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

by LunaTheFox

bats

This chapter was written by bats.

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Twilight started, turning from Luna to the small filly, hoof still extended towards Applejack. She turned the offered hoofshake into a sheepish wave. With a small giggle, her body grew blindingly bright and in a flash she was gone.

Celestia turned to her sister. "How did you know she wasn't the true Mephistofilly? And who was she?"

Luna's eyes narrowed venomously, still boring holes into the vacant spot where the impostor had been. "She was an imp; a creature of shadow. Illusions of dreamscape hold no power over me, sister. An imp would promise anything in return for a soul it could devour. And if it had gained the strength of an Element of Harmony…" Luna's face darkened. "We arrived just in time, sister." She cantered forward, her eyes sweeping through the recreated Ponyville, carefully scouring the streets and gazing through the glamours and mist from which the town took its form. "…she is gone."

Celestia's frown deepened. "This does not answer the question of where the true Mephistofilly has gone."

A low groan drew the gathered ponies' attentions to Rainbow Dash. Dr. Splint stooped over his patient, carefully unwrapping the mare's injured hoof. Thick, twisting lines of black raced up her cannon from the wound; jagged daggers of contagion pointed menacingly along her flank towards her heart. Her thin chest heaved in rapid and shallow breaths. Applejack's breath hitched in her throat. "Rainbow! Oh, Dash…" She rushed to her marefriend's side.

Dr. Splint shook his head. "This is extremely advanced." He turned his grave expression to the gathered group. "I could get the infection down with the proper herbs, but…" He sighed heavily, rubbing at the bridge of his muzzle. "I don't have the proper herbs. And this mare has a very small window remaining. I am truly sorry, but there's nothing I can do."

Applejack's eyes widened, her voice frantically leaping up several octaves. "Ya can't mean that! It's too late for me, but there must be somethin' for her!"

Frowning and narrowing her eyes, Twilight interjected, "Too late for you, Applejack? But you're—" A sharp prod to her ribs broke her concentration. She glared at Discord, her eyes softening and growing bewildered when she saw his grave expression. The Draconequus drew his taloned claw across his mouth in a mimed zipper. Twilight shook her head and confusion.

"There is still hope, my little ponies." Celestia stepped boldly to the prone Rainbow Dash, her horn shining brightly. She bent low and touched the tip to Rainbow's hoof. A swirl of sunlight made solid curled forth, bending and snaking around the ill mare's leg in a cast of magic. The glow slowly faded as the tendrils of energy sunk into Rainbow, motes of light clinging to her coat. The angry black lines retreated down her leg a few inches and faded to a dull gray.

The princess stood again, her focus directed at Dr. Splint. "I have bought us some time, Doctor. I cannot remove the infection, but I can slow its progress. Now, what is this herb you need?"

Dr. Splint bent over Rainbow, checking her pulse with a hoof. He breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, I think we have time now." He turned back to Celestia, his eyes shifting over several earnest faces and one terribly bored trickster god picking at his teeth. "I need a special type of fungus called Penicillium. I don't have any here, because…well, there's not generally much use for medicine in Tartarus."

Twilight's eyes brightened "Penicillium? I have a culture of that back at the library!"

Celestia shook her head gravely. "I'm afraid there's no time for a trip back to Ponyville, Twilight."

"Why not? I can teleport most of the way; it would take me only a few minutes."

"It's not so simple, I'm afraid. With the gates torn open as they are, Tartarus has become unstuck in the passage of time. There's no telling how time will flow here while you are gone: minutes or centuries could pass before your return."

Twilight swallowed the lump in her throat. "If we can't return to Equestria, how are we going to find any Penicillium?"

Red Delicious' muzzle widened in a smile. "Don't y'all fret none. Tartarus ain't all illusions and pony folk. I got my crop ah brambles and thistle and they grow plenty strong down here. I know of a mushroom farmer who lives close to the divide between good souls and rotten."

Applejack straightened. "Well don't just stand there, we ain't got a moment to lose!"

A keening whimper echoed through the ghostly Ponyville. Several pairs of eyes turned towards the hulking form of Cerberus, slowly padding towards them, his three muzzles bared back in triplicate snarls. Thick and steaming drool slobbered from his middle jaw, dyed foamy pink from a trickle of blood running from his snout.

Luna cleared her throat. "Well…we still don't know where Mephistofilly has gone."

Celestia's voice grew insistent. "Twilight. We need that fungus to save your friend. Go with Applejack; I trust you can identify the proper species?" Twilight nodded gravely. "Hurry then!"

Twilight turned to Applejack and her parents when Luna's hoof caught her shoulder. The younger sister bent low and whispered, "Trust nothing that you see."

Nodding again, she was once more interrupted. Discord's oddly solemn expression drew her attention. "Applejack must not know she's alive."

Bewildered, Twilight nodded. She returned to the group, already set to gallop. They set off at a sprint through the illusory downtown Ponyville, watching the walls of buildings slowly twist and distort, bleeding away into trees as the landscape transformed into a mockery of the Everfree Forest.

Celestia turned to Dr. Splint. "Get her inside somewhere safe. This might get messy."

Discord cracked his knuckles and smirked. "And here I was afraid this would be boring."

Comments

[cooopercrisp]

Very nice. I was wondering where you'd take this.

[Killabyte]

I look fowards to more

[Themaskedferret]

Very cool, I was hoping for Cerby to make an appearance.

[survivor]

The Cerberus part confused me for a bit. But great work.