as she searched the ground. She was outflying the floodwaters as they crashed behind her, but only barely. There was no point in searching the places the flood covered. Anything those waters touched would be dead within moments.

But there! Fluttershy saw what she was looking for. The slightest pale flash among the green and brown of the forest. A small shape running frantically, but too slowly to outrace the flash flood behind it. Yet having found it, Fluttershy realized she was still too slow.

A barrier of tree branches separated her from her quarry, and they were sharp and tightly bunched together. A strong barrier that Fluttershy would never normally try to breach, but taking the time to find a clearing to land in was not an option. And even as she thought it, Fluttershy heard a terrifying roar, the sound of the raging flash flood crashing through the forest. The creature below her shrieked in fear and despair as it saw it couldn’t escape.

Fluttershy hesitated. The tree branches were in her way, and the floodwaters were nearly upon the struggling shape. It was suicide to try. It was suicide. But she had to do it.

Because she had to be brave. Because there was no one to be brave for her anymore.

Fluttershy dove through the canopy and felt her wings tear across the branches. She would have screamed from the rending pain, but she couldn’t spare the breath to speak. She had to move.

The waters of the flash flood crashed through the forest towards the paralyzed mouse. It screamed as the waters engulfed it. But even as the cascading torrent washed over the mouse, a hoof plunged into the water and yanked it out.

The mouse felt itself being dragged upwards, and then it was flying through the air. It screamed again, this time in confusion. Suddenly it was among the tree branches, and the mouse had the presence of mind to grab a twig and hold on for dear life. It looked down, bewildered at its savior.

Fluttershy looked up and smiled at the mouse. The flash flood yanked her off her hooves in the next moment, dragging her across the ground and through the forest as the storm waters raged onwards. The mouse saw Fluttershy’s torn wings flapping uselessly, saw a pair of flailing hooves, a pink mane, and then nothing.

Below the trees, the waters rose and carried all the detritus of the Everfree forest away with them. Sticks, stones, and a half-drowned pegasus washed through the woods until they reached a gaping fissure in the earth. In ancient times it had been a river, but now erosion had transformed it into a deep, long ravine with high walls of stone and dirt.

Fluttershy rushed towards it, carried by the waters, helpless to escape. She saw the maw of the void looming before her, and knew her death.

Oh. Oh well. She had tried. In fact, she had succeeded. But she was no hero. She had done her best, that was all. And now—

The waters pulled at Fluttershy. She felt herself dragged over the edge. In the ravine the waters churned and pounded the rocky walls, pulverizing anything that entered.

Fluttershy's hooves cleared the edge of the cliff. Seconds were passing far too slowly. She watched herself pour over the side of the ravine and looked down. It was dark. So dark. She wanted to close her eyes, but couldn’t. She couldn’t be afraid. She had to see.

So dark. Fluttershy felt herself falling.

And then she stopped.

Something caught Fluttershy’s hoof. It was cold, wet. Fluttershy stopped falling. The water cascaded around her, pounding her body as it sought to drive her downwards. But something pulled at Fluttershy with unearthly strength. Something lifted her upwards and suddenly Fluttershy was back in the light.

The floodwaters still poured around her, racing across the forest in every direction faster than ponies could run. They pounded the trees, felling the lesser oaks and saplings. They washed away boulders and eroded stone. But they washed around Fluttershy and could not drag her away.

Something held her. Something grasped Fluttershy, holding the pegasus and anchoring her in place. It was cold. Wet. Soft?

Fluttershy looked at what held her. She gazed up into my eyes, and smiled.

I’m not sure how I returned. One moment I was spirit, less than a ghost, raging against fate. The next, I found myself standing in the forest.

My body was back. It wasn’t ash and dust any longer, but neither was it fully alive. Rather, it was my corpse, unblemished but most certainly dead. Was it magic? I didn’t care. The instant I knew I had returned my body ran, ran through the raging flash flood and towards the pony that needed me.

Fluttershy.

She’s an idiot. No, that’s not nice. But it’s true. Flutters is shy like her name, ultra-scared of everything and anything, but that’s not a bad thing. Sure, it’s kind of annoying at times, but that’s what makes Fluttershy…Fluttershy. She wouldn’t be the Element of Kindness without that gentleness, and I sometimes admire her for it.

But it’s her idiot moments that get me. Even though Fluttershy is the most afraid pony I’ve met in my entire life, she cares for her friends too much, both animal and pony. She would throw herself in front of a passing cart to save a mouse. I mean so would I, but I’d do it because I could grab the mouse and get out of there with seconds to spare. Fluttershy would do it because she loves her friends more than she loves living.

Case in point. Here we have a giant flood. For once it’s not the Ponyville weather team’s fault. The good old Everfree Forest cooked this one up by itself, and the endless rainwater created flooding that was sweeping through the forest. All of that’s fine – Ponyville predicted the storm and canals were dug to deflect the floodwaters before they got anywhere near the town. But the floods caught several animals out unawares and so they were trapped in the storm.

Cue Fluttershy abandoning the safety of her cottage and running out into the forest to save as many as she could. I don’t know what got into her head, but that was a new level of stupid even for Fluttershy. I mean, it was kinda brave, but mostly stupid.

And she would die in that flood. I knew it and so my soul revolted. Against fate, against destiny. Once again I returned. Because the need was great, and because my friend was in danger.

I didn’t fly through the forest, but my legs had wings of their own. The rain was falling too heavily for me to fly in any case – you might not know this but pegasus feathers are normally slightly oily. It keeps out the rain and allows us to fly without being weighed down by water. Trouble is, dead ponies don’t sweat or produce any other kinds of fluids. And more to the point…

I didn’t want to fly. It reminded me of dying.

So I ran, racing through the waters to save my friend from joining me too soon.

I caught her just as she was going over the edge. I threw myself at her and caught her by the hoof. Just in time.

The current was threatening to wash me over the edge too. I stepped back and pulled with all my might. And slowly, step by step, I pulled Fluttershy back up.

The waters were around me. They pulled at me, and I’m sure that they would have washed away even Big Mac if he’d tried to withstand them. But not me.

Fun fact: being dead has several perks. One of them is that you get a lot stronger. Not because being dead means you turn into Bulk Biceps, but because you can use all of your strength. You see, living ponies have a lot of muscle, but they can’t use all of it most of the time. If they pulled or pushed with all their strength they might hurt themselves or break their bones. Dead ponies on the other hand can saw off their limbs and not feel a thing.

In other words, I was a lot stronger now that I was dead. Heck, I was pretty strong in life. I beat Applejack in hoof-wrestling, and she’s one of the strongest ponies in Ponyville. But in death I could walk through a raging flood and not be pushed back.

Not that there wasn’t a cost. There was, but I was willing to pay it. I pulled Fluttershy back from the ravine and held her in place as the flood raged around us. I could have tried to pull her to higher ground, but the floodwaters were only half of the danger that was facing her that night. The other half came from the debris.

Debris. It’s a weird word. What I mean by debris is the really big rocks and sticks that kept smashing into my back as I shielded Fluttershy. They were being carried by the flood and they had enough momentum that anything they hit was either pulverized or destroyed by the impact.

Even small boulders weigh like eighty pounds, right? Toss that at a pony at forty miles per hour and see who walks away. If I’d tried to pull Fluttershy through the flood and even a small rock had struck her, it would have shattered every bone in her body.

So I stood in place and shielded her from the flood and the debris as they washed around me. Stones struck my back. Branches bounced off my wings and jagged pieces of wood cut away my flesh. Good thing I was dead or all that might have hurt. And the waters pulled at me and Fluttershy, with such force that even my body began to break from the strain of resisting.

My hooves cracked. My bones bent and then broke from the strain. I must have torn muscle as well – I heard the terrible crackling of parts of my body failing. But I could feel none of it.

The waters rushed around me for…how long I couldn’t say. But I stood in the face of it, refusing to be washed away. I held Fluttershy, and though I could not feel her body’s heat, I knew she was alive. That was all that mattered. And she clung to me, and what she thought I didn’t know.

No. I saw her look up at me. And met her eyes – once. I knew. And that too was salvation.

She knew she was dead. How else could she explain the sight before her eyes?

Fluttershy felt the waters surging around her, felt the cold and pounding rain. But this was part of the illusion, surely. Because despite the realism of the scene, one part of it could not be real. Fluttershy knew she was dead, because why else was the pony she so dearly longed to see by her side?

Time and nature had not ravaged her face. The rotted flesh and broken bone Fluttershy remembered had disappeared, and the hooves that held her were whole and strong. They were cold, though. So cold.

Her wings were whole and unbroken. They cascaded down around Fluttershy even as a hoof held her in place.

Though the waters raged around her, the pegasus didn’t move. Though the raging currents threw splintered trees, jagged stones, and even small boulders against her back, she never faltered. She stood on the edge, holding Fluttershy to her tightly as the water rushed past them to oblivion. And when the storm lessened and the howling winds grew silent, she was still there.

Fluttershy closed her eyes. She was dead. That or she was alive and not dreaming of the one person she had longed to see. Either way, it meant she could rest. Just for a while. Because she was safe. So long as she was here, she knew it.

A soft sigh escaped Fluttershy’s lips. She opened her eyes and looked up, just to see that face. To carve it in her memory for all of time. A single word left her mouth as Fluttershy smiled.

“Dash.”

I carry her out of that forest. It is dawn, or slightly before that point. The sky is still dark, but at least it’s quiet. The storm has passed, and the world is in that hushed time that comes afterwards. It is peaceful, and I walk down the road to Ponyville with her on my back.

She’s very light. In truth, I don’t feel Fluttershy’s weight but I know it from personal experience. Fluttershy is almost as light as a feather, and feels as delicate as one. But in her is bravery that far exceeds her mortal frame. I have seen it.

The sun’s rays warm both our bodies as I trot into Ponyville. That’s good for Fluttershy – not so much for me. Very soon I’ll begin to rot again, which means I need to complete my task quickly and depart. It is nearly over already; too bad the hardest part begins now.

You would think the light of day takes away horror. Not in this case.

Ponies look up from their tasks as I approach and scream. They run. Of course they run. They are alive, and the living fear the dead. Probably because we remind them that they will one day join us.

At least this time the confusion and panic is more directed. By the time I near Twilight’s castle she and the other Elements of Harmony have already gathered. I see Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight at the gates to her palace with all of Ponyville hiding behind them. Spike is there too, but he’s hiding behind Twilight.

They all stir when they see I carry Fluttershy on my back. And I guess it’s telling of my friend’s character how each react.

Applejack paces towards me and then stops. She quivers with…what? Rage? No. But distrust and fear in equal parts, certainly. She cares for Fluttershy but me? I can see that in her eyes I am not the friend she buried. I think she hates me. It hurts less than I imagine it would.

Pinkie Pie stares at me. She’s smiling like always, but it’s uncertain. And she doesn’t immediately hug me. I can see Twilight nudging Pinkie back but my friend doesn’t look scared or desperate. Just…lost.

Twilight’s staring at me as if her heart is breaking. Rarity looks into my eyes and I can see hers already has.

Silence.

Twilight clears her throat. Everypony looks at her, but she doesn’t know what to say. Well, if she won’t do anything, I will.

I walk forwards and all the ponies besides my friends retreat. Slowly, carefully, I lower Fluttershy to the ground. In an instant Applejack is here, pulling her away from me. I meet AJ’s eyes and she looks away.

“Is she…?” Twilight looks uncertainly at Applejack.

“Just asleep, ah think.” Applejack listens to Fluttershy breathing and feels at her forehead with one hoof. “Unconscious. Don’t look like anything’s wrong with her.” She glances up at me. “’Course, I can’t tell if magic’s involved.”

Twilight ignores that last bit. She looks at me. “Rainbow Dash. Did—did you save Fluttershy?”

I am silent. My inner self is debating, my mind and soul arguing. I want to nod, to put my wings around my friends and…but no. It would not be wise.

Twilight senses my hesitation. She takes one step forwards and this time I retreat. I’ve made up my mind. But she’s persistent now.

“C-can you understand me? Rainbow?”

I nod. But I don’t speak either. I’m fairly certain that I can. My…reincarnation restored my flesh as well as my wings. But speak?

I can see Rarity in the corner of my vision. She is watching me, and the rest of my friends stare at me, some in horror, others sadness, and one in revulsion and fear. What could I say that would ease their fears? And even if I had words, would I go back? Could I join my friends and pretend everything was the same, living amongst them, having the same adventures?

Loving?

No. Never. Something has changed within me. I can feel it in the core of my being. Whatever confusion gripped me before is gone. I am dead. That certainty is within me, and I know I can’t go back.

So I don’t say anything. Neither do I fly. Instead, I walk. Once more I walk away from them, ignoring Twilight’s questions and my friends begging me to wait. It’s still painful, but easier to do a second time.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that the dead should not stay too long among the living.

I wait until I’m a few miles outside of Ponyville before I let myself go. It’s not conscious – I just know that my task here is done, and my spirit departs my body. It falls to dust even as I return to the void. Strange. I still don’t know how I do these things.

A simple task. A life saved. It is so easy, and yet these are the events as I saw them. Death is cold, and I guess I was too. But the living…hurt. I return to Ponyville as a spirit. I see Pinkie Pie standing lost, staring at the empty street where I stood. Rarity is weeping silently as Spike holds her hoof. Applejack stands guard over Fluttershy as the other ponies argue and mill about in panic.

And Twilight? I believe Twilight goes a bit insane.

Canterlot Castle, the throne room. Discord and Celestia sat together, drinking tea. It was unexpectedly civil scene, although my guess is that Discord was his usual insufferable self. I say guess, because that was the only glimpse I got before Twilight caught up with my astral form. I’ll say this: when she’s mad she flies fast.

“DISCORD!”

Twilight blasted through a window, shattering glass and the tranquility of the moment in one thunderous burst of magic. Celestia and Discord looked up in shock as Twilight dove at Discord, horn glowing with magic.

“What have you done!?” Twilight screamed at Discord. “Answer me! What did you do!?”

“Twilight!” Celestia exclaimed. Her horn glowed, and the falling rain of glass shards bounced off a golden shield of magic. “What are you doing?”

“It’s Discord! He’s done something!” Twilight advanced on Discord, horn raised and spell ready to cast. For once Discord looked bewildered, tea cup still held in his bear claw.

“Is…this a joke?” He asked. “I’m all for pranking the prankster Twilight, but this isn’t very fun—erp!”

Discord shut up fast as Twilight raised her horn to eye level. As a spirit I could sense the magnitude of magical power concentrated in her horn. Chaos god Discord might be, but even he flinched at the look in Twilight’s eye.

“Don’t lie.” Twilight said. “Don’t—! Just stop it! Stop it now!”

“Twilight!” Celestia was on her hooves. She pushed Twilight back from Discord. “Stop this! Whatever you think Discord has done, this is unacceptable!”

“Unacceptable?” Twilight barked a short laugh. Her eyes were wide and staring. She was close to unhinged as I’ve ever seen her. “You think so? Really, Princess Celestia? You call bringing back my friend from the dead ‘unacceptable’?”

“What?” Celestia blinked in surprise. “What are you talking about, Twilight?”

“That’s what I want to know.” Discord looked at Twilight. “Just what is it I’ve done?”

“You—” Twilight’s hoof shook with rage as she pointed at Discord. “Don’t pretend! You did this! Rainbow Dash came back from the dead again, and it’s your fault! Who else could have done it?”

“What?” Celestia and Discord both stared at Twilight. “You mean—”

The door burst open and the Royal Canterlot Guard rushed in, ten burly ponies looking for the cause of the commotion. Too late and too slow. They stopped when they saw Twilight.

Celestia waved her guards down. “Twilight, you’re not making any sense,” she told her pupil. “Please, sit. Explain everything.”

“Yes, and how is this my fault exactly?” Discord flinched as Twilight glared at him again. He spread his hands out imploringly. “Please Twilight. I haven’t done anything…well, I haven’t done anything bad for quite some time. I haven’t the foggiest idea what you’re talking about. Did something happen to Rainbow Dash’s…body?”

Twilight gritted her teeth and looked from Celestia back to Discord. She ignored the proffered chair.

“Rainbow Dash’s body,” she said through clenched teeth, “has been walking around Ponyville. That’s what’s wrong.”

“What?” There was no acting in the shock written across both Celestia and Discord’s faces.

“You mean she’s alive?” Celestia asked, “Or when you say her body—”

Twilight stomped her hoof. “No! Rainbow Dash is dead! I know she’s dead! I mean her literal body was walking around Ponyville! I saw it with my own two eyes! She came back from the dead!”

Discord and Celestia exchanged a look.

“Don’t look at me like I’m crazy!” Twilight screamed at them. “I saw it! Everypony in Ponyville saw it! Rainbow Dash dug herself up and I touched her rotting corpse! And then I blasted her to bits and she came back again!”

The Canterlot Royal Guard wasn’t trained for situations like this. The guard ponies hesitated, and then went to surround Twilight. Maybe they thought she was mad, but they weren’t complete idiots. When she turned around to face them they froze in their tracks.

“Rainbow Dash? Coming back from the grave?” Celestia’s face was troubled. She looked like she didn’t believe her own ears – and who could blame her? – but one look at Twilight’s face seemed to convince her. “And you think Discord had something to do with it?”

“He’s the only being who could do something like that.” Twilight pointed an accusing hoof at Discord. “Only he’d be so twisted to play a prank like that. Admit it!” She shouted at Discord. “You did this!”

Discord spoke uncharacteristically soberly, addressing Twilight directly.

“Believe me, Twilight. I have and will do many things that you might not like, but this is not one of them. I may like to play pranks and jokes, but I would never do anything to jeopardize my friendship with Fluttershy.”

“Liar!” Twilight advanced on Discord as the two guard ponies tried desperately to hold her back. “It must be you! You’re the only one who could do something like this!”

“Twilight.” Celestia intervened, stepping between her pupil and the god of chaos. “I understand you are upset, but I don’t believe Discord had anything to do with this. He has remained in Saddle Arabia these last few weeks and only recently stopped by the palace. Moreover, even Discord has no power over death.”

“But then how did Rainbow Dash return?” Twilight turned her grief-stricken eyes to her mentor and teacher. Tears started falling from her eyes as anger turned to sadness. “She-she came back. Twice! Once to…to visit I think. And then she saved Fluttershy.”

“Which is a good thing,” Discord said. “Although I must have words with Fluttershy about risking her own neck. But I say kudos to Dash for saving her friend’s life, dead or not. Wouldn’t you?”

Twilight glared at Discord through her tears. “That’s not the point. Dash is d-dead. She should be resting in peace, not coming back as some kind of…of zombie pony! Why this happening!?”

“Perhaps the bond that connected you as the Elements of Harmony allowed Rainbow Dash to return,” Discord suggested. “It’s done all kinds of weird stuff before, why not bring back the dead as well?”

Celestia shook her head. “Death is a natural part of life, Discord. You can’t bring back the dead and call that harmony.”

Discord shrugged. “It’s just a thought. But how else would you explain it? A bunch of ponies clapping? A few magic tears and pixie dust?”

“I don’t know.” Celestia looked troubled. “In all the years I’ve lived, no pony has ever managed to cheat death. Even Starswirl, the greatest wizard of his time never dared to try such a feat. The closest example I can think of is Sombra, but even though he managed to preserve his life for many centuries longer than was normal, he began a withered husk, a shadow rather than pony. Rainbow Dash has returned twice now, is that correct?”

Twilight nodded, hiccupping as tears rolled down her cheeks.

“Then she has done what Sombra could never achieve. He could merely cling to life, but Rainbow Dash brought herself back and created a body to house her soul. If you weren’t so certain I wouldn’t believe it were possible.”

“I know. I know, but I saw it with my own eyes.” Twilight mumbled. “She came back with Fluttershy on her back. But she didn’t say anything. She just put Fluttershy down and left.”

“So she saved Fluttershy’s life?” Celestia asked. “That doesn’t sound like a prank. It sounds like…well, like Rainbow Dash. And if Discord says he had nothing to do with it—”

“I did not,” Discord said. He placed one hand over his heart. “I swear it by my friendship with Fluttershy.”

“—Then I can only believe it was Rainbow Dash who came back of her own will,” Celestia said. “Twilight. Discord had nothing to do with it.”

There was a pause. Celestia walked over and put one wing around the smaller alicorn. Discord awkwardly patted her on the shoulder. Twilight’s eyes eventually ran out of tears.

“I—I’m sorry Discord,” Twilight mumbled. “I just thought that you…”

“Think nothing of it.” Discord waved Twilight’s words away. “What’s a little suspicion between friends? Besides, I suppose I do deserve a little scrutiny for my past…antics. But you have my word that I haven’t done anything. This time.”

Twilight nodded. “Princess Celestia…” She began and stopped.

“Go back to your friends and rest, Twilight.” Celestia advised her kindly. “I understand this has been very hard on you. If Rainbow Dash should return again, try to talk to her. Otherwise all we can do is rest and make peace with that has happened.”

Twilight nodded again. “Thank you,” she whispered. Slowly, she turned and began walking out of the throne room.

With my otherworldy hearing I can hear Celestia mutter to Discord.

“You didn’t do anything, did you?”

And even more quietly, his response. “Would you like me to try?”

“No.”

Twilight leaves, escorted by the royal guard. Celestia and Discord watch her go, troubled expressions on their faces. No pony sees me, no pony knows I am watching. And that is fine. I am dead, after all.

Celestia and Discord confer, and Discord leaves. I go with Twilight back to Ponyville, and witness see my other friends comforting her. They help Twilight get through her pain, and she in turn helps them.

My heart aches at not being there. But it is a lesser ache, truly. It doesn’t hurt as much. I have made peace with my death. I am content to wait and leave the pain of living to the living.

So Twilight recovers.

And time passes.

Oh, it’s easy enough to say. But if I were alive, I think I would have viewed the passing years far differently. You see, when you’re dead, time kinda loses all meaning.

Years and days lost their significance in my mind. One to me as the same as the other, insofar as that I cared little of what went on in the world. I could easily ignore the events of the world, the changing of the seasons, the daily necessities of eating, sleeping, and so on. I was dead. It all was dust to me. The only thing that could attract my attention in the world was one thing, and it was that which brought me back time and time again.

My friends.

They anchored me to this plane of existence. They and their fates alone were all that mattered to me as I floated in the void between life and death. Mistake me not; it isn’t that I’m particularly strong-willed, or that I had any special gifts that allowed me to thwart death itself. It’s just that I’m loyal, and I don’t abandon my friends.

Yes, simply that. After all this time, I can think of no other reason why I remained. I’ve seen ponies with wills made of iron – heck, I even met a minotaur once that was named Iron Will. I’ve seen brave heroes like Daring Doo, and witnessed feats of bravery that made mockery of my most courageous moments. Yet all of these individuals, no matter how cunning, how strong of heart, how wise or how daring eventually must die.

But loyalty is a strange thing. Many think they understand it, but few truly do. Loyalty isn’t just standing by a friend, although that is the heart of it. Loyalty is also being close to those you love, but not so close that you take away from who they are. Loyalty is watching, waiting for when you are needed. Loyalty is patience, and loyalty is trust.

And so even as my friends lived and wept and grew, I waited. I observed their lives, and through them I lived in my own small way. There are precious little tales of my mark on Equestria through the years, but my friend’s stories I could tell forever. So, rather than bore you with the silence of my empty existence as I watched over the other Elements of Harmony, let me tell you brief snippets of their lives.

I never did find out what that table in Twilight’s castle did. With my death, it and the Elements of Harmony were lost, it seemed. Perhaps that was the first start of the troubles, but it was a subtle thing, and didn’t weigh too heavily on my mind, let alone that of the living. They were far more preoccupied with the immediate concerns of repairing the loss my death had caused in their lives, and now, dealing with the reality of my return.

After Twilight’s…moment with Discord in Canterlot, many things changed for my friend. Celestia and Luna decided that in light of the burdens Twilight had so recently undergone, it would be best if she were taken under their wings. Arrangements were made to have her study in Canterlot once more under Celestia, learning the ways of being a Princess just as she had once learned magic. They informed Twilight of their decision in person the next day.

She didn’t take it well.

I mean, what did they expect? I love Twilight, and I respect her even for her eggheadedness, but let’s be real here. She might be able to pull off the ‘wise princess’ act around strangers for a little bit, but Twilight’s got a temper, and she can get moody. When she thought she had forgotten to send a weekly letter to Princess Celestia on time, she nearly destroyed Ponyville with a want-it-need-it spell and an old doll.

Good times.

But yeah, Twilight took the news about being shipped off to Canterlot about as well as she had reacted to my death. It was probably because she would have been separated from the rest of her friends, and let’s just say that having a friend die on you doesn’t make you any more inclined to abandon your other friends. Quite the opposite, in fact.

There was a fight. And I mean a fight. Literally flying spells, exploding buildings and half of the Canterlot Royal Guard put in the hospital.

It ended with a stalemate. When all was said and done, Luna and Celestia couldn’t force Twilight do come with them, and neither was smacking her on the head and carrying her off an option. The truth of it is that if Twilight didn’t want to do something, it was impossible to make her do it without taking her prisoner and sealing her magic.

So they left. The next day Twilight told everyone that she wasn't going anywhere, and that she would administrate (her words, not mine) over Ponyville and the surrounding region. And if anypony doubted her words, all they had to do was look at the giant holes in her castle to know Twilight was serious.

Dead serious. See what I did there? I’ve got tons of jokes like that.

Anyways.

Now, for most of my friends life carried on as usual. Pinkie Pie soon regained her usual cheer, even if it wasn’t ever the same as it had been. Rarity made dresses, hundreds of them as she threw herself back into her work. You could even say that Twilight was the same, although she focused more on her role as Princess, and less on the friendship aspect of things as time went by. But two ponies changed dramatically during the days after my return.

Applejack and Fluttershy. In many ways, they were the two ponies I was closest to. Of course, I was close to Rarity but that was in…other ways. Intimate ways, and not the ways of a friend. But Applejack? I was always hanging out with her, competing in friendly (and occasionally not-so friendly) rivalry. She was a pal, and I think my death hit her hard.

But it was more than that. Did I mention Applejack lost her folks? Yeah. She never really talked about it, but I’d grown up in Ponyville all my life. The absence of the two Apple parents was pretty obvious, and though Applejack had grown up fine without them, how could anypony be fine without their folks?

Applejack. Responsible Applejack. She carried the entire farm on her shoulders, sometimes. Both Applejack and Big Mac had to be adults ahead of their time, and that can’t have been easy. It left a scar on Applejack’s heart, one that made her extra-protective of Applebloom, and even closer to their friends and family.

And maybe she would have been fine with that. Maybe her life wouldn’t be that different from any other pony, and indeed Applejack was a great pony, looked up to by all in Ponyville. Heck, even I admired her sometimes. But when I came back, I think it broke Applejack a bit. You see, I came back from the dead. Her parents didn’t.

That shattered her, at least in part. That’s the problem with tough ponies like Applejack. Oh, they’ll break like anyone else, but when they break, they don’t shatter into pieces like Rarity or Twilight.

No, they crack and then grow at odd angles around the fractures in their hearts.

…Maybe that analogy got away from me. What I’m trying to say is that Applejack snapped. But she snapped quietly. And in truth, we didn’t see the effect of that until far later. Let’s just say that in the days after my second returning Applejack was silent, moody, withdrawn. It was Fluttershy who truly stood out and captured everyone’s attention.

She applied for the Wonderbolts. Yes, you heard me right. Meek Fluttershy, timid Fluttershy, Fluttershy who wouldn’t harm a butterfly even if it was a mutant butterfly trying to suck her eyeballs out her face, applied to be a Wonderbolt.

If I were alive I would have laughed myself out of the sky. Since I was dead I didn’t laugh, and neither did my friends.

Is it weird to say that a pony can change in the course of a few days more than they’ve changed in the course of their entire life? I mean, I think it started the day I died in point of actual fact, but still. The Fluttershy I rescued was different from the pony that had fainted at the sight of me, and the Fluttershy that flew to Cloudsdale to become a Wonderbolt was more different still.

She was braver. That was the only word I had for it. Not less frightened; when she flew off to Cloudsdale she was shaking so bad she nearly hit Twilight’s palace. And when Spitfire shouted at Fluttershy that she didn’t need another Rainbow Dash, I think Fluttershy might actually have…

Let’s just say it’s a good think clouds can absorb all kinds of liquid. I kinda feel bad for the ponies below Cloudsdale sometimes, but it all comes out as water in the end.

But regardless of her fears which were unchanged, the way Fluttershy dealt with them was different. Even in the face of Spitfire’s fury – something even I wasn’t totally immune to by the way – Fluttershy stood straight and asked to join. Even when Spitfire gave her the toughest initiation test any pegasus has gone through, Fluttershy remained strong. That was what won her admission. That, and her willpower. I mean, I know Spitfire was just trying to scare Fluttershy away, but that test was downright insane. I probably would have failed it. I thought Soarin would swallow his mane when Spitfire told Fluttershy what the test would be:

A blindfolded nose-dive all the way to the ground.

It’s a game pegasus play. Griffons too – me and Gilda tried it at flight camp. It’s simple, really. All you do is close your eyes, or in this case have them blindfolded, and dive straight down from cloud level. The winner is the flier who dives closest to the ground, and the loser is the one who breaks off first.

Or hits the ground.

Pegasi have died from playing it. Not many, and in truth the actual death count is probably less than ten in the last millennia. No pony wants to hit the ground – it’s hardwired so far in our brains that even the bravest of us peel off several thousand feet from the ground. Needless to say, I held a pretty good record and I still broke off eight thousand feet from the ground each time.

But this was Spitfire’s test, and in truth, her way of getting rid of Fluttershy. She wasn’t trying to be mean—

Well, I guess she was being mean. Classic Spitfire. But she was doing it because she really thought Fluttershy was trying to take my place out of guilt or temporary insanity. I mean, Fluttershy? Pinkie Pie would have made a better Wonderbolt and she can’t even fly. Except with trampolines.

But to everypony’s surprise, Fluttershy accepted the test. She probably knew it was a setup. Being a Wonderbolt isn’t just about bravery, it needs skill and teamwork and all kinds of other attributes. Plus, this test didn’t have a set margin for passing. Regardless of where Fluttershy stopped her dive, Spitfire could just say that she wasn’t brave enough and fail her.

That’s what Spitfire thought, at any rate. So did everypony else.

Fluttershy took the test right outside Spitfire’s office, with nearly half of Cloudsdale watching. I’d bet the crowd was already giving Fluttershy a heart attack, but I really felt for her when she put on the blindfold.

No pegasus likes to be blindfolded. We can’t see what we’ll fly into, but then I also remembered how Fluttershy got her Cutie Mark. She’d nearly fallen to her death until a cloud of the strongest butterflies in the world had caught her.

I wanted to intervene. I wanted to come back, but at the same time, I still had no control over my coming and going. Though my non-existent heart was aching for Fluttershy, I believed she’d chicken out and fly back to Ponyville along with everypony else. I never dreamed she’d actually be in danger.

I can still remember the scene. Do you have memories that burn in your mind forever? Moments you know are part of history? That’s this scene for me.

Soarin ties the knot around Fluttershy’s blindfold and steps back. I can see my friend shaking in her hooves, practically vibrating with fear. Everypony else sees it too, but there aren’t any jeers. Who’d laugh at an Element of Harmony now? No, there’s lots of pity and maybe a bit of annoyance at Fluttershy’s foolishness, but that’s all.

Spitfire walks over to Fluttershy and taps her on the shoulder. I’ve seen Fluttershy jump higher, but only once. She gives Fluttershy one more chance to back out, and I expect Fluttershy to break down and cry, or run.

She doesn’t.

It’s a blur of motion. Fluttershy must have been psyching herself up this entire time, because she dives through the clouds beneath her hooves so fast that it catches all of us off-guard. She’s quick. Maybe her wingpower was never good in public settings, but I’d have placed bets on her beating Thunderlane in this moment.

Fluttershy dives down, straight down like a rock. Spitfire and Soarin fly with her, watching her plummet. Even now, Spitfire isn’t concerned, and neither am I. Both of us think that Fluttershy will turn away at any moment, yank off the blindfold rather than face that dark, dizzying drop into the abyss.

She doesn’t.

Cloudsdale is high up. We’re not in the stratosphere, but we still generally hover in the upper troposphere. For the laypony, that’s around 45,000 feet give or take weather conditions. Let’s call it an even 50,000 on most days.

Fluttershy’s diving, faster than I’ve ever seen her. Still, she’s not as fast as me, and even Spitfire can’t break the sonic barrier. That’s roughly 1100 feet per second. But Fluttershy was still going wicked fast, and straight down meant she was accelerating with every moment. I’d clock her at going 700 feet per second, closing onto 800.

Fifty thousand divided by eight hundred. What am I, an egghead? It adds up to around sixty second. In short, one minute of what feels like diving into nothingness, just knowing the ground is somewhere beneath you.

Most ponies can last twenty seconds. Fillies and colts pull out before they even hit fifteen. At my best I could fly for forty seconds before the fear grabbed me.

Fluttershy flew for sixty seconds without even flinching.

Spitfire realized she wasn’t going to break off when Fluttershy was nearly ten thousand feet from the ground. In my mind she darts around Fluttershy, shouting at the pegasus to ‘pull up now!’ Fluttershy ignores her.

She’s not an idiot. She’s not an egghead either, but all pegasi have great depth perception. We know how fast we fly, and we can gauge how far away things are. Fluttershy was listening to her inner self tell her how far away she was from the ground, and she was determined to get as near to it as possible in order to pass Spitfire’s test.

Eight thousand feet. Both Spitfire and Soaring start yelling at Fluttershy now. They tell her she’s passed the test, but she continues dropping. Is it that she can’t hear them? I can feel the urgency in me building, but how can I come back to life on such short notice?

Six thousand feet. Fluttershy is in a cold dive, and Soarin can barely keep up with her. I’m can feel fear even in the void. Breaking out a dive takes a few seconds, and it’s harder and harder the faster you travel. But still she’s flying straight down, ignoring Spitfire who’s shouting in her ear.

Four thousand feet. Spitfire tries to knock her aside, but Fluttershy can’t be budged. It’s all about momentum. Like how I stopped the parade floats, Fluttershy’s now moving so fast that Spitfire can’t even shift her course. And she’s still heading down as fast as she can.

Two thousand feet. Spitfire is screaming at Fluttershy to stop. In my deathly state I’m watching everything, sensing the event unfold with helpless horror. I can see Fluttershy as she falls, but I am right beside her at the same time, watching the ground approach impossibly fast.

One thousand feet. In a last-ditch attempt Spitfire slams into Fluttershy with all her strength but can’t shake her.

Eight hundred feet. Spitfire has to break off or slam into the ground herself. I can see her crying as she breaks away.

Six hundred feet. Fluttershy’s face is set, but I can see her hooves still shaking. She knows she’s close. And she’s still flying.

Four hundred. Fluttershy’s wings twitch. She begins to break out of the dive. Too slow. I can see she’s moving too fast, but there’s nothing I can do.

Two hundred. She’s slowing down, but not quickly enough. The ground is still approaching at dizzying speed, hard enough to shatter all her bones if she hits.

One hundred feet. Fluttershy’s wings snap open, fighting against the wind to slow her fall. It’s not working. She’s falling, falling.

Eighty feet.

Sixty feet.

Forty feet.

Thirty feet.

Twenty feet.

Ten feet.

At six feet five inches in the air, Fluttershy finally comes to a stop. Her wings are quivering, nearly wrecked with the force of stopping her plummet. But she stops. She’s done it.

She’s alive.

And my soul remains saved.

A lot happened after that. I’ll spare you the obvious, boring parts. Spitfire came flying down, screaming at Fluttershy but I bet it was mostly in relief. She probably expected to find another dead Element of Harmony and that would have given any pony nightmares. Mind you, she definitely deserves her name. I’ve never heard anypony shout as many insults at Fluttershy as she did, and all without swearing.

Sorta odd, that. I mean I can think of a lot of bad words but Spitfire’s never used any of them, even at her angriest. Maybe she just keeps a clean mouth in case fillies and colts are nearby.

It took both Soarin and Spitfire to help Fluttershy back up to Cloudsdale. Her feathers were a mess, and while she could glide, there wouldn’t be much flapping in her future for a while. But regardless, once Fluttershy got up there every pony was cheering so loud they could hear it from the ground.

Turns out doing a nosedive fifty thousand feet to the ground while blindfolded gets you a lot of respect among fliers. Who knew?

I kid. But that little stunt of Fluttershy’s put her on the map. Not that there’s a map with Cloudsdale on it since it’s a roaming city but…you know what? I’ll get back to the point.

Fluttershy broke every record in Equestrian history that day. The closest any other pony got to the ground was about four hundred years back, and they stopped at about a hundred feet. Plus, I’m sure they hadn’t been going nearly as fast as Fluttershy. It might not have been Rainboom-level amazing for most ponies, but among pegasi Fluttershy was now one cool cat.

Even though she’s a pony. You know what I meant.

Anyways, did Spitfire make Fluttershy a Wonderbolt on the spot? Of course not. Rules are rules, and Fluttershy had just busted her wings in that dive. She yelled at Fluttershy some more and told her to come back for the written exam in a month’s time, and if she passed that, she’d be part of the Wonderbolt Reserves, possibly a Wonderbolt if she stuck with it.

I don’t think any pony doubted she would.

That was the start. The start of something…I can’t describe it. I was never more proud of Fluttershy in those moments, never more exasperated and fearful for her. And I was dead. It takes a lot to phase a dead pony.

But once again, if that were all I the drama in life, things might have been very quiet in Equestria. True, I had come back from the dead not once, but twice now, but the lives of my friends and I were never what you’d call boring. I daresay Equestria might have learned to live with one pony returning from the dead now and then to lend her friends a helping hoof.

After all, I was Rainbow Dash! I was a hero of Equestria many times over, and the most awesome and fastest pony the world has ever seen. Not to pat myself on the back or anything. But if there was one pony who’d be cool enough to come back from the grave, wouldn’t it be me?

Equestria could have lived with that. I’m awesome, and that excuses all kinds of stuff. Ponies might have feared me, but they would have gotten used to my coming and going. They could get used to me coming back to life now and then.

Other ponies not staying dead was a different matter entirely.

Chapter 3: Flight

It was a year before the Event happened. In that space of time I came back five times, each time for good and needful reasons. Five times my corpse was recreated, and five times I saved lives by placing its rotting flesh between harm and other ponies.

What can I say? I do good work.

Not that I’m bragging, mind you. And truth be told, I wouldn’t have minded if I hadn’t returned at all. Glory and being awesome is all very well when you’re alive, but when you’re dead…it kinda matters less. Weird. Never thought I’d think that but there it is.

Anyways, my saving ponies thing. Really, they weren’t that big events. Twice I came back to stop an accident – first to save a filly from a wagon (very ironic, but at least this time being run over didn’t hurt), the second to dive into Sugarcube corner and pull out the Cake family from a raging inferno.

Small things. I guess at the time they were really scary to the ponies involved, but once again, I was dead. And fear was something I left behind. Let’s be honest though, it wasn’t really heroic on my part: when everypony was standing around, unable to enter the blaze even with every hoof tossing water on the fire, I just sorta walked in and pulled everyone out. Dead, remember?

But they called me a hero for that. Heck, they called me a hero for saving a filly from being squished, and that wans’t anything special too. I mean, she didn’t even check before crossing the street. Should I have let the wagon run her over?

Thinking about it, the answer’s no. But really, saving her was only a byproduct of watching over my friends. They’re the ones I cared about, and when I returned those other three times…

Once to battle Timberwolves in the forest. Applebloom had run afoul of them and Applejack found her surrounded by an angry pack. I believe they would have simply chased Applebloom away, but faced with the fear of losing a family member, Applejack snapped.

Cue an epic battle in the woods where I appear and give the Timberwolves a thrashing. Applejack helps, of course, but let’s be honest who the coolest pony there was. I was tossing Timberwolves around like they weighed nothing, doing epic backflips off of their heads and pounding them into the ground—

And got kicked in the back for my trouble.

Yeah, Applejack sucker-kicked me. Not lightly too; if I’d have been alive she might have actually crushed my spine. As it was I just sorta stopped and stared at her as the Timberwolves fled. And she said some stuff.

I’m not gonna repeat it here. Fillies and colts shouldn’t hear that kinda language. But it hurt. It really did. I mean, I’m not an abomination. Or I guess…I am. But it hurts that a friend would call me that to my face. It really does.

Pain of the heart, or rather, pain of the soul is the only thing that could really affect me even in death. And Applejack’s words hurt. But she’s a friend, and I know I hurt her every time she sees me walking around.

Anyways, she was safe. Applebloom was safe too, so a bonus there. But my friend was safe. That’s all that mattered.

Two other times I returned, then. One time was very simple. I came back to stop Pinkie Pie from making a mistake.

My friend, the legendary party pony of Ponyville never quite regained her cheer after I came back. I mean, she didn’t have the same breakdown as the first time I return, but she wasn’t happy. She stopped throwing parties except for a few ponies on their birthdays, and she was silent too much and too often. Her hair stopped being poofy. That’s always a bad sign.

To cut a long story short, I intervened when things got really bad. It was her choice, and she’d fooled Twilight and everypony else to the extent that they left her alone. I mean, they were still careful to keep her away from kitchens or places like that, but Pinkie’s resourceful. It didn’t take her long to find what she needed. And when she was in her room she tried to leave.

And I stopped her. One hoof was all it took. I didn’t know that I could appear wherever I wanted, but need called me back and so I was there. Just as Pinkie raised the blade I grabbed it and broke it in my hooves. And she looked at me and wept.

Let’s not talk too long about it. Only that I held her until Twilight noticed one of her kitchen knives was missing, and until my friends had come running to Pinkie’s room in Twilight’s castle. They stopped when they found me, but I gave Pinkie to them and left. Again, it hurt more than it should. But the event was good, and even necessary not just for Pinkie, but for me.

