So... I thought a further were in order.... I hope I didn't complicate the plot too much for the next person...
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Applejack sprinted down the tunnels behind her parents. Her father was taking care not to shake Dash too much, and her mother had taken the lead. Soon enough however, they hit a dead end.

“What’re we gonna do now?” Applejack said. “We can’t jus’ turn back!”

Her mother smiled at her, and replied, “There ain’t no dead ends in Tartarus. There’s only secrets and shades.”

“Jus’ what in tarnation does that mea-oh.”

Applejack’s higher brain function stopped momentarily as her mother slid her hoof into the wall, and proceeded to do the same for her whole body.

“But that-you can’t-that’s imp-“

Carrot Seed grinned at Applejack. “Logic doesn’t really have no place in here. Tartarus operates on some diff’rent physics or somethin’ like that.”

“So it’s Discord’s paradise,” Applejack muttered to herself. Still, she wondered what could have been so horrible as to cause the God of Chaos to be banished from Tartarus. Did he say something about an umbrella? Whatever it was, it wasn’t important right now. Dash needed her right now. Applejack walked through the wall, shivers coursing through her body.

As soon as she passed through to the other side, Applejack opened her eyes, and saw what seemed to be an exact replica of Ponyville. Everything seemed to be just as she had left it before her death.

“Is this where I’m gonna be stayin’ from now on?” she inquisitively asked her parents.

“No, honey Tartarus is for-“. Carrot Seed was cut off by a sharp hoof to the flank by his wife.

“You’re right as apple pie, sweetheart. Dead ponies like us don’t really like to give up everythin’ we worked for when we were alive, so we make it again, good as new.”

Behind her, Rainbow Dash shook her head, and let out a groan of agony.

“Buck. We gotta go find that doctor!” Applejack shouted at her parents.

“If I seem to recall, there was a Dr. Splint ‘round here somewhere….I thought we might’a passed him by.” Red Delicious turned back and sprinted.

Some lengths later, she turned back and shouted, “Found him! Right here! Says Phineas T. Splint, M.D!”

Her father went forwards, and Applejack followed him. Her mother knocked loudly on the door with her hoof.

“Dr. Splint! Dr. Splint! We need ya! Got an injured pegasus, still alive!”

At the words ‘still alive’ the door opened with a bang, and Dr. Splint trotted forwards. He had a thinning green mane, and a dull yellow coat. He wore extra-thick prescription glasses, and walked with a slight limp. All in all, he was not an extremely impressive specimen of pony, but there was an intelligent glint behind his glasses that said much more about him.

“Still alive? How interesting! But some allowance had to have been made, yes?”

With a firm look on her face, Red Delicious spoke. “Yes. That shouldn’t bother ya none right now doc. Ain’t it your job to fix up hurt ponies?”

Looking slightly cowed, Dr. Splint said, “That it is, that it is. Bring that pegasus inside, and I shall take a look at her.”

Her mother and father followed Dr. Splint inside, and Applejack was just about to, when a whisper of, “Psst! Applejack! Come here!” caught her. She whirled around as saw Meph looking at her expectantly.

“What is it now?” she said.

“Do you want to make a deal? I could-“

“No. None o’ that funny business right now. I got an injured marefriend to deal with right now, an’ I don’t need anything else to come into my life as of this moment.”

Meph sighed. “You earth ponies are very stubborn to deals. Well except one, but he was a very interesting case.”

Applejack’s interest was piqued. “Who’s this interestin’ one?”

“He was called Faust, and he was very intelligent. He wanted to know everything, to do everything. So he made a deal. I would serve him, until he reached a point of extreme happiness. And eventually, he did. And then I collected the interest.”

“What’s this interest?”

Meph gave a soft smile. “His soul.”

Applejack’s jaw dropped. “His soul! What kind of a foolhardy, foolish pony would ever give his soul over to someone else!”

“The kind of pony that wants some pleasure in life, at least before they die. So, what do you say? Will you take another deal?”

Could she really take a deal? It would mean losing something invaluable, but she could get her parents back! She would never feel alone when her other friends talked about their family. She wouldn’t have to take care of Granny Smith and the farm. Most importantly, she could spend more time with Rainbow Dash.

“What’s this new deal?”

Meph grinned. “I knew you’d come around! Okay, the new deal is this: You and your parents get to live again. So does your marefriend, who doesn’t die from her injury. Your sister and brother are alive and well.”

“So what’s the catch?” Applejack was confused. This sounded too good to be true.

“The catch is…. I get your soul. And with it, the Element of Honesty. So as soon as you die up there, you come down here. And you won’t get a cushy life either, like these other dead ponies do. Maybe I could send you to help Cerberus? Yeah, that’d be perfect!” Meph stuck out her hand. “Deal?”

Her parents, alive and well, together with her brother and sister? They’d be a family again? And Dash wouldn’t be a ghost, like in her dreams! She had to give up the Element of Honesty, but there were other honest ponies out there. She couldn’t be the only one.

