“So…” Twilight began, “We can return to the land of the living, we just don’t know how.”
“Yes,” Rarity nodded, “That about sums it up.”
“Don’t you know how to do it, Twilight?” Rainbow Dash wondered,
“I mean I knew it was possible, but I didn’t know that I could do it until just now! Much less how!”
“How do you think it works?” Fluttershy asked,
“Well…” Twilight began, “In order to go back, our souls will first have to cross the divide between planes. It’s been theorized to be a one way gate, but with some exceptions…” She gestured to the lot of them, “It might be possible to go back through, but I don’t know where, how, or even when we could do that!”
“So we just have to cross the border, right?” Rainbow Dash began, “Why can’t we just go to it and just cross?”
“Because it doesn’t work like that.” Twilight explained, “The divide isn’t a physical barrier, the planes are separated by…” She trailed off, “Well it's not actually known, but they run parallel to each other, so we just have to find the place where the divide is the smallest and try to cross there.”
“Ah am so glad we have somepony that knows her stuff again.” Applejack said, “So where do we start?”
“Can’t we just ask? Or better yet, just wish to go back in the first place?” Rarity asked, “I want to go home please.”
Like an inflating bouncy castle, Carousel Boutique folded outwards from the grass, standing tall in the field.
“Did it work?”
“No darling, it didn’t.” Rarity sighed, “Where do we find this ‘smallest divide’?”
Twilight brought a hoof to her chin. “It would have be someplace with a lot of traffic, somewhere where a lot of souls come through.”
“You mean… Where we first arrived?” Rarity asked,
“It’s a lead,” Twilight shrugged,
“But that would mean…” Fluttershy trailed off, “Going back down.”
“Where the smoky monster is!” Pinkie Pie added,
“The what?” Twilight asked, confused,
“Why do ya think the parade was cut short, sugarcube?” Applejack asked, “Some big mean mother hubbard is gunning for your soul out there.”
“And we aren’t going to let him have it!” Rainbow Dash finished,
Twilight tilted her head, “Why my soul?”
“You’re an alicorn, darling, why wouldn’t he want your soul?”
“I... Fair enough. How are we going to do this?”
“Let’s form a plan.” Applejack began, “The Princess said we can leave this place whenever we wanted, but she didn’t say where we would end up. I can only assume we would go back to the judgement hall.”
“Or somewhere else in Mortemopolis.” Fluttershy murmured,
Rarity nodded and stepped forward, “We don’t know what it’s going to be like out there, so if we get split up we should meet back at the Hall of Judgement. From there we navigate the city and head out into the desert where we first arrived.”
“And then we go back to living?” Rainbow Dash asked,
“That’s the plan.”
“That’s the plan?” Twilight asked,
“That’s the plan.” Applejack answered, “We ready?”
They all looked at each other, weak nods quickly turning to full ones.
“Okay, let’s do this.” Rarity concluded, she then looked up at the sky, “I would like to go back to Limbo please.”
The ground shuddered below her, sinking slightly as the grass dried out and died, the dirt beneath turning to sand. All at once it gave out beneath her, sending her tumbling down a dark shaft. Soon after she could feel her body changing, fur peeling off as her flesh was stripped away. It was not a pleasant sensation.
Rarity’s skeleton smacked down on the hard floor, her bones scattering across the golden tiles. A moment later another skeleton shattered nearby, followed by a second, then a third, until all six of them were spread out in the room with the scale.
“Oh great.” Rarity muttered, “We get to do this again. At least we’re all together.”
Before she could even begin to assemble herself, the whole building shook, causing their bones to dance across the floor.
“What was that?” Twilight asked,
“I hope it’s not that monster.” Fluttershy said,
“I don’t think we’ll be given that liberty.” Rarity said,
“Let’s get up and moving,” Applejack called out, “Quickly now.”
“Don’t have to tell me twice.” Rainbow Dash said, “I’ll go first.”
Rarity felt some of her bones turn and shift as something moved through them. On the edge of her vision she saw Rainbow Dash pull herself together in only a few seconds.
“Who’s next?” She asked,
“Ooh ooh! Me next! Me next!” Pinkie Pie said,
There was movement in the other direction.
“My turn.” Applejack announced,
“I suppose I’ll go next.” Rarity said,
Her bones assembled much quicker and easier without the constant nudging and bumping with the others.
“I’ll go.” Fluttershy whispered, her skeleton slowly rising from the floor.
“Did you guys practice this?” Twilight asked, her bones coming together one at a time. “How do you do it so fast?”
“Don’t focus on anatomy, darling, focus on being whole.” Rarity suggested.
