Downfall

All I see is black. Where am I? Gah, I feel so lightheaded. And it's freezing in here, too! Maybe the power went off. Wait... but I can't stand. What's going on? Someone help me! No, I can't scream! What is all of this? I hear footsteps...

"Awake, I see? Don't try and reply. As of now, you can't."

Who's speaking? This voice isn't familiar to me.

"I'll bet you're confused, aren't you? Let me explain some things to you, Rainbow Dash."

What? How does she know my name?

"Rainbow Dash, when the sun is low enough in the sky to be able to hide in the woods, you will be able to see, move around, speak- all of that. I will not allow you to return to Equestia, however. I will allow you to look in at your friends, Twilight Sparkle, Apple Jack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy,"

She knows my friends, too? Who is this?

"but I will not allow you to speak or interact with them. I would if I could, but I'm afraid that's not how it all works out, here."

Works out HERE? Where exactly is here?

"You see, Rainbow Dash, there seemed to have been a.... a fatality."

FATALITY? WHAT???

"Rainbow Dash, three days ago, a strange pegasus wandered into town. His name was Black Feather, and he claimed that he was the fastest, most sly pegasus in Equestria. He demonstrated his flight in front of everyone in Ponyville, and even the Wonderbolts looked upon him with envy. Rainbow Dash, when you discovered Black Feather's skills, you challenged him to a race. All of your friends cheered you on, and the entire town held their breath as the two of you raced all through the town. Black Feather did not play fair, though. As the two of you shot high into the air at the end of the race, Black Feather pulled forward in front of you. He cut you off from your race, and kicked you in the face. Immediately, you were unconscious, and fell backwards until you fell into the river. Currently, your body lies at the bottom of the river. Your friends are still awaiting your return, while the rest of town admires Black Feather."

So does that mean I.... drowned? No! It can't be! Can't she tell me that this is all fake? It's all a joke? It can't be true! Never ever NEVER!

"They have yet to find your body, Rainbow Dash. Right now, you are in my world. We like to call it the Land of Downfall. I am the recruiter. They call me Thief because of this. I am the one who takes the souls of ponies when they die. I am the one who has to inform ponies of their deaths. However, I am also the one who allows ponies' souls to wander Equestria to see life after they have gone."

This is all fake! It's all a dream! I can't take this! No! It's not true! IT'S NOT TRUE! I'll wake up! I know I will! I have to! I HAVE TO!

"Soon, Rainbow Dash, may you be able to walk the earth, again. Soon, may you speak and see. When you are functioning again, Rainbow Dash, I want you to follow me. I wish to bring you to the heart of Downfall. I will teach you more about the dead life."

❖❖❖

Lights. Lights are fading in. I see a mare standing before me. She is tall, and her fur is a deep purple color. At first, she looks like Princess Luna, but I look into her eyes and see that they're a light, light blue- a lighter blue than my own skin. She looks as if she has been underground for a while.

I pull myself from the ground, shakily, and I gaze at my surroundings. The grass I stand in is black with soot, and the skies are red like blood. I see a rundown town in front of me. It seemed like all they had to build was wood. It wasn't even good wood that held their houses together. Their town looked abandoned, but I saw dark ponies ambling down a dirt path to greet me.

I shook my head, not believing at all what I was seeing. Dirt shook from my hair, but the images were still clear. I looked behind me to see a river. The water was so dark that it looked black, like the grass. I noticed a great white figure in the water, and turned around to see the moon hanging high in the air. In Ponyville, the moon was never this big! It looked as if I could fly up to it in seconds! I wished I could fly to it, then, and soar through the breeze to forget my worries for a little while. I looked back at my wings to see their feathers tattered and matted. A flashback struck me like lighting.

I'm falling, falling. That idiot, Black Feather! I can't move! I can't wake up! I hear screams! No! I hear Fluttershy's screams the loudest... I knew she could cheer me on, but not like this! Not like this! I've heard her scream before, and it was only out of pure excitement, like when I saved Rarity and did a Sonic Rainboom. This scream is different. She's frightened. I don't know why until I remember that I'm falling, falling.

The civilians from the Downfall surround me. They all have the same light blue eyes that Thief had, and they all introduce me. All of them have names like Thief; names that no one in Equestria would ever receive. After all of the introductions, Thief takes me to one of the ponies named Wave. She has dark blue fur and pin-straight, white hair. She is supposed to tend to the ponies that drown, like I did.

"Rainbow Dash, since you died by water, you are granted the power to control it."

"Woh, woh, woh! What do you mean 'power'?"

"Well, when ponies die, they are never truly gone. Their spirit lives on through their soul. Thief will transfer your soul into the water, and you will be able to walk the earth in this form."

"What do you mean? Can't I just be transferred into my body and come back to life?"

"That is not how death works, Rainbow Dash. You will be able to appear in any form of water, however, since that is how you died. It is one of the many rules of death."

"Didn't I die from that kick in the face that Black Feather was so kind enough to give to me?"