Applejack began to reach her hoof forward.

Dun dun dunn!

As a side note, we have 9 people remaining, if we have everyone on the list still participating. If yes, I figure that some resolution should happen within the next 4-5 or so people. The last 3 or so have the job of wrapping all this up.

Unless we want to have some repeats to fill the slots of those who missed.

896430
Yes, speaking of repeats to cover a few people, how do you guys feel about it? It would take place after the next 9 have gone, so you'd be wrapping up the fic.

896519

Right now, it seems like it has the potential to go either way. Maybe the next 5 or 6 people can work toward a resolution that doesn't feel rushed, maybe not. We'll probably have a better idea in two or three more chapters.

That's my two bits.

Here is my chapter. Hope you guys like it!

A blinding flash appeared in the plains, and three princesses and one draconequus appeared. They galloped to the entrance to Tartarus, knowing it was there without being able to see it. Celestia knocked on the invisible gate.

“Mephistofilly!” she shouted. “This is Princess Celestia. Open this gate right now!” The three princesses waited for some kind of response, but nothing happened.

“That’s odd,” Celestia said. “She’s never ignored me like this before.”

“Perhaps you should have asked nicely,” Discord said with a wry grin.

“This is no time for jokes, Discord,” Celestia said. She stared at the entrance, pondering. “We’re going to have to force our way in.”

“But sister,” Luna said, “that would be incredibly dangerous. With the gate to Tartarus open, the dead might be able to walk free.”

“The dead are nowhere near the gate,” Celestia said, “so they would never realize that there would be a way out.”

“But is it even possible to break through the gates of Tartarus?” Luna asked.

“Yes, how do you propose to enter the land of the dead?” Discord asked, unable to suppress a look of glee on his face.

“I believe you and I have the capability to do this, but it will be dangerous. Twilight, Discord, I suggest you step back.” Twilight did as she was told while Luna and Celestia bowed their heads, their horns glowing with an ephemeral aura. Their magic surrounded the gate, so that Twilight could actually see its shape outlined in yellow and midnight blue. Discord summoned comically large earplugs and shoved them into his ears.

“You might want to cover your ears,” he told Twilight. Twilight did so and lowered herself to the ground. Suddenly there was an explosion as the gates blew open. Dust blew through the air, blinding the four of them for a moment. Once it settled, they looked to find that the way to Tartarus was now open.

“There’s no time to lose,” Celestia said. “Let’s go.” The four of them galloped into the cold depths of Tartarus without looking back. A chill wind blew through their coats while their eyes tried to adjust to the stifling darkness. Twilight had seen the inside of the entrance when she had led Cerberus back there, but had never found herself inside it.

Wait a minute, Twilight thought. Something’s wrong...

“Where’s Cerberus?” she asked. The other three stopped and turned, looking around the cave. There was no sign of the three-headed dog anywhere.

“Maybe he went to fetch the paper,” Discord suggested. Luna huffed.

“We don’t have time to look for him now!” she said.

“My sister is right. Applejack and Rainbow Dash are in grave danger. We need to reach them as quickly as possible.” The four of them set off again, the dark path sloping steadily downward. As they plunged further into the depths of Tartarus, they started to smell a rotten odor. Twilight didn’t want to know what the source of it was, but Discord and the other two princesses knew it belonged to a terrible creature that lurked through the dark caves. Celestia had only ever seen it once, when it had escaped from Tartarus and wreaked havoc over Equestria so many centuries ago. The fiery gaze of its stare had been enough to terrify even her.

Don’t think about that, Celestia told herself. They kept moving, but Twilight was now starting to lose her breath. They stopped at a crossroads with five separate openings to choose from. Twilight gazed at each opening and despaired.

“How are we supposed to find my friends like this?” she asked, gasping for air. “This place is a maze. They could be anywhere!”

“Twilight,” Celestia said, “you have the ability to harness the energy of the Elements and track them using your magic. I suggest you use it now so we can find the correct way to go.”

“How do I do that?”

“Just focus on finding your friends, and the spell will lighten your path.” Twilight concentrated hard on Applejack and Rainbow Dash, and the memories of them flooded through her. She saw Applejack with large bags under her eyes trying to buck an entire orchard of apples by herself. There was Rainbow Dash, looking hurt as her friends revealed that they were the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well. She saw Applejack and Rainbow Dash at one of Pinkie’s parties, gazing into each other’s eyes and talking animatedly, the first time Twilight had suspected that they were in love. Suddenly, her horn glowed, and orange and blue streaks appeared on the ground trailing outward down one of the caverns into the darkness. The orange streak was bright and vibrant, but the blue streak was very pale.

“Oh no...” Celestia said.

“What?” Twilight asked, mortified.

“Rainbow Dash’s light is almost out,” she said grimly. “We need to hurry.” Now the four of them galloped at breakneck pace, following the path of the streaks. Their heartbeats raced as adrenaline pumped through them. Even Discord looked serious, showing Twilight that he was also concerned for her friends’ safety. Twilight smiled, but the smile did not last.

