//------------------------------// // "What part are you at?" // Story: Foal Necromancer: Soul's Rebirth // by Bold Promise //------------------------------// ~~~ ⚕ ~~~ People come back from the dead all the time… that is, they do on Vertigus. Considering Death is limited by the borders of her one plane of existence, I suppose this rule may not necessarily be multiversal. At any rate, those of Vertigus are allowed a choice upon death. Whether they pass on, or persist in a state of decay in order to satisfy a mission, whether a vendetta or a loyalty. There is also resurrection for the recently fallen. Anyone with the proper training can pull it off no matter how gruesome the death and body parts regrown, as long as the deceased has not passed the veil of death yet. In the case of those who did pass on, that door typically requires an unacceptable price for a half-life. Aside from the chance of a critical failure in the ritual that can have various drastic consequences; even a successful resurrection can only ever end with a best-case scenario of a gradual tragedy. Once the soul passes on, it is no longer fit for the world of the living. Its existence becomes miserable, wasting away trapped in a body that decays into a true abomination, the kind that all preachers and circle-jerkers keep pointing at saying how ‘that’s all there is to this vile demon worship’. Needless to say, I don’t make a habit of torturing the dead of my worst enemies like that, and I most certainly would not endeavor to attempt to pull my wife back by my side. Instead, I would endeavor to make the travel to where she was. In theory, it made sense. In practice, however, what we were trying to do wasn’t some childish adventure story where the valiant hero went through trials of worthiness and valor in order to save the princess from the evil dragon. Lady Death allowed us enough leeway to suspend ourselves outside the very laws of reality, but I knew better than to ask her to do any of the heavy lifting we’d need to do in her realm. Not that I needed any help from her. “Overall I estimate the entire procedure should take less than five minutes. It would take longer to prepare after we leave for Death’s domain where I’ll be able to make the needed preparations. Death’s surface area should present ample magic that I could finally use for a change, but you will still need to feed the protective spell I will extend with your own godly power. The consumption rate will be minimal at first, only increasing gradually the further we go. The Entropy Principle shouldn’t have too great an effect on us on our way back since we didn’t die yet, and even so, Death would be expected to be a good host and escort us on our way out whenever we’d want to end our ‘visit’.” Death returned a knowing smile my way. “After the concerto you’re about to play, it would be the least I could do.” “Concerto?” Luna echoed curiously. I tapped my chin in thought. “Here’s a fun little bit of trivial knowledge. The only person, mortal or otherwise, to ever come close to doing what we’re about to do was not a necromancer. He was a musician.” Cadance connected the dots first. “Wait, is that what you meant by resonance?” “Yes. I will implement the same principle. Of course, since I don’t have the same affinity with music that transcends the physical realm and resonates with the soul to its roots, I will need to compensate with my own craft. Especially since what we’re doing is essentially one better than said musician’s legendary feat, since at least his lover ended up in a form of afterlife, while mine faded into Death’s deeper realms. Either way, I apologize beforehand but I won’t be able to compare to Dream’s son, I will need to cheat a little.” “I’m sure you’ll do fine,” Death encouraged with her typical knowing smile. I chuckled, then realized I was shaking. Anticipation and fear were getting the better of me. I took a deep breath. “Well, let’s get to it then.” I turned to Luna and Cadance, “I’ll go on ahead. Take your time following me.” I couldn’t use magic, but I still had control of my own spirit. I settled in Luna’s bed and then left my body in a trance as I submerged into the Collective Unconscious. ~~~ 🌙 ~~~ I dragged my niece along into an expansive void underneath the starry realm of dreams, which was in turn underneath the waking world. The only reason I could perceive the stars of dreams was due to my affinity, otherwise, we would be in complete darkness. This was as far as I could go by my own power. With a mental flex, I searched for my charge, then I and Cadance found ourselves in an unfamiliar area, though I certainly recognized the familiar presence of Lady Death everywhere. It was rather clear where we were. Flowing white and black architecture stretched out endlessly in every direction. The floor had the distinct feeling of incredibly thin stone, one crack away from crumbling and letting us fall into nothingness. Columns which I surmised to be the foundations of countless lives, of every life of