“Oh,” and with that, Twilight converged into a single form, standing a moment later. “That’s better.”
The building shook again, small cracks appearing in the ceiling above them, a small amount of dust following after.
“That’s not good, we should get going.” Applejack said,
“Which way to the exit?” Twilight asked,
“There!” Rarity pointed,
They all rushed over to the corridor, only to stop as the seemingly endless hallway extended past it.
“Not this again!” Rainbow Dash complained, “Is there no other exit?”
Rarity quickly looked around the room again, but the walls were bare of everything except their carvings. “Just start running!”
Taking off into the obscenely long hallway, the group ran across the golden tiles despite there being no end in sight. The building took another impact, causing them to stumble a bit, the pillars around them cracked and buckled.
“Is the building really this long?” Rainbow Dash demanded,
“Not even close.” Twilight answered,
“So it’s an illusion then?” Rarity asked,
“I think so, I didn’t get a good look at it when I came through, but I think it’s a combination of an illusion with compressed space.”
“Why is it even like that?” Applejack asked, exasperated, “What point is there to having all this space?”
Rarity gasped, “It’s a waiting room!”
“That’s right!” Twilight agreed, “The Hall of Judgement needs to have the capacity for all the souls on the waiting list.”
“I don’t think anypony is going to wait here for two whole days.” Rainbow Dash said,
“Exactly, and because they aren’t waiting in here, it’s just empty space.” Twilight deduced,
“So how do we cross it?” Applejack asked,
“We could ask again.” Pinkie Pie suggested,
The building rumbled, several of the surrounding pillars crumbling and collapsing, causing the ceiling to sag. Immediately, the hallway flickered, the distant end shooting forwards as the space they already traveled moved to intercept. In under a second, the length was reduced from farther than the eye could see to just a simple hallway, easily able to fit inside the building. They all skidded to a stop just in front of the entrance
“...Or we could just break the spell.” Twilight said,
“Come on!” Rainbow Dash said, “I don’t think this building’s going to last much longer!”
She thrust the grandiose doors open, and was immediately pushed into a battlefield.
Smoke flooded the streets as if half the city was on fire, but there were no visible flames. The cloaked figures of the sentinels rushed between the streets, jumping between buildings and attacking whenever possible. Spellfire filled the air, all of it concentrated on something behind the six of them.
A deep roar shook the very foundations of the Hall of Judgement, and with another crash, the domed ceiling collapsed in on itself. A charred figure rose behind it, sharpened wings spreading outwards, smoke billowing from its very bones, broken chains dangling from its limbs.
“Big Smoke!” Pinkie Pie screamed,
“Run!” Twilight shouted,
The draconic skull snapped to them as they hurriedly descended the steps, and with another roar it lumbered across the destroyed hall. The Sentinels around them converged, forming a wall of bone to try and slow it down. A hail of magic followed in their wake, all to little effect as the dragon simply plowed through them.
Bones rained down around the group, and they pushed forward, running down the street and ducking into a nearby alleyway. They didn’t get a single moment to rest as the dragon slammed into the building next to them, causing the tall skyscraper to buckle and tilt, showering them with debris.
“That went sour real fast!” Applejack shouted, “Keep going!”
They rounded the corner right as a skeletal claw reached into the alley, carving through the pavement as it grasped blindly.
“That’s who’s after my soul?!” Twilight exclaimed,
“Apparently!” Rainbow Dash said, “How do we lose this guy?!”
“It’ll follow us all the way to the desert!” Fluttershy realized,
“We should split up!” Rarity suggested,
“What?!” Twilight demanded, “That’s a terrible idea!”
“But it’s after you, darling!” Rarity said, “We have to prevent it from getting your soul so it can’t revive!”
“What’s to stop it from doing the same with you guys?!” Twilight argued,
Rarity paused at that, only to jump forward as the building collapsed behind them. “It doesn’t know we can go back, only you! If we can lead it away somehow, then that could give you enough time to get to a safe distance, and we can meet up later.”
“But how will you escape it?”
Applejack ran up alongside them, “Once it realizes that you’re not with us, it might go back to searching for you, and if it doesn't know you left the city…”
“Might?!” Twilight repeated,
“The sentinel guys will be helping the entire time.” Rainbow Dash added, “I don’t know what they’ve been doing this entire time, but I don’t think they’re just going to let that dragon get his way.”
“But…” Twilight slowed a bit, “I just got you guys back! What if you get hurt? Or worse!”
Rarity stopped, the others slowing down around them, “We’re already dead, darling. What more can happen?”
Twilight rolled her jaw back and forth, grinding her teeth as she looked at each of them. “Okay fine. Let’s do it.”
