//------------------------------// // Chapter 11: Meddling Immortals // Story: Diary of the Necromancess // by Sebbaa //------------------------------// Chapter 11: Meddling Immortals Yesterday I finally finished my great meditation. Withdrawing myself from all worldly affairs for a whole month to engage in meditation would not have been possible living on my own. Yet another reason why it was a good decision to move in with Lionheart. She was very supportive the whole time. If it were possible I would love her now even more than I did before. Truly, I love her to death, and I can't imagine living without her. The ritual of the great meditation was a far greater success than I would have thought possible. When I reached the deepest level of meditation, completely opening and aligning myself to the streams of magic, it was like submerging myself in an ocean of power. Only one short instant had I felt a similar rush of arcane energies before; when I was standing in the outburst of magic power the Tulamyids call “Star's Stairway” -it doesn’t translate very well to Equestrian- in the center of the freezing desert of Gor. But unlike that short instant the feeling didn't go away when I ended my meditation. Even now I feel my mane bellowing in arcane winds and my horn is tickling and spraying sparks of excess power. It's only slowly residing as my arcane reserves dwindle down to a level my body is capable of holding. Clearly the ritual of great meditation is far more potent in Equestria then back on Dere and has expanded my arcane reserves greatly, most likely because of the much higher flow of arcane energies in general. I will have to conduct further experiments on this. Is this a possible explanation for the princesses' extraordinary manes? Are they constantly shedding excess magical energy that way? If so, just how great are their arcane powers? (I could cast an Odem Arcanum on them to see it, but I fear I might go blind.) Could a mortal pony possibly reach a similar level if it just lived long enough to do many great meditations? And how long would it have to live? And in the end, could it still be considered mortal? Are the princesses truly immortal or just ageless? I know a spell that might yield answers to my questions in time, if I cast it in reverse through the Reversalis spell. I have never used it before though, will have to do some experiments on that when I find the time. Today I was interrupted when I did some paperwork in my office by somepony knocking on the door. Not loud or anything, but president. It was well past sundown, so I wasn't expecting anypony. I tried to ignore it, but the pony just didn't go away. After about five minutes it really started to annoy me; I slammed my papers on the table and stamped to the door. I yanked it open with a burst of telekinesis, ready to greet whoever was at the door with an annoyed frown. But there was nopony at the door. Only when I heard a faint whimper from below did I look down, to find a little filly cowering before me, her ears laid back. It was a unicorn, hardly more than a foal, who had not yet found her cutie mark. She had an ashen coat and a long, unkempt mane of a darker shade of gray; it was the most muted combination of colors I had ever seen on a pony. The whole thing was filthy and ragged and made for a sorry sight. I raised an eyebrow. “Yes?” The foal flinched as if cut by the sharpness of my voice. “Are you Radiance Queen of the Dead?” I boggled when I heard that name. I had not heard the translation of my mage's name since Lyra had told it back at me, all those years ago when I first came into Ponyville. “Wrong door,” I replied dryly and slammed the door shut, quickly finding my composure again. The foal didn't bother me again. That is until the next evening when the now familiar knocking sounded for fifteen minutes at the house I shared with Lionheart. The filly must have followed me home. Once again I opened the door and found the foal standing at my hooves. “What do you want?” She looked up at me, her dark golden eyes swimming with tears. “Can you teach me how to raise the dead?” The question took me aback. “Who told you that?” The filly replied with quivering lips. “I saw you in a dream. A voice told me you would help me.” “You shouldn't be out this late. Go back to your parents!” She sniffed, tears started to flow down her cheeks, drawing lines through the dirt on them. “I can't,” she sobbed. “They died.” I hesitated for a moment, but then I shook my head and stared her down with an angry snarl. “Get lost! Stop bothering me, or you will be punished!” And with that, I slammed the door shut once more. I closed the deadlocks on the door and drew the curtains shut, then I slumped down right in front of the fireplace and stared into the flames, biting my lower lip. The whole affair with the foal had been deeply unsettling. She had seen me in her dream she had said, a voice had spoken to her. I know a few entities who could manipulate the dreams of mortals, but only two of them could