Vertigus, jutted through murky mists above. “Those aren’t mists, by the way,” my charge voiced out as he advanced between us in his human form. He was addressing us but was primarily focusing on fiddling with the runes floating around him. Cadance seemed focused on taking in his human appearance for the first time, while I was scrutinizing the spell he was weaving. It took me a while to make sense of what he was doing. “Is that a Filly Bonaccy spellform?” He cocked an eyebrow at me, then started chuckling. “Your translation spell really is funny sometimes. I also assume it’s the reason why you're able to understand runes you’ve never seen before.” He added another set of runes to his Golden Spiral. “Anyway, as I was saying. If these pillars were to be made of stone, then the clouds above would be made from powdered stone. Life is not exclusively as literal as most would assume. It’s not as cut and dry as, either it moves and breathes, or it doesn’t. In actuality, there is rarely a pebble that you might find in the world that can’t crack and decay. Entropy is constant, it’s never truly static.” Cadance tilted her head, "So rocks have souls now?" "Not usually, no, they typically hold only spiritual energy. Ever heard of the Spirits of the Elements? You don't necessarily need a soul to have a presence in the Realm of Decay." "So you're saying pebbles do have souls occasionally?" "Occasionally spirits gain sentience, yes," my charge nodded. Our attention shifted to what the Lady Death spoke next as she shifted into view in front of us, “I can count on a human hand how many people in Vertigus share your insight.” “I had a lot of time to study,” he answered levelly. He looked our way, his bright yellow eyes softened for a moment before focusing back on his fiddling. “Necromancy isn’t an easy field. It rots the mind and makes you lose sight of what matters. My perspective is just another facet. All I ever wanted was for it to be proven useful.” The Endless just held her level smile, appearing to abstain from speaking further. She turned her attention to us. “Celestia is looking after your bodies. Take as long as you need.” Afterward, she dispersed out of sight. A short while later my charge finished his tinkering on his spiral. He then pulled a hand away from his chest in a sweeping motion, enveloping us with a dull, gray energy. A feeling of icy numbness took hold for a moment before the ‘blanket’ was completed. “You may start fueling the protective field.” Cadance shivered after the sudden effect of his spell. “Why did you need divine energy again? Wasn’t death your field of expertise anyway?” I grasped out with my magic, getting a feel for it. “I did wonder that myself. You used Necromancy to fashion your Reanimation spell, but how can you craft a living body with death energy?“ He considered his words, "All the Endless Aspects are interconnected. Death is a defining outline for Life. Death's contract which I got my hands on an age and a half ago allows for the transition between death and life, and I'm very good at taking things apart into smaller, more digestible pieces." "Okay, but how did you learn how to use divine energy?" "I managed to get my hands on a piece of a god's corpse at one point." No one asked for further details, instead just fueling the spell for a few minutes in contemplation. A few breaths later, Cadance asked, "So, you can sing?" He still focused on his spell, but managed to respond through breaks in his weaving "I practiced all forms of Necromancy. Spellcasting, sorcery, runes, soul seals, shamanism. Even the bardic school. Yes, I know how to sing." Cadance was giddy, but he didn't seem in the mood to go into further detail. Or pay her any further mind. The subject petered out. After a few more minutes, we were finished. “Are the both of you ready?” he asked. “This will feel disorienting.” “We-” “Just start singing already!” Cadance cut me off excitedly before she brought a hoof to her mouth to cough to the side. “Sorry.” My charge just looked at her flatly in return before shaking his head in order to clear it of distractions. (*) The runes started to slowly spin around us, giving off flickering light. Ghostly trembling vibrated the air and stone beneath. Chilling trepidation ran through my core. It was at that point that I discovered two things. The first was the extent of his mastery over his field. The second… His singing was a wretched thing, painful to hear. The words would occasionally fail to translate properly, but the message seemed to reach some deeper part of us nonetheless. It felt like he was trying to encompass his entire life experience in a single song. The runes gained speed exponentially, shining as they gradually activated. They eventually spun fast enough to form a vortex dispersing outwards. It started to feel like we were both standing in place and sinking away from the outer edges. If we had physical bodies, I’m certain vertigo would’ve made itself known. Cadance started tracking for the dead