“We’ll be fine, darling.” Rarity assured, “Fluttershy, Rainbow, you’re with me. Applejack, Pinkie, stay with Twilight, make sure she makes it out of the city. We’ll try to delay as much as possible.”
“Aw yeah! Skeleton fight!” Rainbow Dash shouted, punching the air a few times,
“Oh dear…” Fluttershy murmured,
“Stay safe,” Applejack tipped her head,
“We’re gonna have the best party when we get back!” Pinkie Pie said,
“Thanks, you guys.” Twilight began, “I couldn’t ask for better friends.”
“And don’t you forget it.” Rarity said, “Now go!”
Smoke started to pour in from the streets, filling the air around them. Twilight, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie continued running between the buildings while Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy peered outside the alley.
“Alright, how are we going to stop this thing?” Rainbow Dash was the first to speak,
“We need to lead it away somehow, distract it with something.” Rarity deduced,
“With what exactly?”
“Um… an alicorn?” Fluttershy suggested,
“Isn’t the entire point of this to protect the alicorn?” Rainbow Dash asked,
“No, she’s right, darling.” Rarity said, “This thing is chasing an alicorn, so let’s give it something to chase.”
“Ohhh…” Rainbow Dash realized, “How are we going to do that?”
“Somepony needs to look the part…” Rarity thought for a moment, her gaze eventually landing on Fluttershy, “Wings!”
“What?”
“Your wings, darling, give them to me.”
“H-How?”
“Here,” Rarity said, moving over to her, she put her hoof under her wing joint and pulled, separating the bone from the rest of the body.
Fluttershy shuddered, then watched as Rarity took her wing and placed it on her back. It wasn’t an exact fit, but it looked convincing enough. Rainbow Dash quickly did the same on the other side, passing the limb over so Rarity could complete the look.
“Can you still move them?” She asked,
The wings opened and closed, though their movements were shaky and weak.
“It’ll have to do, just keep them open.”
“So what’s the plan?” Rainbow Dash asked,
“Well…” Rarity trailed off, “We get its attention-”
A growl came from the street, and they all looked to see a smoking skull staring at them through the alley.
“And run!” Rarity finished,
She took off in the other direction, exiting out on the other street as the dragon forced its way through the gap in the buildings. Its shoulders couldn’t physically fit, but its bones compressed and moved unnaturally, allowing it to slither further in. The others quickly followed, Fluttershy just barely ducking under a swiping claw. Once they were together again they started running in the opposite direction that Twilight went. The dragon wrenched itself out a moment later, causing the two buildings to crumble around it.
“Hey Mr. Well Done!” Rainbow Dash shouted, “I heard you were looking for some immortality! Well here she is!” She gestured to Rarity.
“Laying it on a little thick, aren’t we?” She whispered back,
The dragon roared, breaking into a full sprint towards them. The ground trembled with every step, and they all screamed, scrambling to get away from the raging beast. A flurry of magic bolts came from the road ahead, and hundreds of sentinels descended from the buildings around them. The cloaks rushed to get between them and the dragon as several ran alongside them as an escort.
“This way! This way!” One of them shouted,
A roar punctuated his orders, but they didn’t look back even as a small earthquake rang out. Countless bones were scattered around them, and the tatters of several cloaks were blown forward in a wave of smoke. They ducked into another alley, weaving between buildings as the dragon plowed through them.
“How do we stop this thing?!” Rainbow Dash asked,
“We have a banishing spell prepared.” Another sentinel answered, “But we can’t complete it while that thing still has hostages!”
“It has hostages?!” Rarity exclaimed, “How dreadful!”
Several of the sentinels stared at her.
“You’re not the alicorn.”
“No, I’m not. The real alicorn is currently making her way out of the city. We’re acting as a distraction.”
“What?! Why is she back in Limbo?”
“She’s looking for a good place to return to the land of the living.” Rainbow Dash answered,
“She’s looking to revivify?! Good, once she’s gone we can focus our efforts on banishing the dragon.”
Another building collapsed behind them, and they looked at each other for a moment.
“Isn’t that what you’re doing already?”
“Not with the alicorn still here, our orders are to delay or divert it.”
“And how well is that working?” Rainbow Dash demanded,
“With you here? Splendidly, we should be able to keep this up until the alicorn is safe in the mortal realm.”
“Um…” Fluttershy mumbled, “We can’t stay.”
“What? Why not?”
“It’s true,” Rarity said, “We have to meet up with our friend before she leaves the plane.”
“Yeah, we’re going with her.” Rainbow Dash finished,
A rain of debris fell down around them, yet another skyscraper falling to the ground.
