> Rainbow Dash Goes to Hell
>  by Obsidian Chitin
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Hoof Deep in the Dead
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow Dash was underwater amid a pile of corpses. Her eyes opened, and she kicked the body off of her before rushing towards the surface for air.
She coughed and sputtered, shaking water out of her mane. She paddled to keep herself afloat as she looked around.

She had no idea where she was.

The water was black, though it did not seem to stain her coat. The lake, or whatever she was in, was still. the only ripples came from her efforts to remain afloat. As far as she could tell, there was no land anywhere. Not that it was easy to see; The sky was just as pitch black as the water. Off in the far distance, a tiny speck of light. She spread her wings and began to flap.
It occurred to her that nothing was happening. She was still in the water. So, she fought down the panic, and began to swim.

She decided to go over her situation. She had no idea where she was, how she got there, or what the deal with the corpses were. In fact, she simply remembered going to bed the night before after re-re-reading Daring Do and the Sapphire Stone for the fourth time. For a moment, she considered that she had been abducted in her sleep, but she threw that possibility out immediately. She knew woke up the next day, she just didn't know anything past that. It was like there was a hole in her memory, and that was really starting to bug her.
After an hour of paddling, a few things occurred to Rainbow. First, she was not getting any closer to the light. Second, she was not getting tired. She knew she was an awesome athlete, a prestigious Wonderbolt, all that cool stuff, but even she should be a little winded. This left her even more confused; She couldn't fly, yet she couldn't get tired.

"A lost soul, I see."

Rainbow looked up to see a small boat sitting on the water in front of her. The boat looked like it was thousands of years old, yet had not a speck of moss on it. As Rainbow climbed aboard, she noticed that the boat wasn't even wet... Somehow.
Dash noticed a large cloaked figure, one two whole heads taller than her. She couldn't see anything beneath the cloak, anything that could determine the gender of the pony. Even its voice was neutral and genderless, with no emotion or warmth.

"I ain't lost, I know where I'm going." Rainbow replied indignantly. "I'm going to that light over there!"

The figure chuckled then replied. “You are as lost as every other soul I meet, and as foolish.”

"Hey!" Rainbow exclaimed.

"You don't even know where you are. I go by many names... But I refer to myself as Styx." The figure said. "This is my river."

"Kinda big for a river..." Dash said as she looked over the side. "...So, Sticks, do you row this, or-" As she stuck her hoof into the water, she was surprised to find it leaving a wake in the water, even when the boat did not. She looked back at the cloaked figure. "How...?"

"This realm does not operate by the same way as yours." Styx replied.

Time passed quietly as the boat glided across the water.

"What's with the bodies?" Dash asked.

The figure made its first movement: Turning its head towards its guest. "The shells of those whose souls have moved on."

Rainbow turned the thought over in her head for a minute. "...So, I'm dead?"

"Yes."

Rainbow turned back towards the water. She slumped against the side of the boat. "Aw, man..."

"What is a man?" Styx asked.

"Nothing but a word I heard somepony say once." Rainbow replied. "This sucks."

"Many welcome my embrace, those who have lived full lives. Many more fear my presence, as they do not know what will become of them."

"Do you know?"

"I do not know what becomes of the souls I ferry to the After."

Rainbow mulled over its answer. "...Like, every time a pony dies, you move them in this boat? How do you have the time for each one?"

"Time does not function in the same way in this realm."

"Huh. So, this is it? You take me to this... 'After', and that's that?" Rainbow asked.

"Not for you."

Rainbow blinked. The boat had beached upon a beach of gray sand, near a massive rock cliffside. "Wait, when did we get here?"

She climbed off of the boat, and stepped onto the sand. It was very coarse, and her hooves sank into it with each step. "Where am I supposed to go?"

Rainbow Dash turned around. There was no sign the boat, nor Styx, had ever been there.
"...Horsefeathers." Dash muttered as she made her way down the beach.

> Shores of Tartarus
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow looked up at the oppressive cliffs. If infinity were rock, she figured it would look a bit like this cliffside. Once again, she flapped her wings as hard as she could. No dice. With a sigh, Rainbow continued her trek along the beachside.

After a few minutes walking, she came across a set of stairs carved into the cliff face. Each step was as high as she was tall, and it seemed to just keep going up in a slow spiral around the cliff. At least she assumed so, she couldn't see where it lead. She flapped her wings once more. She still could not fly.

"I'm going to have to climb that?" Rainbow asked with a groan. Silence answered her. With no other options, she began climbing the steps of Tartarus.

Step after step.

Don't look down.

Step after step.

When would these stairs end?

Frustration began to bubble over as she took each step as fast as she could. It seemed that she wasn't getting tired anytime soon, so she just kept at it at full speed.

Rainbow Dash slowed down. She had to be there, at least nearly there!

She looked over the side.

She saw sand.