lover. Once she got a trail and showed me the path, I started on my own part. There was resistance, I couldn’t get any traction. My charge increased the tempo. His spirals seemingly started spinning in the opposite direction, if not in both at once. Contradictory, like the idea of changing the past. It wasn’t necessarily digging into the darkness, rather it was forming itself in front of us. As my colt continued to create a modicum of a texture for me to navigate, the strain on my affinity was growing progressively, though nothing to be concerned about. “We’re getting close,” Cadance spoke with no shortage of trepidation in her voice She didn’t seem that strained by her own effort. The pressure on our protective spell had grown quite substantially. A current started. Like a strong wave of water. I sensed the turbulence, but I could not see a thing beyond the spinning spell, save for the string of light that Cadance was projecting. The spell didn't encounter resistance, only constant pressure akin to that of the depths of an ocean, only getting stronger the further into the dark we went. The spinning of the spellform felt more and more like a funneling maelstrom's current drawing us into oblivion. After awhile I was no longer certain if we were drilling forward, or being sucked in. The maelstrom kept increasing in power, for a moment I considered just turning back. Was it fear? The next moment I decided the only thing I was afraid of was failure. I got this far, I would get Cadance and I to the end and then back again. Then suddenly, it all stopped. The pressure, the current, the singing... and our surroundings shifted from a shapeless void to a summer’s day. There was the feeling of the sun beating on my back, the sound of wind blowing through leaves. And the sight of a castle’s ruins. “Where did he go?” I heard Cadance ask. Certainly enough, my charge wasn’t anywhere to be found. In quick succession, the sound of wings hitting the air heralded the arrival-no. It heralded Death choosing to address us within her own realm. “It seems he didn’t wait for you. He’s already off to see her again.” “Which way did he go?” I asked. “It’s not important right now. You need to leave. I’ll explain when you’re back.” And with a wave of her hand, I and Cadance woke up with a start. I looked over to find Death still at the table with Celestia. I glowered at her. “What is going on!” ~~~ ⚕ ~~~ As with any last day with someone you care about, you never know it’s the last until after the fact. Neither did I at the time. It was just another average summer day. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the two of us were spending it inside my dingy laboratory deep within Eldwin’s walls. I was working on my research while she was lounging in her nook made of a few blankets and furs in the nearby corner of the chamber, carrying out the motions of her memory reading one of her trashy romance books as one might read a science journal, as she often would in life. The memory of her reading the book was extremely vivid due to the fact that this location was where memories went when forgotten. Of course, as vivid as the memory was, it was still nothing compared to the experience. If there was anything left of her after all this time within oblivion, was what I intended to find out, carefully. “What part are you at?” I asked, doing my best to appear as if nothing was out of the ordinary. “...Dress.” She answered after long, though the fact that she answered at all was a blessing. I answered with a thoughtful hum, then carried out the memory of that day. “I always did find that part of the book mean-spirited. I mean I get it, the world can literally destroy you if you give it half a chance, but why does the main character need to be such a passive-” I was interrupted by a flash and billow of smoke due to a mistaken measurement. While I coughed the smoke out of my throat, I noted my love didn’t react in the least. ‘Either that part of the memory decayed or... she figured out what was going on.’ I steeled myself, “So anyway. How’s it been for you these past ten years?” She didn’t answer. Seconds passed like the last drops of blood from a beating heart. After a while, I started to despair that I failed to go deep enough with my spell to reach her. “...Missed... you…” I stopped still at her words, then rushed over and held as tightly as I could onto the woman’s torn remnants underneath the blanket. I brushed a hand over her platinum hair, trying to cry tears I had no eyes for. Her own silver-grey eyes barely held a spark of life left in them. I grit my teeth forcing down undignified thoughts that came to my mind. Thoughts of remaining where I was and letting my escorts return alone. ‘The mere idea of such a disgraceful recourse would be beneath me,’ I seethed. Then came conceit and disregard. I started to reconsider my previous intentions and limitations. Those were fading from my mind quickly, replaced by indignant spite. I started drawing in magic from all around. The flow resisted at first since I needed to overpower the current outside, but I wasn’t going to stop. ‘I came here to say goodbye, but even after so long, that is the one thing I could never do.’ Lastly came my constant apathy and hatred for the world, taking hold and clouding my judgment. I focused my magic more strongly than I ever attempted before. I was a necromancer. I dedicated my life to understanding mortality and death and controlling it within the bounds of morality and balance. I could accept that someone I cared about would die eventually, after all. Death is a component of life. But not this death. Not this life. “I refuse." Black lightning arched across my spiritual projection as I kept drawing in more and more power. If I had gums, they’d be bleeding from the tension in my gritting teeth. ‘Where was the balance of life when the Iron Inquisition sent army after army to their deaths because they decided they could afford it once the country won the war? Where was the morality of humanity when the Silver Tower decided they wanted my Reanimation spell, so they uncovered where we hid and sent the armies after us wherever we ran? Why was it that they didn’t stop no matter how much we bartered, threatened, raged, or begged? Why was it that they only stopped once I slaughtered them all after it was already too late?!’ “I refuse!” I didn’t care about the balance of life and death. I didn’t care if I would be poisoning the realm of Equestria to death if I brought her with me. Did Luna actually expect me to come here and be content to just say goodbye and leave?! Was she insane?! And worst of all was cold and unconcerned Death… I made my Reanimation complete its course, whatever was left of it upon my being. “Mistress of faded and fallen, hear my words! I'm taking this one back with me, regardless of your impression of what should and shouldn’t be!” There was the sound of breaking. The memory was being torn asunder and drawn into the figure in my hold. “Until my last breath, I reject your claim on her!” Right before the world tore to nothingness, I finally cast my spell. The memory bubble gave way to the raging oblivion outside, and I soon knew nothing but darkness... “Took you long enough.” Death’s matter-of-fact tone drew me back to consciousness, gradually followed by an awareness of my surroundings. I found myself sitting on the stone floor of Death’s surface, holding my wife’s sleeping form. “On one hand, your reaction could be interpreted as a tantrum. On the other, it could also be described as a man finally working up the courage to reach out for what he wanted regardless of whatever eventual consequences may come. Lucky for you I have no reason to be upset over your rather childish display, and instead endorse your ability to challenge me. Even though all you had at your disposal was the influence I gave you over me.” I froze and forced down a shudder of fear once I registered the implications of this fact. ‘I’ve rejected Death. She’s notoriously sensitive about that.’ “...I’m sorry. I may have had a moment of insanity there,” I attempted. “Did you really?” she asked. “You seemed pretty convinced that I was the one whose ‘impression of what should and shouldn’t be’ was mistaken.” I sighed. “You’ve lived before, you know that there is only so much the mind can take before-” She cut off only increasing in indignation, “You went into that memory alone. You had Luna and Cadance with you, but you decided to leave them behind. Do their efforts so far mean nothing to you?” I had no retort. I bowed my head down in defeat. “You don’t know what she means to me.” She spoke in a haunting tone, “Needless to say, you no longer are of Vertigus.’ I looked up. Her gaze was emotionless, as if any concept of life was suddenly as alien to her as the concept of death was to the living. I was currently being rejected by Equestria. I was now estranged by Vertigus as well, first the banishment of exorcism and now this. I no longer had an afterlife anywhere. “I don’t suppose you would be gracious enough to let me try to fashion an afterlife for myself and my spouse, would you?” She regarded me evenly, contemplation coloring her blank gaze. "You’ve severed the both of you quite thoroughly from me with that stunt of yours. Between that and your new choice of residence, I no longer have any connection to you. Although..." She closed her eyes in deeper thought, and sighed. "Give me a moment.” The Endless then produced an odd device out of nowhere and placed it against the side of her head. The device gave off the sound of ringing before it sort of ‘clicked’ and there seemed to be a voice coming out of it. “Yeah, hi. Is this the Death of this world?... Well that’s convenient. No, your daughters called me and my sister. Yes, that’s the one. No, we’re not here to take the boy home. He’s been banished - listen... Okay, I see you’re making a lot of assumptions there. Have you even talked to them? Luna and Celestia. Well I’m certain you could make the time to visit your