After that day Pinkie regained some of her cheer. She didn’t bounce as much, but she did smile more than ever, and she once again made it her goal to make other ponies happy. I was glad – not for the other ponies, they could eat hay – but that Pinkie was back to her regular self. That was what mattered.

Let me add just one more detail here.

In each moment I returned, in every second I spent waking on the earth one thing separated me from my past self. For no matter the reason, I didn’t fly.

Not once. My wings remained folded on my back and I stayed on the ground. I refused to fly, and I’m sure it bothered my friends.

But flight was what killed me. That, and a lot of heavy parade floats, but it was in flight I had died, and it was the sonic rainboom that had changed my life that had ended it.

Perhaps it was trauma. Can the dead be traumatized? Either way, I didn’t want to fly, which is totally unlike me, I know. And part of me feared that I wouldn’t be able to fly even if I wanted to.

You see, flying is part magic for pegasi. There’s no way we can lift ourselves off the ground with our wingspans alone, let alone fly as fast and as high as we do. I wasn’t sure if I’d lost that part of my being in death, or whether my reconstituted wings would be able to support my weight.

So I didn’t bother to fly. And I had no need to, so all was well. I pulled ponies out of danger with my hooves on the ground, and even if my flesh was torn and burnt by my actions, well, who cared?

Other ponies, that’s who. Turns out walking out of a burning building with half your skin melted off makes other ponies violently ill. I can understand that.

But it seemed saving pony’s lives and coming to help my friends was winning me some points in the eyes of the other ponies in Ponyville. The first few times they saw me grab the filly or rescue the Cakes, they were equally grateful and terrified of getting close to me. But after word got out about the Timberwolves and Pinkie…

They weren’t ever totally easy with the idea of me being dead and not dead, but I will say that after that, they didn’t run screaming from me. Rather, it seemed like I became a hero. Again, I mean. Instead of being that spooky, scary monster that terrorized Ponyville, I was once again Rainbow Dash, protector of ponies.

I didn’t care. After nearly a year of death, I cared almost nothing for what other ponies thought of me, just that my friends stayed safe. They were who I watched day and night, always alert for what might threaten their lives or happiness. As they slept I was their guardian. As they woke, and went about their daily routines, I was with them.

Always.

Yes, even in the dirty parts. Look, being dead means you lose a lot of things, including the ability to be embarrassed. So what, they make a bit of water and compost? I could pull out my eyes and juggle them if other ponies didn’t start screaming.

Ahem. My point is that all was well. As I said, life continued fairly normally for most of my friends. Twilight administrated Ponyville and helped out with making the town a better place to live. Applejack kicked trees, Rarity sewed dresses. Pinkie tried to make other ponies happy. Only Fluttershy was really different.

She became a Wonderbolt.

How can you summarize the achievement of a lifetime, the work of a year into one sentence? I dunno, but I just did it. Yes, Fluttershy became a Wonderbolt, and she was nearly the fastest recruit to become a full member in their history.

She was also the first Ponyville citizen to become a full Wonderbolt. I mean, I know Spitfire inducted me after my death, but remember, at the time I was a Wonderbolt Reserve. I’m sure she would have recruited me once a spot opened up – I know Fire Streak was about to retire in a few months.

Well, she did resign her post and went on to teach at the Wonderbolts Academy. But the pony who filled her spot wasn’t me, but Fluttershy.

Yes, Fluttershy. I keep feeling like I have to repeat that. But she was the most qualified among the Reserves, and so she got the position. She deserved it, mind you. No pony argued when Spitfire appointed her. It’s just weird for me, alright?

It’s not that she was the best flier, because she wasn’t. Fluttershy’s no long distance flier like Wind Rider, and even if she’s fast when she needs to be, every Wonderbolt is quick. If anything, Fluttershy only barely passed the basic physical requirements to be a Wonderbolt after a year’s worth of intensive flight training.

No, if there was one single feature that set Fluttershy apart from the other Wonderbolts, it was her bravery. Yes, her bravery.

Something changed in Fluttershy after I died. I’d seen the first sparks of it when she went after that mouse in the middle of the flash flooding, but the fire in Fluttershy’s heart ignited once she put herself to the test. Remember that dive ten thousand feet down that made Cloudsdale history? That was just the start of Fluttershy’s career as a Wonderbolt.

Picture the scene. Angry Manticore, frightened ponies. It wanders out of the Everfree, hungry for ponyflesh. Normally you call in the Wonderbolts and the Royal Canterlot guard (or just Princess Luna) and have them battle it out, forcing the Manticore back with hopefully no casualties. It’s a lot of work. Now, you could do that. Or…you could send Fluttershy.

She just stares at them. Monsters, I mean. Ponies too, but only if they’re being jerks or stealing stuff. But I’ve seen her stare down Cragadiles, Timberwolves, Manticores, heck, even a Cockatrice! They turn ponies to stone when you meet their eyes, but Fluttershy sends them running away with just her eyes. And if they still put up a fight, she kicks the horseapples out of them!

Seriously, I never knew Fluttershy was good at fighting. But when you think about it…she never really had trouble keeping up with the rest of us when the changelings invaded, even though she practically ran away the entire time. It’s only when she froze up that she got herself and the rest of us in trouble. And after Wonderbolts training, she could toss bad guys around with one hoof tied behind her back.

But that wasn’t all. If there was a fire, collapsed house, injured pony, or even a crying filly or colt, Fluttershy would appear in an instant to help out. Naturally this meant more work for me, but after a while…I stopped appearing, at least when Fluttershy wasn’t in that much danger. She was brave yes, and didn’t hesitate to throw herself into danger to save others, but she was everything I’m not.

And by that, I mean, overly confident, rude, lazy, and prone to obsessing over Wonderbolts and Daring Doo. I can name my own faults when I’m dead. But Fluttershy was always calm and careful, and with the added element of courage, she quickly became the best Wonderbolt since General Flash himself.

…In time. Let’s be real here, you don’t get to that point in the course of just a few months. I sorta skipped ahead to what Fluttershy would be to explain why the Wonderbolts were so eager to recruit her. Truthfully, after a year of hard work and helping ponies Fluttershy was just the best candidate for the Wonderbolts and then some, not a living legend or anything yet.

If I can say it, she was only about 60% of my awesomeness at that point, and only about 34% of my radicalness. Coolness…I guess she was about 71%, but that was mainly luck. A shame, really. If she’d been better maybe the Event might have never taken place. But as it was, it all happened nearly a year after my second return, as everypony was celebrating Fluttershy’s induction into the Wonderbolts.

The Wonderbolts were touring Equestria, performing a travelling show where they essentially showed off and did aerial maneuvers for crowds. It’s a nice fundraiser and publicity stunt, and it was at that same time that Firestreak decided to retire. Cue Fluttershy being tapped to become a Wonderbolt, and the show coming to Ponyville.

Fluttershy left for two days to prepare for the show. Everypony congratulated her and Pinkie Pie got a bit clingy – she had real problems being away from anypony after I died – but Fluttershy acquitted herself well. I was sort of expecting her to be frightened and crash into a trashcan or something, but she paid attention to all the rules, memorized the flight pattern in one day, and got along well with the other Wonderbolts. They had a really hard time figuring out her newbie nickname because of it.

And let me tell you, Wonderbolts may be great fliers, but coming up with nicknames without source material is not one of their strong points. I heard about a thousand of the dumbest names come out of Soarin’s mouth before Spitfire eventually decided to call Fluttershy ‘Diver’ because of how she passed the Wonderbolts test.

It’s an okay name, but it still sounds awkward when they call Fluttershy that. But it doesn’t really matter because she’s part of the show, and she’s performing perfectly next to them. After the Wonderbolts finish their performance everyone in Ponyville is cheering.

Me? I’m bored. Physical stunts don’t impress someone who’s got no physicality, and so I wait for things to be over. I do a lot of waiting, really. I don’t mind it generally, but I guess the Wonderbolt’s performance is getting on my nerves for some reason. Can’t think of why that is, though.

Fluttershy lands among her friends and receives their praise and adoration. Then she goes over to her other friends, her animal friends. They’re there to celebrate too, but for some reason they’re not cheering her. They were mark you, all throughout the show. But they’re silent now.

Something’s wrong. Fluttershy’s face falls, and I proverbially sit up in my spirit state. I can sense what’s happened before Fluttershy sees, but both of us know from the expressions on her friend’s faces.

Someone died.

A gray, elderly mouse is lying on the ground, surrounded by his family. His tiny paws are folded, and he looks…peaceful. I assume it’s a he. But his family are grieving, and that’s understandable. It’s not as if he had a violent death, though. It seems his heart just gave out as he was watching Fluttershy and he passed away.

It happens. I know that many of Fluttershy’s friends passed away under her care while I was alive. No matter how healthy, animals just don’t have the same lifespans as ponies. They tore pieces out of Fluttershy’s heart every time one of them passed away, though. And this time…

Fluttershy’s head is bowed, her mane obscuring her face as she holds the mouse in her hooves. The other animals crowd around her, some weeping, others remorseful. The hawk is there, as is the eagle and I wonder dispassionately if Fluttershy will give the mouse’s body to them. Probably not. She would bury her friend just like any other pony.

Spitfire flies down to look at what the commotion is. She sees Fluttershy holding the dead mouse and stops to talk to her. A few sentences pass between the two. I don’t pay attention. I drift, waiting for the show to be over. And then a scream—

Everypony looks up.

High above Ponyville in the clouds there’s a flash of light. An object begins to fall from the sky, small at first, but rapidly growing larger. Ponies look up and cry out in horror, but Fluttershy and Spitfire are already in the air. The dead mouse lies forgotten on the ground, watched over only by its grieving kin.

And I stir, because I know that there is trouble.

Something is falling from the sky. Something big. Ponies look up and scream as they see it hurtling towards the ground. They begin running, but of course it’s too late. Their reactions are terrible. The Wonderbolts were already in the air and trying to deal with the problem before most of the ponies even noticed there was something wrong.

As for me, I had already assessed the situation and was swearing in every language I knew. The reactions of the living can’t match those of the dead. They need nerves and electrical impulses for their brains and stuff. All I need to do is think. And I really need to think, because this time the problem’s bad. Something’s falling from the sky, and it’s the worst possible object at a moment like this.

That weather balloon. That damn weather balloon. If ever there was an object that was cursed, it was that thing. First Spike chased it into the Everfree and nearly got eaten by Timberwolves, and then there was that pony who nearly died when it sprung a leak in the sky…

And now it’s on fire. And falling. Did I mention that last bit?

I’m not sure what happened, but I can guess. Somepony was up there, watching the Wonderbolts perform no doubt. Something happens and they back into the burner. The fire hits the basket or the balloon and the entire thing ignites.

But that’s not the end of the disaster. One hot air balloon is bad enough, but the skies were filled with more than just a single balloon. Lots of non-pegasi have hot air balloons, and there are a lot of them clustered in the sky. And when the first balloon burst into flame, it hit the rest of them and they all fell too.

Those idiots should never have let more than one or two hot air balloons up there in the first place. But spectators pay lots of bits for special seats, and I guess nopony wondered what would happen if all of the balloons fell out of the sky at once. Who’d imagine that?

Any pony who knew how I died, that’s who. But Twilight doesn’t plan the Wonderbolts' events, and she probably assumed they had everything under control. But that’s the thing. Being so good that you can take care of small problems means you get careless.

Pieces of burning balloons fall from the sky and start hitting clouds. Now, if these were non-magical Everfree clouds that wouldn’t be a problem. But pegasi clouds aren’t made of water like mundane clouds. Some are just compressed air and so they can burn. What do you get when you add fire to clouds? You get flaming falling meteors raining down all over Ponyville.

Twilight’s already in the air, shooting down the burning clouds and trying to minimize damage. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity are running to put out fires that are spreading from building to building. Fluttershy and the other Wonderbolts? They’re still trying to stop that damn balloon.

Fleetfoot’s already pulled the pony out of the balloon and gotten her to safety. But the other Wonderbolts are still clustered around the balloon, trying to stop it or slow it somehow. I know they’re not going to succeed. Everypony on the ground is screaming and trying to run, and I see Fluttershy and Spitfire flying at the falling fireball. Still not enough.

They need me.

I’m on the ground in an instant. Ponies gasp and run away from me as I open my eyes and gaze upwards. My wings spread. I tense. And my dead heart begins to beat, because I’m nervous for the first time. Can I do it?

But I see Fluttershy up there, flying alone and there’s no choice. I would do anything for my friends. Even if it means coming back from the dead. Even if it means reliving how I died. So I do it. I flap my wings.

To fly.

I’m in the air before I know what I’m doing. Flying is as natural as breathing, to me. Or at least it was.

It is again. I climb a hundred feet in a second and accelerate, shooting towards the flaming balloon. But flying, like breathing, is no longer the same in death. I can’t feel the air around me, can’t sense anything with my dead flesh.

That’s bad. Birds and pegasi read the thermals and direction of the wind. Without those senses it’s like flying half-blind. No wonder I didn’t want to fly before.

But I can see the Wonderbolts flying around the flaming meteor, trying to push it back. They’re like moths around a flame and suffer in the same ways. Their wings catch fire as they ram against the fiery debris and they fall away one by one.

They aren’t strong enough to shift the trajectory of the balloon. Do you know how much the basket weighs along with everything else? At least a thousand pounds, maybe thousands for bigger ones. And they can’t push at it without burning their flesh. But they do anyways.

Spitfire and Fluttershy are the last to fall away. Spitfire’s fur is burnt and black, and the flames that scorch her are far realer than the colors in her mane. She has to glide down to safety, unable even to flap her wings. Fluttershy’s hair is likewise smouldering, and her body is burning. She falls away, trailing smoke. But her eyes catch mine.

A plea. A silent appeal. A request for memory’s sake.

How could I refuse my friend anything? For her I would fly. And for her, I would die again.

So I fly.

Higher, higher, past the falling wreckage of the hot air balloon. Even in my death I sense the extreme heat of it. But it’s too heavy even for my deathless strength. No, the solution in this case is what it’s always been.

Speed times weight. Force and sacrifice.

A Sonic Rainboom.

I climb higher, until Equestria’s just a speck beneath the clouds. I’m so high up now, higher than I’ve ever flown before. I could never hit these altitudes without freezing or dying of oxygen deprivation before. But I’m dead, and the sky is so blue. A far darker blue than my fur.

I wait for just one second, and then dive. Fast, faster. Normally I could hit a Rainboom in my sleep, but I’m out of practice. I need to remember how to do it, and so I remember. Not my childhood – that was pure luck. No, the moment I really learned how to break the speed of sound.

I remember.

A falling unicorn, three unconscious Wonderbolts. She’s down there somewhere, in Ponyville. If the debris hits the ground the fragments could—focus.

Faster, faster. Downwards. I can feel the wind tugging at my mortal frame, the air itself trying to slow my descent. Ignore it.

The fireball is still falling. It’s only two hundred feet above Ponyville. But I’m closing in on that burning light, ever faster. I can feel the air rippling around me. Faster.

Once again I strain against the invisible limit of the air. Fast, faster…the world slows around me. It’s time. I can feel the air pulling at my frame, trying to force me back. If it does I’ll be sent flying and the fireball will hit the ground. Innocents will die. My friends will die.

Never. I push, and it’s like turning a key in the lock. I accelerate. The air shatters before me. I break the sonic barrier and the world turns black.

Dead black. Pitch black. The kind of black that even midnight can’t come close to. It’s not just the absence of light; it’s the death of all things made color. And it’s all around me, radiating from my corpse, my very being in a nimbus of darkness and sound. Just like—

A Sonic Rainboom.

No time to think of why it is. I hit the falling, burning wreckage in an explosion of dark light and a thunderous explosion. This time it doesn’t hurt.

After the crash comes silence. It’s a sound Rarity has heard one too many times. But at least this time there’s nothing more she can lose.

Smoke still rises from countless rooftops in Ponyville, but the fires have all been put out. And the flaming embers no longer fall from the sky. They too have been extinguished.

By a Sonic Rainboom.

Except that it wasn’t a Sonic Rainboom. This one was different. Rarity heard the air tearing, saw the light, but it was black light, dark light. Not the rainbow she remembered. Only fitting then, because the pegasus that lands before her is not the pony she remembered either.

One of her wings is gone, torn away. The side of her face and parts of her skin are sundered, and her bones are crushed. But her eyes still burn with immortal light.

Rainbow Dash is dead, but she still stares at Rarity.

The unicorn’s knees buckle. Her stomach turns and feels weak just looking at the mutilated body of her friend and once lover. But she doesn’t scream or faint, because she doesn’t want to hurt Rainbow Dash. Or whatever part of her is still left on this earth.

Rarity takes a deep breath. She knows what she’s going to say. Thank you for saving everypony again, obviously, but more than that. She’s been practicing for a long time. An entire year, in fact. She’s tried to say it before, but she was too afraid. Not this time. She wants to tell Rainbow Dash that she can’t leave her behind, that she wants her to stay, to be with her.

She’s good at begging. She’s good at whining. But Rarity wants to be honest most of all. And she would do almost anything to let Rainbow Dash know how she feels. So she opens her mouth, ready to plead with a dead pony.

And stops. Because she sees a mouse sit up.

It moves very slowly at first. Forelegs go up, and then back legs shift. The mouse gets to its tiny paws and looks around. It wiggles it’s nose experimentally, and then starts walking around. Rarity stares in horror.

It would all seem so normal. It would look so normal, and the dead mouse might have tricked Rarity into thinking it were really alive. That was, if she hadn’t known it was dead earlier. And also, if the burning piece of shrapnel hadn’t scissored half the mouse’s head off.

Part of its head falls to the ground and the mouse notices it. The small rodents sniffs at the piece of itself like a bit of cheese and nibbles at it. It jerks in alarm as light blue magic lifts it off the ground.

Rarity holds the mouse in her hooves and stares at it. The dead thing wiggles its nose and looks up at her, not afraid, just curious. She looks down at it, and then up at Rainbow Dash. The pegasus is staring at the mouse, looking as perplexed. It’s such a familiar expression that Rarity wants to laugh and cry. But the mouse runs up and down her hooves and she realizes that everything is real, and that knowledge makes her head spin.

“Oh. You have a friend, darling.” Rarity gently pats the mouse on the head and sets it on the ground. Then her eyes roll up in her head and she faints.

Rainbow Dash catches her as she falls and lowers her to the ground. Maybe the pegasus wants to say something. Surely, she can. Her throat is restored, her vocal chords made anew. But she doesn’t speak. There aren’t enough words.

So the dead pegasus puts the unicorn on the ground and stares around her. Ponyville is filled with small fires, scared ponies, wounded Wonderbolts. And all eyes are on her, shocked, frightened, relieved, horrified. She meets the gazes of the living impassively.

And the dead mouse looks at her. And smiles.

Chapter 4: Rising

Many things happened after that moment. Right afterwards there was pandemonium, ponies screaming, all the good stuff that happens after what Rarity would call ‘drama’. But I think we’ve all seen what happens when I come back so I’ll skip that.

I didn’t stick around too much longer after the Sonic Deathboom. Yeah, that’s what I’m calling it. A Sonic Deathboom, so named because the black and white light instead of rainbow colors, the way the world seemed to break around me – and the fact that it sounds really cool. But I couldn’t explain it either, and so I left rather than stay.

I’m sure everypony wanted me to; Twilight was alternating between studying the resurrected mouse and asking me questions, and the rest of my friends were going nuts as well. I might have stayed, but Spitfire flew at me and tried to get me to speak to her.

Yeah. I didn’t have any time for ponies who weren’t my friends. I know that in life I worshiped Spitfire and all the Wonderbolts, but for some reason I just got annoyed when she kept blocking my way and trying to get my attention.

So I let my form fall to dust and watched what happened next. Like I said, a lot of chaos, a lot of shouting. But even if the others didn’t realize it at the time, even if I thought that I’d just learned a new trick, the world had changed in that moment.

And perhaps, not for the better.

One month later.

“I’m here, I’m here!” Pinkie Pie skidded into the room. “Am I late? Please let me not be late! I came as soon as I heard!”

“You’re not late,” Fluttershy said, rising from her seat. “Hello Pink—”

“Fluttershy!” Pinkie Pie threw herself across the room and swung Fluttershy around, hugging her fiercely. “It’s been forever! All the years we’ve been apart! I don’t know you anymore! Or do I? Have you forgotten all about me? Hey, you’ve got muscles now! How weird is that?”

“Easy, Pinkie,” Fluttershy gasped as Pinkie Pie tried to squeeze the air out of her. “And it’s only been a week since we last saw each other.”

“But it feels like a decade!” Pinkie Pie said. “I’m just super-glad you’re back in Ponyville! What’s the occasion? Are the Wonderbolts stopping by, or is it just you?”

“Just me. Spitfire was too busy to come, so I’m here to talk policy with Twilight,” Fluttershy said. “I asked her to call you all here. I hope I’m not imposing.”

“Nonsense darling, impose all you want!” Rarity waved a hoof from her chair. “Goodness knows we could use a distraction. Things are rather hectic around here, as I’m sure you noticed.”

Fluttershy nodded. “I saw the barricades as I was flying in. Nice work. Is everypony evacuated from the countryside?”

“Almost.” Twilight put down the sheaf of paper she’d been going over and sighed. “There are a few holdouts who refuse to enter Ponyville, but we’ve begun fortifying the wall and building a moat. We probably won’t fill it with water, so it’s a ditch, but…” she shrugged helplessly. “There’s just so much to do. Ponies need new housing, we have to organize patrols, gather food for the winter, make sure everypony’s healthy…”

“You’re doing well, far better than some other towns,” Fluttershy assured Twilight. “It’s like this all over Equestria. There have been problems too, but I’d rather talk about that when everypony’s here.”

“Well, everypony is here except for Applejack,” Rarity said. “Anyone seen her?”

“Ah’m here.” The door swung open and a familiar pony walked into the room. Pinkie Pie leapt up from her seat with a huge smile in her face, but it faltered and disappeared when she saw Applejack.

The orange Earth Pony wasn’t smiling. In fact, her expression was as dark as any of her friends had ever seen it, which was her new default look. Her face was smudged with dirt and grime, but most noticeable was the blood and bits of congealed…flesh on her hooves. She walked into the room, letting the door slam behind her.

“Applejack!” Twilight was on her hooves. “What happened? Was it another attack? Are you hurt?”

“No,” Applejack said shortly. She clomped over to her seat, trailing bits of gray matter on the floor.

“Then what’s with all the ick?” Pinkie Pie asked. “It was another zombie, right?”

“Pinkie,” Twilight said exasperatedly, “I told you not to call them that.”

“Well, what am I supposed to call them?”

“You fought another one of them?” Fluttershy asked Applejack quietly.

The farm pony nodded.

“Another one came back.” Applejack sat in her chair and let out a long sigh. The grey matter on her hooves dripped slowly to the ground. “This time it was at Junebug’s place. She called me over and ah took care of it.”

Twilight hesitated. “I…see. What did you do, with the, uh, remains…?”

“Buried them again. Wasn’t much left.” Applejack shrugged. “It was pretty tough dealing with this one.”

“So we see.” Rarity exchanged a glance with Fluttershy. With her magic she carefully levitated a handkerchief over to Applejack. “That’s the fifth one this week, isn’t it?”

“Sixth,” Twilight corrected. “And I think it’s unwise to go around on our own trying to…to destroy these things.” She pointedly did not look at Applejack. “The Wonderbolts and the Canterlot Royal Guard can handle them.”

Fluttershy coughed into one hoof. “Um. Not exactly, Twilight. That’s why I called this meeting. The Wonderbolts are stretched thin right now, dealing with all the calls for assistance. I can’t speak for the Royal Guard, but I hear they can barely contain the attacks around Canterlot, much less Equestria.”

“Yeah, everypony is super bummed-out,” Pinkie said, “no one comes to any of my parties! But at least Applejack is helping, right? I just don’t get why they all ask you for help, Applejack!”

Applejack shrugged and began cleaning her hooves with the handkerchief. “Reckon it’s because ah’m the only pony who’ll do what’s necessary.”

“As I said, we have organizations dedicated to safeguarding the public,” Twilight said, glaring at Applejack. “Look, I know you’re trying to help Applejack, but we can’t have civilians going out and trying to take matters into their own hooves! Somepony is going to get hurt!”

Applejack stopped wiping and glared at Twilight. “Ponies are already getting hurt. If y’all had more folks fighting in the guard, ah wouldn’t be needed. As it stands, ah reckon there’s less than a hundred guards tryin’ to take down a thousand of them dead ponies walking around Equestria. And there’s more of ‘em rising each day.”

“I know, and Celestia and Luna both know,” Twilight said. “We’ve expanding the royal guard as fast as we can, but there aren’t a lot of recruits. Most ponies don’t like fighting, and we can’t expect them to take up arms at the drop of a hat!”

Applejack adjusted her Stetson. “Ah reckon they’re gonna have to learn quick,” she said grimly. “Or else we’re going to be buried in corpses soon.”

“I’m working on countermeasures,” Twilight said. “There has to be some explanation for this. If you could get me one of them intact without killing them I could experiment—”

“There ain’t any spell that’s going to fix this Twilight!” One of Applejack’s hooves smacked the table. “We need to pull together and start fightin’ back!”

“Like you are, you mean?” Fluttershy asked. “You and the others?”

Every pony was silent, looking at Applejack.

“You and your…group have been making a lot of headlines,” Rarity said carefully. “And I know you all mean well. It’s just…dangerous.”

“It’s necessary,” Applejack muttered. She dropped the filthy handkerchief on the table. “’Least the folks ah’m training can handle the dead. And if they start gatherin’, we’ll put them all down.”

“Your group is an illegal organization,” Twilight said angrily. “Equestrian law forbids ponies to carry weapons! And while I understand the circumstances, couldn’t you have checked with me before doing all this?”

“Ah did.” Applejack met Twilight’s gaze. “Y’all were too busy talkin’ and being scared to listen to my advice.”

Twilight colored. “Our plan is to build walls to defend settlements. There’s no need for violence—”

“The only thing that’ll stop them is violence.” Applejack talked right over Twilight. “And you’d realize that if you weren’t too afraid to fight back!”

A hushed silence descended over the room. Pinkie Pie shrank back in her chair as Twilight stood up, face beet-red. “You can’t take the law into your own hoofs!” Twilight shouted. “And for all you know, these ponies might be thinking – feeling! What if they can still understand us? You could be hurting them!”

“Thinking? Feeling? These dead things are monsters!” Applejack shouted back. “Ah’ll do anything it takes to get rid of them! If ah see a dead pony, ah’ll crush it with my hooves without a second thought!”

“And if you meet Rainbow Dash?” Rarity’s quiet voice stopped both Twilight and Applejack. The unicorn met Applejack’s eyes across the table. “What will you do then?”

Applejack pulled her hat down lower until it covered her eyes. She was silent for a minute, and then stood up. “Reckon ah’ll leave that to her.”

Without another word Applejack began walking towards the door. The others let her go, although Pinkie Pie’s normally cheerful face was downcast and Twilight was still red with anger.

“Applejack.”

The Earth Pony stops at Fluttershy’s voice. “Yeah?”

“Stay safe.”

Applejack doesn’t turn around, but her shoulders tense. “Ah’ll…try. See you around, Fluttershy.”

The door shuts. It’s not quite a slam.

Yeah. Zombie ponies. Dun dun dun. Turns out Spike was right to be scared all this time.

I make light of the situation mainly because it sounds sort of stupid even when I say it. I mean, undead ponies? Come on. Who’d believe that?

Anyone having their face gnawed off by a zombie, that’s who. Look, the thing is that dead ponies coming back to life is pretty scary…if you’re alive and don’t want to die. But for me, the only difference between live ponies and dead ones is that the latter screamed a lot less. But you don’t want to hear my stunning insights. Yeah, zombies. Who’da guessed?

The first pony rose a week after my Sonic Deathboom. It dug its way out of the Ponyville graveyard and tried to eat the nearest pony in sight. Nearly succeeded, too.

The pony in question was a visiting Unicorn from Canterlot, which sort of explains how he nearly died. Unlike Ponyville residents who at least know how to run away when monsters attack, this guy just froze up in panic, letting the slow zombie walk over to him and bite him. I mean…seriously? Who does that?

Apparently, most Canterlot ponies. Anyways, he nearly died. Ponies only ran over when they heard him screaming, and even then, it took three stallions to pry the undead pony off of its victim. Only when my friends came running did they manage to get ahold of the situation.

I was there, of course. I’d watched everything from the beginning, including the pony returning to life. Something had called me to that spot, and so I got to see firsthand the first attack of the undead. And while it’s true that I could have saved that guy from being nearly eaten, I didn’t. He wasn’t one of my friends. I didn’t know him. Why should I lift a hoof for someone like that?

I had to return several times to rescue my friends from the undead later, but that was different. They were my friends. What wouldn’t I do for them?

Putting that aside, Twilight and the others figured out what was going on pretty quickly. There were all sorts of clues, like the pony’s rotting corpse, and the fact that it was trying to eat other ponies, and also the fact that the pony didn’t stop trying to kill everything in sight until they chopped off its head and burned the body. Little clues like that give stuff away.

Plus, they’d seen me come back to life. And fair’s fair, they did think it was the same thing happening. It’s both hilarious and sad to see Twilight trying to communicate with a dead pony trying to bite her head off while Pinkie Pie offers it a cake. But they quickly established that these ponies were like me and way unlike me at the same time.

To clarify, they’re like me in that these ponies that began rising from their graves were dead. But they were unlike me in that they didn’t seem to have any brains whatsoever (aside from the ones hanging out of their skulls), and only seemed to want to kill and eat as many living creatures as possible. That was the nature of the dead, or should I say, undead. Pony zombies.

Not other animals, and not even other races besides ponies, mark you. The mouse was different. It came back because of the Deathboom, and returned to death nearly a week later. It acted just like it had when it was alive, yet with the knowledge that was dead, if that makes sense. It wasn’t malevolent, which is the point I’m getting at. And, my friends would find, this only extended to those brought back by my Sonic Deathbooms. They gave all dead false life for a short time.

This rising of dead ponies was a different matter. They were decidedly hostile, and aggressively violent to all things living.

And they were a mystery to my friends as well as to me. And I know what you’re thinking, but I had no idea what was happening either. I didn’t care much as long as the dead didn’t attack my friends, but I wasn’t sure what it was I had done.

And you may think it was the Sonic Deathboom that caused all this. You’d be wrong, at least in part. The first dead pony to come back to life actually came back a few days before I performed the Deathboom. But since it was in a remote part of Equestria it didn’t attack anypony and no one knew about it. No, they assumed it was because of me, and they were partially right. But that’s spoilers and we’ll get to that later.

The dead. The living unloving. The creepy flesh-eaters who desire life. Or something. They were a huge mystery for Twilight and the others, and their origins remained a mystery pretty much the entire time. A whole lot of questions surrounded them that Twilight couldn’t answer. For instance: how were they coming back? Why were they coming back? What did they want? And why were there so many of them?

That last question might sound odd, but it’s not. I mean, just think about it. We had dead ponies bursting out of the soil, or appearing in forests, graveyards, mostly at night. But what we didn’t have were enough bodies for this to be happening.

I’m going to get a bit disgusting here, so stop listening if you don’t like hearing about icky stuff. But just imagine dead bodies. Like mine.

When you bury a pony, or one dies, it rots. If you put it in a coffin, it takes longer to decompose, but even stone coffins can’t stop time. Most ponies decompose into bones within twelve years without a coffin, or longer with one. Now, that may seem long to you, but it means that only ponies within the last twelve years would realistically be expected to rise from their graves if this was some magic spell affecting Equestria.

But the dead didn’t come back in those kind of numbers. Rather, they appeared in masses, and curiously, all whole. At least at the start. Like me, their bodies came back as they had lived, not as they had died, and only when rot and injury tore open their flesh did they start looking deader.

That’s weird, and illogical, as Twilight pointed out about a thousand times when she was trying to figure everything out. She couldn’t explain anything, but in the end the facts were clear. Dead ponies were coming back, and they were dangerous.

Well…sorta dangerous.

Now, I know a lot of ponies panicked and screamed that it was the end of the world when the dead started rising. But in truth, the threat they posed wasn’t nearly as great as it could have been.

I think Applejack summed it up best in her speech to new recruits to her organization. I’m not gonna copy her accent, but she essentially tells ponies this:

-Zombie ponies are undead monsters. Nice. Always feels good to be called a monster.

-They’re not alive, which means killing them is harder than it seems. You pretty much have to destroy their spine or brain to return them to death. You could burn them, but that takes longer and it smells really bad.

-Really bad. The Wardens are banned from using that tactic because ponies kept complaining about the smell.

-These undead aren’t zombies. If you get bit, you’re not turning into one unless you die. You might get an infection, though.

-The dead are strong, tough, and relentless. They’re also stupid, slow, and easy to kill if a pony is equipped with the right weapons. If you’ve got enough ponies, you can take care of any number of the dead.

-Lastly, don’t mess with the rainbow pony. She’s bad news.

I added that last bit, but its common knowledge among even the newest recruits. But that’s a pretty good description of the dangers of the dead. In that I mean they’re not that dangerous.

Oh sure, it meant that Equestria got a lot more dangerous at night, and that ponies started building walls and patrolling the streets, but that was it. No cities fell beneath the hordes of the dead, and there weren’t massive outbreaks of plagued victims corrupting and killing anything they touched.

For some reason, that upset a few ponies. Lyra especially. I think she told Twilight that if the undead weren’t able to run around and infect every pony they bit, what was the point?

But the dead are dangerous in large numbers, and unfortunately for Equestria, there are a lot of dead ponies buried everywhere. And even if they couldn’t catch many ponies, they could certainly batter down any number of barricades given enough time. They might have overwhelmed the standing forces of the Wonderbolts and Canterlot Royal Guards if it weren’t for Applejack and her group of undead hunting warriors.

Yes, you heard me. And it’s not a joke. I don’t tell many of those anymore. Really, the only humor I’ve got left is gallows humor. The humor of the dead. And Applejack? No, I wouldn’t joke about her. Rather, I admire what she did.

How did it start? Out of necessity. Probably because ponies were sick of running and hiding from the dead. After a few months of fear, folks just wanted to start fighting back. Also, there was a certain stubborn Earth Pony that gave them a cause to rally around.

If you hadn’t guessed from that encounter, Applejack had been putting dead ponies down pretty much the day they started popping up. At first it was just her wandering around, kicking things. Literally, that’s how she did it. I mean, it makes sense but it’s weird to say it. Maybe it’s better to say she bucked the hell out of the dead ponies…?

No. No, that sounds really wrong. But she did kick them, just like she kicks apple trees.

Fun fact, Applejack can kick harder than you think. When she hits the trees at her orchard, she’s not using her full strength. One reason for that is because Applejack can seriously hurt both herself and the tree if she strikes full force. She only hits the tree hard enough to knock apples down, not hard enough to break the bark.

And believe me; Applejack could probably kick a tree down if she felt like it. Her hooves are dangerous weapons, and she used them to keep her farm clear of the dead. And from there she just…roamed.

I truly don’t think she had a plan at first. She just reacted to all the dead who were popping up. I think it’s pretty clear she didn’t like the thought of anypony coming back from the dead, even me. So she put them down. Hard.

Your average undead pony isn’t too dangerous if you’re running away, but it’s still deadly enough to kill most warriors in an unarmed fight. Just think about it. The dead don’t really get slowed down by injuries, they’re hard to kill, and they’re freakishly strong.

Applejack’s stronger. The instant she met a dead pony wandering around she’d just turn around and kick them with her back hooves. Boom. Dead pony’s head explodes, or their bones break, and dead pony gets deader.

I don’t know if she was looking for her folks. I can only guess, but maybe she wanted to be the one to kill them again if they came back. Or maybe…she just wanted to see them again. Maybe she was afraid of what she might see. I don’t know.

But where she went, other ponies watched. And followed. It’s a herd thing. Or maybe it’s a leadership thing. All I know is that first it was just Applejack patrolling the area around Ponyville. She’d do it every night, or when she didn’t have work on the farm.

She found a crossbow, somewhere. I think she got it from Pinkie Pie, but why would Pinkie Pie…?

You know what? I just answered my own question. Never mind. Crossbow. It’s a dangerous weapon, although you only get one shot. Takes time to reload, too. Not a good weapon against pegasi or Diamond Dogs, or anything that can dodge or has half a brain, really. Good thing the dead are slow and stupid. It’s almost like crossbows were made to kill them.

In the days just after the dead started rising everyone stayed in their homes or in Twilight’s castle. It was the same all over Equestria – folks were afraid to go out and for good reason. Still, you were pretty safe inside your homes. Even if you were attacked, you could just hop out a window and run for it. Unless there was a horde coming your way you could get away every time.

Sometimes there were hordes. Sometimes ponies died. I noticed of course, but—not my friends, so I didn’t intervene. And aside from Applejack, my friends stayed within Ponyville mainly, trying to help refugees get settled or manage the town. Fluttershy was off with the Wonderbolts of course; we’ll get back to her in a bit. But Applejack?

Applejack fought.

Not with me, mind. I wasn’t welcome by her side. I tried appearing when she caught the attention of a horde of the undead, but she just shot me in the head along with the others. On purpose, I think. I took the hint and didn’t interfere in her business. Not that I wasn’t around when she hunted, though. I was always by her side just in case she needed me.

She never did.

First she hunted stragglers with her hooves. Then she got the crossbow and hunted packs. Farm ponies have a lot of lumber, so she had an endless supply of crossbow bolts. And then she fought hordes.

Carefully. Applejack used her head, which I know, is very surprising. But she dug pitfalls, made traps, and even came up with flasks of burning oil she could toss on clusters of the dead. And she wiped out a horde that was travellign towards Ponyville, and people saw.

And they began joining her cause.

First it was a mare who’d lost her family in the first few attacks. Then, it was another mare that had lost a filly. Then another mare. Five more mares later, a stallion joined. There’s a serious gender imbalance in Equestria, alright? But this was no ragtag band of fighters, no. Unlike the desperate militias that appeared to defend towns when the undead came knocking at their doors, Applejack turned her pones into warriors.

They called themselves the Grave Wardens. Yeah, I think it’s a pretty stupid name too, but Applejack was never great at naming things. Still, they emerged as the first and last line of defense against the undead in no time flat.

And no, they don’t eat the flesh of the undead to give themselves the powers of the undead. That would be unhygienic. And stupid. I don’t know how the rumors got started, but I can personally tell you they’re not true.

Yet at the same time, I can see how ponies might believe the Grave Wardens had supernatural strength and stamina. They were stronger, quicker, tougher than your average ponies, and were able to take on multiple dead enemies at once and come away without a scratch. Magic, right?

Wrong. It’s actually just training. Applejack made her ponies do pushups, situps, run for miles with weights on their backs, and she gave them proper weapons and armor, and training for that.

On that topic: armor. I’ve seen the Royal Canterlot Guard using metal armor and it’s good, but impractical. It might stop a sword, but the dead will just pile on you while you’re panting and trying to run around with so much weight on your back. Plus, it’s not full plate which is what you really need for full protection.

Ditto for Crystal Empire guards. Why would anypony use crystal? I guess it’s cheap and easy to manufacture, but seriously. That’s gotta be even heavier than metal.

Applejack’s Grave Wardens needed to move fast to respond to attacks. They weren’t stand-and-fight soldiers so much as hunters, mobile attacking units that worked alone in groups. They needed decent protection from being bitten or struck, but nothing heavy.

Some ponies suggested leather. That’s…no. Do you even know how leather is made? What kind of sick freak would…never mind.

They used wood. Now, that sounds stupid, but it actually works. Only against the dead, though.

The key is wooden slats layered on top of cloth padding. Think plate armor, but with less plate and made out of wood. It’s not meant to turn away blades or arrows, but it will stop a zombie from biting flesh, and it can handle a few light blows. Plus, you can paint the wood and it looks really cool.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: wood is heavy. Stuff made out of wood is heavy. Therefore, wooden armor is heavy. That’s the kind of thinking that makes you an egghead.

No, Applejack designed the armor well. She used very light, thin slats of wood that would break away when struck, meant as a kind of disposable shield rather than permanent armor. And it worked. Ponies could fight hordes and walk out with bruises and cuts rather than lose a limb when one of the dead ponies latched on and threatened to drag them down.

Her Grave Wardens wore their armor and won battles. They won a lot of battles. And I know, it’s not really a battle when you have a thousand dead ponies walking into a row of traps, exploding oil bombs, and crossbow bolts until only a few break through and get smushed in hoof-to-hoof combat, but it was impressive nonetheless. The Grave Wardens led by Applejack were heroes.

To some ponies.

I know Twilight disapproved of them, but Celestia was in no position to disavow any group fighting back against the undead threat. As for Luna, she didn’t do politics that well, but I hear she supported and even funded the group on the quiet. What am I saying? I didn’t ‘hear’ anything. I know she did that because I witnessed her in spirit form giving Applejack bits and support from her Lunar Guard. I just like to pretend I gossip.

Still, Equestria as a population was split half and half on the issue of the Grave Wardens. Half of Equestria, mainly the rich, well-defended half who didn’t have to deal with the dead threat disliked and feared the Grave Wardens and their militant attitude. The other half that actually had to watch out for death by dead pony thought the Grave Wardens were the best thing since Hayburgers. In fact, in terms of popularity the Grave Wardens easily overtook the struggling Royal Guard, and were only surpassed by the Wonderbolts in terms of popularity.

Yes, the Wonderbolts. They, like the Royal Guard had a lot of trouble with manpower when the undead threat emerged. But unlike the Royal Guard, they were actually useful.

To her credit, Spitfire took the first reports of the dead seriously, and her Wonderbolts would be at every scene, evacuating ponies and fighting the dead. Trouble is, Wonderbolt tactics aren’t designed for killing, much less frequent combat. They’re support fliers, the folks who are first into fires to rescue civilians, or scouts who track down missing ponies. Not warriors. None of the Wonderbolts had ever killed a pony before, and some just didn’t have the same mindset as Applejack and her group.

