The softness of the white, puffy clouds helped ease her body as the glistening glow of the heavy skies pierced her eyes. Rainbow Dash's eyes slowly fluttered open as she hunched forward. She was in a white void of nothingness; the only thing that graced her vision was the clouds beneath her skin and the sun.
Rainbow Dash got to her hooves and trudged through the clouds. Dark circles lay beneath her eyes, and it felt like her hooves were smothered in cement—a familiar feeling every time she woke up. Out of nowhere, a book appeared in the air and came crashing toward her.
In a flash, she zipped toward the tumbling volume and caught it in one swift motion. "Geez, I've only just woken up, and this place is hurling flying books at me? At least warn me in advance."
She flipped the book over and inspected the cover. It was a bright baby blue, decorated with clouds, a glowing light, and a golden staircase.
Rainbow's face darkened as she tightened her grip on the book. "Oh, another reminder that I'm dead! Just perfect!"
She clutched the book to her chest and kept trudging forward. She wanted to throw it away, to collapse onto the clouds, curl into a ball, and cry. But what would be the point? Avoiding reality? That was the last thing she should do, especially when she was alone, wandering above the clouds in silence.
Time passed, but nothing changed—just the same old clouds and the same old silence. How long had she been dead? Five days, maybe? Yet, somehow, it felt like eternity. Every day was the same: wandering the heavenly skies until exhaustion finally overtook her. If heaven was supposed to be some perfect sanctuary, an ideal life, then why was it so boring? Why did it feel like purgatory?
Rainbow Dash's hooves trembled before finally giving in to the countless hours of trotting. She stumbled and fell onto the clouds, the softness beneath her reminding her of pillows from home.
"Home... I'd do anything to be there right now, reading Daring Do in bed with Twilight, watching the stars, and even—" Her face flushed as a goofy smile spread across her face. "—even kissing. I'm such a nerd. I wonder what Twilight’s doing right now? Probably some nerdy princess stuff."
Rainbow's smile faltered at the thought. Princess. That word hurt so much. Princess Twilight Sparkle, ruler of Equestria. She was proud of Twilight for becoming a princess. It had meant they could fly together, race, and prove who was the fastest. She always won, of course, but it wasn’t the competition that mattered—it was the bonding.
But when Twilight became a princess, Rainbow knew the inevitable would happen. Twilight was now immortal, unable to die. It sounded beautiful on paper until the dark reality settled in: Twilight would outlive her. Rainbow would wither away like every other pony, just like autumn leaves, until her time came.
Rainbow banged her head against the clouds in frustration, a single tear trickling down her face. "Twilight, I'd do anything to spend more time with you. If you're out there, please give me a sign! Even if it's just a cloud turning into a replica of you or a Daring Do book—just anything! I can't handle being on my own any longer."
As her words escaped her lips, a piece of paper swayed in the air, gently floating down until it reached her chest. The pegasus grabbed the piece of paper, a flicker of hope igniting within.
Turn around.
Rainbow's heart skipped a beat, and she turned quicker than a lightning strike. A lavender pony stood still, a loving smile on her lips, eyes sparkling with warmth. It was her.
"T-Twilight? Is that you?"
Twilight nodded and stepped forward. "It sure is, Rainbow. And before you ask, this isn't some dream. This is real."
Rainbow felt the floodgates open, and tears poured from her eyes as she sprinted forward and wrapped her hooves around Twilight, planting a kiss on her face. "Twilight! You're here! You don't understand how boring and awful it's been without you."
"I know, Rainbow. I understand. It's been the same for me too," Twilight said, patting her on the back. The pegasus jumped and giggled, which Twilight found completely adorable.
"Twilight, I'm just so happy you're here! It's been so long!"
"Five days is considered long to you?" Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow.
Rainbow nodded like a foal offered candy. "Of course! These last few days I've just been moping around, hoping for something interesting to happen. But now that you're here, everything feels good again!"
A warmth spread through Twilight's cheeks. It had been hard letting Rainbow go—the day she passed on was the hardest of her life. The countless tears, the sleepless nights... It was just too painful to process that she was truly gone.
