38 - How Can One Say Goodbye? [Chapter Tag: Gore]
{This is about as bad as we could hope for it to get.}
“You son of a bitch! ‘Revenge is mine!?’ Haven’t you done enough already!?” Paddy snarled while Twilight rushed to Rarity, already firing off healing spells as her mane and tail floated gently.
Spitfire spat, “Kills your brother, and all you have for him is ‘you son of a bitch!?’ He’s a goddamn motherf—”
“WHAT!!?” Paddy shrieked, cutting her off. He looked at Rapidash, who looked down, nodding. Paddy’s eyes turned bloodshot and with tears of rage almost instantaneously. Hyperventilating, he sputtered, “My...you...my...!”
Koga started for the portal, but with a flick of her horn, Starlight enclosed it in her crystal. Koga snorted, “Maybe he shouldn’t have gotten in the way, maybe you shouldn’t have either!!”
Hurling kunais, Koga roared. Starlight managed a barrier, and with not a nanosecond to spare. She still maneouvred herself between him and the portal while Spitfire, Soarin’, Fleetfoot, and Misty Fly all began his way. Stormrider and Merry Weather summoned more soldiers. Green-eyed Trixie sobbed in her mother’s embrace, who also was teary-eyed. Throwing a Pokéball, Paddy screamed, “ESPEON!!!”
The strange fork-tailed cat appeared, looking around in bafflement. Koga took the Wonderbolts one-by-one, dropping Spitfire with a front kick to the chin, Soarin’ with a side kick to the chin, Fleetfoot with an elbow to the chin, and Misty Fly with a knife hand to the back of the head, each rapidly after the previous. Rapidash pleaded, “Honey-baby, hold on! Please hold on!”
Rarity feebly pawed at his jaw, barely managing, “I would have...wanted you for...all my life....”
Rapidash sobbed barely intelligibly, “Me-e-e...me too...would have made you my bride....”
Paddy pointed at Koga, specifically Koga, and yowled, “KILL HIM!!!”
Espeon snickered. “I thought you’d never ask!”
“Starlight!!” Twilight screamed. “A hoof!?”
Starlight rushed to Rarity’s side, her own eyes going misty as her breathing accelerated. She murmured, “Oh, Goddess, no!! Rarity!!”
“I need some help!!” Twilight urged as spear-wielding soldiers surrounded the area, points outward. “There’s three toxins: I recognise botulinum toxin and hydrogen cyanide, but I don’t know the third!”
Koga handsprung away from a blast from Espeon as he laughed, “What’s the matter!? Never seen plutonium? Then despite your best efforts to the contrary, she will reap what she’s sown!”
Rarity’s hearing faded, to the point she could hear only her struggling heart, and fragmented breathing. Speaking words became impossible. She could see Rapidash’s sobbing, and his jaw moving, but no words. Paddy took to punching at Koga as well, but could not land a blow. Koga silently counterattacked, punching him in the jaw, followed by a roundhouse kick to the jaw. Paddy dropped to the ground out cold, but Rarity heard nothing. She saw Espeon fire a shot of Psychic, knocking Koga into the air spinning, but no noise from the attack. Starlight stood beside Twilight, both of them in tears, as they frantically talked, hitting her over and over with green spells. But the perception of sound would not return. The strength would not return to her limbs. Teardrops falling on her face from the three around her made no tactile impression. Rainbow Dash’s obviously screaming mouth was silent, and though she could see her fur rippling from said screaming, she felt nothing.
Rarity could barely turn her head to follow as they all looked to the left. She saw Applejack and Fluttershy leading Pinkie Pie in a wheelchair. All three of them appeared to be screaming, Applejack profanely if her lip-reading was to be trusted, and Fluttershy with the most tears. Pinkie Pie’s mane fell flat, then she stood up, but bipedal instead of on all four hooves. She threw aside her hospital gown, revealing scarring on her chest and the fur shaved away from around the wounds. Pinkie took a stance similar to what Rarity had seen from the black belts in the Pokémon world with the most un-Pinkie-like snarl on her face. Koga did the same. The two charged at each other in silence from Rarity’s perspective, watching a crazy-fast exchange of punches, kicks, blocks, grapples, slips from grapples, and so on. Pinkie deflected, dodged, and caught kunais and shurikens that Koga seemed to have in endless supply. Then the two kicked the speed up a notch, making them impossible for Rarity to follow in her poisoned state. She had some idea where they were, following the gazes of Applejack, Fluttershy, and Trixie. Green-eyed Trixie’s mouth moved, to which Espeon turned toward her, bellowing something completely red in the face with angrily bulging temples, but entirely inaudible to Rarity. Twilight, Starlight, Rapidash, and Rainbow Dash all continued looking toward Rarity, but only Twilight’s and Starlight’s mouths moved, though there were tears from them all. The too-fast-to-see scrap continued for another fifteen seconds or so, before Koga stopped, looking around. Then blood burst from his neck. As he staggered forward, clutching his hemorrhaging neck, Pinkie Pie came into view with one of Koga’s kunais strapped to her hoof, standing behind where Koga was. The weapon dripped red. Koga collapsed to the ground. Throwing the kunai into the dirt, Pinkie Pie rushed forward, and pounded on Koga’s head with her hooves as how her family broke rock. She continued to strike over, and over, and over, getting a crimson splash each time after the second while tears streamed down her face. The wounds on her chest had broken open, bleeding at a slow trickle. Applejack hooked her forelimbs under Pinkie’s, dragging her away with much difficulty while Fluttershy came from the front with nonthreatening hoof gestures. After a moment of struggling, Pinkie just collapsed into a mess of tears. Rarity successfully lip-read Twilight saying to Rapidash, “It’s Pinkie being Pinkie; don’t ask.”