have a reason to do so. Thargunitoth, Archdemoness of the Undead, Queen of Nightmares, the one whose power I summon to cast necromantic spells. She could be arranging for a way to spread her influence to this world. A task I had obviously been lacking at. And Princess Luna, though her motives I can't even grasp, but she is the only pony I know capable of this, and that is reason enough to suspect her. It is a greatly unsettling idea. Does the princess know about me being a necromancer? I brooded about those ideas until only glowing embers remained from the fire, but the best solution I could come up with was killing the girl and dispose her body in the Everfree. Nopony would ever find her there, nopony would miss an orphan. I shook my head and got back to my hooves. I levitated some new wood into the fireplace and blew the flames back to life, than I headed for the study for some research. But I couldn't concentrate and just stared at the pages without recognizing what was on them until it was almost sunrise. When the first colors of the rising sun brightened the horizon, I sighed heavily and put the books down. I shook my head and headed downstairs, resolving that some breakfast was in order. I put my cloak around my shoulders and opened the front door in mid stride, heading out to get some fresh buns. Lionheart would be home in a bit, sharing breakfast with her would be a welcome distraction. I stumbled and almost fell, when my front hoof hit something soft on the doorstep. I gathered myself and took a step back in surprise, when I saw what had blocked my path. “Did you wait here all night?” The little filly stirred and looked up from dark, tired eyes. It took her a few seconds to recognize me. When she did, she threw herself at my legs and raised her hooves pleading. “Please, teach me how to raise the dead! I'll do anything you want!” I stared at her for long moments, stared at her matted mane, her filthy coat, and her thin, shivering frame. “Alright,” I said eventually. “Now you will be punished!” Her eyes widened in fear, as I lifted her with my telekinesis, carried her into the house and slammed the door shut behind us. She was too afraid to move or make any sound, as I carried her through the house and finally dropped her unceremoniously into the bathtub. She whimpered when I dropped a piece of soap after her and opened the hot water tab. Only slowly did it dim on her, that she was not inside of a witch's kitchen, but the luxurious bathroom of an upper Canterlot manor, and not inside of a cauldron, but a spacious bathing tube. But only when the water reached her dirt stained hooves and didn't scald her skin did she look up at me in bewilderment. “I'm getting a bath? That's punishment?” I watched the water rise up on her body, nodding with a mischievous smirk. When the water had reached her neck, I closed the tab. “Oh, you have seen nothing yet.” My smirk spread to a malevolent grin, and I levitated a scrubbing brush with notoriously hard bristles in front of her face. She swallowed hard. For the next fifteen minute the room was alive with the complaining moans of a little filly and the haughty laugh of a crazy mare scrubbing her all over until every grain of dirt was gone from her body and the skin under her coat shone pink, twice. The water ran from the tub as a brown smear when I was finally done and dried the filly with a big towel. By now she had stopped complaining and just endured the procedure in defiant silence. When she was dry, I wasted no time waiting for her to get ready for what fate awaited her next, and just carried her with me in my levitation spell. I got a chair from the closet, put it next to the kitchen table and and placed her on it. “Wha. . .” she tried to speak up, but I cut her short before she got even one word out. “Just be silent and accept your punishment foalish child!” She didn't speak up again, as I began rummaging through the kitchen, levitating half a dozen objects from various shelves at once. The kitchen was a small and simple affair, as neither I nor Lionheart were especially fond of cooking; the table was just big enough for two, the stove had only two flames and the shelves were mostly empty. Still, after about fifteen minutes, I had produced a steaming gray mass and poured it into a bowl in front of the little unicorn. She sniffed it wearily, then looked up at me in utter confusion. “Oatmeal? I'm getting something to eat as punishment?” The evil enchantress' simper spread on my lips again. “I cooked it!” I leaned closer to whisper into her ear. “I can't cook to save my life.” The look on her face when I drew back was priceless. “And now you have to eat it all, and lick the bowl clean!” I'm actually not as bad a cook as I made it sound; only I do approach cooking like I do alchemy, meaning that I choose ingredients and method of preparation in order to achieve a certain effect. But as Rarity once explained to me, cooking is a form of art. You have to be passionate about it, cook with love or some other nonsense, in