own daughters if you really wanted. It doesn’t, it’s… never mind. Okay, look. I’m not taking him back, he has nowhere to come back to. He’s still alive, so no... seriously? Okay, that’s not... oh for the love of - SHUT UP! Listen to me. You’ve taken just enough interest in him to know how to condemn him, but not enough to realize that maybe your own daughters had a reason to take him under their wing? One of them is trying to adopt him for Dream’s sake! How does her history matter?! Look. You can continue sending creatures from Vertigus at him if you’re so desperate for confirmation, but if either he or his spouse do die in your realm I expect you to take responsibility for them!” A lot of outraged shouting came from the other end of the discussion for a while. Death just tapped her foot in impatience. “I appreciate the understanding. And as a genuine piece of advice from an Endless of all things, the boy and his spouse have an affinity to my aspect. Consider that maybe the two of them can take care of some of your responsibilities after a bit of training.” After a few moments of silence, she concluded, “Thanks for your time,” then hung her device back into her pocket of nothingness and faced me again. “So. Good news, you won’t be a couple of wandering spirits for the rest of eternity once the both of you die because the lady in charge, who happens to be Celestia and Luna’s mother, also happens to be an overworked goddess who isn’t willing to delegate any of her responsibilities to anyone who she isn’t confident would do the job perfectly. Hence a lot of stress and pent-up frustration that she can’t take the time to look into solving. The bad news is, that said goddess is likely going to make sure you’re going to be able to take up some of her responsibilities and do them perfectly. That means she’s going to up the ante on the creatures this world automatically sends your way in a test of both you and your spouse’s capabilities and character. If you pass, you’ll get a job and a place you might belong, as well as a lot of responsibilities. If you fail any of her ‘tests’, then she will up the ante again and again in a sort of ‘recovery course’, until either you recover the course or you die. So I suggest you do your best to become fit for whatever specific role in this world she might have for you two.” I nodded my head slowly, only managing to follow what had happened to some extent. 'We're not her problem anymore, she passed us onto someone else... who will likely take the first chance she gets to get rid of us.' "So one last chance? Fit in, don’t die?” “Essentially,” Death nodded. “Which boils down to finding alternative ways to deal with the things that will be sent your way. Subduing without killing would be great, peaceful resolutions would be even better. That said, I would also appreciate it if you could send the creatures back to Vertigus alive with the return spell we’ll be leaving for you to use on them. Though I’ll understand if you won’t be able to do that for every single rabid Barghest that might be dropped on you at the most inopportune time. Especially since innocent lives will inevitably be put in danger.” “I’ll try to fit into this pacifist world and go for more peaceable responses to adversity… however I won’t hold back if those I care about are in danger.” “That’s a morally gray area that you will need to justify after the fact,” she stressed. I nodded in understanding, then continued trying to work out the information I had just come across. “...Thank you for your benevolence.” She seemed to eye me expectantly at that. I stroked my lover’s hair, which was now slightly shifting green and ebony. Oil flowing in water reminiscent of the Princesses' manes shifting and flowing like rivers. I continued, “I sincerely regret what I said earlier. Though I imagine you might’ve expected me to react the way I did, it doesn’t make any of it any less hurtful.” “Relax, it’s not an issue,” She insisted, animation slowly returning to her features. Her shoulders lowered slightly. “If anyone knows what it’s like to be rejected, it would be you. I get it, you love your wife.” Her brows furrowed. “Well, betrothed, really. You two never had the chance to officiate anything, have you?” “...We were going to wait until we settled.” She shifted her weight to the side and her animation fully resumed. She sighed. “You know, you could’ve tried asking me if I would be willing to help you get her back. It breaks my rules as opposed to my usual bending of them, but then again you are an unaging demigod of death now. The rules are more flexible in your case. So why didn’t you try to ask?” I recognized what she was doing. She wasn’t berating me, she was genuinely trying to communicate. I tried to answer honestly, “A bit of spite. A bit of the same skepticism that kept me alive so far. After all, this wasn’t something to ask lightly. It wouldn’t be right to ask you for something like this no matter what the circumstances were. Most importantly, however, I