Rarity silently gasped. She felt her breath shortening, and her chest tightening. Her eyesight, too, was fading. She tried to talk, but could not say a word. Even the sounds of her own ragged breaths and heartbeat faded to nothing. Her vision greyed out, then darkened around the edges, until all was black.
{It would seem that all hope is lost.}
Rarity woke to find herself somewhere purple. The ground was a dark hue, and in slats of broken finger-shaped blocks. A dead tree was close. She looked around herself, and found a chasm into nothing behind her. There was nothing in the distance, nothing below, and a distinct lack a horizon in the unending, indistinct violet. Cautiously walking forward, she called out, “Hello?”
No answer came, not even the hint of an echo. She continued onward, finding more of the strange rocks. After a moment, she said, “Where I am?”
Rarity pressed on for an indeterminate amount of time...an hour, maybe? Two? Half of one? She had no way to guess. Rarity tapped at her chin. A moment later, she deeply gasped in horror, looking all over in terror. “No...! Twilight...Twilight failed?? She couldn’t stop the poison!? She couldn’t...save my life after all....”
A tear trickled down her face as she stared at the great wide purple nothing. In despair she murmured, “I...died...I’m in the land of the dead, now as one of the dead....”
Rarity moped onward, chin barely above the purple dirt. She looked up for a moment, then muttered under her breath, “Is there anything to this place at all?”
A familiar voice answered, “Rarity....”
“Princess Luna!” Rarity joyfully cried, turning around to see the Princess of the Night. Rushing to give her sovereign a hug, she exclaimed, “I’m so glad to see you!”
“As am I, Rarity, but you must be strong,” Luna said.
Rarity sighed, nodding discontentedly. “I suppose so, this being my new place of residence...and all that rot. I did not know you also saw off the dead.”
“Nopony does that,” said Luna, looking around. She shook her head with a wide-eyed face and a long sigh. Staring off into the violet void, she declared, “You are not dead, nor do you dream. Nowhere in the dream realm have I felt this...coldness.”
“I’m not dead!?” Rarity asked with sudden energy and hope, eyes trying to discern anything.
“No, but make no mistake: your body teeters on the edge of death, Rarity, even as we speak. Venture too far into this purple abyss, and you will find the land of the dead. Then nopony can help you,” said Luna sadly. Rarity swooned onto a purple fainting couch that conveniently appeared. Luna rolled her eyes, and telekinetically shook Rarity, shouting, “Snap outta it!!”
“AHH!!” Rarity squawked, roused from her swoon. She looked at the couch, then asked, “Wait, how did I faint here if my body is in stasis?”
Luna shot her an unamused face as the couch disappeared. After a pause, Luna’s tongue clicked as she opened her mouth and said, “I...really don’t know if that’s any concern. More to the point, Koga’s dart had three poisons on it. Twilight has isolated the first two, but has never heard of the third. Nopony has, and as such, nopony knows its antidote, medicinal or magical. Twilight and Starlight are trying anything and everything they can think of, but have done little more than put you in stasis to keep you alive.”
“So am I just stuck here until either Twilight succeeds or fails?” Rarity asked with a frown. “Can I do nothing to help myself?”
Luna held a hoof to Rarity’s shoulder, and earnestly said, “The will to live is critical to any patient’s recovery. You must hold strong, lend any power you can, and focus on what’s important to you, so you can see it again.”
“Are you sure that’ll be enough?” Rarity asked despairingly.
Luna sighed. “...no. There’s no way to know.”
