Canterlot was nearing dusk, the moon slowly rising as the sun left behind the hills in the horizon. The sky was in a twilight state, and slowly leaning toward night. Styxx was in her shop, looking over her bookshelf, muttering to herself the name of the book she was looking for. A new order had just came up for her. A young mare had come in a couple days before, and asked that four bodies be prepared for a funeral and the caskets be in beautiful detail. A family of ponies had been unfortunately killed, and the killer was never caught. Because Styxx was the best and only undertaker in Equestria, she often took care of dead ponies from all around. It was not uncommon for the undertaker pony to get such an order, but it had been a few years. The young mare had given Styxx a slip of paper that was evidently a will for the stallion that laid lifeless in a white silk-lined casket. She read that the stallion wished to be buried separate from his family, however buried close. Styxx did not receive any other burial request from the family, so she assumed it was the same for the mare and two fillies.
"There it is," Styxx said to herself, using her unicorn magic to reach a book from the highest shelf. The cover read Book o' Death. She often used this book to write down the specific ponies she was working on, how they died, and the book recommended how they should be patched up. The book itself was made by the princesses' mother, and given to Cadaver Hades, Styxx's great-great-grandfather. It was passed down to Styxx once Cadaver retired. It was made with infinite knowledge, so every entry was answered via magic. As an undertaker, Styxx had to prepare the body for the most important day of its life: its funeral. To Styxx, a funeral was like a wedding. Everypony looks their best, some crying and some are secretly happy. She believed the pony in the casket should be as beautiful as it was during its life. In the Book o' Death, Styxx found her most recent entry:
Firecracker- Stallion, father of two fillies (Golden Dawn and Violet Dusk). Wedded to Spectrum Ring. Died by impalement to the chest.
Spectrum Ring- Mare, mother of two fillies (Golden Dawn and Violet Dusk). Wedded to Firecracker. Died by blunt-force trauma to head.
Golden Dawn- Filly, daughter of Firecracker and Spectrum Ring. Sister to Violet Dusk. Died by hanging.
Violet Dusk- Filly, daughter of Firecracker and Spectrum Ring. Sister to Golden Dawn. Died by hanging.
Styxx glanced over to the four caskets across the floor, lined perfectly with Firecracker first, Spectrum Ring next, then Golden Dawn and Violet Dusk. She felt a twinge of sympathy as she looked at the fillies' necks. She remembered reading the paper two days before. The family had been massacred. Officials believe it was either a unicorn, or a very skilled earth pony. Firecracker had evidently been dead the longest, because when he was found in his bed, his blood was drier than his wife's or fillies'. He had taken a butcher knife to the chest, and had his heart and lungs taken from his body. His wife, Spectrum Ring, was found in bed with him. She had been beaten against the wall and -possibly- with something along the lines of a sledgehammer. Blood was splattered on the wall, and drops had flung the opposing way. The twin fillies had been taken and hung by a noose, together in the living room. Their noses had bled profusely, staining Golden Dawn's ivory coat and Violet Dusk's white mane. It was, according to officials, the most gruesome murder they had ever seen.
Styxx soon managed to snap out of her thoughts, and look back into her book. Because it was made by alicorn magic, it would automatically come up with patching suggestions. Styxx read that the stallion should be carefully stitched, the mare be stitched in the head, and fixed up to the best way possible. The fillies' only suggestion was to use a bruise-reduction cream. Styxx enjoyed this part the most, fixing up the bodies for their day to shine. Her least favorite thing about her job was the cleaning and cleansing. She would often get blood in her grey coat, and in her silver mane. However, she wondered if the blood in her mane was from her. An incident that occurred when she was a filly left her with a permanent, constantly-bleeding scar in her left cheek. Often times her own stitches would pop apart and the scar would bleed. However, her patchwork on bodies was always flawless. She took pride in her work, and not enough in her personal appearance.
She put the book back in its respective place on the shelf, and went to the back room to get a spool of red thread and blue thread, two needles, and bruise-reduction cream. Just as she was leaving the back room, she looked to the front door when she heard the entrance bell jingle. She smiled a little when she saw the midnight blue alicorn. "Good afternoon, Princess Luna." Styxx said. "How are you?"
"I'm well. Yourself, Miss Rivers?" Luna asked. Styxx smiled at her superior.
"I'm just fine. Getting along." she chuckled. Luna and Celestia were Styxx's superiors in the line of death. They know of every death and every one coming. Styxx basically worked under their control. "Is everything alright, Luna?" she inquired.
"I just came to see the progress on the family." Luna replied, trotting over to the bodies in the caskets. Styxx followed, standing by the starry-mane beauty.
"I was about to begin the patchwork. I cleaned off what blood I could. But the fillies are stained." she explained. Luna nodded.
