//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3 
// Story: Near Death Experience 
// by Hadles 
//------------------------------//

Pinwheel coughed up dirt. She hacked and choked, eyes watering. For a moment, she couldn't tell where she was. Had the plan worked? Blinking a few times, Pinwheel's vision came into focus. Her glasses were badly cracked with fractures spider-webbing all across the lenses. Her mouth tasted like soil and there was a bitterly painful crick in her neck. "It didn't work…" Pinwheel sighed. She couldn't see much out of her broken lenses. Everything was dark, but that could be just because it was night time. Really, if the plan didn't work, it was probably for the best. It was a stupid idea anyway. What pony would purposefully try to die?

Then, suddenly, her glasses began to mend themselves. Pinwheel's heart started. Her aches vanished. Once her glasses were fixed, she took in her surroundings. Infinite blackness, just like last time. "Oh, Celestia…" Pinwheel breathed, "It did work…" Here she was. She was dead again. The tumble off the embankment had killed her. Pinwheel swallowed hard. Stupid! She thought. There was absolutely no guarantee that Death would give her a third chance. In fact, odds were that he wouldn't give her chance at all. She was dead. For real this time. All because of her stupid curiosity. Still, at the same time, Pinwheel couldn't help but feel a little happy. Her experience last time wasn't a dream. She'd really won a second chance from Death! A little tremble of pride stirred in Pinwheel's heart. Not many ponies could say they cheated Death. It was a shame she never got a chance to brag about it.

"Death?" Pinwheel called into the darkness, trotting forward, "Death! I want to talk to you!" Stupid, stupid, stupid. She scolded herself, Death will laugh you out of the Afterlife for pulling such a dumb stunt. Still, Pinwheel's feeling of pride outweighed her shame. She bested Death once. Maybe with some luck, she'd best him again.

All of a sudden, Pinwheel caught the sound of galloping hooves. A screaming unicorn erupted from the shadows, her mane and tail aflame. She zoomed past Pinwheel, racing on into the blackness until she was nothing but a glowing spot. Pinwheel stood rooted to the spot. She swallowed hard. Before Pinwheel could even process the sight of the unicorn, ten more burning ponies exploded out of nowhere, screaming in agony and flailing like dying birds. Pinwheel gasped. A red pegasus, his body wreathed in green fire, collapsed next to Pinwheel. Horrible burns covered his body. The fire ate away at his fur and mane. His skin blistered in the heat. The pegasus struggled helplessly against the inferno, rolling back and forth on the floor as Pinwheel watched. Shock froze her place. She could barely lift a hoof to aid the burning colt.

"Oh Celestia. Oh Celestia!" Pinwheel gasped. The pegasus finally managed to extinguish the blaze. He lay prone before Pinwheel, eyes rolling in his head. Blood ooze from his burns. Pinwheel couldn't look. But just as she turned away, more burning ponies appeared. They all dashed off in different directions, but not before filling Pinwheel's ears with their dying screams. Pinwheel dropped to the ground, covering her head with her hooves. Shrieks swam in Pinwheel's head as the burning ponies stampeded past. Burning hair mixed with the tangy reek of blood. Overwhelmed, Pinwheel began to sob.

Then, just as quickly as they'd appeared, the burning ponies were gone. Silence once again dominated the realm. Sniffling, Pinwheel lifted her head. The red pegasus was gone, leaving only a few crimson feathers and a puddle of blood. There, before her, stood Death. In his teeth he gripped the scythe Pinwheel had seen in the illustration, long and thorny like the branch of a gnarled old tree. His shadowy cloak shifted around him as he turned to face Pinwheel. He let out a long sigh, like a frigid burst of winter wind. "YOU AGAIN." Trembling, Pinwheel rose to her feet. Death dropped his scythe. It vanished into nothingness just before it hit the ground.

"What…" Pinwheel gasped, hot tears still trailing down her face, "…was that?"

"THAT?" Death asked, looking around.

"Those ponies…they were on fire. They were burning up." Pinwheel squeaked. Her knees felt weak. She wanted to collapse again, but she wouldn't look weak in front of Death. In order to best him a second time, she had to be strong.

"THEY BURNED TO DEATH. A DRAGON WOKE UP NEAR SALT LICK CITY. THE FIRES CLAIMED ELEVEN PONIES." Death answered.

"And you just reaped them? Just like that?"

"IT IS MY JOB." Death answered. Pinwheel could barely stand his voice. It was both an intimate whisper and an unbearable boom, "YOU WERE LUCKY I OFFERED YOU A SECOND CHANCE. FEW PONIES GET THAT."