order to be good at it. Anyway, there is not much you can mess up with oatmeal. Even less if you are feeding a starved foal; it is as they say: 'Hunger is the best chef.' After one tentative taste the filly dug into the food with a vengeance. The bowl was licked clean in a matter of minutes. She slumped back on the chair, moaning, holding her belly. She could barely move any more. I nodded satisfied and once again lifted her with my telekinesis to carry her off once more. By the time I put her into my bed and draped the blankets across her, she was hardly awake. “This is punishment?” she yawned, fighting to keep her eyes open. “We'll discuss your punishment once you are fit enough to endure it. Now sleep tight, you are safe here.” And as soon as I had said that her eyes fell shut and she was fast asleep. .oOo. Lionheart came home an hour after dawn, she found me sitting in front of the fireplace again, pondering. “Hello there sunshine! You look especially gloom today.” She greeted me with a brief kiss. Concern spread on her face. “OK, I can tell somethings up. What's bothering you?” I got up and began heading for the stairs. “It's easier to explain if I just show you. Follow me and be quiet.” I lead her to our bedroom where the unicorn filly was still fast asleep. Lionheart only took a few heartbeats to assess the situation. “Alright,” she whispered, “why is a foal sleeping in our bed?” “She came to my shop yesterday, looking for me. I send her away, but in the evening she showed up at our doorstep, asking if I could teach her magic.” “Teach her magic?” I nodded. “She's an orphan, saw me in her dreams and a voice told her I would help her.” Lionheart raised an eyebrow at that. “OK?” I shrugged. “I think she is telling the truth. Anyway I send her away again under threat of punishment. But when I wanted to get out this morning to go to the bakery, she was still waiting at the doorstep.” “So you took her in.” “Cleaned and fed her, put her into bed.” I turned towards Lionheart, looking at her with a determined frown. “I want to take her in as my apprentice.” “Alright.” “She showed her determination by staying here through the cold of the night, even against the threat of punishment.” Lionheart nodded. “I think she got the discipline it takes to become a sorceress” “That's great.” “And I don't want to hear anything about it. I made up my mind, the decision is final! Wait, you are not contradicting me?” She shook her head. “I'm not.” She gave a long sigh. “I didn't tell you how I got my cutie mark, did I?” I shook my head, and she turned back towards the door. “Right then, let's go downstairs, then we can talk.” We got down into the kitchen, and I set us up with some coffee, before we sat down at the table to talk. “I have been wondering about that, you know. Now do tell, how did you get your cutie mark?” Lionheart took a long breath to collect herself before she started. “I was a little filly living in an orphanage in Manehattan.” “Wait, orphanage? That explains why you never introduced me to your parents.” She rolled her eyes. “Well neither did you.” “My parents sold me to a mages' circle when I was five. Even if they were not living in another world from us, I would never show you to them, for I do not care if they live or die.” My lover stared at me for a few seconds. “Oh. . .” “Yes, that's why I never tell you about my past. It doesn't make for a cheerful story.” We sat in silence for a few moments, then Lionheart came over and embraced me in a hug. I let myself relax in her strong, caring hooves and leaned against her. “It's alright,” I said. “That was all so long ago, so far away, it feels like memories from another lifetime.” I gave her a smile and nuzzled her cheek when she didn't look convinced. “Enough about me. You were telling a story!” She sat down behind me without letting me go, if anything holding me tighter. “Alright. So as I was saying, I was living in an orphanage in Manehattan together with a dozen other foals. Meaning we slept there from time to time. Most days however we foaled around as a band of misfits together with some street urchins. We called ourselves the corsairs, fashioning us some kind of freebooters, the city our endless ocean. “You can imagine we got into all kinds of trouble. Pulled dog's tails, snitched sweets from the candy shop, that kind of thing, nothing too serious. But as time went on, some of the other kids got adopted, the cute ones, the unicorns and pegasi. I was left behind with the other refuse, and as we grew older, we became bitter, angry. Our little foal's pranks made way for acts of vandalism, drugs, theft and robbery, anything to pass the time and forget about our problems. “So one day we had this big thing planned. We had learned about a smugglers den in the docks and wanted to sneak in at night and lift that place, grab as much as we could carry. Sell some of it, get Cloudsdale high for weeks on the rest. “As you might imagine the whole thing went horribly wrong, and we found ourselves beaten up