"Everything feels good for me too. You don’t understand how hard it's been for me, ruling Equestria without you by my side. It’s been tough, and really stressful. These sleepless nights are catching up with me, and I’ve been kinda sloppy lately," Twilight confessed.
Rainbow’s expression softened as she stroked Twilight’s mane. “Twi, please don’t let my being gone affect your royal duties. Try to be as awesome and nerdy as you were when I was there.”
Twilight sniffed and wiped her face. "I-I know, but without you, I don’t have a pony to cry on anymore. I’ve been isolating myself from the rest of the Elements, Celestia, and everypony else."
"The others?" Rainbow said solemnly, cupping Twilight’s chin. She gazed into those beautiful purple eyes, and it stung her to the core knowing Twilight had avoided her friends after her death. But in a strange way, she felt touched; Twilight loved her that much and needed time to grieve and mourn. "T-Twi, please, I understand that me being gone hurts, but don’t abandon the rest of your friends because of me. I know you need time to heal, and that's perfectly fine, but just remember what you represent."
Twilight’s eyes glistened as she looked down, pressing her lips together to stifle the sobs. "I-I'll try my best to hold onto them."
Rainbow pulled her into a hug, burying Twilight’s head against her chest. "Thank you. And just remember, you’re the Princess of Friendship. Just because I’m gone, don’t let your friendships fall apart. Let everypony support you. I know you want to deal with this all on your own, but it was you who taught me and everypony else that friendship is magic, and that friendship makes everything better. Can you promise me you’ll open up to them about this?"
"I-I promise," Twilight said, slowly slipping out of Rainbow’s grasp, a new spark of hope in her eyes. "I bet you’re wondering how they’re taking this."
"How are they holding up? Are they staying strong?"
Twilight rubbed her hooves together and stared at the clouds. "Well, mostly. Your death was so sudden; it caught us by surprise. We couldn’t believe it was real at first, but when we realized you were really gone, we all broke down."
"I can imagine."
"Yeah, we all wished it was some awful dream. But as more updates came in, it sank in that you were really gone."
"How did each of them take it specifically? I can imagine Fluttershy took it the hardest."
Twilight nodded and exhaled. "Yeah, she did. But, luckily for her— I can’t believe I’m saying this... Discord helped us calm her down."
A faint smile appeared on Rainbow’s lips. "Discord? Not surprised. He’s always had a soft spot for Fluttershy. What about Rarity?"
"She was devastated. She told me she had been making matching dresses for our 40th anniversary, but she scrapped it."
Rainbow’s eyes widened in surprise. Had it really been 40 years since she and Twilight started dating? Thinking about it, she looked the exact same as she did all those years ago. Did heaven have some power to reverse aging or how ponies looked? Maybe she was overthinking things.
"I can imagine it was some daring-themed dress? Right?"
Twilight nodded with a smile. "Yeah, it was. She was telling me we could dress up as Daring Do together."
Rainbow playfully rolled her eyes. "Of course. But anyway, how about Pinkie Pie and Applejack? Those two lovebirds have always kept up to date about our relationship. How did they take it?"
"They took it about as well as you'd expect. They were the first to know about your death. Pinkie started crying and used Applejack as a shoulder to cry on. Applejack turned into a frozen statue and didn’t say anything."
"I can only imagine Applejack was the last pony to accept that I passed away. She probably didn’t accept it because of how stubborn she is."
Twilight sighed and stood there silently, lost in thought.
Rainbow Dash fluttered her wings and hovered above the clouds. She knew she was right.
"Y-Your death… it was just so unexpected. You had no health problems."
Rainbow shrugged nonchalantly and landed back on the soft clouds. "Life is weird. The healthiest of ponies can drop at any moment. That’s just how life works, I suppose."
Twilight reluctantly agreed and lay on the ground, staring at the sky.
Rainbow watched her intently, a faint smirk forming on her face. She might as well try to lighten the mood somehow. "Unexpected death is the understatement of the century! Passing away in my sleep? I wish I’d gone out fighting, not sleeping. That’s a pretty uncool way for me to go out, personally," Rainbow said, crossing her hooves and playfully rolling her eyes.
Twilight chuckled, a smile forming. "I always thought the perfect way for you to go was by reading and just drifting away."