didn’t want to be given this on a platter regardless.” I made a motion of taking a deep breath although I had no lungs in my spiritual projection. “The truth is that, whether it makes me wise or a fool, I did start the journey ready to say goodbye. I didn't want to risk anyone's safety, and I most certainly did not want to subject my wife to life after death. But deep inside, I think I knew better. I saw what was coming, I just didn't..." I sighed tiredly. "I don't know anymore. I wanted to do this myself. I wanted to overcome this difficulty, a trial on my own, to earn her back. Of course, I wanted my lover back, but as any sapient creature does, simply being given what I want takes away from the value of life. It’s the reason why you give life meaning, why Despair makes life worthwhile. Without Despair, there is no Hope. Without you, there is no Life… I hope I didn’t come off as pretentious in any way.” She shook her head in thought, “No, you didn’t. It’s nice hearing someone say it.” The Endless drummed the fingers of her left hand on her right arm in contemplation, though not regarding the discussion itself. It’s been too long since last she spent time as one of the living, her fidgeting and shifting now were mechanical, an emulation carried out in an attempt to gleam memories of her time alive, in order to recall something she was having trouble remembering. “You managed to effectively pierce the veil between life and death far beyond what Orpheus managed to do, you’ve also further weakened it through your desperate use of your reanimation spell. All you needed left was to provide and use your own desire for your loved one to live, the same way anyone alive does for an endangered loved one. So I suppose that for a precedent, this is decent enough to constitute letting the Faded Dead return to the realm of the living. Of course, as you’ve forced yourself beyond what’s safe to perform...” An image was shown of my sleeping alicorn body underneath a waiting Luna, with one of Luna’s dolls emanating necromantic energy in my grasp, but an entirely destroyed horn on my forehead. “...You’ll be feeling the consequences for pushing yourself for however long it will take your demigod body to heal.” I couldn’t take my sight off the doll. As I held tighter to my wife, my body in the waking world seemed to do the same with the doll. “Is that where her soul is tethered?” “Right. About that. What you likely aren’t aware of, is that while you finally ran your reanimation spell to completion, while still in the depths of my realm...” I coughed awkwardly at my little… fatal mistake. Death merely stared at me judgingly for my idiocy before shaking her head and continuing, “Yes, while you were doing that, your physical body reacted about as to be expected for a body you’ve interrupted your syncing to. Your unconscious mind and muscle memory were taken over by your alicorn affinity and desperate desire to survive. Luckily they managed to keep you alive. Luna referred to it as a 'trance state'. You were just sleepwalking." "I see..." "As an aside, your conscious mind was never tied to your body beyond a few threads. It’s an absolute mess right now, when I let you return to your mortal shell you'll find a real blast zone in your head, now that you no longer have your soul seals keeping your consciousness in one piece. You're going to take even longer now to finish binding properly... that is, you would have taken longer if it weren't for the fact that Luna will undoubtedly come and fix the mess you've made of your head. Still, there may be some side effects." I nodded, "I'll deal with them when they come. and I'll... figure out how to show my gratitude to Luna and Cadance." "Like I said, just do your best. You're on thin ice. Finally, when you channeled all that energy from my furthest depths, your physical body underwent a rather… impressive reaction...” ~~~ 🌙 ~~~ “It started,” Lady Death warned. She had briefly explained what she previously anticipated my charge’s reaction would be. The reason she didn’t warn anyone was because she understood that he needed to do this, regardless of what he'd choose. In hindsight, I should've known. It's been ten years and he could not move on. Did I believe he was simply being dramatic? For someone like him to actively try and fail to let go of someone, that would be either obsession or something rare indeed. I was a selfish fool. I was just impatient and wanted him to move on sooner rather than later, perhaps even be his shoulder to cry on. I didn’t even stop a moment to think what I was asking of him. Death energy accumulated within the tiny body in my hold. He was engulfed in a pitch-black aura, the seal my sister and I placed on him glowed stronger until it shattered like glass. His horn was channeling the abyss before it exploded, embedding shards across the far walls. I only gave that a passing notice, however, more concerned that he was no longer protected from his own harmful magic. And yet, he didn’t seem to be affected