Wave thought for a moment. She called another pony who I think was named Omniscient, and the two of them whispered for a while. Omniscient called another pony over, a unicorn, and she began talking to me. She had grey fur, and red hair. I tried looking at her eyes to see if she had the same light blue as everyone else, but noticed that her left eye had a huge scar across it, binding her eyelids shut. "Hello, Rainbow Dash. I'm Slice." Slice? If Wave was named for taking care of the ponies killed by water, Thief stole the souls, and Omniscient seemed to know everything, then what was Slice in charge of? "You are very lucky and unlucky to have died from a wound. As you know, most ponies in Equestria die from old age. Those ponies will gain the power of time."

"Time? How does that work?"

"Well, you will not gain this power, but when time seems slow when you're bored, or fast when you're excited, that is controlled all by those ponies. Most ponies with this power will watch over another pony for the rest of that pony's life. Ponies that die of old age are often referred to as guardian angels."

"Ah... Well, I'm glad I didn't die of old age. That sounds extremely boring!"

"Since the blow to your head that Black Feather delivered also caused your death, you will be granted the power of telekinesis."

"Uh... yeah! I totally know what that is! Awesome!"

"Telekinesis, Rainbow Dash, is controlling objects with your mind. You will be able to control objects in Equestria, and interact with them."

"AWESOME!!!" I cheered.

"But Rainbow Dash," Slice responded. "there are rules to having this power. First off, you may not control living creatures; only inanimate objects. Interfering with living creatures will throw off balance, and may waken Discord." I thought back to when my friends and I had to fight against Discord, and all of the chaos that occurred. I decided then that I definitely would not control living creatures.

"What about the dead?" I asked in hopes that I could control my body and walk the earth in it, once more.

"Whatever lives and once lived cannot be touched by your power."

"Oh..."

"Another rule, is that you must not communicate with the living. If any pony finds out about what happens when you die, they will think of how to outsmart us. Death is not the opposite of life, Rainbow Dash. Death is life's sister. If you do communicate with the living, we will take back your powers, and you must live in Downfall with us. Is this all understood?"

"Yeah. Can I go to Ponyville, now?" I questioned in hopes that I could see my friends.

"Flight will bring you there," Slice responded.

"ALRIGHT! I GET TO FLY!!!"

"No," said Slice. "The pony, Flight, will bring you. While Thief is transferring your soul, you will not be able to move, just like earlier. Flight will carry you."

❖❖❖

I see nothing. I hear nothing. I feel nothing but the wind against my fur, and the gently rhythm of flight.

❖❖❖

I wake up and look down. I can't see myself! I look around and notice that I am now in the river I had drowned in. I turn to my side to see my waterlogged body resting beside me. There's a gash in my forehead where Black Feather had kicked me. Rising from the water, I see Ponyville. At first, everything is black and white- probably since I was used to looking around in the dark -but then then the colors fade in. I pull myself out of the river and begin walking. As I walk, the water hugs my imaginary feet, and follows me.

"GET OFF ME!!" I scream at the water. I look around to see if any pony had heard me. I see Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle standing on a bridge. They would have heard me unless they were deaf. Can the living hear me? I decided not to test that, afraid it would be against the rules. But the water still held my feet in an embrace, and thus I took off into the sky. As I flew, the water trailing behind me began to fall, and the ponies below claimed that it was raining. Perhaps I create rain now?

Flying further and further away from the river, I noticed Fluttershy with a small kitten, who she was trying to hurry out of the rain. "There, there, Mr. Kitty!" she called to the kitten in her tiny voice. "If you come with me, I'll dry you off!" I watched Fluttershy as she sheltered the kitten from the rain, and led her to her house. Once the two were inside, I landed on the earth. How was Fluttershy doing? Just before I walked inside, the door shut, and I phased through the door. "Hmm..." I muttered to myself. "must be a benefit of dying."

I followed Fluttershy and watched her take care of the kitten, and dry her off. She tucked the kitten into a little bed, and sang it a lullaby.

"Sleep, little kitten, sleep through the night!
I'll watch you, protect you, through this dark rainy sight!
Sleep, little kitten, dream of the sun,
Pulling itself to the sky to warm everyone!"

The kitten easily dozed off, and Fluttershy walked to her room. She looked out her window, worriedly, and whispered, "Rainbow Dash, I really hope you're alright! We'll find you soon!" A tear drizzled down Fluttershy's eye, and she fell asleep.

❖❖❖

"Maybe some other pony will be awake at this hour!" I told myself as I flew through the night. Suddenly, I heard a scream, and rushed in the direction. I found Rarity curled up on her bed, crying.

"NO! THIS IS TRAGIC!" she yelped. I looked around to see that she had been rearranging her dresses. "This design, Opal, was the original design that I had made for Rainbow Dash for the Grand Galloping Galla!" she cried. "Oh, how I miss poor Rainbow Dash!" I watched as Rarity began petting Opal until the cat looked uncomfortable. "That was probably the best dress I had ever made! It was definitely one I was proud of!"

Unable to handle seeing my friend cry over my death, I continued on.