“That’s impossible! An alicorn cannot bring another soul across the divide,”
“We have a way, we just need her help to figure it out.”
The sentinel grumbled, leading them out into the street again as more cloaked figures joined the squad.
“Well what do you want us to do about it? That thing has its eyes on you now, it’s not going to stop until it either has you or figures out you're not what it’s looking for.”
“That’s exactly our plan, darling. We lead it far enough away, then break off to rejoin our friends.”
“While letting it destroy half the city?!”
“Seems like that was going to happen regardless.” Rainbow Dash muttered,
With a resounding boom, the dragon crashed through the building behind them. It shook the dust off itself, then spotted the group as they ran. It immediately gave chase, quickly gaining on them even as more and more sentinels simply threw themselves in its way. The thunderous footsteps rattled the bones of anybody near, and once it was close enough, its large wings bent forwards, the sharpened tips stabbing into the ground around them.
Fluttershy stumbled and tripped, scattering across the ground. Her wings quivered and twitched, sliding off Rarity’s shoulders as they too fell apart. The dragon immediately stopped, digging its claws into the ground as it skidded to a halt. It let out a low snarl, its smoke filling the area around it as its wings arced backwards, ready to strike.
“Uh oh…”
It reared up, slamming all four of its appendages into the ground. Cracks burst forth, chunks of road shooting up as they all struggled to find their balance. Fluttershy’s skull rolled away from her reforming body, falling into one of the many cracks now filling the street. A moment later the dragon stepped down upon it, collapsing the ground around it and causing Fluttershy’s body to mime a gasp. She dropped to the ground, covering the empty space where her head once was.
“Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash shouted, turning around, “That’s it Smokey! No more messing around!”
She leapt up onto the wall of a nearby building, her wings digging into the grooves as she crawled up it like a spider.
“Careful Rainbow!” Rarity called out,
She quickly reached the roof, disappearing over the lip before jumping back off. Her skeleton sailed through the air, landing squarely on the dragon’s skull. It roared, rearing back as she punched its charred bone repeatedly. The sentinels did not hesitate, they peppered the beast with constant spellfire and attacks, managing to knock it off balance as it clawed wildly at its head.
Rarity took this moment to slip between the broken road where the dragon had stomped. Among the packed rubble and sand, a few wisps of pink hair stuck out of the ground. Quickly running over, she started digging, tracing the strands back to their source, in only a few seconds she reached bone, but the way the sand flowed back into her hole made it nearly impossible to make any more progress.
There was a roar from above, and Rarity flinched as the ground quaked around her.
“Sorry Fluttershy! I’m going to have to pull your mane!” She called down,
Wrapping her hoof around several times in Fluttershy’s mane, she braced and pulled, managing to yank her skull a few inches upward. A muffled reply came from the ground, and Rarity adjusted her stance, grunting as the rubble held strong.
“This- is why- I never- got- into- gardening!” She exclaimed, and with one final pull, Fluttershy’s skull flew out of the ground.
Rarity stumbled back from the sudden release, nearly falling over backwards as she regained her balance. After a moment she held her hoof up, Fluttershy’s skull dangling in her grip.
“Are you alright, darling?”
Taking a moment to calm her chattering teeth, Fluttershy jerked from side to side, slowly spinning in a circle as she looked around.
“I-I think so…” She stuttered out, “Where’s the rest of m-me?”
“Nearby, I hope.” Rarity said, “Unless you decided to run away blindly.”
“N-No.” Fluttershy did her best to shake her head,
“Then let’s go look for your body, then we will get Rainbow Dash and hightail it out of here.”
“O-Okay, that sounds g-good.”
With a nod, Rarity looked up, watching as wisps of smoke and dust drifted from the road above. Standing on her hind legs, she peered above the crack they were in, only to immediately duck back down as one of the massive bladed wings swept across the ground, cleaving through several sentinels. She waited for a moment, then peeked back up, quickly spotting a headless skeleton cowering off to the side.
Turning around, she waited until the dragon had its back to them before climbing out of the hole. She quickly scurried over to Fluttershy’s body, then took her skull and placed it atop her neck, giving it a few twists to make sure it was secure. Eventually her hoof came up to grab Rarity’s and she used it to pull her up.
“Th-Thank you.” Fluttershy nodded, “W-Where’s Rainbow?”
“Up there,” Rarity pointed to the dragon, where Rainbow Dash was still clinging to its skull.
She looked to be trying to enter its eye socket, but the dragon was whipping its head back and forth, preventing her from getting a good grip.
“Oh my.” Fluttershy murmured.
The dragon snarled, pulled its head back, and slammed it into a nearby building. The entire wall crumbled, a cascade of debris and bone falling downwards. When it pulled away, Rainbow Dash was no longer on it, rather she was strewn across the growing pile of rubble on the ground.
