Inevitabilities

by Nra Vadumee

Rainbow Dash

The first of them was the most rambunctious. When the Griffin Republics declared war on Equestria, she, as a Wonderbolt, served as an elite pegasus flyer. She and her recently made husband, Soarin. The two were always on a team together. They had been through thick and thin and the worst and the best. They were inseparable. No force could tear them apart.

No force, of course, but Death.

It was during the final battle of the war, the Battle for Griffonia. Dash’s team was dropping thunderclouds everywhere against enemy fortifications. Being fliers themselves, the Griffins made it hard on them. Dash and Soarin had been fighting them off when a crafty Griffin named Gilda snuck up behind Soarin. Dash flew right into her, and flew to supersonic speed, snapping the Griffin’s spine instantly. Before she died, though, Gilda landed a claw through Dash’s neck. She bled out and crashed. Soarin flew over to her, desperately trying to reawaken his fallen love. It was useless and in vain. At this point the world faded to black and she stood to see Soarin turning to face off against a group of Griffins come to finish him off.
It was a busy day for me, that day.

“Soarin! I’m here!”

“He cannot hear nor see you.”

Startled, she turned to face my unyielding gaze.

“Who… who are you?” She had asked.

“I am many, yet none. I am everywhere and nowhere, harbinger of tears and bringer of mourning. I am nameless, yet you may call me Death, for it is Death I bring, and it is Death which has come to grant you its final, cold embrace.”

“What? No! I still have to help Soarin!”

With that, she attempted to run over to her love, only to see the world fade to black all around her.

“You cannot. Your time has come and gone, Rainbow Dash.”

“Yes I can! Just let me have a few more minutes, please!”

“No.”

“Please!”

These moments were meaningless to me. Almost every young pony broke into tears when told they were bound for the Eternal Pasteur.

“My love is going to die and it’s your fault!”

“Death is blameless, for it is but death. If you seek somepony to blame, look to yourself for your end. You are the Element of Loyalty, so your loyalty ends you. What would’ve happened had you not elected to fight this war, or to protect Soarin, who undoubtedly will be my next charge in spite of your attempts to save him? You would’ve lived, pony. For years after today, you would’ve lived. But you so foolishly charged into battle for Princess and nation, and it has landed you nowhere save your grave."

“What? You think… you think I should’ve just… run? That I shouldn’t have even fought with the Bolts? That’s crazy! Either I fight or somepony else does for me, and it’s not like there are many other fliers like me out there! Running would’ve been a stupid idea!”

“Oh? Do you not wish to live? Doesn’t everypony wish to live? Being loyal to yourself would’ve bought you more life than loyalty to your nation or loved one.”

“No, running would make me a coward! I would never leave my country, friends, and loved ones to fight for themselves while I chilled out somewhere nice and safe! I’d rather know Soarin is safe and alive and die than be safe and alive and know he died for me!”

“Your idealism is admirable, but foolish. Soarin is dying anyway.”

“At least I tried!!”

“And you failed. Do not lie to Death, fool. Everypony wants to live forever. No pony wants to die.”

“Not unless we have something worth fighting for. Something worth dying for. Something you would never understand.”

“I understand fully. You ponies think yourselves so mighty, for ones speaking to Death itself. What is worth dying for? Nations fall, people die, and nothing but death is a constant!”

“No, Death. See, that’s where you’re wrong. There are a few things worth dying for. Things we’ll have even when you come for us; Things that you really can’t ever understand.”

“And those are?”

“Friendship, love, those kinds of things? Yeah, real strong stuff there, strong enough to save Princess Luna, turn Discord to stone, and shoot an entire army out of Canterlot in ten seconds flat”

I had scoffed.

“Your foolish idealism will do you no good in the grave. Go now, Rainbow Dash, Element of Loyalty; Rest in peace.”
This mantra was always what I chanted to send a pony on their way to the Eternal Pasteur. Dash’s soul faded into whiteness as she entered into the other side. I had thought of how foolish she was. Friendship and love die like ponies. Only death is infinite. Loyalties change all the time. Nothing was worth dying for. Friendship and love? Those were fleeting things that died with the ponies that possessed them.

Nothing but death is constant.

Nothing.