A Deal with the Pale Pony

by DragonsHeart

Chapter 8 - Questions

Rainbow Dash sits at the café table, while beside her sit two of her friends, talking to each other. The topic of which they are talking about flies right over Rainbow Dash’s head, for her mind is elsewhere. She is trying to work out what Mors’s words meant before.

“What do you think, Rainbow Dash?... Dash are you listening?” asks Twilight, annoyed.

“Huh?” Rainbow Dash replies, zoning in.

“I was wondering what you think we should get for lunch?” answers Twilight, crossing her hooves.

“Anything’s fine,” dismisses Rainbow Dash, trying to get back to her thoughts.

“What’s wrong, Dash?” asks Fluttershy, concerned, noticing Rainbow Dash odd behaviour.

“Hmm? Oh nothing, just wondering about somethings,” replies Rainbow Dash, zoning in again.

“What about? Maybe we can help,” offers Twilight, curious.

“About Death…” Rainbow Dash says, regretting it, for the looks on her friend’s faces are depressing.

“Are you all right? Are you worried about death?” asks Twilight, worried that Rainbow Dash’s near death experience is still upsetting her.

“No,” Rainbow Dash says, annoyed, seeing that they missed the point, “I mean like the Pale Pony.”

“Oh,” they both say, their faces easing up, but their faces soon change to confusion.

“What are you wondering about?” asks Twilight.

“What do you know about it?” asks Rainbow Dash.

“Just as much as any other pony,” Twilight explains, shrugging, “It’s a fictional creature like the Tooth Fairy and the Sand Pony, it supposedly takes souls to the afterlife.”

“You don’t believe that they exist then?” asks Fluttershy, curious.

“Oh course, there has been no proof that any of those things exist,” explains Twilight.

Rainbow Dash wonders what they would think if they knew they were just talking to one before.

“But how come we believe in them then?” asks Fluttershy, curious.

“Well take Death for an example: death is such a powerful force that we gave it a name and face to make it more familiar and less scary…” explains Twilight.

“What do you think it looks like?” interrupts Rainbow Dash, not interested in the current topic.

“Umm, well,” Twilight says, confused, “Most classical sources say that it is a skeletal pony with a scythe and sometimes in a black robe. But some artist about a thousand years ago I believe, did a picture of a mare before he died called the Angel of Death, and some like to believe that is what Death looks like.”

“What does the picture look like?” asks Rainbow Dash, curious.

“I don’t know,” replies Twilight, shrugging, “Never seen it before, only read about it.”

A waiter walks up to the table, placing some water on the table.

“What will you all be having?” he asks.

“Just three daisy sandwiches, please,” replies Twilight, politely.

The waiter nods and walks off.

“Why are you so curious about Death?” asks Fluttershy.

“No reason, just curious,” dismisses Rainbow Dash, then she remembers something, “I have another question though.”

“What?” asks Twilight.

“How would you feel if you had to keep your identity a secret for fear of being rejected by everypony, and then had to use a made up one instead?” asks Rainbow Dash.

“What does this have to do with Death?” asks Twilight, confused.

“Just answer, Twi,” Rainbow Dash says, impatient.

“Well… I would definitely hate it,” Twilight finally answers, “Not being able to be myself would be horrible, and I would always be afraid that my real identity would be found out.”

Fluttershy nods her head, agreeing with Twilight.

“What about if whatever identity you choose you then magically fits into it?” asks Rainbow Dash.

“…what??” Twilight says, confused.

“I mean, if your fake identity is say Red Crust the town’s baker, everypony in town will magically know you as that pony and some ponies will magically become your friends like you were always Red Crust the town’s baker and never anyone else, but if you change your fake identity again then everything will change. Everything about Red Crust will be forgotten and everypony will remember new things about this new identity instead… and you always have to change your identity every now and then,” Rainbow Dash explains.

“Where is this coming from?” asks Twilight, confused, thinking that this is too complicated for Rainbow Dash to make up.

“From a book I read,” lies Rainbow Dash, who was ready for this question.

“Well I don’t quite understand it, but…” Fluttershy says, quietly, “I imagine it would be very hard.”

“Hard?” replies Rainbow Dash, confused.

“To know that your fake identity is the only thing ties to your fake friends and any new friends you may have made in that time, and if your identity changes they will forget all about you, I imagine it would be terrifying,” explains Fluttershy, “Even if you didn’t earn them normally they are still your friends and care for you, and maybe that pony has started to think of them as friends as well.”

“What would you imagine would happen to that pony if their identity keeps changing?” asks Rainbow Dash, quietly.