“Come on.” Rarity whispered, cringing, “Let’s go get her.”
She led Fluttershy back down into the cracked ground, navigating their way towards their friend just under the battlefield. They paused at every thunderous footstep and flinched at every roar, but with the severe damage to the street it was easy to cross it without entering the dragon’s view, especially with the heavy amount of smoke lingering in the air.
Rarity pushed out of the final crevice, then motioned for Fluttershy to follow. Once out, they hurried over to the damaged building, where Rainbow Dash was already assembling herself.
“Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy whispered loudly, “Are you okay?!”
Only her upper body was formed at the moment, and she cracked her neck with her hooves.
“I think so. Wow… That actually hurt this time. Ow… ”
A lot of her bones were cracked, fractures running up her legs and down her ribs, but nothing was outright broken, at least nothing that was visible.
“Help put me together please.” She grunted.
“Sure,” Rarity nodded, and began rummaging through the rubble, pulling out the odd bone in the pile.
Fluttershy began looking in the immediate area, gathering up a few more bits and pieces scattered around. They both dropped what they found in a pile nearby, most of which quickly getting picked up by Rainbow Dash, though a few slinked off elsewhere.
“Alright, okay. I think that’s everything.” She said, standing up shakily.
“Good, then let’s leave, darling.”
“But what about the dragon?”
“The sentinels can handle it,” Rarity said, “we should get to Twilight.”
Rainbow Dash looked out into the street, where the dragon was spewing smoke onto the gathered sentinels.
“Okay, let’s go.”
They quickly dipped into the alley, giving the battle an especially wide berth as several more buildings were hit. Once they were clear, they began retracing their steps, going back through the path of destruction left behind. It turned oddly quiet, with the distant roars of the dragon being the only major disturbance, and the settling of rubble permeating the air. Most of the smoke had dissipated, and it didn’t take long for them to return to where they split up.
“We just keep going then?” Rainbow Dash asked, “They just kept going this way?”
“It’s a good place to start, darling.” Rarity replied, “Once we get out of the city we should be able to find them easier.”
Fluttershy kept looking back, watching the rising smoke coming from the distant battle.
They continued forward, keeping in line with the alleyway. As they gained more distance, there was more activity in and around the buildings. Skeletons of all types were emerging from their shelters, most just staring silently, while others kept their attention on the action behind them. The edge of Mortemopolis came into sight, the greyish sand forming tall dunes that rose to meet the buildings. There were even more souls wandering about nervously, but they paid them no mind as they passed by.
“I think we’re close to where we first arrived,” Rarity announced, “That street looks familiar.”
“So.” Rainbow Dash said once they were out in the open, “Where do we go now?”
“Well…” Rarity paused, scanning the horizon, “It might be easier to see them in the desert.”
“Um… guys…” Fluttershy began,
Rainbow Dash slumped, “I don’t want to have to find Twilight again!”
“Do you see any tracks?” Rarity asked, “They might have left something for us to follow.”
“Guys…” Fluttershy tried again,
“No, all I see is sand, sand, and more sand.”
“At the very least she’s safe,” Rarity said, “It may take a while, but we do have time to look.”
“Guys!” Fluttershy finally piped up, pointing to the side. “Over there.”
They all looked, where several figures were waving at them from the tallest dune.
“Well that certainly makes it easier.”
“Let’s go already!”
Rainbow Dash rushed forward, quickly scaling the steep slope. Rarity and Fluttershy followed, but quickly lagged behind.
“Oh, I hate climbing in sand.” Rarity said, she stepped up, only to slide back down
Fluttershy was struggling just as much as she was, but together they slowly made progress, ascending the dune as sand flowed all around them. When they eventually neared the top, they readily accepted help from the others.
“Glad yall made it,” Applejack said, “I see the dragon ain’t following ya.”
“Yes,” Rarity dusted herself off, “Despite a few bumps and nicks, everything went fine.”
“I’ll say!” Pinkie Pie cut in, looking over Rainbow Dash’s injuries, “Do you think that’s going to carry over?”
“Oh jeez, I hope not. That would suck so much.” Rainbow Dash said, turning to Twilight, “Will I be okay?”
“They’re not your actual bones.” She explained, “I think they’re just a manifestation of our spirits. Damage to them would result in damage to your spirit.”
“So…?” Rainbow Dash began worriedly,
“I don’t know.” Twilight admitted, “I don’t think it would transfer to physical damage, but spirits are a fickle thing, you might have some… phantom pain?”
Rainbow Dash grunted, “Worth it.”
