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

by LunaTheFox

Garaumond

This chapter was written by Garaumond.

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Applejack sprinted down the tunnels behind her parents. Her father was taking care not to shake Dash too much, and her mother had taken the lead. Soon enough however, they hit a dead end.

"What're we gonna do now?" Applejack said. "We can't jus' turn back!"

Her mother smiled at her, and replied, "There ain't no dead ends in Tartarus. There's only secrets and shades."

"Jus' what in tarnation does that mea—oh."

Applejack's higher brain function stopped momentarily as her mother slid her hoof into the wall, and proceeded to do the same for her whole body.

"But that—you can't—that's imp—"

Carrot Seed grinned at Applejack. "Logic doesn't really have no place in here. Tartarus operates on some diff'rent physics or somethin' like that."

"So it's Discord's paradise," Applejack muttered to herself. Still, she wondered what could have been so horrible as to cause the God of Chaos to be banished from Tartarus. Did he say something about an umbrella? Whatever it was, it wasn't important right now. Dash needed her right now. Applejack walked through the wall, shivers coursing through her body.

As soon as she passed through to the other side, Applejack opened her eyes, and saw what seemed to be an exact replica of Ponyville. Everything seemed to be just as she had left it before her death.

"Is this where I'm gonna be stayin' from now on?" she inquisitively asked her parents.

"No, honey Tartarus is for—". Carrot Seed was cut off by a sharp hoof to the flank by his wife.

"You're right as apple pie, sweetheart. Dead ponies like us don't really like to give up everythin' we worked for when we were alive, so we make it again, good as new."

Behind her, Rainbow Dash shook her head, and let out a groan of agony.

"Buck. We gotta go find that doctor!" Applejack shouted at her parents.

"If I seem to recall, there was a Dr. Splint 'round here somewhere... I thought we might'a passed him by." Red Delicious turned back and sprinted.

Some lengths later, she turned back and shouted, "Found him! Right here! Says Phineas T. Splint, M.D!"

Her father went forwards, and Applejack followed him. Her mother knocked loudly on the door with her hoof.

"Dr. Splint! Dr. Splint! We need ya! Got an injured pegasus, still alive!"

At the words 'still alive' the door opened with a bang, and Dr. Splint trotted forwards. He had a thinning green mane, and a dull yellow coat. He wore extra-thick prescription glasses, and walked with a slight limp. All in all, he was not an extremely impressive specimen of pony, but there was an intelligent glint behind his glasses that said much more about him.

"Still alive? How interesting! But some allowance had to have been made, yes?"

With a firm look on her face, Red Delicious spoke. "Yes. That shouldn't bother ya none right now doc. Ain't it your job to fix up hurt ponies?"

Looking slightly cowed, Dr. Splint said, "That it is, that it is. Bring that pegasus inside, and I shall take a look at her."

Her mother and father followed Dr. Splint inside, and Applejack was just about to, when a whisper of, "Psst! Applejack! Come here!" caught her. She whirled around as saw Meph looking at her expectantly.

"What is it now?" she said.

"Do you want to make a deal? I could—"

"No. None o' that funny business right now. I got an injured marefriend to deal with right now, an' I don't need anything else to come into my life as of this moment."

Meph sighed. "You earth ponies are very stubborn to deals. Well except one, but he was a very interesting case."

Applejack's interest was piqued. "Who's this interestin' one?"

"He was called Faust, and he was very intelligent. He wanted to know everything, to do everything. So he made a deal. I would serve him, until he reached a point of extreme happiness. And eventually, he did. And then I collected the interest."

"What's this interest?"

Meph gave a soft smile. "His soul."

Applejack's jaw dropped. "His soul! What kind of a foolhardy, foolish pony would ever give his soul over to someone else!"

"The kind of pony that wants some pleasure in life, at least before they die. So, what do you say? Will you take another deal?"

Could she really take a deal? It would mean losing something invaluable, but she could get her parents back! She would never feel alone when her other friends talked about their family. She wouldn't have to take care of Granny Smith and the farm. Most importantly, she could spend more time with Rainbow Dash.

"What's this new deal?"

Meph grinned. "I knew you'd come around! Okay, the new deal is this: you and your parents get to live again. So does your marefriend, who doesn't die from her injury. Your sister and brother are alive and well."

"So what's the catch?" Applejack was confused. This sounded too good to be true.

"The catch is... I get your soul. And with it, the Element of Honesty. So as soon as you die up there, you come down here. And you won't get a cushy life either, like these other dead ponies do. Maybe I could send you to help Cerberus? Yeah, that'd be perfect!" Meph stuck out her hoof. "Deal?"

Her parents, alive and well, together with her brother and sister? They'd be a family again? And Dash wouldn't be a ghost, like in her dreams! She had to give up the Element of Honesty, but there were other honest ponies out there. She couldn't be the only one.

Applejack began to reach her hoof forward.

Comments

[Jackie]

I dread this...

[LunaTheFox]

2458292
I'm just waiting for someone to go all legal-ese on this and declare it a null and void contract after Rainbow is safe.

[Tchernobog]

2458463
I'd put in my own guess but i don't wanna influence the next person XD

[cooopercrisp]

IS THIS REALLY HOW YOU SET ME UP?

Just kidding. I'll see what I can do with this.

[Killabyte]

Hmmmmm I sense some loophole bringing with this but idk

[Garaumond]

2458587

You like?

I don't know how much of this chapter was a twisted desire to make Applejack go through as much emotional distress as possible. I really love her, but I enjoy making the characters go through as much pain and suffering to get their happy ending.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EarnYourHappyEnding

[brony jts]

Faust? Oh you clever author you I was wondering if he would be brought up

[Fishfingers-and-custard]

No. No. Nooooooo