Still, even if they weren’t good at fighting, they were good at being fast. That’s sort of their thing. Fluttershy had the idea first. Using a system of fliers, they could send messages across Equestria to Cloudsdale and create a network. Then, once any area called for help the Wonderbolts would fly in and either distract the dead long enough for folks to organize and fight them off, or evacuate everypony.

It worked. Wonderbolts might not be the greatest fighters, but they’re good at dodging, and since they could fly, the dead couldn’t really catch them in the sky. They’d fly into an hotspot, attack the dead and lure them away, and help the ponies launch counterattacks. Then they’d rebuild barricades, transport supplies and medicine if needed, and head back to Cloudsdale. Without rest, the Wonderbolts kept at it, saving countless lives by putting themselves in harm’s way.

They make me proud, just a bit. But it was really Fluttershy who helped shape them into that new function. She established herself as Spitfire’s second-in-command and quickly became known as the face of these new Wonderbolts, constantly diving into the fray to keep ponies safe. Compare that to the dour Grave Wardens who just killed dead ponies, sometimes burning down homes to do it, and you can see why the Wonderbolts were a lot more popular.

But regardless of their regard among Equestria’s general populace, Applejack’s Grave Wardens and Fluttershy’s Wonderbolts quickly became Equestria’s shield and spear. Wherever trouble cropped up, the Wonderbolts would be there within minutes to save lives. And when the undead rose as they so frequently did, the Wardens would root out their nests and destroy their remains. Without exception, every ‘abomination’ as the Wardens referred to them was destroyed and ‘purified’, again using their terms.

Save for one.

I don’t know if it was the last lingering bonds of friendship and memory that held Applejack back from seeking my destruction. Perhaps even in her unending hatred towards the dead, she couldn’t bring herself to seek my demise a second time. Or it might simply have been that Applejack understood what the cost would have been if she had attempted such an action. Whichever the case, she wisely banned any of her Wardens from trying to purify me when I returned.

Not that some didn’t try it, mind you. I swatted them away like flies each time. It’s one thing to take down undead ponies at a hundred meters with a crossbow, pots of flaming oil and several pitfall traps, and quite another to fight a being who for all intents and purposes is practically immortal. I was as fast as I ever was when I was alive, and with death, far stronger too. It also helps when you don’t feel pain and can literally regenerate any wound within seconds of taking it.

So yeah. Grave Wardens weren’t ever a problem with me. As for the Wonderbolts, well, I was always one of them, and I guess once a Wonderbolt, always a Wonderbolt even in death. I can’t say they liked being around me, or the fact that I did whatever I wanted, but they weren’t about to cross Fluttershy and go after me either. As far as records went, I still held the title of fastest pony in Equestria as no one ever managed to achieve a Sonic Rainboom again. Neither could I after my death, but when it came to Deathbooms…

I tried not to use them. I really did. But you can’t save lives without punching a few chickens, or however the saying goes. I don’t punch chickens unless I can help it, but I’d kick baby chicks for my friends. So if they were in danger and I had no options left, I’d break out a Sonic Deathboom to help them. My friends were worth a few extra undead ponies.

And besides that, the Sonic Deathbooms felt…good. Really good.

…I’m not talking about sex, so get your mind out of the gutter. It’s different from an orgasm or anything else. Rather, each time I broke the sound barrier and the black light filled the world around me, I sensed something.

A memory. No, that’s not right. A song. Maybe that’s a better word for it. A flash of light? Not exactly, not just literally. A dream?

Yes, perhaps a dream. Or a voice, calling me. Not just one voice, but a choir, a thousand, a hundred thousand…countless voices. Calling me.

And for a brief moment, I would feel alive again. Not just alive, but truly, gloriously alive. The alive you feel so rarely even in life. For one instant, I was Rainbow Dash again.

But then the Deathboom would burst, and I would be dead once more. But I could always regain that brief moment of eternity with another Sonic Deathboom.

I know some ponies might compare this to taking drugs. And I have to say that while I’m a pretty awesome pony, I’ve never touched the stuff. I mean, please. I’m an athlete. Drugs seriously mess you up and you can’t be a Wonderbolt if you do drugs. So I never did. Duh.

As for my friends, I’m sure straight-laced Twilight and Applejack would never have touched the stuff with a thousand foot pole. Meek Fluttershy? Please, she’d run away screaming. As for Pinkie Pie…I’m pretty sure she didn’t actually do any drugs. At least, not if you don’t count sugar as a drug. Really, the only pony you’d have to look twice at is Rarity.

I mean, come on. Can’t you imagine her doing some of the designer drugs like Crystal Salt? That stuff is really popular in Canterlot and Manehatten. Or Seed. Everypony in Cloudsdale claims they’ve done Seed once or twice. I never asked her though. I mean, I wouldn’t have turned her in even if I had known. Still, it’s just not something I wanted to know. It would have made her too…normal, and she was never normal to me.

But uh, where was I? Oh yeah. The feeling I got from Sonic Deathbooms? Better than sex. Not like drugs. You see, drugs wear off. Ponies chase that first high, that first time they used drugs and never get the same feeling. Not with this. Every time was just as vivid, just as strong. You could make me snort enough Crystal Salt to make the entire population of Phillydelphia start eating the sidewalk and it wouldn’t even be a fraction of that feeling. It made me feel so alive. And so dead.

More alive and more dead at the same time. Confusing, right? I really can’t explain it. I’m going to change the subject.

Wonderbolts, Grave Wardens, Sonic Deathbooms, and dead ponies. Put them all together and you get a scarier, and in a way, more awesome Equestria at the same time. True, there was a greater chance of dying horribly and coming back as a flesh-eating monster, but on the other hand, there was actual adventure to be had all over the place!

You know how Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo wanted their Cutie Marks so bad? Well, they got them in the end, and they weren’t too bad – bunch of shield marks with their special talents inside of them. Seems significant, but I didn’t read too much into it since I was dead and all. But those fillies would have gotten them ages ago if they’d been around with the undead popping out of the ground everywhere.

Warrior Cutie Marks are not common in Equestria. Heck, the only fighting force was the Royal Guard and the Wonderbolts were more like elite fliers and troubleshooters. But now with things to actually fight again, at least twenty percent of every new Cutie Mark was geared towards combat, healing, or some other kind of frontline activity. Fillies and colts learned how to fight, and they enlisted either into local militias, or into the Grave Wardens. And sure, constant danger and fighting wasn’t ideal, but neither was Equestria slowly sinking beneath a horde of zombies. Things were stable, and ponies got used to things after a year or two.

And I was active, at least by my standards. The dead were rising, and so too did I. The world was changing, and strangely, I felt more compelled to reanimate myself than before.

When I was not needed by my friends and I was sure they weren’t in danger, I would bring myself back and wander Equestria. Mostly in the forgotten parts, in the dark and magical Everfree Forest, among the empty, endless peaks of the Appaloosan mountain range, and even further north, among the frozen wastelands of the Crystal Empire. It was peaceful, to me. I could go for days just watching trees grow, or seeing snow pile up in odd patterns.

I know that sounds unbelievably boring and I’m sure if I was alive I’d feel the same. But again, I was dead and the dead can appreciate the things the living have no time for. When you have forever, time doesn’t matter at all.

But always I’d return to watch over my friends, because now more than ever I was needed. The undead legions marched across the land, and though they were suppressed by the Wonderbolts and Grave Wardens, other accidents still occurred. In times of peace, this would have been ably handled by the Wonderbolts, but combine an earthquake and ponies coming back from the dead and you’ve got problems.

That is, if you don’t have me.

The streets of Manehatten flexed and broke as the earthquake made the earth dance and heave. Ponies screamed as the world shifted beneath them, and only the pegasi hovering in the air were spared as masonry and ponies were flung around like feathers.

Did some die? Yes, perhaps. The weak and the elderly, or those unfortunate enough to be caught in the shadow of buildings as they collapsed. But Earth Ponies had laid strong foundations, and Unicorn magic had made the city strong. Most of the city remained standing, but the more hastily-laid buildings broke under the strain from the earth.

Such as the wall.

It was a slap-dash creation made in the space of a few nights and expanded on over the course of months. It was high and made so that ponies could stand on it and shoot down at approaching crowds of the dead if needed. Beyond that the wall was stone and the dead could not climb nor break through it, and so what need was there of architecture or planning?

Much need. As the ground ripples, the wall buckled and broke. Drawn by the sounds and death, the few undead poured in through the gap. But they were joined by the ponies who had died in the disaster, and then by more, as the unloving sensed weakness and swarmed the city.

The few Grave Wardens in the city were caught unawares and outnumbered hundreds to one. The militias were scattered, caught up in helping other ponies and unaware of the danger until it was too late. The dead herded the living, pursuing them street by street, boxing them in on all sides until the living had to make one last stand or die. And they would die anyways. There were just too many.

And as the despairing ponies cried out for aid, the air rippled. The world bent and twisted, and an alicorn appeared. She’d been flying as soon as she heard of the earthquake and her teleportation spell put her in front of the dead. Yet they came on. She was one, and they were many. Even an alicorn couldn’t hold back so many of the dead, especially such a young one.

But she was never alone. Even as the Princess of Friendship raised her wings defiantly, the world shifted. The dead shifted their ranks uncertain as they felt it. The living ponies looked around in confusion, uncertain, wondering why the horde of death had stopped. Only the Princess waited. She knew.

At this point I entered, and let’s face it, isn’t that all you really need to know?

Fighting is an art, like everything else. I do it exceptionally well.

That’s to probably a quote from somepony, but who cares? I’m awesome, and I fight even better than I die.

…That sounded wrong. I kick tail is what I’m trying to say.

The dead throng around me as I open my eyes. Truthfully, I don’t need to, but it always makes ponies feel better if I act slightly alive. But I can sense the undead around me as individuals and a whole. I don’t need eyes to tell where they are.

One of the dead ponies hesitates, and then tries to bite my head. He’s pretty certain I’m not alive, but since I’m not one of his kind, he’s going to try to eat me anyways. Good instints. My hoof pulps his head in one blow anyways.

Yes, pulps. There’s a lot of good words for what happens when I hit something with all my strength. Pulp, smash, destroy, eviscerate…that one’s right out of Twilight’s books. Explode happens sometimes, but mush is always what eventually happens. Let’s just say that rotting flesh and bone meeting my hoof doesn’t end up hygienic, alright?

It’s necessary for me to hit them this hard, though. I don’t want to have to do it twice, and the dead have an annoying tendency to ignore having their limbs ripped off. Normal ponies at least have the decency to scream. But where was I?

First dead pony kill of the day. The other dead immediately lunge at me, but I’m already gone. And so are they. I begin lashing out with my forehooves and back hooves, aiming for faces and spines mainly, putting down the dead as fast as I can strike. And believe me, I can hit really fast. The crowd of the dead around me quickly disappears into a sea of destroyed limbs and broken flesh.

Yes, broken flesh. It’s disgusting. When you hit a pony hard enough to literally shatter all its bones and blow out its insides, you get broken flesh. It’s nasty, and you can push it around with a mop. That’s all I’m saying. Look, this isn’t for the squeamish. I don’t want to get into details here, but did you think combat was ever pretty?

Well, the dead fight ugly. And that’s okay with me because I don’t need to smell what I’m doing, or worry about infection or anthing. I’m just here to kill every dead pony in sight to keep Twilight safe.

Speaking of which, I glance over my shoulder and see Twilight blasting dead ponies back as she raises a magic forcefield around the entire Manehatten population. She’s gotten a lot stronger since I died, although in faireness, all the other unicorns in the crowd are helping with the shield spell. Truthfully, she’s only burning down a few of the dead trying to hammer their way through the magic shield. She knows what to do by know, and that’s wait for me to take care of things.

And also truthfully, I don’t need to look at Twilight to know what she’s doing. My senses aren’t limited to my corpse, and I can practically ‘see’ everything happening within a mile’s radius around me. But I like to look so I can remember.

Anyways. I’m still fighting though. Nice thing about being dead? You can multitask as much as you like. Two hooves strike out in different directions, two dead ponies are missing their heads. Almost all of the dead around here are…even more dead. Time to accelerate.

I flap my wings and disappear into the air. The dead ponies look around, bewildered. They’re really idiots. After a few seconds of waiting for me to appear again, they decide that if I’m gone, it’s time to go back to chowing on living ponies. They cluster around Twilight’s shield—

And half of them disappear.

Not instantaneously. I’m not that good. But it probably looks like that to most of the living ponies. All they can see is a fountain of limbs and gore flying upwards as a blue blur races through the horde of zombies. That’s me, if you hadn’t guessed.

Everyone says I’m so cool for breaking the sonic barrier and doing a Rainboom. Yadda yadda yadda, that’s all they talk about. But I can move plenty fast even without a Rainboom, or rather, a Deathboom now. Look, how fast do you think most animals can travel? I’ll clue you in here and tell you that the fastest bird in the world only goes 242 miles per hour. That’s 389 kilometers per hour for all you non-Equestrian folks out there.

Please. A Rainboom only happens at around 770 miles per hour, and I can go slower than that. Ever seen something move at 600 mph? Ever seen what happens if you hit something at that speed, with enough strength to knock a tree over?

Explosive mushiness is what happens. It’s not so much that the dead explode…more like they deform and just tear apart. It’s gross and awesome if you don’t have a queasy stomach. Again, no gory details but these are the facts. You can’t fight anything without having grossness.

But back to my awesomeness. Undead mob? Gone in moments. I flash through them, hitting them with quick blows that send their dead corpses flying in pieces. Remember, if I can fly at supersonic speeds, I can hit pretty fast too. In moments the threat of the dead ponies, nearly a thousand strong who had cornered the Manehatten inhabitants is no more. Only falling pieces of undead flesh and pools of…y’know, remain.

My work here is done.

I stop in front of Twilight. She’s still holding the forcefield. Not so much to protect the other ponies from me – she couldn’t do that even if she tried, not that I’d ever do anything unless they tried to harm her – but mainly to keep the falling bits of pony from hitting the Manehattenites.

They’re still shell-shocked. Half of them are looking at me like I’m a monster, the other half are throwing up. Maybe there’s another half who are just staring blankly around at everything, but I’m not good at math. Only Twilight’s really composed, well, sorta composed. She’s seen me work before.

I nod once to Twilight. No words. It’s kinda gotten to be my thing. She hesitates, and then inclines her head. A small bow. It’s awkward beyond words, but she can’t really hug me, covered in bits as I am, and I can’t say anything to her. I hold her gaze for another moment, a brief eternity.

And then my body vanishes to dust. I’m gone, and only the dead and the living remain.

In spirit form I watch Twilight begin the cleanup. She’s quite good at it, and her qualities as a leader have grown unimaginably from the time when I was alive. She directs ponies to start moving bodies to be burned, has others look for survivors who might be injured, creates an emergency treatment area for any injured ponies, begins assessing wall repairs…

I stop following her once I know she’s got things well in hoof. I begin to leave. If I’m not watching over Twilight, it’s generally Applejack or Fluttershy I’ll follow around. Pinkie Pie and Rarity generally stay in Ponyville, helping others so they’re safe.

But as I go, I hear ponies talking. They’re praising Twilight of course, remarking on how good she is as a Princess, and so on, but some are also talking about me. I stop to listen, and I hear one pony talking about how the Guardian of Harmony is protecting her friends.

Guardian of Harmony? That’s a stupid name. But…it’s slightly accurate.

It seems Fluttershy told my friends what she’d figured out. I didn’t really care whether other ponies got eaten, squashed, run over, etc. etc. but I did care a lot about my friends. So one of the ways in which they got me to help was by running into any trouble spots that emerged so I’d appear and start kicking serious tail.

Anyways, after I stopped a few undead incursions single-hoofedly, ponies started taking notice. There were already legends spreading about me in Ponyville, but the rest of Equestria finally sat up and realized that there was at least one dead pony who wasn’t trying to eat their faces.

And they loved me.

Weird, huh? You save Equestira a half-dozen times and all you get is a crummy window in Canterlot Castle. But kill a few dead ponies and suddenly ponies put up statues to you. Literal statues. How crazy is that?

I guess it makes sense. I was already semi-famous as an Element of Harmony and hero of Equestria, but coming back from the dead…that’s pretty awesome. And me being immortal and able to essentially stop even thousands of dead ponies is cool too. Ponies started talking about me as a legend, and even did things like put out extra placemats for me at Hearth’s Warming and other holidays, as if I was going to stop by for a visit.

I wouldn’t. Not even for my friends. But I let them enjoy their fantasies, and I think Celestia was relieved to have any source of hope for her people to cling to. She made my birthday a national holiday, and I even got a special ice cream made in my name. Pinkie Pie said it tasted like skittles, but…I have no idea what that is. And I couldn’t taste the ice cream if I wanted, because I was dead.

Sorta sucks.

I even got this plushie doll that looked just like me, except that you could pull its head off and detach its wings, limbs, and then reassemble it back together again! Yeah…children’s toys got a little messed up after the dead started to rise. I mean, they got a lot more anatomically accurate, so that’s good, but…it’s still a bit messed up.

Yet I was more famous in death than I’d ever been in life, a celebrated hero, a revered legend, and best of all…I didn’t care. Not one bit. Fame could kiss my multicolored tail, because all I wanted was for my friends to be well.

Was I happy? No. I don’t think the dead can be happy, or at least, I don’t think those that are dead like me can be happy. But I was content, and life was progressing for my friends. I wanted no more and nothing less.

But then it all went wrong. It all went horribly, terribly wrong.

Because she met him, and he met me.

…They were two different ponies, by the way. But if I could go back and time and kill both with my bare hooves, I would.

Chapter 5: Love

She met him in Manehatten, while she was trying to set up her new boutique. Rarity had always dreamed of opening up a line of stores with her designs, and she’d worked hard to make her dream a reality. I remembered her saving every bit she earned until she could open a store in Canterlot, and once that had prospered another in Manehatten.

In another lifetime, I’m sure her new stores would have been the center of me and my friend’s lives. I can imagine how we would have all turned out to support Rarity, and how we would have tried our best to help her if she ran into any problems.

But I died before she cut the ribbon on her new store in Canterlot, and I never got to see her realize her dream. My death and the ensuing drama surrounding my return postponed Rarity’s debut for many months, so she missed the fashionable height of the season. She opened her store quietly, and sold her dresses with the help of her assistant, Sassy Saddles.

There were some problems with leadership, I guess. Sassy Saddles tried to take control of the direction of the store. Maybe it would have been the cause for drama had I been alive, when we were more innocent. But there were no friends to talk to, and Rarity dealt with the problem herself. Her store prospered, and she quickly had enough bits for her second store.

It might seem weird to some ponies that Rarity continued to make dresses even as the undead rose. But Equestria wasn’t in a state of war, and it adjusted quickly to the undead threat. Within the walls of each city there was near complete safety, and so life could go on more or less as usual.

That didn’t mean Rarity didn’t adapt to the times. Far from it; she lead the charge on fashion and protection. Her dresses combined both the fashions of the day and practical designs such as incorporating armor into her attire. She took over the design of the Grave Warden’s armor for instance, and after she was done, they looked cool.

So with all her success, why not open up another shop in what some ponies called the greatest city in all of Equestria? I can give you one reason: raccoons.

Turns out there was a nest of them living in the back of the store Rarity bought. I had no idea how she didn’t notice that when she was buying the place, but that was only the tip of the iceberg. Add in an obnoxious landlord, an even more obnoxious daughter, Vinyl Scratch’s nightclub being above Rarity’s boutique and a sick shop assistant on opening day and you get Rarity at the end of her rope.

For my part, I never got why Rarity had to open the store on the same day she fixed everything up. Wouldn’t it have made more sense to, y’know, get everything in order a few weeks in advance and then have your big opening? Honestly, unicorns sometimes make no sense to me.

But whatever Rarity’s reasoning, she had one heck of an opening day. None of the other elements of Harmony were there to help her – I’m sure they would have loved to come, but they had pressing duties each of them. Fluttershy and Applejack were always responding to new threats, Twilight was working as a full-time administrator, managing cities and making sure everypony was secure, and Pinkie Pie was touring Equestria with her party cannon, cheering up ponies.

And I was dead. Did I mention that?

So I watched as Rarity tried to juggle a thousand tasks at once and failed. Naturally, I could have come back to life and lent a hoof but…

I can fight as many hordes of monsters as you want. I can save ponies from danger, although I don’t really bother doing it unless it’s one of my friends, and I can walk through molten lava to get folks to safety. But fashion and design? Not my things. Can you imagine the undead me greeting ponies with a smile, or organizing the window display?

Not gonna happen.

I’m being facetious, of course. In truth, I would have given anything to spend time doing whatever Rarity needed. I would have embroidered all her dresses if it meant I could sit with her and hear her voice. But as I’ve said, the dead shouldn’t mix with the living. We hurt them too much.

And despite the disaster in Rarity’s boutique, I wasn’t about to reappear and add to the chaos. It hurt to watch her break down and cry as things came crashing down around her ears, but what could I do? Nothing. Nothing at all.

So I was glad at first when he came along. I truly was.

…No, I wasn’t. I guess I’ll be honest and say it outright: I hated his guts the moment I saw him. I don’t know if the dead can see the future, but I can predict some things. Like when you put Rarity in the same room with a handsome stallion, she’s going to fall in love.

Now, I’m not calling Rarity shallow. She’s the most wonderful pony I’ve ever met, and I love her for her generous heart and the way she can make anything special. I just…

Okay, she’s shallow. Sometimes Rarity can be unbelievably shallow and only pay attention to looks. That’s not a bad thing; I mean, nice things look nice, it’s just that she always gets her heart broken by the ponies she falls in love with. I still remember Trenderhoof and Blueblood. Once you got past their appearance…which wasn’t bad, I’ll admit – you found out they were total jerks. I could name a certain brother of Fluttershy that reminded me of them, which is probably why I never feel for either pony, but Rarity just sees a pony and immediately starts writing marriage invitations.

…I really hated that when we were together. Even though I knew she loved me, sometimes—

Nevermind. I don’t want to go back to that. Let’s just say that when I saw him for the first time I thought Rarity was about to run into another pony who would reveal his true colors after an hour or so and break her heart. But he didn’t.

He was nice.

Did I say nice? I mean it. It’s weird to say that about a stallion, isn’t it? I don’t think that’s a word I’d use to describe any stallion. Well, maybe Big Mac but he’s also the strong and serious type, y’know? But this guy, he was nice, and quiet, and polite.

Like I said, hate on sight. I guess it’s because he had all the traits I lacked. And sadly, all the things I don’t have are what Rarity needs in a pony. She and I loved each other because we’re alike, but sadly, that means neither of us are good at holding each other back.

That’s how I end up putting myself in the Ponyville Hospital at least once a month, and how Rarity ended up in the middle of her store, sobbing her eyes out as raccoons ran around panicking because Vinyl Scratch was nearly bringing down the roof with her sick bass drops. What can I say? I’m a fan.

But Rarity was in a bad situation and panicking. She had every fashionable pony of note lined up to visit her boutique that night and she was in over her head. Now, if it were me or Applejack we’d just work harder and try to get as much done as possible. Rarity on the other hand just gave up and started crying. Hey, if it works for her…

And I guess it did work, because in he came. The nice stallion who couldn’t just walk past when he heard a pony crying. He saw Rarity, listened to her garbled explanation of why absolutely everything was wrong…

And fixed it.

I mean everything. If you can name it, he got rid of the problem.

Raccoons? Animal control. One call and they got placed outside of Manehatten where they belong. Vinyl Scratch? More noise-cancelling foam in her club and you can’t even hear it when she cranks it up to eleven. That obnoxious landlord and his daughter, Plaid Stripes? Yeah, turns out threatening to raise the rent if you don’t employ his daughter is illegal. Plus, when you know the Princess of Harmony, problems like laws tend to resolve themselves on your side most of the time. Just saying.

He even fixed the stupid doorbell. I mean, okay, it was just replacing that horn with a real bell. I could have done that. It’s just that he was, well, efficient.

Turns out that’s because he managed a perfume company in Manehatten. I know, right? That’s so…boring. But hey, boring ponies are the ones who get things done, and in this case, he saved Rarity’s boutique.

She helped too, of course. After he started resolving problems left and right, Rarity finally got the window display done and hired a few more shop assistants. When the fashionable ponies finally flooded her store that night, Rarity had everything looking perfect, and her boutique was a success.

I can’t imagine how relieved Rarity was. I really don’t need to, anyways. She was nearly in tears from relief. And the thing about Rarity is that when you do her a small favor, she gets dramatic. She’ll kiss your hooves, say thank you a thousand times…but when you’ve really helped her, she’s humble. And she thanked him with that rare, honesty sincerity I seldom saw from her. It hurt to see.

He waved it off and told her he was happy to help, but you know Rarity. She insisted on buying him dinner, and then told him she would personally make him a custom-tailored suit. It would take a few sessions to measure and fit, but wouldn’t he accept?

And he did. And that night I watched in spirit form as he and Rarity dined in one of Manehatten’s fanciest restaurants, laughing and toasting each other over a glass of wine. And that’s when I knew she was in love with him.

Maybe she didn’t want another mare to break her heart. I can understand that.

They started talking after Rarity managed to avoid total disaster with her boutique. Just talking, at first. Yeah, I know how it goes. But I was the only pony who saw it. All of my friends were busy dealing with the undead or with their lives, and I guess they just didn’t pick up on Rarity’s infatuation. She certainly didn’t act like she did before, throwing herself at the stallion of her dreams like a love-sick filly. This time she was more reserved, more cautious.

She’d already lost one special somepony.

So it was a quiet relationship, but one that grew. And I was the only one who saw it.

Well…maybe not the only one. Perhaps Pinkie picked up on it, but my friend the party pony had changed since my death. Rather than bounce around all the time, Pinkie had changed from a cake-baking pony of fun and laughter into a pony who tried to make other ponies smile. I know it sounds the same, but it’s not.

Anyways, Pinkie was the only pony who really travelled around a lot after the dead started attacking. Oh, Fluttershy and Applejack went everywhere as well, but they were just chasing the undead attacks. Pinkie on the other hand made it her mission to travel to every city, town, and village in Equestria and spread cheer.

She was good at it, obviously. Pinkie can put a smile on anypony’s face, and she often lent a hoof helping ponies rebuild or deal with their problems. But she always made time to visit Rarity and all of my friends. And so I say she might have picked up on Rarity’s crush, but unusually for Pinkie, she didn’t blab about it.

I can’t say the same for Applejack. After her fight with Twilight, Applejack grew more…distant from everypony. Oh, she was friendly with Pinkie, and she and Fluttershy had a working relationship, but Twilight…no. On the other hoof, Applejack visited Rarity quite often. Mostly, it was to consult her on the Grave Warden’s armor, but sometimes she visited just because they were friends.

And I’ll give this to AJ: she’s not an idiot. Uh, but she might be sort of slow on the uptake when it comes to relationship matters. She didn’t notice how he and Rarity were in each other’s company all the time, or how their eyes met far too often, or even when they nuzzled each other when they thought no pony was looking or…

If it wasn’t for Applejack walking in on Rarity as she was kissing him, I don’t think she would ever have noticed. But when she did figure out what was happening, well, let’s just say there was a fight.

A big fight.

Have you ever seen friends fight? It hurts more than you’d think. And in this case, I saw every bitter moment of it, all the things they normally hide or say in private. To cut a long and messy story short, Applejack disliked him as much as I did, but Rarity refused to listen to her. And when Applejack started giving Rarity orders like she ordered around her Grave Wardens…yeah. I think you know what happened after that.

After the shouting ended, Applejack and Rarity stopped talking. And the next week after a few ugly public encounters, Rarity moved to Manehatten and started living with him in his apartment there. It was a messy move, and none of my friends wanted Rarity to go. But she was serious. I know how serious it is for us to move apart, and I know Rarity wanted to stay in Ponyville. If Applejack hadn’t been so stubborn—

Well, I would have done the same. At any rate, Rarity left, and my friends were bitterly unhappy. But as I’ve said, the times had changed. My friends had changed. The Elements of Harmony were no longer six, and that had made us all grow up. As much as it hurt to lose another friend, even if it was just her moving to another city and only visiting every few weeks…everyone had work to do.

Because the undead were still rising. Yes, they were held off by walls of stone and ponies armed with steel and fire, but they were still a menace. Grave Wardens hunted them down every day, and the Wonderbolts were always on call, putting out fires and saving lives. Pinkie Pie kept ponies sane and Twilight made sure everything stayed together. Without any of my friends Equestria would have fallen apart, have lost a vital part of its defenses.

Except for Rarity, that was. She hadn’t become a cornerstone of Equestria. She had chosen to find more love instead. As I watched over all my friends, so I watched over Rarity and saw how her every waking moment was in his company. She helped him grow his business, selling perfumes, colognes…what a waste of her talents. But she—she loved him. And she was safe in Manehatten, and so I watched over her less. It just hurt too much to be near her.

And there was more work for me. It seemed that every week I would be called by one of my friends to take down a horde that was threatening a far-off village. My appearances became so regular that ponies started building more statues of me and telling legends of who I had been in life. Again, I cared not at all.

Life continued on as Rarity spent time with him, and the others protected Equestria. Everything was in a fragile state of balance, so that a single bad event could break the tenous peace Equestria maintained. And as it happened, that bad event as a big one.

It started as a few rumors of ponies on the move. Then it grew into reports of a horde of the undead, later revealed to be ponies, marching together for unknown reasons. Scouts were dispatched who never came back, and then all of Equestria heard the news. A village had rebelled against Celestia’s rule. No, that wasn’t right. A town had been altered by some strange magic that stole their Cutie Marks. Actually, it was a new alicorn that had appeared, one that offered a better future that made all ponies equal. The rumors spread, but I ignored them. I had seen the truth and I watched as events unfolded.

I don’t know where she came from, but she chose the late spring to make her move. A mad pony named Starlight Glimmer raised an army of brainwashed ponies to follow her. With her as their leader, they began taking over nearby villages and even cities, preaching that only through ‘equality’ and removing everypony’s Cutie Mark could the undead menace be thwarted.

It might sound like a dumb cult that had no chance of succeeding, but you’d be surprised by how many dumb ponies are in Equestria. Starlight told everypony that the undead attacks were a sign of the corruption of our Cutie Marks – that nature itself was rebelling against this unnatural order. She pointed to me as a sign of how corrupt Twilight and the princesses were, and ponies listened. Her followers grew, and she assimilated entire towns through her charisma, her subversive message, and her ability to steal Cutie Marks and imprison anypony who spoke out against her.

Yeah, she was sort of sympathetic until that last bit, wasn’t she? Turns out Starlight was a genius spellcaster, with talent that surpassed even Twilight. She could literally take away Cutie Marks and so even the Wonderbolts and Equestria’s standing forces couldn’t stop her advance.

Mark you, most of the Wonderbolts didn’t really have time to launch any attacks on Starlight’s group. They were busy saving lives. As for Applejack’s Grave Wardens, they didn’t care at all and left Starlight to do her thing. The Canterlot Royal Guard tried to stop her as she marched towards Ponyville, but they were overwhelmed and captured in a quick pitched battle outside of Manehatten.

Starlight brought nearly two thousand of her Equalist ponies to Ponyville and tried to capture Twilight. I think her plan was to show Equestria that even one of the alicorn princesses believed in her cause. Too bad she underestimated me.

Seriously, if she’d gone to Canterlot, she might have even captured Celestia and Luna. They wouldn’t have attacked their own people, and Starlight’s mark-stealing magic seemed to have no limits. Heck, she nearly stole Twilight’s before I stopped her. Her army was loyal without a fault, and no army would have dared fight them for fear of shedding innocent pony’s blood.

Well, no pony except me, that is.

The battle had taken place on the outskirts of Ponyville, in an open stretch of plains just outside the walls in fact. While it may have seemed odd that Twilight’s forces had not chosen to defend the high walls surrounding Ponyville, Starlight’s army had avoided assailing the walls for the same reason. The threat of the undead was such that neither side would risk damaging the one defensive line between Ponyville and the dead. Whoever won would take possession of Ponyville, walls intact.

But the battle had already been fought, and won. As I stepped through the twisted and broken ground around me, I walked past or sometimes over Starlight’s fallen ponies. They called themselves the Equalists, mainly after the two black lines that were the Cutie Marks of all ponies Starlight’s magic affected.

And they were legion. In that there were almost enough ponies to constitute an actual legion.

Yes, Starlight’s madness had spread from her small village to the rest of Eqeustria. Maybe she would never have succeeded if there hadn’t been the threat of the undead. Maybe, or maybe they would have believed her either way. But from a little less than a hundred ponies, Starlight’s Equalist forces had grown in number until they marched in the thousands.

Twilight had met Starlight outside of Ponyville with fifty or so Royal Guards and Ponyville’s militia. I watched as she pleaded for Starlight to abandon her goal of taking away everypony’s Cutie Mark. Guess how well that went? Starlight ordered her followers to attack, and Twilight had to fight.

Picture the scene. On one side you had Twilight, alicorn princess and all that with a few Royal Guards, my four friends, and some other half-trained ponies. On the other side you had Starlight Glimmer, a mad pony with peerless magical ability and thousands of her untrained but rabid followers. Yeah. How do you think the battle went?

Starlight’s followers had easily overwhelmed Twilight’s few Royal Guards with their numbers, and despite Fluttershy bringing a squad of Wonderbolts in at the last moment, all they could do was hold off Starlight’s forces as they pressed closer to Twilight. Applejack had offered her Grave Wardens, but Twilight had refused to let ponies kill other ponies. And so they had battered at Twilight’s force field and captured her forces until it was just her and a few ponies left.

And then I had arrived. Honestly, I had debated appearing this time. Not because I wasn’t ready to hurt other ponies, but because of what my friends would think. But when the first hoof had broken through Twilight’s force field and Starlight ordered her brought before her so she could take her Cutie Mark, I made up my mind.

And the result was the battlefield I walked across. It wasn’t silent. Only when I fight the dead is there complete silence. Whenever mortal beings fight and hurt each other, there’s a lot of sound, even after the battle has ended.

Like screaming. And weeping.

Ponies cried out in agony as I passed by them. Most, if not all had some kind of injury. Some were mild; heavy bruises, a few cuts here and there. But I’d hit many with enough force to break bones, and so hundreds of ponies knelt and wailed as their bones protruded through broken flesh, or their limbs bent at odd angles. I ignored all of them. My focus was at a single pony at the heart of the battlefield.

A pony with a pink coat and purple and teal mane knelt in the center of the battlefield, breathing heavily. Her face was gray with the strain of using too much magic, and sweat poured down her brow. Ashes surrounded her hooves. Well, more like dust. When my body is destroyed or I leave it, it disintegrates into dust. I’m not sure why.

Starlight looked up at me and hissed in fear and hatred. She tried to rise, but I’d already broken her left hoof and her right was trapped underneath a rock. Nevertheless, Starlight’s horn flared with magic and I had to dodge sideways or let the beam of magic shear the top of my head off.

Again.

Whatever you might say about Starlight Glimmer, her mastery of magic was second to none, including Twilight’s. Case in point: even after I destroyed her army and fought her to a standstill, she still managed to take my head off with a lucky shot. Too bad for her that I could reappear as many times as it took.

Starlight tried to blast my head off with a bolt of magic, but I closed the distance between us and grabbed her. She would have teleported away, but she was far too tired from using her magic. Her horn flared and sputtered out as Starlight fought my grip.

Contemptuously I tossed Starlight away. She flew ten feet and hit the ground—hard. Even so, she scrambled to her hooves but I was next to her in an instant. I struck her with one hoof and she slammed into the ground. With my supernatural senses I knew she’d fractured several bones from the impact.

Casually, I held Starlight down with one hoof. She growled and fought me, but she was helpless. I studied her, the strange unicorn behind this new movement. She was charismatic and bold, that I had seen. But she was also angry. Even faced against me, a living legend and monster beyond death, Starlight still spat and raged at me with incredible fury. Why? What gave her such passion? I wondered.

I have no fury in my soul. What strong emotions I have left—perhaps love. Love and heartbreak for a certain pony, but little else. Joy, sorrow, even hatred seemed to have slowly oozed out of my soul in my long death. Only a few of my strongest feelings remained, but what anchored me was the same strength that had always guided my life. I felt it as I looked at my friends, picking their way across the battlefield to my position.

Loyalty. Always loyalty.

They were there, all of them. Twilight walked in a heavy escort of Royal Guards, most wounded, while Applejack was flanked by two Grave Wardens, serious and darkly confident. Fluttershy was still ordering Wonderbolts to tend to the wounded and Pinkie Pie was ministering to them as well. Rarity walked next to Twilight, ignoring Applejack. She didn’t look at Starlight Glimmer. Her eyes were fixed on me.

Starlight Glimmer hissed with rage as Twilight approached.

“Is this your message of friendship, Princess?” she spat at Twilight. “Sending your friend – this thing to destroy anypony who opposes you?”

I pushed down on Starlight, choking her with my hoof.

“Rainbow.” Twilight looked at me and I silently stopped applying as much pressure on Starlight. But my hoof was on her chest and if she made any moves I would smash her like a bug.

“I didn’t send Rainbow Dash to attack you,” Twilight told Starlight. “She came of her own free will. And though I can’t agree with many of her actions, the fact that she is watching over me and my friends even in death is proof of our friendship.”

“A likely story,” Starlight sneered. “No pony can cheat death.”

“Except for Rainbow!” Pinkie slid over in the mud of the battlefield. “She can totally cheat death! And I guess Sombra could cheat death too, since he was sorta dead but not really dead. But we killed him so I guess he couldn’t cheat death after all.”

“Hah!” Somehow Starlight managed to be arrogant even lying on her back. She lifted a hoof and pointed at my face. “This isn’t Rainbow Dash. This—this is just a dead puppet. You’re using magic to reanimate her corpse, or bring a puppet back to life. She’s just a convenient little tool you and Princess Celestia use to dispose of anypony you don’t like!”

Around her, Starlight’s Equalists raised their heads and looked at Twilight uneasily. I felt their gazes shift to me and then shy away.

“You’re wrong,” Twilight said. “Rainbow Dash is here. And I would never use such dark magic. Starlight Glimmer, I believe you have the wrong idea about me.”

“I don’t think so.” Starlight’s eyes were flashing hatred for Twilight, her friends, and most of all, me. “You Elements of Harmony. You think you’re all so special, don’t you? You sit in your castle and preach friendship while ponies rise from the ground! You’re no better than anypony else!”

“I never claimed to be.” Twilight shrugged helplessly. “But I was chosen to be Princess of Friendship. From the day I got my Cutie Mark, I knew my talent was magic. And Princess Celestia saw something in me and made me her pupil. I can’t help how things turn out, Starlight.”

“Hah. Cutie Marks!” Starlight’s eyes locked on mine and even in my deathly state I could feel her rage, her fury, and her…pain. “I’ve created a new kind of pony, one that doesn’t need those cursed Cutie Marks! And if it wasn’t for your freak, I would have cured all of Equestria of its menace.”

“Y’all are out of your mind,” Applejack snapped, talking in my presence for the first time in months. She avoided looking at me as she glared at Starlight. “Our Cutie Marks make us who we are. Without them how’re we supposed to know what our purpose is?”

“Maybe by finding it yourself, or is that too hard for your farmer’s brain hayseed?” Starlight taunted Applejack. “Or is it too hard for you to understand? Oh wait, I forgot. You’re no farmer, you just kill ponies. Maybe if you weren’t such a butcher you’d understand my—”

Starlight got no further because I reapplied pressure on her windpipe.

“Rainbow!” Twilight shouted at me. Reluctantly, I let Starlight choke and gasp as air flooded her lungs again.

“Look, regardless of what you think of me and my friends, violence is not the way to get your message across,” Twilight told Starlight. “Please, give every pony their Cutie Marks back and we can talk this out civilly.”

“Are you mad?” Starlight laughed even as I pressed her to the ground. “Give up all I’ve worked for just like that? I’ll see you rot in Tartarus before I do.”

“Starlight—” Twilight began, frustrated.

“I will never give up!” Suddenly Starlight’s horn glowed. I reacted, but too late. Her magic blasted me in a beam of white light that turned my body to ash.

Starlight laughed hysterically and stood up as my friends recoiled in shock. “No pony is match for me!” She shouted. “I’ll destroy Ponyville, and I’ll get rid of all your Cutie Marks, starting with y—”

Starlight’s words cut off with a choked gasp as my hoof struck her in the belly with a whumph that everyone on the battlefield heard. Her eyes bulged in surprise and she flipped over. Stunned, winded, she looked up at the dead pegasus that stood over her.

I think there’s a saying in Equestria. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice…and I’ll kick your head in. Or something like that. The point is that Starlight had already killed me once, and even though she’d hit me again, I’d been ready this time. It was the work of a moment to reform my body back into existence, and having done that, I was ready to finish this.

With one step I was standing over Starlight. She was still gaping like a fish, gasping for air. Even so, her horn was already glowing with another spell. I had to hoof it to her, she had guts. Too bad she was about to see them all over the ground.

Before Starlight could cast, I hit her in the head with one hoof. Her head snapped back and she fell on her back, stunned. In the next moment my hoof was pressed against the side of her head. And then I started pressing down.

How much pressure does it take to crush a pony’s skull? The answer might surprise you. It’s about 500 pounds of pressure, more than any normal pony could exert. But me? I could do that without breaking a sweat. Mainly because I don’t sweat.

Starlight cried out in agony as I pushed down on her head. She flailed at me, but even when she struck my legs, she might as well have been hitting a tree. I just pressed down on the side of her head harder as she shouted in agony, slowly increasing the pressure on her. Slowly.

“Wait—wait!” Starlight screamed as I pressed my hoof against her head. Her horn glowed and I felt my hoof pressing against a magical barrier. But that wasn’t enough. I ground my hoof down harder and the very earth cracked. Starlight’s magic failed as I pressed my hoof into her skull. She screamed louder, begging for me to stop. I didn’t. I was going to smash her head in.

