“She… left?” Rarity whispered, “But…”
“Why would she…?” Applejack was at a loss.
“How could she…?” Fluttershy added,
Pinkie Pie shook violently, her mane going flat as her bones rattled. It didn’t take long for her to fall apart into a pile.
“I don’t get it.” Rainbow Dash said, confused, “She left, job done, let’s go back to living and breathing.”
“Darling, Rainbow Dash.” Rarity said, trying to keep her voice clear, “She didn’t go back. She chose to stay.”
“But- but she said no to staying here! The thing asked her if she wished to remain, and she said no.” Rainbow Dash argued,
“To here!” Applejack explained, “L-Limbo was it? She chose to go up into that Elysian place instead of staying here!”
Rainbow Dash sat down and stayed silent for a moment, “Why would she do that?”
“Rarity Belle,” The voice echoed out, “The time has come for your judgement.”
“Wha- Already?” She asked, before she was promptly lifted off the ground. “Woahoah!”
The unseen force carried her up to the scale and placed her on the plate. The whole thing lurched from her weight, and it took a moment for it to even out as she struggled to find balance. The others quickly stepped out from underneath, standing at the edge of the room so they could see.
“Can it wait a second?” Rarity asked,
“You have requested priority. You are being judged now. Prepare for evaluation.”
The golden claw above her clenched the chains, and the individual links began to glow, travelling downwards until they reached the plate. Spiral runes filled in below her, and the three lines converged at her hooves. Rarity’s vision flashed, and a haze began to overtake her vision.
She couldn’t blink; she didn’t have eyelids, and shaking her head only gave her an intense feeling of vertigo. Two images overlaid her vision, one of the vast and decorated room she was in, the other a blurry form of a crib.
Tilting her head, Rarity was about to say something before everything moved. It was fast, much faster than she expected, and the crib disappeared, two figures taking its place. Her parents.
“Oh! We’re going through my whole…” She trailed off.
Memories of her childhood flashed into her mind. Going to school, taking an interest in fashion, her first friend, getting her cutie mark, stealing a hairpin from a classmate. The scale jolted, and Rarity felt a sense of weightlessness as it lowered slightly.
“Really? Everything counts?”
The images continued, moving forward throughout her life. Graduating, moving out, starting a business, adopting a cat, struggling financially, making dresses, and finally, meeting her friends for the first time. Rarity sat down, watching as some of the best moments of her life replayed before her eyes, the scale shifting up and down at the highlights and lowlights all the while steadily rising.
Eventually, the memories reached the present, going through receiving the letter, the train ride, their conversation in the castle, and finally being thrust into the next plane of existence. It cut off right before they woke up in the dead world, causing Rarity to shake her head and look around. The scale had risen to the point where she was nearly touching the side of the domed ceiling, with the other side getting close to touching the ground. There was no way to tell for sure, but it looked like it was a bit higher than when Twilight was judged.
“Rarity Belle, your actions have been judged, are you ready for the final verdict?” The monotone voice came again,
She stood, “Yes, I am.”
The mechanism at the center clicked, locking into place.
“Due to your embodiment of the element of Generosity, you are granted passage to the fields of Elysium.”
Rarity let out the tiniest of sighs of relief.
“That just leaves one more question. Do you wish to remain in Limbo, and return to the souls outside?”
Moving over to the side of her plate, Rarity peered down from the edge. The rest of her friends were looking up at her, and though there were no facial expressions, she could tell they were anxious. At least Pinkie Pie had reassembled herself, though her bones sagged and drooped with her mane.
“I’m going after her.” She called down, “and if we can’t find each other after an hour, then we all come back down, okay?”
They all nodded, and with that, Rarity turned and inhaled deeply, her ribs expanding outwards from the arbitrary action.
“Send me up.”
A bright flash of light assaulted her vision, and the world around her disappeared.
Again, Rarity awoke on the ground, only this time it was much more graceful. She simply snapped awake, looking upwards at the clear blue sky. She could feel blades of grass poking into her fur, a radiant heat from the sun above, and smell the slight sweetness that hung in the air. Smacking her lips, she gasped, and moved to touch her face. She had skin again! Living, breathing, wonderful flesh that could touch and feel the world around her.