Confused, Rainbow looked back up. She was back at the bottom. Her mouth gaped open as she fell flat on her flank. A strangled noise of confusion emanated from her throat.
Rainbow settled on screaming several curses while showing the staircase several obscene wing gestures.

---

Any kind of sand castle she attempted to make was futile. The sand always returned to its previous state. "This place is so boring!"

She whipped her tail and slumped on the sand. With nothing else to do, she began to dig. Within a few seconds, she hit something hard. Curious, Rainbow began to dig out the object.

It was a skull.

Rainbow Dash groaned again and tossed it to the side.





"Maybe you should try climbing the mountain again."

"I tried ten times, Skuller! Every time, the same thing. I get nowhere! What's the point?!"

"Perhaps the eleventh time?"

Rainbow gave the skull an incredulous look. She then moved its jaw. "Nevermind."

"Seriously, why couldn't I have died with a Daring Do book or something? I'm so bored!"

"You're so bored!"

"I'm sooooooooo booooooooored!"

"You're soooooo-"

"You have got to be kidding me."

Rainbow Dash froze, then tossed the skull to the side. Somepony else! Social activity! Though the voice did sound familiar...
Slowly, Rainbow turned around. Towering over her, with a fairly bemused expression, was Nightmare Moon. Dash wasted no time, stomping her hooves and flaring her nostrils before charging and then launching herself at the threat. She let out a combat yell, ready to wring the neck of this dark horse.

Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes, waited until Rainbow nearly hit her, then lowered her head and speared Rainbow Dash through the chest with her horn.

Rainbow Dash let out a scream and writhed. Nightmare tapped her hoof impatiently as she waited for her to be done. She did not have to wait long.

"...Y' know, I was expecting this to hurt." Rainbow said.

"You are already dead." Nightmare deadpanned.

"Oh." Rainbow said. "...You don't seem that mad. Or happy. You haven't cackled evilly once. Don’t you do that, like, all the time?"

"I am not the same being you fought before. Do you not know what your Elements did to Luna?"

Rainbow's pose faltered slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Ponies are complex. You can't simply 'reform' them. It doesn't work that way. You see, part of Luna's soul was corrupted by jealousy and loneliness. Her transformation was simply giving in to the temptation that part of her was whispering." Nightmare explained. "When you used your Elements, it took the corrupted portion of her soul and eradicated it. It killed me."

"K-killed?" Rainbow stammered.

"I was sent right to Hell, an incomplete portion of a soul, practically but a child. The Queen took me in, humbled me, and raised me as her own. I gained a new name... Hades."

Rainbow Dash shook her head. "Woah, woah, woah. Slow down. Hell? Queen? And isn't Hades more of a colt's name?"

Hades shook its head. "I am but a partial soul; I am neither mare nor stallion. I take this form, as it is burned into my memory, but I can take the form of any pony I please." Its body turned red, flesh peeling and reforming. Rainbow looked away from the disturbing sight, trying not to vomit. 

She briefly wondered if she even could.

When she turned back, Hades had turned into Celestia... Only not. Its mane and tail blazed with fire, and two wicked horns poked out of the back of its head. "Mother is fond of this form." Hades admitted. "It's more fitting, don't you think?"

"Why are you here?" Rainbow asked.

"After Tirek escaped, Mother refused to allow another such incident to occur. So, she trained me to become the guard of Tartarus." Hades said. "When Tirek was returned, I wanted to make sure he never would even think of trying again." Hades then put on the sort of smile a killer would wear as they hear their victim's last breath. "So I punished him."

"You... Punished him." Rainbow said uneasily. "How?"

"My mother said to bring you unharmed. I assumed she meant psychologically as well." Hades replied.

Rainbow stopped in place, her breathing heavy. "You... You're a monster."

Hades smirked, and began to shift form. Flames traveled across its body, scorching its flesh until it was a burnt husk. Rainbow gaped at the hideous image, before the flesh began to reform. The mane and tail sparked, and lit aflame. Horns spouted from its head. Black flesh healed into white fur. The new cutie mark, a sun. The being before her looked familiar, but twisted.
"What?" Rainbow said, confused.

"I am, yes." Hades said. "A monster. But one that exists for a reason. The wicked shall never escape their proper punishment under my eye. As for my look... Reminds you of a certain Princess of the Sun, does it not?"

"You keep changing your look. Why?" Rainbow asked.

"I don't like staying in one form too long. I usually take the shape of somepony from your memories, altered by their sins." Hades said.

"What sins? She’s the Princess of Equestria, for pony’s sake! Her approval rating is a hundred and ten percent!" Rainbow snapped.

Hades tisked, shaking its head. "Nopony is a saint."

"But Celestia-!"

"-Is no exception." Hades interrupted. "Now, if you want to see your friends, I suggest we get moving."

Hades then began furthering its walk along the beach. Rainbow Dash stared at it before reluctantly following.

"So, what's with that staircase?" Rainbow asked.