Some of Starlight’s followers and even some Ponyville residents charged me and tried to pull me back. I let them push at me – they were weak as gnats.

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight’s face was white with shock and fury as she faced me. “Let her go!”

Maybe it was the command. I was used to Twilight telling me and the other Elements what to do, but that had been when we were alive and fighting against evil. I’d always followed her because I trusted her and knew she was doing what I would do. But this was different. This was an order, and I disagreed with it.

Starlight choked and made incoherent noises of distress as I increased my pressure on her head. I could feel her soft skin giving way, and her head shifting around my hoof. If I killed her, the problem she posed would go away. She was too dangerous to let live in any case. If she could kill me, what might she do to my friends if she had the chance?

“Rainbow Dash!” At some point Twilight had mastered the Royal Canterlot Voice. Ponies around her flinched at the thunder of her words, but I didn’t even look at her. My attention was on Starlight. “Let her go! This isn’t right!”

Again, I ignored her. I know Twilight’s heart was in the right place and she was trying to be the good Princess that she was, but Starlight was dangerous. She’d refused Twilight’s offer and killed me—twice. True, you could say that killing me wasn’t like killing a normal pony, but she was a potential threat to my friends. And I wasn’t willing to take the risk of letting her live.

“Dash.” Fluttershy flew forwards, cutting Twilight off as she was about to shout again. My kind friend’s face looked into mine. “Starlight is dangerous, but she’s not a threat right now,” Fluttershy told me. “You were a Wonderbolt, once. You don’t kill.”

She was trying to appeal to my sense of reason, my honor, my past. But death removes all that. And though Fluttershy was right that Starlight wasn’t an immediate threat with her army broken, she couldn’t be allowed to try again. For all those watching, an example should be made. Must be made. They had to know what would happen if they threatened my friends. I looked Fluttershy in the eye and pressed harder.

Ponies pulled at me, trying to lift my hoof as Starlight screamed and screamed. I felt Twilight’s magic forming another barrier with Starlight’s own desperate magic, preventing my hoof from crushing her skull. But again, I just pressed harder. And the magic shield began to crack…

“Rainbow.”

A single voice. A bell of tone, a soft whisper in the meaningless noise. I faltered.

“Don’t do this.”

Rarity was behind me. I felt her presence, only a few feet away and straining ponies tried to pull me away. They were like dust. Only Rarity mattered. I could feel her eyes on me even as I stared at Twilight.

I hesitated. My leg was still on Starlight’s head and I could feel her skull breaking around my hoof. Just an inch more and she would be dead. I should kill her. I had to, in order to keep my friends safe. But—

“Rainbow. Please.”

Close your eyes and just do it. Your friends aren’t always right. I shifted, pressed with all my strength. The barrier was fracturing. But then I felt something zip past my ear. Well, through my ear in point of fact.

“Y’all heard the Princess. Step away.” Applejack’s loaded crossbow was aimed right at my head. “Do it. Or ah swear, this bolt’s going through your head.”

I’ve gotta say, that’s not the best threat to put to a dead pony. But it made me stop pressing down.

Everypony was silent as Applejack held her crossbow steady, sighting down it. She was ready to fire, I knew. But both she and I knew that even if she pulped my head, that wouldn’t do a single thing. Below me Starlight was whimpering incoherently, my friends staring at me. Still, I felt the need to finish her. It would make things so simple.

Silence. Deadlock. No pony moved. But then one did. A pink pony moved out of the crowd and gently pushed ponies aside until she was next to me. My friend.

“Dashie…” I sensed Pinkie put her hoof on my shoulder. I couldn’t feel it of course, but I knew it was there. “You know this isn’t right. You wouldn’t do this if you were alive.”

True. But the live me wasn’t all that smart, was she? I was torn.

“How about this?” Pinkie Pie’s voice was desperately cheerful in the tense silence. “Let Starlight go, and you can let Twilight take care of her, okay? And if she does anything bad again, you can come back. But don’t kill her. Not like this.”

I stopped pressing down as hard. But—but—I wanted to—how could I trust—?

“Dashie.” Pinkie leaned against me. “Can you trust me?”

Of course.

“Are we friends?”

Forever.

“Then please, trust me.”

I raised my hoof.

Below me, Starlight gasped and sobbed uncontrollably in relief. Pinkie hugged me, and I stepped away from Starlight. My face was as always impassive. But my soul…

I looked around. Ponies were surrounding me, hundreds, thousands of them. Starlight’s followers stared at me with horror and fear, having born witness to all that passed here. But they were unimportant. What my eyes sought were my friends, and what I saw broke my lifeless heart.

Fear. No, not that. If it were only that I could live with it. But in Twilight’s eyes, I saw…

Disappointment. And if Applejack’s eyes, only hatred. Fluttershy’s eyes were full of regret, Pinkie’s sadness. And Rarity?

She looked away from me. And I knew.

Silently, I pulled Pinkie’s hooves off of me. I looked at her once, and bowed my head. Then, I slowly began to walk away. My heart was filled with silence, the cold of death and the emptiness of feeling. But my soul still bled, my spirit still hurt.

I began to walk out of the battlefield. Ponies moved away from me as I walked towards them, parting in a wave rather than stand before me. I passed by Applejack who ignored me, unloading her crossbow. I walked past Fluttershy who was silent, and then by Twilight. Her eyes closed, and I saw moisture gathering. But as I stepped around her I heard her whisper. It was so quiet only I heard it.

“What happened to friendship?”

And I had no answer for her.

Rarity was last. I met her eyes as I passed. At first she looked down, but as I was right beside her she looked up. Just for a moment. But as our eyes met, there was something infinitely sad and hurt in her. She looked at me and I knew I was a different pony to her.

It was a long way before I exited the muddy, bloody battlefield full of churned earth and broken memories. It was not filled with bodies, though. Not a single pony had died on that day. But something had died there nonetheless.

Perhaps it was friendship. I don’t know. But as I disappeared from the earth, I knew that something had broken. And whatever it was, I had shattered it myself.

Time moves on. After that day I stayed in spirit form for a long time. I didn’t return to Equestria unless the need was dire, and accordingly, my friends stopped thrusting themselves into danger to summon me. Whatever bond we had – whatever trust I’d gained back after my death had been shattered once more by my actions.

No. Maybe not shattered. After all, they still called for me when the need was dire. Well, everyone but Applejack, that was. So maybe that didn’t hate me entirely. Maybe. But something had been hurt, and it was the bond I shared with my friends. They didn’t…trust me as much. And that was the greatest sin I could have committed.

Ironically though, my popularity with ponyfolk was at an all-time high in Equestria. Despite there being a lot of witnesses to me nearly crushing Starlight’s head like a grape, every pony who hadn’t seen me that day considered me a hero for saving Twilight and Ponyville from Starlight’s wicked attempt to steal Cutie Marks. I guess it proves you should never meet your heroes.

Especially not me.

Have I said I cared nothing for the affection of ponies that aren’t my friends? Well, it’s still true, but I admit I took refuge in their adoration of me while my friends lost faith in me. For the first time ever I started appearing to save ponies that weren’t my friends, staying long enough to hear their cries of gratitude before I disappeared.

Was it a shallow attempt to make myself feel better? Yes. Was it purely self-indulgence? Again, yes. And was it an attempt to make my friends like me again by helping other ponies? Of course. But it was all I could think to do. It reminded me a lot of the Mare Do Well case, actually. Only this time, the one thing I desired – the genuine affection of my friends rather than fleeting popularity – was the one thing I couldn’t regain. And that went double for my relationship with Rarity.

It wasn’t the straw that broke the camel’s back. It was more like a brick that hit the camel, but again, it was more that Rarity was just moving on. Whatever we had been in life, I had changed much in death and she had seen it. She spend more time with him, and started walking with him in the evenings, travelling to visit him in Canterlot or hosting him at her house in Ponyville.

To put it plainly, she fell in love.

But it wasn’t the love that had been between her and me. I remember how we first started, and it was a lot quicker and messy than this. We’d kept our affair secret, our passions sparking when we were alone. With her and him…it was more like she fell in love with him slowly, sharing parts of her life with him and he with her until they were so intertwined in each other that it became love.

Was it love, though? Part of me wants to say no, but that’s the same part of me that hated him from the start, just for being the object of her affection. He was everything I wasn’t. He was a knight, and she was his princess, and he supported her in life where I could only hurt her in death. He held her up in her weakness, and she was at his back pushing him on.

I couldn’t like it. I never liked it. Rarity and I, we never needed to lift each other up. We stood by each other’s side and what we felt for each other was unconditional. I like to think it was pure. But he had her heart on a string, so perhaps she loved him truly. And he was alive, and I was dead.

There was never any contest.

Nearly two years after my death, a year and ten months almost to the day in fact, he and Rarity got married. I don’t know if it was coincidence, Rarity choosing around that time, but I think she probably knew what she was doing. True, he was the one who proposed but let’s all be real here. Rarity’s a savvy enough manipulator that she could have got him to spring the question whenever she wanted. And when she did decide to get married, nothing could stand in her way.

He proposed to her, but that was about the extent of his involvement in the process. Within the hour he’d proposed to her, and after she’d swooned a bit, kissed him…she was up and about, planning her wedding. It would be in Ponyville, of course, and Twilight would marry them. Celestia and Cadence had been considered, but Rarity wanted her best friend to marry her. Luna hadn’t even been on the table, poor girl.

Naturally, there would be a full catering courtesy of the best restaurants in all of Equestria – Rarity had met a father and daughter named Saffron Masala and Coriander Cumin recently and she just had to put them on the list of caterers. The decorations would be overseen by Rarity, but of course Coco Pommel and Sassy Saddles would take care of all the preparations…

And so forth. I’ve fought monsters in the Everfree, duked it out with some of Equestria’s scariest monsters, and smashed my face into the ground doing aerial stunts more times than I can count. All the pain I felt from those events – if you took them and combined it into one agonizing wound and then multiplied it by…a lot – it wouldn’t even begin to equal the pain I felt seeing Rarity preparing for a wedding that wasn’t mine. It hurt so much. Because she was happy.

Everypony saw it. When Rarity broke the news to my friends they were over the moon. They hadn’t met him that often – honestly, I think they were just lukewarm in terms of how they felt about them, but they were happy because Rarity was happy. It had been a long time since she’d been so full of life, and everybody shared in her joy.

Everybody except for one pony. Well, actually, two ponies if you count me, but I don’t.

Funnily enough, the only pony to voice her complaints was Applejack. She didn’t like the groom any more than I did, but she was in a position to say so. Her reasoning was that he was too ‘hoity toity’, no offense to the real Hoity Toity, and that she thought Rarity was rushing into things.

And yes, I think she was. And I think she was doing it on purpose. In any case, Rarity got mad that Applejack didn’t like her husband-to-be, and the two of them fought bitterly before the wedding. In the end, Applejack nearly didn’t go, but Twilight and Pinkie Pie managed to get her to come. I guess it was a fit of pique that made her arrive dressed in Grave Warden armor, but that’s AJ for you.

The wedding. It took place on a perfectly beautiful day. I didn’t arrange it to be that way, but Fluttershy’s a Cloudsdale pony like me. She can kick a few clouds if she needs to, and she had every Wonderbolt not on duty help out. As for the ground scene, Pinkie Pie may have stopped bouncing as much as she used to, but she isn’t the Party Pony of Ponyville for nothing. Between her skill at making things fun, Rarity’s connections to every bigwig in Equestria for supplies and Twilight’s lists, they’d made a wedding that eclipsed even Shining Armor and Cadence’s wedding.

Oh, and they’d flown in Shining Armor, Cadence, and every pony of note in Equestria. All our friends had shown up, every being we’d ever met that wasn’t our arch-nemesis. Discord, Cheese Sandwich, Cherry Jubilee, that gay sea serpent (look, it’s totally obvious alright?), a reformed Iron Will and Gilda who’d hooked up, Trixie, Braeburn, Starlight Glimmer…

Heh. I guess that list was a bit surprising, right? I’ll break it down for you.

Yes, some of the folks that came to the wedding were friends like Braeburn and Cheese Sandwich. But Rarity had almost everypony we’d met come in, and you’d be surprised what time does to folks. For instance…Iron Will and Gilda. They were a couple. Yeah, didn’t see that one coming, did you? I was watching as a spirit as I saw them arrive and if I hadn’t been immaterial I’d have flown right into a tree. I mean, seriously?

Seriously. Turns out Gilda’s home in Griffonstone isn’t that great a place. In fact, I’d go as far as it call it a dump. The griffons lost some important stone a while back and ever since they’ve been selfish jerks who don’t care about anyone. I mean, I already knew that but…

I guess if I’d been alive and my friends and I had ever visited Griffonstone, we might have tried to help the griffons. As much as I hated Gilda for how she treated my friends, I gotta say, the hovels the griffons lived in made me feel pretty bad. But we never got around to it, what with me dying and the dead popping up. When that happened the griffons nearly got wiped out, as they were too disorganized and leaderless to put up any kind of defense.

Cue Iron Will showing up and giving them his new and improved confidence lessons. He might be a bit of a jerk, I’ve got say, while his self-improvement seminars suck, he’s great at making soldiers out of folks. Anyways, he pretty much saved Griffonstone by himself and when he met Gilda…

I guess the anatomy works out. What am I saying? It doesn’t make any kind of sense. But they were happy together and both of them were way politer and nicer than I’d ever seen them, so I was just happy to see both of them. And that’s just one example of how ponies had changed.

Trixie for example was actually a decorated war hero. Would you believe she was part of the Grey Wardens? Turns out her stage fireworks are great at blowing dead ponies up, so Trixie actually became really useful. True, she was still arrogant and full of herself, but at least she got the powerful part right.

Ponies change. Shining Armor and Cadence had a baby named Flurry Heart. Darned kid nearly destroyed the Crystal Empire by breaking the Crystal Heart, but a pony named Sunburst fixed it at the last moment and…

But I’m boring you, aren’t I? You don’t care about the guests, you want to know about Starlight Glimmer. Yeah, she was there too. Did I forget to mention what happened to her?

She became Twilight’s pupil. Long story, short answer. After I nearly killed her, Twilight took Starlight in just like Celestia had once taught her. It was a rocky start, but I guess Starlight was willing to learn or Twilight was just that good a teacher. By the time of the wedding she was still awkward and sort of rude, but she wasn’t stealing Cutie Marks, so that was a plus.

Am I rambling? I’m rambling. But I’m doing it on purpose so I don’t have to mention what comes next.

Rarity.

She was in the most amazing wedding dress that I ever…I mean, on that day she looked—and he was there but even when I felt—even though he was there she was…

No. I can’t describe it. I don’t even want to try. Let us just say that on the day of her wedding, Rarity shone like I’d never seen before. She was beautiful, radiant, splendid…beyond words. Even in death she moved me like no other, and I only wish it had been here standing beside her rather than him.

…I’ll skip all of the rest. Twilight married Rarity and him in the presence of every pony and there was much celebration. She tossed her bouquet and Applejack caught it. Very ironic, that. Every mare in attendance, a griffon and two alicorns were fighting hoof and claw to get it and the pony in full battle-armor snatches it out of midair. Mind you, I think Rarity tossed it that way. Why Applejack caught it, I’ll never know. Well, I do know but that’s…

He and Rarity descended the red carpet and walked to the carriage that would take them to the ritziest hotel in Canterlot. Naturally, the roads had been cleared by Grave Wardens in every direction for miles, but Spitfire had a squad of Wonderbolts ready to escort the newlyweds as well. They waved to all in attendance to wild applause. The world was perfect on this day. So perfect. She was perfect. And he was there, in my place.

And then I—

The wedded couple walked down the carpet to thunderous stomping and cheering. Everypony was shouting so loudly that deafness was a very real risk to the bride and groom. Fortunately, a few timely spells from Starlight and Twilight had averted potential disaster and both ponies were smiling fit to burst.

Rarity looked at her new husband, her eyes full of love. His face was wreathed in a large smile, and he stepped forward to open the door of their gilded carriage. And stopped.

Had he sensed it? The air around him was filled with vibrant joy, and every being celebrated life in the face of nearly two years of peril and uncertainty. But in the air was a cold spot. A dead spot. And though he was the first to feel it, the empty bubble spread across the entire wedding.

The air froze. The laughter died. The world stopped.

A blue pegasus stood in front of the wedding carriage. Her face was familiar to every pony present, and each recognized her as a different being. For some, she was an old friend. For others, she was a hero, a legend brought back to life. For still more though, she was a monster, a nightmare, or simply a mystery. And for one, she was a lover.

I looked up and spread my wings. The noise that had filled the air was completely gone now, and silence, unnatural silence was all that could be heard. He backed away from me, shaking in fear. But I had no eyes for him. I looked to his left, and my deathless heart ached at the sight of her.

Was she surprised? Was she afraid? No. She had expected me, I think. Maybe not consciously, but she alone out of every pony present didn’t seem surprised to see me. She looked up, and Rarity’s eyes met mine.

Silence. Stillness. Time slowed, stopped.

A thousand unspoken works passed between us. A thousand memories. There had been so much we dreamed of, so many promises broken. Even after all this time, I knew it was the same for her as for me.

If.

If only I hadn’t died. If only I had stayed that night.

If.

But there was something else in her eyes too. And it was rejection. She looked at me, and shook her head sadly. Once. Twice.

My heart broke. I had no heart in truth, merely dead flesh shaped to my will but it broke nonetheless. I bowed once, and took wing. I flew off in the silence, into the sky where I slowly evaporated back into dust.

On the ground, Rarity and her husband stood in place, staring at each other and the spot where I had been. He was nervous, and she…she was hurt. The other wedding guests were equally rattled, and it was some time before he and Rarity got in the carriage and went off to share their wedding night together. But the magic of the moment was lost. My appearance had cast a pall over the wedding, at least for one pony. Rarity seemed content, even at peace with herself as she entered the carriage, but he was still afraid.

As the newlyweds began their trip to their private suite at Manehatten’s fanciest hotel, he kept looking out the window to the sky where I had disappeared. Maybe it was just his disquiet at seeing me come back to life for the first time. Maybe he knew I had once loved Rarity. Either way, I had spoiled the magic of the night for him, at least. Rarity seemed like she was still ready to turn this moment into the best memory of her life, but he was disturbed, unhappy.

I felt pretty good about that.

Mind you, I felt less good on their wedding night. I didn’t look, per se, but I’m a ghost. Let’s just say my senses could pick up things I didn’t want to know, and leave it at that. True, I didn’t have to be with Rarity on that night of nights, but I wanted to. I wanted to be with her so badly that only by using all my willpower was I able to stop myself from appearing and battering down their hotel door with my hooves. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t do anything because I was dead.

And he was alive, and he made her happy. Damn him, but he did. He made her happy, and I hated him more than I had hated any pony for it. And on that night she was happy with him, not me.

But was he happy with her?

My appearance at the wedding had been what fancy ponies call a faux paus. I think. I’m not good with fancy words, but I know it was bad. If I had been alive, I know I would have felt guilty, but I was dead so I didn’t feel anything at all. Just hurt. And though I had bade farewell to Rarity in my own way, my appearance had had another effect, mainly on him.

I’d scared the horseapples out of him.

How had he never seen me when I reincarnated myself into flesh and blood? Well, quite simply I had avoided him. I didn’t like him, ergo I didn’t appear around him. And of all my friends, Rarity never ventured out into dangerous territory. She always stayed behind the walls of the city, so it was no wonder he’d never seen me. Oh, I suppose he’d heard of me, but despite my fame, many ponies still thought I was a myth, a story meant to comfort young ponies.

Well, I’d proven my existence to him, and on his wedding day no less. And for all I disliked him, he was no idiot. He could put two and two together, and he figured out pretty quick that I had loved Rarity and she had loved me. When he asked Rarity about it she was open about our past, a sorrowful memory that she kept in her heart.

And he hated that.

It was the first fight they ever had, about a week after their wedding. He had kept the thoughts stewing in his mind until they burst out like rotten grapes and she hadn’t expected a thing. Rarity was outraged that he was jealous of me, and outraged at the thought that she might be unfaithful to him. Sarcastically, in that wonderful way of hers she pointed out to him that I was dead and he was alive, and moreover she had chosen him. It was a bitter fight that ended with him apologizing and a rather cold bed between them that night. I loved every minute of it.

I loved less the fact that it made Rarity unhappy. After that day strife entered their marriage, not to put a fine point on it. While she was close to him and affectionate, it was he who drew away from her. In suspicion of her? Not quite. More like…fear of me. Fear, and jealously.

I guess some stallions don’t like being second. Mares are like that too, but stallions really don’t like when they think they’re not the one love of their special somepony. So I’ve heard, that is. I didn’t date more than—any stallions, so I wouldn’t know. Of course.

He was suspicious of her. After a month of love mixed with a few nasty spats, he started getting antsy whenever she came home late. If she had a special appointment or she had to run an errand, he would accuse her of seeing somepony else. And while he never said it was me, I was clearly always in his thoughts.

Rarity bore it well. She loved him, and she had married him after all. But this was a new side of him that she’d never seen before. I think if I’d been another stallion he might not have been so worked up, but the main part of it was that I was dead, and he couldn’t work his head around it. Unlike my friends, he was an ordinary pony who didn’t experience magic and strange things like Rarity had. He had looked into my eyes and it had disturbed his soul.

They fought. I grew to like him less than I had already, if that were possible. And I do admit, I regretted—just a bit, causing strife in their marriage.

Rarity grew less happy as the days wore on. She got thinner, more tired. Bags I hadn’t seen before appeared under her eyes, and her always immaculate appearance got…less so as time went by. I daresay you wouldn’t have noticed unless you were one of her friends, but both Coco Pommel and Sassy Saddles expressed their concerns to Rarity, as she seldom visited Ponyville anymore. At his insistence. But Rarity put a good face on it, and told them not to worry so they could only write to Twilight who in turn wrote to Rarity and caused more fights when he read the letters behind her back.

And so it continued, with me loving and hating the situation and hating myself for loving it. But I hoped she would break up with him, so I let it continue without trying to appear and interfere again.

I am damned for my sins.

It was after another one of their fights that I decided to go elsewhere that day. They had fought the night previously but as always, made up in bed as well. I hadn’t watched. It had hurt me, to see them embrace each other even with the awkwardness between them, so instead of watching over Rarity I had decided to devote my attention elsewhere the next day.

I was with Fluttershy, watching over her as she negotiated with a Diamond Dog pack that had been raiding villages near the Smokey Mountains. I didn’t need to be with her of course, but I didn’t want to be around Rarity, to see her and him together.

I’d seen them play out their fights and knew that in the wake of their last disagreement they’d be avoiding each other and having awkward conversations until Rarity initiated a night of reconciliation and…instead, I spent that night listening to Fluttershy talk down the Diamond Dogs and negotiate terms with their tribe. I thought that was better than tearing my heart in two watching over Rarity while she was safe within the walls of Manehatten.

What a fool I was. If I could have gone back in time, I would have. If I had to see every intimate moment they shared, every way she looked at him with that helpless love in her eyes I would. Of course I would. If I could have stopped—

He went out early in the day and came back very late. In fact, he’d missed dinner which was already the start of a major fight. But this time he’d been out drinking.

Hard apple cider. Applejack doesn’t make it. She prefers to make her cider only a little alcoholic so the fillies and colts can drink it. Mind you, it can still pack a punch if you drink as much as Pinkie does, but the really strong stuff is generally rare. I’m not sure how he found some in Manehatten, but there are always places willing to sell the stuff.

He was no drinker in any case. It took only one jug before he was drunk, and when he staggered in he in the midst of his stupor. But it made him reckless, and angrier than usual. So when Rarity started shouting he shouted back. And unlike the other fights, he wasn’t able to listen to reason. When she denied his claims of her cheating on him, he started insulting me. And maybe he didn’t notice the danger in that, or maybe Rarity had just had enough.

I don’t know when she threw the vase. I’m sure it didn’t take too long; Rarity’s always been hot blooded. But when she hit him, he bled. And with the cider in his veins, he hit her back. And when she cried out he hit her again, and again until she stopped. And then he fled as she lay bleeding on the floor of their home.

How long was she lying there? How long did it take before I arrived, smashing through her doorway to lift her up in my hooves and carry her to the hospital? I don’t know. The night was long, and I had been with Fluttershy for most of it. Minutes? Hours? All I know is that the blood from her temple hadn’t stopped flowing when I arrived, and that she was still conscious enough to call his name as they wheeled her into surgery.

I got her there as fast as possible. As fast as I could fly without hitting a Sonic Deathboom. I couldn’t risk that kind of speed on her body. As it was, I flew so fast I was at the hospital in seconds. Those damn nurses and other ponies freaked out when they saw it was me, but I grabbed a doctor and got him to help her. I would have grabbed the entire staff, flown across Equestria to get the best doctors. But they were here, and I was helpless. I could only watch as they tried to save her life.

I stayed with her, of course. After I flew her into the Manehatten Hospital, I stayed by her side even when the doctors were operating on her. I’m sure they would have ordered me out of the room if I’d been anyone else, but I couldn’t be moved. I had my hoof in mine and she was squeezing it—

Her skull was broken. I’m not an expert, but I’ve seen plenty of injuries from flying. Heck, I’ve been injured many times myself. But this – this was different. There were bits of bone in her head near Rarity’s brain from where he’d…hit her. If the doctors couldn’t remove them safely, she would die. And I would cease to be.

How long? How many hours did I stand next to her, holding her hoof in mine? I don’t know. The night faded away, and dawn emerged as doctors and nurses fought a battle against time and death. And I was helpless. For once, this wasn’t a battle I could fight. I could only watch as her breath faded, as the blood dripped on the flood of the operating room and she began to leave me.

Did a small part of me hope for it? Did I wonder if I could pull her away with me if she died, make her join me in the afterlife? Certainly those dark thoughts whispered in my head from time to time. But on that night even my darkest dreams were silent. All of my being was focused on her.

And sometime during the day, when the last medical doctor staggered away, gaunt and red-eyed with exhaustion, she slept. I stood by her side and listened as a nurse finally ran to tell somepony of Rarity’s attack and her current condition. The medical staff, heroes I could never repay, hadn’t even had time to send word to Princess Celestia or anypony else. But they had finished their work, and won. She slept. She would live.

I stood there in that room, staring at her sleeping face as long as I dared. I studied the stiches around her brow, the scars that might heal but would never vanish, marring her perfect beauty. I looked at her expression, the look of fear, sadness, and loss that was still etched upon her face in parts. And I bent down and brushed my lips against hers.

Once.

Then I turned, and walked out of the room. I left the hospital in disarray, walked through the streets as my corpse began to turn to ash again. I entered the spirit world and flew away, leaving the love of my life behind to wake to an empty room and broken heart.

And then I went after him.

Chapter 6: Hunger

He ran the instant Rarity got hurt. I think he knew what I’d do when I found out, so he made a beeline for the trains and caught the first one to Ponyville. That wouldn’t have helped him, of course. I can outrun any train, and I would have plucked him from it in an instant and broken him like a twig. But I was carrying Rarity to the hospital, and then I was by her side that night. He had plenty of time to run.

And who did he run to? One guess. I’ll give you one guess as to who he went to for help in his arrogance and desperation.

Twilight.

He could have gone to Canterlot to beg for Celestia’s assistance. He could have thrown himself on Luna’s mercy in her domain, although she might have thrown him off a cliff. Or he could have gone to the Crystal Empire to beg Cadence and Shining Armor for—

Actually, Shining Armor would have killed him with his own hooves. So it made sense that he chose Twilight. She was the closest, and Celestia was touring an undead-struck town with her Royal Guards. Twilight was his only choice, really.

But still, I can’t imagine what he said to her. The truth, probably. Twilight’s a bit of an egghead, but even she can’t be lied to so easily. And though I’m sure she would have loved to beat him half to death herself, she knew I was coming. And she knew what I would do.

I’ll give Twilight credit: when the chips are down she moves fast. Within minutes she had fliers sent out to the Wonderbolt headquarters in Cloudsdale and opened up magical communications with Celestia and Cadence for support.

I don’t know what their reaction was to hearing about what he had done. I suspect they were equally outraged, but in they shared the same position as Twilight. Regardless of his crimes, cold-blooded murder could not be condoned so he had to be protected from my wrath until a trial could be arranged.

They were just lucky Luna wasn’t part of those discussions or she might have tried to kill him herself. I always liked her a bit more than Celestia, to tell you the truth. Being a Princess is fine, but Luna seems to have a lot more fun, y’know? And Celestia’s too full of good ideas.

Like sending him to the Crystal Empire.

Does that sound like a stupid idea? It might, but not if you consider that the only object in Equestria that might stop me is the Crystal Heart. It alone has the power to create magical force fields, and combined with Cadence’s love magic and Shining Armor’s own shields, that could probably stop even me.

Certainly, Twilight couldn’t. I know she’s the Element of Magic and all, but she was never the fastest pony with her horn and she’s got terrible aim. Frankly speaking, Starlight Glimmer is better than Twilight at fighting and I kicked her tail once already. And even if Twilight was powered up like when she fought Tirek…

An even match. No; I’d win in the end since I can come back as many times as I need to. That’s how strong I am, I guess.

So the Crystal Empire was his only bet. Trouble is, it’s a long way to the Crystal Empire by train. Half a day’s journey in fact. So the new problem was how to protect him until he got to his destination. And for that, Twilight called in the Wonderbolts.

When I left the Manehatten Hospital nearly six hours had passed since I had rushed her to the emergency room. It took me almost another hour to figure out where had had gone. I searched all of Manehatten first, and then the surrounding countryside like an idiot before I used my head and checked in with Twilight. From there and from eavesdropping in spirit form, I found out that he was on an empty train to the Crystal Empire guarded by as many Royal Guards and every Wonderbolt not currently on a mission.

The reason I found all this out was because Twilight was busy having a shouting match with Pinkie Pie in her castle. She was in favor of trying to talk me down again, and Twilight was adamant that I wouldn’t listen. She knew me well.

As I hovered beside Pinkie Pie and Twilight they revealed everything I needed to know. Except where he was, of course. But if I just stayed with them, one of them would shout it out in their anger eventually.

Except…

Twilight was shouting at Pinkie with tears in her eyes when I saw Pinkie shiver. Her ear twitched. Her left hoof began to shake. Her mane bounced twice. Then she sneezed.

Oh horseapples. I forgot about the Pinkie Sense. And she—

Pinkie looked up and around. Her eyes narrowed at first, and then widened with shock. Twilight was busy ranting about how the convoy was the best solution and how I hadn’t even appeared yet. Pinkie slapped a hoof over Twilight’s mouth, but it was too late. I knew. And I would not be stopped.

“Rainbow, stop!” Pinkie shouted in vain into the air as Twilight looked around, bewildered. But I was already gone. My soul was…I can’t get as angry as I could in life. Glands, and all that. But something in me was dark. Very…dark. And it frightened even me. But the rage was all that consumed me, and Rarity – I could still see her face.

I passed by Spike as I flew out of the castle. The poor kid was staring at a wall, eyes red from crying. More pain. He had never liked Rarity getting married, but he’d realized he was too young to win her hoof. And now…

So young. I never thought of it that way, but he was far too young for all the responsibilities Twilight placed on his shoulder. How old was he? Twilight had known him since she was a filly herself but…

He was innocent. Maybe it’s just that dragons don’t age as quickly as ponies, which is obvious, but Spike was always a kid to me. And his love for Rarity was uncomplicated and nice. If there was anyone who should have ended up with her, it was him. Instead, she fell in love with a mare that died and another who…

I left the castle rather than witness his grief. It was just as well that he was there, far away from him. That way Spike wouldn’t see what was about to happen.

My journey across hundreds of miles takes mere seconds. But every second to me is another reminder of failure, every moment another eternity holding Rarity’s hoof in mine. I see her blood. I see her dying.

He swore to be with her. To hold her, and cherish her until death did him part. And I will hold him to that.

Vengeance is in my heart, death in my hoof. Blood and revenge are hammering in my head.

So I fly.

I found the train two full hours out from the Crystal Empire. The landscape is not yet the freezing tundra of the icy wasteland, but the world has grown barren, colder. Few ponies live here, and the only movement in this place is the train running full throttle across the grey tracks. That and the massive escort of blue Wonderbolts flying in formation above it.

My deathly senses reveal everything to me that my eyes can’t see. Wonderbolts in the air, and a full unit of Royal Guards in the train, surrounding him. Every pony is alert, ready for my appearance.

For some reason the Grave Wardens aren’t part of the escort. Has Applejack ordered them to stay out of this? Well, it doesn’t matter. They won’t be able to stop me, any more than the Wonderbolts will.

I materialized out of the air a hundred feet over his head. True, I could appear right next to him in an instant, but I want him to see me coming. I want him to fear, to suffer in his last moments before I punish him.

Credit where credit’s due – the Wonderbolts spotted me after only a second, and immediately sounded the alarm. The entire flight group begins circling the train, forming a living barrier between me and him. Useless.

But one Wonderbolt breaks off from the rest. I can tell in an instant who it is.

Fluttershy. She flies at me in a straight intercept course. Her mouth is open, and I can hear her shouting at me already, beseeching me. But I close my ears. No words will stop me. Not today.

But still she flies at me. And it’s not to block my way, either. I can see it in Fluttershy’s posture, the heavy beat of her wings. She’s going to try to knock me out of the sky.

If I were alive, I might have applauded Fluttershy’s courage. But not right now. I watch Fluttershy fly at me calmly. Will I strike a friend? If it means catching him…but I don’t have to. I can ignore her, hit one of her wings and take her out of the air.

Fluttershy is a hundred meters and closing fast. But another blur intercepts her. An orange streak of motion.

Spitfire.

“Fall back, Fluttershy!”

I can hear Spitfire’s roar even at this distance. I see her pointing down to the train, ordering Fluttershy back. She refuses. Meek Fluttershy is actually arguing with Spitfire. But for all her assertiveness, Spitfire won’t be dissuaded. Reluctantly, Fluttershy flies back and the Wonderbolts rally around her. They form a wall between me and the train, Fluttershy at its center.

And Spitfire? She approaches me.

I swoop towards the train slowly, giving him time to realize I’m coming. My eyes can pick out the Royal Guards in the windows of the train even this far away, running back and forth desperately trying to prepare some kind of defense. I barely notice Spitfire as she shouts at me, and only stop when she puts herself right in my way.

Spitfire doesn’t flinch when she meets my eyes. Credit to her for that. But as I gaze at my former hero and role model, I don’t feel any kind of the feelings I had in life in me. No wonder, no awe and desire to impress her. Not even any happiness or warmth at seeing her face. She’s just an annoyance. She’s in my way. And she’s talking.

“I know you can understand me, Rainbow Dash.” Spitfire hovers in the air between me and my target. I watch the train accelerate, running beyond full-steam as the conductor desperately tries to get closer to the Crystal Empire. Useless. I move to dive towards the train, but Spitfire is suddenly in the way. She blocks my path.

“Listen to me, don’t do this. Let him go and we’ll try him under Equestrian law.” Spitfire tries to push me back, but she is far too weak. I could knock her away with one hoof, but I’m busy calculating my descent. “All you’re doing is making things look worse! We can’t let you hurt him, do you understand?”

I’ll have to time it perfectly to hit the train with a Death Boom. Obviously, I could simply destroy the whole train in one go, but I want him alive. Plus, I didn’t want to hit Fluttershy by accident. The other Royal Guards and Wonderbolts can go to Tartarus for all I care.

“Rainbow Dash!” Spitfire shouts at me. But she is dust in the wind. As am I. And while he lives, nothing else matters.

I dive, ignoring Spitfire’s cry of warning to the other Wonderbolts. They can’t stop me.

I plummet like a rock, gaining in speed with every millisecond that passed. The train looms large in my vision, still gathering momentum as it raced towards the Crystal Empire. How laughable. How slow. Compared to my speed, it is standing still. I accelerate towards the Sonic Deathboom, aiming for the section of the train where I knew he was hiding—

And something smashes into me in midair. I’m sent crashing to the ground so hard my bones crack from the impact. I stand up in the crater of dirt and look around for my attacker. She flies lower and hovers in the air above me.

Spitfire.

I have to admit it, that surprised me. I never expected anypony would be able to catch me while I was doing a Sonic Deathboom, but Spitfire isn’t Captain of the Wonderbolts for nothing. She hit me right as I was accelerating, and hard enough to cripple a normal pony. But I am no normal pony, and even as Spitfire lands in front of me I forced my body to regenerate. My broken bones snapped back into place and the fractures healed in a matter of seconds.

“I don’t want to do this, Rainbow Dash,” Spitfire pants at me. She’s set, ready to hit me again.

I get up slowly and look at her. Fast. I’d always known Wonderbolts were fast, but even their best fliers couldn’t come close to Sonic Rainboom speed. But she’d caught me. How…?

No matter. I flap my wings and leap into the air. He is my target. Nothing else matters.

“Rainbow!” Spitfire pursues me as I fly backwards, gaining speed for the Sonic Deathboom once more.

Fast. Faster. I lose spitfire after a few seconds and turn, curving my path towards the train again. I’m nearly at the Sonic Deathboom, and I can feel the world warpoing around me. I can feel the barriers weaken, the world begin to scream—

Thud.

No, not thud, not really. It’s more like the sound bones and organs make as they rupture and tear themselves apart. But that’s what it felt like.

I was staring at the train, accelerating at it so fast that the world around me was a black tunnel as I approached it. I felt the Sonic Deathboom gather around me, and then…thud.

I open my eyes and find myself looking at the dirt. Huh. Have I fallen? What happened? But I’m on the ground. I should be flying.

I try to flap my wings. Good. They’re still there. But my body is unbalanced. I try to twist my neck, but it’s broken. I repair that and look around. I see my wings, intact and my front hooves twisted and broken likewise. But I have no legs. My lower torso is gone, torn away. I see it lying on the ground three hundred feet away.

Spitfire lands in front of me, gasping for air. Her face is pale, her wings quivering with the effort of moving so fast. But she did it again. Somehow, she predicted when I’d hit my Deathboom and struck me at the right moment.

I look at her. She’s in my way. She took my legs. These are minor annoyances usually, but he is in the train. And she is getting in my way. And suddenly, I’m angry at her as well.

My legs are back and attached to my body in a flash. I stand up, and Spitfire’s head jerks upright. She puts out a wing and bars my way. Her mouth opens for another lecture. Annoying. So. Annoying.

“Rainbow Dash, st—”

My hoof connects with Spitfire’s jaw. Her head snaps back and she flips backwards, crashing into the ground ten meters away. Even then though, she gets to her feet in an instant. Shakily she runs at me. My hoof strikes her flat in the chest and she crumples in agony.

There. Done. I flap my wings. Time to end this now.

Something crashes into me and I feel my backbone snap. I twist my head, ignoring my bones snapping and see a Wonderbolt standing over me. Not Spitfire.

Rapidfire.

“Sorry Dash,” she says, “we don’t want to do this but—”

She doesn’t say anything more before I strike her from below. My hoof hits her chest and she turns white and falls down silently. Her ribs are broken. Did I mean to hit her that hard? I don’t care.

Enough. I’ve had enough with ponies trying to talk to me, to stop me. Two more Wonderbolts dive towards me, ignoring Fluttershy as she holds the main group back in their protective wall around the train. Soarin and Silver Lining. I fly towards them and strike both on the side of the head. They fall to the ground like pieces of trash. I ignore them. They’re probably unconscious, and not dead. I don’t think I did more than fracture their skulls, but I don’t care.

I only want vengeance.

But one of the Wonderbolts is still awake. Spitfire gets to her hooves shakily. Of course. I hit her hard, but if I’d really hit her hard enough to send her flying that far, I’d have broken her neck. Spitfire leapt backwards and absorbed most of the blow. Besides which, jaws are tough. Spitfire is tough.

And she was in my way again. I meet Spitfire’s eyes as she flies to block my way. She flinches at the look in my eyes, but only that. She doesn’t move.

“I can’t stop you,” she mumbles, “but I can slow you down.”

No. She can’t. I fly forwards and Spitfire flies backwards. But she’s too slow to run away from me.

My hoof raises and lowers. Spitfire plummets to the ground, her jaw broken in two places now. And I’m flying towards Fluttershy and the others. Fast. Faster. Fast enough to break the train and two so I can pluck him from the wreckage and—

An orange streak. A flash of blue. I see it out of the corner of my eye.

Crunch.

This time it’s my wings. I feel them ripped away by her strike even as I fall. The ground is below me, closing in. I don’t close my eyes. I don’t fear death. I have already died. I strike the ground hard enough to break the earth.

Again, I feel my bones break and shatter. Again, I force my body to repair itself, costing precious seconds. And Spitfire is in my way again.

And that’s when I lose my temper.

I stopped hitting Spitfire when she stopped moving. I guess that was five…ten minutes later. It’s a bit unclear, behind the haze of rage that clouded my mind and vision. All I know is that when I came back to myself, I was standing in a ring of broken Wonderbolts, standing over…

Spitfire.

Her injuries were bad. I’ll just leave it at that. And I wouldn’t care. I didn’t care, even if she lived or died. Maybe in life I would have…? Yes, I’m sure I cared about Spitfire when I was alive. It’s a distant memory now in any case. But I only felt angry she’d kept me in one place for so long. But the guilt came when I saw Fluttershy.

She was spared. I guess that even in my rage I hadn’t raised a hoof against her. But she was standing among her fallen comrades, their blood on her face, her mane, her fur. And the look in her eyes—

Ah, gods. It hurt more than anything.

No, I take it back. It hurt almost as much as anything I’d ever felt. Save for one. And that was watching as He hit Rarity.

So I fly. And this time there’s no one to stop me.