Rarity stood, breathing in the slightly humid air; it smelt of sweet grass, with a hint of morning dew. Looking around, a vast field of grass stretched out around her, a quaint little forest off to the side, and a trickling stream that led to a small lake. Several ponies could be seen frolicking around, playing with each other, swimming, flying, or simply lazing about under the shade of the trees.
It was paradise for them, but not quite for Rarity.
The ground shifted, the hill in front of her splitting open as a vast dining hall rose in its place. A ridiculously long table stretched into the distance, full of savoury meals, rare delicacies, and decadent sweets. There were more ponies in the seats, and some other creatures as well, all partaking in the infinite feast. Rarity could dine like royalty, she could dine with royalty.
It was getting closer.
The table fell away, its occupants uncaring towards the movement. Ornate pillars and walls sprouted from the ground, the grass shifting to a beautiful, tiled floor. Fancy music filled the air as a grand throne rose in front of her. A brilliant tiara sat in the center of the seat, with several other accessories off to the side just waiting for her to put them on, an expansive wardrobe slinking out the back.
Rarity smiled, walking over and slipping the tiara into her mane, which had become exquisitely styled and managed. Turning around, a whole ballroom was filled with others like her, expensively dressed and interacting with each other, whether it be slow dancing or simply talking.
She took a single step forward, but stopped herself, shaking her head. She had a mission to complete.
Looking around again, none of the ponies in the ballroom looked familiar, and none of them were Twilight either. Going over the edge of the dance floor, there was no obvious exit to the room, but things seemed to change on a whim, so Rarity got to thinking.
“I would like to drink please.” She spoke aloud, envisioning the stream from earlier.
A wine glass atop a marble pedestal manifested itself in front of her. Rarity huffed, but grabbed it anyway and took a sip.
“I would like to go back to the field please.”
Like a closing pop-up book, the walls and pillars folded away, the dancers in the middle sinking into the ground as the bright field appeared once again. Right as Fluttershy faded in amongst the grass.
“Fluttershy, darling. Good to see you made it.”
Her ears perked, and she slowly stood. As soon as she saw Rarity she froze, and immediately looked down upon herself, letting out a huge sigh of relief as her yellow fur met her gaze.
“Didn’t like being a skeleton?” Rarity chuckled softly,
Fluttershy gave a weak nod, “It was… uncomfortable, and scary.” She looked around a bit, “Is this… Elysium?”
“I don’t know what else it could be. You can have anything you want, go anywhere you’d like, and do anything and everything.” Rarity said, presenting her half empty wine glass.
“Oh.” Fluttershy responded, and a fluffy white bunny wriggled out of the depths of her mane, snuggling up against her neck.
“That’s cute.”
“But if you can go anywhere…” Fluttershy began, “Then how do we find Twilight?”
Rarity froze, looking out across the field once more. Again, none of the ponies looked even remotely familiar to her.
“We uh…” She trailed off, “We go where she would go?”
“But where would Twilight go?”
They both thought for a moment, the answer quickly making itself obvious.
“The library!” They said at the same time.
Then Fluttershy frowned, “But um… how do we get there?”
Rarity just held up a hoof, “Just follow my lead, darling.” She turned to the side, “I would fancy reading a book right now.”
The ground shifted below her, planks of wood growing between the blades of grass as they slipped beneath the cracks. Great shelves of countless books rose at regular intervals, tall ladders and high ceilings forming not long after. A warm firelight replaced the bright sun, and a slight dusty scent lingered in the air. It was cozy and confusing at the same time.
A moment later Fluttershy appeared beside her, looking around in awe as the environment changed for her as well.
“It’s a bit jarring at first, isn’t it?”
“Y-Yeah.” Fluttershy stuttered, “Oh wow.” She gazed upwards at the towering bookshelves.
There were a few other ponies dotted around, perusing the vast library of knowledge around them. They stepped out of the row they appeared in, watching as the shelves expanded far past what they could even see.
“How are we supposed to find Twilight in all of this?” Rarity asked,
Fluttershy stared down the other corridor, speechless.
“There has to be… millions of books here!”
“I know right!” A voice came from above.
They both looked up, where a pegasus with thick glasses hovered midair with an armful of books.
“This place has everything! And they’re all original copies!”
“That’s great…” Rarity began, “But how do you navigate this place? We’re trying to find a friend.”