Twilight saw many paths branching off of this one, and the streaks of her friends took them around all kinds of corners and down further beneath the surface. They glowed stronger as they moved, although the blue one was still quite pale. That must mean we’re getting close, Twilight thought.

Suddenly, they turned a corner and in the distance they saw Rainbow Dash laying on the floor of the cave with three ponies watching over her. Twilight gasped in horror; her friend looked close to death. The four of them raced forward. Next to Rainbow Dash, Applejack stood alongside a ghost-white filly Twilight didn’t recognize. The sight of her alarmed the princesses though. The four of them heard the voices of Applejack and the white filly echoing off the cave walls as they approached.

“...the new deal is this: you and your parents get to live again. So does your marefriend, who doesn’t die from her injury. Your sister and brother are alive and well.”

“So what’s the catch?” Applejack asked.

“The catch is...I get your soul. And with it, the Element of Honesty. So as soon as you die up there, you come down here. And you won’t get a cushy life either, like these other dead ponies do. Maybe I could send you to help Cerberus? Yeah, that’d be perfect!” Meph stuck out her hoof. “Deal?”

Applejack stretched out her own hoof, looking like she was going to make the deal, when the princesses and Discord caught her eye.

“Stop!” Luna cried. Applejack, Meph, and the three ponies overlooking Rainbow Dash all turned to them. Applejack was stunned to see them. The three ponies recognized the princesses and had their brows furrowed. Two of them struck Twilight as looking very familiar. She recognized them from the photographs in Applejack’s family album.

Those are Applejack’s parents, Twilight thought. But...how is that possible?

Meph, rather than look surprised at the sudden entrance of the three princesses and Discord, withdrew her hoof and looked around frantically as if trying to find an escape. Celestia stepped forward, making her cringe, but the princess turned her attention to Applejack.

“Applejack, you are not to make a deal with this filly. I will not have you hand your soul over to the queen of the dead.”

“But Princess,” Applejack said, “I don’t have a choice!”

“There is always a choice, Applejack.” Luna nudged her sister.

“Celestia, there’s something wrong here,” Luna said darkly. Everypony turned to her.

“What is the matter, sister?” Celestia asked. Luna pointed an accusing hoof at the white filly. She cried out in her royal Canterlot voice.

“You are not the real Mephistofilly!”

900394
I—what? I could've sworn I just uploaded a chapter... and then this threw me for a loop. I thought for sure this was Garaumond's entry. Then I realized the next chapter is already done.

Here we go!

Twilight started, turning from Luna to the small filly, hoof still extended towards Applejack. She turned the offered hoofshake into a sheepish wave. With a small giggle, her body grew blindingly bright and in a flash she was gone.

Celestia turned to her sister. “How did you know she wasn’t the true Mephistofilly? And who was she?”

Luna’s eyes narrowed venomously, still boring holes into the vacant spot where the impostor had been. “She was an imp; a creature of shadow. Illusions of dreamscape hold no power over me, sister. An imp would promise anything in return for a soul it could devour. And if it had gained the strength of an Element of Harmony…” Luna’s face darkened. “We arrived just in time, sister.” She cantered forward, her eyes sweeping through the recreated Ponyville, carefully scouring the streets and gazing through the glamours and mist from which the town took its form. “…she is gone.”

Celestia’s frown deepened. “This does not answer the question of where the true Mephistofilly has gone.”

A low groan drew the gathered ponies’ attentions to Rainbow Dash. Dr. Splint stooped over his patient, carefully unwrapping the mare’s injured hoof. Thick, twisting lines of black raced up her cannon from the wound; jagged daggers of contagion pointed menacingly along her flank towards her heart. Her thin chest heaved in rapid and shallow breaths. Applejack’s breath hitched in her throat. “Rainbow! Oh, Dashie…” She rushed to her marefriend’s side.

Dr. Splint shook his head. “This is extremely advanced.” He turned his grave expression to the gathered group. “I could get the infection down with the proper herbs, but…” He sighed heavily, rubbing at the bridge of his muzzle. “I don’t have the proper herbs. And this mare has a very small window remaining. I am truly sorry, but there’s nothing I can do.”

Applejack’s eyes widened, her voice frantically leaping up several octaves. “Ya can’t mean that! It’s too late for me, but there must be somethin’ for her!”

Frowning and narrowing her eyes, Twilight interjected, “Too late for you, Applejack? But you’re—” A sharp prod to her ribs broke her concentration. She glared at Discord, her eyes softening and growing bewildered when she saw his grave expression. The Draconequus drew his taloned claw across his mouth in a mimed zipper. Twilight shook her head and confusion.

“There is still hope, my little ponies.” Celestia stepped boldly to the prone Rainbow Dash, her horn shining brightly. She bent low and touched the tip to Rainbow’s hoof. A swirl of sunlight made solid curled forth, bending and snaking around the ill mare’s leg in a cast of magic. The glow slowly faded as the tendrils of energy sunk into Rainbow, motes of light clinging to her coat. The angry black lines retreated down her leg a few inches and faded to a dull gray.