Screaming. I can hear the last Royal Guard choking on his own blood. It’s only a broken nose and a broken leg. Fluttershy pulls him to safety even as the train engine finally explodes from all the damage. I ignore the flames and heat as the explosion catches me. A shame, perhaps. This was the very train my friends and I rode around to so many of our adventures. But the engine would be useless anyways. The train is in pieces, the carriages bent metal, the tracks twisted and ripped out of place.

Only one part of the train remains intact. The car he is in. And the Royal Guards that stopped me have all been broken. So he’s all that’s left. Him and Fluttershy.

But she won’t bother me. I can see her out of the corner of my eye, dragging the Royal Guard to safety. She limps as she pulls at him. After all, she’s only got three hooves. And her wings are broken, so she can’t fly. My heart is ice. My soul is cold. If she hadn’t gotten in my way, maybe I wouldn’t have had to—

Focus. I push the meaningless thoughts out of my head. He’s in there. I can sense him there. All else is worthless.

The door is locked. He must have bolted it after the last Royal Guard exited. As if that would mean anything to me. I pull the door off the hinges, ignoring the screaming metal. I only have ears for his screams.

And he is screaming already. Begging, rather. He’s pleading for anypony to help him, for Celestia to save him, for Twilight to rescue him. He’s apologizing, crying for help, saying he never meant to hurt her, hurt Rarity—

I’m on him in a flash. My hoof strikes his face and he flips over, crying out in agony. But I haven’t hit him that hard. The rest is yet to come.

“S-stop! Please! I’ll do anything, anything! I’m so sorry! I never meant to hurt h—”

Words. Everypony keeps using them as if they mean something. I strike his chest, then hit him twice in the stomach. Not hard. I only use the strength I would have in life. Even so, he doubles up in pain and vomits.

“Please. Spare me.”

I kick him in the face. Then I kick him in the sides, in the back of the head. I don’t stop kicking him until I draw blood. Then I hit him some more. First I hold back. And then I don’t.

But…

It’s not enough. Even when he screams and things break, it’s not enough. I try ripping bits of hair out of his mane, throwing him against the walls of the train, slapping him. But even when he begs and screams louder than before, it’s not…

Not enough.

Yes. How could this be enough? Hurting him – how could that make up for Rarity’s pain? Even if I simply killed him, how would that make up for even hurting her a bit? How would that satisfy my rage?

No. No. There’s something burning me. Something dark. Something oozing in me. Something deep. And it wants something else. It has a name. It’s burning in my soul, making me alive.

Hatred.

What’s this feeling? He’s screaming, but the sounds don’t bother me. No. Something else is in me. A feeling. A memory.

Am I? Yes. I am. He tries to drag himself away. I pin him with one hoof and lift him towards me. Yes. I remember it.

I’m hungry.

My mouth opens. Wide. Wider. My bones reshape themselves. Yes, I’m hungry.

I’m hungry for guts.

…

I finished eating a few seconds before Fluttershy arrived. I didn’t eat much, really. Just enough. Enough so that they couldn’t put him back together.

She didn’t even say a word. I saw her burst through the train’s window and then she hit me hard enough to shatter my skull. I didn’t bother regrowing my face.

My corpse falls, headless to the floor. But it doesn’t dissolve into dust. It is full of guts. It is full.

And so am I.

I can feel his life in me. No. I can feel his pain. His suffering is mine. And I am sated on it. I live for the first time in death. I feel alive.

I am full. But I’m hungry again as well. I want more. More life. More living. More vengeance. Fluttershy stands over my corpse and what remains of him, weeping. I want to eat. I want guts. I want to eat her.

She’s so vulnerable. My corpse stirs. It can still move. I can still move. If I regrow my head I can eat. I can eat and eat and I’ll be alive.

I want to eat Fluttershy. I don’t care anymore. He hurt Rarity. He hurt my heart. I want to eat. I’m hungry.

So hungry. So hungry. So hungry hungry hungry—

Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungr—

What’s wrong with me?

Fluttershy looks around. I stare at her, my mouth open, my bloodstained hoof an inch away from her head. I don’t know what she sees in my eyes, but I look into hers and see. No fear. No hatred. Just sadness. And…a final goodbye.

Who am I?

I back away, but her eyes follow me. They follow me out of the train, through the sky, as I fly, shredding my wings in a Sonic Deathboom, vomiting blood and flesh and bone, crashing into rocks, dissipating. Her eyes follow me into death, and I am haunted.

What have I become?

And as I gaze down upon what I have wrought, I know.

I am a monster.

It’s all broken. Forever. Twilight flies in, medic ponies rush to the scene. Pinkie Pie and Applejack walk into the train carriage and see. Twilight tries to enter. Applejack tries to stop her. She looks.

Spike is with her. Fluttershy pulls him away. But not before he hears Twilight scream.

It’s all over.

And the worst part of it is, even as I witness all I have held dear breaking, even as my friends look and see who I am and our bonds sever, I still feel it.

Hungry. So very hungry.

But I am alone.

And hungry.

Chapter 7: Alone

I’ve screwed up before. I think everypony has, at one point in their life. Mind you, my mistakes were more epic, but I’ve still made some bad choices. But they are dust in the wind compared to my sin.

Sin. It’s an odd word. An old word. I learned it from Twilight, actually. You see, ponies don’t use that word anymore. It means something different, something that predates modern Equestria. It goes back in time, when wizards like Starswirl still walked the earth and magic was old and primal.

Sin is a transgression, an act that violates magic and natural law. It doesn’t mean the same thing as a crime. You can punch a filly and not commit a sin. But eating somepony…

That is sin. And worse still was that I enjoyed it.

…I’ve heard of ponies eating other ponies to survive. There’s this famous case where a flight group crash-landed on a mountain and had to eat each other to survive, but—that’s different. When ponies have to survive you can sort of excuse a lot of things. But it’s different to eat somepony because you wanted to hurt them.

And it’s even worse to enjoy it.

The memory haunted me as I fled from the scene of my crime. Eaten. Yes, I had eaten flesh. I had torn skin, crunched bone. And I had loved every moment of it. What had happened?

I had been alive, filled with a ravenous hunger. And I don’t mean that I was physically alive, I mean I felt alive for the first time since I had died. It was like hitting the Sonic Deathboom, almost identical to that feeling in fact. Hunger had gnawed at my stomach and I had wanted to eat, to eat and keep eating.

I nearly went after Fluttershy. Even as a spirit I wanted to retch and tear my head off rather than think of it. I had nearly tried to eat her as well. It had been close, so close.

What the hell have I become?

I had no answer. None at all. All I could do was torment myself with memory as events unfolded in the real world. I watched, and saw the ripples of my madness spread.

Madness.

What else could you call it? The newspapers in every city called it a lot of things, actually. Carnage, a slaughter beyond all comprehension, the most vile act in Equestria’s history…they had a field day interviewing him in the hospital.

Yes, him. He could barely talk and had to be constantly propped up on life-support magic, but he lived long enough to condemn me to the world. Even after all I had done to him, he had lived.

In a sense.

I ate him. I ate parts of him. And all of Celestia’s doctors and all of her unicorns couldn’t put him back together again. But what remained was still alive. And it remained alive, against all odds out of what I can only call sheer hatred.

Two days. After ten hours of surgery they managed to stabilize him enough for him to not be in danger of dying at every moment. And while I’m sure the doctors would have loved to put him to sleep, he insisted on talking to every reporter and journalist he could meet. And what he told them was the truth.

As he saw it, of course. So it was a twisted and terrible truth he lied about. His description of his attack on Rarity—filth. But as for the rest? When he talked of me, and what I did to him, I can only say it was true.

Madness. Spreading.

The news story was published in every newspaper and spread to every corner of Equestria like wildfire, of course. The tale was too dramatic, the tragedy too great. And the horror of one of the former Elements of Harmony eating a pony…if I were a journalist like that Buried Lede guy, I would be over the moon with excitement.

…Or not. Maybe it hurt to publish a tale like that. I guess in another world, folks might be quicker to rejoice in other’s misfortune, but hey, ponies in Equestria are decent folks. And I can’t say it would be fun to tell a story like that. Maybe that explains why most of the newspapers didn’t mention all of the gory details.

Still, they captured enough. The story of my vengeful attack on a leading member of Manehatten society hit Equestria like Cheese Sandwich’s party cannon. Downplayed in it was his attack on Rarity, as well as how I’d destroyed the entire force of Wonderbolts and Royal Guards by myself. I think Twilight and Celestia leaned on the newspapers to get them to omit those bits, but it was probably for the best.

The important facts remained.

And after it was published, after he saw the headlines condemning me and making me out to be the monster he had always thought of me as, that other monster, that worthless pony finally let go. He passed away in his hospital bed cursing my name, and they buried him deep in a closed casket. But of course, his death was only the backdrop of the entire disaster, wasn’t it? If the only consequences of my actions had been Equestria’s public realizing my true nature and his death, I might have considered it more than an even trade. But I had broken something else that day. And I think it was friendship.

At the very least, it was the backbone of Equestria’s military. Of the Wonderbolts and Royal Guards that had tried to stop me, four were fit for light duty afterwards. They only had bruises and concussions. As for the rest…

Broken bones. Fractured skulls. More than one pony had shattered multiple bones, and some I’d hit so hard they they’d gone temporarily deaf or blind. And some I’d simply destroyed completely.

Like Spitfire.

They airlifted the Captain of the Wonderbolts to the nearest hospital right after him. Of all the injured ponies, hers were the second-worst. Twilight had to carry Spitfire with her magic rather than let the pegasus paramedics do it so they didn’t shift Spitfire in any way.

…That was the last time Spitfire ever flew through the sky. They saved her life. That was a miracle in itself. But no amount of magic or needles could have repaired everything.

That day, Spitfire, 23rd Captain of the Wonderbolts resigned her position. In her place she appointed Fluttershy, who would lead the remnants of the Wonderbolts. Of the expanded ranks of the Wonderbolts, 236 full members and reservists…22 remained fit for duty.

It was better with the Royal Guard, I guess. They had more numbers, so they only lost a third of their fighting force.

Heh. A third? Like that’s so easy to replace. I guess I shouldn’t beat around the bush. The truth is that in one bad night, Equestria’s armies were crippled. The brave ponies that had managed to contain the undead outbreaks were suddenly understaffed. All things being equal, I’d have expected Equestria to slowly fall under the undead attacks.

Except that there was one more fighting force within Equestria, wasn’t there? The Grave Wardens were still around, and unlike the Wonderbolts or Royal Guard, they hadn’t lost a single member trying to stop me. So while the balance of power shifted, Equestria wasn’t overrun. The Grave Wardens started taking up the duty of patrolling around villages and leading the defense against undead attacks rather than the Royal Guards, and it was a matter of weeks before Fluttershy had enough new recruits to resume her rapid-response tactics…

I guess I should talk about my friends, shouldn’t I?

…

It’s hard to say. It’s hard to describe. But if you’ve ever lost a friend, maybe you’d understand. If you’d ever hurt somepony you love, you would know how it felt. But that feeling—make it a hundred thousand times worse. That’s what it’s like to hear your friends scream.

Screaming.

Twilight screamed and screamed until Applejack knocked her out. She had to do that while shouting for one of her Grave Wardens to grab as many doctors as possible and get them here now. As for Pinkie Pie, she was already tending to the wounded. Fluttershy was among them, but she was still upright, trying to save…

Him.

And she did. It took nearly an hour for the Grave Wardens to return on another train with every nurse and doctor in the Crystal Empire, but she managed it. I’m not even sure how, but Fluttershy has always had a gift for healing. But then again, maybe it was Spike.

He shouldn’t have been there. Twilight shouldn’t have let him stay. But she was distracted, trying to save as many lives as possible and he—

He could bandage wounds. He could cauterize broken flesh and stop bleeding. And he saved more lives than anypony else because of that.

…

I remember everything. That’s the greatest pain of being dead. Memory fades for the living, but my failures are as clear to me now as they were then. I remember, but is it alright if I just—

Doctors and nurses swarm the scene. The unicorns lift as many ponies as they can into the air, onto stretchers pegasus ponies use to fly the wounded as fast as they can to The Crystal Empire. The rest, those that aren’t in life-threatening situations are ferried onto the second train as carefully as possible. And above, watching, I see it all.

Spike stopping to vomit once he isn’t needed. Coughing. Crying. Throwing up until there’s nothing left. Innocence lost.

Twilight, staring numbly at him, his injuries. Being led away by Shining Armor and Cadence, her shoulders shaking.

Applejack, calmly organizing her Grave Wardens to protect the injured as they’re transferred, ordering a doctor to tend to Fluttershy. Her, refusing, walking even with a broken hoof and wings until the last of her Wonderbolts is tended to.

Such are the images of my own Tartarus. And they played out, a hundred times. A thousand times in the following days.

It took them a long time to break the news to Rarity. No one wanted to do it obviously. But she kept asking. I think she knew, really. She knew me, and she knew what I would have done. But she didn’t know. And so she demanded answers until—

Applejack broke it to her. I hovered outside of the hospital room with my other friends and listened. I heard her scream and fled.

Because for all that she had hated him at times, fought with him, and been hurt by him, she had loved him once.

I ran away rather than hear her suffer. But not before I heard her crying out to the heavens. Shouting at me. Asking me ‘why?’

Suffering.

I keep returning after that, but I am no longer a friend. Neither am I a hero. Rather than cheer my appearance, ponies once again run in terror at the sight of me. The commissioned statues of me disappear, and no longer is a seat held for me every Heart’s Warming Eve. I care not.

If it were only the hatred of other ponies, I would be content. If I had simply been hated by every living being except for my friends, I would even be happy. But they—

I stop in front of Fluttershy as she goes to visit Spitfire with flowers in her hoof. How many times is it this month? She steps around me, ignoring my presence completely. Though the other doctors and nurses retreat in fear she…

I step in front of her and Fluttershy looks up. Her eyes look into mine and right through me. She waits. After a moment I step aside.

Without a glance at me Fluttershy continues on her way.

I stop in front of Rarity’s room after that. Her recovery is—slow. It is hard for her to walk, a consequence of her head injury.

Sweetie Belle is helping her sister sew a dress. I guess it’s all that Rarity can do to keep sane, although it’s Sweetie Belle painstakingly using her magic to thread the needle according to Rarity’s instructions. No using her horn until she’s better. I can only imagine how frustrating it is for Rarity, but she is even smiling as she chats with her sister.

Then she looks up and sees me.

I don’t bother to duck and the lamp smashes into my face. The porcelain cuts my face. No pain, at least not from that. Sweetie Belle stares at me in horror, but Rarity only looks at me with more pain and hurt than I have ever seen—

I vanish.

I…don’t want to talk about it anymore. It hurts too much. Let me only say that it was no better with Pinkie Pie or Twilight. Worse, rather.

Pinkie, well, Pinkie is Pinkie. She didn’t ignore me like Fluttershy or…or react like Rarity. But she treated me differently nonetheless. She would still talk to me if she saw me or I appeared to help her, but cautiously. She’d stay away from other ponies when I was near and if I looked like I was approaching somepony she’d put herself between them and me.

She treated me like a threat. As I deserve. A different kind of pain, but no less agonizing.

And Twilight?

When I appeared to her—just as I had to all my friends except Applejack—what did I expect? I’d gone to each, silently, standing before them. Not to speak or beg forgiveness but just to…I don’t know. Fluttershy had ignored me, Pinkie Pie had looked at me and burst into tears until I left and Rarity had screamed until the doctors had to put her asleep.

And Twilight?

She blasted me into ash. A single spell, fired the instant I appeared before her.

Not a word. Just tears. I didn’t bother coming back. Starlight and Spike stared at the burning ash and embers as Twilight broke down and hit the ground until her hooves were bloody.

And I hadn’t the courage to go before Applejack. I knew she would look at me, or maybe try to kill me. But I feared to see her, to see her expression saying that everything she had thought about me was…

Right. Absolutely right.

And now I knew it.

No more. No more. Can even the dead wish to die? If only I could. But I can’t. Not until…

I left. I left Equestria. The undead were still rising, and the Grave Wardens and Wonderbolts struggled to keep up, but they were rebuilding, recruiting. There was danger, but not of the sort that they couldn’t handle.

So I tell myself. But I hadn’t the strength to protect any longer. I hadn’t the heart.

I was…

Alone.

For the first time ever, I was alone. Truly alone. Do you know what that means? For me? Not just as a pony or as someone who loves attention, but me. The Element of Loyalty. I had broken my friendships. My friends no longer wanted to see my face.

Alone.

At first I gave them space. After my first few appearances and the…reactions, I kept away. But then I couldn’t bear it. One month later I appeared to destroy a horde of undead ponies attacking a village Fluttershy was defending. I stood in the carnage and looked at Fluttershy. She looked through me.

Two months. I appeared in front of Rarity as she entered her boutique for the first time since leaving the hospital. She screamed at me again and told me she never wanted to see me again.

I left.

Another month. I appeared in front of Pinkie Pie and she didn’t reject me. But though I appeared in front of her almost every day she never…she never…

I stopped. I didn’t bother appearing in front of Twilight. She was holding court in her castle, taking some of Celestia’s burdens away from her by hearing pony’s complaints. I listened—

“Something must be done, Princess.” The leading stallion bows to Twilight, but his words are firm. The other ponies standing behind him are more cautious, but they are also resolute.

Twilight studies the proposal they’ve put in front of her. She looks up.

“…I just can’t accept this proposal. I’m sorry, but this—it won’t work. Rainbow Dash is my friend. I can’t abandon her.”

At her words the assembled group of ponies shift and murmur. Only the leading stallion is unmoved. “I understand your concerns, Princess, but in light of recent events we feel it is the only course of action that will reassure the public. Since her attack and latest reappearances, ponies are beginning to panic.”

“I know.” Twilight sits back in her chair and sighs. Time and stress have made her tired, and she looks far older than her years. “But I know Rainbow. It was only because Rarity was hurt that she lost control. Besides that, she’s never attacked anypony else. She’s stopped more undead hordes than all the Grave Wardens combined. If I issued a proclamation explaining all that, wouldn’t that reassure folks?”

“With the utmost respect, the public cannot take your word for this, Princess.” The stallion says, and the others behind him murmur their agreement. “Your former…friend isn’t the Element of Loyalty, hero of Equestria and former Wonderbolt. She’s a monster.”

Twilight twitches, and the stallion rushes on.

“I have seen her walk through the streets when she returns, Princess. I have looked into her eyes and seen no feeling there. You five are all she cares about in this world. Were you all to perish, I fear that she would abandon Equestria in a moment.”

Silence. Twilight can’t deny his words.

“Even so.” She touches the parchment with her hoof. “Does it have to be this way?”

“The people need faith in the Princesses.” The stallion murmured it quietly. “And the Elements of Harmony are all heroes of Equestria. But your friendship with Rainbow Dash…it makes ponies worried, Princess.”

Twilight looks into his eyes. The stallion looks back, his gaze clear. At last, Twilight looks away. She levitates a quill and dips it in ink. She scrawls her name across the parchment and hands it to the stallion.

“Very well.”

He bows, and the others follow suit. After a few more words Twilight dismisses them, and they leave the audience hall. She sits alone as the day shifts to evening and shadows lengthen. She is very still.

Even now. Even as she sits here, the gears are already in motion. The committee of mayors, Canterlot aristocracy and the most influential buisnessponies wouldn’t have put that proposal in front of her if they weren’t ready to spring into action. So even now…

In every corner of Equestria. From Griffonstone to Appleloosa, and even beyond it in places like the Crystal Empire newspapers would share the same headlines. Town criers and mailponies would deliver the news. A simple message.

Twilight speaks it into the silence.

“From this day on, the pony known as Rainbow Dash is no longer an Element of Harmony. She is to be avoided at all costs, and if she appears, word should immediately be sent to one of the Princesses. Despite her appearance, ponies should be warned that she is dead and able to resurrect herself through unknown means. She is…”

Twilight chokes. She coughs and goes on.

“She is exceptionally dangerous, and a potential threat to anypony who sees her. Because of her actions, she has proven she is not the pony she was in life. The current Rainbow Dash is not a pony who embodies friendship and she…she…”

Another pause.

“She may not be the friend I remember. Signed, Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship.”

Twilight finishes. In the dark room tears run down her face which she makes no move to wipe away. She cries, silently. And her last words—

“I’m sorry, Rainbow.”

And then she gives herself over to grief.

And I?

I go mad.

No longer an Element of Harmony. No longer a friend.

I jumped off a cliff. I plunged into magma. I tried to hurt myself, to no avail. You can imagine it, I think. A pitiful scene of a dead pegasus trying to hurt herself, to feel some pain—

To cover up the pain in my soul.

Alone.

I went insane. I went mad. I went crazy, and there weren’t words for how deeply I lost it. All I remember was walking around, either as spirit or in physical form, screaming. Running into things. Shouting at the world. Crying.

Maybe you don’t understand it. Maybe you can’t get why a few words hurt so much. But to me, they were everything. All I have ever been has been defined by my friends. I am the Element of Loyalty – was. For my friends, I dragged myself back from death itself. And they—

No longer an Element. No longer a friend.

She had to say it. She had to condemn me. My fault. My sin.

I went so crazy I don’t even remember what I did. Just…wandered, hurt, lost.

A few months passed. I walked around Equestria in a kind of daze. Not near any living ponies; I stayed away from them as far as possible. No, instead I roamed.

Among the dead.

They were everywhere, of course. Rotting bodies lurching around, sometimes drawn towards cities. They rose every day, and for the most part wandered as I did. So I stayed with them for the company.

Maybe it’s because I was dead, or my body was dead, but the undead ignored me completely. I could walk among them, even poke them and not receive a response. If I started attacking them seriously, they’d fight back but besides that they ignored me.

So I decided to try and get them to notice me.

It wasn’t hard, getting a few of the undead into a place where I could contain them. I found a small cave and dragged a few of the more intact dead there to…

Get them to notice me.

I know Twilight did her own experiments, but mine were different. I gave up on talking to them quick, and they didn’t really respond to anything I did. But what about feeding them?

…I gave them my body to eat. I chose three, and started ripping off my limbs and letting them eat the rotted meat. Why? Why not?

Two mares, one stallion. One from each pony race, just to round things out. I called the Unicorn Bitey for obvious reasons, the stallion Rotty, and the Earth Pony mare Stinky.

I’m not good with names.

But they ate the meat. At least, they did when I figured out how to make my body solid. Normally I just decayed into dust, but I found there was a trick to it. I had to concentrate even harder to make my body out of real flesh and blood, but when I did they suddenly wanted to eat me.

So I let them.

How long? More months. I stay in the cave with the three, letting them eat me.

I’m constantly in physical form, now. And the three take turns biting me, tearing my flesh, cracking my bones. Sometimes they eat my brains or eyes.

I let them.

…Seems as if eating ponyflesh isn’t really necessary for the dead. Rather, it doesn’t do them much good. They’re still dead, so the meat just rots inside of them.

Rather, it did. Bitey was the first to eat too much and her stomach eventually exploaded. She walks around with a rotted undercarriage now, but I don’t hate her for it. That’s just the way she is.

They’re all rotting. Well, a few months of being outside – even if it is in a dark cave without any sun – that’s pretty bad for a pile of bones and meat. I’m sure they stink, but I don’t bother using my nose.

I sit in the cave and let them eat me. Today Stinky is gnawing on my ears. She’s already bitten one off, and I can feel her ripping the cartilage of the second. Well, good for her.

I sit and stare at the wall of the cave. It’s dark, lined with dirt and pieces of my flesh. I’ve memorized every fleck of stone, every crevasse. But still I stare at it.

Numbly.

No, that’s not right. Numb is a lack of pain. And I still hurt.

Bitey comes by and starts ripping at my face. She pulls off some fur from my cheeks and I let her dig in. No pain. No feeling. Just emptiness. If only it hurt. If only I could feel that pain. But instead all the pain’s inside.

Hm. Where’s Rotty? A few months back I opened the cave so the three could wander about. They’re far enough from any civilization that they won’t wander off, and they always come back when they get…hungry? Anyways, they come back to gnaw at me quite often.

It’s been three hours. Where has he gone?

I could get up and look. I could, but I don’t. I’ve been sitting in the same spot for the last three months. No sense in moving. So I sit and stare.

More flesh is ripped away. Bitey’s hungry today. Shame that it all tumbles out of the hole in her stomach regardless.

The only sounds are the ripping and crunching of flesh. Normally. But for some reason I hear something else. My ears are still supernaturally good even when they’re gone, so I hear it.

Quiet hoofsteps. The creak of leather. An exhaled breath.

Rotty? But no, I realize what it is too late. Or rather, too late for Stinky and Bitey.

As the two ponies close in to bite at me again I hear a twang and a thud. Stinky’s face explodes as the crossbow bolt breaks her rotted skin and weak bone. I stare at her as the undead pony falls, now fully dead.

Bitey turns slowly, as if looking for the intruder. She can probably sense its life-force, just as I can. She lurches forwards—

And a silver hatchet buries itself in her skull. Strings cut, Bitey falls to the ground, twitching slightly. I look around and see a dark shape in the cave. It sees me as well.

With the practiced reflexes of a warrior, the Grave Warden lunges forward and hits me with a hoof that shatters my skull. It’s a textbook takedown against one of the dead, and I feel my head smoosh against the cave wall.

Eyes blank, back of the head caved in, I still stare at my attacker. The pony is in darkness, yet I can see her face. What is light to the sight of the dead? But she can’t see me. The pony fumbles, and in the darkness I see a flash—

The timber ignites and the pony holds up her lantern. She studies Bitey’s corpse, and retrieves both her hatchet and the crossbow bolt from Stinky’s head. Then she looks at me and I hear her intake of breath.

“Rainbow—!?”

I stared at Applejack silently. I see her looking at my head. Part of my face is still missing from Bitey’s snack. Silently, I regrow the tissue and bone.

Well, horseapples. Of all the ponies I’d like to meet least, Applejacks’s…probably number three. Or four. But she’s still up there.

But I don’t move. I’m not sure what to do, or rather, I don’t feel like moving. I just wait for her to spit in my face or put another crossbow bolt in my eye…

But she doesn’t. After a moment of studying me, Applejack lowers her lantern and sets it on the ground. Then she begins cleaning her hatchet.

It’s a nice blade, and shiny. What more do you want me to say? It’s also unique to Equestria, in that no pony’s ever carried a weapon clearly meant for fighting like that before. I wonder vaguely who made it. The silver finish of the blade and it’s sharpness means Applejack probably got some kind of blacksmith to forge it.

What blacksmith? Ponies have blacksmiths? Where’s the blacksmith?

My head is filled with useless thoughts. But really, my main emotion upon seeing Applejack here, even if she is ignoring me, is happiness. Yes, even if she’s ignoring me. Even if she hates me. Even if it’s only for a minute longer, I look at my friends’ face.

Applejack finishes wiping down her blade, using Bitey’s corpse as a rag. That done, she stows the gleaming hatchet in a holster at her belt and looks at me again. I wait for her to hit me, or curse me or just walk away. But she doesn’t.

“So this is where you’ve been hiding,” she says at last. “Ah gotta say, ah’m a bit disappointed.”

Silence. Applejack looks at me, but what would I say? I sit in the same posture I’ve been in, staring at her. Waiting.

“Everypony else got worried after y’all stopped appearing,” Applejack said after a few minutes. “Some folks reckon you finally passed on, or were plottin’ something. But that ain’t what you were doing, was it?”

I don’t move. I don’t nod or shake my head. Moving, like everything else, has grown tiring. I would have been fine sitting in this dark cave forever without my friends to protect. But seeing Applejack’s face is like lighting a fire in me. Slowly, I feel my soul beginning to stir again.

“Ah reckon it was Twilight’s proclamation that did it. Can’t say ah blame her, what with folks bein’ so afraid. Still, I wouldn’t have thought you’dve cared.”

Applejack eyes me. I stare back at her, unblinking. But she’s hit a chord and both of us know it.

“So that’s it. Y’all have been sitting here, letting dead ponies eat you for – how long? A year now? What were you waiting for? Or were you hoping they’d eat you until you didn’t come back?”

No response. But I shift slightly, the first time in an age. Applejack sees it and continues.

“Ah’d never have found this place normally. No pony would. But the undead attacks have stopped. Nearly ceased, actually. Only the wanderin’ ones are about, so ah’ve been tracking them down in their lairs.”

Silence. But I’m waking up. I can feel it. Yet still, I remain silent. The dead have no right to speak to the living. But the living sometimes talk with the dead.

“Mourning, huh?” Applejack snorts and studies me with contempt. “Or is it regret? If you’d have done that before—but it’s because none of the others will talk to you, right?”

She’s smart, AJ. Well, in some things.

“Can’t say I blame them.” Applejack stared up at the cramped ceiling before looking back at me, “Even ah had trouble lookin’ at him. And hurtin’ all those other folks, well, no wonder Fluttershy won’t talk about you anymore.”

My head lower slightly. I can’t help it. Every word is true.

“Every pony in Equestria hates your guts, don’t they?” Applejack looks at me. “Or maybe, fears you. All those stupid statues of you got knocked down and turned to gravel.”

She snorts again.

“They finally get it. Ah told them, and nopony listened. But when folks heard of what you did, they woke up. They know you’re a monster, and everypony still talks about how horrible it was of you to kill that guy.”

True. All true. I want to curl up into a ball and fly away. But Applejack approaches me, and when I look into her eyes I see something hard there. And she says—

“—But you know what? If y’all hadn’t done it, ah’d have done the exact same thing.”

A pause. I look at Applejack. My face doesn’t change, but if she could hear my soul shouting…

“Ah saw Rarity afterwards. Y’all did a good job getting her to the hospital in time. Reckon that was worth you staying around all that time. But her injuries—that fellow didn’t deserve the air he breathed. If it were me, ah wouldn’t have kept him alive after ah was done. But at least he hurt as he was dyin’, even if he did manage to run his mouth the entire time.”

What? Applejack is close to me, but feel like she’s miles away. What is she saying?

Applejack leans against a rock next to me and speaks conversationally.

“Every punch, every kick, even eatin’ him…ah don’t mind it. ‘Course, don’t tell anypony else ah said that.”

I look at her. The words coming out of Applejack’s mouth—they’re totally different from the friend I know. What’s happened?

“Ah was gonna do it myself, but you beat me to it. Reckon the least I could do was get my Wardens outta the way, though. I didn’t want to lose them, and it would’ve been a shame if he got away.”

Her eyes. Look into her eyes. They’re green like the forest canopy and grassy meadows like they’ve always been. But something’s changed them nonetheless.

“Shame about those folks that got hurt, but they should’ve stayed out of the way. And if it was that or puttin’ him on trial and only putting him in jail for a bit…”

Hard. Applejack’s eyes have become hard. Cold. They’re not my friend’s eyes. And the way she talks, and acts.

“Ah’m glad it hurt. And ah'm glad you did it, since ah’d have had trouble covering it up. Just wanted to let you know that.”

What happened? What happened to her? But of course, I know.

Battle. War. Hatred, and all of these things. Applejack’s been fighting and killing ponies since they started rising from the ground. Of course it would make her tougher, and of coruse she’d look at killing as less of a terrible thing. Nevertheless, while I was fine with dying my hooves red to protect my friends, seeing it in her…

It’s wrong.

I just feel it. I want to say it out loud, but I look at Applejack and my heart…I am so grateful to be close to her that I can’t. Just being around my friend makes me feel alive. So despite the pain I feel from seeing her change, I remain silent.

Applejack sighs. Looks like she’s done. With an effortless motion she propels herself off the rock and faces me.

“Ah gotta go. More lairs to clean out, and ah’m heading back to Ponyville tonight. Y’all should stay away from Fluttershy for a bit longer, but ah reckon Pinkie and Twilight wouldn’t mind seein’ your face. Rarity neither.”

I stare at Applejack. This time I’m confused. From the moment I realized it was her, no, the moment I realized a Gray Warden had appeared I was expecting a hoof to cave my skull in, or to be set on fire and chopped into bits. But Applejack just gestures with one hoof.

“G’wan. Git. Ah ain’t stupid enough to try and kill a pony who doesn’t have a real body. And this cave ain’t the place for anypony to be, even a monster.”

Silence. But this time it’s Applejack who’s waiting. And her eyes on me, and her presence…

Not hatred. Well, some hatred. But for the firest time I don’t feel quite so alone. And the others—could I really show my face to them again? After only a year? It feels like such a short time to me, but I sense it.

I am no longer alone.

So I stand up.

Applejack looks at me. I look at her. Slowly, my body begins to disintegrate. It’s harder to make a flesh-and-blood body disappear, but I do it.

“Folks will hate you, but ah reckon you don’t care much about that,” Applejack says to my dissolving face. “But just know that ah reckon the matter’s settled between us. Don’t get in my way, but don’t let the others get hurt. Ah can live with that.”

My heart. If only I could describe the feeling in it with mere words. But I am not hated. That’s enough. And I feel so full of energy again, almost as if I’m alive…

I disappear. My soul lingers for a moment. Applejack nods at the pile of dust and begins walking out of the cave. But she stops and looks over her shoulder.

“And don’t worry about Rarity. Ah’ll take care of her.”

Something in her voice—

I guess. But even if I’m right, I’d be glad of it. It doesn’t matter. Applejack leaves, and I feel her go as I stay in that place. But the distance doesn’t matter. Because I—

Am no longer alone.

And that is all that matters.

I could go on and on about how I felt after seeing Applejack. I could talk about my whirling emotions, my desire to see my friends, my fear that they wouldn’t be as forgiving of me as Applejack.

And also, the pain at seeing how she’d changed. I could talk about all that, and indeed, I was planning to immediately travel to Ponyville and find them. But that’s when the world changed for me again.

It was then that I meet him. Not him, Rarity’s former lover, but him. The other him.

The dead pony, just like me.

Was it a ripple? No, more like an echo. A tingling in my very soul from a distance beyond endless. It caught me as I was about to leave that small cave, and made me hesitate. For, however faint it was, there are no sounds in death. No uncertainties. I had heard it.

It wasn’t like hearing somepony call out my name. There are no sounds or voices to speak. Rather, I felt something in the void of death, something besides myself and the endless nothingness that was my existence.

I felt the echo of another soul caught between life and death, distant, and yet close enough to listen to.

Naturally, physical distance is no barrier to the dead. But this was a different kind of distance, the separation of time, and something else.

Yet despite the interference I knew what it was immediately. Another.

Another?

Yes, another. But how? Why? And where? I didn’t know. But then that sensation came again, and I learned more.

There was another. But he, it, she…was so far away that I couldn’t guess the distances between us. Yet somehow, they had sensed me and sent out that pulse of sensation that I had felt.

…But I couldn’t tell where it was coming from. Each time I felt it, I learned more. But locating the origin of that echo was impossible. I had to wait.

So I did. Remember that time is meaningless for me, usually at least. So despite my impatience, I was easily able to wait the several hours before I heard it again.

There. Yes, I felt it. Another soul. And it was a he.

And oh, he was so weak! Or perhaps it was that I was strong. All I know is that I was suddenly aware of how vividly real I was, even for a dead spirit. Such was the strength of my nature and will that I could breach the barrier between death and life itself, will myself into existence and out of it. By comparison, he was simply a ghost, a lost spirit refusing to enter into that next place.

But if he was a ghost, he was the only one I’d ever met in nearly two years of death. Thus, he was a king among ghosts, strong enough in will to reach across the void to touch my soul.

And naturally, once I had heard his ‘voice’ I called back. It’s odd, trying to talk with your soul rather than your vocal chords. Or maybe not. When you get down to it, isn’t it really weird to vibrate a bunch of meat to make sound? The way the dead talk is far easier. We just think and project our feelings into the world, and let others listen. But in that sense, you can’t ever record our speech, because we must be listened to for our words to exist. And it is lonely, being alone with no one to talk to.

So lonely.

But now I had something to fixate on, someone else who might be out there, dead and still alive! I strained hard, shouting with the fiercest emotion of my loneliness and curiosity!

Is anyone out there?

And there was silence.

For three whole days I waited, for once not content to let time pass me by unhindered. And then, at last, I heard his response!

Yes.

It was such a faint reply, carried across distances unimaginable. But I knew I had not dreamed it, and so I instantly sped towards the origin of that reply.

As I said, distance is of no object for me. I can appear almost anywhere in the world in an instant, for what limits are there on spirits? Speed…I could outfly my mortal body and beat it around the world a thousand times before it even launched into the air. But there are more than physical distances in the world of the dead.

I found him in the darkest places of the afterlife. It’s hard to describe because directions and mortals know it don’t apply there. Rather, let’s just say it was at the outward limits of that place, in the part of the world where souls are lost and fade away. He was wandering there, unable to find his way back to the world. He had…lost his connection, somehow.

It was a terrible place. I felt the darkness sucking at my own soul, and sensed…death. No, worse than that; oblivion. Forgetting. The empty end of all things. And I shuddered, because I sensed my own end here.

Is that the place I would eventually go? Perhaps. If I lost my friends and all attachments to Equestria, maybe I would one day wander into this maze and never find my way out. But I had my friends, and they were the beacon that anchored my heart. For a while at least, I could brave the darkness.

And I heard his voice. His soul was a flickering light among the shadows even as I approached. But once I called out to him he moved towards me, and when the two of us met—

Ah. How can I describe it?

The terror burns within him/yet he hopes that he is not imagining/she burns in his senses, so alive, so powerful—!

She is lonely, so lonely/abomination the words tear at her heart/until death, until damnation she will protect/she doesn’t want to be alone anymore—

We recoiled from the meeting of our souls. But just as quickly, we rejoined, rather than face the darkness of that place alone. It was closing in, malevolent, stealing our very beings with its presence. I fled, and took him with me back to Equestria.

And when we had finished our dizzying, frantic flight out of that empty place, we met again. Tentatively this time, we touched each other lightly with our souls.

He had no name. Or rather, he had forgotten it. He was a memory, a ghost of a being that had once lived. A pony? Yes, a pony! And he was amazed to meet another spirit that had resisted the call of death. It had been so long, so long…he had clung to existence, hoping, praying he would meet another. And now he had, and she – she was radiant and beautiful.

Um. Wow. Talk about a first confession, right? I couldn’t blush, but even as a spirit, I felt really…wow. But if that was what I sensed from him, you can be sure he felt something from me.

Let’s…let’s just say that I reciprocated the feeling. Reciprocated. That’s a good word. I learned it out of one of Twilight’s books. I was bored, alright? I uh, didn’t have any Daring Doo books so I read from a dictionary. That doesn’t make me an egghead! And I’m not trying to steer the conversation away from how I felt! I just really…

Really liked him. And I mean at once.

Maybe it was because I was so lonely as a ghost. Maybe it was how Rarity had found someone to love and I hadn’t. Maybe it was because his joy at meeting me was so real, and so different from how other ponies treated me.

Maybe it’s because meeting another spirit and rescuing him from soul-sucking oblivion is hot. That was probably one of the reasons. Anyways, we hit it off at once.

Our spirits danced throughout the heavens. Not the celestial heavens beyond, but simply the skies of Equestria. From the ever-snowing wastes of the Crystal Empire to the burning Dragon Lands, we moved together, first one leading, then the other. And all the while we talked.

Not in the way mortals talk. Rather, it was like two fireflies meeting in the night. Every time our souls came close we exchanged…everything. Thought, feeling, emotion, all passed between us in moments and then we would break apart, to think and react before joining again.

There is nothing more intimate than that. For all I loved Rarity with the deepest of passions in life, this was a level of connection that is unobtainable for any but the dead. The two of us, me and him, were so close as to be one being, and only when we moved apart did we become separate.

I know, first date and we were all over each other. But he and I were both so…hungry.

Hungry? I guess that’s one word for it. Lonely might be better, but really, it was hunger we felt. Hunger for another soul to share death with, hunger to not be alone for all of time. I had felt that isolation wearing down upon me for the last two years – I sensed that his solitude had lasted much, much longer. And so he burned and I burned with a passion I had not felt since I had been alive.

Yes, if I could have gone back in time I would have killed him earlier. Not because I hated him, but because then I wouldn’t have been alone. For only when I had found another did I realize how lonely I had been, guarding my friends all this time by myself.

It must have been nearly two weeks before we stopped sharing the intimate details of our souls with one another. Not because we had finished – we could have been together forever. But Fluttershy had been attacked by the dead, and I was called away.

For all that the other spirit was able to hang on to his identity even in death, he was still not a fraction of what I was. Perhaps he had been stronger once, when he had recently passed away, but I could sense he was so weak compared to my abilities. Even his speed as a ghost was weaker than mine – I was at Fluttershy’s side in an instant, and inhabiting a mortal body on earth in another second. He couldn’t even catch up, and only when I had finished did I find him lost in the Everfree forest, trailing on the wind.

He was weak. But when I touched his mind with my own, I felt the depths of his affection for me, newly-grown yet with deep roots. And I know he felt my…interest in him. And so we danced again, and I believe the contact made both of us stronger. It gave us something to cling to in this world, and it was wonderful not to be alone. We could have been together forever like that, for once both of us at peace.

But the world was not content to leave matters be. And very soon, I had cause to learn a lesson I should have known long ago. I had learned it, but I learned it again, that bitter, painful lesson.

The living fear the dead, and what the living fear, they hate. That, and the fact that nothing lasts forever.

Not even death.

The dead began to rise in greater numbers. And this time, it was all of them.

Chapter 8: Prophecy

How many ponies have died in the history of Equestria? A hundred thousand? A hundred million? I don’t know numbers.

…Well, I can guess. The population of ponies in a big city like Manehatten is around a hundred thousand, but only if you count the suburbs and outlying areas. And if you add in other major cities, you’d get around six hundred thousand I guess?

Ponyville’s small, but there are countless villages and towns spread out all throughout Equestria. Adding those in, my best guess would be that there’s nearly a million ponies living in Equestria right now.

That’s a lot. But I’d bet that’s only a recent development. In the past, ponies used to live far more spread out. So it makes sense if the population of Equestria used to be only a few hundred thousand ponies.