“Well what do they like to read?” The pegasus lowered ever so slightly.
“Everything I think, but…” Rarity shared a look with Fluttershy, “Math, science, and magic tend to be her favorite topics.”
“Then just go to those sections.”
“Where um… Where are they?” Fluttershy asked,
Rarity nodded, “And where are we? How is this place organized?”
“It doesn’t matter! That’s the best part!” The pegasus exclaimed, “Wherever you want to go will be where you go next! Though if you must know, you’re in weather studies at the moment.” They flashed the cover of a book in front of them, revealing a diagram of a cloud.
They fluttered off a moment later, plucking a few more books from the shelves higher up.
“Okay then…” Rarity turned back towards Fluttershy, “Do you want to check math while I check science? And then we can check magic.”
“Sure.” She nodded,
“So we just…” Rarity stepped into the next row and looked at the spines of the books, most were titled around astronomy, anatomy, or aerodynamics. “Alright good, what do you see, Flutter-” She turned around, realizing Fluttershy was gone, so was the pegasus from earlier. “Guess we’ll meet back up in magic.”
Looking down the aisle, there were a few other ponies dotted around the shelves, none of which were Twilight. Rarity walked all the way down to the end, searching high and low, and making sure the last few books were labeled with ‘Z’.
She placed the zoology book back onto the shelf and looked ahead, “Onto magic then.”
Stepping into the next row, a different sight met her vision. Fluttershy was visible at the other end, but a large pile of books lay between them. It wasn’t just a haphazard mess however, there was an obvious method to its design, with larger, thicker books layering the bottom like bricks, and wider, thinner books propped up like walls.
“A book fort?” Rarity asked out loud,
She looked at Fluttershy worriedly, and they both rushed over to the pile. There was no roof, and as they neared they could see the familiar, purple form of Twilight Sparkle, face buried underneath a large tome as she laid there limply. Rarity couldn’t see her face, but every once in a while a sniffle would arise from beneath the pages.
What suspicions she once had against her friend quickly disappeared as she watched for a second.
“Twilight, darling. Are you okay?”
Twilight twitched, and slowly pulled back, her eyes peeking over the top of the spellbook. As soon as she laid eyes on Rarity she jumped out of the bookfort, tackling her to the ground in a tight hug.
“Rarity?! What are you doing here?! How did you get here?! Why?! I missed you so much!” She blubbered,
“Darling!” Rarity gasped, “It’s okay! I came here for you!” She returned the hug.
Twilight paused, “For me?”
“We all did,” Rarity gestured behind her,
Twilight turned, staring at Fluttershy as she gave a small wave, “I’m glad you're okay, Twilight.”
“You're all here? But…” Twilight trailed off, thinking, “I thought we never agreed on the suicide pact.”
“What?!” Rarity exclaimed, “We didn’t! We were sent here to find you! To help you come back!”
Twilight stared with wide eyes, switching between the two of them, “I can come back…?” She whispered,
“We all can.” Rarity pressed the hug further, “We love you Twilight.”
Fluttershy stepped over the pile of books and joined in on the hug, tears brimming at her eyes. Fresh tears were already pouring down Twilight’s face, and Rarity struggled to keep hers from ruining her make-up, which she assumed she had on now.
“W-When I first got here.” Twilight choked out, “I th-thought I would never see you guys again! I was devastated, and then all the other skeletons came to celebrate… I couldn’t handle it.” She swallowed hard, “I-I thought that maybe… maybe going to Elysium would make me feel better, but all I could think about was you guys!”
“Imagine how we felt when we saw you leave voluntarily.” Rarity said,
Twilight finally got a solid breath, “You were there?”
“Got to see the tail end of your trial.” Rarity answered, “Then it was my turn.”
Twilight gasped, “The others! Where are the others?!”
“They got judged after us,” Fluttershy said, “I met up with Rarity when I got here, and we left soon after.”
“We don’t know where they ended up, or if they even made it up here to begin with.” Rarity said, “They must still be looking for you.”
“They should’ve made it.” Twilight said, “Who was supposed to be judged next?”
“Pinkie, I believe.”
“Oh.” Twilight sniffed, rubbing her eyes with a hoof “Then I think I know where we can find her.”
“Where?”