The princess stood again, her focus directed at Dr. Splint. “I have bought us some time, Doctor. I cannot remove the infection, but I can slow its progress. Now, what is this herb you need?”

Dr. Splint bent over Rainbow, checking her pulse with a hoof. He breathed a sigh of relief. “Yes, I think we have time now.” He turned back to Celestia, his eyes shifting over several earnest faces and one terribly bored trickster god picking at his teeth. “I need a special type of fungus called Penicillium. I don’t have any here, because…well, there’s not generally much use for medicine in Tartarus.”

Twilight’s eyes brightened “Penicillium? I have a culture of that back at the library!”

Celestia shook her head gravely. “I’m afraid there’s no time for a trip back to Ponyville, Twilight.”

“Why not? I can teleport most of the way; it would take me only a few minutes.”

“It’s not so simple, I’m afraid. With the gates torn open as they are, Tartarus has become unstuck in the passage of time. There’s no telling how time will flow here while you are gone: minutes or centuries could pass before your return.”

Twilight swallowed the lump in her throat. “If we can’t return to Equestria, how are we going to find any Penicillium?”

Red Delicious’ muzzle widened in a smile. “Don’t y’all fret none. Tartarus ain’t all illusions and pony folk. I got my crop ah brambles and thistle and they grow plenty strong down here. I know of a mushroom farmer who lives close to the divide between good souls and rotten.”

Applejack straightened. “Well don’t just stand there, we ain’t got a moment to lose!”

A keening whimper echoed through the ghostly Ponyville. Several pairs of eyes turned towards the hulking form of Cerberus, slowly padding towards them, his three muzzles bared back in triplicate snarls. Thick and steaming drool slobbered from his middle jaw, dyed foamy pink from a trickle of blood running from his snout.

Luna cleared her throat. “Well…we still don’t know where Mephistofilly has gone.”

Celestia’s voice grew insistant. “Twilight. We need that fungus to save your friend. Go with Applejack; I trust you can identify the proper species?” Twilight nodded gravely. “Hurry then!”

Twilight turned to Applejack and her parents when Luna’s hoof caught her shoulder. The youger sister bent low and whispered, “Trust nothing that you see.”

Nodding again, she was once more interrupted. Discord’s oddly solemn expression drew her attention. “Applejack must not know she’s alive.”

Bewildered, Twilight nodded. She returned to the group, already set to gallop. They set off at a sprint through the illusory downtown Ponyville, watching the walls of buildings slowly twist and distort, bleeding away into trees as the landscape transformed into a mockery of the Everfree Forest.

Celestia turned to Dr. Splint. “Get her inside somewhere safe. This might get messy.”

Discord cracked his knuckles and smirked. “And here I was afraid this would be boring.”

912293
Penicillum? Really?

912388

You treat infections with penicillin, which is made from Penicillium fungus.

Just be glad I didn't ponify it. You have no idea how tempting it was to write Ponycillium.

912399
Oh, not bashing it. Just amused

912399

Ponycillium

I hate it when my headcanon gets updated without my permission...

Could someone give me a quick short description about something in the fic? What did Discord do to Applejack and why? I didn't quite comprehend it when I read it.

937044
He had to convince her that she was dead or else she couldn't go in.

937117
But Dash could? And what about the princesses? Also, is Twilight and alicorn in this fic?

937145
Dash is pretty much dead, so she could see the gates and enter.
The princesses are powerful enough to blow open the gates and enter that way. This doesn't solve the whole dead/not dead/dead to enter thing, but maybe it'll come up later.
I don't think it's been said one way or the other.

937155
I'm rereading the chapters in Tartarus and it has been mentioned that she's alicorn

Twilight barged into the throne room, catching the regents of the sun and moon off guard, this was the first time that the young princess had ever simply dropped in, unannounced.

937155
One last thing
Is a dog (cerberus) a he or an it?

A bit of Caps Locking and maybe some formatting issues but I present you, my entry :)

The scene outside of the clinic was one of terror. Two ponies and a draconequus that seemed stitched together by a ten-year old were standing right next to the entrance. Opposite of them, a giant black dog with three heads, the middle bleeding from what looked like a quite painful wound.

As Cerberus slowly crept forward, Discord suddenly snapped his fingers. “I knew I forgot something,” he exclaimed. “You still owe me 150 bits, missy sunbutt.”

Celestia shot Discord an uninterested stare. “Discord, this is hardly the time AND the place to think about that. We’re facing an angry dog as old as Tartarus itself and you’re thinking about a bet!”

Discord chided Celestia with a waving hand. “Tut-tut-tut, I totally predicted that those two would end up together. Love, as many things, is as chaotic as a bumbling weatherpony in a rainstorm.”

“I don’t believe this,” Celestia said as she turned to Discord. “Doesn’t danger mean anything to yo-”

“DUCK!!” Luna shouted as she pushed her big sister to the side. Celestia and Luna narrowly evaded Cerberus who slowly had gotten closer only to pounce on their position.