Yet how many centuries has Equestria existed? How many generations of ponies have lived and died over the years since the first ponies came from unknown lands? Only Celestia knows since she’s been around from the start. I guess you could ask her how old she is and guess from there, but I’m betting that’s a fast way to get banished to the moon.

…But to continue, I’d guess that even if the current number of ponies in Equestria is uniquely high, the number of dead over these long years means that the dead that rose was about…

Fifteen million.

And when I say rose, I don’t meant rose as in ‘this is how many undead ponies have risen so far added to the number that rose just now.’ I mean they all came back to life at once.

Here’s the thing not many ponies get. When you kill an undead pony, you don’t really kill an undead pony. At best you just smush their heads in, but how could you kill something that wasn’t alive to begin with? And moreover, which never had a body to begin with?

Yeah, think about that. I’ve observed before that the undead that rose from the ground were suspiciously pony-shaped for bodies that should have rotted away long ago. Magic was clearly responsible for giving them forms, and if that’s the case, destroying their bodies doesn’t do much to stop them. You see, even if they die, their soul remains. And so long as they kept coming back, that meant their potential numbers would never decrease.

So when all the dead rose, you can be sure that all the dead rose. And yeah, if that sounds bad you’d be right. Because they all started coming back to life all across Equestria.

Mind you, it’s not like they all popped out of the ground at once. That would be stupid. But fifteen million ponies did arrive in Equestria over the course of about a month. To put it in other words, about five hundred thousand undead ponies rose from the ground each day for an entire month.

To put it another way, half of Equestria’s population rose from the dead and started attacing the living every day for thirty days straight. To put it another way…

Bad stuff happened.

I don’t know what it’s like to feel fear. Or rather, I’ve forgotten that feeling. The closest I guess I got to that feeling in death what when I saw Rarity lying on the floor and when I found myself about to eat Fluttershy. But besides that, life and death hold no terrors for me.

Normal ponies on the other hand are all flinch. And when the first group of five hundred thousand dead ponies rose outside of Ponyville and started attacking the walls, I think Twilight might have needed some time in the mare’s room. As for the guards on the wall, it’s just as well the dead smell really bad, because they didn’t help matters at all. They did add to the fertility of the area though, so I’ll grant them that.

But yeah, that’s a lot of dead ponies. And here’s the thing which I’m sure you’ve already noticed: they all popped up in the same spot. That’s unusual, but what was more unusual was how fast they started charging the walls. I mean, usually the undead ponies sort of shuffle about and trip over rocks, but these dead were quick.

Not as quick as me, obviously. Not even close. But they could run, and as it transpired, jump too. They swarmed the walls and began piling on top of each other, trying to climb over and start munching on ponies. And I’m sure they would have done too, if it weren’t for a certain heroic pony who swooped in and saved the day.

Starlight Glimmer.

…Yeah. I don’t want to talk about it. Let’s just say I was busy flirti—getting to know him, while this was all going on. I hadn’t visited my friends yet, but from what Applejack had said everything was fine. So I didn’t notice the dead appearing like that for a while.

In the meantime of course, a horde beyond imagining was attacking Ponyville’s walls. They literally filled the world in every direction, and they were determined to kill.

So let’s recap. Five hundred thousand undead ponies able to run quickly vs Ponyville’s walls which aren’t nearly as high as the walls around the major cities, defended by a few guards who’re too busy soiling themselves to do much good. That adds up to a bunch of chew toys and a lot of undead monsters eating all of Ponyville, right?

Well, again, Starlight Glimmer.

Gotta give props where props are due. Starlight Glimmer was the first pony on the ground to react when she saw the undead horde approaching. She teleported herself to the walls even as Twilight and Spike were panicking and before the undead could climb over the walls she started blasting them to bits. No crying for help, no long speeches about how everything would be fine if we all work together, she just started melting pony’s faces.

You know, if there was ever an audition for another Element of Harmony, I’d totally vote to make her the Element of Kicking Tail. Because that’s what she did.

Five minutes. That’s how long it took Twilight and Spike to dash over, and the rest of Ponyville’s citizens to join the defense. And it may not sound like much, but consider that for five minutes Starlight held off half a million undead ponies by herself.

Oh, one guard managed to kick a pony off the walls but that’s about it. The rest was Starlight’s spells which sliced through ponies like…something…sharp. Look, she killed a lot of dead things, okay?

And just when she was about to falter, and when the dead seemed like they’d pour past her, reinforcements arrived.

Again, not me. I was busy exchanging…you know what? I was busy. No, it was Spike and Twilight who joined Starlight with the rest of Ponyville as they kicked ponies off walls and didn’t bother to take names.

It might sound odd to think of a few hundred ponies fending off five hundred thousand, but you have to consider numerous factors.

Like for instance, despite the numerical disadvantage, Ponyville had a good setup on its walls. Sure they weren’t high, but the way they were designed meant that any pony on top could kick an undead pony trying to climb over it back down quite easily. Even if the undead ponies could run around, they still didn’t bother dodging so even Ponyville’s less-competent ponies could knock at least ten undead ponies off the wall before they got tired.

Plus, if Ponyville’s got some not-so-cool ponies, it does have its fair share of awesome ponies. Among them of course are Big Mac, Bon Bon, Spike, Starlight, and Twilight. To be fair, Pinkie Pie and Rarity were there, but while they were awesome, they weren’t in the same league of awesome as the folks I mentioned. And Applejack and Fluttershy were both in other corners of Equestria, so all the credit’s got to go to the five I mentioned.

Did I surprise you with at least one of those names? Well, I’ll explain. Big Mac is big. And strong. I don’t think I need to explain why this is helpful when fighting undead ponies. He could toss undead ponies off the wall like he tossed hay bales around and when he kicked a pony, they stayed kicked.

Next, Bon Bon. I never would have guessed she was good at fighting, but apparently she’s got some kind of special training. She was literally a blur, knocking ponies down left and right while protecting Lyra. Pretty cool, although I wonder where she learned all that…? Well, the fact remains that she protected her section of the wall easily.

Then there was Twilight and Starlight. No questions there either why they were great. Two ponies with that amount of magic? They cut holes through the undead horde with their spells and held off the vast majority of the undead by themselves. And then there’s our last awesome pony.

Spike.

Yeah, I know he’s not a pony, but he’s like an honorary one, y’know? Anyways, he might have been the most critical member of the defense, despite what I said about Starlight and Twilight. And you wanna know why? Two words.

Dragon breath.

Have you seen dragon fire? I don’t mean the weird green flame Spike uses to transport letters around, I mean his real fire. I’ve only really seen him use his flames once. It was during the Equestria Games, when some idiot shot an ice arrow into a cloud another idiot left hanging over the stadium. It turned into a huge iceberg that could have crushed half of the stadium, but Spike melted it.

In one breath.

I know I talk about coolness and awesomeness, and yeah, I know what I’m talking about. But that? That’s amazing. If Spike weren’t such a nice guy, I’d be pretty—well, sorta worried about what he might do if he ever got mad. Fortunately, he’s too good a kid for that, but when the chips are down, he’s also pretty handy in a fight.

Picture the scene. Desperate last defense, countless undead ponies. They rush the walls, climbing on top of each other, trying to get up. Where they’re not blown apart by spells they struggle with Ponyville’s defenders. Twilight and Starlight hold off the two ends of the wall being assailed while Ponyville’s citizens kick as many of the dead back down as they can. But the center line, the main avenue of attack for the undead?

That’s all Spike.

With one breath he unleashes a flame that melts steel and chars ponies down to their bones. Actually, it sets the bones on fire too. Every time he lets loose his dragon breath, he wipes out thousands of the dead, and only when they fill the gaps again does he breathe out another blast of fire. And I bet you thought he was only good for delivering scrolls.

But even after saying that, even after acknowledging how strong Ponyville’s defenses were…yeah, it’s still five hundred thousand. Normally, the undead would still swarm Ponyville in an instant, regardless of how many badasses they had on the wall, no offense to donkeys. But there’s one more factor that helped save Ponyville:

The dead are really stupid.

I mean, really stupid. You know what the most critical factor that saved Ponyville was? It was that all five hundred thousand undead ponies swarmed one wall and didn’t bother encircling the town.

Yeah. Instead of having to spread themselves out, Ponyville got to fight on one side and let the undead trip each other up and crown themselves climbing up one wall. That meant that there were more than enough hooves to knock the ones that got past Spike, Twilight, and Starlight down, and that the defenders could even rotate out when ponies got tired.

…But still, it was an impossible battle to begin with. You know it. I know it. I bet everypony on those walls knew it. Twilight had sent out a call to the Wonderbolts, but the pony she’d sent probably wouldn’t’ have even made it there before Ponyville got overrun. And even if they Wonderbolts got the message quickly and they all flew to help, it would be a drop in the bucket against the ocean of undead ponies.

They would fall. The wall would break, or the defenders would falter. It was only a matter of time, so how long could Ponyville hold?

Thirty minutes. That’s how long. Rather, thirty two minutes and fifty four seconds, which is exactly how long Spike could keep breathing fire for.

He’s just a kid. And in dragon terms, he’s still a baby. Honestly, if he’d passed out after five minutes he would have been brave. If he’d lasted for ten minutes, he would have been a hero. But thirty minutes? That’s sheer willpower, the kind they write legends about.

But even with all the will in the world, even though he was next to Rarity and Pinkie Pie as they held him up and knocked the undead off the walls, even though he knew everypony was counting on him, Spike’s body couldn’t match up to his soul. He fell, and the undead began to swarm up the walls.

Ponyville’s defenders put up a hell of a fight. Magic and hooves knocked the undead down relentlessly, but they were even more relentless. First one step, then two. They forced the ponies on the wall back, and then once they had a foothold the lines collapsed. The undead swarmed the walls, and Twilight ordered everypony to retreat. But it was too late, and there was nowhere to go.

Normally, folks could still run if the walls were breached but these undead could run too. They were tireless, and the defenders were tired. In moments they would overrun the town, killing the helpless fillies and colts hiding in Twilight’s castle, and turning my home into a mass grave.

The undead cleared the walls. Twilight stood with Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Starlight, ready to make one last stand. And that’s when I finally arrived.

Ponies make excuses. Dead ponies make none.

If just one of my friends had died—if I’d been just a hair slower—I would have never forgiven myself. He and I had been too busy absorbing each other’s presence like a thirsty plant seeking water. We’d been so engrossed that only a small feeling at the back of my consciousness had prompted me to break away.

He’s wanted me to stay, to keep exchanging bits of our souls in that intimate connection. And I’d wanted to so badly, but I am if nothing else loyal. So I checked and—

An undead stallion rears up and tries to pull himself up the wall. He swipes at Lyra, causing her to fall back. And before she can kick him off, he’s up on the wall and charging at her.

Bon Bon turns, but she’s fifteen meters away and surrounded by the dead. Other ponies also see the danger and try to come to her aid, but they’re all engaged, and the lines are breaking. She is alone.

Lyra tries to flee, but she’s tired from fighting and the stallion is charging, mouth agape, rotted teeth aimed at her throat. She slips on a piece of dead pony flesh and goes down. Her eyes close as the stallion’s mouth descends.

And my hoof caves in its skull and sends it flying backwards off the wall in a single blow. Lyra gapes. The other ponies gape. The undead, well, most of them have that unhinged jaw so they always look like that. But they gape too.

A blue pegasus stands on the wall, wings spread wide to catch the light, her rainbow mane a flag in the breeze. As if sensing her presence, the dead on the wall and below turn towards her, and for a moment the world grows silent.

What can I say? I still like to make an entrance.

…Well, it’s not so much for their benefit as it is for his. I can sense his spirit circling the battlefield from overhead, watching. And is it wrong for a mare to want to show off a bit? No. Of course not.

Speaking of which, I look down at Lyra. She’s shivering with nerves from her near-death experience. Or is it because she’s looking at me? Whatever. It was weird that I saved her, but I guess everyone gets one. Unless I’m bored, or one of my friends is in danger.

And speaking of which, I look over.

Her wings are torn, her side clawed and soaked with blood. But her eyes as she turns to me in disbelief and relief—ah, it is perfection and salvation. Twilight meets my gaze and the world stops for a moment.

How odd. My stomach lurches when I see her, and for a moment I fear she’ll send me away again, condemn me.

But of course she does not. Instead, she bows her head. A silent plea.

And I nod back. How could I not? Even if she were to hurt me a thousand times, even if she were to break all ties and cast me aside, I will never be far away if she calls.

That’s what it means to be a friend, after all.

And so—

I fly.

Deathboom.

The air screams as the world rips itself apart. It seems as if reality itself wavers for the moment, and darkness pours out from the tear where space has been violated, bringing darkness and unlife to all it touches.

For the living, it is a symbol of fear and dark mystery. For the dead, it is coming home.

Yet, even as the first world-scream of the Deathboom begins to fade another shriek of tearing reality heralds a second Deathboom. And then a third.

The living cower in fear, paralyzed by the sound and sights that they were never meant to witness. But the dead feel the Deathbooms echo in their souls and draw strength from them. Below Ponyville’s walls, the milling undead straighten, and their bodies seem to grow a little more alive, their eyes focus, and their movements become stronger, quicker. And naturally, this would normally lead to the demise of Ponyville’s defenders as the dead renewed their assault with this strength. But not in this place, and not in this time.

Because the dead were dying.

A crimson streak flashes across the battlefield. In truth, the figure at the heart of the lightning that rips through the ranks of the undead is blue, but the trail of destruction she wreaks is such that a line of blood and limbs seems to follow in her wake. Without heed of her own body, a blue pegasus flies through the ranks of the dead, ripping them apart with her very passage.

She exits one side of the horde and turns, her wings shedding crimson droplets and aims herself again at the heart of the massed undead. She accelerates—another Deathboom screams. And the undead die.

The black light washes over them, a wave of darkness within the light. No, something that eats the light. The sea of undead ripples and halts as the countless explosions of silence and dark infinity echo around them.

Alive. So alive. That’s how I feel. So many Deathbooms, and with each one I feel my soul shaking in agony and ecstasy. It feels like I am hovering on the brink of understanding something massive, and yet always I am pulled away at the last moment. What is it?

But there’s no time to stop. I fly through the ranks of the dead and extinguish them. Flesh and gore rain from the heavens, and though my body breaks with every collision and my bones grind to dust I am immortal. I will not cease. And death is all around me.

And I am so very hungry.

No. I pull myself back from another Deathboom and slash across a group of ponies instead, ripping heads off, smashing limbs. I can’t lose control not here. No matter how much I want to.

So I keep flying and fighting. The dead are endless, but so am I. I feel eyes watching me as I dodge, duck, strike, and tear the dead apart. The living watch me from Ponyville’s walls, fearful and at the same time desperate, hoping for a savior in my blood-soaked form. And I also feel another presence, watching me from beyond.

Okay, I’ll admit it. I started to show off a bit after I realized he was watching. I started blowing ponies away with one hoof, striking them and watching them explode or go flying off like ragdolls. One hoof, one kill. That’s the kind of crazy strength I have. Y’know, if I were in one of those comic books Spike reads I’d be one of the coolest superheroes ever. They could call me One-Hoof Mar—

No, that’s stupid. But I was acting flashier than normal, I will admit. And that’s interesting, because I never did that in death.

In life I showed off all the time, of course. That was sort of my thing. But you lose interest in that pretty quick when you’re dead, so why…?

Well, the reason’s obvious. But I was fascinated by the notion that having somepony else who was like me was making me feel more…alive again. It felt almost scary to feel the sensations of wanting to show off, the desire to impress, the need to connect with another soul. It felt scary, intriguing, exciting…

And very, very hot.

We’re all adult ponies here. Well, unless you’re a filly in which case you shouldn’t even be listening to me. But let’s just say that despite knowing him for only a few moments, I had a definite desire to get to know him better if you know what I mean. If you don’t know what I mean, that’s probably a bad thing.

But back to the battle. It seems almost wrong to say, but the desperate, last defense of Ponyville by every pony was fairly insignificant in terms of the actual outcome. Though the defenders fought bravely, they killed, oh, maybe six thousand of the dead? And that was mainly Spike’s dragon breath and Starlight and Twilight’s spells. The rest, the vast majority I dealt with myself.

Deathbooms. They shattered the air and made me feel better. I knew they are also bringing back some of the dead creatures in the area that weren’t ponies – and even some of the corpses that hadn’t been completely destroyed. So yeah, they were pretty counterproductive. But by using them I literally flew through the dead and killed thousands of ponies each second. In less than five minutes, I had reduced the horde of the dead from nearly fifty thousand undead ponies to a few stragglers.

That’s a lot of power. Well, I daresay everypony was aware of it before. I’d taken on every single Wonderbolt and a whole host of Royal Guards with ease after all. But it’s one thing to fight a few hundred ponies and win and other to take out…

Fifty thousand.

I guess I can’t describe it, can I? It’s a number so big that you probably can’t think of it. But just think of how many folks live in your town, in your neighborhood. If you lined them all up, even if you did fancy multiplication and stuff…that’s only a few thousand. Fifty thousand…

The dead filled the ground. Blood and gore painted the walls surrounding Ponyville. It was a sight to make mortals tremble. That’s all I will say about that.

Aftermath. It’s always the worst time for me. There is a wonderful silence and clarity to fighting. I don’t have to think when I’m moving, and the cares of the world drop away from me. Even in death this is so. But when I stop and pause, and the battle fury leaves me suddenly I’m alone, faced with all the responsibilities of the world I could ignore for a few wonderful moments.

And now of course, I find myself among the dead, in a sea of flesh and bone, staring up at my friends on Ponyville’s walls. If there’s a worse way to reappear in front of a friend, I really don’t want to know about it.

Twilight stares down at me. Heck, all of Ponyville stares down at me. I’m a sight that creates sore eyes. My entire body is crimson, and I’ve got bits of dead ponies hanging off my wings and mane. Internal organs, bits of bone clinging to my mane…I don’t think a show would fix this kind of mess. And I’m aware of it.

I look like a monster. Do you think ponies were horrified seeing the aftermath of what I had done to him? That scene is nothing compared to the carnage I have wrought this time.

...But still, I am different.

Most of the ponies on the wall are busy vomiting or having panic attacks. My friends are alright, but they’re made of sterner stuff. Yet even they take a step back as I fly up and land before them.

I trail blood as I move. Not mine, obviously, but even as I fly I leave a red mist behind me, and as I step towards Twilight blood pools around my hooves, leaving dark footprints on the stone ramparts.

To her credit, Twilight doesn’t back down. Her face is pale as Pinkie Pie and Rarity stand next to her. Spike clings to her tale, his face still deathly pale from his exertions. Starlight’s already made a break for it. Guess she remembers the entire skull-smashing thing, so I can’t blame her.

Silence. I stare at Twilight. She and my friends stare back.

To put it bluntly, it’s a pretty awkward situation. I mean, consider the facts. I’ve been gone for about a year after Twilight publicly denounced me to all of Equestria. Pinkie Pie, Rarity…I can’t say I left on good terms with any of them. In fact, I’d say I left with our relationship as badly broken as any I’d ever seen.

But. When they needed me I was there. In face of death, I returned. I don’t know how that must feel to the living, but I assume it’s not a great feeling.

Fortunately, I don’t care. That’s never been what’s important to me. I lost sight of that, I admit. But when I look into my friend’s eyes and see the uncertainty there, I am relieved. They might be distressed, they might still be hurt by what I’ve done to them. But—I don’t see hatred there. I don’t see disgust when their eyes meet mine. That is enough. It will always be enough.

So I lower my head briefly. A simple nod. Everypony sees it, and they wait to see what I’ll do next.

I straighten, and meet my friend’s eyes again. I can see so many emotions, so many thoughts and unspoken words in their eyes. To live is a torment. But to be dead is to be certain.

I let my body dissipate into dust as they watch. I’ve said all I need to. And my message will be heard, I think. Because it’s very simple:

I am back. And regardless of what my friends may say or other ponies may think or feel, I will protect my friends. Forever.

It’s as simple as that. Or it should be.

Too bad life is never that easy. And death…well, being alone is one thing. But having another pony to share the afterlife with, well—

Let’s just say things got interesting.

I left Twilight and the others to panic in peace and figure out how to bury fifty thousand ponys’ worth of flesh and bone. Not my job. And besides, I wanted to get back to a certain someone.

I found him hovering over Ponyville. His spirit was so weak compared to mine, it was like a firefly flying around a blazing bonfire a thousand feet high. But hey, I don’t judge. And I was…attracted to him.

The first thing he did was express his amazement and admiration for my power. Only naturally. Heh. I let him do that for a bit and then started asking him some questions. Obviously, I was really curious about him.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have many answers.

Who was he in life? No clue.

Where did he die? No idea.

Why didn’t he pass on like everypony else? Not sure.

What’s his name? Name?

…And so on. I guess he’d been trapped in that place between life and death for so long all his memories of who he’d been just…faded away. It’s actually a scary thought to me, but so long as my friends are here I won’t forget. But after they die...

Nevermind. The point is that he couldn’t tell me much about himself, so I told him a lot about me instead. He was fascinated by how I had managed to resist passing on and even more interested in my friends and the Elements of Harmony. Maybe they hadn’t existed when he’d been alive?

Well, after talking about what I did to protect my friends and the undead situation and everything like that…the conversation sort of turned to what we’d felt earlier. I knew it was a mutual feeling, but I was uh, sorta, um…

Shy. I mean, not really. Hesitant, more like. I’m a pretty open pony, I do a lot of things, but when we’d first met, when we’d shared all our feelings together in that rush of sensations that—that had been more intimate than I’d ever gotten before with anypony. And I do know intimate.

And yet, he suggested we do it again and I couldn’t find a reason not to. We were two souls in the infinite void between life and death and really, it was hard being alone. So while I wavered for a good while, eventually I was convinced and agreed to try it again.

Hesitantly, I joined my soul to his again. It is such an intimate act – yet he desired it and so did I, to be honest. There was curiosity in my heart. And so I decided to give it a shot.

And once I did, well—

Wow. That’s all I can say. If the first time I felt a definite spark between us, an attraction at a spiritual level, this second time…uh, it was—

Wow.

You know how you get that sensation of chills running down your back and that giddy, ecstatic joy that’s almost too painful to bear? That. That was how it felt when our souls met. And unlike that fleeting sensation, it continued on and on until we both were at an electric level of tension, our souls melding together.

And that’s when I knew he was somepony very special. That’s when I decided to go all in. Yeah, I know that’s my usual tactic anyways, but he…

I really liked him.

It was wrong.

So, how should I put this elegantly? Um…after that, sex happened.

Like, spiritual sex. Or maybe soul sex. That sounds weird. Tantric sex? Nah.

Anyways, it wasn’t like physical sex where you do a lot of squishing with somepony else…or yourself if you’re bored. This was more like us throwing emotions at each other, melding our feelings and pushing each other to greater and greater heights of joy and pleasure until—

Well, actually, there’s no until. The dead don’t have any way to uh, release ourselves when we get that…that worked up. It’s actually a really bad thing.

We were both caught up in an endless feedback loop, feeding into our feelings for each other and unable to stop. Honestly, it might have gotten really bad—I could feel his alarm and mine as our souls stretched to the bursting trying to accommodate the feelings surging within us.

Fortunately—the dead kept rising from the ground. Remember I mentioned that fifty thousand ponies came to life each day? Yeah.

To be fair, it wasn’t like Ponyville where they somehow all sprouted up and attacked the town in one go. Following that, the undead rose everywhere as they had before, just in far greater numbers.

So it took more than few days before they massed in enough numbers to warrant me reappearing. In that case, Pinkie Pie called for my help to defend Appleloosa against a mob of about forty thousand. So I went.

In hindsight, I’ve never been gladder to stop getting it on with another pony. Did I say it was a few days since the attack on Ponyville? That’s…about how long we were uh, joined together in the feedback loop. Yeah. Get your mind around that. No muscles means you don’t get tired.

And we might have been stuck like that forever, in an increasingly ecstatic hell of emotion if I hadn’t gone to Pinkie’s aid. Nothing else we had tried worked. Neither of us could muster the willpower to break free, but when my friend called I found the strength to do it.

Somehow.

Anyways, I killed a bunch of dead ponies, did my disappearing act as ponies gaped at me and I got back to him.

I think both of us instantly agreed that spiritual sex was out of the question after that. Or at least, it was extremely unwise for us to join our souls when we were that attracted to each other. So we found…other means of enjoying ourselves.

To cut a long story short, after a bit of experimentation we found that our souls could possess dead bodies. Not well, and not for long as it turned out. The undead that wandered around weren’t soulless – and if we took over their physical forms we eventually got tossed out by the original soul. And that was a revelation in itself.

The undead weren’t really dead. It revealed so much—

But uh, that information was kinda lost on me for a while since the first thing he and I did when we learned we could possess dead bodies was to um—

Look. Are there any fillies or colts listening to this? Let’s just say he and I bumped uglies. And I do mean uglies.

We wanted to get intimate, the both of us. And…we couldn’t really do that without bodies. So I would materialize in my body or use a mare I found and he’d find a stallion that hadn’t risen too long ago and we’d…get it on.

Does that sound disgusting? It was disgusting. The flesh was willing, but it was also rotting away and probably smelled terrible. And um, how should I put this? Despite the fact that our bodies were dead, some organs still worked. Just—just not always as intended.

…Hey. Stop judging. Everypony has needs, even dead ponies. And while we couldn’t actually feel the sensations when we bounced all over the place, it was pretty kinky. And fun.

But yeah, it was probably the most unholy, disturbing sight anypony has ever witnessed in Equestria. He and I tried to hook up in places where nopony would bother us, but once a group of Grave Wardens was on the hunt and—

Well, they ran away screaming. After puking. Actually, some of them were running around while vomiting. It was intense. And hot.

Ahem. As somepony once observed, the dead get ugly when it comes to love. But whatever you might think, just remember it was an expression of the deep connection we felt with each other. I wanted to be with him, to share experiences with him, and I knew he felt the same for me. Over the course of a few weeks our relationship changed.

At first it was just the connecting. We did it that one time, and then again and again. At first I wanted to do it sparingly, to avoid ruining the magic, but he wanted to do it often, and I found the sensations didn’t dull over time. If anything, the rush of our joining grew more intense each time our souls met.

After that came the undead lovemaking which added a new spice to the relationship. WE did that for about a week…straight, until we got bored of body parts breaking off right in the middle of—

You know what? I’m moving on.

And of course, between all the moments I spent with him I was going back to my role as protector. The dead were rising across Equestria, remember? I was busier than ever, but unlike before, I was happy to protect my friends and even happier when I wasn’t, because that meant I could spend time with him.

I love him. I know it in the very core of my being. More than anypony, he’s the one I can give my entire being to. I love him.

More than Rarity?

…I shake those thoughts out of my head when I have them. It’s not a contest. Hah. I never thought I’d say thought. But it isn’t. And I won’t compare my feelings. They are what they are and I am happy.

So happy.

Every moment of being with him, every time we connect—it’s like fireworks are going off in my head. I feel giddy just by being around him, and that sensation is so unreal…I’ve never felt this way before. And when we connect—the feelings almost overwhelm me—

Ah. Can I really accept this kind of happiness? Can this state of bliss last forever?

No. Of course not. It might not seem that way, but the dead know more than anyone—

Nothing is permanent.

So I made the most of every moment I could with him. In between appearing to crush incursions of the undead I would do nothing but spend my time with him. We didn’t just have sex, mind you. Since neither of us could really feel anything with our bodies it was more like going through the motions in any case.

Heh. Going through the motions. But anyways.

Our real connection came from those flashes of insight that happened when our souls joined. You can forget the silliness of bumping bits of each other together compared to that. The intimacy, the connection…it was on a whole different level than anything I’d ever felt.

And it made me tired. Just a bit. But when you think about it, it makes sense. I’d never get tired bucking dead ponies to bits or bucking…dead ponies, but that’s because it was just my body I created that did all the hard work. But being with him, sharing those details of my spirit with him, that was tiring.

Mind you, he never seemed exhausted by our contact. If anything, he was raring to go after we exchanged that dizzying whirlwind of feeling and thought with each other while I needed to rest. I guess that’s unusual since he was the stallion and I was the mare, but…hey, a girl needs a break, right? Unlike me, he couldn’t inhabit a mortal form for more than a few hours and had to use somepony else’s body to boot. I on the other hand could create my own form and pull off insane feats and so I was constantly either fighting or being with him. No wonder I was so beat.

…But it was odd. I felt myself growing…weaker as time passed. And the dead kept rising. Not only that, they started getting smarter. And stronger.

It started in Ponyville, when they started running about and moving a lot faster. But that was only the start. Day by day, the dead mares and stallions seemed to be growing smarter. Instead of milling about town walls they’d actively start trying to climb up, often climbing across piles of their dead brethren, forcing the defenders to burn or bury their bodies in between undead attacks.

It made fighting them a lot harder, too. Suddenly the dead were avoiding traps left and right and even started dodging when you fought them. Add that to the ability to run you down and bite your head off and suddenly the dead became the threat Lyra dreamed of.

The Grave Wardens suffered a few losses among their numbers for underestimating these new breeds until Applejack implemented a new rule mandating that they travel in groups no less than six strong at all times. The undead were no longer just a nuisance and threat in large numbers. They were now, even alone, a significant danger. And they were growing stronger by the day.

And I was growing weaker.

It was so slow that I thought it was just my imagination at first. To begin with, I had a harder time sending ponies flying than I had before. It seemed like I needed to smack them with more force to make their brains start flying out. Gross I know, but I pay attention to these things. And oddly, I found I was growing tired the more times I had to recreate my body in the same day.

I had no idea why this was happening, and he had no idea either. I couldn’t take the time to investigate in any case, because my friends were calling upon me left and right. In light of these new attacks, they were forced to rely on my aid more and more often, which in turn led to my losing my strength even faster.

Eventually the day came when I found I had lost almost all of my strength. Well, I say that, but what I really mean is that I had reverted to the level of strength I had when I was alive. Obviously that meant I could still kick some serious tail, but that’s not enough when I would be called upon to fight a horde of thousands.

And what was worse, I had trouble reforming my body if it was destroyed. Often, it would take several minutes for me to find the energy to do it again, and that was another flaw I couldn’t afford. Still, I managed to help my friends every time they called, although I daresay they noticed my weakened state as well. But I thought I could handle it. That was until I completely lost all my power.

Ironically, my weakness hit me in Appleloosa during another undead horde’s attack. Where once I had nearly single-hoofedly destroyed all of the dead, I found myself floundering. I was barely able to fly, and when I landed among the dead and tried to strike them down, I found that they were stronger than me.

And as if sensing my weakness, the dead bit at me, tearing my face, my body, smashing me with their hooves. I had to retreat to the walls and fight alongside everypony else, and let me tell you, that’s pretty bad for morale. But I was so weak that I could barely even hold my section of the wall by myself. I wanted to relinquish my body, to fly back as a spirit and rest so badly it hurt.

But still I fought on. That day the undead didn’t break into Appleloosa, though it took every pony in the town to throw them back. Only Fluttershy’s timely arrival with a squad of Wonderbolts and the Buffalo charging the undead from the rear swung the battle, really. Though I had fought to the very end I had barely killed a thousand undead ponies where once I could have handled the entire group by myself in minutes.

At the end of the battle I stood on the battlements, my body swaying. I wasn’t even able to move anymore and I had to abandon my body even as Fluttershy tried to ask me what was wrong.

Above Appleloosa I screamed silently with frustration and exhaustion, not knowing what to do. I sensed his spirit come near me and felt his comforting presence as he tried to reassure me that everything would be well, but for once he didn’t make me feel better. I was weak, and I had no idea why. And it was that powerlessness, that sense of being helpless that I hadn’t felt since I was a mortal mare that scared me the most.

Uncertainty. Fear. Confusion.

I know. I’m an idiot. And you’ve probably already figured it all out, right? But Twilight’s the thinking egghead, not me. Even Pinkie Pie got detective lessons now and then. My critical thinking came from Daring Doo books and realizing that smashing my face into the ground doesn’t qualify as an awesome flying stunt. So give me a break.

In truth, maybe I would have never put two and two together. But fortunately for me my friends were even more concerned about what was happening than I was. And it was in the rare moment when I was watching over them rather than kicking undead brains out or being with him that things started falling into place.

They gathered in Celestia’s palace, the five of them. Well, technically a lot of ponies were present. Princess Cadence and Shining Armor, various high-ranking officials and members of the Royal Guard, a surly author who seemed disinclined to chat with anyone, a baby dragon, and even one Zebra and a Draconequus had all gathered in this place. But the five that really mattered were stood together in the center of the room.

The Elements of Harmony. Ironically, the value and weight of that title became apparent only to most Equestrian citizens after the death of one of their members. But in these troubled times, each had been a cornerstone of Equestria. They of course denied their accomplishments, but if there were unspoken words that hung in the air between the five, there were was an unspoken name that hung in the air above all their heads.

They discussed her, in roundabout terms. She was never mentioned outright, but her name was always present at the tip of every tongue. Yet it was never spoken aloud.

“—Saw her the other day, and I believe she’s weakening too Twilight,” Fluttershy was saying. “I don’t understand why, but it must be connected to the recent change in the undead.”

“And she hasn’t said anything?” Rarity caught herself. “—Well, she hasn’t so far so I suppose it was out of the question, wasn’t it?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “Not a word. But when she disappeared—I don’t think we should call on her anymore, girls. Perhaps she needs a rest.”

“We have been calling on her often.” Twilight chewed at her mane distractedly until Spike nudged her with one claw. “Oops. Sorry. But if we can’t rely on her, then what? We’re barely holding off the attacks as it is and it seems like more and more undead are rising by the day. If we don’t find a solution soon—”

“I’ve got an idea!” Pinkie Pie bounces around the other four. “I had it last night after I ate fifteen chocolate sundaes! All I need to borrow are some nails from Applejack! It’s going to be the most amazing invention ever!”

“That’s nice, Pinkie.” Rarity looked around distractedly. “But I’d just wish Princess Celestia would hurry up and tell us the important news. What if there’s another attack while we’re all stuck here?”

“Ah’ve left Grave Wardens in every city and town, and Fluttershy’s got her Wonderbolts on patrol so don’t you worry,” Applejack said, adjusting the crossbow at her side. “And you can borrow as many nails as you want if y’all think it’ll help, Pinkie. But where is Princess Celestia anyhow? When ah got the message ah thought it was really important so I rushed on over here same as everypony else. But why’s she keeping us waiting?”

“Because the pony she wants us all to meet is on the way too.”

All five mares jumped as Discord appeared out of a door in midair next to them. He wore his perpetually annoying smile and offered Fluttershy a rose.

“Fluttershy my dear, it’s been far too long. So nice to see you again! And you—” he waved at the others. “—hi.”

“Oh great, as if the undead ain’t bad enough,” Applejack muttered sourly as the others groaned and Fluttershy smiled at Discord. “Where in tarnation have you been? I haven’t seen you for—for—”

“A very long time.” Discord lost his smile. “I’ve been busy.”

“Causing trouble?” Rarity asked flatly.

“Actually, the opposite,” Discord said huffily. “I was on a secret mission for Celestia and it took me all over Equestria.”

“Oh really?” Twilight raised one eyebrow skeptically.

“Really really.” Discord grinned at her. “But don’t take my word for it. Ask your precious Princess Celestia yourself!”

He pointed one claw just as the double doors to the throne room opened and the Princess in question stepped out. Everypony knelt or bowed or in Discord’s case, blew an obnoxiously loud raspberry as Celestia entered the room. However, she wasn’t alone. At her left hand side was Princess Luna, but on her right…

“Who’s that?” Pinkie’s whisper was loud enough to be heard across the entire room.

“Shh!” Twilight hissed back, mortified.

“Thank you for coming here, everyone.” Princess Celestia smiled at the blushing Twilight and Pinkie Pie as she addressed the room. “I know it must have been hard for all of you to make it here on such short notice.”

“Oh it was nothing.” Discord waved one claw airily. “Just a few teleportation spells, a packed suitcase ready to go, and of course my lucky toothbrush and I was set!”

He nimbly dodged as Applejack tried to kick him with one hoof.

Celestia smiled, but her face was filled with tiredness that she couldn’t quite conceal. The strain of leadership had left lines around her eyes and mouth, and even her ageless grace seemed strained.

“Thank you, Discord. And I must add that it is in no small way thanks to Discord’s efforts that I was able to call you all here today. For the last year I have had him scouting out Equestria with a few others, looking for a solution to this threat to Equestria.”

She nodded to Discord who gave her what appeared to be a genuine bow.

“Discord, Zecora, and even the famed explorer Daring Doo all worked on discovering why these undead were rising, and what dark magic might be behind the undead coming back to life. And just two days ago I received word that they had succeeded in their hunt.”

Everypony murmured at this revelation and looked around. Zecora nodded calmly and sipped from a cup of tea, Discord winked and struck what he probably thought was a gallant pose—

And the grumpy-looking mare standing by herself harrumphed and drew the cloak around herself without a word. Most ponies stared at the famous A.K. Yearling with expressions of slack-jawed amazement, but she seemed disinclined to comment.

Celestia waited until the hubbub had died down before coughing lightly and continuing.

“As I’m sure you’re all aware, these are desperate times for Equestria where every hoof is needed. Daring Doo volunteered her services in order to help combat the very real threat of the destruction of all of Equestria, and I’m even told some of her former enemies joined in the hunt for clues. Not only that, Discord called upon several of his friends to search as well. That is how dire the threat facing us is.”

Everypony’s face turned serious as Celestia continued.

“These last few weeks have seen the dead rising in greater numbers than before, and they have displayed far more intelligence and cunning that previously thought. I’ve consulted with Fluttershy and Applejack as well as other city mayors and the head of my Royal Guard, and all agree that if the undead keep appearing in the same numbers as they are now, we will be overrun within the month.”

That caused a hush. But even as all those present lowered their heads or struggled with the reality of Celestia’s statement, she continued.

“But at long last, we have found an answer as to what is causing the dead to rise.”

She motioned, and the pony beside her stepped forward.

Every eye turned to the young mare standing at Celestia’s side. She had the palest white fur – not pure white like Rarity, but greyish-white, and a mane that matched her coat in color. She was an albino, and her golden eyes made several of the ponies present shudder uncomfortably.

As if noticing the judgement of the others, the mare hesitated but Celestia spread one protective wing over her and she regained her confidence.

“This is Grave Whisper. She received her Cutie Mark just a little over a year ago, and has been having…visions ever since. It seems her special talent is talking with the dead.”

At this the gentle susurration in the room became a stunned silence followed by loud exclamation and then a deafening silence as everypony realized the implications.

“Yes.” This time it was Luna who spoke. She addressed those present gravely. “We were amazed to hear of this as well, but it is a ray of hope in this dark hour. If Grave Whisper can communicate with the dead, we may uncover the source of their power and find out how to stop this plague of the dead.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” One of the captains of the Royal Guard burst out. He paced back and forth excitedly. “Let’s go grab some undead ponies and start questioning them.”

“Silence!” Luna glared at the guardsman until he wilted. “Naturally we must take greatest care to ensure Grave Whisper comes to no harm. And what we may learn from a single undead pony is unknown. Perhaps we shall have to ask countless thousands of them, but in any case, we have already prepared a few to question.”

At her words the double doors opened again and now the sounds of dragging chains echoed down the corridor. Every being present stiffened with shock as they saw several Royal Guards enter the room, dragging four dead ponies – two stallions, two mares – into the room. Self-consciously Applejack and a few of the ponies reached for their weapons, but Luna shook her head.

“They are harmless.” She pointed to the heavy chains wrapped around each pony. “But with this, we may learn valuable information, hence why you are all present to witness this.”

Every eye turned to Grave Whisper. Celestia nudged her gently and whispered to reassure her.

The young mare trembled, but with Celestia and Luna by her side, walked over to the undead ponies who were fighting to break free of their bonds. The Royal Guards stood to alert next to them, ready to spring into action as the mare stood before them.

All those present crowded around the dead and Grave Whisper, leaving a sizable space so that she was at the heart of a large circle of onlookers. The attention of so many beings should have unnerved the young mare, but she had begun speaking to the undead. Her eyes seemed to cloud over, and she began whispering—but the nature of her words and the sounds she made were somehow inaudible except for a faint sound on the edge of perception to all those present.

“They say—” Grave Whisper’s voice was so quiet it should have been barely audible, but in the complete silence of the throne room her voice echoed far louder than normal. “They say that they are answering the call.”

“The call?” Celestia’s voice was equally quiet. “Whose call?”

“The call.” Grave Whisper said. Her eyes were locked on the lead mare’s and she seemed to be in some kind of trance. “It calls them back. They cannot help it. The door is open, and so they want to come back. But they are dead and the dead cannot—but the door is open.”

“Is it a door or a spell?” Applejack interrupted. “Where is it? Can it be destroyed?”

Luna turned to glare at her, but Applejack glared right back. Grave Whisper didn’t seem to notice the interruption and whispered the question to the dead.

They shifted and groaned aloud.

“Not a spell. Not magic. It is a gateway, a portal. It was opened and they cannot close it. And it draws them back. Not just them, either. They’re waking up.”

“Who—”

Applejack’s voice cut off and Rarity kicked her hard.

“Them. They come from the darkness.” Grave Whisper shook and trembled so hard Celestia had to steady her.

“Enough.” Celestia said firmly. “All we need is an answer. Where is the portal? How was it opened?”

“It’s—” Grave Whisper began but her voice stopped. “S-something else. There’s something else they’re saying.”

She began to shake.

Concerned, Celestia tried to pull Grave Whisper away but the young mare began to twitch and jerk spastically. “What? What’s the matter Grave Whisper?”

“Something—there’s more than one!” Grave Whisper’s quiet voice began to grow louder and louder. “I can hear it! The door is open and they’re returning. And the voices—they’re screaming. They want to be free but they’re trapped! They’re all trapped!”

The undead ponies who had been silent as Grave Whisper communed with them stirred. They began thrashing and groaning throwing themselves against their bonds with such force that the iron chairs actually began to creak.

