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

by LunaTheFox

TheRealRainbowDash

This chapter was written by TheRealRainbowDash.

---

For a moment, Twilight Sparkle was frozen, mouth hanging open. She closed it slowly, and promptly burst into flames. Her coat turned white, her mane started on fire and her eyes blazed with righteous fury.

"I did not just interrupt the Princesses from their royal duties, run halfway across Equestria, nearly lose Dash, and go through Tartarus and back with an annoying imp trying to con us every step of the way for you TO JUST DIE, APPLEJACK!" Twilight screamed, throwing herself at the rocks. Her horn lighting up, she blasted it with every bit of magic she had, and when that didn't work, she turned to pounding against the wall with her hooves.

Celestia and Luna could only watch as Twilight tried everything to open the way to Tartarus.

"It's not going to open..." Luna commented morosely.

Celestia simply gave her a sad, small smile. "You take Dash to Appleoosa. I won't lose another little pony today. I will stay with Twilight and see what can be done."

Luna nodded and gave her sister a quick nuzzle, before quickly jumping into the sky, pushing her wings off hard as she turned towards the little town that would save Dash's life.

"Fly fast, and stay safe."

Luna nodded and took off nearly as fast as the rainbow speedster herself. Before she was entirely out of earshot Celestia remembered the pained looked on Applejack's face and her newly screaming student. It reminded her how easy it was to lose those closest to you.

"I love you, Lulu," she murmured to the wind, knowing it would carry her words to her sister.

Luna looked back and smiled.

Celestia let out a sigh and turned back to her student, hoping to offer what little comfort she could.

---

Applejack's face was a mess as she sobbed, running blindly through the dull gray, craggy land that was Tartarus. She could've run back to her parents, and embraced them, sobbing into their coats, but she wanted to be alone with her pain. Though the emotional pain wracked her body and nearly tore her soul apart, she did not feel an instance of physical pain.

The landscape melted around her as she ran faster and faster and yet her hooves never tired, and she never grew hungry or thirsty. It seemed like days that she ran, but actually it was only about a dozen hours that slipped by in the land of the dead. In the land of the living it was a few precious minutes that slipped by, unknown and unheeded to a frantic lavender alicorn and her mentor.

Applejack longed for the burn in her muscles and the ragged breathing that running could bring, the physical pain that would chase off the pain that twisted her heart.

As terrible as it was she hoped she wouldn't see Dash for another eighty years or so. An even more terrible thought consumed her and she felt selfish, but everypony was entitled to a little bit of selfishness every once and awhile. She hoped Dash would wait for her.

Hearing voices, (loud, angry voices) she finally began slowing down, taking stock of where she was. In the distance was what looked like the Everfree. A scream of a manticore proved her right. The ground was different, though. An ugly twisted chasm of black rent the ground, scarring what was once beautiful. Above this scar, Mephistofilly and Discord were arguing.

"...And that is why you cannot open an umbrella in Tartarus!" Meph finished with a screech.

Discord was about to reply, but fell short when his eyes came to rest on Applejack. Tears still streamed down her cheeks.

"Why are you still here?" he asked, pointedly ignoring Meph. "You're supposed to be with Dash."

"I'm not in the mood for your crap, Discord. I'm dead. And you know it. I won't see her for another eighty years. Hopefully." Applejack wiped her nose with her hoof.

"Wait..." Meph looked at the draconequus. Realization flooded into her in a second.

There was the simultaneous sound of a hoof and a claw both hitting the faces of their respective owners.

"You had one job, Twilight Sparkle!" Discord muttered angrily.

The Lord of Chaos thought quickly, the gears in his head spinning out of control. It seemed hopeless. There was nothing he or anyone else could do now that the gate closed. Then suddenly the biggest shit-eating grin crossed his face, and he laughed.

Scooping Applejack up into his arms tightly, so she could not protest or escape, he turned to Meph.

"I'd like to say I'm sorry for what I'm about to do. But that would be lying," Discord told her, his grin only growing larger with each second.