Cerberus impacted the empty space and Discord hadn’t moved a bit, holding a duck in his paw. “Oops, wrong kind of duck,” he said as he let it fly away.

Celestia and Luna got back on their hooves as Cerberus turned towards the avatar of chaos and pounched once more.

Discord snapped his claw once, making the dog freeze in mid-air, and mockingly yawned with his lion paw. Cerberus whined as he tried to swipe at Discord, only several inches to far away.

With a small flick of his wrist, Cerberus went flying and landed on his bruised middle head, now with also a bruised ego. Celestia and Luna acted fast and started placing enchantments on it’s feet now that they weren’t moving.

The two sisters finished their enchantments and Cerberus’ tries assured them that they held. Suddenly a loud voice hit them straight through the bone. “YOU!!!”

Discord looked slightly to his side to see an angry princess of the dead arrive. “Oh great, now she’s here.”

“YOU!! How dare you come here, you with your umbrella of... of destruction. God of chaos or not, when Mephistofilly demands someone to stay away, THEY STAY AWAY!!!”

Meph stood right next to Discord and despite her loud, imposing voice, she had the appearance of just what her name would suggest. A filly. As such, the offset between Discord’s tall body and her small size made for a quite comical situation.

While Luna tried her hardest not to laugh at Discord getting yelled at by a pony three times smaller than him, Celestia tried to simultaneously keep her eyes on both Cerberus and Meph as she attempted to diffuse the situation. “I assure you Meph, he had the right reasons... this time.”

Mephistofilly snorted and turned away from Discord and ran towards Cerberus. “And what have you done to my little Cerberus?! Did the evil living hurt you?” She said as she scratched Cerberus behind his ears, while dispelling the enchantments that the two other princesses had put on him.

Luna’s mouth was wide agape as it was her first time in the land of the dead but Celestia knew the power that Meph commanded in her domain. In the meanwhile Discord was fumbling with his claws and looking off into the distance, seemingly very interested in some of the many rock formations lying around.

With a small touch of her hoof, Meph healed Cerberus’ wound and send him on his way back to guard the gates. She then turned her gaze towards the living intruders. “Which one of you hurt him? IT WAS YOU, WASN’T IT DISCORD?” She shouted with a threatening hoof towards him.

Before Discord could respond however, Celestia interjected and said: “None of us were responsible for those wounds. He had them when he came across us. And not to be impolite or anything but... WHERE WERE YOU?

937401
Hand?

937456
woops

937401

The scene outside of the clinic was one of terror. Two ponies and a draconequus that looked like being stitched together by a ten-year old. Opposite of them, a giant black dog with three heads, the middle bleeding from what looked like a quite painful wound.

What clinic?

And neither of those last two sentences have a predicate.

also, wouldn't "seemed" work better than "looked like being", and also make grammatical sense?

937951
Dr Splint's clinic and I have no idea what a predicate is

938782
A sentence consists of two parts: the subject and the predicate.

The subject is the person/pony/thing doing the action in the sentence, and the predicate is the actual action itself.

So, when you say: "Two ponies and a draconequus that seemed stitched together by a ten-year old." It's not an actual sentence, because it only contains a subject. People are left wondering, what did these ponies and draconequus do?

938964
Even though you stated exactly what was wrong, I still have no idea what was wrong
Difficult english vocabulary along with no writer's sense makes for a confused Scott :)

940436

Let's take the sentence: "Sally ran."

"Sally" is the subject.

"ran" is the predicate.

What did Sally do? Sally ran.

Now, let's take this non-sentence: "Sally."

That is not a sentence because is only has a subject. Sally isn't doing anything.

Now, when you say: "Two ponies and a draconequus that seemed stitched together by a ten-year old." It's pretty much the same thing as saying: "Two ponies and a draconequus.", or saying: "Sally." because they're not doing anything.

Now, alternatively, you could solve the problem by saying this "Two ponies stood next to a draconequus that seemed stitched together by a ten-year old."

942485
One should note that there are exceptions to the "rule".

"There was one thing that Applejack loved more than anything in the world: Apples. Eeyup. Red and delicious apples."

942513

Actually, it would be more proper to punctuate "world" with a colon rather than a period and prevent "Apples." from becoming a separate sentence.

The word "Eeyup" as an interjection, could then be bracketed by either commas or dashes to preserve the integrity of the sentence.

Here's my entry, lads. Enjoy.
(Contains some italics, bold text and horizontal lines. Copypaste from here to preserve those things.)

“Back to the scene of the crime then, huh Meph?”

Mephistofilly froze at that, before slowly turning towards Discord. Her eyes spoke only of malice, and she gave him a strained smile.

“On second thought...” Meph turned to Celestia. “You will take that path” she said as a matter-of-fact, raising her hoof and pointing towards the wall. As she continued to speak, the stone came to life and formed a narrow tunnel leading upwards. “The tunnel emerges at the foot of a nearby mountain. Fly northeast with haste, and Appleloosa will be but a two hour journey from there.”

