Author's Note

The points of view have changed in this chapter. The story is now being told in 3rd person.

Also, I’m basically going with the flow here. No plan, just me and my stupid mind that’s eventually going to write me into a corner. And, on top of not having a plot line, I have bad logic and memory, which means I have a higher chance that I might not stay true to what I have written in previous chapters. Be warned.

A Deathly Conversation

The pony-turned-entity awoke to a blank, dark expanse with nothing currently in sight. There were no lights, but she could see just fine. There were no solid objects there, not even a floor, she simply floated there without the use of her wings. She couldn’t feel anything other than the cold, lifeless atmosphere that drifted throughout the void, it sent shivers up her spine.

“I see that I was able to establish a connection to you.” A ghastly but soothing voice said out of nowhere. The former pegasus couldn’t locate where the sound had come from, it just seemed to echo around her.

“Who... who are you?” ‘Rainbow Dash’ asked, looking around cautiously.

“You wouldn’t remember me. We met when you were just a filly, during your first ever race. The one where you performed your Sonic Rainboom.”

“Oh yeah? Try me, I might know.” Dash challenged.

“Alright then, let’s talk in person instead, shall we?” The voice was getting closer, Rainbow Dash could feel it.

“Where are you? I can’t see anything!”

“Behind you.” Dash quickly jerked her head to look behind her to see a grey-hooded figure with a murky-white coat and a scythe floating next to them. The figure looked at her with their eyes, if they had any. An empty space similar to the void around them filled the sockets where the eyes were supposed to be. And, with the hood fixed for Dash to see that the figure had no coat at all, just bones. Dash, startled by the appearance of the figure, jumped back while gasping silently.

The figure, seeing Dash’s discomfort, chuckled lightly. “It’s not like I’m going to hurt you. You’ll have to do that all on your own.” That seemed to have calmed Dash a little. “To answer your question, I am Death, Guardian of The Gates and the Judgement Demon of The Afterlife.” Now it was Dash’s turn to laugh. ‘Death’ seemed skeptical.

“Okay, now I know that I’m dreaming.” She said with a crazed smile.

“I assure you, this is real. We’re in a place commonly referred to as The Void, the place between the mortal realm and the afterlife. This is where souls are judged by me after they pass on. If they’ve been good, they get granted eternal life and live a happy life in paradise. If not, they burn in Tartarus.” The fallen angel explained.

Dash took a while to process the information while nodding slowly.

A question popped into Dash’s head. “Wait, if I’m here, am I dead?” She asked calmly.

“No, as I mentioned before, you have to do that on your own. I merely established a connection to your soul and brought you here. Your body is fine.”

“Okay. But about the whole “me-meeting-you-but-not-remembering” thing..?” Dash asked, dragging the last syllable of her sentence.

Death’s eye sockets widened and smiled rather fondly. “Oh, it was a spectacular sight, your first rainboom. But due to you being exposed to such strong forces of gravity without having the chance to adapt, your blood wasn’t able to flow properly and you passed out which eventually lead to your ‘minor death’.”

“But then how was I-... my counterpart able to survive?” Death, noticing the change of pronouns, decided to play along as well.

“I saw her soul appear in my realm, wondering what she was doing here. Her time was not yet up and her absence in the timeline would throw the whole nation into chaos. I saw her destiny, to become the Element of Loyalty, to serve her country as one of the most powerful means of defence, to meet five, very special ponies who would eventually become her lifelong friends.” As Death brought up the other element bearers, he noted the expression on Dash’s face become more strained. He almost felt sympathetic.

“So, I decided to bring her back.” Death said, as if it were a small feat. Dash seemed surprised.

“Wait, you can do that?”

“Yes, but it comes with a price. I had to use one of the souls to fuel her own. I mostly use the ones that I keep with me.” He answered while holding up an upside-down heart shaped, golden locket around his neck bone. It had a line running down the sides of the locket, as if it could be opened. “Do not worry though, all the souls I keep are the twisted ones. Murderers, psychos, power-crazed maniacs. There are bound to be some amongst all the harmony.”

“Now that I know that, can you answer why I’m here? You already told me that I wasn’t dead.” Dash’s question made any sign of a grin drop from Death’s face.

“I brought you here to warn you about the power you possess. It isn’t normal for the elements to grant mortals this kind of power.” Death explained, eyes shut.

“Then why did I get them? I can feel it, it’s different from friendship.”

“Yes, it is not friendship you felt. Something more... dark. Loyalty had transformed you into this, so you could say that it’s a darker version of Loyalty. You’re still loyal to your friends, but your intentions of revenge had twisted the harmony of the elements, as well as yourself.” Rainbow nodded along.

“So, I imagine there’s a catch?”

Death nodded, almost sadly. “Yes. Since technically, this incident was never supposed to take place. You should have been destroyed along with the rest of your friends and be reunited with your original counterparts. This change caused a shift in the timeline, affecting its outcome. I’ve seen something like this happen before, but this time, it’s slightly more serious.” Dash looked confused, but Death wasn’t finished yet.

“In other situations, the timeline would find a way to create a time paradox and make sure everything is stable. But this time, it can’t. The easiest solution would be to kill you off,” Death paused to look at Rainbow. It wasn’t pleasant, but not exactly a ‘this is all your fault and we want you dead’ look either. This made Dash uncomfortable, but Death looked away eventually. “...but somehow, there’s a glitch preventing you from dying that easily.”

After an uncomfortably long silence, Dash asked. “What happens if I... don’t die or fix this problem?” Death sighed and hesitated before speaking.

“Then eventually, the timeline will collapse and erase itself. There isn’t a specific time when that will happen, if it even happens. It is more about how much you change. There may be a way to prevent the aftermath of this curse, but so far, none has been found in recorded history.” Death looked at Rainbow Dash, pale, dull, unusual look for a pony with eyes that reflected sadness, pain, regret and exhaustion, his own full of sympathy.

“So, if it eventually comes down to that, I can only apologise for everything you’ve been put through.” Death stated, lowering his scythe through the cold air and placed a bony hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. Dash nodded wistfully, looking down with her bangs covering her eyes.

“That is all I needed to tell you. I hope you make your decisions wisely.” Removing his hoof, Death swung his scythe at Dash and, before she knew it, she was laying in the Everfree Forest near the edge of a cliff surrounded by trees.