Meph realized exactly what he was about to do. "Don't you dare!"

Discord made an umbrella materialize in front of him.

From within the prison of his arms Applejack looked out, wondering what was going on.

"I swear to you Discord if you open that umbrella..."

Meph didn't get to finish her threat because at that moment Discord, with a shrug, a wave, and his typical 'Oops did I do that?' face, opened the umbrella.

A new black scar rent the earth beside the first open. Tartarus began trembling. Applejack felt a pressure in the air that threatened to squeeze her to death (if she wasn't already dead). A crack, and a piece of the sky broke off. Then, there was light. Then blackness.

---

When Applejack woke up she knew she was alive. The sun warmed her back, chasing away the little bits of death that lingered in her body and mind. The breeze smelled fresh, and cleaned her lungs of the stagnant dead air of Tartarus. But most telling were the colors. Applejack had thought she had never seen more beautiful a sight than the grass she was staring at right at that moment. She'd never known it could be so green.

Getting up, she groaned with pain. Every part of her ached, but she was alive. Memories came back rapidly, and she spun around, looking for her savior. She found him lounging serenely in the empty space between two trees, a glass of chocolate milk in his claws, swaying as though there was a hammock there.

"What'd you do?" she asked and her voice came out muffled and scratchy. Her throat was dry and her tongue felt two sizes too big.

A laugh. "I turned Tartarus upside down. Unleashed upon Equestria the ghosts of all the dead contained in Tartarus. Which is to say a lot. Meph will have a real clean up to do!" The draconequus laughed again, and Applejack joined in, more out of relief than anything else.

A worry nagged at her. "Will they cause any problems?" She didn't want anyone to get hurt at her expense.

"No," Discord replied seriously, "they can't cause any physical harm to any living soul. The most they can do, is maybe rearrange the furniture or knock over a picture frame. Sometimes they'll just create a random cold spot on a hot day." Discord shrugged and went back to drinking his glass.

"Oh, and Twilight and Miss Sunnybutt are that way, freaking out!" He pointed off into the distance, an uncaring smile on his face.

Applejack started. She had forgotten that she had left her friend and the princesses standing outside when the rocks came down.

Galloping through the pain, Applejack reached the clearing where an exit had just been only half an hour before (she later marveled that it had only been that long) and came to a screeching halt at the sight that greeted her.

Celestia was stroking the mane of a sobbing Twilight, and had one wing around her body to offer some small shred of comfort. Twilight for her part was a mess, her mane disheveled, her eyes and face puffy with tears, a severe case of magic depletion, as demonstrated by her short circuiting horn, and bloody hooves.

Applejack couldn't help but be touched by her friends concern. Clearing her throat loudly she saw Twilight look up. Then she saw Twilight actually see her. And then she was being crushed by the weight of an alicorn princess hugging her.

"You're alive, you're alive, you're alive!" Twilight shouted, giggling and dancing even on her bloody hooves.

"Wait, how're you alive? That's scientifically and physically—given the laws of Tartarus—impossible! This needs to be documented, for science! I need to know every detail! You shouldn't be alive! I mean not that I'm complaining, but..."

Twilight threatened to go into full on rant mode, but Celestia stopped her with a gentle hoof. She smiled, encouraging Applejack on.

"I can't rightly say I know how Discord works," she replied with a shrug.

And for the first time since entering Tartarus she laughed joyfully with her friend and the princess.

Comments

[LunaTheFox]

On the home stretch now! Only two authors left! Can you believe it?

[Gamerlord99]

IMA OPENIN MAH UMBRILLA!

[Killabyte]

2564313

Noooooooooo more please??

[quade]

Discord continues to be the star of every piece of literature he is in... and it is glorious

[Jet Cannon]

And the funny returns. Good stuff.

[LunaTheFox]

2564711
Funny you should ask, I'm planning a second collab to be started right after this one, also AppleDash. It's one of bookplayer's ideas in the AppleDash group forums and it should be a lot of fun.

[Killabyte]

2566221

yesyesyesyesyes

More ponies for me to read and less schoolwork