"Meant to mess with ponies trying to escape." Hades replied. "You cannot go anywhere without me. An additional security measure I had set up."

"Uh-huh. So, how do we get to that gate?" Rainbow asked. "Y'know, the one to Equestria."

"We are not going there." Hades replied. "We are going to see mother. Or, precisely, you are."

Rainbow put two and two together. "You're sending me to Hell?!" She stammered, standing her ground. She bared her teeth and stamped her ground. "No way! I'm a good pony, I don't deserve that!"

"You misunderstand. You are not being condemned; You would not be here if that were the case. No, she has a proposition. You may yet see your friends again." Hades said.

Rainbow blinked, and saw that they were at the top of one of the many mountains of Tartarus. This one seemed to have an arch, one twisted and gnarled with thorns and flesh turned to stone. Hades began to walk up to it, its flesh burning once again. The new form had black fur, a very elegant violet and white mane, a cluster of diamonds for a cutie mark, and familiar nightmarish eyes.

When Dash saw this perversion of her friend, she growled angrily.

"This form angers you, I see." Hades said with a wicked smile. Its horn lit with flames, and the arch caught similarly, its own flames far redder. The air within the arc began to shimmer and melt, and a glowing red and yellow gateway of energy appeared. A feeling of dread overcame Rainbow, and she shuddered.

"Mother awaits." Hades said. Rainbow looked at the gate of Hell uneasily, then finally walked through the gateway.

> Inferno
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first thing Rainbow Dash realized about Hell was just how hot it was. While she wasn't in pain, it felt extremely uncomfortable. She found it hard to breathe, and just as difficult to breathe. If she still had a physical body, she would have collapsed. Instead, she forced herself to take in her surroundings.

Like before, she was on a mountaintop. But, the rock was blood red with miniscule lines of magma running throughout. She stepped to the edge and let out a gasp.

The land seemed filled with an ocean of lava. The islands looked like misshapen hands trying to claw their way out of the molten rock. A closer look gave Rainbow a large pang of fear; The islands seemed to be made of rock, metal, and burnt flesh. She was quite thankful that she was without a sense of smell. The distant sounds of painful screaming brushed her ears like white noise.

"So you are one of the puppets of my sister."

The presence of the voice put a weight on Rainbow far harsher than the heat choking her. It was like a thousand voices in one, each syllable conveying an existence far longer than that of even Celestia. This was a voice that commanded the heavens and damned the wicked.

Slowly, Rainbow Dash turned around.

The Alicorn before her was massive, twice the size of the Sun Princess herself. She was made of black brimstone that cracked and reformed with every movement. Lines of magma featured on her body like exposed veins and arteries, cracked open and exposed. Her wings had a dull sheen, seemingly made of millions of minuscule scales. Her mane and tail were raging infernos, the smokeless red flames somehow remaining in a curled shape. Her eyes were red throughout with strange pulsing yellow veins and snake like slit pupils of a pure black that seemed to suck your soul into their cold abyss. Rainbow Dash sat on her haunches, terrified of this monstrous being.

"Rainbow Dash. Element of Loyalty. Wonderbolt. Several friends, an unrequited love, a large ego conflicting with a selfless nature."

Rainbow closed her dry gaping mouth and nodded.

"My name is Persephone. This is my domain." The alicorn said. "I have existed far longer than your world, and I have watched it from below. For eons, I have watched your kind evolve. I have watched them grow in strength and number, divide themselves and then unite again. I have punished those who were never served justice, and left all others alone. You are but an insignificant speck to me. At least, you were."

After a long moment of silence, Rainbow realized that the nightmarish white noise was gone. There was no sound of any kind. Persephone stared at Rainbow Dash expectantly, waiting for her response.

Rainbow Dash gulped. "What changed?"

"You know very well what changed." Persephone replied, sounding more impatient than angry.
"...I became an Element of Harmony?" Rainbow Dash guessed.

"Yes. You found yourself able to wield an ancient artifact of unimaginable power." Persephone said. "So great that power, that you and your friends became the sole defenders of an entire nation."

Dash chuckled nervously as she rubbed the back of her head. "We are pretty awesome."

"After one of your friends ascended, a certain incident forced you to give up your Elements. Equestria would have been defenceless, if not for the Tree of Harmony giving you access to the full power of Harmony itself. A castle was planted, within which is a map designed to give you and your friends missions in the name of Harmony."

There was more silence. Rainbow Dash felt quite uncomfortable. "Yeah, what about it?"

"You never questioned why."

Rainbow tilted her head. "Why what?"

"Why Harmony thought Equestria so weak and defenceless that it had to win your battles for you."

Dash's eyes widened. "What?"

"Have you not noticed how many times your foes were defeated by a sudden power gained from nowhere? How would you have defeated Chrysalis if it were not for Princess Cadance using love magic to fuel a force field spell, despite being drained from being held in captivity for so long? How many of your victories come from the Elements of Harmony? What about the Map? Have you never questioned how it knew these 'friendship problems' existed, and who would be able to solve it?"