“What?” Rarity grouched. “Should I just make my will and testament right here and now, just to be sure?”
“Don’t talk like that!” Luna snapped. Rarity’s eyes shrank. Blinking and sighing, Luna looked away, and quietly said, “Thinking and focusing on such matters is effectively giving up already.”
“I never imagined I would ever take such a beating,” Rarity lamented with a hint of venom. “Never thought anypony, or anything, would want me dead. I always tried to be a kind and generous pony, to all I met!”
“And you have done an exemplary job of it,” said Luna with a smile. “But you are not alone, in suffering at the hands of the Pokémon, or the humans in that world.”
“None as bad as me, I would imagine,” said Rarity.
“Do not be so certain,” Luna said sagely. “Your friend, Pinkie Pie, also very nearly died at the hands of humans.”
“WHAT!? WHY?!! WHY PINKIE!?!!” Rarity hollered.
“Pinkie Pie shoved Rainbow Dash clear of what would have been a fatal attack. But Pinkie Pie is an Earth Pony, and an especially hardy one at that. Rainbow Dash is a Pegasus; tough and spectacular as she is, she simply does not have the durability of an Earth Pony. She could not and would not survive such a drastic injury as Pinkie did,” Luna explained.
Rarity asked as she shook her head, “What happened?”
“A human attacked with a strange weapon they call a ‘Deagle.’ We have no analog of it in Equestria,” Luna answered. “But it doesn’t stop with Pinkie. Thirty-seven of our soldiers will not be coming home. Over two hundred fifty have been injured. Even I, too, received some gruesome injuries courtesy of the Pokémon world, and will be months or even over a year in recovery.”
Rarity blinked in shock. “I am so sorry, Your Majesty.”
“Don’t be. Nopony else, no human, and no Pokémon could have stopped that peril,” Luna said. “But enough about me. It’s you we need to focus on. We all need you. But you have to want to survive.”
Luna’s form wavered, like an image on an old cathode television whose signal was partially disrupted. Rarity shrieked, “Princess Luna?!”
“It seems I can tarry here no longer. Visiting a comatose pony on death’s door is very different from visiting one in the dream realm,” Luna said. As she faded from view, she called out, “Focus on what’s important to you!”
“Luna!!”
She was gone. Rarity stood alone in the alien purple landscape. She sighed, shaking her head. Rarity quietly said, “What’s important to me...Rapidash, Sweetie Belle, mom, dad, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Twilight, Spike, Coco, Sassy, and Sapphire Shores, to name a few...my fashion, my creativity, the smiles I see when I show my generosity...that’s who I am; that’s what’s important.”
She clamped her eyes closed. A moment later, she peeked with her left eye, and still found herself in the purple world. Scoffing, she said, “Aren’t those things important enough!? That’s what’s central to me! It’s who I am!”
Her eyes lit up. “It’s...who I am, but not what I’m to become. What will I be? I’m nearly at the very top of Equestrian fashion; that’s not much further to climb, nor would it make a big difference. What else is there? The threats to Equestria are few and far between. Rapidash and I are together...that’s it!”
Turning to the violet skies, Rarity screamed, “I WILL BE HIS BRIDE!!!”
“Uhh...,” Rarity groaned as her eyes fluttered open. She lay in a hospital bed, with most of her surrounding in the stereotypical soothing pale green. Asleep in the chairs were her parents, and Sweetie Belle. The room had no space set up for a second bed. She tried to sit up, and promptly the pins and needles feeling shot through her in waves across her entire body, especially in her legs. “Ow....”
“Rarity!!” Sweetie Belle shouted, bolting upright. With her little sister jumping in for a hug, Rarity clenched what muscles would respond to withstand the impact. Sweetie Belle sobbed, both forelimbs around Raritiy’s neck as Cookie Crumbles and Magnum both roused to tears at seeing their elder daughter awake. A family embrace ensued. Sweetie Belle cried, “I thought I’d never see you again, sis!”
“Oh, Rarity...,” sobbed Cookie Crumbles.
Magnum could not speak. Rarity nuzzled her father, then asked, “How long have I been asleep?”
“About five hours,” Sweetie Belle answered.
“Ah,” Rarity answered. “With how the last week or so has gone, I was half-expecting you to tell me two days.”
Minutes passed in a family hug. As they let go, the door opened. Twilight stood there, and she took in a rough breath, broken up by sobbing. She flew in, joining the hug, quickly followed by the rest of her fellow element bearers and Spike. Pinkie had fresh bandaging on her chest. After a series of almost unintelligible words of adoration, relief, and love, Rarity looked Twilight in the eye and said, “Luna visited my consciousness when I was in stasis. She said there were three poisons in Koga’s dart, but nopony knew the third. How did you cure it?”