"Are they being buried separate?"
Styxx nodded. "However, their graves will be close together. It was what the stallion -Firecracker- wanted." she replied grimly. "It's a shame how they went out."
"I'll say." Luna replied. "Celestia said it had been years since she had heard of such a horrid death." she sighed. "Let's hope they rest well."
"I worry about the fillies' spirits." Styxx remarked. "Foals don't always realize when they have died. I hope they rest well, and don't stay long." she added. "They are free from any troubles now."
Luna nodded. Before she left, she turned to Styxx. "Styxx," she began.
"Yes, Princess?" Styxx replied as she went over to the fillies, and used her magic to begin applying the bruise-reduction cream.
"If ever you have any trouble with this, do not hesitate to come to me, or to Celestia. Please." Luna said. "We wish you well. I know this job is not the safest, as it is close to a play in life and death. My sister and I just want you to know that we are here to assist you in any issues that involve such things."
Styxx was a little befuddled by this, but she nodded anyway. "Thank you, Princess." she replied. Luna nodded, then left the shop quietly. Styxx looked back down at the fillies, and continued what she had barely began. Over time, Styxx had finally patched up the bodies, and the mare (who was in the worst state) looked much better than when she was brought in. Styxx looked over to the clock on the wall by the door. She could not believe it was nearing two o'clock in the morning.
"I suppose it makes sense." she said to herself. "Spectrum took the longest to fix, so that must've taken a few hours." she chuckled. She then turned to the bodies, and used her magic to grab a pouch of sea salt. She took pinches of it, and tossed some into each casket. "Rest well, my lovely ponies. I'll see you tomorrow." she told them, as if they could hear it or reply. She put the salt back on the shelf, closed the caskets, and went into the back room after turning out the lights in the main room. In her back room, there was a small bed set up in the corner. She often kept her patchwork things and personal belongings in the back room. It was a candlelit room, scented of Dragon's Scale for protection and for a sweet smell other than formaldehyde and rotting corpses with a hint of sage. Styxx laid in her bed, covering herself with her blanket as she began to fall asleep.
An hour passed of silence in the shop. That is, until Styxx was jolted awake by the sound of hoofsteps. She listened closer, and realized they sounded like a foal's hoofsteps. Light and quick, one after another. Nothing really frightened Styxx, but she had one phobia: the living dead. Ghosts, zombie-ponies, et cetera. All the same, and all frightening to her. Fascinating to look at when they are inanimate, but horrifying when they walk and speak. "H-Hello?" Styxx called out. "Is anypony there?" she asked. The hoofsteps sounded to circle around the main room. Styxx got up from her bed, and used her magic to light the candle on her nightstand. She took the candle along with her, and quietly trotted toward her door. The hoofsteps slowed down, and began to approach her door. As Styxx was about to take the door by its handle, the doorknob began to jiggle. She jumped back, her eyes widening at the doorknob. "S-Stop it!" she yelled. Immediately, whatever had been messing with the door had quit. Styxx came back to the door, and quickly swung it open.
Nothing. Nothing but darkness. Styxx came into the room with her candle, and searched the perimeter. As she did, the corner of one of the caskets caught her eye. Her fire-engine eyes glanced down at the small section her candlelight caught, and she took a deep breath, and shone the light over the casket. Styxx could not hold back a terrified scream as she saw Golden Dawn's casket open. Styxx's heart pounded against her sternum, as she took the top of the casket by her magic, and closed it again.
Shaken by the previous events, Styxx went back to the back room, closing her door and locking it. Tense, she set the candle down by her bed and laid back down in bed. She stared up at her ceiling for some time, before falling asleep again.
The next morning, Styxx awoke once the light from her single window came through and hit her eyes. She got up, and trudged to the main room. She switched on the light to provide more than just the dawn's light through the windows. Thankfully, all the caskets were closed. Styxx decided to open the caskets and do a second herbal cleansing. She opened the first two caskets slowly. Coming upon Golden Dawn's, she bit her lip and opened hers more quickly than the others.
Styxx felt like she was struck in the chest, because the air had been knocked right out of her. Golden Dawn's noose bruise looked fresh, like it did when the young mare had brought her in. Styxx shut the casket again, and was too afraid to look into Violet Dusk's. She took a deep breath in, and exhaled shakily. She turned to her shelf and found water from the Everfree Forest springs. Styxx looked back to the couple in their caskets, and she took a few drops and dropped two drops of water on both. One on each head, and one on each chest. She then put it back onto the shelf.
Without any true thought, Styxx went into the back room to retrieve her shop key, put it on a small string, and tie it loosely around her neck. She brushed through her thick, silver mane, and checked the scar on her cheek. Immediately, she left the shop and locked the door behind her. She did not look back, out of fear something would be looking back at her.