Celestia and Twilight nodded just as Luna emerged from the doctor's home with Rainbow Dash on her back.
“Oh, look at that.” Discord laughed nervously. “We better get going, right?”

Still facing to Celestia, Meph motioned towards the draconequus.
“The two of us will return to where it happened. We have some things to talk about.”

“I understand” Celestia replied, attempting and failing to hold back a grin.

Discord's smile literally dropped to the floor, before he reluctantly sighed in defeat.

From where Applejack and her parents sat, one could see the whole of Ponyville. Tartarus' version, that is. The buildings and streets were all there, only slightly more old fashioned – it was basically the same town.
“It's like looking back in time.” Applejack glanced at her parents, who smiled back at her.

“It appears our friends has come to some sort of agreement” Carrot Seed said, as he saw Twilight trot towards them.

Twilight Sparkle approached the three ponies on the edge of the clearing. They were joined in an embrace, and Red Delicious' voice grew stronger as Twilight came closer.

“... care of yourself, lil' Apple. We'll miss you.” Applejack slipped out of her hooves when Twilight arrived, and looked questioningly at her mother.
“I'll be back in a jiffy, just gonna follow my friends to the surface” Applejack said, raising en eyebrow.

Applejack must not know she's alive. Discord's earlier warning echoed through Twilight's mind, and she reluctantly held her tongue. Applejack's parents exchanged knowing glances with Twilight, before saying that they would wait there for Applejack's return.

Celestia and Luna, with Rainbow Dash on her back, stood by the tunnel when Twilight returned with Applejack. Meph and Discord were nowhere to be seen.
“They left.” Luna explained, noticing their searching glances. “Mephistofilly did not look... pleased.”
Celestia took a step towards the tunnel, glancing inside.
“She did mention that this will only be open a short while before closing, though, so we need to hurry.”
She stepped inside, quickly followed by Luna. Twilight gave Applejack a reassuring smile before following the other two princesses. Applejack raised a hoof enter, but she hesitated. A feeling that something was wrong was nagging at her heart. Shrugging, she shook it off, before waving goodbye one final time to her parents. She then delved into the darkness after the others.

Twilight Sparkle heard the galloping hoofsteps of Applejack approach from behind, before slowing down and trotting next to her. Twilight shot a glance at her friend. Applejack's eyes were focused straight ahead on the rainbow mane that swung to the steady rhythm of Luna's steps, and she wore a solemn yet determined expression.

Nopony in the group said anything as the tunnel went on and on, constantly upwards. The low ceiling gave a sense of being trapped, and Twilight had an urge to use her wings to just fly out of there. She was beginning to understand why Rainbow Dash spent so much time flying; such freedom. Then again, the low ceiling prevented such a thing, and the group trotted onward in silence.

After what felt like forever, Twilight Sparkle saw the faint light that was the end of the tunnel. The others apparently noticed it to, and the group let out a sigh of relief. But that feeling didn't last. The earth around them shifted slightly, and a brief rumbling sound echoed through the tunnel.
“It's going to collapse!” Celestia called out. “Run!”

The light quickly grew closer, and despite that the rumbling had ceased they didn't dare stop their gallop. They burst out into the open and stopped when a safe distance was between them and the tunnel, heaving for air.
"I have never been happier to see the sun..." Celestia breathed, glancing to the sky before straightening herself. “But there's no time to lose.”

"What about Discord?" Twilight asked between her gasps for air, concerned.

"He will manage. He always does." Luna glanced back over her shoulder, and her eyes widened in chock.
"Applejack, get away from there! The entrance will collapse any minute!

Applejack wasn't moving.
"I can't come with you."

Realization dawned upon the three princesses just as stone around Applejack slowly came to life again, rumbling ominously.
Celestia took a step towards her, only to find her hoof hindered mid-air by some sort of force field. The path was closing, and no living pony was allowed to enter.
"Applejack!"

"I have led a happy life, but it's time for me to move on..." she gulped, angrily blinking away a few tears. "Y'all must go to Appleloosa..."

"It's not like you think, Applejack!" Twilight shouted in panic. "You're not-"

"You can't save me!" Applejack screamed. Even the moving stone seemed to go silent as her words echoed across the landscape. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and her eyes rested on Rainbow Dash, who had muttered something in her unconsciousness. "Head to Appleloosa. And... tell her I loved her."

With that, Applejack turned and bolted into the darkness, the sound of her sobs quickly fading.
Celestia and Twilight cried out and gave chase, only to be stopped and thrown back by the invisible barrier. Luna simply stared in disbelief where Applejack had stood.
The three princesses could only watch in vain as the earth screeched and shifted, leaving nothing but solid stone where the gates once had been.

962247 Hoolllyyy shit

962247
I hate you so much right now.

942523
Try this one:

Head.
Head. Pain. Not good.
Move head. ARGH! Light! Head back in pillow! Light is bad. Light is evil. Buck light in it’s dumb light face. Light is... no, wait, this is good! Last night was New Year’s Eve. So a headache like this means I must’ve had an awesome time!

