Chapter Two: Rebirth
Sunset had no idea what she was doing or if it would work, but damn it if she wasn’t going to try!
After countless hours at the library, pouring over books, online PDFs, and occult articles, Sunset had an idea of what she was doing. And after nine days spent living in “the gloom of death”– which entailed sitting around her apartment wearing Fluttershy’s old clothes every second she wasn’t at work and abstaining from salty foods, according to her numerous sources– Sunset was finally ready to try her hand at a necromantic ritual.
According to human occultism, necromancy was, quote, “the apex of all magical art in the world”. But human magick was such an unreliable joke compared to unicorn magic– even amongst common humans– that she didn’t know how much Equestrian Magic she could apply to the concept. Plus, it wasn’t like she could go through the mirror and look for credible magical solutions in Equestria without answering a few questions. So she had to rely on what she had on hand.
Sunset unpacked her bag, pulling out a jar of ash, five rose quartz stones, incense, some herbs, candles she bought in a questionable store, and a few pages of notes. The basic idea was that she was going to use the magic in Fluttershy’s gemstone, combine it with these earthly trinkets and the ritual she had thrown together...
And then…
Well, Sunset didn’t really know what would actually come from this. This was like adding an electric current to a paper clip, some gum, a cell phone, and a refrigerator magnet and just hope that it did something! The odds were not in Sunset’s favor as far as success.
She made an agreement with herself that if this failed, she would try her best to move on. As impossible as necromancy seemed, that sounded about as hard as stapling water to a tree!
“Well…” Sunset said to herself, “Here’s hoping…”
She spread the ashes to make a thin circle around Fluttershy’s gravestone, big enough for the entire grave. At four positions in the cardinal directions, she placed four black candles. In five more positions– only one of which overlapped with the Northern candle– she placed a pink rock and stuck a lit stick of incense into the grass.
As she walked around the circle, from North to East, East to South, South to West, West back to North, she invoked the spirits of the cardinal directions in turn. Then she repeated the walk around the circle, instead invoking the elements and lighting the incense.
Sunset sat there for the better part of two hours, waiting for something to happen. But nothing did,
This whole thing felt like a huge waste of time. The grass was wet, and this was definitely going to ruin this particular dress. The smoke from the incense was noxious, the ash circle all but completely faded away with the wind, and the candles had all but died out.
With a sigh, Sunset stood up and put her hands in her pockets. She looked at the gravestone longingly as she contemplated just leaving all this crap here for someone else to clean up. But that wouldn't be very pagan of her, or even secretive, so she gathered up everything except the candles. This way it would just look like someone held a vigil here, paying their respects to the dead.
“Goodbye, Shy. I love you…” Shouldering her backpack, Sunset turned to leave this place behind.
“I love you too, Sunset.”
Frozen in place by that familiar voice, Sunset stood wide-eyed as her heart started racing! After a few seconds of questioning whether she actually heard something, Sunset slowly turned her head back to the gravestone. Sitting on the marble gravestone, pale and wispy like fog, was the love of Sunset’s life, even if she was post-mortem.
“Fluttershy? Is it really you?”
“Mhmm...”
Without a second’s hesitation, Sunset dropped her backpack and ran to hug the love of her life!
Everything started tumbling after Sunset passed through Fluttershy like running through smoke. Her legs, face, and chest surged with sharp pain as she crashed into the gravestone and plummeted onto the grass behind it. Sunset laid face-first on the ground, unable to breathe, wheezing an inhuman moan of agony as her mind caught up to the fact that she was such an idiot!
“Oh my goodness! Sunset, are you okay?”
Sunset coughed as her lungs fought hard to catch their breath. “I’m dying!”
Fluttershy frowned, “That is not funny, Sunset!”
Sunset laughed hysterically in between “Ow”s, as dew, blood, and tears ran down her face. Wriggling to get her legs off of the gravestone, Sunset ended up rolling onto her side, passing through Fluttershy’s ghostly boots.
“Oh Sunset, your nose is bleeding!” Fluttershy stepped around Sunset to sit down beside her on the grass. Concerned, she reached over to caress Sunset’s cheek, only to pass right through it. Sunset’s spine felt as though it had turned to ice, but she didn’t care in the slightest.
“Sorry.” Fluttershy apologized.