Persephone's face was an inch from Rainbow's, and the latter was starting to cower.

"What would have happened if you had died after the Element of Loyalty was bound to you?"

Rainbow was shaking heavily, curling up to escape the glare of the goddess.

"Equestria would have fallen. But tell me, what would have happened if, all those centuries ago, Celestia and Luna had destroyed Discord with their own power, and not relied on Harmony? Do you think they would have been so careless as to rely on those artifacts from then on, or would they have strengthened themselves and their subjects to deal with the next threat? What if there was an Equestria that could win a war?"

Persephone leaned back, then turned around. "Tell me, Rainbow Dash. Why do you think I brought you here?"

Rainbow Dash got back up, and shook her head to get her thoughts straight. It was clear this pony hated harmony, but there was an underlying value that Persephone wanted the world to live by. The gears turned in Rainbow's head as she turned this over once, then again. "You want to get rid of the Elements of Harmony."

Persephone looked back. "Why do you think I brought you here?"

Rainbow felt like she was missing something vital. "...Because I died first?"

Persephone began to glare. "What makes you important? Loyalty. Ponies trust you, because they know they know you will always be there for them."

Rainbow could only let out an "Uhh..."

"I have a sister." Persephone said, waiting for Rainbow to see what was obvious.

"Sister...?"

It clicked. "Your sister is the source of Harmony?"

"My sister is Harmony. She created the Tree of Harmony, and have begun to shape the world with it. The world is soft, weak. I could simply place an artifact of my own upon the world, but what is more effective than an artifact? An avatar. You."

Rainbow Dash held up a hoof. "Hold it right there. You want me to go against harmony? Against my friends?"

"I want you to open their eyes. They must understand how to be self-reliant. My sister wishes to end conflict altogether. Without conflict, there is no strife. Without strife, there is no growth. In a world without saddness, without anger, without fear, happiness has no meaning. Do you understand now?"

Rainbow Dash mulled it over. "...Kinda. It just seems kind of fishy, y'know. This is Hell, and you look pretty evil. How do I know you aren't just doing this so you can take over Equestria yourself?"

"What makes you think I can't already?"

Rainbow Dash shook her head. "I don't think I can do it."

"So you wish to abandon your friends."

She froze.

"You have the chance to see them again, to return to the world of the living. Perhaps the next pony will be more receptive. My sister is not the only one who can influence the world."

"I'll do it! Just please, don't hurt my friends!" Rainbow cried out.

"Good. I do hope you remember your mission, or I may have to do this again."

"You monster..." Rainbow growled.

"Had she never been bullied, would you have ever befriended Fluttershy?"

She blinked. "Wha?"

"Would you have made friends with Applejack, Rarity, or Twilight if the threat of Nightmare Moon hadn't brought you together? Would you have won the Best Fliers competition if Rarity hadn't fallen, prompting you to perform your second Sonic Rainboom? What would you have learned about Loyalty if it was not tested?"

Rainbow Dash blinked again as she processed all that. She was starting to see Persephone's point.

"If you had the job of Wonderbolt simply hooved to you without you having to work for it, if you had no need to make friends to further your goal, would there be anypony you would truly be willing to die for?"

The silence began again as Rainbow Dash thought about this.

Persephone smiled. "I chose you not because you would be willing to do this for me, but because you are willing to do it for your friends."

Flames surrounded Rainbow as she found her soul body beginning to burn.

"Become the Avatar of Persephone, Rainbow Dash. Bring freedom to Equestria."

Once the fire consumed the pegasus, she was gone.

> Thy Flesh Consumed
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight Sparkle sat on her throne.

She had been sitting on her throne silently for two hours.

She was staring at an empty chair. Any other day, she would be with her friends. Perhaps sharing a cupcake with Pinkie, helping Fluttershy with her animals, talking about old stories over a mug of cider with Applejack, model fashion with Rarity, or practice magic with Starlight.

But there was one friend she could do nothing with. She was gone.

It would be one thing if Rainbow Dash had gone out in a blaze of glory, sacrificing herself for the greater good against a threat to Equestria and fighting to the last breath.
But the only thing that took the life of her friend was a stunt gone wrong, the metal wall of a Baltimare stadium, and a snapped neck.

By all accounts, Twilight should be a sobbing mess, screaming at the world as her friends trying to comfort her as she let out her anguish. Instead, she just sat in her crystal chair, motionless and emotionless. Feeling something, anything, would be better than-

Was that an earthquake?

Twilight broke out of her state when she noticed the ground shaking. Then, she heard a lot of cracking. Pieces of crystal began raining from the ceiling and the windows began to shatter. The map blinked off, then cracked in half.