Twilight pulled away from the hug and looked up towards the ceiling, “I’m hungry.”
“Ah,” Rarity said as she faded from view, “That checks out. I’m hungry too.”
In an instant, the bookshelves fell away, a familiar table forming from the wooden floor. There were plates upon plates of breads, cheeses, cakes, and meats. Bowls of soups, stews, salads, and fruits. Trays of cookies, vegetables, candies, and biscuits. Countless diners were taking from the impressive array of food, with one particular one piling so much on her plate it almost equaled her in height.
“Pinkie.” Rarity called out, “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten why we’re here.”
Pinkie Pie slowly turned to look at her, mouth already covered with several different sauces. “Of course not! I’m just-” Then she spotted Twilight standing next to her. “TWILIGHT!”
She leapt out of her seat, tackling Twilight to the ground and coating her with food.
“I was so sad when you died! Then I was worried when you disappeared! Then I was mad when you left! But now I’m just happy you're here!”
“That’s good to hear,” Twilight gasped out, struggling to breathe as Pinkie Pie constricted her, “I’m happy to see you too.”
“This calls for a party!” Pinkie Pie announced, then promptly disappeared.
“Uh…”
A moment later she reappeared, a party hat affixed to her head, “Sorry! Went to the party room accidentally. Want to go?”
Twilight quickly got up, wiping herself clean with a newly apparated cloth, “We should find the others first.”
“Okie Dokie! Let’s go!”
And she disappeared again, leaving the others to glance at each other.
“Go where?” Twilight asked,
Rarity shrugged, “I just went back to the field when I remembered why we were here.”
“You forgot as well?”
“Heh,” Rarity averted her gaze, rubbing the back of her neck, “It is easy to get distracted here, darling.”
“I won’t deny that,” Twilight said, “I didn’t choose to go to the library, but I still found myself there.”
“Let’s just go,” Rarity cleared her throat, “The sooner we find our friends the better. Field please.”
Once more, grass sprouted from the floor, tiles breaking apart as hills bulged beneath them. The walls dissolved to trees, the table melting into the stream as the sun shined from above. Applejack was immediately obvious among the grass, she was looking around in amazement before finally noticing the others as they appeared around her.
“Whoa nelly! Yall found her already?”
“In the library no less.” Rarity said, “It wasn’t as easy as you might think.”
Twilight stepped forward, looking Applejack in the eye, “Sorry for leaving you like that.”
Applejack just shook her head, “Ah was worried ah was gonna have to hug you with just bones.”
She embraced Twilight, holding her tightly for a few seconds.
“I didn’t know I could come back.” Twilight admitted,
“Don’t worry about it none, yer here now.” Applejack pulled away, looking across the rest of the group. “We just looking for Rainbow and Pinkie then?”
It was then that they noticed that Pinkie Pie was not in the field with them, and neither was Rainbow Dash, even in the skies above. Almost immediately after that observation however, a cyan blue form faded into view above them, and a pink one not long after, also in the air, also with wings.
“Pinkie!” Twilight gawked, “You have wings!”
“Well duh!” Pinkie Pie replied, lowering to the ground, “I had to catch up with Dashie somehow.” She folded them, and they promptly evaporated,
“Hey guys.” Rainbow Dash said, “Isn’t this place great? You can do whatever you want.”
“We know, darling.” Rarity began, “Where did you get off to?”
“Well… I had just gotten my wings back, and I wanted to fly, so I flew. Stuff just happened from there I think. Did you guys find Twilight yet?”
“I’m right here, Rainbow.”
“Oh snap!” She dropped down and wrapped a leg around Twilight, “Why’d you leave us like that? Though now that I’m here, I can kinda see why.”
Twilight looked down, “I thought I was dead for good, and that I would never get to see you guys again, but apparently I can come back.” She frowned, “Why can we even do that?”
“All alicorns can come back, darling, it’s why they’re immortal.”
“And we have the Elements of Harmony!” Pinkie Pie added, “We can die as many times as we want!”
“I don’t think it quite works like that, Pinkie.” Rarity said, “But yes, we should be able to return as well.”
“Alright.” Twilight sniffed, a small smile on her face, “How do we go back then?”
They all froze, staring at each other with wide eyes.
“We… We don’t know.”
To Be Continued…