Go on and make that grammatically correct, Mr. Grammar Guy.

962247
Perfect.

965014
Every time I read that passage I want to hum the "Interjections" song from Schoolhouse Rock!. That ARGH placement is perfect. Anyway, I'm not a Grammar Guy like BronyNeumo, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night, so:

Buck light in it’s dumb light face

That should be "its" and not "it's" since you want the possessive over the contraction.

962247
Outstanding work!

965058
I can't believe Peregrine Caged missed that one. I'll have to PM him to fix it in the fic.

Alright, so here it is. I hope I didn't wrap it up so much that the others have nothing to do. Without further ado, here is my chapter:

For a moment, Twilight Sparkle was frozen, mouth hanging open. She closed it slowly, and promptly burst into flames. Her coat turned white, her mane started on fire and her eyes blazed with righteous fury.

"I did not just interrupt the Princesses from their royal duties, run halfway across Equestria, nearly lose Dash, and go through Tartarus and back with an annoying imp trying to con us every step of the way for you TO JUST DIE, APPLEJACK!" Twilight screamed, throwing herself at the rocks. Horn lighting up, she blasted it with every bit of magic she had, when that didn't work she turned to pounding against the wall with her hooves.

Celestia and Luna could only watch as Twilight tried everything to open the way to Tartarus.

"It's not going to open..." Luna commented morosely.

Celestia simply gave her a sad, small smile. "You take Dash to Appeloosa. I won't lose another little pony today. I will stay with Twilight and see what can be done."

Luna nodded and gave her sister a quick nuzzle, before quickly jumping into the sky, pushing her wings off hard as she turned towards the little town that would save Dash's life.

"Fly fast, and stay safe."

Luna nodded and took off nearly as fast as the rainbow speedster herself. Before she was entirely out of earshot Celestia remembered the pained looked on Applejack's face and her newly screaming student. It reminded her how easy it was to lose those closest to you.

"I love you, Lulu," she murmured to the wind, knowing it would carry her words to her sister.

Luna looked back and smiled.

Celestia let out a sigh and turned back to her student, hoping to offer what little comfort she could.

*************

Applejack's face was a mess as she sobbed, running blindly through the dull gray, craggy land that was Tartarus. She could've run back to her parents, and embraced them, sobbing into their coats, but she wanted to be alone with her pain. Though the emotional pain wracked her body and nearly tore her soul apart, she did not feel an instance of physical pain.

The landscape melted around her as she ran faster and faster and yet her hooves never tired, and she never grew hungry or thirsty. It seemed like days that she ran, but actually it was only about a dozen hours that slipped by in the land of the dead. In the land of the living it was a few precious minutes that slipped by, unknown and unheeded to a frantic lavender alicorn and her mentor.

Applejack longed for the burn in her muscles and the ragged breathing that running could bring, the physical pain that would chase off the pain that twisted her heart.

As terrible as it was she hoped she wouldn't see Dash for another eighty years or so. An even more terrible thought consumed her and she felt selfish, but everypony was entitled to a little bit of selfishness every once and awhile. She hoped Dash would wait for her.

Hearing voices, (loud, angry voices) she finally began slowing down, and taking stock of where she was. In the distance was what looked like the Everfree. A scream of a manticore proved her right. The ground was different though. An ugly twisted chasm of black rent the ground, scarring what was once beautiful. Above this scar, Mephistofilly and Discord were arguing.

"...And that is why you cannot open an umbrella in Tartarus!" Meph finished with a screech.

Discord was about to reply, but fell short when his eyes came to rest on Applejack. Tears still streamed down her cheeks.

"Why are you still here?" he asked, pointedly ignoring Meph. "You're supposed to be with Dash."

"I'm not in the mood for your crap, Discord. I'm dead. And you know it. I won't see her for another eighty years. Hopefully." Applejack wiped her nose with her hoof.

"Wait..." Meph looked at the draconequus. Realization flooded into her in a second.

There was the simultaneous sound of a hoof and a claw both hitting the faces of their respective owners.

"You had one job, Twilight Sparkle!" Discord muttered angrily.

The Lord of Chaos thought quickly, the gears in his head spinning out of control. It seemed hopeless. There was nothing he or anyone else could do now that the gate closed. Then suddenly the biggest shit-eating grin crossed his face and he laughed.

Scooping Applejack up into his arms tightly, so she could not protest or escape, he turned to Meph.

"I'd like to say I'm sorry for what I'm about to do. But that would be lying," Discord told her, his shit-eating grin only growing larger with each second.

Meph realized exactly what he was about to do. "Don't you dare!"

Discord made an umbrella materialize in front of him.

From within the prison of his arms Applejack looked out, wondering what was going on.

"I swear to you Discord if you open that umbrella..."

Meph didn't get to finish her threat because at that moment Discord, with a shrug, a wave and his typical 'Oops did I do that?' face, opened the umbrella.