negatively. My child’s mane coursed with black and crimson, but otherwise, his health remained the same, sans shattered horn and… His eye sockets glowed red again, and the sound of bell chimes returned. He got up slowly, not acknowledging anyone else in any way. He was in that damnable trance again. He scanned around the room. Eventually, his view landed on the gifted dolls I kept on my bed. He reached out to one of them… And it flew over into his grasp. It happened too quickly, I could not stop it or throw it away. My colt’s hold would not give and the possessed toy would not tear in my fearful pull. Before I could shout in panic, Death’s voice cut through my adrenaline-addled mind. “Relax, everything is okay. That’s just his wife.” Before I could even ask what she meant, the flood of magical energy already started to subside. His eyes no longer glowed, and his mane returned to its former appearance… mostly. There were still thin black or red lines running along its length. Once the magic subsided enough, I realized there was a connection between my colt’s body and the toy, which was now broiling with the black and green of necromancy. “His wife? No, forget that for now. He was enshrouded in a pit of necromantic energy earlier. Why didn’t he waste away into a rotten skeleton?” I asked. Death answered nonplussed. “While his body had access to not even a sliver of his magical energy until now due to your runes plugging his necromancy up completely, he was still affected by his soul seals, one of which being a resistance builder. He’s been steadily building up his immunity since he arrived here, however short his stay was.” I opened my mouth to interject but she continued, “However, in his trance earlier, his subconscious had full control of his body, including the seals on his soul. He recognized the seal that was keeping him from dying from the massive influx of pure, unfettered necromantic energy springing directly from my further depths, so he opened it fully. Sadly, while this action undoubtedly saved his life, it damaged all of his seals beyond any use. The only reason why he survived such a catastrophic failure was because his Reanimation spell was also empowered by the influx of necromantic power, as well as by the remaining divine power you and Cadance left behind.” “All of that sounds a bit fortuitous. Not that I’m complaining, of course,” Cadance spoke. Death shook her head, “He is a one hundred and seventy-six-year-old genius. He dedicated most of his life to his craft, to the point where he could weave his spells in his sleep, as you could see. What happened was less a possibility and more an unavoidable outcome from the moment he went into his trance, as long as he had the desire to survive. A desire that he had more of right now than he ever did in his entire life because he wanted both himself and his spouse to survive. And finally, there’s the divine magic I’ve already mentioned. The stuff tends to help the caster quite a bit, to the point where I believe he is now more resistant to the side effects of his necromancy than he’s ever been in his entire life… save for a couple of special circumstances in the past." I only held him tightly during the explanation. “So it was a combination of fortuitous elements working in tandem towards keeping my colt alive. You won’t hear me complaining.” I regarded the connection he had to his.. spouse. It seemed that most of his necromancy was being funneled into the toy, which had a faint star of a soul shining within, apparently feeding off the dark energy heading to it. ‘We certainly can’t seal away his power anymore. At least not in good conscience, if the flow of magic is truly sustaining the poor dear.’ “How is it that the girl’s soul is being kept alive with death?” I asked. “Same way your colt used it to fuel his reanimation spell,” Death supplied. “Only in this instance, he no longer needed divine energy to create a living body, merely Necromantic energy in order to contain her soul and stabilize it. She could be described as being held on life support, in a sense.” “Couldn’t you help her?” Cadance asked. Death turned and gave the inexperienced princess a queer look. “Depends. Are you willing to give me the lives of a country’s worth of innocents in return?” Everyone just stood there in incomprehension. Eventually, Discord spoke first, casually munching on the remains of a broken glass of chocolate milk like it were candy. “Boy, and they say my deals are bad.” Delirium walked up next to the draconequus, “Sister, don’t be mean.” “I’m not being mean,” Death retorted. “That doll is housing the soul of someone who will live on for as long as her spouse will, as per the wording of his ritual he carried to give her new life. Do you know for how long an unaging demigod tends to draw breath? Honestly, I’m at a gross net loss in this exchange as is.” The dark lady then turned back to Cadance and offered her hand for a shake, “So do we have a deal or not?” “I… ugh… on second thought…” she stopped