and thrown into a dark, wet room, to be sold as exotic food for griffons, or worse. While the others were busy wailing in self pity and cursing the cruel world in general, I would have none of it. I was not about to let myself become dog food, so I stepped up, even to the older and stronger fillies, slapped some sense into them and took charge.” Lionheart had told her story in a low voice, clearly uncomfortable facing those memories again, up to that point. Now she raised her voice, and spread her wings, her eyes shining with passion. “When one of the thugs came into our cell, all of us jumped him on my mark from the corners of the room. We dragged him to the ground, gave him a few hard bucks to the rips, then rushed out of the room. “We galloped through the warehouse, the den was in, in a tight group and managed to avoid, or overrun any smuggler that came into our way. We had the advantage of surprise and the place was a maze, so they had a hard time cornering us with any significant numbers. When we came across some wooden boxes with straw and strong liquor in them, we smashed an oil lamp and set fire to the whole place. In the resulting confusion we managed to get out, all of us in one piece, if a little worse for the wear. “But of course there were consequences. Head of the orphanage got wind of the whole thing, as did the guard. I went ahead and turned myself in, told them it was all my idea and accepted full blame.” “Why ever would you do that? It wasn't even your idea, was it?” She shook her head. “No, but after taking charge of the others in that cell, I felt that I was responsible for them. And know what? It turned out that was my special talent. Leading and taking care of others, shouldering the burden of responsibility, fighting like a lioness protecting her cubs if I have to.” She shook her head and a grinned. “Should have seen the look on the guards face when they arrested me and my cutie mark appeared as a result. “From that time on I kept myself and the others out of trouble. I joined the army as soon as I was old enough. They welcomed me with open hooves and became the family I never had. Soon I had a command, then the night guard was reinstated and Luna made me it's first new captain. You know the rest.” I didn't say anything right away, just sat in her embrace and stroked the leg she had slung around my chest. “So that's why you didn't say anything against me taking the filly in.” She made a solemn nod. “If she was as neglected as you said, she probably doesn't have any relatives and has run from the orphanage. She will need somepony she can trust to take care of her. And if harmony guided her to you, who I'm I to object?” “Harmony,” I mumbled, wondering again who had actually send the filly to me. “We'd have to adopt her though. It might be normal in your world for a five year old to live with a mage's circle, but in Equestria a foal needs a legal guardian until it comes of age. Might not be easy to get the permission to adopt a child though.” “You are captain of the guard, that must count for something.” “It will count as a steady job, but beyond that I don't know. They usually prefer married couples or herds.” “Then let's get married.” “. . .” I freed myself from her grasp and turned around to look her in the eyes. “You heard me, let's get married! Now, I know this is supposed to be some romantic event with presenting a ring or something, but I'm too tired right now to care. Don't tell me you have not been thinking about it yourself, even before I showed you the filly.” A smile spread on her face, and she leaned in and kissed me, putting into that kiss all the affection, all the love she felt for me. It was the only answer I needed. .oOo. The late afternoon sun shone through the curtains and tickled my nose, waking me where I was sleeping on the couch. I yawned, untangled myself from my lovers grasp, careful not to wake her, and went to the bathroom. Half an hour later I felt barely presentable and went upstairs to wake the unexpected guest occupying my bed. She stirred from her sleep as soon as I entered the room. “Morning sleepy head.” I drew the curtains to the side with my magic and orange sunlight flooded the room. “Or make that afternoon. Get up and follow me. And be quiet, I don't want us to wake my fiance.” She blinked a few times, shielding her eyes with a hoof until they adjusted to the light, then quickly nodded, slipped out of the bed and followed me on silent hooves. We went into the kitchen, and I carefully closed the door behind us. I motioned her to sit down at the table with my snout and began scouring the shelves for something edible. “You want anything to eat?” I asked, levitating a box of oats and nuts onto the countertop. She just nodded and I poured some into two bowls together with the last milk from the refrigerator. “Am I still getting punished?” She asked, trying to make herself small, as I carried the bowl onto the table. “Actually no, or yes, depending on how you think about it.” I sat down beside her at