Twilight began to sweat as the temperature of the room began to rise. She began to hyperventilate. The map caught fire, red flames spouting high enough to burn the Golden Oak roots above her. Realization hit as she heard the ropes snap, and she dived out of the way as the roots crashed down.

Starlight crashed through the doors. "What is going- Twilight!"

"Starlight!" Twilight shouted as she got to her hooves. "We need to get out of here!"

"No kidding! Where's Spike?" Starlight asked.

"With Rarity. Teleport!" Twilight replied. Her horn lit, and she vanished with a flash of magic, Starlight following after.

Twilight and Starlight watched from afar as the castle they called home crumbled. Red flames jetted skywards from the windows, thick black smoke rising into the sky. A team of pegasi brought storm clouds together to douse the fire with rain, but it had no effect. Starlight placed a comforting hoof on Twilight's back.

A noise like searing flesh coming from behind startled them both, and they turned around. Burned into the ground was an ancient symbol lost to time, one that made Twilight's head hurt when she looked at it. She was not looking at that, however. She was looking at a silhouette rising from it. With a flash of red flame, the silhouette became a pony. She was completely furless, her flesh red and leathery. Her mane and tail were a sight to behold, made of prismatic fire. Her wings more like that of a bat than a bird, her eyes a bloodshot yellow with slit pupils. Her cutie mark, a cloud with a lightning bolt, was branded on her flank. Her voice, while rough and had an unsettling dual tone, was familiar.

"You would not believe the day I've had." Rainbow Dash said, grinning with very menacing sharp teeth.

Starlight Glimmer fainted.

> No Rest For the Living
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow Dash sat alone in the Everfree forest. Light from the sunset filtered through the treetops, the rays falling upon her as she stared at her reflection in the pond. When she first saw what she looked like, she was horrified. She felt something was wrong when she came back to life, now she could see what it was. Her ears flicked, trying to point behind her.

Her friends would be coming soon.

Rainbow Dash got up, flared her wings, and launched into the air. She pulled off a triple loop, then an aileron roll. The new wings would take getting used to, but it seemed that they did not slow her down. Good.

“Rainbow Dash!”

Aw, horsefeathers. With a quick 180, Rainbow shot off deeper into the forest. She scanned the trees as she flew, looking for a particular Tree. She knew it was in a gorge, or trench, or canyon, or whatever Twilight called. She might only have one shot at this, and she didn’t want Twilight trying to stop her.

A flash of purple magic next to her startled her.

“Hey!” Twilight shouted. “Could you please-"

Her voice sounded quieter as Rainbow Dash outpaced her. Three, two, one…

Flash.

“That was rude, could you please-”

Flash.

“Slow down a second? We-”

Flash.

“-Have so much to talk-”

Flash.

“-About! You were dead-”

Flash.

“-For pony’s sake! How-”

Rainbow Dash saw her target, and nosedived. With precision, she pulled up just before hitting the ground, and her hooves touched rock lightly. In front of her, the cave containing the Tree of Harmony.

Flash. “-Could you please stop doing… The Tree of Harmony? You want to use the Elements?” Twilight’s annoyance and frustration gave way to confusion and curiosity, then the joy of discovery as she reached a conclusion. “You know who’s attacking Equestria, and you’re getting the Elements to save everypony again! Rainbow, if you had just explained that instead of just taking off-”

Rainbow Dash launched forward as fast as she could at the Tree before turning and delivering a hard kick to the branch holding her own Element. A large clang resonated through the cave as Rainbow bounced off, grunting in pain.

“Rainbow Dash, what are you doing?!” Twilight yelled as she grabbed Rainbow magically and pulled her back, the demon pony fighting against her hold.

“Saving Equestria, that’s what!” Rainbow yelled back, in Twilight’s face. Twilight immediately cowered, and Rainbow’s eyes widened. “Twilight, I’m sorry. But I have to do this.”

Twilight looked up. “But why?”

“Because the Tree isn’t just some magic thing that helps us out for no reason, it’s a crutch! We don’t need it, and the more we rely on it, the weaker we get!” Rainbow said. “It’s controlling us!”

Twilight looked at Rainbow like she had three heads.

“I look like a conspiracy-theorist-nut, but I’m serious. Persephone told me everything.” Rainbow said.

“Who?”

“She’s like a goddess or something. She’s who brought me back. Yeah, I look freaky, but I’m back, Twilight. I’m alive! I just have to do a little thing for her, that’s all.” Rainbow explained.

“A goddess?” Twilight said. She looked unconvinced. “How do you know you can trust her?”

“She isn’t evil, she just understands us in a way even we don’t. Equestria relies on us, and only us. Most of the time, we only win through luck. Don’t you think that should change?” Rainbow said. “We have the chance to tell fate to go buck itself and do our own thing! Is that really that bad?”

“No, I guess not.” Twilight admitted hesitantly. “But destroying the Tree of Harmony is going too far! What if we need it?”