Grave Whisper’s hooves began flailing and she began shaking so violently Celestia had to hold her or she would hurt herself. But even with the strength of an alicorn she could barely hold Grave Whisper down.

“Get the dead out of here!” Luna snapped, and the guards sprang into action. They dragged the undead ponies out of the he door as others went to help pin Grave Whisper down. But no matter how many hooves held her she kept thrashing as if possessed.

“I can feel it! It’s watching!” She screamed. “So many caught between life and death! They’re all saying the same thing!”

“What?” Celestia had to shout to be heard. “What are they saying?”

The world was full of motion and sound. Grave Whisper throwing herself around madly, the cries of the ponies trying to restrain her, the raised voices of those concerned. But at Celestia’s words, Grave Whisper’s eyes snapped open and her pupils dilated until they were mere pinpricks in her eyes. And when she spoke, her voice ate up all other sounds and left only silence in their wake.

“So do the books fortell, of azure wings in blinding snow,

That when sisters wage war against eternal Darkness!

She comes, Lich Queen, eater of souls,

Whose touch shall bring death to the world!”

As the last word left Grave Whisper’s mouth she screamed and passed out. Everyone present stared at her in horror, and then looked at each other in silence.

As for me? I stared at Grave Whisper’s unconscious form until the commotion started and then flew out of there.

Chapter 9: Revelation

As mortal ponies conferred in uncertainty and fear below, so too above did my spirit and his discuss what had been revealed.

Well, I say ‘discuss’, but we were still joined. That gets…a bit distracting, but he wanted for us to be together. And you can transmit thoughts and feeling faster in that dizzying rush of connection, so it made sense.

But for once, I wasn’t enjoying the ecstasy of being together with him. My feelings were full of the same panic and confusion felt by my mortal counterparts down below, and I felt the same uncertainty coming from him.

What had that mare meant? Grave Whisper – I hadn’t had any idea there was a pony who could speak with the dead. But why had she suddenly started convulsing like that? And that prophecy—

I conferred with him, and he expressed his concerns as well. But where I was panicking over the content of Grave Whisper’s message from beyond, he expressed his reservations. How did we know that what she was saying was accurate, or that the dead were telling the truth?

I believed her. I believed that look in her eyes and the way I felt she could hear me if I had but spoken to her. But he was skeptical and that rubbed off on me a bit.

Regardless though, it seemed that what she’d said was informative and at the same time totally not. What we’d learned was that the souls of the dead were entering this world through some kind of…portal. And that they weren’t the only ones? But regardless, these dead were here against their will and something had caused it. But it still didn’t explain why I was growing weaker, and why the undead were growing stronger.

I was at a loss, but then he suggested that maybe the dead were sapping power from me. They were displaying new traits – increased strength, speed, and intelligence – while I was losing all of my strength. If there was some kind of portal, maybe it was drawing strength from spirits already present like me and him? Well, he was already so weak that it wasn’t affecting him, but what about me?

…Of course! If I had a hoof I would have smacked myself in the head for not realizing it earlier. The more dead that rose, the less power I had. It explained everything. And it definitely did seem like these two events were connected. Like Twilight was always talking about, it was a corra…corre…

Correlation. Or something like that. Anyways, I felt relieved to have an answer as to why I was feeling so weak. If the dead were somehow affecting my connection to the afterlife, or, I dunno…sucking the energy out of me to revive themselves, that would explain it.

He always has good ideas. The best. I trust him to think for me, or at least help me think. Because at the moment I can’t muster any coherent thoughts of my own.

What’s…happening?

Yet, just as I’m about to ask him what he thinks I should do next, I hear it.

A call.

Someone is in trouble. One of my friends is in trouble. Fluttershy. She’s calling for me.

Instantly I’m alert. Of course, he can’t sense Fluttershy’s call but he senses my alarm and wants to know what’s going on. So I tell him as I prepare to go to her aid. But he—

—Doesn’t want me to go. What?

Leave her. She can take care of herself. You don’t have to carry her burdens as your own. Stay here with me.

He doesn’t want me to go. That’s…but he’s right, right? Surely—surely Fluttershy can take of herself, right?

No. I must go.

But he’s so insistent and I—

I must go.

I can feel his displeasure but I have always—will always choose the same way. And yet he—I can’t just ignore his opinion. He has good ideas but…

But there’s no time to think, no time to reconsider. I leave him behind and race with my spirit to answer Fluttershy’s call.

I am so tired. So exhausted, and I have no force left within me to fight. But I must, and so long as my friends need my help I will go. I must not let them die. Yet, I sense my weakness within me, to the extent that my spirit seems like a guttering flame and his like a roaring fire and I wonder whether I will extinguish myself in this next battle.

But still I fly to my friend’s aid. And I fear that my weakness will cost me everything.

War. If it were not so before, it is now. There is war between the living and the dead.

Ponies struggle atop the battlements of the walls surrounding Appleloosa. Even here in the wild desert ponies have had to erect high walls to fend off undead incursions. But unfortunately, here at least nature has prevented ponies from building too high as sand constantly erodes the hastily-constructed foundations. As a result, the walls are ten feet lower than those surrounding other cites, and far lower than those around bastions such as Canterlot or Manehatten.

And ten feet is a lot of height when the dead climb over each other in the tens of thousands. Already the Earth Ponies are forced into hoof-to-hoof combat, kicking the dead off the walls and launching pies and rocks down at the horde with catapults.

Yeah, pies. I don’t understand it either but they pack a punch. But for every two dead ponies they knock down or squash, eight more reach the walls and climb up.

Yet still the defenders hold. The Appeloosans are tough ponies, frontier settlers who can all fight pretty well. And they’re joined by the Buffalo – or what remains of them. Only a few stragglers survived the initial attacks and those that remain are led by Little Braveheart.

The rest are led by Sheriff Silverstar and Braeburn. And commanding both sides with her few Wonderbolts is Fluttershy.

Fluttershy.

She’s outnumbered, fighting alone on her section of the wall. Already her wings are torn and her side bloodied by the undead, but she fights on. She would fight the dead alone if it meant saving one more pony. But she is not alone. I am there.

But I am failing.

My hoof strikes a zombie’s head, but only hard enough to make it recoil. It loses its grip and falls off the stone ramparts, taking several more of its kind down to the ground where they break bones. Good, but not nearly enough.

I am so weak. Even as I turn to kick at another mare coming up the wall I feel it. My every motion requires so much effort that I feel as if I am alive again. My body is leaden, my reflexes shot. Even my supernatural senses feel weakened, and I can’t sense those around me as strongly anymore.

Case in point. A stallion hits me from behind and I fall. I struggle, kicking at him but he’s above me and I’m at a bad angle. Normally that wouldn’t matter. With my strength – even with my strength as a mortal mare – I would be able to launch him away and get back up, but this time my hoof barely makes him step backwards. The stallion smashes my face with his hoof and gouges out one eye before trying to rip away the flesh around my chest.

Blackness. Half of the world is gone. It’s not a crippling injury, but I can’t heal it. My spirit is too weak to do even that. So I flail at him wildly, but the stallion just ignores my pathetic blows. I am so weak.

I have to get him off me. I have to fight. If I don’t, the defenders will be overwhelmed. There’s too many of the dead. I struggle, but I’m too weak. I have to get up! I have to. Or else Fluttershy, my friend—

—Will fall.

I see Fluttershy go down in a mass of dead flesh. The two Grave Wardens by her side shoot their crossbows desperately, but the undead ponies are endless. They cover her, tearing, biting, ripping.

I scream. It’s the first sound I’ve made with my body in years. And the sound that actually comes out of my mouth doesn’t resemble any noise I’ve ever heard. Even the undead stallion attacking me pauses for a second, but only for a second. But he does not stop, and I feel his teeth rip into my body once more.

Powerless. I rage, but I am so weak. So helpless! I can see Fluttershy still fighting her hoof sticking out from beneath a pile of the dead. But she is weakening. I cannot help her.

I am weak. I am worthless.

And I’m so…so…

So hungry.

My jaw unhinges. The stallion is on top of me, ripping at me, smashing my face into the ground. He bites me. So I bite back.

Just like them. The same sensation is burning in my chest, making me feel…alive. But like before, the desire raging in my soul can’t be quenched by mere flesh and blood. I want more. I want to eat. I’m so hungry.

So I do something I’ve never done before. As the stallion crumples to the ground missing part of his throat I step forwards. But not with my physical body. Rather, my soul moves forward and bites at him.

No, not bite. Not really. It’s an impossible thing to describe. But I feel myself grasping at him, sucking part of him into me. I am hungry, so I eat. And what I eat isn’t flesh or bone, but something in him. Something alive.

His soul.

The undead stallion’s body folds up soundlessly and slumps to the ground. There’s nothing left in it anymore. No; less than nothing. The body—it’s empty.

Such a small thing. In the course of a large battlefield, ten thousand actions take place at once. Therefore it should be impossible that one action could ever stand out. Yet—

I stand up. My soul is screaming. No—the soul inside me is screaming. I feel it raging around in the center of my being, trying to escape. Yet my soul overpowers it, little by little.

I want to vomit. I want to spew out my blackened intestines until there’s nothing left. I want to tear my face off and end my existence. That is the pain, the nausea that strikes my spirit. What I have done is wrong. Terribly, awfully, wonderfully wrong. It doesn’t just go against nature, it violates something much, much deeper.

It is wrong. But as I lift my head, my strength returns. My soul reignites, and I am whole again.

And the dead know.

They stop, all of them. Every head in the horde turns and they stop moving. Silence.

The mortal ponies stop and stare in fear and uncertainty. They’ve never witnessed something like this before. But the living are just the backdrop. The dead and I are all that matter in this place.

Every dead face is looking at me, expressionless. But I can sense their fear.

I take one step forward. And then another. They stare at me, waiting. I spread my wings, and feel the same power in them I had before.

And they attack.

There’s no plan in it, no great expectations. They just run at me as one pony, biting, trying to tear me apart. Not because they expect to win, but because they know retreat is impossible. So they rush at me, tens of thousands of souls.

And I kill them.

There’s no science to it, no fancy flying or tactics. For once I just stand my ground and fight as they do. I bite, I tear, I pummel with my hooves. And that’s because the real battle isn’t with them, it’s to contain the soul I’ve just eaten.

It revolts within me and the rest of me rebels against what I’ve done. My very soul feels like it will tear itself apart from the two existences within it, yet I hold on. Despite it, despite everything, I feel the strength of another soul within me. And it makes me stronger.

The dead mares and stallions fly away from me as my hooves strike them. Once more, I break bones and crush flesh with a single strike. And though they wound me, tearing off strips of flesh, fracturing bones, my body restores itself between the fractions of seconds.

I am stronger. And so long as the soul is within me, I will be stronger. And to protect my friends, I will be the strongest of all.

So I keep the soul within my own and fight. And when the last of the dead lie twitching on the corpse mounds I let my body collapse. But the battle to contain the soul rages on within me.

As I relinquish my body to dust and fly as a spirit upwards I struggle once more with the soul raging within my own. I can feel it fighting to break free, but it is weaker, and I am…eating it.

There’s no other way to describe it. Slowly, I absorb the strength, the memories, the very being that was the stallion – Pale Ale’s life. Brief fragments of his life flow into my own and I feel the sensations of running a brewery, raising a family, looking after my children, dying—

I fight down the emotions, stamp out his past with my own. Focus. Remember.

If it were not for Fluttershy, flying around and seeing to the wounded I might have been overwhelmed by the other soul within me. Yet seeing her continue to help others, barely taking the time to bandage her own wounds while organizing medical teams, repairing the wall—

That is all I need. The soul within me dwindles slowly, fighting my own with its existence, seeking not to be lost within the depths of my own being. It is gone.

And I am stronger.

Yes. I feel my strength returning. Just as in the battle, I feel my old abilities returning. Not to the same degree—I am still far weaker than I once was. But the soul within me gave me some of my self back.

And so I wonder—what would happen if I ate another? The act of eating one was—but if I could regain my strength, what if I ate another dead pony’s soul? What if I ate more?

No.

And yet—

I hunger.

And the realization strikes me. Of course. This is what I’ve desired all this time. When I ate him, when I tore away his flesh and tried to consume Fluttershy—it wasn’t ever their bodies I wanted.

It was their souls.

I am confused, but at least I’m not alone. As my soul struggles to comprehend what has just happened I sense he is nearby. And I go to him, instinctively. Unusually, he does not desire the connection but I am insistent, and our souls join together.

Almost at once I am overwhelmed by emotion.

Confusion is in his feelings/but fear is in his heart/yet suppress it all and fill the soul with wonderment/let full congratulations and admiration flow forth.

I recoil a bit in shock at the intensity of his emotions. Well, I guess it’s only natural he’d feel fear. But I would never hurt him, eat him—

Yet as soon as the whirling intensity of feelings hits me it’s gone and he’s projecting his amazement at what I’ve done. That’s more like it. And both he and I can sense that despite my turmoil, at least some of my strength has returned from consuming that soul.

But even the thought of eating another soul—my spirit revolts at the thought. It’s not just wrong. Wrongness is something ponies come up with. I could kill, maim, steal, break the bodies of the living—I would be fine with committing any atrocity were it not for the judgement of my friends. The dead care not about mortal values. But this…

Anyways, does my soul desire other souls because I need them to survive? If that’s what it takes, I won’t hesitate. I must protect my friends. And if I am too weak, if I fail—

But I remember the mare screaming out her prophecy. Lich Queen. Eater of souls. Is that me? It sounds so evil, but if that’s what my purpose is—

It could stop the undead. If I ate their souls, slowly their numbers would decrease. And yet, fifteen million—it would be the work of centuries. But what other choice is there?

In the aether my soul radiates confusion and uncertainty. He senses it and envelops me with his own presence. I am reassured and comforted by the presence of his soul and relax. Of course, I should stop worrying.

We confer in the way of spirits, our emotions and thoughts dancing about each other in free exchange. I find that he is equally troubled by the prophecy that might refer to me. The eating of souls…he believes it may harm me.

His affection warms what might have once been my heart. But I also sense the current of unease in him, a fear he can’t quite suppress. Is he…afraid I’ll give into my darker urges? I would never do that. I wouldn’t hurt him.

As if sensing my unease at his unease, he joins with me again and I feel that same sense of exhilarating connection. And he whispers into my soul.

Regardless of your decision I shall always be by your side…

And I feel the certainty of purpose I have always known when I’m doing the right thing. After all, the answer’s simple.

I pull away from him, my soul filled with confidence and resolve. I won’t eat any more souls. What a foolish idea that would be. It would be dangerous, and besides, I can’t tell what might happen. Even if it makes me stronger…

Even if I’m hungry?

Of course I won’t. That would be stupid. I…

Something’s wrong.

—Know he has my best interests at heart. So I’ll keep going. I’ll protect my friends. That’s my purpose. And I’ll be by his side.

Help me.

I’m suddenly exhausted. Even as a spirit I feel as if I’m tired to my very bones. I don’t have bones of course, but…I guess eating a soul is bad for me after all. Reluctantly, I tell him that I’m going to rest.

He’s unhappy and I can sense he wants us to join together again. But I need a break. And it’s not as if we’ll be apart. When I say rest, I mean as a spirit I just go and watch over my friends. It’s something I need to do anyways and being around them seems to recharge me for a bit.

Reluctantly he lets me go and I move towards Pinkie Pie, following her pretty much on auto-pilot. I’m so…tired. It’s really odd. Why am I getting more exhausted every day? It must be all the dead rising. If only there was some way to regain my strength. I must be strong. I must have power to protect—

Tired. Why so tired?

My thoughts fragment. I drift in the afterlife, my energies depleted. But a thought remains, echoing through my head.

Why? Why am I so weak?

It’s him.

I have no answer. So I drift off…

—And wake as I sense one of my friends calling out to me.

It’s like being hit by a bolt of lightning. And yes, I do know what that feels like. My entire soul comes alive with purpose and I move, faster than any mortal being towards the source of my being.

Yes, there. I don’t even bother to stop and find out what the issue is. One of my friends needs help, and so I go.

I barely sense his alarm and questions and brush past him. He pulls at me, trying to get me to stop and explain but I shake off his touch. He’s…stronger, but still so much weaker than I am. And he should know better than to get in my way. I am needed.

So I go.

My body forms in the waking world, my tissues and limbs growing with agonizing slowness. Too slow. If I were ever needed in a hurry, what would happen if I were this slow? But I am tired. Even my rest of…how long? Well, even that wasn’t long enough for me to regain much strength.

At last my body is complete. I look around, casting my senses in every direction. And what I see isn’t a horde of the dead or an accident in progress but…

Stone. Ancient, crumbling gray masonry at my feet. Enclosed walls surround me on all sides. A room, yet one so ancient that in parts the ceiling and walls have worn away, exposing a bright moon and stars overhead.

Where am I?

Faded tapestries hang on one wall, their sigils and designs lost to time. And yet one I see, perfectly restored despite the passing years. Memory flickers.

But this is all backdrop in my mind as I cast around for the one who has summoned me. I know her. Is she in trouble? Why else would Applejack call for my help?

And where is she?

Perhaps it’s my fading strength, but my senses feel dulled in this place. I know there are…others nearby. But I can’t pinpoint how many or where. But I can feel the closest pony to me quite strongly.

I turn, and peer into the darkness. Somepony is standing there. My mortal eyes can’t pierce the darkness, but the eyes of my soul can see. And as I turn, the pony steps out of the shadows.

Applejack.

“Howdy, Rainbow.” Applejack’s words sound light, but her voice is anything but. She walks towards me, garbed in her Grave Warden armor and wearing a number of weapons at her side. I look at her, confused. Does she need my help? Despite everything, she’s never called on me before…

“Reckon you want to know why I called you here.”

Good old Applejack. She’s straight to the point. I relax a bit, thinking its just conversation she wants but my instincts and telling me…I listen to her words.

“Heard you saved Fluttershy a while back. That was good of ya. Ah knew the Wonderbolts were stretched thin but...well, them dead ponies have been getting more dangerous lately. Seems a mite odd, don’t you think?”

My hair begins to stand up on end. Applejack is being chatty. That’s…unlike her.

“Well, ah bet you know but we’ve been tryin’ to find out what’s been causing all this for quite some time now. And just this morning ah found out what it was.”

Really? I’m suddenly filled with interest. What could it be? Does it have anything to do with my newfound weakness? I listen carefully to Applejack, but my heart—

I know what’s about to happen. I can see it in her eyes, in her stance. I already know, but I don’t want to acknowledge it.

“You see, it ain’t magic or some kinda curse that’s been pulling ponies back from the dead all this time.”

Around me, I sense ponies drawing nearer. Out of the corner of my eyes I see movement in the darkness. The glint of light off of a buckle, the click as a crossbow is loaded. Grave Wardens appear from every side, surrounding me, and not just from below. I can sense them on the second floor, even above me as pegasus Grave Wardens hover in the sky.

Applejack doesn’t waver. Even as her soldiers get into place, my friend, my faithful, honest companion looks into my eyes. Hers are so very tired, so very old. I see many things in them. Sadness, exhaustion, anger, and yes, hatred.

“Grave Whisper finally got back on her hooves. We got her to ask more questions and we found out who caused that rift to begin with. Turns out there's one pony that's been bringing back the dead this entire time just by existin'.”

Applejack points her crossbow at my heart. Around her, the Grave Wardens – all of them – raise their weapons. She looks me dead in the eye, and I see it in her eyes. And I know.

“It’s you.”

Chapter 10: Betrayal

I once said that I would never lose to the Grave Wardens even if they came after me. And I was telling the truth.

Before, when they tried to jump me in ones or twos I could easily kick their flanks. And that would have been true even in life, since I was always a good fighter. And since death no longer held any fear for me I could weather a thousand blows if I had to. Not that they’d be able to hit me.

Yes, even a squad of Grave Wardens wouldn’t have posed much of a threat. But what about two squads? What about if they all had crossbows? And what if…they were tougher than I thought?

The idiots that always tried to go after me were idiots. They weren’t the best and brightest of the Grave Warden’s ranks because the best and brightest wouldn’t ever try something so stupid. But what if the smart ones decided to fight too?

I can defeat ten Grave Wardens with one hoof tied behind my back. But twenty? I’d have to use both hooves. And thirty? It would be tougher, but I’d win with my ability to resurrect myself. And that’s true even if I fought forty, or fifty.

But what about a hundred? What about two hundred? What if it were more than that?

They can tear my flesh and strike me with magic, but they can’t kill me. But that still doesn’t mean I’m invincible. If I don’t want to kill them all it’s harder to fight. And the Grave Wardens are trained warriors; nearly as good as I was in life.

And there’s just so…many.

They fill the courtyard and balconies, firing in waves with their crossbows as their comrades on the ground attack me with axes, hooves, and spears. And no matter how many I take down, they just don’t stop.

The Castle of the Two Sisters is the battleground for this location. It’s perfect because it’s not only abandoned, but because the ancient walls and architecture is mostly intact. The balconies surrounding the courtyard I’m in are high and provides a huge amount of room for archers on the second floor to fire at me.

Meanwhile, on the ground floor the courtyard is packed with ponies all geared for war. They’re not wearing light armor this time. Some have chainmail, others have plate armor on. And like I said…there’s a lot of them.

Applejack stands behind her ranks of Grave Wardens, directing them as they come at me in waves. Looks like she’s leading this battle. Well, fine then.

I could run. I know it even as I duck their blades and send them flying. I could run. Applejack knows it too. I totally could. But unfortunately I’m me, and both she and I know I’d never run from a fight, much less in front of her.

…Still, this many ponies feels like cheating.

How many Grave Wardens has she committed to this battle? If I had to guess, it would be all of them. Applejack doesn’t do things in halves.

Even so, she should have known better. I’m dead. I can regenerate my body. And I can move faster than the speed of sound if I need to. Even an army couldn’t stop me.

But…what about an army of undead-hunters? They’re good, all of the Grave Wardens. When I took down the Royal Guards and Wonderbolts they barely scratched me. But they were fighting with their hooves. These guys, they use weapons.

And they go in for the kill.

I duck an axe and hit a stallion hard enough to send him flying backwards into his friends. But even as I do, I’m hit with three crossbow bolts from snipers at different angles. At the same time, two other Grave Wardens strike at me from opposite sides, one mare using a spear to try to impale me while a unicorn tries for a decapitation with a short sword.

My body blurs and the mare’s spear breaks and she crumples to the ground, her jaw broken. On the other side the unicorn loses his horn. But even as they fall, more Grave Wardens surround me and more crossbow bolts hit me.

It’s not as if they could kill me. I can’t lose. Not to them. But the crossbow bolts are annoying. Even I repair all their damage, the force when they hit me throws me off, and if they hit me in the head my body stops moving long enough for the other Grave Wardens to regroup.

I fly upwards. Time to get clear the peanut gallery before I take on the melee fighters. But no sooner do my hooves leave the ground than I am hit by fifty different spells. My body falls to the ground, riddled with burning holes and torn apart by the magic of countless Grave Warden unicorns.

I can’t lose. I can’t. Even if Applejack says—I won’t pass on here. No matter what. I still have him—I won’t die. And if they want to take me down, I’ll go down fighting. And they can’t beat me in any case.

If it was before I’d eaten the soul I’m sure they would have been able to take me down after some time. But I’m stronger now. I have most of my power back. So I can’t lose to mere mortals.

But—

My hoof hits a mare hard enough to dent her helmet and skull. She goes down, but her friends don’t even blink. They’re too well-trained and they come at me. Spear, two swords. Okay.

I step forwards and then twist my neck to avoid the crossbow bolt. I can’t lose. I’m too quick. I lunge for the first stallion and see him flinch as I close the distance between us in the fraction of a moment. Fine then. If they won’t back down I’ll hurt this idiot enough to make them all think twice—

Thunk.

For a second I don’t understand. My hoof is raised and I’m about to rip the stallion in front of me apart, but then I fall over. What?

Oh. A hatchet is lodged in my head. I pull it out and get back to my hooves, ignoring the three attacks as they cleave parts of my body apart. Three strikes and they fall back, bones broken. But who—?

Another flash of silvery metal and I catch the second blade as it spins towards my chest. I look over and see Applejack holding two more hatchets as she watches me across the sea of Grave Wardens.

Of course. How could it be otherwise? But even that won’t stop me. I toss the hatchet aside and feel more crossbow bolts hit me. Six, this time. But the damage is inconsequential. I heal up and keep fighting.

I can’t be defeated. How could I? Applejack has to know this is doomed to failure. I’m too powerful. The soul I ate—

It’s not enough. I know it. Maybe if I’d consumed more, I’d have more strength. But as it is, the single soul gave me much of my power back, but there’s still a gap in my abilities. Did Applejack know that? No, she can’t.

Another group of Grave Wardens charges me. I take them down. But the crossbows bolts are like rain—

Which idiot said fighting in the shade was fun? My body is torn apart with every passing second by the hail of attacks even as I regenerate.

I can’t lose. It’s inconceivable. It’s impossible. I’m dead; I don’t fear the living.

But.

They just don’t stop.

…How long?

I parry a dagger as it thrusts towards my face and throw a mare back into the crowd around me. Two more bolts pierce my leg. Ignoring that, I hit another stallion before he can stab me with a spear.

How long has it been?

A unicorn charges me with an axe in her mouth and another held in the air with her magic. I dodge both and flatten her. Another stallion jumps at me, horn broken, shortsword in his mouth. I hit him, and wonder if I’d fought him before.

Probably. It’s been so long—

Hours. Or has it been a day? No, it only feels like a day has passed. It’s probably only been an hour, maybe two. But I’ve been fighting non-stop since then.

Yet if I’m tired—and I am—then the mortal ponies fighting me must be even more worn out. I can see gaps in their ranks where before they filled every space in the castle with more waiting in the wings. I’m taking them down, slowly. But I’m still tired.

An opening presents itself as the stream of Grave Wardens charging me falters. Applejack notices the gap too late and calls out a warning to the archers on the balconies. Again, too late.

I fly upwards suddenly, dodging the bolts that fly at me. The Grave Warden unicorns start trying to tag me in as their archers desperately fire to keep me pinned, but they can’t stop me.

My shape blurs, and the air cracks as the upper balconies are suddenly full of falling bodies.

Finally.

Below, Grave Wardens on the ground pull out crossbows and start firing at me as I systematically hit the few remaining fighters on the higher levels. They’re pulling back, trying to get behind cover but I just swoop down and hit them, ignoring the projectiles that rip apart my body. I have to knock out as many as possible before they can regroup or else they’ll just come back later with more numbers.

It’s the third time I’ve done this. Well, third successful time. Applejack’s strategy kept me grounded through most of the fight. Her unicorns and snipers would destroy me whenever I tried to fly upwards. And when I did manage to take down the upper floors she’d call in reinforcements that had been waiting outside the castle. And though they couldn’t ever destroy me, enough concentrated magic and crossbow bolts could keep me healing long enough for them to reassemble their formations.

Three times. But by the looks of it, there’s not enough Grave Wardens for a fourth. In the first moment I’ve had to think, I cast my senses around the castle and realize that most of the remaining ponies are either incapacitated or unconscious. Only those in the courtyard are still fighting. Besides that…three. Two mares and a stallion are hiding in the rest of the castle. No need to worry about them. And the ones below me aren’t a threat.

But they are still fighting. Taking advantage of my inaction, fourteen ponies strike me with crossbow bolts and I snarl as I regenerate myself, forcing my body to recover once more.

It takes longer than I’d like. A second compared to the flicker in between milliseconds. Not too long, but it marks my exhaustion. And I am tired.

But it’s nearly over.

The upper floors are filled with the bodies of the fallen. I descend to the courtyard and smash into the foundations, raising a shockwave of masonry.

Applejack and the remaining Grave Wardens charge me, fearless, aiming for my head. I blur again, and they fall.

Applejack is the last pony to fall down. Did I hold back against her? Only a little bit.

She coughs up a bit of blood but still looks ready to fight. In fact—

I dodge left and her crossbow bolt shatters against a far wall. Applejack lowers the crossbow and glares at me. I stare back.

“Shoulda known…that wouldn’t work.” She says, coughing. “Not on you. Monster.”

Monster. That word hurts me more than any of the Grave Warden’s attacks. I lift Applejack up roughly and she dangled before me in one hoof.

“Well?” Applejack looks at me. “Gonna say something? Or will ya kill me, Rainow?”

Nettling words. They sink beneath my skin and burn. And it’s unworthy of Applejack. I stare at her grimly.

“Not gonna say anything?” Applejack’s eyes flicker left just for a second. I track her gaze and see a flash of pink hair. Pinkie? No, not Pinkie. Another pony with a pink mane. And who do I know that—?

“If you ain’t gonna talk, I will.” Applejack interrupts me. She looks upwards and raises her voice. “Second wave.”

What? What second w—

Boom. I hear the wall explode outwards a second before I’m blasted off my hooves. A single spell hits me so hard that I crash into the far wall and break every bone in my body, my flesh literally tearing itself off my body with the force of impact. And before I can even begin to restore my body a hoof smashes in my skull and the wall, sending what remains of my corpse flying into the next room.

Ow. I don’t feel the pain, but I haven’t had my body wrecked like that since—ever. In just one attack. Who—

A dark shape. A pair of wings, a glowing horn. She stands above me on a pile of rubble, as if looking down upon me is the most natural thing in the world. She is alone, but behind her is a name, a legend that lasted a thousand years. Her mane is midnight, her eyes brilliant stars.

Oh horseapples.

Luna addresses me as my body slowly recovers. She doesn’t even bother with attacking me but merely waits for me to recover in the certainty of her victory.

“Thou art trespassing in our ancient home and insulting our guests, Rainbow Dash”, she says. “We find this a grave offence worthy of your death. But since thou art death, we shall be content with your destruction.”

Fun fact. Luna speaks like she’s in some kind of ancient drama. Normally that’s funny, but it’s not so amusing when she looks like a knight out of legends. No; not knight. An ancient warrior-god.

Luna leaps from her perch to face me on the ground as I struggle to my feet.

“I must admit that when Applejack requested our help, we were eager to see whether we would prevail against you. However, it seems our estimation of your abilities might have been wrong. We found it curious how thou kept avoiding our presence despite your return. Was our royal presence and martial might intimidating to one of your unholy nature?”

…What? I’m having trouble following Luna’s trail of thought, and not just because my brains are still splattered all over the floor. It’s true I almost never saw Celestia, Luna, or Cadence and Shining Armor, but that was because I only appeared when my friends were in danger. If they were around them they were usually safe. But she’s talking, so I let her keep talking while I heal.

“Perhaps thou hast heard of our legendary titles. The Night Guardian, Star Shepard, Manicore’s Bane, Shadowdancer, among the many accolades of our past.”

…Really?

“Despite thee being of unholy nature we were content to allow your existence so long as you upheld justice and protected thine friends. But as your dark nature is revealed so too shall I no longer idly stand by while Equestria is danger.”

Luna begins to circle me, and I her. Despite her flowery language I can tell she’s on guard. And so am I, for that matter. I’ve never fought an alicorn even while dead. Seems the whole immortal thing means alicorns don’t die that much. And this one…Twilight, Cadence, or even Celestia would probably be an easier match.

Luna lowers her head. Her horn is glowing so brightly I’m having trouble seeing with my mortal eyes. But at least my deathly senses aren’t affected. Her magic is one thing, and I’m pretty sure she’s as strong as well but what really makes me think Luna’s dangerous is her eyes.

Even Applejack. Even the Grave Wardens, used to fighting the dead all the time. Even they have a bit of fear in them when they fight me. But Luna? I look into her eyes and see no fear whatsoever.

Luna stops circling at last and takes a step forwards. Her horn reaches a peak of incandescent brightness, and I can practically feel the magic warping around her.

“Though it is shameful, your weakness after fighting so many Grave Wardens means that this battle belongs to me. I shall have thee know the difference between us, Rainbow Dash. Let us settle this as immortals do. En garde!”

She leaps. I fly into the air. We clash.

And though the fire of battle is in me, and though her spells rip me to shreds as fast as I recover, I cannot help but feel it. In the back of my mind, in my very soul.

Exhaustion.

Exhaustion.

I stand over Luna, swaying. My body is torn, broken, pieces ripped apart that I can’t find the energy to fix. Below me the Princess of the Night tries to rise, but she’s too battered to do more that twitch. She pants for air and gasps weakly. I wish I could do the same.

I’m not gasping for air or breath like she is, but that’s only because my body doesn’t need to breathe. But my soul is worn out, and unlike our bodies, that’s an entirely different magnitude of exhaustion.

Behind Luna, Applejack staggers to her hooves. I’m amazed she’s still standing. I had to hit her several times during the battle to keep her from supporting Luna with her crossbow, but I must have held back too much. Or, more likely, she’s tougher than I thought.

Applejack sways falls back to the ground. I watch her steadily. She’s no threat, and neither is Luna. I just have to wait until she falls down by herself.

But Applejack isn’t done. She reaches into her saddlebags and pulls out of all things…a pocket watch. She studies it intently and glances over at me.

“Looks like…a minute?” Applejack nods to herself, and stands upright. “Ah can do that.” She can barely walk, but somehow she comes towards me, stumbling over the broken ground. “Come on. Ah ain’t done yet.”

She walks towards me. Then she trots. That turns into a gallop. She charges and leaps at me.

I catch her in midair and slam Applejack into the ground. Not hard. I only hear her ribs creak but all the air goes out of the farm pony. She lies, stunned as I turn to survey my surroundings.

…Nothing moving. What was that she meant? One more minute? One more minute for what?

Applejack tries to get back on her hooves, despite being unable to breathe. I deck her with another blow. Even if she’s my friend, I’m too angry to hold back.

Angry?

Yes, I suppose so. She tried to kill me. My friend.

For good reasons.

Even so. Even so…I can’t let her. And don’t friend stand together, though thick and thin? They don’t abandon each other. They don’t. She betrayed me. For that I should, I should—

Eat her?

Applejack groans at my hooves and I realize my mouth is open. No. Never. That not who I—

Even so. Even if she heard…how could she trust Grave Whisper anyways? She’s just a random pony.

But you know she’s right.

…

Even then. I can’t—I don’t want to—

…

I—I need to go back. To him. Everything will be okay if I can talk to him—he’ll tell me what to do.

I know what I must do.

I can’t think. I’m so tired—I let Applejack go and stumble away. I’ll go. I’ll leave and find him. I need him. I need—

My soul leaves my body and I fly upwards. Out of this castle. Why didn’t I do that earlier? I’m not thinking straight, that’s why. And I wanted to show Applejack—I don’t run. But I won so—

A shimmering violet field of magic appears in my vision. I try to avoid it but too late. I hit the wall of magic and crash back to earth. My vision is blurry, and I feel—pain!?

Yes, for the first time I feel it. Actual pain. What? And I’m back in my body? Why?

And then I see them. Two ponies. A mare, and a stallion. I hadn’t paid attention to them among the many fallen Grave Wardens. Why bother? What could two ponies do that hundreds could not? What would they have that is unique to them?

One thing. One word that trumps all others.

Love.

I can practically hear the music – a light, wonderful tune of piano keys and violin strings being played as I look at them. As they touch horns the light grows and expands. Yes, even the world seems to slow down around them. Their bond is magic, their connection greater than any other.

Of all the beings in all the world, none can match the purity of love between these two. And behind them, taking in the brilliant light of their love and reflecting it a thousand-fold is…

The Crystal Heart.

Oh no. No.

I back away, my deathless heart beating in fear for the first time. Not that. Not with them.

For the first time I am filled with true terror as I realize Applejack’s plan. From the start I thought it was folly. Challenge a being that cannot die with hoof and mere magic? Impossible, even for Luna. But the attacks with every Grave Warden and Luna herself – all of that. Was it only to wear me down? To buy time so I wouldn’t escape while they set up the one thing that could destroy me?

Of course. And as I look upon the shining glory that is the Crystal Heart and its keepers, I know.

This is the end.

“Rainbow Dash.” Cadence is the first to speak. Her eyes are filled with a compassion deeper than I have ever seen save in the eyes of my friends. “We know you have suffered. Even if death, you’ve been more loyal than any other.”

Shining Armor steps forward. His eyes are full of respect for me, and he lowers his horn once in acknowledgement before speaking. “—But it’s time to rest, Rainbow Dash. The dead shouldn’t be among the living. So we will help you find that peace.”

No, not like this. My eyes dart around frantically, my otherworldly senses search for any cracks in the magical shield they’ve put up. But there is none. And as I look at them and the Crystal Heart shining in the sky behind them, I know it’s over.

I gaze up at its awful, wondrous light in despair and silence. Oh. Of course. If there was any force that could slay the immortal dead, it would be that. Even Sombra couldn’t match its might. Even Chrysalis and her entire army were helpless just when faced with Shining Armor and Cadence alone.

So. This is really how it ends?

…

Heh.

I sweep a bow with one hoof, my body restored back to its normal form. A smile is on my face.

Cadence and Shining Armor smile back. Both bow their heads. Their horns glow brighter, so bright that the light itself pierces my soul.

And I? I fly into the sky and charge at them. But the light pushes me back. Yet I hit the Deathboom in time and the dark light flows outwards, death made incarnate. It will hit them. It will stop them, halt their magic—

Shining Armor and Cadence touch horns.

And the Crystal Heart shines with love.

Love.

A wave of bright radiance strikes the light of my Deathboom and consumes it. No; it takes in the darkness and reflects it as pure light. It washes over me and I fall to the ground, defeated in an instant.

Pain. But not just pain. Light, love, happiness, all flow into me in such an incredible flood that pain is what it feels like.

“I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash.”

Applejack…?

She’s standing over me. Tired. She looks so tired. As am I.

The light embraces us both, uplifting us both. It takes away her injuries, and rends my soul. She speaks – last words in the obliterating silence.

“Rest in peace.”

I look into her eyes. My friend. Her gaze is steady even as I am dying. Such cold eyes. Such hard eyes. But that is Applejack. She carries the heaviest burdens of us all, and even when it means killing me she wouldn’t hesitate.

But of course, in my case it is different. I am a threat, to her family, her friends, to Equestria itself. So no wonder she wants me dead. I can understand that. I can accept that.

So I stop fighting. The light consumes me, burning my soul, redeeming it. Searing away my very existence. Pain. Glorious pain. I feel alive. I am dying, and I feel alive.

It tears my essence apart. Already my hooves are gone, simply erased by the magic of the Crystal Heart. It hurts more than anything I’ve ever felt.

I want to scream. But I’m looking at Applejack, and she’s looking at me. And the thought strikes me, and I see it in her. It’s hurting her. Even though I’m an abomination. Even though I’m a monster she despises. Even though my death will save everyone. I am still her friend.

So, I smile. Just for a moment. To show there’s no hard feelings, right? Because in the end, I am who I am. And if my death means I would save my friends, if they asked it of me, how could I refuse?

And I see her expression change.

Just for a moment. Just for an instant, her hard façade breaks down and I see the old AJ underneath. The honest, stubborn farm pony that would do anything for her friends and puts their well-being above her own. And for just a moment as I’m dying, I forget I’m already dead. And two ponies stared at each other. And in the silence of oblivion, I felt it. That familiar sensation.

Love.

Not romantic love. Probably not. Not the love you hear about in fairytales and bedtime stories, at any rate. It’s not the love between young mares and stallions, that hot, passionate love that burns out, no. This is deeper. I feel it in the very heart of who I am. The love for a friend. The love for another being. And I see it in her.

Love.

And the Crystal Heart shrieks—

And shatters into a million pieces.

It’s so sudden and unexpected that for a moment I can’t take in what’s happening. But even as I watch, the fabled Crystal Heart, last defense against evil, greatest treasure of the Crystal Empire and all that…breaks into countless fragments and falls to the floor.

I feel like there should be some kind of momentous sound, some awful, terrible sound to herald the moment. But no. The Crystal Heart breaks apart with a tinkling noise and the pieces fall to the ground, mere bits of crystal.

The magic is gone.

Shining Armor stares at the broken artifact with horror. Cadence looks as well, but her eyes fall on me and Applejack. She is the Princess of Love. She knows what caused its destruction.

Funnily enough, Applejack doesn’t. She stares at me in horror, probably wondering how I managed to destroy it. And me?

I can only laugh. Silently, weakly. I lie on the ground unable to move. My body is fading away, parts of it dissolving to dust even as my soul does likewise.

It’s over.

I’m dying, even though I’m already dead. The thought is enough to make me laugh, weakly. It comes out as a raw chuckle; the first real sound I’ve made in…years. But it’s enough, yeah. I get it.

From the start, it’s all been my fault. The dead, all this tragedy, everything. So why not die? I guess it was just wanting to live that kept me from accepting my fate. Funny. Because I had somepony to fight for? Even now, I see his face in my mind. Maybe that’s why. I just didn’t want to say goodbye to him—

What?

…? Was I passing out there? A stray thought as I die, perhaps. But yes, he’s in my thoughts even now. My one true love.

No. That was Rarity.

Again. But what else would keep me here?

What about your friends?

…What?

What about your friends?

My—my friends?

Your friends. Not him but your friends.

The little voice in my head whispers louder. Maybe it was me being so close to death that did it, or maybe the magic just wore off in my head. But at last, I hear it. And I remember. My friends.

And only too late do I realize what’s been happening. Only then do I put the puzzle together and uncover the truth. Too slow, too late.

The story of my death.

Hoofsteps.

They sound out in the empty courtyard, breaking the silence. Nopony really notices. Shining Armor and Cadence are clustered around the broken Crystal Heart, and Applejack is watching me die with tears in her eyes. But I hear it. And I know.

The first to fall is Cadence. She’s bending down to pick up a shard of the Crystal Heart when her eyes roll up in her head and she collapses. Shining Armor is trying to pick her up when he falls down too.

Applejack turns to look and sees him, for the briefest of moments. Somehow she manages to bring up a crossbow and fire a bolt off, but she misses as she falls unconscious. At least she’s not dead. It’s a small mercy, but more than I could ever ask for.

