Pain, pain was all she felt as she was ripped apart by the Pegasus Device her dear former "big sister" had thrown her into after her failed escape from the Rainbow Factory. As the pain vanished she felt a dry cold feeling creep up her back and through her wings as she could feel herself laying on a hard flat surface and to her surprise her limbs as well like they was never ripped of. Scootaloo seeing this and not liking the idea of slowly walking through such a narrow area, she took in a deep breath closed her eyes and ran straight down the path in a mad gallop.
Screaming as her joints was ripped apart and bones snapping she couldn't help but keep her eyes on her executioner: Rainbow Dash.
The last thing she remembers was Rainbows rose eyes as all faded too black.
Scootaloo was dead.
Sitting up she opened her eyes finally and looked at her orange hooves still intact and not a single drop of blood on her coat.
She felt normal, she felt alive, she felt… cold.
Getting up slowly she looked around wondering if it had all been a bad dream, that she had dreamt the whole ordeal and was at home, but what she saw was far from what she knew.
The entire area was filled with a thick black void that seeme to shimmer and shift around her in a thick mist that made odd noises like the sound of a flock of crows soaring through the air.
The only thing she could see was the gray stone floor she was stood on and only reached 5 feet away from her before it entered the Black Mist.
Scootaloo was starting to get scared, she had no idea what this place was nor why she was there.
She didn't dare call out for anypony unless she gained the attention of a creature that would bring her harm.
Hesitantly she puts her right foot forward slowly to make sure she didn't make any noise when she put her hoof down on the stone floor.
Instantly and to her surprise the mist seemed to suddenly split apart showing a straight stone path through the mist to an unknown area ahead.
As she ran she could hear the sounds of ponies groaning and crying in the wind whistling past her ears making her fold her ears back trying to stifle the sound as she galloped faster and faster hoping no monsters would hear her panicked hoofsteps on the cold stone floor making her instinctively flap her wings in an attempt to make her go even faster than before blindly down the path feeling cold sweat starting to go down her neck and her coat hairs standing up going faster until she ran into something or someone.
She falls onto her side keeping her eyes shut and goes into the fetal position using her wings to cover her head to protect herself from whatever she ran into.
After 10 second however she heard slow hoofsteps against the stone floor slowly approaching her prone shaking form and coming around to where her head lay under her protective wings.
But instead of feeling a strike or a pair of fangs sinking into her exposed flesh, she felt a hoof gently touch her shoulder and a soft regal voice "Little Soul, you are already dead i'm afraid"
Scootaloo opened her eyes slowly and hesitantly peered through the feathers obstructing her vision to see who the voice came from hoping it wasn't a trap.
Towering above her was what looked like a pony the same size and height as Princess Celestia.
She had a dark charcoal gray coat and a lot of her features was covered by a long black hooded cloak including her cutie mark and the only other things that was visible was her long pointed horn sticking out from under her hood and a pair of midnight purple eyes looking down at her.
Scootaloo slowly got up keeping her eyes on the strange mare who simply watched her rise up
"W-where am i?" she asked hesitantly under the mares gaze.
"This is the world between Equestria and The Afterlife young Scootaloo. The world of the unliving. This is Limbo"
"The world of the unliving?" Scootaloo asked the strange mare who simply nodded in return.
"Yes. You are here because your soul was unable to pass past the white gates and into paradise. It is rare when this happens but it is something ive come to expect from little souls like yours bathed in a red hue."
Scootaloo tilts her head to the side at the mare.
"Bathed in a red hue? What do you mean by that?" she asks the mare puzzled.
"its quite simple to explain. Those who come through here have the potential of having one of two coloured souls. The first is blue which means they are at peace with themselves and pass on into heaven with ease. The red souls however are stained with a longing for revenge against someone they hate for how they left their world. You Scootaloo are one of them said ponies."
Scootaloo's eyes widened at this and shakes her head "No I don't want revenge and i don't need it!" Scootaloo shouted in denial of what the mare was telling her not wanting any of this situation to be true.
"You're not real! This place isn't real! I'm not dead! Ill wake up soon and be in my bed to get ready for the final exam!"
Scootaloo then breathed heavy after screaming her lungs out at the mare and squeezed her eyes shut feeling the forming of tears in her eyes hoping this nightmare would end.
She kept them shut for 3 minutes wanting to awake from the nightmare she was in and slowly opened her eyes too see the mare still watching her and still in limbo.
Scootaloo collapsed to the ground shaking and slowly letting the tears run freely and starting to openly sob on the cold hard ground finally accepting her situation.
She was dead, killed by the mare she admired and couldn't pass on peacefully into the next world.
She was doomed to rot in Limbo, a fate worse than death itself and only had Rainbow Dash to blame for her demise.
"There is a way to get back you know." the mare spoke softly into scootaloos ear as scoots eyes shot open and looked at the mare who was now laying besides her.