“She’s right; nopony knew what that was,” Twilight said. Turning toward the door, she continued, “Fortunately, someone else did.”
Ducking through the lower archway approached a human with dark brown skin, coarse black hair and beard, and wearing mostly yellow, including a hooded sweatshirt. Rarity delightfully exclaimed, “Devontae?!”
“Yeah,” he said, grinning.
As he leaned in and gave Rarity a hug as well, Twilight said with a smile, “Thanks to his explaining what that ‘plutonium’ stuff is, I was able to devise a magical antidote! After that and everything else, you should be back in your own bed in two days!”
“Seems I didn’t get there a moment too soon, neither,” said Devontae sheepishly, scratching at the side of his beard.
With a laugh, Rarity asked, “Not that I mind in the least, but what are you doing here?”
“Came to give you somethin’ you left behind. Feraligatr insisted. Didn’t think we’d make Pastoria in one piece, either, but...we got there,” Devontae said, reaching into his bag.
As he pulled out a sketchbook, Rarity gasped, “My dress designs! I almost forgot!”
“Aengus had said you did fashion,” said Devontae. “Couldn’t let your entire time in our world be for nothin’.”
Rarity flipped through her sketches, spending more time on those with heavy Oriental influence. With a contented sigh and tone of voice, she said, “Thank you, so very much, for bringing me this.”
“Sure thing.”
Rarity raised a hoof as she asked, “You...wouldn’t happen to have Feraligatr with you? I should like to thank him as well.”
Devontae clicked a Pokéball on his belt. A familiar bipedal blue crocodilian appeared, to the alarm of everypony except Rarity. She held out her forelimbs, asking for a hug, to which he waddled over and obliged. He said, “Hey Rook. Looking a little banged up, there.”
“Still not a raven,” Rarity chuckled. “Thanks for prompting Devontae about my sketches.”
Letting go, Feraligatr said, “Spent too long working with you on that uniform on Routes 216 and 217, remember?”
“Oh yes, that place was cold. I’ll never forget that,” Rarity grumbled, shivering to herself.
A familiar male voice from the hall asked, “Can I come in now?”
Twilight said, “Yes, I believe it’s time.”
Through the door walked a very tall pony stallion. Rarity’s eyes dilated looking him over. He was a unicorn, excellent physique, cream-coloured with red eyes, a gout of fire for a cutie mark, but that mane...
“Rapidash!?” Rarity blurted.
He nodded with a smile. “Yeah, it’s me. That green-eyed Trixie was right; she did pass her pony essence. I’m gonna have to get used to these big eyes, but other than that, it’s all gravy!”
As he reached for a hug, she instead kissed him full on the mouth, in front of everyone. Gasps shot through the room, though a fair bit of laughter and clapping followed. Feraligatr laughed loudly, slapping Rapidash on the shoulder in a very masculine-congratulatory way. Rarity looking over at her parents, and firmly said, “Mom, dad, this is Rapidash. He is my love, and my intended.”
Gasps shot through the room again, but louder. Some cried tears of joy. Some just looked shocked. Many cheered. Feraligatr almost tackled Rapidash in a hug. Only Spike looked toward the floor, his shoulders slumping. Devontae spotted him, and gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder. He quietly said to Spike, “Gotta be tough, little man. It’s gonna suck for awhile, but it’ll be okay. I’ve been there, I know how much it sucks, but you can get through.”
Spike nodded sadly with a sigh. Twilight tapped Rarity on the shoulder and said, “Are you sure you’re not rushing things?”
“Oh, we absolutely are rushing things, darling!” Rarity answered. “But you have to understand, what we’ve been through together, and how close we both came to dying, more than once? Especially in this last week, my goodness! Besides, focusing on him is what brought me out of unconsciousness.”
Twilight sighed in defeat. “Alright then, if you’re that sure.”
Still happily punching away at Rapidash’s shoulder, Feraligatr cheered, “Now buddy, you got a real gem in her. You treat her right. If you don’t, I’m gonna find a way to get back here and beat your ass for it!” He laughed while everyone else in the room gave each other concerned looks. “But seriously, you got a great thing going here. Enjoy it for as long as you can. I’m really gonna miss you, old friend.”
Rapidash pulled Feraligatr into a hug and said, “Yeah. It’s been real. I’ll miss you, too.”
Tapping her on the shoulder, Devontae said, “Your Highness, I think I need be getting back.”
“Yes, of course. They should be about finished with removing the platform blocks,” Twilight said.
Rarity asked, “Um, Twilight, what about Paddy, and Koga?”