There are no mercies from him, after all.

A piece of the Crystal Heart is crushed as he walks towards me. I meet his gaze, and I feel the same sensation in my heart. Joy, love, emotions of purest affection. But having experienced the magic of the Crystal Heart, only now can I compare it to what I felt around him. And so I know what I feel is a lie.

But I would know that anyways. Because to look at him in the flesh, in his recreated body is to realize who he is. And his name comes to my lips, the name he never told me but which I now know upon seeing his face.

Sombra.

The dark king of the Crystal Empire laughs softly as he halts before me. He towards over my broken form, his dark miasma twisting about his legs and purple magic seeping from his eyes. His voice is deep when he speaks, but lacks the deathly hollowness I had heard from him before. It just sounds like the voice of a stallion, the same voice I had heard so many times in spiritual form.

“Rainbow Dash. You’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you?”

Sombra nudges my body and I struggle to move. But I can barely twitch so he laughs again.

“Ah, love. I have felt it burn my soul before, but even I never dreamed you would use it against the Crystal Heart itself. For therein lies its greatest weakness. It cannot destroy a being that loves with purity of heart any more than I could ever use it for evil.”

I look at him. Just look at him. It’s all I can do. All the pieces make sense now.

“Yes, you understand, don’t you?” Sombra kicks my head gently and a bit of my flesh flies off. “It was I all along who courted you as a spirit. And each time you so eagerly flew into my embrace, I took some of your power and made it my own.”

Yes. It all makes sense now. My exhaustion every time we joined, the way he always seemed invigorated afterwards. And I never sensed he was growing stronger because he hid it from me.

“You are powerful.” Sombra raises one hoof and admires his body. “The power to resurrect your flesh—I could only do it partially, and only while I was alive. But you have the strength to defy death itself and continually rebirth yourself into this world. I admit, your strength frightened even me at first, but now that I have it, Equestria is mine at last.”

Damn him. I struggle to get up, but I can’t do it. Sombra laughs again and this time his hoof smashes my leg, grinding the bone to dust.

“Does it hurt, Rainbow Dash? Do you feel pain, knowing that the one you thought you loved with all your heart has betrayed you like this? Well, know that all your suffering was at my hoof.”

He waves, and suddenly I hear the earth shifting. Dead ponies begin digging themselves out of the soil, standing before Sombra.

“The being behind all the dead rising in greater numbers—me. The force that has stolen your power and left you helpless—me. The one who took your mind, altered your thoughts and actions until you could no longer think—me. And now, with the gates of life and death breached, I can now raise an army of unlimited numbers. All thanks to you.”

He smiles at me. “I greatly enjoyed our time together. Your efforts to please me were most amusing and pleasurable.”

I growl and this time rage gives me the strength to move. In an instant I’m on my feet and I lunge at Sombra. But he knocks me aside with a tap of the hoof and I am sent flying. His strength, no, my strength flows through him, and I am as helpless. That doesn’t stop me, though.

I fly at Sombra but his horn glows and suddenly my wings are gone. A beam of dark violet magic slices through my wings and tears off my legs. I fall to the floor and crawl towards him, but he steps on my back and his undead ponies hold me down.

“Your efforts are futile,” he gloats. “And now, I believe I will enjoy using you as a toy before I dispose of you. You, your friend Applejack, and the two usurpers to my throne. First I shall break you all, and then I will eliminate Celestia and anypony who stands in my way.”

He turns towards Applejack, horn glowing. Desperately, I try to regrow my legs and wings, to fight off the dead holding me down. But I’m too weak to do even that.

Sombra steps towards Applejack and then stops. His head turns. So does mine. We both stare into the shadows.

“Come out.” Sombra growls. “No living being may hide from me.”

“Ookie dokie lokie.”

A pink pony steps out from behind a broken wall. I groan at the sight of her, and wish it were anyone else. But even Celestia wouldn’t stop Sombra, not now. But Pinkie? Please, no. She should have run.

Pinkie Pie walks forwards towards Sombra slowly, tugging at a piece of string. Attached to it is a familiar sight.

“What’s that?” Sombra points to the object Pinkie’s tugging along.

“My special anti-meany-pants device!” Pinkie says. She sounds…almost cheerful. But there’s an edge in her voice I’ve only heard once or twice before. Carefully, she aims it at Sombra. “It’s a great hit at parties, but I don’t have any confetti in it at the moment.”

Sombra looks at it, but he clearly has no idea what it is. I on the other hand, know perfectly well what Pinkie has and I don’t understand why she’s using it like a weapon. It can blow away one or two changelings, but not kill an undead pony and certainly not Sombra. What is she doing?

“What is it?” Sombra’s horn begins to glow ominously. “Answer me, or I shall make your death even more painful.”

“It’s a Party Cannon.”

“A wh—”

Boom.

A thousand nails explode outwards in a cone of devastation. Sombra, for all his magic doesn’t even have time to react before they tear into him.

Nails. Pointy bits of metal. Hurts if you step on them. But if. What if you hit a pony with one that’s travelling a hundred meters every second? What if you decided to put a hundred of them in a Party Cannon and fire that instead of confetti?

That’s what Pinkie thought. That’s what she wondered about. And I have to say, it takes a kind of twisted mind to think of something like that. I mean, once you get the idea it makes sense. But who would have thought of using an innocent Party Cannon to kill ponies?

Pinkie. And you know what? Her idea worked.

For a moment after the explosion I can’t hear or see anything. The flash of light was so bright it overwhelmed my mortal senses, but as the smoke clears I can see Sombra.

Headless Sombra.

A magical force field shimmers and warps before exploding into violet fragments. Looks like Sombra did put up a shield to protect himself, but the force of the nails shattered it. And not only that.

The dead ponies holding me slump, and then fall over. Their brains, chest, and even legs and riddle with countless holes. So am I. But I’m dead, and Pinkie aimed high.

“Whew!” Pinkie shouts and trots over to me, wheeling her deadly modified cannon behind her. “Good thing I got all those nails, huh Dashie? And hey, was that Sombra? Did I kick his undead flank or what? Hey, we should have a party! We could call it a killing-Sombra-with-a-Party-Cannon-party—”

I don’t have time to yell. Sombra’s headless corpse moves suddenly and Pinkie chokes as he grabs her and lifts her off the ground. Another moment and his head is fully restored, his body undamaged.

“Impressive.” Sombra’s eyes flash fury as Pinkie struggles and choked sounds come out of her throat. “If I were not possessing a greater power than before, I might have fallen to your weapon in battles past. But today I am immortal. And for harming me however briefly, I will make your suffering eternal.”

His hoof tightens. Pinkie Pie’s bones begin to crack.

No.

Sombra looks around just in time. My soul hits him and his soul is ejected from his body. Both our mortal shells topple to the floor and vanish into dust as I push against Sombra, thrusting him out of the physical land of Equestria and into the afterlife.

You still oppose me? I have all of your power and you have nothing. You are but a little ghost compared to my might.

I will kill you.

We are both already dead. And you cannot even hold me back.

He’s right. In my desperation I managed to push against Sombra and strike at his soul with my own. But as soon as he recovers he pushes against me, and it’s like pitting a mountain against an ant. No matter how I try to devour his soul or tear apart the fabric of his being I can’t even scratch him. And he doesn’t even need to try to harm me. All I can do is evade his overwhelming presence and annoy him while he attempts to destroy my spirit forever.

You are weak. So pathetically weak!

Sombra attempts to rip my soul apart but I dodge. I can’t explain it, but even in the afterlife there are places I can flee to where he cannot. For all he has been a spirit for thousands of years, he hasn’t ever battled in the afterlife. Neither have I, but it means that while we are unevenly matched, it is hard for him to hurt me.

But as soon as Sombra realizes this he changes tactics. His attention focuses down on Equestria below as I hit him ineffectually. I sense what he is doing. Through the opening, the invisible rift that allows the dead to return to Equestria Sombra reaches in and pulls more souls through. These unwilling spirits he forces into bodies and orders to attack Equestria.

By the tens of thousands they rise. Not every day, but every hour, every minute. An overwhelming flood of the dead assaults every populated area in Equestria even as I helplessly try to destroy their master.

I struggle with Sombra, an endless battle for supremacy in the void above Equestria. Time has little meaning here, but it is a battle that is fought on two fronts. Even as Sombra fights me above in a battle in which I am outmatched at every turn, so too do his dead armies besiege Equestria.

The undead are rising everywhere, attacking in coordinated waves every major pony settlement in Equestria—already countess towns and villages burn in the wake of their passing.

My soul batters at him, but he has all of my strength, my power. He laughs, holding me effortlessly at bay as he summons more and more of the dead.

The pony settlements waver as the dead crash against their walls in an endless stream. First one city falls, and then another. All seems lost.

But then the dead begin dying! A huge mass of souls is suddenly liberated all at once. And every front begins to push back the dead and their souls are released, fleeing back into the safety of the void.

Sombra struggles to send them back, to maintain his hold. He is weakened, so I fight back. And his rage and shock echo throughout the afterlife. And I wonder what could have caused this—

Party Cannons. I see them deployed on the stone walls, firing down at the hordes of the dead. Pinkie’s colorful designs are lost, replaced by hard metal and graceless steel. They glow, still blue-with the forge fires as ponies fire them down into the crowds.

Nails. Small rocks. Even giant rubber chickens. Actually, only Cheese Sandwich fired those. But they shred the dead, wiping them out by the tens or even hundreds. The Grave Warden’s crossbows can’t even keep up, and they’re assigned to sniping stragglers. The hordes waver, and then break against this new weapon.

Sombra rages and I rejoice. But in that victory comes my defeat. Turning his attention from the broken undead he devotes his attention to catching me, hunting me down even as I flee. I cannot evade him forever, and at last I am caught, helpless.

I laugh, even as he strikes me down. But then he invades my very soul and takes—

The last of my strength. My very being is desecrated, my essence faded, cast aside. And he laughs. And then I feel true fear.

He appears before them as they gather in the wake of the last attacks. Five of the most powerful beings in the world, Celestia, Luna, Shining Armor, Cadence, Discord. Rulers of their respective domains. Unmatched in magical power. Only Twilight is missing, still flying on her way to Canterlot.

And then, he destroys them.

One by one, as if mocking their weakness. First Shining Armor, then Luna. Two warriors down in an instant, smashed by his hooves. He is strong. He has my strength. They are twigs and he is the storm and he breaks them.

In an instant, Discord strikes at Sombra with his magic, transforming him, confusing him with shapes and modes of being I can’t understand. But Sombra’s magic is dark and twists even chaos. Even as the battle rages, Discord weakens—falls. He had used too much of his power protecting Equestria, and now…

Celestia and Cadence strike at Sombra with all their magic. And destroy him. His body is torn to bits, blasted apart, his magic defenses breached in countless places by their magic fueled by their rage.

But.

He is immortal. And so he returns in an instant, his wounds healed, his magic replenished.

If. If he had just his own strength maybe they would have triumphed. Even alone, Celestia might have matched him. But he has my gifts, my unearthly powers. Death can no longer contain him, and the living cannot hold him back.

He breaks Celestia even as Cadence tries to burn him from the face of the earth. And he toys with her at the last, letting her waste her magic on him, mocking her inability to save her husband, her friends…

She falls, weeping once he is done amusing himself. Only then does he lower the magical barrier and let my friends charge into the room.

Destruction. Devastation. Fallen, the pillars of Equestria. And standing above them all, Sombra.

He issues his challenge, his voice booming out across all of Canterlot—all of Equestria.

“Come, children of the light. In the frozen wasteland I will be your end. Come with armies; come with steel and magic and fire. Only death awaits.”

The others hold Twilight back as she screams at Sombra’s back for him to turn and fight. But all he responds with is laughter. She, they, all things are beneath his contempt.

He leaves the broken forms of Princesses and Gods lie in his wake.

And then he comes for me.

This is the ending. This is how it all ends. I try to muster even a fraction of my soul to oppose him one last time, but I have nothing. I am nothing.

For a while he toys with me, as only spirits can do. Let us just say he subjects me to agonies, and only when he tires does he finally discard me. Without anything left I fall to Equestria, a fragment.

I fall to earth like a shooting star. Yet my spirit leaves no crater as it lands, and all that breaks away are parts of myself. I am broken.

It is over.

Around me I can feel the dead rising. Sombra’s call echoes through the afterlife, calling upon the unwilling souls to rise and answer his summons. I hear it too, but I am helpless to respond either in vengeance or obedience.

I am dying.

Truly dying. It isn’t just the destruction of my body this time. I was dying in truth the moment the Crystal Heart burned me. But if that was a slow poison, Sombra had cut off my limbs and left me bleeding by comparison. It is far quicker, but still a painful death.

Very painful.

Not because I can feel much. Indeed, I can barely comprehend the hurts inflicted upon my soul. No, it hurts because I’ve let everyone down. Everyone.

My friends, Equestria, even the dead. All will suffer because I was the one who opened the gate, who rescued Sombra, and gave him my power. I, who loved unwisely and trusted too much. And now I will perish before the end.

There’s nothing I can do.

Nothing.

I cannot even muster the energy to fly as a spirit. I can only watch as my very being dissolves. I have no strength left. None at all.

But still, something inside me calls me to fight. It tells me to not to pass on, to create legs that I might stand, to create hooves that I might fight, to give myself a voice that I might shout defiance even to the last. But there’s just nothing in me that has the power for it. Not even my rage against Sombra, not even the depths of my hatred can provide me with a second more of life. What could give me that strength? What could defy my death that has so long been overdue?

Loyalty.

—Ah.

My soul whispers that word. A simple statement, a pledge to infinity. An oath, a way of life, knowledge and certainty. The heart of my being.

Loyalty. Friendship.

I am broken. My soul flickers and breaks, and I feel my very being slipping away. I am…dying. In truth this time. I have nothing left to give, no power in me to even exist any longer. But this time above any other I am needed. Yet I am empty, broken.

But I am needed. And so long as I am needed, I will rise.

—So I stand, one last time. My soul shatters, and my spirit breaks. I unravel, but what remains is enough. Enough for one last chance.

So I move, despite my broken body. I fly, though my wings are torn and ragged. I move, though my soul itself fails. Because I must. Because I am called, and because I cannot rest just yet. So I go.

For friendship.

For vengeance.

To protect those I love.

To punish those who would take away from me.

To save a life.

To end a life.

Despite pain.

Despite death.

I will not cease.

Not yet.

Because in my heart I can still see.

Five mares, and a small dragon.

A shining light.

Five Cutie Marks.

A rainbow in the sky.

A smile on every face.

And it calls to me. A single word that death itself cannot break.

Loyalty.

Author's Note

Major spoilers, so read this only if you want to make sure you caught everything. As things are nearly ending, I’m going to play a little game to see how many readers got what.

Maybe I wasn’t too obvious or things weren’t that well-written, in which case let me know. But here’s a little tally for those who might have figured out some things before they were revealed. Add up your points and let me know how many you got in the comments!

Elementary Twilight Deductions – Figuring out that Rainbow was the behind the dead rising. (+6 Points)

Advanced Pinkie-Sense Investigations – Uncovering Rainbow’s hidden thoughts. If you have a format set to something other than the Standard – Light format you may have seen it already. Otherwise, highlight strange gaps in Chapters 8, 9, and 10 to hear the whispers. (+10 Points)

Discord Leaps of Logic – Deducing that Sombra was the ‘he’ Rainbow encountered in the afterlife. (+20 Points)

Bonus Achievements:

-Getting the Skyrim prophecy reference. Alduin’s Prophecy = Grave Whisper’s Prophecy. (+2 Points)

-Getting the Dragon Age reference. The Grave Wardens = Grey Wardens. (+3 Points)

-Guessing what Pinkie needed nails for. The Party Cannons. Or just guessing they’d be used at some point. (+8 Points)

-Getting the Zelda: Majora’s Mask reference. “You’ve met a terrible fate, haven’t you?” (+4 Points)

Reward for getting 0-19 points: Nothing. I guess it wasn’t that obvious.
Reward for getting more than 20 points: Nothing. Feel good about yourself.
Reward for getting everything right: Bragging rights? Also, predict how the story ends so we can all marvel at your genius.

Chapter 11: Death

Step. Step.

The sun is fading from the sky. The shadows lengthen, and Equestria prepares itself for night. Yet, tonight may never come.

It is a dark sky that descends upon the world, one devoid of stars or even the moon. And, if one looks up, they would see that the sun is not sinking in the sky normally. Rather, it is fading, it’s radiant light slowly dimming and turning to pitch blackness. No; not pitch black. Something darker than black.

It is not Celestia’s work. Neither she nor Luna are moving the sun and moon about in the sky. This is another force at work, and it seeks to consume the sky itself.

All across Equestria, ponies look up and feel fear. Greater fear even than that which they feel towards the dead, the monstrous creatures that have risen in the millions in the last few days. The dead at least can be stopped, with hoof and steel, and the might of the Grave Wardens and the powerful Party Cannons now deployed across Equestria.

But the sky? The sky is a thing that belongs to alicorns and legends. Any being that could bring darkness to the sky is more terrible than anything normal ponies could dream of facing.

Yet, even as many ponies despair the call goes out across Equestria. From every corner ponies are summoned, every Grave Warden in Equestria, every Wonderbolt and reservist, every pony that can fight or even hold a weapon. All are called to battle. And the word that rings upon every pegasus messenger’s tongue and echoes in the cries of despair among the hearts of mares and stallions alike is one name.

Sombra.

He has challenged the living to a battle in the Crystal Empire. He has broken three of the four Princesses, defeated the Chaos God himself, and shattered the Crystal Heart. Now he threatens to drown Equestria in an endless ocean of the dead unless he is stopped. So fight.

Fight.

And from every corner of Equestria they come. Pegasi, Earth Ponies, Unicorns, all answering the call. They have heard Twilight Sparkle’s plea and desire to protect their home. But more than that, they all feel it.

These are the end times. This is the final battle, the last stand of the living. To fall here would mean the end of life, the end of Equestria. So they walk, or ride, or fly to the north, the frozen wastelands where nothing may live.

They travel quickly, and the fading sun shines on their backs as the shadows become twisted mockeries of reality. But the last rays of the sun falls upon another figure as well.

Step. Step.

My body is falling to dust.

But still I walk on. Even as I am consumed by nothingness, even as my soul’s flame flickers, I walk.

And yet—

It is not enough.

I raise one hoof and my entire leg begins to flake apart into the finest ash. I try to step forwards, but my hoof and everything up to my knee is gone. I stumble, fall.

Not enough. I am dying. Even if I try, even if I stand—

I paw at the ground, hobble onto three legs. I lurch forwards. I must go.

But still. I am dying. And that is fine.

But I must not fail.

…

How long? I only know that I have stopped. That realization makes me move forwards again. I must keep moving. But something is in my way.

A…village?

Yes, a small one. Only a few houses, nothing more. Some quiet place where ponies live in the middle of nowhere. It has a small wall, but war has not touched this place yet.

I stare for a long time at the village. Ponies walk around below me, talking worriedly, casting glances towards the sky. They are afraid. Not of me. They don’t even know I’m there. Rather, they’re afraid of what the sky portends. They fear Sombra, the undead, and for the lives of those ponies who have gone to fight. They are innocent.

At last, they notice me. An alarm goes up among the ponies and they grab weapons. But they hesitate when they see it is not an undead monster but…

A strange pony stands in village’s main road. She does not look dead, but neither is she alive. She is something in between.

The feathers of her wings blow gently in the air. The faded colors of her mane flicker in the breeze. And her body slowly disintegrates even as they watch.

She is dying.

But she does not seem to be a threat. The ponies lower their weapons but don’t approach either. They are not terrified, but they are still afraid.

The pegasus sways on her hooves. She has only three of them. The last leg is a missing stump, and even as the ponies watch her body seems to flake away into nothingness. She seems lost, unsure. And more than that, mortally, terribly tired. But still she stands and does not move. She is watching the living.

And at last one of the living moves. A small colt walks forward, ignoring his mother’s attempts to grab him. Cautiously he approaches the pegasus and feels her eyes upon him. But she makes no move and so eventually he comes closer. And looks into her eyes.

She stares down at him, a pegasus between life and death. And the young child looks up into violet eyes that glow with light from another place. Yet it is not a harsh light, and her face is calm.

So he smiles.

She smiles back. It transforms her face, and makes her seem…

The colt grins back happily. The pegasus lowers her head, and he looks at her expectantly. She brushes the tip of his forehead with her lips.

A gentle kiss.

The ponies of the village sigh with relief. The child nuzzles the pegasus and looks up with her. He smiles with happiness. The smile never leaves his face. And he collapses, without another word.

Silence.

The pegasus straightens. Her four hooves touch the ground. And her body no longer seems to fade. She looks around, with more force in her eyes.

And the living know.

And they sigh.

Right before…

They die.

A battlefield. A place of war. And war never changes, but this war is different. For the two sides are not separated by petty factors such as appearance or culture, but by a difference as old as time.

The living and the dead.

They struggle with each other, in a nameless field where the flowers are long since-trampled into the mud and where bodies fill the ground. It is a large conflict between thousands on each side. But this is only a minor skirmish, a chance engagement before the larger conflict to come.

The living and the dead both travel to the frozen north. But here they have met, and waged terrible battle.

Soldiers and civilians grapple with the dead ponies that assault them tirelessly. The few Grave Wardens among them fire their crossbows, and a single Party Cannon booms constantly. But the dead are numberless, and the living outnumbered. They will fall here without help.

But as the living fall back, giving their lives and ground to the unloving, the tide shifts. All at once the dead cease attacking, and the living press their advantage. But not for long. In a few minutes they too stop. They sense it too.

The dead halt where they stand. They turn to look upwards. The living follow the dead and see her. A female pegasus, standing atop a hill. The darkness is complete, yet light still exists. It comes from her.

A pale blue light envelops the pegasus’s body. It spreads outwards from her, a soft radiance that is gentle and terrifying at the same time. The living cannot bear of the sight of it and must look away or be blinded. But the dead stare at her.

Her body is falling apart. Parts of her flake away and dissolve to dust even as she stands still. But her eyes, her eyes. They still shine with violet brilliance, two stars in the darkest night.

The dead collapse as she walks by them. Silently, without a sound. And as they fall, their bodies fall to dust and swirl around her. To the living ponies, it is as if each pony kneels before the pegasus before turning to dust in her hooves. And she in turn looks at each, as if giving silent benediction and farewell.

And then she turns, and the living see her. And her eyes are filled with regret. That is the last thing they see.

Bodies collapse. Ponies fall at their tasks, peacefully, without a sound. And the pegasus walks on while around her life flickers and fades. Not just ponies, and not just the dead. Trees wither. Flowers die. The grass turns black and shrivels. All around her, the world goes silent.

The pegasus walks on. And death follows behind her.

I walk. And the dead walk with me. They are in my soul, in my very essence of being. And I am stronger.

My senses return to me. In an instant I am once again aware of the world. I can sense the dead travelling to the north and the living moving just as quickly. Neither side concerns me. I walk on, in a straight line towards where I know they are all waiting. And around me the world dies.

Plants. Animals. Ponies, both living and dead. All flow into me. Their souls I pull from their mortal bodies and consume, hundreds, thousands at a time. And though my heart—

No. It must be done. I have no excuses, none.

So I walk on. And the dead inside me grow with every passing step.

Sombra has raised an army of millions. Against him is a far smaller army, made of living ponies armed with steel and fire and magic. Alone, they would not prevail. But another army marches north.

They walk in the tens of thousands, no, the hundreds of thousands. But they have only one hoof that steps in the soil, only one pair of wings that carries them across hundreds of miles. They are legion. But she is one.

And she is coming.

The greatest army the world has ever seen assembles in the frozen wastelands of the north, outside of the Crystal Empire. The dead souls gather, called by their dark master and stand in the millions, awaiting battle.

And opposing them are the armies of the living.

I stand high above the battlefield on a mountaintop, waiting. Watching. I am tired. So very tired. And the screams—they all scream within me. Begging for freedom. But it is not time yet. So I watch. And wait.

Sombra orders the advance. The living dig in, set up their weapons. Nearly a million ponies, griffons, even minotaurs, dragons, and a single zebra stand against the dead. They stand against the endless waves of the dead without flinching, and leading them are five figures.

Five ponies. Not the most powerful or the most cunning or charismatic, but perhaps the bravest. Five friends. Five heroes. And they will not fall so long as they are by each other’s side.

The dead attack.

There is no method to it, no strategy. They just charge, an endless mass of gaping mouths and rotten flesh. And they are met with fire and sword.

Across the ranks of the defenders Party Cannons boom, firing superheated shrapnel that fell the undead by the thousands. Next to them, dragons incinerate the landscape and crossbows fire endless waves into the horde. They die in the tens of thousands with each passing second. But still they come on. On and on without cease.

How many died to cross the dead land between the armies? Perhaps a million. But for every pony felled hundreds more trampled their corpses. And still more were behind them.

They smashed into the ranks of the living with a terrible crash of flesh meeting metal. But they made no sound, and so the battle was filled with the shrieks and cries from one side alone.

Yet despite the numbers, despite the endless wave that poured towards them, Equestria’s army didn’t break. They didn’t even fall back.

The dead were many. But they were not organized and could not attack all at once. So even as they charged Equestria’s first line of minotaurs, armored ponies, and stakes, it was still an even fight. And as the front ranks exacted their toll of death before falling back to the second line, the dead fell in droves. And their bodies created walls, and those walls created more delays. And through it all the Party Cannons boomed and the crossbow arrows fell.

The dead died.

But they did not cease, despite their losses. The dead would never stop. And if it were just them alone perhaps the battle would have been simple despite the numbers. But their leader was different entirely. His soldiers were dead, but he commanded death. And where he moved, death followed.

Sombra strides across the battlefield, dark clouds heralding his presence. His horn glows and spits magic at the ranks of the living. All his black magic touches – whether dragons, ponies, or stone fortifications – all turns to dust. By himself he creates gaps in the defenses of Equestria’s army and the dead pour through. And he is immortal.

But the living will not break so easily. And even as they fall back, their artillery booms and their archers fire again. Unicorns in the thousand fire mass spells to destroy the undead and burn them from the earth. But still. It is not enough.

He stands among the firestorm that breaks upon his army, a black shadow against the light. And though Pinkie Pie targets him with her cannons and Applejack’s Grave Wardens fill the skies with arrows and spells turn the darkness into day, he does not fall. Even as the tide of the undead is pushed back again and again, Sombra does not fall.

Contemptuously, Sombra’s horn flares and a dragon falls, scales black and twisted as a scythe of black energy strikes its heart. The living shudder, and their morale begins to waver.

But.

A flash of light, a brilliant burst of energy. Sombra’s head turns. Around him the dead fall, vaporized in an instant by the magic blast directed at him. Even he is forced to raise a shield of crackling dark magic. His eyes narrow.

Starlight Glimmer fires another wave of brilliant white energy at Sombra but he counters with a dark purple miasma that absorbs the light and sends it back as crimson splinters. They pierce even Starlight’s shield and she falls back, wounded. But she was never the main attack, merely a distraction.

Dragon fire. It burns around Sombra, obscuring him from sight. Spike and three dragons burn his position at range until their breath gives out and they too fall back. Where they have struck the ground bubbles and burns but—

Sombra steps out of the smoke and ash and laughs again. His horn glows. He points his horn at Spike and—

An alicorn dives from the sky. Straight down, out of the clouds. She has been ready for this exact moment, moved into place through the attacks of her friends to buy her cover. Her horn glows with brilliant light and fury is in her eyes. But that is not what captures every eye. It is what she holds before her.

A sword. A sword forged of crystal that glows with pink light.

The Crystal Heart, remade. The magic of the Crystal Empire forged into a weapon. And as she dives the living roar and the light of the Crystal Sword shines brighter.

Sombra snarls. He raises his horn but a Party Cannon booms. The metal shreds his legs and he stumbles. In an instant his body is restored, but it is enough.

Twilight collides with Sombra in an explosion of light. The sword of crystal strikes Sombra deep in his chest and the light bursts outwards, destroying every undead pony around Sombra. And he falls back, his eyes lifeless.

A cheer goes up across the battlefield. Equestria’s army shake their weapons and shout for joy as the dead falter, their guidance gone.

Twilight sighs in relief. Her wings are shaking from the speed of her descent, and her hooves tremble on the hilt of the sword. But it is over. He is dead. She pulls at the Crystal Sword—

And it breaks apart in her hooves.

Twilight stares. The army of the living continues to rejoice, oblivious. But she knows. Involuntarily, she takes a step back. The remaining pieces of the Crystal Sword, the last hope of Equestria forged in dragonfire and with the magic of love, falls to pieces on the ground.

And Sombra’s body stirs. With a single movement he gets back on his hooves. And that one action is enough to silence the jubilation of the living. And with the second he crushes their hopes.

Sombra looks at Twilight. He looks at the army of the living and the broken army of his undead, barely a few hundred thousand left out of millions. He gazes at Twilight, Princess of Friendship. And then—

His mouth opens. Sombra smiles.

Twilight stares at him in horror. Her mouth opens. She breathes one word.

“No.”

Sombra wrenches the sword made out of the Crystal Heart from his chest and drops it to the ground. The bloodless blade gleams once in the light before his hoof comes down and smashes it to bits.

“Yes, indeed.” Sombra laughs deeply. “This place you call the Crystal Empire. The transitory lands where empires rise and crumble to dust. In venturing north, armies and heroes discover the truth of this world.”

His horn glows. The sky darkens. A howling, shivering moan seems to emerge from the ground. The army of the living shifts and shakes in fear. The dead raise their heads. And Sombra looks at me, his gaze never wavering.

“The sun fades. The Princesses leave their thrones. And at the call of the Gatekeeper, the dead return. At the end of things, the Crystal Heart will shatter to dust.”

He smiles at Twilight.

“And the Undead shall rise.”

The howling cries from the earth reach their peak, and suddenly I realize it’s not the earth that is screaming, but what lies beneath it. A crevasse opens up, no, an abyss. The earth splits in two and the darkness pours out of the cracks in the world. The dead spill forth.

Not pony dead. Nor minotaur dead. Nor the dead of any creature still living in Equestria. The ancient dead, the monsters of lore and legend, these are what emerge. Things that died long before the sun ever rose upon Equestria, those that feared the light.

They have many limbs, some of them. Creatures with bone-white flesh and eyeless faces pull themselves out of the earth, sharp teeth snapping as, even in death, they hunger. Others of their kind were never born with the need to move about on hard ground, and instead slither or squirm towards the living, dark poisonous fluids oozing from their every crevice, staining the earth dark and killing the soil itself.

The dead are not to be feared, was it? Perhaps not the dead of my kind, at least not when faced by a trained and disciplined force. But I see the Grave Wardens falter, and even Applejack cannot hide her fear in the face of such monstrosities.

The living fall back in disarray. And the horrors continue to rise.

A new army charges the living. But this one is far deadlier. Even as the first of the monstrosities hits the forward rank of the defenders, their claws extend. Their fleshy tendrils slice outwards at the speed of sound and cut through metal, and they spit acid and grab ponies whole to be swallowed. They rampage through the ranks of the living without even slowing.

The army wavers, then breaks. The Grave Wardens fight and die in close quarters, their crossbow bolts useless against the armor of the enemy they face. And the Party Cannons themselves are too weak. For every abomination they fell through combined fire, there are countless more that speed towards their positions, too fast to be fired upon.

Ponies flee. They drop their weapons and run. The undead are one thing, but this is a battle they will never win. So they flee and are cut down mercilessly from behind. But in places some fight.

Pinkie Pie holds the line, firing her personal Party Cannon into the ranks of the monstrosities, buying time as ponies flee around her. But they are coming.

A dark shape ripples underneath the ground and explodes upwards. Pieces of ponies fall around Pinkie as she fires twice into the gaping maw and the beast falls back into the earth, dead once more. But another monster comes at her from the side, smashing Party Cannons and their fire teams aside as it rages towards her.

Pinkie fires her last round and looks up. Above her is a great skeletal beast that gazes down upon her with vast, empty eyesockets. She does not retreat. There is nowhere to go.

Applejack is struggling towards Pinkie, but her way is blocked by a horde of monsters. Fluttershy is fighting in the skies, Rarity and Twilight are stopped by Sombra himself as he conjures a barrier of black magic to halt them. Pinkie is alone, against a horror from the darkness.

It raises one limb, a piece of bone the size of a house. It swings downward at Pinkie, almost too fast to see. She watches it fall, calmly. She closes her eyes. And smiles.

The bone club falls. The air warps. And a single hoof rises to block it.

The earth shakes. A thunderclap of sound breaks across the noise of the battlefield. In the sudden silence a piece of bone the size of a house flies upwards and smashes into the ground with an earthshaking thump.

The nameless horror halts and regards its broken limb. It looks downwards. Even with its empty sockets it sees.

Two violet eyes that burn with life in death. A pair of azure wings. A blue pegasus. And a mane like rainbows.

It recoils. It tries to flee. But I reach out and touch it. Gently. Softly.

The monster relaxes. It’s massive, twisted body of bone falls backwards. It begins to turn to dust, and then that dust blows away. It is gone before it hits the ground.

Silence.

I look down at Pinkie. She looks up at me, and smiles. Once. I smile back. But I do not touch her. Instead, I walk.

The battlefield is full of broken bodies, torn limbs, and corpses. But though the living stare at me dumbly, the twisted dead do not. As I approach they retreat. They fall backwards, unwilling to stand before me. So the tide of the dead opens up as I face him across the battlefield.

Sombra.

He stares at me in horror. He senses me now, as I unveil my presence. He knows. He knows in his very soul, but he does not know yet. So I address him. For the first time in a very long time, I open my mouth.

And speak.

“Come,” I say. My voice breaks and rolls like thunder. “Come and see.”

Sombra flinches back from me. No, it would be fair to say the world flinches backwards as I unfurl my wings. Vast, azure wings that shone with white and blue radiance spread out across the world, larger than castles, wider than nations—yet confined in mere physicality to my back. And I shine with light.

The radiance that comes from me is not part of my mortal body. Rather, it is the portal in my soul and my soul itself giving off an unearthly light. And it is another sign, anther mark. I am a pale rider and all who look upon me know what I herald.

And Sombra trembles with mortal fear because he knows as well.

His horn glows. In desperation he draws on dark magic which breaks open the sky and shatters the air as he strikes at me. Spells of horror, dark pulses of magic ripple across the battlefield, breaking holes in the earth, tearing rifts in reality.

I walk through it all. My steps are soft upon the earth. The spells touch me, and fade away. I walk through it all, and with each step I travel closer, ever closer. What is distance to the dead? A thousand feet and a single hoofstep are one. So I walk, and he is before me.

Sombra turns to run. But my hoof catches him, and he is powerless to resist.

“Stop. Stop!” His voice echoes across the battlefield as he screams at me. But I whisper, and my voice is louder still.

“It is time to go.”

“Never!”

Sombra batters at me. His hooves smash against my body, his magic engulfs me. But I hold him lightly and he is helpless. And I begin to fly.

He is crying. Like a colt who has misbehaved. He alternates between screaming at me and pleading for mercy. “Don’t do this. I will forswear all vengeance if you let me go.”

The dead should not trouble the living. I hold him tighter as I fly higher. It is time to go.

I can sense it, now. It is so obvious when I look. There is a disturbance in the world, a great rift. The barrier that separated the souls of the living and dead is breached, and so the spirits of the deceased can return and claim new half-lives if they wish.

Reality itself is torn. But it is such as small hole. As small as the size of a soul. But again, large enough to encompass countless worlds. And I see it and know it must be fixed. The gateway must be opened, the one who broke it must pass through. And then it will all end.

So I must open the gateway. It’s not hard. I know how to do it. Deep down, I guess I have always known how.

I am high above the battlefield now. High enough so that the ponies below, living and dead, look like ants. But they have never been ants to me. And below me I can see. Five ponies, staring up at me. I wait a while, and memorize each face. And then I begin to fly.

Slowly. Then gradually, faster and faster.

The world is warping. Just like before, like every time I performed a Deathboom the air begins to howl. But this time is different. I know. And so the world begins to twist.

In the air above the battlefield something opens. Is it small? Yes; infinitesimally tiny. It is a gap so small you could never see it, the size of a soul. But at the same time, the rift is so large that it fills the sky, a dark hole that reveals—

The living cry out and look away. But I stare into the other world calmly. And I fly towards it, faster and faster, holding Sombra in my hooves as he struggles.

“You fool!” He screams at me. “You don’t know what awaits us! That dark hell will eat our souls! We will be lost forever if you do this! You have no idea what lies beyond!”

I look into his eyes. The eyes of a monster, a villain, a mortal seeking immortality. But in this place and in this time, all I see in his pale irises is fear.

“—Then let’s find out together.”

Sombra screams and tries to break free, but I hold his very soul in my hooves. And I will never let go. And both he and I know it. We can feel it. It is time.

So I smile, even as I accelerate. The wind tears at our mortal bodies, but the black wind emanating from the portal tears at our very souls. Yet I continue, flying towards it faster and faster.

Fast. Faster. The air is streaming around me, trying to hold me back. I feel it pulling, so hard. But I have broken through the barrier ten thousand times. And so I go faster.

Such speed! I feel myself flying, and this time I can actually feel the flight. I laugh for the sheer joy of it, even as Sombra screams. And the portal is upon us. Just a little further. So I go faster.

Deathboom. Rainboom. Which was it? All I know is that I break through the barrier at the last moment. The portal before us both, Sombra and I. It pulls at us, and we enter it.

But. Just as my soul vanishes, just before I go, I look back. It’s silly. I don’t ever look back. I’ve always been the kind of mare that does what I want without regrets. But just this once I look over my shoulder. And see.

Five mares, and one dragon. They stand together, watching me. Even from this far away I can see all of their faces as if they were right next to me. Some are crying, others smiling. But their eyes are open. They watch me, and I know they all see my face. One last time.

It is enough. I smile, and let the void claim me.

I pass to the other side. My soul fades. And it is all over.

The portal closes. The gate is shut. The world trembles as reality stabilizes. And the dead die.

All around the icy battlefield the undead begin to topple over. For the creatures of the abyss it is a quick thing; their souls fleeing their corpses in an instant, leaving only nightmares and ash behind. But for the ponies it is different.

The mares and stallions pause, shaking their heads and frowning as if waking from some deep sleep. They look around, and then focus on the living.

Ponies stare at each other, across the whirling snows. And they know each other. Though time has changed the ponies still alive, the dead have not changed. They look at old lovers, friends, comrades, enemies, unburdened by the pettiness of life. And the living stare back, in tears, and wonder.

These are not the undead. These are no monsters to be fought against, horrors to be feared. This is different.

Is it a few minutes that pass, or hours? For the souls that meet each other, it is a quiet eternity. But eventually it ends.

The dead begin collapsing, their bodies turning to dust as their souls finally exit this world, free of their bonds. But as each falls they smile, or nod, and bow their heads to the living. And where they pass, the world is changed. Their forms go, but memories remain.

At last, the dead are free. Their souls are no longer bound to the living world, and the living no longer need live in fear of death.

The living stand, trembling, staring at a sight they will never forget or understand. All are transfixed, save for six.

Six. Five mares and a dragon stand together, staring into a blue patch of sky. There is nothing remarkable about that space, save for what was once there. And that sight is burnt into their very souls.

The sky is blue and clear. Nothing is up there, not even clouds. But as the wind begins to blow, something falls back down to earth. All six stare as it floats every downwards, carried by a strange breeze. It falls among them, and all look. And see.

A single blue feather.

It rests in the snow, untouched, perfect. For an instant all six pairs of eyes stare at it and see ten thousand different sights. And then the wind picks up, and the feather flutters away into the sky.

They weep then, as they did once, long ago. Five friends and a young dragon hold each other and shed tears for a friend they knew, a friend long gone but never far away.

And in the sky blooms that last sign she is still watching. And as they stare at it then and every time in the coming years, they remember. It is hers. Their bond with her that is stronger than death itself.

A rainbow.

Epilogue

So that’s it. End of story. I bet you were expecting something else, right? Maybe a grand battle or some kind of epic duel between Sombra and me? Yeah, hate to disappoint you. But that’s tragedies, right? It’s when things just don’t go according to the plan.

And it was good, wasn’t it? I finished what I set out to do. I got rid of Sombra, ended the undead threat which I really started in the first place…and I even did it with a bit of style, if I can say so myself?

Right? No? I thought it was cool. But it really doesn’t matter, does it? My friends were saved. That’s what counts. That’s really all I’ve ever wanted.

So. A last word. I have told my story now, to you my audience. To all of you in fact, so you can know why I did what I did and how this all came to pass. I never wanted you to pity me or feel sorry for me – that’s not why I told it. Really, I just wanted you to understand. And if you hate me, that’s fine too. I can listen.

…How many of you? How many souls have I consumed? The answer is all. All of you, from the smallest filly to the largest stallion, the greatest wizards and the most powerful alicorns. You are all here.

I told a lie at the end. Well, not told. But I let the living believe what would make them feel safe. It may be wrong to trick them, but I have never been as honest as Applejack. But I will confess it to you all, dear audience. The truth you already know.

The gateway is open. I have not closed it yet. I am not ready to pass on. But the dead will not trouble the living. They will not rise, and the world will continue on as normal. I will make sure of that. So long as I may still return, I will hold you, all of you within me. And no matter how hard you try to escape, I will never let you free until I am finished with life.

…How long? A hundred years, perhaps. Or a thousand. Even if it takes until forever passes, I will wait. Until the last of my friends passes I will watch over them. Until they have no more need of me.

So remember even as you scream. Remember as you rage, and remember as I hold you. It is unfair. It is wrong, and it is selfish. But that is loyalty. And I will never abandon my friends. So I shall remain, guarding the place between life and death, taking every soul that passes.

Until my friends are all gone from this world.

Until I know they are safe.

Until we can be together again.

Until the end.

I will be waiting.