“At least nothing’s broken,” Rarity said, “Are we ready to go back?”
“Wait!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed,
“What?”
She turned in a circle for a moment, “Guys, I’m missing a rib.”
They all looked to her side, where there was a larger gap between some of her ribs.
“That’s not good, is it?” Fluttershy asked,
Twilight just shook her head and shrugged, “This isn’t really a well studied topic, but I can’t imagine leaving any part of yourself in the land of the dead to be a good thing. Do you know where it is?”
“Maybe?” Rainbow Dash said, “I think I can feel it. It’s back in the city.”
Looking back at the dead city, great plumes of smoke rose from several places around the center. Another skyscraper imploded in on itself, a giant cloud of dust left in its wake.
“Can you bring it here?” Pinkie Pie wondered,
“Like that Hoofdini guy?” Rainbow Dash asked, “Maybe.”
“Whodini?” Pinkie Pie asked,
Rainbow Dash ignored her, instead concentrating for a few moments, “Okay, it’s moving.”
“Closer?” Applejack asked,
“Yeah, it’s coming this way,” Rainbow Dash nodded, “It’ll be here soon.”
“Well good,” Rarity said, “In the meantime, have we figured out how to ‘revivify’ yet?”
They all looked towards Twilight.
“I think so.” She nodded, “For me, as an alicorn, I should just be able to traverse the barrier without much issue, so I just have to will myself across.”
“That’s good, I think.”
“But for you guys,” she continued, rubbing her chin. “You’re wearing the Elements, right?”
“We were.” Rarity answered, “Princess Celestia said they would be used as anchors.”
“Does that mean we’re tied to the land of the living or something?” Applejack asked,
“In a sense.” Twilight answered,
“So how do we reel ourselves in?”
“That… is where I’m still not sure.”
“Can’t we just cross like you? By willing ourselves.” Rarity said,
“Maybe, we won’t know until we try it, but I’m not willing to leave anypony behind.”
“Then let one of us go first.” Applejack said, “That way we’ll know for sure.”
“I’ll try! I’ll try!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, she gasped audibly, then looked to be trying to hold her breath, however that might work.
She held that state for a few moments, not moving in the slightest until she finally exhaled, her ribs deflating back down.
“Nope, I got nothing.”
“Well how else might the Elements bring us back?” Rarity asked,
“Hmmm…” Twilight thought for another moment, “If you can’t go to the Elements, then you’ll have to get the Elements to bring you to them.”
Applejack tilted her head, “And how do we do that?”
“They should just need to be activated, it’s the only explanation I can come up with.”
“But-” Rarity looked to the others, who matched her worried look, “We don’t have the Element of Magic.”
“What do you mean? I’m right here.”
Applejack shook her head, “We didn’t bring it with us when we went to Canterlot. Not unless you had it on you when you died.”
“It’s not something I really go toting around with.” Twilight said, “No, I didn’t have it.”
“Then how are we supposed to create the Rainbow Friendship Beam of Magicness?!” Pinkie Pie realized, putting her hooves up to her face in an attempt to drag her cheeks down, only to dislocate her jaw instead.
“Can we activate them on their own?” Fluttershy tried,
“Is that even possible?”
“Uh… In theory,” Twilight began, “They work much better together, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be used separately.”
“How are we supposed to use them separately?” Rarity asked, “I don’t believe we’ve ever tried that.”
“Try to embody your Elements more than you usually do?” Twilight shrugged, “Sorry, that’s the best method I can think of.”
Rarity looked around slowly, “I don’t exactly have much to give right now, but you know I’d give you anything if you needed it.”
“I’ll stick by your side through thick and thin, no matter what!”
“Ah would never lie to you.”
“I’m always ready for a laugh!”
“I can’t imagine not helping in any way I can.”
Twilight looked at them all for a moment, “Well? Anything?”
“I don’t think so, darling. Perhaps we should try something else.”
“I have an idea!” Pinkie Pie began, “What if you went back, got your Element, then killed yourself again!”
They all cringed.
“Word choice, Pinkie!” Twilight began, “But... That might actually work… But then I’d have to leave you guys again.”
“But Twilight, if it’ll work…” Applejack said,
“I don’t want to leave anypony behind again.” Twilight shook her head, “We’ll figure this out someway or another. How’s that rib coming along Rain…?” She trailed off abruptly,
“It’s getting close, it should be just over…” Rainbow Dash turned around, and also trailed off. “Oh you’ve got to be kidding.”