the table. “But that's not important right now. We should start at square one, so some introductions are in order.” I put a hoof on my chest, puffing it out proudly and held my head high. “I am Sapphire, formerly known as Hela Regina Mortium, master sorceress.” Then I dropped the act and looked back at her with a warm smile. “And who might you be?” I asked when she didn't reply right away. “Serene,” she said with the most adorable little voice. “Serene Winter.” “Well met!” I replied solemnly, then the smile died from my lips and was replaced with grave seriousness. “You said you wanted me to teach you how to raise the dead.” Something flashed in her eyes, perhaps hope. “Can you?” She swallowed hard, I saw tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. “My parents, they died. And now I'm all alone. I hate being alone, I want to bring them back!” I nodded. “Well, you may be in luck, for I am the only necromancer alive in all of Equestria, and your determination has impressed me. I have decided to take you as my apprentice.” She dried her tears on her fetlocks. “Does that mean you will teach me, teach me to bring them back?” I wonder why she didn't just ask me to do that for her. Foals have a strange way of thinking sometimes. I nodded. “If you are willing to learn, I will teach you, but I won't promise you anything beyond that. The path of sorcery is a lone and treacherous one, if you don't have the determination and discipline it requires, you will fail, and it might very well cost you your life. Do you understand.” She stared at me with big, frightened eyes for a moment, then she swallowed hard and nodded. “Good. So I ask you. Do you really want to become my apprentice and learn the secrets of necromancy?” She nodded again, immediately and eagerly this time. “Very well then, swear the oath and be welcome in my circle. Speak after me: I solemnly swear.” She took a deep breath and sat up tall, raising her hoof. “I solemnly swear.” “To call everypony in the circle my brother or sister and help and respect them as if they were my own family. To seek and acquire knowledge for the circle wherever I can, and to teach that knowledge only to the ponies of the circle and nopony else.” It was not the same oath I had sworn when I entered the Circle of the Highest Magic all those years ago, but something I had made up on the spot, so it was rather lacking. Still, Serene repeated those words as if they were the most important thing ever spoken. I gave her a satisfied nod. “And with that you are a member of the circle. Welcome sister!” That made her start grinning from ear to ear besides herself, but I held up a hoof, stopping her from getting too excited. “Now there are certain rules you will have to follow. “I will call you my apprentice, and you will call me Mistress, and the first and last thing I want to hear from you is 'Yes Mistress'! Is that understood?” She nodded, but my stern glare gave her to understand that wasn't enough. “Yes. . . I mean yes Mistress!” In gave her a satisfied nod. “Good, now the first rule is that you will obey my every command without question. Sorcery is dangerous, ponies will die if you make mistakes.” “Yes Mistress!” “The second rule is to keep everything I tell you within the circle, meaning between the two of us. You are not to tell anypony about what you see or hear, everything we do in the circle stays within the circle. Even if Princess Celestia herself asks you about it, you have to keep the circle's secrets to yourself.” She swallowed. “Yes Mistress.” “Alright, these are the rules. I might add to that, but for now it will suffice.” I gave a final nod, then I took up a spoon in my telekinesis. “Now eat your breakfast apprentice, we got a long day ahead of us.” Serene smiled and shifted her bowl right in front of herself with her hooves. “Yes Mistress!” she chirped and began eating her food right out of the bowl. I sighed and shook my head. “Remind me to teach you how to use a spoon first thing tomorrow.” .oOo. It was dawn when the two of us arrived at my workshop located in my previous Canterlot residence. I found having the place I worked separate from the place I lived in to be a blessing. It also gave me way more space to set up my workrooms. “Close the door behind you and lock it. We don't want to be interrupted.” While she did as asked, I lit the candles on a stand with a spell -the second unicorn spell I had learned- and levitated them to my side. “Follow me.” “This is where I work. On this floor I have an alchemy lab,” I explained as her led her through the hallway. “I do a lot of profane alchemy, like making soap, baking powder or distilling alcohol. Generates a steady income if my other services aren't wanted. You will learn this too, it's the basis for all higher alchemy.” We reached the end of the hallway, where a set of stairs led upwards, and a second one behind a closed door downwards. “My office is upstairs, but we are heading down into the cellar.” Serene tugged her head between her shoulder and looked