I'll Love You To Tartarus and Back - AppleDash Group Collab 100th Prompt Special

by LunaTheFox

bookplayer

This chapter was written by bookplayer.

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As she set hoof in Tartarus for the first time, Applejack blinked and everything disappeared.

Everything. The world turned to white. There was simply nothing here, including her mother and father and...

“Rainbow Dash! Ma! Pa! Where are ya’?!” Applejack shouted, darting forward into the blank area that seemed to lack any distinction between ground and ceiling. She looked around, but there was literally nothing there.

“Where am I?” she whispered.

“Nowhere,” a voice answered.

Applejack spun around, then again, searching for the source. “Who said that?”

“Nopony.” The voice sounded familiar.

“That ain’t true!” Applejack protested. “Somepony musta said that, and I gotta be someplace!”

“You’re nowhere,” The voice explained with an amused, slightly sing-song note. “You know that you’re in Tartarus, but somewhere inside you know that living ponies can’t be in Tartarus. So since you can’t be where you are... you’re nowhere.”

“As for who I am, I’m no pony. But I am the only one in the world who can travel nowhere.” Out of the whiteness, a pair of yellow eyes lit up, and the face and body of a draconequus faded into view behind them.

“You!” Applejack took a step back instinctively.

“Well howdy, Applejack.” Discord reclined back against nothing. “Fancy meeting you here. If you can call this place here.”

Applejack tried to wrap her head around that. This place wasn’t a here. It was... nowhere. But that didn’t matter. Only one thing mattered. “How do I get out?”

“Your body is still in Tartarus. If somepony moves you out of Tartarus, you’ll wake up.” Discord disappeared, then popped up next to her. “Easier said than done, of course. Mestophilly isn’t fond of living ponies who try to enter Tartarus. Of course, she’s even less fond of letting them leave.”

Applejack’s eyes went wide. She was frozen in Tartarus, Dash was dying, and Meph had said she wasn’t sure they could get out. She couldn’t be trapped in this nothing forever... could she?

“Princess Celestia! Twilight! Somepony help!” Applejack screamed, starting to panic.

Discord smirked and shook his head. “They can’t help you. This place doesn’t exist. Even the Princesses can’t go someplace that doesn’t exist.”

“You’re... supposed to be our friend, right?” Applejack said, trying to keep the desperation from her voice. “Maybe you could leave and have a word with Meph, for me? Just try to get me and Dash outta Tartarus?”

“First, I’m Fluttershy’s friend. You weren’t very nice to me.” Discord crossed his arms and looked away. Then he glanced back at Applejack. “But... Fluttershy wouldn’t be very happy if I left you stuck in a non-existent transdimensional space, would she?”

“Uh... nope! Pretty sure she wouldn’t!”

“However, when it comes to Mestophilly, I’m afraid I can’t help.” Discord said plainly. Applejack deflated. He grinned and went on, “Not allowed in Tartarus, you see. Not since that unfortunate umbrella incident.”

A look of confusion crossed Applejack’s face. “Umbrella inci-”

“You don’t want to know.” Discord cut in quickly. “But I do want to know why you decided to vacation in the afterlife.”

Applejack hung her head. “I was outside the gates, and Rainbow Dash got hurt. I brought her in to try and find a doctor.”

“Rainbow Dash isn’t here with you,” Discord pointed out.

“She could see the gates.” Applejack said, fighting back tears. “She was passed out over my Pa’s back.”

“That explains it.” Discord nodded. “She’s got one hoof in the door, and doesn’t realize she’s not all the way in.”

“I gotta get back to her!” Applejack said desperately, the words escaping with a sob.

“I could kill you,” Discord offered with a friendly smile.

“NO!” Applejack shouted, looking up and backing away.

“It was just a suggestion.” Discord shrugged and grinned. “I have another one: I can make you think you’re dead.”

“Uh, what good would that do?” Applejack asked cautiously.

“You’d think you belonged in Tartarus, so that’s where you would be.”

“What’s the catch?”

“Well, there are side effects- numbness, loss of appetite, having no desire to return to the land of the living.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “That last one would make gettin’ out a bit tricky, wouldn’t it?”

“Yes, very,” Discord agreed.

Applejack frowned. “But, if we cure Dash, she could get out, right?”

“Interesting question.” Discord smirked. “If she knew she was alive in Tartarus, she’d end up here just like you.”

“Oh, yeah.” There went that plan.

“But, if she didn’t know she was in Tartarus...” Discord smiled, and raised an eyebrow at Applejack. “Of course, then she might even be able to get you to come back with her.”

Applejack rolled the idea over in her head. “So I gotta get Dash healed, or I’ll think I oughta stay in Tartarus forever? And if I do get her healed, she’d haveta get out, and get me to come with her, without anypony lettin’ on where we are, while I’m thinkin’ I’m dead and oughta stay?”

“Personally, I think this plan use a few more complications... but yes, that will have to do for now.”

“And my other choice is to stay put?” Applejack asked.

“I’ll keep you company.” Discord offered cheerfully. “Do you like charades? I’m very good at charades.”

“Okay.” Applejack said with a firm nod. “Make me think I’m dead.”

“Oh, good! First word- wait, you’ll do it?” Discord’s eyes went wide.

“Yup.” Applejack steeled herself.

A grin spread over Discord’s face. “Well then, just look in my eyes.”

“No funny business,” Applejack ordered. “Make sure I still know what I’m doin’ there, so I can get Dash outta there safe.”

“Applejack, how could you ever accuse me of funny business?”

Applejack shot him a look, which he met with his usual grin. Then his face popped up in front of her, and his eyes started spinning.

Applejack blinked. She was standing in what seemed like a large cave, with dozens of tunnels leading in all directions. a few houseplants had been placed between them to give the place a more friendly, lived in feel. They weren’t doing a very good job.

She looked around, and saw her parents staring at her in confusion. Her parents. She’d be with forever now.

...but she’d never see Sweet Apple Acres again. She missed it already; she missed her siblings, and friends. She missed Winona. She hated herself for leaving them all, for taking this stupid trip. She just wanted to go home, but she was never going home again. She was dead.

Then her eyes landed on Dash, and all her self pity fell away.

“What’re we waitin’ for? We gotta find a doctor!” Applejack hurried to her father’s side and put a hoof to Dash’s neck, feeling her heartbeat.

Her parents nodded, and the three took off down one of the tunnels as a thought came to Applejack. “And whatever we do, we can’t let Dash know she’s in Tartarus.”

Comments

[Jondor]

As previously stated on the forum, it's a very interesting new twist you've developed for us.

And I can't help being reminded of The Next Generation episode Tapestry with Q taunting Picard in the "afterlife". Intentional or not, I thoroughly approve.

[Killabyte]

hmmmm curious and curiouser

[Tchernobog]

Dun dun dunnn!
This is quite a !

[Jet Cannon]

Oooh...

[Twilicorn]

I feel terrible for missing my chapter, but I'm glad you were next, Bookplayer. Nothing I could write would have made this... this chapter so amazing.