They all looked back towards the city, where a once distant pillar of smoke had moved away from the center, and was now approaching them, rapidly. The ground started to shake as a familiar roar sounded out, and the dragon tore through the edge of the city a moment later. It looked around rapidly, quickly spotting them at the top of the dune, a single white bone snagged between its teeth. Behind it, hundreds of sentinels were trailing behind, but they were still a fair distance away.
“You’ve got to go, Twilight!” Applejack said,
“But-”
“Now!” Rarity commanded, “Go back, grab the Element of Magic, then come back so we can all leave!”
“No!” Twilight stomped her hoof, right as the dragon started clawing at the base of the dune.
They all stumbled as the sand shifted below them, and they scrambled to stay on top of the rapidly shrinking hill.
“I’m not leaving you guys again! We should all be leaving together!”
“We will!” Rainbow Dash argued, “But you have to go first! Otherwise we would have done all this for nothing!”
Twilight shook her head. “Either we’re all going, or none of us are.”
“Do you hear yourself right now?!” Pinkie Pie demanded, “You’re putting yourself in danger for us, when you know we won’t be going anywhere!”
“Of course I am! You guys are my friends! I just got you back, and I don’t want to lose you all again!”
“You’re not going to lose us,” Fluttershy assured, “We’ll be waiting right here for when you get back.”
“Not with the dragon here!” Twilight exclaimed, “It wants me, but it knows you’re my friends. I’m not taking that risk.”
“Then we’ll deal with it, darling.” Rarity said, “But you have to get to safety first.”
“Oh, we’re going to deal with it alright.” Twilight said, adjusting her stance, “And we’ll do it together.”
Applejack huffed, “You’re not gonna have it any other way, are you?”
“Nope.”
“Fine by me!” Rainbow Dash shouted, “Let’s teach this guy not to mess with us!”
“Girls, form up!” Twilight said,
They each got into their respective positions behind her, standing strong against the falling sand. The dragon laid in wait at the bottom with an open maw, ready to swallow them whole once they got close enough. The rib in its teeth wiggled loose, shooting up towards them, Rainbow Dash caught it, then quickly affixed it to her side.
“But Twilight,” Rarity began, “How are we even supposed to beat this thing?”
“We’ll take it apart if we have to! All I know is that we’ll do it together!”
There it was. The connection they had so desperately been searching for. Rarity could feel it in her chest, a warm feeling that rang out through the hollow space and into her ribs. A soft glow began to emanate from her bones, and a few quick looks to the side revealed a similar reaction from the others.
They were in their Element.
A blurry world filled Rarity’s vision, and her eyes protested as she tried to blink. It was as if she was in the longest staring contest of her life, and by the looks of it, she would’ve been winning. Her mouth felt incredibly dry, her ragged tongue scraping against her cheeks and teeth. She groaned, her voice coming out coarse and scratchy.
All at once, she jumped awake, inhaling deeply as fresh air entered her lungs in who knows how long. She coughed into her hoof, shutting her eyes tightly and rubbing them as all her normal bodily functions started back up again. She felt her heart start beating after being still for so long.
“Did we do it?” She rasped,
Looking around, her vision had cleared only slightly, but as she shifted under the covers she could feel something cold and stiff on each of her sides. There was a purple blur on the left, and a yellow one on the right, with pink, blue, and orange blurs further on each end.
Rarity sat up fully, rubbing her eyes again as they finally started to rehydrate. Twilight then gasped awake, flailing under the sheets for a moment before she too sat up.
“I’m alive? I’m alive!”
“Mmm, five more minutes.” Rainbow Dash complained, only to start coughing uncontrollably,
The noise seemed to stir the others, with Pinkie Pie literally springing out of bed and Applejack slipping off the side and onto the floor.
“Oof, what gives?”
“Yay…” Fluttershy murmured, “No more bones.”
“Bleh,” Rainbow Dash coughed up a chunk of phlegm, “Are we back? Are we still skeletons?”
“No darling, we’re not.” Rarity cleared her throat,
“Not back or not skeletons?”
“Not skeletons.” She clarified, “We’re definitely back.”
“Awesome.” Rainbow Dash slumped back into the covers.
“Just like that?” Twilight asked, she pulled herself out of the covers and stepped over to the foot of the bed, “No difficulties?”
“I think there were plenty of difficulties, darling.” Rarity said, desperately trying to clear her eyes. She stifled a cough, “Which begs the question, why do you sound so normal?”
“I do?” Twilight asked, confused, “Maybe it’s an alicorn thing?”
“Well duh!” Pinkie Pie jumped up beside her, “I mean look at you!”
Though still blurry, Rarity could see an obvious height difference between the two.
“Whoa!” Twilight exclaimed, “Pinkie, why are you so big?”
“Why are you so small?” She responded, levelling a hoof with Twilight’s head, “You look like a teenager!”