around anxiously, as we walked down the stairs. The air around us became cooler with every step. “The cellar is dug right into the Canterlot mountain. Keeps the same temperature all around the year.” After passing through another door at the base of the stairs, we came into a large rectangular room. Unlike the staircase itself the walls here were not covered with wooden panels and revealed the roughly chiseled rock itself. With a brief burst of arcane energy I lit several magic stones set into every corner of the room and the ceiling, and the room was flooded with their bright, bluish light. No longer needing them, I blew out the candles and set them down on a cupboard near the door. “Welcome to the anatomy!” The little unicorn looked around the room in dreadful wonder. The walls were lined with shelves containing various instruments, alchemicals, and large diagrams on pony anatomy. With wide eyes and open mouth she walked up to a shelf containing anatomical preparations; hearts, eyeballs, lungs, brain, a whole pony floating in pieces in formaldehyde. She stared at them with morbid fascination. I levitated a metal bucket in front of her, as I walked to the center of the room, regaining her attention. “Hold onto this.” She took the handle in her mouth and walked to stand beside me. Before us, standing in the bright light of the crystals set into the ceiling, stood a large metal table; something big was laying on it, covered under a gray blanket. Had Serene been familiar with the heavy scent of starting decay, she might have guessed what. “This is what we'll be working on tonight!” I declared and lifted the blanket with my magic. It revealed the lifeless body of an aged unicorn, his frame even more slender in death than it had been in life. The stallion was of dull orange coat and had a short gray mane. Serene jumped when she saw this, and took several steps backward. “There is nothing to be afraid of apprentice.” I walked to her side and laid my hoof around her shoulders, guiding her back towards the table. “The dead cannot hurt you. This body is nothing but a hollow shell. Everything this pony was in life is gone. His memories, his soul, even his cutie mark is gone. Don't think of this as a dead pony, but a corpse; just an object like a stone or a piece of wood.” I felt her trembling under my hooves, as we came closer, but she nodded and didn't shy away from the body. I lifted one of the body's legs with my magic and let it fall back onto the table, where it landed with a dull thud. “Look, nothing! Just like a doll. Try it yourself.” She swallowed, then followed my lead. She raised her hoof and gave the corpse a tentative prod, when that didn't provoke any action, she got bolder and shifted one of the legs around. I felt how she stopped shivering under my hoof. She looked back at me. I nodded and gave her an approving smile, which made her lips curl up a bit in return. But immediately concern spread on her face. “Mistress? Why do you have a corpse in your basement?” “Valid question my apprentice! You see I work as a preparateur, preparing the bodies of the deceased so that they look good for their funeral. The relatives don't want to look onto a hideous corpse after all. This stallion here arrived just yesterday. His family is Canterlot nobility, so they want the best. “And I am best, for I am a necromancer. I know the mummifying techniques of the Tulamyds and the ancient Achaz, balms and potions nopony has ever heard of. I know each and every muscle and bone in the mortal body, every organ, every vessel. I know spells to knit together flesh and bone, even the disfigured body of somepony mauled by a manticore is nothing to me.” I turned to Serene, who was staring at me, her ears laid on in dread, but her eyes shining with admiration. “They pay the best too, but this not only a way to earn bits. This is an easy way to get fresh corpses for studying too. If you can make the body look fine on the day of the funeral, you can dissect it as much as you want, make it yield all of its secrets. Nopony will be the wiser.” I gave her a stern look, holding her gaze with a serious frown. “This shall be your first lesson! To control the body of the dead, you first have to learn everything about it. You have to learn how the joints move, how the muscles work and how it all was once controlled by the brain in life, if your spells shall bring anything resembling life. You understand? You got your bucket ready? Then come close, and don't look away.” And with that I got a tray with my tools from the shelf, picked up a scalpel with my magic and made a cut along the corps' foreleg. Serene clenched her teeth, but didn't flinch away, only when I began peeling back the skin, exposing the muscles beneath, did she find out why I had given her the bucket. And while she emptied her breakfast into the container, I couldn't help but smile proudly, for she didn't run, didn't flee from the scene. And so she did better than most students in my circle had done on their first dissection.’