“I imagine they would give up,” guesses Fluttershy, “To keep having to change your identity and to keep having everypony forget about you, well… I would just give up.”

“Give up?” asks Rainbow Dash.

“I wouldn’t bother anymore to try and make friends or even talk to ponies. I would become distance and become very lonely, being forced to go along with this cruel changing life,” explains Fluttershy, “Well if that happen to me.”

“That is a very interesting answer, Fluttershy,” comments Twilight, impressed.

“Oh, thank you,” Fluttershy says, blushing.

Rainbow Dash thinks about what was just said. ‘Is this how Mors feels? But she is trying to make a friend so that can’t be the case… but she said she wants to experience friendship and doesn’t matter if I can’t become friends with her, as long I can show it to her. She also got upset when I mentioned if she wasn’t Death she would have lots of friends… does she hate being Death or does she just want friends to accept her for what she is? And I just left her to hang out with my friends… well she left me so I can hang out with my friends but the point still stands.’

“I gotta go,” she says, standing up.

“So soon?” asks Fluttershy, confused.

“But I just ordered lunch!” says Twilight, shocked.

“Sorry, but I just remembered something important I have to do,” Rainbow says, starting to jog off. “I will make it up to you later!” she yells back at them.

Soon Twilight and Fluttershy lose sight of her.

“I wonder where she is going?” wonders Fluttershy, “Maybe it has something to do with Mors.” She turns towards Twilight, “What do you think, Twilight?” But Twilight doesn’t answer, for she is still looking in the direction where Rainbow Dash ran in, and is scowling.

“Sorry, Fluttershy, I don’t really feel hungry anymore,” Twilight says, standing up. She pulls out some bits out of her bag and places it on the table, “Here the money for the sandwiches. Sorry.” With that she flies off and disappears.

Fluttershy looks surprise at her friend’s sudden departure, she snaps out of it when three sandwiches are placed in front of her.

“Is this the money for the sandwiches?” the waiter asks, pointing to the bits on the table.

“Oh… yes,” Fluttershy says, shyly, now wondering what to do with the two extra sandwiches.

The waiter nods and picks up the bits and is about to leaves.

“Wait… umm,” calls out Fluttershy to the waiter, “I can I have these to take away?

---

Rainbow Dash dashes through the alleyway where she parted with Mors and then checks the surrounding areas. She can’t find her. Where is she?

She runs past the park and something catches her eyes. It is Mors. She is standing on a hill, the wind catching her mane, tossing it sideways as she looks vacantly at the horizon. It is the first time Rainbow Dash has seen her without a smile, her face seems serious and also very tired, like she is thinking hard about something.

“Mors?” calls Rainbow Dash, startling Mors.

“What? Oh, Rainbow Dash, I thought you were having lunch with your friends?” she says, putting on her usual bright smile, but somehow it feels fake now.

“I cancelled, I remembered I have something to tell you,” explains Rainbow Dash, nervously.

“Hmmm?” replies Mors, her eyes showing her confusion.

“I sorry about what I said before, it was thoughtless and mean!” Rainbow Dash shouts, quickly getting it off her chest. She looks at Mors’s face and sees that her expression is darkening, she hurries up with the next bit. “And please be my friend!” she finishes. She watches and see the Mors’s face change to shock, one of her hooves covering her mouth. “And I say that not to Mors the Roommate but Mors the Pale Pony,” Rainbow Dash adds, finally.

“Where is this coming from, Rainbow Dash?” Mors asks, her hoof still covering her mouth.

“I never really thought about why you wanted to experience friendship before until now,” explains Rainbow Dash, “You said you wanted to experience friendship because you want to experience life, but I think it is really about because deep down you must be really lonely and really want to have friends, but you are at a disadvantage because you are Death. Maybe you nearly gave up trying to make friends and this is your final try and I’m so sorry for not really trying to become your friend before, but now I really do want to try now.”

“So it doesn’t matter if I’m Death?” Mors asks, quietly.

“No, because that’s just who you are. So can we please start over and be friends?” asks Rainbow Dash.

Mors then giggles, “It sound like you are asking me out.”

Rainbow Dash blushes. “Wait, I mean…” she stutters, embarrassed.

She is silenced as Mors hugs her. “I know what you mean and I would love to be your friend,” she whispers into her ear, “I knew you were the right chose. Please teach me all about friendship, Dash.”

“Sure,” Rainbow Dash whispers back, returning the hug.

Author's Note:

This chapter wouldn't have been possible without the help of Bugze(Well not this early anyway)
Thanks you for proof reading it.
Sorry again for the delay, but my normal proof reader is busy pony, he has a exams coming up and get distracted easily. So yeah, it a problem