Rainbow smiled from ear to ear, loving seeing Twilight like this. "True, but I wish I had a Daring Do book by my side. I had this strange feeling that something was going to happen."
"A strange feeling? How come?" she asked in a confused tone, leaning forward.
Rainbow shrugged. “I’m not sure. I just felt more tired and sluggish than usual. Old age really gets to most normal ponies. My flying days before I passed don’t hold a candle to when I was in my prime.”
Twilight sighed nostalgically. “Prime Rainbow Dash? That was when I introduced you to Daring Do and when we started dating.”
“Yeah, those were the days. It was pretty awesome of you to help me be more confident with my reading habits. Remember that time I went to the hospital and got hooked on Daring Do?”
“I remember it like it was yesterday!” Twilight said, her face reddening with a huge smile. “The best part was when you tried to steal the book because you had to leave the hospital.”
Rainbow grinned mischievously. “It’s not my fault it was so good. I wish more books were like Daring Do.” She wiped her hoof on the clouds, her heart pounding in her chest. “How about we take a walk around the heavenly skies for a bit? We’ve got so much more to catch up on.”
Twilight nodded and offered her hoof. “Together?”
“Together,” Rainbow said, wrapping her hoof around Twilight’s as they began strolling above the clouds in a comfortable silence that was like music to her ears.
“Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked, breaking the silence.
Rainbow’s body jolted from surprise. “Y-Yeah, Twi? What’s up?”
“Don’t you find it ironic that even after death, we’re still able to talk to each other like the old times?”
Rainbow thought about the question and tightened her grip around Twilight’s hoof. “Yeah, actually, it is. And you know, I’ve realized there are three things guaranteed in life.”
“What are those three things?” Twilight asked curiously.
“Life, death, and taxes.”
Twilight giggled and playfully jabbed Rainbow’s shoulder. “Is that so? Because I think there’s a secret fourth thing that only applies to us.”
“What’s that?”
“That not even death can separate us.”
Rainbow smiled brightly and nuzzled against Twilight’s neck. “You’re right about that. Actually, I’ve got a quick question: how did you even manage to get up here? Isn’t it illegal to transport between Equestria and the afterlife?” She joked wi the a playful grin
“Well, Celestia taught me a spell that allows me to do that, so if there’s anypony to thank for this happening, it’s her. Thank her next time you see her.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Rainbow said, over the moon about everything. “Twilight, there’s one more thing I still want to ask.”
Twilight arched an eyebrow. “And what’s that?”
“Why is heaven so empty? And so boring? It’s just a clear sky. I thought heaven was supposed to be a perfect world where you get to live and breathe the things you loved doing every day.”
“Well, Rainbow Dash, you’re actually in a stage called purgatory at the moment.”
“Purgatory? Like, I’m dead, but not quite?”
“Exactly. The best way to explain it is like waiting in line at a coffee shop, just waiting to place your order.”
Rainbow chuckled. “That’s such an odd analogy, but I’ll roll with it. So, are they letting everypony go to heaven before me because they know how awesome I am?”
“You’re such an egomaniac,” Twilight said with a smile. “It’s cute. But no, you’re still in the queue. Celestia has a list of ponies waiting to enter heaven.”
“That’s pretty wicked,” Rainbow said, staring up at the vast expanse of the clear white sky. “So, what should we do to pass the time? I’ve got an idea—something we haven’t done in a long time.”
Twilight fluttered her eyelashes with a sly grin. “What? Make out?”
Rainbow blushed, smirked, and ruffled Twilight’s mane. “Twi, I’d love to, but I was thinking of something a little less intense. How about we take a trip down memory lane and read some Daring Do? Like you always used to say, ‘You can never go wrong with a little Daring Do.’”
Twilight flicked her mane, and the original Daring Do issue materialized out of thin air and landed in her hooves. She clutched it against her chest. “Then it’s settled. I’ve got a few hours to kill before I need to return to Equestria, so let’s take our time with this, okay?”
“Of course, Miss Bookworm,” Rainbow said as they strolled through the clouds, searching for the perfect spot to sit and relax. No matter if she was in the afterlife, above the clouds, or waiting to be brought to the real afterlife, one thing was certain: not even death could tear them apart