stuttering when she noticed the playful grin on the Endless’ face and the wiggling fingers on her extended appendage. “Oh! You were joking, weren’t you?” “Honestly, the boy was right. You really need to be more careful when dealing with other ancient entities.” “What happened to your milk?” Celestia spoke up, still in her seat. Discord shrugged, licking some of it that was left on his lion’s paw, “A horn fragment projectiled through it. Tasted like butterscotch milk. Also, its sibling apparently had it in for Shining. Went straight for the heart.” Cadance seemed like she was about to faint, “W-what? SHINING?!” She ran past the draconequus who was rolling his eyes at her display. As she found her husband alive, Discord was taking the liberty of griping at her, “Oh, relax. He’s a unicorn, remember?” Indeed, Shining was still breathing, although with a painful look on his face and a substantial amount of blood on his pelt, coming from a nearly closed wound on his chest. His horn was alight with healing magic, a bloody and extremely sharp-looking horn fragment on the floor nearby. 'He didn't even let out a peep as he healed an otherwise fatal wound... I looked at the former Captain in a new light.' “Gotta admit,” Shining said as his wife arrived at his side. “The kid is definitely dedicated. He doesn’t even need to be awake to try and hurt someone. It’s scary but impressive.” “To be fair,” Discord cut in, “if your pelt wasn’t enhanced with protective magic, you wouldn’t be able to pull the horn out and would be in the hospital wing right now. Or, you know, you could’ve just accepted my offer to help.” “No thanks, I’d rather take my chances healing myself.” Discord seemed to take offense to that. The two then had a staring contest, up until Delirium wandered over and joined in, making it into a Marexican standoff for no reason. Discord eventually gave up first, “Fine then, I know when I’m not wanted.” He then grabbed Delirium under her arms and held her to his chest like a kitten. “I’ll be off on a little vacation. Hopefully, when I’m back you all will have learned some manners.” Then he brought up his talon to snap, then had a look of reconsideration for a moment then snapped with a malicious grin on his face. “A parting gift… Actually, how about two?” He smiled as he snapped a second time. “Ta-ta!” And with a final snap of his talon, he was off. I blinked at the development. “Did he really just leave?” I asked, pointedly ignoring the childish prank he pulled on Shining Armor. “It would seem so. Though I wonder what he meant by ‘gifts’…” Cadance was just as confused, apparently not aware of her husband’s new fashion choice until she turned around. Tia spoke, “His second prank will surface eventually. Hopefully, it won’t be harmful.” “I don’t get it. What’s the first one?’ the former captain asked, somehow missing the massive sombrero on his head. And his sudden unshaven and dirty appearance. As well as the rest of his bandito outfit. He merely noticed Cadance holding down her laughter with further confusion. “As fun as this was,” Death said, “I suppose it’s time for me to leave as well. I’ll keep an eye on your acquaintance and make sure my sister doesn't destroy the planet with his help. Before I go, I’ll just give you the return spell and tell you about a few other developments you will likely find relevant.” I only gave passing attention to Shining’s cry of outrage or Death’s mentioning of our mother. Tia would figure it out and make a plan anyway. I wasn’t needed. I needed to see the extent of the damage on my charge’s horn… It was destroyed all the way to its root, though it seems his Reanimation spell did close the wound. If he was a unicorn, he would’ve lost his horn permanently. As is, he’d require at least a year to recover with medication, possibly less if his affinity offers some kind of health benefit. Death and life, and all that. I conjured a cast to keep his horn protected and clean. “I thank you all for your aid this day, but I think I’ll have to cut things short. I feel I’d like a short rest with my colt if none of you mind,” as I muzzled his form underneath me. No one seemed to have any objections and left in an orderly fashion. I focused, thinking about what I knew of the boy so far. Soon enough, harmony took effect, and I stopped seeing only the figure I guarded over and started perceiving his potential, glimpses of his possible destiny. ‘Survivor. Memory. Grief. Healer.                   Fear. Understanding. Perception. Insight.’ It was like feeling a tapestry with my hoof and recognizing what the image was by touch. I already knew him well enough, all I was perceiving now was how those traits would come into play in this world. My wishes on how they’d play out took a step back, I wouldn’t make the same mistake now that I did earlier. Anchor. Fulcrum. Medium. Seeker. Searcher. Guide...’ This wasn’t about me. It was about him. It was his life, all I could do was help him become someone he’d be happy to be. “Asclepius Acheron.”