Pinwheel sniffled, taking deep breaths. The tears were still wet on her cheeks. Puffing her chest, she looked Death defiantly in the face. "Why didn't you reap me just then?"

Death tilted back his head. Under his cloak, his bones were yellow and ancient, yet seemed to glow with a mysterious light all their own. "WHY ARE YOU BACK?"

"I had to know if what I experienced was real." Pinwheel answered forcefully. All her muscles were tensed, "So I decided to come back and see."

"FOALISH." Death boomed. Pinwheel shrank back at the sound of his voice. Every time he spoke, Pinwheel felt herself pushed by an invisible wind. Her heart pounded rapidly. She knew her plan was foolish, but hearing the word from Death himself was a blow to her ego. In her heart, maybe she'd hoped he'd call her brave or strong for daring to face him again. That's what you called a pony who repeatedly risked death – 'brave'. But no, even Death thought she was stupid. Pinwheel's face grew hot with shame.

"I…I know…" Pinwheel gulped, "I just…had to."

"AND NOW YOU ARE DEAD. I CANNOT GIVE YOU ANY MORE CHANCES." With a wave of his neck, Death conjured up his scythe. The wicked weapon gleamed hungrily. Pinwheel saw her face reflected perfectly on the smooth, silver blade, "YOU HAVE FAILED, PINWHEEL."

"NO! No!" Pinwheel yelped, stumbling back away from the scythe, "I know what I did was stupid, but…but I was only curious! I just needed to know it was real! Please! Can't you let me go?"

Death let out series of short, wheezy sighs. It took Pinwheel a moment to realize he was laughing. Her face grew hotter. Death was laughing at her. "YOU PONIES HAVE A SAYING. WHAT IS IT? CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT." Death rattled, "OR, IN THIS CASE, THE PONY."

"But…but satisfaction brought it back." Pinwheel grinned maniacally, "And I'm satisfied now, so you should revive me!"

"AND HERE I THOUGHT YOU WERE CLEVER. WHAT A SHAME." Death sighed. He lifted his scythe in his teeth, preparing to swing. Pinwheel stumbled back onto her rump, throwing her front hooves up in front of her face for protection.

"Please!" Pinwheel squealed. Her shrillness had an effect, for Death lowered the scythe. Pinwheel peeked over her hooves, peering curiously at the tall, ghostly colt, "W-why did you stop?"

"A PONY WHO PURPOSEFULLY KILLS HERSELF IN ORDER TO MEET DEATH." He chuckled deeply, "YOU ARE EITHER IDIOTIC OR SUICIDAL. PERHAPS BOTH. I MUST ADMIT, I'VE NEVER MET A PONY WHO PURPOSEFULLY KILLED HERSELF AGAIN SO SOON AFTER RECEIVING A SECOND CHANCE FROM ME."

"Well…I guess 'suicidal idiot' is better than 'pinwheel maker' at any rate." Pinwheel sighed. Laughter was good. If he was laughing, he wasn't swinging the scythe.

"YOU ARE A STRANGE PONY."

Pinwheel let out a sigh of relief. There was an uncomfortable pressure in her chest. "So…you'll let me go back?"

"NO."

Pinwheel deflated. "Can't we cut some kind of deal?"

Death cocked his head. "AND WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE TO OFFER ME?"

Pinwheel scrambled for an idea. "Have…have you ever been to the mortal realm?"

"OF COURSE I HAVE."

Pinwheel shrank back down. "Well…that kills that idea, anyway."

Death hummed thoughtfully. "CONTINUE. LET ME HEAR THIS PROPOSITION ANYWAY."

Perking back up, Pinwheel grinned a little too widely. "Okay, so…maybe I could give you a little tour of the mortal world. You know, introduce you to some people! It must get pretty lonely down here in this…place. This realm. And you told me before that you liked color. There's plenty of color in the mortal world. And I could give you a pinwheel to carry back here, so it's not so gloomy and lonely. Wouldn't that be fun?" Pinwheel found herself babbling. Sweat prickled on the back of her neck. What a stupid offer, she thought to herself. There was no way Death would accept such an exchange. If a pony's life was worth a pleasant day on the town, murderers could get out of jail by taking the warden to lunch. Death knew exactly how much a pony's life was worth. He couldn't be cheated. Pinwheel braced for the cold steel of the scythe blade. She was as good as doomed. There was no way this would work. No way.

Death was silent for a long time after hearing her offer. He tilted his head back and forth in thought. Finally, he spoke. "OFFER ACCEPTED." Pinwheel blinked stupidly at the reaper.