“What if we don’t? What if we never needed it?” Rainbow said.

“I don’t… Rainbow…” Twilight said. She was starting to understand her friend’s point, but this was going too far. “Can’t we just leave it alone?”

“No, Twilight. It spreads Harmony magic or something, and it might have been controlling us all along.” Rainbow said. “Do you think ponies randomly burst out into song by choice?”

“Hey, I enjoy those moments! I think they’re kind of cute.” Twilight said.

“Yes, but ponies singing in harmony and dancing with perfect choreography with no practice beforehoof? Isn’t that mind control? What was it I said before, Twilight, when your student took control of us just to make herself look good to you?” Dash asked.

“I don’t know, I wasn’t there.” Twilight said.

“Don’t cast spells on your friends. This thing has been casting spells on us well before day one. It is not our friend.” Rainbow said.

“How do you know all this?” Twilight asked.

“Persephone. She told me enough to realize the rest.” Rainbow said.

Twilight shuffled her hooves uncomfortably, then trotted over to the Tree of Harmony. “Are you sure?”

“I’m positive.” Rainbow Dash said.

Twilight mulled it over, staring at her own Element in the center of the Tree. Was this the right thing to do? Would Equestria be better off, or would she doom it?

As she contemplated, she noticed her Element shining brighter.

“Twilight! Look out!” Dash shouted as she charged toward the Tree, but she was too late. A bolt of magic from the Element of Magic shot out and connected with Twilight’s horn. A look of surprise crossed Twilight’s face before dissolving into an expression of serenity. Light blue crystals began forming around her body like an armor, her wings turning white and her body starting to glow. The bolt ceased, knocking Twilight’s head back like it just recieved an uppercut.

Twilight turned around. “No, I don’t think you’ll be doing that.” She spoke in a soft voice, one very different from her own. It was ethereal and motherlike, with infinite wisdom and patience.

“No…” Rainbow muttered as realization took hold. “No, no! Twilight!”

“Twilight is safe, Rainbow. I would not allow harm to come to her. My name is Harmonia, and we have much to discuss.” The goddess-possessed pony said.

> Endgame
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow Dash stared in horror at Harmonia. “She was right, about everything!” Her fear turned to anger very quickly. She stomped the ground and flared her nostrils. “Give her back!”

Harmonia tsked. “Rainbow Dash, you were so promising. One of my beloved children, tasked with holding my Element of Loyalty, and my sister has corrupted you to betray me.”

“I’m loyal to my friends.” Rainbow countered.

“We can start over. Let your anger go, and I will return you to your rightful form, and you will live to adventure with your friends, like you used to. It will be like none of this ever happened. Weren’t you happy, Rainbow Dash?” Harmonia said.

“This isn’t about me.” Rainbow said. “This is about how you control everypony to live in your idea of a perfect world!”

“Why is that so bad? I have worked hard to circumvent my foolish sister’s inane limitations, to protect and nurture ponykind. I created you, you know. Earth Ponies, Unicorns, Pegasi, I created you all. What did my sister create? The Windigoes. Persephone has been trying to destroy you!” Harmonia said, her voice starting to slide from kind and gentle to angry and gentle. “I helped influence the founding of Equestria, brought forth the first two Alicorns, created the Tree and Elements of Harmony to allow them to defeat evil and to spread peace and harmony throughout the land! It was Persephone that corrupted innocent creatures and sent them to harm my ponies! Why are you mad at me and not her?”

Doubt entered Rainbow’s mind. Persephone was behind Discord? And Tirek? And Sombra? And the Changelings?

“She was only trying to test us, and we won every time.” Rainbow replied, her resolve weaker than before.

“Only because of my help. She could have enslaved the Pony race. She would have brought great hardship to Equestria, had I not intervened.” Harmonia said. “It could have collapsed, just like the Griffon Kingdom.”

“Yeah, it could have…” Rainbow said. Was she wrong this whole time? Had Persephone just been manipulating her? She knew she didn’t want the ponies to end up like the griffons, after all.

The griffons…?

“Why didn’t you help the griffons?” Rainbow asked.

Harmonia blinked. “Why would I? Griffons don’t spread friendship.”

“You… You only care about ponies?” Rainbow asked. Resolve was beginning to build once again.

“That’s not true! I’ve seen what you and Pinkie Pie have done in Griffonstone, what you have managed for the Yaks, how Spike got a pony-minded dragon to be the Dragon Lord, and Starlight’s reformation of the Changelings! They’re all better now!” Harmonia said. “I set things in motion to improve their lives!”

“No, you just want to turn them into other Equestrias! In fact, if you care so much about peace and harmony, why is the Griffon Kingdom in such a sorry state? Why were the Changelings starving? Why are so many dragons jerks? Are you racist? Are ponies just better to you?” Rainbow Dash shouted, steam metaphorically rising from her ears.