“That is because technically she is one.” A voice came from the end of the room.
“Princess Celestia!” Twilight gasped, “O-Oh my goodness! I’m so sorry! I-I tripped and couldn’t stop myself! I didn't know!”
“It happens,” a white figure stepped further into the room, a darker blue one following after. “I am just glad you all made it back safely. Welcome back to the land of the living, my little ponies.”
“Back, sure.” Applejack groaned from off to the side, “Safely? Ah don’t know about that.”
“Returning to one’s body like that is never an easy process.” Princess Luna said, “But it is not likely for there to be permanent effects.”
“That’s a relief.” Rarity said, squinting at the figures around the room, “So why is Twilight the odd one out?”
Princess Luna gave a small laugh, “It is an adaptation that we alicorns have. Due to our ability to cross the planes with relative ease, it becomes necessary to maintain bodily functions during the process. Normally there are hardly any side effects, but if our bodies were to sustain extensive damage, or remain inactive for extended periods of time, they are forced to reallocate resources to retain function. That is why you have regressed in stature.”
“Oh…” Twilight said, then she gasped again, “Wait! Does that mean when we defeated Nightmare Moon we…”
“Unfortunately, yes,” Princess Luna nodded, “My body did not survive a direct assault from the Elements of Harmony, and I did die in the process, but the effects are not permanent, as you can see.”
Twilight remained silent for a moment, “So how long will I stay like this?”
“A month or two at least,” Princess Celestia answered,
“A month?! I can’t go around looking like a teen for a month!”
Rainbow Dash snorted, “I like the sound of that.”
“Unfortunately, it is one of the many drawbacks of coming back from death.” Princess Celestia said, “You will simply have to deal with it.”
“So we’re all good then?” Applejack asked, “We can go back home?”
“For the most part.” Princess Celestia answered, “Though I would love to hear about your adventures through the Domain of the Dead.”
“What about Big Smoke!” Pinkie Pie nearly screamed,
“Big Smoke?”
Rarity gasped, “That’s right!" She paused to cough to the side, "We didn’t exactly leave on good terms. There was this dragon that chased us through the whole city!”
“Oh. Oh my.” Princess Celestia said, “Is he really still trying after all these years?”
Twilight nodded, “It didn’t look good when we left, is there anything we can do to help?”
Princess Luna huffed, “I will handle it. Be right back.”
Rarity blinked once more, finally able to see the finer details of the room, just in time to see Princess Luna jerk her head to the side. A sickening crack echoed out from the room, and she fell limp on the floor, her frowning face returning to a more neutral state.
“Oh my goodness!” Rarity screamed while the others looked on in shock.
Princess Celestia just winced and turned away, pursing her lips. “I hate it when she does that. There are so many less distasteful ways of killing oneself.”
They all just stared slack jawed at the broken body, only for it to snap back into position a moment later. Princess Luna then stood back, twisting her head back and forth as if popping her neck.
“There, it is finished.”
Complete and utter silence.
“Um…” Fluttershy eventually began, “Who was that mean dragon?”
Princess Celestia exhaled, “He is the ancient dragonlord Asmodeus, who in his life pursued immortality relentlessly. He was not a problem until he learned of us, and sought to break the natural order using our souls.”
“We stopped him soon after that, and now Asmodeus is spending the rest of our lives in eternal punishment.”
“Why your lives?” Twilight asked,
“Unfortunately, due to his actions in the past, his soul remains present even today, and it will continue to do so as long as we do.” Princess Celestia explained,
“A decision he surely regrets,” Princess Luna finished, “I cannot tell you how many times he has pulled this same stunt before.”
“He is one of the reasons why we do not visit the Domain of the Dead often, and I should extend that same advice to you, Twilight. Try not to die a lot.”
“Wasn’t planning on it…” Twilight said, staring blankly forward.
“What about us?” Pinkie Pie asked, “Can we still die whenever we want?”
Princess Celestia opened her mouth to speak, but stayed silent for a moment. “I would not recommend attempting this ever again," she sighed, "but as long as you have your Elements, they will continue to act as anchors for you souls.”
“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Applejack said, “Ah’ve died enough in my life already.”
“Oh yes, Applejack,” Princess Luna began, “Your father says ‘hello’.”
“That’s… good to hear…” She trailed off,
“Can I get a glass of water please?” Rainbow Dash interrupted, “I am dying of thirst over here.”
Princess Celestia smiled, “Of course, how would you all like a celebratory feast for your success.”
“Yes please,”
“Oh my goodness, yes!”
“I am so hungry!”
“Feasts are one of my favorite types of parties!”
The End.