A new black scar rent the earth beside the first open. Tartarus began trembling. Applejack felt a pressure in the air that threatened to squeeze her to death (if she wasn't already dead). A crack, and a piece of the sky broke off. Then, there was light. Then blackness.

********

When Applejack woke up she knew she was alive. The sun warmed her back, chasing away the little bits of death that lingered in her body and mind. The breeze smelled fresh, and cleaned her lungs of the stagnant dead air of Tartarus. But most telling were the colors. Applejack had thought she had never seen more beautiful a sight than the grass she was staring at right at that moment. She'd never known it could be so green.

Getting up, she groaned with pain. Every part of her ached, but she was alive. Memories came back rapidly, and she spun around, looking for her saviour. She found him lounging serenely in the empty space between two trees, a glass of chocolate milk in his claws, swaying as though there was a hammock there.

"What'd you do?" she asked and her voice came out muffled and scratchy. Her throat was dry and her tongue felt two sizes too big.

A laugh. "I turned Tartarus upside down. Unleashed upon Equestria the ghosts of all the dead contained in Tartarus. Which is to say a lot. Meph will have a real clean up to do!" The draconequus laughed again, and Applejack joined in, more out of relief than anything else.

A worry nagged at her. "Will they cause any problems?" She didn't want anyone to get hurt at her expense.

"No," Discord replied seriously, "they can't cause any physical harm to any living soul. The most they can do, is maybe rearrange the furniture or knock over a picture frame. Sometimes they'll just create a random cold spot on a hot day." Discord shrugged and went back to drinking his glass.

"Oh, and Twilight and Miss Sunnybutt are that way, freaking out!" He pointed off into the distance, an uncaring smile on his face.

Applejack started. She had forgotten that she had left her friend and the princesses standing outside when the rocks came down.

Galloping through the pain, Applejack reached the clearing where an exit had just been only half an hour before (she later marvelled that it had only been that long) and came to a screeching halt at the sight that greeted her.

Celestia was stroking the mane of a sobbing Twilight, and had one wing around her body to offer some small shred of comfort. Twilight for her part was a mess, her mane disheveled, her eyes and face puffy with tears, a severe case of magic depletion (as demonstrated by her short circuiting horn) and bloody hooves.

Applejack couldn't help but be touched by her friends concern. Clearing her throat loudly she saw Twilight look up. Then she saw Twilight actually see her. And then she was being crushed by the weight of an alicorn princess hugging her.

"You're alive, you're alive, you're alive!" Twilight shouted, giggling and dancing even on her bloody hooves.

"Wait, how're you alive? That's scientifically and physically - given the laws of Tartarus - impossible! This needs to be documented, for science! I need to know every detail! You shouldn't be alive! I mean not that I'm complaining, but..."

Twilight threatened to go into full on rant mode, but Celestia stopped her with a gentle hoof. She smiled, encouraging Applejack on.

"I can't rightly say I know how Discord works," she replied with a shrug.

And for the first time since entering Tartarus she laughed joyfully with her friend and the princess.

973455
I wouldn't say you wrapped it up too much. There's still Dash to worry about

Nicely done

975476 Yep. Hopefuly she doesn't die on the way there or something.

And so, we're almost there! I'm surprised that we had as few drop-outs as we did. This couldn't have gone better, I think. Just two authors and six days left!

976038
I agree, I'm pleasantly surprised to see it turn out so well. We actually made a story, you guys!

Of course I had no doubt to begin with...

Alright, there's one chapter left to go! I'm really happy with how well this turned out!

I'll have the sign-ups for the next collab up on Friday, after I post Jake's chapter.
Also, should I advertise this upcoming collab on The Collab Cage and/or Wanderer D's round-up?

again at Jake's chapter. But, uh. I noticed you put a name on the fic... isn't that the same name as DBZ's fic? >_>

I guess here's the point where we'd try to figure out a name for it :P

999069
Oh, so it is. Iiii should go change that. Yep.
I was trying to recall one of the suggested names without looking them up. I'm very sick today and clearly my brain isn't functioning properly. Doesn't help that the prompt word was actually "desire".
So yes, we do need another title for it.

999145
Okay, maybe it's because I'm a dumb pegasus or something, but Krazy, I have no idea where sign-ups for this new collab are, could you point me in the right direction?

1001534
It's not up yet. I caught a bad cold yesterday and haven't had a chance to do the write up in a mentally stable condition yet.
It'll be a forum post here when I do get it done.

1001546 There, there. Get better soon.

So I went through the thread and compiled a list of the titles that have been suggested:

"I'll Love You To Tartarus and Back"
"A Final Desire"
"Sweet Apples"
"Burning Desire"
"Fate's Desire"

Now that the fic is finished, we can actually think up a real name for it. Since the prompt word is Desire, I personally feel like it should have that word in the title, but it's not necessary.

I do love the first suggestion though.

1058368
I like the first one too.

1058368 1058436
I third the motion. Fic updated!