//------------------------------// // Clarity // Story: Death Be Not Proud // by ShinigamiDad //------------------------------// The three companions found Princess Celestia pacing nervously in Luna’s chambers, awaiting their arrival. “Sister--you seem perturbed,” Luna said as she walked quickly across the room to Celestia’s side. “I just came down here from the throne room a moment ago to check on you three, to see if you were back yet,” Celestia replied. “I was worried you’d all “gone rogue” again, and was about to send a guard to get a report.” Reaper gave an embarrassed shrug: “Well, one of us did end up going on a little unplanned voyage, but your two co-princesses did a bang-up job of helping resolve the situation.” Luna nodded: “Yes, and it appears we may have finally unlocked the secret of safely traversing that portal mirror--at least as far as the nexus that lies directly beyond it.” “OK,” Celestia said, furrowing her brow, “but to what end? How does this help get back Reaper’s powers?” Twilight pulled her notebook from her saddlebag: “Actually, it’s more about removing his powers from us, than anything else. Our experiments showed that Reaper’s power is spread between Luna and me, but requires him as the catalyst.” “So what does the portal have to do with any of this?” Celestia asked. “You two are here, he’s here, can’t we all just figure out some way of extracting his power? We’ve done this kind of thing before--remember Tirek?” Twilight shook her head: “This is different. This isn’t magic, at least not in the sense we unicorns and alicorns think of it. This is more like a primal force.” She shuddered and headed to the side table for a goblet of cider: “I didn’t truly understand that until I touched the sword, and the power manifested itself.” Luna nodded: “And for some reason it appears to be connected to Reaper’s past life--his life before coming to this world as our Harbinger of Death.” Reaper stared intently at his old cutie mark on Twilight’s flank as she continued to converse with Luna and Celestia about their findings and theories. He closed his eyes and let the dreams and visions of the past several days wash over him. “I have to die again.” Twilight stopped mid-sentence and looked sharply over her shoulder at Reaper: “What?” “I was originally granted my power and position by death. You received my power and position, in part, through your own death. It’s clearly the way the process works. I have to die again.” Celestia swallowed hard: “Um, here? Now?” Luna tipped her head sideways and narrowed her eyes at Reaper: “No. Not here. That does not jibe with the dreams and visions we have shared.” Twilight bit her lip: “Seek again thy end--summon a new beginning…” Celestia looked back and forth between Luna and Twilight: “I don’t understand!” Reaper sat down heavily on a cushion: “The mirror.” Luna nodded. Twilight took a deep breath and turned to Celestia: “Reaper has to return to the point of his death and die again in order to restart the chain of events that led him to becoming the Harbinger. The mirror can lead him there.” Reaper closed his eyes and sighed: “That’s how I read it.” Celestia frowned: “But how does that work? How would you get to the right spot? How would you get back?” “All excellent questions!” Reaper answered. “I suspect that between Luna and Twilight’s efforts the question of getting me there may be within reach. As for getting back…” Reaper shrugged. Twilight tapped her chin thoughtfully: “If it works at all like the portal I’ve experienced, there’s a fixed point on the other end, possibly hidden, but there somewhere.” Reaper nodded: “Clearly Grey Thorn was able to get to and from any number of alternate worlds--the alien specimens and bones in his lair are proof of that. But the notes he undoubtedly kept on navigating the various worlds are lost to us.” Twilight stared at the liquid in her cup as she swirled it around: “Liquids of Life. We have your blood for real, now. Maybe that’s the final missing piece to trigger the portal all the way.” Luna nodded: “I think you may be onto something, Twilight. We will likely achieve a more complete result than we did with his ersatz blood.” Celestia’s confused look deepened: “Ersatz blood?” “I had fallen through the mirror,” Reaper explained, “and they had to cobble together a substitute for my blood in my absence.” “What could possibly take the place of blood?” “Semen,” Luna replied matter-of-factly. Celestia cocked an eyebrow: “How did…? You know what--I don’t want to know!” Reaper grinned: “Ever the model of wisdom, Celestia!” She rolled her eyes: “Be that as it may, it still leaves you without a return path, yes?” “Yeah. That might just have to be a leap of faith…” Twilight looked up from her cup: “Remember what I said: there should be a physical portal on the other end, too. You would just need to make sure you could get back to it after--” “After what?” Celestia interjected. “After he dies? How does that work?” Reaper chewed his lip: “Like I said: a leap of faith.” “How did you get to Equestria in the first place?” Luna asked. “I doubt you walked through a portal.” “Correct--I was brought here through the action of another of Death’s agents, transcending the barriers of time and space. I don’t see any other way of it working. The situation will be out of my hooves once I actually die.” “And what if you die there, but aren’t transported back here?” Celestia asked. Twilight set her cup down: “Then he’s gone for good, and I’m this world’s Harbinger forever.” Celestia’s nostrils flared: “Unacceptable! There has to be a way to make things right again!” Reaper stood wearily and walked to the window: “There is--I just have to make sure I don’t fuck up when I get back to Kur.” Luna opened her mouth to speak, then bit her lip and turned away from the others. “Kur?” Twilight inquired. “That’s the name of my original homeworld. There are various tribes and nations with their own respective names, but the inhabitants of the world are known collectively as Kurlin.” “And who were you on Kur?” “I was called Gerrar, and I died at about the age of forty-three in a battle on the banks of the Zuri River.” “Will you be able to get back to that same time and place?” “I guess we’ll find out once my blood’s been applied to the appropriate glyphs. I mean, we know I can get to and from the nexus, in any event.” “And the visions seem like a summons of some sort,” Luna said. “We three have now experienced several instances of matching glyphs, and references to Reaper’s returning.” Reaper nodded: “I guess there’s nothing left but to do it, then. I’ll make sure to leave an adequate supply of blood behind, just in case, though I’m not really sure what any of you will be able to do once I’m gone.” Twilight turned to Reaper with a puzzled expression: “What do you mean? I assume we’re coming with you! This seems far too dangerous and unknown for only one pony!” Luna nodded, but Celestia cut her off before she could speak: “Out of the question! This is far too risky for even one pony--adding more would simply compound the disaster were you to fail!” “I have to concur with Celestia, Twilight,” Reaper responded. “It’d be bad enough if I’m lost. If Equestria were to lose the two of you as well...I don’t even want to think about that!” Luna raised an eyebrow and turned to confront Reaper: “Then we must simply make sure not to “fuck up,” as you put it. We three have faced greater challenges than this!” “Maybe, but in any event, you two are the only link to my power here. Even if it means a cursed life for Twilight, somepony has to remain and carry on as Harbinger!” “And she will need your strength, sister,” added Celestia, walking next to Twilight. “As will I.” Luna chewed her lip for a moment: “Very well. Let us at least go over our respective notes and recollections that we may have copies of all the relevant materials.” “Agreed,” Twilight said, sitting down at a low table and pulling out writing materials from her saddlebags. Celestia summoned additional refreshments, as well as a scribe to assist with transcriptions and diagrams. She sat off to the side and watched as Luna, Twilight and Reaper pored over their notes deep into the night. She dozed off after several hours, and dreamed uneasily of ghosts, shadows and long-dead friends. Luna never noticed.