//------------------------------// // Chapter 14: Long Distance Correspondence // Story: Diary of the Necromancess // by Sebbaa //------------------------------// Chapter 14: Long Distance Correspondence Dear Twilight Sparkle It was so good to see you and the others during winter wrap up in Ponyville. Lets continue this as a tradition for years to come. Next time I will not only bring my daughter, but Lionheart as well. I bet she has never even held a snow shovel. Now spring is in the air, and even I feel its rejuvenating powers. Yesterday me and Lionheart had a date with a stallion. His name is Merry Mead and he works as a cook in the Castle's kitchen. He actually approached Lionheart a week ago. Seems like he was impressed by my presence the view times he saw me in the Castle, maybe he heard a few rumors about me and Lionheart as well. Anyway, he said he had never seen mares that held themselves like I do apart from the princesses before (shameless flatterer!) and really wanted to meet me. I brought Lionheart along. I am still not very versed in pony relationships, but from what I gathered a pony herd is a lot like a Bosperan family. A mare or stallion at it's head and several wives or husbands and their children who all pretty much belong the the family head. It seems to be way more open than in Bosperan though, more like a union held together by common interest and love, sharing their resources, raising their foals together. Anyway I really wanted to have Lionheart at my side when I went on that date. It would have felt like betraying her if I didn't. Unlike my first date with Lionheart it was a funny and lighthearted affair. Merry is a butter yellow earth pony of strong build with an unruly orange mane. He is quite cheerful, gentle, well spoken and generally easy to like. I wonder why he is single and doesn't have half a dozen fillies in his herd already. Lionheart seems to like him, and while I don't find him to possess the qualities I normally find attractive I don't mind seeing him again. I think I'm actually looking forward to it. That mead horn cutie mark of his deserves a good spanking. Having an actual stallion at our disposal when our next heat hits would be a welcome change for Lionheart and I as well. Yours, Sapphire Dear Sapphire Yes winter wrap up was a lot of fun, let's make it a tradition! Marrying Lionheart, finally calling Serene your daughter and now you are seeing a stallion? I think you are becoming quite the lead mare. I have to say I envy you in this aspect. (You, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie Pie actually. Feels like me and Rainbow are the only single mares left.) But as always, my research leaves little time for a private life. I have located three potential dig sites for the Necromancer King's capital. I secured some research funding from the Royal Equestrian Association of Science. I bought digging tools, tents, hired workers, everything a professional archaeologist needs. We will start digging at the first side within the week. I am already so excited! Just what will we find? A lost city? Clay tablets? Maybe magic artifacts? I actually hope that by some magical way large portions of the city and the palace have been preserved, like the Crystal Kingdom has been. Maybe I'll even find a library that contains every written tome from the era. But I try not to get my hopes up too high. Most likely we'll only find the ruins of a city buried under six hooves of dirt. Anyway, wish me luck! Greet your herd from me. Yours, Twilight Dear Twilight Today Merry Mead officially joined my herd and moved in with me and the girls. I am so glad I didn't turn him away based on my first impression. He may not possess great physical or magical powers, but he has a big loving heart and is the most dependable pony I know. Very resourceful too, and he can cook. (And if Rainbow asks, tell her he loves my skills with rope and riding crop as much as Lionheart. Oh, he is such a wonderful submissive stallion. I might have to lend him to Rarity sometime.) Did you already move on to the second dig side? I hope you will find something this time. Yours, Sapphire Dear Sapphire We finally found something! We had almost given up hope on the third and final dig side, when one of the workers made a breakthrough in one of the outer search perimeters. We found an actual cave in the mountain itself. And from the first looks it is pony made and enormous! We will mount an exploration party first thing in morning! I don't think I will even be able to sleep, I'm just so excited. I think the only thing keeping me on the ground is Rainbow Dash, however ironic that may sound. I would be so lost without her. I should probably go join her in the tent, or she will wonder why I'm still up. Will write you as soon as I come back from the caves. Yours, Twilight Dear Twilight I am a mother! Well, actually Lionheart is and Merry is a father, but it still means there is a new foal in my herd. Such a small little thing, a sarosien like her mother. We called her Wisp O'Wind and I love her to death. She is just so adorable. (Which goes a long way telling you how smitten I am with motherly love, since objectively spoken she is little more than a wrinkled, screaming and pooping bundle of purple fur with a messy, dark blue mane.) I'll send pictures your way once Serene makes some copies. Can't write more, have to change diapers. Thank Celestia unicorns came up with a spell for that! Yours, Sapphire Dear Sapphire The mapping of the City in the Caves goes well. (We will have to come up with an official name for it, Rainbow just calls it Cavetown.) To find the place in such a pristine condition still amazes me. I will admit, I was crept out and scared when we found the first mummified citizen. Every citizen of a whole town reduced to a dehydrated corpse? What kind of magic could do something like that? I shudder every time I think about it. But for archeological purpose it is a miracle! Every pony frozen in a single point in time, just as they were going about their everyday lives. It is an unparalleled opportunity to learn how they lived, how their society worked. We still couldn't get into the palace itself. I found spells to get rid of most of the wards, and we disabled the traps that were still active, but we couldn't get past the gargoyles guarding the gates. Maybe we can get around them though, Rainbow is looking for a second point of entry from above as I write this. With any luck we will be inside within the week. Then everything is possible. Hooves crossed I will find the palace library still intact. Think of all that lost knowledge! I will