"W-what…?" She mumbled, too shocked to speak.

"YOU ARE AN IDIOT, NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT. BUT…I HAVEN'T SPENT A DAY ON THE MORTAL PLAIN IN SOME TIME. VERY WELL, MISS PINWHEEL. AT MIDNIGHT TOMORROW, I WILL COME TO YOU. YOU WILL ESCORT ME AROUND PONYVILLE FOR A FULL TWENTY FOUR HOURS. IF MY TIME IS SATISFACTORY, I WILL ALLOW YOU TO STAY IN THE MORTAL REALM. HOWEVER, IF I DO NOT ENJOY MYSELF…YOU ARE COMING BACK HERE WITH ME."

"I can't…I can't believe it." Pinwheel breathed. Her heart fluttered in her ribs. She couldn't tell if she was afraid or elated.

Death chuckled again. "I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR DATE, PINWHEEL."




Pinwheel woke up at the bottom of the embankment. Her face was planted firmly in the dirt with her hind legs in the air over her. Pain radiated through her body, but she was alive. With a grunt, she pushed herself over and fell flat on her back. Stars glittered through the treetops overhead. Head still reeling, Pinwheel tried to make sense of what had just happened. A faint orange glow colored the bottom of the sky. She'd been dead for a few hours now – it was almost dawn.

Flipping herself over, Pinwheel got to her feet and climbed back up the embankment to the house. She felt as though her head was clouded with static. On some crazed impulse, she killed herself. Not because she was sad, not because she didn't feel like living anymore, but because she wanted to meet Death. This was the second time in a week Death brought her back to life. Pinwheel tried to swallow the idea. This week only, she'd died twice. And she'd risen from the dead…twice.

Pinwheel couldn't believe her luck.

Inside, she fixed herself a cup of tea and watched the sun rise behind her lacy white kitchen curtains. The static in her head lifted after a few minutes, but it was still hard to contemplate her experience. "Okay…Pinwheel…" She said in the silence of her kitchen, "Don't mess this up. You got a second –no, third—chance. Don't do anything stupid. Don't do anything impulsive." That was what her 'suicide' had been, a strange impulse. She had to know if her experience was real. It was. The danger of the situation wasn't lost on her, though. Death made it clear – this was the final strike. She had to show him a good time or she was dead for real.

A shrill note of panic sounded in Pinwheel's mind. She had a date with Death in less than a day. In her haste to get to the front door, Pinwheel knocked over both her chair and her teacup. The cup shattered on the tile floor, but Pinwheel didn't have time to pick it up. A few miles off in Ponyville square, Pinwheel could hear the clock striking 7 AM. Eighteen hours. She had eighteen hours to plan the most mind blowingly fun date imaginable – a date awesome enough to impress even Death.

Pinwheel made a frantic dash for Ponyville square. The citizens of the sleepy town were just beginning to wake up. Sleepy eyed ponies blinked at her as she rushed by, indifferently sipping their morning coffee. Pinwheel looked around desperately, then made a beeline for Dizzy Twist's house. Dizzy lived near the square, renting an apartment over Mr. Breezy's fan shop. Tripping up the stairs, Pinwheel started pounding on Dizzy's door. A red-eyed Dizzy answered. Her bubblegum pink hairdo was a tangled mess. She shuffled to the door in slippers and a bathrobe. Pinwheel lunged at her, gripping her face between her hooves.

"DIZZY! WHAT IS THE COOLEST THING IN PONYVILLE?" Pinwheel nearly screamed at her friend.

Dizzy squinted at Pinwheel, mouth hanging open. "What…Pinwheel?"

"Come on, Dizzy! This is a life or death situation!" Pinwheel demanded, pushing past Dizzy and entering the apartment. Dizzy lived in utter chaos. Cake crumbs and half finished cookies littered the floor. Copies of the Canterlot Times were strewn by the door. Pots and pans crowded Dizzy's small kitchen sink. Dizzy blinked at her yelling friend, too sleepy to make sense of what Pinwheel was saying.

"Hold…hold up." Dizzy grumbled, rubbing one eye with her hoof, "I don't get it. Is this like…a joke or something?"

"You aren't even awake! Get some coffee!" Pinwheel barked.

"Geez, bossy, no need to yell." Dizzy mumbled, shuffling into the kitchen. Pinwheel stood in the kitchen doorway, watching intently as Dizzy set the coffee tin on the stove. Still blinking groggily, Dizzy looked over her shoulder at Pinwheel, "What's going on now…?"