"If you truly desire to return to the world of the living then i can grant you that chance to get your revenge on Rainbow Dash. You would be able to return to Ponyville, see Sweetie Belle and Applebloom again. But most importantly: you get a second chance at life"
This sounded too good to be true, This mare was offering scootaloo a chance to go back to Equestria and make things right, she could tell evrypony about what really went on in the rainbow factory, alert the Princesses and stop the senseless killing of young pegasi for good.
But scootaloo felt despite how good this all sounded there had to be a motive behind the offer.
More importantly she had no idea who this mare was and what she had to gain from all of this.
"What's the catch?" scootaloo asks the mare drying the tears out her own eyes
The mare stood still looking down at the orange filly.
"Is my offer not that tempting? Very well. I want a favor in the future after you are revived."
Scootaloo then closes her eyes and thinks over the offer. After 5 mins she reopens her eyes looking at the mare again.
"Before i give you my answer I want to ask you something" she says getting back up on her hooves.
The mare simply nods watching the filly her eyes radiating a hint of curiosity of scootaloo.
"Who are you and why are you willing to give me this chance?"
The mare remains silent for a minute before slowly lighting up her horn and un hooking the pin on her cloak and letting it drop to the floor revealing the rest of her features. Her mane and tail was a shiny metallic silver which seemed to glow in the darkness, folded on her back was a pair of large feathered wings and on her flank bore a cutie mark of a single Scythe.
The mare then looked down at scootaloo stretching her wings out. "I am Nightshade, The Grim Reaper and my reason for helping you is simple. Pegasi are dying before their time at a increasing level, If this continues to happen then we will the gates of tartarus will open and chaos will engulf the lands of Equestria and beyond."
Scootaloo's eyes widened at the sight of this Alicorn of death they continued
"Should you go back Scootaloo I will make sure canterlot is where you will appear. Right in the middle of Celestia's throne room"
Scootaloo stood there silent looking up at Nightshade and narrowed her eyes and with a sharp inhale she nodded.
Nightshade then lit up her horn as a purple aura surrounded Scootaloo and lifted her into the air.
Then from her emotionless face a small smile appeared.
"Thank you"
Laughing together in the throne room, Celestia, Luna and Twilight was together enjoying some much needed time off from their hectic schedules and reminiscing about the past
"Then Celestia said "but they said that cake was fat free! Now I cant get my plot through the doors to my room!" Luna laughed as Twilight and Celestia also laughed while the guards in the throne room tried their best not to burst out laughing and break their professional look.
Twilight all giggling wiped a tear away from her eye and asked "then what happened?"
Luna ever grinning opened her mouth to speak but was cut of by the sudden appearance of a ball of black fire that appeared right at the foot of the steps to the throne startling all three princesse and alerting the guards to aim their spears at the fire.
The fire then slowly starts dims and fade as the princesses watch in anticipation of what could be coming.
Twilight stared into the fire as it faded and she made out the shape of somthing laying down and breathing.
When the fire went out Twilight saw the form of an unconscious Scootaloo on the floor
"Scootaloo!" Twilight yelled as she ran down to the fillys side with the princesses in tow.
"Scootaloo! Scootaloo wake up! What happened!" Twilight repeated over and over trying to shake the filly awake.
"T-Twilight? " Scootaloo rasped as she woke up and her eyes opening as well.
Twilight smiling stayed close to the filly "Yes it's me scootaloo. But what happened? How did you appear like that?" she asked in a very worried tone.
Scootaloo then motioned for Twilight to come closer witch Twilight did leaning her ear to the fillys muzzle and listened.
As the minutes went on Celestia and luna waited patiently as Scootaloo whispered into Twilight's ear wondering what was the young filly saying to Twilight and how she got here in such a magical manner.
After 10 minutes Twilight slowly stood, picked up scootaloo with her magic and turned to Luna and Celestia who was both waiting.
However their eyes widened to see Twilight's face now had a look of horror and disgust.
Celestia was very worried about what could have made Twilight have that reaction. "Twilight, what's happened?"
Instead of replying Twilight simply zapped Celestia and Lunas horn relaying what Scootaloo had just told herself.
Celestia soon had the same look of horror on her face as Twilight but then had tears brimming in her eyes.
Luna however had a different look, not one of horror or sadness but of pure anger and fury.
"Twilight, please make sure Scootaloo rests in my room and is tended to her every need. Sister please send guards too cloudsdale to detain all the flight instructors for questioning"
Twilight nods and carries Scootaloo of as Celestia looks at her sister who is making her way out the throne room as well
"Sister where are you going!?" Celestia called after Luna as she opened the door and looks back at Celestia.
"Too the Factory. However instead of sunshine and rainbows thy Heathens shall be drenched in the Crimson Rain!"