❖❖❖

As I flew further, the sun peeked out from the treetops, and I decided to go check on Apple Jack. She always wakes up around this time, maybe I'll get to see her. I had been right. I landed on the ground to see Apple Jack harvesting apples from her tree.

WHACK "Gosh darnit!" she cried as she kicked the tree. "Why won't these dang apples fall?" WHACK! Apple Jack kept kicking the tree, until she got frustrated and kicked the empty apple bucket aside. "What has this world come to?" she sighed. "If Rainbow Dash falls from the sky, these apples surely can." Apple Jack looked up to the sky, her eyes beginning to tear. "Don't you dare leave us, Rainbow!" I knew that I needed to help out Apple Jack, but I couldn't think of how. Maybe, I could use one of my new powers. Maybe I could help Apple Jack harvest the apples!

I flew to the tree Apple Jack had been kicking, and pulled an apple. Surprised that I was able to grab it, I dropped it. The apple landed on Apple Jack's head, and she looked up. I was afraid that she had seen me, but she pulled her bucket over and began kicking the trees again. I plucked each apple from the tree, and threw them into the bucket. "Maybe she hasn't left us, after all," Apple Jack muttered as she carried the bucket away.

❖❖❖

I began looking out for Pinkie Pie and Twilight. I wanted to know how they were doing with me being gone. While flying, a balloon almost hit me (it wouldn't make a difference if it had- I'm dead). I looked down and saw Pinkie Pie trying to blow up balloons outside her house. Something looked different about Pinkie Pie. Why wasn't she talking to other ponies? Why did she stay home? As I approached her, I realized that her once fluffy hair was now straight, like it had been when she was convinced that we had left her.

"I can't get this right!" cried out Pinkie in frustration. Never had she seemed so upset like now. She attempted to blow up another balloon, but it flew away. Pinkie walked into her house, and I followed her. It looked like she had tried to throw parties, but was no longer able to. Was this because of my death? Pinkie walked- yes walked- into her kitchen, where a bunch of burnt cupcakes rested. Maybe I could help out Pinkie like I helped out Apple Jack! I looked around for a cupcake recipe, and found one. It was a simple chocolate cupcake, and it didn't look that difficult. I pulled together all of the ingredients, and stuffed the cupcakes in the oven. Pinkie rushed in as soon as she heard the ding of the timer, and saw the perfect chocolate cupcakes sitting in the oven, waiting for her. For a second, I thought I had seen her hair fluff up a bit.

❖❖❖

I walked to Twilight's house. I felt tired from using my new powers so much, and was afraid of falling during flight again. When I opened the door to Twilight's house, I saw her and Spike looking through all of the books in her library.

"This one? No.... no.... Spike, you find anything?"

"No... I'm still looking!"

"I can't seem to find anything! Can we go look outside, again?"

"Um... I'll stay here and look!" Spike called back out of laziness.

"Alright. I'll see you later!" Twilight rushed out the door, and I followed her to see where she was going. I realized soon that she was running towards the river I had drowned in. Twilight walked besides the water, scanning the river. "Where is she?" she called. "She should've landed around here when she finished!" Did everyone think I had disappeared? Had anyone seen my fall into the river and drown? I wished I could have pulled up my body from the bottom of the lake and shown it to Twilight, but I was not allowed to. Unable to watch this anymore, I found a quiet spot on a cloud, and fell asleep there.

❖❖❖

"Did you guys find anything?"

"No... I thought one of you would."

I looked down from my cloud to see Fluttershy, Rarity, Apple Jack, Pinkie, Twilight, and Spike met up in the town. They all looked broken inside. "I can't find her, and I'm afraid I won't be able to," admitted Twilight.

"This is all Black Feather's fault!" shouted Rarity. "If he hadn't been such a show off, none of this would have happened!"

The other ponies agreed. "I guess I should write about this to Princess Celestia," Twilight sighed.

"Can I help?" called a quiet voice. Everyone turned to Fluttershy.

"Me too?" asked Pinkie.

"And me?"

I couldn't believe my eyes as I watched all of my friends write a letter to the princess, telling about all of the memories they shared with me, and how I was gone now. I wanted to tell them what had truly happened, and about how Black Feather had cheated. If I told them, though, I would have to go back to Downfall. It was a risk I was willing to take.

Right when Spike was about to send the letter to Princess Celestia, I snatched it from his hand. I took the quill that every pony had used to write down memories, and stole a piece of paper. On this paper, I wrote,

"Hey, guys! It's me, Rainbow Dash! Listen, I don't know how much time I have, but my body is lying in the lake. In the middle of the race with Black Feather, he kicked me, and I fell out of the sky, unconscious. I landed in the river, and drowned. Because of that death, I am able to write you this letter. I miss you all so much, but I must go, now! They will be furious at me for breaking the rules and communicating with you. I just couldn't help to write to you guys, though! I love you all so much! -Rainbow Dash"

❖❖❖

"Rainbow Dash!" a harsh, familiar voice called. I know it's Thief. She's angry. "you have broken the rules of death, and now you are to stay in Downfall for eternity!"

This time, I was able to open my mouth to speak. "I understand, Thief. I accept that."

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