"I have exactly eighteen hours to plan the most amazing date in the history of Equestria. I need your help. It's important. It's extremely important. It's the most important thing I've ever done." Pinwheel demanded urgently, "We don't have time to waste."

"Wha…? A date…?" Dizzy murmured, "I didn't know you had a coltfriend…"

"I don't."

"Then…wait…I'm still confused." Dizzy mumbled.

"You don't have to understand. You just have to help." Pinwheel answered, "Quick. Don't think, just answer. What is the coolest thing to do in Ponyville?"

"Gosh, Pin. I dunno. I mean, there's the library. And Sugarcube Corner. Those are fun. And I hear the Apple family's giving hayrides on their farm." Dizzy listed. Taking the coffee tin in her teeth, she poured herself a cup, "Ponyville isn't exactly a…'cool' place. It's nice, but not super-cool-exciting."

"I need to find something super-cool-exciting, though!" Pinwheel angrily stomped her hooves. Dizzy raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously, Pin. What's going on?" Dizzy asked sincerely, frowning at Pinwheel. Pinwheel took a deep breath.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." She sighed, "Let's just say…I did something really stupid and now I owe a colt a date. If I don't show him a good time, something bad might happen."

Dizzy's frown deepened. "What do you mean, something bad might happen? Who is this colt? Is he some kind of criminal? Did you get mixed up with a gang, Pin?"

"No, nothing like that! It's…a weird circumstance. You just have to work with me, Dizzy. You've dated colts before. Where did you go?" Pinwheel begged, looking at her friend with pleading blue eyes. Dizzy let out a sigh.

"Okay. I'll do my best. But you owe me a big explanation." Dizzy picked up her cup of coffee and walked into the small living room. Setting the cup down on the coffee table, she climbed up on the sofa and gestured for Pinwheel to sit next to her. Pinwheel did.

"Thank you so much, Dizzy."

"Don't mention it. Now be straight with me – what kind of date is this? Is it supposed to be romantic?"

Pinwheel blanched. "Celestia, no."

"Okay, that makes it easier, I guess. Back when I was dating Green Gem, we used to go diving through clouds. We'd fall as close to the ground as we could before we opened our wings. That was pretty exciting." Dizzy reminisced. Pinwheel gawked at her. Dizzy turned faintly pink, ducking her head, "But, uh, considering what happened, that's probably not so good for you. Is he an earth pony or a pegasus pony?"

"I don't know."

Dizzy frowned. "Is this a blind date?"

"Maybe."

"Maybe you shouldn't go for a super-duper exciting date, then. Sometimes low-key dates can be fun too…" Dizzy suggested. Pinwheel just frowned.

"I don't know what he's like or what he wants. All I know is he likes colors. I just figured I'd plan something really exciting. That way, he'll have fun and I don't have to work so hard…" Pinwheel grumbled, covering her face with her hoof, "It's all just a big mess, Dizzy."

"Everyone has a different idea of fun, Pin. If you really don't know anything about this guy, planning something really high energy might be a risk. Some people don't like that stuff." Dizzy continued, scratching her chin with her hoof, "You said he likes…colors? That's really vague."

Pinwheel wracked her brain for more information. "He's…uh…really spooky. The creepy type, you know? And…uh…he's really devoted to his job. And…"

Dizzy's face scrunched up in thought. All of a sudden, her eyes opened wide. "I have an idea!" She chirruped. Pinwheel gasped, "Okay…so…this might be a little dangerous, but it might pay off. I was flying over the Everfree Forest the other day and I saw these cool ruins. It was this big, dilapidated castle with like, vines and stuff growing all over it. You could take your date and explore the old ruins. That's exciting, right? And you said he's the spooky type. I'm sure he loves abandoned, creepy places like that. You'll have to watch out for all the nasty junk that lives in the forest, but it would make an unforgettable date."

Pinwheel squeezed her friend's hooves in hers. "Dizzy, you are a genius! That sounds perfect!" She squealed excitedly, "How long do you think it'll take to explore the ruins?"

"Oh, all day. Easy. They were huge." Dizzy reassured. Pinwheel bit her lip to hold in her squeals.

"That is perfect! I owe you my life, Dizzy. Honestly!"

"Well…I almost killed you, so I'd say we're even. But I really want to know what's up with this mysterious date of yours." Dizzy prodded, "But…it can wait, I guess."

"You are a life saver." Pinwheel planted a peck on her friend's cheek. Dizzy blushed thoroughly. With that, she dismounted the couch and nodded toward the door.

"I'll show you where the ruins are, then. Let's go. Like you said, we've only got eighteen hours!"