“Of course ponies are superior, I designed them that way. They have a capability for magic and harmony all other races lack.” Harmonia said. “Making the other cultures more like Equestria’s will naturally improve them. I thought you knew that already?” Harmonia explained patiently.

“You utter bucking bastard.” Rainbow spat out. “You valued ponies beyond every other race just because you created them. I oughtta smash you to pieces!”

Her rage began to rise like never before. Her wings glowed with hellish red energy, the air around her began to waver from the heat. She stopped herself from running full-tilt into Harmonia as the goddess was still in the body of her friend. But there was a target to take her rage out on a few feet behind her.

Harmonia realized what Rainbow was planning. “No! Stop!”

Rainbow Dash jumped into the air and beelined for the Tree of Harmony, the magical glow extending to her whole body. She closed her eyes.

She crashed through the Tree of Harmony, shattering it to pieces. The sound deafened Rainbow for a few moments and she smashed into the far side of the cave. She passed out, rolling to the floor.

> Hell on Earth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The shattering of the Tree of Harmony was loud.

The noise reverberated throughout Rainbow Dash’s skull endlessly.

Pain shot through his entire body.

A distant voice spoke, but could not be heard.

This was the moment Rainbow Dash came back to life.

Her first confusion was darkness. She checked at least five times that her eyes were indeed open, none of them proving crucial sight. Her second confusion came when she tried to move; She was extremely sluggish, as if her muscles hadn’t been used in years. Her third and most concerning confusion was that she seemed to be constrained in a metal box. A blanket of some sort was draped over her body.

She tries to call out, but her throat was dry and her voice was hoarse. It hurt even to mutter. She picked up her leg, and hit the end of the box. Her kick was far too weak to do anything. Determined, she struck again. And again. Each time, her kick was a little harder. Finally, she brought both hindlegs up and struck as hard as she could. The metal did not budge, but the clanging noise only made her head hurt worse. She then realized that her head hurt in the first place. The blanket seemed to have shifted off her body as well.

The noise of a lock unlocking, and the whole box shifted into open air. The light stung Rainbow’s eyes something fierce, and she winced in response. She let out a pained groan. Once her eyes adjusted to the sudden light, she saw that she was in a morgue. Her body was back to its Pegasus self. Rainbow Dash then took note of the pony who was frozen solid from horror, his face white as one of her friends. “I don’t look that bad, do I?” Rainbow said slowly, having to piece together each word as she said it.

The stallion then took off, yelling for a doctor. Rainbow Dash would have gone after him, but found that moving was too painful. Hopefully a doctor could get her a cup of water and something more comfortable to lie in.





“Your case is one unprecedented, Ms. Rainbow Dash.” The stuffy doctor said as he look through a books worths of test results. Those tests have been uncomfortable at best, and Rainbow was glad she had already forgotten most of the experience. She was feeling a lot better due to proper hydration and something soft to lie in.

“You were clinically and medically dead for several hours. There has not been a single recorded case in history of somepony being resuscitated from that sort of state, not to mention coming back with no apparent explanation. That you are alive at all is a miracle.” The doctor said.

Rainbow gave a raspy laugh that turned into a coughing fit. After a cup of water from the doctor, she spoke. “I must have hit that tree pretty hard, then.”

The doctor blinked. “Tree?” He looked through his notes. “It says here your cause of death was a snapped neck and severe head trauma from a high-velocity impact with a metal wall.”

Rainbow blinked. That was the show accident that killed her in the first place. “But that did kill me. I went through Tartarus, ended up in Hell, spoke to Persephone, she turned me into this creepy demon-pony-thing, brought me back, and I smashed up the Tree of Harmony. Oh, and I think Twilight’s castle burned down or something, honestly it’s pretty foggy.”

The doctor tilted his head. “...No, Ms. Dash, I’m afraid that there’s no record of any of, ahem, that happening. It was probably a dream as your brain restored its function, or something. As I said, a pony coming back to life from your state is unheard of. You even seemed to have healed.”

“Oh.” Dash said. Perhaps it was just a dream? She supposed it would make sense, that was a pretty strange series of events. “Well, how long until I’m back in action, doc?”

The doctor’s expression fell, just a little bit. “I have to be honest, we don’t know. While you are not in any danger of dying again, assuming you don’t go risking your life all over again, you are far from healthy. Your muscles have atrophied, most of your pegasus magic is gone, and you may be suffering from some brain damage.”

Rainbow flinched. “That sounds bad. I suppose it’ll be a while before I can start cracking Sonic Rainbooms again, huh?”

The doctor looked uncomfortable. He avoided eye contact with her. Rainbow started to get anxious. Just how bad was it?

“Doc?”

The doctor gave a sad sigh. “With intensive physical therapy over the course of a few years… You might be able to fly again.”

Her heart dropped. “S-so I gotta work hard for a bit, then back into the Wonderbolts, right? Good as new?”