“It’s fine, Shy... So it worked? The ritual actually worked?”
“I think so. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything earlier. I didn’t know if you would hear me, since I’m, you know... dead.”
“Well, at least now I know that I didn’t do all of this for nothing!"
"How is Angel Bunny? Is he okay?"
"He's doing alright. He had to take some time to adjust to my place and the fact that you're not around anymore. But all in all, I think he and I are starting to bond."
"I'm so glad to hear that! He isn't giving you too much trouble, I hope?"
"Oh, don't get me wrong, he's an absolute shithead and he drives me up the walls! But I'm working on him."
"Well at any rate, that's good to hear."
They sat for hours, talking and catching up as if nothing had happened. As surreal as it felt, Sunset felt like a fire that died out two weeks ago was being stoked back into a roaring flame! She felt complete, being reunited with Fluttershy, even if only for a few hours.
But, sooner or later, for worse or for better, all good things must come to an end. “Hey, Sunny?”
“Yes, Shy?”
“I love you, and nothing can ever take that away from us. I’ll always be watching over you, so don’t cry over me being... you know.”
“I love you too, Shy! And... I think it’ll be a little easier knowing that. It’ll probably still hurt like hell, but I’ll try to keep that in mind.”
“And I am still tied to this...” Fluttershy pointed towards the pink gemstone on the necklace, continuing “So, you’ll always have a little piece of me close to your heart.”
Sunset brought her hand to the necklace, gripping it lightly and regarding it for a moment.
Suddenly, Sunset felt something squeeze her hand! Looking down, she saw that Fluttershy was somehow taking her hand in hers, as if she were corporeal!
“Shy, you’re... you’re holding my hand!”
“Oh! I... I am! I guess... I guess if I try, I can sometimes actually touch things.”
Sunset was overcome with so many emotions. All at once she was excited because of the physical contact, fascinated by the fact that it was happening, wistful because she knew that it couldn’t last, and so thrilled that she was holding Shy's hand that she never wanted to let go! As wonderful as it all was, Sunset’s heart ached as she squeezed Fluttershy’s ghostly hand tighter. She couldn’t be with her late lover for much longer, and they could never be together again. The moment would evaporate and Sunset would long for the sensation again, just like every other intimate moment she’d ever had with Fluttershy when she was alive. It just wasn’t fair!
So they had to make this moment last, because it was all going to be over soon. “Could I...?”
Fluttershy awaited patiently, looking intently into Sunset’s eyes as she fumbled the words, “I’d like to do this again sometime soon. Can we... Can I... like, if I were to try to reach out to you–”
Fluttershy smiled and answered “Yes.”
Sunset took a second to let that sink in. “Yeah?”
“Whenever you want to be with me, just come here, cast a circle, and summon me. You don’t need the incense and gemstones, though; just some simple candles and your willpower will do.”
“Okay.”
“I have to go now, Sunset. You go home and get some sleep. And, uhm... maybe wash my clothes when you’re done.”
Sunset joined Fluttershy in laughing at that, and it felt wonderful. This whole experience made Sunset feel like a great burden had been lifted from her shoulders. “I’ll make sure to wash it for you, Shy. I just hope there aren’t too many stains from the grass.”
Fluttershy lingered for a moment, and then leaned closer to Sunset’s face. Sunset found herself doing the same, licking her lips nervously as she wondered if it would work...
Fluttershy’s lips touched Sunset’s and all her worries melted away as she lost herself in that kiss. They probably kissed for four or five seconds, but it might as well have been a lifetime! By the end of it, Sunset’s heart was pounding, and she thought it might burst out of her chest! Her forehead rested against Fluttershy’s as they gazed longingly into each other’s eyes.
“I love you, Sunset.”
“I love you too, Fluttershy.”
“Goodbye, my love...” And then, just like that, Fluttershy was gone, vanished into thin air!
Sunset looked down at her empty hand, still forming a grip around some unseen hand. Shy may be gone, but now she could take solace in the fact that her girlfriend was still with her, holding her hand even if it couldn’t be seen or felt. As sad as it made her, Sunset still smiled and felt content. At least Shy would always be with her, and now she had a way to spend time with her. That filled Sunset with hope, and the heartache gave way to the feeling of true love.