write you as soon as I find the time. Yours, Twilight Dear Twilight Yesterday was one of the happiest, yet saddest days of my life. As you know my herd had agreed on getting about three or four foals, with me and Lionheart taking turns in carrying. Me and Merry actually tried for one when I was in my heat this spring, but it didn't work. We thought nothing of it, but when we tried again this fall, (I mean tried really hard. I'm impressed by his endurance.) I still didn't get pregnant. I was devastated, and in the darkest of moods, but I tried not to let anypony know and kept up a brave face. Eventually the girls talked me into seeing a doctor, though I knew what the problem was. Today I went to get the results of the examination, and even though it was just as I had expected, it hit me like a rock. I came home in late afternoon, the bright summer sun adding to my already fatal mood, the birds singing in the trees. Lucky I don't act on random impulses to incinerate annoying things with my magic. Before I walked through the door I took a deep breath, forced myself to hold my head high and make my face an unreadable mask, then I went in. Everypony was waiting for me in the living room, Lionheart, Serene, Marry and little Wisp. All of them dropped what they were doing and stared at me full of expectation. “And? What did the doctor say?” Lionheart stood up from the sofa and came to greet me with a kiss. I can't have tasted good. “Nothing I didn't expect,” I said matter-of-factly, waving dismissively with my hoof. “Looks like a decaying body can't bring forth new live. I'm barren.” As soon as I had said that everypony stood up and gathered around me, staring at me in shock. I took a step back and raised a hoof. “Don't worry, apart from that the doctor attested me good health. I'm quite alright.” I turned to walk upstairs to my study. “Now if you'll excuse me, if got some research to finish.” “You sure you are alright?” Lionheart took a step after me. “Of course!” I headed down the corridor towards the stairs, but suddenly a gray filly bumped into my chest, threw her hooves around me neck and stopped me from going on. “You don't have to pretend anything mom,” Serene hushed and nuzzled my neck. “We all know you are a strong mare.” Lionheart's voice came from behind. I heard the clopping of several hooves, and saw the others gathering around. My lips trembled as I fought to keep my composure. “But we are here for you, you don't have to carry every burden on your own.” The massive form of Merry shoved itself besides Serene and he joined her in her efforts to hold me in place. Within heartbeats I found myself in the middle of an all herd group hug. “Let us be strong for you mom.” Serene buried her face in my mane. “Just this once.” It was the last drop, I collapsed in the loving hooves of my herd and cried like I have not done since I was a child. And my loved ones all stayed there in the corridor with me, sharing my pain, taking part in my suffering. Until that moment I had not fully believed Rarity, when she said that love is a source of strength, not a weakness. Only then did I know that she was right. I found the strength of my loved ones, so I could allow myself to be weak. And for the first time since I was a child I felt that I could let my guard down. For the first time since my parents sold me to the circle, I felt truly save. For the first time since I can remember, I felt at home. So even if I can not have foals of own, I feel like I am the luckiest mare alive, to have such an amazing herd. I can't imagine ever going back to the way I lived before I was turned into a pony. I never thanked you for using the Elements on me. Let me catch up on that. Thank you for turning me into a pony Twilight Sparkle! Yours truly, Sapphire P.S. I visited Rarity today and told her everything over some tea. When we were done sharing tears and laughs alike, I took out a packet I had brought and spread it between us on the table. “Say, could you modify this so that it will fit me again?” Her eyes went wide when she picked up the glowing white shirt of my last human attire, the one I had gotten in the realm of eternal night. “But I thought you wanted to keep them as a memento?” I just shook my head. “There is nothing more I want them to remind me off, but I'd very much like to wear my favorite clothes again.” Her eyes began sparkling when she realized she would finally get to work on the off worldly fabric. I can't wait for her to be finished! I will be the envy of all of Canterlot! Dear Sapphire We finally got into the castle! There is so much to discover here. There really is a Library, and an archive, and a laboratory and so much more! The throne room alone is twice as large as the one in Canterlot Castle! Gathering, preserving, and finally reading through all of this will take some time. Especially since every document we found is written in a language unknown to me. I think it was lost after the kingdom's fall. Reconstructing it will be a challenge, but I feel exhilarated at the prospect. Bringing a dead language back to life, can you imagine? Yet I have the feeling there is more to discover, much more. Something we are missing. I constantly feel like being watched. Maybe some of the warding spells are still intact. Will have to search with a spell of clairvoyance through the entire castle. I just know there is something there. Rainbow is insisting that I take a break and get some sleep, but how can I sleep when I'm about to discover something that is even greater than everything we found so far? I'm so close, I can almost smell it. Yours, Twilight Hi Sapphire I know you are probably busy with your research and herd an all, but I don't know who else to turn to. Twilight has been acting strange, I mean real strange! Ever since we found the city she has been taken up, but since we came into the Castle and started exploring it, she became obsessed. She has not slept since and hardly eaten anything. She searches through the library and the corridors all day, trying to find something we are supposed to have missed. I don't know what she means, we have already turned the place upside down. I really don't like it here either. As if Cavetown with its mummies had not been creepy enough, this place is even worth. There are no mummies in here, no bones, no corpses at all. In fact the place looks like it was just left the other day. And the silence in these halls is so unnerving, sometimes I think I am hearing voices. Please, write something to Twilight to make her take a break. Better come here yourself! I am really worried about her. Hope to see you soon, Rainbow Dash