“Rainbow Dash… The last recorded incident of a pony anywhere near your state, having had that physical and magical therapy, could at most fly at a brisk trotting speed. I’m afraid your body cannot handle the stress of going even that fast.” The doctor explained.

All Rainbow Dash could reply with was “Oh.”
This was it. The end of her life’s dream, of everything she had worked for. It was all for nothing. She couldn’t even be a lousy weatherpony anymore. Her life was effectively over. She curled up, looking at nothing and feeling empty.

She wished she had just died instead.

“I’m so sorry, Ms. Dash.” The doctor consoled. He put his hoof on hers. Rainbow did not respond. “If it helps, I have notified your friends of your return. They will be here shortly. I… I will let you have some time alone.”

Hoofsteps leading away. A door opening, then closing. The quiet beeps of a heart monitor.

Rainbow Dash was nothing. No thoughts entered her mind, no feelings entered her heart. She was numb.

“Rainbow!”

Her friends. Her friends were there. She looked at them all. Twilight, Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Spike, even Starlight. They all were so overjoyed. They had their friend back.

But they didn’t. They had a corpse that forgot to die. The weight was crushing Rainbow Dash. When they joined together to give her a group hug, she broke.

No wailing. No screaming. Only a shuddered sigh and tears. Not with a bang, just a whimper. Their words failed to register. It didn’t matter. Dead mare trotting.

Were they confused at her friend’s sadness? Rainbow stopped paying attention. No point getting their hopes up when they would just lose their friend a second time.

So Rainbow just sat back. She ignored her friends. She stared at the clock, then stared at nothing. She waited for her body to catch up with her soul. She would wait. Wait however long it takes. Until they came up with something to cure her, or until she had the chance to cure herself. What did time matter to a mare who could no longer bother? She would feel the sweet embrace of death sooner or later, all she had to do was wait.

“Rainbow Dash!”

Twilight finally got her attention. “Rainbow, I understand what you’re going through.”

Rainbow gave a humorless chuckle. “Do you? Do you really?”

“The doctor told us…” Fluttershy said quietly.

“Not what I mean.” Rainbow said with a bit more venom than she intended.

“I understand that this is really hard on you. It’s been a really emotional day for us, too. We lost you, Rainbow, and that hurt us all so much.” Twilight said. “But you’re alive. You’re alive. I know you’re hurting, but we are all here for you.”

Their friends confirmed.

“You have always been loyal to us, Rainbow, so let us be loyal to you. Let us help you.” Twilight said.

“Go away.” Rainbow muttered. “Just go.”

Twilight frowned, disappointed. “Rainbow please…”

“I said go!” Rainbow shouted. “I don’t want you here, seeing me like this…”

“We ain’t leavin’, and that’s final!” Applejack said. “We don’t care if you can fly or not, we just want our friend back!”

“Your friend is dead.” Rainbow Dash said. “Just let me die in peace.”

Pinkie burst into tears, hugging Rainbow tightly. “No! You can’t die! You just got back! I don’t want to lose you again!”

Rainbow slapped her. It wasn’t hard at all, her foreleg could barely move, but the intention hurt all the worse. Her friends were quiet, aside from sobs from a surprised and confused pink pony.

“Just leave me alone. I want to sleep.” Rainbow said softly. Without another word, her friends left the room. Twilight gave a pained look back, then closed the door.

She was alone once again. Self-loathing did not even begin to describe her turmoil. She knew what she had done was wrong, but it was for their own good. Perhaps she would feel an iota better after a nap.
Her eyelids began to droop…

“Your work is not yet done.”

And they snapped back open. The light in the hospital room changed to red, black spots appeared in the corner of her vision, and she was pretty sure the floor was on fire. Rainbow Dash looked around, confused and scared, no idea what was going on. From the depths of Hell itself rose Persephone, who wasted no time getting right into Rainbow’s face.

“Rainbow Dash, I did not bring you back to the world of the living so that you can sulk in self-pity.”

Rainbow gulped.

“Did you forget your mission?”

She racked her brain… And remembered. “Wait, that actually happened?”

“Everything up to and including our meeting, yes. You were tasked to end my sister’s hold on this world. The memories thereafter were a test of your resolve. Your loyalty to your friends and your species is commendable. But your true missions will not be so blunt and careless."

Rainbow nodded. Persephone had been scary before, but having her this close to her face was far beyond terrifying. The heart monitor let her know how fast her heart was racing.

“Your first task is simple, and I will remind you of it. You are never to go on another ‘friendship problem’ task again. Do I make myself clear?”

Rainbow nodded again. Finally, Persephone leaned back, giving her some space.

“Good. It is but the first step in freeing Equestria. Do this for me… And I shall grant you your flight back.”

Rainbow Dash blinked, and Persephone was gone. The room was back to normal like nothing had happened. She realised she was hyperventilating. The doctor, a nurse, and her friends came rushing in.

Rainbow Dash laughed like a madmare.