“Paddy already took Koga’s body back, so that his family can make preparations,” Twilight answered, shaking her head. “He also said he has to track down how Koga got his hands on that plutonium, to see what other criminal activities had been going on. But they’ve gone.”
Rarity flopped back into the pillow with a sigh of relief. Closing her eyes, she quietly rejoiced, “So at long last, it’s over. I’m home.”
“You know what that means we need?!” Pinkie nearly burst.
Twilight whispered to Devontae, “Cover your ears.”
“A PARTY!!!” Pinkie screamed, loud enough to make the ceiling tiles rattle. Devontae had been fortunate in getting his hands up in time. “For you and Trixie getting home, and you announcing your engagement!”
“Speaking of, where is Trixie?” Rarity asked.
“She and Starlight are having some quiet time with her father and foals. I don’t think we should interrupt,” Twilight said.
“Well, Pinkie,” Rarity said, turning to excited, chomping-at-the-bit friend. “Plan for me your very best, for when I’m released from here. A good soirée after surviving such an ordeal would simply be divine.” She sighed, “Just happy to finally have all that behind me.” Eyes widening, she suddenly squealed, “Ooh!! Would somepony be a dear and bring me a bolt of scarlet satin, matching thread, my pinking shears, and my best needle? I have an ideeaaaaa!”
Fin
She’s out! Rarity has made it home. And oh does she have the scars and tales from her adventure.
It’s been a fun ride. Haven’t had this much activity on any story I’d written before. I’ll miss that...is there anything you guys would like me to write in the future? I have only one thing left on m’ planned story list at this time.
As for right now, I’m off to go see a pair of m’ friends get hitched. 
Of course...there’s one last loose end I’d like to tie up...watch for the epilogue.
Many thanks for reading. 
Stats
Page generated in 0.018 seconds
Total duration
897 users online
1,163,937 hits today, 1,872,792 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Hoping there is some serious changes and introspection on the Pokemon side of this in the epilogue.
At least this ended well. And Rapidash (Rapid Dash to make it more regional?) Makes a good unicorn it seems.
And... it's mildly satisfying to see that Paddy had some proper reactions to the need of his brother.
Also, leave it to Pinkie to pull out a proper anime sequence.
So, Pinkie destroyed Koga... I don't know, seems a little unsatisfying. Mostly because it wasn't really shown in great detail, I suppose the price we pay for having it described from Rarity's POV.
yay Rarity survives.
cant wait for the epilogue and if we are lucky maybe a sequel
Pinkie went all out on Koga because he was the infectious agent which was related socially to what she and so many with her got attacked by as well? Which means Koga was inimically diametrically oposed to Pinkies reason for existance and if she failed, Laughter would cease?
I really hope the Epilog isnt those reality killers picking up whats been oging on, and following things one way, or the other, or both.
Paddy's got some karma coming to him, at least. Not happy that he got to keep the Lulamoon, but I suppose she'd been with him too long...
And Koga... Either he was evil like his manga counterpart or losing Salazzle drove him nuts. This was one of his darkest depictions. But at least he paid for it.
8273191
He was definitely at least somewhat evil beforehand, as in some earlier chapter, the elite four was talking Devontae about how they've all committed crimes in the past.
Shouldn't this be marked as incomplete until that epilogue comes out?
8272655
You will see.
8272820
Yeah...Pinks would, wouldn’t she?
And, I think I’ll take the suggestion for Rapidash’s new identity in the epilogue, now that he’s a proper pony.
8272880
Only so much can be seen from somebody whose senses are going.
8272906
Um...I have *no* idea how I could make a sequel outta this.
8273163
Like the take you have on that fight.
And don’t worry; we won’t be seeing those people.
8273191
It’s likely that it was a combination of the two points. His lines in the Gen II/IV games are darker than those from others, which gave me a point to start from.
Honestly, I didn’t originally plan on Salazzle dying, but that’s where the story wanted to go as I was writing. So I rolled with it.
8273544
Yes, that was alluding to the manga.
8277707
The adventure was Rarity’s time in the Pokémon world and her escape; she’s home. The epilogue is one last thing, just to eliminate any loose ends.
Maybe?
I wonder if that little detail of Rarity technically being a mass murderer comes up in the epilogue?
I used to watch Pokemon on network TV, back in the 90s. One thing I noticed. All the professors had tree names. Ash is a tree.
So, Ash could be a professor by now.
>plutonium
she should recognise the symptoms unless equestria doesn't have lead. You'd need, like, five pounds of plutonium to cause radiation sickness. What's the ACTUAL killer is heavy metal poisoning, and that comes from- get this- nearly every heavy metal.